Darkness. Light. Two opposite realities, yet they share one universe. A realm where those two constantly battle for dominance over the other. The realities of which light and dark lie are beyond what man could ever dream of. It's here where those who are caught between these two forces are shown the bright side of darkness, and the darkness of light. The gray area. Purgatory. And this was within the depths of space where these two forces were to become one.

Within the realm of distorted isles and rocks floating like castles, what appeared to be a massive mobilization set afoot. Lofty footsteps were taken as large, alien-like silhouettes growled and snarled. Many raised their heads as they looked up at some pitch-black rock that floated liked an upside-down spiked castle. It looked like something out of a distorted nightmare. Many of these creatures floated off the isles and closer towards the castle, drawn in by something telling them.

Gathered around the crevices and cracks, many stood outside as pitch-black raced inside, where there was no light shimmering. What could've been made out, however, was a faint outline of some distorted beast who was heavily breathing.

The image of that vast twinkle continued rousing it. 'That light I saw…it was so bright. I thought I was mistaken, but…that light…yes. Yes!' His shuddering body seemed to have stretched out a claw, which created a crater in the dark ground.

The entire castle shuddered, startling and arousing many of the alien-like beasts gathered.

The blackened beast lowered his head, exerting a rainbow breath that faded to nothing. 'That light, I must have it. I need my light. I need it!' The airspace around the beast began to shudder as gravity was overturning on itself. The beast shuddered before its aching form arose, emitting a bloodcurdling, shrilled shriek that could split eardrums out of sheer fright. The soundwaves echoed out of the castle, causing all the other monsters to shriek at the war cry.

"Someone…anyone! Find my precious light! Guide it home to me…now go!"

The beasts opened their maws, responding as they flew off. They spread all around, disappearing into realms far off.

The black beast heavily breathed as he remained in his cold prison, his silhouette fading. "My light…you can't hide anymore. I know you're out there…and I will take what is rightfully mine alone…"


In the realm opposite of darkness, a harsh but vibrant sunlight beamed down on an oasis. The isles of soft, white sand was smooth, without even a speck of trash or shells clammed along the rims. The waves went in and out, bringing blue forward and black.

The serenity of this place was so peaceful…until the calm waves were splashed by Cana stepping into the water, clad in her bikini.

"ALRIGHT! BEACH PARTY EVERYBODY!" she chimed, with several other guys and girls behind following her.

"YEAH!" they all yelled in sheer joy, fisting the air with bright smiles with their Pokémon.

Swablu chirped sweetly as she floated in the high air, catching a cool breeze. Beside her, Lisanna's Rufflet sailed with glee. In the waters, the girls were in their swimwear as they were flocking in the water. Near the shore line, a lot of the land based Pokémon were stretching along with their Trainers as many others were settling down to relaxation and sunbathing. Everyone had big smiles on their faces as they were enjoying sunlight. All the aches and the turmoil they suffered for the past month had finally paid off, and now they're at the beach!

"Well this looks like fun." Kinana said, laying down her towel. "Right, Seviper?" Right beside her, the massive knife viper flicked her tongue as she was in a loose coil. Kinana giggled.

"Sure was impressive that the Cambire Foundation rented out this whole beach for us for the entire day." Mest commented.

"Well they had to reward us somehow." Lisanna chimed, Rufflet roosting into her arm as she held it out as a perch. "We've done a lot of work for them, I think they're just compensating us for all the trouble caused."

"Yeah, this is a manly beach!" Elfman roared.

"See? Elfman thinks so." Lisanna chimed in.

Mirajane walked up beside her sister, cheerfully smiling as Vullaby was in tow. "C'mon everybody, I think it's a great way for us to relax." She mused. She gestured over to the vendors and stands that were evenly spaced out. Behind there were hot dogs, snacks, ice cream, and a lot of things that associates paid and administered by the Cambire Foundation. "And besides, they were kind enough to give us all these delicious choices, so let's make use of it, okay?"

Mest sighed, but grinned. "Yeah, guess you're right." He looked over, seeing his Ralts repeatedly bang his head in the sand like some woodpecker. "Hey Ralts, you want anything to try?"

Ralts hit his head repeatedly until he stopped to look at Mest. A moment of silence passed between them before he resumed his hobby.

"Yeah, he likes to try something." Mest pointed out.

Lisanna and Mirajane sweat dropped behind him. 'How'd he figure that out while he's letting him get concussions?' Lisanna nervously thought.

Rufflet flopped down in front of Vullaby. "Hey, Vullaby."

"Yeah?"

"Do you wanna try making one of those 'sand castle' things these humans make? I've always wanted to try one of those."

Vullaby perked up. "Would I?! Let's go!" She waddled along, with Rufflet cheerfully in tow.

Out by the ocean, Asuka was hanging to a rope while her feet were on a small red board. She hung on while the board was dragged by Remoraid and Clauncher, her parents' Pokémon that showed her skiing. "Yeah~! Faster! Faster!" she cheered.

"Don't let go, okay sweetie?" Bisca called out from the shore. She was on her side along a beach towel.

"Okay!" Asuka shouted.

Bisca sighed. Beside her, Alzack came back with two hot dogs on crisp hoagie buns. "She sure is growing up fast, isn't she?" he mused. "To think she was so small not too long ago."

Bisca smirked. "Time sure does fly when you get older." She looked towards the sky. "But you know Al, who's to say?" Out farther, Asuka was laughing as Remoraid and Clauncher skimmed across the water. "This world's getting stranger every day, especially with these Pokémon around. Who knows? Maybe she'll grow up to be a good Trainer if she wanted?"

Alzack grinned. "That's up to her. Just as long as she's happy, that's enough for me. Now then…" He opened his mouth wide to eat the hot dog, but a Wingull cawed as it grabbed the food. He bit into thin air. "Huh?!" Looking up, he saw the Wingull fly away with the food in its mouth. "Hey! That's mine you thief! Get back here!"

Lisanna sweat dropped as she looked into the sky as she held a tray of food. "Oh dear, looks like trouble."

"Well isn't that what Pokémon are for?" Romeo questioned. "I mean we know Pokémon can fight each other for sport, but isn't like a felony or something for people to beat them up? I don't get it. What do you think, Dad?" Romeo looked over, but his father's towel was vacant. "Uh, Dad…?"

Macao and Wakaba had eager smiles as they had pink cheeks. Their goofy expression were directed towards the sea as it sparkles with firm girls. Lucy was splashed by Levy, soaking her smooth skin and her chest with water. She returned the gesture and splashed Levy, but she moved and soaked Kinana instead. The many girls were playing around, and as such, their assets jiggled with each shallow step, and the old timers were taking in every inch of it.

'If this is paradise, please let it last more than one day.' Macao begged.

'Please tell me this isn't a dream! We'll do anything to make this reality!' Wakaba swooned.

"Oh yeah…" Droy fawned. Off to the side, he and Jet were in the perverted line, small trails of blood running down their noses. "Now that's the spot."

"Yeah, man." Jet gazed at Levy in her swimsuit, her petite frame and gorgeous face sparkling. "They still got it!"

"Yeah!" all four men eagerly cheered.

With a snap of fingers, they all suddenly glowed. The next second, they turned into what looked like four cards that drifted into the sand.

"H-hey! What just happened?!" Macao shouted from inside the card.

"Yeah! Weren't we just seeing girls, now we're seeing the sun?" Wakaba asked confusedly.

A shadow loomed over the four cards. All four cards sweat dropped as Cana had arms crossed as she overlooked the four fools. Beside her, Prinplup beamed with pride. "You see, I told you something seemed weird about them." Prinplup pointed an accusing flipper at them.

"That you did." Cana walked up, squatting down to the cards with a raised brow. "Well, well, what do we have here? Having fun, peeping toms?"

"We're sorry!" They all cried out.

Prinplup perked his head up with pride. "Hmph, all in a day's work-!" Suddenly a beachball smashed into the back of his head. His eyes went white as he gawked. He fell forward, laying on the sand unable to move.

"Whoops! Sorry about that!" Natsu shouted from the distance.

"That ain't good." Gray groaned. "Wait a go, Natsu."

"Hey, it wasn't my fault! You shouldn't have caught me off guard with that serve!" he argued back.

Gajeel pinched the bridge of his nose while Aron slept comfortably in the sand behind. "Remind me again why I even bothered."

Sophie walked into the waters of the ocean. The smell of saltwater filled her nostrils as she took in the serenity of the sea. Her long blonde hair was shifting in the coastal breeze. Her pink lipstick and pink eyeliner really emphasized her beauty. She had on a dark brown bikini that did justice for her assets that have been growing well.

"Ha! C'mon, Dewpider! Catch me if you can!" Marill bobbed in the water, her tail sticking out as Dewpider reluctantly tagged along.

"Tch, even when you're evolved you can be annoying." He grunted as his legs kept him afloat. "Now where are you…?"

Watching her Pokémon play, Sophie smiled. 'It seems like only a short time ago Juvia and I caught our Pokémon, now look at them.' She saw Marill jump out of the water innocently while Dewpider yelled for space. Once again, she was reminded of Natsu and Gray, but giggled it off and turned to her friend. "Well then Vanessa, what do you wanna do?"

The answer was too obvious. The second Pularis was in a teal bikini as her wide hips and voluptuous frame were basking in the shades of Venusaur. She used his petals and leaves as shade like a tropical umbrella while a small pitcher of lemonade with raw lemons sat beside her. She was sleeping hard, much to Sophie's indifference.

'Well, guess I should've seen this coming.' Sophie figured. 'I wonder how Nic and Erza are doing?'


Juvia pattered along the water after a volleyball she, Lisanna, and Mirajane shared. Eevee followed along as well. When Lisanna served up her ball, it sped right for Juvia, but she wasn't gonna make it. At the last second, Eevee used Tackle and rammed the ball before it touched the water, sending it back at Lisanna.

"Thanks for the save, Eevee." Juvia praised.

Even soaked in water, Eevee wagged her tail. "Yeah, no problem!" She looked towards the shore, where Rhyhorn, Purrloin, and Gray's Ice-types were under umbrellas; Snorunt was of course chewing ice out of a bucket. "Hey, c'mon guys! The water's fine!"

Purrloin waved dismissively at her. "Mmm, don't wanna get my fur wet." She groaned.

"I no swim." Rhyhorn blunted.

"Yeah, and we prefer colder climates." Snover pointed out. "It's making me a little itchy being out here…" Beside him, Bergmite nodded in agreement, while Snorunt munched on an ice bucket like nothing else mattered.

Eevee pouted. "Aww…"

"At ease, my young acquaintance." Kadabra said, appearing beside Eevee. "Their types and physiology aren't suited for water. Don't feel discouraged because they weren't interested."

Eevee grumbled, but she understood. "I guess so…" she got an idea. "Hey, you wanna play treasure hunt with me? Let's see who finds the most seashells!"

Kadabra nodded. "Very well, if you insist. It'll help pass the time I suppose."

Along the shores further away, Rufflet and Vullaby were in the middle of making a sand castle…well, more accurately, a sand hill. Rufflet's depiction of a tower or castle wasn't spot on. He barely remembered the palace of Alvarez. But with Seviper's help they were following her instructions and edging it all out.

"Yeah, just like that." The viper responded. "Keep fanning out those edges until they meet each other."

Vullaby shifted sand with her small wing along the ends, making it look like a wall. "Hey, I think that I got it. Thanks, Seviper!"

"Yeah, thanks a lot." Rufflet chirped. "You know, for a snake, you sure know your castles."

Seviper pridefully smirked. "Well I was serving the empire for a short time. You tend to learn a thing or two when you're in human structuring for some time." Although when she stopped to think about it, she glared at the castle, which made her flash back to Lia. She hissed low. 'No, that was back then. This is now.' Her tail knife swayed in the sand. 'That place means nothing to me.'

"Hm?" Rufflet heard Seviper's crude hissing and looked back. "Hey, Seviper, are you okay?"

Realizing she was hissing aloud, she stopped. "Huh? O-oh, sorry. I was just…spacing out is all."

Vullaby shifted sand one more time, until at last she pulled away with beaming pride. "And…done!" She stood proudly above a simple tower of sand, which surprisingly stood as tall as the height of Rufflet and Vullaby combined. It had small engraves for windows and a small stick for a flag. "Tada! I call this gem, the 'Birdie Watch'! Pretty nice, right?"

'She could've thought up a better name?' Rufflet thought, but went along with it since Vullaby would say otherwise.

Vullaby hummed proudly, but then a small rumble came from the distance. This got everyone's attention.

"Hm? What's that?" Rufflet asked. He looked in the distance, seeing a sand cloud heading their way.

"A Sand Attack?" Seviper guessed.

Vullaby squinted, but her and everybody else looked horrified when it was Natsu's Darumaka. He was racing eagerly with Charmeleon as they were bolting across the sand in their direction.

"You'll never catch up to me! Out of the way!" Darumaka yelled.

"Kyaaah!" Vullaby squealed. "N-no! Wait! Wait-!" But it was too late. The sand cloud burst through the sand castle, exploding sand that Charmeleon dashed through next. Both took off while the sand dissipated, leaving Seviper and the two birds hovered in sand hills.

After one blink, then two, Vullaby began tearing up. She started to cry loudly, tears like comical waterfalls. "Waaahahahaaa!" she cried.

Rufflet comforted her with a wing. "There, there, it's okay. We'll make a new one! Promise!"

Shock diminishing, Seviper's temper flared. She angrily stared at Darumaka and Charmeleon and her tail began glowing purple for Poison Tail. "You…" She slithered after them. "Just wait until I sink my fangs into you two idiots!"

Far ahead, Darumaka didn't seem to care as he dashed eagerly. "YEAH! I'M BEATING YOU! HAHA!"

"Hey, slow down! You're gonna get yourself into trouble you…!" Charmeleon shouted. He suddenly felt a chill run up his spine when he heard something behind. Looking back, he yelled when Seviper had her tail overhead to swipe down. "GAAH! No, wait! Wait-!"

An explosion of sand was seen in the background as Darumaka continued his path dumbly, laughing all the way eagerly. Within the rush of sand, Charmeleon was spiraling in his own daze.

'I'm so killing that bauble when he's out of steam…'


On another part of the secluded beach, just a little further away from the rest of everyone who decided to tag along, basking under the sunlight with a large umbrella and a bright gray beach towel, Nic was lying on his back, his Pokémon all close by. Greninja had hands behind his head like him, Charizard was lying on his stomach, resting on his claws. Staraptor was snugged in the sand, with Kecleon taking in so much heat that her camouflage was reflecting the sand. Arbok was loosely slouched, leaving the only one active being Garchomp, who was in the open sand in front of Nic. On the occasion, one could've seen his enormous backfin breach as he arched back into the sand, the pressure massaging his scales and arched spine.

As Erza's Cloyster popped up from the sea, the saltwater revitalizing him after hard work, Erza walked to his side, taking her spot on a yellow towel in a white bikini top with a sunhat, along with white flowered red sarong like she wore on Caracole Island. Beside her, Slurpuff also had her own ice cream, though it was in a much bigger cup that could fit two Poke Balls. "

Here." Erza passed Nic a cup of mint ice cream. "I thought you like some."

Nic turned his head weakly as he sat up, accepting Erza's expense. "Thanks." He and Erza took a bite of their individual ice creams. Erza's was cheesecake flavored, while Nic's was chocolate chip mint. Much to their surprise their taste buds were elated.

"Mmm, this is really good. What do you think they put into this?" Erza wondered.

"I don't know." Nic responded. "You think it's Moomoo Milk?" He bit into the cream again. "I heard that's how it adds creamy texture and flavor to a lot of desserts."

Erza humbly grinned. "Yes, I do recall seeing quite a few catalogs back in Kalos." In her head, she memorized all the mouthwatering pictures of the cheesecakes with Moomoo Milk in them. She beamed with astounding pride. "In fact, I think I just recalled a couple recipes we can loan to the bake shop in Magnolia. It'd be an astounding exquisite taste for all of Fiore!"

Nic sweat dropped. 'I forgot how passionate she is with desserts.' He looked up. 'Still, I guess after everything that's happened, maybe we do deserve to relax. This might be all we get for a while…'

His mind dawdled off as he gazed at the sky. His mind flashed back to his experience beneath the Anthemusa, how his powers became unstable because of Lunala. He thought how crafty and deceitful Emmanuel was.

'I didn't think about it until now, what Lunala was telling me…it's obvious something's going on out there that I can't see yet, but…' He thought again to Emmanuel and his strategies. It made his eyes narrow. 'It's clear after Glacidia that I haven't been playing as smart as I should have.'

Erza savored her ice cream when she noticed Nic spacing off, quite seriously at that. "Nic? Is everything okay?"

Snapping out of his thoughts, Nic turned towards his wife. "Huh? Sorry Erza, did you say something?"

She shook her head. "No, nothing." She held a silence before speaking. "You've been rather quiet since we came back from Glacidia. Has that vision…still been bothering you?"

Nic sighed. He should've expected this. Even when he was looking toned down his mind was racing under pressure. "Guess it's not a big surprise anymore huh?" He saw the serious look his wife had that changed the cleansed tone of the isle. "It wasn't just that. It's just…everything. I don't really know how else to explain it." He looked down at his palm as he held the ice cream in the other hand. "When I was facing Emmanuel, when I realized he was a clone…something inside of me told me this could all go wrong. I wasn't thinking the way I normally would. Then came the Anthemusa and Lunala…if he was able to think that far ahead of me, then I can't help but feel responsible."

"Nic…" Erza sympathized with Nic, but she allowed him to continue.

"I know we're supposed to relax…but something inside my gut's telling me that I don't deserve it, even after all this. We saved people. We saved Pokémon. That's our job…but I feel that something's wrong with all this now. Is it because of Lunala? I haven't felt a weight like this on my chest since Lysandre, that I have to get better. Now. I despise the feeling of being rushed, you know that, but I…"

As Nic was on the verge of a miniature rush, a hand reached out and touched his palm. Flinching, he looked over at Erza, seeing her reassured smile.

"It's okay…I understand your pain." She looked down humbly. "To be honest, I feel that same way, every day…every minute when we're in battle. The need to get stronger when you know greater foes are going to be coming your way. You never know when that might happen…" She flashed back to Tenrou Island when Grimoire Heart attacked, and then to their hell against the Rivolta. "There were a number of times we weren't prepared for foes, and yet almost always we manage to get free…" she grinned. "Because you manage to step up when none of us could."

Nic was speechless. Erza's hand moved to his cheek as the cool touch sent a calm to one side.

"When Lysandre and Acnologia were still around…I've never seen you more serious before. The feeling of dread pushes you forward, Nic, and I deeply admire that about you." Her eyes softened some. "But…you know what I admire more about you?" She placed her cup of ice cream on the towel and cupped Nic's face, bringing their foreheads together. "It's that when those two events came to an end, I've never seen you so relaxed before. To see you earn such rest, and to see you so peaceful, well…I really hope that continues to stay, even when you know what will come."

Nic was silent. He allowed Erza to continue as he settled into their little connection.

"Now Nic…maybe a threat is coming, but everyone, even yourself, deserves a rest. You're learning from your mistakes…just be sure to pace yourself, okay?"

Nic softly smiled. He felt comfort wash over him. Even if he was gravely warned in some way, and maybe he can't ignore it, Erza was right. He needed to take a step back and think, otherwise he'd end up like a certain Dragon Slayer who didn't learn in the past. "You're right. Thanks." He cheekily grinned as he pointed at her ice cream. "So then…are you gonna finish that?"

Confused by Nic's statement, he pointed behind her. Erza turned around to see Slurpuff about to devour what was left of her ice cream. She bent down to bite, but stopped when a menacing aura in the form of a glaring Erza made the Meringue Pokémon shrink back, nervously laughing.

Nic chuckled as he watched Erza harshly chastise Slurpuff about eating her ice cream…again. He looked back at Greninja, who gave him a sympathizing nod. Nic grinned back and looked out towards the ocean, watching the sunlight beam across the waves.


Sipping from a coconut through a straw, Dereece leaned back on a chair beneath an umbrella. "Ahh, now I can get used to this. Warm air, a beach full of hot sand, and water to where you don't get hypothermia. Sure been a while after being on ice and snow for almost a week, right Joey?"

Dereece got no response by the chair next to him.

"Joey? Captain?" Looking over, he noticed the empty chair beside him, causing him to sit up. "Joey? Joey?! Where did he-!" Looking around, his eyes went towards the shores. Immediately he grew sore. "Oh…"

Cups of empty vanilla ice cream were washing up along the shores. There had to be about half a dozen, with another drifting to join them along the moist sand. Further into the waves, hugging his knees in the water, Joey looked down with soft eyes that were misting. The events of the past few weeks had dealt severe blows that he was breaking down from, and no one could blame him.

In the ripples at bathtub height he sat at, the crystal clear water was refracting light, distorting Joey's reflection through the ripples to show Camilla. His eyes started tearing up as he thought back to the first – and last – kiss he and Camilla shared before she faded away. That smile she had showed sheer happiness, the likes he never thought someone would have in the last moments of their life. 'Camilla.'

A wild Magikarp splashed in the distance, breaching for the coastal air. As the fish sprung up, a wild Pelipper swept in out of nowhere, grabbing its top fin with its mouth and flying off with the fish. The Magikarp yelped as it flailed helplessly.

Joey sighed. 'I know your pain man. To try and try…but in the end you can't help but realize it.' He stared at the water again with lifeless eyes. 'When you're nothing…nothing but weak and pathetic.'

From behind, Dereece walked up to him. "Uh…Captain Joey? Are you sure you're feeling alright…?" he knew it was a stupid question, but he felt like it had to be said.

"Hmm? Yeah. Sure." Joey mumbled half-heartedly.

"Look Joey, I know it hurts…" Dereece stepped to his side, looking down on him. "But you need to relax. We've been through a lot, let's just take today to enjoy what we still have, okay?" He looked around, finding what could get Joey's attention. His eyes drew towards Cana as she was drinking cold beer from a cooler, even with Prinplup chastising her. "Look, see? Cana's in her swimsuit. And look, see Vanessa?"

Vanessa stretched as she finally awoke after her long nap on Venusaur. The lemon-loving Trainer was currently eating the lemon humbly that was on the pitcher.

"See? You love Vanessa! Haven't you always wanted to see her in a swimsuit?"

Like all the energy was drained from him, Joey looked at the girls off to the side. He stared only briefly before dazing back the water, ignoring even their assets. "Thanks Dereece, but maybe later…"

Dereece frowned too, sadness overtaking him. He wish he knew what to say to his distraught Captain, but he didn't know how to reciprocate what Joey went through. He looked at the girls again, seeing them play. 'This is serious. Normally Joey would be looking at nothing but girls whenever he's at the beach. Ever since we came back from Glacidia, he hasn't spoken to any of the girls, let alone look.' He looked at him again. 'He really misses her…Joey.'

Joey mulled longer as the tides washed up against him. As a lone tide washed up against his lap, it swept in two small seashells. His eyes widened some when he saw that one was green, and another was purple.

Simultaneously, flashes of Broly popped in his head, along with Camilla. He's changed two lives that ended on their own accords for his sake, and here he was, bitterly mourning. In a way, he was damning their legacies. His teeth began gritting.

'What am I doing? Calling myself weak and pathetic, I can't believe that I've gone this low.'

"Alright. So I guess that also means that you can fair well now for yourself. You're on your own for training from here, can you manage that?"

Joey's fists started balling. 'Nic-senpai was willing to train me after I lost Bro, and now I'm sitting around crying again…no, I can't honor them like this. I'm on my own now, I can't save anyone if I'm just gonna whine about the whole time. I have to focus and be a man…' He raised his fist high. 'For her now!'

In a sudden punch to his own face, time slowed down as Joey's distraught face sharpened. Dereece gasped as he watched Joey hurt himself deliberately and drop into the water with a splash. "Joey, you okay man?!" he yelled.

Joey sat up as he ignored his bruised cheek. "Yeah, I'm fine." He said seriously.

"Why'd you just hit yourself like that?"

Joey stood up, his glare as serious as could because. "So I can get off my ass and get my head back in the game." His hardened tone surprised Dereece yet again. "Listen Dereece, I'm sorry I've been a pain. I've just had a lot on my mind is all, you understand. But I finally realized something…"

"Joey…"

"Look, you can play and relax if you want…" He pulled out all his Poke Balls. "But if I'm gonna fulfill the legacies that I was given, I can't rest and whine any longer. C'mon out guys!"

The three Poke Balls were thrown into the air. They all opened, revealing Joey's Pokémon along the shorelines.

"Alright you guys, it's time we get to work, so follow me!" Joey took off, leaving Dereece behind.

"I shall obey, Master!" Pidove fluttered as he followed with Trubbish and Quilladin behind Joey.

"Joey, wait-!" Dereece called out.

"Sorry pal, no time for slack!" He picked up his pace as he darted along the sand, getting his heartrate up. 'Maybe I'm being hard on myself…maybe I'm pushing a little too far…but that's part of what it takes to get ahead and get stronger. I won't settle for where I am. I have to aim for the top, it's the only way!'


"I'm still amazed that the Cambire Foundation was able to afford this whole isle just for us. Quite the occasion." Carla noted.

Pantherlily nodded in agreement. "Indeed. Which just goes to show how much power they've gotten since their influence on Earthland."

"Aye." Happy muffled, eating a raw fish. "They caught the most delicious looking fishies." he swooned.

Pantherlily's expression hardened. "That said, it's as impressive as it is disturbing at the same time. Normally a reward like this would take massive amounts of money. If they're doing this for just us, what does that say about their business."

Carla sighed as she sat her teacup down. "It stands to reason you are onto something. Honestly I've had that question myself. With supply and demand so out of balance, they would require as much funds for the materials and medics needed. On top of that their associates."

Pantherlily crossed his arms. "Well, no use in contemplating about it I suppose. For now, taking advantage of this opportunity after a long strife is probably for the best."

"Maybe this is just a one-time thing?" Happy pointed out.

"Perhaps…but you know Lily's right." Carla grinned. "So then, shall we make do with our day?"

"Aye!" the Exceeds cheered, but a rumble from the distance caught them off guard. They were blown off into spirals as Darumaka dashed through their way, sending Happy head-first into the sand, Pantherlily on his stomach, and Carla on her back with spirals in her eyes.

"HAHAHAHA! You can't catch me! You can't catch me!" Darumaka taunted behind, even though he lost Charmeleon hours ago. "C'mon Slowpokes, hurry up!"

He laughed merrily as he sprinted on, until a hand bluntly reached and stopped him.

Natsu picked him up as easily as lifting a toy, even when Darumaka kept scuttling like he didn't notice. "Woah there buddy. Simmer down." He told him.

"Heh?" Darumaka blinked, taking notice of his Trainer.

"Man, I almost forgot about you. You enjoying the beach a little too much there." He facetiously chimed. Darumaka laughed, answering his question. "I thought so. It's not so bad isn't it?"

"Alright, now is it your serve again Natsu, or…?" Gray looked shocked. Soon enough Gajeel also seemed creeped out.

"Huh? What's up?" Natsu looked back at them when he felt a deathly aura illuminate behind him. When he turned around, he had a look of fear when he noticed the dark aura around Seviper, Charmeleon, Pantherlily and Carla in their altered forms, and Happy with a sandy fish in his mouth. And they all looked upset. "Uh, h-hey guys?" Natsu nervously asked. "What you looking at?"

Pantherlily growled, as did Carla. Seviper hissed with a knife held up, and Charmeleon's maw was charging a Dragon Rage. Immediately Natsu and a clueless Darumaka felt a shiver run down their spines.

"N-now wait a sec! What's going on?!" Natsu argued. "Darumaka, what did you do?!"

"I don't know, I swear!"

Behind, Gray and Gajeel stood far back. "I told him letting his Pokémon out of sight was a bad idea." Gray said.

"I almost feel sorry for ole Salamander." Gajeel said. "Almost."

The deathly aura of angry creatures closed in on Natsu and Darumaka, both too bewildered as shadows overtook them. "WHY~?!" the Dragon Slayer screamed.


Far away from Natsu's misspoken peril, Sophie was walking along the shores of the isle, her feet tickled by the sand. As she enjoyed a nice little stroll, Dewpider was crawling besides her. "Thanks again for coming, Dewpider. It wouldn't be this assuring without you." She praised.

Dewpider sneered as he looked away. "Hmph, well, anything to get away from those deaf creatures." He complained. "Honestly, don't they know what the word 'personal space' means?"

"In our guild, I'm afraid that's not a thing."

Dewpider scoffed. "Whatever."

Sophie continued her path up the isle, leaving small footprints that would be washed up behind so no one could track her. She'd rather much go with Vanessa or Kadabra, but both were occupied hanging out with friends. For the first time, Sophie thought she could use some air.

Griffon shook hands with Sophie. "Hope you continue making memories."

"And hopes to you and your ways." Sophie smiled. "I hope you continue with the peace you make for yourselves."

"That's what we live for, right?" he winked at her.

Reflecting a little, Sophie realized that even she learned a lot within the past few weeks, that there are more people out there who are conscious of what they're doing like the Peace Jaegers. 'I didn't stop to think until now…how we actually killed people.' She thought to herself. Using her long span of memories, she thought back to the foes from far back in the Oracion Seis, to the Celestial World. 'Back then, they were out to kill us, but we didn't kill them. We were mercy back then…it's hard to believe so much has changed since then…' She thought of Jacob's death by Griffon. 'But I guess…this is what's part of the real world. A world where you can either be open to ideals…or die without acknowledging.'

Dewpider crawled by her when he stopped. Sophie also stopped to look out ahead of her. "Hm?" she saw something up ahead perched on a rock. "Say, isn't that…?"

Sitting cross-legged on a rock, Duncan was wearing his normal attire as he was fishing with a deluxe and eloquent rod. The bauble bounced across the waves until it sunk beneath. We narrowed his eyes as he started pulling. Behind him, Magmortar braced himself.

"Duncan." From the side, Sophie appeared. "What are you doing?"

Duncan grunted as he stepped up on the flat surface, trying to focus. Sophie looked at the water to watch it stir. She and Dewpider furrowed their brows and stepped back, getting a bad feeling.

With one final tug, the line shot up, pulling a Tentacruel out of the water. The massive jellyfish startled Sophie and Dewpider, leaving them perplexed while the Tentacruel returned to the water, glaring at Duncan.

He reached precariously. "Magmortar, use Sunny Day!" Magmortar complied and turned his arms into cannons. He reached up, combining to one bright light that radiated orange rings into the atmosphere. The sunlight got a little brighter, making the temperature increase.

Far away along the shore, Wendy looked up with Swablu, using a hand to shield her eyes. "That's weird. Did it get brighter all of a sudden?"

With the field set, there was a tension between Tentacruel and Magmortar as they glared at one another. Tentacruel suddenly lifted the frontal stinger and expelled saltwater, via Brine.

'Water attacks are super effective against Fire-types.' Sophie thought. 'What is Duncan gonna do?'

Duncan swiped his arm. "Use Flamethrower along the water!"

Magmortar aimed his cannons at his feet and fired roaring blasts of fore that shredded into the water. Hot wave sand steam came up in a massive blockade, blocking Tentacruel's attack. Tentacruel covered up as the steam created a hot, humid environment that forced him underwater until it cleared away. Once the steam settled, it slowly arose, but Magmortar was nowhere to be seen.

"Huh?"

"Thunder Punch!"

Looking up, Tentacruel was met by an electric arm from above by Magmortar. The attack landed right on the center jewel, creating loads of sparks that made the water spout everywhere. The waves caused Sophie to cover while Dewpider was almost off balance.

When the waves subsided, Duncan looked unfazed as the sunlight diminished a little. Magmortar dropped to his side again as the defeated Tentacruel slowly sunk beneath the tides.

"Hmph, need quicker speed next time." Duncan retorted. He then cast the line out again, resuming the fishing. Sophie, however, remained surprised.

'Amazing. He used a status move to boost his next Fire attack, even when it's not very effective.' She realized. 'He didn't use Sunny Day for just that, it also weakened that Pokémon's attack and made his Flamethrower hot enough to create steam to make a surprise attack. So this is experienced battling…memorized.' Deciding to break the tension, she walked up to Duncan while he was still focused on fishing. "I wasn't aware that you can also fish for Pokémon."

Duncan scoffed. "It's not unheard of. Trainers do it when they need Water-types."

"I see." She looked out at the vast ocean. "And there's a lot of Water-types out there I presume?" She didn't get an answer from Duncan. "Duncan, listen. You don't always have to train by yourself. There's a lot of us who are more than willing to learn from each other. You're in a guild; the least you can do is consider our feelings as well."

"That so?" Duncan had his hat shield his gaze, but he seemed to be frowning. "If that's true, then how come Nic always trains by himself? Wouldn't you think a Trainer like him would be more willing to spot you instead?"

Sophie wanted to rebuttal, but what Duncan said made her realize that there was a kernel of wisdom somewhere. She allowed him to continue.

"I know Nic's habits by now. He likes to train alone because he likes his solitude. If you're all thinking he truly cares for the guild too, wouldn't it make sense that he helps this world and teach? Perhaps you need to consider what we real Trainers want as well. We won't learn on our own just by leaning on shoulders forever you know."

Sophie's brow furrowed. "Duncan…" She trailed off. She knew better at this point and sighed. "Honestly, what does Joey see in you?" She heard splashing from the sea and looked out.

Dewpider was seen above the wavy water, his threads loosening from the hole beneath his body. It looked like he was making a net.

"Dewpider, what are you doing?" Sophie called out.

"What's it look like, I'm showing this crabby clown how a Pokémon fishes for its prey." Dewpider fastened the thread, which finally tugged when it reached the bottom.

Sophie modestly smiled. "Dewpider, as generous as that is, I think it's best that we…!" She saw the lining below Dewpider tug, meaning something was caught. "Huh?"

Dewpider's eyes glossed over as he chuckled. Using two legs, he yanked up the net until near the end. "Alright, come up!" Using his strength, he threw the netting into the air, causing it to disperse.

Inside the dispersing net was a small fish-like creature who elegantly sparkled with the seawater. It had magenta eyes with dark pink stripes separating the light blue bottom to the navy-blue top. Instead of one backfin, there were two butterfly-like wings with pink spots on them. Sophie's eyes widened in awe over the beauty of the small fish as it flopped in the air, meeting gazes with her for a brief moment,

"What…is that?"

"A Finneon." Duncan bluntly answered without looking. Sophie looked towards him in shock.

The fish plopped back into the water, head to head with an ecstatic Dewpider. "Yeah, I knew I would get one!" he beamed.

The fish blinked. "My humblest apologies, but by any chance…was that webbing belonging to you, good sir?"

Dewpider glared, ready for battle. "Yeah, so what? You just wandered into my territory. And nothing bugs me more than my personal space being ignored."

"I see…" the fish smirked in challenged. "Then perhaps you would give me the chance to remind you of the laws of the sea. There's plenty of space out there."

Sophie glared at the Finneon, anxious to begin. 'Looks like we'll be getting some experience as well. We may as make the most of this!' She reached out. "Very well then. Dewpider, Spider Web!"

Dewpider pointed his bottom at Finneon, where he expelled threads all over to ensure she didn't escape. They shot until they touched the sandy bottom, making a net that she couldn't swim through. "Heh, tough luck now that you're in my territory." Dewpider scoffed.

Finneon seemed humbled. "Perhaps." She took in a sharp breath. "Water Gun!" She shot a blast of water at Dewpider with deadly accuracy.

"Counter with Bubble!" Sophie commanded. As told, Dewpider took in a sharp breath and expelled clear bubbles that shot at the incoming jet of water. The two attacks cancelled out, leaving an open field of water between.

'If I use a Water-type attack, it wouldn't be very effective. I should be able to slow it down.' Sophie reached her arm out. "Dewpider, Infestation!"

Dewpider growled as his entire body shuddered. He expelled a swarm of small insectoid creatures that shot through the air and surrounded Finneon. Before she had the chance to dive, the swarm enveloped her in a cyclone, which collapsed onto her, making her flinch and itch irritably.

"Let's see a swim get that itch off." Dewpider chimed. "Now, Sophie!"

Sophie nodded. She reached out ahead. "Dewpider, use Bug Bite!" Dewpider sprung off the wave and into the air. He flipped down with a glowing beak to attack Finneon.

The fish, however, opened her eyes to register her attacker. "You're…quite the scummy bug, are you!" Her tailfins began glowing, processing a strong current.

Dewpider's eyes widened. "What…?"

Finneon flapped her tailfins apart, generating a strong tempest via Gust. The Flying-type move fluttered and stopped Dewpider in midair. He tried to fight the current, but it was too strong. He cried out as he was repulsed into the water, where Finneon tilted up and fired another Water Gun. The angle and the sharpshooting scored a critical hit, knocking him into the water like a fly.

"Dewpider!" Sophie yelled. She grunted as she pitied. "I had no idea this Pokémon could have Gust…I didn't think it'd have a Flying-type attack in its moveset learned."

Bubbled erupted from the sea and Dewpider gasped. He grunted as he steadied upright.

"Dewpider, are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." He replied. "Just winded is all."

Sophie had to chuckle at that comment, but her frown returned. As she glared back at Finneon as the effects of Infestation ate at her, siphoning health. 'We won't be able to get close to her if she uses attacks like that. Then how do we…?'

Images of Duncan's battle flashed in her mind. As she recalled how Magmortar battled, her eyes widened. 'That's it!'

Finneon flinched as the bugs from Infestation died down. "Gnngh, well, as tolerable as this has been, I'm afraid I have no more patience. Now…" She flapped her tailfins, creating another Gust. "Learn your manners!"

Dewpider glared as the forceful winds closed in.

"Dewpider! Use Bubble across the water!" Sophie commanded. From the corner of his eyes, Duncan glanced over.

With a huff, Dewpider's eyes glistened over and shot his bubbles again. However, unlike before, they created splashes in the water, making a small wall of water that Finneon's attack burst through, but when the water wall dissipated, Dewpider was gone.

Finneon looked confused. "Hm? What's this trick?" she looked around, but she didn't see her foe anywhere. "Show yourself!"

She got no response. Instead beneath the clear water, a pair of eyes leered up at her.

Sophie as she swatted her arm. "Now, Bug Bite!"

Finneon was startled when she felt a rush of water beneath. When she looked down, Dewpider gushed out and nipped at her as he soared, taking her into the air with him. She screamed as he continuously bit into her. He launched her further skywards, where the bugs nipped at her again.

"It worked!" Sophie exclaimed. "Seems there are more ways to battling than just moves alone."

Grunting, the Finneon glared down at Dewpider and the tailfins glowed. She shot more Gust.

"Now, Bubble!" Sophie commanded.

Dewpider saw the strong winds heading right for him. His eyes glossed over before he exerted a stronger breath, yelling out as a jet of blue bubbles expelled into the tempest. Sophie's eyes widened in surprise.

'Is that…Bubble Beam?'

The new move was enough to meet the attack in the center. The Flying and Water-type attacks mixed as their owners were glaring at one another. Soon enough the attacks cancelled out, making a shockwave that blew both back into the water. Together they plunged beneath the surface, where Dewpider realized he could use his remaining arms. He saw Finneon drift down onto his thread, where she found herself unable to move.

"Gnngh…what the?!" she looked up, seeing that Dewpider's Spider Web blocked her path. "What's this?! I…can't move!"

Dewpider hissed behind her. Finneon looked back, actual fear in her eyes as the spider moved in to attack.

"Bug Bite!" Sophie yelled.

Dewpider hissed as his beak glowed. He sprung at Finneon, who screamed in fright. The next instance, the water and thread spiraled as Dewpider nipped at her as he shot skywards, shooting her out of the sea again into midair. Finneon wailed as she was suspended, with what could've been the end.

Sophie held up a Great Ball. "Okay then…one shot!" She threw the Great Ball with as much accuracy as she could. The capsule made it to her side, where it opened and sucked her in.

The capsule plopped back into the water, where it bobbed up and down like a buoy that shook back and forth. The capsule shook once, then twice, then a third time…until it clicked.

Sophie humbly smiled. "Well now…that was sure lively." Dewpider crawled up to shore to present the new Pokémon to Sophie. Sophie accepted the Great Ball and pet Dewpider's water bubble. "Excellent work out there, Dewpider. I'm very proud of you. You helped us catch a new Pokémon, as well as a new move." He genuinely smiled at the Great Ball as sunlight glossed over it.

As Dewpider huffed and Sophie chuckled, Duncan was looking over to them before resuming his hobbies, waiting for the next line to be tugged.


The tides shifted along the shores smoothly, crashing waves every so often that it didn't seem so rough. Klefki chimed as she drifted along the currents, with Wendy's Swablu following to play. Lucy watched the two before adverting towards the vast ocean, her mind drifting off with the tides.

She watched Klefki swing around Lucy's keys as she was humming and having a good time. The Trainer-Mage was watching her keys tentatively as her thoughts brought her back to the water she was ankle deep in.

"It's out there somewhere, in this large world that we live in. It might be in Ishgar. It could be in Alakitasia. It could be on another continent; the possibilities are out of reach. But so we're clear, you're not getting any means of hints."

'Aquarius…' Thinking of the Celestial Spirit's words, she looked down at her palm. She was unknowingly holding what was left of Aquarius' key. She clutched the key tighter as her resolve strengthened. 'I swear, I won't stop until I find you again. And with the help of Klefki and everyone else, we just might find each other again.'

"Hey, Lucy!" Wendy called from the shores. "The guys are getting some food, you wanna get some?"

"Yeah, I'll be there in a sec!" she called out. "C'mon Klefki, you wanna get something to eat?"

Klefki looked back at Lucy's call. "Yeah!" She went to move, but her vision caught something below. In the water, she saw a red glow that was shimmered beneath the water. "Hm?"

"What is it?" Swablu asked. She saw Klefki drifting closer towards the light. "What's going on?"

Klefki stopped just above the water's surface. She stared into the crystal-clear refraction of liquid that was eerily smooth. She stared at the red glow in the form of an orb. Beneath the water was a star-shaped shadow that remained completely still. Curiosity turning to boredom, she hummed and tilted her head.

The light suddenly shifted. It went out closer towards the land, shifting towards Lucy's direction.

"Hey, wait!" In a rush, Klefki skimmed across the water to follow the shadow.

Lucy smiled as she and Wendy walked towards the shore. Lucy picked up on a strange sensation and turned around, seeing the bright core stopping beneath her. "Huh?" she looked down, her reflection distorted beneath. "That's weird…"

"What is it, Lucy?" Wendy asked. She noticed the red light as well.

"Wait!" Klefki and Swablu floated in front, ready to take battle positions in case of emergencies.

There was an eerie tension between them and the red core. They got into battle positions and readied for what might come their way. The bright core shimmered still until it dialed down. Seconds later, a swift splash came out and shot above.

In midair, they all bared witness to a brown star-shaped Pokémon that shot out of the waves. It had a bright red core with yellow edging.

"What's that?" Lucy gasped.

"A Pokémon!" Wendy realized. Using quick thinking, the Sky Dragon pulled out her PokeDex that she kept on hand.

"Staryu, the Star Shape Pokémon. Staryu apparently communicates with the stars in the night sky by flashing the red core at the center of its body. If parts of its body are torn, this Pokémon simply regenerates the missing pieces and limbs."

Lucy's eyes widened at the information. 'Communicates with the stars?' She watched the Staryu plop back into the water, staring at her.

"A wild Staryu, wow." Wendy awed. "It really does look just like a star."

Swablu tilted her head. "It looks so pretty…" she found herself staring at the red core, hypnotized by the shimmering red jewel.

Wendy tilted her head. "I wonder what that's about?" She turned towards Lucy, seeing her mesmerized, or otherwise lost in her own world. "Lucy?"

Lucy blinked. "Huh? Sorry Wendy, what was that?" They both looked ahead again, seeing Staryu blink its core. "Look." She pointed out. "What's it doing?"

The Staryu kept blinking its red core. It kept blinking at them, specifically the confused Lucy. Lucy wasn't sure what to say, but suddenly Staryu began swimming closer, curiously circling around the Celestial Mage. Lucy stayed put as the starfish inspected her, until finally it stopped in front, blinking.

"Okay, now I'm confused." Lucy worried. "Is it trying to say something?"

Wendy picked up on something. "I think it has something to do with you, Lucy."

"Huh?"

"Well, it said that it contacts the stars. Maybe it's reacting to your Celestial Spirit Magic. Maybe it's drawn towards you."

Lucy was stunned. She took another look at Staryu, seeing it blink at her. The longer she stared, the more she thought if Aquarius. The images replayed in her mind. 'Aquarius.' She clutched her ample chest with Aquarius' broken key. 'Maybe this is just another step I have to take. If it means seeing you again, then it's worth it.' Her determination lifting, Lucy spread her legs, a confident look showing. "Well Wendy, guess there's only one way to find out. Let's go, Klefki!"

"Okay!" Klefki floated in front, ready to take charge of battle.

The Staryu blinked twice before it straightened its posture, as if accepting the challenge. In a sudden show it blasted blue bubbles in a pressurized jet at Staryu via Bubble Beam.

"It's Bubble Beam!" Wendy warned.

"Then we'll just have to counter that." Lucy countered. "Klefki, Fairy Wind!" Klefki whipped up her Celestial Keys, whirling them in a strong pink gust that met Staryu's bubbles in the center. The resulting collisions became a sparkling burst that clouded the atmosphere between them.

Staryu took advantage of the dazzling arrays and snuck beneath the water. It closed the gap beneath until it spouted in front of Klefki.

'So fast!' Lucy stammered.

The wild Staryu's core shined purple and hot pink energy before expelling multicolored wavy energy that struck Klefki. The Key Ring Pokémon shrieked as Staryu's Psywave was strong enough to repulse her back. Staryu landed, blinking multiple times, as if saying something.

"What's it trying to say?" Klefki wondered.

"Not sure, but we think it has something to do with the keys." Lucy said. "Klefki, hand me the keys this one time!"

"Wh-what?" she quivered. "B-but I like the keys…"

"You'll get them back, sheesh! Just do it."

Klefki mumbled beneath her breath. Her urges of wanting the keys were driving her nuts, but Lucy's insistence was also leaving her contemplative. "…fine." She whipped her keys at Lucy. Lucy acquired all the keys and held them in her hands with a nod. Klefki pouted as she faced Staryu with a now empty key ring. "There, happy now?" she bitterly scorned.

The Staryu blinked once, as if giving its answer.

"Good…at least somebody's happy."

"Now we can really let loose!" Lucy reached out. "Klefki, use Metal Sound!" Klefki's key top turned a metallic metal and she emitted strong, sheering shockwaves that echoed outwards. The soundwaves blasted into Staryu, leaving it to cringe its body up and have a deep blue aura envelop the outline, sharply lowering its Special Defense.

"Wait a go, Lucy!" Wendy cheered.

Lucy smirked. "Now we can do some damage. Klefki, Fairy Wind! Let's go!" Klefki did as told and she swung her body around, expelling a pink gust that blasted into Staryu. The force was a lot stronger, sending the starfish airborne before splashing hard into the water.

"Alright!" Lucy cheered. "Looks like that did some…" she trailed off, her eyes adverting towards the floating starfish atop the water. "Hold on, what…?"

The bright glow atop the water got Klefki off guard. When she looked, she saw that as the glow faded, Staryu was back up. It blinked once, acknowledging its recovery.

"It regenerated?!" Lucy gasped.

Wendy blinked. "Wait…that had to be Recover. We've seen Nic use that before." Her brow furrowed. "Guess this'll make it harder to beat, huh?"

Lucy grimaced. An image of Aquarius appeared in her mind. 'Aquarius…' She could feel her hands clutch tighter. 'I swear, I won't lose you again! We have to win!' She swiped her arm, giving a command. "Alright Klefki, Astonish!"

Klefki was surrounded by a grim aura before she launched a dark illusion with mean red eyes at Staryu. The Ghost-type attack closed in, but Staryu expelled another Bubble Beam, this one strong enough to dissipate the ghastly illusion and engulf Klefki. The blast caused Klefki to shriek as she fumbled away in the air again, shaking her head to get the sparkles off.

Lucy held her balled fist. "Then let's try this! Use Metal Sound, one more time!" Once more, Klefki spun and shimmered metallic shockwaves that echoed out towards Staryu. The attack closed in, but Staryu instead dove underwater, evading the attack.

"Watch out, Lucy. It's gonna come up again!" Wendy warned.

"I know…and that's exactly what we're hoping for."

Klefki remained silent. She glared down as she saw a red core directly beneath. In a sudden splash, Staryu shot up at her, readying a Psywave.

"Now, Astonish!"

Staryu was directly in front when the Psychic-type attack was about to hit. Klefki expelled another dark illusion at near point-blank range, creating a shockwave that overpowered the Psychic attack and blasted Staryu away. Once again it flopped into the water. As it floated there, it began glowing.

'It's recovering again. This is our chance!' Lucy reached out. "Go, Klefki!" Klefki used her own impressive Speed to close the gap with Staryu.

When Staryu's Recover finally finished, the starfish looked rejuvenated. It was back up, but Klefki was already in its face, making the core blink.

"If you can regain energy, then so can I!" Klefki closed the gap and leaned in. She put her keyhole-like mouth on the starfish's top, seemingly giving it a kiss.

Lucy had circles for eyes and a flustered look. "Klefki! What are you doing?!" she shrieked. Wendy was beet red as she saw the affectionate assault.

As Klefki was continuing the kiss, the Staryu had yellow lines eroding around the body. Klefki backed away as the energy lines drained Staryu's power, creating a bright orb that traveled from the starfish towards the key ring's body. When it entered her body, Klefki glowed green, whereas Staryu slouched tiredly into the water.

In unison, Lucy and Wendy blinked. "Uh…what just happened?"

"I'm not sure…" Wendy murmured, still wrapped on what just happened. "But…did that kiss just suck up all that energy?"

"It did?" Lucy looked at Klefki, seeing her livelier than before. "Hey yeah, now that you mention it…was that a new move?"

Klefki twirled around in the air, peppy and full of energy. "Oh boy! I'm feeling great!" She looked at Staryu, seeing it still dazed. She looked at Lucy, proudly smiling. "Lucy, now's the time!"

"Oh, right!" stammering out of her shock, Lucy reached and got a Poke Ball out. "Okay, here I go!" She swung her arm, sending the capsule across the water at Staryu. The starfish was severely weakened to where it couldn't fight as it tapped on the core, causing it to get sucked in.

The capsule plopped in the water, where it shook several times; once, twice, then a third time. Until at last the Poke Ball clicked, signaling the captured.

Lucy's eyes slowly widened as she processed what was happening, and before she knew it she was smiling wide. She jumped in the air. "Alright!" she yelled. "We did it!"

Klefki grabbed the Poke Ball in the water and rushed towards Lucy. She plopped it into her hands and graciously nodded.

"Thank you, Klefki." She grinned. "You were such a big help."

"Congratulations, Lucy." Wendy praised.

"Thanks Wendy." Lucy looked down at her new Pokémon inside the capsule, seeing how it represented the star. Her smile served to grow bigger. 'I did it. I just might actually be one step closer to seeing her…Aquarius…'

"Lucy~…" A ghastly aura sent a shiver up Lucy's spine. Klefki suddenly turned comically annoyed as she trashed beside her. "Can I have my keys back?! Can I now?! Please! Please!"

"Hey, chill out, okay?! Sheesh! Besides, they're my keys! You just hang onto them!"

"Awww…"

Wendy smiled and chuckled with Swablu as they watched the pair argue.


Along the other side of the coast where the main camp was for the day, another paw skipped out. Eevee skipped out and gently dipped her head into the pile of clustered seashells, where she added one more.

"Hmph! There, let's see Kadabra top this." Eevee turned out. "Oh Kadabra~, find anymore seashe-!" Her eyes drastically shot wide of shock, disbelief rising. "Huh?!"

Kadabra was levitating over the sea, using his Confusion to show the hundreds of small seashells that he had found using his kinetic powers. He commanded them all slowly towards the shore, where they clustered slowly into a large pile right beside Eevee's. Slowly, Eevee's hopes diminished as she watched the stack get higher and higher, until was her height than a small hill like her own. By the time it reached the top, she had a bead of sweat and comical teary eyes.

"Mmm…showoff." She whimpered.

Kadabra used Teleport, reappearing besides Eevee. "There now, I believe I have collected enough seashells for our contest. Now then, let's see what you have…" He looked down, but all he saw was plain white as Eevee was drooping in shame. It was like a small gust could scatter her to pieces because of how broken she was. Kadabra nervously sweat dropped. "…oh. I see." He cleared his throat. "Perhaps we misjudged our little scavenger hunt a bit much."

"Yeah no kidding!" Eevee comically whined. "How did you even find that many to begin with? Did you even touch the water?!"

"I didn't have to." Kadabra looked towards the sea. "With my enhanced telekinetic abilities, I am able to become more aware of my surroundings. My psychic powers allow me to produce and control alpha waves in my surroundings."

"Alpha waves?"

"Yes. I'm able to make clocks go in reverse, machines to malfunction, I may even be able to produce headaches on command." Eevee swallowed a lump at this info. "However, I just evolved, so my telekinesis is still minimal. This was my best way to test it."

"Oh…I see." Being honest with herself, Eevee wanted to change the subject. "So…you can read the water?" she pointed a paw out. "Then what's over there?"

Kadabra turned towards the sea, looking in the spot where Eevee referred to. "Well now, let's see. Confusion!" Aiming his spoon, Kadabra opened a hole through the water. A slicing wave created a trail that made a clear way through the murky sand that made way towards the item. Eevee's eyes glistened in sheer awe.

"There, see? Now you know." He said neutrally.

"Oh! I'll go fetch it!" Eevee eagerly raced through the opening Kadabra made across the sea. She skipped over towards the opening's end, where she stood before the item. Curiously though, her head tilted in confusion upon looking at the item. "Hm?"

The item, however, wasn't a seashell. But instead, it was a blue stone, one as clear as deep sea water. It was still wet, but the way that it looked to Eevee made it almost impossible to resist.

Her eyes got bigger as she awed at the pretty stone. "Ohhhh…it's so blue." She looked over the waves, seeing Juvia playing volleyball with the other girls. She looked back down, thinking. "…hmmm. Maybe Juvia will like this if I show it to her."

Kadabra's eyes widened. "Eevee! No! Don't touch that!"

Hearing the name, Juvia stopped playing and turned around. 'Eevee?'

Eevee's paw tapped the blue stone, and instantly a bright glow illuminated the water. The light was so vast and grand that the whole beach. Alzack, Bisca, and Asuka all stopped their break and looked over, as well as Gajeel and Levy, who were sitting on a towel together with Klink and Aron. The light was enough to make Venusaur open an eye, and Vanessa meekly opened her eyes, disturbed by the light. "Mmmm…huh?" She stood up, seeing a glow out by the water. "That light…"

Kadabra's kinetic powers turned off, leaving waves to surround the light. As water overtook the light, the glow was illuminating the clear waves as Juvia hurried over.

"Eevee!" she sprinted over towards the light, watching it diminish. "Eevee, ae you there? Eevee!"

The light soon faded underwater, leaving a long level of suspense. Juvia was looking worried sick while Vanessa rushed over. She got over to the water's edge and looked out, and much like Juvia, she had an expectant face too.

Juvia was getting anxious, before long a splash erupted, and out of the water spiraled what looked like an aquatic being. The light from the sun refracted over the creature's eloquent stature as it twirled in midair. It had light blue skin and a fin-like mane around the head. It had a long tail with fin-like ends and dark blue scales running along the spine.

Juvia's eyes widened as she watched the creature splash down in front of her. The dazzling beauty she had almost caught her off guard, but when it sat composedly and obediently, she was caught surprised. "E-Eevee?" she called. "Is that you…?"

The creature blinked once, then twice before tilting its head up at Juvia. "Juvia…?" She asked. "Wait…did my voice change? And why do I feel so slim…?" she noticed her tail, spooking her. "Gah! What happened to my tail?! It's gotten so…fishy!"

Juvia's heartrate tried settling as she watched 'Eevee' panic. She didn't know what happened, but it looked incredulous to say the least.

"Juvia." Walking up, Vanessa met with her fellow Trainer.

"Oh, Vanessa!" Juvia gasped. "Oh thank goodness you're here. Something strange happened to Eevee!"

"So I've noticed." She took one look at the creature, who had a rather curious stare to her. Unsure of what to say or do, the creature looked back at Juvia. Vanessa did the same. "Juvia, did your Eevee by any chance just touch a Water Stone?"

"A Water Stone?" the rain woman blinked.

"Yes. You are aware that certain Pokémon can evolve if you give them these stones. There are Pokémon that evolve through battles and experience, like Sophie's Kadabra for example, and my Venusaur. There are other Pokémon who also evolve under certain conditions, and some who evolve using various stones." She looked at the creature again. "And it looks like your Eevee touched a Water Stone, meaning she's a Vaporeon now."

"A Vaporeon?" Juvia blinked.

Vanessa pulled up her PokeDex. She showed the image of Vaporeon and the device began talking.

"Vaporeon, the Bubble Jet Pokémon. It detects nearby moisture with its fin. When its fin begins trembling rapidly, that means rain will fall in a few hours."

"Vaporeon…" Juvia took a moment to process what happened and looked down at Vaporeon, who was still waiting for her possible approval. Soon enough she scrambled for words. "So…Vaporeon…how do you feel?"

Vaporeon looked at her tail and her extremities, but her composure was back to normal. "Honestly, I don't know. But…" She looked up at Juvia. "I guess I feel okay. Better than before actually!"

Juvia softly smiled. "That's great. You had me worried there."

Marill rushed over, looking shocked. "Wow! You look so cool now, Eevee!"

Vaporeon sheepishly blushed. "Hehe…thanks."

"Juvia, incoming!"

Juvia turned around to see the volleyball from before heading her way. It was getting close, but suddenly Vaporeon rushed in front, her maw revealing a dark green orb. When the ball closed in, Vaporeon screamed, unleashing a neon and black beam that resembled an aurora. The pressurized blast struck the volleyball, sending it skyrocketing until it became a glint in the sky.

Vanessa's shock was on her face. 'That was…Aurora Beam.'

Cana whistled. "Man, that's one hell of a shot."

"Well looks like we won't be seeing that ball again." Kinana sighed.

"I hope that we brought spares." Mirajane smiled. "I wonder where it landed?"


In the high air, the earlier Magikarp was flailing along Pelipper's beak. The more it struggled, the less amused the pelican got.

"Hmmph, simmer down!" he threatened. "Unless you wanna be my lunch this early!"

The poor Magikarp flailed harder as desperate tears were in its eyes.

Pelipper took it as his answer. "Thought as much. Your loss!" He whipped his head up, sending Magikarp into the air. Suspended, gravity did its job and dropped Magikarp into Pelipper's beak. The beak slammed shut, leaving Pelipper satisfied.

"Ahhh~…" he sighed. "Now that hit the spot." He started hearing some sort of sound head his way. "Hm? What's that sou-!"

BAM!

A volleyball shot out of the blue into Pelipper's face, instantly knocking its lights out. As she gawked, her beak went wide open as air and the eaten Magikarp were freed. Pelipper fell over, eyes devoid of pupils. 'When I said hit the spot, I didn't it mean it like that…'

Pelipper fell limply out of the sky, while the Magikarp had comical tears as he fell to the vast ocean below.


Pidove's wings glowed bright blue as he generated a Gust attack. The tempest sped across the water towards Trubbish, buffering her back across the saltwater. When she was seen barely scathed, she looked up and took a deep breath, belching up an Acid Spray. The pigeon funneled around the acidic attack to free air. He flapped his wings, creating Air Cutter that shot crescents through the water heading towards Trubbish. The small trash bag rolled along the shallow tides to escape a rogue crescent, which caused a burst in the water to make a wave that pushed her near shores. Once her feet touched the sands, she glared up at Pidove, who was now above the water alone. She belched, while Pidove chirped.

Joey held up a barrier as Quilladin's Needle Arm refused to break through it. Both combatants slid across the sand to opposite sides, opposing the other. Quilladin grunted, but Joey smirked.

"Now look alive!" Joey slammed his hand against the sand. "Barrier-Make: Slide!" He summoned a long slim barrier that shot straight across the sand at Quilladin.

Quilladin saw the path coming for him. He tucked in his body and initiated Rollout. He rolled across the slide towards Joey, unknowing that's what he wanted.

Smirking, Joey slammed his hand against the barrier's end, causing a small wake to run across the slide towards Quilladin. The wake sent him airborne, making him uncurl and flail in shock. As Quilladin fell, he plopped on the slide, where he groaned as he went at the end and fumbled across the sand.

"Sorry buddy, gotta be faster than that!" Joey encouraged. "Let's work on that maneuverability for ya, okay?"

Quilladin eagerly got up, though had a serious tone to him. "Right!"

Off to the side as Joey trained with Quilladin, Dereece was along the isle, taking relaxing strides across the water. He stopped and stretched his arms up, sighing in stress. "Nothing like a little sea breeze after a nice nap I suppose." He heard sand and water shift, he turned around and saw Joey launching a barrier at Quilladin, who used Rollout to get around.

Seeing that fierce look of determination in Joey's was one thing Dereece never noticed nor took seriously enough. Joey was always a goofball. Seeing this whole new side was both intense and scary.

'Joey's really giving it everything he's got. He's serious about getting stronger.' Flashes of Joey mulling on end appeared in his mind. He recalled how he was crying after Broly's death, and the same depression he felt for the past few days now. 'I know you're trying to work through the pain Joey. It's okay…I just wished that you listened and let me say it…but I guess this is your best way of coping with it.'

Taking a momentarily ceasefire, Joey noticed Dereece doing nothing. "Huh? Hey, Dereece, what're you doing over there?"

"What?"

"Don't just stand around like a Nosepass, loosen up, c'mon! We're training. The least you can do is the same."

Dereece rubbed the back of his head, grumbling. "Look, Joey, not to criticize you or anything, but is this really necessary?"

Joey glared. "I wouldn't be anymore serious than I am now if I said yes. Actually…" He looked down at his fist, balling it. "I've been giving it a lot of thought. After the battles I had against Victor, I came to realize are arsenal isn't in the best shape. We don't have a lot of offense against Fire-types. So…I think this is the best place where we find some Water-types, to lower our weaknesses against Fire-types."

Dereece was applauding his Captain's flaws, but he wasn't a realist for nothing. "I'm glad that you're thinking that way, but you know they don't just drop out of the sky when you need them to-!"

Joey suddenly caught a Magikarp that plopped right into his arms.

"…"

The fish flailed in his arms as a silence spilled in the air. Everyone looked at the sudden gift from above and Joey looked up, seeing clear skies. Dereece's mouth formed an 'O' as he looked to the fish then the sky, unable to process it. "But, how did…?

Joey looked down, smirking and cocking a brow at Dereece. "Gee I'm sorry, what was that Dereece? I couldn't hear you over the sound of the universe screaming 'IN YO FACE''!" He held the dazed Magikarp high. "Check it out guys! We got a new Pokémon!"

"Hooray, Master!" Pidove chimed, circling overhead.

Quilladin shrugged with a chirpy smile. "Works for me! Welcome aboard, fishie!"

Trubbish let out a massive burp.

The Magikarp was still dazed with teary eyes. His mind was completely broken. 'What's happening?' he mentally whimpered. 'First I'm being eaten now I'm worshipped? Why is this happening to me?'

Dereece was about to say something until he found no use. He sighed and slumped over. "Fine." Dismissing Joey, he slumped into the sea. "Guess I might as well. But I doubt I'll find anything in this clear coast."

Down beneath the tides, within the clear, cool mud, Dereece's lower-half was seen. As he walked forward, a pair of circular eyes opened, seeing him coming its way.

Once again, he sighed. "Still, maybe it's not so bad. I mean I have Seel. But I guess I can try and find another since Joey's got one t-GAAAAHHH!"

Paralyzing shock ran through Dereece's body as he screamed out in pain. He twitched constantly as his foot went numb. He was seen floating along the water, groaning with steam coming off his body. He groaned weakly as he fell victim to something in the water.

Slowly, a flat, fish-like creature that was light brown with dark brown edging resurfaced. It had a beak instead of a mouth, and its circular eyes turned to joy as he chuckled at his handiwork.

"Uuugh…what just hit me…?" Dereece shook his head, his eyes widening and getting back up. "What the-?! A Stunfisk?!"

Stunfisk chuckled. "Oi, you be a little slow there, eh?" he mused. "Sorry, but must have 'stepped' in the wrong direction there." He couldn't help but laugh again.

Dereece wasn't appreciating his hardy joke. It really hurt. His eyes twitched as Joey's words were heard in his mind again. "So…I think this is the best place where we find some Water-types, to lower our weaknesses against Fire-types." He looked at Stunfisk and processed it. 'Well you know, now that I think about it, Stunfisk are Ground and Electric-types…I guess considering there's a lot of advantages to Ground-types.' He looked back at Joey, watching him suck Magikarp into a Poke Ball, where it clicked. He saw his smile. 'Besides…' He looked down at his hand, seeing he had Seel's Poke Ball out. 'It's a good chance to see how Seel does in battle. Here goes nothing…'

Stunfisk's hardy chuckle came to an end. "Alright, what be this?"

"Alright then, Seel let's go!" Dereece threw the Poke Ball, summoning Seel on the surface. The seal-like creature had her tongue out and splashed her tail. "Alright Seel, let's capture this one!"

"Alrighty." She nodded.

Stunfisk grinned. "Hehe, betcha this'll be good, mate."

Dereece swiped his arm. "Use Aqua Jet!"

Seel cloaked herself in blue water and shot into the air. She did a somersault through the air and sped like a missile into Stunfisk. An eruption of water erupted, causing Stunfisk to be sent soaring through the air.

"Yeah, super effective!" Dereece encouraged.

Stunfisk yelped before he regained composure in the air. He smiled down at Seel. His maw glowed orange and he spat out brown balls of mud via Mud Shot.

"Seel, quick! Counter with Icy Wind!" Seel did as instructed and her mouth glowed bright blue. She looked up and fired a sheer, chilly breeze with blue sparkles. The two attacks met in the middle, but the icy winds were strong enough to frost over the mud, causing them to fall into the water with Stunfisk.

Dereece reached out. "Alright, let's try Ice Shard!"

"Alright, get ready!" Seel created a ball of glowing ice that shined. She reared her head back and fired it. The ball of ice sped into Stunfisk, once again creating a powerful burst of energy that the Trap Pokémon fell for.

"Yeah!" Now we're talking!" He watched the frost clear over the water, but instead of Stunfisk, all they saw was clear water. "He disappeared?"

Seel looked around as well, but she saw nothing. Instead, underwater, something clear began to revel itself. It was Stunfisk using Camouflage, and he looked up smiling. In a sudden blast of electricity, he smiled as he blasted Thunder Shock, electrocuting a bolt beneath Seel, causing her to scream as she got airborne,

"Seel!" Dereece shouted. 'Now I get it. After that last attack hit, he camouflaged into the water and snuck beneath when our guards were down. Great, now it's part Water-type. Things just got a lot harder.'

Stunfisk resurfaced with a chuckle. "Pretty 'shocked', huh? No hard feelings!" he chuckled again.

Seel shook her head in displeasure. "Oooh, now that was just plain dirty."

"That's not dirty. This is!" He fired Mud Shot again, but this time Seel was the one who went under to dodge. The erupting blasts of mud dissipated while she used her greater mobility to close in on Stunfisk.

'Maybe he's clever…but what goes around comes around!' She darted closer, closing the gap beneath Stunfisk.

Dereece did an uppercut. "Now! Headbutt!"

With all her might, Seel used her horn and shot at Stunfisk beneath. The impact was strong enough to send him airborne and flipping over Dereece's head. The flat fish yelped as he sailed over towards the shore, where he landed on his top hard. He groaned before flailing, as if trying hard to come around.

"Sorry big fella, but that's karma." Seel pointed out. "Now, Dereece!"

"Right!" He reached into his red swim trunks and pulled out a Great Ball. 'I was glad we got these as part of the award. Hope this works…' He glared at Stunfisk, pivoting his body to throw the capsule. Okay…GO!"

The Great Ball went flying at the hampered Stunfisk. The Trap Pokémon's flailing made him get snared by the capsule, where he was sucked inside. The capsule went into the sand, where it shook once, then twice, then a third time. It finally clicked.

Rather than a victory shout, Dereece groaned in relief. "Oii…that was a lot to handle." He lifted himself. "Still, guess that shows how good we are." He walked up to the shores, where he went and picked up the Great Ball holding his new Stunfisk. "Alright Seel, we did it!"

"Oh golly, this is such a shock!" she chimed. "First me, and now this one! Seems a lot on your plate, you sure you can handle that?"

Dereece nodded. "Yeah." He looked over at Joey, looking more confident. 'I have to be to make sure Joey doesn't fall apart like that again.'


"Alright, let's try it one more time!" Joey insisted, swiping his arm. "Quilladin, use Pin Missile!"

Quilladin nodded. He closed his eyes and concentrated, gathering energy into his spikes. They started glowing, and before long, three white orbs with streaming green energy launched through the air at Joey. They closed in at alarming speeds, but Joey swiped his arm, creating a turquoise barrier in time to stop the explosive missiles.

The smoke dissipated, and Joey lifted the barrier. Once the dust cleared, his frown turned to a smirk. Quilladin reciprocated with his own.

"Looks like we got the hang of it." Joey commented. "Congrats buddy, looks like we leveled up enough that you learned Pin Missile."

A short while has passed since Joey started getting to training. After doing overall group training, he figured he could work on one-on-one training with his Pokémon to polish up their moves. And because of the training, Quilladin forgot Bite for Pin Missile, much to Joey's pleasure.

Dereece walked up behind. "Well Joey, congratulations."

"Hey, thanks man." Joey smiled back. "We may have forgotten Vine Whip when Quilladin evolved from Chespin, but with this new move we'll keep them away." He turned back towards Quilladin. "Alright, ready to go again?"

Despite hours of hard work, Quilladin refused to give up. "You bet."

Joey smiled. "Alright, let's bring out Pidove and-!" He cut himself off when heard a familiar sound a ways away. "Huh?" He heard it again. 'There it is again.'

"Joey?" Dereece called. "Uh, Captain? You okay there?"

CLICK!

The sound was louder than before, making Dereece look around. "What was that? It sounded like…?" He was trailing off when an uneven aura spread ahead of him. He started shivering when he noticed how Joey's eyes had a shadow over them, his body violently twitching. "Uh, Joey? Joey?!"

That constant clicking sound made a spinning aura around him as his head was doing loops. Joey's teeth gritted as his urges were getting to be too much. 'No…it can't be. That clicking. Is…is it really…?' Almost instantly he perked up, eyes twinkling. "Cameras?!"

"Oh no." Dereece drooped.

Unable to deprive himself of one of his fable instincts, Joey raced towards the sounds of clicking. "Who's taking pictures without me there?! Wait for me, whoever you are!"

"Wait for me!" Quilladin charged for him.

"Here we go again." Dereece sighed.

Mirajane came from behind with Vullaby in her arms. "Oh, what's Joey doing? Is he training?"

Dereece watched him take off. "Well…he was." He groaned as he joined the pursuit. "Alright, better go see what 'glorified wannabe' provoked him."

Joey climbed up a small wall of rocks that ended their border along the isle. He looked out, his eyes widening when he saw where the clicking was coming from. Beside him, Quilladin reached and caught up. "What's happening?" the Grass-type inquired.

Another flash blinded them, leaving them dazed.

"Yeah, that's it! That pose is great!"

A voluptuous girl in a magenta and black bikini struck a leaned back pose across the sand. "You mean like this?" She whipped her head back, basking in the sunlight. By the sounds of the camera clicking, it was working perfectly.

"Yes, Jenny! So~ cool!" Jason got to a knee for a new angle, unaware that he had guests gathering behind. "Just like that! And~…there! Now, onto the next shot!"

Dereece and Mirajane caught up, showing modest surprise on both their faces. "Seriously?" Dereece gawked. "This is supposed to be a private isle, right? So what's this doing here?"

"Good question." Mirajane looked at the person who was posing. It was Jenny Realight from Blue Pegasus, and she was taking a few pictures for Sorcerer's Weekly. "Is that…?"

Jenny caught the audience behind. "Mirajane?"

Jason stopped his photography to turn around, immediately stunned gaping as he saw Mirajane. "MIRAJANE! SOOO COOL!" He awed.

Mira smiled. "Why hello, Jason. Fancy seeing you both here."

"I could say the same." Jenny smirked. "And I see that you've brought yourself an entourage."

Referring to Dereece, the man put his hand up. "Now hold up now, we don't wanna throw any wild accusations in the air." He defended. "We just came because my friend heard flashes and…!" He turned towards the side, but Joey was already gone with Quilladin. "Joey?!"

Jason was smiling wide before a swift blur passed him. Startled, he turned around to see the camera was in position in front of Joey, who posed with a wink with Quilladin.

"Is this spot taken?" he chimed, sparkles around his face as he looked at the lens.

Dereece sweat dropped. "Yeah…that. That's why."

"Joey?"

Hearing a familiar call, Joey broke out of his paparazzi daze to look towards the side. When he did, someone stepped up in navy blue swim trunks and sunglasses. Besides him was a small red, crab-like creature, a Krabby. The man lifted his sunglasses to reveal familiar eyes. "Heh…well I'll be damned."

Joey blinked. "Kevin?"

Kevin walked up, the Krabby right beside him. "Hey man, fancy seeing you here. I haven't seen ya in forever!"

Joey rubbed the back of his head. "Uh yeah, same here…sorry about that. I've been…busy." Deciding to change the subject, he went along with the conversation. "So what are you doing here?"

Kevin smirked as he leaned in to whisper at Joey. "Take a guess." He motioned his eyes towards Jenny. Seeing it now, her voluptuous frame matched up against Mirajane's was a splendid treat, so much that even Jason couldn't keep his camera down for long.

Although it was nice, Joey's mood began souring. "Oh…"

"Yeah, we had a lot of work at the guild, and today was a shooting for Jenny's Sorcerer's Weekly. She actually wanted to bring Hibiki, but he's been busy too, helping Master Ichiya and all."

"Man!" Ichiya's pose was in sparkles as he was with a Spritzee, with the Trimens behind him, having Pansage, Pansear, and Panpour pose with them in sparkles.

"So I coaxed her into bringing me along. I told her I could help with other angle shots, and I actually did." He smirked as he swiped his arm, showing a panel for his Search Magic. One folder opened to reveal various pictures of Jenny. "You wanna see my extended collection?"

Joey wanted to smile, but then an image of the beautiful Camilla came to his head. Immediately he frowned down, and Quilladin did too. This made Kevin frown.

Ultimately though, Joey looked away, depression showing. "Thanks man…but maybe later, okay?"

"What?" Kevin was confused. He shrunk the panel to hand-size and opened another folder, shoving it in Joey's face. "Okay then, how about these? Right? These ones have extra ripe behinds, just how you like 'em, right bud…buddy?"

He wasn't getting a clear response from Joey. Instead Joey took one look at the woman Kevin saved on his magic, but looked away in disinterest. It only deterred Kevin further.

Dereece put a hand to Kevin's shoulder. "Maybe you should give him some space." He advised. "It's…a long story."

Dereece started explaining the details of what happened on their recent assignment. He explained how Joey fell in love with Camilla, and how she came to accept him before she died in his arms. By the end, Kevin's heart sank for his acquaintance.

"Oh…god, I…I'm so sorry." He apologized to Joey. "I don't know what to say…now I feel like a jerk."

"It's not your fault man, you didn't know." Dereece looked at Joey as he meekly smiled at Quilladin. "He's just been through a lot. He hasn't been himself since Camilla. I don't think he'll be, you know, turned on for a long while."

Kevin nodded in respects. "Ah, I see…so then, I should probably just keep these to myself then."

"Yeah that's probably for the best. Sorry."

Something touched Dereece's leg. He looked down, seeing the Krabby holding up a checkered gameboard. "Checkers?"

Dereece tilted his head. "Uh, what?" he blinked. "Eh, thanks. But I'm good."

"I see you've met my new Krabby." Kevin said.

"Yeah, I guess…wait, that's your Krabby?" he pointed at the Krabby as he moved towards Quilladin.

Kevin nodded. "Yeah." He smirked. "I've been catching a few Pokémon recently. I just got this Krabby a few days ago. Apparently he…"

Krabby showed Quilladin the board. "Checkers?" He eagerly grinned, much to Quilladin's inquiry.

"…yeah, he likes checkers." He finished.

He turned towards Kevin. "Do I even want to know?"

Kevin shrugged. "I have absolutely no idea. He just saw Hibiki playing it the other day. Guess he picked up on the hobby…and apparently he's gotten good at it. It's pretty much the only thing he does."

Mirajane clasped her hands together. "Hey, I got a great idea! Why don't you guys come over? We have lots of stuff to do." She offered.

"You sure about that?" Jenny inquired.

"It'll be fine. It's not like we'll say no anyway. Just think of it as a break. What do you say?"

Jenny's surprise turned to a smirk. "Well, when you put it that way it's hard to say no." she accepted humbly. "Alright, lead the way."


Some time later, Jenny and Kevin met up with the Fairy Tail group. They were sitting on towels beside one another beneath an umbrella as they were having a light meal.

"I see, so that's what you've been up to." Jenny surmised, hearing what Fairy Tail's been through since the conference. "I gotta say, Mira, I'm impressed. You guys seem to get busier by the day."

"That's it in a nutshell." She giggled.

She looked towards Nic and Erza, who were across them. "Still, what impressed me most was how you guys managed to survive that crossfire. It was all over the news the other day. Well, glad to see you're okay, that's what's important. Right?" She looked towards Kevin, who nodded in approval.

"Yeah, it's been busier for us too, but after hearing all this I can see why you're here."

Erza nodded. "Your candor is very appreciated. We're grateful for your support."

Nic grinned. "Yeah. We're glad to see that you're doing well Jenny."

Jenny mischievously smirked. "Oh you are, are you?" she chimed, rolling her shoulders in a flirty manner. "My, you sure know how to make a girl welcome, Nic." She cooed sultrily, but Erza's glowing red eyes and demonic dominance made Jenny shrink back. "Hehe…just kidding." She nervously chimed.

Krabby moved his piece across the board, until it finally reached the end. "King me!" he cheered, much to Gajeel's shock.

The Iron Dragon turned pale ghastly white as he hunched over at Krabby. His right eyebrow twitched constantly. 'Did…did I get beat in a gameboard by a crap?'

"Ah, so even Gajeel fell victim." Gray pitied, sulking some. "Bummer."

Elfman had comical tears as he sulked. "How can I call myself a man if I got beat too?"

"It's just a boardgame guys, c'mon!" Lisanna argued.

Jenny turned towards Mirajane's Vullaby as the baby vulture chewed on Pokémon food in her lap. "So Mirajane, is that your Pokémon?"

Mirajane smiled down on Vullaby, seeing her eat. "Yup, isn't she just the sweetest?" she rubbed Vullaby's head, making the bird hum.

Jenny sighed. "You're so lucky. I wish I had a Pokémon like that."

"Oh? Then does that mean you don't have a Pokémon of your own yet, Jenny?"

"Well, I do." She pulled out a Poke Ball. "But…" She tossed it out. "C'mon out!"

Popping out of the Poke Ball and into the water, a meek brown fish with an underwhelming body and chapped red lips took form. It had mediocre fins and tailfin with a triangle top. The meek meekly blinked, staying completely silent.

"What's that?"

Jenny sighed. "It's a Feebas."

"A Feebas, huh?" Nic looked towards Erza. The Requip Mage obliged and took out her own PokeDex, scanning the decayed fish.

"Feebas, the Fish Pokémon. They look ragged, so no one catches them. They look like they'd taste bad, so predators won't eat them. And their numbers continue to grow."

Happy was gawking at Feebas, his background in a sulking aura. "…yeah, sorry. I love yummy fishies, but that one doesn't look too good. On the other hand…" a happy theme surrounded his face as he swooned. "Joey and Sophie's new fishies just make my mouth water~."

"Hey now, we talked about this! You can't eat a Pokémon fish!" Lucy argued.

"Maybe not, but you can never stop trying." Happy swayed.

Lucy sulked and gave up. "You're unbelievable…"

Magikarp and Finneon swam up to Feebas, who looked at them back. They all had a mutual look on their faces before the former fish swam, with Feebas in tow. They looked like they were gonna swim.

"A Feebas you say?" Mirajane tilted. "Well it doesn't seem horrible. Where'd you find it?"

Jenny puffed her cheeks and looked away sheepishly. "Hmph, well…" She thought back some water shots she took in a lake. "I was doing some underwater photos at one point for a promotional campaign for Trainers and Pokémon. We were wrapping up when I found Feebas stuck in some seaweed. From her appearance I thought she didn't have much to eat, so I brought it with me."

Mirajane smiled. "Aw, how thoughtful!"

"Yeah." Jenny frowned, watching the fish swim in the clear water. "But, I've been getting some backlash from fans lately whenever I try shooting with Feebas. My ratings have gone down, but I can't just leave her like that…that'd be cruel."

"Such a crime to the public." Gray said.

"So basically public opinion matters because if they don't get what they want, then you don't get paid as much, and then Sorcerer's Weekly takes a small hit, sounds about right?" Vanessa surmised. "That's understandable. Crowds and overall public are rather shallow when it comes to appeal."

"This coming from the guy magnet because her honkers and hams exploded over the years." Cana sidenoted, much to Vanessa's grief.

"So is that why you're here at the beach then? Is it to give more hope for Feebas?" Mirajane surmised.

Jenny nodded. "Yeah, it might be my last chance to feature Feebas. If this doesn't work, all my Pokémon shots won't get as much credibility. And soon we're gonna start those shots…what do I do?"

The gathered group looked towards each other in confusion. To a degree they can sympathize with Jenny's dilemma. Being a model meant a lot to her, but she had her own feelings to look after as well. But if the public wanted beauty and wasn't getting it, then that's a show of selfishness.

Vanessa looked to be contemplating, catching Sophie's attention. "Vanessa?"

Vanessa opened her eyes, frowning. "Look, it's not in my place to say…but Nic and Erza and I can say for a fact that if we were you, it wouldn't matter what the public needed. We don't pride ourselves on what others think of us. You know this for a fact. However, if it's that important to you…then maybe we may know a way."

Jenny blinked in surprise. "You guys do?"

Vanessa looked towards Nic with a nod. Nic humbly sighed. "Guess there's no choice then." He mumbled. "Yeah, Vanessa's right. We've read up one time that Feebas can evolve into Milotic through a trade with an item."

Jenny gasped. "Wait, evolve?"

Nic looked towards his wife. "Erza."

Erza locked into coordinated with her PokeDex. She showed a picture of what looked like a cream-colored serpent with long red lashes turning into drapes. It had a mermaid-like tail that had fans. Its regal gestures made it to be desired.

"Milotic, the Tender Pokémon. Milotic has provided inspiration to many artists. It has been referred to as the most beautiful Pokémon of all."

"If we can evolve your Feebas into a Milotic, then your fans will become interested again. And the Cambire Foundation's Pokémon and modeling campaigns might restore." Nic's brow furrowed in displeasure. "But Jenny, listen…are you absolutely sure this is what you want? It's okay if you don't want to listen to public like we do. Do you want this?"

Jenny thought hard about Nic's response. When she looked into his eyes, it was like a warning from Hell. She wasn't sure if it was a good idea. She liked her Feebas, but when she realized how much backlash they've been getting, she couldn't lie when she said their morality had been…sinking.

She looked out at Feebas, seeing her swim with the fishes. This was probably the first time she felt lively since meeting Jenny. Jenny nodded. "Okay, I'm in."

Nic nodded in understanding. "Okay then." He looked towards Erza, seeing her rummage through her belongings. "Erza, what're you looking for?"

"I believe that item we need is some type of scale if I'm not mistaken." She responded, taking out various items ranging from Full Heals to Ultra Balls, to even Incenses and Nuggets they saved up. The rare items they've saved up left everyone nervous as she pulled out stuff like a Metal Coat, a Silver Powder, and several Berries. "Let's see…" she rummaged through the materialistic bag until her hand reached the bottom. "I believe it's…this."

She pulled out what looked like a very small scaled. It was blue but had magenta and red patterns on its center. It refracted light ever so eloquently.

"What's that?" Lucy questioned. "It looks like an actual scale."

"Yes, it does." Carla agreed.

"So certain Pokémon using items to evolve." Pantherlily stated. "That's interesting."

"Hey wait a minute. Where did you guys get all that stuff?" Happy pointed out. "And why didn't you show that to us before?"

Nic shrugged. "We didn't think it wasn't necessary before." He imposed. "Aside from medicines, we don't really know when this stuff comes in handy…plus Erza has a habit of using her Requip so…"

Erza turned up with nonsense. "Honestly, how is it that you still can't just requip Poke Balls is beyond me. I mean really…"

Everyone else nervously chuckled and sweat dropped.

"We found this in Couriway City, I think it was the falls." He turned towards Jenny. "Anyways, Feebas evolve with this. You attach this to Feebas and then trade her. When she comes out next, she should evolve. It's how Erza's Slurpuff and Scizor evolved before."

Jenny put a hand to her chin to ponder about it for a few seconds. When she came to her answer, she confidently smiled. "Okay, I'm in." She turned towards Mira. "So how about it, Mirajane, you up for it?"

Mirajane nodded. "Sure, Vullaby and I wouldn't mind helping, right?" She looked down at Vullaby, seeing the Diapered Pokémon cross her wings and pout. "Oh c'mon, don't be like that. But wait?" she faced Jenny. "Doesn't seem a little unfair that I won't be getting anything out of this?"

Jenny raised a brow. "What. Like you want me to do a favor for you?"

Mirajane perked as she held a finger up. "Yeah, like that! Oh, I have an idea. How about this: If I help you evolve your Feebas, you have to post in your birthday suit for next week's issue."

The atmosphere around everyone erupted at her blunt answer. 'Is she serious?!'

Kevin's eyes twitched. "D-did I hear that right?" He eerily looked towards a cowering Jenny. "You…in your birthday suit?" He almost wanted to break down if it wasn't for Jenny growling, causing him to shrink away.

Jenny angrily faced Mirajane. She stayed calm.

"Oh why the long face? I thought you'd enjoy doing that again?" she facetiously insisted. "After all, didn't that issue get the most sold that year?"

Jenny crossed her arms, amping up her massive chest. "That's a pretty low blow, Mirajane, even for you."

"Well, I didn't see you having any problem declaring it during the Grand Magic Games." She deadpanned. "And besides, think of it as a bonus. It'll work out, promise."

The four men trapped in the cards were a shuddering mess. They had heavy breathing before long getting blood flowing down their noses. Cana scrunched up the cards in one hand, making them squeal in pain.

'Curse you, Mirajane! I should've known you'd be the one to get the last laugh.' Jenny cursed mentally. 'But we'll see who'll be getting the last laugh, after I get my Feebas to evolve. We'll see just whose popularity grows more.' Regaining her composure, Jenny reached her hand out. "Alright then, it's a deal."

"Great." Mirajane shook the hand, making a deal.

Minutes later, Mirajane was on the other side of the isle, with Jenny opposite of her. Both were in position for the trade.

Jenny reached out first. "You ready?"

Mirajane held hers out next. "Let's do it."

"So this is how a Pokémon trade works." Lucy observed. "So Trainers can just trade their own Pokémon?"

"Apparently." Gray answered. "I guess some do it just so their Pokémon can evolve. But I guess you can trade them away if you don't like them."

"I can't believe it's allowed." Levy murmured.

Gajeel furrowed his brow. "Maybe so, but it's not like there are folks who don't get along with thm anyways."

"Yeah, guess you're right…"

"On 3, okay?" Jenny instructed. "1…2…3!" Both let go of the Poke Balls at the exact same time. As if by some telepathic power, they floated towards and passed each other. Time stopped briefly before they slipped by one another. The two capsules appeared in the others' hands, landing safely.

A strong silence between them and the isle as a solemn wind blew.

"So…what now?" Lisanna asked.

Nic glared. "We wait."

Mirajane did nothing. Instead moments later, Feebas' Poke Ball flew open, surprising her. Feebas appeared between them, but remained completely still.

Mirajane blinked. "Feebas…?"

Feebas blinked once, remaining quiet until finally enveloped in a bright light. The light illuminated the area, awing everyone who was watching.

"It's finally happening!" Happy exclaimed.

"The evolution process is starting." Vanessa leered.

Feebas' body began morphing considerably. She began revolving around the sand, her whole frame lengthening drastically. She became far longer, with serpentine structures. Her frail backfin sprouted into eloquent scales, and before long, the light exploded, causing a serene glow to dissipate, revealing a pair of serene eyes to open.

There, in front of everyone, a newly evolved Milotic emitted a loud cry. Her voice echoing with soothing waves pulsing across the sands.

"It really did evolve!" Wendy exclaimed.

"It's a Milotic now!" Carla yelped.

"That's how you trade and evolve? For real?" Romeo awed.

"Wow…so beautiful…" Asuka awed, marveling at Milotic's beauty sparkling in the sunlight. Her eyes twinkled. "So pretty…"

Jenny gulped as she took a step forward. She advanced towards Milotic. "Milotic…" She saw the large creature turn towards her. "How do you feel?"

Milotic looked down at herself. She certainly felt different to say the least. She looked different, and especially didn't feel shabby like she did in her other form. She noticed even how lively she was. 'What's this feeling I have? Is this power?' She questioned herself. 'I can't believe it…after all this time. I actually feel better.' She saw that Jenny was still waiting for an answer. "Jenny…" she smiled. "I feel great!"

Jenny could feel her heart lift a little more. She sighed in relief. 'Thank goodness. She almost had me worried there.' She looked up, seeing Milotic marvel at her body. 'At least she feels a lot better about herself. Guess I can be too.'

Kevin stepped forward. "Hey, Jenny, congrats."

"Kevin." She chimed. "Thanks, we appreciate it."

"That said, we still got a little time before your next shooting…" he smirked. "So how about we see Milotic in action?"

"A battle?" Sophie inquired.

Vanessa smiled as she put a hand to her chin. "That's the most logical way at this point. A battle is the best way to test out your new moves and ability, too."

Jenny smiled. "Alright, sounds like a fun way to pass the time."

"That's what she said." Kevin laughed aloud. Unknowingly he got Gajeel, Gray, even Dereece to lurch and cover their mouths from laughing. Many other girls were confused, but others gave glares.

Mirajane chirped happily. "Sure, I accept your challenge!" she answered.

'Yes! She fell for it!' Jenny mentally fist-pumped.

"But…wouldn't you need Milotic back to do that?"

Realizing the situation, Jenny's mentality cracked up and shattered. She sulked in defeat and realized she had to trade back. "Oh…right."

Kevin looked back towards Joey. "Hey Joey, heard you've been training. Wanna take a round with…huh?" he stopped when he saw Joey a ways away.

Disco music was playing in the background as Joey was taking a pose, flexing with Quilladin. Sparkles dazzled around them as the camera flashed, taking their pose. Another one with a wink to it. Another one with him blowing a kiss like a girl would to fans.

"So cool! Just like that!" Jason was taking snapshots like crazy. "Yup! Uh-huh! Yeah, you're really good at this!"

Joey rolled his neck around sultrily. "What can I say?" he winked again. "What's a portrait without yours truly?"

'Yeah should've figured as much.' Dereece turned away as Joey photogenic nature had hypnotized him.

"I'm liking that style man! So cool! Now how about one like that! Oh, and that! Yeah! Now that's one for the books!"

Dereece groaned louder. "Oi vey…oh well, guess he's not going anywhere anytime soon." He faced Kevin. "Hey, mind if I take his place?"

Kevin shrugged. "Sure, be my guest." He smirked. "So it looks like we have ourselves a Double Battle. This is gonna be fun." He stuffed a few giggles inside. "Heh…that's what she said."

"Uh, I don't get it." Wendy dumbly sidenoted.

"Trust me, maybe it's best that we do not know." Levy added.


Once Jenny traded Vullaby back to Mirajane, the beach was cleared again for them to commence. All four combatants had Poke Balls in their hands, ready to begin.

Erza stepped up. "Attention! This will be a 2-on-2 Double Battle! Each Trainer will be allowed one Pokémon with no substitutions! Furthermore, no healing items will be permitted, only the ones you have right now!"

"Good luck Mira! Go get'em Dereece!" Lisanna cheered.

"Bring some manly pride to Fairy Tail!" Elfman encouraged.

"I wonder who's gonna win this?" Levy inquired. "Jenny's Milotic just evolved, so it has a lot of power behind it."

"That's true, but you have to take level into account as well." Pantherlily noted. "For all we know, this may be its first battle, so its level could be low. We'll have to see depending on their Pokémon."

Gray looked over to Natsu. "Hey Natsu, who're you betting on?"

Natsu looked to him like it was an obvious answer. "Huh? What else, Mira of course, duh?" he pumped a muscle. "Ain't nothing stronger than the likes of her."

Gray gave him a deadpan look. "You do realize that the Pokémon are battling, right?"

"I know that. I'm just saying." He beamed. "Anyways, it's gonna be fun seeing an actual Double Battle. Right guys?"

Charmeleon, who has calmed down, nodded. Darumaka, however, grunted and fumed. "Gawww, I wanna battle! C'mon! Let me at'em! Let me at'em!" He went jump, but Natsu caught him with one hand.

"Not after the mess you've made today. You're going into a time out mister." He scolded. Darumaka groaned in defeat, whimpering like a dog.

Nic remained silent. He sat on the beach towel with his sister as he watched the battle unfold. The words of Erza from earlier today echoed in his head, making him silently sigh. 'I guess it's for the best. After all…sometimes it's better to learn from watching others do their own fights for once.' His glare turned expectant. 'Alright, let's see.'

"Alright Milotic, here we go!" Jenny threw Milotic out, and the large aquatic creature craned her head and dazzled in the sunlight with a confident huff.

"Alright, our turn now." Kevin pulled up a Poke Ball. "Rattata, go!"

The Poke Ball opened, summoning his Rattata, who was shuddering. "Oh! The sand!" he shuddered, cackling a laughter. "HAHAHA! Are we gonna make a sand castle? Because I wanna make one out of marshmallows and chocolate! Yeah! A-And then when it melts it can turn into a puddle that we can splash in…HAHAHA! And then-thenwecanalljumpinandsmelllikechocolatealldaylikeacampfire! HAHAHHAHAHA!"

'Geez, hyperactive much?' Fairy Tail thought.

Mirajane grinned. "Works for me." She pulled out her Poke Ball, summoning Vullaby in front of her. She pointed dead ahead. "Alright Vullaby, let's take her by storm!"

"I'm ready for you, meanies!" Vullaby squawked.

'Guess another round won't hurt. Besides, we healed up. Okay then…' Dereece threw the Poke Ball. "Seel, come out!"

The Poke Ball popped open, revealing Seel as she stood beside Vullaby. "Alrighty, looks like there's fuel to burn." She turned towards Vullaby. "Looks like we got ourselves a tagteam here, huh?"

Vullaby huffed. "Just don't be mean to me like earlier…meanies."

Seel sweat dropped. "Eh…pardon?"

Erza raised her hand. "Alright! Let the battle…begin!" she chopped, signaling the battle's beginning.

Immediately Jenny took the initiative. "Sorry Mirajane, but you snooze you lose. Milotic, Water Pulse!" Gathering water into a sphere, Milotic reared her head back and launched the blue sphere at Vullaby.

"It's coming!" Dereece warned.

"Yeah we know. Just be patient." Mirajane warned. She watched the attack close in on Vullaby until the last second. "Alright, Vullaby! Dodge!"

With a huff, Vullaby jumped into the air above. Once high enough, she glared at her foes.

"Now let's use Nasty Plot!" In the midair Vullaby's expression darkened as she sneered. In her head, she was thinking critically as an intense red aura amplified her Special Attack.

'We better power up, too.' Kevin held a fist. "Rattata, Focus Energy!" Rattata was cackling chuckles as he shuddered. White aura coursed throughout his body to reach the top of his head, where it dissipated throughout the body.

"Look like they're powering up first before their attacks." Vanessa observed. Beside her, Nic nodded in agreement.

"Alright, guess it's do or die." Dereece swiped his arm. "Seel, use Headbutt on Milotic!" Seel used her back flippers to propel herself into the air. She dove down onto Milotic's head, meeting her forehead with an air ripple exerting from the sheer force. It was strong enough push her back. "Yeah, nice shot." He swiped his arm. "Let's keep up the pressure! Use Aqua Jet!"

Coating herself into blue water, Seel shot at Milotic again. "Here I come~!" she declared.

Kevin reached out. "Intercept! Rattata, Quick Attack!"

"HAHAHAHA! CWAZY!" Rattata was enveloped in a white outline as he shot in zigzags, creating afterimages as he raced at Seel. The rat lunged at Seel, providing an interception as both fast attacks met in the center. Water sprayed everywhere as Seel and Rattata were in midair.

Seel glared at Rattata, who was also seemingly a little serious…aside from his 'crazy' expression.

"Rattata, Quick Attack on Seel again!" Kevin commanded. Once both Pokémon landed on the ground, Rattata was outlined in white before he darted off again.

He closed in at an alarming rate, unknowingly playing to their hands. At the last second, Vullaby got between him and Seel.

"Vullaby, use Gust!" Mirajane commanded.

Vullaby's wings glowed bright blue and she flapped them, creating a strong gust that Rattata literally ran into. "Bad rat! You have to take turns!" Vullaby scolded.

Rattata cackled as the winds became too strong. With Nasty Plot increasing her prowess, Vullaby's attack shot Rattata in a spiraling mess into Milotic, but she used her fan-like tail to catch him and block most of the attack's wake, despite lurching to hold ground.

"Impressive teamwork, Mirajane." Jenny praised. "But we can do to same. Milotic, Twister!"

Milotic brushed Rattata aside like a fly and glared forward. Her tailfins began spinning like a pinwheel, generating a cyclone of air that whipped through the tempest. Vullaby and Seel went wide-eyed before the cyclone picked them up, hurling them through the atmosphere.

"Vullaby!"

"Seel!"

Both Pokémon heard their names called, but everything was spinning. The Dragon-type move threw them around like leaves in a hurricane.

"So sorry for playing naughty, Mirajane." Jenny teased. "But you know the old saying, all's fair in love and war. And this is one war I ain't prepared to lose."

Despite the backlash, Mirajane composed. "Well we're not prepared for losing either." She reached up. "Vullaby, try to use Gust!"

Hearing the command, Vullaby's eyes shot wide open. The tornado continued wreaking havoc throughout the domain, until suddenly a massive shockstorm of pressurized winds dissipated it, leaving Seel and Milotic suspended high in the air.

"Not bad."

"Okay, our turn now!" Dereece glared ahead. "Seel, Icy Wind! Now!" His Seel was still high in the air when her mouth expelled a sharp breath and cold, intense air shot and blew Milotic and Rattata. Both Pokémon grunted as they tried holding onto their ground, but for Rattata it became too much and he spun away.

Both Pokémon nearly floored as the attack ended, leaving a blue aura to decrease their Speed.

"Alright, they're slowed down. It's our turn to attack, Mira!" Dereece encouraged.

Mirajane nodded. "Right!"

Milotic shook her head as she regained her composure. She glared back at her foes, a harsh red aura enveloping her body.

"Vullaby, use Pluck!" Mirajane commanded. Vullaby shot down with a glowing beak. She cried out as she smashed her beak against Milotic's head, causing a ripple similar to Seel's earlier attack that made Milotic lurch. "Alright."

Despite the pain, Milotic's eyes shot open, surprising Mirajane.

"Disarming Voice!" Jenny commanded.

Milotic took a harsh breath before exerting a loud, boisterous shout. Pink heart-shaped soundwaves echoed throughout the air, exploding into Vullaby's face and sending her airborne. As she screamed, Seel was caught off guard when she was also blown away. Both slammed hard into the sand.

With the opening, Kevin took it. "Rattata, Bite on Seel!"

Seel shook her head. "Oooh, golly. What kind of racket just-!"

"GAHAHAHA! Prepared to meet Mr. Munchies!" Rattata pounced into the air with his bucked teeth glowing. He came down biting into Seel's body, creating a white burst that sent her back further beside a stirred Vullaby.

"Vullaby!" Mirajane shrieked.

"Seel, are you okay?!" Dereece exclaimed.

Both Pokémon groaned as sand covered their fur and feathers. Seel groaned as she was barely stirring, with Vullaby barely getting up herself.

"Nic, did you see that aura just now?" Vanessa asked, not looking at her brother.

Nic nodded. "I did. I think that's Competitive, Milotic's Ability. When the opponent's stats are lowered, they're compensated by increased Special Attack." Nic glared forward, watching the battle unfold. 'I wanna say that it's a good ability to have, but…even one's greatest strength can be a weakness.'

All the Pokémon got up again, regrouping to their original spots. Milotic more ferocious than ever as she lashed her tendrils around mockingly. "So, how do you like me now?" she taunted.

Dereece balled his fist. "Man, she's got us on the ropes. We can't take another hit, otherwise we're toast."

Mirajane furrowed her brow. "I have an idea, but we'll need to take Rattata out of the picture first."

Dereece nodded. "Okay, let's do it then."

Jenny swiped her arm. "Milotic, use Twister!" Once more, Milotic generated another turbulence from her tails. The cyclone expanded as it closed in on Seel and Vullaby.

"Seel, Icy Wind!" Seel followed Dereece's command and exerted another cold wind of frost and low temperatures. The two conflicting winds stirred into each other, creating a strong enough tempest that caused low pressure to stir up sand until it all dissipated. Once they cancelled out, Rattata pounced through with a cackling laughter.

"Rattata, use Hyper Fang on Seel!" Kevin commanded.

"GAHAHA! I'm gonna be a Bidoof! Nomnomnomnomnomnom!" Rattata opened his mouth as the teeth glowed back, but also lengthened some as he dashed for Seel, albeit a little slower than usual.

Vullaby stepped in front, awaiting Mirajane's orders.

"Alright, use Flatter!"

"Hmph! Nobody likes weirdos!" Vullaby scoffed, her beak opening to reveal red waves distorting towards Rattata. Rattata, once again, ran into a mess that he got conflicted in. The waves reached him and he gawked, stumbling around uncontrollably as the confusion took in, even as a red aura enhanced his Special Attack as well.

"Crud, we're confused." Kevin mentally cursed. 'And Rattata's already taken too much damage. If we hurt ourselves we might risk losing.'

Jenny reached out. "Then we'll cover for you! Milotic, use Water Pulse on Vullaby!" Once more, Milotic conjured a powerful sphere of water in her mouth. She launched it with all her might at Vullaby.

"Wait for it…not yet…" Mirajane held off until it was close enough. When it was, she faced Dereece. "Now, Dereece!"

"Okay, let's go!" Dereece punched forward. "Seel, use Aqua Jet!"

Seel's glare intensified. "Okay!" Cloaking herself in cold, blue water, Seel launched herself towards Rattata.

Vullaby swallowed a lump as she closed her eyes. It was either gonna be Seel or the Water Pulse to catch on. Seel, or the Water Pulse. It was all a matter of speed. She kept her eyes shot in case something went wrong, and then suddenly a swift motion dragged her away, allowing Water Pulse to erupt in a geyser of water that sprayed everywhere.

The confused Rattata cackled as even he was blown away by the light sprays.

Vullaby opened her eyes, realizing she was soaring. "Hm? Wait…I'm flying? But why am I so wet?" She looked down, realizing what it was. "Huh?!"

Seel was beneath her, cloaked in her Aqua Jet as he sailed through the air like a torpedo with Vullaby behind. "Sorry about that, quick thinking there!" she yelled up.

"Alright! That's how you do it!" Elfman cheered.

"With Seel's maneuverability with that attack, they'll be able to dodge their opponents who were slowed down!" Lisanna chirped. "That's brilliant!"

Nic raised his head a little as he continued watching.

Seel swayed through the air with Vullaby on her head. The bird's bottom was wet, but she treated it more like a slide as Seel circled around Milotic, who was looking around to see where they were in the blue streams. Unfortunately, it's gotten too clear she couldn't keep track. Before she knew it, she looked up, and Seel and Vullaby were directly above. Nic's eyes were glaring intently at the improvising.

'How did they get so quick?!'

"Milotic, watch out!" Jenny warned.

"Now, Seel! Aqua Jet!" Dereece shouted.

"Vullaby, use Pluck!" Mirajane yelled.

Jenny's eyes shot wide. With quick thinking, she made a command of her own. "Quick, Disarming Voice!"

Milotic looked up as a blue torpedo with a glowing top came down onto her. She glared up with her mouth beginning to open. However, her movements were too slow just as her head turned up. 'No! I can't catch them!'

"HRAH!" Both Seel and Vullaby screamed out as they connected with Milotic's head. Their combined force and screaming made an intense shockwave of blue hold pressure onto her for several seconds before Seel and Vullaby pushed further. Both screamed out and pushed down harder, creating a massive wake that erupted mist everywhere. Jenny and everyone covered up as the attack sprayed mist everywhere. Once it cleared, Seel and Vullaby landed a couple feet away.

They both watched the sand and mist clear, revealing Milotic on her side, groaning.

"Milotic is unable to battle!" Erza declared.

"Ye-ah! Alright!" He held a palm to Mirajane, giving a high-five.

"We got her for sure!" she chirped.

Jenny mulled in pity as she returned Milotic. "Thanks Milotic. You did good job." She recalled her defeated Milotic, but she looked down in pity, sighing.

"Hey, don't worry about it." Kevin grinned. "You and Milotic looked great out there." He faced forward. "Now it's up to me and Rattata."

The earlier sprays finally sinking in, Rattata blinked. "Uh…what?" He looked around, realizing Milotic was gone. "Hehehe, eh, what's going on?"

"Looks like it's just you and me now, Rattata." Kevon said. "Think you can handle it?"

Rattata looked cross-eyed as he faced forward. His cackling turned nervous. "Haha…just me…against two?" he wheezed. "Wow…heh…disisoscwazy!"

"Now let's finish them off!" Mirajane encouraged.

"Right!" Dereece reached forward. "Seel, use Ice Shard!" Seel reared up and conjured an icy ball of energy. Once ready, she fired it across the sand at Rattata.

As the attack drew closer, Rattata's cross-eyes fixed themselves. They reflected the image of ice heading their way. As it drew even closer, his entire body was shuddering, as if anticipation couldn't stop rising. He looked like he was about to explode.

"Rattata, get ready…" Kevin enforced.

"Hehehe…GAHAHAHA! DIS IS SO CWAZY!" Rattata yelled to the air. "YEAAAH-HA-HA-HAAH!" Rattata suddenly was enveloped in a bright, powerful glow, illuminating the battlefield. The Ice Shard made impact, but instead, the light caught it.

"What the-?!" Dereece stammered away, looking shocked.

"No way." Lisanna murmured.

"That light…another evolution?" Kinana gasped.

Kevin and Jenny went silent. They could only stare in disbelief as the light started to alter forms. The icy sphere that was caught was seemingly bit into, dissipating to frost as the creature started standing tall. The curly tail became more streamline, with the added bonus of the teeth getting far bigger.

"Oh no." Dereece murmured.

When the light exploded, it revealed a new Pokémon. It was a larger rat, but with dark eyes. He had paws and webbed feet, surprisingly. He had long whiskers with edged ears. The creature was shuddering in place briefly, before it suddenly erupted with a loud scream.

"GAAAAAH! SO CWAZY! GAHAHAHAHA!" the massive rate screamed.

"No way!" Dereece exclaimed.

Kevin blinked. "Raticate…" he pulled out his PokeDex while Raticate was overlooking himself.

"Raticate, the Mouse Pokémon. Its disposition is far more violent than its looks would suggest. Don't let your hand get too close to its face, as it could bite your hand clean off."

"His Rattata evolved. Guess this just got a lot harder." Gray noted.

Natsu smirked. "Yeah, but I still say Mira and Dereece got this. C'mon guys! Kick some oversized rat butt!"

Raticate was a shuddering mess as he looked at his body. "Gnnngh…!" he gasped. "Look! LOOK! You see? Myskinissobrown! It's like caramel, GAHAHA! Whichisfunnybecausecaramelisstickyandmessytomyteeth. GAHAHAHA!"

Kevin furrowed his brow. 'Well, better make the most of it.' "Look alive, Raticate!"

Raticate laughed loudly as he heard his Trainer's call. "I feel so alive~! Yay!"

Mirajane didn't deter too much like Dereece was. "We might still have a chance. I'll get its attention, then you get it when it's distracted."

Dereece nodded. "Okay."

Mirajane reached out. "Alright Vullaby, use Gust!" Vullaby flapped her wings on command, creating a tempest heading for Raticate.

"Oh no you don't!" Kevin retorted. "Raticate, Quick Attack!"

Raticate was outlined in white before he turned cross-eyed. He sped across the ground, making a cloud of sand behind as he had so much energy. "GAHAHA! I FEEL LIKE I CAN FLY~!" When the tempest drew closer, Raticate suddenly made a bold move and shot high into the air over the winds.

"He dodged it?!" Mirajane gasped. Vullaby looked horrified.

Sophie observed carefully. 'That evolution must have given him greater leg strength now that it can stand.'

In the air, Raticate cackled with crossed-eyes. His shadow was over Vullaby, but she was in the middle of her attack and couldn't react fast enough.

"Hyper Fang!"

Raticate's fangs glowed and elongated, and he dove down onto Vullaby like a missile. "I'M A TORPEDO!" he laughed maniacally before he snapped down on Vullaby with a critical hit, creating a rush of sand that blew everywhere. When the sand cleared away, the ground ceased shaking and Vullaby was seen on her back, with Raticate over her with a shuddering frame, still breaking into chuckling fits.

"Vullaby is unable to battle!" Erza declared.

"Yes! Take that, Mirajane. No hard feelings." Jenny beamed.

"But…" Kevin wanted to say he did it, but he chose to glance away. "…eh, whatever."

Mirajane put a hand to her cheek. "Oh dear. Vullaby!" She worried. Raticate got off and she rushed towards her side. "Are you okay?"

Vullaby stirred awake, though barely. She groaned as she looked at Mirajane. "Gnnngh…I wanna go home now." She whined. "The beach isn't fun anymore."

Mirajane softly smiled. "There, there. It'll be okay. You deserve a nice rest." She returned Vullaby back to her Poke Ball. She stood up, facing Dereece. "Alright Dereece, think you can handle it?"

Dereece glared forward. "Well, guess I have no choice." He held his fist high. "Let's go, Seel! Use Aqua Jet!"

Seel cloaked herself in blue water and shot at Raticate. She tucked in her head and bolted, but Raticate saw the attack coming. He barely brushed to the side, but the drafts by the raging water stream made him twirl. "GAHAHA! Everything is spinny!" He lifted his head as he laughed, but the sun was blocked out by blue. Seel came down, but Raticate was fast enough to shift off to the side. The rat slid in the sand as drizzle sprayed. Within the dust, Seek shook her head and focused.

'He's even faster than I thought! I gotta slow it down!' Dereece reached out. "Seel, Icy Wind!" Seel created a blue aura in her mouth and shot and icy breath that sped towards Raticate.

Kevin's eyes narrowed. 'They better not have forgotten about Focus Energy…time to put these gnaws to the test.' He straightened his posture to attack. "Raticate, Hyper Fang!"

Raticate got on all fours again as he launched at the wave of frost. He yelled as he opened his maw, the huge bucked teeth glowing as he rushed in, nipping at the wind. As if he was chewing in the winds, they bisected as the energetic rat sped down the middle.

"No way…" Natsu awed. Lucy, Happy, and Wendy all gasped in disbelief.

Raticate closed the gap on Seel as her attack wasn't slowing him down. As her winds dissipated, Raticate made a small leap and passed her, a streamline line following his fangs. As he landed in the sands behind, his teeth stopped glowing and he held his position. Seel was quiet for a moment, before she slowly fell over.

"Seel!" Dereece cried. He saw that Seel had swirly eyes

Raticate nibbled some as he looked around. "Haha, that tasted like ice cream."

Erza lifted an arm for Jenny and Kevin's side. "Seel is unable to battle, which means that the wins goes to Jenny and Kevin!"

Kevin raised a fist. "Yes! Raticate, wait a go buddy!" he cheered. Jenny was beside him, humbled by his victory he got. "You did awesome out there, buddy. How ya feeling?"

Raticate wheezed and started to calm down a little. "That…thatwassocwazy…"

Kevin nodded. "Gotcha. That was crazy." He bent down, brushing Raticate's head. "Thank you."

"We lost?" Natsu was speechless. He didn't know what to say. "Man…"

Happy shrugged. "Well I guess you can't win them all."

Cana whistled. "But man was that a show out there. I thought for sure Mira had that one in the bag."

"Poor Mira…" Lisanna worried.

Elfman balled a fist angrily. "I swear, those Blue Pegasus creeps will pay for what they did?" he gritted his teeth angrily. "I swear, in the name of a man that I am."

Dereece walked up to Seel as she was stirring awake. "Seel, are you okay?"

Seel groaned as she weakly looked up towards Dereece. "Gnngh…sorry." She apologized.

Dereece shook his head. "Nah, it's fine. Glad that you did your best." He held up her Poke Ball. "Better give you some rest, you earned it." He recalled Seel before facing Kevin and Jenny. "Looks like you beat us fair and square."

Kevin nodded. "Looks like it." He turned towards Jenny. "Say, Jenny, isn't it almost time for your next shooting?"

Jenny sighed. "Yeah, guess you're right." She swallowed what was of her pride and walked towards Mirajane, shaking her hand. "Well Mirajane, it was fun."

"Yeah it was." She smiled. "Good luck."

Jenny smiled as she turned towards Jason, who was still taking pictures of Joey in the background.

"Oh, and Jenny." Mirajane called from the distance. "Be sure to remember your promise. I'll by next week's issue just to be sure."

Jenny comically sulked as wavy tears ran down her face. "Why me?" she whimpered.


After what felt like an eternity of prying Joey away from the cameras by Jason, Dereece and Gajeel had to hold him down so that he didn't go running off to his "adoring public". With Jenny doing her photo shoots on the other side of the isle, she and Kevin promised to meet up when it was done so that they can get home. He chose to spend his time with Fairy Tail, healing up and taking a break.

Krabby held up a checker board towards Wendy. "Checkers?"

"Uh, no thanks." Wendy politely declined. Krabby groaned and scuttled off to ask another person. "He sure loves that game."

"An obsession is more like it." Carla corrected.

"Aw relax, it's not like it's not an unhealthy habit to pick up." Romeo chimed. He was sitting with Litwick on a towel, him eating a piece of watermelon while she was eating berries.

"That's true. Just as humans pick up on Pokémon habits, as does the other way around." Sophie surmised.

Erza nodded in approval. "It's always nice to learn from another perspective. You learn more about them every day."

"So you found all those items on your way through Kalos, Erza?" Happy inquired/

The Requip Mage nodded again. "Yes. We always stop by shops and find these sorts of things lying around. It's really strange. I mean, really, to leave such perfectly good Full Heals lying in some grass. Either somebody must be a klutz, or perhaps they're wasteful."

Everyone sweat dropped at her accusations.

"Now that I think about it, doesn't Joey's Trubbish have that Black Sludge thing? How's that work?"

"Some wild Pokémon can be seen holding certain items." Vanessa pointed out. "Sometimes berries, and sometimes rare items. You can't really tell unless you have certain ways." She looked at Nic, who was dangling a small sliver of a steak over Kecleon's head. "Kecleon for example, she has Thief. She can steal an item while dealing damage, so if the Pokémon is defeated she still gets it."

"Say, that's pretty handy. I oughta try that out." Cana smirked. "Maybe I can use that to take more booze." She laughingly joked.

Purrloin stretched at her feet. "Maybe if I work up the nerve to care." She yawned.

Prinplup beamed his beak up with pride. "Hmph, like I'd stoop as low as steal something I don't need. I can do just fine without an item, thank you very much."

Cana mischievously smirk. "You sure? Because when you were hungry earlier I didn't see you getting any food for yourself, did you?" The comment made her Prinplup gawk in embarrassment.

"Say, speaking of Joey, where is he?" Bisca asked.

Alzack looked towards the beach. "I think he's over there by the ocean. Look."

Over by the ocean, Joey was ankle-deep as he was using Pidove against a wild Shellder. The wild bivalve shot up through the water with Tackle, but Joey seemingly called a command while reaching his arm out. Pidove used Air Cutter, sending crescents that instantly knocked the Shellder back into the water. Down below the surface, it was seen with spirals, while Pidove circled above, chirping.

Dereece sighed as he sat on a towel, his Seel revived and eating a big bowl of Pokémon Food beside him. He watched Joey train ever since he got out of his paparazzi daze. "Well, at least Joey's being productive." He felt a tap beside him. He looked up to find Kevin standing over him. "Huh? Kevin, what is it?"

"Listen, Dereece. I just wanna say…you put up a good fight. You're a good Trainer, and I was impressed with how you ad Mirajane battled Raticate and Milotic. I respect that."

Dereece almost floored. He was flattered beyond belief. "Hehehe, well…"

"I wanted to ask Joey, but after battling you…" He pointed an accusing finger at Dereece. "I know what I wanna do. Dereece, I challenge you to a full 3-on-3 battle! Right here, right now."

"W-what?!"

"Oh my, just when you thought it was over." Mirajane chimed.

"Another battle? Right now?" Wendy asked surprised. She looked towards Swablu, who looked just as confused.

Nic shrugged. "Yeah I guess that would make sense." He looked at Dereece. "Well Dereece, you know the rules as well as I do." He smirked. "So…what's it gonna be?"

Dereece looked at Nic and back at Kevin, seeing him look serious about his choice. 'He's really serious. I think he wants to see what other skills that I can do. He must know I have at least 3 Pokémon…guess I shouldn't be surprised. I caught Yanma back in Alvarez, and he knows about Seel and Heracross.'

"Oh come now, don't be like that." Seel chastised. "Look, I've seen a few good tiffs but that was something else. I knew you wanted to help your friend but after last night…well, just look at him."

He looked at Seel as she looked at him. 'Besides, she's right. My Captain is looking to get stronger for the ones who fell for him. If I'm not strong enough to support him, what am I?' Coming to a realization, Dereece glared up at Kevin with no hesitation and a grin. "Okay, I will."

Kevin smirked. "That's what I wanna hear. Raticate, you set back there?"

Behind, Raticate was overlooking something with Nic's Kecleon. The rat had drawn close to the wet sand and made a very crude work of art. But what many could bear witness to was looked like an assortment of objects that look like places with food. Some were basic shapes, and some were slightly more concrete like the image of a Mankey. "Okay, here's my name, you see?" He directed Kecleon, tilting her head casually. "For my name, it's a Mankey on a cannonball flying across the cosmos, a-andthenthere'stheasteroids that are made up of cheese! HAHA! And beyond that is the planet that's in the shape of a banana because Mankeys love bananas! GAHAHAHA! Also!" he gasped. "Also! Also, there's comets that up of stringed cheese of mozzarellaandother stars on fire because it's so CWAZY! GAHAHAHA!" As Raticate was laughing hysterically, Kecleon was blindly applauding him for at least trying.

"I like cheese." She smiled.

"Me too! It's so cwazy!"

Kevin had a blank face as he watched the scene. Despite the shiver up his spine, he took it anyway. "Yeah, we're good to go."

'How is that good to go?' A majority of everyone thought.


Same as before, Dereece and Kevin were evenly spread apart. They glared at each other as everyone else was off to the side.

Vanessa came between, this time being the referee. "The battle between Dereece and Kevin will now begin. Each Trainer will have the use of three Pokémon, and the battle will be over when either side's Pokémon are unable to continue. Also, substitutions are allowed."

"This is gonna be good." Alzack commented.

"Dereece, do your best out there!" Kinana encouraged.

Erza grinned. "This should be an interesting battle." She looked towards Nic. "Right?"

Nic nodded. "Right." He looked back ahead, his mind drifting to that combo attack Seel and Vullaby used before. His mind stirred as Kevin pulled out a Net Ball.

"Alright, let's start off fresh." He threw the Net Ball. "Go, Krabby!"

The capsule popped open, and out came Kevin's Krabby. The crab pinched his claws together to show how sharp they were. "We gonna play more checkers?" he questioned.

"So he's starting off with Krabby, huh?" Dereece glanced out at Joey, who had chosen to take another small break to observe. Joey was seen giving two thumbs up in encouragement. "Okay…I guess I'll be starting fresh then, too." He pulled out a Great Ball. "Okay then. Go, Stunfisk!"

The capsule sent out Dereece's latest addition, his Stunfisk. The Trap Pokémon flopped on the ground. "Ha! Being some fried crab I see!" he joked.

Joey's eyes widened. "Woah, a Stunfisk?" He pulled out his PokeDex and analyzed the new addition to Dereece's team.

"Stunfisk, the Trap Pokémon. It conceals itself in the mud of the seashore. Then it waits. When prey touch it, it delivers a jolt of electricity."

Joey dismissed his PokeDex. "So that's Dereece's new catch? Awesome."

"A Ground and Electric-type battling against a Water-type." Nic observed. "And they're both beach-dwellers. You were right, this is gonna be interesting."

"So you caught some more Pokémon, Dereece?" Kevin called.

Dereece nodded. "Yeah, that's right." He and Stunfisk looked at one another. "This is our first battle, too. So don't hold back, got it?"

"Count on it."

Vanessa brought her hand down in a chop. "Then let the battle begin!"

"We'll go first." Kevin volunteered. "Krabby, use Leer!"

"I get to move my piece first!" Krabby's eyes glowed, seething daggers at Stunfisk as a blue aura signaled a Defense decrease

'Looks like they're gonna try and hit us hard. Better make this quick.' Dereece reached forward. "Alright Stunfisk, use Thunder Shock!" Stunfisk smiled as his body crackled with electricity before firing a weak bolt at Krabby. To everyone's shock, Krabby scuttled to the right, dodging the bolt.

"I move my piece to the side!" he declared.

Dereece furrowed his brow. "Man, thought we had that."

Kevin swiped his arm. "We got ways of preparing for that. Krabby, use Mud Sport!" Krabby's claws raised high into the air, glowing red-orange. When Krabby slammed them down, splatters of mud scattered around, layering the sand and everything in mud.

"What's that do?" Lisanna questioned.

"Yeah it just put everything in mud, what's the big deal?" Rufflet asked. "And I think I got some in my feathers."

"Mud Sport is a move that cloaks everything in mud." Erza commented. "For a time, the mud reduces Electric-type damage for both sides, meaning Dereece's attack won't do as much."

"For real?" Gray questioned.

"Then they have moves other than weather that can affect a Pokémon's power too?" Juvia realized. She looked towards Vaporeon, who looked equally as shocked by this news. 'Then maybe we can actually stand a chance against other types we're weak to.'

"So then I guess that means Kevin has the advantage." Romeo surmised.

"Don't be too sure." Pantherlily said. "The nettle just started. Maybe Dereece will turn things around."

'I gotta do something about that Speed instead.' Dereece reached forward. "Stunfisk, use Mud Shot!"

"Okay." Using the tailfin, the fish shot into the air to get airborne. "How's this for playing dirty?!" He spat mud balls from his mouth that shot down at Krabby. They kept coming down, and the crab tried shuffling, but one was close enough to stop him. This allowed another to hurl into him, making sand fly everywhere. Krabby fell onto his back, groaning as a blue aura signaled his Speed loss. Stunfisk landed, chuckling at his joke.

"You're a real comedian." Kevin implied sarcastically. "But let's see who gets the last laugh! Krabby, use Vice Grip!" Krabby jumped back up and leaped over the sand. He was high in the air before he came down, pinching hard on Stunfisk's face. The intense grip made the fish yelp in shock.

"How's that for a pinch?" Kevin mocked back.

Grunting, Dereece applied a counter. "Stunfisk, use Thunder Shock!" Mustering himself, the fish angrily leered back at Krabby as he was still in contact. Jolts of electricity shot through Krabby, even when mud blocked the blunt of the attack. Stunfisk smiled as he bolted shock strong enough to send Krabby on his back again.

"Krabby, can you get up?" Kevin called out.

Krabby stirred back up. He grunted, but he was still able-bodied. "I'm good…I still have some chips to play." He grunted, but crackling electricity enveloped hi body, causing him to yelp.

Kevin's eyes widened. "Paralysis?"

"Yeah." Dereece balled a fist. "That's Stunfisk's Ability, Static. When Krabby made contact, he got paralyzed. That means you've slowed down a lot, enough that you can't move."

Kevin grunted. He looked down at Krabby to see that he was already in too bad of a shape. When he saw how this was going to be, he humbly closed his eyes and waited before making his next command. "…Krabby, Leer!"

Krabby's eyes flashed again, enveloping Stunfisk in a blue aura for another Defense drop.

'Is he trying to get another attack in?' Dereece surmised. Taking quick action, he gave a command. "Finish this up fast, Stunfisk! Use Mud Shot!"

Stunfisk's eyes refracted light before he flopped into the air again. He reared back before exerted brown mud that he launched at Krabby. The crustacean was stunned as paralysis rendered him immobile and unable to dodge the globs as they rained down, making sand churn with more mud spewing in the small area.

When the sand cleared, Krabby was seen on his back, his legs twitching. "Uuugh…should've played checkers." He murmured before losing consciousness.

"Krabby is unable to battle, Stunfisk is the winner!" Vanessa announced.

"Well that didn't take too long." Gray commented. "That was a nice one by Dereece."

"Yeah, but I bet you could've done a lot better, my icy hunk." Juvia swooned.

"That was a good round." Wendy commented.

Lucy nodded. "Yeah, you're right." Her nod turned to a frown. "But still, something about this feels off. Why didn't he try to use another attack?"

"Don't know." Natsu's tone was more serious than usual. Unlike before when he was observing for a win, like Nic, he was watching for some experience. "But my nose is telling me something's up too."

Kevin recalled Krabby, looking at his Net Ball. "Thanks, Krabby. You did a good job, get some rest." He looked up, pulling out a regular Poke Ball. "Okay…go!"

The Poke Ball popped open, revealing Raticate. The oversized mouse shuddered as he let out a loud cry of excitement.

"Raticate." Dereece grunted. "Look alive, Stunfisk…this is gonna get rough."

"That's what she said." Kevin chuckled. The comment made Dereece sweat drop and face palm. "Anyways Raticate, time to get crazy again!" he swiped his arm. "Focus Energy!" The rat remained still as his body emitted a strong white aura that went to the top of the head. Once there, it faded and spread evenly throughout the body.

'Now his chances of landing critical hits are easier than they should be.' Nic observed. As he saw how this was playing out, he glared as he saw more of the battle unfold.

'I gotta make sure I slow it down before it's too late.' Formulating his strategy, Dereece went for the execution. "Now Stunfisk, let's use Mud Shot again!"

"Aye!" Flopping his fin on the sand, he got airborne. "This be where mud get in your eye!" He took in a sharp breath before exhaling a sharp blast of mud balls that rained down on Raticate.

Kevin's sunglasses reflected the shot as he reached out. "Raticate, use Hyper Fang!"

Raticate laughed maniacally as he rushed in across the sand. He cackled with a cross-eye look as he shifted left and right, evading the mud balls that splattered in the sand. His teeth glowed brightly as Stunfisk was coming down, but his suspended position made it impossible to avoid. "GAHAHAHA! FLYING FISHY!"

"Stunfisk, watch out!" Dereece called out.

Stunfisk wasn't able to as the rat moved in fast, biting into him midair. A shockwave of air pushed him back into sand, making an eruption of sediments that kicked up as Raticate landed. Raticate was fine, but his body crackled with electricity, which didn't go unnoticed by Kevin.

When the sand cleared, Stunfisk was on his bottom-half, groaning with unconscious spirals in his gaze.

Vanessa raised an arm for Kevin's side. "Stunfisk is unable to battle, Raticate is the winner!"

Dereece facepalmed again. He walked up towards Stunfisk and kneeled for him. "Stunfisk, you alright?" He saw Stunfisk stir and weakly glance at his new Trainer, seeing his smile. "You'll be just fine. Thanks for battling. Get a good rest." He recalled Stunfisk back to his Great Ball.

Erza analyzed the battle as it was down to 2 Pokémon each. 'Raticate's stats went up when he evolved. On top of that, Focus Energy increased the chances of critical hits dealt to its attacks. Plus Krabby's earlier Leer made Stunfisk highly vulnerable. That first battle was a setup. That's a crafty move by Kevin, but…' She took notice of Raticate twitching from the static on his body. 'They didn't come out of it unscathed. This battle has only just begun.'

"So now it's down to 2 each then." Lisanna said. "I hope Dereece does okay against that thing."

"Yeah, me too." Levy admitted. "But look, that last move must have paralyzed Raticate. That should make things a little easier for Dereece I hope."

"That all depends on his next Pokémon." Sophie analyzed.

Dereece looked down at the Poke Ball in his hand. He glanced up at Raticate to see he was still paralyzed. 'Okay, so I can't go head on. His attacks are gonna be a lot more critical because of that Focus Energy. But…we still have speed, and I think that I might know the perfect guy for that job.' Clutching the Poke Ball, he threw it. "Alright, go Yanma!"

The Poke Ball popped open, revealing Dereece's Yanma. "I'm here." She introduced, perching herself on Dereece's head. Dereece grunted at her habit.

"A Yanma. So Dereece is going with speed then." Mirajane surmised.

"Looks like it to me." Elfman said. "Plus he has an aerial advantage."

Dereece shook Yanma off and she went into battle. With her hovering over her opponent, Raticate chattered his teeth as static paralyzed his body.

'That paralysis is gonna slow us down. Before try to see if we can still keep up.' Kevin reached out. "Raticate, Quick Attack!"

Raticate laughed as his body was outlined in white. "I feel like a firecracker! HAHAHA!" He skipped and lunged across the ground towards Yanma, although his attack was notably slow enough for Dereece to keep track of.

"Okay, dodge it!" he commanded. Yanma used her dragonfly-like movements to zip to the side, evading Raticate's lunge as he continued skywards. "Now, Sonic Boom!" Yanma's wings glowed white and flapped them, sending a crescent shockwave at Raticate. The rate turned around and was struck in the face, sending him into the sand hard.

Yanma lowered herself closer towards the ground, her red aura signaling her Speed Boost Ability increasing Speed.

"Now, Double Team!" Dereece followed. Yanma flashed white before illusions of herself around the area. Clones scattered around Raticate as he got back up, seeing multiple Yanma everywhere.

Kevin grunted as he looked at all of them. Deciding to take a gander, he swiped his arm. "Use Quick Attack again!"

Raticate outlined in white and lunged again. Though still rather slow, he closed in on Yanma illusions and zipped through one, but it faded. Then went into another, and then another, and then lastly one more. He closed in on one before he lunged to strike, but once again Yanma used her increase Speed to dodge.

"Bite!" Kevin followed up. Raticate landed on one foot and pivoted up at the real Yanma again, his fangs glowing.

"I don't think he can dodge that!" Happy worried.

Dereece glared. "No you don't…Detect!"

Yanma's eyes flashed green. When Raticate closed in, her bodily reflexes made her evade the fangs by going skywards. In midair, Raticate was in shock before Yanma reappeared behind him in a flash. Once again, a red aura signaled her Speed increase.

"Behind you!" Kevin warned.

"Now, Sonic Boom!"

"Incoming hot!" Yanma's wings glowed white and unleashed a white shockwave. Raticate turned around in midair, but the paralysis left him stunned, literally. The shockwave struck him down, sending the rat into the sand again. Yanma hovered in the atmosphere like nothing happened.

Below, the mud in the area dissipated, leaving Mud Sport to fade away.

A lot of people cheered for that last shot. "Now that's getting behind something." Gray commented.

"Nice shot, Yanma!" Dereece praised. "I knew that new move would come in handy for you." In slight joy, Yanma turned and went to perch on his head again. Dereece's jot turned sour. "Okay, sure, during a battle, okay…"

Nic observed Dereece's strategy. As he glared, he was thinking to what he saw. 'Yanma's Speed Boost. Detect. And Double Team. So it's an evasive strategy. Even when increasing speed he's still vulnerable, so he has those two moves for evasion…interesting.' His mind was thinking deeply, so deeply that he almost forgot that the battle was still going on.

Raticate stirred around in the sand until he got back up. Grunting, static stunned him again. "I…feel less good now…" he huffed.

Kevin grunted. 'We're not gonna get anywhere like this. His Yanma is just gonna keep getting faster…plus there's the Detect and Double Team. I'll be lucky enough to even find the right one. Dereece…he's more clever than I thought.'

"Double Team!" Dereece followed up. Yanma copied herself, making illusions that hovered around where the original is. Once again, her Speed Boost sped her up further. "Now, Sonic Boom!"

All the Yanma clones' wings glowed bright white and shot white shockwaves. It was a sheer wall of white that blasted into Raticate. With all of it heading at him, Raticate was ready to take the initiative, but once again, the paralysis took over, stunning him and letting him get hit again. He was picked up and thrown onto his back, groaning.

"Now, Quick Attack!" Some Yanma along with the real one were outlined in white as they closed in.

Kevin's eyes shot wide. 'NOW!' He balled a fist. "Raticate, grab it!"

Slouching back up, Raticate got to his feet and red blurs shot at him. He was shot across the sand in a tumble, sliding close to Kevin…but when he uncurled, he had in his paws the legs of Yanma – the real Yanma.

"What?"

Kevin's sunglasses shined over. "Raticate, Bite!" The massive rat opened his massive glowing teeth and bit hard into Yanma. The intense fangs made a bright burst that shot her skywards in a spiral.

"Yanma!" Dereece shouted. He and everyone watched the falling dragonfly spiral towards the sand beneath, even as his Speed Boost kicked in. This is where Kevin took the next opportunity.

"Now, Quick Attack!" Raticate's body outlined and he dashed moderately across the sand. He closed in fast, leaving little time for Dereece to make a move.

'Gotta make this fast!' he thought. "Yanma, Detect!" Yanma's eyes flashed green again as she fell. Raticate closed in on her but she straightened out, her body working on its own. She straightened out above while Raticate looked at her from below. "Sonic Boom!" Once again, Yanma launched a crescent shockwave at him.

"Bite!" Kevin commanded. He watched Raticate's teeth glow as the attack aimed for him. The fangs bit clean through, dissipating the shockwave.

Yanma was looking weary as she gazed down, as was Raticate. Both creatures had taken gracious damage, especially Raticate. They had to end this, now.

'I have to finish this now.' Dereece swallowed. 'Okay, time to go for broke. We still have Speed on our side.' He glared. "Yanma, one more time! Quick Attack!"

"Here we go!" Outlining in white, Yanma suddenly vanished.

"Raticate, Hyper Fang!" Kevin roared.

Raticate severed his fangs as they glowed. Yanma suddenly reappeared as she struck Raticate's chest. The rat was holding his ground, albeit barely as Yanma kept pushing. Sand stirred around them as Yanma's wings produced shockwaves. Though it hurt, Raticate opened and eye, startling Yanma.

"CWAZY!" the rat yelled out as he snapped down on Yanma's head, creating a white explosion that exploded white and smoke into the atmosphere. The sudden eruption caught everyone by surprise.

As the smoke cleared, everyone fell silent to see who won that final rush. When it finally cleared, Yanma was seen on the ground with Raticate, both fallen over and spirals in their eyes.

"Yanma!"

"Raticate!"

Vanessa raised both her arms. "Both Raticate and Yanma are unable to battle!"

Dereece sighed grievously. "Well…that didn't do as expected." He picked up the Poke Ball and recalled Yanma. "Great job out there, Yanma."

"You too, Raticate, get some rest." Kevin recalled Raticate, leaving the sand even between them once more.

"Wow, okay. I didn't see that result happening." Romeo awed.

"Those last attacks turned to a battle of durability." Cana foresaw, recalling the way they were colliding into one another. "Dereece's strategy was evasive until that last attack struck him. He must've gotten desperate just like Kevin was and knew Yanma's limits. Plus Raticate had that move to give it harsher hits in the long run."

"Yeah, guess that would make sense." Lisanna commented. "Still, I wish Yanma won."

"I think he might if he had used Double Team and Sonic Boom again." Gray commented. "He had a high speed he would've had an advantage the next round."

"I think it's best that Dereece learns from his own mistakes, dear." Juvia insisted politely.

"She's right." Erza noted. "Trainers need to be aware of what faults they've made in battle so they can grow. That's partially how one gains experience. The more you learn from loses, the better you'll be in succeeding."

Nic thought of her words. 'The more we learn from our mistakes huh…?' He thought about Emmanuel's quick wits yet again, then his mind flashed forward to the strategies and combos he witnessed.

With the space clear, Kevin and Dereece faced each other, the air and tension at an all-time high. "Well Dereece, looks like we're down to our last Pokémon. You ready for this?" He held up another Net Ball.

Dereece nodded. He pulled out a Poke Ball in return. "Ready!"

"Win this one for The Freaks, Dereece!" Joey ordered. "Freaks in the house! Woopwoop!"

"On it, Captain!" Dereece threw the Poke Ball. "Now, go!"

The Poke Ball summoned forth the last choice. Heracross appeared in midair before thudding on his two feet, glaring ahead.

"My turn! Go, Beedrill!" The Net Ball opened, and out came Kevin's last choice, a Beedrill. The Bug/Poison-type screeched as he held his stingers out.

"So it's a battle between two Bug-types now?" Sophie inquired. "This should be interesting.

"Alright Heracross, you ready?"

"You bet!" the bug nodded.

"Okay Beedrill, you may be new, but I don't wanna see slack. You up for it?" Kevin smirked.

Beedrill prodded his bottom stinger. "I sting yo face!"

"…"

A long silence loomed over Dereece and Heracross. They looked dumbfounded as that one line was bringing back memories. "Uh…what?" Heracross blinked in surprise.

Joey was currently adjusting his hearing aids. After a few bangs, he looked back, barely picking up on the 4 words. "Heh?"

Sophie furrowed her brow. ''I sting yo face'? Wait…' Her mind flashed back to long ago, back the day after Dereece and Joey joined the guild. Her eyes widened in shock. 'Don't tell me that's-!'

Dereece slouched. "You've gotta be kidding me."

Heracross blinked. "You…"

"I sting yo face…?" Beedrill glared at Heracross with curiosity. The longer he stared, the more he recounted the swarm that was beaten. Especially him with the Horn Attack. Immediately his stingers pointed accusingly at him. "I sting yo face!"

"Hold up, am I missing something here?" Kevin, being out of the loop, was questioning at the sudden attitude change in the atmosphere. "Beedrill, what's wrong."

"Hold up! Hold up!" Joey realized, pointing over Dereece's shoulder. "That's the Beedrill that attacked us on our first job! Remember?!"

"Wait…what?!" Kevin looked at Beedrill, who was glaring daggers at Heracross and vice versa.

Dereece sighed. "Yeah, it's true. We were on our first job to inspect some Honey Trees that crossed over, then we ran into some Beedrill on the way there. That's also where I got Heracross and we beat that Beedrill…I never thought I'd see that one again.

Beedrill hissed as he aimed his stingers at Dereece, making him shrink back. "Sorry."

'So it's a grudge match against Bug-types.' Vanessa thought. 'I read that Bug-types are territorial. But between two Bug-types is going to be intense.'

"I sting yo face!" Beedrill pointed a needle at Heracross.

Mustering his courage, Heracross lowered his horn. "I beat you once, Beedrill, I won't lose to you again."

"I sting yo face!"

'Is that all that thing says?' Wendy questioned in her mind.

Dereece shook his head and looked ahead. 'What are we doing? That's in the past. Heracross is a lot stronger than before. We can do this.' Heracross looked back at Heracross, the two sharing eye contact. When Heracross nodded, Dereece understood. "Okay, you're on!"

Kevin nodded. "Okay, then let's go! Beedrill, Focus Energy!" Beedrill lifted his stingers as a white aura waved and rippled up his head to dissipate around the body.

"Heracross, use Chip Away!" Heracross flew across the sand at Beedrill, closing the gap quickly.

"Beedrill, counter with Fury Attack!" Kevin countered.

"I sting yo face!" Beedrill aimed his needles and went dicing right for Heracross. Both Bug-types met in the middle, with claws and needles intersecting in bright white static. The two glared fiercely at one another before Beedrill used another stinger, but Heracross countered that. He used the rear stinger, and Heracross flew higher, evading.

"Use Horn Attack!" Heracross' horn glowed and went diving for Beedrill.

"Dodge that!" Beedrill did as Kevin told and evaded. Heracross' horn prodded into the sand whereas the burst was the perfect distraction for Beedrill to get in close. "Fury Attack!"

"H-huh?" Heracross' eyes widened when he prodded his horn out of the ground, only for the momentum to be too great and was thrown off balance.

"I sting yo face!" Beedrill heed to his own words and stuck his stingers out. He continuously jabbed at Heracross until he hit four times, then gave one final jab a fifth time and created a wake in the form of a critical hit, shooting him across the sand on his back.

"Oh! That's gotta hurt." Lucy gasped.

"No kidding. He literally stung his face." Happy commented.

Heracross tried getting up, despite how much pain his face felt. He glared ahead as Beedrill was there, seething him down. His intensity served to grow. "That's smarts." He grumbled.

"Twineedle!" Beedrill's stingers glowed bright purple as he closed in on Heracross.

"Hold…" Dereece instructed. "Hold…" He waited until Beedrill was close. When the first sting came, he times it just right. "Now! Horn Attack!"

Beedrill prodded his stinger forward, but Heracross ducked from the blow. Right in position, Heracross' horn glowed and he lifted his head, shooting his horn into Beedrill's midsection and sending him spiraling through the air.

"Nice one!"

Spiraling back into place, Beedrill adjusted and glared down. Heracross arose to the challenge, flapping his wings to meet Beedrill at the same height.

"Fury Attack!"

"Chip Away!"

Both Pokémon charged at each other with their respective attack, each buzzing menacingly as stinger met claws. Both Bug-types parried the other, flying hazardously about over everyone's heads. The two that battled as wild Pokémon once – now belonging to Trainers, their new territories waged, and Beedrill refused to lose to the likes of Heracross again. And Heracross felt the same. Ever since that Honey Tree incident, he never felt so prone to protection, to inspire to battle for a comrade. Both Bug-types were like actual insects waging war to rip the other apart in the air, their parries and evasions almost on equal terms. When Beedrill stabbed, Heracross sidewinded, only Beedrill to maneuver around and repeat. Their clash was stirring up a lot of tension, which didn't go unnoticed by the others.

"Now this is a Pokémon Battle for sure!" Natsu grinned.

"Yeah, I haven't seen Dereece's Heracross this worked up." Gray observed. He saw their furious and fast parries. "So this is what a battle between Bug-types is."

"It's so intense. I can feel the energy even from here." Juvia awed.

"I know. I can't tell who's gonna win this." Lucy commented.

"Go guys! You can do it!" Happy cheered.

Joey looked up, smirking as he saw the clash of Heracross and Beedrill. "Wow…"

Heracross and Beedrill stabbed and thrusted at each other, but once again neither side was getting anywhere. Until finally, Heracross punched, but Beedrill got above.

"Now, Twineedle!" Kevin commanded.

"I sting yo face!" Beedrill's stingers glowed bright purple and he dove down at Heracross just as he looked up. The stingers and momentum struck Heracross, sending him crashing back into the sand, creating a cloud around him.

"Heracross!" Dereece called out. Heracross resurfaced from the obscuring, but when he was back on his feet, his body crackled with purple static with toxic bubbles, causing him to wince and Dereece to gasp. "Poison?"

Joey blinked. "Oh no, Heracross was poisoned." He gasped. "Hey, wait a sec…" He flashed back to their first job, recalling a similar instance with Heracross and Beedrill. 'Did I just have serious déjà vu right now?'

Heracross was wincing from the poison damage, along with the pain from some of the strikes being critical hits. Kevin balled his fists. 'Heracross has gotta be low on health soon. If we strike first we'll get the upper hand.' He reached out. "Now, Fury Attack!" Beedrill dove for Heracross, all his stingers accounted for.

"Dereece!" Levy yelled.

"Look out!" Romeo warned.

Dereece, however, didn't answer. Neither did Heracross.

"I sting yo face!" Beedrill's stingers closed in for that last attack.

Together, Heracross and Dereece's eyes flashed open. Heracross let out a cry as his body had a dense aura around it as he swayed his horn, deterring Beedrill from his course. The bee arose, but when he looked down, he and Kevin were shocked to see a dense aura envelop Heracross' frame.

"What the…?"

Heracross growled as he yelled out loud. His roar startled the other Pokémon watching off to the side.

"Woah, what's up with him?" Charmeleon blinked.

"I don't know, but I think I can top that." Machop boasted.

Kadabra stepped up. "I believe that's our friend's ability, Guts." He surmised, earning surprised looks from everyone else. "When one who has this ability is inflicted with a status condition such as paralysis or perhaps poison in this case, his or her Attack stat gets a drastic change in power."

"So you're saying Heracross is like a one-way tank?" Lisanna surmised.

Kadabra nodded. "Evidently."

On the other side of the battlefield, Kevin glared with slight uneasiness. "Guts. I should've figured as much…still, we gotta keep the pressure on since we have more Speed." He reached forward. "Use Fury Attack!" Like before, Beedrill shot down at Heracross.

More confident than ever, Dereece glared skywards. "Heracross, get set. Use Horn Attack!"

Heracross' horn glowed and charged up for Beedrill again. This time both met in the middle, making brighter static than before. But slowly, Heracross' raw power was getting the better of Beedrill, pushing him back. Beedrill screamed as Heracross glared.

"Alright!" Mirajane cheered.

"That did way more than the last blow." Gray commented.

"That's true." Kinana said. She watched Heracross land, purple sparks and poisonous bubbles appearing for a second. "But there's that poison. There's no telling how long they'll last now."

"Yeah, both sides are looking wiped already." Carla said

"This might decide it." Pantherlily surmised.

Both Bug-types lowered as they glared at one another, as did their Trainers. Beedrill's body was ignited in a bright green aura as he lowered, his Swarm Ability activated. With everything they had, both had to put it all into this next attack.

'It's all or nothing. I have to get this critical hit.' Kevin thought. 'If we don't it's game over…okay. It's time!' He reached out, giving the next command. "Beedrill, with everything you have! Twineedle!"

Beedrill's stingers glowed bright purple, actually increasing in size a little. He aimed at Heracross and went beaming at full speed. "I sting yo face!"

"Let's go, Heracross!" Dereece shouted.

"Right!" Heracross went fluttering across the sand, diving at Beedrill. The massive insect was closing in at an alarming rate with his fellow bee.

Their glares matched one another, and in a suspenseful moment of black around them, Dereece broke it.

"Now! Aerial Ace!"

Heracross' eyes dilated before they turned serious. He shot even faster, becoming a blur as he closed in on Beedrill. The two insects had intense auras as they shouted, colliding into one another. All black turned to white as time drastically slowed down between the two. Dereece gasped, as did everyone else. Kevin looked just as shocked as seconds passed, and the one to break was Beedrill. The bee screamed as he went spiraling behind Heracross as the bug landed on his two feet, looking away with a serious face as a yellow blur slammed into the sand behind.

When the dust cleared, it revealed Beedrill with swirling, unconscious eyes.

"Beedrill is unable to battle, Heracross is the winner! Therefore, the victory goes to Dereece!" Vanessa declared.

"YES! WAIT A GO MAN!" Joey shot up cheering. "THAT WAS TOTALLY AWESOME!"

Dereece blinked. "We won…?" It took a moment for him to realize, but then a big smile crossed him. "We won! Haha! Yeah man, we won! Heracross, we did it!" Heracross turned back and flew at Dereece. He globbed onto him, pushing the hefty man down with a big hug as he sucked on his head. Dereece laughed. "Hey man, lighten up! I get it! Hahaha!"

"Wow, that battle was so good!" Lucy awed.

"Aye, sir!" Happy agreed.

Natsu smirked. "Man, I didn't know Dereece's Heracross had that in him. Now I wanna battle him, too."

Gray chuckled. "Yeah, the guy sure surprised me. I can say that much."

"Didn't see the big deal. Everyone was pretty worked up for nothing." Gajeel scoffed, earning a bump by Levy's shoulder. "Ow!"

"C'mon, don't be like that Gajeel. You were on edge too. I saw it." She teased.

Nic and Erza grinned at the results. They smiled at one another and nodded. They seemed to have really enjoyed that if Nic's slightly eager expression meant anything.

Kevin went over towards his Beedrill, helping him up. "Beedrill, are you okay?"

"I sting yo face…" he strained. When he looked up, he saw Heracross looking at him. Beedrill returned the glare, though more determined. "I sting yo face." He boldly declared.

Heracross nodded. "Count on it."

"Well, sounds like we got a lot of work ahead of us from the looks of it." Kevin looked up at Dereece. He went over, handing him the official prize money he earned, which was a vague 2,000 Jewel. "Well Dereece, for Joey's right-hand man, you got some skills. I'm impressed." He huffed. "Still, I lost. And I'm not taking this lightly. Better be ready the next time I wanna challenge ya again, got that?"

Dereece accepted his challenge. "Yeah, I had fun man." Dereece shook his hand. "Let's do this again sometime."

"That's what she said." Kevin joked. He laughed at his own amusement, though the joke left Dereece and Heracross to look bewildered at one another.

"Uh, I still don't know what that means." Wendy told Lucy.

Being knowledgeable by the literal context, Lucy knew exactly what it meant. She sweat dropped as she faced Wendy. "Trust me, it's complicated." She nervously answered.


It soon reached sundown, and Nic and the Fairy Tail gang were packing their things and heading for the road. The vendors closed down and loaded up in trucks to get back to the Cambire Foundation. With another successful day now set to be behind them, the gang was taking in the beach sunset.

Natsu stretched overhead. "Man, today sure was a blast." He moaned. "I feel like myself again after all that hard work."

"Aye, I've never felt so full in my life~." Happy moaned. He was currently on his back with a bloated tummy full of fish.

"Did you seriously spend all your cash on that much?!" Carla comically chided.

"I'm glad we got to relax today. It was really fun." Wendy chimed.

"Yeah." Lucy agreed, putting her small bag behind her as Klefki floated beside her. "But now I guess it's business as usual around here. No point in idling around for much longer."

"I hope you and Staryu get along."

Lucy nodded in appreciation. "Thanks, I hope so too."

Gray passed Juvia with a grin. "You ready?"

"Of course." Juvia chimed. "C'mon, Vaporeon." Beside her, Vaporeon chirped as she left the beach with her.

Sophie walked besides Vanessa. "So Sophie, I heard you caught yourself a Finneon. Is that right?" the Pularis girl chimed.

Sophie smirked. "How'd you guess." She lowered her head. "Yes, but I call it more of coincidence. At least now I've memorized some new battling styles…thanks to a certain someone." She looked over her shoulder, seeing Duncan casually walk along the eastern half of the beach back towards his team.

"Yo man, where've you been?" Joey asked Duncan.

"Yeah, did you have any ide on what you missed today?" Dereece questioned.

Duncan ignored them, passing them as he wasn't interested. "Goodie for you." He stated bluntly. "If that's all, let's just get back already. I'm still not on my training schedule."

As he walked off, Joey and Dereece looked to one another confusedly. They looked at Duncan again, but Joey seemed to be the one more distracted. He looked down, unnerved by what to do.

Along the sea, Nic and Erza were hand in hand. Together they watched the beach sunset along the horizon. The sea breeze blew Erza's hair like flowing grass, but she didn't care. She held Nic's hand as they enjoyed the other's relaxing company after their bustling beach day.

After a long silence, Erza took the initiative. "…it was a fun day."

"Yeah, it really was." Nic grinned.

"Can you believe the last time we actually enjoyed the beach. Last I checked, you just ran and swam for miles for training without rest. That's how it worked, right?"

Nic humbly lowered his head. "Well you're not wrong." He opened his eyes. "But…still." He flashed back to the battles and Pokémon that used attacks. "Even if I didn't do anything, I didn't walk away without learning something…you were right. I just had to take a step back and see other things than myself on the battlefield." He gleamed at the fading sunlight. 'And I won't that experience go to waste neither.'

Erza leaned in, kissing him on the cheek. "Good. I'm glad."

Nic had slight pink in the cheeks from the affection. "So what do wanna do when we get home?"

"Well, I've been thinking about today, and I'd really like it if you could try to draw or paint this." She looked at the sunset. The sweater was a navy blue, and it was flowing in and out soundly. In the vast distance, clouds were illuminating the surroundings around the sunset. In the tides, a Luvdisc jumped out, smiling cheerfully before it dove back in the water.

Nic smiled again. "Yeah, I'll do that." He suddenly pulled Erza in closer for himself, returning his own kiss on her cheek. "But how about tomorrow…I just wanna sink this in a little longer."

Erza's smile softened. "Yeah…"

As Nic and Erza held each other by one arm around each other's waists, they watched the sunset s the few rays diminished in the horizon, making dusk take over the sky. As they settled into one of Nic's favorite times of the night, he heard the sounds of a grotesque roar that echoed throughout the sky. He looked out, seeing nothing in the atmosphere. He knew something was there – far way – but like Erza said, he wasn't gonna fret over it.

'I won't get caught up again. I'll pace myself, and learn along the way.' He mentally declared. 'But for now…I'll savor what I have, so that it can be my strength to help as many as we can.' His hold on Erza tightened, their heads touching. Her hair was so soft and long. It's one thing he knew would never change. And he was thankful for that.


At sundown within the Cambire Foundation, the office was illuminated by light lacrima above, allowing Arthur to visibly see his own penmanship. He neatly wrote in cursive his comments and statements of the day's tasks accomplished. He looked over at the comments and the numbers that have been continuing to pour in from around Earthland about his services and the demands to be met.

After what felt light an eternity, his sore hand sat down the pen. "There." He finished with a sigh. "Well now, seems that my day's been productive to its end." He folded his fingers, keeping his eyelids open halfway as he went to another thought. 'I wonder if Fairy Tail enjoyed their present today?'

"Mister President." He was brought out of his thought when Marie approached him.

"Hm? Marie, what can I do you for?" he questioned.

"I apologize for the inconvenience sir, but I just got a report directly from the Development Department." She showed him a clipboard full of reports. "Here. Seems they've finished what you've wanted."

Arthur took the clipboard and scoped through it. The longer he stared, the more humble he seemed. Soon enough, a big smiled crossed his face as he chuckled.

"Well now, it seems Fairy Tail's getting another present after all. I just hope this one is…longer lasting."


Well guys, it took me eons to make, but here's the little reprieve that many thought Fairy Tail needed, and I made this into one crazy beach chapter. After the Revenge of Alvarez and Glacidia Arcs, I figured it was fair to take a chapter, collect a few things (and Pokémon) and give everyone besides just Nic and Erza that spotlight. Still, I gave this chapter and everyone their fair share of action. A LOT of captures, evolutions, and new moves included. It's a lot to digest, I know. But don't fret.

I've actually been thinking and I might actually add the Pokémon data on my profile. It's not gonna be tonight, mostly because I wanna draw and regroup a little, but maybe on my next day off of work I'll get it up. You'll see.

So now Joey and Dereece have a Magikarp and Stunfisk. In Joey's case, you know what that means…more mayhem for the party boy! And there'll be more of him next chapter definitely.

Hope you guys stick around and thanks! Comments/reviews are greatly appreciated! XD