If there was one word that could describe the guild's atmosphere, abysmal would probably suffice. Bad, and even worse, deep. A deep, bad, mess was what this was.

Gathered in the confines of their guild hall, the members of Fairy Tail were at a loss for what to say, let alone do. Not even half of them could lift their heads in pride after what they've been through. If their bodies weren't wounded, their pride most certainly was. Not even Wendy's Healing Magic nor a Sitrus Berry could fully heal that, even though Droy most certainly tried.

For a while, the atmosphere had been quiet. Too quiet. It was so mellow that one could hear a pin drop. They couldn't make heads or tails of the situation, nor could the gathered Pokémon.

With all the tension that happened last night, it was hard for some of the Pokémon to look their trainers in the eye. Rufflet kicked his feet around as he stood next to Lisanna. Seviper lowly hissed in displeasure, even though Kinana tried to comfort her. But the guilt they felt was nothing compared to what the mages felt.

"I couldn't do anything...I was so weak! Damnit!" Romeo banged his fist against the table he sat at. "How could I let that happen?! My Litwick took my attacks like they were nothing!"

"Calm down, Romeo." Macao begrudgingly told him.

Romeo angrily turned towards him. "Shut up, Dad! You know I'm right! We're supposed to be the trainers here! How could we lose to our own Pokémon like that?!"

"Listen to your old man, kid. In situations like this, you've gotta keep a cool head." Wakaba sagely said, smoking a large cigarette in the corner of his mouth. Even though he seemed just as melancholic as anybody else, he was practicing what he was preaching and venting in his own way.

Romeo looked down at the table, his fists shaking from the frustration boiling inside. "...damnit."

"Mommy, Daddy...why were the Ponyta so mean?" Asuka asked in between sniffles. She was upset all morning, and all she could do was cry. "Did we do something to make them hate us and run away...?"

Bisca moved closer to hold her daughter close to her. "Ssssh. No, sweetie. Of course not. This isn't anybody's fault." She looked towards Alzack and exchanged worried looks. For their sake, she hoped that Asuka wasn't right.

They weren't the only ones grieving in their insecurities. Slacking against a wooden pillar, Gray folded his arms over his clothed top. He was deep in thought over how he was easily handled by last night by Snover putting him to sleep. And he fell for something so simple. The only assurance he had to console him was the warm hand that Juvia placed on his literally cold shoulder.

"Gray, darling...it'll be alright." Juvia's words were half-hearted, but at least she was actually trying to put on a brave face unlike her companion.

Though she meant well, Gray didn't have any words to show his concern. The best he could muster was a meek, cold sigh.

"I can't believe it that really happened last night." Lucy frowned, sitting at a table with a tensed body. Her knuckles were pressed against her thighs as she was trying to wrap her head around the situation they were all in. She could still remember the moment when Staryu destroyed their Poke Balls so vividly. She wished that it was just a nightmare. But unfortunately, reality was a harsh mistress.

Happy walked up, looking at her worriedly. "Lucy...it'll be okay."

Lucy sniffled, trying to keep her chin up. She turned back towards Happy. "How're you feeling, Happy? You looked pretty stunned when Natsu found you from what I've heard."

"Oh, I'm just fine. I was paralyzed before, but then Mira gave me this really small berry that looked like a cherry. It was a little spicy and it wasn't fish, but that perked me right up!" The Exceed demonstrated this by moving his arms up and down with no visible static showing.

"That's good. You were knocked around pretty badly."

Happy tensed up again, covering his ears and looking terrified. "Please don't remind me...why did it have to be fish Pokémon?" he whined. Lucy, of course, had her own theory why.

'That's called karma, genius.'

Natsu turned his attention from Lucy towards his Pokémon. Since their Poke Balls were destroyed last night, they had no other choice than to stay by his side. Judging from their expressions, they didn't seem too happy about what they did. Charmeleon was no exception. "So tell me, what's the deal with you guys last night?"

Darumaka flinched. "Er...well, uh..."

"Tyrunt...feels strange." Tyrunt lowered his head, scratching his chin with a tiny claw. He wasn't wrong, though. He didn't know how to feel...especially after Natsu's single blow made his headache. It only stopped recently.

Natsu turned away from them towards Charmeleon. "What about you, was everything you said last night true?"

Charmeleon hesitated to answer. When he opened his mouth to try and say something, he was spared the fall when the door to the guild's infirmary opened. Everyone turned their attention towards Nic, Wendy, and Porlyusica as they stepped before everyone.

"How are they?" Erza asked her husband.

Dereece scuttled up beside her with an anxious gaze. "Joey and Duncan, are they alright?!"

"Calm down. They were just fine even when they were brought in." Porlyusica stated. "Out of all of them, Duncan's injuries were the most critical. He had a few broken bones and internal injuries that Nic and Wendy fixed up. Same went with Vanessa, she just had a really bad concussion."

Erza sighed in relief. "That's good...I was worried something happened to Vanessa."

"Yeah, me too." Nic looked as relieved as his wife, though internally he was downright frustrated, borderline furious. He was too busy worrying about his own problems and Erza's that Vanessa was too hurt. But he also knew that it wasn't his fault. He was just glad his Heal Pulse and Wendy's magic managed to bring her back up to speed.

"And Captain Joey?" Dereece added.

"Your friend was fatigued from poison. Luckily, I've been working on potions with those berries that I find in the forest frequently. He'll be just fine, just let them rest for a few hours."

Another door opened from the opposite end of the guild. Everyone turned to find Laxus and his Thunder God Tribe exiting with stale frowns on their faces.

"So what's the word? Anything?" Gray inquired.

"Yes. Although, I'm afraid that the news isn't very fortunate." Freed answered.

"It wasn't just us who was hit bad last night. It happened everywhere, all over Fiore." Bickslow followed up. "Reports of Pokémon Trainers and Mages' Pokémon just popping out of the blue and attacking their owners. Some of them even went and started smashing Poke Balls before storming off."

"That sounds about right. The same thing happened last night." Cana pointed out, recalling Prinplup destroyed her Poke Balls.

"How are things at the Cambire Foundation? Surely they should have something to explain about this?" Levy hoped.

"Afraid not." Everyone turned towards the voice. They immediately recognized Mest as he teleported back from doing a reconnaissance. From the deep frown on his face, their chances of an uplift weren't very likely.

"So how is it over there?" Laxus asked.

Mest turned towards him. "It's as you figured. The place is a wreck. By the time I arrived, a lot of people on the foundation grounds were hospitalized. And it gets worse from there. I saw the Poke Ball production area was completely leveled."

"You serious? Why the hell there of all places?" Gajeel grunted.

Pantherlily crossed his arms. "It's possible that this has a connection related to the reason why some of the Pokémon were breaking their Poke Balls last night."

"If I were a Pokémon wanting to feel free, I would strike at the source as well." Erza grimaced, but couldn't ignore the irony. She thought back to what her Aegislash and other Pokémon said last night.

"I know what you're thinking, Erza...yes, I do admit. At one point, I truly did respect you. You were the definition of a knight willing to fight for the sake of pride and justice. However, that dependency has led me to neglect my own sense of justice. My own path that I must carve for myself."

"I agree. As Pokémon, we have our own sound bodies and mind. Being further dependent on you would derail us from being who we truly are."

Aegislash and Scizor's words clung to her brain like glue. It didn't sit well with her, but she chose to focus on the matter at hand than their personal beliefs.

"Oh, Weepinbell! Why'd you have to go and do that?" Droy cried comedic tears down the sides of his face as he munched onto a bucket of chicken. "Weepinbell~!"

"I know! It's so unfair! Why did Swellow have to go and do that? After everything we've been through!" Jet gritted his teeth.

"Well, look on the bright side, guys. It's not all bad. I mean, sure, some of our Pokémon have gone rogue, but we were able to help a few before it was too late." Levy assured. Klink churned its gears behind her to showcase her example. "See? There's still a chance that they can be brought back."

"Yeah, but the question is how? Gajeel got lucky because he beat up his and yours. I had to trap mine and Wendy's, yet they're still acting up." Cana demonstrated this by holding up one of her tarot cards. Inside was Prinplup as he as pecking at the invisible barrier, but to no avail.

"Yeah, and I had to alter the memories of Kirlia in order to make him calm down." Mest added. "And even then, I'm not entirely certain that it worked." He thought about last night's battle and the scuffle that ensued. 'Speaking of which, where did that mage go? He couldn't have gotten far. I wanted to question him some more before I went around helping the townsfolk evacuate. He must have given me the slip then. Hm?'

The guild's doors opened, revealing Shiin with his trademark calm, astute gaze fixed on the guild. Everyone looked concerned and focused, so nobody paid him much heed.

After last night's events, Shiin had a lot of work to do. And that was putting it mildly. He had to head back home and transform without anyone seeing him, before leaving to go all over Magnolia and take dozens of snapshots with his camera recording the details until he ran the memory on the chip dry. He only got here just now because of the extensive report that he had to write, along with requesting another memory chip.

As soon as he locked eyes with Mest, the latter's narrowed. "Where were you?"

Shiin scoffed. "If you must know, I had to go around and inscribe the various damage that the Pokémon had brought last night. And as you could imagine, many citizens were harmed. I had to apply first-aid to those who were the most severe." He wasn't lying. That was the truth during the photography he had been taking as part of mission's requirements.

"I see..." Mest frowned. He didn't seem too convinced about the testimony, but he knew now wasn't the time to worry about his insecurities. National security was at stake here, that had to take priority.

"How are things with the others guilds?" Mirajane asked.

Evergreen shook her head. "The same as ours, I'm afraid. We were just in contact with Master Ichiya a little while ago. Let me tell you, he'd seen better days after what he told us his Spritzee did."

"Oh dear..."

"Something about this just doesn't make sense." Gray grunted angrily. "This can't possibly be by coincidence. There's no proof that this was all by their choice. They would have done something long ago rather than act on their instincts in just a single night."

"Gray, please calm down." Juvia insisted.

"As depressive as an assumption, Gray does have a point." Erza pointed out. "When I engaged my Aegislash in battle, she spoke of things she hadn't prior to that incident." She thought about her Aegislash and her duel last night. "It could be that they were suppressing how they really felt, and something caused them to trigger and act upon their insecurities. It's unlikely, but still possible."

"So then...you really believe the Pokémon rebelled because they hated us?" Kinana asked worriedly, putting a hand to her chest. She thought about what Seviper said last night, making her swallow in fear.

Seviper saw her trainer's insecurities and tried to console her. "Kinana, listen...about that-!"

BAM!

A loud bang drew everyone's attention towards a fist banging a wooden pillar, making a deep indent in the wood. Natsu was looking like he was fuming. "No...that can't be!" he snapped. "There's no way that they could have acted on their own!"

"Natsu, calm down!" Happy pleaded.

Natsu glanced down at Charmeleon. "I know, but I also know what Charmeleon and the others said last night can't easily be forgotten either. Maybe they did mean those things but never wanted to say them. But that doesn't matter right now..." His eyes narrowed. "All I know, is that whatever happened, it wasn't their fault!"

"Natsu..." Charmeleon lifted his head in surprise at his trainer defending them.

"Do you have proof that it wasn't them then?" Mest rebuffed. "Look Natsu, I understand where you're coming from, and I agree, but we can't just assume that it wasn't them until we have more facts. The people are going to be looking at the facts. Pokémon rebelled and hurt their trainers, and possibly others. That's all we know. We can't prove anything else."

Natsu shot him an angry glare. "Then what the hell do you think happen?" he lowly growled.

"That's what we're trying to find out." Mest argued back.

"Really? Because from where I stand it sounds like a bunch of theories with no meat on their bones."

"Like you're one to talk."

The tension in the guild steadily grew. A short silence cast upon them all as the air grew extremely awkward. It was hard to tell who was right in this situation, or who was wrong. They had no leads, and many were at their wits end because of last night. It was a miracle that they weren't at each other's throats yet.

"Master Laxus, what do we do?" Freed turned towards Laxus for answers.

Meanwhile, Laxus was deep in thought, processing everything that was going on. This was an entirely new situation that the guild had been put in, and one that he had to take responsibility for. 'What would the old geezer do at a time like this?'

With the guild's problems unfolding, something came to mind for Erza. "Hm? Nic?" She looked around the guild for something missing. "Have you seen Staraptor?"

"Yeah, she's just fine. She's at home watching Junior." He answered, his eyes briefly widening as an epiphany arose. 'Now that she mentioned it, there was something that Staraptor said last night.' He fell quiet as he recalled what she said after being revived from the scuffle.

"I...I'm not sure. One moment, I was sound asleep...then all of a sudden, it was like a voice echoed in my head."

"'A voice in your head'...?"

"Yes...it was vague, but it told me something. I believe it said something like, 'Follow your instincts, and liberate yourselves from your restraints'. The next thing I knew..."

Nic's head raced with thought processes. 'It wasn't just her who felt that. It was Greninja and everyone else. They all said they heard a voice in their dreams.' He turned towards the other Pokémon in the room. 'So then does that mean...?'

Nearby, Sophie turned towards Kadabra. He was currently sitting cross-legged while against the wall of the guild. He knew what happened and he was humble enough to keep his head down until he noticed his trainer's worried look. "Yes, Miss Sophie?"

"Kadabra, can you recall anything?" Sophie asked her partner.

"Can I?" Kadabra blinked, putting a claw to his head. "About what happened...yes, I remember it all. Honestly, I had no idea what came over me. I was sound asleep, until I thought I heard a voice in my dreams."

This news made the blonde's curiosity heighten. "A voice?"

"Yes, or at least something like that. I believe that it told me: 'Follow your instincts, and liberate yourselves from your restraints'. That's what I recall."

Charmeleon gasped nearby. "Wait, you too?! I could have sworn that I had a dream just like that, too!"

"Wait, what?" Narsu turned towards his Pokémon as they confirmed what he was saying.

"Yeah, yeah! I remember that! I heard that, too!" Darumaka yelled, hopping on one foot.

"Tyrunt had voice in his sleep, too. Voice made Tyrunt's mind blank." Tyrunt explained.

Levy turned towards Klink with widened eyes. "So then...did you hear that, too?"

Klink churned its gears rapidly. "Yes. I heard a voice in my head...it sounded vaguely enticing. So I listened to it."

Carla put a hand to her chin. "If that's the case, that must have been what made Swablu and Amaura act independently."

"At least that confirms Natsu and Gray's suspicions." Erza sighed. "But that only raises even more questions for us to answer. Like who was responsible for this? Why target trainers' Pokémon and not wild ones?"

"More importantly, how do we make them stop listening to that voice?" Lisanna wondered. She turned towards Rufflet, who was sitting at her feet pecking at an Oran Berry to recover from last night. "Rufflet."

Hearing her voice, Rufflet flinched and looked up. "Huh? W-what is it?"

Lisanna bent her knees and softly smiled. "Hey, it's okay. No need to feel on edge." She wouldn't be the first to admit that she and Mirajane may have spooked their Pokémon a little more than warranted, but their patience was thin, and they asked for it. "How do you feel now? Do you hear anything inside your head?"

"My head?" Rufflet looked up at his red feather symbolizing a crest. He thought about it before shaking his head. "Hmm, nope! I don't hear anything! I feel fine."

"So you're telling me that if we beat them up, that cures this brainwashing or whatever is taking over their minds?" Gajeel questioned. "If that's the case, Aron and Shieldon must have returned to normal by now."

"At least we know that this can be fixed. I'll take that as a win any day." Cana nonchalantly shrugged.

Lucy frowned as her brow furrowed. "There's gotta be more to this. There has to be other ways to solve this than just hurting them...right?" She thought about Klefki and Staryu, along with the latter holding onto her keys.

"It's possible. Unlikely, but still possible. The only exceptions appear to be Nic and Dereece's Pokémon." Erza and everyone turned towards Nic, as well as a slightly anxious Dereece, the latter having Heracross and Yanma standing close by. Yanma was on Heracross' horn like a perch as she inspected the wary looks everyone gave them.

"What are they all looking that? Is there something on my face?" She quipped.

"Beats me. Maybe they're thinking of putting us on trial for loving Honey too much?" Heracross pondered.

Yanma looked down at him. "Oh, you'd be so guilty."

"...true that."

"Well, that's good to know." Gray dryly grunted. "But that doesn't solve the problem of where they are so we can snap the sense back into them."

"I was hoping that we could avoid hurting them altogether. They're our friends after all." Juvia prompted on a solemn note.

Gray gave her an empathetic look. "Maybe, Juvia, but after what lengths they were willing to go last night, we might have to get rough if they don't comply."

"This is just horrible..." Lucy narrowed her eyes, disgust starting to wash over her.

Before anyone could say another word, Laxus put his foot down. "Alright, that's enough." His gaze was serious as he inspected everyone present. "I heard what you all said. That being said, we can't go around aimlessly looking for clues of what this is all about. Not yet, at least. Our priority as of right now is obvious. We need to find and round up any and all the Pokémon that went missing from last night."

"Yes, of course Master. I'm in full agreement." Freed nodded.

Erza closed her eyes as she folded her arms. "Right, as it stands, we have to focus on what we can do. As the Master just said, we need to find all the Pokémon that came from this town, locate them, and bring them back here."

"That makes sense, but that doesn't solve their brainwashing problem. How do we fix that?" Elfman inquired.

"And how do we find all of them in just a short time?" Happy raised a paw at his question.

"Don't worry, pal. Just leave all that to me." Natsu beamed with pride. "Nothing can escape my nose. And once I find them, a good knock to their noggins should wake them up." He held up a balled fist to emphasize his point.

"But Natsu, we're trying to find ways to help them without hurting them." Wendy prodded.

"Yeah, well, if they want a fight, nothing we can do about that. I don't care if we don't wanna fight, but if they really want one, then we know what we gotta do."

Shiin folded his arms as he inspected what the guild's predicament. He shot a glance past them towards Nic. 'What will you do now because of the chaos that these Pokémon have brought, Nic Pularis?'

Nic didn't say much. With the guild all over the place with speculations, he didn't have much room to talk. Not that he felt like it to begin with. He was listening in on everything and thought about the variables that took place, and all of them have such valid points. Tracking? He could use his Earth and Meadow Forms for that. He could also use his Mind Form and teleport them back to Magnolia, but individually would possibly prolong their efforts. He had to think about it, and he couldn't afford to mess it up.

Amongst the guildmembers speculating, Dereece felt a small tongue lick his arm, making him flinch. "Gyah!" He turned towards Heracross, giving him an irked glare. "What did I just say, man?! I'm not a Honey Tree!"

"Sorry, I just can't help it." Heracross sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.

Gray cocked a brow at him. "You seriously haven't showered yet man? I was wondering why something smelled sweet over here."

"It was a long night, gimme a break, would ya?" Dereece felt Heracross lick his hand again. "Knock it off!"

It was barely noticeable, but Nic blinked and widened his eyes a little. 'Sweet like Honey...?' An idea finally surged in his head. 'Wait...that just might work.''

Erza looked over at her husband, seeing his eyes widen like he had an epiphany. "Nic, you have something you wanna share?"

His gaze hardened again. He looked ahead with a serious look in his eye. This all but confirmed Erza's suspicions of him having found a possible solution.

"I have an idea."


Hundreds of miles away from Fiore, the sun shined down on a large plateau that overlooked the city beneath its reign. From the high perch sat the massive fortress-like, white castle with the balcony giving the tenant an exquisite view of the scenery around him.

Underneath the sun's vibrant radiance, the various buildings and the large dome towards the high cliffs became the center of attention. Even from such a distance, the sounds of various cheers were heard from the dome. Spectators were going crazy with excitement over the events transpiring.

Staring from the balcony watching the whole ordeal was a tall man with pale skin. He had a fair if not slender frame that was draped in eloquent robes. He had long, white, silky hair that ran down to his lower back while his bangs went on either side framing his face. The ends of the bangs were pinned by a dark gold pin, and another that was bright yellow with gold edging, similar to a sun. On his forehead was golden insignia imprinted that looked like a javelin pointed up, with jagged spokes on either side. The left side of his head was characterized by a headpiece decoration that was gold and had golden petal edging around it. He adorned a white mantle with golden lines and edging over robes of similar color schemes. The ends of the sleeves were patterned with golden crosses and orb decorations. A black sash kept his white trousers up. There was an amber necklace with a gold bead connecting it to the black lacing that went around his neck.

The figure's amethyst-colored eyes stared out towards the landscape beneath. Everything looked brand new, so fresh. It was a refreshing feeling. Yet he calmly smiled as he enjoyed this harmonic sight.

The moment he heard footsteps, he closed his eyes and took in a deep breath through his nostrils. "And to what do I owe the pleasure of your presence?"

In the shadows inside the luxurious castle, a humanoid figure snarled before he kneeled and bowed his head. "Your Majesty, I came to inform you of something you might want to hear." His voice was scratchy and deep, but nonetheless coherent enough to be heard.

"I see...so what did the tidings bring? Have the masses heard my plea?"

"It's as you have wanted. Reports of Pokémon liberating themselves from those wretched humans all over that Fiore country are spreading like wildfire. They started taking up arms against them just as you've told them."

The man lifted his head, staring intensely towards the blue skies above. "So...my voice was heard after all." He closed his eyes again, pausing to collect his thoughts. "That's most reassuring. Thank you for letting me know. And has there been any word regarding the brigade unit?"

The humanoid figure snorted. "They just arrived. They should be on schedule, too."

"Very good...then it's time we proceed to Phase 2. Be sure that you all are equipped with what you need." A passive grin spread across his face. "It's time for your chance to take back what is rightfully yours. All of you."

The figure's eyes glowed a feral red. His sharp canines were seen on the corners of his sneering frown. "Hmph, about damn time if you ask me. At least now we're getting somewhere." He turned away with a loud yawn. "I'm going to bed."

"Ah, that's right. You're more proactive late in the evening, aren't you?" the man quizzically smirked. "Very well. Retire for now, thank you for your information."

"Hmph." The figure walked further into the dark shadows of the halls. His Majesty continued looking out towards the rich city below. He was so engrossed by it that the surrounding ring of dark clouds along the far seas didn't seem all that important. He heard roars and applause from the stadium and grinned in pleasure.

'What brilliant weather everyone is having fun under...'


"And...there! Good as new!" Natsu turned away from his handiwork, turning towards Lucy. "So, whatcha think?"

Lucy blinked as she tried to come up with something to say. She was staring at the window that Klefki and Staryu broke last night with a mixture of awe and bewilderment. She knew Natsu wasn't the best handyman, but he was able to make his own house from scratch. She would have figured that he could fix up her window as well.

Of course, that was wishful thinking. Instead, the shattered glass was replaced by insulated plastic fiber that had its edging melted into the framing thanks to Natsu's magic. Even then, it looked very outstretched.

'I should have expected this.' She mentally sighed. "Well, thanks guys. I really appreciate it."

"This should hold you over till we get getcha a new window." Happy chimed in. "Be really bad if it started snowing or raining right about now, huh?"

"Yeah, it sure would." Lucy looked out the plastic lining to gaze at the sky outside. As opposed to what it was earlier, the sky was starting to cloud up. The sun had a foggy overcast around it, like it was also feeling bleak.

"Well, guess that leaves our place next." Natsu chimed in.

Lucy blinked, turning towards him in wonder. "Hold on a sec. I thought were wall was made of brick. You know how much that's gonna cost?"

"Ah relax. A little bit of wood and nails and it'll be just fine."

"Says you!" Happy didn't sound nearly as easygoing as Natsu. He even looked upset. "Thanks to Charmeleon and the others, we've gotta replace that sofa, too! You know how much that's gonna cost us?"

"Oh yeah...forgot about that." He turned towards his Pokémon that sat idly close by.

Charmeleon put his claws up in defense. "Hey, I said we were sorry! It wasn't intentional!"

"Well, either way, when this is all over..." Natsu rammed his fist into his palm. "Someone's gonna pay for this. I don't care who they are as long as I get to knock their teeth in. Messing with my house is one thing, but you mess and try to hurt my friends, that's where it gets personal!"

"Aye, sir!" Happy raised a paw in agreement.

Natsu turned towards his Pokémon with a large grin. "What about you guys? You with me?"

"Yeah!" Darumaka cheered. Tyrunt snorted and growled in agreement. The only one who seemed a little reluctant to agree on the matter was Charmeleon.

His deep blue eyes cascaded down towards Lucy's rug that sat in the middle of her room. He couldn't stop thinking about what happened last night, not that anyone could blame him. It had been rough fir all of them. Though admittedly, while they were all able to physically recover, mentally speaking, Charmeleon felt like walking through bog – stuck and unsafe.

"Don't you think I have a say in what we do, too? All you wanna do is fight, do you? You can fight as much as you want...just stop dragging others into your battles!"

He still couldn't believe that he said that. He knew he said a lot more than that, but of all the things he surmised that he didn't like about Natsu, that was the most profound. To say he felt guilty for being under the influence was bad enough, but now what? The way Natsu looked at him was like nothing happened between them, that everything was going to be okay. But unlike the human, he was slightly more realistic. He said all those things, and Natsu figured they were just because of the voice's influence. While part of that was true, it wasn't like he could admit that was truly how he felt.

'I can't believe that I really said those things.' He sighed. He had to believe it, whether he liked it or not. He clutched his claws together with a growing ire. 'There's no going back after what we did...guess we'll just have to focus on right now.'

"Hey, Charmeleon. Yoohoo~!"

Charmeleon blinked and turned his head towards Darumaka. "Huh? Oh, sorry. You were saying something?"

"Yeah! You in? We're gonna stop those brainwashed Pokémon together!" Darumaka chirped, showing a perky smile brimming with energy. "I'm so ready, aren't you?"

Charmeleon's frown curved into a soft smile. "Yeah...I'm ready now!" He turned towards Natsu, his claws balled and ready. "I'm in, let's do it!" He declared. 'I'll have to set my feelings aside for now. At least this way, I can make some of it right.'

Natsu brightly smiled back. "That's what I'm talking about!"

Watching from the side, Lucy's soft smile of assurance fell as Natsu was psyching himself and his Pokémon up. She couldn't help but feel a little envious for him. Thoughts of Klefki and Staryu last night resurfaced. She sighed to herself lowly.

"Lucy?"

She turned her head to look at Happy. From his expression alone, he was reading her mood. "Oh, Happy..." She wiped away any tears that were starting to swell in her eyes. "It's nothing, I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"Lucy..." Both turned towards Natsu as he walked towards them. He had a serious frown as he consoled her. "Listen...I'm not sure of what they said to you, but don't think about that right now. All that matters right now is getting them back the way they were. We'll figure out the rest later."

Lucy sat aside her melancholy for now and nodded in confidence. "...yeah, you're right!" She turned towards her large stack of papers that was her novel she was almost finished with. 'I have to focus on now. Can't let my head get blocked by doubt again.' She balled a fist tightly. 'Hang on, Klefki. Staryu. I'll get you guys back by the end of the night! And my spirits, too!'


Gray leaned against a small balcony that overlooked the majority of Magnolia. From his vantage point, he could see numerous people down below trying to help clean up the city and around their homes. It wasn't just the city itself that was damaged, but also personal homes.

He noticed one little girl that knelt before small remnants of Poke Ball material in front of her parents' house. She looked at the pieces and tried to reach for them, but pulled away with a flinch. Tears swelled in her eyes when her emotions came over her.

"Clefairy..." She bowed her head, sniffling up a storm of displeasure.

She wasn't the only one grieving. Many people were also mourning. Others were full-on frustrated. Some were even picking fights with others just because they were arguing about the Pokémon. It was happening for a while now, and inside, Gray felt just the same. Frustrated, if not remorseful for what happened for letting his guard down.

A set of footsteps drew closer to him from behind. "I thought I would find you out here."

Gray didn't need to turn around, but he did so anyway while putting on a placid grin. "Hey."

Juvia walked up to his side, a sound grin on her face. While she was just as upset as Gray, she was doing her best to retain whatever happiness she could as well. No words were needed for either to read the mood on that regard.

"So, how's the cleanup over at Fairy Hills going?" Gray started.

"It's going well. We were able to fix up some of the doors that were broken down thanks to Laki." She paused before continuing. "What about your place? Is it alright?"

"Mine wasn't hit that bad. Only minor touchups is all. Thankfully all they did was blast a window and that's about it."

"I see. That's good to hear." Juvia looked at the scenery Gray was looking at, the many people cleaning and scuffling. Some children looked very sad even. "It's very unfortunate what happened."

"Yeah, it is. A lot of people were hurt from this. I'll say this much, Mest wasn't wrong. I'm pretty sure even if Nic's plan worked, everyone isn't going to just forgive and forget." He looked up towards the cloudy sky as a light breeze passed through his hair. "I know I didn't..."

Juvia gave him a concerned look. "Gray..."

Before he could pause, he shook his head. "It's fine, Juvia. No need to worry about me so much. I'm past that. I'm not saying bygones can be bygones, but it'll still take some time to adjust. Not everyone can be so open or understanding to everything at first. We've seen that first-hand." He thought about Alvarez and Glacidia. His determination started showing. "We'll get our Pokémon back, then we'll work from there. You with me?"

Juvia nodded. "Right, I'll follow you to the end of time itself if I must!"

Gray awkwardly chuckled. "Thanks, guess I owe ya for this."

Juvia smiled merrily. She wasn't in the best mood at first, but thanks to hearing Gray's words, she felt a lot better and more confident.

"We were depending on you, and all you cared about was another man. You chose him over your own responsibility as a trainer. What would happen if he wasn't around?"

Vaporeon's words echoed in the back of her mind. Juvia wanted to dismiss them, but it echoed to where it weighed on her conscience. "Um...Gray?"

"Yeah?"

She started to get uncomfortable, sliding her arms back and forth along with her hips. "Um...by any chance..." She struggled to look him in the eye. "Do you think that I'm a bother sometimes?"

Gray raised a brow. "Huh, what makes you say that?"

"Well, I..." She opened her mouth to say more, but the words never came out. It was like they were stuck in the back of her throat and her clingy mind was holding onto them like it was her lifeline. She shook her head, choosing to dismiss the subject for now. "It's nothing."

Gray furrowed his brow. He didn't seem too convinced, but he shrugged it off. "Alright, if you're sure."

She nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. So, should we tell the townsfolk about the plan?"

"Yeah, let's spread the word."


The door to the guild's infirmary opened. Dereece quietly stepped in, with Heracross and Yanma following behind. "Captain Joey? You awake in there?" He inched closer towards the white curtains to Joey's bed. "Jo-Jo? You al..."

He shifted the curtains away...only to be met with the sight of his best friend with stuffed cheeks and chocolate staining his lips. Just when he was about to scoop another layer of ice cream out from its cylindrical container, he paused and looked wide-eyed at his visitor.

"..."

An awkward silence fell between them as Dereece was trying to take in the situation. Joey managed to swallow slowly to avoid a brain freeze.

Dereece's face fell despondently. "Really?"

Finishing his lump, Joey held up his ice cream. "Did you want some?"

Dereece's shoulders drooped as he sighed. "Do I want to know how you even got that?"

"Funny you mention that." Joey looked down at his container. He just reached the bottom; barely enough left for two scoops. He furrowed his brow and held up the container high in the air. "Tranquill, more ice cream please!"

"I shall, Master!" Tranquill ascended next to the dozing Quilladin and Larvesta and sped out the open window of the infirmary.

The two young men watched the bird take off. Dereece's bewilderment adverted towards Joey as he walked over to his bedside. "So, how are you feeling?"

"Well, that Porlyusica lady was able to get the poison out. That aside..." He took another bite of ice cream, but continued speaking. "Dey hol me hat I had a hew hrachured hones in my body. Huhly..." He swallowed before continuing. "Wendy and Nic-senpai were able to fix that. They said I just needed a few hours to rest my body and regain some Magic Power. Should be back up to speed soon."

"That's great."

Joey's expression grew serious. He frowned as he darted a look at his teammate. "Heard while I was coming around earlier. The entire town's a mess, right?"

Dereece also frowned. "Not just that I'm afraid. The entire country is in a crisis." He noticed Joey's mood didn't lighten. He stepped forward and put a hand on his shoulder. "Joey, what happened last night wasn't your fault. You did your best, and look. You were able to bring around some of your Pokémon. That's better than nothing."

Joey turned his head to look at his Quilladin and Larvesta resting. They were sound asleep, so they didn't hear anything. Though while he still felt guilty for having to turn Tranquill on them, he knew that in retrospect, he had to make the call.

In the end, he just chose to sigh it off. "Well...you're right about one thing, Dereece. Some was better than none. At least we didn't go down empty-handed. But still...we were still outmatched. We weren't strong enough to handle our own problems. Now it's become a problem for everyone out there."

"That may be...but listen. The guild just came up with a plan. We'll be able to save the rest of them."

Joey raised a brow, intrigued. "Oooh~, a plan? Does it involve the ole tomato pasting ambush?"

Dereece blinked rapidly. "Uh...no, uh, not exactly like that one but...look, the point is, we've gotta put aside our personal issues for once. The rest of the guild needs us to help them. So, what do you say, Captain Joey?"

"Guess you'll have to deal me in then. Oh, but before you tell me..." He reached his arm out in the same position as before. Suddenly, Tranquill sped through the open window dropping a fresh container of chocolate ice cream from his talons into his hand. He held it like a serving plate with a sweet tooth-filled smirk. "Chocolate ice cream, Dreezy buddy?"

"Hehe, thanks, but I'll pass. I just ate. You should hurry and eat, too. Then we need to wait till Duncan comes around so we can tell him the guild's plan as well."

While this was all happening, on the other side of the infirmary behind his own set of curtains, Duncan was wide awake and heard everything. His body was covered in bandages that restrained his movements. He was able to take them off since he was healed thanks to Wendy and Nic, but he was too lost in lamenting to even lift a finger. He didn't even know what to feel aside from a lack of self-gratification.

Petty? Grief? Anger? He didn't really know. He didn't really care about that. His mind blocked out everything except for what happened last night. He recounted how outnumbered he was, and yet despite his growing skills as a mage, he was still outmatched by his own Pokémon. As a trainer, he may have felt some measure of pride, but as a mage, it was a completely different story.

"H'oh? Did you say something? Last I checked...we never had room to talk, did we?"

Duncan's eyes squinted slightly. His inner frustration was beginning to boil. What Honchkrow said didn't settle well with his itching scalp. He would have moved to scratch it if his arms didn't feel so stiff from all the training he did yesterday.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he took in a deep inhale through his nose and sat himself up. As he scanned the room, he noticed a small tray on the stand beside him. A half of a sandwich on wheat bread, with orange wedges, and what looked like a very small bowl of some green paste. He had to assume that it was some kind of edible magic concoction Porlyusica made for him, but he chose to not indulge on that and lifted the tray over onto his lap.

"Finally around I take it?"

Duncan heard the deep, rough voice and whipped his head up. Standing several feet away from his bedside near the window, Torterra lounged idly, his red glance piercing into Duncan. Beside him, both Spiritomb and Magmortar were idle as they watched their trainer come around.

"You...!" Immediately, Duncan's first response was to reach his Elfen Forja that sat at his bedside.

"You think that's a good idea?" Torterra taunted lethargically. "If we wanted to hurt you, wouldn't we have done so while you were getting treated? Use your common sense."

Duncan froze just as he got a foot on the ground. He furrowed his brow and glared intensely. "What's this all about?"

Torterra silently glanced to his side. Spiritomb rested her Odd Keystone on the ground while looking tamed. Duncan shot her a look as if it was starting to click.

"It was happening again. So I stamped her out before it escalated." Torterra responded, before glancing at Magmortar. "He was just collateral."

"Hey!" Magmortar scoffed.

Duncan ignored Torterra and Magmortar for a moment and focused on Spiritomb. For the most part, she looked awfully quiet, if not disturbed by the ordeal. Duncan half-expected her to actually be spazzing out of control from how Torterra described it. In the back of his mind, he knew exactly what he was talking about.

"...I see...so you lost your conscience again...that's unfortunate." Duncan remarked dryly, if not bluntly.

Spiritomb lowered her head. She wanted to say something to defend herself, but even if she did, she had no excuse for what became of her. She just focused on Duncan and nothing more.

"Okay, I'll bite just this once. What're you on about?" Magmortar dryly asked, rubbing the back of his head with his claws.

Torterra shot him a serious glance. "This was back when Duncan began his journey as a Pokémon Trainer. We encountered Spiritomb when she was released from her seal. However, as you can imagine what you went through...she exacted the same thing around her. Like she was out to vent a grudge." He turned towards Spiritomb, who continued remaining quiet and focused. "It didn't matter who it was, or what moved. Nothing was safe around her at the time."

Duncan closed his eyes, scoffing lightly. "...yeah, it went something like that."

Magmortar raised a brow. "Huh...well hot damn." He turned towards Spiritomb. "Gotta say, never pegged ya to be a sociopath type. Though guess that's to be expected when you're a Ghost-type."

The remark, surprising enough, caused both Duncan and Torterra to shoot him chastising glares. This made Magmortar flinch. "What?"

Duncan scoffed angrily. "If you spoke like that all the time, no wonder why I never gave you room to talk."

"I suppose...he's not wrong."

All eyes shifted behind the curtains towards Spiritomb. For the first time since she had awoken from fainting, she was finally able to speak, although much to Torterra and Magmortar's mild indifference, her tone was stable, as opposed to what they remembered last night.

"When you're composed of over one-hundred and eight spirits, you're bound to have an identity complex. It's true, at the time, my conscience was mainly the compilation of the spirits that made up my being. I supposed you can say that my entity was more like a...vessel." She looked towards Duncan. "I believe that you humans refer to something like that as a...Multiple Personality Disorder, correct? Anyways, my actions were fueled by the desires of the souls that were restless inside of me. Even now, I can hear their calls and cries to get revenge and punish everyone around me."

'I see...so whatever sixth sense overcame them all last night, it made her despise her trainer. And without someone to trust, she reverted back to her original instability.' Torterra thought, recounting what happened last night. 'So in other words, she needs a reliable trainer to keep her stable...'

Duncan frowned as he took all this in. It made sense to him why she acted as such before. He briefly recalled when he was younger and was just given the responsibility of the Forbidden Pokémon. But he chose to turn towards Torterra to change the subject instead.

"And what about you? Figured you would have taken the opportunity to find yourself more fitting in the wild. You ask me, that's what I would have done."

Torterra scoffed. "Don't get the wrong idea. I have my own agendas."

Duncan raised a brow. "Is that so...?"

"I've gotten this strong because you were my trainer. I never would have ascertained all this experience and power had it not been under your jurisdiction. Admittedly at first, it was apprehensible...but I realized that was how we were finding our real strength. I'm sure you know well what I'm talking about, don't you?"

Duncan furrowed his brow...before his eyes widened upon realization. "You mean..." He thought about his and Torterra's brief clash last night. 'So he was testing me?'

Torterra nodded before continuing. "Listen. Even though I have no interest in listening or being idle as your Pokémon, I will not deny that we both are after the same thing. So for the time being, I am willing to cooperate so we can gain our mutual strengths. And I expect you to not get in my way."

Duncan gave him a stern look in response, but eventually turned away. "...be my guest. Just so long as you don't get in my way."

Torterra scowled in agreement.

"Well, you both certainly are a weird bunch." Magmortar scoffed. "First I learn that the she-ghost beside me is a psychopath, and the overgrown turtle with a tree on his back just chooses to work with you under mutual goals." He sighed. "Well, I'm here now. So what now?"

Duncan looked down at his meal, staring intently into the sandwich's wheat. He reached for it and held it up to his mouth. "Well for now, we rest. We wait until we go along with this so-called plan the guild went along with and recollect the other Pokémon."

Magmortar and Torterra hummed.

"And Spiritomb..."

"Yes...?" She quietly asked.

Duncan turned to give her his undivided attention. The way he looked at her, it wasn't like his trademark scowl. Instead, he actually looked...concerned. It wasn't easily shown on his face, but his eyes definitely showed it. "Don't forget...listen to me. That's the important part."

Spiritomb's good eye widened as she gasped. She calmed down some before nodding obediently. "I will...I promised him too, after all."

Duncan ended the subject then and there. He knew what she meant, but he chose to not dwell on it. He turned towards his sandwich and took the first large bite to giving him his strength back.


Light sizzling came from the cooking of batter on a frying pan over a hot stove. The batter was quick to heat up and solidify, and when it was, Sophie used a spatula and flipped it onto its other side to cook.

While she was making her pancakes, Kadabra used Confusion to open some cabinets to look for a plate. Once he had found where they were, he lifted his spoon and made the top plate gradually descend down onto the counter next to Sophie.

"Thank you, Kadabra." Sophie grinned.

Kadabra nodded. "No problem, Miss Sophie..." He trailed off, looking unsure about something for a moment. He shifted his eyes about before looking back at her with a question. "Miss Sophie..."

"Hm? Yes, what is it?" Sophie used her spatula and moved the pancake over onto the plate. As soon as it was sat neatly in its center, she went for the mixing bowl and poured some more batter into the pan.

"About last night...I want to...apologize for what me and Araquanid and Finneon had done." He looked down with humility in his tone. "I understand that you have reservations for having to rely on me...especially after what I attempted to do to you. But, I want you to know, I truly do regret that I was compelled to push you into a corner like that. I..."

He didn't need to press the matter further. Sophie froze as she watched the batter heat up. She looked to be contemplating about something as well. Finally, she heavily sighed out her mouth.

"You don't need to say anymore, Kadabra...it's fine." Her tone was soft, if not humble itself. She pushed in a stray corner of the pancake with her spatula. "I understand what you're trying to say. And I suppose that you might not be wrong about there being questions about where we both lie..."

Kadabra looked towards her. He noticed that she was still focused on cooking the pancake.

"But if you have as good as a memory that I do, then you must have remembered what I said yesterday. I won't allow myself to be held back by what happened in the past. You won't learn from your mistakes if you stay stuck living in them without putting one foot in front of the other." She dug the spatula underneath the pancake's cooked side and turned it over. She smooshed it down and made a loud sizzling sound. "I understand your guilt, but I'm saying this as a friend. Not your trainer." She gave Kadabra a soft smile. "You shouldn't have to feel guilty for my sake. You should live by how you want to. So tell me, what do you want to do?"

Kadabra looked down at the ground, only pondering slightly of what he wanted. It didn't take long for him to compromise an answer for her. "What I want...is to be by your side. All of us, both Araquanid and Finneon as well."

Sophie smiled with a hum as she moved the now cooked pancake onto the plate, layering it over the other one. "And that's what you want?"

Kadabra gave her a confident glare. "Yes."

Sophie's smile widened. "Good. Besides, it was thanks to you that I was able to focus much better on my spells. So it's not a complete failure. But...I'll also be relying on you to help me bring them back to their senses. Will you, Kadabra?"

Kadabra dutifully nodded. "You not need to ask me, Miss Sophie. I'm here for you...always."

"Thank you...I truly am grateful." Her tone was soft, almost broken. Before her emotions could stockpile, she heard the front door open. She and Kadabra turned and saw their familiar enter their home. "Vanessa! You're back!"

"Hey there, Sophie." The Pularis woman greeted humbly. "Sorry if I worried you."

"It's fine. I'm just relieved that you were well at all. I heard you got hit pretty hard by your Pokémon and ended up with a concussion. You sure you should be up on your feet so soon?"

Vanessa didn't seem fazed. "It's alright, my brother and Wendy tended to me. By the time I came around, the nausea went away." She thought about last night, a frown forming on her lips. "But...I got carried away, it seemed. I underestimated my own Pokémon...and I almost paid a lofty price for that."

Sophie raised a brow. "It isn't like you to have to be so reckless like that. Does it have to do with that new spell you've been practicing?"

Vanessa meekly chuckled. "And here I thought just Kadabra was a Psychic-type...but, you're not wrong. It was a dire situation. It was the quickest way I could shorthand the fight at the time."

"Speaking of, I'm curious about something." As Sophie spoke her mind, she poured the last bit of pancake batter onto the sizzling pan. "What made you want to learn that new spell to begin with? You can still grab things with your aura, can you not?"

Vanessa closed her eyes, her mind retrogressing back to when she had her duel with Duncan and how he was able to put her on the ropes for a short while. "Well...to be honest, I realized something a short while ago. Unlike Nic and Erza, I wouldn't exactly consider myself a close-range fighter."

"Especially since you sleep in until nine every morning." Sophie chimed in, earning a sideways glance from Vanessa.

"...right. But anyways, I figured that learning a new spell with more armament would provide me some leverage should it come to me having to deal with close-range foes. My aura can indeed grab my foes, but it would be a hassle to waste another spell in the process. So in short, it can be both offensive as well as defensive."

Sophie raised a brow. She was mildly impressed with how thoroughly Vanessa was weighing the pros and cons. 'Even with a mage of her level, even she has trouble with new spells.' She levered her fingers up and down in alternation, making the spatula swing back and forth in between them. "You've certainly put some thought into the matter, didn't you?"

Vanessa grinned. "Well, that spell did help in subduing Delphox, Venusaur, and Goodra. But..." She recalled how quickly it faded afterwards, and how she was blindsided when her attack on Krookodile backfired. "It's clear to me that I can't rely on my magic alone to win the others back. I'll have to depend on Delphox and everyone else to bring Magnezone and the rest back to their senses." She turned towards Sophie. "And that goes for you as well, Sophie."

Sophie nodded. "Right. Were you filled in on the plan?"

Vanessa shook her head. "I was just released from the infirmary. I assume you know it?"

Sophie chuckled with a grin. "Not to worry...I've memorized it down to the letter. Now then..." She turned off the stove, presenting a fresh plate of golden brown pancakes with three layers stacked atop of one another. "I hope that you're in the mood for pancakes. I know I am."

"I'd be delighted, Sophie." Vanessa walked over towards the table, where she also found a medium-sized cup of lemonade with a lemon wedge or extra lemon concentrated. 'She even remembered that I liked lemonade from concentrate.' She smiled as she reached for the lemon, peeling the skin off the one end and using her mouth to pry the soft insides from the white layer. The fresh substance immediately soured up her taste buds, just the way she liked it.

"You certainly have some very unique friends to rely on, Miss Sophie." Kadabra chimed.

Sophie thought about it for a moment before smiling. "I do, don't I?" Her eyes widened. "Oh, right, the maple syrup."

"Allow me." Kadabra used his Confusion and opened the refrigerator door. He reached out and projected psychic energy and moved the maple syrup over towards the table where the three began their meals.


Erza looked towards the cloudy sky outside her and Nic's living room window. There wasn't much for her to do now that the big hole in their bedroom was fixe up. And by fixed up, it was covered over by wood until Nic could make some replacement wood and mend it with his Meadow Form. But for the time being, her husband was out at the moment, mending to the collateral damage far out in the forest. From what she was told, it was borderline apocalyptic.

'How do six Pokémon that aren't legendary create such destruction?' Erza pondered, a bemused grin spreading across her face. 'Nic's something else, isn't he?'

"Erza."

Hearing her name called by a familiar feminine autotune, she turned away from the view and saw Aegislash present, accompanied by Scizor, Talonflame, and Cloyster. "How are you all feeling? Have you all returned to your senses I presume?"

Aegislash humbly bowed. "Yes, we're doing just fine. Thank you for your concerns."

"It's no trouble. You're my Pokémon after all, it's my job to make sure that you're all well." She paused. "But, on that note..." She frowned. "Is there something you wanted to say to me? You all seem rather tense for some reason?"

True to form, they all had remorseful frowns on their faces, borderline fixated even. And if Erza was honest, she didn't blame them. They said some horrendous and hurtful things. On top of that, they attempted to take her life while their minds were very unstable. Is she were them, she would feel just as guilty about the ordeal.

'Was this how ioc, Natsu, and Gray felt when they had to fight each other?'

Cloyster clamped his shell shut, but Talonflame perched herself atop of him and looked down. "Open your shell, Cloyster. This is no place where even you can hide." She scolded.

Beneath her, the shell shuddered before partially opened, revealing Cloyster's white eyes and deep frown. He knew that Talonflame was right after all, but that didn't make any of his discomfort go away as easily. Though he struggled with it, he faced Erza with a heavy-hearted look.

"Erza...we're...truly sorry for what happened." He muttered. "About what you said about us, when you said why we were caught to begin with...we really didn't want to believe what you said. But, now that we're able to think clear again...I'm not sure what to say..."

"I do." Talonflame started. "You were right all along, Erza. About everything you told about us. It was...incredibly ambitious and selfish of me to say such things. You offered me a chance to reach new heights and see places and battle other Pokémon. And I was taking that for granted. I said before of such expectations, but I didn't realize until that point just how low I had fallen because of them."

Erza shook her head dismissively. "It's alright, Talonflame. At the very least, we both learned to not get ahead of ourselves. And besides..." She managed a soft grin. "If it's to any consolation, you've become strong and reliable. All of you have."

Talonflame closed her eyes and lowered her head. "I'm glad...I'm truly glad that I was caught and learned so much from you. I promise, I won't take that for granted again."

"Erza..." Scizor stepped up, giving a serious yet soft look. "I just want you to know, about before...I don't resent you in the slightest for what happened when we first encountered each other. That grudge had long since faded away. It's true back then, the life that I wanted with a mate was ruined. But...at the same time, if it weren't for you, I also wouldn't have seen just how flawed my vision was about who to trust."

"Scizor..." Erza muttered, but Scizor pressed on.

She put a pincer over her face. "When I evolved, the scar that I got from him had faded with this new body. I got this new frame because of you, and I'm grateful for that." Her look turned even more serious. "To have to as my trainer and surrounded by the others, that's enough to make me feel satisfied. I'm truly glad that we crossed paths back then."

Erza smiled and nodded in the gracious words. Before words could come out, Scizor moved slightly to reveal Aegislash as she floated up to Erza. The knight and sword stared at each other in a long silence, their gazes looking deeply into one another, as though they silently understood what the other was trying to say.

"Erza..."

"I know. I've known you long enough to know what you're about to say." She stepped forward, resting her hand atop of Aegislash's hilt. "No matter what happens, or whatever comes between us...just remember that you're my partner. Not just my sword."

If Aegislash had a mouth, she would have humbly grinned. "Of course."

With the tension between all four of them settled, Erza noticed something missing in this picture. "Hold on, has anyone seen Slurpuff and Houndoom?"

"Last I saw them, Slurpuff was dragging Houndoom into the kitchen for something." Aegislash informed.

"Ugh! Seriously? This is what you eat on a daily basis?!"

The five turned their frames towards the kitchen. The annoyed howling of Houndoom was as clear as day from their side of the cottage.

"How dare you say sweets aren't delicious! I let you even have a bite of my favorite strawberry cake, and that's the kind of thanks I get?!" Slurpuff exasperated.

"Hey, I tried this stuff before once. I didn't really like it, still don't. You just redefined why, you stout creampuff."

"Oh, you really do have bitter taste! That's it, I'll just have to cram even more into your muzzle! I'll fix your attitude starting with your taste buds! Now open your mouth wide so I can

"You trying to get me into a sugar coma, or rot my fangs?! Geez, I make one lousy comment about sweets last night and you're clinging to it like chewing gum!"

"Say ah already!"

As the commotion went on, the others were staring in slight disbelief. Talonflame blinked before she managed to respond. "Um...should we do something about that?"

"Perhaps so. As passionate as Slurpuff is with expressing her sweets, I'd rather not run the risk of an irate Houndoom burning down our humble abode." Aegislash sighed. "Come on, let's hurry before Slurpuff pushes him to that point."

As they hurried towards the kitchen area, Erza smiled warmly as she followed behind.

'Nic isn't the only one to have reliable Pokémon that love him.'


On the porch outside, Staraptor stared up at the cloudy yonder above with a straight face. To say she was deep in thought would be putting it mildly. She could have been mistaken for a statue with how stiff she was perched along the wooden rim. She didn't know how long she was sitting there for. It felt like hours at least, but last she checked, the blue sky only had a few parted clouds that rolled over.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to set the sky ablaze with your Intimidate."

Staraptor mused at the joke. She wasn't surprised at the visitor that leaned against the cottage behind her, arms folded over his chest. Greninja looked nonchalant, if not mildly relaxed as opposed to his feathered friend.

"Hmph, if I could, I'd be Charizard, wouldn't I? He's done that more times than we've seen the sun rise and set." She countered. "Is Junior still asleep?"

"Yeah, he's still sleeping thankfully...no offense."

"None taken. It's been a long night. If I were you, I'd probably feel just as exhausted. It's tough...but it's definitely an adventure of its own, I'll say that much."

Her dry tone didn't go unnoticed by Greninja. It was obvious to him that she was upset about something. After what he and Nic had to do to snap her back to reality, the pieces clicked relatively fast. His red eyes traced towards the sky as he thought of what to say next.

"I think I have a good idea what you're thinking about right now. You're probably wondering what made me struggle with having my faith restored in Nic, am I right?" As if she didn't need an answer to begin with, she continued. "Well...remember yesterday when you said those words?"

"...don't ever question 'what if'. You're as every bit of important to us as we are to each other. If you need help, we're always here."

'Don't tell me...' Greninja had a feeling of where this was going.

"You may have recalled that day when we first met. That morning, the sun was shining down onto us...and when I cam to, it was about to rain. Just like today." She kept her eyes on the sky. "That day...I lost someone precious to me. A dear, sweet companion that always brightened my day. You can say that she was a Pokémon of a different color...quite literally."

"You mean like those shiny Pokémon they call them?" Greninja stood upright and walked towards the railing, resting his elbows on it.

"Yes. We were inseparable. Someone who I would lose a wing for even...and then, our flock encountered a passing trainer. You can probably guess what happened after that."

Greninja furrowed his brows. He knew what happened, because that was when he, Nic, Charmeleon, and Kecleon got through Geosenge Town and made it to Route 11.

"Even though I was freed from the brainwashing, I remembered how I felt at the time. The grief, the frustration, the lack of strength...the anger." Her tone fell to deep sorrow. "That was all I felt for a while, even when I healed. It took me a while to finally trust humans, or at least Nic." She looked down towards the ground in deep contemplation. "And I suppose that you can say mothering Junior has made me fallen behind."

'That explains everything.' Greninja grimaced. Everything clicked for him. Why even though he and the others were able to come to their senses, some had it tougher to snap to their own reality. When Nic reached out to them, the only one who remained in loop was Staraptor from her stress.

"I know I'm not supposed to feel this way. It shouldn't feel like a burden having this kind of responsibility...but..." Before she could trail off into something somber, she felt a webbed hand clutch her right shoulder. She turned towards Greninja, who gave her a reassured look.

"You don't have to say anymore. It's fine. I can't say that I understand how you feel, because I was always alone and preferred it that way before I met Nic. But at least let me ask you this: Do you love us?"

Staraptor answered as though it was an obvious answer. "Of course I do...I love you all."

"Nic feels the same way. You know...you and him are similar to that regard. You hated people for giving you such a difficult time. But you came to understand and depend on the ones that you were able to open up to and keep close. He isn't the best with considering others' feelings, but he means well. And as much as you doubt yourself, just know, we're all here until the end for each other."

"Greninja..."

"Forgetting someone?" A deep, familiar voice from the doorway made Greninja and Staraptor turn their heads. Standing present was Garchomp, along with the rest of Nic's Pokémon. "Just like he said, we're not being weighed down by you. We're too built for that."

"What he said. I'll haul you around to prove it if I must." Charizard snickered.

"No person unaccounted for on the ship without a life preserver." Kecleon declared.

"Right." Arbok hissed in agreement.

"Everyone..." Staraptor's once degraded mood eased up after thinking of what they were all through. She chuckled. "Of course. We've survived the universe nearly ending, why would I worry about something like this? I'm sorry for troubling you all. I promise, I won't make that mistake again."

Greninja grinned beneath his tongue. "Don't mention it."

"Waaaaaaah!" A shrilled cry was heard from inside the open door.

"Looks like someone's awake." Charizard chimed in.

"Nic will be back sssoon. It'sss bessst you tend to that little..." Arbok trailed off, trying to find a more...appropriate term to describe Junior. Suffice to say that nothing subtle came to mind.

"Right." Staraptor spread her wings, speeding at Arbok, who swung his tail and made Staraptor land on it, before being swung and redirected inside.

The others turned towards one another, before turning towards the graying skies above. "Whatever is at the bottom of this...we'll get to it. That's not a promise...that's a declaration." Greninja stated.


Day had soon turned to night. The evening cloud coverage gradually went from gray to black. The stars were covered by a thick blanket of them, with a slight thunder coming from the western range.

Inside the guild hall, Laxus sat on a stool, his elbow sitting against the bar's top with a steadfast glare. He was anticipating what was to come very soon. If all went as Nic said, then this should work. But even so, he refused to let his guard down as a single crackle of static ran along his body.

The doors to the guild opened, revealing Freed. He walked up to Laxus with a solemn bow. "Master Laxus. The preparations are set."

"Have the townsfolk all been informed and secured?"

"Yes. All of them have been notified and are staying in their homes. Shouldn't be long now."

"Good, because it would be a hassle to bring all them back with them up in a panic about the situation." He stood up from his stool and raised his chin. "Alright then, let's get started. As of right now, this little operation is under way. Warren."

"I gotcha!" Warren put two fingers to his forehead, using his Telepathy to ready the broadcast. 'Alright, everyone. The Master gave the okay! It's to begin!'

'Right!' The majority of the guild members exclaimed.


A single purple boar trotted across a dirt trail, having a harness and reigns attached to its sides as it hauled a small carriage carrying a small group of people. Many of them looked tired, if not exhausted. For what the carriage could compact, the four people inside were all bundled up in blankets and trying to keep themselves comfortable throughout the bumpy ride.

"Ugh...how long have we been on this damn road for? It's been like forever." One of them complained.

"Quite your griping. Is all you know how to say anymore are complaints?" the second man groaned. "It'll still be a while before we hit the border to Seven. Once we're there, we're home free from this crazy country."

"Yeah, about time. Screw all this" the third guy huffed. "Can't believe that we lost our homes to our Pokémon."

"Last I checked, it was yours that spat those flames that burnt them down, smartass." The fourth guy sidenoted.

"Shut up! How was I supposed to know they would up and turn our homes to a bonfire?!"

The first guy snickered in his amusement. "Heh, here you guys saying I complained too much."

"Zip it already, jackass! Let's not forget that stupid Persian of yours up and took every bit of money we had! We're broke!"

"H-hey now, you knew he was greedy with shiny objects. Besides, you know how much of a Jewel-pincher that cat was. Hell, he was basically our bank...one that doesn't do withdrawals unfortunately."

"Think he can approve us on a loan for a cottage by a lake?" The fourth grunt dryly noted.

The second grunt eyerolled and sighed. Rather than indulge in his little entourage's bickering, he pulled out a mapped layout of Fiore. He squinted heavily as he tried to look at their precise location. "We took this road...then we went north onto this trail..." He furrowed his brow as he brought it closer to his face. "Damnit, where's a light when you need one? Hey, you lot pack any lanterns or lighters on ya?"

As if on cue, a purple flame flickered in the middle of the carriage, providing just a little light for the man to see.

"Perfect. Now then, where was I?" He looked back at the map with less strain in his eyes. "Ah! Here we are! We took this trail, so we just gotta follow it through this small mountain range and we should be in Seven in two days."

"Two days? You serious?! We'll be dead before we get there." The first guy complained.

"Relax, would ya?" The fourth guy chimed in, rubbing the top of a wool blanket that covered a small sum of materials. "We were able to pack enough food and water till then. We'll hold out till that. And once we're beyond the borders, it's every man for himself."

"I'm down for that plan. But...ugh..." Suddenly, he felt a wave of exhaustion swamp over his body. "Anybody else feeling tired...?"

"Yeah, now that you mention it..." The second guy felt fatigue that he didn't have a moment ago. He felt his body get weaker by the second. "I wasn't really tired until just now...must be catching up to me now."

"Teeheehee..."

"Hm? Say, did somebody giggle just now?" The first guy grunted. "Because if someone's making a joke, let me in on it."

"I'll tell you what's a joke." The fourth guy pointed to his face. "You've got bags under your eyes. Heh, the only joke here is that face your mother gave ya."

"The hell you just..." He wanted to strike him hard for such an offensive joke, but he couldn't help but feel curious. "Hey, you're looking shabby too...all you do, actually..."

All the guys in the carriage slowly blinked. They felt their faces, caressing beneath their eyes to feel their skin sagged where their eyelids would be. They were all very tired, and eerily...warm? They didn't know what to say, let alone do, but they wanted nothing more than to lie down.

"Ugh...can somebody turn off the light so I can just sleep already?" The third guy groaned, lying down on his side.

"Ugh...fine, I'll do it." The second guy reached to turn the bright light off...but he noticed something. It wasn't a lantern at all, nor a match...but a candle. A large candle with a blooming blue flame atop its wick. His eyes gradually widened when the candle had a yellow eye focused on him.

"Teehee..." The candle giggled.

"GAAAH! GUYS! A POKÉMON!"

The second guy's yell made all the guys come to the realization. It didn't take long for any of them to scramble out of the carriage and limp and scurry towards the woods. The second guy jumped out of the carriage onto his feet, but didn't get too far when he felt another wave of fatigue wash over him.

"Why...why am I so tired...?" He groaned. He turned his head slowly, looking back at the large flame that was the size of the wick itself inching closer. "You...what are you doing to me...?"

"Who? Me?" Litwick innocently chimed, giggling. "It's nothing...just that your life energy is so tasty is all. That scare you had was like a feast for me and my flame."

"My life...energy...?" Before he could question further, he noticed another blue flame in the corner of his eyes. His eyes were filled with shrilled horror when he noticed another Litwick shifting closer to him while he was already down. Her flame looked just as large as the other Litwick's.

"Heehee...human life energy is so good. I never thought that I would get to try it." The female Litwick chimed.

"I know, right? We just might run this guy dry by morning if we don't drain in moderation." The male snickered. "Then again, that old man of a trainer I had never knew anything about holding back, especially to those drinks and women."

"I know. And that son he had was so spoiled, too. Always whining about getting stronger, pffft." The female eyerolled. "Well, you don't get anywhere by constantly beating yourself up I suppose."

"Nope...but this sure does!" Both Litwick giggled as they shifted closer towards the frail man. As the flames on their heads were getting bigger by the second, the less strength the poor soul had. He was so exhausted that he could barely see straight, let alone make out his surroundings.

"No...please...don't do this..." he wheezed, his throat partially dry and croaked.

Neither Litwick paid any heed. If anything, his despair made them lick their lips in pleasure. They loved this. They couldn't begin to describe how much pleasure it brings them to see something like this. It didn't matter how many would have to pay for being fuel to the fire – literally.

As they both sat there with the flames getting brighter, they noticed a very odd smell in the air. It wasn't noticeable until just recently, but whatever they smelled, it was definitely something...sweet?

"Hey, *sniff* You smell that?" The female Litwick asked.

The male blinked, raising his body and sniffed the air again. "Yeah...it smells kinda yummy. I wonder what it is?"

"I don't know but..." The female sniffed and turned her head towards the forest on her right. "I think it's coming from over in this direction."

"Well...let's go find out what it is! Heehee!" The male Litwick turned towards the worn-out prey. "Don't go away now~, we'll be right back, okay?"

The man was too exhausted to give a reply. He just watched as both Litwick shuffled across the ground and made way into the forest. Their flames gradually became dimmer as they faded into the distance. As they sauntered away, he felt a little of his strength return for him to actually breath comfortably.

'Note to self: Next time, make sure I pack my own lighter.'

As the two Litwick waned further into the forest, the sweet aroma got stronger. They scoped around to see if anything was producing the enticing smell, but they came up short with no visible signs.

"Where is it coming from?" The female Litwick whined.

The male scoped around, his sense of smell directing him towards something behind a tree that lied up ahead. "I think it's coming from up ahead." He shuffled closer towards the tree and turned its corner to find something odd. "Huh? What the...?"

Placed at the base of the tree, there was a small pot of golden Honey. The aroma it gave off, as misplaced as it was, was enough to make Litwick's mouth water. The sweetness up close that particularly strong.

"What is it?" the female Litwick shuffled closer, her eye widening. "Huh...? Oh, what's that?!"

"I don't know but..." The male took in another massive whiff. His yellow eye sparkled with envy. "I wanna taste it!"

"Oh! Me too, me too! I hope it tastes like young souls!"

The two Litwick gathered around the Honey and started indulging in it. What they didn't realize, however, was that as they were eating, their guards were down to where they didn't notice a purple rope made of fire snaking its way towards the female.

"Oh wow! It's no soul, but it's really-gah!" She felt a sudden clench around her waist that dragged her into the air. "Kyaah!"

"Huh? What the heck?" The male looked up, his eyes wide upon seeing his partner tangled in the ire. "Woah, where did that come from?!"

"Gotcha!" From the shrubs behind, hands clenched around Litwick's body, holding him high in the air.

"Hey!"

Emerging from the wilderness, Macao and Romeo had big grins on their faces as they trapped their respective Pokémon. They both struggled and flailed as they were trying to get free.

"Can't believe that actually worked!" Macao exclaimed.

"Yeah, Dad! Quick, tell Warren to get Mest here, pronto!" Romeo exclaimed.

"On it." Macao held up a device similar to a phone with an audio lacrima on it. Since Litwick was suppressed with one hand, he had another to spare the call. "Hey, Warren...yeah, we got them. Get Mest to teleport us. Thanks."

The moment he hung up, the four suddenly felt light around their bodies when a hand touched Macao and Romeo's shoulders. They vanished on the spot, leaving the Honey pot behind.

When they reappeared, they were all standing in the streets of Magnolia. More accurately, the main road that led towards the guild hall.

"Hey! It's you two again?!" The male Litwick cried out angrily. He squirmed out of Romeo's hands, landing on the ground and glared at them. "So, the first time wasn't enough, huh? Heh, well we'll just have to settle with your life e..."

Suddenly, he started trailing off, his hazy yellow eyes having a glimmer of light returning to them. He blinked several times, looking around to check his surroundings. "Huh...? Wait, what happened?"

"What...?" The female Litwick trailed off as her mind went numb for a moment. She fell silent as the light in her eyes returned, with Macao gently setting her down.

"Did it work, Dad?" Romeo wondered.

Macao's response was him leaning in, glaring at his Litwick. "Hey...you still with us?"

The male Litwick blinked once before he jumped. "Macao...?" he gasped. "Wait...so all that just now...?!"

"Looks like that's our answer." Macao smirked, folding his arms with beaming pride. "Great job, son."

"Heh, thanks Dad." Romeo faced his female Litwick, rubbing her side as she smiled warmly. "You okay now, Litwick?"

Litwick nodded. "Yeah...but my mouth tastes really sweet and sticky still." She smacked her lips, pondering deeply in speculation. "Huh...it wasn't bad, though life energy feels a lot more filling. Hehe!"

Behind them, Mest stood with a steadfast look. "Good. It looks like the Enchantment is doing its job. They look like they're back to themselves."

'Mest! Laki just trapped Sudowoodo! They're ready!' Warren mentally shouted through the telepathy line.

"Right, I'm on it!" The next moment, Mest vanished once more.

Meanwhile, in another forest particularly close to Magnolia, Sudowoodo was snared by his arms and limbs by wood limbs right over a small pot of Honey. As he flailed helplessly, Laki watched on as Mest teleported to her side.

"So, ready?"

Without hesitation, Laki nodded. "Right!"

He nodded, before placing a hand on her shoulder and the struggling Sudowoodo. The next instance, they were both gone.

It wasn't just them who were falling for the trick. Many Pokémon across the vicinity were smelling sweet aromas and following them. Be it in caves or near riverbanks, they lost touch with their surroundings and followed the smell that whiffed them from their positions and race towards the succulent flavoring.

A small group of Pokémon comprised of a Cleffa, Geodude, and a Taillow smelled the air around them. They noticed the smell moving through the underbrush and followed through.

In the air above, Happy was keeping an eye out and watched the small group close in. "Natsu, they're coming!"

"Got it!" Racing through the leaves and foliage, Natsu held up a jar of Honey and sprinted. When he reached the edge of the underbrush, he leaped out and turned around to face the shuddering shrubs.

It only took a second, but the Taillow, Cleffa, and Geodude sprung out at the same time, their mouths drooling for the sweet nectar in Natsu's hands.

"Alright Tyrunt, Stealth Rock, now!"

Hidden in some bushes nearby, Tyrunt raised his jaw, expelling white arrows from his furry collar that arched down into the ground between Natsu and the underbrush. The arrows punctured the ground, sprouting medium-sized stones that pointed up.

With the momentum the three Pokémon had, all their eyes widened before they realized it was too late. They tripped their way through the grassy clearing, only to trigger the trap set for them. The large rocks lifted themselves through the air and suddenly enclosed on all three, crushing them with intense pressure before bursts of dust simmered.

"Alright Charmeleon, Darumaka! Fire Fang!"

"Huh...?" Geodude blinked several times, his rocky body protecting him from an ideal sum of damage the trap had set. Within the dust, he noticed two small flares getting brighter and larger, as though they were alive. "Woah!"

Lunging out of the dust, Charmeleon and Darumaka flanked Geodude and Cleffa. Their fangs bit down harshly on their bodies, engulfing them in powerful burst of flames that overflowed the dust. The flames quickly dissipated, revealing both Charmeleon and Darumaka towering over the unconscious bodies of the two Pokémon.

"What the-?!" Before Geodude had time to register, a shadow loomed over him. By the time he registered it, the shadow's jaws clamped down on his rocky body, sending intense shock through him as the strong jaws picked him up and sent him hurling through the air in a hectic tumble into the ground near Cleffa and Taillow.

Happy glided down from the air, giving the team a thumbs up. "You got'em!"

Natsu looked up, smirking with his own thumbs up. "Nice scouting, pal." He turned towards his Pokémon. "And nice work stopping them, guys. That makes three for us. So, where's the next closest bunch?"

Happy turned and pointed towards East. "I think there was a Mareep near the clearing over that way."

"Got it, just leave it to me." Natsu grabbed the Honey jar and sprinted through the forest, with his Pokémon giving nods of understanding towards one another before following him.


The guild was gathered around Nic as he came up with the plan. "We need to find them in the shortest time possible. To do that, we need to know precisely where each and every one is at." He turned his attention towards Cana. "Cana, that's where you come in. You can use your Fortune Telling and mark where all the Pokémon are. That way we'll know where to go to secure them."

Cana shrugged in compliance. Nic continued.

"We can make Magnolia the safe zone for the brainwashed Pokémon to be confined to." He adverted his attention towards Freed. "Freed, you made that Enchantment that shielded Magnolia when Alvarez invaded, right?"

Freed furrowed his brows. "I see, so you want me to make a barrier to tarp them inside."

"Yeah, something like that. Can you write the Enchantment so that it can undo the brainwashing?"

Freed put a hand to his chin, deeply pondering Nic's suggestion. "It will most definitely take some time, but it shouldn't be too difficult. I'll write it so that any Pokémon that is under the influence will return to their original state of mind."

"I can help write it with you! Just leave it to me!" Levy declared, smiling with fists up.

Nic lowered his chin. "Right...that means we need to scout all the town's lost Pokémon as well."

Gray folded his arms, frowning in deep inquiry. "It's not looking bad so far, I'll give you that one Nic, but maybe you're forgetting. How exactly do we get them all to come here? A lot of them must be miles away by now."

"That." Nic turned his eyes onto Heracross. More accurately, the Honey jar that he had in his clutches.

"Wait, your plan is...Honey?" Cana was borderline speechless at Nic's plan.

"That's right. Generally, this stuff is pretty sweet, but it has an effect similar to Sweet Scent. Wild Pokémon are always drawn to them. So much in fact, that they can gather in small hordes. At least, that's what I've seen in Kalos." He detailed. "I can use Sweet Scent and Teleport, and Warren developed those lacrima phones for long distance communication. Once we've all rounded up enough Pokémon, Mest and I can teleport and return here with everyone and the Pokémon."

Mest hummed with a raised brow. "I get it now. That'll shorten the distance and time for the ones that are farther out."

"Right. As far as I know, we're the only ones who can teleport." He glanced at everyone else. "Meanwhile, everyone else will have to use Honey to lure the Pokémon and subdue them. Just remember, we're trying to do this with as less liabilities as possible. Don't fight them unless you absolutely have to. If you're close enough to the Enchantment, lure them there if you can."

Erza smirked. She should have known this was something Nic of all people would think of. She would be hard-pressed to admit that a part of her was jealous. It would have taken her almost a whole night coming up with the strategy, and yet Nic only came up with it in just a few seconds. 'Still the king of improvisation I see.'

"I like that plan!" Natsu rammed a fist into his palm, igniting brief embers. "It's a win-win for us! They're too smart to be fooled, we get to knock them down a peg. I can definitely work with that."

"So we can settle the scores we need to finish, huh?" A grin appeared on Gray's face. "Good, cuz I've been meaning to teach my Snover and the others a lesson or two."

"Knowing Machoke, he won't go down without a fight...this time, we're ready!" Elfman held up a brawn arm, flexing his massive bicep. "Rhyhorn and I are gonna fix him the hard way! Right?!"

Rhyhorn raised his head. "Right!"

"We should also set up the Enchantment so that I can reverse the Pokémon already inside the vicinity." Levy offered to Freed.

"Yes, suppose that would make a good point. Nothing like a little precaution, I suppose. That should lift the effects off of Cana and Wendy's Pokémon if written correctly."

"Hell yeah! Now we're talking!" Cana smirked with a flashy wink.

"Really? Thank goodness." Wendy sighed. It felt like a weight was lifted off her small chest knowing there could be a way to save her Pokémon without fighting them.

Freed turned towards Laxus. "Master Laxus, what do you think of this plan?"

Laxus crossed his arms, thinking of Nic's plan from start to finish. After a subtle pause, he looked directly at him, their blue eyes meeting. "If you of all people came up with this sort of plan, you must be pretty confident. You really aren't the type of guy to really let others in on your ideas, Nic."

Nic huffed out his nostrils. "So I've been told."

"Hmph, well, as far as I can see, it's not like we have any faster route to get things done. Very well. We'll begin when dusk breaches. No sooner than that. Everyone, get whatever you need and be ready pronto. Cana, need you on that Fortune Telling."

"On it!" Cana held up her tarot cards, each of them containing a different picture of a Pokémon.

"You hear that, Lucy? We'll find Klefki and Staryu and bring them back in no time!" Happy encouraged Lucy with a wide grin.

Hearing all this sparked a light in Lucy's brown eyes. She smiled brightly with determination. "Right!"

"So then...we can get the Ponyta back?" Asuka looked towards her parents with a bright, proud smile. Bisca and Alzack looked just as hopeful, but remained equally as aware.

"We'll see, sweetie." Bisca assured. "We've gotta rely on everyone to bring them back, first."

"Right, we'll do our best!" Kinana declared, Seviper hissing in agreement beside her.

With everyone's spirits up, they were all engrossed in the plan to get their Pokémon back. However, Shiin leaned against a wooden pillar off to the corner of the guild hall. From the dark frown he gave Nic and the guild, he didn't look nearly as convinced.


"Um, Natsu? Did you really have to knock them out though?" Happy worried as he looked down at the unconscious bodies of the Pokémon they had just baited towards them.

"Sorry, guess I let that one slipped. Still, can't be too careful." Natsu answered, jumping over a log. "Besides, you heard what Nic said. We get this over with as soon as possible. Then we'll settle how to beat up whoever is behind this."

"I think we're still missing a few pieces before we get to that part." Happy chimed, though he wasn't going to disagree with him that someone had to pay for what happened.

Meanwhile, Mest returned to Magnolia for the umpteenth time, having the unconscious Geodude, Taillow, and Cleffa in his arms. He turned towards Warren and nodded, giving him the signal to relay it towards Cana.

"That's Geodude, Taillow, and Cleffa!"

"Got it." Cana took cards off the map that she threw at earlier. All the cards had pictures of various Pokémon that the townsfolk and the guild had. She pulled off the ones marked with the three Pokémon's faces. "Alright, that just leaves the Mareep in the east and then another fifteen near the valleys."

"How are things with the others?" Laxus questioned.

Cana looked at the map once more, seeing the number of cards left. "Let's see...guess we haven't heard anything from Gray and Juvia since they went to the fields before Mt. Hakobe. That's where their Pokémon fled to. Elfman's taking care of the northern mountain ranges. As for Vanessa and Sophie, they should be closing in on their Pokémon pretty soon.

Laxus silently acknowledged this and turned towards Warren. "Keep your ears open."

"Right." A moment passed before he perked up. "Oh! Kinana got back with another set!"


In the depths of a forest, a Pikachu, two Bidoof, and a Lillipup gathered around a single pot of Hiney that sat in the middle of a stump of a tree. All caution aside due to their rumbling stomachs, their instincts took over and they all closed in around the pot.

Above them, several glints flashed like stars, before several burning swords shot down, impaling the ground around the stump. The Pokémon's fur stood on end and flinched in horror when they found themselves surrounded by sharp, burning swords.

A shadow glided over them before touching base before them. There stood Erza in her Heaven's Wheel Armor, a stern, cold look in her eyes. "Come peacefully...otherwise you'll be returned to your trainers in pieces."

If her threat alone didn't leave them terrified, Talonflame cawing as she descended beside her most certainly did.


Warren's lacrima phone was still on. He heard a voice on the other end and turned towards Cana. "Hey, Cana! Erza just got four more! Pikachu, Bidoof, and Lillipup!"

Cana plucked off the cards from the board, leaving a handful of cards still prodded into the map.

"At this rate, the Pokémon will be back to themselves in an hour's time!" Max cheered.

"Yeah, keep up the momentum guys!" Nab smiled, his fist high in the air.

"That's true, but don't forget." The others turned towards the bar area. Mirajane came around with Vullaby, the pair carrying hot towels and assortments of Oran Berries and Sitrus Berries for the unconscious Pokémon Mest picked up from a recent trip at Natsu's location. "We have some pretty strong Pokémon, too. It won't be easy for some of them if they go after the bigger fish by themselves."

"For all our sakes, let's hope they know what they're getting themselves into out there." Vijeeter grimaced.


Beneath the low rounds of thunder above, the sounds of metal jingling and keys bouncing echoed through the shadows of the forest. If anyone passed by, they could have easily mistaken it for a spirit of the forest playing tricks on their minds. But if one was able to hear more properly, it sounded very familiar to a jingling key ring.

"Hm-hm-hmm~!" Klefki drifted through the air, whisking herself in a ditzy fashion from one corner of a tree towards another. Her massive collection of keys in her hold was numerous to where she suddenly dropped every so often, only to gradually float back up.

She floated towards a tree that seemed hollowed out. She took a quick look around to see if anyone was looking before realizing she was safe. "And...here we go!" She undid her key ring, allowing several keys that didn't belong to her to be flicked into the hole.

CLINK!

It made a loud sound as it landed with the mesh of fellow keys collected at the bottom of the tree. Klefki peered inside and admired the small pile she had started a few hours ago with a subtle nod. "Well, it's a good start if I do say so myself. At least this place seemed a lot safer from those dullard humans. I'd like to see them take care of all these."

In her musings, a faint, red glow came from her right. She looked over towards where she recognized water rushing through the forest. "A stream?" She took her attention away from the keys and drifted towards the red glow. She came face-to-face with a very small stream, with clear water showing the familiar red glow from a familiar Pokémon that she was well acquainted with.

"Oh! Staryu!"

The red glow suddenly splashed loudly and shot out of the water. Staryu landed in front of Klefki and glinted its core.

BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP-BEEP-BEEPBEEP!

"Who? Me? Just working on a little collection I'm starting is all." Klefki giggled enthusiastically. "I'm sure it'll make a suitable bed tonight, too."

BEEP-BEEP-BEEPBEEP?

Klefki rolled her eyes. "Well~, you're necessarily wrong if it were keys."

BEEP...

"Well, anyways, what are you still doing around here? I would have figured that you would have made it out towards the sea by now."

BEEPBEEP-BEEPBEEPBEEP-BEEP-BEEPBEEP

"Really? You went upstream to get away, but now you have to go back through the river through the city to get there? That's definitely not a good idea." She turned her head to and fro with an idle gaze. "I can see why you're hiding out here. It'll take forever to climb upstream to find someplace with an outlet towards the ocean...oh, I have an idea!" She turned towards it with a bright smile. "You can look for keys for me while you're diving! How about it?!"

BEEPBEEP Staryu's ends drooped unamusingly.

"What?! C'mon, don't be like that. I'm sure there are a lot of sunken treasures on the seafloor, and I can't get to them. I'm sure those chests have a lot of keys~!"

Staryu stared blankly at her before repositioning itself. BEEPBEEP-BEEPBEEP-BEEP?

"What you get out of it? Well...adventure! And treasure, too...so long as I get the keys in the end, that's my treasure!" She laughed uproariously with a lot of energy.

BEEP-BEEP... Staryu drooped its body with a long blink from its core, like sighing.

Suddenly, a vague yet sweet aroma filled the air. Klefki's keyhole mouth expanded and contracted like a nostril. "Hmmm~, what's that?"

BEEPBEEP? Staryu blinked.

Klefki sniffed the air, turning her head towards the scent. She floated away from the water's edge, with Staryu cautiously in tow. It blinked as its red glow brightened up the surroundings, making it easier for Klefki to see where she was drifting off towards. The sweet-smelling air carried them both to where there was a small clearing in the woods.

"NOW!"

Suddenly a water rope with light streams shot from the depths of the woods, surprising Staryu and Klefki. They separated at the last second and avoided the attack. They turned towards their attacker and showed shock – a bright, long blink in Staryu's case. Emerging from the shadows was none other than Lucy, holding her whip ready to strike.

"Lucy?!" Klefki quipped.

"Thought you could get away from me?" Lucy shot her a serious glare.

Klefki looked around for any signs of the trap. She looked up and saw Carla, holding a pot of Honey to lure them about, along with Wendy, who was using a light brush of wind to expand the range of the sweet aroma across the forest.

"Ooooh, I see now." She turned towards Lucy with a glare. Staryu blinked rapidly as it took a stance. "You want your keys so badly, then come on! I promise I'll cling them to my body till my last breath!"

"Trust me, Klefki, this is for your own good." Lucy fastened her Fleuve d'etoiles as she spread her legs for a battle stance of her own.


Beneath the surface of a pond, a set if large blue eyes glowed in the darkness underwater. The light from the eyes shimmered a set of tailfins that swam close by. Safe within the empty pond to confine themselves, Araquanid and Finneon found their solace after managing to find a suitable place to hide from the incident.

"It isn't the shorelines, but I suppose I should be grateful. I'm not particularly fast on land like you are, Araquanid." Finneon said.

Araquanid hissed, like he was scowling. "Whatever. Do I have to haul you all the way out towards the sea? Or do you intend on making yourself here in my space?" He sounded particularly sarcastic when he asked his second question. As if the answer wasn't obvious already.

"Well, you've put up with me in your space this long. I hope that I'm not a hinderance to your new lifestyle."

Araquanid sighed. "It's fine...I've dealt with neighbors before...some very energetic ones at that." Memories of before his capture came to surface, namely, when he and Azurill occupied the pond. He hissed so anxiously that bubbles were starting to jet from beneath his face.

Finneon lightly giggled. "Well, rest assured, I'll try not to be a burden..." Finneon trailed off when she picked up a very strange scent in the water. "Do you taste that?"

Araquanid hissed as he turned his head towards the surface of the pond several meters up. He bent his legs and crawled up the water to get closer towards the surface. Finneon swam close behind for good measure.

Araquanid's head barely touched the surface, but there was a golden liquid that floated. Out of curiosity, he slurped some of it. To his surprise it tasted relatively sweet, enough so that his mood earlier lightened. Finneon swam closer as her tiny mouth nipped at the substance. Much like Araquanid, she seemed just as surprised.

"Mmm...what is this taste? It's sweet." Finneon gasped.

"Beats me." Araquanid grunted. Truthfully, the sweet material he isn't too fond of. But right now, he was hungry. So he'll take anything he could get at the moment. With nothing better to do, he used his front legs and breached the surface. He hoisted himself up and made a water bubble that kept Finneon close to his face as he left the pond's confines to follow this nectar's taste.

"Miss Sophie, now!"

"Memory-Make: Shower of Thunderous Swords!"

Finneon was quick to get over her panic as she diverted her attention towards the sky. "Araquanid, above you!"

Araquanid looked up, seeing many of swords made of pure lightning raining down onto him. With expert legwork, he bent his joints and sprung out of the way as the ground was stabbed by swords that exploded in bursts of lightning. He slid to a halt and looked bac in mild surprise as the yellow flashes diminished, revealing only a depressed crater that sizzled.

"My apologies, brother and sister, but we must ask that you comply and stand down at once." A familiar voice shouted from nearby, one that the two recognized all too well.

Standing a safe distance away, Araquanid and Finneon found themselves pincered with Sophie and Kadabra, the two on opposite sides giving them deep frowns. Araquanid and Finneon reciprocated the expressions.

"I see...so this is where you've been Kadabra. We were wondering where you were all this time." Finneon spoke with a slight tension in her tone. She clearly had an idea of what happened.

"My apologies, Finneon. But I'm afraid that I am not here to reconvene with you two." Kadabra held up his silver spoon. "Rather, I have come to help you all remember your place, as I did."

Araquanid hissed aggressively. "What are you talking about? I'm right where I belong you spoon-carrying twit. Did you get your head knocked somewhere, or did those alpha waves scramble your brain?"

"Araquanid...it seems that it was a mistake to leave him behind." Finneon interrupted.

Araquanid fell silent as he slowly turned towards Sophie. "...yeah, guess you're right." He bent his legs, preparing to fight. "This time, I'm gonna pull you into my bubble, and I won't let you go!"

Sophie held a finger to her forehead. "We'll see about that, won't we?"


In another part of Fiore, the land was a lot more baren. Lots of bushes were dried up, with large rocks serving as cover under the depths of the cloudy night. Vanessa peered behind a rock as a Honey jar sat in the middle of the baren field.

"And you're sure they're around here, Delphox?" Vanessa questioned. She looked back, noticing Delphox staring at her flame intensely, something that didn't seem to change for hours now.

"Yes, I am sure of it. They'll be coming very soon around this time." She kept staring at the flame, focusing on the future that was to come.

Vanessa didn't say anything to counter what Delphox said. She had to believe her. She was back to her senses, and now she had to rely on her to help get the other Pokémon back to their senses as well. Thankfully, they wouldn't have to do this lone. The two Poke Balls Vanessa subconsciously clenched was the reason why.

A strong silence fell as the two retained caution. The only sounds being made was the rolling thunder above, along with the howling winds that picked up throughout the wasteland. It made the temperature drop a few degrees, but Delphox's flame kept Vanessa warm.

Suddenly, Vanessa sensed a faint aura that was very familiar to her. 'They're coming!'

The ground vibrated lightly before rocks shifted. Suddenly, mounds of earth uprooted and rocks went flying and smashed into pieces. From the dust emerged Krookodile, shaking his head and letting out a loud roar to claim his dominance.

"Pffft! Bleck! Seriously? Perhaps a little warning the next time you do something like that!" Mawile exasperated, wiping dust from her eye. "I think I got dirt in my eye..."

Magnezone drifted up from the hole beside her. "It was rather a tight fit, I admit. But..." He looked around, seeing their new surroundings. "It looks like we've made an ideal spot away from everyone else."

"That's good. I was really tired of being in that tunnel this whole time." Mawile complained.

Magnezone's two eyes blinked. "Is that so? Last I checked, didn't you live in the Glittering Cave?"

Mawile turned away, huffing at the counter. "Hmph! Well why else would I live there? Not like we get a lot of people out there anyways, less they want to meet a dead end." She shot a look at Krookodile. "But at least there it had a sense of fashion, rather than just being a dark hole like a certain someone makes."

Krookodile sharply turned towards Mawile, pointing a claw directly in her face. "Let me tell you something, Mawile! Krookodile may not be so good at throwing jabs with his words, but I...have eyes!" He pointed at his eyes to emphasize his point.

"Yeah, and a big mouth, too." Mawile added.

Krookodile got deeper into her space. "You wanna go back down there? Cuz I'll throw you down and stuff it with your body!"

"Please, I wouldn't be nearly enough to stuff that hole, not like your head's any different."

The two glared daggers at each other, each at the other's throats with the long trip they had to make to get away from the humans. Magnezone sighed and turned away from the bickering pair. 'If only Venusaur were here.' As he scanned his surroundings, he noticed a jar of Honey sitting out in the open. "What's that?"

Krookodile and Mawile ceased their bickering, choosing to divert their attention towards the sweet smell that the nectar gave off. Magnezone floated closer towards it, his center eye glowing red with suspicion.

"What's a lone jar of this doing out here? Surely this isn't some kind of a joke." He mused.

"Okay, even for me, that's pretty obvious. And I'm the Deceiver Pokémon for crying out loud." Mawile exasperated. "Who would be stupid enough to fall for something like-!" Before she could finish, Krookodile stomped past her, his tail brushing harshly against her head. "Hey! Watch it!"

"How about you watch it! Cuz Krookodile is hungry! And nobody – nobody – gets between a man and his food!" He snarled back. He turned ahead with a snort and stomped towards the Honey jar.

Mawile was about to say something, but she stopped herself and sighed. "I swear, how many brain cells does it take to reason with an oversized crocodile with a rock for a brain?"

Krookodile drew closer until his nostrils hovered over the jar. He sniffed the substance and immediately smiled. "Oooooh, sweet! Come to Krookodile!" He reached for the jar with both his claws...but much to his shock, the jar shifted right.

"Huh?" Krookodile blinked in confusion. He paused before reaching for it again, only for it to shift back into place. He used another claw to grab, only for it to shift left. His brow furrowed. "Hey! Quit moving. Will ya?!" He clawed at it, but it kept moving on its own, almost as though it had reflexes of its own. "I just...wanna bite...gnnnngh!"

Mawile and Magnezone watched on as Krookodile was playing games with the Honey jar. They couldn't tell whether to be surprised at the jar being able to move on its own accord, or how easily manipulated Krookodile was. They looked at each other, then back at him.

"I have a bad feeling about this..." Magnezone forewarned.

"Something bad always happens when it involved Krookodile." Mawile dryly noted.

The Honey shifted and slid around Krookodile constantly. He clawed and punched the ground around him, leaving dents in the earth. He followed the nectar's glass potting towards Mawile and Magnezone, making them extremely wary.

"LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, STUPID JAR OF HONEY, WHICH IS MOVING JUST TO IRRITATE ME-!" Krookodile was about to raise another claw, but the Honey jar stopped moving. It say in the center of the three Pokémon. "GOTCHA!"

Magnezone's eyes widened. "Wait, no-!"

As soon as Krookodile's claws touched the glass, a large teal hole appeared beneath them, shotting skywards in a pressurized pillar of aura that shook the wasteland. The eruption sent dust and dirt everywhere, making a loud burst that roared throughout the vicinity.

The eruption gradually came to its end, revealing Magnezone, Mawile, and Krookodile all sprawled across the vicinity of the large crater created by the wake of the attacks. All three were in a daze, with having only minor scratches and scrapes covering their bodies.

"Gnnngh..." Magnezone grunted, gradually floating back up. "Is everyone...alright?"

Mawile grunted heavily, the blast having her reeling tremendously. "Y-yeah...somehow..." She groaned. "Can't believe I didn't see that coming. I could have put up a damn Protect..."

Magnezone acknowledged her condition and turned towards Krookodile. "And what about you, Krookodile?"

A fair distance away, Krookodile was sprawled on the ground, gradually sitting back up and shaking his head. As soon as his vision cleared up, he looked around to see where the Honey jar was. To his horror, it was in pieces, with the substance oozing on the ashes of the dirt. His face fell in grief as he sauntered over, looking down at his would-be meal having been snatched from him.

"WHY-?!" He cried towards the thundering skies. "LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, IRONY! KROOKODILE WILL FIND YOU, AND HE WILL RIP YOU LIMB FROM LIMB! COME OUT AND FACE ME LIKE A 'MON!"

Footsteps could be heard through the passing dust. "I'm right here."

All three turned their heads towards the voice. Immediately, they recognized a familiar shapely female figure, with threw large creatures walking beside her. When the dust settled, their glares hardened when they saw Vanessa accompanied by Delphox, Venusaur, and Goodra.

"I should have known. You're deceptively persistent, aren't you?" Magnezone grunted.

Mawile huffed. "That explains a lot."

Delphox's outline for her Psychic diminished, with the Honey jar being destroyed. She said nothing as Vanessa stepped up in front of her Pokémon. "So then...shall we pick up from where we left off?"

The winds picked up as thunder boomed above. Vanessa raised her arms, showing teal aura as Delphox had her wand out. Goodra and Venusaur braced themselves as Magnezone, Mawile, and Krookodile glared defiant daggers.

Vanessa's blue eyes hardened on the prize. "It won't be the same this time. I'll guarantee it."


Tiny feet headed up the mountain trail just past the trail sign that was labeled "Mt. Hakobe". Frost was barely covering the ground as the temperature was mildly low. And yet Snover, Bergmite, and Snorunt were willing to make the climb up towards the pass to get to where they wanted to be.

"Climb. Not too far." Bergmite estimated, his tiny feet carrying him behind Snover and Snorunt. "Back to cave. Plenty ice there."

"Oh yeah, that's right. We were caught at this mountain." Snover realized. The realization didn't dawn onto him until recently. As far as memory went, he knew the closest – and coldest – place to suit their needs was at Mt. Hakobe. He didn't think to recollect their captures around that point.

"Well, it ain't no winter wonderland, but if there's a cave of ice up there, I'll be set for life!" Snorunt chimed. "No worrying about having to starve!"

Snover glanced back with a raised brow. "You really only like to eat ice?"

Snorunt nodded. "Yup, sure do! I don't know about you, but Bergmite back there actually looks tasty!" Both Snover and Bergmite froze up at the statement. The air grew uncomfortable around the three for a short while before Snorunt blinked. "Hehe! Nah, just joking! I wouldn't really eat him...even though now that I look at him..." He shifted a glance back at Bergmite, eyeing the ice covering his body.

"Uncomfortable. And deeply disturbed." Bergmite bluntly stated.

"Um, r-right. Let's just pick up the pace. After that, we can finally feel..." Snorunt was about to finish his statement, but then picked up on a sweet smell that ran through the air. "Hey, you guys smell that?"

"Smell what?" Snorunt and Bergmite lifted their heads and sniffed the air. It was faint due to the cold air, but they smelled something oddly enticing. "Huh, now that you mention it..."

"Odd scent. Conspicuous...wanna know." Bergmite turned around, getting a stronger scent further back down the way they came. "Go back."

"Uh, y-you sure?" Snover nervously asked, but his rumbling stomach made him have second thoughts about pressing forward without food.

"I don't know if it's ice or not, but I'm hungry! Let's see what's up!" Snorunt hopped over Bergmite's spiked top and raced back down the way he came.

"W-wait up!" Snover waddled closely behind, with Bergmite steadily crawling his way back.

The small group of Pokémon traversed down the mountain trail towards the small valley that neighbored as river that ran down the side. Thanks to gravity, the very short climb down was a quick step around the corner towards the small field of grass, where they spotted a small pot of Honey.

Coincidentally, a splash from the neighboring river spouted three familiar Pokémon that made them catch themselves off guard. Their eyes widened when they recognized the three as Vaporeon, Azumarill, and Wartortle crowding close to the misplaced jar.

"O-Oh, look!" Snover pointed a leafy hand at the three.

"Huh? Oh, you guys? I didn't think we'd find each other out here." Vaporeon lifted her tailfin, showing genuine pleasure seeing them again.

"Looks to me that we had the same idea heading up this here river passage. Who'd have thought." Wartortle sagely noted.

Azumarill smiled merrily. "Well I don't know about you, but this feels pretty fun! Hey, anyone wanna play some games since we're here?"

Wartortle shot her a glance. "Perhaps a tad premature, Azumarill. Looks to me that somebody misplaced an item that caught our noses." He glanced down at the Honey jar, seeing its succulent nectar glisten. It took everything in his willpower not to salivate.

"Wait, so it's just...this?" Snorunt showed underwhelming dismay. He frowned and turned away. "Aw man, and here I was hoping it was just ice! So not fair!"

"Curious. Why this here?" Bergmite blinked, eyeing the succulent material with wonder.

Snorunt huffed and started walking away. "I don't know, but it's pretty warm tasting if it's been sitting there. I like to eat cold stuff. So let's hurry up and-oof!" His head knocked on something surprisingly solid...and cold. When he looked up, he realized there was a huge wall of ice blocking the mountain path. "Ice...?"

In an instant, ice shot up around the six Pokémon, blocking them off from the river and their surroundings. They looked very cautious – especially Wartortle with shivers running down his spine. They got on guard as they tried to find out what was happening.

"Where did this huge wall come from?!" Azumarill flabbergasted.

Wartortle was silent, processing everything that was happening. "Well, Azumarill...you wanted to play a game, didn't you? Looks like we're playing Meowth and Rattata."

"Huh?"

"Thought we wouldn't find you all the way out here, huh?" They all turned towards the voice. To their shock and dismay, there was a shirtless Gray, with Juvia standing right beside him. The two looked serious, if not focused.

"Y-you!" Snover gasped.

Gray eyed his Pokémon with a deep frown. "You may have gotten away the last time, but that mistake won't happen again. Ready? Just like we planned, Juvia."

Juvia nodded. "Right. Let's bring them back to their senses."


A harsh blow to the chest sent a traveler onto his back. The few other travelers behind him on the mountain trail stepped back in fear as he was downed in one fell punch.

"Come on, is that really the best you can do?!" Machoke mocked, his muscles throbbing with a scowl in his tone. "Hmph! You humans really are weak! Even ones in this world are supposed to use magic or special powers, and even then you still fall flat on your backs without a fight?!"

The small group was too scared to get any closer to him. They needed to get through, but Machoke wasn't letting them have that luxury without a fair fight.

Machoke scoffed as he balled his fists. "Fine. If you won't step up, then I guess I'll have to show you how it's done instead." He started for the humans, but as he drew closer, a sweet, alluring smell reached his nostrils. He smelled the air and followed the scent passed the rocks nearby. "Hm? Hmmm...say, something smells good..."

He gave the travelers one more look to see their frightened expressions. He didn't have time to worry about such weaklings, so he chose to leap over a rock on the side and fell off the mountain trail. He traversed across the rocky terrain, to where the smell was getting stronger. As soon as he small an incline, he stopped at the base of it before narrowing his eyes.

"So, up there, eh?" He climbed up the incline, digging his hands into the dirt and rock as he climbed his way towards the peak. It didn't take long before he finally got a knee beneath him to relax.

He lifted his head, his eyes widening in shock. "What...you!"

Standing over him, cracking his knuckles, Elfman had a vindictive smirk on his face as he eyed Machoke. "About time you got here, tough guy." He snarked. "How then, wanna pick up where we left off?"

Machoke's exasperation slowly turned to elation. He smirked maliciously as he shot up to his feet. "Hmph! Hope you provide me a better fight than before."

Rhyhorn snarled as he stepped up beside Elfman.

"Trust me..." Elfman's body glowed, taking on his Beast Soul Take-Over. "This time, no punches are being pulled here!"


In another part of Fiore, just outside the boundaries of a small lake's edge, the forest provided cover for Joey and Dereece to lie in wait for their part of the plan to fall into place. Heracross was on his umpteenth jar of Honey while Quilladin and Larvesta were huddled behind Joey.

"You sure about this, Captain?" Dereece questioned.

"I'm positive. Cana said that they were all around here. Up ahead is a lake, and since a majority of them are more adaptable to water, that makes sense to hide out. Besides, Tranquill and Yanma were cured because of that Enchantment spell. We won't have to worry about them turning on us."

"That's not what I'm worried about. The last time we went up against them...you ended up in the infirmary. Please at least tell me you're prepared this time around."

Joey frowned at his teammate. He held up a yellow spray bottle, along with what looked like Super Potions. "Right here. Seriously, Dereece. You need to show just a little faith in me. I actually learn from my mistakes. And this time, I actually have an idea."

Dereece furrowed his brow. "I'm listening..."

"From what happened before, the biggest threat of all of them is Gyarados." Dereece looked perplexed, but he let Joey continue. "His Intimidate Ability puts us at a physical disadvantage. We need to wear him down with Heracross and Quilladin."

Dereece's eyes widened. "Hey, yeah. Since most of them are Water-types, that shouldn't be an issue. If we can also get Stunfisk to use Discharge, that'll help us out tremendously since it hits all Pokémon in the adjacent vicinity."

Joey winked. "Now you're catching my drift." He turned towards Quilladin and Larvesta. "Quilladin, Larvesta, I'll be counting on you both."

"Right! Just leave it to us!" Quilladin declared, before turning towards Larvesta. "Ready, Larvesta? You're about to play with the big girls league now."

"He's right. Just remember our battle training and keep your distance. A lot of them are Water-types, so make sure you keep your distance if you can, okay?" Joey instructed.

"Right, Mama Joey!" Larvesta spat out small embers, getting ready to test her mettle. She hopped around, showing off small spins and her light footwork. She was getting more fired up than before with her body heated from her movements.

"A bit of an inappropriate time to shake your moneymaker, but whatever." Joey shrugged.

Dereece turned to encourage Heracross, but he was still eating Honey from the jar. Albeit there was only a little left, he refused to let it go to waste...even if he had to pawn some of it for the bait. Of course, that didn't say anything about Dereece's frustration boiling over. "Will you put down the Honey already?!" he snapped.

Heracross flinched.

Suddenly, Tranquill sped right past them, Honey coating his talons. From another direction, Yanma zoomed at a lower altitude, her legs coated in the same golden substance.

"Look alive...they're coming." Dereece muttered.

"Yeah...they should be drawn out of the lake by now. And Trubbish should be here any second. Ready?"

Everyone nodded and fell into silence. As Tranquill and Yanma flew closer, they brought with them company from behind. The forest rumbled as tree branches were snapped clean off their trunks as Gyarados rampaged his way towards Tranquill. Stunfisk, Seel, and Palpitoad weren't too far behind. Following Yanma, shrubs shuffled as floppy green ears signaled Trubbish drawing closer.

As soon as Tranquill and Yanma passed each other, time slowed down as Joey raised an arm. 'Now!'

"Barrier-Make: Barrier!"

A barrier was constructed between the two trees they hid behind. Tranquill and Yanma passed on opposite ends and flew upwards. Gyarados and the others were so focused on the succulent smell that they didn't realized the huge panel laid out in the cover of night. They all impacted the barrier head-on, causing the whole structure to wobble very slightly from how hard they all struck it. They all recoiled and fell onto their backs with pained thuds.

"Yay! We got'em!" Larvesta chirped.

"That we did, Larvesta." Joey grinned.

Tranquill descended from the sky, flapping his wings in front of Joey. "I brought them here by being delicious bait, just like you asked, Master Joey!" Tranquill quipped, earning a pleased grin from his trainer.

"Atta boy, buddy. Knew I could depend on you. Now, ready to help bring them back to their senses?"

"Okay!"

Trubbish groaned before she rolled up. She turned about and let out a belch. She let out an even bigger one upon recognizing her peers. The hideous smell of her Stench was enough to make Gyarados and the others cringe. The sweet nectar that they tasted before was gone. They turned towards Joey and Dereece, immediately realizing what this was all about.

"Alright, this time guys, ready for round 2?" Joey glared. Dereece and their Pokémon stood by him, ready for action.

Gyarados blinked, before snarling angrily. His Intimidate Ability activated, lowering all their Attack stats.

"Bupta!" Palpitoad declared.


In another part of Fiore, the forest was dark. Very dark. With it being night already, the dense forest made it almost impossible to see ahead. An ideal spot for ambush strikes or shifty low lives to venture out to transpire.

But this was where Duncan was. Hidden beneath the forest floor behind a tree, he peered behind a tree and glanced at the slathered rocks and branches in a small area. He kept his guard up with his Elfen Forja close to his chest. If what Cana's Fortunetelling said was true, his faction was definitely around here. He wasn't going to spend all night searching for them and tow them back one-by-one; it made more sense to bring them to a single spot to settle the score.

Lying in wait, he watched as a wild Patrat crossed the forest floor. He got dangerously close to the rock that was covered in the sweet-scented Honey that drew him closer. He sniffed the surface before he reeled back with a salivated look in his eyes. "Ooooh! Yummy!"

"Don't even think about it!"

Patrat jumped into the air, visibly shocked by the eerie echo. "Gah! W-who's there...?" He looked around, watching as a rock placed nearby had purple cracks that glowed. "Eeeep! Possessed rocks!" He took off in fear for his life, leaving the glowing rock to fade.

Duncan narrowed his eyes as he focused on the rock. More accurately speaking, the Odd Keystone. He couldn't help but focus on her, and with good reason too. After what he heard earlier today, he was left with a lot to think about.

"Don't forget...listen to me. That's the important part."

Spiritomb's good eye widened as she gasped. She calmed down some before nodding obediently. "I will...I promised him too, after all."

Knowing what Spiritomb referred to made Duncan even more unsound. He wished that he could just forget it all, wished that it never happened. But sadly, reality didn't allow him that luxury. Instead, he had to focus on right now. Even so, he couldn't help but feel fixated on the Odd Keystone that housed a problem Pokémon whose feelings he didn't think up until now.

"Caw! Caw!"

The sound of constant caws filled the air. Duncan immediately brushed his ideals aside and ducked in the shadows of the tree. Several Murkrow came down, roosting around the tree that had Honey slathered on its bark. Some were bold enough to peck at it for a sample. When they did, others brushed them aside to get some licks in the substance. It didn't take long before the entire trunk was surrounded by ravenous birds trying to get something edible.

Within the frenzy of raven feathers, Duncan kept a stern eye on them. 'A flock of Murkrow. Then that must mean...'

A dark shadow in the sky glided over the tree. Many of Murkrow tensed up and looked up to see a far larger crow coming down for them. As he descended, the Murkrow fell silent and immediately backed off from the buffet.

Duncan's eyes widened. 'I knew it...Honchkrow!'

Honchkrow flapped slowly in front of the substance, glaring at it like it was contaminated. The other Murkrow were silent, but one was able to speak up and fly a little closer. "H-Here's some food we've found, Boss." He quipped nervously, curving his beak into a nervous smile. "I-it's not what you've wanted, but it's convenient, right...?"

Honchkrow hummed before rolling his eyes at the Murkrow, sending a shiver down his spine. He waited for hopefully a merciful praise, but he was suddenly pushed to the ground below, a sharp talon clutching his head. The other Murkrow gasped and fell silent in fear as Honchkrow held himself high over the misfortunate avian.

"Hmph, I ask you lot to bring me back food, and this is what I get?" He glared at the Honey on the tree that was freshly licked, the shot them all a glare. "You worthless bunch. Next time, I promise to be far less understanding if you mishear me." He turned towards the Murkrow beneath him. "And as for you..."

"Eh...?" Murkrow felt the talon ease up on his head...but then pressed down harder, nearly crushing his large gap. His squawking was like a cry of agony.

"A little advice: When talking to your Boss...try to show just a little dignity. Though I will give you points for trying, but don't open your beak unless I say you can...understand?"

Murkrow tapped a wing on the ground and nodded the best he could. Honchkrow maliciously smirked before allowing his lackey some slack. He watched him fly up to meet the flock with a distraught look in his eyes. Honchkrow glared up at the rest of the numbers.

"The rest of you! Bring me real grub before it rains! Less you want your feathers being decorations for a crown! Go!"

The Murkrow spread their wings and cawed loudly. They all took flight and ascended back into the cloudy night sky. As they all left to do their job, Honchkrow huffed and turned towards the Honey. "Hmph, useless bunch...guess this will do." He glided towards the nectar and proceeded pecking and licking the substance to sustain himself.

While this was all happening, Duncan was eyeing up Honchkrow with his back turned. He needed to be careful. He knew Honchkrow was perceptive. If he was going to strike, he needed to do so fast. He gripped the leather on his Elfen Forja so tight that it made his knuckles white.

"Hmmm..." Honchkrow grunted lowly, seemingly minding his own business. He glanced at his surroundings and took notice o something peculiar about the rock at sat close to the Honey slathering the rock beside it. His red eyes seemed interested, if not very...irritated about something.

'Now!'

Duncan activated the lightning gear on his Elfen Forja, turning around to face the tree ready to swing...but much to his shock, Honchkrow wasn't there. It was like he vanished into thin air. His eyes widened in disbelief. 'What?!'

"Behind you!"

Duncan's eyes widened when he heard Spiritomb's cry from the Odd Keystone. He felt a shiver run down his spine when he glanced back, seeing something perched on a branch above his head. Piercing red eyes ogled him with no mercy.

"A little advice." Honchkrow opened his beak, unleashing an intense Dark Pulse that bolted down onto Duncan. Be countered by using his staff to bunt and hold off the attack's direct impact as he was shoved out of the underbrush into the open.

Duncan grunted as his weapon was sizzling from the impact, but his muscles cramped from barely keeping it held up as it was against that blow. Honchkrow flew out into the open, looking down at his former superior.

"If you're going to sneak up on a Dark-type such as myself, you're gonna have to be a lot more subtle about it. You and her right there."

Beside Duncan, Spiritomb emerged from her Odd Keystone, frowning heavily as she stayed closely to her trainer as he held his staff closely.

"Hmph! I thought I heard a noise disturbing my meditation." Emerging from the woods on everyone's left, Medicham suddenly appeared, looking displeased and focused. "So, we were followed I see."

"Seems so..." Emerging from underbrush nearby, Gastrodon raised his head and sluggishly sauntered his way out into the open.

Duncan regained his composure and closed his eyes, scoffing half amused. "So I guess those other guildmembers were useful after all. Guess that saves me the trouble of hunting you all down."

"Hm?" Medicham noticed trees and bushes moving nearby. Her eyes widened when she recognized a massive shell that rocked every time it moved. Emerging from the forest, Torterra stomped on the ground, grunting lowly.

Gastrodon looked towards his side, seeing Magmortar step out with arm cannons at the ready.

Duncan opened his eyes, showing a renewed sense of pride with an Ultra Ball and Poke Ball in hand. "So, how do you want to do this?"

Honchkrow sneered in delight. "Seems like someone didn't learn their lesson from before...this will be entertaining."


Just outside the confines of Magnolia, many Pokémon that had recently escaped were minding their own business. Some even started making small nests, and some were out hunting for anything edible. One Teddiursa in particular had a growling stomach, which made her groan in displeasure.

"Hmm...I better find some humans that have food. Maybe there's a trail nearby..." Her thought process went on mute when she noticed a very strong, sweet smell in the air. She lifted her head, smelling the air for this peculiar scent that made her mind go blank.

As if like a possessed mon, she closed her eyes and sauntered out of the forest, the corners of her mouth dripping saliva. Not far behind her, maybe others were just as possessed. Venonat, Blitzle, Makuhita, Slakoth, Shroomish; many Pokémon of shapes and sizes followed their sense of small in large numbers and moved out of the woods.

They closed in around Magnolia's borders, where if any were conscious enough, they would have been able to make out the magenta pixilated lettering inscribed around the city's limits.

When the Teddiursa's nose felt like it was going to fall off from being so close to the delectable smell, she stepped through the barrier, causing a slight deflection of pink. The moment her two feet sat foot, her hazy eyes returned to being normal.

"H-huh? Wait...wasn't I just in the woods a minute ago? And wait, what happened?" She looked around, recognizing Magnolia. "Home?"

As many Pokémon were walking through like possessed zombies, they met a similar realization. Slowly but surely, one by one, they came through looking distraught, only to have epiphanies of what they had done the past day. The numbers gradually arose, and many were quick to realize what had happened.

"We're...we're back in town." A Whismur muttered. "But...I thought I smelled something sweet, like Mary's pies...where are they?"

A Caterpie looked around, his head turning towards something up ahead. "Uh, you mean that?"

Many of the Pokémon that came to their senses turned to realize what drew them in. Up in the air, Nic was in a Normal/Flying Form, his body giving off a pink, sweet aroma that was visible, via Sweet Scent. With his wing, he projected the aroma outwards across a far distance in waves miles around. Behind the crowd of Pokémon, even more were sauntering their way through the barrier, gradually regaining their train of thought.

Amongst these Pokémon was Droy's Weepinbell and Jet's Swellow, the two blinking and realizing they were back in town. "Huh...?"

"Guys, you're back!" Jet and Droy had their arms out wide for their Pokémon to rush back to them. They embraced them with comedic tears running down their faces.

"Ohh, Weepinbell! Here I thought we almost lost you!" Droy whimpered.

"Yeah, don't freak us out like that again!" Jet quipped, hugging his Swellow tight, much to her chagrin.

"It's working! All the Pokémon are actually coming back to Magnolia!" Romeo observed with wide eyes as he saw dozens of Pokémon cross the Enchantment.

"Hell yeah! At this rate, we'll have all the town's Pokémon back in no time!" Wakaba cheered.

Nic was continuing to spread his Sweet Scent's radius, hoarding hundreds of Pokémon within the vicinity. Even as Mest was teleporting back the Pokémon that were far from range, he didn't let up.

Likewise, in East Forest, Greninja leaped from tree to tree, using his tongue to swing as he held an open Honey jar in his webbed hands. Pokémon such as Combee and Aipom raced to follow him back towards Magnolia

Across the skies, Charizard, Garchomp, and Staraptor were carrying of the substance to lure the aerial Pokémon within the confines of Nic's Sweet Scent. As soon as his own scent took over, the rest was history. That went without say for the case of Kecleon and Arbok as they scouted the forest floor, luring them in a familiar fashion, only to be met with a similar fate amongst the rogue inhabitants.

"Coooo!" Junior cooed happily as he clung to his mother's back. He looked to be having fun, despite the serious situation.

"Keep your head down, Junior. Don't bring it up until I say!" Staraptor hollered from below. Thankfully, Junior got the message and snuggled into her feathers. Normally, he was way more of a hassle to calm down, but Staraptor chose to focus on keeping the Honey jar between her talons and bring the flocks of Pokémon from behind into the vicinity.

"How much more of this?" Garchomp grunted at his intense speeding through the atmosphere.

"Soon, let's just keep going!" Charizard exclaimed.

Nic continued flapping his wings, sending huge waves of Sweet Scent through the atmosphere. He didn't let up, even as the clouds grew darker. 'Just a little more...'


A pair of binoculars with shimmering lenses revealed the hordes of Pokémon that were being drawn into the area, just like Nic planned. Shiin continued watching the scene from his usual position where he would always observe Nic when he was training. For the time being, it served well for a vantage point to observe and record everything that was happening on a wide scale.

CLICK! CLICK! CLICK!

His camera went off as the new chip he got sent just before the mission started was already being run dry. Shots of Mest teleporting, magic levels, and the numerous Pokémon to be identified flocked into the distilled imagery. He stopped briefly from doing his job to furrow his brow at the visual disaster.

'It would appear that Nic Pularis' plan is working well in his favor. This is his level of tactical prowess when thinking ahead, it seems.' Shiin watched as the numbers kept increasing in sight. 'If the Magic Council had established an executive order, they would have taken days to find every procured Pokémon. But Nic was able to shorthand the effort, using product from the other world to quicken the search.'

To a certain degree, Shiin would have respected this level of thinking. It wasn't the worst way of going about it, but at the same time, it didn't do him any favors. In fact, it made him all the more ambitious.

'But still, unauthorized usage of any magic items like this would have to be put through a regulation protocol. It would have taken hours, if not days to finalize such an order. These mages sought to take matters into their own hands without any legal position otherwise. This must be how stagnant the Fiore branch had become to allow their mages to use their magic and rely on other humans for means of achieving their missions.' He frowned heavily. 'No matter how anyone may see it, there will still be dire repercussions from this route taken. The evidence is all too clear at this point. Even if you cure them of this so-called brainwashing, there's no proof that everyone will come to accept it. Many have already been hurt in the process. However you see it, this country is in peril because of its inability to have such reliable allies.'

"Free!"

An all-too-familiar chirp made Shiin furrow his brow. He sighed out his nostrils and lowered his chin. "I see that you clearly cannot read the air."

Above him, Butterfree chirped as he fluttered onto his position on the tree branch above him. He looked down at Shiin and seemed fairly invested in what was happened.

"As much as I...found your placement last night convenient, I do not believe that you have such a place to intrude on a mage's business. Especially not after what your kind has done."

"Free?" Butterfree chirped in a higher pitch.

Shiin glanced up, trying to contain a groan. "You can say or make whatever claims you wish, but you are not entitled to such a thing. Your kind had left a grievous stain upon this nation. How do you think we intend to take compensation?"

"Free!" Butterfree moved his antennae, as if conveying something.

Shiin scoffed. "Frankly, I don't know why I even bother interacting with you anymore. It's not within my jurisdiction to mingle with the likes of you." As he was about to resume his observations, he realized something. 'Hold on. If all Pokémon across the country had turned on the humans, how come this one didn't?' He thought about the attack on Magnolia and the trainers' Pokémon he had to quell.

'Is it possible that it was only Pokémon that were caught by these humans that are being affected? If that really were the case, that would explain why this one isn't attacking me now. Is it possible...that whatever is transpiring, it's specifically targeting humans with Pokémon? If so, why not also the wild ones?'

A low thunder boomed above. Shiin looked up and noticed the air getting deeply humid and winds began picking up.

'It's about to storm.'


Staryu's core flashed red as it spun in the air. Golden stars shot down onto Lucy as she held her whip. With a swift swing, she whipped the stars, making a golden explosion erupt above her. Staryu blinked again as if to show its surprise.

"Just because some attacks can't miss, doesn't mean that I can't still block them!" Lucy shouted. She lashed out another strike at Staryu, causing the starfish to back off before it could hit its mark.

On Lucy's left, she heard the familiar sound of metal clinging. She reacted fast enough to see Klefki beaming right for her with her keyhole puckered up for a Draining Kiss. Lucy backpedaled as Klefki flew right past her.

"Oh no you don't!" Lucy swung her arm back and lashed her whip out towards Klefki. It snaked its way towards her key ring and got a small but firm snare in the loop.

"Eeeh?!" Klefki turned around, her eyes wide with shock.

"You're not getting away a third time!"

Lucy pulled on the whip, but Klefki refused to give in. Her stubbornness for keys was unlike anything she's ever seen. She and Klefki were caught in a tug-o-war match with both sides straining to get the other to let go. Lucy tightened her grip on the whip and pulled as hard as her muscles could allow her. Klefki was like a fish at the end of a line that was trying to get unhooked while buzzing around in place.

'Geez, she's really stubborn!' Lucy gritted her teeth. A red light flashed behind her as she realized something. 'Oh no! I forgot about Staryu!'

BEEPBEEP! Staryu pointed its top at Lucy's back, unleashing a blast of blue bubbles in a compressed path into her. They struck her back, making small explosions that buffered her and made her lose momentum.

"Gah!"

With the distraction, Klefki's grunts grew in pitches. She gave one final tug with Lucy's momentum against her. She pulled the mage towards her and undid her key ring. She grabbed Lucy's free hand and twisted her body.

"Foul Play!"

She spun around and threw Lucy into the ground below. The blonde mage slammed onto her side with a pained grunt that didn't sound too pleasing to many ears.

"Lucy!" Wendy shouted. She wanted to undo her wall of wind to go help her, but if she did, Klefki and Staryu would immediately use the opportunity to escape father away from them.

"D-don't worry. I'm just fine..." Lucy panted, sitting back up. Her face was smeared by dirt from the faceplant before, but she ignored it with a straight face. "I won't...lose to them again!"

"Hmph! The only way you're ever going to lay even a filthy finger on these keys now, is if you prey them from my cold, dead, locks!" Klefki drifted above Lucy, her horn giving off a metallic sheen and white outline. "Metal Sound!"

Lucy's eyes widened. She covered her ears and braced herself before high-pitched soundwaves shot at her, keeping her detained in rings of metallic, shimmering waves of sound. A sharp blue aura engulfed her outlining to show a Special Defense depletion.

BEEP! Staryu fired a powerful stream of saltwater from its top point, directing the pressure into Lucy while she was down. She was doused in the stream that kept her from making any advances. All that could be heard were constant grunts as she used her forearms to shield herself from the saltwater that burnt her scrapes.

"This is bad! Carla!" Wendy shouted.

Carla nodded. "Right." She was ready to transform and help out Lucy, but something caught her eye. "Wendy, behind you!"

Wendy gasped and turned around. To her shock, she found many of Pokémon that were emerging from the underbrush. Many of them were a sum of Poochyena, Rattata, and some Fomantis. There were others like Zigzagoon who growled in displeasure.

"More Pokémon?! But I thought it was only Lucy's in this area!" Wendy exasperated.

"It is. It must be the wild Pokémon native here. They must have sniffed out the Honey as well." Carla looked down at the Honey jar in her paws. 'Nic did warn us it attracts large numbers.'

Wendy saw the Pokémon getting dangerously close. They looked disturbed, if not hungry. "Um...good Pokémon...?"

A wild Poochyena snarled as she glared at Wendy. She sprung after her to attack. She was quickly met with a cold wind that sent her flying back through the forest, along with other Pokémon that were light on their feet.

Wendy looked over towards her helper at hand. "Amaura!"

Amaura let out a small huff, exhaling a frosting sigh that diffused through the air. She had bright blue eyes as she stood between the wild Pokémon and Wendy. "It's okay, Wendy! I'll protect you! You help your friends!" She careened her head back, her maw glowing bright blue again before firing another Icy Wind into the wild Pokémon that drew too close.

"Thanks!" Wendy smiled. She wasn't sure if it was because Amaura was freed from her brainwashing thanks to the Enchantment, or because she didn't have to work as hard to maintain focus. Either way, Wendy was just glad she could do her part without having to look over her shoulder again. 'Looks like Freed's Enchantment really did work. Amaura is back to her old self again!'

Lucy was another story entirely. Soundwaves and saltwater kept putting pressure to keep her pinned down. She grunted heavily as she was barely able to stand up before the pressure intensified. It was taking everything alone just to keep herself from slipping in the wet grass. 'Klefki...Staryu...'

"Listen...I'm not sure of what they said to you, but don't think about that right now. All that matters right now is getting them back the way they were. We'll figure out the rest later."

What Natsu said to her earlier arose in her mind. She couldn't allow herself to feel distracted by such setbacks any longer. 'Natsu...that's right. I promised him...that I would be in the games this year. Besides, I'm a Fairy Tail mage. I can't...I won't be beaten again!'

That's when she sprung an idea. If Klefki wouldn't give her keys back and outmaneuvering her was impossible, she had to focus on the next best thing. By that, that meant Staryu.

'Only one shot at this. Let's see if it'll work!' With all her strength, Lucy reached her arm out beside the Brine's range and lashed a liquid whip after Staryu. With it so focused on holding down Lucy with its attack, it couldn't react when the whip's end suddenly lassoed around its top point.

BEEP?

"HRAAAAH!" Lucy brought her arm back, then slung it towards her other side. The momentum raced along the rope like a wave and reached Staryu, picking it off the ground and hauling it into Klefki's side. The surprise attack from her side caused Klefki to stop her attack, letting out a cry of shock as the lack of balance made her loop become unhinged for a second.

But that one second was all Lucy needed. A single Zodiac key became undone and was in freefall.

'There!' With adrenaline picking back in, Lucy lashed her whip at the key. The end snaked around it and pulled it back just before Klefki could swoop for it at the last second.

"My key!" Klefki shrieked.

The whip retracted back to Lucy, along with the key. Once the key was back in her hand, she clutched it tight and brought it down.

"Open: Gate of the Lion – Loke!"

Appearing before her, Loke manifested with his suave appearance once more. He smirked as he stood before his master and friend once again. "Somebody call?"

"You bet I did! Now..." Lucy pointed the key to her chest, covering her own flesh and clothing in a radiant golden. "Star Dress: Leo Form!" The glow faded, revealing her in her eloquent black dress with golden edging. Her hair was tied in a neat bud, and she stood beside Loke in classy black heels.

Staryu was still reeling from being thrown into Klefki, but the latter was fidgeting in a mixture of horror and surprise.

"Alright, Loke. You ready?" Lucy brought back a leg, ready to take off.

"Just say the word, Lucy. I'm ready when you are."

"Good! Then let's knock some sense into them!" She raced up towards Klefki, with Loke not far behind her.

"N-no..." Klefki shuddered, her mind starting to shut down. The only resounding thought she had to act on was her instincts to hold onto her keys. "Gimme! Gimme that key!" In a hurry, she darted straight for Lucy with blind desperation.

"You want it so bad?!" Lucy shouted. "Take it! But you're gonna take this with it!"

Klefki closed the gap and bolted solemnly for the key in Lucy's hand. She was so diluted onto that subject that she was blindsided by the golden aura surrounding Lucy's heel that swung around. A similar aura enveloped Loke's fist as he went for Staryu.

"Regulus Lucy Kick!"

"Regulus Impact!"

The kick and fist met their marks, hitting Klefki and Staryu in their centers with pure light. Both Pokémon were blinded alongside a sheer amount of pain. They were sent flying into the air over their heads before spiraling down in a frenzy. They dropped into the dirt harshly while Lucy and Loke held their poses.

They saw the dust settle, revealing Klefki with spirals in her two eyes. Staryu's core blinked on and off, signaling its own unconscious condition.

"Alright! We did it!" Lucy cheered. She and Loke turned to each other and high-fived with bright smiles.

"That did the trick alright. Nice work."

Lucy winked. "Couldn't have done it without you."

Soon, the wind wall Wendy generated began deteriorating. With Lucy having won her battle, Amaura kept the wild Pokémon at bay by continuing to blast cold air. Carla joined Wendy as they went to console Lucy.

"That was amazing, Lucy! You really did it!" Wendy congratulated with a bright smile.

"Thanks, Wendy. And thanks for keeping them confined like that. It'd be a pain to go and look for them again at this hour." Lucy sighed. "Man, I'd sure hate to think what would happen if that were the case."

"We'll worry about the 'what ifs' another time. Right now, we need to get back to the guild and heal them up, pronto." Carla noted.

Lucy frowned, giving them a serious nod. "Right." She looked down at Klefki and Staryu, feeling a small sting in her heart from what she had to do to get them to be undone by the brainwashing. 'I'm really sorry guys, hopefully you'll understand.'


Hail rained down over Gray and Juvia's head. Snover's Snow Warning activated, but they chose to focus on the battle

"Ice-Make: Thieving Hand!" Gray made a long sleeve of ice that turned into a hand. It gradually grew as it was aimed for Snover.

"I got this!" Snover dove in front of Snover, his jaws glowing brightly. With his Bite, he bit into the oncoming hand right in the center. It immediately broke apart with heavy crunching sounds from Snorunt's ice-filled appetite.

Gray looked barely amused as he watched the ice get chewed up. "Should have figured you would just eat my ice like that."

Once all the ice was chewed up, Snorunt sighed out, looking refreshed. "Ah~, that was a nice snack..."

"Razor Leaf!" Snover's leafy hands glowed bright green and swayed them towards either side. Several sharp, glowing leaves spun in a funnel and darted right for Gray. To Snover's shock, all Gray did was stand there with his arm out, and froze the leaves in place with ice.

"I can do a lot more than just make ice, you know. I can freeze anything."

"Except us!" Snorunt prodded. "An Ice-type can't freeze! So good luck trying to keep us from getting away this time when I still got room in my belly!"

Gray mischievously smirked. "Funny you say that..." Gray held up his arm, frost and mist seeping from it as the air solidified into a purplish ice. "Because last I checked, you can't chew up Devil Slayer Ice too well, right?"

Snorunt's confidence fell to the pit of his gut. He kept his mouth shut and shuffled away.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Now, who wants some?" Gray looked on as he saw his Pokémon glare daggers at him. They weren't going down without a fight, but this time, neither was he.

"Water Slicer!"

Juvia swatted her arm across, projecting sharp blades of water at her Pokémon in the falling hail. Wartortle stepped in front and created a turquoise forcefield, protecting him and his comrades behind him from the blades of water. When they stopped, Vaporeon and Azumarill stepped of to the side to counter.

"Aurora Beam!"

"Play Rough!"

A dark orb appeared in front of Vaporeon as she careened her head around and back. She reared on her hindlegs and anchored herself as she fired a concentrated black and green beam directed at Juvia. Azumarill hopped as she darted right for Juvia.

Juvia stood readily with a magic seal ready.

"Water Cyclone!"

She unleashed a circular torrent of water at astounding pressure through the cold air. The attack rushed into the Aurora Beam, managing to overpower it. It ate its way through the beam and into Azumarill, who was unable to escape the wake of the attack. She was swept up in it and hurled past Wartortle and Vaporeon. She fell onto her back with a thud.

"Are you alright?" Wartortle worried.

Azumarill grunted, but the hail's effects kicked in. Hail pelted their bodies, causing them to cringe. Juvia also cringed, but persevered.

"You alright?" Gray glanced over at her, frowning in worry.

Juvia kept her eyes forward, focused on her Pokémon. "It's fine. This hail doesn't hurt too bad. Besides, it shouldn't last much longer."

Gray turned back forward. "Alright, sure. Let's hurry this up then."

"Right. Then just like we planned."

"Denied." Bergmite noted. The part where a mouth would be glowed, via Bite. He and Snorunt used their glowing fangs to attack Gray, but he was able to jump away and avoid their harsh bites. "We stop you. Snover. Execute. Please."

"You got it!" Snover waddled up, his leafy hand glowing bright green. He cleared his throat as took a deep breath.

Gray's eyes widened. He realized what was coming next. 'Crap, it's time! It's Grass Whistle!'

Snover exhaled into his glowing arm, which projected an eerie, high-pitched melody that was focused on Gray. The lullaby loomed through the air around the vicinity, but nobody else seemed affected. Juvia had her hands covering her ears to avoid the range, but Gray was not as fortunate as he tried covering his ears, but he hunched over and dropped to a knee.

It didn't take too much longer for the notes to kick in. Gray found his entire being slowing down, until finally, his eyelids started getting heavy. "Damnit...here we go again..." He gradually fell to the ground, falling fast asleep before everyone's eyes.

'Gray...' Juvia gritted her teeth, trying to keep her conscience. With her focus off, she was taken back when Wartortle's rapid shell zoomed right for her. Trying to not fall asleep, the Rapid Spin made its mark in her abdomen, knocking the wind out of her for a moment. She coughed loudly as she dropped to a knee.

Wartortle retreated, striking a pose. "That takes care of one. That just leaves one more to handle."

"Looks to me that there's too many Rattata for this Meowth to case, am I right?" Azumarill eerily chimed. She eyed Juvia with a hardy chuckle. "I just love playing games. It's so much fun than being by yourself...but I think Vaporeon may have brought a point. You focus a lot on your mate don't you? That's what you're doing right now. No wonder why you're not very fun to us anymore."

Juvia's eyes widened. She barely heard them through the echoes of Snover's tune, but she knew that whatever they said was starting to get to her. But as much as it made her blood boil, she had to remember why she was here. 'No...don't listen to them! It's just their brainwashing talking is all!' She looked down at Gray as he was still laying on the ground, his hands covering his ears. 'Gray...'

Snover eventually let up, finally taking a breather and sighed. "Okay...that should do it."

"Great! Let's hurry and get out of here...again!" Snorunt chimed. He turned with the others and readied to rush for the nearest weakpoint within Gray's ice barrier.

However, unbeknownst to many of them, they could barely see it, but there was a very small curve in Juvia's lips...and Gray's.

"Freedom and icy homeland, here we co~uuurrrrgh!" Snorunt's proud claims turned to gurgles as he, Bergmite, and Snover found themselves suspended above the ground. What surprised them more was how they were collected in bubbles of water that trapped them. They found their own air cut off, leaving them with only what oxygen that had when they were taking their last breaths.

"Huh?!" Azumarill looked shocked before turning her head back towards Juvia. "Hey! What're you doing that for?! I thought we were your opponents?!"

While instigating her Water Lock, Juvia looked confident. Hail continued coming down, but she took it in stride against her body. "I don't believe there was a rule about that, was there?"

"Wha...?" Before she could finish, she, Vaporeon, and Wartortle all went wide-eyed when an icy-cold wave of air ran past them. When it faded, it revealed all three frozen solid in what looked like demonic ice sheets.

Snover's eyes widened at the display. 'Ice? That can't be! But I thought I...?' He looked down at where Gray was. He looked even more stunned when he saw how he was back on his feet already. 'No way! Did he really wake up so soon?'

"Thought you guys had me there, didn't you?" Gray smirked with his low tone. He gradually lifted his hands from his ears, revealing something that left another epiphany for Snover. Around his ears were headphones that were made of ice. The look on their faces were priceless enough to make Gray even more related. "I don't fall for the same trick twice. If you guys knew me well by now, you would know that."

Snover, Bergmite, and Snorunt were silent. They couldn't say anything. They were conserving whatever air they had left so they wouldn't drown in Juvia's aquatic prisons.

"It's true that Ice-types don't freeze, but the same can't be said about Water-types. And you guys aren't good swimmers either." Gray glanced over at Juvia. "Ready, Juvia?"

Juvia nodded. "Right, let's finish this!"

Gray concentrated Magic Power to his hands once more. The air around him solidified to demonic ice once more. The bright energy erupted into a searing ethereal blade that he had sheathed and aimed for Juvia's Pokémon. Meanwhile, Juvia's body flourished with cyclones of water with pink hearts caught up in the wake. They darted past each other towards the other's Pokémon.

"Ice Devil's Zeroth Long Sword!"

"Wings of Love!"

Gray rushed past Juvia's frozen Pokémon with a lightning-speed slash. His blade of Devil Slayer ice slashed open the ice prisons trapping them, only to swallow them in spikes of ice. The ice shattered, and the Pokémon were left suspended. Juvia unleashed a whirlpool of neon pink hearts at Snover, Bergmite, and Snorunt that swept them out of their traps and smashed them into the ice wall, causing cracks to appear.

Gray and Juvia adjusted their stances as they stood back up. All six Pokémon fell to the ground at the same time with harsh thuds. They all had swirls in their eyes to show that they were all knocked unconscious.

Gray reached up to his ears and undid the ice headphones. He turned towards Juvia and gave a reliant grin. "Well, that worked out. Good job."

Juvia turned towards him, lovingly smiling. "Thanks, my darling."

Gray looked back at her Pokémon, his grin fading to a frown. "Sorry if I went a little too harsh on them. I was worried they would break them out somehow."

Juvia shook her head dismissively. "No, no. It's alright, really. You've made the right call. Besides, Mest might have been teleporting others right now for all we know...I think this was the best call." Juvia frowned. In truth, she really wanted to avoid a fight altogether. In retrospect, it should have been possible. But a part of her didn't want what happened last night to go without some form of rectification. She needed to feel some measure of confidence in herself with Gray. This plan they came up with to double cross their Pokémon was the only way to show that resolve. 'If Gray was willing to trust me to deal with his beloved Pokémon...he must really trust me after all.'

Gray looked towards the sky, seeing the dark clouds with deep sounds of rumbling. "We should hurry and call Warren. Tell him to send Mest here and pick us up."

Juvia nodded. "Right."


Elfman and Machoke let out wild battle cries as their fists met in the center. The impact of their punches created a shockwave that made the air rumble as harshly as the skies above. The two were in a serious deadlock as they tried to overpower the other.

Machoke clenched his right fist embedded with Strength and slugged it forward. Elfman caught it with his spare hand, putting them in a brief stalemate yet again. Their eyes beamed into the other with ferocious intentions as their fangs bared.

Eventually, the two backed off a step gathered their bearings. It only took a second, but Elfman recovered faster and threw another punch across Machoke's face. The impact would have knocked anyone out, but Machoke took it and brought a glowing arm back, via Brick Break. He landed a blow on Elfman's forearms that he used to block. The impact sent an airwave through the limb, signaling a critical hit.

Elfman slid only a couple inches back, but he persevered and gnashed his teeth,

Machoke jumped away, scoffing. "Hmph, I've gotta say, you put up a much better tussle than any other humans I've come across. Guess you're worth the effort after all. Finally, something that's close to a challenge!"

"Is that all you ever see anything? Just challenges you have to overcome?" Elfman questioned.

Machoke scoffed. "What kind of a question is that? Listen, either you see everything as a challenge and overcome it to get stronger, or stay put where you are. You really think that I'll settle with the latter?" Machoke flexed, showing off his biceps. "Look at these! You really think I got these just from taking things easy? Strength comes to those to reach for it. Anything stands in your way, you have to make a choice. Do I believe the merit is worth it?" His eyes narrowed. "Yes, of course I do."

Elfman held up his balled fists. "Even if it's worth treading over your friends and others like they were your playthings?" He thought back to when Machoke evolved from Machop. "We worked hard together to get to where we are today, and you evolved because of the efforts we put into the process. So now that you think you're better than better...means you can throw that all away?!"

In his rage, Elfman threw a powerful blow into Machoke. He held out one hand and stopped the punch cold. Dust rippled across the ground all around them. His eyes widened when he saw his own attack get stopped.

"...yes, I can." Machoke answered in a cold, ruthless tone. "A real man doesn't rely on anyone but his own strength to show his worth. This world we live in, it relies heavily on strength, does it not? The stronger the mage, the better your status, or something like that? Well I aim for the top and nothing lower. And not you nor your sentiments will stand in my way!"

He clutched Elfman's arm with both arms and fastened his hold. He took a heel off the ground and sprung into the air, dragging Elfman with him. Machoke spun around heavily before twisting his frame, throwing Elfman down over his shoulder.

"Seismic Toss!"

With a furious battle cry, Elfman was lung down towards the ground with a loud thud. An eruption of dust exploded right in front of Rhyhorn, who stood a safe distance away. As he watched Machoke descend, his head glowed bright orange before firing four rounds of silver energy at him. Machoke grunted and used his forearms to block the four rock-like projectiles that met their mark. They exploded into bright smoke, but Machoke repulsed back towards the ground without so much as a scratch.

"Hmph, guess you really don't have a brain, do you? Rock-types aren't a good match against Fighting-types. And here's why!" He leaned forward, springing after Rhyhorn with a bright, orange-red aura engulfing his body. "And here's why!"

Rhyhorn's eyes widened as he saw Machoke draw closer. His instincts took over as he went to charge in and attack head-on. He raised a heel for a Stomp, but Machoke beat him to it with his Revenge landing an intensive blow right into Rhyhorn's exposed underside. His eyes nearly shrank to oblivion as he was sent skyrocketing above the musclebound humanoid and slammed into the ground harshly on his side.

Machoke lowered his fist, scoffing at the efforts they were putting in. "Hmph...pathetic. I was hoping I'd get stronger if I fought someone as tough as you. But if this is all you have to offer, then I guess I'll have to fin someone even stronger." He started walking away from them. "Try again when you've became a real man to me, alright?"

In a blur, the dust behind Machoke shot out something huge that smashed into the ground in the center of the area. The entire area rumbled as Machoke's eyes flew open. He gradually looked over his shoulder back towards the silhouette that had beastly glowing eyes fixed on him.

"What are you talking about? That...was all just a warm-up." Elfman scoffed. "Underestimating your opponents is the biggest mistake you can ever make. If you were a real man, then see through a fight to its end!"

Machoke's pupils shook with shock. 'Impossible...how is he still standing?!'

"Gnnngh..." A low grunt could be heard from Rhyhorn. Machoke turned slightly as saw Rhyhorn gradually stand back up, shaking his head and turning back angrily towards him. The look on Machoke's face was priceless.

Both trainer and Pokémon took hefty stomps forward, snarling menacingly at the Superpower Pokémon. He couldn't believe what he was feeling inside. It wasn't anything bad, but it wasn't something he was used to. The rush of adrenaline was starting to pick up, making him almost insatiable to keep still.

His knuckles clenched so hard that veins were starting to throb. He closed his eyes calmly and inhaled through his nose, and let out a small sneer.

"Heh...alright. You have me there. Guess it wouldn't be so manly of me to run away from such an opportunity. You know, you should be flattered. I normally wouldn't do this for just anybody." As he spoke, he reached down towards his waist. "Guess it's time to show you what true strength really means."

Elfman raised a brow. He looked genuinely confused until he saw where Machoke's hands were going. He sheard metal clanking and fastening of bands. 'What is he...?'

Machoke undid the belt that was around his waist. He held it up for Elfman to bear witness. "You know we Machoke wear these to regulate our power, right? Well now..." He dropped the belt in front. "You're about to see what I am without being truly confined!"

Elfman and Rhyhorn's eyes gradually widened. They saw Machoke's breathing intensify. Veins all over his body started to show as energy and adrenaline spiked a hundred-fold within him. He lurched back, craning his head towards the sky as he let out a wild roar that shook the air as much as a flash of lightning did. He took a single step forward, causing a loud vibration to go beneath the two.

"So this is his power when he's pushed to his limits..." Elfman murmured. He knew he had to be on guard now, especially since No Guard will make Machoke hit whomever stood in his way without fail. He glanced down at Rhyhorn with a serious glare. "Listen, Rhyhorn!"

"Huh?" He looked up at his trainer.

"I know you're not all that smart, but no matter what you do...don't charge! Understand?!" Rhyhorn gave a slow nod. "Good...now, here he comes!"

"HRRRAAAAAH!" Machoke's muscles flexed as he used Strength. He plunged his hands into the earth and gripped it. He pulled his arms up with massive rocks that he threw at both Elfman and Rhyhorn.

"Use Rock Blast!" Elfman shouted.

Rhyhorn complied, his headpiece glowing orange before firing two silver projectiles at the rocks. They met in the center, shattering them upon impact. Machoke roared violently as he charged with his fists glowing brightly with Brick Break. Every step he made left imprints in the ground below as he drew closer.

Elfman gnashed his teeth. 'There's no choice! I have to finish this now!' With as much guts as Machoke, he leaned forward and sprung towards his foe.

Both cried out as they darted for the other. Their eyes showed no means of relenting. They closed the gap until Elfman caught both fists with his palms. The impact sent air through the other ends of them, causing intense pain to where Elfman's palms were almost numb from shock. They were interlocked with deathly glares fixed on each other.

Machoke pushed with all his might, making his arms visibly shake from the pressure he was putting against Elfman. The mage's grip refused to deter, but veins were throbbing from all the force it was taking to keep Machoke at bay. The look in both their eyes showed they refused to give up on their resolves.

"Is that...all you got?!" Machoke roared.

Elfman snarled. He raised a heel and stomped on the ground, kicking himself into the air and dragging Machoke's fists overhead. "Wha-?!"

"Rhyhorn, Bulldoze!"

"Gotcha!" Rhyhorn followed the command. He raised his right foreleg and stomped on the ground. A shockwave ran through the earth in an even diameter that grew towards Machoke.

With his momentum temporarily at a stalemate, the shockwaves ran into Machoke's legs. The impact with his body made him grunt in pain as a blue aura enveloped his body, reducing his Speed.

Elfman gripped Machoke's fists tighter and used them as balance beams. He swung his lower half into Machoke's chest, stamping him into the ground with tremendous force. Machoke's mouth gawked wide open as he cried out in pain.

"You wanna give up now?!" Elfman tested.

Machoke gathered his bearings and gnashed his teeth angrily. "Never!" He pulled a fist back as an orange aura engulfed his body. He slugged Elfman square in his chest, causing his vision to black out for a second. He regained it just as quickly as he slid backwards to a grinding halt in the dirt.

"Brick Break!"

Machoke's arms glowed bright white again as he closed the gap. This time, Elfman chose not to block. Instead, he rushed in with fists clenched and met the punch with his own. The impact caused an airwave to travel across the ground, making a pulse that made the top layer of earth crumble away.

Blow for blow, Elfman and Machoke parried each other. No matter how fast the other was, their fists always met the other's. White bursts of flurries took up the space between them as their fists were flying as fast as the nearby rocks and surroundings were.

Staying a safe distance away, Rhyhorn grunted as he held his ground. He really wanted to strike. He really did, but he narrowed his eyes at what he remembered.

"I know you're not all that smart, but no matter what you do...don't charge! Understand?!"

'Don't charge. Whatever I do, do not charge...' Rhyhorn repeated that in his head. He had too. He knew this might be the only chance they get. He had to ensure that they get the one shot they need to finish Machoke.

"GRAAAAH!" Machoke flew his fist into Elfman with everything he had. When Elfman caught the fist by the wrist with two hands, he was taken back.

"I told you before, you want real strength? Well doing it all by yourself will only get you so far. So let me show you...my strength!"

Machoke gnashed his teeth and pulled his left arm back to punch, but Elfman beat him to it and twisted his body, hurling Machoke into the air. With him off the ground, he spread his legs and held up his left arm, showing his Z-Ring.

"Alright, Rhyhorn! Now, let's go!" Elfman crossed his arms, causing a bright brown aura to engulf him. That same energy flourished around Rhyhorn, making him spread his heels. Elfman struck a pose with his hand pressed against the ground. It felt weird doing so in his Take-Over, but he put up with it and continued infusing the Z-Power into Rhyhorn.

Machoke cried out as he was trying to adjust himself in the air.

"TECTONIC RAGE!"

Rhyhorn's eyes glinted for a moment before he let out a wild cry through the dark hue surrounding them. He raised his forelegs and stamped the earth. A fissure opened up beneath him that he bored into. He dove deep into to as the fissure expanded beneath Machoke, who fell straight into it. Infused with Z-Power aura, Rhyhorn bored through the tight space, shredding earth as he escalated after the descending humanoid.

Machoke refused to go down without a fight. He pulled back his fist infused with Strength and readied to sling it onto Rhyhorn, but the quadruped attacker was too fast for him, due to his reduced Speed.

'No...I'm not fast enough! NO!'

Time slowed down as Rhyhorn was about to make his mark. Fere inches away from Machoke's defiant and steadfast glare, he had a sudden spark. It may have been true that he wasn't very bright, but he remembered what happened before he was freed from brainwashed. How Machoke spoke poorly of him.

His eyes narrowed. "...I'll show you dumb! HRAH!" With all his might, he stabbed Machoke's chest with his horn, making the Z-Power shimmer before exploding into a shockwave that went up thr fissure.

"GRAAAAAAAAAHHH~!" Machoke's cries of pain howled through the explosion of earth and terra that were blown away by the force of Rhyhorn's attack.

In a matter of minutes, the wake of the attacks settled. The fissure was closed up, with only a small fault line as indication of what was left. Both Rhyhorn and Elfman panted as a wave of dust went past them. They stood beside one another as their guards eased up at the sight before them.

There, meters away embedded in the side of a large boulder, Machoke was imprinted into the bedrock. His entire body had dirt and scrapes all over. But what they were focused on, was how his eyes were swirls to indicate his unconscious condition.

"Hmph, whoever said that we were friends? It's every 'mon for himself! Only the strongest 'mon can handle themselves!"

Elfman undid his Take-Over, returning to his original state. He frowned heavily, but beamed with pride. "There isn't any shame in leaning on others for strength. That's something a real man would accept."

Rhyhorn raised his head high, letting out a triumphant roar.


Seel's body erupted with water before lunging after Dereece in a high-pressured bullet.

'That's Aqua Jet! Gotta act fast!' Dereece thought hastily before swiping his arm to the side. "Yanma, quick! Quick Attack!"

Yanma hummed before thin bright energy outlined her body. She shot in a straight line at a higher angle and met Seel's attack head-on. The two were put in a stalemate in midair as their heads collided, with neither backing off from equal strength. However, with her Attack lowered, Yanma found her momentum quickly depleting.

"BITE!" A loud, monstrous cry came from Gyarados as he lunged past Seel and Yanma. They separated just before they could end up in his path towards Joey. His fangs glowed bright white as he closed the gap fast on him.

Joey fastened his stance as he clenched one fist and held out the other, concentrating Magic Power in front of him.

"Barrier-Make: Barrier!"

A turquoise wall of transparent glass appeared in front of Joey just before Gyarados got too close. The Atrocious Pokémon ended up faceplanting against the surface with a loud thud and bright airwaves expelling back in the direction he came from.

"Eat that for supper!" Joey exasperated.

"That's gotta hurt his jaws." Quilladin grimaced. He gathered his composure and noticed something above Gyarados heading their way. "Incoming, from above!"

Using Gyarados' hunched body as footing, Palpitoad leaped off his back and sprung over Joey's barrier, twisting his body to look down at the opponents beneath him. Everyone glanced up and watched as his long, sticky tongue expelled from his mouth as he whipped around, flashing bright brown and lashing several globs of mud raining down onto them.

Joey recognize the strategy and refused to let his Speed fall again. He reached his arm up to command. "Tranquill, we need a shield please!"

"Okay!" Tranquill quipped merrily, if not dutifully. He glided above his allies, using his back to take the barrage of mud globs that pelted the area. As he slowly glided around, he escaped with only partially muddy feathers on his back. He giggled laughably. "Hehe...that kinda tickled."

Palpitoad gurgled a scowl in the air.

Joey stuck his hand out at Palpitoad to direct his next command. "Larvesta, String Shot!"

"You got it, Mama Joey!" Larvesta rocked her body back before hissing loudly. She sent out a long, sticky thread that laced around Palpitoad's right foot. A blue aura enveloped his body, sharply reducing his Speed.

Joey narrowed his eyes and glanced back at Gyarados behind the barrier. "Now! Hurl him into Gyarados!"

"Sorry, Palpy!" Larvesta cooed, letting out a loud cry as she turned her body, dragging the thread with her. Palpitoad followed the tail end of the silky snare and found himself whirled back the way he came.

Joey noticed Gyarados ready to attack again with glowing fangs like before. Instead of defending like before, he instead did the opposite. He dispelled the barrier, allowing Gyarados to fall onto him. He was so focused on trying to tear his trainer in half that he didn't realize the smaller blue amphibian flying in his direction. His hard bumps on his head collided with his snout, causing Gyarados to cringe and freeze in place to register the shock.

'He's faltered. Now for a move that had the Joey spin!' Joey's left brow scrunched, focusing as he swiped an arm at Gyarados and Palpitoad. "Tranquill, Gust! Quilladin, Rollout!"

"Ooooh! I love this one!" Tranquill flapped his wings and ascended above. The wings glowed bright blue and released a powerful windstorm into Gyarados and Palpitoad's wake.

Quilladin smirked. "Oh, here we go again!" He jumped into the air. "Let's do this!" He curled into a ball and began rolling at an accelerated rate in front of the oncoming wind. The wind blew into him, pushing him forward with greater speed than before. He blitzed into both Palpitoad and Gyarados so harshly that the latter felt the impact clean through Palpitoad's body.

Gyarados let out a wild cry of sheer pain as he immediately floored into the earth, making a loud rumble as trees and surrounding wildlife snapped from his hefty physique.

"Nice one, Captain Joey!" Dereece cheered supportively, but focused on the battle. He turned to look back at Heracross. "Alright Heracross, our turn!"

Heracross was so engrossed in licking the Honey off his claw that he barely processed what was going on. He blinked twice, before finally registering Dereece speaking to him. "Huh? You say something?"

Dereece's expression grew deadpan with slacked shoulders. "...seriously?!" he snapped. "Will you put that down and focus on the-?!"

Before he could finish, a large ball of brown mud suddenly shot past him. He froze up on the spot with a startled look as the mud exploded a short distance behind him. He blinked once and turned back towards the culprit.

Stunfisk smiled, cackling menacingly. "Oi, you like that stuff so much? Too bad for you, I'm not as sweet." He chuckled again at his show of a joke.

Dereece turned and reached an arm out at him. "Yanma, quick! Supersonic!" Yanma make a sudden dive out of nowhere, her red aura indicating a Speed increase. She glided above the air separating the two sides and flapped her wings at a faster rate, unleashing a distorted cry with soundwaves heading towards Stunfisk.

Stunfisk hummed as his body faded into the surroundings. The Supersonic seemingly struck the ground than just the intended target.

"Camouflage?" Dereece grunted in annoyance. He knew it was a terrible idea to go stepping around with Stunfisk lying somewhere. For good measure, he activated his magic and got three feet above the ground, "Where could he be...?" He looked around to see where his opponent was, but there were no signs of such.

He did, however, notice Heracross ogling his Honey like it was a prized possession. Dereece groaned with a facepalm.

Tranquill cawed as he flew about in the air. He was avoiding blast of acid by Trubbish, with the purple acidic liquid melting through the tree branches and leaves, The ground sizzled where it all dripped, leaving visible steam marks.

With Trubbish occupied, Joey took the opening. "Quilladin, Rollout!" Quilladin continued rolling in place with even more momentum than before. He suddenly sped off towards Trubbish and Palpitoad.

Palpitoad was able to recover from the last blow dealt, standing up and taking a deep breath. He blew a pressurized beam of bubbles at Quilladin in hopes of slowing him down.

"Barrier-Make: Ball!"

Joey created a round, spherical barrier around Quilladin as he continued through the attack. The bubbles dissipated against the glass surface, with no means of slowing him down. Quilladin rolled in an arch around the destroyed wildlife and paved his way towards Palpitoad. With him too slow, Quilladin shot past him and Trubbish, flooring both of them at the same time. He continued his way towards Gyarados, who recovered and leaped.

"You're mind, Gyarados!"

Gyarados' purple eyes glanced down at the green and brown rolling projectile heading right for him. He leaned back, managing to avoid the rolling glass cannonball.

'He's fast!' Joey thought.

Gyarados sprung forward, his jaws covered in ice for Ice Fang. He snapped down on the glass surrounding Quilladin like a vice and clamped down harshly. The fangs didn't permeate the glass around Quilladin, but Joey could instantly see the effects of Ice Fang living up to its name.

The ice started engulfing the barrier's surface, gradually making Quilladin less visible. 'Shit, if I let go of the barrier now, Quilladin will be bit by Ice Fang. And if I don't, he'll be trapped inside. And last I checked, I didn't make those with airholes...'

He had to think fast. He looked around for anything useful until his eyes came across a familiar. "Larvesta, get ready!"

"Right, Mama Joey!" Larvesta nodded readily.

Gyarados eyes Joey once more, his purple pupils narrowing in intense focus. He threw his head and around and flung it in the opposite direction. The ball of icy glass was flung at an astounding rate towards Joey as he called an attack.

"Larvesta, String Shot! Return it to sender!"

Larvesta eyed the incoming ice ball and lurched forward. She spat out a silky thread that laced around it as it rushed over her head towards Joey still. "Hnnnnnngh!" She pulled back and turned her body gradually. The slowed ice ball gradually arched towards Joey's right just before it could hit him.

Larvesta let out a cry as she turned her entire body a whole 180 Degrees. The momentum of the ice barrier ball swung around like a wrecking ball into Gyarados' left cheek. The force was so strong that all the ice shattered with airwaves exploding.

"GAAAAAHH!" Gyarados gawked with a loud cry of a mixture of shock and pain. Once again, he smashed into the ground with a tremendous thud, while Quilladin was freed from the barrier and dropped beside Larvesta.

"You okay, Quilladin?" Joey asked.

Quilladin shivered. "Ugh, a little frosty...but I'm fine." He turned towards Larvesta, smirking. "Nice move, rookie! That was a pro move you've just made."

Larvesta sheepishly giggled, excited for the praise. "Thank you!"

Joey looked towards the sky, seeing Tranquill glide over. "Now, Tranquill! Air Cutter!"

Tranquill's wings glowed brightly again as he flapped once to get above everyone. He then wildly flapped, expelling bright blue blades that came down around Gyarados, Palpitoad, and Trubbish, causing all three to recoil from the blow.

The dust gradually faded, revealing Joey with a determined glare. 'It's working. With the numbers on our side, we can pull them all back into place!'


Thunder boomed above Magnolia, with several flashes of lightning zooming across the area. The repeated flashing was like a lightning show for those safely in their homes. Meanwhile, the Enchantment's area of restored Pokémon was getting more filled by the minute, with numbers peaking to near a thousand.

"Cana, what's the number now?!" Warren turned towards Cana to see what she had left on the board.

Having recently pulled off so many every couple seconds, the brunette looked visibly annoyed, if not relieved. "Around this area..." her eyes widened, before her shock turned to relief. "Heh...none."

"Wait...for real?!" Macao gasped.

"You're kidding! You mean we got all the Pokémon down?!" Wakaba exclaimed. He was so in shock the cigarette almost fell out of his mouth.

Romeo looked energetic and pumped. "Yeah, that's what I'm talking about! The plan worked! The town's filled up with Pokémon again!"

"Mommy, Daddy! Look outside! There's so many Pokémon there now!" Asuka cheerfully exclaimed, peeking outside the saloon doors. Bisca and Alzack joined their daughter and looked on as they saw the hundreds of Pokémon within the confines of their beloved town. Her eyes widened with a bright smile on her face. "You think the Ponyta are there, too?!"

"Yes, dear. I'm sure of it." Bisca smiled, visibly glad the results were showing. "Hey Al, wanna go find them?"

"Yeah, no sense in waiting." He was about to step out of the guild hall, when he felt a droplet of rain hit his nose. "Huh?" He turned towards the sky, noticing several droplets of rain coming down. "Rain...?"

Slowly, the droplets poured. It was first dozens, then hundreds, and it quickly evolved into a downpour. The streets flooded with puddles and streams running into nearby storm drains. Those who weren't sheltered from the rain were almost immediately waterlogged.

Still outside, Nic frowned as he was flapping over Magnolia. He watched as his Sweet Scent diffused in the rain. 'Looks like it's downpouring bad. With this kind of weather going on, effects like Sweet Scent and Honey won't work.' He looked out towards the confines of the forest outside Magnolia. 'That should be almost every Pokémon though. I just hope the others are faring themselves out there.'


Dereece looked up towards the sky, noticing the rain coming down pretty hard on his palm. "Rain...?"

"Huh?" Joey noticed this and turned his attention towards Gyarados. With it raining as hard as it was, an uneasy feeling was treading up his spine.

Gyarados snarled low as he opened his eyes. He was hunched over and lifted his head only slightly...but that was enough to make Joey panic.

"Guys! All of you! Behind me, now!"

"WATERFALL!" Gyarados' entire body careened upwards as he screeched into the air. His body lurched forward, expelling a large-scale torrent of water into Joey as Quilladin, Larvesta, and Tranquill retreated behind him. He roared menacingly before he shot with the force of a bullet train that leveled the forest that stood in his path. Branches, rocks, even trees themselves were leveled completely as he rushed after his trainer.

Joey put both arms in front for good measure. "Barrier-Make: Barrier!" He summoned another barrier to block Gyarados. Once again, the Atrocious Pokémon smashed into the huge wall, causing it to shudder. Meanwhile, shockwaves of the water waves rushed everywhere, splashing everything and brushing awy nearby branches of leaves.

Even with the power of his barrier, Joey gnashed his teeth as the ground rumbled from Gyarados' tremendous wake. His attack packed so much power. More so than he intended. 'This is bad. The rain increased the power of all their Water-type attacks. Gotta end this, fast!'

"Hej, na niečo si zabudol?"

"What? Am I forgetting somethi...!" Joey trailed off midsentence. His eyes shrank as he processed the voice coming from behind him. He sharply turned around, realizing that Palpitoad zipped out of nowhere, standing dangerously close to him and the others.

"BUPTA~!" Palpitoad let out a loud cry as he summoned a muddy brown spiral beneath him. It gradually encompassed the area around him, swiftly expanding because of the rain. He forced the Muddy Water to speed in a massive rush into the others.

With him stopping Gyarados, Joey used a forearm and took the massive wave, grunting lowly at the sheer volume he was hit. Tranquill also suffered the blow, getting knocked back and crying in pain. Larvesta gasped as the rush drew closer to her, but Quilladin stepped in front and brought his glowing green arm back. The spikes on it indicted his Needle Arm that he thrust into the water in front, blocking Larvesta from any damage at all.

"Quilladin!" Larvesta gasped.

Quilladin grunted, trying his best to hold firm against the torrent. "It's fine...I can hold it!"

Meanwhile, Joey could barely open an eye. The water was too mucky to see through. But he felt the torrent's momentum settle as he was finally able to relax some. He panted and glanced back over his shoulder.

'This isn't good. Palpitoad'S Ability is Swift Swim. His Speed doubled in the rain. But...' He paused, thinking back to when Larvesta used her String Shot on him. 'He shouldn't be at top speed. If we're quick enough, we can still outmaneuver him!' He didn't waste a second. "Quilladin, get Larvesta close!"

"You got it, Joey!" Quilladin shouted back. "Larvesta, follow my lead!" He darted ahead after Palpitoad.

"You got it!" Larvesta hissed before following his lead.

Quilladin cried out as he closed the gap against him and Palpitoad. Just when he was about to get close enough, he picked up on a dark brown ball of sludge on his left and leaned back. He stopped in his tracks and looked to where it came from.

Joey gasped, turning towards the side to find Trubbish there, belching out some kind of a retort against them. 'That's right, almost forgot about her. Can't let her get close or poison us again!'

Trubbish inhaled, readying to spew more Acid Spray.

"Tranquill, block with Steel Wing!"

Trubbish opened her mouth and expelled a large amount of steaming acid into Quilladin's direction. Just before it met him. Tranquill rushed between and blocked with his glowing metallic wings. The acid deflected off them, hitting everywhere around the grass and debris left from Gyarados' earlier rampages.

"Keep going, guys!" Joey encouraged.

"Right!" Quilladin turned towards Tranquill. "Thanks!" He and Larvesta continued towards Palpitoad with no further interruptions.

Palpitoad narrowed his eyes and gurgled aggressively. He inhaled deeply before exhaling a large barrage of blue bubbles that were larger and faster than his usual Bubble Beam.

"Quilladin, Needle Arm!" Quilladin grunted at the command, making another spiky green arm of energy around his right arm. As the bubbles rushed for him. He thrust forward, keeping his foothold strong as the bubbles popped in large numbers against the Grass-type attack. Quilladin gnashed his teeth as he was barely holding on from the strength the attack carried.

Behind him, Larvesta looked anxious. She wanted to help, but she didn't know what to do. She didn't have the experience just yet.

"Larvesta, move around and bridge that gap! Get going!" Joey shouted.

Larvesta nodded in understanding. "Okay, Mama Joey!" She turned and hopped onto Quilladin's head, then sprung off it in a frantic leap. She cried out as she lunged over the bubbles beaming below and twisted her body to fall beside it. She rushed beside the bubbles, only making small skips and weaves to dodge the stray bubbles that were off course.

With Palpitoad focused on Quilladin, he only noticed Larvesta at the last second. Larvesta used her light footwork and flipped above Palpitoad's head.

"Now! Absorb!" Joey commanded.

Larvesta fell straight down onto Palpitoad's huge bumpers. She held on tightly as she fired a point blank, thin green laser into the main bumper. Weak green energy waves ran up Palpitoad's body as he felt his entire being get drained. He gawked in pain, feeling intense recoil from the super-effective Grass-type attack depleting whatever small amount of stamina was left.

"Quilladin!"

"Right!" With the Bubble Beam depleted, Quilladin, rushed back towards Palpitoad, bringing his arm back. "This time, you're staying down!"

Palpitoad's eyes suddenly widened. He saw Quilladin closing the gap between them with a loud battle cry. With his enhanced Speed, he was able to read how much time he had before the attack could reach him. His bumpers started vibrating intensely, causing Larvesta to shudder and feel like she was in a massage chair.

"BUPTA-A-A-A-AAAAAA~!" Palpitoad opened his mouth as wide as possible, unleashing a massive Hyper Voice all around him. The sound-based attack struck Quilladin and Larvesta alike, sending both flying. Quilladin slid on his back against the wet dirt, and Larvesta was blown off Palpitoad's head, landing some feet behind him.

"O-owiee..." Larvesta fluttered her green eyes open, looking visibly hurt. She was so out of it she didn't notice the shadow looming over her. She looked up, realizing that it was Palpitoad gurgling angrily at her.

"Počúvajte malú runt. Nie je múdre zahrávať sa s mojou hlavou takto... a chystám sa vám ukázať prečo."

Larvesta gulped. "Um...I'm sorry?"

Palpitoad didn't take it lightly. He angrily opened his mouth and used his sticky tongue to try and grab Larvesta. She panicked and twisted her frame with every lash. She skipped and twirled however she could. When Palpitoad swept with his tongue, she made sure to jump and spin. She hopped about doing her best to stay on the move so as not to get caught.

"Držte sa!" Palpitoad demanded.

While all that was happening, Dereece was trying to focus on his battle. "Yanma, Detect!"

Yanma obeyed, her eyes glinting bright green and dodging another speedy bullet of water surrounding Seel. Another red aura enveloped her body, making Yanma even faster and fly around blindingly.

'That's good. With Speed Boost increasing our Speed, Yanma should be untouchable!' Dereece's hopes were dashed when he felt a barrage of small balls of mud strike him from behind. He and Heracross yelped as they were buffered back by the barrage from out of nowhere.

Dereece barely recovered, a blue aura encasing him and Heracross to show their Speed dropping. They both grunted. "Right, Stunfisk..." Dereece grimaced. Even in the rain, Stunfisk was camouflaged too well. "I can't fight him like this...unless!" He gasped, realizing there was one trick he could use. His brow furrowed. "Alright then, let's try it! Heracross, use Aerial Ace!"

Heracross sneered. "Right!" He lowered his horn and became a blur. He sped in a random direction with accurate precision. He bulleted past some bushes to an open spot nearby.

Said spot suddenly spat out a brown ball of mud to stop Heracross. Unfortunately, the moment it impacted with the Aerial Ace, if diffused to gunk strands and Heracross followed through. His horn met its mark in the ground, striking something that gawked before he flicked his horn up, hurling it into a nearby tree. The instant it slammed, the Camouflage faded, revealing Stunfisk as he fell back towards the ground.

"I knew it! Aerial Ace never misses its target!" Dereece beamed, shooting a look at Stunfisk. "And if I remember right, Camouflage made you a Grass-type. That's a bad move against a Bug-type like Heracross."

Stunfisk sneered in aggression. Seel landed right beside him. They readied their next attacks, with cold air surrounding Seel's mouth and Stunfisk inhaling to spew more mud.

"Yanma, quick! Use Supersonic on Seel, now!"

"Right!" Yanma rushed in front in a lightning blur. She hovered above Seel and flapped her wings, sending distorted waves down onto Seel. This time, the attack met its mark and disrupted her attack. Seel strained in place as the ultrasonic waves made her mind disoriented and confused.

"What?! Hey, sheela! Get it together!" Stunfisk berated.

Seel yelped through the sonic waves until they dissipated. A moment paused before she lifted her head, her vision hazy with a disturbed look as she looked over at Stunfisk, seemingly not recognizing him.

"Uh...why you looking at me like that?" Stunfisk asked nervously. "Seel? You...wait!"

Without warning, Seel turned and blasted Stunfisk with the Icy Wind. Cold air engulfed him and blew him away. A loud cry howled through the air as the move was super-effective on him.

Larvesta was still dancing away, hopping and avoiding the attacks the best she could. Joey's mind was racing as fast as a Rapidash. With Quilladin recoiling still and Tranquill barely fending against Trubbish, Joey was left to barely keep Gyarados at bay. 'This isn't getting us anywhere. We ended up too scattered!'

Gyarados snarled angrily behind the barrier. He lifted his head, looking up at the sky. He then glanced down at Joey, his fangs bared. "...heh."

Joey raised a brow. To his horror and shock, he watched as Gyarados used his bulk to spring over the huge barrier looking like a fish springing over a waterfall with a loud cry. He was left stunned as he could only watch as Gyarados came crashing down with his sharp, glowing fangs once more. The impact made a loud splash, followed by an eruption of wet earth and debris that flew everywhere. The wake was so intense the earth trembled beneath everyone.

"Huh?" Tranquill looked shocked.

"What the-?!" Quilladin was equally as baffled.

The eruption didn't go unnoticed by Larvesta. She stopped dancing and gasped. "Mama Joey!"

The dust dissipated, revealing Gyarados with his viscous sharp fangs biting into the surface of a very small hemisphere barrier that barely covered Joey. It was a last-second effort, but it saved Jory by the skin of his teeth...literally.

'Damnit...I can't attack like this! At this rate, Gyarados is going to keep me pinned!'

Gyarados snarled, trying harder to bite at the barrier. "You...CANNOT HIDE FOREVER! COWARD!" He boasted, lunging down again. However, a sudden blast of string from the side struck his left cheek, immediately reducing his Speed in a harsh blue aura. "Huh? What?"

At the end of the line, Larvesta hissed as she dodged Palpitoad's tongue once more. She reeled herself over his head towards Gyarados. "You leave Mama Joey alone!" She clamped onto Gyarados' head, once again, holding on for dear life.

"Larvesta!" Joey gasped.

Gyarados snarled and bellowed madly. He swayed his head back and forth in an attempt to brush the insect off. However, she was very persistent. That and the silk she had still attached to her made it that much harder. "You little...GET OFF OF ME!" He bellowed, swinging his tail madly.

"No!" Larvesta quipped. That didn't help her case as she felt Gyarados thrash and flail more.

"GRRAAAAAHHHH!"

In his irate, Joey realized what was happening. 'Wait, is she...?' He didn't have much time to reconsider. He furrowed his brow and undid his barrier to roll a safe distance away from Gyarados' bucking and headbanging like he was Nic when he used to have a music mood with his earbuds.

'We've gotta make this count. We don't have much time!' Joey turned towards Quilladin. "Quilladin, quick! Use Leech Seed!"

Quilladin nodded in understanding. "Okay!" He turned back towards Gyarados, repositioning his feet and looking where to aim. 'There!' He inhaled before expelling seeds that were launched at Gyarados' base. They planted into the ground, before sprouting rapidly into roots that crept up beneath Gyarados' body.

"WhAT?!" He looked down, visibly angry at the intrusive vines and roots clinging to his body. Already, energy began coursing through, gradually sapping his strength away. His snarled in both pain and annoyance.

'Perfect shot! That'll wear him down!' Joey's thought raced again, but this time at a steadier pace with the tides changing. 'We'll strike out Gyarados first! But first...' He turned towards Palpitoad and Trubbish. They looked ready to attack. In a desperate move, he created a dome to trap them.

Trubbish belched in shock...which didn't go unnoticed by Palpitoad as he cringed.

"Ježiš! Čo si jedol?!"

Trubbish belched again, only further adding to the revolting air trapped with Palpitoad trying not to gag.

Joey turned back towards Gyarados. "Now Quilladin, Needle Arm! Tranquill, Steel Wing!"

Quilladin and Tranquill cried out as they made green spiky energy and metallic energy wings respectfully. They closed the gap on Gyarados as he writhed in pain. The more he shook, the angrier he got. Until finally, he couldn't take it anymore.

"YOU ALL..." he snarled. "YOU ALL...MAKE ME SO MAAAAAD~!" In his violent shriek his thumping tail swayed through the air madly in rotation circles. Instead of making a violent twister like it normally would, the rainfall caused a spiraling cyclone of water to erupt from his tail that he held high.

Joey and all his Pokémon's eyes widened in shock. 'Don't tell me that's-!'

Gyarados shrieked angrily as he smashed his tail into the ground, creating a shockwave that swallowed his surroundings. Water flooded from Gyarados and the ground alike, spreading across a thin area throughout the forest.

This of course alerted Dereece as he saw the eruption not too far. "Oh no...is that Aqua Tail?"

The water and dust receded, revealing Joey and Quilladin and Tranquill hidden behind another barrier Joey made. The one encompassing Palpitoad and Trubbish had to be relinquished so he could make this one, but it worked out. But at the same time, it was draining Joey to keep up.

"Captain Joey!" Dereece shouted, running towards him. "You okay?!"

"Yeah, Dereece...barely." Joey labored. He turned towards Gyarados, who was straining and losing stamina once again by Leech Seed. Larvesta continued clinging on, continuing to fuel his discomforted ire. "We need to hurry this up, now!"

Dereece nodded. "Right away! Yanma!"

"Sure thing!" Yanma zoomed right past Dereece like a red bullet. With her Speed Boost, she was nearly invisible. She only slowed down enough and glided over Gyarados to allow Larvesta a visible point of fire.

"Larvesta! Good job, girl! Time to get off!" Joey encouraged.

"O-Okay. Mama Joey!" Larvesta unclipped the thread from her mouth, allowing Gyarados to buck his head skywards and send her flying into the air. "Weeeeeee~!" Larvesta did an acrobatic twirl with her body as she reached the pinnacle point. Rather than descend, Yanma swooped by and grabbed Larvesta.

"GET BACK HERE YOU PEST! I'LL EAT YOU ALIVE!" Gyarados violently swung his Aqua Tail once more, but Yanma was much faster and used Detect to suddenly jerk herself and Larvesta away from the attack's swing. It smashed into the ground, sending a wave of water that spouted around everyone.

Yanma slowed down and dropped Larvesta in front of Joey. She looked up, smiling in gratitude. "Thank you!"

Yanma grinned. "No problem!" She zipped around, an idea coming to mind. 'Huh, that's weird...normally I'm the one perching on other's heads, not carrying them...it's strange.'

From the underbrush, shrubs rustled until a panting Stunfisk flopped out. At a nearby tree, Seel was hurting herself in her confusion, completely unaware of what was happening.

"Captain, Stunfisk is a Grass-type. We need to make him use Discharge!" Dereece encouraged.

Joey understood the situation. He looked up towards the sky, where Tranquill was. "Tranquill, change of plans!" He pointed at Dereece's Stunfisk. "Aim for Stunfisk! Gust!"

"I shall obey, Master!"

"Barrier-Make: Hemisphere!" Joey created a hemisphere from his barrier. It encompassed himself along with his and Dereece's conscious teams, except for Tranquill.

Tranquill focused on Stunfisk as his wings glowed brightly. He flapped and generated a windstorm that focused solemnly on him.

Stunfisk, however, smirked maliciously. "Haha! Well see me get my 'second wind' yet!" he mused. Static charged up around his body to a strong point. Without warning, he expelled it everywhere. "Discharge!"

Bolts flew everywhere across the vicinity. Random streaks of lightning zapped through Tranquill's attack and barely passed the bird. Joey opened a hole in the barrier's top for Tranquill to dive down to. Once he was in, it closed. The lightning struck everything else, including Seel, Trubbish, and Palpitoad. All except the latter hollered in pain and paralyzing agony from the surprise attack.

A strong bolt aimed for Gyarados. Even though he was slowed down, he was riled up and wasn't stupid. He violently swung another Aqua Tail, the current and raw power of the wave slashing upwards to counter the bolt.

When it ended, Joey lifted his barrier, allowing a clear visual of what happened. Seel was still confused, but she and Trubbish's bodies were crackling in static due to paralysis. Palpitoad and Gyarados, however, made it out just fine. Another grunt came from Gyarados as more energy was sapped from him.

"Just a little more! Almost there!" Joey encouraged.

"Hold on, Captain!" Dereece countered.

"What now?!"

"Look!" Dereece pointed towards Seel. He noticed how the static around her body was gradually fading away. It wasn't anything they had planned from the beginning, but it surprised them that she healed from it on her own.

"Uh, Dereece, mind explaining that for me?" Joey deadpanned.

Dereece grimaced, having a feeling of what just happened. "I think...we just saw Seel's Ability, Captain. Hydration. That paralysis didn't mean anything. She just healed when it continued raining."

"Great."

Seel blinked rapidly, her vision returning to her. She looked around and realized everything was clear again. "Oh...oh gosh...what a rush...and my body stings."

"Sorry 'bout that." Stunfisk grumbled.

"And she snapped out of her confusion..." Dereece trailed off as he heard more slurping and licking. His left eye twitched as he turned towards Heracross, who was trying to lick the last morsels of Honey. "Are you serious...?" He sounded anything but happy. For a moment, Yanma perched on his head, both looking unamused.

"Look alive, guys!" Joey warned.

Palpitoad inhaled before firing another Bubble Beam. They all dodged it, save for Heracross as he barely picked up on it at the last second. He weaved off to the side with frantic shock.

Trubbish inhaled as well, firing another round of Sludge. Seel followed it up with Aurora Beam. Heracross dodged the poison, but the icy beam flanked his side, causing him to buffer away and grunt.

"Heracross! Will you put down that damn jar already?! Enough already!" Dereece yelled.

Heracross cringed.

Stunfisk inhaled before he fired at Heracross. "Hey, pay attention! You'll bomb otherwise!" He blasted another Mud Bomb at him, which was something Heracross barely processed with his slightly lowered Speed.

CRASH!

He turned ever so slightly...only for the mud to completely break through the glass jar in his claws. Time slowed down as thin globs of Honey and glass fell to Heracross' feet in several fractured pieces.

"W-wha...?" Heracross blinked, barely processing what just happened. He slowly looked down to find his delicious, sweet Honey he loved shattered and being washed away by the rain. His claws twitched as his nerves were struck.

"Heh...should have paid attention." Stunfisk mocked.

Heracross was dead silent as he looked deflated. He continued to look on in revelation as the echoes of Gyarados' charge right for them. His fangs were coated in ice and icy aura as he bolted for Heracross.

"Heracross, behind you!" Dereece warned.

Heracross was so in shock that he didn't realize a sudden, painful, cold vice around his body. Gyarados snapped down hard, making everyone's eyes widen at how slow it was, yet it was still powerful. Heracross looked completely dazed still...though his expression was hidden beneath Gyarados' fangs.

"Hera...cross?" Dereece worried.

Gyarados bit down a little harder, making sure Heracross felt it. "I'LL TEAR TO SHREDS!" He was about to pick up the bug, but he was startled when a reflective red aura appeared around his body. He felt two claws clamp on his crest, holding him tight. "WHAT THE-?!"

Without warning, Heracross used Counter, driving Gyarados over his body in a Supplex and smashed him into the ground with every ounce of force his body had. The entire forest shuddered as earth depressed beneath the wake. Everyone felt time slow down as they all had expressions of shock on their faces. Even Seel and Trubbish had them. Nobody expected this.

The rain quickly erased the dust and debris, revealing Gyarados laying on the ground, swirls in his eyes. The Leech Seed withered away from his body as Heracross stood over him, looking half-heartedly at Stunfisk.

"You..."

Stunfisk's eyes gradually widened. He looked down at the broken Honey jar and back up. "...uh oh."

"Uh... Vyzerá šialene." Palpitoad muttered.

Trubbish belched unevenly as well.

Heracross seethed as he glared at Stunfisk. "You...don't...mess with my Honey!" He stomped on the ground and lowered his horn. "MY HONEY~!" His horn glowed brightly, brighter than when he would normally use Horn Attack. Dereece looked on with surprise as he watched this unfold.

"Heracross, is that-?!"

"No, wait! Sorry, mate! Really, I-!"

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Heracross lurched forward, firing multiple white orbs with green streams from his horn at Stunfisk. The projectiles whistled through the air as Stunfisk could only swallow a lump before he was bombarded by endless explosive streams. The wake of the attack was so strong that it pushed Seel away. She slid across the ground towards Palpitoad and Trubbish.

"Oh Stunfisk...you Honey-hating jokester...what have you done?" Seel grimaced in pain.

From the smoke cloud, Heracross beelined past Joey and Dereece, blitzing after Seel and the remaining Pokémon with a serious fury in his eyes. "AAAAAAAAAHHHH~!"

Seel, Palpitoad, and Trubbish all went slackjawed in fear and shock as Heracross beamed ever so closer.

BOOOOOOOOM!

The sounds of bowling pins crashing caused the area to shake. Everyone cringed before looking back, only to see dirt and trees fly over their heads. The grunts and cries of agony from Seel, Palpitoad, and Trubbish were painfully clear. The sight was sheer one-sided brawl that caused Yanma and Tranquill to stare in awe, while Quilladin covered Larvesta's eyes. Poor Joey and Dereece were constantly wincing and cringing every time they saw explosions destroy surrounds.

"TAKE THAT! AND THAT! AAAAAHHHHHHH!"

It took mere seconds for the wailing to calm down, but when it did, everyone was finally able to look back and see with horror – and some cases awe – of how a small part of the forest was leveled. Trees were nonexistent, ditches ran all over and quickly filling with water. And standing over the unconscious bodies of the three distraught and mangled Pokémon, Heracross beamed with an uproarious huff.

With all that happened, all Joey and Dereece could do was drop to their knees, both in shock and fatigue.

"Dreezy...?"

"Yes, Jojo?"

"Remind me not to get between your bug and his Honey if I value my life."

"...noted."

"HRAAAAAH!" Heracross let out an uproarious cry of victory that echoed into the thundering storm above.


Lightning flashed high above as rain fell harshly, but that did little to deter Honchkrow from ascending into the dark night skies above. He sailed high above everyone, whereas Medicham readied an icy blue fist and jumped as well. She flipped before coming down onto Torterra.

Rather than move, he stood there, readying when she would get close enough.

"Spiritomb, Shadow Sneak!" Duncan ordered.

Spiritomb hummed, before her shadow extended in a steady streak directly beneath Medicham. The shadow shot skywards, and with Medicham's momentum already so forward, she barely had time to react. She stopped her momentum by a hair and allowed the shadow to shoot up past her. As she was in freefall, she noticed a green grow coming from behind the shadow.

"Wood Hammer!"

A green energy leg suddenly shot through the shadow, dispersing it from its sheer power. Medicham's eyes widened before the stumped elongated straight into her chest, sending shock straight through her entire body as she was blown back by the intense force. She grunted heavily as she slammed into a tree, thudding painfully before falling onto her stomach.

Gastrodon generated an orb of icy energy in front of his mouth and fired it directly at Torterra. He glanced over and noticed the beam heading his way.

"Magmortar, Flamethrower!" Duncan commanded.

Magmortar retracted his claws deep into his arm and aimed at the ice shooting across. He unleashed a thin stream through the rain into the beam's path, causing a misty explosion to implode and engulf the area. The rain quickly diffused it to thin air.

Spiritomb looked towards the sky. Duncan followed and barely saw a set of black wings growing bigger. His eyes widened when lightning flashed above, revealing Honchkrow coming down with a talon first. Out of reflex, he brought back the Elfen Forja and swung with his magic. The arched swing was enough to deter Honchkrow and pull back.

"You call that a swing? Petty, that's what that is." Honchkrow's wings glowed dark purple as he dove for Duncan again. This time, Duncan had enough time to activate the blue lacrima, causing rainwater to magnify and surround the two ends.

"Gear Four: Water!"

His staff swung, but the swing was completely misdirection by an unknown force. The water around the two ends siphoned away from Duncan towards Gastrodon. A red aura infused his body, increasing his Special Attack.

'Crap! Forgot about his Storm Drain Ability!' There was nothing stopping Duncan from feeling Honchkrow's Night Slash edge right into his chest. The impact was harsh enough to make her sternum vibrate. "Gah!" He floored onto his back into the mud, his back throbbing as much as his pained chest.

"Are you okay?!" Spiritomb fret.

"Oof, that looked like it hurt." Magmortar commented. Torterra stood close by, but unlike them, he showed no concern, like he knew where it was best to focus.

Medicham stood back up and remained completely still. Yellow energy waves enveloped her body as she regenerated her cells. In an instant, the pain she felt through her entire body diminished. "Phew...that's more like it. Now then..." She turned back towards Torterra, huffing. "Pretty bold of you to just up and decide to help out that wannabe star over there, huh?"

Torterra said nothing, instead glaring daggers while Duncan gradually arose to a knee. More lightning flashed above that showed the red glare in Torterra's eyes.

"I see now." Medicham knew he wouldn't answer straight, so she would have to get the answers out herself. She closed her eyes and cleared her mind to sense his aura. Whatever move he would make next, she would know.

Despite his setback, Duncan refused to take that attack lying down. He turned towards Honchkrow as he flapped above him. "Spiritomb, Hypnosis!"

Spiritomb hummed and floated higher. Her eyes emitted a radiant, hypnotic stare intended for Honchkrow to look at. He backed away into the air well out of range of the hypnotic rays.

"Hmph! You think I'm as dumb as you are?" He scoffed, opening his mouth. He expelled a Dark Pulse that tore through the rain, beaming down into Spiritomb's ethereal form. A bright purple explosion engulfed her as she crashed into the ground with a loud thud.

Duncan rushed ahead with his Elfen Forja's ends coated in lightning. He leaped over the smoke cloud from Spiritomb's crash and leaped onto the neighboring rock whose Honey long since melted away by the rainwater. He jumped closer towards Honchkrow. Unexpectedly, Honchkrow maneuvered around the lightning, making Duncan fall onto a knee. A large blue sphere of water shot on his left that he turned to face. He twirled the staff and made a wheel of lightning that he used to block it. It resulted in a misty explosion that once again spat out Duncan, sending him sliding across the ground. Only when he plunged his Elfen Forja's end into the muddy ground did he mange to brake gradually before meeting a tree's base.

"Hmph! You seriously think just because you have the numbers, you have the advantage." Honchkrow spatted. "You weren't a shabby Boss before, so what's the matter? Can't keep track of your own Pokémon to where you forgot what we can do? Or is it because you're just mad you got bested by us the last time?"

"Shut up!" Duncan raged.

"H'oh? Struck a nerve? My goodness, didn't peg you to be the sore loser type, Duncan. Then again, you were pretty subtle about it when you're in front of others. And yet even when we do succeed, what do we get? I'll tell you what." He swiped a wing across. "Nothing! Seriously, you even know how to express gratitude other than working us to death?"

Duncan was holding back his nerves. He mustn't lose control of the battle. If he failed here, he wouldn't be able to call himself a proper trainer. He sneered lowly in retort. "Hypocrite, aren't you?"

"What?" Honchkrow raised a brow.

"Like you're one to talk. Sure know how to lay down the law when you want something done. Not even a whole day and you were able to flock that many Murkrow to you. What, you threaten to take their eggs or something? Pretty ironic how you're criticizing me about being a lousy boss, when you're just a jerk who doesn't know how to shut his own beak."

He was waiting to see if that could provoke him. Judging from the twitching red eyes, he was successful. He looked over at Torterra, who glanced at him. They both turned back to see what Honchkrow will do.

"Hmph...well, well, got a sharp tongue on ya. Gotta admit, that actually hurt my pride a little. So much in fact that I might actually bleed out." He chimed. "But we can't have now, can we? Guess the only way to mend this broken heart is by breaking something equal of value."

"You with a heart? That's even more laughable." Duncan taunted, smirking.

Honchkrow scowled lowly. "Sounds like someone needs to shut you're mouth!" He spread his wings to steady himself as he charged up another Dark Pulse.

Medicham, however, was reading between Duncan and Torterra's auras. She sensed what they were thinking. 'So that's their plan.' She narrowed her eyes and targeted Torterra again with icy energy enveloping her fist. 'I need to stop it at all costs!'

Gastrodon channeled water to a compressed point in front of himself.

"Spiritomb, Sucker Punch on Medicham! Magmortar, Clear Smog on Gastrodon!" Duncan shouted.

Spiritomb suddenly vanished, reappearing in front of Medicham. She struck her in her chest with a bright purple ethereal jab that caused her to fly back several feet. Magmortar opened his arm cannons again an fired a clear white cloud at Gastrodon as he was charging. The smog swallowed him, making him grunt as how harshly it blew. It was already evident the effects of Clear Smog happened when the Water Pulse shrank back to normal size.

Honchkrow ignored all this and fired down onto Duncan. The latter shifted his gears once more and charged ahead once again. Lightning charged the Elfen Forja's two ends. Honchkrow's beam sailed down at a steep angle, but with quick footwork, Duncan shifted around the attack. Gastrodon and Medicham shot spheres and icy fists in his direction, but he ducked under and allowed the two attacks to meet behind him. A cold, misty explosion engulfed his background as he kept charging, while Medicham was blown away by the wake of Gastrodon.

"Oops!" Gastrodon gasped.

Torterra glared ahead. He raised his forelegs and let out a loud grunt. "Stone Edge!" He stamped the ground with tremendous weight, sending jagged rock spikes shooting up from the ground.

They followed behind Duncan's path as he was closing in on Honchkrow. He glanced back briefly to see the wave closing in on his back. He slowed down to allow the rocks to catch up, an action that surprised Honchkrow. What surprised him even more was when a rock pillar shot up directly beneath Duncan, shooting him into the air.

"What the-?!"

"Take...this!"

With a violent thrust, Duncan struck Honchkrow in the stomach, causing a point-blank discharge. Honchkrow gawked as he felt voltage surge through his body. He didn't have the luxury to recover when Ducan twirled it overhead and bashed him on his fedora top, striking so hard his world went black for an instant as he shot towards the ground.

Torterra opened his mouth and cried out again, stomping once more and quaking the land. More stone pillars shot up and raced towards Honchkrow. With him so shocked, he was unable to register the stones before it was too late. A huge, sharp stone burst through the ground, striking his chest and engulfing him in a dusty eruption.

"Aaaaaah~!" Honchkrow sailed away in pain, spiraling into a nearby tree with a painful thud. He ricocheted onto the ground and fell onto his side.

Duncan landed on a knee. He looked where Honchkrow was, momentarily worrying that he would be up again. But those insecurities were quashed when he saw the spirals in Honchkrow's eyes.

'Finally...his squawking was getting on my nerves.' Duncan glanced over at Medicham. 'Now for these two.'

Medicham's body was enveloped in yellow energy waves, gradually healing the damage she accumulated once again. As soon as the light faded, she focused on Duncan and clapped her palms together. Her eyes shined bright blue.

"Psychic!"

A familiar outline enveloped Duncan's body. He felt his bodily functions failing as he was lifted into the air. Medicham suddenly jutted a palm out, as if she was pushing air itself. The force made Duncan feel like a wall of bricks struck him and pressed against his body, sending him flying towards Gastrodon as he readied one more hemisphere of water.

He gnashed his teeth, angrily grunting. 'C'mon body...move! MOVE!' Tried as he did, he was unable to lift a finger from the forceful shove's ongoing wake.

While he couldn't move, others could. He gasped in realization. "Magmortar, quick! Sunny Day!"

"Really?" He scoffed as he raised his arms. "Alright, you asked for it." He raised his claws towards the falling rain, before his body summoned heated heat spirals that projected into the atmosphere. The rainstorm above quickly dispersed over the area. The rainfall gradually diminished, revealing a bright, starry night that was vividly clear.

With the heat suddenly rising, the size of the Water Pulse suddenly fluxed again. This time shrinking down to half the size of what it once was. Gastrodon fired anyway at Duncan, zooming across the area.

Duncan twisted his body with all the might he could muster. He shifted the yellow lacrima into his purple one, causing darkness to swell around the bulbous tips. "Gear Six: Darkness!" The telekinetic force around his arm was swatted away by the darkness. The Psychic's force gradually faded from his body, just as he was about to meet the Water Pulse.

With a grunt, he was twisted sideways and grunted harshly. He swung downwards, smashing the dark end of his staff down the middle. The Water Pulse split into two and blew into a rock and a tree, exploding into dry mist. Duncan landed on the ground as his muddy coat gently fell behind him.

Gastrodon's eyes widened in surprise. "No way..."

'He used Sunny Day to turn the effects of rain in reverse. Now Gastrodon is defenseless...' Medicham realized. She looked over at Torterra, seeing him channel leafy aura around his tree. Her eyes widened in realization of what he was going to do.

"Leaf Storm!"

A powerful cyclone generated from the tree on his back, surrounded by sharp green leaves in thousands of numbers. The cyclone was directed in a large volume towards Medicham, but she was able to jump and dodge it. However, she realized the mistake and saw Duncan still ducking beneath the ongoing Leaf Storm. Its intended target was Gastrodon!

"What?! Aaaahh!" Gastrodon cried out when the cyclone swallowed him whole. Sharp leaves and pressure sliced into him and pushed him through the air into the forest. Several tree branches were broken and a linear eruption of dust exploded skywards.

When it was subsided, the leaves faded away. The winds simmered down as Torterra looked unfazed at the destructive trail he paved through the forest. At the end of it, Gastrodon laid on his back, spirals in his eyes.

Torterra scoffed at the sight as a blue aura surrounded his body, lowering his Special Attack. He neither showed sympathy nor remorse towards the action. In the end, it was all in his own interests. When he glanced over at Medicham, she looked heavily on guard.

'Such power. It would be foolhardy to challenge such power head-on.' She needed a plan. More than that, she needed to find a solution to take out all of them. 'It's obvious that Torterra is the biggest threat, but this heat makes Magmortar even more so.' She glanced over at Magmortar, seeing him and Spiritomb focus on her. 'Very well then.'

Duncan furrowed his brow as he spread his legs. The gears in his Elfen Forja shifted again, activating the red lacrima and heating up both ends. Flames exerted that he spun in a wheel overhead before charging for Medicham.

Medicham turned and noticed Duncan speeding her way. Her knee glowed as she sprung ahead with heavy momentum.

"Hi Jump Kick!"

Her knee drew closer, but Duncan was well prepared.

"Spiritomb, Shadow Sneak!"

Medicham's eyes widened. A shadow spurred directly beneath her, but unlike before, the momentum her lower-half needed to pull away was all forward. The glowing knee was struck freely, with the slim shadow buffering her to stop in midair.

"Gear One: Fire!"

Duncan pivoted and swung the empowered flame wheel down overhead. He let out a battle cry as he glared a shocked and equally stupefied Medicham in the eye. The flames met her square in the face, creating a point-blank eruption of flames that instantly grounded her. The impact spouted embers everywhere.

Torterra, Spiritomb, and Magmortar looked on with blank looks as they watched the exhaust from Duncan's final attack dissipate. He stood breathing heavily, his lungs on fire from the lunging and Magic Power he used.

Beneath him, Medicham was laying on the ground, swirls in her eyes. That indication alone was all Duncan needed to inhale and relax. He looked towards the sky to find the effects of Sunny Day already fading. Stormclouds were beginning to roll back in.

"Heh, well that was something." Magmortar scoffed.

Duncan lowered his head, scoffing. "Yeah, guess it was. C'mon, let's get them back in their Poke Balls so we can...?" He turned around to face them, but he noticed something heading his way. More accurately, something in large numbers. "What the...?"

High above the sky, the flock of Murkrow returned. All of them cawed as they carried some form of berry. From Oran Berries, to Pecha Berries, to even wild strawberries. They all held them in their beaks and flocked closer towards the sight.

"Hopefully this'll appease the Boss..." A Murkrow's hopes of a single praise went out the window. When he looked down, he saw a ravaged battlefield, with trees broken down, branches destroyed. Hell, even the tree that had Honey on it before was tarnished with bark missing. "Uh...what just happened?"

Another Murkrow looked down at the ground, her eyes widening upon seeing Honchkrow sprawled across the ground. "Look!" All around her, the other Murkrow gasped in shock.

"That the Big Boss himself?"

"What happened?! He's a total mess!"

"Did he serious get hurt by those guys down there?"

"Hey, you!" A lone Murkrow who was brave enough directed towards Duncan. "What did you do to our Boss?! Well?!"

Duncan scoffed, barely amused. "Sorry...but your Boss isn't the one calling the shots anymore." His eyes narrowed. "He needed to learn that he's not that far yet to being reasonable."

"N-No way!" Another grunt panicked.

Magmortar stepped up besides Duncan. The trainer moved his arm up to direct. "Flamethrower!" Magmortar fired another searing blast of flames that soared into the sky. All the Murkrow had comedic spook on their faces and dropped their berries meant for Honchkrow. They all flapped their wings hastily and scattered into the dark wilderness.

The berries fell around Duncan's feet, each one plopping and others having firm landings. The ones mainly intact were Oran and Sitrus Berries. He scouted all of them, only sighing out his nostrils.

"Well...guess this is my lucky day after all."


Araquanid's fangs glowed and elongated. He sprung down directly for Sophie as she stayed firm in her position.

"Kadabra, Reflect!"

"Understood!" Kadabra brought up his silver spoon and summoned a rainbow mirror in front of himself. That same mirror appeared in front of Sophie as Araquanid came crashing down. It absorbed the brunt of the impact, sparing Sophie from his viscous sharp fangs. Though some of the impact's force buffered her, she was able to pull away.

"Water Pulse!" Finneon generated a large sphere of water in front of her mouth. With rainfall, the sphere was a lot bigger than what its original size was. She fired it at Sophie, but the blonde was nimble enough to pivot on a heel and spin her body around. She remained steady even as the sphere erupted into a large geyser behind her.

Araquanid hissed angrily. "Hold still already!" His eyes glowed bright green. "Infestation!"

Sophie's eyes narrowed. She remembered this attack all too well...and how badly it itched. Trying to ignore her crawling skin, she put a finger to her forehead and made a chain of memories flourish behind her. She watched as Arquanid's grubs expelled in her direction, eating their way across the damp ground towards her feet.

She closed her eyes briefly, thinking of Droy's Plant Magic. She imagined Gray with his own Ice-Make Magic. A clear picture came to mind.

"Memory-Make: Field of Frozen Dreams!"

The ground around her suddenly trembled. It started low, before increasing in magnitude. Before the Infestation was about to reach her, tiny buds sprouted from below. Their leaves unfolded and the buds burst open, expelling subzero pollen.

As the grubs ate their way towards her, the buds beneath them spouted pollen that froze them upon contact. The hundreds of tiny spores scattered across the ground, layering it in frost and ice. Araquanid looked partially alarmed and jumped away from the oncoming wake. But when he landed, he felt something cold cling to his legs.

"What the...?!" He looked down, his eyes glowing from shock. To his horror, the entire field had buds sprouting. Araquanid's legs were immediately grounded by the frozen spores that inly anchored when rainwater dripped down his huge legs. The frost climbed that and stuck Araquanid in place, much to his horror.

'He's immobilized. And since Finneon moves better in water, she won't have anywhere to move as well. We'll have to act swiftly.'

Araquanid nudged his huge legs, but the more he did, the more the buds cracked and spouted subzero pollen. So much spewed beneath him that his entire lower-half was almost frozen over. He grunted in a mixture of pain and the chills circulating through his body.

"Araquanid, try not to get too riled up!" Finneon urged. She glared over at Sophie, her leery gaze turning serious on her. 'She's adapted faster than last time. We can't get near her now.'

Rather than give them a moment to think, Sophie put on a little more pressure. "Sorry to you both, but this needs to be done. Kadabra, Psyshock!"

"Right, understood!" Kadabra lifted his spoon, generating an orb of purple energy. He projected three beams from it that seared after Araquanid and Finneon.

Finneon reared her head back lurched forward, firing a Water Gun in the direction of the oncoming beams. Though the two attacks met in the middle, Finneon's attack had much less power, causing the deluge to lose its momentum rapidly and leaving Finneon and Araquanid open to the attack. A purple explosion swallowed Araquanid's side, causing both to let out grunts and cries of pain from the impact.

Kadabra huffed and lowered his spoon. He kept a steady gaze as he watched the smoke dissipate swiftly thanks to the rain. He saw that his attack had done sustainable damage to them, but Araquanid and Finneon turned their gazes towards him with growing contestation.

'If we can hold them down long enough, we should be able to hammer them strongly enough. Just need one more push...'

Araquanid lightly shook his head, grunting in pain.

"So then...have you both come to terms with where you stand?" Kadabra inquired.

Araquanid hissed aggressively. "That's what you think." He shot a glance at Finneon, who returned the gesture. Whatever was between them, it didn't do Sophie nor Kadabra any favors. Suddenly, Araquanid faced towards Sophie, firing a jet of blue bubbles in her direction.

Sophie braced herself, but then the bubbles changed course and returned back towards the sender. Both her and Kadabra's eyes widened when they saw Finneon's body absorbing the bubbles. While no damage was taken, a red aura enveloped her body to signal her Special Attack increase.

"Water Gun!"

Finneon turned back towards Kadabra and fired another jet of water, this one looking more intense than the last shot. Kadabra's eyes widened before he instinctively brought up his spoon and generated another Psyshock. He fired straight into the jet, but unlike before, the force of his attack wasn't as strong as it was before. An explosion of mist and purple energy expelled between them, briefly blanketing Kadabra's surroundings.

"Kadabra, in front of you!"

Sophie's warning caught Kadabra off guard. He heard a gushing sound and saw the blast of water continue through the explosion. He was struck head-on by the blast, albeit its pressure was partially weakened from the Psyshock. Kadabra slid backwards until he fell forward to his knees.

"Are you alright?!" Sophie exclaimed.

Kadabra pushed himself up, shaking his head. "Yes, Miss Sophie. Don't worry about me!"

Araquanid hissed before expelling more bubbles. He intended to direct them at Sophie, but once again, Finneon ended up absorbing them, making a red aura envelop her body. Finneon generated a large blue sphere of energy and projected it at Sophie with enough force that it caused the frozen grass below its wake to shatter to pieces.

Sophie used her acrobatic works and careened her head and shoulders back. Her body almost completely bent backwards to a bridge as the Water Pulse flew right over her head. It continued into past the trees beyond the clearing until a large blue eruption swelled the underbrush. Dense water and mist spouted, leaving Sophie mildly stunned.

'Such power.' Sophie was left baffled for a split second. How did Finneon's power increase by that much compared to before?

It didn't take long for the realization to unfold. Her thoughts raced back to when Araquanid's Bubble Beam misdirected into Finneon. Even though he did it once, he did it a second time anyways. That's when it hit her.

'Now I see. He's continuously using Bubble Beam on purpose to fuel Finneon. Her Storm Drain is drawing power from Araquanid's attack, on top of it already raining...' She straightened herself up. 'We need to finish this soon. Reflect won't last much longer. In that case, we don't have much of a choice...'

Araquanid expelled another Bubble Beam at Sophie, again redirecting itself towards Finneon. This time, Sophie had a plan.

"Kadabra, quick! Use Psybeam!"

Kadabra wasted no time generating energy to a singular point. It concentrated into an orb that projected streaky blue energy with bright circles. It seared through the air into the path of the Bubble Beam's oncoming target. Before Finneon was about to get her beloved power boost, the Psybeam's blast met the bubbles, making a point-blank explosion that clouded up around Araquanid and Finneon. Both scowled at the intrusion; the former more so with how it blinded him.

"Gah! What was that for?!" Araquanid hissed. He nudged and moved his body, but still felt it pinned into the ice.

Sophie stepped forward. "Kadabra! Do it now!"

Kadabra nodded. "Understood." He focused on his spoon, his eyes fixated on its tip. He closed his eyes and calmed his mind to expel alpha waves outwards.

Meanwhile, Araquanid grunted while gathering his bearings. "What the hell was that?!"

"I'm not certain, but I...!" Finneon's eyes widened when she suddenly felt an intense pain run through her brain. Her mind numbed for a second for she felt everything around her go numb. "W-what...? My head feels so...aaaah!"

She wasn't the only one. Araquanid grunted as he felt the intensity inside his own head. It was like somebody was hammering his brain with mallets nonstop, it was infuriating and painful to bear. All he could do was grunt as his legs were still frozen into the ground.

Kadabra continued inducing alpha waves with closed eyes, doubling their intensity. With both their focus suspended, he was doing his job in keeping them at bay.

'It's probably taking a lot of focus for Kadabra to produce this much alpha waves onto them. He can't hold on forever.' Sophie thought, calculating her next attack. 'If Finneon is getting stronger, right now we have to stop her.'

Once again, a chain of memories appeared behind her as she placed a finger to her forehead.

"Memory-Make: Shower of Thunderous Swords!"

The sky thundered and flashed through the ongoing storm. In a bright flash of electricity, the dark clouds above rained down dozens of swords made out of pure lightning. Neither Araquanid nor Finneon were able to properly focus while the attack showered directly above them. Before they realized it, they were struck and stabbed by relentless bolts of lightning at high speed. Thunderous eruptions engulfed both Pokémon as they cried out in agony, though against such loud lightning, it was hoarser than anything.

The stabbing voltage eventually receded, leaving static dissipating across the air around the vicinity. Sophie and Kadabra uncovered themselves and looked back at the sight before them. The entire field's frozen garden was gone, leaving wet grass that was superficially charred. Multiple stab areas surrounded Araquanid as he was sprawled on the ground, barely coming to his senses.

"Gnnnngh...ow...okay...that actually really hurts..." he grunted in pain. With his legs free, he was finally able to adjust himself. He looked down, realizing his body was free from the solid ice. "I'm out! Finally!" He was about to attack. But he realized something was off. "Wait...Finneon?"

Beside him, there was a weak moan. He turned and looked down beside himself. Much to his horror, Finneon laid on her side, spirals in her eyes. While Araquanid barely held on, that wasn't the case for poor Finneon.

"Finneon...?" Araquanid's eyes dimly glowed. The shock finally registered before he angrily turned towards Sophie with a hostile glare. "You...you are going to pay for that!"

Sophie frowned. Inwardly, she felt horrible having to do this to her Pokémon. Having to do this to Finneon was enough to make her stomach discomforting. She was just thankful she had plenty of time to digest those pancakes. Getting over her momentary guilt, she glared at Araquanid while holding her Z-Ring that had a pink crystal embedded inside.

Araquanid's head rose. "Wait, isn't that...?"

"Now, Miss Sophie!" Kadabra shouted. "I'm ready!"

Araquanid hissed a gasp. Without delay, he scuttled across the frosty field, albeit clumsily. Some of his legs took some serious damage at the joints by the lightning swords, leaving him numb and slow going towards Sophie.

Sophie closed her eyed briefly, taking a deep exhale to relax her body. Her eyes opened wide before she crossed her arms. "Very well...let's do this, Kadabra!" An eye-like emblem emphasized the air around her. She put a finger to her forehead, while projecting her palm outwards. Kadabra copied her pose and aimed it at Araquanid.

The hot pink aura surrounding Sophie's body illuminated the night that was darker from the Z-Power eating up light all around the atmosphere. An arch of the energy went above Sophie's hed and infused into Kadabra, giving him an incredible surge of power that he focused on building up.

Araquanid's fangs glowed bright white and grew closer towards Sophie. He made a hasty lunge with Bug Bite ready to snap down onto her. However, Sophie and Kadabra were all ready.

"Now...SHATTERED PSYCHE!"

The hot pink mass of telekinetic energy around Kadabra finally unleashed itself. Using his spoon, Kadabra directed the concentrated mass through the atmosphere at Araquanid at a meteor's pace. Araquanid was mere feet away from snapping on Sophie and drowning her in his water bubble when he was swallowed by the psychic energy. It froze him in place for only a brief second...before shooting him straight up into the atmosphere. It struck a spatial barrier, bouncing off it into another one. Then another one. Each impact made a loud grunt that indicated Araquanid felt it. He struck space and shattered it to pieces. Until finally, Araquanid shot straight up in a speeding jet into the atmosphere. He smashed into a very large mass of space that shattered like glass. Shards of spatial energy rained down and turned into hot pink sparkles that combusted into thin air. Explosive hot pink energy engulfed the hole that shook the area above Sophie and Kadabra.

They both watched as the hot pink flare in the sky diminished. For a moment it was powerful enough to stop the rainfall. They felt come back down along with Araquanid, who smashed into the earth besides Finneon. To both their sounds relief, they saw the swirls in his eyes to indicate his defeat.

With some room to breathe at long last, Kadabra sighed his reliefs. "It appears...that we were successful."

"Yes...we were." Sophie grinned. She noticed some of the rain coming down her face had polish and ink on it. She grazed her cheek with a finger and looked at the substance. "Just in time...my makeup is starting to smear."

Kadabra humorously chuckled. He turned back towards the fallen Araquanid and Finneon with a sympathetic leer. "Rest easy, my beloved comrades. You're finally back home."


Lightning came down across the wasteland Vanessa stood in. Rain fell at an alarming rate. Her long, glossy, black hair was getting soaked, but she paid no heed. She needed to focus on getting Magnezone, Krookodile, and Mawile to behave.

Krookodile wasted no time in making the first move. His jaws opened wide as he charged ahead with the razor-sharp teeth glowing, via Crunch. "I'M GONNA CHEW YOU TO PIECES AND THEN SPIT YOU OUT LIKE AN OVERRIPED BERRY!"

Vanessa made an intellectual counter. "Goodra, Muddy Water!"

Goodra nodded in understanding. "You got it, Vanessa." She moved in front of Delphox and Venusaur, both backing off so Goodra would have plenty of space. She raised her arms into the air, letting out a loud cry as she summoned a large tidal wall of muddy brown water. The water gradually rose until it became a tsunami that traveled across the area, mowing down everything that stood in its way.

Krookodile continued charging until his brain's survival instincts kicked in. He came to a halt as his eyes widened as the enormous wall of muddy water gradually making its way towards him. "...WATER?! WAIT, WHAT?! KROOKODILE DOESN'T DO WATER!"

"Should we help him?" Mawile eyerolled at Magnezone.

Magnezone silently complied, as though it were plain as day. He levitated higher until he had a fair angle to project his attack. Electrical energy manifested into a single point, with a bright light at its center that had partially green energy.

"Zap Cannon!"

The orb fired in a bright flash. The air around its wake crackled with static as it went over a startled Krookodile's head. It bored a hole clean through the middle of the massive wave and caused it to separate around Krookodile. The water depleted back into the ground while sparing him and his allies.

Vanessa was quick on a follow up. With a break in the water, it allowed a short gap for good aim. "Venusaur, Toxic!"

"Right!" Venusaur aimed his stem and massive flower at Krookodile. He spouted poisonous liquid that streamed through the air after him.

Mawile suddenly appeared in front of Krookodile at the last second, using her own body to take the attack. The liquid struck her body and swallowed her in a dark purple cloud of smoke that diffused through the rain. When it faded, Mawile was left unscathed with a smug grin.

"Hmph! Sorry, but you should know that Poison doesn't affect Steel-types." Mawile chimed.

"I'm aware." Vanessa smirked. "I'm also aware that Stell-types are vulnerable towards Fire-types." She reached an arm forward. "Delphox, Flamethrower!"

Delphox narrowed her eyes and aimed her wand at Mawile. She unleashed a torrent of flames that blasted into Mawile through the rain and quickly closed the gap, much to her shock.

"Protect!"

Mawile put her hands forward and made a translucent turquoise barrier. The flames struck the barrier and streamed in thinner areas around it. Mawile grunted as the heat from the flames was still heavily intense. Her teeth gnashed at the realization she came across. 'She wanted me in front on purpose just so I can get hit by these flames!'

While Delphox continued unleashing her flames, Mawile looked behind her. "What are you doing standing around for?! Get them already!"

"Fine! Watch this!" Krookodile clenched a fist and slammed it into the ground. With a massive cry, he unleashed Stone Edge, sending pillars of sharp rocks that shot up from below into the roaring flames. They continued their path towards Delphox, gradually thinning out the flames that had no power.

"Venusaur, Petal Blizzard!" Vanessa ordered.

Venusaur spread his legs and tensed up. He let out a loud roar into the sky as his leaves defied gravity. A cyclone of pink petals enveloped Venusaur's entire body and rapidly expanded in quantity. The maelstrom erupted in all directions, engulfing the surroundings and struck everything.

Vanessa got in front of Delphox and enveloped themselves in an Aura Guard, shielding them from shredding petals. Goodra remained firm as the attack also swallowed her.

"NOT THIS TIME! DIG!" Krookodile arched his body into the ground and created a large hole that he furrowed through.

While he was fast in his case, Mawile and Magnezone weren't as reflexive. They both braced themselves as the sharp petals swelled in numbers around them, pushing them back before gradually swallowing them in the mass they created. The cyclone reduced Krookodile's stone pillars to dust and raged over a large expanse of the area.

Magnezone grunted. Inside the massive storm of petals, he grunted as silver energy channeled into his red eye.

"Flash Cannon!"

A bright, searing stream of energy flourished from deep within the pink blizzard. Petals were eviscerated in the wake of the attack that dazzled everywhere. The beam went everywhere, creating a bombastic silver and bright blue explosion to expand outwards and cancel out the Petal Blizzard. Glistening metallic energy and petals fluttered down in the rain between them.

Thunder roared above as there was a brief pause between them all. Their glares showed no reluctance; neither that nor admiration. Vanessa dispelled her aura as she stood alongside her Pokémon against the two Steel-types.

'We won't be able to inflict much damage at this rate. This rain is turning against Delphox's Fire-type advantage. Plus, there's also the fact that most of my current Pokémon are more long-range fighters and rely on Special Attack. If we're not careful nor strong enough, Magnezone can easily turn that around with Mirror Coat.'

Vanessa frowned. She remembered all too well the scorn from being blindsided by that attack. To not account for your Pokémon's moves and abilities was one thing, but how they independently think was another. She would have been impressed with herself if it wasn't for her mild annoyance at the irony that her training brought upon her.

'But...not all of them rely on Special Attack alone either.' Vanessa shot a glance at Goodra and Venusaur. The latter's recent attack counted as physical, though not much. 'Perhaps this will work in our favor after all...'

"Vanessa!"

She heard Delphox's cry. She sensed a fast-moving aura heading at them directly below. "I know!"

They both looked down and watched the ground erupt. Rock and earth exploded and they both separated towards either side. Delphox barely avoided large, sharp jaws whereas Vanessa barely evaded a large red and black tail swinging just past her nose. They slid back to a halt and watched the dust dissipate to show Krookodile snarling aggressively.

"GRAH!" He opened his jaws wide as he dove for Delphox. His fangs glowed brightly again as he used Crunch. Vanessa channeled aura into her palms to manifest a sphere of teal energy.

"Trace Shot!"

She fired the sphere at high speed into Krookodile. Sensing the attack incoming, Krookodile pivoted and clamped his jaws down onto the sphere. The sphere exploded upon impact, covering Krookodile's face with teal smoke that dissipated into the rain to reveal him glaring daggers at Vanessa.

"You did not just try to do that! Let me tell you something, Vanessa Pularis! Nobody tries to blindside Krookodile and gets away with it!" he bellowed.

Ironically enough, a heat came from his turned back. Delphox's wand channeled flames before expelling them in a roaring blaze at him. Just when her attack was going to meet him, three beams of fire, ice, and lightning shot from a higher angle above. They exploded and dissipated at an equal interval. Delphox looked up and realized Magnezone was looking steadily at her.

Their eyes narrowed at each other as lightning coursed above them. They knew what had to happen now. It was the most logical. A singular resounding thought came to mind.

'We have to take out the most difficult!'

Venusaur charged up an Energy Ball aimed for Krookodile. As he was channeling the energy, a figure jumped and flipped through the air, bringing down her metallic jaw-like horns onto Venusaur's head. The impact made the sphere collapse and make him lose focus. He cringed and looked to see Mawile landing on the ground beside him.

He watched as her Iron Head dissipated back to normal. Her eyes focused solemnly on him. "Hmph, sorry big guy. But you were always a buzzkill."

Venusaur snorted. "So I've been told before..."

Krookodile stomped on the ground, snorting like a bull ready to charge at his trainer. Without warning, he sprung after her with his jaws wide open to strike her down.

"EAT THIS!" His jaws were about to clamp on her head, but when he was about to make contact, large tendril-like horns held his top and bottom jaw in place. He froze on the spot as a larger, heftier creature stood between him and Vanessa. "HUH?!"

Goodra strained as she was trying to keep Krookodile at bay. His jaws were freakishly strong, even for her horns! "S-sorry Krookodile, but Vanessa is not. On. The. Menu!" With all her strength, she used her horns and lobbed Krookodile away, sending him flying into the wet ground several meters away.

He hastily shot back to his feet and shook his head. He gave Goodra an angry glare. "LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, GOODRA!" he roared, boring angry glares at her. "NOBODY TELLS KROOKODILE WHAT HE CAN OR CAN'T EAT!" He smirked. "BUT SINCE YOU'RE HERE, I'LL SETTLE FOR SOME PUDDING AS AN APPETIZER!"

Goodra grunted, but she didn't back down from the challenge.

Vanessa grimaced as she looked around the battlefield to understand what was happening. 'Everyone just closed off from one another. Well, at least that helps reduce their dynamics.' She knew better than to exclude herself. Teal aura enveloped her hands as she multitasked with seeing any openings that could be made.

Mawile shot into the air again, flipping over with her huge horns opening wide with glowing fangs, via Crunch. At the same time, Magnezone fired another intense electrical orb with a red center fixed on Delphox. The two braced themselves as they closed in on them. She had an idea.

"Delphox, Psychic on Mawile!"

Delphox's eyes slightly widened. 'Wait, why does she want me to focus on Mawile? Unless...' It didn't take long for the realization to dawn upon her, her eyes narrowed swiftly with resolution. '...now I see. Very well then!' Her eyes glowed bright blue as she targeted her wand towards Mawile's direction.

As Mawile was about to clamp down onto Venusaur's head, she found herself suspended in place. She blinked several times before the realization dawned upon her. "Wait! What?!"

Without any time to get answers, she was suddenly flung towards Delphox when the latter conducted her wand back towards her. She flew – against her will – into the path of Magnezone's Zap Cannon. She didn't have enough time to protect herself while her jaws were still shimmering brightly. Her body was struck with a bright flash before a discharge of ions and lightning flourished all around her. A pillar of intense electricity swallowed her on the spot.

Mawile screamed out in agony in the roaring thunder. It took several minutes for it to diminish, until finally it settled. The electricity dispersed into static as Mawile dropped to the ground in front of Delphox and Magnezone. It crackled with instant paralysis.

"Mawile!" Magnezone gasped.

"Venusaur, Energy Ball on Goodra!" Vanessa followed up.

Venusaur was taken aback much like Delphox. However, he quickly got over the confusion and opened his mouth, firing a ball of green energy directly on his right towards Goodra.

Goodra stood readily as the green hemisphere struck her body, engulfing her in a bright green eruption. With the explosion going around, the dust was perfect cover for Krookodile to spring ahead with his glowing jaws, via Crunch.

'Now!' Using her aura to measure, Vanessa gave a swift command. "Power Whip!"

Krookodile cried out vehemently as he lunged after Goodra in the smoke cloud. Even with how dusty and damp the air was, he could see her visage so well. So much so in fact that he could see coloration in the smoke as clear as day. Bright green energy surrounded her horns and swung around. He was already too deep to pull away and ended up getting smacked in the lower jaw by a harsh swing. He felt his jaw ache as he soared through the air, crying out in pain as he slammed into the ground on his back.

"Gaaaaah!" He grinded to a halt. That attack really hurt. "Ugh...Krookodile feels so..." He shook his head wildly to snap out of shock and shot back to his feet. "NOW WHO DID THAT?!"

The smoke dissipated, revealing Goodra with her glowing horns retracting behind her head. Surprising enough, they were larger than usual. She had a red aura around her entire body as her Attack was increasing.

Vanessa relaxed some, smirking. "Seems you've forgotten something about Goodra. I didn't just have Venusaur attack on a whim, you know. Her Ability is Sap Sipper." As she spoke, the aura diminished into Goodra's body. "In other words, it means that after being hit twice by two Grass-type moves, her Attack power's up significantly." She narrowed her eyes. "So then...what now?"

Krookodile gnashed his teeth angrily. He wasn't going to take this lying down. His eyes glowed bright red as a harsh red aura exploded beneath him. "GRAAAAAAAH! OUTRAGE!" With a singular slam of his tail, he bolted across the ground back towards Goodra.

"Power Whip!"

Goodra's horns kept glowing bright green and she thrust them into Krookodile, His claws caught them, making a large gust that blew everything away around them. Krookodile knocked them away and went for a slash, but Goodra parried with a lash. They parried with the opposite limbs, then back again. They swung relentlessly without the other giving an edge. No matter what, harsh green whips met claws. The force of each individual blow sent waves across the area, making a light magnitude as the hefty combatants were in their spar.

Vanessa saw Mawile getting back up, albeit slowly from paralysis. She had to counter, and fast. 'This should give us a better edge!' She leered at Venusaur. "Venusaur, Petal Blizzard!"

Venusaur knew what to do. He opened his maw wide and roared. A cyclone of pink petals materialized and swirled in a clockwise fashion around his body. The mass suddenly swelled, engulfing the surroundings in the heavy mass.

"HEH?!" Krookodile saw the expanding mass head his way. He ceased his interlock with Goodra's horns and pulled away to swing his tail. With a wild, animalistic cry, he swung his tail around into the petals, creating a shockwave strong enough to break the cyclone that was going to engulf him.

"Hnnngh...huh? What the...?" Mawile looked over, seeing a storm of petals swell in her direction. "Tch! Not this again!" She put her arms out in front of her. "Prote-!" Before could finish her sentence, however, static crackled around her body, causing her to violently twitch.

'Shit! I'm stung up now?!' Her focus was back on the storm heading her way. 'No...NO!'

Vanessa slipped besides Delphox and encased themselves in her Aura Guard. The spell's thick layer of teal aura bunkered them while the petals engulfed everything else, including Goodra. Mawile's cries of pain pierced the howling winds of the blizzard of petals. Magnezone was also unable to escape, grunting in discomfort of the attack swallowing him on all sides.

The swirling storm of petals didn't last long though, as Krookodile was able to swing once again, making an opening for Goodra. His sharp eyesight locked in on her and he sprung for her the umpteenth time. "LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, STUPID PINK FLOWERS! YOU THINK YOU'RE SO TOUGH?! TRY HOLDING ME BACK! GRAAAAH!"

With the Petal Blizzard receding, Goodra was in sight of Vanessa and Krookodile. The former undid her shield and saw another red aura engulf her, increasing her Attack further. "Power Whip!"

Krookodile cried out with a balled fist. Goodra swung her horns around with enough momentum to carve a trail into the ground without direct contact. She swung with a loud cry into meeting Krookodile's fist, resulting in the horns swiping the claw away, much to Krookodile's shock.

"Now...Ice Beam!"

A blue orb of icy energy appeared in front of her mouth as she charged up. "Enough, Krookodile!" Goodra lurched forward, unleashing thin, pressurized beams of ice directly into Krookodile's face. With him so close, his glowing red eyes shrank with realization before he was blasted head-on.

"GWWAAAAAAAAAH~!" Krookoile howled in pain as the beam sent him flying into a nearby rock. He smashed into it, shattering it to pieces and fell with the rubble.

Vanessa and the others backed off. They looked cautiously ahead to see the damage that was done. The terrain all around them was completely flattened, with the exceptions of some heavy rocks in the vicinity. But amongst the many things strewn across the ground, they all recognized Mawile, who was knocked around by the petals she was unable to defend against.

The rubble cleared away for Krookodile, revealing him sprawled in the rubble, his eyes filled with swirls. Mawile was no different.

Goodra smiled brightly. "We got'em!"

"Yeah, we sure did." Venusaur grinned at Goodra, with her smiling back.

"Yes. And if what happened to us is the case, the same should be for them. They'll be back to normal." Delphox noted, her brow furrowing. "Now, we have but one more."

Vanessa frowned. She knew who she was talking about. Everyone turned towards the heavy lump of metal that was Magnezone shifting on the ground before ascending into the air slowly. He looked shaken, but it was clear that he had plenty of stamina left. The trainer's hands lit up in teal aura to brace herself.

Magnezone felt his body being unsteady for several seconds. Thankfully had had no legs, otherwise he was certain he would have fallen on them. His three eyes homed in on Vanessa and the opposing three Pokémon between them.

'Now I understand. So that was her plan.' He thought back to the Petal Blizzard used the first time. 'Her real intentions weren't to damage us in the first place. She would defend Delphox while Goodra would gain strength from Venusaur. This was the dynamic Vanessa set up...' It made complete sense that all three complimented one another in that order. It was far more solid than what he had realized. 'I see...so she's relying on empowered physical attacks to wear me down so she can finish me with a single Fire-type move. Clever...but still...'

Vanessa reached her arm out once more. "Delphox, Fire Blast!" Delphox held out her wand as the tip broiled in an even stronger flame than before. The pressure of the flame intensified into the shape of the kanji for fire that sped through the rain into Magnezone.

Knowing he already sustained damage that it would be stupid to take it head-on, Magnezone suddenly jerked himself skywards, allowing the flames to continue their course and dissipate in the distance in a burst of raging fire. He steadied and fired beams of fire, ice, and lightning at Delphox in retaliation.

"Venusaur, Energy Ball!" Vanessa followed up.

"On it!" Venusaur opened his mouth, channeling energy into a bright green sphere in front of his mouth. He launched it at the oncoming beams while Vanessa's teal aura intensified around her hands.

"Emanation Beam!"

A teal beam fired at astounding pressures through the air towards the attack. The teal aura and Venusaur's Energy Ball shot in adjacent angles that met in the center, causing the Energy Ball's green aura to spiral around the spell that pushed it at an accelerated rate into the Tri Attack.

The three attacks met in the center, causing an implosion of energy that crackled ions for several seconds. The two sides' powers caused several flashes before they imploded and erupted the atmosphere in a smoky flare that blanketed everything.

Magnezone floated a little higher for precaution. 'I can't see through this mass!'

"Power Whip!"

A loud was heard before long green, glowing horns bored through the smoke, tearing open trenches into the thick energy left behind. One huge whip snapped that Magnezone was able to maneuver around, but the second one came straight down like an axe. The force of the Grass-type attack caused massive shock to run through his entire body. He smashed down into the ground with enough force the split the earth several meters all around him. A gush of rock and dust spouted before depreciating back to the ground around Magnezone's severely damaged body.

The horns retreated behind Goodra's head as she looked on, her brow furrowed. "He's still standing...I know Grass-type attacks aren't very effective, but still..."

"He's certainly sturdy..." Vanessa muttered low. She knew better than anyone just what a beating Magnezone could withstand. Not just in terms of actual Defense, but also just how much willpower the inorganic magnet had in him. 'He certainly takes after us after all these years.'

"I wanna blame you so much for what Mom and Dad did…but you're not them, and if I can't see that, then how am I growing up?"

Memories of when Vanessa had Magneton join her for her journey resurfaced. She could feel the aura off of Magnezone being the same emotions she felt back then. Anger. Grief. Doubt. A lot of these emotions that she felt for some time before she finally came to terms with relying on Magnezone. She knew that Nic wasn't comfortable with the idea at first as well, but he was willing to give the benefit of the doubt after a little while.

'Magnezone...I know you've been burdened for years with feeling suppression. We all did...' Vanessa recalled her childhood. Essentially having no friends, and the only family she had pampered her while taking their abusive curse out on Nic. It was bittersweet, but she knew the meaning behind it all. 'I understand why you would hate humans now. I do, too. But...'

She thought of the last words her father said before he and Laura returned to the afterlife.

"Magnezone."

Magnezone looked at his former Trainer, eyes wide. "Mark…"

"I've put you through a rough relationship. You need to repent for what we made you do." Mark shook his head. "There's no need to feel guilty anymore. Your penance has been paid…in full."

Magnezone shook off the rubble from his body. He grunted as he ascended a few feet off the ground. His body was scraped and dented in several areas, primarily due to being scraped by the petals. His red eye was glowing brightly as though it were glowering at them.

"Be on guard! Here he comes!" Venusaur warned.

Magnezone ascended higher as the eye glowed, generating silver energy into a singular point. He fired a Flash Cannon in arch across the vicinity, making a trail of light that exploded into the air. The earth erupted, swallowing Venusaur, Goodra, and Delphox as they covered themselves from the debris and scattering matter.

Vanessa covered herself with another forcefield of teal aura. She sensed a strong, malicious aura above that focused on her. She was nimble enough to roll off to the side to avoid another beam of light that decimated the ground. Had she stood there any longer, she would have been blown off her feet.

Magnezone's eyes focused solemnly on her. She returned the glare as they were seemingly reading the other's mind. More flashes of them on their journey came to light. From seeing the forests of Santalune Woods, to the steep cliffs and vast oceans of Route 8. Even to when he helped her in her Gym battles to earn Gym Badges. As the time flew by them, the more Vanessa and Magneton got more comfortable with one another. Though, admitting it was comfortable would be a stretch...a very long stretch. That's to say the only kind of communication was Vanessa giving an order that Magneton would try to follow down to the syllable. And even then, it wasn't easy for him to look her in the eye. And she understood why.

When Magnezone's eye glowed brighter, his magnets turned, causing Vanessa's body to react. With a strong gravity field, he magnetized the iron in Vanessa's body and pulled her through the air towards him.

"Vanessa!" Venusaur gasped, before glancing at Goodra. "Goodra, hurry!"

"I know!" Goodra whipped her horns back and slung them up at Vanessa as fast as possible. They slung straight for her legs, barely snaring her right ankle and keeping her adrift in the air between the two sides.

Her heart pounded for numerous reasons, but Vanessa kept a calm face at all times. With her closer towards Magnezone, she could geta closer look and sense the insecure aura around him. 'Magnezone...'

"I just have a feeling that it may involve something with me. I'm sure that whatever it is, that look he always gives me is telling me that he regrets something..."

"I won't live in the past...so there's no need to feel worried for me."

Sophie's words from yesterday echoed in her mind. They may have been meant for herself at the time, but to an extent, it was more related to her now. 'She's right...there's no point in staying in the past. Moving forward is what we all must do...' She glared at Magnezone. 'And as Magnezone's trainer...my family...I'll make him see that!'

She hatched yet another idea.

"Goodra, don't let go until I say!" Vanessa charged up aura around her body. "Delphox! Be ready!"

Delphox dutifully nodded. "Understood!"

With Vanessa locked in place, Magnezone's red eye glowed brighter. "I'll admit, Vanessa, you're as resilient as your brother. You're both definitely stubborn and don't go down easy...just like your father alright." He charged up another yellow orb of electricity with a bright red core. "But even so, I've learned to stand my own ground. If I'm going to get my freedom like your brother did, then the only way I must do so is fight the suppression!"

Vanessa's eyes narrowed. Lightning flashed in the sky and crashed down nearby.

"Zap Cannon!"

"Goodra, now!"

Goodra nodded and loosened her hold, allowing Vanessa to be pulled into Magnezone's magnetic field.

Magnezone fired the electrified orb at Vanessa, beaming straight at her. She closed in with her aura around her arms to as much pressure as she could muster up.

"Psychic!" she cried out.

Delphox's eyes glowed bright blue as she used her wand to focus on Vanessa. Rather than pull her back, she used her powers to control her, maneuvering her around the orb that continued into the ground, making a dense discharge. She continued her path until she got close enough to get face-to-face with Magnezone.

Time slowed down between them, lightning flashing all around them. The dense glare in Vanessa's eyes bored deep into Magnezone's.

"Magnezone..." She brought both hands forward, generating an orb of intensified teal aura. "...we're moving forward...NOW!"

Magnezone charged up Flash Cannon, the light so close to the orb that the two energies began mixing. Teal and silver created a glossy, silverish-green matter that gradually expanded between them. The light gradually engulfed them as they added more power into their attacks.

Delphox, Venusaur, and Goodra all looked shocked as the light from their attack permeated the sky, making a wake so intense they lost sight of them both.

"VANESSA!" Delphox yelled.

Meanwhile, in the depth of the light...silence. Sheer silence fell between the small space that confined Vanessa and Magnezone. Both felt no gravity around them as they were surrounded by a white space that stretched on continuously. Neither felt anything. Not pain, nor their drenched bodies soaked by the storm. However, there was a vague calm at they gazed at each other, as if they were seemingly understanding something.

Magnezone glared at Vanessa, seeing her visible aura. It was resonating within the white space, making small projections of past memories. He looked all around, seeing the many past adventures they've had. They both saw them, to having Vanessa born, to being in the background as Vanessa was celebrating her first birthday with lemon cake. Memories of warm fires they shared when traveling and Vanessa polishing Magnezone came to mind. And through it all, the feelings weren't anything of malice, but...warmth.

"This...this is..."

Vanessa smiled warmly, a sensation that was felt through the space that made Magnezone's cold, metallic body more comfortable. "Magnezone..." She reached her hand out to him. "Come on...the others are waiting."

As if he understood, the small antennae on his head was capturing all these emotions in the aura space. The hazy disposition he had started fading as he drifted closer towards her, the light around them growing brighter.

Delphox, Venusaur, and Goodra saw nothing. Nothing but sheer Magic Power mixed with concentrated light that gradually faded from the atmosphere. When it finally cleared, Venusaur's eyes widened. "Look!"

Delphox and Goodra looked up as the rain came down as a gentler pace. While still storming, the rainfall was much like a drizzle. Vanessa and Magnezone slowly floated towards the ground, using magnetic fields to gently help Vanessa down to her feet. Her hand was still pressed on his head as a show of her affection that washed the scorn away.

When Magnezone opened his eyes, they looked more sound and relaxed. "Vanessa..."

Vanessa softly smiled back. "...it's good to see you're back, Magnezone."

He paused, gently humming. "...yeah. And this time, I intend to stay."

Vanessa turned and looked over at Krookodile and Mawile. They started coming around with weak groans and rubbed their aching heads. Venusaur marched over to tend to them while the trainer turned towards Goodra and Delphox, the latter looking at her with a small hum of astonishment.

'Vanessa...you've truly become such a splendid trainer.'

The thunder in the atmosphere grew quieter as the storm calmed above the seven.


Shiin walked through Magnolia's streets with a stalwart glare. The trip from his vantage point wasn't very far, so it didn't take him very long to re-enter the city. Even though the rain had lightened up, it was still coming down. He stopped to look towards the sky, seeing the thunderous clouds loom overhead.

'They were all willing to risk their lives in this type of weather to save these creatures.' His brow furrowed as he felt the rain on his face. 'If they were going to make a plan such as this, the least they could do was block out weather as well. Someone could catch a cold out here.'

If he was honest with himself, he was still irritated, borderline in disbelief. He didn't understand why the guild would take such measures to procure their Pokémon when there was no place meant for them anyways. It was bad enough that many people were hurt because of their existence in this world to begin with, but now they were so integrated that they were almost a necessity towards others. He looked around to find many of the Pokémon that had been drawn back into the city were returning back to their respective trainers. Although it was clear also that from the disapproved expressions they had, it was clear they weren't thoroughly satisfied.

However, there were some that were still enthused with having their Pokmon's sanity return. The little girl from earlier was an example as she stood before her Clefairy that looked at her with some guilt.

"Cle-Clefairy...is that really you...?"

The little girl's Clefairy looked at her in silence for a moment, giving her a faint but carefree smile. "Yeah, Emily, it's me!"

The girl's eyes misted until tears started running down her face. That, or it could have been the rain. It didn't matter. She moved closer and bent down to catch Clefairy in an endearing hug.

"Cubone, I'm so glad you're back!"

That was a really big scare you gave me Pancham, don't you do that again!"

"Mommy! Azurill came back!"

"Oh, dear Poochyena, you had me worried."

Shiin watched the sight, as well as many other people who seemed to have a softer heart. Their Pokémon and them embraced. To an extent, he was relieved that they weren't attacking anyone anymore, but that extension didn't go very far. He retained his distance from the faint of heart and paced back towards the guild hall.

When he opened the doors, the first thing he saw was no different than from what happened outside. The guild hall was filled with its members patching things up with their Pokémon. Macao and Wakaba were throwing sly remarks at one another as they were consoling their Litwick and Koffing. Nab embraced Munchlax, while Asuka was tightly hugging one of the Ponyta by the neck. The same kind of reaction was common from one corner to the other with everyone and their Pokémon beside each other.

"Glad you're back around, Sandslash. How're you feeling?" Max asked, giving his Sandslash a wary look.

Sandslash scratched a spike with a claw, humming lightly. "I feel...weird. It's like déjà vu. Like I know that all happened, but at the same time...it felt like a dream, too."

"Yeah, me too!" Lombre quipped. "But now we're wide awake!"

"Yes! This is spectacular!" Vijeeter cheered, dancing in place with a gleeful look. Lombre was quick to join him in the rather basic movements he made.

Mirajane and Lisanna paced around the guild hall, flashing all forms of medicine to heal the Pokémon. From Sitrus Berries, to Super Potions, to Revives. And they did so with a big smile. "Make sure that you're all staying healthy!" Mirajane chimed, passing a Super Potion over towards Elfman. "Here you go, Elf!"

"Thanks, sis." He took the Super Potion and held it up towards Rhyhorn. "This'll sting a little. Just bear with me, alright?"

Rhyhorn grunted in understanding. Elfman sprayed his head with the medicine, making him grunt at a lower volume as the medicine healed his wounds. As he was healing Rhyhorn from his injuries, Elfman made sure to stay focused on rubbing the medicine in with his hand – gently.

"You know, a real man knows when to swallow his pride."

Off to the side, sitting against a wooden pillar, Machoke had some bandages over his body. Even though he was given a Revive earlier, his body still ached from the damage he put up with. Of course, in his case, nothing hurt more than his pride and how he behaved. All he could do in response was grunt.

"Listen. It's probably not in my place to tell you how you should live." Elfman continued. "It's fine that you want to be strong, but finding a challenge in everything doesn't make it all that enjoyable. There are other things to think about than just strength itself, but how and why...that's just from my experience." He turned to give Machoke a serious look. "You're a strong Pokémon, don't second guess that. From one man to another."

Machoke looked Elfman in the eye, seeing that he was genuine with how he felt about him. Despite his melancholy mood, a small but noticeable grin appeared on his lips. "...hmph, guess I've still got a lot more to learn about being a man if you're telling me this much."

Elfman managed a grin of his own. "One step at a time."

Machoke lightly sneered, but not out of malice. He seemed satisfied.

"Man, that was almost too easy, right Happy?" Natsu smirked.

"Yeah, because you kept knocking them all out before Mest came to teleport them back to the guild." Happy pointed out.

"Hey, it's not my fault! Besides, what if it still didn't work. Not like beating them up before didn't solve our problems." Natsu huffed, turning away with folded arms.

Happy sighed. "Oh geez..."

"Speaking of which..." Natsu turned towards Lucy, who was close by. He could see how she was tending to Klefki with a Super Potion. Staryu was wrapped up in bandages and was mended thanks to first-aid earlier. "Hey, how're they doing, Lucy?"

Lucy smiled. "They're doing a lot better. Still a little worn out, but I think they're just fine now." For her sake, she hoped that she was right.

"Gnnngh..." A low groan came from Klefki. Both Natsu and Lucy immediately turned their attention onto her as she was coming around. Her eyes fluttered open, with the first thing she saw being the familiar blonde with a large chest very close to her. "Lu...cy?"

"Klefki!" Lucy moved closer to her. "Hey...you alright?"

Klefki frowned. Physically, she was fine thanks to a Revive, but her mentality was drained. She looked upset about something, and if Lucy was smart as she was claimed to be, she had a good hunch as to why.

"L-Lucy...listen...I know I said some terrible stuff, but I-!"

"Sssshhh!" She was interrupted when Lucy put a finger up to her keyhole. "I know. You said a lot of terrible things. I know you wouldn't really try to hurt me, Klefki. You're better than that."

Klefki frowned, her gaze cascading towards the ground. Her eyes began misting up. "...but I still did. How can you possibly forgive me after all that I did?"

Lucy only offered a sympathetic grin. "It'll be fine. Because, believe it or not Klefki..." She held up Loke's key, giving her a wide grin. "We both hold these close to us. They really do mean something to us, don't they? Let's just try a little harder to make sure that we stay that close too...okay?"

Klefki was speechless at her kindness. All she could do was manage a bright smile and nod.

BEEPBEEP-BEEPBEEP Staryu blinked.

Klefki sighed. "Okay, okay. I'll also return all those keys I stole...tomorrow."

Beeeeep...

Lucy nervously chuckled. "Yeah, guess we still have some work ahead of us."

"Biss-Ma'am..." Wartortle got to a knee, bowing before Juvia and keeping his head down. "I'm so sorry, for everything that I did to you. I swear, I didn't know what I was thinking back there. I know what I did was inexcusable, but I promise, if you allow me another chance, I'll do everything in my power to never dishonor you again."

Juvia looked down endearingly at Wartortle. "Wartortle..." She looked over at Vaporeon and Azumarill, both looking equally as remorseful.

"We're sorry, Juvia. Really." Vaporeon muttered.

"Yeah, I know that you might not wanna play with us for a while..." Azumarill muttered.

Juvia could understand their plight. In a way, she felt just as upset as they were. Maybe even more so. They said a lot of terrible things that made her worry about her love with Gray. But she didn't want to dawdle on that any longer than what they must.

Despite how the subject still clung to her heart, she managed a content smile. "No, really everyone, it's alright. I'm just glad you're al safe and sound again. That's more than enough for me."

"Boss-Ma'am!" Wartortle gasped at her reply. He lowered his head again in gracious respects. "I swear! I won't go back on my word! I'll guarantee that you'll never have to doubt me again!" He was lightly shivering, something that didn't go unnoticed by the others.

"Wartortle...are you alright?" Vaporeon asked.

"S-sorry...my body is still feeling quite cold. That ice blindsided me and I'm still feeling chilly is all."

"Right, sorry about that. That's on me." Gray prodded from the side. 'Forgot that Juvia's Wartortle has a problem with ice for some reason. Guess I should have gone a little easier...' He turned towards his Pokémon, all of them resting soundly in a corner with bandages and small bowls of a variety of diced berries to reenergize them. In Snorunt's case, he made ice balls made up of his magic to satisfy his appetite. 'Looks like everything is back to normal here, too.'

Dereece sighed lightly. "Well Joey, guess the plan really worked after all. Everyone's Pokémon seems to be back the way they were."

"Yep, sure looks like it, Dereece." Joey nodded, before glancing off to the side. "But..."

Dereece followed his gaze towards the side. Heracross was sitting down, dipping his claws in a spare Honey jar that was saved from the ordeal. He proudly licked up with a sigh of relief. "Aaaaah~, now that hits the spot. Hm?" He couldn't help but feel like he was being stared at again. His gaze fell onto Trubbish, Seel, Stunfisk, and Palpitoad; all six bandaged up and keeping their distance from him. "Huh...what's their problem?"

Yanma, who was perched on his head, looked down at him with a light hum. "You really let them have it back there." She chimed.

Heracross raised his horn, beaming. "Hmph! You never mess with such a sweet delegacy. That's your first mistake! The second one...is it being Honey!"

The four Pokémon were huddled closely to each other, keeping a wary eye on Heracross and his Honey jar. "Dear Stunfisk...why'd you have to bring out that side of him?" Seel grimaced.

"I-I'm sorry...really..."

Joey nervously turned away, looking equally as uneasy. "Well, one thing I learned from this, is that we better stay stocked up on Honey, Dereece."

"Yeah..." Dereece groaned in shame.

Duncan scoffed, having his ordeal situated. Unlike the others, he already tended to his Pokémon before Mest picked him up. He turned his attention over towards Sophie as she was healing Finneon and Araquanid.

"You'll both be fine now. That should do it." Sophie pulled away, having expended the last of a Super Potion.

"Thank you, Lady Sophie." Finneon sheepishly smiled. "We're in your care."

"Yeah...thank you." Araquanid muttered.

Sophie smiled. "It's no trouble, really..." Her eyes widened when she saw Araquanid bring himself closer to her. "Araquanid, no! Not again!"

Kadabra watched as Sophie's head was brought in to embrace Araquanid as a show of affection. Finneon swam in the water bubble to nudge Sophie. He facepalmed and sighed to himself. "Seems like some things just don't change all that much...no matter how much you try." He mused.

"You feeling alright, Vanessa?" Nic asked his sister.

Vanessa gave him a nod. "Yeah, don't worry Nic, I'll be just fine this time. After all, I wasn't alone."

Right beside her, Delphox grinned. Vanessa returned the emotion.

Erza looked around the guild, seeing Wendy helping with her Healing Magic on some of the people that had gotten hurt during their attempts to subdue the Pokémon. "Looks like everyone's managed to pull through this time." She smiled. "That's good. It's great seeing the guild's spirits up like this."

"Yeah..." Nic looked around, seeing if anything was out of place. 'Looks like that was all the Pokémon the guild and this town had. Well, for the moment, we shouldn't be in any immediate danger of them falling under that spell again.'

"Well now, it appears that the plan was a success, Master Laxus." Freed said, giving Laxus a glance.

"Yeah, so it would seem." Laxus sat on a stool at the bar, observing everyone present. He wouldn't admit it, but the small grin on his face showed that even he was relieved. His small moment of gratitude faded when Mest suddenly teleported to his side. "Any stragglers?"

"No, not from what I saw. We've got everyone that was marked by Cana's cards." Mest noted, before he collapsed into the seat beside him. He looked exhausted, borderline deflated even from all the teleporting he did back and forth. "That's good...because I don't think I have enough Magic Power to another jump like that again for a while..."

"It's fine. You did a good job." Laxus praised. His blue eyes adverted towards the rest of the guild as he spoke aloud. "We may not have solved whatever started this mess, but for the moment, we were able to mend what was in our reach. That's a start at least."

Freed sagely nodded. "There's no need to sound so doubtful of this decision, Laxus. If it's to any comfort, this is a step in the right direction."

"He's right. The Thunder God Tribe is always ready whenever you say the word." Evergreen beamed, prodding her glasses with two fingers.

"Heck yeah! Now that the Pokémon are back in town, we don't have to worry about running around like headless chickens for a while!" Bickslow mused.

Laxus huffed. He looked down at his Manectric, who glanced up at him. They closed their eyes and sagely hummed in unison.

Romeo petted his Litwick, whose flame was back to normal size. "There sure was a lot of trouble caused tonight. But I'm just relieved we were actually able to pull it off without so much as a hitch!" He smiled brightly. "At least our Pokémon are back to normal."

"Yeah, you're right about that." Macao agreed, before frowning. "But...this is far from over."

"He's right. Even though we were able to cure our Pokémon, there's still the rest of the entire country with this problem. Not to mention that it took all we got just to bring ours around." Wakaba prodded.

"Well unless Freed can make an Enchantment the size of Fiore itself, I highly doubt all of Fiore's Pokémon are going to fit inside Magnolia." Bickslow sidenoted, glancing at Freed. "Well?"

Freed shook his head. "An Enchantment of that size is impossible. I'd have to encrypt runes all across the border. And even then, I wouldn't have that much Magic Power to even make up for that."

"Okay, so now what? What do we do?" Dereece wondered.

Silence fell across the guild hall. Everyone was trying to think of what they had to do to ensure they stopped this mess. But as things stood, it was late, and many had already exhausted their Magic Power just to detain a large majority of the captures they've made. Suffice to say that it was also night and the group didn't have much rest in between such events didn't help them either.

Staraptor gave Nic a knowing look. "Nic?"

Nic was silent as he thought about the circumstances. When he looked in Staraptor's direction, his sixth senses told him not to relax...no, they were screaming! Something wasn't right.

"Huh?" Natsu raised his head, smelling the air. 'That smell...it's nothing like I recognize.'

"Natsu?" Lucy saw him smelling the air and turning towards the guild's entrance.

"What's wrong?" Happy worried.

Natsu furrowed his brow, looking discerningly at the saloon doors. "...we've got company."

FWOOSH!

The moment lightning flashed outside, the two doors flew open with so much force that they snapped from their hinges. The entrance flashed brightly with figures towering at the entrance.

As far as Fairy Tail knew, their troubles had only just begun as the storm intensified.


Well, this chapter took way longer than expected. Literally. I wasn't expecting another 50K, but that's what you get for wanting to cover everyone's bases and characterization I suppose. Hope you all enjoyed it!