"How are you, Boss?" Chase asked as he walked into the small abandoned warehouse they were using, ignoring the glares their two captives were aiming at them as Dyst sighed.

"Better than earlier but still not at full health. Whoever that Eric kid was, he was skilled."

"Is he truly that powerful?" Chase asked, Dyst smirking as he detected the frown in his tone before speaking.

"No, he's not that powerful, but he is skilled. As our information said, he's been a mage for less than a month, so we didn't expect him to very strong, but what he doesn't have in power, he more than makes up for in skill."

"So, while he is not a problem now, he may become one later?" Chase asked, to which Dyst nodded before he turned to their two captives.

"Oh, come now, Princess. Glaring will achieve you nothing." He said with an amused smirk, chuckling as Veronica just scoffed while Éclair rolled her eyes.

"It won't, but it will help her feel better, so I'd suggest you just let her do it. Of course, that is unless you want to deal with her whining & screaming all day long."

"Hey! I do not whine nor do I scream. I merely file complaints endlessly until they are heard."

"Well, don't worry your pretty little head, Princess. We're just staying here for the next day while I rest my wounds and then, we are heading back to Veronica, where the Prince will award us handsomely for your retrieval…or so I should say." Both girls frowned as the man gave her them a smirk before Chase let a silent gasp as pain exploded in his chest, slowly looking down before his eyes widened at the sight of a hand stabbing going in from one side & piercing out the other.

"Apologies, Chase. You were truly a great right hand man, but unfortunately, you did not have the will to go through with your order to kill the princess. Do not worry, though. When I finish my work here with the Phoenix, I shall have you resurrected."And before Chase could speak, both Veronica and Éclair yelped as blood splattered onto their forms, Chase's corpse falling to the ground with his chest blown open.

"Now, back to you two." Dyst frowned as he glared at the two shaking girls, a dark grey aura coating his fist before solid earth rose from the ground & twisted into the rough shape of a blade that covered his hand.

A brown flash made them scream as the sound of tearing and cutting echoed throughout the warehouse they were in before Veronica slowly opened her eyes, blinking as she looked down to see their bindings falling to the ground while Dyst dismissed his blade.

"Now, I'll give you one opportunity and one opportunity alone. You can give me the halves of the Phoenix Stone & leave with your lives…or you can refuse & I'll rip them from your rotting corpses. You can decide."

"I…I…I-!" Before Veronica could answer, she yelped as the building was flung up into the sky, the rubble twisting and turning into a ball before a hopeful look appeared in the Princess' eyes as four figures stood on the outskirts of the ruined building.

"How about option 3: I save the day, kick your ass and get a kiss from a beautiful princess?" Eric spoke with a smirk as he swiped his hand to the right, the building's rubble falling to the side & making the ground quake as Dyst sighed.

"Really? Can't you all just leave a man to his peace?"

"Of course! Just give us the girls back and we'll leave you to it!" Hoteye spoke with a smirk as his eyes glowed, to which Dyst hummed in thought before a sadistic grin appeared on his face as a dark grey aura coated his body.

"Nope!" He exclaimed before a spear of earth shot out from the ground only for Dyst to click his tongue as the earth spear curled around the two and stabbed into the ground behind him. A purple glow covered the two before they were sent rocketing past Dyst and into the arms of Dante just as a series of rocky blades shot out of the ground, Eric smirking as he lowered his hand.

"Well, that was fun. You have a good life, evil guy." Eric waved with a grin as he turned to walk before stopping in his tracks as he heard Dyst speak.

"I wouldn't run away if I were you." Dyst said in a singsong voice with a carefree smirk, all four mages blinking in confusion as Eric frowned.

"And why wouldn't we?"

"I do not particularly care for the reward for her head or their lives, but I do yearn for nothing but the stone. Leave that and I'll let them be."

"…No. No, we won't." Eric said as a light blue glow coated his body, to which Dyst smirked before lifting his right hand and revealing a series of crimson tattoos on the back of his hand. Eric frowned in confusion as he stared at the tattoos before he blinked as he turned to hear teeth gnashing from Dante & a growl echoing in the back of his throat.

"What's wrong?"

"Organic Link Magic." Dante growled before he looked down at the girls' hands and glared at the matching marks on the back of their right hands.

"These link our hearts together, so if you guys leave, then I'll just kill myself and in turn killing them. Like I said, if I can't have the Phoenix Stone, then no one will."

"So, what was stopping you from taking the stone and using it then?" Eric asked as he subtly signalled to the other three behind his back, Dyst frowning as Hoteye and Warcry moved out to both his sides.

"I could have taken the stone, yes, but the seal on the stone can only be unlocked by a priestess directly descended from the first priest who sealed the phoenix away. However, all of them were wiped out when mages attacked & destroyed their village 400 years ago…or at least, they were supposed to be." Veronica's eyes widened at that as she turned to Éclair, who had a frown on her face as she looked down at the ground.

"…I see. Then, let's do this. You and me. Right here, right now. You win, they'll unseal the Phoenix for you. I win, you release the seals and take your leave."

"We're not letting you fight alone, Eric." Warcry spoke with a frown and Eric sighed as he scratched the back of his head.

"I am. He's not stupid enough to take us all on his own and he's also not stupid enough to take on someone strong enough to either fight equal with him or beat him with ease. Thus, the only one he would allow to fight him is me. Isn't that right?"

"I see there's a working mind behind those eyes compared to the rest of your wild guild." Dyst said with a chuckle and Eric just rolled his eyes as he looked at the frowning mages.

"Come on. Either I fight him or we try to fight him, which could lead to our client getting killed." Eric spoke and Warcry sighed as he nodded.

"Fine, we'll let you fight. Just…don't die, okay?"

"It's fine. I'll win." Eric spoke with a confident grin, keeping that grin on as he heard a mocking chuckle from Dyst while the other three mages walked away with the two girls.

"So, you do remember how our last battle went, correct?" Dyst asked with an amused smirk, to which Eric just chuckled as he stretched his arms above his head while twisting his body from side to side.

"You know, man, I thought this would be like the anime where you and I fight and I get a boost from the 'Power of Friendship' and kick your ass. I then beat the shit out of you and after, you either get placed in a cell far away or you change your ways & help me fight against the final boss of the arc." Eric muttered to himself, drawing a confused frown from Dyst before Eric blinked and let out a soft chuckle.

"Hehe, sorry about that. I was stuck in my thoughts. Now, where were we? Ah yes, our fight."

"What are you even talking ab-Argh!" Dyst was cut off by a silent wheeze escaping his lips, Eric's fingers digging deeper into his chest before the mage pulled his hand back and spun on the ball of his foot

A shield of rubble that rose from the ground mitigated most of the force, but Dyst's vision was still distorted as a heavy heel crashed into his temple and sent him carving through the ground.

Quickly flipping over to his feet, Dyst's eyes darted all over as he shook his head to steady his vision before his eyes widened as Eric appeared crouched in front of him, a light blue glow coating his fist.

Raising a hand in a flash, a dark grey aura coated Eric's body, but Dyst's eyes widened as he couldn't feel the young mage's weight and Eric smirked before his palm crashed right through his aura and into his chest.

It felt as if the world itself was trying to punch his lungs out as the blow nearly made him gag, feeling his body flying back before his mind ricocheted as he felt his body being pulled back again.

"You're not going anywhere." Eric muttered as he delivered a chop to Dyst's neck, the mage choking at the blow before he growled as dark grey ethernano covered his fists.

Swinging them at Eric's skull, the young mage cackled as the blow crashed into his temple before his head snapped forward in a headbutt, Dyst blinking as his brain was rocked.

'This is no longer an anime world. This is real. I am Eric Creed, the young mage of Quatro Cerberus.'

"And I vowed to win!" Eric exclaimed with a grin as his hands flashed through the air, Dyst's body rocking through the air as a palm to the chest sent him flipping head over heels.

With a push off the ground, Eric was in front of the mage before he could blink, Dyst growling as his limbs was forced to the side and he was forced into the ground.

"Sectional Polarities." Eric chanted as he floated above Dyst's still form, who growled as he expelled his ethernano and forced the gravity away with a telekinetic blast only for his eyes to widen as a trio of purple magic crest slammed into his arms & forced his legs together before dragging him even further into the ground.

"Gravity Shift: One Hundred!" Eric growled and in an instant, the ground & air below him warped before the ground exploded, a monstrous dust cloud rising into the and obscuring both Eric & the aftermath from view.

'That…has…to be…enough.' Eric wheezed in his mind as he floated in the air, looking down and waiting before a happy grin spread across his face as the dust settled.

Left in its wake was nothing but a gaping crater, perfectly circular with no cracks or marks on its edges as dirt slowly crumbled from its inside walls, crimson splatters of flesh & blood spread across the edges of the crater as well as the inside.

'Note to self: Do not use moves that are still a work in the making or else you risk tearing your body apart.' Eric thought with a sigh as he slowly returned gravity to his body, landing with a soft thud on his feet before groaning as his legs shook & forced him to fall on his ass.

"God damn, kid. I shouldn't have underestimated you." Warcry spoke with a smirk as he walked towards Eric, a chuckling Hoteye following after him while Dante hugged & comforted Veronica and Éclair.

"Told you I could kick his ass. Now, I still have my old injuries and new ones to heal, so I shall see you idiots…when I…wake up." And before anyone could ask, Eric was out like a light, snoring softly as the S-Class Quatro mage shook his head with a chuckle.

"Hah, fine. I swear, this was supposed to be his mission." Warcry muttered as he picked up Eric & threw him over his shoulder, turning to a chuckling Hoteye and the others.

"Let's head to the nearby town and then we'll continue to finish this mission tomorrow. Everyone in agreement?" He asked, to which they all nodded before starting their trek to the town.

"…Are you sure you're not some kind of abnormal kid, so no way is someone going to heal from broken bones and torn muscles just with one night of sleep." Warcry spoke with a smirk, to which Eric just gave a thumbs-up as he sat upright in the hospital bed.

"Oh yeah, Hoteye said that you liked to speak with him about his Heaven's Eye and since he left this morning along with the Rune Knights to head back to prison, he told me to give this to you." Eric frowned in confusion as Warcry pulled out a booklet before handing it over to the young mage, Eric taking it before an excited smirk appeared on his face as he opened it to see a starting manual on how Hoteye's Heaven's Eye worked.

'Project Heavenly Vision is getting closer and closer to completion.' Eric thought with an excited grin as he put the booklet away in his Requip dimension before turning to the door as it opened.

Smirking as Veronica walked in along with Dante who was in simple clothing and Éclair who was dressed in a simple cream dress, the princess rolled her eyes as Eric gave her a wink.

"Hello, princess. Come to see your knight in shining armour?"

"What kind of knight is covered in bandages?" She asked with a raised eyebrow, to which Eric looked in thought before shrugging.

"Yeah, that's true. How about you, Éclair? You good?" Eric asked Éclair, who frowned before she sighed.

"I miss Momon."

"Ah, right. I miss the fuzzy little guy too, even though I've only known him for just a few minutes." Eric muttered before smirking as he saw her rolling her eyes with a slight smirk.

"You're talking about us, but what about you?" Veronica asked Eric with a slight frown, to which the young mage smirked as he shrugged.

"Good. Most of the pain and bodily injuries are gone, but the doctor keeps telling me that I should rest another day to make sure I'm healthy."

"In other words, you're going to try and break out of here so that we can start moving, huh?" Dante asked with a grin, chuckling as Eric just gave him a smirk and a nod.

"Yep! So, let's get on the road, people!" Eric exclaimed with a grin as he leapt from the bed before grunting as he landed with a soft thud, Warcry shaking his head before the S-Class mage shrugged as he nodded.

"Hey, if it gets us to finish this job earlier, then I'm all for it."

"And what about you three, huh? Do you guys want to take the time to enjoy not being chased by a team of mages or do you want to get this job over & done with?"

"If it means I don't have to deal with your annoying tendencies on a daily basis, then let's finish this." Veronica spoke with a shrug, to which Éclair nodded in agreement as Dante sighed before nodding.

"If possible, finishing the missions earlier would be for the best."

"Okay then, people! Let's get this show on the road."

"Damn. Crocus is one big city." Eric muttered with an impressed whistle as he looked down onto the giant city situated inside a vast valley with probably tens of thousands of flowers everywhere.

And he meant tens of thousands of flowers. It was as if the entire city was nothing but a giant garden with a giant pond in the middle upon which was a large castle connected to the town by a pair of identical steel bridges.

"Huh, it's a bit bigger than Veronica, I will say that." Veronica spoke with a hum, to which Eric rolled his eyes as the others shook their heads.

"Princess Veronica. The princess has sent us to come fetch you." A voice spoke and they blinked before turning to where the voice came from, blinking at the sight of a frowning bearded man clad in silver & blue armour along with a group of knights behind him all dressed in the same armour.

"Oh, well, princess. I guess this is where we say our goodbyes." Eric began with a smirk as he turned to her only to grumble as she rolled her eyes.

"Why do you always have to be so over-dramatic?" She asked, to which Eric grinned widely as he closed his eyes and lifted a finger.

"Well, your Majesty, it all is because-!" His eyes widened as a pair of soft lips enveloped his own, staring in shock at the princess smirking at him as she pulled back while the two other groups looked just as shocked.

"I do remember that part of your payment was supposed to be a kiss, so there you go. Let your fellow peasant friends know that you were able to kiss someone of royalty. It was a nice journey with you, Mr. Warcry."

"You as well, Your Majesty." Warcry spoke with an amused smirk as he wrapped an arm around the still shocked Eric and pulled him along, Eric waving mechanically at a giggling Éclair and a glaring Dante as the group of knights that had arrived didn't know what to do.

"…Warcry, I think I was just assaulted." Eric muttered and a cackle escaped Warcry's lips as they continued down the path to Oak Town.

A/N: And there we are! The end to my own take on the Phoenix Priestess Movie!

Was it good? Not at all, but I wanted to bring a filler movie into canon and this is what I chose to use. I wanted to use Dragon's Cry, but uh…the dragon in that story is far too powerful for someone who has been a mage for less than a year.

Now then, next arc is something I'm still figuring out as the timeline is still a bit wonky, but I will.

Until then, read, enjoy, review and until the next one…

Ba-Bye~!