Here's the other half for the dual chapter update!

Enjoy!

Chapter 7: Rivalry

After several minutes of walking, the party managed to arrive back at the refugee camp. He was then greeted by villagers where they congratulated him and his party's return.

"Thank you for saving our village, Savior of the—I mean, Shield Hero!" The village elder.

"I've exterminated the monsters. But you guys will have to clean up the vines on your own time." The messy haired young man stated.

"Yes, of course."

"All right, I'm going to sleep." The Shield Hero told his party.

"Oh, uh… Sure." Raphtalia stated.

"Go ahead, bud. We'll keep watching for you." Tyler smirked before his friend took off to the carriage.

Once he got inside the carriage, he covered a crate full of seeds with a sheet before he changed the Book Shield into one of the newest forms, which is the Mandragora Shield. Once it was done, he covered himself in a blanket before going to sleep early.

As night fell, the party members were having dinner with the villagers as they sat around a bonfire. In addition, Tyler has released most of his Pokémon out so they could get something to eat. Kurisu also did the same with hers. The villagers were shocked and defensive at first, but the two Pokémon Trainers was able to calm them down and assure them.

The Pokémon decided to sit far away so they could talk with each other without getting interrupted.

"Damn! This fruit might as well be as delicious as the Berries back home." Scrafty noted as he was scarving some fruits.

"Yeah… It's pretty good honestly." Dunsparce added, agreeing with his teammate. "But too bad it came from an ancient and dangerous plant monster."

"I wouldn't worry about that. Naofumi used that herbicide on that tree." Riolu assured the Pokémon beside him.

"I can't help but to feel bad though." Floette said.

"Me too." Vivillon added.

"Don't put too much thought on that, you two. That thing not only tried to take over the land around but also put some parasites on those children." Rapidash stated. "As far as I'm concerned. That thing had it coming."

"You got that right." Scrafty said before he turned to one of his homies, who hasn't eaten anything. "You okay, Hydreigon? You haven't eaten at all."

"I-I'm fine. I just… got something on my mind." The Brutal Pokémon said.

"Was that Filo girl lookin' at you funny again?" The Hoodlum Pokémon asked. "Because she's doin' it right now."

"Oh, I'm aware of that. It's never getting any easier, though." Hydreigon replied as he could see Filo looking at him with intense glare while eating some fruits. "But no, It's something else."

"Does it have something to do with Pokémon appearing in this world?" Vivillon asked.

"Yeah…" The scary-looking Pokémon nodded.

"Yeah, we've been thinking about that too." Riolu commented. "I think Kurisu was also thinking about that too."

"How the hell did that happen though? Was it because of those Waves things?" Scrafty inquired, curious about it himself.

"It's possible." Hydreigon stated. "But I can't say for sure."

"We'll just have to see where this goes." Riolu stated as they all continued eating.

Meanwhile, the others were sitting close with the village elder as they had dinner together.

"It's kind of difficult to get a read on the Shield Hero, he keeps very much to himself." The village elder stated.

"The guy doesn't talk much, but I can tell he's thinking of something." Tyler commented.

"At the very least, he seemed to care for the well-being of others." Kurisu said.

"Yes… He's so quiet and cool, isn't he?" Raphtalia said as the village elder could look at her with a dumbstruck expression. She has Zigzagoon eating with her since she isn't comfortable sitting with the other Pokémon besides Chespin yet.

'Her feelings for him are as clear as day.' Both Kurisu and Tyler commented in their heads, knowing full well of their comrade's adoration and love for her master.

'Still though… I wonder if I have someone like that?' Tyler wondered. But that's just some wishful thinkin' though…'

(The next morning)

Naofumi proceeded to wake up as early as possible so he could get to work on modifying the seeds that he had through his shield. After many trials and errors, he managed to perfect his modification of the plants by decreasing the seeds' intelligence and mutation by the time the sun had risen.

"That oughta do it." Naofumi muttered as he finished adjusting the seed that he had currently in his hand. The seed was called the "Bio Plant Seed". He proceeded to knelt down so he could plant it on the ground.

"Master Naofumi." The messy haired young man didn't turn, but he knew that Raphtalia had woken up and was calling for him as she approached him.

"You could sleep some more if you want to." He told his slave.

"No, I'm all right. Thank you." Raphtalia replied. "Is that a seed from yesterday?"

"Wait and watch." Naofumi replied as he covered the plant with dirt once he put it in a hole.

"I don't want to sound like I'm nagging, but you really shouldn't be taking risks like that." Raphtalia said as they both watched the plant grow at an accelerated pace, to the point where it didn't take long for it to bear fruit.

"Yup. It looks like it turned out great." Naofumi said they saw Filo approaching the newly grown plant. "Whoa… It looks so yummy."

Naofumi proceeded to get to work on modifying all of the seeds that he currently had. By the time he was done, the villagers had woken up and crowded around the first plant that their savior had grown.

"I curbed their breeding and mutation potential. And then increased their growth and productivity. With this, they should bear a lot of edible fruits without turning into monsters." Naofumi explained. "Your village won't have to worry about famine again."

"Thank you so much, Sir Hero!" The elderly man said. "Not only did you save us from danger, you've given us one of the most wonderful gifts we could imagine."

"Who said anything about giving it?" Naofumi retorted, causing the villagers to be surprised.

"I'll tell you what: Let's cut a deal." He proposed. "I'll sell you these seeds, for the right price."

"Aren't you being a little bit greedy, Master Naofumi?" Raphtalia questioned him.

"Yeah, man. Money's good and all, but look at the villagers. They're broke." Tyler added.

"Indeed. We have paid everything we have for the treatment and the monster extermination! There's no more money left!" The elderly man explained.

"I'm sure you can find something of value to exchange." Naofumi retorted.

"I have no idea what it could be. We have nothing." The village elder said before remembering about the one thing that he could use for the exchange.

"This is fun!" Filo shouted as she happily pulled the carriage forward.

"That was some really creative bargain." Naofumi remarked about the exchange he did earlier with the villagers.

What was the trade? For half of the modified Bio Plant Seeds, Naofumi took the leftovers of the fruits that the villagers had.

"We have so much fruit, but I'm afraid most of it is going to rot before we can find some buyers." Raphtalia stated while looking at the baskets of fruit that were sitting at the back of the carriage.

"Maybe we could find a Snorlax or some heavy eating Pokémon to give the fruits to." The gunman suggested. "Even if it's spoiled, Snorlax could still snack on 'em."

"We could, but there's no telling if even more Pokémon will show up in this world. Besides, giving merchandise for free doesn't sit right with me." His leader shot down the suggestion. "But don't worry, I know who we can sell it to."

After a while, he stopped by the place where the trader that Naofumi talked to yesterday. Once entering his place, Naofumi wasted no time bringing in the fruits and seeds. The trader took one of the seeds so he could examine it. Surely enough, the examination went off without a hitch.

"This is certainly an impressive seed." The trader complimented. "I'll be happy to take as many as you can give me, along with all the produce."

"So, can we say we have a deal?" Naofumi asked.

"My compliments on how you showed off several attractive products to create an advantage! You certainly are a shining example of the trader spirit!" The trader praised his business partner.

"You don't say?" Naofumi then stood up, preparing to leave with his party.

"Oh, yes." The trader added. "And if you're not busy at the moment, can you assist me with a little job I have?"

The young merchant looked at him with curiosity. "What do you need?" He asked.

"There's a hot springs town, not too far away from here." The man explained. "I need you to deliver some goods to an inn there."

(Later on…)

As soon as they arrived at the inn of the town, Naofumi proceeded to give said goods to the recipient there.

"Thank you. The order is completed. It was very kind of you to bring it to the inn. Have a lovely day." The recipient said as she bowed to Naofumi.

'There's a hot springs town in this world, too?' Naofumi pondered as he looked at his party, who were hanging by the spring, dipping their legs into it.

"Ahh… It feels just right…" Kurisu stated with relief.

"I'll say, Kurisu. This town has great taste!" Tyler added, feeling refreshed.

"Hey, Master! This water is great! Can I go to this hot spring thing too? Can I?" Filo, in her human form once again, told her master before asking permission.

"That would be great! We haven't taken a break like this for a long time." Tyler said. "Now that we're here, we might as well do it. What do you say?"

"I'm with him too. Didn't have a proper break ever since coming to this world." Kurisu added. "Besides, Filo's all for it."

"Hot spring, huh?" He repeated before turning towards Raphtalia. "How about you, Raphtalia?"

Her ears twitched at the offer. "Well, I'm not that interested in hot springs actually." She replied as her tail slightly wagged left and right, with her face also slightly blushing. "But if you and the others want to go, I'll be happy to accompany you."

"Then it settled then." Naofumi smiled. "We're spending the night here."

"You're the man, Naofumi!" Tyler grinned.

"That's a good choice." Kurisu added.

But no one was happier than Raphtalia. "Thank you so much, Master—"

She didn't get to finish as Filo ran towards Naofumi while splashing some water on Raphtalia. As soon as she reached her master, Filo hugged him. But since he was taller than her, she was hugging his waist.

"Love you!" Filo stated cheerfully as Raphtalia puffed her cheeks in jealousy.

"Well, let's go check it." Tyler said as everyone walked towards the inn to check in for the night.

(Later on…)

Raphtalia was sitting in one of the inn's hot springs while she was contemplating a certain topic.

"I'm happy that we're staying at a hot springs inn, except Filo was too clingy with Master Naofumi." Raphtalia complained before she turned and leaned on the edge of the spring. "I want to be clingy also." She then noticed a statue of a couple standing on a boar in the middle of the spring. Curious about the statue, Raphtalia walked towards it and read the writing on the pedestal below.

"The origin and the benefits of this hot spring…" The demihuman swordswoman read the title aloud before noticing a picture of a man holding a boar by the snout while also having a woman clinging to him. "What does a Silver Boar have to do with a hot spring?" She wondered before she decided to look at effects that were written on the statue. "The effects are… Success in love!?" She exclaimed. "The couple that entered this hot spring together will be united eternally!?"

And just like that, Raphtalia began to have some ideas towards her master. "That means that… If I can get Master Naofumi to bathe together with me…" As she imagined that, her face slowly became red as a beet. And it was not because of the hot springs. "No! Master Naofumi! We c-can't kiss! I will be impregnated!" She stated while covering her face in embarrassment.

"Wow… an open-air bath?" Naofumi's voice could be heard by Raphtalia.

"Master Naofumi?" Raphtalia said before she realized that he was on the other side. But he wasn't alone.

"I can't believe this hot spring's co-ed. This prolly for the first time for me." Tyler commented.

"Now just because it is, doesn't mean that you could ogle some girls, you know." Kurisu teased.

"I told you, I'm not like that!"

"Hahaha! It's really big!" Filo said while swimming in the hot spring.

"Filo! Don't swim in the bath!" Naofumi reprimanded her.

"Why can't I?"

"On second thought… maybe you can." Naofumi backtracked.

When she heard Filo's voice, Raphtalia came to a realization.

'I was wondering why Filo wasn't here yet. She's with Master Naofumi!' She contemplated before she stood up.

"How about you swim too, Master?" Filo's voice could be heard by the demihuman swordswoman.

"I don't feel like it." The messy haired young man could be heard replying.

"Then you can watch my hair."

"Can't you just do it yourself?"

Hearing these conversations made Raphtalia fuming with jealousy. This also made her sneeze.

By the time she was done, the night had fallen. After coming out from the bath, she put on some clothes that were provided by the inn while also picking up two glasses of milk so she could give one to Naofumi.

'Filo ended up being with Master Naofumi the whole time…' She commented in her head while walking before she shrugged it off. 'Anyway, I want to share this drink with him.' The demihuman swordswoman proceeded to return to the room where she, Naofumi, and Filo were staying. Tyler and Kurisu, on the other hand, got themselves in another room.

When she entered, she walked in the middle of her master brushing Filo's hair.

"That feels good, Master~!" Filo stated as she was being brushed by Naofumi.

"You have way too much hair." Naofumi complained. "Brushing it is a real pain."

"Is it really?" The Filolial in the little girl form asked.

"Yeah. Raphtalia has much shorter hair than yours." He answered.

'I wish he was brushing my hair right now.' Raphtalia's ears drooped forward as she commented on her thoughts. The ears raised as she decided to chime in. "Um… Listen, I also like—"

"Master! I'm thirsty! Can I have a drink?" She asked her master.

"Turn around and sit still, or I won't brush your hair again." Naofumi stated.

"Nooo! It feels good! Keep going!" Filo pleaded with her master. "Can you do my feathers too please?"

"You can do your wings yourself." Naofumi stated, much to the chagrin of Filo. He then realized Raphtalia's presence. "What's up, Raphtalia?"

"Never mind. It's nothing." Raphtalia answered before she pulled a cork on one of the bottles of milk before starting to drink it in frustration.

"Oh, Raphtalia! Can I have some?" Filo, having noticed the bottles she had on hand, asked. But she was ignored when Raphtalia proceeded to drink the other one, much to Filo's disappointment.

As things started to become late, everyone decided to go to sleep. Well… Everyone except Rapthalia, who was still wide awake. She shared the bed with Filo, who slept with pure bliss.

'If I didn't do something, Filo's going to steal my Master Naofumi!' She contemplated before Filo's hand got onto her face, which she gently swatted away from her. 'If I want to turn this around once and for all…' She then got up from the bed before she sighed at something that she must do in order to get her master's attention back to her. 'Mom always used to say that giving a gift was the best way to get your beloved's attention.' She then turned towards Naofumi, who was sleeping. 'She fell in love with Dad after he gave her a gift too.'

Having decided what she intended to do, Raphtalia proceeded to sneak out of the inn after changing into her usual attire. Now, she was walking through the road around the town's mountainous terrain as she intended to find something to give to her master. She was not alone as she had Zigzagoon come out in order to help her find the item she was looking for.

'If I could just give him some Latium…' She contemplated while thinking about how she got the idea from…

(Flashback)

When Raphtalia was walking back towards her room, she passed a pair of two women, who were talking about something that earned her interest.

"Hey, have you heard of Latium?" One of the women asked her friend.

"You mean that rare crystal found in this area?" Her friend replied. "Everyone says if you make a love charm out of it, it works amazingly well."

"Really?"

(Flashback end)

'A bird called a Gogoko collects it.' She continued. 'So, if I find one of their nests, I'll find some Latium. I'll be able to give it as a gift to Master Naofumi. And then…' As she kept imagining, her face once again became red. "Oh! We can't, Master Naofumi! 'Cause if we kissed…"

"Raphtalia… Are you okay?" Zigzagoon asked her Trainer, who was having an outburst for no reason.

"What's this about Master?" Raphtalia snapped from her thoughts when she realized they weren't alone. "Where does that voice come from!?" She turned to see Filo, who was behind her. "Filo, was that you!?" She then began to suspect Filo's attention of being here. 'Don't tell me… Is she going after the Latium too!?'

"You're here for the eggs too, aren't you?" Filo asked.

"Huh?"

"Sure. The old man at the inn told me that the eggs of a bird called a Gogoko are a rare delicacy." The winged girl explained.

'Oh, I see. She's being a glutton, like always.' Raphtalia assumed, putting her at ease after hearing Filo's intentions. 'She's such a child.'

"If I take a rare delicacy to Master, I know he'll like me more and more!" Filo continued. "I'm sure he'll pet me and brush my hair, and become my mate forever."

This surprised Raphtalia, who didn't think that Filo had thoughts as something like that. "Become your mate!?" She exclaimed. "Mating means marriage. Is Filo thinking that far ahead?"

"So, no eggs for you. Bye!" And with that, Filo took off.

"Hey, wait!" Raphtalia stated as she went after Filo with Zigzagoon in tow.

Out of nowhere, a blue sphere energy shot straight towards Filo, which had gone not noticed by Raphtalia.

"Filo, look out!" Raphtalia shouted.

"Huh?" She turned around and barely dodged the incoming blue sphere, which exploded into waves of water. "Raphtalia, was that you? That's just mean!"

"What!? No! That wasn't me!" Raphtalia replied.

"That would be us!"

"Bet you idiots didn't see us coming, did ya?"

The two turned to see someone unfamiliar and a strange creature that was with the person, who jumped into the road to face them.

The person was a young woman who seemed unfamiliar to them. Her outfit consisted of a navy blue, long-sleeved, ruffled dress with white lace trim at each tier of the skirt and two blue buttons on the bodice, blue knee-high boots with yellow socks, and a yellow and black gingham ascot tie around her high, lace collar.

Besides her was some kind of creature that they had never seen before. It was a two-headed creature covered in a swirled, white substance that was not unlike snow. Each head has two light purple eyes and a mouth. There are light blue ice crystals on the side of each eye and two under each mouth. It has two stubby arms and three spikes under its body, all of which resemble icicles. The middle spike under its body is the largest, and there is a hollow, straw-like structure on top of the left head. On the back of its two heads there are many small ice crystals.

"Sorry about that. Had to earn your attention with something." The young woman stated didn't look apologetic.

"Who are you?" Raphtalia questioned as Filo went to her side.

"You don't get to know Miss Chelsea's name, you peons!" The left head taunted.

"You dingus! You just told them that!" The right head reprimanded her "sister".

"Enough, both of you!" The young woman, who was revealed to be Chelsea, chastised them.

"Sorry, Miss."

"So, your name is Chelsea? What do you want?" Raphtalia asked.

"Just letting you know that neither of you are finding Gogoko's nest." She stated. "I'm finding what's on there and I'm not too keen on sharing with others. How about you two turn around and stay out of my way?"

"Sorry, but the Latium is mine." Raphtalia said as she unsheathed her sword.

"Yeah! The eggs are mine!" Filo added.

"Suit yourself, then—" Chelsea didn't get to finish as she heard growling behind her opponent. When she looked at it, the Pokémon Trainer widened her eyes. "Oh my… Hey, you might want to turn around."

"As if I ever believed that!" Raphtalia stated.

"Umm… Raphtalia." Filo, who returned to her human form, tapped Raphtalia before she finally turned around like everyone else to see a large, brown boar with silver fur on the back, who was snorting at them in a rather intimidating way.

"What is that?" Chelsea clearly didn't see this coming as she returned Vanilluxe back to their Poké Ball.

"A giant boar?" Raphtalia stated before the large boar started lunging at them, causing everyone to get out of the way and letting it hit the wall.

Unfortunately, this angered the boar before it charged towards them again, this time the three ran away to the other direction. They ran with all their might, up until they saw some hole up ahead.

"How are we going to jump that!?" Chelsea shouted while still running.

"Raphtalia! Get on my back!" Filo told her fellow slave before transforming into her Filolial form once again, which she and Zigzagoon immediately hopped into her back. She was able to jump over the hole in the road. As soon as they landed, Filo turned back to normal.

"That was scary!" Filo muttered as she landed on her bottom.

"Here I go!" Chelsea proceeded to jump over the gap with everything she could muster. Fortunately, she was able to cross over as she safely landed with her feet.

"We should be able to get away from that boar." She turned to the two. "I know we got off on the wrong foot, so how about we put aside our differences and team up, yeah? I'll even share the Latium with you."

"And why should we believe you?" Raphtalia asked with disbelief as Filo and Zigzagoon stood guard.

"Because now that I got a good look at you two, you both are at the same party with the person that I know." Chelsea reasoned. "Tell me, do you know a guy named Tyler, by any chance?"

"You knew Tyler?" Raphtalia asked with widened eyes.

"Yup. Me and him go way back." Chelsea stated. "The only thing you need to know is that I owe him a lot. It's because of him that he made me who I am today."

Raphtalia couldn't help but to become empathetic with her. Judging from her words alone, she could relate to what Chelsea has been through. Even without having Kurisu to test her, Raphtalia could tell that those words were genuine, since it was clear that Chelsea was somewhat devoted to Tyler in a similar vein to how she has with Naofumi. But even so, it was hard to trust someone who attempted to assault the two of them.

"I can tell that you still have doubts. So, here." Chelsea then pulled out a plushie strap of a small, yellow fox Pokémon with red eyes and dark orange fur on the interior of its ears and tip of the tail.

"Hold on. Is that what I think it is?" Raphtalia wondered.

"Judging from your reaction, I assume you got one of these?"

"Yeah…" Raphtalia proceeded to pull out her Zigzagoon strap.

"Yup. I can tell that he made that for you. Which means he trusted you." Chelsea stated.

"Same can be said with you." Raphtalia said as she put the plushie strap away, as well as erasing all of her doubts regarding Chelsea. "Well, if what you said was true, then it seems I can trust you too. Just as Tyler has."

"I guess I am too." Zigzagoon added.

"If Big Sis Raphtalia said so, then I guess I am too." Filo chimed in. "But if you start being a meanie again, we'll beat you up!"

"I guess I can live with that." Chelsea accepted those terms as she returned Vanilluxe to their Poké Ball before joining the two to find the nest.

By the time the sun peeked into the horizon, they reached one of the mountain's peaks. Thanks to Zigzagoon, they were able to find the nest, where they saw a bird, which was revealed to be the Gogoko, roosting in its nest.

"There it is!" Raphtalia stated as she and Chelsea eyed the Latium that was under the roosting bird.

"And there's my eggs! Yummy yummy eggs!~" Filo chimed in, as she was looking at the eggs with hungry expressions.

"Okay… Let's take them quietly…" Raphtalia said as the three girls crept towards the nest silently.

However, the bird seemed to notice them and began squawking.

"I'm sorry. We didn't mean to scare you. Me and Chelsea just want the crystal that you were sitting on." Raphtalia assured the Gogoko, but to no avail.

Unfortunately, they then heard some snarling that came from behind them. They turned and were shocked to see the very same boar that chased them, who was scratching the ground with one of its forelegs.

"Oh come on…" Chelsea grumbled as she and the others had to avoid the boar's charge. However, it ended up destroying the Gogoko's nest and scaring said Gogoko into flying away.

"Oh no!" Both Chelsea and Raphtalia shouted as they tried to reach out to the Latium, but were unable to because the momentum from the attack sent it flying high into the sky where they could see a twinkle in the sky.

"Aww! Look what happened to the eggs!?" Filo cried as she saw all of the eggs cracked and ruined on the ground as the result of the attack.

Needless to say, the girls were not pleased by the boar's interference.

"Girls. Let's make some bacon out of this little piglet." Chelsea suggested as she pulled out a Poke Ball.

"Right." Raphtalia and Filo said in unison.

The boar suddenly felt uneasy when it found itself cornered by three, angry girls who were now out for its blood. The boar squealed its last as the three girls simultaneously dealt major blow to the large boar,

After defeating the boar, they decided to see if they could find more of the Gogoko's nests. Sadly, their search became fruitless, so they decided to cut their losses and proceeded to carry the boar back to town. So that Raphtalia and Filo could at least bring the boar for Naofumi to sell. By the time the sun had risen, they had returned to the town.

"All that effort and we ended up returning empty handed." Chelsea grumbled.

"Not completely empty handed, Chelsea." Raphtalia stated, referring to the boar that Filo carried. "When Master Naofumi sells that boar, I'll see if I can ask him to give some money to you."

"I appreciate the thought, Raphtalia. Thank you." Chelsea said, grateful to her new friend's thoughts. 'She's not so bad, after all. She's a nice girl, kinda like myself back in the day before everything went to hell…' She thought. 'At least she's different from that spoiled princess and her pathetic excuse of a boyfriend.'

"Hey, you three!" The three girls looked towards two men, who were approaching them. "That wouldn't happen to be a Silver Razorback you captured?"

"Silver Razorback? Is that what it's called?" Chelsea stated.

"Well, it's that thing on the fountain." One of the men pointed towards the statue on the fountain, which also has the statue of the boar on it.

"Oh…" Raphtalia simply said, realized that the monster they captured is the one that was depicted in the statue that she saw yesterday.

"Would you give it to us?" The other men asked. "You see, Silver Razorbacks are very valuable around here. We used them as offerings in our town's rituals." He explained before he clasped his hands together. "Please, give it to us! We'll pay you really good money if you do!"

"Money, huh?" Raphtalia repeated.

"Raphtalia… Chelsea…" Filo called them as they decided to do the right thing.

(Later on…)

"Is this for me?" Naofumi inquired, holding a brand-new hammer that was used specifically for crafting.

After being told which room Tyler was staying in, Chelsea decided to part ways with them so she could meet him, but not before she went back to get her "companion" from her room.

"Yup!" Filo nodded.

"Filo and I picked it out for you. We thought you might need something in crafting metals." Raphtalia explained.

"Well, I do… But it looks pretty expensive." The messy haired young man replied.

"It's a token of our gratitude to you." His slave told him while wagging her tail left and right. "For taking such good care of us. It's the least we could do for you."

"Yup! It's a gift for you, Master!" Filo added.

"Thanks a lot." Naofumi stood up as he felt appreciated by their gift to him. "I promise, I'll make good use of it." He proceeded to pet them on the head with each hand. "And now… Both of you should take a dip at the hot springs."

The two slaves looked at each other before they giggled at each other.

'He still treats me like a child sometimes.' Raphtalia contemplated as she stared at her master. "But one day, I'll make sure he notices my womanly charms. And then we'll see…'

"Right, Filo?" She asked Filo, who somewhat knew what she was thinking.

"Mhm!" The winged girl nodded, much to Naofumi's confusion.

He then heard some knocking in his door.

"Naofumi, buddy! It's me, Tyler!" Tyler said from outside of his door. "Can we come in?"

"Sure!" Naofumi proceeded to open the door to his room, allowing Tyler and Kurisu, as well as Chelsea and one other to enter his room.

That "one other" was the companion that Chelsea told to Raphatalia and Filo. He was a young man, slightly older than Naofumi and Tyler, who had dark brown hair and yellow eyes. His attire consisted of a green jacket with a hoodie over a white shirt, brown trousers, and armored boots. He also has a long, magic staff that he carries on his back.

"Who are they?" Naofumi asked.

"Naofumi, this is Chelsea Arel." Tyler introduced the girl he implied to having known. "She's a Pokémon Trainer that came from my world. Though now, she's a Pokémon Performer these days."

"Pokémon Performer? What is that?" Naofumi questioned, but he's more about how someone from another world could travel to this one. "But wait, how did she come to this world?"

"That would be my doing." The young man stated as she introduced himself. "I am Merleo Goneri, Melromarc's former court mage. It is a pleasure to meet you, Savior of the Heavenly Fowl. Or should I call you the Shield Hero?"

"You're the kingdom's mage? You look a bit younger."

""Former court mage, Sir Hero. I was stripped of my position by the king for objecting to his demands and was sent to exile." Merleo said. "As for the other one, I'm a prodigy in magic, which runs in my family."

"I see." Naofumi said. "But that doesn't explain how you are involved in bringing Chelsea here."

"Oh, right. I shall explain it all right now. From the very beginning…" Merleo continued as he began to recount all that he knew to one of the Cardinal Heroes...

And that's the second chapter of the day, so I hoped you liked it.

The inclusion of Merleo Goneri was something that was on my mind for a while. How is he relevant in summoning Chelsea to the other world? All will be explained in the next chapter, which I will be explaining shortly regarding some things.

It's a special chapter regarding Chelsea, in a similar vein to Kurisu's chapter, but what I have planned for it may or may not result in a two-part chapter so that's why I didn't reveal the next chapter's title.

Be sure to review the chapter and have a good day!