The early dawn of Earthland has yet to arisen. It would still be another hour before any signs of the sun would shine along the horizon. But even then, there were people who were still up beforehand.
One of these individuals was a tall, elderly human being that's hunched over. He had a very long white beard which, even in night, was still easy to make out. He had a dark purple wizard hat with a golden emblem on the top, with a thin dark mantle over his purple robe. His extremely wrinkled hand had atop of a magic staff that acted as his cane.
He stood over a very broad balcony with red bars lined up with broad red pillars. It applied a roof over his head as he watched from a very high point across the massive complex. Every roof had black tiling and streets had streetlamps powered by light lacrima. He could see the dozens of lights scattered with a scrutinizing gaze – even though his eyes were closed.
A magic circle appeared as a fellow watchman appeared. He adorned a less flashy and brighter robe, bearing a yellow shade. He bowed in gracious respects. "Grand Captain, sir. Good morning." His tone was a rushed one, if not astute.
The Grand Captain didn't bother taking his eyes away. "What business do you want?"
The messenger got to the point. "Sir. We come with a message…from Captain Verdade."
The Grand Captain's slant eyes became visible, revealing dark eyes that were heavily wrinkled and intensely focused. He slowly turned his head as the messenger used his hand and summoned a Requip, which came in the form of a letter. The letter floated along the magic circle towards the Grand Captain for his hand to peer over.
"Hmph." With a snort, he grabbed the message and opened the letter. Inside was a hand-written message with a lacrima chip inside. With his broadened eyes, he read the message from top to bottom. He made sure to get the finer details.
Once message was understood, the Grand Captain closed the note back up and stashed it into his robe. He placed the chip back into the envelope and sat it back on the magic circle to float back towards the messenger. "Send this message to the Magic Research & Development department. Have them decide the information at once."
"Yes, sir."
"And also, tell Captain In-Su to send another lacrima chip at once. There's much information still that required monitoring. Have the Vice-Captain of the Sun's Eye Division to gather a sum of 50,000 Jewel and have both items ready in an hour."
The watchman nodded and accepted the letter. With a nod, another magic circle appeared and his body disappeared as it scaled upwards. The Grand Captain dismissed this factor and read the letter over again.
The more he read over the script, the more his brow fell. But it was clear that he got the message. "…so, Verdade has finally reached there. I was expecting him to have made it there sooner…" He gripped his cane tighter. "To think that Nic Pularis himself is absent. What rather…inappropriate circumstances. Be our eyes, Captain Verdade, see the truth…watch them for us. The fate of the magic world is at stake, and we must see it for ourselves what we must do to stop this fate from changing."
Little Pikipek chirped as they fluttered past the Hau'Oli hotel where Nic and Erza stayed for the night. The night had fallen as the first rays of dawn broke across the sea. It illuminated the beachfront and the homes and businesses of the island inhabitance.
Nic finally opened his eyes and instantly felt a small wave of fatigue. His warm body was awfully relaxed as he laid under the covers on the soft mattress. If it wasn't for him waking up just now he could've been snorting at how soft he's gotten. He rolled his head towards the curtains, which peered sunlight into the room. He was late.
As he was ready to get up, something very heavy impeded his attempt at getting out of bed. He rolled his head, seeing silky red hair in the crook of his neck. Erza was still asleep soundly, her arms braced around his neck behind the pillows. The way she mumbled and snuggled into Nic's neck the way she did was – admittedly – really cute that it seemed like it wasn't even her. But he knew better.
He watched her for just a little longer until he opted to worm himself out of her iron grip. He plied his body away so he could get within the covers and slip off the side. He kneeled and reached for his pants, which were laying on the ground off to the side along with Erza's bunny girl outfit. He had a pretty good idea how those got there. He looked back at Erza's sleeping form to realize she still had the bunny ears on. Now it was just cute and funny enough to put a smile on his face. Pulling his pants up around his waist, he moved towards the balcony and pulled the curtains back slightly to open the balcony window.
The instant he stepped out, morning rays and zero humidity battered his bear naked upper body. The air-conditioned room's coolness was turned to heat, and Nic just stood there like a Helioptile basking in the morning sunlight. He looked down at the streets. Already jeeps were racing across and people were along the beach, either going on runs or readying activities for the day.
'So these are what Alola mornings are like…' He looked down at the streets beneath. He could see a janitor emptying the morning trash, with his Alolan Grimer eating up tin cans that were littered around the bin. His attention span quickly shifted towards Wingull that glided across the seashore, with some Pelipper leading them around.
He sat his head on the balcony railing and slumped forward. His arms cushioned his chin. The sun beamed parallel to his face. 'Not bad at all…'
"Nic."
Hearing his name, he opened one eye and rolled his neck back to see Erza at the doorway to the balcony. She was wearing his coat to conceal herself as she walked out to his side to see the sunrise.
"Morning." He mumbled. "You sleep well?"
"Yes, thank you." She looked over at Nic's placid sunbaking expression. "Someone seems to be in a good mood."
A small smile tugged on Nic's lips. "I could say the same to you." He moved away from the balcony and walked behind Erza. He gingerly rested his head on her shoulder, where he moved his hands to grip the balcony railing. He looked so relaxed as the sun beamed brightly on their close faces. "The air's warmer than I thought it'd be…it ain't bad."
"I know." She raised a brow. "And last I checked, you always preferred sleeping in cold places."
"I can sleep anywhere. Garchomp dug into Frost Cavern to make igloos and dens back when we were going for the Anistar Gym badge. You get used to it."
Erza snickered. "Right. You're the only person who could sleep in ways that haven't even been invented. I still question how tree branches are comfortable?"
"You just have to find the right ones." He leaned closer into her back, moving his arms to hug beneath her huge buxom. He could smell her strawberry scent enflamed his nostrils. It was a sure way of knowing it was her, amongst the way her brown eyes were glowing.
Erza admired the embrace of her husband as well as the Alolan sun. She lowered her head and hummed. "Let's get ready. We have a big day ahead of us. Let's try and get a good breakfast in."
"Lead the way." Nic let go of Erza as she moved inside and followed behind her. He stopped and took one more look at the sun shining brightly on him.
"What do you mean they're gone?!"
The entire guild flinched at the ruckus made over by the bar. Over there, Juvia was worried about Gray's whereabouts and thought Mirajane would know. She did alright, but she didn't like the answer.
"Oowwie…my ears ring." Vullaby whined, holding her head with her feathers from the outburst.
Mira moved a hand to rub Vullaby's head, but she assured Juvia with her testimony. "Sorry Juvia. You just missed them. Gray and the others went on a job earlier. They just left, so they'll probably be back later if all goes well."
She giggled to herself, knowing that might not be the case knowing how explosive they can get. And with Erza not around, it would be tough managing how everything would go. 'Somehow I'm having doubts now that I think about it.'
Juvia body slumped into the stool, her disposition becoming so fluent that she herself almost turned into water. She was looking forward to spending some more time with her darling since Erza and Nic were on their honeymoon. She didn't want to be outdone so easily.
"It'll be okay, Juvia. Cheer up!" Marill hopped up and down. "We can have lots of fun ourselves!"
"Marill, I think she's not in the mood." Vaporeon waved her tailfin in front of Juvia's sulking face. She didn't get a reaction. "She's out of it."
Juvia's mood refused to let up. She looked like she was about to melt away at any second. "I was really looking forward to spending the day with him…" She sighed. "Now what do I do?"
"How's about you get yourself a hobby. There's a lot more going on than just him. You know?"
The candid remark caused Juvia to do a doubletake towards the seat next to her. Her encoder sat chugging down another beer glass. "Cana?" she gasped. "When did you get here? I thought you went on a job earlier."
"I was…or I will." She sloshed her liquor around to give a hint of her occupancy. "Just gotta fuel up beforehand if you know what I mean." She playfully winked at the bluenette.
Juvia on the other hand held reservations to that claim. She looked at Cana's Liepard for her input but she laid on the floor licking her arm off any dirt. She sighed and knew deep down she was right. "I see. I guess…Gray's alright for now…"
"There, you see? It's all good." Cana leaned over and patted Juvia's back. "Now c'mon girl, wanna try your luck on a little work with me later?"
"I'll…think about it." Juvia nervously said. It wasn't that she wanted to, but rather she hadn't found much else to impose the idea. Still, there should be other things to do around the guild. "Hey, has anybody seen Joey, or his other teammates?"
"They left earlier for their own job." Mira replied. "They went pretty far out in the train. I think they'll be back late, too."
Cana raised a brow. "Huh, guess that explains why it's been quiet." She drank from the jug of liquor again. Once the last drop was drawn, she slammed it on the tabletop and sighed heavily. "Oh yeah, there's the old ticker."
Liepard's ear twitched at the container's slam on the wood. She opened and eye and murmured. "Mmmm…"
"Oh! Juvia! Juvia! I have an idea!" Marill waved a stubby hand around. "Let's go outside! We can have plenty of fun out there I bet!"
Juvia furrowed her brow. "You really think so?"
"Well I mean, it beats sitting around all the time." Vaporeon chimed. "Unlike some Pokémon we know~." She rolled her neck towards Liepard, her flippers shivering with pizzazz to the tone.
"Heh? What's that supposed to mean?" The feline sneered.
"Yeah, c'mon Juvia! It's way better than waiting!" Marill wagged her bouncy tail to and fro. "Can we ple~ase get some fresh air? Pretty please?"
"I guess you do have a point." The rain woman sighed, ultimately giving into the suggestion. She smiled and got off the stool. "Alright then, let's go."
"Yes! Race you, Vaporeon!" Marill gleefully bounced off the countertop and raced towards the exit. Vaporeon wagged her flipper tail and raced off in pursuit. Her tailfin was barely close to smacking Liepard in the face. Luckily it didn't.
Juvia smiled as she chose to follow in pursuit. "I'll be back, I'm sure." She chirped, before tailing her Pokémon.
Cana looked down at her empty mug to realize the contents were already guzzled down. With Juvia gone, she realized no one was around. Out of curiosity she looked over where Shiin was watching from a lone table. "That guy still over there? It's like he's trying to be invisible or something."
"Oh, you mean Shiin?" Mira bent over the bar to get a good look at him. "I don't know, he kinda reminds me of Nic."
Cana shot her a disapproving look. "Really?"
"Yeah, you know. Both keep their space but are around, they don't pick fights, and they kinda watch over us like hawks. It's homey when you think about it."
"Whatever." She lifted her jug up. "Can I just get a refill over here?"
Watching Mira move to get the drunkard's request, Shiin sat back in a seat having a small platter. It wasn't much, but for something breakfast related, scrambled eggs and breakfast sausage was enough to accommodate. He was low on the funds until he could get some more otherwise. He held his tongue and sat back as he continued observing the guild hall.
For the past day now, he's gotten used to seeing it being rather loud and rowdy. Not enough to completely destroy, but enough to where finding peace at mind would be hard. He didn't know how Gajeel of all people with Dragon Slayer hearing could nap so early, let alone so easily. Overall, they weren't treating him terribly. That's a fortunate sign on his part.
"I trust everything is satisfactory for you so far, sir?"
Shiin turned around and saw who was responsible for the voice. Looking down at him was Freed, whose Sigilyph was floated beside him gracefully. "Oh, it's you." He deadpanned, turning around to attend to his meal. "Yes, I'm well. Thank you for the concerns."
"The Master wanted to see if your handling our hospitality well. We understand if we aren't the most elegant of bunch I'm sure." Freed smirked.
Shiin shrugged. "Hmph, to be fair, your services aren't bad. There are worse settlements out there who don't bother cleaning up after themselves."
"I'll take that as a compliment then." He looked between Shiin and the guildmates, seeing that his position was quaint with overall observation. "Not that I don't find this any of my business, but there are more comfortable spots amongst the guild's stay. Isn't this the same spot you sat in?"
"Yes, and I actually prefer it like this, thank you kindly." Shiin said, his tone hinting impatience.
Knowing now Shiin wasn't one to converse so easily, Freed decided to take his leave. "That's good. Try to stay comfortable if you can. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. Come along, Sigilyph."
Shiin glanced over his shoulder to watch Freed walk off back towards his desk area where the rest of the Thunder God Tribe was orienting paperwork. He was looking briefly at how there were several stacks, and even more was going to pile up. Shuppet floated towards Bickslow with a new letter, possibly another job, and the big guy thanked his buddy before opening it up to process.
Shiin gingerly ate, but he couldn't take his eyes off Bickslow, Freed, nor their levitating Pokémon with Bickslow's dolls floating about. 'If the one known as Bickslow as magic that enables him to control souls, then why would he have to rely on a Pokémon to retrieve something instead? I'll have to document this in my report tonight.' His attention turned towards the rest of the guild.
He could see more if similar events that happened to yesterday, with the guild people talking to each other, some tending to these mysterious creatures, and some leaving on jobs. His eyes went towards the guild doors as Kinana recently left with Seviper beside her.
Shiin instinctively reached for the camera, but he realized the information wouldn't get stored so easily without the replacement chip. He withdrew his urges and watched Kinana happily make way on her own job with Seviper hissing gleefully.
'This guild…' His eyes narrowed in disgust. 'It's worse than I thought.'
Juvia followed Marill and Vaporeon as they were prancing back and forth like little kids through the open forest trail. Marill especially was playful and bouncy, literally. She took the nice walk outside Magnolia into the woods in stride. It wasn't too bad of an idea now that she was out and about. 'It is pretty peaceful around here.' She smiled softly. 'It's warm, too.'
"Juvia! Juvia! Over here!" Marill jumped merrily before running off. "Catch me if you can!"
"Alright, I'm coming." She hurried over, but she was amazed at how energetic Marill was being. "She's certainly full of energy, isn't she…wait."
Vaporeon turned her head towards her. "Hm? What is it, Juvia?"
"Does this path seem…familiar to you?"
"Huh? Uh…" Vaporeon slowed down and took in her surroundings. The woods and soft dewy grass has yet to sink in. Her liquid body just absorbed the droplets. "I…guess so? Am I missing something here?"
Her hunch still open, Juvia followed Marill deeper until she came across a familiar clearing. It wasn't a broad one, but the familiar spring in the center was what got her stirring. She watched Marill gleefully roll up towards the spring, where another person was sitting perched on a rock. In the springwater, Araquanid and Finneon surfaced and turned. The person turned around to reveal herself.
"Sophie?" Juvia gasped. She almost stopped at the thought of this being an imagination, but quickly dismissed it. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, sorry. I didn't know I was interrupting." Sophie blinked, looking at Juvia like she was a foreign object. She knew she was part of the guild, but nothing came to mind. "I'm sorry, but you're…"
Juvia blinked until she got a realization. "…o-oh, right. Sorry, I just thought you…ahem. You can just call me Juvia." She walked over to overlook the water with her, choosing to stand instead of sit. "So, what brought you out here?"
Sophie shrugged. "Nothing really, just thought it'd be nice place to be. It's nice and quiet, and Finneon and Araquanid like it, too." She looked over at them. "Don't you?"
Finneon popped up beneath the water and smiled. "It's not the ocean, but it's spacious enough."
"You don't hear me complaining." Araquanid harrumphed. "I still say this is my space, but I…guess you're an exception." He looked away sheepishly as Finneon swam up and nuzzled his cheek. He sunk his head and gurgled swears that bubbled up.
Sophie snickered at the scene. "Don't worry, Araquanid's just testy with his space." She glanced over at Juvia. "But what about you, what are you doing here?"
"Who, me?" Juvia looked out at the water. She watched as Marill bounced right into the water with a large splash. Vaporeon, unlike her playful friend, chose to dive in and casually swim out. "I thought it'd be nice to get some fresh air as well. You know, to smell the roses." She pulled her best fake laugh.
Despite the half-lie, Sophie didn't bother questioning its resources. "I see…" She tossed a lock over her shoulder. "That sounds like something Joey would do."
Juvia blinked. "I'm sorry…did you just say 'Joey'?"
Sophie raised a brow. "Yes, why?"
"Oh, it's nothing." She waved dismissively. "It's just…knowing a guy like him, it's just a little…how should I put this?"
"Outlandish? Farfetched? Silly? You'd actually be surprised. But once you get to know the guy, he's not that bad." She leaned back on the rock. "He's actually helped me get over something that's troubled me before."
"Oh, what's that?"
The memory of the other night gave Sophie's heart a little pounce. The tears she and Joey shed still stung her cheeks. "It's nothing important anymore, that's what matters."
A loud splash followed by a "Wheeee!" got the girls' attention. They saw Marill lob right over Araquanid's head as the water spider was anything but calm. "C'mon, Araquanid! Just like old times, right?!" she playfully teased.
"Yeah…old times." Araquanid hissed, his left eye scrunched with impatience.
"See? I knew you'd remember this spot too. This is where we would swim around until we met Juvia and Sophie, remember that day?"
"Yeah, I remember alright?" the spider sneered. "I also remember telling a certain someone to mind her own space, but I guess I must be crazy, because I don't seem to think she got the message until it was too late."
Marill chuckled. "Oh Araquanid, you're still so funny when you're grouchy."
Araquanid dunk his head under to hide his embarrassment and hidden annoyance. Finneon swam up to him for comfort. "It's alright, you know she's just playing with you."
"Yeah, I know. But even you know playing and personal space isn't my forte." He complained. "And don't get me started with you guys, you're the exception. That's it!"
Vaporeon swam beneath and came up beside Marill. "We can play if you want. If you wanna play hide-and-seek, you should know I don't fool around."
"Okay! C'mon, you're it!" Marill cheered. That cheeriness turned to a pout when Vaporeon started disappearing into the water. "Hey, c'mon! No fair! You get to blend into the water because of your body! At least give me a hint~."
"You can see why I didn't share." Araquanid deadpanned to Finneon.
Sophie smiled at the sight. "Looks like our Pokémon really get along, don't they?"
"Yes, they most certainly do." Juvia took a pause to think of something that could help benefit the situation. Looking at the spring and then Sophie, she thought to try something. "You know, Sophie…this pond holds a dear memory, too. If you were wondering."
Sophie blinked. "Like what?"
"Well, for example…" She watched Marill's tail bob up and down across the pond. "This spot, it's actually where we caught our Pokémon. Does that ring a bell?"
"Really?" A genuine look of confusion washed over Sophie. She didn't look shocked by any means, but the information led her to looking at the pond more vividly. "Oh, I see…I guess that explains why Marill and Araquanid are so quaint."
Juvia furrowed her brow. "That doesn't…ring any bells?"
Sophie shook her head. "I'm sorry, Juvia. I don't have that memory. They were all taken, at least that's what I was told."
"Oh…" Juvia looked out at the water's edge. "You're taking this amnesia thing well. Many of us were worried and tried to do something…but if anything do can help you remember anything, then-!"
Sophie smiled. "Don't worry about it. It doesn't bother me. One way or another I'll manage…hm?" She perked up. "What's that?"
Juvia perked up along with the others. They saw something stumble out of the underbrush. They got to their feet as its pale blue legs were shown to have scratches and its shell to be dirty. The creature's tail was fluffy and white, with little wings for feathers. It stumbled forward, until finally it reached the water's edge.
"Water…finally…some clear water…thank you…" The bipedal turtle weakly bent over, but he bent forward too much and he fell face-first into the water.
Juvia and Sophie looked in worry as the turtle was slowly coming back up, but his shell was upside-down, and no bubbles were coming out of his mouth. Instantly they could tell it was unconscious.
"Juvia-!" Sophie was stopped when the rain woman stepped in front.
"Vaporeon! Marill!" At her behest, both amphibians stopped what they were doing and hurried over to the unconscious turtle. Marill pushed, while Vaporeon pulled by dragging the tail between her teeth. Juvia aided by using her magic, making the water drag a current to bring them closer to shore until they were able to successfully drag him towards the other side of the pond.
Juvia bent down and rolled the turtle over. "Hey, are you hurt?" She didn't get a response. She put a hand to his forehead, feeling a warmth. "He's burning up! Sophie, quick! We need a medicine, do you have anything on you?"
Sophie shook her head. "No." An idea came to mind. "Porlyusica! What about her?"
Juvia's eyes widened. "You're right. She must be close by." She looked down at the turtle and quickly came up with a decision. She picked him up, but was surprised at how heavy he was she almost fell over.
"Juvia?" Sophie questioned.
"Sophie, let's hurry." Juvia insisted. "We need to see what's going on before it gets worse."
Hearing the seriousness in her tone, Sophie nodded without a complaint. "Right."
They both returned their Pokémon back to their capsules and hastily stashed them away. They took off in the direction where the apothecary might be, all while the turtle was cradled in Juvia's broad hold the way there.
Nic and Erza walked down the main avenue of Hau'Oli City. With a satisfying breakfast comprised of standard breakfast meats and good groups for Erza, and an omelet for Nic, the pair took their sweet time getting around the tropical region's avenue.
"There's a lot of people out, even at morning." Erza scouted the passing folks with their Pokémon. "Just look at them."
Nic was looking alright. He was seeing the populace was even livelier than yesterday as well. A lot of businesses seemed to be stockpiling after being up all night selling clothes and items. His attention went towards the beachfront. "So where do you have in mind?"
Erza pulled out a tourist map she received at the Pokémon Center. She looked down at the contents and scouted the landmarks. "Well, I've been meaning to look at these meadows I've heard so much about."
Nic peeked over Erza's shoulder to see where the meadows would be located. But he found more than just something that could be landmarked, no. Instead he saw the entire map bridled in what looked like stickers and places drawn on by visible black marker. He had to hold back from visibly flinching.
'How can she even read that…?' He even tried looking for the meadows, but even the guidelines were drawn over by Erza's handwriting. 'This map's been entirely overwritten in Pidgey scratch!'
Erza noticed Nic's raised brow and turned towards him. "What's wrong? Find a place you find interesting?"
Nic cleared his throat. "Well…interesting is one way to put it." He shook his head. "Let's say we try those Meadows first, and work from there?"
Erza humbly smiled. "Like you have to ask." She folded the map back together and stashed it away inside her sundress. "The trail there will take a while to reach. Let's be sure we have enough water along the way."
"Yeah, sure." Nic's eyes glanced over along the end of the beachfront. Immediately the large crowd and an ambulance got his attention. "Looks like something happened over there."
Erza looked over at the commotion. Immediately she felt her senses growing serious. "What do you think it is?"
Nic furrowed his brows. "Only one way to find out." He led the way as they made way down towards the beach and hurried across the soft, cool sand. They approached the patrons and spectators and realized they were behind police tape seeing a body loaded up and strapped onto a stretcher. With the angle they couldn't get a good look at what it was.
Erza turned towards one of the spectators. "Excuse me, what happened here?"
The robust older man turned around at Erza's behest. "This? Oh, some fisherman was found unconscious on the beach earlier this morning. He didn't look too good."
"Really?" Erza was skeptical about the claim. "Does anyone know what caused this?"
The man shook his head. "Nope, not me. He was just found in this black stuff. Gonna be taking him to the hospital right now for intensive care." He looked over at the people clearing out for the victim's body.
Now that Nic and Erza had some visual of him, they saw that his entire upper half was drenched in thin black ooze. The man wasn't lying about the one part, but what surprised them was how his head was strapped to a small machine to keep his mentality stabilized. Two paramedics rolled the stretcher into the ambulance and the doors shut.
Ambulance sirens went off as the driver took off, leaving the police with their Growlithe to fan out everybody there. Amongst the few who stayed, Nic and Erza remained behind the police tape and looked at the spot that was covered in black gunk, also known as the victim's spot.
"Black ooze…" Erza muttered to herself, putting a hand to her chin. An unprecedented idea stirred inside her head. "Nic, correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't Octillery and Inkay known for spraying ink?"
"Yeah, but I wouldn't imagine it'd render a person outcold." He pointed out. "We've fought Octillery and Inkay before, and they don't use that much."
Erza crossed her arms. She couldn't point out with no solid evidence, but one thing clicked in her head. Whatever did this clearly got away with it. She turned towards Nic. "Let's go. We shouldn't stay around too long."
He nodded. "You're right. Let's just keep our eyes open on the way there." They turned and walked away from the crime scene, but neither could really shake off this uneasy feeling about what they saw.
Route 2 was a clear, hilly trail that went up the northern half of Melemele Island. The large areas of grass off t the side of the trails were spots where local Trainer would come out and train with their Pokémon.
As Nic and Erza hiked up the trail, they were taking in the scenery. The trail sat just along the ocean shores, so they would see the sun rise over the palm trees. It was getting hotter by the minute. Nic was tempted to turn to his Icicle Form but he knew better than to waste such energy.
As they made way up the hill trail, they looked down and watched as a wild Alolan Meowth fiercely pounced for a Trainer's Yungoos. The ferret-like creature didn't back down and went head-first into the incoming Meowth's stomach. He was fast enough to knock the Alolan Meowth onto his back, earning himself a victory.
"That's right, Yungoos! Just like that!" the energetic young Trainer cheered. "Let's hurry and find another tough one!"
"(On it, boss!)" Yungoos cheered.
Nic and Erza watched with smiles as they chose to continue their route onward. The nostalgia Nic felt was too real. Has it really been that long since he was 15? Time moved by so fast even he couldn't keep track anymore. That's Dialga's department.
"So, Erza." He deflected towards his wife. "How far are these meadows supposed to be?"
"Shouldn't be much farther." Erza held the map closer, though at this point with all the crude marker on it even she couldn't make it clear if it was upside-down. She turned it over and squinted. "I think…"
Nic dismissed it and felt a nice chilled breeze flow from the seas. The sounds of Wingull cawing far in the distance could be heard from miles away. He heard a hiss and saw a wild Ekans slither in front of them towards the other end of the trail, with two smaller Ekans in tow.
'It's déjà vu.' A vague grin spread across his face. He continued watching the Ekans slither into the underbrush to look for prey elsewhere supposedly. It reminded him of Arbok and how he was found on Route 14 back in Kalos. A coincidence sure, but still a favorable one.
"You know, it's been a while since we've done some traveling like this, hasn't it?" he mused aloud.
Erza took a break from her mental strain to hear him out. "Yes. It's been some time, hasn't it?" A smile crept onto her face. "Been a while since we've taken a trip to Kalos as well. Remember the trails we'd take on the way to the next town."
Nic smiled. "Yeah, I remember. Some of those were straight trails. Some were definitely out there, like Route 9 and 17."
"How do you think they got the Pokémon to allow riders on their backs?"
"Guess they were trained to do." An epiphany came to Nic's mind. Now that I think about it, that Charizard and Tauros we saw yesterday, those were trained to let people ride them too, weren't they?"
"I would imagine. That's what that Kahuna told us yesterday I believe." She shot Nic a smirk. "And let's not forget how often we use our Pokémon to get to places. It's ironic, don't you think? Pretty soon, maybe Pokémon will allow people to ride themselves across Fiore." She chuckled at the thought of carriages replaced by giant flying Pokémon carrying people in taxis. She could see Talonflame and Staraptor being perfect for that role.
Nic didn't have a response towards the idea. He just took it in stride and moved along the route. Though Erza still seemed to be engrossed on the idea of having a carrier around.
Something eventually caught their eye. Erza stopped and looked at the nearby sign on their right. "What's this?" She read the sign. "'Berry Fields'?" She looked down at her map, giving it a short look between there and the sign. "This wasn't on the map…was it?"
Nic raised a dejected brow. "You sure you didn't skim over it?"
"Don't be ridiculous. I marked everything earlier. There's no way I could have…" She froze in place at the small detour spot just above the Hau'Oli Cemetery. There was the Berry Fields as marked, and she completely overlooked it. "…oh."
Nic sighed. "Well…guess we're here now. Let's see what they look like." He waited for a response, but Erza didn't move from her spot. "Erza?" He hung his head. "Erza, it's just a map. What did it ever do to you?"
Erza was very much tempted to tear up the map in anger. She would've requipped a sword, or at least a marker to scribble in the mismarked but Nic called again. "Erza, you coming?"
Ultimately relenting, she chose to let it go for now and walked with him into the Berry Fields. "I'm coming." She caught up to him faster than what he expected. "Sorry about that. I think the map might be broken."
'Right, blame the map…' He rolled his eyes as they walked past the gates and came to a stop almost immediately. Immediately he noticed the large number of berries that were piled up below several rows of large palm tree that had colorful fruits growing on them. His interests were instantly piqued at the different assortments that he didn't realize.
Even Erza herself was surprised at the berries below the trees, as well as along the fields. "Look at all these." She stared at a tree brimming with Oran Berries. "I don't think I've seen this many berries grown in one place before."
"Guess we know why they call it the Berry Fields." Nic chimed. "Well, since we're here, guess we should see if we're open to picking."
Erza nodded. "Yes, we should try and save some if we can. I think bringing back some exotic berries would delight Vanessa."
"As long as it isn't too sour. You know how she gets." He whipped towards the nearby house and trotted off.
Erza turned and continued observing the many berries with interest.
A tire stirred in a pit and whipped around mud and dirt, but the jeep it was attached to wasn't getting anywhere. It was wedged between two rocks for starters, but the biggest problem was that the jeep was deep within Melemele Island, away from the local residence.
"I told you this was a bad idea!" the passenger yelled.
Beside her, the surfer from yesterday gnashed his teeth, smashing his heel against the jeep's gas pedal to get it going. But the wheel was too muddy to get anywhere. In defeat he slumped back. "Ugh…phew! Like, what does it take to get this baby going, man? Like, seriously?!" he sighed tiredly. "Bro, this is so not cool."
His girlfriend crossed her arms and tapped and index finger against her bicep. "And whose fault is it again we're out here?"
The surfer looked at her, fairly oblivious to her accusation. "Baby, c'mon, it was just a detour."
Her expression hardened. "Just a detour? You completely went off the trail! Again!"
"B-but c'mon, baby! I was just trying to change things up. We gotta get around somehow around here." He crossed his arms and scrunched his brow in frustration. "It'd be a lot easier if we still had that Ride Pager."
"And whose fault was it again?" She eyerolled. She pulled out a makeup kit and held the little mirror to her face to ensure no dirt was on it. "I told you not to fly too far out, and because you did, they suspended us from paging. And now you've gone too far out again on a jeep." She tucked in her lips as she applied red lipstick. She paused to pucker and smoosh them together to ensure the sugar stays put. "We're gonna be in serious trouble because of you."
"Baby, chill alright. I can fix this." He unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the car door. He stood and walked around to the side of the jeep to see the wedge. From the looks of it, it was pretty messed up. "Man…that is a lot mud."
"It's because you went through that creek back there." His girlfriend reminded.
"Yeah, I know that!" He sighed, but he didn't get the positive feedback that he wanted when she turned away. "Baby, c'mon, I was just trying to have some fun. Nobody got hurt, right?"
The woman sighed irritably. "Look, just fix the jeep, drive us through a carwash, and then we can talk."
"Okay…" He sulked down to a knee and rolled his eye. "Whatever the lady wants, I guess. Now, let's see here…" He leaned closer to the side of the muddy jeep, getting his frame nearly between the tires and the hood. "Well let's try and dry up this mud first…"
As the too-cool-for-school surfer was "fixing" the jeep wheel, the woman was looking at herself through the small mirror. Her shades and makeup complimented each other in her eyes. She couldn't wait for this stupid trip to be over and done with. It was fun for a little while, but now she was fed up and annoyed. She slumped back in her seat and closed her eyes to relax.
A light rustling came up behind the jeep, but the surfer – whose shirt was off and being used as a towel – was too engrossed to look back as something floated out from the underbrush. It was a white jellyfish-like creature, and it floated behind the jeep and poked around it.
It gingerly floated up to the surfer's back and stared blankly at him. The creature hissed meekly and closed in. One of its tendrils arose and poked the surer in the shoulder and scooted away.
"Baby, please, not now." He waved it off without looking back. "Trying to, like, fix this cruddy thing. Can you find like a cloth…or a wipe or something?"
The creature purred at his ignorance, but it noticed the lounging woman in the jeep feet away. Its tendrils tingled with an idea. It sneakily hovered towards her and floated up over her seat. With her eyes still shut she was completely vulnerable.
The creature purred quietly as one of its tendrils reached down and grazed her shoulder. She rolled it, making the tendril jerk. "Please, not now. I said don't talk to me." She dismissed, but the tendril poked her again. She rolled harder. "I said no." This time, two tendrils gazed both shoulders. "Baby, I swear. You don't stop, I'm gonna call the cops, I swear!"
The rubber on the tires squeaked and sloshed with mud, and the surfer was inaudible at the moment. "Baby, you got those cloths up there?"
The creature hissed louder and hovered directly over the woman. Its shadow was enough to cause an overcast on her sunglasses. The tendrils hung down and lightly tickled her shoulder.
"Okay, that's it!" She sat up and opened her eyes. "Where's that phone? I warned you, now you're gonna-!" She felt the razing of the soft tentacles, but they weren't inappropriate caresses like she thought…they were, but not by him. "What, what're these?"
She looked down at her makeup mirror and saw an opening hole with the embodiment of a hat on it. Her eyes widened and she whipped up to realize it wasn't him. "What the-?!"
With a gleeful hiss, the feature's hat top closed around her face and neck in one gulp. Her tendrils laced around her shoulder and neck as the woman cried loudly. Neurotoxins began invading, causing the woman's body to violent cringe and fiercely kick around until she needed more space. Her muffled cries were shrilled and broken the longer she resisted.
"Hey baby, what you doing? Don't tell me you're giving me the cold should-!" The surfer arose from beneath the truck, only to be stricken in horror. "The heck?! What?!"
The girlfriend shrieked and swayed her head back and forth, but the creature didn't let go. Her hand twitched its way to the door handle, and she opened it, allowing her to fall out of the car and onto the ground. She kicked until her legs started getting numb. Her body convulsed as her shrieks of agony were growing crooked with the toxins invading her brain. Slowly, the white jellyfish started molding around her upper body, causing her to change shape.
The surfer hurried his way around the jeep, but to his horror he was witnessing something out of a thriller.
The white creature's top inflated with arising black ooze surrounding the inside bauble. The coloration of the woman's clothes had turned black and gray as gooey, multicolored tendrils for her arms sprouted. The woman inside stopped screaming and looked on with yellow eyes, pale face, and darkened hair. Her eyes fixed onto his and made him lose feeling in his legs. He crept back as her form slowly arose to take flight.
"B-ba-baby?!" he quipped. "You…you can fly?!" Of all the things to come out of his mouth, it was the one thing that was obvious, if not helpful.
The woman's teeth turned into a smirk. "St…PID." She hissed, her tone was her angered voice, but it overlapped with a child-like sneer. "StuUUuuPiiiId!"
With one swing of one of her arms, she smacked the jeep's side, sending it flipping across the air and crashed upside-down. The glass from the wind shield scattered all over the ground. The surfer fearfully looked from the jeep towards the threat looming over him.
"S-stay back…not cool, babe! Not! Rad!"
"Rad? RaaAAad, yOu saY?" She snickered, raising four arms up. "WhaT's ThE FacE? I thOUght yOu waNteD my HElp!" She devilishly chuckled, making the surfer's spine shudder.
"Like…I am so outta here man!" He turned on his heels and took off screaming.
The creature hissed maniacally as she floated there, watching him go. She slowly turned to the jeep and crept closer towards it.
"Erza, how much do you got?" Nic plucked from a small tree, one that had Lum Berries growing on them. There were plenty, but he had to mind the limit of how much could be taken. He walked over to Erza, who stood off to the field's side with a small bag of berries for herself.
"Looks like you've gotten your share." He pointed out. "You got enough?"
Erza nodded. "Yes. The ranch owner gave us these small bags to fit as much as we can carry. This should suffice for the time being." She looked at Nic's baggage, seeing freshly picked Lum Berries on top. "I see you got the Lum Berries. Good."
"I'm sure there's plenty of other berries around we haven't found yet." Nic opted. "We'll just have to stop by another day and check. I heard about Ganlon Berries, but I didn't see any-!"
The sounds of yelps and a body flipping grasped their attention. They turned around and saw some man screaming his heart out until he ran down the hill too hard into the Berry Field's fence, breaking the top wood chunk. He fell on his side, thudding hard enough to make anyone cringe.
"Gnnngh…ow!" He clutched his aching shoulder. He was sure it had splinters and possibly a popped joint somewhere. He laid on the ground, trying to process what happened.
Nic and Erza looked at each other with shock before they took off. Erza seized Nic's share of berries and requipped them away in a glowing light. She was the quickest to rush over and kneel before the injured man. "Sir, are you okay?" she asked.
"That was a bad fall there." Nic pointed out. He saw the surfer's bare naked upper body was covered in dirt, yet his face was pale with fear. Like he saw a ghost. "Wait, Erza, isn't this guy…!"
The surfer shakily looked up, noticing the young man and voluptuous woman staring worriedly at him. "B-Bruh…" His eyes widened at an instinct. He impulsively shot up and grabbed Nic's shoulders and stared horridly in his eyes. "Dude! Like, she be freaky man! Really freaky!"
Nic stared in shock, not just from the statement, but from the proximity. He tried his best to take the situation as priority. "What is?"
"Bruh, I don't know what…" He pointed back the direction he came from. "But that chick back there ain't right! I didn't do nothing wrong, I swear!"
"Sir, calm down. You need to tell us what's causing this to you." Erza confronted. "Now tell me, who is this 'chick'?"
The surfer scrambled to his feet, trying to ignore his injured shoulder. "Dude, like, okay. So I was with my girl, right? And we were stuck in our jeep. So I had to get out and check what's up. I asked her to help, but she was, like, completely ignoring me. I look up, and the next thing I saw, she got this freaky looking white hat with alien tentacles wrapped around her head! It's gnarly and gross!"
Their eyes widened at this information. It sounded very similar to something they've been told by Arthur from the other day. The image of the jellyfish beast flashed in their heads, making their suspicions draw back to the beach this morning. The fact that the way he put it – no matter how weird it was – through his years with Kecleon, Nic understood what it was.
"Sir, stay calm." Erza insisted. "You need to tell us more."
"I said what I knew, alright?! Now I gotta go before that nasty chick follows me! If I had known she was this crazy before, pffft! Forget about that! I'm outta here!" He started, but he was pulled back by Erza's iron grip on his wrist.
"Oh no you're not." With a harsh tug, the surfer was whipped towards her.
Blinking several times, the surfer looked at her tiredly. "Dude, like, what is going on here? Are all you women crazy now? Like, this is so not cool. I thought this was gonna be fun, not some night…nightma…"
His eyelids got hazy as a mellow tune played from behind his head. He only saw a single colorful musical note before he fell to the ground and closed his eyes. In no time he was snoring like a Snorlax as Erza looked at Nic, whose music notes dissipated. "Was that even necessary?" She knew there was an easier way to keep him put, but she knew there were more important matters.
"We can't have him running off and causing a panic. Besides, what would you have done?" He picked up the man and carried him towards the side of the ranch house. With his hands full, he lightly knocked the door with his leg.
The door opened, revealing the ranch owner. "Hello?" He saw Nic, his attention turned towards the sleeping man in his arms. "Good heavens! What happened here?!"
"He fell down a hill and hurt himself." Nic moved inside to have him ease on the cushioned bench. "Call for a paramedic. We'll leave him in your care." He turned around and swung off the house's railing. He broke into a dash up towards the hill. "Erza!"
"Right! Let's go!" With haste, the two charged up the hill in a hurry, leaving the ranch owner completely befuddled with his new friend.
The sounds of metal creaking and breaking kept anything and anyone away. It was so loud that nearby Pikipek fled due to fear. Metal bent at a gunky limb slamming on the hood. Steam billowed from inside, indicating the engine was hit.
The amorphous creature as she took her anger out. Wait, was it anger? But then why was she enjoying this? She didn't know. The more she questioned this, the more the toxins ached her head. The woman inside growled inaudible snarls as her emotions went wild, and although a punching bag was noce, the closest thing was the jeep.
"H-He waNts mE to Be uSEful, He saYS? He…Hehehe…HAHAHAHA!" She slammed an arm down harder on the bend, bending in the engine completely. "How's THIS? Is thIS heLpful nOW?! He's rIGht, tHis IS fUn!"
She relished in the destruction, so much that she didn't even know what was going on around her. Nic and Erza arrived at the scene, the former up in the trees for a better view. "Erza! Down there!" Nic pointed at the gelatinous monster ahead of them.
Erza saw the site and hardened her gaze. The sight alone was enough to make her blood go cold. "What…is that?" She croaked. She saw the figment's body shift about leerily around the hood. "Is that really what we're after?"
Nic was completely silent. From what he could remember, the creature that attacked Brandish took on a similar appearance, as per the pictures and description given. But he didn't overreact to the situation. He had to continue seeing for himself.
The dirty jeep was pushed onto the side, allowing the creature to float over the dirty wheel. "OkAy, leT's sEE whAT the prOblEm is HEre." She saw the tire, but rather than the mud she had other things in mind. "Yes, YEs. OkaY. I thiNk I Get It nOW. I kNow hOw to fIx iT. He wANts mE to FIx his mesSES…" She levered the many arms over and seized the tire. She violently shook the jeep until it weaved to and fro. "How's THIS?! Is THIS HELpinG?! Is tHIs whaT yoU WAnt?! Well?!"
Nic and Erza watched her actions and paid attention. They didn't act callously to the situation. 'Her voice is broken and she's breaking that jeep apart with her bare hands.' Nic observed. 'Looks like she's mentally unstable the way she's moving violently.'
The wheel became loose enough and she pried it off completely. The creature shifted her attention towards this feeling of magic and noticed Erza, as well as Nic above in the trees. "Pe-EEOOPLE! MORE COMPANY!"
"Looks like she's spotted us." Erza deduced.
The woman whipped her arm, sending the tire at them both like a frisbee. In one fluent motion, Erza requipped and cut through the tire in her Heart Kreuz Armor, with a blade in hand. The bisected tire fell to the ground on both sides.
The creature's warm wiggled around, smirking menacingly. "Aw, whAT's THe maTtEr? YOu dOn't liKe plAYIng frisBEe?"
"Nic, listen. Whatever this thing is, it has control of someone." Erza evaluated, holding a defensive stance. "We need to get them separated as soon as possible."
"We'll need to keep her attention drawn away from us first." Nic said, standing on a sturdy branch. "If he's using the host's mental and physical body, we've gotta shut at least one of them off so its functions disable."
"Then we better hurry, and fast." She held up a Poke Ball. Without hesitation she threw it. "Aegislash, come forth!"
Nic threw his Poke Ball. "Staraptor, come out!"
Both capsules flew open energy. Staraptor spread her wings in the air and cawed. Lower, Aegislash dutifully levitated in place. Both feminine Pokémon were ready to help in any way they could.
"MORe frieNDS?" The creature tilted. "PleaSe…dO noT boRe ME. Me HAte boREdom! Chi,l, whY don't You!"
"Aegislash, on your guard! We need to keep that thing occupied!" Erza commanded.
"(You can rely on me. I won't fail.)" Aegislash said, astute.
"Staraptor." Nic ordered. "Try and keep it in one spot for as long as you can. Make sure it doesn't get around too much."
Staraptor's eyes hardened. "(I understand. I'll do my best.)" Her gaze sharpened on the tentacle monster, her glare making a blue aura shroud the creature. Her Intimidate lowered the Attack power, but the creature looked far from amused by the Ability.
She levered one arms towards the fallen jeep, tangling around its hood. "YoU aLL wANna hVEe a sICk kiCk? WELl herE's a gOOd oNe To GEt a kIck Out oF!" Without a second thought, the creature lashed her arm out, sending the vehicle sailing after all of them.
Nic transformed into his Fist Form, jumping onto the ground and slammed his hands down in front. "Mat Block!" An energy mat-like shield blocked the car completely, making it fall to the ground.
The creature hissed and watched the shield and metal of the jeep disperse, but she was more amused than anything. She inhaled, readying an attack to follow up on.
"Aegislash!" Erza warned. At her behest, Aegislash moved in front to prepare.
The amorphous spouted out a thick stream of purple liquid that blew across the forest ground into Aegislash's shield. However, due to Aegislash being part Steel-type, the toxic quality was neutralized. This made the creature raise a brow.
"Staraptor, Double Team!" Nic commanded.
Behind Aegislash, a flurry of illusions sprouted out of the blue. In mere seconds, dozens of Staraptor were sailing around in randomized fashion. They glided over the creature, who looked around staggered at the sudden flock around her.
"WHEre diD All thESe coMe frOm?!" She noticed one sailing too close overhead. A tentacle went up to hit it, but it vanished. "WhAt?!"
Erza turned towards Nic. "I'll keep her occupied. Aegislash will make a diversion. Work to find an opening and subdue her!"
"Copy that." Nic looked up at the tree beside him and proceeded to climbing. Erza requipped into her Flight Armor, holding two thin katana at the ready.
The amorphous kept swatting at the Staraptor copies, but each time she did, ore would hover around and keep her distracted.
"Aegislash…let's go."
"(Of course.)"
The creature hissed ultimately had enough. "You BORE mE!" She swung her tendrils around in all directions, making the illusions maneuver out of the way. Some faded away, but still more surrounded her.
Below her, Erza zipped in, holding her katana. The monster saw her incoming and hissed at her. She turned her attention towards her and summoned gemstones that she launched.
"Aegislash, King's Shield!" Aegislash zipped in front of Erza, her shield generating hexagonal barriers that lined up and blocked the incoming gemstones. They shattered like glass, which looked relatively tamed.
The creature felt a whiff of air past her and realized Erza somehow sped past her. She felt a gash in her one arm and looked down at it. Black ooze covered what could be blood, making the creature yelp out in pain. She moved her tendril closer and laced it with another tendril to keep the wound from getting worse.
Erza looked back with an observant eye. 'It looks like the parasite and the host's nerves are linked. Is she feeling this pain really?'
Holding her one arm, the parasite hissed and looked back angrily at Erza. "So yoU wANna haVE fUn Too, dON't yOu? FiNE!" She whipped an arm around to attack Erza, but the knight speedily evaded thanks to her Flight Armor.
Erza dashed from corner to corner, moving swiftly with each attempt to get the creature's attention. Staraptor's clones swooped in and got into the creature's face, causing her to float backwards in fear. Aegislash maneuvered behind and transformed to her Blade Forme, darting her blade in the parasite's back. The very brim of the tip touched her gelatinous dome, causing a reaction like something poked her.
The parasite whipped around to glare at Aegislash. She lashed an arm out in defense but Aegislash's blade glowed dark purple. Her Night Slash acted as a guard that deflected the attack away. The arm traced back as she stepped away, only for another sword to poke her back, revealing Erza.
"Listen well. We don't want to hurt you." Erza enforced. "Surrender quietly, and we can work this out."
The parasite snarled back in retort. She fidgeted in discomfort before violently lashing at Erza. The penalty was another cut in defense. "GAAAH!" She retraced her arm back as more black ooze leaked out. "GnnGGh!"
Erza furrowed her brow at the growing predicament. 'If this keeps up, her life will be in danger.'
Cornered from all sides, the creature raised two arms and created a ball of dark toxins. The toxic orb shot into the air, trailing purple smoke before it exploded. It erupted into several stars of dark purple comets with dark smoke falling around Erza. They faded into the ground as a warning, but the knight knew well what this was.
'Toxic Spikes?' she gasped. 'This thing, it's trying to limit my movements. It must be more perceptive to counter my agility.' Her eyes narrowed. 'It's an adaptive figure.'
The parasite hissed and spewed more dark purple liquid at Erza.
"King's Shield!" Aegislash appeared in front of Erza and took the attack. Hexagonal barriers lined up and her Shield Forme took the liquid spray, causing it to dissipate. The shield went down, and Aegislash glared her one eye at the creature.
The parasite harrumphed. "Hmph! YoU're aLl boRIng. WhY bE so sERiouS nOw? It'S noT lIKe anYone's gonnA get hURt?" Her tone was clearly a sarcastic, mocking tone to empathize her anguish. "WhATever. I'm out Of heRE!" She turned away, but the moment she did, she failed to realize something important. "Wait…waS THEre FOUR of yOu befOre?"
"Telekinesis!"
A green kinetic wave immobilized her on the spot. Her already floating frame was now manipulated and held up to a higher elevation. She was brought up around Staraptor's illusions, which flapped and refrained her from being able to see clearly.
"Gyaaah! WhAt is THis?!" The illusions kept coming, and the constant flapping they did made her eyes close. "StOooOOP! THIS ISN'T FUNNY?!"
From the treeline straight above, Nic was hanging by his legs as his eyes glowed green for his kinetic energy to keep her in place. Clad in his a cross of his Grass/Psychic typing, he remained silent as he opened his mouth, releasing a green powder that sprinkled onto the creature. The powder went through the illusions, giving the impression of a misty wind generated by the flapping.
The powder stuck to the creature, who was oblivious to the illusion. Her eyes started getting heavy, until she ultimately fell asleep. Unlike Brandish, who slumped down before, Nic kept the creature in midair unable to move with the Telekinesis.
Staraptor's illusions faded and she backed away into the canopies with Nic, who swung up and overlooked the floating snoozer. The gelatinous mass around her frame was gurgling and hissing, indicating it was functioning independently. Aegislash floated in front of Erza as the mage requipped back into her standard armor.
They kept their distance as they realized they were able to subdue her for the time being, but no one was fooled for a second. "To think this is the actual parasite…" Erza grumbled, disgust in her voice. "Is the woman inside alright?"
"I put her to sleep with Sleep Powder. That should cut off the mental stimulus." Nic noted.
With the host fast asleep, the parasite hissed in disappointment. It bobbed up and down, but Nic had it trapped in midair. Its entire body vibrated frivolously in aggravation. Slowly, yet surely, the frame was starting to expand and contract, like a gag reflex that made everyone's stomachs churn.
Nic's eyes widened. "What is it…?"
The parasite's hat finally expanded open, releasing a wave of sludge-like ink that splattered along the ground. The wave made everyone's eyes shrink as they saw the woman and the parasite separating. The jellyfish returned to being white whereas the woman was drenched in black ink staining her pale, sleeping face. The parasite hissed and shriveled in the air from the uncomfortable feeling it just endured.
The woman fell to the ground, prompting Nic to act. "Staraptor!"
The avian swooped down and time and caught the woman by her shoulders in her talons. She dragged her back up and out of range of the toxic nemesis, who got over the shock. Aegislash hovered up in front to impede any funny ideas.
"(Now, care to tell us what're you doing?)" she threatened. "(Don't make this harder than it has to be.)"
The parasite snarled aggressively before realizing it was outmatched. It gave everyone one more hiss, one so loud and intrusive that it echoed through the tree canopies.
"KKKrrreeeeeEEEEEE!"
…
In Route 1, Tapu Koko was zipping everywhere. His body lightly crackled as he hopped from tree to tree, trying to sty out of the eyes and range of peoples' eyes. The sounds of something uncomfortable got his attention and made him stop his pointless trekking.
'(I know I just felt something. It wasn't normal, definitely.)' His body crackled with static at the familiar sensation. He whipped towards the northern end of the island. '(Over there?)' He moved swift as lightning through the trees, leaving static to electrify the air flow.
He zipped rather eagerly. "(Gotta be here. I can feel it now! That Ultra Beast ain't gonna one-up me this time!)"
…
The parasite meekly swiveled away from the group attacking it. Looking at them now, these guys were a lot tougher than what it imagined. It glared at them for a moment, considering its options before firing a random gem blast at Aegislash.
"Sacred Sword!" Erza shouted.
Aegislash turned to her Blade Forme and her massive blade glowed bright blue and elongated. She swiped it across, shattering the gems like fireworks in the middle of the area.
With the distraction, the threatened creature hastily floated away, diving into the underbrush of the forest.
"Hold it!" Erza went to take a step, but a toxic ripple bubbled up beneath her heel. The poison permeated her boots and feet, growing up her body and causing a numbing pain to make her immobilized.
"Erza!" Nic shouted. He looked down at the ripples cascading beneath. 'That thing had Toxic Spikes scattered still. Guess it was a good thing I stayed in the trees after all.' He looked at the fleeing parasite, then back at the hampered team. He knew it'd be risky going after this thing, even if it was alone. There's no telling what it could do otherwise.
"Nic, don't worry about me. I'll be fine!" Erza insisted.
"I know, but what about her?" Nic pointed towards the woman in Staraptor's talons.
Everyone turned their attention and saw his point. Staraptor looked down at the woman's ink-layere face to see she was still sleeping, if not completely stoned by the neurotoxins invading her. She looked to be in grave danger that the point was unable to be argued.
Nic jumped off the tree branch and had his accents on his clothing glow, turning to part Toxic Form. He stepped on the ground, immediately causing the Toxic Spikes to pin themselves up against his feet. But the toxins neutralized, and the poison across the ground faded away. He reached his arm out to Erza and the woman.
'This should at least ease the status conditions.' "Aromatherapy!" A green mist expelled from his body, spreading across his allies and around their bodies. Erza's body immediately began feeling the numbness and toxins fade away. She became much calmer as the woman who was asleep was swept by her affliction, but she was still unconscious. She at least looked a little better.
Erza uncovered and looked at him. "Thanks."
Nic glowed, returning back to normal. "Yeah, don't mention it." He walked over towards Staraptor, who lowered the woman into his arms. He held her bridal style and saw that his Aromatherapy did make her feel eased, but she was still very weak. "Looks like that beast did a number on her mentality."
Erza raised a brow. "Can't you use the Mind Form to fix it?"
"I'm not Wendy. Her Healing Magic could probably do this…but even so, we don't even know what happened here other than that thing took over."
Erza frowned. "In that case, we should hurry her to the Berry Fields. I'm sure help is coming."
"You're right, we better move it and pick up on the trail after."
Nic and Erza started their way back, but were stopped when a streak of lightning made them freeze in their tracks. The lightning zipped behind, revealing Tapu Koko. They whipped around and looked completely shocked at the sudden appearance.
'That came out of nowhere so fast!' Nic baffled.
Erza glared at it with a high guard, 'Is this another Pokémon?'
Tapu Koko looked down at the duo. Having just arrived, he was unaware of what transpired, but he shot a look of inquiry around. He noticed the smashed jeep sitting off to the side, as well as a pile of black gunk splattered. There was no doubt that there was just a battle here. The energy in the air was still fresh.
"(Looks like I just missed something. Shit!)" Tapu Koko's body crackled in anger. "(But are you guys o…!)" His eyes shrunk when he got a familiar, but not too happy, sensation when he looked at Nic and Erza. His body gained goosebumps at something most unpleasant.
There was an unknown air around Nic that even he wasn't aware of. The energy he gave off was unlike any other he felt that it was like seeing into a broad wave of energy. The island deity didn't even want to start with Erza. He could feel the familiarity of Magic Power that crept up his mohawk. Both levels were so intense that it felt like gravity was trying to suppress him.
His heart rate moved so fast that he actually scooted back for good measure. He stared at Nic and Erza like they were ghosts, really haunting ghosts. '(What's this feeling inside? It's like there's this pressure of me. Is it because of these two? No, that can't be. They're just human, they can't have something like this come off them…can they?)'
Nic and Erza didn't take their eyes off Tapu Koko. They could feel something off about this creature, and not just from the way he was acting. They knew best to not engage. Besides that, someone was injured and needed tending to.
Tapu Koko didn't budge. Every nerve in his body was screaming for him to fire off something against this oreign energy that creeped him out. But looking at the situation, he was using all his willpower to keep himself in check. He just gave them a glare before he sped off.
"Hold on…!" Nic called out, but it was too late. His brow scrunched lower. "What was that?"
"I have no idea…" Erza turned to the unconscious woman. "But we should worry about that later."
Nic nodded. "You're right. We better head back, and fast. Staraptor!"
"(I'm coming!)" The avian flapped along and spotted them as they raced back towards the Berry Fields. Their figments faded into the canopies and underbrushes of the wilderness far enough for Tapu Koko to slowly emerge back out. He floated in the spot where they had their quarrel, looking around at the area and feeling the battle energy and Magic Power. There was no doubt for him. These two feelings were what he felt the other night.
"(Who are those guys?)" he grunted.
Juvia and Sophie stood on the far end of the room that Porlyusica stayed in. They've been watching for what felt like hours, when really it's only been thirty minutes. And even then all they did was watch the apothecary apply swabs and herbal remedies to the turtle.
Morelull's glowing lights provided a sustenance for Porlyusica too see clearly. She gave the mushroom a look and waddled away towards the windowsill.
"Alright, I've done everything I could do." She stood up, turning around towards them. "This thing's just had a fever and fatigue is all, nothing hardly dramatic. It'll come around soon."
"I see. Thank you very much." Juvia smiled contently.
Porlyusica scoffed. "It's fine." She reached over for a hand-weaved basket and stood up. "I'm going out to find some more herbs for my medicines. I have much work ahead of myself now…and I expect all of you to be gone by the time I get back." Her glare hardened. "Is that clear?"
Sophie, whom was affiliated with her temper, nodded. "Yeah. Sure thing."
Porlyusica shot her a look before turning towards Morelull. "Make sure they don't touch anything while they're at it." The Morelull hopped up and fluttered back down to signal understanding. Porlyusica turned and walked out the door, which closed by itself rather harshly.
A silence feel as Juvia and Sophie turned back towards the sleeping turtle. He looked completely quiet. The way he even breathed indicated he was stable that it was unsettling.
"What do you think it is?" Sophie wondered. She wasn't certain if it was an Earthland creature at all, then again, quite a few weren't. She was aware that Pokémon were from another world – at least that's what Kadabra told her. She stopped this thinking before her headaches could go on loop.
"I'm not sure." Juvia pulled out her PokeDex. She finally chose to check it out, bringing the icon of the creature, indicating her hunches.
"Wartortle, the Turtle Pokémon. It is said to live 10,000 years. Its furry tail is popular s a symbol of longevity."
Juvia and Sophie nearly floored. 10,000 years?! Just that big of a number alone was enough to make a normal person go crazy. They stood there, completely shut down at what could be something as ancient as their ancestry themselves. There were so many questions that logic alone brought up.
"Is…that number supposed to be correct?" Juvia nervously asked. The general statement wasn't answered in earnest. Instead, a grunt came from the bedspread along the windowsill. They realized Wartortle was finally coming around and hastily put the device away.
Wartortle slowly opened his eyes, his vision taking in the sun rays. He saw a ceiling that looked like bark, as well as three tiny mushrooms atop of a seed with eyes. He fully opened his eyes and sat up with a gasp.
Taking in the rest of the surroundings, he saw what looked like a small abode. "What is this? What's going on…?" His voice was fairly mature, not to mention silky to an extent. It actually surprised Juvia and Sophie how subtle it was.
Juvia opted to take a step forward. "Um, excuse me."
Wartortle turned towards the woman, containing himself despite how startled he was. "O-oh, excuse me. Pardon me, I didn't see you there." He looked around once more before looking at her. "I apologize in advance, but can you tell me where I am?"
"You're in our guild's apothecary's house." She answered softly. "We found you unconscious after you fell into a spring nearby. Vaporeon and Marill helped you out, and I carried you all the way here."
"That really happened?" He looked at Juvia's concern and stopped to think for a moment. He wasn't feeling too well the last time he processed anything. Maybe something he ate gave him nausea. He closed his eyes and attempted to stand. "I see. Thank you very much, ma'am."
"You're very welcome…wait, should you be moving around like that so soon?"
"I'm fine, don't worry." He got off the bedspread and walked towards the door. He looked back at Juvia with a half-grin, but even that showed extremely gentlemanly side that had the bluenette herself scrambled. "I appreciate the sentiment regardless. I'll be out of all your hairs momentarily."
The girls cringed at just the sight of Wartortle. He maturely walked away and out the door, closing it while they were left at a blank.
Juvia blinked several times and rubbed her eyes until she thought she saw an illusion. "Did I…just imagine a turtle that acted like a gentleman?"
"I thought it was just my imagine, wow…" Sophie snapped out of her mental crisis first. She shook her head and looked towards Juvia. "Um, perhaps we should tail him and see if he's alright?"
"Yeah, that's a good point. He just woke up, maybe we should watch him." Juvia's general concern came over her. She turned around and bowed towards the Morelull. "Give Porlyusica out regards."
The Morelull lifted a stubby root as the girls left. The mushroom turned and looked out the window, watching a Butterfree flutter across the scenery towards the spring.
Wartortle walked out of the underbrush and made way over to where the pond was. He stood placated and calm as he looked down at his reflection, seeing that he was indeed alright. Physically, yes. Mentally though, one could say he was a little slow. But he looked calm no less.
The longer he stared at his reflection, the more he realized an epiphany appeared. He got on all fours, tucked his ears back, and dunk his head into the water. He drank up what he could of the spring, while being mindful of his surroundings.
Behind the bushes, Juvia and Sophie watched with uncertainty. The former was especially skeptical, but not drastically so. "What do you think, Sophie? Is he alright?"
Sophie blinked. "I'm not sure. Between his fall and his reaction, I can't really say…" She raised a brow. "But he's pretty mature. You think it has something to do with those 10,000 years?"
"Somehow, that idea disturbs me."
By the spring, Wartortle's ears twitched at two faint whispers. "I know you ladies are back there. I ain't deaf." He chimed. "…and I most certainly ain't that old either."
Startled, the girls pulled themselves out of the bushes and saw Wartortle looking at them. They sheepishly swallowed and slowly filed out red-handed. Juvia didn't seem nearly as modest as Sophie was though. It was her who followed through.
"We're sorry. We didn't mean to intrude on anything private." Juvia apologized.
Wartortle gave Juvia a straight face, his ears relaxing. "It's alright I suppose. If it means well to you, then I'm flattered. But if it's alright with you, it's a little creepy being peeped on, you understand, don't you?"
His eyes had this glint in them that would make any female Pokémon's heart sore. Juvia visibly sweatdropped water as to unsure how this made her feel. His charisma was just too extreme.
She cleared her throat. "Well, at any rate, are you well? You looked feverish when we first saw you. Do you know what happened that made you that way?"
Wartortle put a claw to his chin. "Hm, let's see now…yes, I think I remember. I've been walking around and I think I was famished. I was looking around for something to eat when a plant caught my eye. Turned out that plant was actually an Oddish. The lil' bugger sprayed purple dust at me." He awkwardly chuckled as he rubbed his head. "Yeah, guess I should've seen that coming. Don't mess with plants you don't know."
"Purple dust…like poison?" Juvia's eyes widened. 'That must explain the fever he had.'
"Anyways, it's all good now. The toxins settled after a nice rest and that's all I needed." He stood up and swayed his tail about. "Well, I've had my fill. Thanks for what you did for me, Ma'am."
"You're up and around so quick." Juvia noted matter-of-factly. "Where are you going?"
Wartortle shrugged. "Don't know. Wherever I'm wanted I guess. To be honest, ever since coming to this world, things are going by so fast that you don't even know where you belong. One day you wake up, next thing you know there's humans who can communicate with you."
"And you're not bothered by that?" Sophie inquired.
Wartortle lowered his head to the ground. "At first…but I guess some things you get over quickly. But others you gotta keep looking for. Ever question what your home is like, ladies? I wonder that myself? Where do I belong here? Who knows, maybe somebody's waiting for me out there in the big blue yonder."
Juvia and Sophie looked perplexed at what he imposed. Philosophically that's a lot to take in, even for someone like them. Mages like them weren't the most prominent when it came to thinking along those life talks. But, a degree, what he said was making some partial impact on Juvia per se. If it wasn't for Gray, ne Fairy Tail, would she even have a home to go to?
Looking at her reflection, Juvia saw herself and Wartortle gleaming at hos own reflection. The rain woman shifted way with an unsure expression. She impishly looked at his face, which was hard to read. But in those brown eyes, she could tell he was aimless.
"…Wartortle."
He stood up and glanced over at her. "Yes, Ma'am?"
"Listen, I might not be too sure why you chose this…but I think I get what you're saying." She thought of Gray for a moment. "You see, I have someone I'm waiting for. If I never did, what would I have to wait for? I'm sure that, somewhere…there has to be someone waiting for you. Maybe you just have to look."
"You really think so?" Wartortle raised a brow.
"Yes, hopefully." She modestly smiled. "And really, you can call me Juvia."
Wartortle looked at her for a moment and faced his reflection. He thought about what Juvia said for a minute and humbly smiled. "Thanks. I'll think about it. Who knows, maybe somebody's calling to me sooner. You may never know-!"
A voluminous cry boomed from out of the blue. The three trembled as the shouts came from above. Once caws settled, they looked up, seeing something that completely surprised all of them.
"What's that?" Sophie stammered.
In the skies descending, it looked like a large brown avian with a long, thin neck and a super long beak. It had beautiful feathers that were long and a red mohawk along the top of its head. It careened its neck down, glaring at the notable turtle down below.
"Heh?" His eyes glinted onto the pond, making his left eye twitch.
Sophie pulled out her PokeDex to see what was in the sky.
"Fearow, the Beak Pokémon. Carrying food through Fearow's territory is dangerous. It will snatch the food away from you in a flash!"
"A Fearow?" Juvia looked up at the Fearow, getting an idea of why it was here. "Is it flying because it's looking for a new territory?"
Wartortle looked stunned as he gawked at the Fearow above. The avian looked down at the pond and descended towards its waters. He overlooked the water's edge, giving a snort of content.
"Hmph. Not a bad spot. I can use this nicely." He sneered to himself. "There may not be a lot of fish yet, but a lot of little creatures are gonna get thirsty. Guess who'll be waiting, hehehe…" He noticed the Wartortle on the other side with some humans. He ascended. "Wow, that was quick. That's a big snack!"
Juvia, Sophie, and Wartortle all stood tall as the Fearow flapped eagerly.
"Looks like I got a little predicament." Wartortle grunted.
The surfer's eyes slowly opened weakly, his vision so dull that everything was blurry. The first thing that caught his eye was a white ceiling with bright lights making him squint harshly.
"Dude, turn off the sun man, like…seriously." His eyes snapped open at the realization and instinctively sat up. "What the-?!" He looked down, feeling the white sheets of what looked like a hospital bed. They were so soft. No wonder he felt so comfortable compared to the dirty soil he rolled on. He looked down at his arm and shoulder, seeing it all bandaged up. He couldn't make heads or tails of what was going on.
"Sir, the patient is awake!" A nurse's shout grasped his attention. He whipped around, seeing a doctor pull back a curtain to see this was true.
"Dude…like, where am I…?" He blinked several times, yet his dizziness has yet to fade.
"How are we doing today, sir?" The doctor walked over and sat on the leather stool he rolled up. It clipped down to provide an anchor. He reached over and pulled up a clipboard with the personal information assessed by the paramedics. "Alright, let's see here…you're Jason, am I right?"
The surfer – now Jason – scratched his head with his left arm. "Yeah dude. But, where am I?"
"You're in the Hau'Oli infirmary. You were found unconscious with mild scrapes and dirt all over the body." He looked at the clipboard for anymore information. "And it says here your shoulder muscles suffered inflammation when you hit it."
"I did…?" He looked down at his broad shoulder. He rolled it, but the bandages kept it from doing so. "Gnarly…wait, hold on! How'd I end up here, man? Thought I was on the road with this crazy chick that spazzed out at me."
The clipboard turned to the next page. "Cecilia, is who you're referring too, right?"
Jason blinked. "Uh…yeah. So?"
"She's under extensive care in the IR. She's not allowed visitors since the nurses and other psychiatrists are operating. According to what's been stated, she suffered the same symptoms as another man this morning."
"That's killer." He deadpanned, before processing what happened. "So then…babe is back to normal?"
"Not normal. There's still signs of neurotoxins in her body at the moment. There may be a chance she'll most likely suffer PTSD for a short while. It's recommended that she rests and stays away from anyone until she's medically stabilized. As for you, since you've gotten off easy, I'll advise you to take it easy until your arm is back in shape."
It was so strange to him. Jacob could've sworn something else went on, but all he recalled was running away after his girl was in a fight with something. At least that's what he thought happened? He was so out of it he couldn't remember anything else, even if he tried. Thinking hard wasn't his strong suit anyway.
He was passed a sheet of paper, which sat on his lap. "What's this?" He picked it up, but the way it was worded lead straight to a tax number and totals at the bottom. His heart rate soared at the zeros for the jeep that was completely destroyed.
"Not cool, bro! Not cool!" he yelled, so loudly the nurses and Comfey outside stopped and turned in confusion.
Nic and Erza took a stop far within Melemele's inner boundaries. They had to take the detour that was made from the Berry Fields to follow the parasite. Luckily Nic's Meadow Form was picking up the creature's bizarre energy trail to make it for an easy tracking.
"Nic." Erza paced well beside him, but her tone hinted disapproval. "Did you have to clear his mind when the paramedics weren't looking?"
"It was for the best." He reasoned matter-of-factly. His arms were held back as he leaned forward. His speed was great, even with strides like a ninja across the underbrush. "The less people know, the better. Besides, we're trying to keep a low profile here. If we're caught in the same instances word gets out about this beast attacking people, it's going to point fingers at the wrong ones."
"I suppose it can't be helped. And on top of that, we've already caught eyes of something else." She thought about Tapu Koko's shocked stare. "What do you think that thing was anyway? A native Pokémon you think?"
"At this point anything goes." Nic felt the energy trail thickening. They were getting closer. "This parasite we're catching, at least now we have an idea of what it is." He thought back to the attacks it used earlier. He furrowed his brow as he evaded a low branch. "If it can use Toxic Spikes like it did before, then that means…"
Erza drew the conclusion. "A Pokémon. So that was on your mind too, huh? I thought it was strange how it could use moves despite being tethered to a human. Whatever this Pokémon is, it's no ordinary Pokémon indeed. I've heard about Ditto and Zorua transforming to look like people, but actually becoming them is something else."
As Nic jumped over a log, he started thinking aloud. "I'm pretty sure that was some woman it took control of. I think the black ooze had to be neurotoxins, I'm sure of that now. It must have used that to fuel her emotional distress and make her mentally unstable." He gripped a tree trunk and pivoted around, getting up to the next trunk's branch. On it, he switched to jumping from branch to branch to get a better range. "That Pokémon…whatever it did wasn't just inject neurotoxins into her. It augmented her body for it to manipulate. She was able to lift that car like it was a lob rock. And she used that Pokémon's moves…no, wait. More like it used it through her body."
"That can be a given. But we saw what happened after its victim went to sleep, right? If its victim isn't conscious, or maybe if its too worn down, it'll eject itself." Her eyes narrowed. "This thing must prefer a healthy strong host then. That would explain why it fled after the woman couldn't fight ." She looked at Nic as he hopped to the next tree ahead. "Nic, you were right to not track it. Now that I think about it, keeping our distance is the best course at detaining this thing. Is that trail still going?"
"It's still warm. It moves pretty fast if its able to keep up a lead this large." He responded. "Erza, what's the map say we're heading?"
"Let's see." She held out the map again, this time making sure it was upside-right. "Well, we were here before, so I think…no, here? Or here?" She scrutinized so hard her eyes were about to burn up. The markers she placed all over covered other labels that were essential. It was starting to aggravate her. "Gnnngh…! I think it says…Iki Town…?"
Nic started thinking. 'A town? Where a lot of people would be around. I doubt it'd attack a large group of people on its own, but…' He stamped a tree branch, jettisoning towards the next branch. He grabbed hold and swung to the next one like a Grovyle would. "Erza, let's pick up the pace!"
"Right!" She followed below up the grassy forest hill.
Iki Town was a very small town, in fact it was hardly much of a town to begin with. It looked more like a tribal village with shacks and people who had sarongs and other outfits to help accustom to the weather. Yet despite the lackluster of buildings and the technological standpoints the island region had grown in the past century, this was one of the few towns in the region that was bound to its times of tradition.
Amongst the kids and tiny Pokémon playing, they were all happily minding their own business. A boy gave chase to a rowdy Pichu. Two Yungoos were tussling over a large creampuff some old lady dropped. An old man was turning the newspaper page as his Pikipek was nesting in the concave of his really large hat.
Within the shadows of the huts, the parasite had finally found a place to relax. It needed to catch its breath after fleeing the scene. After that freakshow, who in their right mind would stick around there? Even it wasn't that dumb to know when to flee.
Still, having fed on human mentality was so satisfying. It hadn't felt this good for some time. It's been in dimensional space for so long that it didn't taste anything but stardust and anything that could appease its hunger. Looking at all these favorable humans around with Pokémon was just a slap in the face. It saw a fellow kid running along so merrily with a Pichu following that it was too priceless to pass up. But it had its limitations regrettably.
It couldn't risk going out in the open, at least at this point. It got lucky last night because of the timing and lack of populace. Against its better judgement it knew it had to get away still.
Looking left and right, it made sure it wasn't spotted. It waited until a random Pikipek finished circling around before floating gingerly around the town, maintaining itself within the shadows. It was minding its watch on the people to ensure no eyes would spot it.
Now that it thought about it, maybe a couple of eyes wouldn't hurt. Sure, that would draw the curious out where it could feed some more. It could favor injecting neurotoxin and relish in the mentality of the host's body. It subconsciously found its way closer in the broad light of Iki Town before it realized what was happening. It swiveled back inwards.
It turned towards the trail that was surrounded by woods. With it being so close to town, it figured that people would most likely detour up the trail. It's understandable at least. Beats lurking around the populace for too long. It hastily made its way into the forest trail, evasively floating towards the large hill where many would travel.
Oblivious to the threat that had made way towards the shrine, Hala strolled through his beloved town. He looked around with Hariyama, seeing the many folk minding their own business. "Seems like another fine day indeed." Hala mused.
"(Indeed.)" Hariyama agreed.
"I'm surprised. There hasn't been anybody to have yet do my Grand Trial for a while. One must assume that everyone must be content the way they are right now." He put a hand to his chin. "Of course, it's been rather collective since that energy burst we've felt before. Tapu Koko felt a disturbance there…is Tapu Koko been rather proactive because of it?" His rounds of inquiries and questions have left him to critically think about the situation. 'Now that I thought about it, what did Tapu Koko react to?'
A vague but passive breeze flew through the town, sweeping through Hala's white hair. The Kahuna didn't know exactly, but his closed eyes opened briefly at this strange feeling creeping up his spine.
"(What is it?)" Hariyama asked.
Hala whipped around towards the breeze's origins. The waves of energy he felt were drastic, but not life-threatening. Up ahead he could make out two figments closing in.
Making way just out of the grassy outlands of the forest, Nic stepped first to the outskirts of Iki Town. He looked around, feeling the air for the energy trail that the parasite left behind. It was a nasty, foul trail that was easy to distinguish from the other natural energies of this world. Nic could visibly see it through his eyes. It was like paint smearing air.
Erza caught up, racing out of the underbrush. "Nic, which way?"
Nic's eyes glued towards the northern trails of Iki Town. He was sure to stay out of the reach of the alleys that lead to the open public. "This way."
They started off in said direction, so fast in fact it was almost lightspeed. They didn't get far when heavy footsteps came from behind.
"Alola, you two!"
Nic and Erza stopped in their tracks and hastily turned around at the sight of the familiar face of Hala and Hariyama. They relaxed a little, but were still prioritizing the information they were on. "Kahuna." Erza promptly greeted. "Hello-er, sorry…Alola." She moved her arms overhead to opposite arches as she tilted her head.
Hala smiled graciously. "I see someone's still in the Alolan spirits around here." He laughed hardily. "And to you Nic, Alola!"
Nic raised a brow and meekly raised a brow. "Hey." The answer earned him a disrespecting glare from Erza. He looked away annoyed.
Hala laughed it all off. "I see you two are enjoying everything Alola has to offer. It's a coincidence, I was about to page a Tauros so I can go visit Hau'Oli City. Heard there was an incident there that needed to be investigated. It's by job as a Kahuna to make sure I'm informed at all times."
They paused for a moment and mentally cursed themselves. Of all the people to run into right, it had to be the island Kahuna, someone so high up amongst the four islands. They empathized greatly with where he was going regarding the incidental attack, but they had to hold back. As Nic stated, the less people know, the better.
Hala put his hands to his hips. "So, what brings you both to Iki Town? Finding anything you like?"
Erza cleared her throat, trying to make up an excuse. "Well, you see…my husband and I, we were going to visit the Melemele Meadows when we've got distracted. A certain someone couldn't help but see to a few detours along the way."
Nic glanced at Erza from the corner of his eye. She was pleading for him to play along. But he wasn't gonna give her the front seat so easily. "Yeah, we made a wrong turn a little ways back. I asked if she was reading the map correctly, but I guess that's what you get for relying on paper and marker too much." He snarked at his own retort in triumph. He narrowly ducked in time to avoid Erza's slap of the map.
"It's not my fault! There's just so many places that I wanna see! It's not my fault the fine print is so small!" She continuously tried batting Nic, but as one would expect, he narrowly slipped and slid.
"It wasn't my fault you have to use permanent marker! You didn't have any other pen in your luggage!"
"I would if someone had brought along his finer stuff for his art supplies for this trip!"
"There's nothing wrong with charcoal and colored pencils! You ask nicely and maybe I'll let you borrow some!"
"You artistically challenged scoundrel…!"
Hala watched their banter with a hardy smile. 'Young love. Sure seem to be enjoying themselves.' As he watched Erza and Nic throw counterattacks for everything they said to each other, Hala noticed the Z-Ring around Nic's wrist. "Nic, may I ask where you got that?"
The two ceased fire and turned towards Hala, moments before Erza was about to draw a sword onto his neck. "What, this?" Nic held up the Z-Ring around his wrist. "This, well…we were walking outside and this fell on top of my head. Didn't really know where it came from though."
Hala raised a brow. "Fell you say?"
"Is there a problem?" Erza questioned.
Hala put a hand to his chin, humming at the inquiry given. "It's not often I hear these kinds of mishaps. Under normal circumstances, we the Kahuna are granted the honor of bestowing these to Trainers as a right of passage for the Alolan Grand Trials. They are part of a scared tradition and given to those who mend their hearts to become one with the land itself." He looked up at the sky. "However, there have been tales of a few Trainers who have actually been given exceptions by the almighty Tapus of this region. Even they have the upmost say to some of the most gifted."
"The Tapus, you say?" Erza raised a brow.
"Yes. You see, our four island guardian deities are the Tapus of Alola. Each island has their own Tapu that safeguards and personifies the land in which they reside. Here on Melemele Island, Tapu Koko holds that emblem for us to be guided by."
'Tapu Koko…wait a minute.' Nic flashed back to the creature that gave him and Erza a vague stare before. 'Does he mean that creature that blew right by us? It might be onto us.'
"If you two found a Z-Ring, there must be fortune for you yet here in Alola." Haha reasoned. "Whether it'd be us or Tapu Koko, I'm sure you'll be more than eligible if you were given this."
Erza politely bowed. "We thank you very much for your consideration. Now Nic, I believe we have some more hiking to look after, don't we?"
Nic nodded at the subtle hint. "Yeah, sure thing." He faced Hala with a neutral grin. "Thanks for the help. If we need anything we'll let you know."
"No problem at all!" Hala cheered. "Did you need directions to the meadows by chance?"
"Thanks, but I think we've got an idea of where it might be. Erza, you ready?"
Erza smiled. "Sure. Thank you once more." She turned with Nic and took off, albeit subtly as they resumed their lead. Thanks to the talk they had with Hala, the natural energy trail had thinned out a bit. They had to make up for lost time once they've found cover to regain speed. It would still be a short while until they were out of sight, but they had to look natural.
Hala watched them off and chuckled. He felt a thick finger tap his shoulder.
"What is it, Hariyama?" He turned towards his fellow gargantuan friend to find him staring off at something within the tree canopy. He could barely make it out, but he saw something atop the nearest tree looming over Iki Town. The creature that was just mentioned caught both their eyes to where their surprise stopped their hearts.
Hala's eyes became visible with inquiry. 'Tapu Koko?'
The Tapu stayed low as he watched Nic and Erza as they worked their way around Iki Town. He didn't know what exactly but something about these two he just couldn't seem to let go, no matter how hard he tried. Something about them made his skin crackle with static. He narrowed his estrange eyes to notice something peculiar about Nic in particular. Specifically, the bracelet around his left arm.
'(Wait…that's a Z-Ring. How do they have one? I swear, if that's Tapu Lele…!)' He shuddered at the possibility it was her. He composed himself quick enough to return to rationality. '(Why are they heading to the Ruins of Conflict? Are they trying to find something there?)' He sparked the idea to zip through the treeline to chase after them.
Static brimmed around leaves as another air current changed around Hala and Hariyama, this one giving them literal chills. A single charred leaf fell in front of the Kahuna as he watched Tapu Koko take off in a bolt.
'Is Tapu Koko upset about something?' He realized the direction he was heading towards. 'Nic and Erza! Wait, what did they…?'
"(I have a bad feeling about this, Hala.)" Hariyama grunted.
The two watched the yellow bolt fade as Nic and Erza went north of town. Whatever the feeling was, the land itself was feeling this change. And it most certainly wasn't a pretty one.
Fearow flapped its large wings, giving it an extra kick into the air to overcome Wartortle. The turtle glared up at the predatory bird with no signs of backing down, as bold as he was defensive.
Fearow went for a steep dive, his beak pointed to prod at the turtle the moment an opportunity arose.
"Miss Juvia, get back!" Wartortle slid in front of Juvia as the rain woman looked on. He opened his maw and projected a blast of blue bubbles at Fearow.
Seeing the jet of bubbles heading its way, Fearow halted his advances and ascended back into the air. He looked down at Wartortle with a watchful eye fixed.
"Now look pal, let's get something straight here. Finding a place to settle down and chill is one thing I can condone with, but maybe you should be mindful where you drop your nest." Wartortle's tail swayed to the side. "You think you can call the shots on the get-go, you're as delirious as a confused Pidgey in the rain. Perhaps it's time we teach you a little respect about earning your boundaries."
Fearow careened his neck up and around in challenge of Wartortle's claim. He opened his beak and manifested a spatial portal that fired a jet of bubbles right back, like a mirror image that Wartortle used.
Wartortle tucked into his shell, though a little of his tail stuck out of the bottom still. A turquoise translucent forcefield manifested and stopped the oncoming barrage of bubbles. The forcefield went up, but as Wartortle brought his head out, he was blindsided with Fearow using the barrier's timing to fly fast as a blur into him. "What the-?!" He didn't have time to register the acing attack that sent him flying across the back on his shell across the grass.
"Wartortle!" Juvia shouted, looking back in shock. "That was so fast."
"That was a strong Aerial Ace." Sophie commented.
Wartortle rolled forward and back until he got enough momentum to jump upright again. He faced Fearow as the bird circled around to strike again. He took a steep dive for another swift sweep, and this time Wartortle had to act fast.
'He's moving so quick!' He realized that the bird came too close and was about to score another blow. Suddenly a whip of water broke between them, deterring the bird back into the air. Wartortle's eyes widened in surprise. "Say what?"
The Fearow backed into the air to get away from the whip of water. A blast of teal fire got too close and made him push further back into the air. With a high enough distance, he looked down to see a blue-haired and blonde woman interfering with his predatory might.
"We're sorry about this, but we find this unacceptable." Juvia retorted. She looked back at Wartortle. "Wartortle, are you alright?"
Wartortle blinked, but nodded as he processed the shock of that save. "Uh…yeah."
"Alright good." Juvia pulled out a Poke Ball. "Let's give a helping hand, shall we?"
Sophie brought out her own Poke Ball. "Sure thing."
"Marill, come out!"
"Araquanid, help me out!"
The Poke Balls were thrown into the air, bringing out both Pokémon that appeared in and on the water. Marill bobbed out of the spring water with a big smile and cheer, whereas Araquanid was atop the surface due to his legs. He hissed territorially at Fearow.
"Oh boy, looks like it's you and me again Araquanid!" Marill chirped., showing a battle ready joy. "You ready!"
Araquanid hissed angrily. "Of all the Pokémon, it had to be you…" He looked down at the spring. "But, since this place is special, and Sophie's relying on me…guess I haven't got a choice. Just keep up, runt!"
"You can count on me!"
Fearow saw the increase in numbers and snorted. It backed further into the air, making Juvia furrow her brow. "What's it doing?"
He raised his head and emitted a loud, large cry that echoed through the airspace. It stretched over the forest line and into the thick woodland canopy. There was a silence at first, as though nothing happened. Moments later, the sounds of flapping wings intensified to where it grew to dozens. From above, everyone's eyes turned towards the incoming flock of smaller birds.
They were all relatively small avian creatures compared to Fearow. They had one four talons on their feet and had red wings with pink end feathers, a pattern its tailfeathers matched up with. They had pink beaks and a head of brown feathers.
"What're those?" Juvia quipped.
Sophie pulled out her own PokeDex to get an idea of whom these birds might be.
"Spearow, the Tiny Bird Pokémon. Due to its short wings, it can't fly long distances. It wanders about restlessly and pecks at Bug Pokémon."
"Looks like ole' big bird had a cavalry hanging by a loose thread in case something happened." Wartortle figured.
Fearow leered at the enemies below and emitted a loud cry and pointed his wing. The directed flock of Spearow followed the call and dove down at Araquanid and Marill.
"Araquanid, Bubble Beam!" Sophie shouted.
"Marill, Water Gun!" Juvia followed.
Both Pokémon took in quick breaths of their own before lurching at the incoming flock. Araquanid fire intense blue bubbles, ones more stream-like than Wartortle's. Marill fired a blast of water. Their attacks struck the flock like a wall, barreling down their energy. They moved in opposite arches to reduce the sidewinders and made a large wall of mist from the recoil.
Even with all that, several Spearow from the back of the flock dove right around them to come up at Juvia and Sophie, much to Araquanid and Marill's surprise.
"Water Claw!" Juvia slashed water in a claw-like fashion into the Spearow coming her way. They all didn't stand a chance and blew back.
Sophie manifested a chain of memories, activating her own magic. "Memory-Make: Flames of the Emanation Ire!" Using a magic variant of Natsu's Fire Dragon Slayer Magic, crossed with Vanessa's Aura Magic, she unleashed a large wave of teal dragonfire-like aura blaze that blazed into the Spearow, instantly erupting them in teal embers that burned at their spirits.
"Sophie, will you be alright?" Juvia questioned with her back to hers.
Sophie nodded. "Don't fret. Besides, we have a bigger problem to worry about right now."
The Spearow all flocked around the combatants, leaving Wartortle alone with Fearow. The turtle looked up at the avian with a displeased look in his eyes. "Pretty petty, don't you think? Using your little party to get dirty on your prey. Really have you no shame?"
Fearow spread his wings and started a steep dive again. Wartortle leered with anger as the beak came barreling at him with lightning-fast movements. But this time he was prepared. Once Fearow had gotten close, his beak prodded, but Wartortle jumped at the last second. He came from above, chomping down on Fearow's neck with his two harsh fangs. Fearow cried out in pain and shock before Wartortle dug his heels in.
"How's about you take a birdbath and chill!" He pivoted around on his heels and threw Fearow across the water. The avian quipped as he plummeted beneath the surface with a loud splash. An uncanny gleam came from Wartortle's eyes.
"Sorry, but you know as they say, hook to a Gyarados and you're in for a wild ride. Now…!" He dove into the water with a loud splash of his own.
Below the surface, the turtle's frilly tail projected him across the water. He looked around for any sign of Fearow. Up ahead, Fearow was adjusting in the water, despite his plumage all wet and soggy. Wartortle locked on and another gleam from his eyes.
'I got you this time.' He intake water to fuel his stomach and opened wide to shoot a large spray of bubbles aimed for Fearow.
Getting ahold of his predicament, Fearow opened his eyes and saw the bubbles heading his way. It furiously kicked and fluttered its wings to get back to the surface before the bubbles could reach him. Once again, this surprised Wartortle with a gasp.
A large geyser spouted from the spring, jettisoning high enough to make it spill a light drizzle. Fearow flexed his wet wings, allowing ai to make them light again. He emitted a loud cry that echoed through the air.
"Now what is it?" Araquanid grunted.
Fearow spread his wings as another mirror of spatial energy projected itself onto everyone. He flapped, sending a copy of Wartortle's bubbles from its high vantage point fanning across the water and water's edge. The raining bubbles drew closer as the Spearow dove out of the way. Juvia and Sophie were surprised by the attack, but were quick to act.
"Quick! Marill, Aqua Tail!! Juvia commanded.
Marill bounced out of the water to midair, her bauble tail gathering spiraling water. "Alrighty then! Batter up!" She turned in the air, waving the tail come across like a tidal wave that dispelled the bubbles coming for them.
The rest of the spray was coming for Sophie and Juvia, but the latter moved in front and allowed the bubbles to ripple into her body. "Sorry, but my body is made of water. That won't work on me." She confidently stated.
The bubbles dissipated across the surface, giving a clearance for Wartortle to take and resurface. He popped his head from below and looked back. "Is everyone alright?!"
Juvia turned and gasped. "Look out!"
Catching her worries, he turned around, only to be struck by another passing blur that hit him square in the chest. He gagged as he felt the sting from that attack leave him in shock as he was blown out of the water and slid along the grass past a shocked Juvia and Sophie.
"Wartortle!" Juvia quipped.
The mature turtle found enough strength to stand, but he was completely wiped. His legs shook as Fearow elevated himself across the grass and sneered at him. The turtle was catching his breath as he looked up at the enemy avian.
'This fella…he's strong alright. Really strong.' He slowly straightened his legs to keep them from shaking. "I do admit, you've got some pretty nice moves there…almost tripped me up some back there." He smirked. "You're pretty determined, aren't you?"
Fearow spread his wings and cawed down, choosing to not use words for someone that's going to be skewered turtle for a hardy snack.
"Hmph, right I gotcha. Well pal, if that's how you see it, that's fine. You've got a reason to fight." He balled his fists. "But now I do, too. You go attacking innocent young ladies like that, you'd be no lower than scum. Someone like you…really needs to be taught a lesson!"
A blue aura emanated around Wartortle, enflaming his entire body. The aura empowered a glow that got Fearow's attention.
"Get ready…because now you'll be getting it."
The flock around Araquanid and Marill wasn't letting up. One Spearow was bold enough to charge in with a glowing beak. Araquanid released hundreds of tiny black, buzzing creatures that swam through the air around the charging Spearow. The avian fluttered and kicked around as the uncomfortable infestation of bugs left him open for Marill to bat it back with another tidal wave from her tail, sending him back into his flock. The bugs crawled onto them and they too suffered the same insufferable itch.
With the opening acquired, Marill and Araquanid inhaled at the same time as Sophie and Juvia gave the command. "Bubble Beam!" They opened their mouths wide, unleashing a fierce barrage of blue bubbles that jettisoned into the heart of the flock. It made impact and erupted a harsh layer of mist as Spearow were blown away by the combined blue might.
Marill jumped up and down on Araquanid's back in glee. "Alright, alright! We got them! You see that? We're a great team!"
"Yeah, whatever." Araquanid rebuffed the claim, until something came to mind. "Hey, when did I ever say you could use me as a piggyback, mouse?!"
Before he could adjust to a response, Marill turned. "Oh, look!" She aimed a stubby arm at the left.
A wild Spearow fluttered in madly with a glowing beak for them. Marill jumped off of Araquanid and made a cute look with a sparkly pink background with hearts. The uncomfortable sight made a blue aura lower the Spearow's Attack power, but didn't stop its beak from making a harsh blow against Marill. She squealed as she was blown into the water.
Araquanid's eyes widened at the shocking save. "Squirt? Squirt?!" He angrily turned to the Spearow and opened his maw beneath his head. "You little pest…!" Opening his maw wide with glowing fangs, he snapped down on the entire body in one bite, engulfing the submerged Spearow in a rupture of misty smoke that was ejected from Araquanid's bubble.
A Spearow swooped down and narrowly past Sophie. She swiped her arm to knock any getting too close to her hair. "There's so many of them." She pivoted, making a ring of teal sura fire that fanned out the Spearow around her.
Juvia whipped another Spearow with water. With the commotion and Wartortle fighting Fearow alone, she was getting worried. 'Wartortle's in trouble. We have to end this now!' She turned towards Sophie. "Sophie, listen! We need to draw them away now!" She turned towards the spring. "Marill!"
Getting an idea of what she had in mind, Sophie complied. "Okay. Araquanid!"
Underwater, Marill was in a daze from that critical hit she sustained. Her stomach hurt pretty bad from that blow, much more so than she would've wanted it to be. Her tiny ears were twitching from a number of noises coming from the surface. As her eyes meekly opened, she saw a shadow that loomed over her. It stretched down towards her, its long massive leg hastily pulling her towards the surface. She was yanked to fresh air again, only to find herself within the confines of submersion again. Only this time, it was in a clearer bubble with the company of a hard head as a seat. "Hm? Wait, what's going-?!"
"No time for questions, squirt!" Araquanid, with Marill in his water bubble, jumped off the water's surface and onto dry land. He looked back at Sophie for confirmation. "Alright, you happy!"
Sophie nodded, before turning to Juvia. "Alright Juvia, you're clear."
"Right, now stand back." She focused her magic and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she released a loud cry before raising them high, bringing the blue water in the spring to a drastic stir. "Water Nebula!" She projected all the water into a cyclone straight up into the atmosphere. All the Spearow were swallowed by the raging torrent and blasted away by the torrential wave. The raging cyclone dissipated, allowing the spiraling spring to return to the way it was as a light drizzle came down above it. Juvia's little display even made a tiny rainbow over the drizzle for the girls to ogle at.
"Wow~." Marill awed at the sight. "So pretty…wait, Araquanid." She looked down at him with shock. "You saved me!"
Araquanid scoffed at the claim. "No I didn't. Just be a pain to have not returned the favor is all. You're still in my space though." He hissed, but Marill was joyful towards this.
"Aw~, you do care!"
Juvia smiled in triumph. "Nice job, guys." She turned serious as her attention diverted towards a certain someone. "But now…"
Wartortle tucked in his limbs and spun like a top across the ground towards Fearow. He countered with his talons glowing bright purple and kicked Wartortle's shell. There was a moment of sparks, but Fearow followed through and pushed Wartortle back to the ground, sliding on a knee. He cringed at the weariness his body felt.
'Crap, this ain't looking too pretty for me.' He looked up to see Fearow spreading his wings for one more Aerial Ace to finish the deed. He wanted to move, but he was a little too worn out. 'No, I won't make it!'
Fearow closed the gap quickly with his beak poised and talons bared. He moved at blinding speeds into Wartortle, who braced for the final move. But another jet of water and intense blue bubbles caused Fearow to backtrack once more, giving relief and confusion.
"What now?" His answer was Juvia and Marill jumping to the front to confront the attacker. "Miss Juvia!"
"Wartortle, are you alright?" Juvia asked.
Wartortle blinked in mild surprise. "Uh…yeah, I am for now."
"That's a relief. Sorry if I'm interrupting, but I hope you understand." She looked over her shoulder, giving Wartortle a look of reassurance. "But when someone's in trouble, it's our job as guild mages to help those in need. It's fine now that I'm here."
Wartortle was left stunned by this claim. He watched on as Juvia turned back towards the Fearow. Her blue hair and cap was all Wartortle saw with deep wonder.
"Alright Marill, be ready." She assured. "Let's show them how it's done!"
"Right!" Marill tensed up, readying herself against this menace.
Fearow let out a caw and attacked the smaller, more exposed mouse instead. He reached his talons out as they glowed purple to ensure an attack.
"Marill, use Charm!" Marill made a cute face as pink hearts surrounded her atmosphere. The affliction made Fearow's harsh blue aura indicate his attack was lowered big time, but he still pressed on and pushed into Marill, causing intense pain.
Marill screamed, but didn't budge from the spot as she held her own.
"You can do it, Marill!" Juvia narrowed her eyes.
Marill screamed out as she heard Juvia's call. The talons were pushing hard but they were only causing a greater surge within the aquatic mouse. The air trembled as her body gave off a bright, prominent glow, which caused Fearow to back off in surprise.
Sophie recognized the glow from yesterday. "Juvia!"
The rain woman stared in complete surprise as the glow from Marill caught her at a standstill. Wartortle peeked from behind with a look of surprise for his own reasons. He, too, knew what was going on.
Everyone, even Araquanid, watched with surprise as Marill's body had gotten larger, and more egg-shaped than it was round. The round ears had turned to rabbit ears. The stubby limbs elongated further, and the tail bauble had gotten smaller, but the zigzag tail had more length to it. Even as the light erupted, shoving Fearow back, it revealed she still had the blue coloration, but had a bubbly white underside to herself now.
The evolved Marill raised her arms, letting out a joyful shout and a pose. "Phew! Talk about a rush there! I feel great!" she chirped.
Juvia's eyes shook at what happened. "Marill…evolved." She pulled out her PokeDex, which began analyzing the newly evolved water mouse-turned-rabbit.
"Azumarill, the Aqua Rabbit Pokémon. Azumarill can make balloons out of air. It makes these air balloons if it spots a drowning Pokémon. The air balloons enable the Pokémon in trouble to breathe."
"Azumarill…" Juvia caught onto the realization with satisfaction. "That's amazing, you've evolved!"
Wartortle stood behind, looking at the scene with surprise in his eyes. He couldn't make heads or tails of what he saw. 'No way. Did that Marill evolve because it responded to Juvia's call?' He shot another look at the Water Mage, his curiosity turning to a theory.
The Fearow shook off its own shock and gave a defiant call. It didn't care if its opponent had evolved, it was going to stake its new territory one way or another. It bared its beak and went to attack.
"Alright then Azumarill. Let's show everyone your new power!" Juvia pointed at Fearow. "Use Water Gun!"
"Alright, here I go!" Azumarill bounced into the air as Fearow closed in. Rather than shoot a jet at point-blank she completely piled onto him in midair. "Hope you don't mind if I get a little rough on you!" A puffy, comedic cloud appeared with pink and yellow stars as Azumarill relentlessly battered at Fearow. She slapped him silly with her tail. Smacked his beat from side to side. She even kicked him in the chest, causing him to gag.
The move used gave more than a look of surprise for Juvia to take in. "That wasn't Water Gun at all…is that a new move?"
"Play Rough." Everyone there turned around, seeing Wartortle stand with a serious tone in his voice. "That was Play Rough for sure. It's a powerful Fairy-type attack that really gets handsy with pesky opponents who need to be taught a lesson."
Azumarill continued her barrage until she finished it off with a harsh kick across the face. Fearow shrieked as he went flying. A blue aura further indicated his Attack lowered big time.
"How's that?" Azumarill chimed. She faced Fearow with a ready expression. It wasn't like Marill, who was peppy and skippy. She was actually looking serious for a change…something that gave even Araquanid a raise blue eye.
Fearow let out a call as he ascended again. A spatial mirror appeared in front and he dove right through. He brought his talons down so he could give Azumarill the same treatment, only to be thwarted when a turquoise barrier stopped him cold. He grunted and careened back into the air, a few of his ruffled eathers falling out of place.
"Huh?" Azumarill blinked. She saw Wartortle gathered his bearings and appear in front of her.
"My apologies, Miss Azumarill, Miss Juvia, but I believe this was my battle to start." He coolly faced the Fearow with a proud smile. "Now let me finish it, if you don't mind."
Juvia smiled sincerely. "Sure…but on one condition." She stepped up. "We'll be right here to help you if you need it." Beside her, Azumarill chirped.
Wartortle closed his eyes and smiled. "Thanks, I'll take you up on that offer…" He looked towards the sky once more, ready to end things with Fearow once and for all. "Alright you ruffled chicken, come at me!"
Fearow cried out as he accepted the call. He flapped and zoomed after Wartortle in a vast blur. Wartortle took in a sharp breath and released another blast of bubbles. Thanks to his Torrent Ability, the bubbles were much harsher and thicker as they beamed into Fearow with power to match him. The spray of bubbles pelted against him, even as he tried to get right through. But the avian, no matter what, his Attack power was too low to power through. He was eventually overwhelmed, sent back into the air with a cry of agony.
"Azumarill, let's finish them off!" Juvia insisted.
"Right!" the rabbit cheered. "Let's do this then!"
Fearow shook his head and gave one last caw. He furiously flapped and sailed in for a last-ditch move for the prey below. He bared his talons and screeched madly for the killer blow.
Juvia and inhaled and reached out at the same time Wartortle prepared his attack. "Bubble Beam!"
Wartortle and Azumarill inhaled and opened their mouths. They launched a unison jet of bubbles with a larger range thanks to Wartortle's attack being Bubble. The wave of bubbles came at Fearow like an asteroid belt that he wasn't prepared for. His eyes shrunk and he screeched out in horror before blue fireworks went off. Sprays of bubbles popped and pushed him higher into the air, so high that he could barely be seen. As the jet of bubbles dispersed, the large bird's silhouette was seen shot far into the sky, becoming a glint like a star.
"You did it!" Juvia cheered happily. "Great work, you two!"
Wartortle humbly smiled. "Thanks."
Azumarill bounced happily, twirling in ecstatic glee towards Juvia. "Isn't this great, Juvia?" Her tail wagged vividly. "Look, I evolved! Don't I look awesome?"
"Indeed you do." She chimed.
Azumarill giggled and turned towards Araquanid. She merrily appeared beside the spider without his consent of space. She hummed and swayed her hips back and forth, waiting for a response and praise to come.
Araquanid looked away sheepishly with a snorted pout through his water bubble. Sophie's raised brow and knowing face gave way for Araquanid to back down. "Hmph…well…you did good out there." He mumbled. "Guess you're…not as big as a pain as I thought."
Azumarill giggled. "Oh Araquanid, you tease!" She turned around, giggling like a giddy schoolgirl, her tail ball coming in at the turn and nearly caving in one of Araquanid's legs. Had it not been for his other legs he'd end up collapsed.
"Gngh! Yeesh, remind me not to mess with her." He whispered.
"Dully noted." Sophie chimed. She reached back and pulled out something she had on hand. "Here Juvia, give Wartortle this. It looks like he needs it."
"Thanks, Sophie." She took the Super Potion and kneeled down towards Wartortle. "Here Wartortle, this should only sting a little. But it'll make you feel better, I promise."
"If you say so." Wartortle didn't deny as he allowed Juvia to get close. She sprayed his head, which had several bruises on it from the earlier impacts, to feel an intense sting on the wounds. Slowly, they began healing up, as it they never happened. "…say, that does feel nice." He was applied more of the Super Potion, but had to keep in mind what led to these circumstances. This was the second time now that he had to be saved by a human, let alone someone. It did a number on him, but for some reason, as beat up as he was, he was more engrossed in something that piqued him more.
"You see, I have someone I'm waiting for. If I never did, what would I have to wait for? I'm sure that, somewhere…there has to be someone waiting for you. Maybe you just have to look."
The sting of Juvia's Super Potion made him wince, but the ache soon turned to remedy. As his body cooled from the wounds he found himself looking up at Juvia's smile as she applied it further down the back of his shell. His gaze turned towards Azumarill, who was still in great shape and healthy. Something inside his shell left him thinking of something, and to him, there was only one way he would be sure.
"Miss Juvia."
"There, all finished." Juvia backed away as Wartortle's body was in much better condition. "I'm sorry Wartortle, what were you saying?"
"Nothing really. Thanks for all your help, seriously." He smiled.
"You don't have to thank me. It's part of my job. Seeing people smile is what it's all about, isn't that right?" Juvia's point was led up when Azumarill skipped to her side, cheerfully giggling with the sentiment. Wartortle found the scene adorable.
"I can't disagree there." Having healed, he found the confidence to stand against her. "Listen, Miss Juvia. I have a favor to ask of you. If it's alright with you…would you be willing to battle with me?"
The smiles on Juvia and Azumarill faded. She found herself shocked, as well as perplexed, at the proposition brought up. Sophie and Araquanid offered nothing as they looked at each other with the same surprised expression.
Juvia collected herself. "U-Um, not that I don't understand your motives, but you just healed. S-shouldn't you take a break before jumping into another battle?"
Wartortle gave her a brazen look. "It'll be fine. Besides…there's something I wanted to check out and be sure of. That's all."
He sounded so serious there. Azumarill's ears picked up on the meaning of how serious this was towards Wartortle. Whatever it was made her ball tail stiffen.
"Well…if you insist." Juvia nervously answered.
"Thank you very much." Wartortle balled his fists, getting eager himself for what's to come. 'Let's see if what I feel is indeed there.'
Several meters across from each other from beside spring, Juvia and Wartortle stared at each other in battle ready positions. They were all ready to battle, whereas Sophie and Araquanid took notice from off to the side.
They were half-expecting her to use Azumarill again, but much to their surprise, the rabbit was watching with them. "Sorry Azumarill. I know you just evolved but could you leave this to me?" Juvia called back.
"Oh sure, no problem!" Azumarill sat back, nabbing her nonexistent toes with her nonexistent fingers and waited patiently, like a child waiting for their birthday to come.
"This should be something alright." Araquanid chimed in, his disposition relaxed some.
"You're right about that." Sophie noted. Her attention went over towards Wartortle. She threw another lock over her shoulder to try and derail her impatience for this reasoning. Arceus knows how many times she's adjusted her locks now.
Juvia pulled out a Poke Ball and tossed it up. "Alright Vaporeon, come out!"
The Poke Ball went spinning upwards, popping out energy that manifested into Vaporeon. Her tail fin swayed side-to-side as she stood against Wartortle with an upright disposition.
"I'm counting on you, Vaporeon."
Vaporeon tensed on all fours and leaned back to a battle position of her own. "You can count on me." She glared at Wartortle. "I'm ready when you are."
Wartortle nodded in understanding. "Alright then." He shifted his heel off to the side and glared at them both. "Come at me!"
Answering his call, Juvia reached her arm out. "Vaporeon, Water Pulse!" Vaporeon raised her head and let out a chime. Water from the surrounding air pressurized into a hemisphere and fired the orb at Wartortle.
Wartortle hastily tucked away into his shell just before the water sphere made impact with a turquoise barrier moments later. A blue explosion sent sprays of water everywhere before they both dissipated to thin air. Wartortle popped back out of his shell with no damage.
"He used Protect again." Juvia grunted. Vaporeon shared the same disgruntled tone.
Wartortle jumped into the air and tucked himself in again. He gathered rotation speed and soared into Vaporeon. The rugged ridges along his shell grazed Vaporeon enough to buffer her back a step as the shell ricocheted into the air. Wartortle popped his limbs out and projected a spray of bubbles that rained down quickly on Vaporeon before she had time to realize. The brigade of soft blue bubbles pelted her, but they only made green waves of energy rise up from her body. Wartortle dropped back to earth and kept sure of his distance from his adversary's lack of damage.
Vaporeon shook her head about, getting the sprays of bubbles out of her eyes. "That felt good." She chimed, her tailfin swaying joyfully.
"Sorry, but my Vaporeon's Ability is called Water Absorb." Juvia pointed out. "Water-type moves won't do any good on her when they make her feel better."
Wartortle was shocked. But despite this setback, he flashed a smirk. "Not a bad play there."
Juvia reached a follow-up. "Aqua Ring!" Vaporeon closed her eyes and concentrated the vapor around her. It created several compressed rings of water that enclosed her inside. They retained around her as she glared at Wartortle.
'This should keep us from losing too much energy. Now let's see how Wartortle reacts to this.'
The shellbound amphibian dashed across the grass after Vaporeon with impressive speed. Juvia and Sophie were caught a little surprised at the swift lunge before Wartortle sunk his teeth into Vaporeon's frills. The harsh bite made her flinch on the spot, but green waves of energy emitted from the Aqua Ring to repair a portion of that.
Wartortle knew he couldn't let up, not when he had to be sure of what he felt. He needed to see it for himself! This drive made him open wider and sink another harsh bite into Vaporeon, this one harsh enough to make her scream in shock. Once again, she flinched at the pain.
"If Wartortle keeps using Bite like that, he'll flinch his way to wearing down Vaporeon." Sophie figured aloud. She looked over at the rain woman to see what she would do, but only saw balled fists and nothing more.
A green energy wave picked up around Vaporeon to give her a little strength, but that was for naught and Wartortle spin through his shell and grazed her face. She was pushed back, sliding along the grass to a stop. She shook her head left and right to get that dizziness out of her eyes.
"Vaporeon, are you alright?" Juvia asked.
Vaporeon adjusted on her heels, looking ahead for the next move. "Yeah, I'm okay Juvia." Her eyes widened as she saw Wartortle lunge again with harsh fangs again. "Not this time…!" She created a dark hemisphere in front with green energy.
"Aurora Beam!" Juvia pointed ahead as Vaporeon lurched forward, shooting forth the intense beam that resembled the night sky of northern lights.
Wartortle closed in, but he realized the beam had too much momentum on it for him to withdraw from. 'Oh no!' His hopes were dashed when the beam consumed him in an explosion that rattled the wet grass. The shock of the attack left him at a standstill within the smoke that he couldn't see through.
"Now, Swift!" Vaporeon jumped into the air and summoned golden stars. She somersaulted and whipped the stars at the smoke cloud towards Wartortle. They made impact, causing a brighter explosion that had a larger radius towards it. Wartortle careened across the ground in a slide, unable to keep footing until he was several yards way.
Wartortle regained himself while he watched Vaporeon regain some health back from Aqua Ring. The green energy faded into her, but that wasn't what he was focused on. He knew he saw stars before when he was hit with that Swift, but either he was confused or seeing Juvia so confident and standing with Vaporeon feeling the same way gave him this contorted feeling inside his chest. The strange part of it was that it didn't hurt. It'd be a normal chest pain, but at the same time, it wasn't. It was really hard to describe.
For a moment he dropped his guard. "Tell me something, Vaporeon. You feel comfortable with where you are?"
Vaporeon's fins dropped. Wartortle's sudden question threw her off. "Um, what do you mean by that? Where I am?"
Wartortle gave her a serious gleam. "You and Juvia, that's what I mean."
Vaporeon took a pause and looked over her shoulder back at Juvia. Their eyes met for a moment as they processed where Wartortle was going with this. To some degree they got an understanding, but where they stand? As partners and creatures who fought alongside each other? It was a vague question, but looking back at Wartortle one could see that he was serious about his question. It took a while for Vaporeon to sum up an answer.
"Well…I guess so. Is that right?"
A meek smile tugged at the corner of Wartortle's lips. "I see…" He got on guard again and went dashing after Vaporeon. It was apparent he was going to bite her again, something she'd rather not have.
"Juvia!"
Juvia nodded. "Right! Use Water Pulse!" Vaporeon opened her maw and created a sphere of compressed vapor water. Once it was charged, she launched it at high speeds towards Wartortle.
Not willing to fall for the same trick again, he stopped in his tracks and tucked into his shell. A turquoise forcefield generated in time as the water sphere made impact and sprayed gallons of mist and waterspouts in all directions. They dissipated, but a hole tore open in the mist as Wartortle went flying through with a spinning shell after Vaporeon.
Vaporeon remained still and waited as Wartortle closed in. Even with the short gap, the Aqua Ring replenished more of her health. She stayed completely calm once she had a clear shot. "Ready!"
"Right!" Juvia cleared her throat. "Water Pulse!"
Vaporeon created a large sphere of water once more and fired it with all she had. With how close Wartortle was, it was a near point-blank shot that hit home. The explosion of blue mist surged upwards, the critical hit sending Wartortle's spinning shell doubling – ne quintupling – through the air. He was so winded that his own head plucked out of the shell in midair.
Dazed in the middle of space, he didn't have time to fully process Vaporeon jumping with stars gathered around her. He was so lost in this strange feeling he had inside that it was almost foreignto him what was going on. But it was centered around the recent events that happened. So much has happened that he just seemed to have accepted it without hesitation.
'Yes…I think I get it now.'
"Swift!"
Vaporeon fired the blistering golden stars at the shellfish with nothing holding her back. The rays were lights flashes of lights that came after Wartortle. He saw them as several heavenly radiant angels that were trying to force a blessing onto him, and all he could do was go into limbo as they closed in and enveloped him in the starry rays they came in. Explosion went off in the sky and everyone watched the smoke cloud expanded several meters throughout the airspace. Vaporeon, Azumarill, and Juvia were especially piqued as they watched the smoke cloud dissipate, spitting out Wartortle's frame onto the ground. He fell hard onto his back, laying there in an unconscious swirl.
"Wartortle!" Juvia raced over, tending to the defeated enemy with Vaporeon in tow.
Sophie watched from the sidelines, seeing how that battle ended. "I guess that Super Potion didn't recover Wartortle enough." She meekly grinned. "Still, that was a good battle."
"That was awesome!" Azumarill skipped over to check on her friends. "I'm coming~."
Wartortle's head was spinning, and not just because he thought he was confused before. He slowly stirred back into conscious realm, the first face he saw being Juvia's. It took him several minutes to stir before he was finally processing what went down.
"Wartortle, hang on." Juvia reached back for something she was able to have on hand. She pulled out a fellow Revive and held it up to Wartortle. With his mouth loose at the moment, she forced it into his mouth and made sure he swallowed it. A green wave went over his frame, restoring his health to a partial sum. She stood back with Azumarill and Vaporeon, whose Aqua Ring had returned to being vapor. Slowly, Wartortle sat up and looked around again.
"Miss Juvia…?" His head still rung, but he was composed enough to realize what went down. "…I see. I lost. I figured as much. That was a nice bout there, Vaporeon. You're good."
Vaporeon's tailfin swished from side to side with a smile. "Thank you. You too…I think?"
"You both were so awesome! Man, that looked like so much fun!" Azumarill chimed. "Now I can't wait!"
"M-Maybe later, Azumarill." Juvia pleaded, raising a brow. "Anyways, Wartortle, are you able to stand now?"
"Yeah, give me a minute." He got one leg under him, which was enough to push him back to his feet. "There we go…hmph, man, never thought I'd feel better after a battle like that. It's kinda ironic, don't you think? Usually you're worn out, and yet I felt pretty relaxed…I guess I kinda see why now."
Juvia softly smiled. "That is ironic…Wartortle."
"Yes?"
"Was that battle…just now, was it to tell what you were looking for? Did you find it through this?"
Wartortle blinked at Juvia's sudden question, but it wasn't like he was going to deny it. He passively looked on at Juvia, before adverting towards Azumarill and Vaporeon. That warm feeling inside made him bashful and turn away, hiding his smile. "Yeah, something along those lines. Thank you." He stood up and turned away. He started off, leaving Juvia and the others perplexed. "Thank you all for everything you've done. I'll be sure to repay back your kindness somehow. If there's anything you need, just let me know."
Juvia watched Wartortle wander off, but she wasn't letting him go so easily. She made up her mind. "Wartortle, wait."
He stopped in his tracks.
"I know how you can repay us. Why don't you join us?"
Wartortle's eyes widened as he turned around in surprise. "Wait, you serious? You'd really want someone like me around?"
Azumarill bounced on her feet. "Sure! You're so cool! Not to mention awesome, right Vaporeon?"
She smirked, her tailfin swaying along the damp grass. "I'm not against it. You're a good Pokémon. Not to mention really cool like Azumarill said." She couldn't help but admire the suave composure Wartortle had around him. She was sure it was because of his thick accent, but something about it and his maturity really defined him.
Juvia walked up, looking down sagely. "I know you're probably lost, but I would've been too if not for the wonderful guild and the people that surround me. We'll take anybody who doesn't have anywhere to go. You're a good-hearted gentleman Wartortle…so if you have nowhere to go, you can always have us to depend on."
"You really mean that…" From her tone it was very sincere. He felt like choking up, but instead he softly smiled back.
He gracefully got to a knee and bowed his head to the rain woman. "In that case, Miss Juvia, let me swear this. No matter what, I will forever be humble and respect your wishes. I'll beside you for as long as the sun rises with the moon. That oath I swear."
"Y-You don't have to…I mean, I'm grateful either way." She held up a Poke Ball. "Let's solidify it with this then."
The Poke Ball was thrown onto Wartortle, immediately bringing him in without much resistance. The capsule shut and plopped to the ground. It shook once, then twice, and a third time. All their anxious stares turned to stars when the ball made a 'Ding!' sound.
Juvia picked up the Poke Ball and looked at it with a bright smile. "Welcome aboard…Wartortle."
"That's so awesome, Juvia!" Azumarill wagged her ball tail furiously in her own glee.
"Yeah, this is really-ow! Watch where you swing that thing!"
Azumarill flinched. "Oops, sorry. Teehee!"
Sophie and Araquanid walked up to Juvia, the former with a kind and thoughtful smile. "Congratulations, Juvia." She chimed.
Juvia turned with a smile. "Thanks a lot Sophie. I'm so glad you were here to witness this. All of you." She looked at the Poke Ball, pulling it closer to her chest. "And now, I have a better reason for Gray to come home now…so he can meet a new friend."
Sophie giggled. She now had another memory to add to her reset collection. And this one was most definitely a good one to reflect on. She was so wrapped up in her musings she could practically drown in them…wait, then why couldn't she breathe? She realized Araquanid had pulled her into her water bubble to nuzzle her, which of course cut off her air supply.
"Teehee." Azumarill beamed. "What a good day this is…oh, we should probably save her."
"I think we should." Vaporeon quipped.
As Azumarill went to apply air bubbles through Araquanid's water bubble, Juvia looked down at her new Poke Ball, her eyes softening with glee.
Watching from the woods not too far, Butterfree watched from a tree branch and chirped merrily. He flapped his elegant wings and merrily fluttered about in another direction, one more relatively closer to Magnolia.
Nic and erza were making headway, but they stopped at the foot of a large pathway that lead towards a mountain pass. They looked up Mahalo Trail, the narrow trail went in switchback fashion all the way up the mountainous domain. Stout statues would be dotted, even the one at the foot where Erza was. Though unlike her impression with the usual Alolan greeting this was less than ecstatic.
"And its trail leads all the way up there?" Erza figured. She looked towards Nic, who had a definitive look on his face.
"Yeah, I can sense it as clear as crystal. It's really close. We just have to get up there." He looked around, making sure in case anybody was around. Judging from the way everything was positioned, it looked like it was all clear. But he had to be quick. "Erza, get on by back."
She raised a brow, shocked. "W-why…?"
"Because I'm gonna go really fast. You don't wanna get left behind, do you?"
The way he worded it so bluntly was the second strike to Erza's demeanor. She would've sworn that the heat in her body was going to erupt all over her face. Sure the mission took priority, but that didn't stop her from feeling sensual about the way Nic was willing to handle her. She did her best to hide a blush as she moved over towards his back.
Nic bent down and hooked his hands around Erza's thighs. They were so thick and firm that even he had the urge to try and control himself. His wife's tough armor was pinned to his back, nearly piercing it completely had it not been for his coat. She wrapped her arms around his neck, minding her gauntlets so that they didn't provide any means of drag for him.
Despite how immensely heavy Erza was with her armor, Nic took it in stride. He handles things far heavier than what she threw at him…at least some of the time. The knight was able to compose herself as she glanced over Nic's shoulder.
"Just be quick, alright."
"Don't worry." He glowed again, this time making a shine back to his normal form alone. He leaned forward like a runner a s green aura outlined his body. "Extreme Speed!"
In the blink of an eye, he zipped in speeds faster than the blink of an eye. Sharp turns were taken as he and Erza evaded the eyes of the totems and beamed up the mountain trail.
Up higher within the trail's reaches into the mountains, the parasite had floated towards safety. It looked around, taking in where its new surroundings were. It was on a dirt trail that lead to what looked like a gorge of some kind. But on the other side resided another cliff with something that looked like a temple-like cavern. These two gorges were connected by what looked like a bridge, where water flew far below from a nearby waterfall into the ocean.
The creature gave questionable hiss of where this led to, but it had a gut feeling it wouldn't be towards anywhere human. It was tempted to turn back at this point and just stake out the village for victims, but it was still curious with where the bridge led to. It decided its best course was to at least follow through.
It slowly floated towards the bridge and looked up at the bridge. It was a rather long bridge with sturdy planks. It floated across in assurance that it couldn't fall. It'd just float anyway. Besides that, bridges were made by humans. So it had to mean somewhere it was going, there was bound to be something amicable. But it started to feel something. Or rather…hear something. It sounded like running water. Was it leaking black ooze again?
It looked down, realizing that it was clean. It didn't see any means of a trail, but the running water sounded drew closer. That's when it saw blue through the breaks within the planks that water was gushing up after it.
The beast lurched back, but it was too late. Water hastily permeated the planks and around the bridge to create a small whirlpool where it floated. It encompassed its area and kept it enclosed inside. It hissed and shuddered its tendrils in udder shock.
"Sorry, but we can't have you running around like that again."
The beast whipped around, finding its pursuers having caught up. The one with the black hair was sporting his Splash Form and kept the Whirlpool around him. It looked around, realizing this. "Krrreeeaah!" It hissed in defense.
"This is as far as you go. Right now, you need to stop and answer some questions." Erza requipped her Holy Hammer. "If not, we'll have to get rough. Don't make this any harder than it has to be."
The beast looked around for any openings into the Whirlpool. It looked up, realizing that its top was as free as the sun was…at least for now it was. It made a beeline for above, but the swirling water splashed it back down into its depths. It hissed in shock and complaints at not being able to get free.
Erza kept her hammer at the ready. "Looks like it isn't cooperating, Nic."
"I know." Nic wasn't dumb enough to be unaware. He wasn't going to release the parasite out of sympathy, at least not after what it did. But he also knew that it had a reason. He just needed to try and take the cautious route. "Listen…why did you attack all those people? Can you at least tell us that much?"
The parasite turned towards Nic with an apprehensive tinge in its tentacles. It saw the serious look in his eyes, as well as felt his need to hear it out. Before it drew to a conclusion, it noticed nothing bright and crackling from above. It looked up in time to see a soaring yellow bolt strike down onto it, rupturing everything along the bridge.
Planks smashed to pieces as the ropes fried. The whirlpool was torn apart as lightning flared across the gorge. Nic and Erza covered up from splintering wood heading their way as the flashy display was settling. They uncovered, but moreover their shock was apparent when they saw the parasite drop into the running river.
A loud splash was heard, but they didn't see it in time. Nic and Erza ran up to the ledge and looked down, seeing no sign of the parasite. "What happened?!" Erza shouted.
Nic balled his fists. Even was about to dive in, but the static around them refrained him from making any faulty movements. A chill went up his spine when he felt a piercing gaze fixed on him.
He and Erza looked up, only to be shocked at what they saw. "You…!"
Floating above the now bridge-less gorge, Tapu Koko glared daggers at them. The air was intense with static around the energetic guardian of Melemele, or rather, the correct word would be intimidation. The vibe he was getting off Nic and Erza was extremely bizarre to enormous proportions. And yet his welcome towards the couple was anything but calm.
"You can't be…" Erza paused, sinking in what Hala said. "Are you the one they call…Tapu Koko?"
"(And what if I am, Missy?)" he retorted. "(What I want to know is who are you?)"
Nic could hear him through and through. He was definitely defensive about something. He pulled out his PokeDex, being sure that the information was definite.
"Tapu Koko, the Land Spirit Pokémon. Although it's called a guardian deity, if a person or Pokémon puts it in a bad mood, it will become a malevolent deity and attack."
Nic looked up at Tapu Koko to see the lightning crackling around him. He was almost reminded of Laxus. He dismissed that logic and kept a strong guard up. "What is it you want?" he asked in a defensive tone.
Tapu Koko shot Nic a sneer. "(That's what I would like to know.)"
"What?"
"(Just who are you, and what are you doing here?)" He looked at the Z-Ring on Nic's wrist, pointing accusingly at it. "(And that, where did you get that? And don't tell me it's Tapu Lele, oh I swear because if it is…!)"
Nic looked down at the Z-Ring on his left wrist, turning it over with curiosity. 'Is he talking about this Z-Ring that fell in our world?' He gave the crystal-less center an intrigued look. He was starting to piece together Tapu Koko's defensive demeanor. With what the PokeDex said and the way he was acting, he had a bad feeling about their first impression going downhill from here. If they were to drop their guards, they'd be in for it.
"The Z-Ring, you said?" he voiced aloud. "What about it?"
"(I'm asking who gave that to you, because we Tapus know from fact that we don't hand these out like candy. That's the Kahuna's job. And I know for a fact as well that you can't be native here. It's written in this strange energy we feel. Tell me now, are you the ones we felt that night? Because if you are…)" Lightning crackled around his body. "(Then we're gonna settle something here.)"
Erza balled her fists. "Nic."
"I know, Erza." He gave the defensive Tapu a glare. "I don't think he's going to let us go our way."
"(I asked you guys a question. Where. Are. You. From?)" Tapu Koko's patience was starting to thin. He was about ready to get active on these guys. He had to, their pressure was completely something else.
Nic straightened his back calmly. "You need to calm down, first of all."
Tapu Koko narrowed his eyes. He did not appreciate how Nic talked back to him. In an instant, he charged up a sphere of electricity and blasted Nic to get the answer he wanted. The sphere was so close if not for a hammer sending it flying past Tapu Koko's mohawk. His eyes were wide when the sphere dissipated, but the wind from that deflection grazed his head. He was completely bewildered by the hammer Erza used.
"Sorry, but you've left us no choice." Erza humbly said.
"(What strength…is she even human?)" His anxiousness grew steadily when they both flashed brightly. The flare they gave off momentarily blinded him. It came as soon as it went though. When he looked back, another energy shift gave him a chill. "(What the-?! Did you guys just…!)"
Erza donned her Lightning Empress Armor, holding up her spear. "You know, for a deity you have a one-sided track of thinking. We understand where your heart lies, but you have yet to understand ours. If you won't listen…then we'll have it your way."
Nic stepped up, clad in his Earth Form. "If you want to fight us that bad…then far be it from us now." He and Erza braced themselves. "You wanted to start this fight, then we'll finish it."
Here you guys go, another solid chapter! I was on a role writing all of this! Followed my guidelines through and through and I got a fairly solid chapter. Still a little overstretched, but I think I kept the pacing at moderate while shifting between Earthland and PokeEarth. After much deliberation, I figured having a chapter centered on Juvia wouldn't be too bad. I've focused a lot of The Freaks, so this served as a refreshing breather, and I added Sophie in just so we get some more familiarity between the two. It's also coincidental that all this happened in front of the spring where they caught Dewpider and Azurill, as well as Joey and Sophie's moment. So yay to all of that!
I also wanted to see to it that we got another Pokémon added to Juvia's roster, Wartortle. I based his voice and personality off of Masa from My Bride is a Mermaid, and I felt it seemed like a unique change of pace. I'm also aware that Bubble is no longer a move in Gen 8, and Rapid Spin increases Speed and does more damage, but I'm not going by any of that, instead I'm doing this all by Gen 7 since that's the overall theme going here. I know I'm a generation behind, and I'll likely be if there's another after Gen 8, but that's the way I'm sticking with.
Anyways, I can't wait to hear your guys' thoughts! Your reviews are very much appreciated and thanks for reading!
