The Contender's Ascent

by Insane Dominator

Third installment to "The Fairy Contender". Months passed since Nic and Erza finally united, but now things get really interesting. New challenges face Nic as Pokemon begin to rise, more complex foes challenge him and his powers, and something darker than darkness itself seeks Nic. With friends new and old joining forces, Nic and two worlds unite in ways unimaginable. OCxErza

40. A Night to Remember

The dawn rays seared over the horizon. These rays illuminated the atmosphere, and to many an early start.

Along the morning rays, the light of the sun beamed down on blue tiles to slanted roofs that bordered into a large square shape. This perimeter still held shadows onto the buds and flowers that have yet to bloom. They were still dormant, much like others around. The beautiful garden had a clear fountain flowing from a large pipe that levered into a flowing stream; the sound was so calm it could make even a Tauros stand still. The dormant garden was a land of tranquility.

Wooden pillars connected to wall-less halls that went all around. This was there people would be able to step outside and smell the roses. Yet here, it's where a man was sitting calmly, sipping green tea from a porcelain white cup. He soon had his fill and pulled the cup away, breathing out steam to indicate it was hot.

The man adorned a hot pink robe with a magic seal on it, along with what looked like incantations of words related to something that went vertically down the back. He seemed like a man in his mid to late 30's, perhaps a little older. He soon noticed a faint clad of sandals from behind.

"You sure took your sweet time."

The comment was to someone who had arrived. He was a man who rivaled his age, but unlike his wave brown hair tied in a low ponytail, his dirty blonde hair was long and went down to his mid-back. His robe was a bright blue with a red magic seal on it. On it were incantations in black with white outlines that went vertically downwards.

"Good morning, Captain." The man politely walked over, minding to step around the teacup. "Sorry, seems that time almost slipped by me again."

Both sat down on either end of the gameboard. On each piece were letters and syllables for their little game of shogi. The man who had arrived scratched his head. "So I really have to be this side again?"

"You snooze you lose." The fellow Captain started.

The dirty blonde Captain chuckled. "Yes, and those who sleep dream too much, I know. Now let's see…" He started moving a piece forward.

The Captain hummed as he inspected the gameboard and the first move. Swaying his index finger, he slipped his piece on the far right forward. "So, things settling down on your end I see?"

The guest cheesily grinned as he moved another frontman up. "One could say that. It's hard getting quality sleep anymore. Especially with these past two months throwing everyone off."

The Captain plopped another piece forward. "Yeah, can't really blame anyone around here. Can't even begin to tell you the hassle the ole committee's making. Why I've heard some of them have made outlandish propositions to deal with this…" He took a breather to sip from his tea again, sighing heavily. "But, as you can imagine, it would have to come to a majority vote. With so many opinions going around about this cause, makes you wonder if we're even able to perform efficiently as a Council. Your branch's hanging in there, I presume?"

The guests kept his eyes on the prize, the prize being his front piece finally claiming his enemy's piece. "Yes. All is well…for now."

A short silence fell between them as their game resumed. The Captain got to the counter with taking the next piece. The other Captain squinted and rubbed his chin, contemplating his next move.

"So…you've heard about Shiin yet?" The Captain prompted. "Haven't heard from him since he was sent on that mission."

"You know that's a top-class information. Not even us Captains are permitted to speak about it. You never know who's listening in on us."

The Captain chuckled. "Yeah, yeah. Just curious is all." He moved another piece. "Still, knowing him, he's probably taking his sweet time getting to there. You know how old-fashioned he is with his ways. If I were to guess, he'd walk there to avoid suspicion."

"That's a good point. All trains and monorails leaving Pergrande Kingdom have to be accounted for. If one had investigate skills, they could use magic or a timelapse spell to see who was on there."

"Suppose it can't be helped then." The Captain moved another piece, claiming yet another one. "In any case, Shiin takes his job seriously; more so than any of us. We'll here from him sooner or later. Now, who's turn was it again?"

"It's my turn." The visiting Captain reached for his piece next, just as the sun's rays began peeking over the tiled roofs onto the eloquent garden.

---

A new morning in Earthland, various songbirds chirping starting the day. Amongst the few birds were scattered Pidgey and Fletchling, whose tunes rivaled that to the eloquence the Earthland birds had. This melody stretched below the canopies, beneath the trunks where healthy trees grew.

As Pokémon were awakening from their nighttime slumber, some of the younger and energetic creatures were roused from their sleep. Groups of Scyther had already started hunting in packs. Poochyena were barking at each other over the amount of berries they had stashed. Amongst these guys of instances, at a large base of a tree, three Seedot dropped down from the branches. They yawned loudly and began looking around for any herbs and plants to eat.

As they looked around, one of the Seedot stopped and noticed something peculiar at the base of their tree. It tilted his head at the figment.

Amongst the shrubs and bushes, there was a cloak surrounding something – or rather someone inside. Curious of its new findings, it hopped on over to get a better look. He noticed the cloak didn't cover what looked like sandals. The Seedot nudged its head against the wood and felt it stir. The sudden movement and a moan caused it to back away as a part of the underbrush was moving to reveal a large creature. In a hurry it hopped away to join its friends.

Now awake, the cloaked individual shook his head and opened his eyes. He revealed his blue-emerald eyes and noticed the unfamiliar treenut waddling off in a hurry. 'I should've been able to sense its magic from a distance.' He cursed himself, but forgot something important. 'That's right. These creatures don't use magic. It's harder to detect them without giving off some kind of signature.'

He shook his head, dismissing his first thoughts upon wakening. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small device that had a dial on it. A green magic seal appeared on it, making his cloak's camouflage turn to a solid brown. He crossed his right arm over his left, feeling a nice pull on it. He counted to ten in his mind, and once done reversed it, putting his left arm over his right to get that same stretch.

A tweeting got his attention above. Looking up, he saw a Butterfree that had sprouted from its slumber as well. It chimed as it lifted off the branch and fluttered over his head. Shaking his head, he chose to remain vigilant. 'I should be there soon. Another few days according to the stars that I read last night. Shouldn't be long now.'

He took off, making sure he remained as quiet and distant from the forest dwellers as possible. But the Butterfree that fluttered overhead continued its way in the same direction.

---

Further west with the sun having risen long day, the day in the Fiore time zone was close to ten. In the Cambire Foundation, Arthur rubbed his Stoutland's head, making the dog pant in glee at the attention. The CEO, however, was looking over the paperwork and the charts that were handed in earlier, until he got a knock at the door.

"Yes? You may enter."

The door slid open, allowing Marie to enter on her own accord. "President."

Arthur smiled. "Ah, Marie. Excellent timing. I was just about to call you about this new progress chart I was given." He raised a brow. "Our sales are up another 5% compared to last week, especially with Poke Balls…anyways, is there something you've wanted?"

Marie nodded. "Yes, sir. It's Mr. Bistro, sir. He's here to see you."

Stepping away for a minute, Marie allowed passage for Jefferey to enter the room with hands behind his back. He walked up to the CEO's desk, while Arthur seemed morally placated. "Salutations, Arthur." He greeted.

"Jefferey. It's nice to see another familiar face around here." He chuckled collectively. "I was beginning to wonder if you hid yourself in a closet from me."

Jefferey reciprocated the chuckle. "It's good to hear you're as modest as ever, Arthur. I apologize for not arranging any personal meetings sooner. As you know, I've been…preoccupied as of late."

Arthur hunched over his desk, folding his fingers over his hands and rested his chin on them. "Yes, I remember that. How long's it been since the project had gone underway?"

"About 18 days." He walked closer, reaching into his jacket for a clipboard. He passed it over to Arthur, who accepted and looked at the notes with curiosity.

"What's this?"

"It's a stockpile of the data we've collaborated with the device we've been working on. The Z-Ring and the Z-Crystals involve share a unique synchronization with one another. When my team and I were researching the power levels, we've noticed a significant spike in it when the crystal was in direct contact with the stone. It's safe to assume these two have a similar trait like a Key Stone and Mega Stones."

Arthur's brow furrowed as he kept reading the notes. He was seeing a lot of paragraphs and collective words gathered around. Not just that, but there were Pokémon listed along with Trainers who had various attacks, and the power measured with each one.

"For some reason, the stones also seem to align with Trainers and Pokémon specifically." Jefferey added. "In other words…"

Footsteps closed in behind, revealing Marie. "In other words, this was an intention for those two species, you say?"

Jefferey firmly nodded at her. "Correct. If what Fairy Tail's members at the time said were valid, that means a Trainer and his Pokémon had those in possession when they arrived here. Whether it's a unique item or not isn't the issue here. What's I'm trying to say is…"

Arthur sat the clipboard down gently, finishing what was spoken. "…that it's an artifact from our world then. I see…" He put a hand to his chin, driving himself into deep contemplation.

"But an item like this hasn't been recorded in much of the regions we've had vast knowledge of for years. And with the variety of Trainers that are from our world still pouring around, the likelihood of another Z-Ring is uncertain. But we know it's meant for battle; that's what the tests have concluded."

"Well, we could start asking the Trainers about Z-Rings and what their input is." Marie suggested, turning towards Arthur. "Mr. President, what do you think?"

Arthur clasped his hands together again. He knew it would make some sense. It would help getting to know more of these artifacts if there were more of them. But he didn't indulge on it any longer than needed. "I think this conversation has reached its own conclusion. Don't you think?"

"Sir?" Jefferey raised a brow.

Arthur sat back in his chair, petting his Stoutland's head again. "Jefferey, we've now uncovered a small mystery on us that you've taken weeks to solve. What this means to man and Pokémon can bring a bigger connection to Fiore and everyone else alike. But I think while we are right to presume this may be from our world, I'd rather not waste resources knowing it could lead to a power struggle. May I remind you of our recent setbacks with Alvarez?"

They both drew at what he meant. If they kept talking about the matter, odds were that others would want this power. It could spell mayhem even. Though that may not be the case, Arthur was thinking for the best.

Marie bowed. "Yes, sir. Excuse us."

Jefferey lowered his head. "If you insist, I'll put the project aside. Do you wish for me to at least preserve it for the time being?"

"Sure. Now, if you both excuse me…" He reached over towards a wine glass. He pulled it closer and used his other hand to drip a steady stream of red wine that gave the glass a fresh sheen. "I believe that it's time for my wine break." He held up the glass. "Would any of you care to join me?"

Marie's brow twitched, while Jefferey pinched the bridge of his nose is dismay.

---

"Stunfisk, Thunder Shock!"

An electric shockwave streaked through the air past a Swellow, barely missing it and dispersed before it got too high. The Swellow in turn had lost momentum on her target and glared daggers down at Stunfisk, who chuckled. "What's the matter, lasse? A little shocked?" he teased.

With an opening, a Tranquill cawed as he looked at the Swellow and readied for the command. "Now Tranquill, Steel Wing!"

"I shall obey!" Tranquill's wings glowed metallic gray and he blindsided Swellow with her guard down. Smacking her with his right wing, he watched her plummet to the ground beside Weepinbell, much to Jet's shock.

"Swellow, get up!" Jet, Swellow's trainer, couldn't believe it. But he looked up at Tranquill and Stunfisk, gnashing his teeth together. 'Damn, they got me there.'

"Weepinbell, cover for her!" Droy reached out his arm while holding onto a bucket of fried chicken with his free hand. He had a half-eaten leg in his grip. "Vine Whip!"

Weepinbell's leaves arose and two vines shot out from beneath the pits. They darted directly into Stunfisk, fast enough to make him scoff angrily. "Oi! What's with the lash out here?!"

"Stunfisk isn't good on Grass-types, I forgot about that." Dereece grunted. "Captain, what do we do?"

Joey furrowed his brow in contemplation. He was taking this seriously, but the cheers of the other guild members was throwing off his thinking game.

It was another day in the guild, and everyone was firing on full cylinders today. Rather than train in the backyard or in the forest like they would normally do for their battles, Dereece suggested they'd switch things up and battle other Trainers. With the guild having a plethora of contestants, it was hard to pick out just one. Fortunately they found Team Shadow Gear present, so they obliged to the calling card. And, as one would expect, the guild was putting their Jewel on it. Or rather Cana was.

"Yeah, c'mon ya Freaks! Let's get'em!" Cana held up a booze bottle, her shout causing her lounging Liepard to twitch her ears.

"Man, I haven't seen Jet and Droy this worked up in a long while." Gray commented. "What's gotten into them?"

"Beats me, but I know Joey and Dereece ain't going down without a fight." Natsu cheekily grinned. He was so anxious to get in there and show them what for.

Picking up on this, Lucy shot him a look. "Not yet, Natsu. You can get a turn after they're done."

Swellow shot high into the air, with Tranquill hot on her tail. Even with Tranquill's flying speed, he was still coming up short to Swellow's aerodynamics. Swellow suddenly arched in a circle, coming up from behind Tranquill with glowing wings. He barely dodged the wing slap and almost lost his momentum. That's when Swellow backwinged Tranquill and sent him sailing.

Jet beamed with a toothy grin. "Ha! You see that? You guys aren't the only ones who've been busting their butts off!"

"Yeah! We've gotten our Taillow and Bellsprout to evolve now! We're not pushovers like you think we are!" Droy added.

Joey and Dereece raised brows at their remarks. To be perfectly honest they didn't even know who in the hell they were. But they didn't need to know that.

"Now let's make Levy proud!" Jet punched the air. "Swellow, focus on Tranquill! Use Aerial Ace!" Swellow instantly took off in a blitz across the sky after Tranquill.

'Swellow's too fast. I gotta cushion the blow!' Joey balled his fists. "Tranquill, block it with Steel Wing!" Tranquill used his metal wings and folded them over one another. Swellow made impact moments later with the Steel-type move, but compared to how soft and heavy it should've been, Tranquill only felt a gruff buff and pried his wings apart, knocking Swellow away.

Jet gasped in shock.

"Weepinbell, use Growth!" Droy commanded. Weepinbell's body had green waves going around her body, which increased her Attack and Special Attack. She was looking starving at Tranquill while he was distracted.

"Dereece, coverfire!" Joey commanded.

"You've got it! Stunfisk, Mud Bomb!"

"Oi! Over here ya overgrown pepper lasse!" Stunfisk flicked his front, projecting a massive brown ball from his beak-like mouth at Weepinbell. Weepinbell was too distracted on Tranquill to act fast enough. The next thing she knew, she was hammered with an eruption of brown muck and dirt.

Droy grabbed his hair, avertedly dropping his chicken bucket in the panic. His screams got louder from his next accident.

"Droy, focus man! I need help here!" Jet protested.

'Now's our chance!' Joey didn't waste a beat when pointing ahead. "Tranquill, give them an Air Cutter!"

"Yes, Master!" Tranquill spread his wings and flapped them, firing off crescents if light blue waves that twirled into Swellow and Weepinbell. Swellow was too close and she paid the price by being blown down onto Weepinbell, who was still blinded by mud to see the super-effective attack fly into him.

The result was a large explosion that encompassed the area around the two. It was most definitely a critical hit.

When it all cleared, it revealed Weepinbell and Swellow, both sprawled along the ground in unconscious states. "Aw, no~!" Jet slumped down to his knees, quivering in despair. "Really…?"

"We lost!" Droy moped.

"Boom! That's how we roll, baby!" Joey snapped his fingers, firing finger pistols with a wink. "Up top!" He gave Dereece a high-five, to which he gladly accepted.

"We did it!" he replied. "Nice work, Stunfisk!"

As Tranquill was doing victory lapse over Joey's head, Jet and Droy were visibly crestfallen over their efforts being in vain. They recalled Weepinbell and Swellow to their Poke Balls. "Guess we've gotten a ways to go, huh? Man, can't believe they got us like that. How are we gonna face Levy now?"

"Well I'm just glad she wasn't here to see this." Droy sighed. He was still upset about the loss – of chicken – but it could've been worse like Jet said. Best to chock this up as experience.

"That was a manly battle!" Elfman cheered.

"Oh please, that was just fools messing around. If anything, those guys didn't take it seriously, which is why they lost." Evergreen chastised.

"Well I say they both put up a great fight. What do you think, Rufflet?" Lisanna turned towards Rufflet, who was too busy picking underneath his wing with her beak.

"Hm? Sorry, did you say something?" He asked.

Lisanna giggled. "Oh it's nothing." She watched Jet and Droy shake hands with the competitors they've lost to. "Still, I'm amazed. He's gotten a lot stronger since the demonstration events a few months back, right?"

A hiccup came from Cana, the drunkard slyly smirking. "Yeah, whatever you say girl. Meanwhile, betting pool's all closed ladies and gents! Come to mama!" She toothily smirked as she dragged the sacs of Jewels closer to her torso to count. It had to at least be 30,000 Jewel. That should cover her drinking tab…for the hour.

Liepard rolled her eyes at her Trainer's antics. She laid beside her, tail swaying out of entertainment's sake. She was completely oblivious to the blue cat with a small fish tied in a red bow. From the looks of the fish it was still alive.

'Okay, you can do this Happy. You can do this…' He swallowed a lump; one so big in fact it could've been mistaken for a hairball. His paws were starting to get sweaty just from the proximity between himself and Liepard, but shook his head. 'No, you can't lose to that dog. You're the top cat! You're number one!'

Taking a deep breath, Happy approached Liepard with the fish. The first thing he did was bow his head and held it out to her without looking. "L-L-Look, Liepard! See?!" he shouted. "I-I got you a yummy fish that you can snack on!"

Liepard looked completely disinterested. It was only the foul smell of fish that got her to look in Happy's general direction. The blue cat's heart nearly leaped out of his chest when he saw her face his direction. Upon seeing the fish's face within her proximity, she was on the verge of flinching. It smelled as bad as it was salty.

"Um…hello?" She awkwardly questioned the cat beside her. "Happy? Do you mind…?"

"O-Oh, no! You see, I, uh…I got this for-!" In a flash, the fish was snatched from his claws by talons. Happy gawked at the thief. "Hey! That's my fish!"

Rufflet fluttered away, the fish in his mouth. He chuckled to himself at his chances of a full belly.

"Get back here!" Activating his Aera Magic, Happy glided off after Rufflet. "Cat's need just as much fish as birds! You stick to worms!"

Liepard blinked. She watched Happy chase around the small bird that had something he wanted to give, but chose to dismiss it. She shrugged and let it slide. Though from Carla crossing her arms, the Exceed seemed very disappointed. "How pathetic."

Walking away from the battlefield, Joey had Tranquill resting on his forearm. He seemed pretty gleeful at his win. "That wasn't so bad. Nice job there, buddy." He heard Tranquill purr like a cat, but he eyerolled towards another direction, one that made his smile widen and his cheeks rosy. "S-So what did you guys think? Was I awesome?!"

Joey's tone was surprisingly quipped and loud, but it was expected because of whom he was talking to. Nic stood beside Greninja, along with Vanessa and her Delphox. Erza was definitely accounted for with Aegislash. All three and their Pokémon standing there was giving Joey a salivating mouth. It was taking so much of his willpower to keep himself from sweating bullets.

Retaining his casual demeanor in front of his fan, Nic prompted a grin. "That was good. You and Tranquill did a nice job out there." He turned towards Dereece and Stunfisk. "Same with you guys, too. You guys kept up a good pace."

Greninja nodded. "That's putting it mildly."

Joey's toothy smile widened. "T-Thank you so much, Nic-senpai! I knew I couldn't let you down!" He looked at Vanessa, rubbing the back of his head with his free left arm. "Vanessa-senpai, what did you think?"

Vanessa appeared modestly subtle. "You looked very concrete and focused out there."

"Yes, quite so. Your command time was efficient." Delphox noted.

Joey inhaled a squeal. He felt so blessed to have gotten recognition from his idols for all his hard work he put to getting to this point. He certainly had a right to feel pleased with himself, after all the training he puts in every morning. He certainly felt in no less than a good mood.

"You both should be proud." Erza pointed out. Though her expression turned to a more subtle one as Jet and Droy were slumped over as they walked pass them; Droy in turn heading to the bar to ask for some comfort food. "Especially with putting those two in line."

"Indeed." Aegislash agreed, turning towards Erza. "Erza, shall we partake next?" Aegislash was more or less enthused with the need to battle. It has been a while since she last quarreled. She was aching almost as much as her Trainer. She almost considered it a bad habit.

"A fine idea, Aegislash." Erza prompted.

"Hold on guys, we still haven't decided who's going up next!" Wendy quickly intervened.

Elfman stepped up to the battlefield, his fists cracking. "Don't worry about one contestant, Wendy. As a man, I have to show them how a real battle is done!" He cocked a glance at everyone else. "Alright, who wants a piece of this?"

A foot stamped on the ground, sizzling the dirt to char. Natsu's entire body was on the verge of flames as he had a Poke Ball out with a toothy look. "You didn't have to ask! If it's a fight you want, you got it!" He looked over at the other contestants. "Hey, Wendy!"

Wendy perked at her name called. "Y-yes?"

"You wanna battle? There's room over here."

She nodded vigorously. "Right, I'll be right over." She moved from Erza's side as Carla watched with a grin. She seemed delighted to see Wendy get so hyped to battle. The Sky and Fire Dragon Slayers stood beside each other with Poke Balls out. "Okay, all set!"

By Elfman's side, Kinana stepped up with Seviper. The latter was slithering up already for battle as her Trainer prompted a smile. "Would it be alright if we joined in, Elfman? Seviper's getting antsy. She could probably use a good battle." She looked at Seviper, who bared her fangs.

Elfman smirked. "Way to be a man, Kinana. I like that!"

Evergreen pinched the bridge of her nose in irritation. "A man, seriously…"

"Alright, let's go~!" Natsu threw a Poke Ball, along with Wendy. Together they brought out Tyrunt and Amaura. Elfman in turn brought out Rhyhorn, whose colossal weight caused the ground to shudder. His roar echoed as he glared at his opponents. "Fooooes!" He groaned.

Tyrunt's nostrils snorted steam. "Tyrunt gonna chip you down to size!"

"Let's give our best, too, Amaura!" Wendy cheered on. Amaura nodded, spreading her legs against Seviper and Rhyhorn.

All at once, the four Pokémon charged at each other. But as their head-on battle began, the other, mainly Erza, found herself curious about something. "Joey?"

Taking a moment to look away from Rhyhorn's foot missing Tyrunt, he blinked. "Uh, yes?"

"I'm curious, has Duncan been around lately? Lately I've heard he's been with you. It's strange considering he's often all by himself."

Joey looked down at the ground. "Oh, that. Yeah, we told Duncan we weren't doing any work today, so he told me that he was going to the Magic Library for a bit."

Vanessa raised a brow. "The Magic Library? That's a new one. Did he say why he needed to go there?"

Dereece pit a hand to his chin, rolling his eyes about. "He didn't say really. All he said was that he wanted to 'look at some things'. Pretty sure it has to do with magic." He gave Joey a raised brow. "Pretty ironic from someone who's all Pokémon, huh?"

"Well as long as he gets back soon, I guess we won't have to worry." Joey said. "He brought with him an Escape Rope and some Repels just to be sure."

"Well I guess we're all busy today." Nic perked at what he said. It rung a bell that made him alarmed. "Say, Vanessa. Where's Sophie?"

His younger sister turned to him. "She's a little busy at the moment. She's off in the outskirts training with Rufus on how to concentrate on her magic." Her aura was dilating. She could sense her from here. Right now she was picking up a lot of strain and dizziness. She could tell Sophie was hard at work, but she chose to not comment beyond that. "But anyways, it's best that we leave her be."

Nic turned back towards the battle. "If you say so…" He and everyone watched Rhyhorn get pushed back on his heels by a borealis blast from Amaura's mouth, shoving him pass Seviper as the viper and Tyrunt charged at each other with fangs.

"By the way." Dereece asked Joey. "How do you think Duncan is doing? He's been gone for a few hours."

Joey shrugged. "Who knows? But he seemed pretty interested. Wonder if he'll come back with something?"

---

Walls upon walls of books of literature. Many with hard covers, and genres that spread as far up as the ceiling, which wasn't even visible. Duncan himself was caught a little surprised with how far up the library went. There were even lower levels that made it seem like there wasn't a bottom to be seen. He had to admit that it was bigger than the library in Astral. But he was above pointless commentary. He didn't come here to gauche on books and the literature. He came for his own reason.

"Let's see…" He furrowed his brow at the index cards he had on hand. On them were certain genres and custom labels that he was looking for. He looked up in the general direction of where these genres would be. When he found a general idea of where they were, he walked over towards the nearest platform and waited to see what happened. Rather than being teleported like he imagined, he found the ovular circumference slowly levitating skywards like an elevator. He quickly got over this and chose to remain his sights on the task.

Once the platform came to a stop, he found himself at eye level with the genre section on his index card. He read all the titles as the platform was slowly sliding left, slow enough to allow him to process them.

As the genres rolled along, his mind was starting to sway off to something that brought him to here. He saw the image of his kendo stick breaking during his fight on the Alvarez ship. It still kinds stung that the years that stick worked it could barely hold up in a world with more durable objects. Even tree branches and metal poles were still not enough, and he's tried those with his Holding Magic. He needed a better method to control that magic. Or rather, he had to think of an alternative to defend himself.

He's looked at other kendo sticks, but he knew better than to waste jewel on an experience he learned from. And he couldn't rely on getting metal rods that can be used for holding up his curtains. The more he thought about this, the more stressed he felt. It brought him back some very…malicious thoughts.

Another vision of Sophie's final goodbye caused him to almost miss reading a book. He had to make sure that nothing like that happened again. 'Right here.'

He reached for two different books; both were a few spaces apart from each other. He took both off the shelves and looked at the covers. The one in his right hand was a midnight blue hardcover. On it was a golden magic seal with a lacrima crystal printed on it. On the cover it read: "The Fundamentals of Lacrima". In the other hand was a similar book but with a red hardcover. On it read: "Ornate Weapons".

It had to do for the time being. Taking one more look around, he saw no one was looking, he decided to open the lacrima book first. He saw on the first page there was lightning lacrima, and a few pages later there were fire lacrima. The pages and the information they had were something he needed. He closed the book and held both close as the platform descended down towards the check-out.

---

The soft winds of the meadow flowed gently like water, scattering petals of nearby flowers into the next field over. The tranquility and the sounds of nature were something anyone would enjoy. It was a place of zen.

"Now then, shall we try this gain, Sophie?"

Sophie inhaled a deep calming breath at Rufus' words. She repositioned her stance as Araquanid stood beside her for security. He wanted to hiss and the Absol that opposed him, but he used better judgement for Sophie's sake.

After a long minute, the blonde bust opened her eyes. "Okay…I think I'm ready."

Rufus tilted his hat forward. "Then let's try this again. First, place your finger to your forehead for a focal point." Sophie did that. "Next, envision the memory of a magic. Any magic you may have seen."

Sophie kept her breathing steady as her head was searching through what memories she had available. For the time being she was low on a few. But she eventually picked Vanessa's teal aura. A red magic seal slowly manifested behind here. A helix of golden energy was whirling around her.

"Now, use that memory as a base. Envision another magic, and picture what you want those two to do with each other."

Sophie lowered her head to think a little harder. She's been through this before, she should know better by now. It was a matter of molding two magical properties with different elements. After seeing Rufus' countless examples, it had to be based on variety. She took a big chest's worth of breath inward and exhaled to clear her head one more time. She pictured seeing Natsu's dragonfire from the other day and opened her eyes. The chain of memories came out to being teal aura flares that snaked around Sophie towards Rufus. He held firm as his Absol came through the teal lashes with a brazen slash of glowing white claws.

Araquanid got as opening. His maw inside the water bubble glowed and elongated fangs for a Bug Bite. He lunged after Absol, but missed. She rushed after Araquanid with glowing fangs of her own. Sophie swiped her arm to direct the aura fire in front of Absol, which interceded her path and made her slide away.

Rufus smirked leerily. "Good. Now then…Forget." Just as quick as he memorized the spell, the teal flares dispersed, nullifying the spell Sophie thought up. "That was a better attempt than last time. You're managing better focal control compared to the last time I've been here."

Sophie's memory chain faded, her strength depleted. She's been at this for hours, when it felt like minutes of hell. "Hang on, I'm here." Araquanid rushed beside her, his head a little too close to her for comfort. "Sophie, you okay?"

Sophie weakly smiled. "I'm fine, Araquanid. Thank you for the concern…wait, Araquanid-!"

The water spider's bubbled fell into direct contact with Sophie's face. She was holding her breath as Araquanid was offering to cool her off after her hard training. As generous as it was, she couldn't breathe. And she liked breathing. After nearly drowning, she was able to pry herself out with a hefty gasp. Her face and hair were waterlogged with a red rosy face. It took a few seconds for her to regain her composure. "…thank you, Araquanid. I feel so refreshed." She deadpanned with a sigh.

Rufus walked up to her with Absol. "Concentrating harshly takes up more magic. Luckily, we both have an abundance of that. But, still, for what it's worth. I recommend you keep it steady for the time being."

Sophie slouched up and patted herself down. "Thank you, Rufus, and…Absol?" She got a nod in confirmation. "Sorry, I'm still learning names. I'll be sure to remember them."

Rufus chuckled. "It's no trouble. We've covered all the basics for the past two weeks now. For a mage of your caliber, you should be able to handle much on your own."

The lighter blonde sheepishly rubbed her left arm. "Well, if you say that I can, I guess it wouldn't be fair to disappoint you." She got an idea. "So, what's next? I think I'm ready for the next phase."

"I think you must've forgotten what I said just now. Should you pace yourself right, and you should be fine." Rufus backlashed.

He unintentionally caused a mental leakage in Sophie's ego. Her eagerness from before started simmering away when Rufus mentioned her forgetting. She looked down in a flustered manner, biting her lower lip. "I, um…I-I didn't mean it like that…" She looked back up. "I was just saying that…maybe we could try again after a short break is all."

Rufus tipped his hat. "I can understand your willingness, but I think we've both reached our limit here today." He recalled Absol towards her Poke Ball. "I have to return to the guild soon. I am needed for a job that requires my magic." His smile softened onto her. "But make no mistake, dear cousin, you're doing just fine as you are. Don't strain yourself on what you forget. Just memorize and preserve, that's what you've taught me after all."

Sophie looked down at the flowing grass beneath her. She knew Rufus was right, but she couldn't help but ponder about that. It was something ideological to her. She chose disregard it and warmly smile. "Okay, you're right. Thanks again, Rufus. It means a lot."

"It's no trouble. So then, I'll be sure to visit again within a week, if not a job brings me here sooner. Tata for now." He walked off, heading towards the direction of Magnolia's train station.

Araquanid glared daggers at Rufus' back. He looked superbly annoyed in his wavy water bubble meant anything. "Tch, I still don't like that guy. Always so high-noted. Sophie, am I right? Sophie?"

Sophie blinked, nearly missing what Araquanid was saying. "Hm? Oh, sorry, Araquanid. Um…I-I suppose. But you know, he's still my cousin."

Araquanid fell silent. Sophie looked a little preoccupied with something, but he couldn't pinpoint it. "Let's just go back home. Thanks for the help today." With a cheery grin, Sophie withdrew her Araquanid and took in one more breath of fresh air. She watched Rufus' frame fade into the distance.

Watching him go, it was like missing an opportunity at hand. A chance to learn more. It made her frown. But, knowing what Rufus said, she knew she had to quit for now. Sauntering her own way, she mosied back home…though her expression showed anything but a clear resolve.

---

Joey and Dereece wandered through the streets of Magnolia away from the guild for the time being. After the long day they've had with rumbles, bashes, and a lot of other things, it was about time to take a break and step out for a bit. Dereece certainly seemed relieved.

"I almost forgot how rowdy the guild can be. A few times there I thought the whole guild was gonna go flying after that battle." Dereece groaned, his body covered in dirt. "I didn't know Vanessa could keep up with Erza like that."

Joey almost fumbled after catching on. He gave Dereece a twisted stare. "Well duh! Who do think this is, Dereece? That's Vanessa-senpai! Of course she can keep up with Erza-senpai! After all, they're sisters-in-law!" He beamed a clutched fist. "Plus, they've wandered through Kalos together with Nic-senpai for a full year before returning to this world. So of course they knew each other's strengths and weaknesses well!"

"Yeah, yeah. I know…" Dereece looked at the char on his sleeve, which came from a deflected Flamethrower. "Still, wouldn't it kill them to hold back a little. That flame deflected off that King's Shield nearly fried my butt off!"

Joey scoffed away from his face with a small pout. "Lucky…"

Dereece shook his head and chose to move on. "Well, anyways, it's been a while since we've seen anyone from the guild since we've worked a lot. We should probably change that, especially after what we went through with Sabertooth and all."

"Oh yeah, about that." Joey snapped up. "I've got this sweet idea for the guild's stage! What if we bought two huge speakers, okay? And we hook them up to the old Boombox? That way, we can party and have battles, for some sick entertainment."

"Well I guess…but how about we wait a little bit, alright? We still gotta cover on our work first."

Joey sighed exasperatedly. He knew he was a party dude, but after his recent "rehab" he knew better than to focus on dancing and parties alone. Though he really wanted to, Dereece had validations. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Let's head back home and shower up. I call first dibs!"

"You always get first dibs."

"Yeah, because I'm Captain." He beamed in flaunting fashion. "You'll understand someday." He completely disregarded the groan and the shaking head he received from his cohort.

As the two were closing in on their apartment, they spotted someone heading up their avenue in their direction. Their eyes widened as they saw Duncan with a black strap bag on his torso. He looked to be minding his own business until the two rushed up to him.

"Hey, Duncan, you've made it back." Joey waved. "That's good to see. So how was your little trip? Did you bring back souvenirs?" He rubbed his hands expectantly, like he was waiting for something to pop into them.

Instead, all he got was a cold shoulder as Duncan walked between them. "It's fine. No big deal."

"Oh…okay?" Joey quickly bounced back and swiveled around. "So you wanna hear what happened today at the guild?"

Duncan looked down, stopping briefly in disinterest. "If it'll make you happy." He grunted. He personally couldn't care less about what Joey said. But, for his sake, and thinking otherwise, he chose to ventilate.

"Well alright. You missed a whole bunch of battles today. Natsu and Tyrunt were barely able to beat Kinana and her Seviper in a battle." He slid next to Dereece, pointing a thumb to him. "And of course, well, we won our fair share, so big whoop." He zipped upright. "And you wouldn't believe it, Erza and Vanessa had a crazy battle…it was so glorious! I…I could almost cry!" He balled his fists and clutched his teeth at recalling the passionate explosions and cuts that he almost received. Too bad he never got any because Nic and Greninja dispersed them.

"Oi vey…" Dereece groaned.

Duncan stared over his shoulder. It wasn't what Joey said interested him that much. But the last part was what kept him piqued. He quickly gained composure and looked away. "So then…who won?"

Joey raised a brow as he rubbed his head. "Well, it went on so long. At the end, both Aegislash and Delphox collapsed." He noticed that Duncan was completely quiet. His brow furrowed in suspicion. "…something wrong?"

Dereece and Joey looked at each other in question of Duncan's silence. They had a feeling it had to do with not being there, or rather, not battling either one of the strongest; if not the strongest Trainers in the guild. They were aware of his competitive nature, but weren't exactly sure how he'll react.

After what felt like an eternity, he finally raised his head. "…alright then." He continued his trail. "I'm gonna be working on something for a while. Don't wait up or me."

Joey raised a brow. "Um…okay?" He wasn't sure why Duncan was so abrupt, but he had Dereece for consolidation. "Hey buddy, does he seem a little blunt there?"

"I don't know, Captain." He looked at the bookbag hanging by Duncan's side. "But whatever it is, it has to do with his trip. Think it's best we leave him be for now."

Joey pursed his lips together. He was curious about what Duncan got. Now that he thought about it, he wondered what he got, but at the end figured Duncan would push them aside. "Yeah, guess so. He'll tell us when he's ready." He put his hands to his hips. "Besides, I think he might know that, too. We proved we could handle ourselves. The least he owes us is our trust…like the Freaks we are." He snapped his fingers whimsically.

Dereece sighed. "Yeah, I guess we are. Alright, let's call it quits. After that victory, Stunfisk's gonna rave our ears about bad jokes."

As they walked home, the sun was waning towards the western hemisphere.

---

Delphox' paw twitched as Max Potion was sprayed on the ligament. She kept her composure as she inhaled and exhaled, the aching from twisting her wand around soon fading away.

"That should do it." Vanessa stood back up and turned towards the trash can, dispensing the medical remedy. She turned towards Delphox and smiled warmly. "You did wonderfully today, Delphox. You've improved."

The humanoid fox humbly smiled. "Thank you. But that's because we trained hard to get this far."

"That's true…" She humbly grinned. "Still, Erza doesn't really know how to hold back. It's amazing how fast she and Aegislash were reading our attacks like that. I have a feeling she won't take a tie lightly the next time."

"Even if you're her sister-in-law?" Delphox giggled.

Vanessa sighed. "Nic, how in the world he found someone like her I wonder…" She pulled out a Poke Ball. "Take a break, Delphox." With the command, Delphox returned to her comfortable Poke Ball to rest. With one matter out of the way, Vanessa turned towards the kitchen. "Now then, where was I?"

She went over towards the kitchen and opened the fridge. Inside she looked at the contents they had. They had a few berries that were served cold, as per how Krookodile likes them. She moved those aside and looked pass the milk. She had to be sure they were in the back somewhere, that's where it was the coldest. But eventually, Arceus behold, her little treasure trove was there. She licked her lips at the firm, ripe, large pairs of lemons that were in a plastic bag. She pulled it out and looked at it in satisfactory.

"Good, they're still fresh." She hummed. "Now then…" She moved towards the sink and got a hand-style juicer out. She got water, a pitcher, and lastly, a small tablespoon of sugar. It's the lack of sugar and more of the sour lemon juice that got Vanessa's taste buds on fire.

"I'm home!"

As she was preparing her signature extra-lemon lemonade, the door to the house opened again. Entering was Sophie, who immediately heard the sound of squishing in the kitchen. "Vanessa?" She walked closer towards the sound. To her relief it was her making lemonade. "So you are home."

Turning around, Vanessa smiled at her roommate. "Sophie, you're back." She sounded mildly relaxed in spite of her curiosity. "You're back sooner than I expected. Did the training go well?"

"Yeah, it went alright." The blonde huffed, walking over to the couch and fell back in relief on the soft cushions. "It took me all day to get the basics without collapsing. I barely managed to contain a new Memory-Make Spell before Rufus called it quits."

Vanessa beamed as she squeezed more lemon juice into the pitcher. "That so? Well then, I suppose you've worked yourself an appetite. Luckily you arrived in time for lemonade."

"Thanks, I could really use that after the hell this has been…wait a minute." She turned an accusing brow. "Vanessa, don't tell me you plan on eating the lemons after you've squeezed everything from them…"

Vanessa's aura could sense Sophie's defense. She was hoping to get away from her this time, but sadly she knew Sophie's memory owned her today. "Is it a crime to love sour food that much?" she chimed.

"It is when it yellows your teeth and the acid burns away at them."

Vanessa lowered her head with a defeated sigh. "I know, I know…" She applied the small tablespoon of sugar into the pitcher and started mixing. Once it was all mixed, she raised the glass to the setting sunlight to see if it was mixed to perfection. It looked heavenly. Smiling in triumph, it turned to a bitter mourning when Vanessa was forced to drop the lemon halves into the lemonade to keep its concentration.

She walked over with a glass for Sophie. She accepted it with a tired smile. "Thank you." She never felt so relieved to have liquid refreshments before in her life. The case with Araquanid was that while she technically could drink it, she'd rather not because it'd smell like spider. In less than ten seconds the glass was already gone, her quenched thirst relieved.

"Seems someone was thirsty." Vanessa chimed.

"Trust me, you have no idea. So then you were at the guild today, right? How was everyone?"

Vanessa sat back on the loveseat, crossing her left leg over her right with folded arms. "Well, Freed and the Thunder God Tribe were busy with guild duties, so they weren't too invested in hanging around. Unless of course you count Evergreen, but everyone knows she just watched Elfman battle."

"Uh-huh…" Sophie paused. "And Elfman is…the muscly one, right?"

"That's right. They say he and Evergreen have a thing going on. It's kinda cute, or at least that's what they say." She thought to after the battle when Elfman lost to Natsu and Wendy, earning a smack by Evergreen's fan. "But, if you ask me, it gets annoying after a while."

Sophie raised a brow. That certainly caught her by surprise. "…um, wow. I never knew you had such opinions on those kinds of relationships, Vanessa."

"It's just a habit. They say one thing but mean another." She sloshed her lemonade around with a frown. "But I prefer someone at least be honest in a relationship. Maybe I'm saying this because I'm so used to Nic and Erza's healthy straightforwardness is all." She lifted the glass and drank from it. Immediately the extra sour and lemon juice in her glass made the back of her tongue tingle. "But again, it's just experience. I wouldn't know considering I've been single all my life."

Experience. For some reason that word caused the mood they had to simmer. Sophie's half-grin turned to a frown at the mention of experience; what it meant to a person. She's been working hard for weeks trying to regain the experience she should have but it's not anywhere near to her satisfaction. Would she ever get the experience back she once had even? She remembered – verbatim even – of Vanessa telling her to worry about who she was. But it doesn't help that people keep bringing up her past actions. Well, okay, some people. It was mainly Rufus answering her questions but it still didn't calm the storm inside her mind. She thought it was crackling lightning, but her composure was as quelled as a tamed sea.

After barely processing what Vanessa said, Sophie almost lost her concentration. "O-Oh, I'm sorry about that. Well, maybe someday, hopefully…" she broke to a nervous giggle to break the tension. It didn't work.

Vanessa saw clean through, though with her aura speaking. She could read Sophie's digression and disinterest growing. She sat her lemonade down on the stand next to her and took on a dignified composure. "Sophie…are you sure your training is going well?"

Sophie's heart thumped at the direct inquiry, but she attempted to sway her. "Yeah. It's fine, I mean it." She stood up. "I'm just tired right now, I really just wanna shower. I think I wanna go on a job tomorrow. I'm actually in the mood to work after all this work we've been through today."

"Sure. We can do a job tomorrow. Just don't push yourself."

Sophie started up the stairs, her hair down and covering her face. But behind her pink lips made a soft grin.

Vanessa looked on with a frown. She knew Sophie was deflecting the pity she's feeling. She didn't have to be a mage to know she was more than a little fatigued. But despite what she knew she felt, she couldn't act on it. She'd probably end up hurting Sophie more than what she already has. She knew it wasn't all her fault, but she wasn't sure exactly how to handle Sophie's little worries. It was just something she would have to get through on her own perhaps.

Without a second thought, she slurped up the rest of her lemonade in one gulp. The sour liquid quenched her esophagus and she moved towards the kitchen to prepare dinner.

---

The hot shower water ran its course out of the nozel. Sizzling steam rising from the instant heating. Once the hot sprays hit Sophie's bare skin, all the tension in her muscles was being washed away. She closed her eyes to allow the hot water to get rid of the dirt on her lower-half and around her ears. Some bits stung like the fresh scratches from earlier screw-ups, but the stressing was quick to erase itself as she stood in the shower.

She didn't know why she felt so relieved. Maybe because after the workload she's been putting onto herself recently. That could be it, or maybe part of it. She didn't know anymore. Her brain was throbbing so thinking wasn't a strongpoint she could rely on right now. She just wanted some semblance of relief something could give her.

As the soap suds started pouring down her neck and ample chest, she was withdrawing any feelings she had for the day. She could've probably used something to ventilate some of this anxiety she was getting herself into. Even as the shower and suds were cleaning off her skin, she still found herself standing. With everything she's done she should've collapsed by now.

'Maybe I should've taken a bath instead…' her weakened thoughts digressed to pointlessness. Just that thought alone made her knees quiver, and not because of the shower water hitting nerve points. Why didn't she make a bath instead so she could lay in it? Was it because showers were more convenient and quick? Maybe she was worried about sitting in her own wet dirt, or maybe she'd she be so lost in her little world she may actually forget to turn the water off and flood the bathroom.

Forget. That word struck a stinging chord into her. Remembering, and forgetting. Forgetting and remembering. Those two things were what caused her to squint while staring at the shower nozel. That's all she's been doing for the past few weeks. Just memorizing, and remembering. And yet right now, she just wanted to forget all about that.

If she really did try to forget all about that, would she even remember it then? Her lipstick sugar was starting to stain her teeth. She gnashed them together and had the water bombard the seductive color right out of them. Still, the taste of roses was staining her tongue. She wanted to forget it, but a part of her wanted to keep it; hold it tightly. It was like she didn't want to forget. She couldn't explain it, and she most certainly couldn't tell why. It was just a feeling.

She looked down at the drain, watching as the suds and her makeup were swirling down into black. She thought that's probably what the human mind was like when it was empty and with no conscience. Down to nothing, not even to where you could pull something out of it. If this was a memory right now, it'd be drained away like the cosmetics down the water, and she'd never see them again. It made her heart race.

"Don't strain yourself on what you forget. Just memorize and preserve, that's what you've taught me after all."

"I don't think that's important right now. You find what you like at your own pace. No need to rush these thoughts. I'd think your headaches would only stiffen if you do."

She remembered what Rufus and Vanessa told her a short while back, those words and syllables etched into her psyche. She couldn't make heads or tails if she should even listen to herself anymore. She knew that they were right, that much was obvious. But this stress wasn't helping her. How was she to move forward without a base-self to begin with? It was all crumbling down like a tower of unstable bricks, and she was underneath it all.

Unable to bare anymore of this contemplative melee, she rested her head against the porcelain tiling as steam and the smell of minty suds filled the shower.

---

Dusk filled the sky. It was almost time for another day to end, and with it, everything that's happened. Nic sat with Greninja in a tree just outside the cottage. They were on opposite sides of the trunk and dangled their legs as they watched the rays of yellow and blue in the distance slowly fade to a black.

Neither should really say anything. Rather, they didn't need to. They've been staring at the dusk sunset for a short while now, and it was close to the faintest blue rays showcasing no dark. It was mid-June now, which meant the days were getting longer and the sunsets would be later. It wasn't a big deal to them. They could stay up late to all night for all they cared. But this was a time of tranquility for them.

"…it never gets tiring, doesn't it?"

Greninja knew exactly what Nic meant. He nodded meekly. "Yeah, sure doesn't."

"We haven't seen a sky this clear in a short while. There's always some clouds that blocked out the full picture."

"Yeah…but you don't think it's a bad thing, don't you?" Greninja grinned. "I remember stargazing a lot during our training just past Victory Road. The sky was just beautiful at night."

Nic smiled fondly at those memories. "They sure did." It made him wonder for a moment if he should just open up a portal and drop by the Pokémon League's plateau just to watch those stars. The sunset and sunrises were all nice and all, and they're still something Nic and his Pokémon have taken an appreciation for. He'd be willing to do that too if he wasn't so wrapped up on a certain redheaded wife he now has.

But speaking of stars, that made Nic and Greninja take a step back and look up at the nighttime sky rolling in. They saw the stars twinkling as they were coming into view; two stars directly over the other's head. Their adventure back when Arceus was in peril felt like a long time ago. They couldn't believe that it's been a few years already, and after that, they've been on crazier adventures that really pushed their boundaries. Everybody's in fact. Charizard, Kecleon, Staraptor, Garchomp, Arbok; even Erza and Vanessa. Does he regret it? Of course not. If anything, he was glad he's been through all this. He's made peace with his hate, and he's become something else in the process.

As dusk came to an end, more and more stars came out to dazzle the night sky. Their little sentiment had come to an end when Nic decided to jump down onto his heels. Greninja immediately followed.

"Let's rest up." Nic smiled, pulling out Greninja's Poke Ball. "We probably need it."

Greninja returned to appreciation. They both had one last look at the dusk gone and Nic recalled Greninja. He put the Poke Ball away and adverted his attention towards the cottage. He saw his window open and jumped right through into his bedroom.

He sighed to himself. With this evening full of retrospection, he still couldn't fathom he's gotten so soft with beds to rival trees. Dismissing that irony, he took off his coat to reveal his naked upper body. He heard the door open to the bathroom to find Erza already in her pajamas. She looked plenty exhausted.

"Sure took your time." He joked. "I was beginning to wonder if I needed to check up on you in case you fell asleep in the bathtub."

Erza huffed and gave Nic a mocking chuckle. "Let's save that rescue for someone else who needs it, won't we? Pretty sure Lucy would fall victim to that."

…

In her bathtub, water steaming around her naked flesh, Lucy was calmly relaxing until her eyes shot wide open. Some strange sensation came over that made her skin crawl. 'What the heck was that? Pretty sure somebody said my name…' She awkwardly shuffled deeper into the bathwater, her gaze leery and shifty.

…

"She looked pretty well today." Nic commented. "Did she say anything about Loke and the others being alright?"

Erza prompted a nod. "Yes, they're looking much better now, thanks to the time off to heal their wounds. Lucy should have no trouble with them now."

"That's good…" Stretched his arms over his head, feeling his spine getting a nice, even pull. He relaxed and worked his way towards the bed. "Everyone looked alright today. Been a while since we've seen their faces."

"Don't remind me. We've been going from one country to another. Hard to believe we've seen more countries than we have the guild in some time." Erza chuckled lightly to herself. Though she didn't mean it in a harsh way to backhand the guild, she couldn't help it. These missions have been dragging them from one end to another, almost literally. "But I have to admit, we're making progress, aren't we?"

Nic flopped onto the bed. He wasn't sure how to answer the question, but he knew he had to face the facts. "It's not like we don't have problems with everyone getting along with Pokémon. That's not what we've been dealing with here. A lot of powerful figures are taking too many chances to get what they want with this so-called era change."

"You're referring to what happened with Emmanuel and Melchior?" Erza questioned.

Nic moved his hands to get the socks off his feet, slipping them off like how Arbok would shed his skin. "That isn't the point…I'm just saying, doesn't it ever feel like it's getting old? A lot of these guys we face are all the same, just wanting power…" He furrowed his brow at thinking of past enemies like Brain, Jose, and Jiemma. "It's like fighting an empty cause. Back then, I didn't think that I understood their reasoning…but I think I'm getting an idea."

Erza raised a brow.

"It's like Gran Doma pointed out, they fear greater power. They fear it so much they try to break it before it grows out of their control. A lot of everything comes from control, doesn't it?" He turned to his side to face her. "But I think that's the misunderstanding. They're looking at the control than just the relationship…I guess this is just from my experience as a Trainer, but doesn't it feel better to understand someone's power than just feel like controlling it? I guess it's just my thoughts going wayward, but I think the people we've been fighting have been more worried about their control…" he sighed heavily to himself. "And I guess that makes them so lost that I would take a lot of pointless effort to see otherwise."

"Yes, some are like that, Nic. But not all of them. You've reached some out to the end. Ajeel is just one of those you've pulled out. And I feel like I shouldn't have to remind you of Acnologia either. Some people can't be saved. Others just want to reach out for help but feel held back."

Nic retained his silence, taking in everything Erza was saying. He watched as she crawled on top of him, her hands cupping his cheeks.

"People can learn from understanding, Nic. You're one of those examples. You didn't try to control your hate or your Pokémon, you've made a bond. We just need to keep trying, even if it's one person at a time. Let's just keep doing what we can and not think of what-ifs. It'll make you age faster if you do."

She leaned into him, planting a soft kiss on his lips. Nic watched Erza pull just a few inches away, staring into her luscious brown eyes and warm smile.

"…yeah, sure."

Erza hummed and drew closer to him. The sounds of her chuckling as the bedsheets stirred echoed in the small area of the cottage.

---

Dusk turned to deep night as the town of Magnolia was soon fast asleep, at least not those who were custom to being late night prancers. Natsu and Happy were sprawled in their abode, the sounds of their snoring rattling Charmeleon as he kept a pillow over his head. As Tyrunt slept on his back, he too was snoring up a storm. His foot twitched every now and again so he'd kick Darumaka, but the little doll's buoyed body kept going back up for the process to repeat. Places like Cana, liquor bottles stunk up the room as she was topless on her sheets; Liepard and Prinplup were doing their best to sleep through the intoxicating smell. Lucy was sleeping well, with Staryu's bright red core acting as a nightlight for her. It's Illuminate Ability did wonders to find its uses.

However, despite how calm it was, it wasn't the case for one person in particular.

Sophie turned in her bed to get a better position. She was so sore from training the past couple days she didn't know hoe she could still be stirring. Pretty sure it was her curiosity that was to blame, she didn't know. She shuffled again to her opposite shoulder, facing the windowsill of her bedroom. The curtains were a faint dark blue, but even she could see the stars and the night sky. She wanted to pull the blinds down to block it all out, but she didn't have the strength in her arms. Arceus knows what time it was, but assuming that there was darkness outside, everyone else had to be asleep. Unable to quench her lack of sleep she prompted to slide off her sheets and worked towards the bathroom.

She glanced around to make sure nobody was seeing her. She knew Vanessa's Krookodile could see in the dark and miles away, but he was still a heavy sleeper. She quietly proceeded and made it towards the private quarters. Once the door had shut, she ran the cold water from the faucet. The sounds of it running down the drain was a strange yet therapeutic tune to her.

Cupping her hands with the icy liquid, she lifted it and splashed her face with a full course of it all. The cold spray in the eyes was what she needed and made her face red. She shook her head, getting the liquid out of her tired vision. When they opened, she saw herself in the mirror staring back at her,

It was a disturbing thought. She stared at her green eyes with a deep frown for the umpteenth time. Every time she'd come out, she'd always see this same woman who was supposed to be her. But all she saw was someone who was just as empty as her. She contemplated this whole reflective matter for a while now. Supposedly even Nic said he's been to another world in Reflection Cave back in Kalos. It made her curious of what her opposite was?

Wait, did she meet her opposite already? If she was supposed to be a first-case memory threshold then did that make her other self a short-term memory delusional? Or because she lost her memories that her opposite would be so freaking smart? She didn't know, and frankly all this fathoming was killing more brain cells than she already has left. She just stared at herself for who knows how long, the only sounds to pass the time being the running water.

Her brow furrowed; she knew this wasn't healthy, but she didn't know what to do. She looked away in shame of her reflection and instead sloshed her face in water. She flipped the faucet off and applied a dry cloth to cleanse the cool liquid. It felt so soft that she might actually sleep on it, but in the end knew it'd be futile. She quickly escaped the bathroom and returned to her bedroom. She needed to do something, otherwise she'd lose more of her shit.

'I need some fresh air.' She undressed herself to put on some fresh pair of clothes. It didn't take long before she put on her stocking boots and went out her bedroom door.

She silently made way towards the stairs and looked over at Vanessa's bedroom. For a moment she thought Vanessa would be able to sense her, but realizing she was a heavy sleeper and sleeps in, that shouldn't be a problem. She quietly made way down the stairs and made it to the front door. She looked over at the living room to find Vanessa's Pokémon all sound asleep. With a sigh of relief, she slowly exited the house, the door silently closing behind her.

What she wasn't aware of, was how Mawile was calmly folding her arms while using her horns as a pillow. Just s Sophie left, one of her eyes opened and watched her embark in silence.

…

The bright full moon radiated down on Sophie as she made way silently through Magnolia. She went in the general direction of where the outskirts were, but that wasn't her aim. She just wanted somewhere quiet so she could think straight. She also knew that being such a beautiful young woman, she could be targeted. Luckily for her she had Pokémon to defend her, so it wasn't a big deal.

She managed to make it out of Magnolia and into the woods just out of reach of the city. She aimlessly walked underneath the moonlight that illuminated the trail that went through the woods. She wasn't sure how far she was supposed to go, but if her body could go this long without stopping, why stop now? Again, that was another question she just couldn't answer. It seemed like she couldn't answer anything anymore and others had to pick up fragments for her to put together. A part of her thought it was unfair, but she knew it wasn't their fault, so why did she need to get away?

A reflective surface caught her eyes, bringing her out of her throbbing thinking process. 'Wait, that's…' She walked through the underbrush, noticing a clear, grassy field that had led up towards a spring in the middle of the clearing.

Stumbling up towards the pool, Sophie gazed down into the bright moon's reflection. She looked at that, but her attention slowly drew towards the actual moon. Something about that seemed to be getting her to stir as well. The moon and this spring; two things that were making her subconscious stir like crazy.

'The moon…stars…' She looked around, the random stars dazzling up the night around the moon. 'It's like I'm so used to them, why is it like that? Why am I like this? Is it because of something that I did…?'

Her little identity crisis was spiraling too out of control, even for her. She frowned heavily at the moon. As beautiful as it was, its basking radiance did nothing but shine a blinding ray that made her look down at her reflection in the pool. There she was again with the reflections, just reflections…and questions…and no answers.

What did she even want from all this? Why was she here? What brought her here of all places? She wanted – needed – to know. But why was this so important to her?

Suddenly her Poke Ball burst open, startling her. She saw Araquanid materialize in front with a sharp gaze into the forest. "Araquanid? What's wrong?"

The massive water spider hissed loudly in intimidation. Sophie furrowed her brow and noticed the shrubs rustling. 'A wild Pokémon?' She immediately took a fighting stance in case of danger.

The bushes kept rustling, until at last something popped out – a large tadpole. The creature jumped out with a loud yawn with the moon gazing down upon it.

Sophie lowered her guard in wonder. "That's a…Pokémon, right?"

The Tympole looked back in the underbrush, flopping up and down. "Hej, Joey! Našiel som pre vás dobré miesto!"

Sophie blinked. She and Araquanid turned in curiosity at the figure who was walking through the forest towards them. Upon seeing him, yet another strange look was given as she saw blonde hair, blue eyes, and black spotted magenta coat.

It was Joey.

The two locked eyes for a moment, an awkward silence coming between them. They didn't know what to say, but upon the moonlight's radiance on Joey's face, Sophie could see a very calm composure. Something was wrong here.

"Um…hello?" Sophie nervously greeted.

"Oh, uh…hey." Joey greeted awkwardly. He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. He turned away, looking a little stirred for some reason. "Um…this is a little weird…"

"Y-yeah…"

---

Dereece was sprawled in his bed, his lips partially open to allow his light snoring to fill the atmosphere of his dark room. As he was dreaming, he was blissfully unaware of the light coming from his doorway. His leg twitched as his expression turned to a rather uncouth grin.

A white flippered tail flicked in front of his face. He stirred and turned away. "Mmmm, woman…not now…" He grunted in his sleep. The white flippers nudged him gain. This time he shoved them away and rolled onto his pillow. "Woman, we'll do it later…zzzzZZZzzz…"

Seel being pushed away by him caused her to frown. She sighed heavily before turning to Stunfisk. "Alright, looks like you win."

Stunfisk chuckled. "Don't worry, I'll make this quick." Along with Seel, Heracross and Yanma stepped back to the corners of the bedroom as Stunfisk's body crackled with electricity. "Oi, mate! Rise and shine!" He expelled a weak blast of electricity into Dereece's bed. The sleeping Trainer's rude awakening by voltage cringing his body was just the reaction to make Stunfisk smile. They all watched him fumble out of bed with a thud.

"Ow~!" Dereece grabbed his throbbing head. "W-what was that for?!" He opened his eyes, seeing all his Pokémon there. He was so stunned that Yanma caught him off guard when she landed on his head eagerly.

His expression dampened to disappointed. "Now tell me…exactly what reason is it that you woke me up? In the middle of the night? By lightning?!" He shot a hostile look at Stunfisk, who sheepishly chuckled.

Seel raised a flipper. "Um, y-you see, Dereece…Heracross has something he needs to tell you."

"Can't it wait till morning? What do you want?" He turned towards Heracross with squinted eyes. "Better not be that you tried feeding yourself Honey and made a big mess again."

Heracross flinched at the accusation. "Uh, no! No…well, not this time at least." He poked his index claws together at Dereece's disappointed frown. "Well, I was getting, um…an Oran Berry…" He wanted to lie to cover up the jar of Honey he stole from the fridge. He'll deal with that later. "And I heard some creaking. I was walking back to the stairs and, well…"

"It's your buddy, mate." Stunfisk cut him off, his story taking too long. "His door was creaked open and he checked. He ain't there."

Dereece's eyes widened. "What?" He stood up, making Yanma flutter over him. He didn't want to believe them. He moved passed them to get to Joey's bedroom. When he got close, he did in fact notice that in the darkness, his door was creaked open. Slowly peeking inside, he was met with darkness. "Captain Joey…? You okay…?"

He looked inside the room, but all he saw were sprawled bedsheets. He backpedaled out of the hallway and went for the bathroom. He opened the door, but again nothing. "Captain?!" His eyes widened. There was one place he didn't check. "The kitchen!" He turned and darted down the stairway, his Pokémon tailing him by gliding down the stairway – Stunfisk fluttering his small fins – as well as Seel flopping down them.

Dereece immediately went for the kitchen, but found nothing. He checked for the fridge, opening it wide to ignore the missing jar of Honey amongst the six still present. He spotted some leftover pizza on paper plates still accounted for. "Pizza's still here…and the vanilla ice cream hasn't been touched." He slammed the fridge shut and turned in worry. "This is bad. Joey wouldn't go off on his own like this, especially at night."

"Did that…uh, Kane guy try something you think?" Heracross pondered.

Yanma perched on his horn. "Nah, he'd leave a note or something."

Dereece paced back and forth around the house, his stress beginning to turn into worry. Sleep was the last thing he needed now if his Captain was his priority. He had to rationalize, and fast! Even Joey knows how dangerous he is unattended! He did not want to think back to the childhood mishaps that caused his own house to nearly burn down, or cause teachers to get mad.

As he bit his lower lip in frustration, a glare from outside made him wince. He recovered from shock and moved towards the window, noticing how bright the full moon was over the apartment. As he stared at its radiance, an epiphany came to his mind.

His expression started to fade to sadness. "…oh…"

---

Underneath the bright moonlight, the spring rippled with the moon distorting. From below, a fountain of water arose before erupting a Gyarados that hissed. He sneered up towards the moon, looking at it while behind, Finneon and Tympole were arching in and out of the water. Underneath the surface, Araquanid was hiding away from the noise. Thankfully he knew the spring well considering he lived there before being caught. He hid at the very bottom, hissing at the commotion above.

Sitting along the spring's edge, an awkward silence fell between Sophie and Joey. Both hugged their knees and leered in opposite directions. Arceus knows how long, but it was long enough to give Joey an itch. They never expected to run into each other like this, especially for Joey's case.

Eventually, the silence was broken by none other than Sophie. "So, you're, um…Joey, right?"

"Yup, that's my name." Joey nodded. "Eh…Sophia? Softie, uh…?"

"Sophie. Sophie Lednick."

Joey snapped his fingers. "Ah yeah, that's it. Sorry, had to think a little there. Long day."

Sophie meekly grinned. "It's nothing. I can understand that." She looked back out towards the water, watching her beloved Finneon zooming out from the water and pose elegantly beneath the radiant moon. She looked so beautiful. "It's been a long day for a lot of us, hasn't it? Seems that's all anyone says."

Another awkward silence fell between them.

Sophie brushed a lock over her shoulder. "So, what brought you out here? Kinda late for an evening walk, don't you think?"

Joey bashfully eyerolled. "Hey, it's not that bad. It's kinda relaxing every once in a while, I guess." He glanced towards the pond. "Besides, Tympole seems to enjoy frolicking."

"Tympole?" Sophie turned towards the Water-types in the pond. Araquanid appeared to have resurfaced with Finneon just to hear Tympole engage them in a riveting story in his language.

Tympole leered at the fish and spider as his tale began. "Chystali sme sa vstúpiť do tejto rasy, a zrazu ten chlap práve zbláznil a kričal na svoje pľúca!" He gestured towards Gyarados. "A potom tento chlap prichádza a vrúti všetko po prúde! Ľudia hrali ako ryby! BOL CRAZY!" He finished with a twitching eye and a wide mouth in front of their faces.

Finneon and Araquanid looked at each other in confusion and back at him. They had no idea what he just said.

Suddenly Tympole broke out into a chuckle in hindsight of his tale. To be nice, Finneon nervously chuckled along, though Araquanid seemed less lenient as Tympole broke out laughing as he fell back into the water in hysterics. Gyarados seemed to have understood, though he gruffly huffed it off and dove back underwater.

"I…see…?" Sophie was completely baffled to say the least. "A very…interesting Pokémon you have, Joey."

Joey puffed his chest with pride. "Yup, sure know how to pick'em." He slouched back along the grass, his attention adverted towards the moon. He fell silent as he gazed longingly at it.

Noticing his change in demeanor, Sophie decided to add to the conversation. "So…you like going on nature walks then? Are they really that relaxing?"

Joey raised a brow. "Where's this coming from?"

"Just answer the question please."

Joey furrowed his brow, but he quickly got over it. "Well…it's not something I do often. I actually got into them after…some things happened. I always liked having my booty do all the talking, but you know something…sometimes it's just nice to smell the roses." He looked at Tympole, who was the culprit behind this change. "But I actually came out here for something else than roses."

Sophie looked intrigued. "Like what?"

Joey faced up, mournfully smiling. "Look up, tell me what you see?"

Sophie lifted her head and looked all around. "Um, well…there's stars…night sky…the moon…" She trailed off, looking at Joey as he gazed at the last object. The glow on his face from the moonlight was like a 'ding' that meant her answer. "You like the moon that much?"

"…yeah." His tone was softer than before. "Because someone dear to me risked their life to save it."

Sophie turned towards him with a gasp. This news surprised her to say the least. "Someone…dear to you…?" She knew she couldn't jump to conclusions. It had to be unreal. She hugged her knees tighter to her chest. 'Was that me? Is that what I risked my life for?' She went for the jugular. "So, um…is it okay, if I ask you what kind of person it was?"

Joey blinked. "About Camilla?" He looked brightly at the moon, seeing a faint image of her beautiful face smiling down on him. It was his heart throb some, but he powered through. "Well…I guess you could say she was probably one of the most beautiful women I've ever met, and at first, I didn't think she'd go for a guy like me. She was a gentle spirit, someone who never meant to hurt anyone even though it was for her own sake." He looked down at the pool, watching the ripples refract the moonlight everywhere. "She was the first girl to have genuinely had it out for me…I felt so happy. Nah, that's not it…I guess you could say she was…lucky."

Sophie blankly stared. A part of her was a little relieved it wasn't about her, but another woman. But even through a symbolic sense, it sounded like her in some aspects. But by the tone this was heading, she wasn't liking this. "So…what happened between you two?" she feared she wouldn't like the answer.

Joey somberly faced the moon, coming to terms with what happened. "…she died."

Sophie's shoulders slumped, a look of revelation flourishing across her body. She gazed down at the water in shock. "O-oh…I'm so sorry…I didn't mean to bring up-!"

Joey sighed heavily, intervening her fumblings. "It's okay. It's not your fault." He faced the moon once more, smiling warmly with misting eyes. "But you know, every time when I see the moon now, I can't help but think that's Camilla watching over me. So I thought I'd find some place so I can watch her back…I miss her."

Sophie could tell this girl meant a lot to Joey. The sentiment was all in his face and voice. This person meant so much he'd go out of his way just to watch a personification of her. That's what she meant to him. A part of her genuinely felt sorry for him.

"…so she was a good person then?" she mumbled.

"Yeah, she was." He widened his eyes. "Wait a minute…"

"What is it?"

"Now I remember…" He turned towards Sophie. "I know now. I do remember you. You're that chick who was with Erza-senpai, Dereece, and my first mission!"

Sophie flinched. "I-I was…? I mean…yeah." She glanced away nervously, how was she to take this? She didn't know, but she just let Joey take over.

He nodded at her. "Sure thing. You were there to watch Dereece team up with Heracross to take down a Beedrill at a Honey Tree. It was pretty intense, but that was our first job, but we didn't know any better. That's kinda my bad."

Sophie managed a small smile. The way he sheepishly smiled was a little cute. Fashion wise, he was definitely out there, but even from the way he looks, this was a surprise at seeing how mellow he was. It was almost ironic.

She meekly chuckled, something that set Joey by surprise. "Are you okay?"

Sophie sheepishly shook her head, a half-grin as she gazed at the water. "I'm sorry, it's just…I don't remember anything. You must be talking about another Sophie you know."

"Another Sophie? What?" Genuinely intrigued, he gave her a wondrous look. "What're you talking about?"

She looked sadly at her knees. "Right, I guess that Duncan guy never told you then…"

Joey fell silent.

"I…am an amnesiac now. I lost my memories…just like how you lost someone you loved, I lost something precious too."

Joey's eyes shrunk to the size of rice grains. This was the first time he's heard about this, especially coming from the primary source itself. He's heard some rumors here and there about someone about their magic, but he was too worried about himself. But even though it wasn't his business, remembering he was part of the guild, he had to feel sympathy.

"Oh…I'm really sorry. I didn't know." He huddled his knees closer to his chest. "Great, this isn't how I wanted to spend my night."

"That makes both of us."

Once again, another awkward silence fell between them. They just watched Gyarados pop from directly below Tympole, lifting him into the air with jovial flops on his head.

"So…what brought you out here?" Joey asked. "I already told you my reason. I'd feel pretty bad if I didn't ask at this point."

"Me?" Now it was Sophie's turn to answer such an easy question. But to her it was an easy question with a hard answer. "I guess I couldn't sleep, so I decided I should get some fresh air, like you."

His brow raised. Even he wasn't that dumb. He just gave her a passive look as he noticed her demeanor becoming more crestfallen by the second.

"Can I ask you something?" Sophie's question came out of her mouth fluently she couldn't contain them. "Do you know what kind of person you are?"

"Um…"

"Have you ever asked yourself 'Is this who I really am?'. Do you know yourself better than others know you? Is this who you're really supposed to be? It's just…so weird, knowing there's people there telling you all about yourself, when you yourself don't know this person. I was told not to worry about what happened in the past and move forward, but…isn't remembering things apart of me? It's like telling me to forget all over again."

She gripped her knees closer to her chest. Her blonde bangs overshadowed the moonlight in her eyes. "It's just so much to take in. It's like I'm being pressured to remember stuff that I used to do just so I can feel a little comfortable for everyone else. What about me? I have a choice to, don't I? So…I can never have the memories that I once had ever again, I can accept that…but now I'm just supposed to used to a lifestyle that the old me is used to, but where's me? Where's the Sophie now?"

Joey stared in disbelief and grief. In a way, he could get what she's saying. Araquanid and Finneon stopped meesing around with Tympole and Gyarados and looked over at Sphie, who was shivering and tearing up.

"I'm scared. I don't wanna lose anymore than what I already have. I've lost so much…including my identity. What am I supposed to be now? Clearly I'm not the same 'Sophie Lednick' everyone looks at anymore. It's all pity and reminders from others that I gave up my life for! What am I supposed to do?! What am I?! Just…who am I?!"

She broke into a small cry into her knees, unable to take anymore of the stress. Her Araquanid created another water bubble and had Finneon fit inside as they moved closer to her. "Miss Sophie…" Finneon murmured softly.

The blonde didn't know how to act, let alone feel anymore. Her whole world was completely twisted into a new one that she didn't have any direction of. All she knew was that she was Sophie Lednick, mage of Fairy Tail, cousins of Rufus Lore, has a divorced mother who was off somewhere and a deceased father. Those were all fragments of her, but who was she as a person was something that she couldn't comprehend. At this point, she would give anything to get the help she needed. But she couldn't reach out to anyone because it'd hurt her more.

It was a no-win situation. And she realized that.

She heard a stirring beside her and a shadow cast over her. She sniffled and looked up to find Joey standing in front of her, arms crossed. "Well then, I guess we should probably fix that, won't we?"

"W-what are you talking about?"

"You know, a certain someone told me something, too." He thought about Nic. "He told me to not worry what others say and be myself, or something like that. I'm living my life not just because of the people that died for me, but because of something I wanna make of myself, too. I'm Joey Haycliff, future world-renown dancer and fashion extraordinaire. And I decided that all by myself." Sophie saw Joey snap his fingers. At this, his Gyarados and Tympole swam closer to him. Gyarados lowered his head for Joey to support himself on. "So, I say we help you find this so-called Sophie Lednick."

"But how?" Sophie was suspicious until Joey pulled out a Luxury Ball to her face.

"How else? When two Trainers' eyes meet, they've gotta battle. That's the rule. Besides, I've wanted to see what Tympole can do, and you wanna vent your stress out, right? We're guildmates, so let's help each other out."

"Bupta!" Tympole chanted.

Sophie was speechless. Out of the blue, this blond-haired dude that was her guildmate was consolidating her with his sadness, and just now he decided they should fight? Does that even make sense? But seeing his blue eyes gazing down at her she could tell he was dead serious.

'This guy…he's really trying to help me, just like the others. Should I really…?' She looked towards her Pokémon, seeing their expectant faces. They seemed supportive of her; if anything they seemed ready and able. 'I guess. Having a Pokémon Battle isn't what I'm used to…but if it'll get these feelings out, I guess it's worth a shot.' She stood up, opposing Joey with her own serious expression. "Okay, I'll play along."

"Alright, but don't think I'll make this easy for ya." Joey looked towards the moon. 'I can also show Camilla, just how much I've grown too with our luck this far…'

---

Under the bright full moon, Joey and Sophie stood on opposite ends of the grassy clearing, the spring off to the side. Both of them had already returned their Pokémon for more space. Now it was time for them to get the ball rolling.

"Let's make this a Double Battle, okay?" Joey insisted. "We'll each use two Pokémon at once, and last Pokémon standing on either side wins. Sounds doable?"

Sophie nodded. "I can agree to those terms."

"Alright, let's get started!" Joey pulled out two capsules; a Poke Ball and a Luxury Ball. "Go, Trubbish! Tympole!"

The capsules flung open, with Tympole ready for battle. "Bupta~!"

His jovial battlecry was cut off as Trubbish entered beside him. She expelled a gurgling belch, one that caused Tympole's eyes to water. "Uf! Človeče, hovor o vetroch boja."

Sophie swallowed a lump, and not just because of the foul smell coming from Trubbish. 'Okay, you can do this, Sophie. Just relax…' Calming herself first, her eyes flashed green. "Okay, here I come!" She threw a Poke Ball and a Great Ball, summoning Kadabra and Finneon as both were glaring down their adversaries.

"I am ready to assist you in battle, Lady Sophie." Kadabra politely spoke in his exquisite tone.

"Yes, allow me to lend you my strength as well." Finneon quipped.

Trubbish belched meekly as Tympole flopped beside her. Joey and Sophie stood evenly apart under the moon, green and blue eyes glared the other down. They had something to prove to each other, and on different means, too. 'I won't lose this!' both shouted mentally.

As though by a sign by the lunar entity, the spring below rippled, signaling the battle beginning.

"Look alive! Tympole, use Mud Shot!" Joey swiped his arm, calling out the first attack.

"Máš to!" Tympole flopped his tailfin to the ground and catapulted himself into the air. His maw glowed bright brown and he screeched out as volleys of brown mud balls rained down on Kadabra and Finneon.

Sophie saw the attack incoming, but she had to act fast. 'Think quick, Sophie. What would the you do with something like this?' She saw the volley close in faster, making her heart stop. 'No time!' In a rush she called out an attack. "Kadabra! Psyshock!"

"Yes, Sophie!" Kadabra stuck his spoon out as it generated a purple orb. From it fired several thin purple beams that blasted into the thick spread of mud, causing a dirt and kinetic surge that cancelled out each other. However, more were heading towards Finneon.

"Finneon, Gust!" Finneon followed it up with her wings glowing bright blue and flapping them. A strong windstorm blew into the mud balls, dispersing them and continuing through the dirty surge. It blew it apart, leaving a clean slate.

'Even.' She thought. But the battle had only just begun.

'If she knows Psychic-types are strong against Poison, that's gonna be a threat, Gotta stop Kadabra and fast!' Joey pointed directly at Kadabra. "Trubbish, Acid Spray!"

Trubbish inhaled and opened her maw. She expelled a purple jet of acid that blitzed into Kadabra the second the opening came. Kadabra crossed his arms and took the attack, erupting him in a hazy purple smoke. As it faded, his body produced a harsh blue aura, activating Acid Spray's secondary effect.

'His Special Defense is lower. Gotta follow up quick!' He proceeded to the next phase. "Tympole, Bubble Beam!" Tympole opened his maw again and followed up the assault with a harsh jet of blue bubbles that raced towards Kadabra as he recovered from that last attack.

Just as the attack closed in, it suddenly right angled towards his right, directly into Finneon. Tympole's eyes widened. "Povedzte, čo?!"

They all saw the jet of bubbles draw themselves into Finneon as she took the attack, but they faded into her body as a red aura cloaked her body. She hummed whimsically at the sparkles the bubbles left behind.

'Wait a second…was that Storm Drain?' Joey came to the realization at recognizing the effects. 'That means…snap, we can't target Kadabra properly if our attacks are going to be drawn into Finneon. Gotta find a way around that!'

Sophie blinked in surprise. She had no idea that her Finneon could do that, nor was aware of the advantage she had. "Finneon, what was that just now?"

Finneon glanced back at her. "Don't worry, Miss Sophie. That was my Storm Drain Ability. I can draw in Water-type attacks and gain extra strength by that. Will that suffice for now?"

"Um, sure." She hurriedly dismissed her inquires. 'Right, I shouldn't get scatterbrained right now. I have to get into the battle. Let's see, with Finneon's Ability we should be stronger, so…' Sophie reached out at Tympole. "Finneon, use Water Pulse!"

"Right!" Finneon flopped into the air and whirled her body around, generating a large blue sphere of water. She aimed at Tympole and unleashed the sphere at an alarming velocity. It closed in quick, quicker than what Tympole anticipated.

"Trubbish, cover him! Sludge!" Joey followed up.

The water sphere was meters away when a mucky black sludge ball struck its side. It dissipated into the water but the force threw it on Tympole's left, causing it to explode in the distant field in a large misty burst. Tympole turned towards Trubbish, whose maw was drenched in sludge.

"Ďakujem za to." He thanked.

Trubbish replied with a wave of her flipper and a hardy belch. The stench wasn't nearly as bad this time to where it made Tympole cringe a little.

Seeing Joey's counter, Sophie held a fist close to her chest. 'He deflected the attack using the Pokémon beside him. He's trying to preserve his Pokémon even after their moves aren't much against my own. Is this where I take the advantage?' She tried to think of what to do next. What would the actual Sophie do? 'Should I wait and see what his attack will be? Or should I go on offense instead?'

Her contemplative state was dragging on the battle. Kadabra turned towards Sophie with adamance. "Miss Sophie?"

Hearing her name called, Sophie blinked in surprise. She shook her head to get her head straight. "Kadabra, use Kinesis!"

Kadabra nodded in understanding and turned towards Trubbish with his spoon up. "Now…look into my spoon, and feel your equilibrium disrupt." Using his telekinetic powers, the spoon started to bend, the illusionary trick causing Trubbish' vision to distort. She gurgled weakly as a blue aura enveloped her body, lowering her accuracy.

Sophie provided a follow up. "Finneon, use Water Gun on Tympole!" Finneon understood and flopped into the air again. She expelled a large jet of water that raced across the grass towards Tympole.

"Dodge it!" Joey's command was prompt as Tympole flopped out of the way of the water jet. It jettisoned closer towards him instead, causing him to create a barrier and block the sprays of the attack.

'His Tympole is separated!' Seeing Tympole's distance away from Trubbish, Sophie went for the attack. "Kadabra, Psybeam!" Kadabra reached his spoon out and a blue sphere appeared. A streaky blue beam with meshes of pink circles and swirling pink in it rushed towards Trubbish.

"Trubbish, dodge that!" Joey shouted.

Trubbish was getting over her dizziness when she heard the warning. She was rolling off to the side, but was too late when the attack erupted in her face. A harsh kinetic explosion picked up dirt and stone, causing Joey to pick up another barrier to avoid the shockwaves.

"Trubbish!" Joey lifted his barrier as the smoke cleared. To his relief Trubbish was still standing, but she looked extremely sloshed. She gurgled weakly, just as green waves were going up her body to restore some of her energy. "Hey, you okay?"

Trubbish meekly belched in response. She sloshed back up and glared at Kadabra and Finneon.

"It appears we have the advantage this time." Finneon assured.

Kadabra nodded in agreement. "Yes. Let's keep up the pressure, shall we?" he looked back at his Trainer. "Miss, Sophie, your orders?"

"R-right, let's see…" She digressed back into her mind. She didn't know what to do next to be honest. Should she take this chance to finish off Trubbish? Or go for Tympole instead? It was hard, especially with all these attacks she's supposed to remember.

Taking a notice at her stance, Joey can see something wrong about her. She was biting her lower lip, her brow furrowed. The shaking of her palms. He could tell she was getting hesitant on what to do now.

'She's contemplating too long. She must not know how to battle like she's used to.' He felt a little pity for her, but he had to ensure this was a battle. And there were no easy shortcuts to building character. 'I gotta change things up.'

He reached down towards Tympole. "Tympole, Aqua Ring!" The blue tadpole grunted as he obeyed, summoning several rings of water that encompassed the area around his body like planetary rings. Surprisingly this had a small gravity around Tympole to keep him off the ground. "That'll give Tympole some of his HP back. Trubbish, Sludge!" Quickly following up, Joey's Trubbish unleashed a large gunk bomb that flung through the air down onto Kadabra and Finneon.

Balling a fist, Sophie chose to preserve at the last second. "Kadabra! Confusion!" His telekinetic powers caused the falling sludge to stop in place, just meters away from him and Finneon. "Good, now send it back!"

"Very well then." Kadabra moved his spoon and obliged the command. "Apologies, but the best tactics are the ones that are used against one's self!" He blasted the sludge ball back towards Tympole and Trubbish.

Tympole saw the incoming projectile and looked back at Joey. "Chápeš to?!"

"Yes, I do see that, Tympole! No need to shout out the obvious!" Joey looked at the incoming attack. 'But it's powered up by Confusion. We can't even dodge it in time! This is gonna be close!' "Guys, quick! Acid Spray! Bubble Beam!"

Both Pokémon inhaled deep breaths beside each other and blasted acid and bubbles as hard as they could at the last second. The kinetic sludge made impact and erupted between Tympole and Trubbish, producing shockwaves that threw them doubling over into the field, sprawled on their sides.

"Guys!" Joey shouted.

The dust and sliding was quick to disperse. Tympole's body was littered in scratches, much like Trubbish was. Both slowly, Black Sludge and Aqua Ring were doing their parts and restored some of their energy. Tympole was the first to arise. "Ugh, to bolo ťažké ..." he grumbled.

Trubbish gurgled in response, she, too, understanding his interpretation.

Joey sighed in relief. 'Good. They're still good to go. We were able to reduce the damage of that attack at the last second, but…' He took a notice of Sophie and her Pokémon. 'It's clear I'm not gonna get pass one or the other. Which means…'

Sophie saw how the battle was turning out for her. She looked a little better than before with that last move. 'That was close. I thought that was gonna hit Kadabra there for second. Maybe that's what I do…' She swallowed a lump, nervously smiling. 'Maybe that's my battling style. Shooting attacks back when they least expect it.' She took a moment to calm her breathing. 'Okay then…let's see what he does next, and see if we can turn that around."

Kadabra and Finneon nodded in understanding. They were ready to back up Sophie however needed.

'…okay, we'll do that then.' With a steadfast swipe, Joey reached forward. "Tympole, Round!"

Tympole inhaled again and expelled green, red, and blue soundwaves that echoed across the battlefield towards Finneon. Sophie saw this and acted. "Kadabra, Confusion!" Using his telekinetic powers, Kadabara produced a shockwave from his spoon that nullified the soundwaves. Sophie looked towards Finneon next. "If Joey is using health regaining attacks, then we should power up. Finneon, Rain Dance!"

Finneon raised her head and let out a high-pitched cry. Over their heads, storm clouds began to swirl and stir. The moon's radiance was blocked out.

As the rainwater was starting to pour down, Joey could've been seen frowning. He was still looking at the blackened sky that blocked out the moon. He wanted to show Camilla how much stronger he's gotten, but the rain and clouds obscured that. He looked back down, his face contorted with a small, personal anger.

'Keep it together, Joey. Don't go off because of these things…just focus on the battle. That's my priority.' He saw her posture change to a swipe. 'Okay, we're ready!'

Sophie reached out into the rain. "Finneon, use Water Pulse! Kadabra, Psyshock!" Finneon generated a large ball of water, which gained greater volume due to the rain. She launched the sphere just as purple beams launched from Kadabra's spoon.

The two attacks sailed through the rain right beside each other, closing in on their target: Tympole. The water sphere eventually got so close that the purple beams surrounded it, making it trail purple telekinetic streams after Tympole. They bolted into his spot, erupting a geyser of mist and purple energy that shook the earth. Joey said nothing as he and Sophie shared a long silence amongst the battlefield.

As the rain kept pouring down, the shockwaves of the attack dissipated. Sophie showed a bright smile that turned to a grimace upon seeing a small crater where Tympole should be, but the actual tadpole wasn't visible.

'It vanished?'

Joey was shown folding his arms. "Don't blink."

Finneon and Kadabra looked suspiciously around for any indication of Tympole. Kadabra picked up something above and saw Tympole springing with glee. Finneon's eyes widened just as Sophie caught on. 'How did he get up there so fast?'

"Bupta!" Tympole looked down at his peers and suddenly swam down the rain at lightning speed. He got between them, then flopped away in an instant, like he was sliding. Kadabra and Finneon were looking around as he was skiing around them in circles.

"W-What the…?" Sophie saw the speed of the tadpole; it was becoming clear something was wrong here. 'What's this? Where did he get all this Speed from?'

"That would be Tympole's Ability, Swift Swim." She heard Joey explaining, causing her to lose focus. "When it's raining, Tympole's Speed doubles"

Tympole flopped around madly. Nobody could keep track of what was happening around them. Finneon was keeping to herself, yet Kadabra used his analytical abilities to sense a pattern. But Tympole was moving spontaneously that it didn't matter.

Seeing her Pokémon getting distressed caused Sophie to fluster again. She looked around worriedly, wondering what to do. "…look out!"

Finneon was too distracted to have noticed Tympole flopped out of the way of a brown sludge ball that was aimed in her face. The mucky burst shot her across the ground past Kadabra. The kinetic entity looked back to find Trubbish belching at him.

A blitz appeared behind him. When Kadabra picked up on this, even he wasn't ready for this.

"Kadabra, look out!" Sophie shouted.

"Mud Shot!" Joey's follow up caused Tympole to blast brown balls of mud at Kadabra and Finneon.

'I have to repel those back!' Going with her initial style, Sophie reached up at the brown balls. "Kadabra, quick! Confusion!" At her behest, telekinetic energy flourished as Kadabra used his spoon to slow down the oncoming mud balls. Using their speed against them, he sent them back at Tympole and Trubbish. 'This has to work!'

Joey saw the attack return to sender, but this time he went with another approach. "Trubbish!" The trash bag belched as she got in front of Tympole. "Double Slap!"

Trubbish's appendages glowed bright white and waited for the brown balls to shoot back. When they were close enough, she swatted them with all her might. Like a game of ping-pong, she smacked the brown globs back at Kadabra and Finneon.

"What?!" Sophie's eyes shrunk in disbelief.

Several of the brown globs were paddled back at them. This time they weren't prepared as the brown globs exploded mud rays, sending Finneon and Kadabra onto their backs. They slid in the ran on the grass, the pain from the harsh projectiles tingling their bones. Both their bodies were enveloped in blue auras, indicating Speed decrease.

"Bupta!" Tympole gleefully padded Trubbish on her back in congratulations. "Myslím, že sa vám začínam páčiť, dievča!"

Trubbish belched as a compliment.

Sophie was completely baffled in numerous ways. She watched her Pokémon stir, but they seemed pretty winded from that onslaught. 'No way…did he found out about my style or something? But, how did he find a way to counter me? Maybe…maybe he's that good. No, that can't be it…' She furrowed her brow. 'Maybe I'm not battling like I should be…'

Kadabra slowly stood back up. "We're…we're fine." He assured. "Let us proceed."

"At your service, Miss Sophie." Finneon persisted.

Sophie flinched again. She saw Finneon and Kadabra turn their backs to get a look at her. She could see their assured confidence in her. Yet, for some od reason, it did the opposite for her.

'Why? Why are they going this far for me? I don't understand.' Her eyes squinted with her growing frustration. She couldn't think about that right now. What mattered was getting her style down. "Look forward!" she instructed harshly. Kadabra and Finneon did as told, but Sophie took it the wrong way. "S-sorry! Just…watch for them!"

Joey reached out. "Acid Spray!" Trubbish opened her mouth, spewing a straight stream of purplish acid that aimed for Finneon. However, the attack missed due to earlier accuracy loss. Though it did sidetracked both of them.

"Gust!" Sophie flinched at her command. 'Wait, Rain Dance would power up Water Gun instead!'

Finneon applied her Gust attack anyway, following Sophie's orders. The winds blew across the battlefield towards Trubbish and Tympole. "Tympole, Round!" Tympole opened his maw, expelling multicolored soundwaves to hold off the windstorm. "Trubbish, Double Slap!"

"Dodge it!"

Finneon and Kadabra were glaring at Trubbish, but due to their lowered Speeds, they weren't fast enough to react as Trubbish closed the distance, smacking Finneon once, and then twice. The second swing shoved her into Kadabra, sending both into the ground hard.

"Guys, no!" Sophie fret.

Tympole and Trubbish reconvened again, green waves enveloping their bodies to regain their lost HP.

Sophie's eyes were a shuddering mess. Once again, Finneon was struggling to stand, even at Kadabra assisting her, he was just as badly wounded. And to make things worse, she's part of this. Her commands were what's putting them at risk. Another round of lumps ran down her gullet as rainwater drenched her completely. It helped that she had dark pink on so her bra wouldn't be seen, but it her attire was the last thing she worried about.

'What…what am I doing? I can't…' She looked down at her hands, seeing their current conditions. Much to her shock, they were trembling. 'My hands…they won't stop shaking. Am I really this unsure of myself?' She heard a shuffling in front, getting her to gasp lightly.

Once again, Kadabra stood up, but barely. Finneon had also was able to manage, but they were squaring against Tympole and Trubbish with gleams of assurance.

"Guys, hold on. You don't have to do this…" Sophie fretted. "Kadabra, Finneon…are you sure you're okay?"

Kadabra labored in breath, his face glowing in the harsh rain. He looked about ready to give in. "Need not to worry, Sophie…we…we won't fail you."

"But why? Why risk so much for me?! What did I do?!"

Finneon gave her a reassured glance. "Because…it's our duty, as your Pokémon…to see we do what we can to help our Trainers. Just as she has sworn her life to her friends, so did we to her."

This was another stamp to her heart. One that was so powerful that it nearly caused Sophie to collapse on herself. All she saw in her head were the faces of the guild and Rufus. The people who have tried to help her, and in the end of it all couldn't be saved. And now others are hurting because she isn't sure of herself, nor whom she really was. She felt something run along her cheek…and it wasn't the rain. Her shaking hands were subconsciously moving towards her head as she felt her brain overwhelmed with so much stress that she's forgotten about the table.

Joey saw his opponent falling to her knees, getting his surprise to show. "What the…?"

"Miss Sophie?" Kadabra worriedly asked.

"Lady Sophie, what's going on? Tell me!" Finneon quipped.

"Just stop…"

Both backed off, hearing the faint whisper of Sophie's small plea. They looked at each other worriedly and saw her resume.

"What am I even doing…? Why is everyone going this far just for someone like me? I don't…it's just not fair!" She clutched her aching head tighter as tears were running down her face. "Do you all seriously care more about the Sophie before that much that I don't matter?! That Sophie is gone! Gone! Stop claiming about stuff that I did that I didn't know of! That's not me! I'm me! I need the help right now in a place where I can't do this by myself! It's just not fair! It's just…not me you're helping…" Unable to take anymore, she lowered her head, sobbing weakly with shadows over her head.

Kadabra and Araquanid looked mournfully at Sophie as she was breaking down. She had reached her boiling point and wanted to say something, but from the way she was going about it, their case wasn't going to justify what she was saying.

"I've been trying so hard…making myself upright for you guys. To try and act the way that I should…but it's not good enough. What am I even doing right now other than make you guys throw yourselves away for stupid mistakes that I'm making. I'm not even sure what I'm doing here anymore…"

A short silence fell across the battlefield as rain sloshed against grass. Joey frowned in grief over his foe, but he knew more so to fell pity for an enemy. Still, he couldn't help but relate to her cause. What kept him going was something he – was sure – thought was explained. Still, it would've helped to give her some incentive.

"…then tell me, who am I battling right now?" he asked. "You, or your Pokémon then?"

Sophie sniffled and looked up at him in confusion. "What?"

"Who told you, you could be somebody else? Definitely not me. Nobody told me to act like somebody else that I know of. And even if I did, I'd decide that on my own. You know why?" he pointed his thumb towards himself. "Because I'm a Captain. I get to make the decisions with how I run things. If I'm gonna shake my booty while wearing a sombrero while eating pizza, I'm gonna do it. And hey, you're not the only one who lost people important to you, too, you know? I've lost more than just Camilla, and sometimes I just need to cry. And that's okay. But don't let that stop you from wanting you to be in charge of your life."

Sophie stared in disbelief at what Joey said. To some degree she could understand what he was saying, but she was still having trouble wrapping her head around it. "But…what if I don't know if those decisions are the right ones? What if I hurt others because I couldn't give them what they wanted?"

"Who the hell cares? I never know the right or wrong unless Dereece says otherwise, but I still learn there's no easy way." Joey put his hands to his hips, smirking. "So, you wanna focus on the battle or your self-doubts here?"

Sophie felt something click inside her mind. What Joey added on was something that made her see her Kadabra and Finneon looking ahead readily again. Even they knew what mattered. "Guys…" She didn't know what to say; she was speechless. But looking past them at Joey, he looked so certain about what he said. That boast of confidence in himself and his life was something she wished she had right now-no! Something she needed to find.

'Now I get it…this is why he challenged me.'

She initially thought Joey was helping her help out who she really was. Maybe this battle would be what sparked her regrow something she lost…but it was the opposite. It was to help the new Sophie start herself. To help her see that she could make her life now.

She meekly smirked, the tears no longer running down her face. Though they still stained her face. She stood back up with an upbeat expression. "Okay then. Kadabra. Finneon…let's go!"

"That's the can-do attitude I wanna see! Now let's drag this battle home!" Joey cheered.

"Right!" Sophie spread her feet and glared daggers at her opponents. 'Okay, time to see how far this me can go!' She reached out. "Finneon, Water Pulse!" The marine fish opened wide and charged out a blue liquid sphere that blasted across the wet grass towards Trubbish and Tympole.

"Dodge it!" At Joey's command, both moved out of the way of the liquid sphere since it moved too slow. Tympole's excellent Speed made him reappear above them, yet another green aura wave helping him regain health. "Tympole, Mud Shot!" Once again, volleys of brown mud launched down on Kadabra and Finneon.

"Kadabra, Psyshock!"

Kadabra aimed his spoon confidently skywards and fired more purple beams into the mud balls. With its superior power, it was able to compensate the lack of speed it had at the last second. A smoke stack raged between them and Tympole, who scuttled away from the smoke.

"Water Pulse!"

Tympole stood on the grass and noticed a light blue sphere breaking through. Before he realized it, the heavy ball of water exploded, sending high-pressure sprays everywhere. Even though Aqua Ring helped cushion some of the waves, it was still overpowering and sent him sliding back.

"Tympole!" Joey gnashed his teeth. "Trubbish, Acid Spray!" At the command, a hardy belch from Trubbish expelled a blast of broiling acid. This one looked to be on target for Finneon.

'We can stop that!' Sophie valiantly reached out. "Gust! Kadabra, boost it with Confusion!"

Finneon chirped as she flapped her winged fins again, summoning a guststorm that raged madly. The attack was stopped Trubbish's attack from getting any closer, and Kadabra used the opportunity to use telekinetic powers to expand the wind range. The harsh windstorm expanded not just towards Trubbish, but also Tympole. Both went flying back, slamming into the ground hard.

Kadabra and Finneon panted heavily, but they looked to be in better spirits than before. Tympole and Trubbish slowly struggled their way back up, their own health on the line. But they were doing their best, and both sides were low on fuel.

Joey balled his fist tight. 'Right now…'

'This is me now. And because of that…' Sophie thought.

Together, inside their head, they had an equal glare under the falling rain. 'We finish this!'

Joey was the first to call an attack. "Trubbish, Sludge! Tympole, Mud Shot!" Tympole and Trubbish reared their heads back as they inhaled.

Sophie followed up with her own counter. "Finneon, Water Pulse! Kadabra, Psybeam!" Kadabra charged a bright blue orb along with Finneon, who charged a huge water orb.

All at once, a barrage of mud and sludge barreled across the battlefield at Mach speed. They were so fast that Kadabra and Finneon could keep track. But they still fired their attacks with great force. The sludge that went through went at a familiar speed thanks to the pick-me-up from Mud Shot and blended with the assault. Streaking beams went right past that towards her as the sludge and mud bullets closed in.

A massive eruption clouded the entire battlefield between Sophie and Joey. They covered up using their sleeves and peered over to see the aftereffects leaving grass stained with mud, which washed away.

The Rain Dance's effects slowly faded, allowing the first rays of moonlight to pierce through the center of the storm clouds. Slowly it eroded and expanded, encompassing the battlefield and glistening the rainwater on the grass.

In the center of it all, all four Pokémon were shown under the moonlight, all sprawled on their backs with swirls in their eyes. They were all down for the count.

"Trubbish! Tympole!" Joey raced up to his fallen Pokémon. He kneeled down to try and support them using his arms. "You guys alright?"

Trubbish was the first to open her eyes weakly, a gurgle coming from her stomach as she let out a tired belch.

"Aký je to deň...?" Tympole groaned dazedly.

Despite the draw, Joey didn't seem too displeased. He was at least grateful for the effort they put in. "Come here, guys." He pulled them into a comforting embrace. "You guys did wonderfully just now. Thank you." He looked up at his opponent's side to find Sophie walking up to Finneon and Kadabra.

Kadabra groaned weakly, but Sophie's gentle touch pulled him up. She picked up Finneon and brought them into an embrace close to her face. She was grinning proudly for their efforts. "Kadabra…Finneon…thank you both so much. I couldn't have done this without you."

Kadabra weakly opened his eyes. "It's…our pleasure, Sophie…" He chuckled, but fell back unconscious again.

"We'll do better next time…for certain." The fish added.

Sophie smiled softly. "Yes. We all will." She held up a Poke Ball and Great Ball in both hands and allowed her Pokémon to return back to their capsules for some rest. She looked at the two balls in her grasp and got lost in her musings for a moment. For some reason, despite that tie…she didn't feel at all disappointed. It was weird, but she chose to not question that.

Sloshy footsteps drew closer to her, making her turn her attention at Joey. "Joey…"

He looked at Sophie before turning towards the moon. He could see the moonlight glistening down on his face again as the springwater was settling back into a calm. He didn't know why either, but he was starting to feel his emotions bubble inside.

"I miss them a lot, you know…I miss them every day."

Sophie didn't speak. Rather, her eyes widened as she saw tears starting to bubble around Joey's eyes as he smiled at the moon. He was crying even though he was happy?

"Not just Camilla, but Bro, and my sweet niece…they helped made me into who I am today. At least, a part of me. This world I came to, it's not at all a fair one. But…" He turned towards Sophie, a serious, but soft smile shown as his tears were now flowing. "What they did for me is something I'll never forget. There're times when it's okay to cry because you had to say your goodbyes…but their lives are apart of mine now, and that happens because I live by my way. And Sophie, girl…I think you've taken your first steps to a better direction."

Sophie's tears were starting to run down her face. She couldn't control them anymore. "Joey…"

Unable to hold it in anymore, both somber people grabbed hold of each other and started to sob over their shoulders. No words were needed at this time. They needed this. Joey came out here to remember Camilla under the moonlight. Sophie came out here to relish in her lost memories, but in turn found new ones. The moon's glow overshadowed the dark shadows they casted that wrapped the other. These were two different people, who just needed a good cry.

After what felt like an eternity, Sophie sniffled and pulled away. "You're a good person, Joey. I can see why this Camilla liked you for who you are." She looked up at the moon, it's glow on her face getting brighter. "I'm sure she's watching over you."

Joey glanced up. "Yeah, me too…"

"And Joey…" She looked back at him, smiling softly at him. She slowly rewrapped her arms around him and held onto him. "Thank you, for helping me see."

Caught surprised by the affection, Joey dismissed it as her gratitude. He smiled back, working his own hug back. "Hey, that's what friends are for." He paused. "You know, Sophie, I think this is the start to a very bootiful friendship."

"You mean 'beautiful'?"

"Yes, that too."

The two shared a good chuckle, unaware that beyond the tree line where the clearing ended, a Yanma was perched on a branch while a Mawile was leaning against a tree trunk. They both looked up to Dereece and Vanessa, both watching the whole thing from afar. They shared soft smiles for the steps their closest friends have made by themselves.

---

The full moon radiated down into the woodlands, basking everything beneath in a large nightlight. Morelull and Shiinotic were chiming frequently as they illuminated the forest floor. Their glowing mushrooms were accompanied by flickers that came from Volbeat and Illumise that were courting dance rituals.

The cloaked individual was making way through the underbrush, being mindful to stay away from the lights. He had to keep his distance for his sake. 'This should be an ideal location for now. I should run a scan of everything here while I still can.'

From his pocket, he pulled out what seemed to be another device. It looked exactly like a handheld camera that was pocket-sized. He used one eye to see through the lock-on screen and saw the many Pokémon that were around. He saw the Morelull and Shiinotic conversing, and a few Illumise and Volbeat that went over his head. He followed their direction towards the bushes where he saw a Stantler grazing.

His lens focused closer onto the grazing animal with large horns. The more he focused, the more definition he got. It was only when the Stantler lifted his head and looked around was when he quickly ducked behind the underbrush. The wild Stantler chose to move onto the next area, leaving the observer to look on concerningly.

'These woodlands are growing thicker with these creatures. There's a 40% increase in populace here than there were the outer Pergrande lands.' He looked down at his camera and clicked a button. A tiny green magic seal spun out, revealing a collage of frames of the many Pokémon he's seen. On them was a tunnel of large Onix he went through a few days ago. There was a large Vileplume in a meadow with Hoppip and Skiploom in the distance. And just recently today he's encountered Weepinbell and Victreebel all hanging from vines. He felt a tingle down his spine when he recalled how close the Victreebel was to eating him alive. 'These creatures have far greater numbers than I realized. But…I have to keep an observing approach. I should be within Fiore's borders within a few more days. It won't be long now until our prime target is within sight.'

A beat of wings grasped his attention and made him turn up towards the trees. In them, he saw a Butterfree chirp as it found a suiting branch with foliage on it. He nestled into the leaves to hide from avian creatures that could eat him at night.

The young man looked suspiciously at the Butterfree. His brow furrowed at its tactics to fall asleep, but he took note of it and opted to find a suitable place to sleep for the night. He turned towards a tree stump with brushes and went behind it. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the same device he had this morning and flipped another switch. The colors on his cloaked reverted back to being camouflage and pulled up his hood.

'If I'm going to help achieve our goal, we need as much details as we can. And it all depends on me…' He slowly closed his eyes to sleep. 'I won't let our world's legacy down…this is our-no, my life…'

The forest went quiet, the faint noises of Kricketot and Kricketune humming sweet melodies to soothe the creatures that were to be asleep for the next day to come.

---

Underneath the full moon's guise, thousands of miles away from Fiore, there was a familiar kingdom with a border. Beyond that lied a dessert-like wasteland where beyond that, a familiar woodland domain was flourishing life. It was also here that there were wild Venonat that hopped along, unaware that just above the canopy, the moonlight was distorting in one spot.

Just barely within the glimpse of the massive kingdom walls, the distortion cracked off. A small cry was heard as something was crawling its way through towards the other side…

---

Happy 2020 peeps! Here's to a new decade, new year, and new opportunities for everybody! Sorry for making you all wait, but I wanted to give this chapter at least a little bit more relevance than the last one. Starting off the new year, I wanted to try and deepen the mindset of Sophie and her little identity crisis, with it solidifying by the end. I've also wanted to use this chance to give her and Joey some common ground and have a familiar with one another, and I think I hit things off pretty mildly here. So that by the end, we have some character development for both Sophie and Joey (mostly Sophie).

I also wanted to give a nice callback to episode 1 of Fairy Tail with that shopkeeper's clothing color item. Thought I could use that for a tiny bit here. I gotta remember to use more of the old stuff while I still can lol

So this year, I'm gonna do my best to get those numbers up for my FanFiction stories again. Because 2019 wasn't very high. I'm hoping to update one story a week, but I'm also aiming to finish From Depths We Rise this year as well, so that'll be a priority for me. But still, I'm gonna try and crunch what I can so it won't be too long of a wait for anyone.

I've also done something new as well. Starting recently, I'm going to be outing all the information of the Pokemon/Fairy Tail stuff on a Google Docs, that way it won't take up as much stuff on my profile. I'm also doing the same for my Bakugan data, too. Don't worry, I've already set up a link in my profile for you guys to go and check them out so you're in the loop.

With the Sophie Arc having reached its conclusion, I wanna go ahead and get ready for the next primary arc, the Alola Arc. I know, I'm like 1 generation behind now, but time does it in. It's been a long wait for everybody, so I'm gonna make sure this arc is worth your guy's attention and critique.

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and please, critique and reviews are appreciative. Thanks again! XD