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

59. Let the Liberation Begin

Loud chirps were like nails on a chalkboard, that was the signal for a Starly to awaken from her once peaceful slumber. Her eyes gradually opened as she realized she was still on a tree branch that she was perched on, sharing it with the small flock that had awoken at the same time.

"(It's morning!)"

"(I'm hungry! Let's go down and eat already!)"

"(Berries! Berries!)"

"(Hey! The sun is bright! Let's go out and fly!)"

It was nothing but the run of the mill for Kalos Route 11. The sounds of chattering Starly on a constant echoed along the mountainside of the route. Another morning had come, and with it, the flock was ready with its first ordeal of the day: Food.

Amongst the flock members, a fellow female Starly blinked to get that realization. "(Hm? Is it morning already...?)"

"(Oh, you're awake!)"

The female Starly turned her head towards her right. Even though she had just woken up, her Keen Eye Ability prevented her from having such a blurry vision, allowing her to see another fellow female Starly. However, unlike her own dark gray plumage, her neighbor was a lighter brown shade. As to where even her own white feathers were, the one she was looking at had a slightly golden tint to them.

However, to her at least, this was a welcoming sight. Starly smiled at her neighbor with a smile. "(Oh! Good morning!)" she chirped.

The brighter shade Starly – otherwise called Shiny Starly – smiled affectionately back at her neighbor. "(Good morning to you, too. You're a sleepy birdy~!)"

Starly blushed as she bashfully chuckled. "(Y-you were really watching me sleep?)"

"(Well, just for a couple seconds that is. I just so happened to be woken up a little faster than you, Slowpoke.)"

"(Oh...)"

"(But~...)" Shiny Starly moved her wing behind Starly, pulling herself closer to feel her warm plumage. "(Those few seconds are every bit of worth it to me!)"

Starly's face flushed red with embarrassment. She didn't know what to say – because the noise pollution around the area would make it hard to reply without having to yell it. She shuffled her tiny feet on the branch trying to make words.

"(Food! Food!)" a Starly shined.

"(Berries! Berries!)" Another male Starly shrieked.

Shiny Starly chuckled. "(That's our cue, let's go chow down!)" She spread her wings and took off, along with the rest of the flock.

"(Wait for me!)" Starly hastily spread her wings, hurrying to glide down the mountainside towards the trees ripe with berries for the taking. She flew with her flock, alongside Shiny Starly as she gave her a merry chirp specified only for her. Starly never felt so thrilled in her life to be with someone...

---

"Waaaaah!"

A familiar cry awoken Staraptor from her slumber. Her piercing red eyes widened as her reflexes immediately put her on her talons. She recognized the cry all too well coming from beside her. "Junior...?"

She lifted her wing, veiling Junior from the comfort of her soft, warm feathers. The baby cloud whimpered lightly as he turned to his mother figure with teary yellow eyes.

"Shhhhh...it's okay. I'm here." Staraptor comforted, running a wing gently over Junior's head. The soft motion was enough to make him calm down, making only light whimpers. "You're probably hungry, aren't you?"

"Cooo..."

Staraptor turned towards the closed curtains. They weren't that thin to be seen through, but not thick enough to keep out light either. She read the curtains' array of light to see that the sky was barely turning blue. It was well a little before daybreak, the standard time when everyone else would wake up.

She took a look around, realizing that after last night's lack of sleep because of Junior, the other Pokémon had taken obligations in their Poke Balls. She blinked before turning towards her son with a soft sigh. "Let's get you something to eat then, shall we?"

She picked Junior up by her wing and walked into the kitchen. With her immense leg strength, she hopped on one talon all the way up towards the countertops. She used her beak and nudged the cabinets open in search of anything edible for Junior to eat. "Where is it...?" Her eyes traced over the various boxed goods until she found a familiar one with an already opened lid. "Ah, there." She snatched the box in her beak and moved Junior to her feet. Her wings spread before she glided over towards the table and gently sat Junior and his baby food down. She pecked the seal off the top and reached inside for a medium-sized bag of gummies. She snipped aluminum apart and turned the pouch upside-down to dump the red and pink gummies out in front of Junior, much to the baby's delight.

"There you go, that should hold you over for a little while." Staraptor smiled.

"Coooo!" Junior smiled in delight. He picked a sweet pink gummy with one of his cloud-shaped hand and brought it into his mouth. Instantly, the baby's whining was replaced with squeals of delight over the spongy sweetness of his daily diet.

"You're certainly a finicky one, aren't you?" Staraptor chuckled, watching Junior eat his fill. Though this has been a recurrence to her, always watching him get his fill was something that felt rather therapeutic to say the least. It was hard for her to explain. Perhaps therapeutic was stretching it out too thin, the correct term might be...nostalgic. It had been so long since she was that small that it was ironic. Though, for some reason, the irony didn't really settle with her...

"You look like you're lost in thought about something over there."

Hearing the voice was the only thing to prevent Staraptor from throwing a backwing out of reflex. She looked back to find Greninja leaning against the counter, arms folded. "Greninja..." She dropped her guard. "I'm surprised to see you out of your Poke Ball."

Greninja rubbed the back of his scalp, turning away slightly. "Yeah, well, Nic and Erza were at it again last night...not that it's anything new. But those Poke Balls aren't fully soundproof either, you know."

"Right, I apologize for the other night. I wasn't expecting Junior to be so riled up."

Greninja waved his wrist dismissively. "Don't mention it. We were just lucky Houndoom didn't accidentally mistake Junior for an intruder...I'm sure he learned the hard way." He mused at the thought. As annoying as it was that Junior's sudden outcries in the depths of night did piss the rest of the sleeping Pokémon off, Staraptor make it clear as day – or night in such a case – to remember to look before you leap. Of course, Houndoom didn't, and now there was a part of the living room's floor that was dented in because of that.

Staraptor sighed. "Right, I'm also to blame. I'm sure Nic and Erza are gonna spend a little effort looking for replacement boards."

"You reap what you so, they say." He walked up to her side, looking down at Junior enjoying his meal. "So...what's on your mind? You seemed rather forlorn about something."

Staraptor's eyes widened slightly. Even though she wasn't surprised at how insightful Greninja was, she was half-expecting him to let it pass by. She calmed down and looked back at Junior. "Just...thinking of the past is all. It's hard to believe how far we've come since we've first met Nic, right?"

Greninja raised a skeptic brow. "Do you mean when we first met you on Route 11, or as a whole?"

"I suppose...both. It's no lie, maybe if it wasn't for him; if not for you all...no, I am definitely certain of it. I wouldn't be who I am today if it wasn't for any of you." She rolled her wings. "Who really knows where I would have ended up if I hadn't met Nic? Perhaps I would still be a Starly in another flock on the mountainside."

Greninja looked at her before closing his eyes, seemingly getting the memo. "Yeah, I hear ya, though unlike you, my case was different. Nic and I...immediately clicked. Guess you can say it was fate in the works..."

Staraptor turned towards Greninja. "We've come a long way because of Nic, haven't we?"

"Yeah, that's putting it lightly." He watched Junior nibble on another red gummy. If he had to wager, it must have been cherry flavored. "It's no lie when I say that after these numerous experiences we've had with humans, that they're not the brightest bunch...there are still exceptions who stand to make themselves known as a difference to that viewpoint." He turned towards Staraptor. "Huh...we're feeling pretty sentimental this early, huh?"

"I know. We talk like this, my feathers might start greying from age." Staraptor snickered.

Greninja smirked underneath his tongue. "Hope you can keep up when we get to that point."

"Coooo!" They both turned towards Junior, seeing him wave his arms up and down as he babbled at Staraptor.

"Looks like he's still hungry." Greninja mused.

"Yes, so it would seem." Staraptor reached into the box of snacks, her beak plucking another pouch out for Junior to snack on. She snipped one end with her beak and turned it upside-down to dump the pink and red gummies that Junior softly squealed at. "There you go, that should hold you over for now, right?"

"Cooo!" Junior merrily reached for another pink gummy, putting it in his mouth. The delectable, sweet taste of strawberry once again enflamed his taste buds with joy.

Greninja snickered before walking around the corner. "Looks like you have this covered. I'm gonna head back and see if I can catch a few winks before everyone else wakes up." Before he was completely out of sight, he stopped in his tracks. "And, Staraptor..."

She looked back at Greninja, seeing him pause before finishing. "...don't ever question 'what if'. You're as every bit of important to us as we are to each other. If you need help, we're always here."

Once again, a soft smile crept onto Staraptor's face. "Thank you, Greninja." She watched him walk off with a nod. As vague as it was, that euphoric feeling stirring at the bottom of her heart was starting to rise up a little. His genuine kinship with Nic and the other Pokémon was making her feel happier than she's ever been for a while now. It wasn't until she heard the soft coos of Junior that she turned her smile towards him.

"Alright, let's get ready for today, shall we?"

Greninja reappeared in Nic and Erza's bedroom, standing in its shadows. He looked over at Nic, who was lying on his back on the soft bed with Erza's naked upper half strewn over him. As they slept soundly underneath the blanket, Greninja couldn't help but have his own euphoric feelings swell up from inside.

Memories of when he was still a Froakie surfaced. The physical training they both chose to undertake together, and the nights they'd spend looking at stars or battling on the thick of night to get used to battling in dark places. But what he remembered most fondly above all...was how Nic used to sleep on the ground or in trees with him.

'Things really do change, don't they?' He smiled softly as he walked over towards his Poke Ball.

---

The sounds of egg sizzling against the frying pan filled the kitchen. Nic used a spatula to turn it over onto its other side to see if it was cooked thoroughly enough. When he saw the crisp yellow mixed with the sharp cheddar cheese, he knew that it was ready.

He turned the knob on the stove to turn it off, shuffling the frying pan off the hot, circular conductor. He placed the omelet on his plate sitting right beside him and walked over to the table, where Erza sat with her plate of eggs, sausage, and toast. There was even a Pecha Berry on the side that was evenly sliced into wedges.

"Looks like today is going to be another one." Nic started, grabbing both the table salt and pepper. He sprinkled both seasonings onto his omelet as he was borderline salivating over the cheese and diced ham that awaited him inside. He didn't waste a second when taking the first bite. Instantly, his taste buds were fulfilled with salt and pepper evenly blended with a very thin layer of egg. The melted cheese, ham, and vegetables inside churned in his mouth with glee.

"I know what you mean, I bet everyone will be busy." Erza smirked, taking a Pecha Berry wedge, and squeezing out the pulpy juice onto her toast. "Today is the distribution of those prerequisite jobs for the Grand Magic Games."

Nic swallowed before reaching for his cold orange juice. "Yeah, I remember."

Erza snickered. "You better, because we'll be counting on you as well, Mr. Champion."

Nic furrowed his brow. "I thought you were gonna stop hanging that over my head. You know how I feel about those titles."

"You're right. Still..." She took a humble bite of her toast, filling her own taste buds with a crunchy yet very sweet flavor. "It'd look embarrassing for us if the very guild you were a part of wasn't able to compete."

"Yeah, guess you have me there." Nic reared his head back, gulping down his orange juice until it was cleaned out. "Have you decided what your first job will be?"

Erza shook her head. "Not yet, but knowing our chances, we'll hopefully get a few openings. They wouldn't just send one job to every guild hall, especially with such a demand these days. But, even so..." She reached and drank her cup of Moomoo Milk, letting out a sweet sigh. "We have a month and a half to reach the status quo. I'm certain that if everyone pitches in, we'll be guaranteed a position."

Nic appreciated the enthusiasm his wife had. At least someone was enthusiastic about these events. Though to be fair, he wasn't exactly someone who adored the public either, after constant trial and error. Still, he'd rather not spill gasoline onto those sparks.

It didn't take very long before their plates were completely emptied, leaving only scraps and crumbs. The two did the dishes together, and as soon as the last dish was put on the rack to dry, the Pularis duo found themselves in front of their backdoor.

"So, Nic. What do you say we warm-up for the day before heading out?" Erza offered, holding up a Dive Ball.

Nic smirked. "Alright, but don't say you didn't ask for it." He turned towards Staraptor, who was standing close by. "Hey Staraptor, wanna spread your wings a little?"

Staraptor raised her beak, looking adamant about the opportunity for some morning routine training. "Yes, you know I'm always rea-"

"Waaaaaah!" Junior suddenly started crying, causing Staraptor to turn her head in alarm towards the infant she nestled in her wing.

"Hey, it's alright. No need to cry. Are you hungry again?" She lifted her wing, cradling Junior as his cries turned to low muffles in her feathers. "Shhhh...there, there..."

"Coooo!" Junior pouted.

Staraptor sighed. She knew full-well what this meant. So much for some long-winded training she's been needing. She looked back at Nic with a forlorn look. "Sorry, Nic...but it looks like I'm a little preoccupied at the moment."

"It's fine, don't worry about it." He turned away. "How about this, once Junior calms down as is asleep, maybe then we'll find some peace to train."

This option was something Staraptor could accommodate to. She nodded in agreement. "Yes, certainly."

Nic grinned. "That's good...alright, let's get started."

Staraptor watched as her beloved trainer and his wife went through with their morning training for the day. As much as it hurt Staraptor, she knew better than to feel depressed about this. Looking back at Junior, she knew where her responsibilities lied at the moment. At the very least, she always had an opportunity later to train with Nic. Better late than never as they always say.

"Come on, let's get you some more of those sweet pouches." She chimed softly.

"Cooo!" Junior cooed with glee before Staraptor picked her up by the talons and glided into the kitchen.

---

"For Iris, it meant a lot to her. Everything that she had worked for up until now. She could stand here contemplating about the choices running through her head about the lives that were on the line. Before she even realized it, she was already thinking about it.

The dear friends she's made. The indescribable memories that she had created throughout the ordeal with them. Not just was her life and pride were on the line, but also something far more important to her; something that was her embodiment. Without it, what would be left of her.

Iris stood firmly against the enemy, balling her fists tightly. "No, I refuse! Not while I'm still standing!"

The draconic entity careened his head back, expelling a cynical laughter that could grate the most refined of eardrums. "Foolish little girl. 'Not while you're still standing', you say? What are you even standing for?! Your world is but a wreck!"

"You're wrong! This world...still holds my dear friends! One's that I will never let die because of you!"

"Ha! You tickle my fancy, silly girl. So then tell me, where are these so-called 'friends' of yours so that I can erase them?"

Iris looked back over her shoulder, seeing nobody there...nothing but a vacant space..."

Lucy tapped her pen against the paper, trying to decide what came next. "Hm...how about...no, that would be too obvious." She hung her head with a twitching brow. "Ugh Just when I thought I actually had it this time!"

She dropped her head onto her desk in defeat, a muffled groan of displeasure filtering through her arms that she hid beneath. This wasn't anything new for her or Klefki for that matter, but she'd rather not suffer from anymore potential migraines because of a meager Writer's Block.

Klefki drifted closer to Lucy's side, looking at her concerningly. "Um, i-is everything okay, Lucy?"

Lucy lifted her head, showing displeasure in her eyes. "Yeah Klefki, I'm good...just typical Writer's Block is all."

The Key Ring Pokémon tilted her body in confusion. "Huh...you mentioned this 'Writer's Block' before. What is it again?"

"You know, like when you're stuck on ideas for something you're trying to write down, or maybe you just don't have any influences on what to write about? Think of it like...when you can't sit down and think clearly."

"Oh...so what are you gonna do?"

Lucy hummed, folding her arms beneath her ample buxom. "Honestly, that's the tricky part of it all..." She tapped her index finger against her bicep. She's been put through the mental wringer more than a few times to say the least. Normally, in her case, she would have no trouble after taking a breather and going on a job or two with Natsu and Happy. But she was finally nearing the end to her very long tale that she's been working on for a very long time. If she wanted to make a big finish, she at least wanted something that could give the readers a lasting impression.

It was starting to grate at Lucy's nerves more with each passing day. At first, she had the general concept of it, but the fact of the matter was that much of what she had planned had been drastically altered. And of course, she was proud of these changes, but adapting to them was taking a toll on the literary part of her brain.

"Hmmm, let's see...how about we try~..."

"Oh, you should try adding a giant dragon friend! That'll really show the bad guy a thing or two!"

"I could, but then I'd have to worry about...wait, what?!" She recognized the voice that didn't belong to her Klefki. She whipped around, seeing Natsu and Happy sitting comfortably on her floor. Behind them, Charmeleon, Darumaka, and Tyrunt were strewn across her room trying to entertain themselves.

"Yo, morning Lucy." Natsu greeted with a simple raise of his hand.

Lucy was so surprised she jolted out of her seat. "GAH! Don't 'Yo, Lucy' me, Mr. Breaking and Entering!" She angrily kicked her chair straight at his face. However, past experience and training made Natsu simply tilt his body, allowing the chair to fly into the wall behind them.

"Oh, look Tyrunt! Flying chairs!" Darumaka voiced with glee.

"Hm? Flying chairs?" Tyrunt turned away from Lucy's sheets, which was tattered from him nibbling on for the past few minutes. "Tyrunt wanna see if he can chew that!"

"Make sure that you guys at least clean up after you're finished playing around back there!" Natsu shouted back at them with a carefree grin.

"Aye, sir!" Happy shouted.

Lucy's headache that she was trying to suppress all morning had suddenly expanded. She pinched the bridge of her nose with a scrunched brow. "Geez, first one headache, now I get three. And it's not even past noon yet..."

"Why are you so down, Lucy?" Natsu questioned, rising to his feet. "If you're that desperate for some inspiration, then how's about some fresh air. That's good for you."

"Yeah, you're already out of your chair. Why not stretch those legs?" Happy offered, raising a paw.

"Because, guys, it's a lot more complicated than you think. Being a novelist is a lot harder than what you can imagine. It takes a lot of patience to keep a person clinging to your story until the very end. If you don't try something new, the material will just get stale. But at the same time if you drag it out too long, interest will depreciate just as much." She sighed in grief. "But, on the other hand, I guess a little change of scenery wouldn't hurt."

Natsu's smile brightened. "That's the spirit! Now buck up, because we've got a surprise for you!"

"Really, what is it?"

"Tada~!" Happy raised a flier overhead, showing Lucy and everyone in the room the job request. "Take a look, guys! Our first Cambire job!"

"Wait, what?! Let me see that!" Lucy took the flier from him to get a better look. She scanned the paper to make sure that she wasn't being pranked this early in the morning. She was just about bottled up with nuisances for one morning to handle another one.

To her relief, the Exceed wasn't lying. The job looked fairly standard, with a decent pay of a hundred thousand Jewel. But aside from the zeros the job added up to having as a reward, there was a huge red imprint of the Cambire Foundation symbol on the top right. She had no doubt now this was the real deal.

"Pretty exciting, right? There were a few already on the job request board this morning." Natsu beamed.

"Yeah, and we were so excited, we got up extra early to snag the first one. We do this and complete it, we're shoe-ins for the games!" Happy cheered.

Natsu raised a fist. "We're gonna show everyone that Fairy Tail is still on top, even after everything that's happened."

Lucy's expression turned despondent. "You mean after the trouble you caused at last year's games?" She didn't even want to think back to that time right now. As intense as it was that Natsu single-handedly throttled the contestants at the Grand Magic Games, it resulted in the Domus Flau colosseum turning into an oversized oven.

'Now that I think about it, maybe if it weren't for these new rules with Pokémon, maybe Natsu can just solo this whole thing...'

"Wait, hold on!" Happy interjected.

Natsu turned to him with a raised brow. "What's up, little buddy?"

"I mean you can compete, sure. You have three Pokémon..." He gestured a paw back behind him. Natsu followed him to his own Pokémon mingling with Lucy's belongings. Tyrunt was growling as he nibbled on Lucy's chair leg, while Darumaka was hopping about with excessive energy. As for Charmeleon, he was sniffing around Lucy's dresser in curiosity.

He turned back towards Happy in curiosity. "What about it?"

"You remember the rules? All mages and trainers need at least three Pokémon to compete!"

Natsu blinked in confusion. It soon dawned upon him what this meant as his earlier excitement simmered. "...hey yeah, you're right!" He turned towards Lucy. "Lucy! You're gonna compete this year, right? We've gotta get you another Pokémon, pronto!"

"Woah, woah, woah! Hold up, you guys!" Lucy held up her hand like a stop sign. "I mean, don't get me wrong. I wanna compete as much as you do, but we still have a month and a half." She folded her arms and turned away dismissively. "Besides, it's not like some wild Pokémon is gonna just randomly come up and wanna be my partner."

Natsu and Happy exchanged worried looks. Though they knew that Lucy was technically right, that didn't mean that they shouldn't at least try and pull ahead of everyone else. Yet, at the same time, they didn't want to put anymore pressure on Lucy's shoulders than what she's already taking at the moment.

Natsu sighed as he fixed his scarf. "Well, guess you're right. Still, even if we do get those thirty or so jobs accomplished, I still wanna see ya in those games." He gave his trademark smirk. "After all, I wanna make a lot of memories at these games with everyone, that includes you, you know. It just won't be the same."

Lucy smiled warmly at him. "Yeah...you're right."

"Hey, Natsu..." Everyone looked over at Lucy's dresser. Charmeleon was rummaging through it, pulling out what looked like a pair of bright pink, laced lingerie. He held it up for everyone to look at. "Is this that 'panty collection' you keep yammering on about?"

"Yup, that's the one pal!" Natsu smirked.

"Really?" He dangled it with an uneased look. "You humans wear such...interesting things, don't you?"

Lucy's face turned bright red with feverish embarrassment. "GET THE HELL OUT OF MY DRESSER!"

---

The Fairy Tail guild hall was as bustling as it's ever been; in fact, it was livelier than it ever has been. And for a good reason at that. With the recent announcement of the Grand Magic Games and the qualifications, it was a first come-first serve basis. A large percentage of the guild was corralled over by the job request board. So much so that not even Nab was able to get a good view of the jobs available. "Wow...hope they leave one for me at least." He nervously hoped.

"Hell yeah, look at all these jobs!" Max beamed at the numerous jobs scattered across the board. Immediately, his eyes fell on the nearest flier with a large red Cambire Foundation stamp on it. "That looks like a good one!"

He went to reach for it, but before he could even touch it, he felt prodded severely from behind by the stick end of a broom, catered by Warren. The sudden impact – as well as mild convulsion – was enough to put him down on the floor.

"In your dreams! Noibat and I are taking that job!" Warren declared. Above him, his Noibat hummed in agreement.

"No way!" Before Warren could even be made aware, he was shoved by an impatient Jet. "Team Shadow Gear is taking that job! We're gonna guarantee that Levy gets a spot on those games no matter what!" he declared, pointing a thumb to himself.

Warren arose with a pained groan, putting a hand to his head. "Yeesh, did you have to be so pushy about it, first of all...?"

"We don't have to take this! Let's settle this with a battle!" Noibat declared.

"Hey, yeah, you're right! We should do that do decide!" Warren balled his fists. "That sounds fair to me, so if you wanna get that job, you've gotta go through Noibat and myself, got it?"

Jet pulled out a Poke Ball. "You're on, pal! Just know that bat doesn't stand a chance against my Swellow!"

"Count me in on this one, too! Litwick and I are itching to get another shot!" Romeo insisted, his Litwick beaming triumphantly on the table beside him.

"You can do it, Romeo!" Asuka cheered excitedly.

Off to the bar area of the guild, Cana sat alone, with Liepard sprawled beneath the stool. Prinplup was up and about, looking stern set on the job request board. "Hmph! Well I don't know about you two, but I'm not willing to be shown up this early in the running!"

Liepard opened an eye towards him. "Well, aren't you enthusiastic..."

"Ah, don't worry about it. It's cool." Cana waved dismissively. "Look at it this way, at least once it cools down, the guild hall will be empty enough to where I can enjoy a drink in peace for once." She laughed aloud, much to Prinplup's chagrin.

"Hmph! Well...I guess we can have them let this one for now. But we're still gonna participate, right?"

"Well at least someone has the competitive spirit." Liepard snickered.

Prinplup turned and gave her a studious look. "Hmph, if you have enough energy to find an excuse to back-sass me, then maybe you can use that same energy to train." He stepped forward, raising a flipper. "What do you say?"

"Oh, would you look at that. I suddenly feel exhausted." Liepard let out a facetious yawn. "I must have trained just a little too hard last night. Maybe later...after my early morning nap."

"You never train unless Cana forces you to!" Prinplup pointed out. Unfortunately for him, Liepard resumed her sleeping schedule, much to his chagrin. "Cana?" He looked up, only for his hopes to be dashed by his trainer already drinking away. He sulked in defeat and plopped down on the floor. "Why me...?"

"It looks like everyone's in high spirits today." Wendy smiled.

"That's to be expected. Everyone's excited about these games." Carla explained. "And if I'm being honest, I don't think that I've seen the guild this productive in quite a while. I'm starting to wonder if there'll be any jobs left at all."

"Relax. Knowing Natsu, he probably went ahead and picked one for us." Gray motioned. Not even noon yet and he was already without a short, not that it wasn't anything new to those around him. At this point it was so common that it was essential the normal now.

Juvia sat beside him, looking enthusiastic. "Don't worry, Gray. I'll make sure to help in any way I can to make sure you participate!" she encouraged.

Gray turned to her, offering a calm smile. "Thanks, I appreciate it." He paused before changing the subject. "What about you? Aren't you planning on competing this year?"

Juvia balled her fists, nodding vigorously. "Of course! It's only fair that if you and everyone else are willing to give it their all, then I should, too! I refuse to stand by this time and allow you to participate alone!"

Though it was a little unnerving with how passionate she sounded, the message still got across. Gray only nodded. "Uh, sure...looking forward to it."

"Well now, if Boss-Ma'am is intending to participate, guess that means we better step up our game." Wartortle smirked.

"Oh, goody! I love games! I hope we get to have loads of fun!" Azumarill chimed, clapping her arms together with glee.

Vaporeon wagged her tailfin with excitement. "I have to admit, I'm looking forward to seeing how all these mages and Pokémon are going to be competing."

"Heheh...well, I just hope they don't use spotlights on me, I'd feel a little embarrassed." Snover said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. "What about you guys?" He turned around, referring towards Bergmite and Snorunt, the latter currently eating his weight in a chunk of ice that Gray made earlier.

"Enthusiastic." Bergmite said in his low, robotic tone.

"Um, okay..." Snover nervously sweatdropped. 'He could at least try and sound a little excited...' He turned towards Snorunt. "What about you..."

Snorunt was crunching away at the ice, minding his own meal with little to no awareness of what was going on around him. When he stopped for a breather, he lifted his head and looked over at Snover. "Hm? Sorry, you say something?"

Snover blinked. "Um...no."

Snorunt shrugged before he resumed his icy buffet. The sound of crunching ice was equally as unnerving to Snover and the others around him as much as it was to Wartortle, even though he was a fair distance away from any kind of ice touching him. Just thinking about ice was enough to give him the shivers. And for once, nobody blamed him.

Sitting on a stool at the bar, Laxus was leaning back against the counter in a relaxed position. He watched as his guild was becoming increasingly active, something that he seemed to silently appreciate. Though he knew better than to say it aloud, he was content with seeing everyone pulling their weight out of their best interests over obligation.

Freed came over, presenting a fresh cup of coffee for Laxus. "It's so refreshing to see everyone so motivated, wouldn't you say?" Freed smiled.

Laxus paused before reaching for his coffee. "...yeah, you can say that." He lifted it up to his mouth and took a small sip as a taste test. Almost immediately, he could tell that Freed had it made at just the right temperature, with the correct amount of coffee bean mixture so that it wasn't overbearing.

"Well let's just hope they don't tear down the guild hall with this enthusiasm." Evergreen snorted. She looked over, seeing Jet and Warren already engaged in a battle. Swellow went in for a head-on attack with her shimmering white wings, but was stopped by an ear-splitting sonic Screech by Noibat.

"Now, Noibat, use Supersonic!" Warren commanded.

Noibat nodded. "Right, on it!" He stopped the soundwaves briefly, before transitioning to soundwaves with a slightly higher frequency. Poor Swellow was still too stunned from the ringing in her head to acknowledge the attack before it reached her ears. Immediately, she squawked and fluttered in disarray.

"Gah! Swellow!" Jet panicked.

"Oh boy, looks like he's in trouble..." Droy dismayed, eating yet another bucket of chicken drumsticks. He subconsciously handed one to Weepinbell as she sucked it into her large mouth. "Shomehing hells me dat we're not hett'n dat job..."

"Oh boy..." Levy nervously chuckled besides Gajeel, who looked like he was half-asleep. This didn't go unnoticed by Pantherlily in the slightest.

"Looks like he's still tired from that overnight job he took."

Levy looked up at him, softly smiling. "Yeah, sure looks like it." She reached up, putting a hand to his cheek. "It's okay, you earned the rest, big guy..."

She was more engrossed in Gajeel than the battle itself that it visibly stung both Jet and Droy; the former had lost his full concentration to where he was completely blindsided by Swellow crashing into the nearest table, fainted. "H-huh?! Swellow?!" Jet gasped in shock.

Warren puffed out his chest with a triumphant smile. "Ha! See that? I knew we could beat you!" He laughed excitedly, with Noibat descending with a proud look on his face.

"We did it!"

"Sure did, Noibat. Now to claim that job..." He turned towards the request board to procure the job he ever so deserved...only to be met with vacancy. His eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. "Huh?! What the...?!" He looked left and right across the board. "I could have sworn that-"

"Sorry~!" A sweet chime came from the exit. Warren looked over, seeing Kinana with the flier and Seviper by her side. "Did you want this? Sorry, but it looks like we were a little faster. You ready, Seviper?"

Seviper dutifully nodded. "Of course, lead the way." She watched as Kinana started, with her slithering behind and leaving a flabbergasted Warren to deflate to his knees in despair.

"Now this is what I call spirit!" Bickslow sneered. "Am I right, babies?!"

"Spirit! Spirit!" His dolls chimed.

His Shuppet snickered at her own leisure.

Freed looked at the sight of the guild hall's bustling behavior, before turning back towards Laxus with a proud smile. "Yes, it's truly a splendid sight. Still, it's a shame that you won't be able to compete in these events this year. Though many of these rules have undergone a change, the rules of a Guild Master not entering is still in effect."

Laxus closed his eyes, huffing. "So as the dice rolls, as they say."

"You aren't unsatisfied with the circumstances?"

"I don't see why I should. Besides..." He felt a nudge from his side. He opened his eyes and looked down, seeing his Manectric standing loyally by side right side. He put a hand on his mane to show attention. "This isn't about me, is it? Last I checked, this is about showing the world of our society's change, is it not?"

Freed hummed in agreement. "Yes, I believe that you are right about that." He looked over towards his Sigilyph, who was humbly flying right beside him. "Hard to believe that after such a long way, we've come to this point."

Laxus frowned, turning his attention towards the other end of the guild hall. "Speaking of society..."

In the corner of the loquacious guild hall, at his now trademark table, Shiin was passively omitting everything around him as he indulged on his meal of two eggs, sunny side up as he would get every morning. He lifted his fork and placed the last white scrape of egg white into his mouth as he silently inspected the battle's outcome.

'Despite its size, it's capable of expelling ultrasonic waves to immobilize enemies.'

"You finished?"

Luckily, Shiin's magic sensory was able to detect Mirajane approaching. "Yes, it shall suffice for now. Thank you very much." Shiin gave a respective bow.

Mirajane giggled. "It's no trouble, really. I suppose that this will be added to the tab?"

"Yes, if that shall suffice with you." Shiin stood up, while Mirajane proceeded with the daily routine of taking his emptied plate of eggs. "I understand that these small food items are not very expensive, they do accumulate over time. Rest assured, I will find the accommodations to pay my tab."

"It's no trouble. I'll take your word for it. I just wish that a certain someone would take your cue and actually try to pay up for once."

At the bar, Cana felt a very unsettling chill run up her spine. 'Did it just get a little chilly all of a sudden?'

"Oh, oh! Can I carry t this time? Can I?" At Mirajane's feet, Vullaby was fluttering her wings up and down enthusiastically at her trainer.

"Now Vullaby, we've talked about this." Mirajane chimed.

"But I can do it, I know I can! I've been practicing, too! C'mon, just once?"

Mirajane looked down at her glistening red eyes. She just couldn't look at those adorable set of red orbs and not feel a tinge of guilt. It was like depriving a child of her favorite toy. "...okay, just don't break it, alright?"

Vullaby's expression brightened with joy. "Oh boy!"

"Alright, here you go~!" Mirajane handed her the empty porcelain plate, to which Vullaby balanced atop her small, bald head. It wobbled to and fro, but it eventually steadied out until it looked completely fixed atop her head. Mirajane smiled warmly as Vullaby slowly turned and marched back towards the bar with the plate.

Shiin kept a neutral expression, though inside he was anything but amused. "I see that you've taken the time to make her behave."

"Hm?" Mirajane turned back towards him. "Oh, right! Yes, she's been doing better these days. I just needed to channel that energy she has into something more productive is all." She turned back and watched Vullaby proceed behind the bar with the plate not losing its balance. "It takes a lot of effort at first, but once you start doing something a little more, it becomes easier to manage. Don't you think?"

"I believe that dealing with a Pokémon's nature and teaching them to play waitress are two different things."

"Really? I never would have guessed...still, it's brightening to see progress, even if it's just a little." She turned towards him. "I'm sure that it would do you some good to get accustomed to Pokémon, too."

Shiin paused at her claims. Only one particular Pokémon came to mind when she mentioned that. Whether it was intentional or not, an uneven chill ran u his spine. Suffice to say that he was not very comfortable with the prospect of sharing confines nor his trust with these...creatures that could very well ruin the reputation of mages worldwide. The lifespan of magic could suffer because of this – the very power that this world relied on!

But, as much as he would like to stand around and preach to these mages about this reality they were supposed to be living in, there was no point. They were far too gone at this point. He had to focus his energies elsewhere. Namely, a certain Pokémon Trainer with a very uncanny reputation for turning empowering forces into ashes. A potential – no, an indefinite threat if left unchecked.

He brought a napkin up and wiped the edges of his mouth before standing up. "Thank you for the meal. As for your opinion of having a Pokémon as an accomplice, I believe that you have forgotten. I am here to study and observe you Fiorian guilds and your ethics with Pokémon. I do not have the desire, nor the obligation, to socialize myself with your interests. Now, if you'll excuse me."

He stood up and made way towards the saloon doors. There, they slammed wide open, revealing Natsu, Happy, Lucy, and Erza accounted for. "Hey, guys! We're here! Who's ready for a job?!" Natsu shouted.

"Aye!" Happy cheered.

"Sure took you guys long enough. Figured we'd had to go and find ya." Gray sneered, standing up with folded arms. "Alright, let's get this show on the road. The sooner the better."

"Yeah, this'll be fun for sure!" Wendy nodded with a smile. On her head, Swablu hummed in agreement.

"I highly doubt this will be 'fun'. Adventurous is the more appropriate term." Carla corrected, folding her arms.

Wendy turned to her, nervously laughing. "Yeah, guess that's a fair point."

Seeing as how everyone was ready, Erza gave an affirmative nod. "Very well then, let's be on our way."

"Right!" Everyone shouted.

Shiin stopped and looked over his shoulder, seeing the gathered mages encouraging each other and their Pokémon. He couldn't stand anymore of this. As he left the guild to resume his duties of observing the conspicuous activities of Nic Pularis, a loud crash sound came from the bar, as though something shattered. "Oopsie~!"

---

The sounds of a basketball echoed each time it touched the ground. Joey dribbled the ball up and don, until he held it between his palms, knees bent and ready. "Okay, everyone set?"

In his backyard, there was even space for a white line to be drawn by a magic pen. It served as the dividing line between Joey's side, and Dereece's side. On Dereece's side, he and his Pokémon – Heracross, Yanma, Seel, and Stunfisk – served as five-person team. As opposed to Joey, whose team was compromised of himself, Quilladin, Trubbish, Gyarados, and Palpitoad.

Off to the side, Tranquill was standing with a paintbrush in his beak, tilting his head to look between Joey and the canvas. "Master Joey said he wanted me to get the best shot. Then that is what I'll do...for Master Joey!" he declared.

"Go, go! Mama Joey!" Larvesta cheered from the sidelines, her fiery horns spouting small embers.

Joey smirked over at her. "That's good, Larvesta. Remember, if you're cheering, you better do so with a lot of flare!"

"You got it!" With a vigorous nod, she inhaled before shuddering. Suddenly, her five horns fumed with spouts of fire, startling Tranquill and moving his tailfeathers away.

"He didn't mean literally!" Dereece reprimanded, shaking his head. "Whatever. Let's just get this over with..." He spread his legs, ready to take point with his Pokémon. "We're ready, Captain! You have the ball this time!"

Joey triumphantly smirked. "As I should." His face grew serious. "Alright, here we go!" He dribbled the ball directly forward towards Dereece. The latter moved closer and spread his arms wide to keep Joey from maneuvering around him. Joey ceased dribbling and bobbed and weaved the ball around, looking for any openings. Immediately, he spotted one.

"Quilladin, to you!"

With a sudden shot to his left, Quilladin caught the ball mid-jump. "Oh yeah, my turn!" He landed and dribbled the ball towards the net that was on a small pole on the other end of the perimeter.

"Coming in hot!" Heracross flew in from above, darting straight for Quilladin. His two feet stamped on the ground as he lowered his horn as a blockade for Quilladin. Unfortunately for him, Quilladin was able to respond effectively by clutching the ball and jumping onto the horn, and then springing off it and overhead. He continued while dribbling, much to Heracross' surprise.

"Seel, use Aqua Jet!" Dereece shouted.

Seel cloaked herself in a burst of water. She suddenly lifted herself off the ground and jettisoned perpendicular towards Quilladin, moments before he was about to reach the hoop.

Quilladin drew closer towards the hoop and took a small skip. In the midst of his skip, he fired the basketball at the hoop. It looked like it was going to be a good shot...until a jet of blue water arched and snagged the ball in midair.

"Sorry~!" Seel chimed, holding the ball in her two white flippers. Her Aqua Jet glided over everyone else's heads as she swerved towards the hoop on the opposite side of the field.

Joey thought fast. He had to. He pivoted and reached an arm out towards Seel. "Barrier-Make: Barrier!"

"This time, I'll get us that winning score!" Seel declared with gusto as she shot directly for the hoop...only to crash into an invisible barrier that stood between her and the hoop. "Oof!" She buffered immensely, her Aqua Jet's momentum backfiring and exploding water everywhere. She inadvertently dropped the basketball straight below. Just before it reached the ground, a long, sticky tongue wrapped around and pulled it away.

"Teraz je môj!" Palpitoad's tail stood on end. He turned around and hopped across the field, lightly bounding the ball on the ground.

Seel dropped to the ground behind him, landing on her stomach with a pained thud. "Owww..." She tilted her head back to see where the ball dropped, only the realize the opponent had it. "Oh, gosh! Palpitoad has it!"

"Oh, oh! Let me!" Yanma buzzed her way over, getting closer to Palpitoad. A red aura engulfed her as she suddenly zipped even faster. "Supersonic!" She projected distorted soundwaves from her wings that beamed into Palpitoad. With her increased Speed from her Speed Boost, the attack managed to reach the amphibian as he was passing by.

Instantaneously, Palpitoad's vision grew hazy and distorted. He found his whole world spinning as his sticky tongue going limp, allowing the ball to bounce once before Yanma went to dive for it. She was interjected by a barrage of green streaming energy with white orbs that exploded beneath her, via Pin Missile. She was forced back into the air as the basketball was flanked by Quilladin.

"I got it!" He snagged the basketball, hastily running across the field once more.

"Oh no you don't!" Dereece scooted closer, with him flanking towards his right, while Heracross interjected on the left.

"Trubbish, you're up!" Joey shouted. "Toxic Spikes!"

A hardy belch came from Trubbish. She opened her maw wide and aimed directly skywards. A poisonous hemisphere gathered in her mouth before projecting it skywards, carrying purple, spiraling smoke. Once it reached a high point, it exploded into several smaller meteors of bright purple toxins with thick, purple smoke tails. They plummeted into the ground around Dereece and Heracross, surrounding them and forcing them to come to a halt.

"Gah! Oh, come on!" Dereece whined.

"Thanks, guys!" Quilladin dribbled past the opponents without much worry. He closed in on the hoop once more, ready to take yet another shot. "Here we g-!"

Zzzzaaap!

An electrical jolt ran through Quilladin's leg. His entire body shuddered with convulsing electrical pulses going out of control. He found his legs twitching madly to a point where they stiffened. He stammered backwards, whereas the basketball plopped onto a tailfin.

"Oi, a little advice for you..." Stunfisk smiled as static continued crackling around his body. "Better watch where you step!"

"Oh crud..."

Stunfisk scooped the basketball up with his tailfin, and like a catapult, lobbed it towards Dereece. "Here ya, go!"

Knowing that he wasn't able to move because of Toxic Spikes, Dereece knew what he had to resort to. "On it!" Using his Elemental Walk Magic, Dereece trudged off the ground and elevated a few feet into the air. Each step felt as solid as a staircase. He managed to catch the basketball and dribbled it across the field, making sure to keep his magic elevated the whole time.

"Barrier-Make: Barrier!" Joey reached forward, creating another barrier, this time a wider variant that acted more as a huge wall that nearly cut off the two sides of the field.

Dereece narrowed his eyes. He took a quick glance around and processed what was happening. Quilladin was paralyzed; Palpitoad was confused, and Trubbish and Gyarados were on the other side of the wall. And with his...big-boned physique, he wasn't gonna outspeed them. As he used his magic to turn vertical and adjust overhead, he readied to shoot the ball.

"Yanma!"

He passed the ball, sending it flying towards Yanma. In the blink of an eye, she grabbed it and sped off towards the hoop. She closed in on her mark and made a beeline straight for the hoop.

"Not so fast!" Gyarados interjected, diving in from the side with his fangs glowing, via Bite. He screeched out and went for Yanma, but she was prepared.

"Detect!"

Her eyes glinted green. At the last second, her body outmaneuvered Gyarados, arching over his diving frame and going over the hoop. Once she was positioned over it, she let go and allowed for it to fall into the hoop.

Time slowed down as everyone watched the basketball slowly inch further towards the netting. Heracross looked slightly shocked and excited, whereas Quilladin was still paralyzed and startled. They all watched as the ball drew ever so closer...

BOOM!

At the last second, at a surprisingly accurate angle, a blob of Sludge struck the ball, causing it to hit and ricochet off the backboard past Yanma. Everyone watched as the basketball spiraled haphazardly through the air towards the other side of the field.

"Nice shot, Trubbish!" Joey cheered.

Trubbish let out a supportive cheer.

Joey turned towards the air and dispelled his barrier to make a new one. "Barrier-Make: Stairs!" He created a staircase made out his barrier material and climbed it. He raced up it to where he could catch the ball that was starting its ascent.

"Stunfisk, quick! Stop them!" Dereece insisted.

"Gotcha, mate!" Stunfisk raised up onto his tailfin and careened back, before firing a Mud Bomb at Joey to intercept and potential slow him down. However, those hopes were instantly dashed when Gyarados interjected, taking the attacks straight into his cream-colored scales. Suffice to say that it left but a small muddy stain that could be washed off easily. "Uh oh..."

Joey held up his hands, catching the basketball once he was at the top of the stairs. "Got it!"

"Go, go! Mama Joey!" Larvesta cheered, spinning in place with her body lit up with embers. Tranquill was beside her, using his paintbrush to ab a little onto the canvas to capture the shot needed.

"This one's for the win!" Joey gripped the basketball tightly. He jumped off the stairwell moments before it vanished. He let out a loud cry as he came down on the opposing hoop and dunked the basketball straight through the netting.

It was over.

As the basketball dropped and bounced on the ground, Joey dropped to a knee, holding up one hand as the basketball bounced into the palm. He lifted his head, coolly smirking in triumph. "And that...is how you do a slam-dunk."

"W-we've won!" Quilladin stuttered in his paralysis. He lifted a paw in cheers, as did the rest of Joey's Pokémon.

"We crushed them!" Gyarados careened his head up, letting out a victorious roar.

Trubbish smiled loudly with a burp. However, that happiness turned to a churning gurgle that vibrated in her stomach. She lurched to and fro before she leaned forward, expelling acid that sizzled upon contact with the ground near Seel. "Oh! Goodness!"

"Oi! Did she get happy again over there?" Stunfisk complained. "Why'd a trash bag not end up getting down in the dumps...hahaha..." He snickered at his wordplay, much to everyone's chagrin.

Palpitoad was still dazed and paddling around. It didn't take long for him to come around and shake his head of the confusion. "Čo sa stalo?" He blinked, looking around. "Počkať, už je koniec?

"Yeah, it's over." Heracross said half-heartedly. He heard an oncoming buzz until Yanma landed on his horn. He looked up to her, seeing her getting comfortable pretty quickly. "That was a really close one there, Yanma."

"Thank you, Heracross." She smiled back, looking rather neutral about the matter.

"Oh, gosh! I thought we had'em there for a second..." Seel sighed, shaking her head pitifully.

"Yeah, me too." Dereece groaned. He gradually retreated back towards the ground, knowing that Toxic Spikes was finally dispelling since the event was over. Even though he hadn't moved much, he was already out of breath. He wipes the sweat off his head that his headband couldn't contain.

"Remind me again why we did this?" Dereece grimaced.

Joey walked over, holding the basketball beneath his armpit. "C'mon, Dereece. Don't be like that. It builds great coordination between us and the Pokémon. Plus it helps us flex our magic a little bit more."

Dereece shot him a despondent look. "I highly doubt anyone in this world even knows the concept of basketball, Joey."

Joey groaned with an eyeroll. "Are you complaining just because you lost, or because you have chunky thighs?"

"I'm big-boned, and you know it!"

Joey raised his arms up in defense. "Okay, okay, whatever you say, dude." He turned towards Tranquill, a big smile plastered on his face. "Hey, Tranquill! Did you get that last shot?"

Tranquill hummed as he scribbled behind the canvas. He dabbled a little more with red highlights before stepping away with an upbeat chirp. "Done!"

"Oh, lemme see, lemme see!" Joey scooted over to get a load of the picture that Tranquill took, for memories sake of course. What he saw made him feel especially proud.

The canvas was indeed a picture of Joey in midair, moments before the slam-dunk. However, instead of a basketball, Tranquill painted what looked like a golden fireball with a roaring fire around it that illuminated through Joey's bright eyes. The details – as per Tranquill's art style – were to the extreme. For example, the background looked like a universal galaxy, with dozens of comets and meteors that outlined Joey's back. What's more, even the black fur lining on Joey's coat looked to be shimmering in gold, be it an original concept or as an effect by the "basketball".

"Yeah, sorry. I wish I had enough time to make it good!" Tranquill complained, folding his wings with a scoffing huff.

'And he calls that not good?' Dereece stared in a mixture of despondence and confusion.

Joey pivoted around the canvas, before picking it up and spinning it with glee. "This'll do just nicely! Thank you, Tranquill!" He held it up to the sunlight, seeing the golden colors stand out. "This'll go nicely in the kitchen. Now whenever you cook, Dereece, you can always see me. Isn't that great?"

"I mean, I get enough of you throughout the day 24/7..." Dereece muttered to himself.

Larvesta hopped over, cooing with glee. "Mama Joey, that was so cool!"

Joey turned to her, smiling joyfully. "Aw, thank you, Larvesta. So, you think you're ready to play now that you know what basketball is all about?"

"Yeah! I wanna play no...ow..ow...ow..." Larvesta's emerald eyes flickered before she paused. "...ACHOO!"

Her cute little sneeze...turned into a sudden Ember that shot at Joey. With it being so sudden, he brought up the canvas as a shield...only for it to catch on fire. Everyone stepped back in shock and fear as the young blonde yelped in horror.

"Ah! Fire! Hot, hot, hot, hot!" Joey waved it up and down, trying to fan the flames out, but only served to increase the volume of flames. "Dereece, do something, would ya?!"

"Me, what do I do?!" he panicked.

"Something! Anything!" His eyes widened with an idea. "Hold on!" He turned towards Palpitoad, who stood a short distance away. "Palpitoad, Muddy Water!"

Palpitoad gurgled with a solemn nod. He jumped into the air, before twirling and stamping on the ground. "BUPTA!" A spiraling vortex of brown water was summoned beneath him. He projected the wave at Joey, who stood still as the brown water swamped him and the burning canvas.

Dereece flinched from the drastic measure, gradually turning back towards his best friend. "Captain Joey...?"

The brown water receded, revealing a waterlogged Joey. His clothes were damp from being struck by a small rush of brown water, but then again, he did ask for it. He shook his head, slicking his hair back to give it that suave, spiky look that it always had. He looked down at the canvas, his face falling upon the sight of it charred and colors mostly washed away by the water.

"Well...at least it's not on fire anymore." Heracross chimed, dipping his claws in a small jar of Honey.

Yanma looked down, fixed on the sweet, sticky nectar that Heracross snacked on. "Can I have some?"

Heracross glanced up, blinking. "Hm? Oh, sure." He dipped his claws into the Honey, making sure they were coated enough to where it was dripping back into the jar. "Here, this should be enough, right?"

Yanma's face brightened. "Oh, boy!" She bent down, licking the contents off her perch's claws.

"Oi, how come he be greedy with that nectar with us, but Yanma gets the free pass? You ask me, that isn't sweet." Stunfisk scoffed.

Seel turned towards him. "What are you talking about? I've never seen you eat that stuff to begin with."

"Well, how come you don't?"

"Well, if I make a mess..." She shuffled her frame side-to-side. "It'd get my fur all dirty...not to mention sticky."

Stunfisk blinked. He paused to blink, only to come up short of something to argue back. "Huh...I guess when you out it that way, it's...fur the best! Hahahaha..."

Dereece facepalmed himself. "Good grief."

Joey groaned in disappointment. "Well, that's a letdown." He handed the burnt canvas' remains towards Trubbish. "Here. Your winning game prize, bud."

Trubbish's face brightened with delight. She sauntered up to Joey before taking the canvas into her flippers and chewing away. Every time she bit down, the sound of wet smacking echoed around her. She gnawed her way through the paper...until she suddenly lurched.

She started making choking sounds, indicating she was backed up. She coughed haphazardly as she went cross-eyed.

"Hang in there!" Quilladin rushed in and got behind Trubbish. He picked her up, squeezing her from behind. "I gotcha! Now...!" He clutched suddenly, causing a gag reflex in Trubbish. He pressed again, causing another harsh gag. Then another, then another. "Come on, just...spit it out already, would ya?!"

Gyarados snarled. His own patience was thinning. He raised his tailfin before slamming it on the ground, causing a deep thud that caused everyone to jump from shock. The extra hitch was just the ticket Quilladin needed to squeeze upwards, making Trubbish gag and expel a dense ball of sludge skywards.

All eyes turned skywards – exclude a Honey-obsessed Heracross – as the mucky sludge whistled into the sky until it got to a peak. Once it had reached a high enough kinetic energy, it gradually came back down, making an angled drop down onto Heracross.

Dereece's eyes widened. "Uh-oh, that ain't good..."

The sludge dropped steadily closer towards Heracross and Yanma. The latter was still perched and licking Honey of his claws when she noticed the black, unsanitary meteor barreling their way. "Yikes!" She opted to move, but realized Heracross was too distracted by the Honey he was trying to lick out of the jar. "I'll save you!" She shot up from Heracross' horn, the sudden weight lifted barely getting noticed by him.

"Hm?"

Yanma sped up and eyed the sludge heading her way. As soon as it was within her range, her blue eyes glimmered before a pink ring appeared in front of her face. She took aim before letting out a sudden cry, unleashing a streaky pink beam with multiple blue shapes around it fired into the sludge, meeting it in the middle with a smoky eruption.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and witnessed the scene. Dereece looked to be the most surprised out of all of them. "Wait a minute, that move just now...!"

"Ohhh..." Larvesta moaned in awe at the sight, her emerald eyes twinkling with amazement.

The smoky eruption faded, revealing nothing but thin air. Yanma hovered over Heracross, her serious expression turning to her more complacent one. She blinked. "Oh...did I just do that?"

"Did you see that?" Dereece stepped forward, an epiphany forming in his mind. "That was a new move!"

"That looked like a Signal Beam." Joey smirked, putting his hands to his hips. The earlier depression he had earlier faded as he turned towards Trubbish. "You see? I knew you could always be depended upon. That's my Trubbish."

"Nice job, Yanma! What a bang-up job!" Dereece praised uproariously.

Heracross raise his head, looking sheepishly gleeful at the unexpected save. "Hehe, thanks a lot, Yanma. I appreciate that."

Both Trubbish and Yanma turned towards their trainers, their faces brightening with smiles of joy. However, as they approached their respective partners, they began to realize faults in their show of affection. Trubbish looked like she was about to barf again, while Yanma's mouth and her front hands had a rich, sticky, Honey coating.

"Trubbish, hold on! Watch the fur coat this time! It was just washed!"

"Yanma, no! Watch the hair with that...gah~!"

---

"HRAH!" An eruption of dirt spouted from deep within the East Forest. The sight was enough to scare away any nearby Pidgey and Taillow. A couple Flecthling fled, too. The dirt wave gradually receded from view, turning into a dust wave that passed by the forest clearing.

Standing firmly in a swinging position, Duncan held out his Elfen Forja, the Earth Lacrima shimmering brightly with its gear hinged to show it being active. He took deep breaths in and out, making sure that he remained composed and fixed on all six of his Pokémon ahead. They all stood inattention, giving blank stares back at their trainer.

"Magmortar, Flamethrower!" Duncan ordered.

Magmortar grunted. Though he hesitated to do so, it was only for a second. His claws retreated into his arms, which opened to make his fire cannon. He raised an arm and fired a monstrous blaze of roaring fire straight at Duncan like he wanted.

Duncan tightened his grip on the Elfen Forja's leather center. He coursed magic Power into the massive staff, centering onto the blue lacrima.

"Gear Four: Water!"

He twirled his staff as vapor in the atmosphere liquefied. As the heated Flamethrower tore across the ground, Duncan watched and timed carefully until he could use the momentum and swing down the staff's end coated in dense water. At the moment of impact, an explosion of mist engulfed the entire terrain. It quickly dissipated when something shifted the air away. It quickly evolved into a cyclone that was centering above Duncan's head; more accurately speaking, around his Elfen Forja's twirling ends. The green lacrima was glowing brightly, indicating its wind properties being channeled. With a swift swing, Duncan projected the pressurized wind wheel into the ground, sending a shockwave straight at his Pokémon.

"Gastrodon, Muddy Water! Medicham, Psychic! Go!"

Gastrodon raised his head skywards letting out a cry as brown water circled around him. The cyclone gradually evolved into a brown wave of water that rushed at the shockwave.

Medicham slammed her palms together with a huff. 'Just like we've trained.' In her calm stasis, her eyes glowed bright blue. She concentrated the energy on the Muddy Water's wave, churning it into a more compressed spiral. It drilled through the air, sharpening a more concrete point directly at Duncan as he braced himself.

Quickly, Duncan grunted as he shifted towards his lightning lacrima. With a steady pivot, he twirled the staff to make a wheel of lightning that acted as a shield. The compressed attack of telekinetic brown water, though, proved to be a challenge as it made impact with the lightning.

"Gnnnngh...!" Duncan gritted his teeth as he leaned forward. It was taking everything just to hold firm. He only lasted a few seconds before the enemy momentum overpowered his, causing him to slide several feet back with a pained grunt at the end.

Medicham gasped. "Was that too much...?"

Torterra glared at Duncan, choosing to not show any sign of hesitation. He saw his trainer panting and out of breath, but in those eyes, he could tell from just a single glance that Duncan was by no means backing down. Those sharp, dark eyes glared with determination, and more importantly, pride.

Duncan steadied himself out, looking at his Pokémon with a steel-hard gaze. 'The way that I am now...I can only use one gear at a time. I need more focus...'

"Tell me...why is it that you battle?"

Vanessa's question rung through Duncan's mind like a bell. Every time he stopped to think, that question ended up bubbling up to the surface. He was fairly certain he knew the answer why...but he also knew that it was best to block out any distractions.

'I have to get stronger! I won't be able to win on my own at this rate!' He held out Elfen Forja, concentrating more magic into the red lacrima. Both tips ended up coated in fire...even though he was trying to configure magic into the darkness lacrima too. 'I need better magic control to get the ratio just right, otherwise it's going to keep...'

He shouldn't think about that. He needed experience, and the only way he could get the answers he needed would be through battle! He focused dead ahead.

"Spiritomb, Shadow Sneak! Honchkrow, Dark Pulse! Torterra, use Leaf Storm!"

Torterra's red eyes glinted before he grunted. He raised his head let out a roar, his tree glowing bright green. Honchkrow blew off his back and into the air, where he opened his beak to show jumbled dark rings gathering to a single point. Spiritimb's shadow blacked as she readied to extend it,

Duncan braced himself as he held the Elfen Forja with both hands...

At the same time, the three Pokémon fired their respective attacks at their trainer. Spiritomb's shadow moved in a streaking fashion towards Duncan, who braced himself and slammed the searing staff into the ground. An explosion of fire blocked off the shadow, which also made Duncan disappear from view. The Dark Pulse continued its path through the explosion, which caused an even bigger eruption of darkness and dirt from behind. Duncan evaded the attack altogether and tumbled forward into a shoulder roll before lunging at Torterra.

As the tornado of wind pressure and glowing dark leaves circulated his way, he gripped tighter. He still had the fire lacrima active, but he suddenly shifted to his wind lacrima, even though he was trying to do both. He slammed the staff into the ground once more, creating an outburst of air that caused the oncoming Leaf Storm to erupt leaves outwards.

And explosion of searing winds gradually faded, revealing Duncan lying on his back. He grunted low as he struggled to get back up.

"Are we...overdoing this a little?" Gastrodon worried, turning towards Torterra. Unlike him and the others, his monstrous expression didn't falter.

"He's the one who asked for this."

Spiritomb frowned. "Yes...I know that, too."

Torterra and Spiritomb shot serious looks at one another. They didn't dwell on how their personal feelings of the matter for long as they watched their trainer get up for more. They braced themselves for whatever command Duncan would give next.

Standing back on his feet, Duncan shot glares back at his Pokémon. He knew that deep down, this was probably a bad idea, but that was the trainer part of his brain. Right now, he was a mage. And as a mage, he needed to make sure that he got the experience and training he needs to make sure that he doesn't fall behind.

"...good." he praised.

"So, this is where the commotion was coming from."

Duncan's guard heightened as fast as it dropped. He recognized the voice well enough to know who it belonged to. He glanced over his shoulder, recognizing the long, blonde hair belonging to Sophie. She stood a fair distance away, her Pokémon in tow.

Spiritomb floated with a blank expression, but she recognized her. 'That girl...'

He scoffed and turned away. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Vanessa or doing nails with my Captain?"

Sophie shrugged, taking a few steps towards him. "I would...but as you can imagine, Vanessa slept in. I doubt there are any Cambire Foundation jobs left available, so I decided to head out here and work on my spells."

"I see...so just like me." His statement was lowly said, but enough for Sophie to hear. He glanced back at her. "So what do you want?"

Sophie shook her head. "Nothing. I was just passing by on my way back home to see if Vanessa was up yet." She turned towards Duncan's Pokémon. "And those are all your Pokémon, right?"

Duncan's Pokémon shot blank looks back at Sophie and her Pokémon. They didn't say anything – more or less because they didn't have such room. They kept to themselves and scoffed.

Duncan looked back at them, huffing lightly. "Yes, they are."

"I see." She paused as she paneled her vision from Magmortar all the way towards Spiritomb. She remembered always coming over to Joey and Dereece's home to hang out, and in some cases train, with the former. She would often see Duncan in the background training with his Pokémon individually. As far as she knew, this was the first time seeing them all at once.

Honchkrow raised his beak, scoffing arrogantly. "Hmph, what is she looking at?"

"Hey, watch yourself, birdie. I'll drown you if you keep that up." Araquanid hissed, the bubbles on his head glowing brightly.

Honchkrow smirked. "H'oh? Got quite a mouth on ya, huh big guy?" He ruffles his tailfeathers. "Well if you think you can stand up on those legs of yours to back what you say, I'll gamble with ya."

Araquanid hissed aggressively. Finneon fluttered within his water bubble to alert him. "Please, Araquanid, simmer down."

"She's right. You mean well, but this isn't the time nor place to pick wrongful fights." Kadabra pleaded.

"I'd listen to your friends if I were you." Medicham sagely said. She was currently standing on one leg, her palms facing each other with her eyes closed. Her psychokinetic powers homed in on the three Pokémon, gauging out their auras and mindsets. "No offense...but I believe that you aren't at any of our levels yet."

"So you're saying just because you have psychic powers, you can judge that I can't defend my trainer?" Araquanid argued, turning towards Kadabra. "Hey, you're a Psychic-type too, right? You can tell if we're on the same level or not?"

Kadabra shook his head. "I'm afraid that's not how it works. Just because we're both Psychic-types, doesn't mean that we have the same properties. For example, I can't read an opponent's movements, but I can emit alpha waves that can induce headaches..." He looked at his silver spoon in hand. "Though, admittedly, I haven't had much time to attempt such a case, especially since Miss Sophie's magic relies on her mental capacity as well."

Sophie smirked. "That's awfully considerate of you, Kadabra." She turned towards Araquanid, moving her hand into the water to pet the side of head...even though her forearm became drenched in the process. "It's fine, Araquanid. Thanks for looking out for me, though."

Araquanid hissed lowly before he nudged a little closer to Sophie. Her entire upper half ended up submerged into the bubble, as apparent from the spider's "affection".

"Miss Sophie!" Finneon gasped.

Sophie flailed her body, wiggling herself around until she anchored her hands against Araquanid's and pulled herself away, taking a deep breath of fresh air into her depraved lungs.

As she was catching her breath, Duncan didn't show any signs of interest...even with her dampened clothes hugging her sexy frame. He turned away with a small scoff. "You're certainly touchy with your Pokémon."

Sophie wiped away the water on her face – as well as the smeared bright pink eyeliner she wore today. "Sorry you had to see that. Araquanid's just very protective, that's all."

"I believe that's putting it mildly." Finneon nervously chuckled, earning a flustered gleam from Araquanid.

"Sophie!"

A voice cried from a short distance away. Everyone turned towards the treeline, seeing a familiar woman with a Delphox in tow. A humble smile spread across Sophie's face. "Oh, Vanessa. I was wondering when you would be up."

"Sorry, I lost track of time." Vanessa turned her attention towards Duncan. "Looks like we weren't the only ones out here as well."

Duncan shot Vanessa a look. While the younger Pularis woman had a relaxed disposition, the same couldn't be said about the Sinnoh resident. He just stared back, a calm but studious look amounting his earlier disregarding tone.

"I was just heading back home for you." Sophie commented, breaking the subtle tension between the two.

Vanessa turned with a humble smile. "You were? Well, suppose that saves a trip for you." She turned back towards Duncan. "Did I miss something between you two?"

Duncan glared at her for several seconds before closing his eyes, veering away from the two. "...no, you weren't. Like she said, she was heading back when she interrupted my training. Now, if you'll excuse me..." He started walking away, to which his Pokémon silently followed him to a more suitable training spot.

The two women watched as Duncan distanced himself.

"He seems rather...distant, for a lack of better word." Sophie commented, folding her arms.

Araquanid scoffed. "Well I don't know about any of you, but his Pokémon get on my nerves. Acting so haughty like that..."

"There, now. There's no reason to feel so offended." Kadabra assured. "Though, I admit, it is rather unsettling from the way they look at you."

Araquanid eyed him. "Wish you could read mind now, huh?"

"It'd be hard-pressed to say that it wouldn't be handy in a situation such as this."

Sophie turned towards Vanessa. "Vanessa, what are your thoughts of Duncan?"

Vanessa frowned. By all means, that was a very vague question Sophie just asked. But she also knew that she wouldn't have asked if she had already surmised an answer of her own. It left much to the imagination of her of Duncan. Before her spar with him the other day, she had hardly any interaction nor clarity with him. In fact, not counting The Freaks due to obligations as a teammate, has anyone ever interacted with him at all? It wasn't like anyone had any time on their hands to go up and play twenty questions with him, either. She knew him well enough to know that he'd more than likely brush off every question, followed by a rude comeback.

"In the end, it's the same thing...to be better than anyone else."

Duncan's answer to her question came to mind. 'We're all after the same thing...' Those words echoed through her mind. To a certain degree, Duncan wasn't necessarily in the wrong for thinking that way. As far as experience went, if you didn't have power, you'd be looked down upon. That's just how this world worked, and he figured that out fairly quickly. Vanessa wished that such a philosophy didn't exist, but even she wasn't that dumb to know that such thinking would narrow her field of view. Though Duncan may seem like he was after a pointless goal, she could remember that determined look on his face when they were battling.

There was no doubt about it, there was a motive and passion deep down that he was suppressing from everyone, including her.

Before she went too deep into thought, she realized Sophie asked her a question. "...he's certainly an interesting character. That much is a given." She turned towards her. "Are you bothered by him?"

"No, not really. It's just...it's hard to explain..." She put a hand on her damp head as she tried to think of her words. "It's like...I know I don't remember him, but do you ever feel like something in your head is telling you about this person you're talking about? I'm trying to think of what that might be..."

"I believe that would be your subconscious, Miss Sophie." Kadabra interjected.

"Yes, that! I'm not saying that I find him suspicious or anything like that. But...something's telling me that he's more trustworthy than he seems. Even though he looks at everyone indifferently, every time when he looks at me...it's like he's remorseful of something." She looked up to watch a tiny flock of Pidgey fly overhead; small shadows only briefly shading her from the sun. "I just have a feeling that it may involve something with me. I'm sure that whatever it is, that look he always gives me is telling me that he regrets something..."

Kadabra turned towards Araquanid and Finneon. A wave of guilt washed over them. They knew what she was talking about, because they were there to witness her self-sacrifice as well. They didn't want to bring it up with her due to how she was now. Even now, it wasn't something that could easily be erased.

Kadabra cleared his throat in an attempt to say something. "M-Miss Sophie, you don't have to think about-"

"It's okay, Kadabra. I'm not saying it like that at all." Sophie managed a smile. "It's just the feeling that I get from him. I'm not saying that I'm bothered by that at all." She placed a hand on Kadabra's head, petting the star that sat on his forehead. "I won't live in the past...so there's no need to feel worried for me."

"Miss Sophie..."

Araquanid hissed in bottled emotion. He moved closer to embrace his trainer for her resolve, much to her growing shock. "Wait, Araquanid! My makeup-!"

Vanessa watched with a complacent grin as her poor friend was smothered in another submerged embrace. She couldn't help but feel proud of how far Sophie had come. She had Joey to thank for giving her that backbone to keep herself straight.

"We're surrounded by very fortunate friends, aren't we?" Delphox smiled softly.

Vanessa chuckled low. "Yes, we most certainly are."

A short distance down the trail, Duncan was making sure to not look back. He wasn't going to concern himself with helping out Sophie's waterboard hug. He had to focus on himself and what he could do to get stronger. He did notice that he was being glared at by Torterra, who trudged right beside him. "What are you looking at?"

The Continent Pokémon continued eyeing Duncan. "You know what."

Duncan frowned. He tipped his cap to conceal his eyes from view. "Just stop. Why don't you just leave it alone?"

Torterra turned towards Spiritomb, who looked just as despondent. She knew exactly what he was talking about. But like Duncan, she chose to stay quiet about the matter. The other Pokémon didn't seem too invested otherwise whereas there was an awkward tension between the trainer and the two until they vanished further into the forest.

---

While the populace of Fiore was out and about, much of the Cambire Foundation located in Crocus was having matters of their own assessed; in such cases, mainly making sure they were up to co. With the extensive criteria needed for the upcoming Grand Magic Games that they were hosting and sponsoring, the industry to say the very least was...booming.

"We need another three-hundred Super Potions within the hour!"

"Make sure that those formula are taken to the hospitals!"

"We need more Poke Balls made, stat!"

"How much longer until those Sitrus Berries are grown?! Somebody check to see if that Growth Mulch is wet!"

Production, production, production. That was all that Jefferey saw in the resource department of the foundation. Even with Eliza out constantly bringing back updated data to be distributed into pamphlets and trainer's guides, there was hardly even a second that she could stop to allow her feet some levity. Jefferey was no different, overseeing the factions through lacrima monitors and making very concise business calls with associates and sponsors alike. Poke Balls, Great Balls, even Ultra Balls; every known variant of the capsule needed to contain such Pokémon needed was being pushed out into the markets everywhere. With such a demand, they needed to keep the supply going.

In Charlotte's department, however, matters were far more demanding. With how many mages and standard people being trained on a constant basis, the Pokémon were constantly being worked to push themselves. One such mage made a magic seal that produced lightning straight at the opposing mage...only for it to be redirected into her Marowak. He stood there, taking the attack without so much as a wince.

"No way!" The opposing mage gasped, much to the latter's relief.

"That Lightning Rod Ability really does work. Alright!" She reached her arm out. "Now, Marowak, Cone Club!"

"You got it!" Marowak leaped into the air, holding his bone high overhead. His partner made a bright green magic seal that expelled thin fibers of red energy that shot at the mage, lacing around his arms and legs. With him immobilized, he could only watch as the club came down...only to stop mere inches from his horrified expression.

Marowak pulled away, scoffing as he twirled his bone. The mage dispelled her threads with a joyous smile on her face. "Looks like we've won!" she cheered.

Marowak looked back with a bright smile. "Yeah!"

Travis observed, having his arms crossed while scouting the venue of the battling progress. 'Good. It looks like the ones with magic are starting to coordinate better with their Pokémon. This kind of training really isn't within our jurisdiction...but, with us sponsoring these games, we can't let any competition one-up us. We've gotta show that the Cambire Foundation isn't weak!'

An older trainer reached his arm out towards the back of his Golem. "Golem, Stone Edge!" His Golem complied, raising a heel above only to bring it down. A seismic shake was followed by a linear eruption of glowing blue stones that shot towards the opposing Whiscash.

"Whiscash, quick! Use Aqua Tail!" The younger female Earthlander shouted.

Whiscash watched the stones head her way. She slammed her tailfin towards the ground and flopped into the air. Her tail surged with spiraling water that she slammed downwards like a tide into the piercing stone coming from below, crushing it and causing water to spray everywhere.

The PokeEarth trainer folded his arms, looking seriously at her. "Not bad. That was a good counter to a Rock-type attack."

"Alright!" The woman quipped in excitement.

Observing from the top of her office deck, Charlotte was watching all the progress with an astute look. Her ironclad glare never faded even as she knew that some of the newbies were still trying to learn the basics. Progress. That was what she wanted to see, and she needed it now.

Turning away, she walked past her Electivire. "Come, Electivire...it's better that we show these fools a thing about strength." Behind her, Electivire silently followed.

At the height of the main building, the sunlight was beaming through the windows to Arthur's office. The view from above gave him a great angle as well as a show to the productive state of the foundation below. Seeing such a sight was enough to put a smile on his face.

He reached over his wheelchair, scratching the back of his Stoutland's left ear. The large dog moaned at his trainer giving him affection he needed.

As Arthur was taking in the solace, that epiphany was put to a freezing halt with the door to his office opening and closing. Marie walked forward, holding a clipboard in hand. "My apologies for running late, Mr. President."

Arthur glanced over his shoulder, his grin unwavering. "Ah, Marie. How does the progress go so far?"

"Well, let's see..." Marie looked down at her clipboard, pulling a few papers over to overlook some data. "According to what Eliza of Mr. Bistro's department, there's been an 80% increase in Poke Ball manufacturing sales in the last two days. There have also been an increased productivity in mining for any Pokémon Fossils that ended up falling into mountainous deposits within the northeast."

"Do we have a reading perhaps on the manpower we have for the excavation team?"

Marie cleared her throat before continuing. "At the moment, we have the resources to mine, but we lag experience and manpower. Hence why we've approved for a few jobs regarding the excavation unit for guild participants."

"That's fortunate to hear. Thank you, Marie." Arthur turned his head and stared out at the foundation's extensive estate. It was so big that he swore that it could almost touch the ocean. "Marie...may I ask you something?"

"Yes, sir. You can tell me anything."

"Good...I'd like to hear your opinion on the matter. What are your thoughts about mages and Pokémon?"

Marie blinked as she registered the question. "Pardon?" She paused before clearing her throat. "Right, well then. Since you ask..." She turned away, prodding her glasses up with her index. "I wouldn't be lying if I say that I had some doubts before about the prospect. If the first few months served as examples, I mean..."

"I see. And about now?"

"Well...after the many ventures we have heard from our allies, I can't exactly say that my worries are what they used to be. Though I do hold some regards to the Fairy Tail guild for their past ventures on our behalf, matters always seem to become rather...how should I put this delicately...spontaneous?"

"Hm...'spontaneous', you say? Yes, I see your point." Arthur sagely nodded. "I won't fault you for thinking in such ways, Marie. When we looked at the records for the past Grand Magic Games events and the committee rules, they weren't exactly orderly, or rather should I say 'constant'."

"You're saying that our influence with the Pokémon will help conduct them a more stable society?"

Arthur reached for a nearby wine glass, pouring it into the nearby wine glass that sat on the edge of his desk. "If the society and the conduct the populace share do not hold a stable balance between the other, then disorder arises. I'm not saying that I favor the mages in this scenario, Marie, but I can say that they are victims to an unbalanced ruling. But, on the other hand..." He picked up the wine glass with one hand, while leaning down to pet Stoutland again with the other. "We PokeEarth humans and Pokémon were able to make such a compromise. If by some remote chance that these games do succeed, the domino effect would surely foresee a much more stable system that we can live in."

Marie nodded, fully understanding where this was going. "I see, sir. Yes, I believe that would be possible."

"However...I am also aware that because of such an environment this world has, it's become increasingly harder for those of PokeEarth to adapt to such lifestyles. Even now...I fear that for some it may already be too late." He looked down at the courtyard to see the sparring ensue. "Still, for those whom wish to be saved, these games will serve as a beacon to bring them back home. Thankfully, Nic was lenient enough to hear us out on the matter. With his cooperation, the trainers and refugees who choose to return to their world and loved ones may have a silver lining. And at the same time, the ones who choose to stay would be the ones willing to see the future of which mages and Pokémon can prosper...just as we have come to do." He looked down at Stoutland. "Isn't that right, old friend?"

"Yes, of course. I look forward to being at your side to see that happen!" he barked back.

Arthur's smile grew. "Yes, as do I." He turned back towards Marie. "Speaking of our antisocial acquaintance, what's become of his guild?"

"Let's see..." Marie flipped several papers through her clipboard, until she found a specific page. "It says here that Fairy Tail has taken the job posting for the sewers of Margaret Town."

"Really?" He chuckled. "Well now, I look forward to seeing what they do."

BOOM!

A sudden flash followed by an eruption from below nearly made Arthur jump out of his seat. Stoutland's ears stood up as he looked down with the others at the flash fading.

Far below, dust dispersed across the battlefield, revealing two Earthland mages groaning as they were on their butts. They looked ahead, their faces paling at the sight of an Electivire's antennae crackling as he stood in front of their fallen Watchog and Nidorina.

"Is that all you've learned?! I will drill battling properly into your heads if I must!" Charlotte's demanding tone and her furrowed brow was a bad combo. It didn't help when her Electivire stepped up, his arms engulfed in fire as he closed in on the two terrified mages.

Arthur blinked. "Well now...it's not like Charlotte to be engaging with the fodder as she would call them. At least she's being proactive in getting them prepared for these games."

"Yes, well, let's just hope she doesn't kill them in the process, sir..." Marie coughed nervously.

Another burst of lightning was followed by an explosion that engulfed the courtyard.

---

"Charmeleon, use Fire Fang!" At Natsu's command, Charmeleon jumped into the air, his maws seared in broiling flames. With a loud outcry, he snapped down on the nearby Zubat fluttering too close for its own good. The result was it being sent flying back amongst the roost of its species taking residence in the poorly lit chamber.

"Yeah, got another one!" Happy cheered.

"Man, these guys are weak. I thought this was supposed to be a challenge." Natsu complained, though words alone were enough to deter him from stopping his superb Dragon Slayer eyesight in the dark. "Charmeleon, above you!"

Charmeleon looked up, realizing that a Grimer was coming straight down for him. Just as he was preparing to dodge, fast-moving shards of ice struck Grimer in midair, sending it barreling to the ground. Charmeleon looked back towards his ally in the form of Snorunt.

"Help is on the way!" Snorunt hopped up and down, looking eager at his own leisure.

Gray stood behind him, the area frozen over with many of Grimer and Zubat frozen solid. "Hey, what's taking so long over there? Thought you'd be done by now."

Natsu furrowed his brow. "Hey, gimme a break, would ya? Not like I can freeze stuff like you can."

The job that the Cambire Foundation approved them for was one located in Margaret Town. The team's request entailed the need to help clear the sewers to allow construction workers to redo and possibly expand the waterways. Of course, the construction would also be supervised by Cambire Foundation associates and contractors that would bring in trained Pokémon for the job, too. The only problem was that aside from the atrocious smell, there was the matter of the residential Pokémon. They needed to be relocated if possible. Or at the very least cleared to another area in the sewers so that they didn't get in the way, hence the reason why Team Natsu was on the scene. What they weren't expecting, however, was how many Grimer, Zubat, and Rattata had taken the cesspool as their new home.

A swarm of Zubat fluttered near Wendy and Amaura. The former reached her hand out and pointed in their direction. "Now, Amaura, Icy Wind!"

"Okay!" Amaura gave a stiff nod before careening her head back. Her small mouth glowed bright blue before she lurched towards the Zubat, expelling a chilling-cold wind with ice sparkles. The freezing attack rushed through the damp sewer air and blew away much of the Zubat surrounding them.

"Nice one, Amaura!" Wendy cheerfully praised.

Carla kicked a Grimer away, pivoting with an annoyed look. "Can we hurry this along? Just how many more are there anyway?!"

"Doesn't look like that many over here." Wendy looked ahead, realizing that a small pack of Grimer were looking directly at her before expelling brown balls of their Sludge. The Poison-type attack drew closer, and as much as Wendy didn't like it, she sucked foul air into her strong lungs.

"Sky Dragon's Roar!"

With a mighty expulsion of air from her mouth, a raging cyclone tore clean through the Sludge, pushing the Grimer back far deep into the dark depths of the sewer. They al cried out in shock before vanishing like tiny stars. Wendy out her hands together, nervously smiling. "Sorry, hope you understand!"

More Grimer ganged up around Erza, but she looked anywhere from fazed. Come at me with all your strength, you slime fiends."

Taking offense, many of the Grimer growled before expelling Sludge at her. However, at the last second, red, shimmering armor appeared in front and took the attack, only for it to have no effect, much to the Grimer's surprise.

"Very well timed, Scizor." Erza praised.

Crossing her huge claws in front of herself, Scizor looked unfazed by the Poison-type attacks. "Don't mention it."

One Grimer was bold enough to open its mouth wider and expelled a brown ball of mud, via Mud Bomb. This time, Erza took the initiative and bisected the mud, causing it to explode behind her into mucky clouds. "Now...Bullet Punch!"

Scizor's claws glowed bright blue before she sprung at the bold Grimer. She reeled her right pincer back before slugging it clean into the Grimer's face, deeply depressing its face into its own body before flying back into several others behind, knocking them all down like bowling pins.

"Man, of all the jobs, why did it have to be one that stinks? Literally." Lucy groaned.

Klefki floated by her side. "But Lucy, don't you want to be part of these games? Come on! You can show at least a little spirit!" She chimed, twirling her body to show off her massive collection of Celestial Keys.

"Is that your idea of a joke?" Lucy sighed. Of course, she knew she was in the wrong to be complaining. She didn't ask for this, but at the same time, she was already here. If she was going to compete this time around, she needed to put in the effort. "Right, then I guess I better step up my game, too! Klefki!"

Klefki unhinged her key ring, selecting a golden key that she tossed towards Lucy. With one hand, Lucy caught it and held it out.

"Open: Gate of the Ram – Aries!"

A golden seal appeared before Lucy. The seal quickly vanished, and in place of it was Aries. "Um, yes, Miss Lucy?" The humanoid, feminine ram sheepishly quipped.

"Now..." Lucy placed the key to her collarbone, causing a bright glow to engulf her body. "Star Dress: Aries Form!" The glow disappeared around her body, revealing Lucy adorning her dress that resembled Aries. She stood beside Aries, ready to help contribute to the action.

"Ready, Aries?!"

Ares nodded. "Yes!"

Wild Rattata hissed before they lunged after Lucy and Aries. Many of their teeth glowed, whereas some were rushing in head-on. Lucy and Aries brought their arms and hands back as fluffy pink wool concentrated to a large mass.

"Wool Bomb!"

They fired a large mass of pink wool into the oncoming Rattata. All their eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets before they were completely overtaken by a soft blanket of wool that rendered them immobile.

"That's showing'em!" Lucy chimed. Klefki twirled and danced behind with glee.

"Now, Charmeleon, use Fire Fang!" Natsu shouted.

"Snorunt, Ice Fang!" Gray commanded.

Both Charmeleon and Snorunt leaped into the air, their mouths coated in either searing flames or icy energy jaws that protruded from the mouth. They cried out before they clamped down onto two Zubat that were too close, sending them careening into the depths of the sewers.

Natsu looked left and right, seeing either many of Pokémon defeated, incapacitated, or having been retreated from the scene. Aside from some of the sewer either being coated in wool sticking to the gunk, or partial frozen spots, the job went as intended. At least to their standards.

"Looks like that's the last of them." Natsu chimed. "Well, that was easy!" He turned towards Charmeleon. "How you feel, buddy?"

"Just fine. Thanks." Charmeleon raised his left claw, flexing for his trainer.

Wendy walked closer towards the team, her Amaura and Carla in tow. "Well, I guess that wasn't so bad...though I feel kinda bad. It's like we're kicking people out of their own homes."

"I suppose it can't be helped. It's our job after all, no sense of questioning that." Carla nodded, folding her arms.

"Guess you're right...hm? Hey, is it me, or does the smell down here seem a little stronger?"

Natsu sniffed the air. Thanks to his enhanced Dragon Slayer node, he was already suffering enough from the smell the sewage. But whatever this was smelled worse than it. More so than Joey's Trubbish of all things!

"Huh?" Charmeleon glanced at the sewer water, seeing something move towards Wendy's back. "Natsu, look!"

Natsu's eyes widened at what he saw. "Wendy, behind you!"

Wendy turned around, just as the sewer water erupted with a very large mass of purple sludge. From how close it was, it was almost impossible for Wendy to not cringe at the horrific stench this thing had. Luckily for her, Carla was adverse enough to pull Wendy away just as it mounted the pavement.

"Carla!"

"I'm fine, Wendy!" She looked back, seeing the sludge's mass having an actual form. "What's that? Another Grimer?!"

"It looks different somehow. Like a bigger version of it." Happy noted.

"I got it." Gray pulled out his PokeDex and held it up to scan the massive creature groaning aggressively at them.

"Muk, the Sludge Pokémon. From Muk's body seeps a foul fluid that gives off a nose-bendingly horrible stench. Just one drop of this Pokémon's body fluid can turn a pool stagnant and rancid."

"A Muk? That's where this foul smell is coming from?" Erza blinked. No wonder her nose felt like it was on fire. Though compared to her comrades, she was doing her best not to cringe...but even she had her limits. "How..." she lurched. "Incident..."

Muk groaned as he glared at them all. "Get out of here! This is my turf!" He opened his gaping maw wide, firing at the group with several large clumps of black sludge in volleys, via Sludge Bomb!

"Oh no you don't!" Lucy reached her hands out. "Wool Wall!" She summoned a wall of pink, fluffy wool that stood in front of everyone. Muk's sludge bombardment constantly pelted against the wall, barely dampening the front of its soft surface and made it sticky.

"Guys, this can't hold forever! We gotta act fast!" she shouted.

Erza stepped forward with Scizor. "If Grimer are Poison-type Pokémon, the best offense would be a Steel-type." She turned towards Scizor. "Scizor?"

Scizor nodded. "Right, just leave everything to-!"

"Everyone, stand back! This one's all mine!" Natsu suddenly rushed past the pair, much to everyone's surprise. Out of obligation, Charmeleon followed behind with gusto.

Lucy looked back. "Wait! Natsu-!"

Before she could finish her sentence, Natsu grabbed Charmeleon and ignited flames beneath a heel, creating a small explosion of flames that acted as a catapult to spring him over the wall of pink, fluffy wool to give him a great angle to strike Muk. His grip on Charmeleon fastened as he smirked.

"Alright, Charmeleon, ready?!"

"Yeah, but...hey!"

"Then use Flame Charge!" Without a moment's hesitation, Natsu hurled Charmeleon at Muk, much to the latter's misfortune. Charmeleon seared in flames as the added strength in Natsu's attack made him fly as fast as a comet. The Muk didn't even have time to register the attack before it connected with his forehead, sending a ripple from the top all the way down his slime-covered body. The attack was strong enough to send the Muk across the other side of the sewer water, crashing into the side of the wall.

Charmeleon landed, a red aura engulfing his body to indicate a Speed increase. "Ugh...what a rush..." He woozily said, turning towards Natsu. "Hey, a little warning next time you do something like that!"

"Sorry!" Natsu landed right beside him. They both turned and saw the Muk groaning as he stirred back up. He propped himself upright and glared back at the pair. "Looks like he's still got some fight in him."

Charmeleon growled as he put his claws up.

Muk growled before his maw opened again, expelling a singular brown ball of heavy mud, via Mud Bomb.

"Use Dragon Rage!" Natsu ordered.

"Okay!" Charmeleon opened his maw as dragonfire stirred deep within his gut. He careened his head back before expelling a powerful stream of black and blue flames with a dragon's head beamed across the sewer into the Mud Bomb's trajectory. Both attacks met over the water, creating a powerful explosion that rocked the sewer water.

The explosion's smoke served as a smokescreen to allow Natsu to lunge straight through with a fist engulfed in flames. "Sorry buddy, but you've gotta go!"

"Gnnngh, that's what you think!" Muk retorted. Natsu cried out as the sludge eyed him. "I've taken a liking to this new home, and I won't let some dumb human and his pet vacate me! You don't have the right!"

Natsu held his breath before slugging forward. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

"Minimize!" Muk's body emitted waves of pink cellular energy. In a split-second, his body became miniscule, causing Natsu to overshot himself and punch the wall behind Muk. Pieces of the wall caved in, nearly shattering to pieces.

Lucy yelped in shock.

"Hey, watch it! You wanna give them more work down here to do?!" Gray exasperated.

Natsu grunted as he pulled his fist back. He looked back only to find Muk was gone. "Where'd he go...?" He scouted left and right, but his eyes didn't see him anywhere. His hearing was perceptive, so he would have known if he heard a splash to indicate he was escaping through the waterways. But even so, his nose was wrinkling so much that he had no choice but to plug it with his hand. "Man, this guy really smells..."

From behind, Muk was still at miniscule size, but his maw was wide-open to expel another Sludge Bomb. Natsu cringed as the poisonous attack met its mark against his back, causing him to fall into the sewer water.

Charmeleon stepped closer towards the water. "Are you okay?!"

For a moment, they didn't get an answer. Suddenly, and explosion of water made him and everyone step back as Natsu landed on a knee next to Charmeleon, looking wary as he wiped his chin with a fist.

"Damn...didn't think this guy could change his size like Brandish can..." Natsu lurched. His body felt oddly numb as a purplish blush spread across his face. Toxic bubbles expelled from his body as he cringed. "Gngh!" He winced.

"Natsu, you're poisoned!" Lucy worried.

"That's not good." Gray groaned, facepalming himself. "Idiot."

Wendy moved closer to provide aid. "Hang on, I'll heal you!" She moved closer to him and got to a knee. She reached her hands towards his body as waves of green magical power transmitted from her onto Natsu. Gradually, he was feeling better by the second.

Muk groaned aggressively and fired another round of Sludge Bomb at the healing Dragon Slayer. Before the attack reached him, Erza was quick to intercept. "Scizor, X-Scissor!"

Scizor glided past everyone, crossing her glowing pincers and making a large, bright X-shaped energy slash that actually cut through the Poison-type attack. The sludge dispersed through the air as Scizor readjusted and positioned in front of Natsu.

"Erza!" Wendy gasped.

Erza glanced over at them. "Are you alright?"

She nodded. "Yeah, thanks." With her healing Natsu, she couldn't attack and distract Muk, which left her one option. She turned towards Amaura with a confident glare. "Amaura, use Aurora Beam!"

Amaura cried out as the sails on her head suddenly changed colors to match a glistening blue shade. A bluish green orb manifested in front of her mouth before a glowing green and black beam raced across the sewer water into Muk. But Muk's Minimize was still in effect. He shrank down freely as the borealis beam went into the wall, causing it to depress further.

From the cracks of the severely damaged wall, there was a small leak of freshwater. Though everyone was too focused on Muk as he resized himself upright with a low growl.

"And...there! Good as new!" Wendy pulled her hands away once she finished treating Natsu. With the poison expelled from his body, he felt good as new again, plus extra from being reenergized. He stood up and faced the opposing Muk with a renewed invigoration.

"Thanks for that, Wendy." He glared harder. "Okay then...let's see him try and evade this then!" He held up his left wrist, light glimmering from his Z-Ring. "I've been meaning to try out what this one does for a while now! Charmeleon!"

Charmeleon nodded. "You got it!"

Natsu inserted the Dragonium Z into the Z-Ring, making sure it clicked to signal that it was in. He crossed his arms over the other as the light of the Z-Crystal flashed with the draconic insignia. The hue within the sewers diminished to give emphasis on the light the crystal had behind Charmeleon. He and Natsu struck the same pose that they've seen from the example sheets and had one arm up, with the other down, like a pair of jaws ready to snap.

Indigo Z-Power transmitted around Natsu into Charmeleon through an overhead arch. The energy gradually faded from Natsu's body and fully enveloped Charmeleon. The indigo energy gradually gathered into a singular mass in between his claws, which of course startled Muk.

"What the-?!"

"I've been waiting for this..." Natsu sneered. "Now, Charmeleon! Go! DEVASTATING DRAKE!"

Charmeleon let out a bombastic, draconic roar as the air violently trembled around him. He thrust his claws forward, expelling an indigo-colored energy that shaped into the skeletal structure of a serpentine dragon with wings. The length it took up surprised everyone as it surged through the sewer atmosphere, crying out as its maw opened wide for Muk. His eyes widened in horror mere moments before the attack's force sent him crushing into the fractured wall. A massive explosion of draconic energy sent sewer water and debris everywhere within the shockwaves. Everyone either shielded themselves or backed away from the edge of the pavement.

It took several moments for the energy and smoke to fully dissipate. But when Natsu and Charmeleon looked back, they saw the results being of the opposing Muk engraved into the wall, cracks running like lightning within the pavement. That, and mixed with the full-scale Z-Move within an enclosed space, the damage lived up to the Z-Move's name.

"Now that's what I like to see!" Natsu smiled, laughing uproariously in their triumphant display. "I liked that one for sure!"

"Haha! Yeah!" Charmeleon cheered.

Gray unshielded himself, his naked upper half coated in stagnant, murky water. "Geez, maybe next time a little warning perhaps?"

"Bleck! Gross! Definitely not ice!" Snorunt gagged, turning away after accidentally getting a small taste of the sewer water in his mouth.

"Are you alright, Wendy?" Carla asked, turning towards the Sky Dragon Slayer.

"Yeah Carla, Amaura and I are just fine, right?" She looked over, seeing Amaura give them a nod. Her frills changed to a brighter shade to show her jovial mood. "That's good to hear."

Erza sighed before she stepped forward. Aside from Muk, there didn't seem to be anymore opponents. "It looks like the coast is clear now. Let's hurry and begin the relocation before anything else shows up."

Lucy nodded. "Yeah, good ide-"

CRACK!

Everyone stiffened. They heard a crack, and then another. They all turned towards the wall where Muk was sprawled in front of. They saw water leaking out of some cracks, with many more cracks constantly surfacing. Some poured water in larger quantities to look like faucets running.

"Um, guys...what's going on...?" Lucy nervously quipped. A chill ran up her spine, and it wasn't because of the stench in the air.

"Um...is the wall leaking water?" Wendy blinked.

Erza gasped. 'Oh no...'

Before any of them realized it, the entire wall collapsed, causing a flood of water to sweep throughout the sewers and them along with it.

---

Staraptor overlooked Junior, who was finally asleep. Laying on the soft couch, his soft body took the comfort of the pillows as an inviting substitute of his mother's feathered wings. Staraptor used her beak and gently dragged a small, thin blanket to keep Junior warm and snug as he laid in comfort.

She ran her wing over his head, giving him an endearing smile. "Sweet dreams." She chirped softly. She pulled away, making sure that Junior truly was asleep. Once she was certain that he was, she exhaled softly. Now that he was asleep, she could finally get just a little time to do what she yearned for most. She was so excited that she could feel her feathers ruffle. Finally, finally...she could stretch her wings and work up her restlessness.

Exiting the living room, she found her way towards the backdoor, where she opened it with her beak. She made sure to open and close it without making much sound that it would reawaken the child.

"Staraptor, hey."

The avian stopped and looked over her shoulder at her trainer drawing closer. Nic stopped a few paces away, his body having worked up more than a little sweat after working out and training all day with the others individually. "I was just about to see if you were ready. So, Junior finally asleep?"

Staraptor sighed as she walked down the short flight of wooden stairs to the trimmed grassy fields of their backyards. "Yes, for now at least. I swear, the kid really knows how to keep me on my talons. Can hardly look away without him splashing all over the place."

Nic massaged the back of his neck as he walked out towards the fields. "Yeah, well, as long as he doesn't break anything." He shot her a glance. "Sounds like he's been keeping you busy."

Staraptor smirked. "That's putting it mildly-!"

In the blink of an eye, an axe kick came down that she reacted to in a flash. She raised a talon and caught the axe kick, sending an airwave across the field.

The tension suddenly took a 180 as Staraptor could see it up close, the steadfast and unyielding look in Nic's deep blue eyes. Her red eyes shot back a serious glare of its own. A blue aura engulfed Nic as her Intimidate Ability reduced his strength, but only by a little.

"Looks like you haven't lost your touch." Nic sneered.

"As if I'd ever let myself slip-up." Staraptor humorously chimed back.

The two held out their stalemate for another second before Nic decided to push her. "Let's just see about that." As his mouth opened wide, Staraptor's reflexes kicked in again. She broke off and shot into the air at lightspeed moments before a bombastic Hyper Voice surged throughout the area, engulfing the backyard's surface. Grass and thick clumps of dirt unearthed by the boisterous shockwaves, sending a dense vibration deep throughout the area.

With Staraptor in the air above, she was able to evade the attack. However, she didn't dawdle. 'That initial attack just now, no doubt about it. He's adapting to having his strength lowered by my Ability, by using Special Attack moves.'

Nic didn't dare move. He looked up and saw that Staraptor's immense Speed came in handy to overshot her fault of Special Attacks. But like her, he wasn't going to pat himself on the back when he needed to exploit more of what he can do to get around his opponents. And also, how Staraptor can adapt.

Making haste, Nic glowed and transformed into a cross between his Dread Form and Spooky Form. He glared at Staraptor and took the initiative. "Taunt!"

A dark aura enveloped him, in which encompassed Staraptor. The aura stuck to her body as she glared down at Nic. 'I see, so he's limiting my moves. I can't use Double Team and get an evasive advantage. And Close Combat is out of the question...' She smirked. 'Very well then.'

Nic watched carefully as Staraptor suddenly flapped her wings and shot towards the ground, making a shockwave in the process. Her body became a blur as she used Aerial Ace and brought a talon out to attack. Nic retaliated by raising his arms, encompassing his own body in a crimson aura. He slammed them down to project an immense Night Daze that unleashed a dark and crimson forcefield outwards at the exact point Staraptor met Nic's hands.

BOOOOOOOM!

The battlefield erupted again, this time into a monstrous hemisphere of dark crimson energy that swirled within the backyard. A pulse wave even went upwards. The shockwave diminished as a light inside spun like a drill. The darkness faded to reveal the silverish light belonging to Staraptor as she used Steel Wing to project the long-range energy blast around herself to avoid damage.

When it cleared away, Nic was gone. As if he vanished like a ghost. "He's gone...no." She knew this would be too easy. She knew what Nic was trying out, and with her ability to adapt, she realized what this meant.

'In my shadow!'

Subconscious kicked in, making her flip in place as her blackened shadow suddenly protruded out with a Shadow Sneak. Time slowed down as Staraptor saw the shadow sliding upwards, but in that instant, she saw a purple needle in the form of Night Slash by Nic, jumping out of the shadow.

'Using a priority move to get close...mending myself for my next move!' Nic slashed swiftly, but Staraptor's Steel Wing activated again, in which she deflected the needle to her right, barely grazing the feathers on her cheek.

Nic's gaze remained firm in the brief frozen frame. 'So physical still isn't any good. In that case...' He dropped to the ground, performing a backflip before Staraptor brought her shimmering wing down in a chop. Another geyser of erupting earth split apart from her sheer power that sent tremors through the yard.

Nic balanced himself on one hand, performing an upside-down kick to deflect the debris. 'Let's try this!'

"Fake Tears!"

Nic closed his eyes, before they reopened to reveal makeshift animated tears. The act, while it didn't do anything to Staraptor to an emotional level, a dense blue aura engulfed her, signaling a sharp Special Defense decline. She hovered a few feet in the air before the dark aura of Taunt dissipated around her, signaling her capabilities to use Status moves.

Nic glowed, turning his Dark-type half into his Zap Form half. As an Electric/Ghost-type, he stood still as Staraptor spread her wings,

"Double Team!"

A white flash from her body flourished before illusionary clones of herself spread vastly around her. They filed up and suddenly took off in a wild flock over Nic's head in an attempt to disorient him. He didn't fall for it. Instead, his body crackled with lightning before the ground was scorched the next instant.

ZAP!

Reappearing in a flashy bolt of lightning in the sky, Nic was in the center of the flock, electricity crackling around his body before his eyes widened. He roared outwards as he expelled a mighty Shock Wave, letting loose a bright yellow streaky, electric wave that instantly darted in one singular direction through the flock. Clones that were gaping between the real Staraptor and the bolt were instantly vaporized.

She had to act fast! Staraptor somersaulted in place before breaking into another intense divebomb towards the ground. The Shock Wave instantly changed direction and followed her straight towards the ground, gradually pressuring to a single point. She maintained a heavy speed bomb and twisted her body, readying a wing.

"Close Combat!"

With the force of a mighty hammer, the wing's tip struck the earth, depressing earth to cracked earth became large plates. The earth trembled immensely from the sheer might of her Fighting-type attack that had rocks briefly defying gravity.

As the Shock Wave drew near, her red eyes glimmered in the yellow flashes it gave off. She swept her talon and repeatedly kicked and batted debris at the attack to used as a shield. The debris blocked the lightning, creating a brief smoke burst that was preceded with a barrage of stones and large earthly plates heading right for Nic. With his Ghost-type powers, Nic fazed straight through the debris heading for him at lightning speeds. The rocks crackled with static as he bolted through them.

Staraptor's reflexes were on point as she didn't even blink. She used her wing and deflected the Thunder Punch from the right fist over to her right side.

Time drastically slowed down as the impact with the Thunder Punch to the ground was enough the depress more of the earth, discharging lightning on the same sides as Nic and Staraptor's faces. Their blue and red eyes showed a longing passion as the adrenaline and direness of the training was just beginning.

Nic followed through with the deflecting, twisting with lightning in his left hand as Staraptor brought a glowing wing back...

Poof!

"Cooo!" Junior appeared between the two, catching them both completely by surprise.

'Junior?!' they thought in unison.

At the last possible nanosecond, they got their feet ahead and pulled apart. Staraptor used her talons to anchor herself as she slid back. Nic became a lightning bolt and pulled away until he landed on a knee several meters away.

The tension in the air was immense, but at that instant, their momentum was brought to a halt when Junior stood there with a puzzled look. He looked shocked that they were so close one moment and then so far away the next.

Nic and Staraptor were so raptured in the epiphany rising, they were almost taken back when the electrified earth Nic fazed through earlier crashed into the ground around him. One boulder, ironically enough, came crashing over Nic, seemingly crushing him.

Staraptor looked on, her worries only there for a split-second before fading when Nic walked out in a translucent fixture, his body barely crackling static as he turned tangible. He glowed and returned to his standard form as he and Staraptor found themselves fixated on the culprit of the sudden reprieve.

"Junior?" Staraptor squawked. "What are you doing up?"

Nic blinked, processing how fast Junior intervened between them. 'That just now...did he just teleport?'

Junior ignored Nic and turned towards Staraptor, waving his arms up and bawling loudly. "Waaaaah!" he cried. "Waaaaah!"

Staraptor slowly walked up to him, picking him up in her feathers to try and ease his crying. "Ssshhh! Ssshhh! Hey, it's alright now. No need to cry." Junior didn't stop crying, even as he buried his face into her soft chest feathers. She sighed. "The poor thing must have been startled from our training."

"Yeah, guess we were rather loud..." Nic's neutral expression was barely holding back a scowl. While he was getting into the fight, he was honestly expecting their little spar to go on for just a little longer. But now that Junior was in the way, his and Staraptor's personal training had to be brought to a halt then and there.

"There, there. Were you scared that your Mommy would get hurt?" Staraptor comforted the child.

"C-Coooo..." Junior sniffled. He turned to look back at Nic, before hiding himself back into her chest.

"It's alright...there's nothing to worry about. Mommy was just training with Uncle Nic, that's all." She gingerly pulled him away to see his face. All she could do in spite of what she wanted was grin. "It's okay...do you want to play?"

Junior's yellow eyes lit up with joy. "Coooo!"

Staraptor chuckled. "Alright." She turned towards Nic, her expression falling only a little. "Sorry, Nic..."

"It's fine. Do what you gotta do."

Another set of footsteps were heading their way. "I see I wasn't the one to interrupt this time."

Nic turned towards the voice, recognizing the familiar head of red hair. His annoyance faded enough to make him feel eased seeing Erza return, with Scizor in tow. He grinned softly at his wife. "Erza, hey."

She walked up to him, dryly smirking. "I was just about to cut in, but it looks like I was beaten. How unfortunate." She chimed.

Once Staraptor and Junior were far away, the couple found themselves alone at last. Nic glowed and turned to his Meadow and Earth form hybrid and stamped his heel on the ground. As the earth was reshaping and filling in holes strewn across the backyard, the two found themselves conversing.

"So, how'd the job go?"

Erza sighed heavily. Judging from the rather unpleasant smell she was giving off, he had a good idea of how it turned out.

"It was...eventful. Our job entailed us to clear out the inhabitance within Margaret Town's sewer system. It was going swell...that is, until Natsu decided to use a Z-Move. We had no idea that the wall was directly beside the canal system. Now it'll take forever to fix that and drain the sewers of excess water." She pinched the bridge of her nose just thinking about it. "It was bad enough, but we weren't able to get approval to consider the job complete. So unfortunately, we couldn't get a reward."

"Really? That's a letdown." Nic sounded more neutral than he was concerned. Though, knowing Natsu's reckless and straightforward style to fighting, not to mention his habit of apparent destruction on jobs, it was to be expected. As far as he knew, restraint wasn't something anybody practiced in the guild.

Erza shook her head. "It was a real shame, too. Lucy was pretty upset about the whole ordeal...and now it'll take several showers to get this smell off of me." She looked away in sheepish embarrassment.

"Guess it can't be helped." Nic looked ahead, seeing landscape becoming even again. Another seismic wave expelled from his heel when he pressed down, sending green energy throughout the terrain. Instantly, grass regrew to a healthy state to make it look like nothing happened.

Erza sighed again. "Well, that aside, this just means that we'll have to try our luck again with another job. Hopefully one that isn't so confining." She shot Nic a look. "Speaking of which, when was the last time you've been on a job?"

"Yeah, guess it has been a while." Nic frowned, scanning the layout. "Maybe..."

Erza paused. She noticed something was off from Nic judging from his neutral tone. "Nic...is everything alright?"

Nic blinked as he looked back at her. "Yeah, why?"

"You seem rather...disinterested. What's on your mind? Are you really not that interested in helping us compete this year?" She stepped forward. "All you've been doing is training ever since we've gotten back from Alola. Wouldn't you rather put your skills into a more proactive use in the field?"

Nic sighed out his nose. It wasn't an easy subject for him to tiptoe over. If anything, he'd much rather has this personal debate left at a better time. But he knew delaying the inevitable wasn't a healthy mindset, and it wasn't beneficial to keep things from his pushy wife. Still, it wasn't like he had a bad reason for skipping guild work, either.

"Well...how should I put this?"

"Cooo!"

They both turned around at the familiar cry from a distance. They saw Junior bouncing around, to which Staraptor followed. "You're certainly jumpy just after five minutes of sleep, mister."

Erza watched with a smile as she watched the two play about in the fields. Junior splashed about along the grass, laughing as Staraptor glided around after him. The sight was as adorable as it was envious to her. She looked over at Nic to see his soft smile...but it wasn't there.

Instead, there was a yearning look in his own eyes. It was envy in a way, but unlike the merriment that Erza saw, his gaze was more of like looking back at something that was lost. Just looking into his eyes alone was enough to let her know what he was thinking as he stared at them.

'So, that's it.'

Erza folded her arms, lowering her head with a solemn nod. "I see now. It's because you don't want to leave Staraptor behind, is that right?"

Nic looked at Erza again, mildly surprised that she figured out his motives. He closed his eyes and calmed himself before responding. "...yeah. Sorry if that's not a good enough reason." He was half-expecting Erza to scold him for thinking rather selfishly, but he was surprised when she grabbed his hand, intertwining their fingers.

"Nic...I know that feeling, too. Believe me. If I were you, I wouldn't feel the same either. I can't tell you how many times that I was able to win all those battles thanks to Scizor and Aegislash." Erza shot a quick glance at Scizor. She reciprocated the gesture. "I'm so used to having her and my other Pokémon by my side that I'm not sure what I would do without them. I'm certain that I would feel as stubborn about leaving them behind when I would rather have them by my side the whole time."

Nic raised a brow. "You mean them, or your weapons and armor?"

Erza scoffed. She wasn't gonna lie that having armor and weapons on hand isn't something she wouldn't find convenient when she's low on magic, but she didn't have to tell Nic that. "Look...despite how people may portray you, I know you as well as your Pokémon. You're a selfless person, and you care deeply and try your best to consider everyone around you. What you're doing right now for Staraptor's case isn't any different...it's all part of growing up. Sometimes...you can't stop these changes."

Nic looked back at Staraptor, watching her hop around and acting like a mother for Junior. As she spread her wings and ascended towards the sky, the sun glimmered on her feathers. Junior looked in slow-motion awe as he watched Staraptor dance with grace through the air, keeping him fully mesmerized. Watching her beautiful frame in the skies, her red eyes had a passion that reflected in the glow of his irises.

"Cooo!" He happily bounced up and down. As Staraptor glided down to take him through the air, he happily jumped into her talons, and laughed happily as she carried him through the skies.

Nic looked on, unable to bring himself to feel any sense of guilt. He knew that Erza was right about these things. Time was one matter that no matter what magic or power is acted upon, it still goes on. And things change with time. It was as if yesterday he was sleeping in trees or on floors. It was ironic how much he changed according to her.

Even so, change wasn't something that would be accepted right away. This was no different. Putting up a fight with fists was one thing, but matters of aspect wasn't something fists could solve.

He found himself silently watching as Staraptor glided through the air with Junior, the winds picking up to make the two drift higher and farther away. "...yeah, guess you're right."

Meanwhile, observing from afar, Shiin watched through his pair of magic binoculars. He remained hidden in the high cliffs where above, Butterfree passed over with a chime.

---

The long day eventually turned to night. The guild's day was more or less done. The guild hall was closed by Mirajane, and everyone else had already retired for the evening.

Lucy sauntered from her bathroom, wearing nothing but short red shorts and a white tank top for sleepwear. Klefki and Staryu didn't need an explanation as to why she seemed a little worn out.

"Ugh, great. That was like my third bath, and yet I still feel gross..." Lucy had to hold back the urge to gag. Either from her own sense of smell, or perhaps she accidentally swallowed some sludge water. She was too tired to think too deeply into it and flopped onto her bed face-first.

"You okay, Lucy?" Klefki asked.

BEEP BEEP Staryu blinked.

"Yeah...I'm just tired is all." Lucy groaned, the sheets muffling her speech. She turned her head to stare at the foot of her bed, meekly groaning. "Honestly, you'd think after all this time that Natsu of all people would know a thing or two about restraint. This didn't help me at all with my little Writer's Block problem. How am I supposed to make such a good ending with days like these...?"

Klefki drifted onto her bedside. "It's okay, Lucy. Some days are better than others. You still have tomorrow."

"Yeah, guess you're not wrong about that." Lucy flipped onto her back, staring at the ceiling. "Say, Klefki, Staryu."

"Hm?"

BEEP?

"What do you guys think? Think we can actually compete this year?"

Klefki and Staryu stared blankly at their lamenting trainer before giving confused looks to each other. Lucy didn't expect them to understand. After all, Pokémon had just recently came around. The last few Grand Magic Games wouldn't have meant anything to them. But even so, Klefki did her best to try and be selfless about her testimony.

"I mean, I don't see why not, Lucy. You can do it if you try hard enough." Klefki chimed, swinging her many celestial keys from side to side.

Lucy turned to her with genuine interest. "You really think so?"

Staryu jumped onto her opposite bedside, looking down at her. BEEP-BEEP BEEPBEEPBEEP BEEP

"Yeah, we're in this with you, Lucy. You don't have to feel so sad. We're here if you need us."

"You guys..." Lucy's eyes softened. She was so thankful that she had wonderful friends like them. The earlier pity she had upon herself had gradually turned into a rejuvenated enthusiasm. "...right! Then tomorrow, I'll just have to make sure I get to where I need to be!"

"Yeah!" Klefki cheered.

"And I'll be counting on you guys, too." Lucy winked. "Especially since I'm trusting you to hold onto my spirits, Klefki. I don't know what I would do without you guys."

"Me neither! Especially since you've gave me all these awesome keys~!" She twirled in the air with glee...until she corkscrewed herself a little too high and slammed her key top into the room's ceiling. She found herself wedged into the drywall, much to her chagrin.

"K-Klefki!" Lucy angrily quipped.

"Sorry, got a little excited..." She nervously giggled. "But, um, can someone help me? Pretty please?"

Beeeeeep... Staryu sulked its limbs in lament.

---

Underneath the night sky, Natsu was walking back to his little home, letting out a loud yawn. "Home sweet home..." he muttered. He never felt so relieved to be back at his place, not since he returned from his one-year training mission. No matter how much time passed, the house was the same as it always was – shabby but functional.

Happy glided right beside him. "Well, that job was a bust." He commented. "Really shouldn't have used a Z-Move then and there, pal."

"Hey, it wasn't my fault that the canals were directly behind the wall. He should have just moved to a different spot." Natsu retorted. "Besides, that jerk of a sludge deserved it after poisoning me like that."

"Your loss. This just means we aren't gonna be getting that spot today."

"Hey, quit it would ya?! I said I was sorry like a dozen times!" Natsu snapped.

"Saying sorry won't fix the dilemma. It's gonna take them forever to get that water out. That will probably come out of our next job, too."

Natsu grumbled beneath his breath. In truth, he really didn't mean to push it that far. He was just trying to complete the task given to him – and get stronger Pokémon in the process. He looked down towards his side where his third opinion lied. "Yo, Charmeleon, what about you?"

Unlike Natsu and Happy, Charmeleon was much less talkative. Either it was because he almost died by that huge wave of water threatening to burn out his tail, or perhaps of his own judge of character – more accurately speaking, for Natsu. It wasn't exactly easy to discuss with Natsu...especially since he wasn't the most decisive person on the planet.

"Charmeleon? Hey, what's up?"

"Huh?" Barely snapping out of his thoughts, Charmeleon caught himself before tripping. "Huh? Oh, sorry...were you saying something?"

"I was gonna ask ya if you were okay or not. You look a little tired there, buddy."

"Yeah, did you get poisoned, too?" Happy worried.

Charmeleon shook his head. "Huh? Oh, no. I, uh...just a little tired is all. Been battling my fair share really exhausts me." He scratched the back of his head with a claw. "Uh, maybe I should...rest in my Poke Ball for a little while."

Natsu blinked in confusion. "...you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" He held up his claws like he was bracing for a fight. "I'm always up for a battle, you know that. I just need a little rest is all."

"Well, if you insist." Natsu brought up Charmeleon' Poke Ball, but not before giving him his trademark smile. "Get some rest! I'll be counting on you tomorrow, pal."

Charmeleon tiredly smirked. "Yeah." The laser struck him, instantly converting him into energy that retreated into the Poke Ball.

"Huh...guess he really was tired." Natsu figured.

"Hey, Natsu? Maybe you should slow it down." Happy advised. Natsu gave him a conspicuous look. "Don't you think that you're overdoing it with Charmeleon just a little bit? I mean, you've been battling with him nonstop."

"I don't see the problem in that. Don't Pokémon get stronger whenever they win battles?" Natsu countered. "Besides, I give Darumaka and Tyrunt plenty of turns too. It's not like I'm forgetting them. Actually..." He held up a clenched fist. "I've been thinking about getting some extra training in. That way, we'll be ready to beat whoever we face in these games!" he uproariously laughed in excitement. "So maybe we didn't get that job, there's always the next one! And we'll just do all of them until we reach thirty. No sweat!"

Happy heavily sighed. 'At this point, he can just melt the colosseum again...' He glided past Natsu until he reached the door. "Well if Charmeleon falls flat on his face beforehand, don't say I didn't warn ya."

Natsu furrowed his brow. He didn't quite get what Happy meant, but he knew well enough that if push comes to shove, he could always give Charmeleon a little breather. But aside from jobs and battling the other guildmembers on a daily basis, what would be the problem?

His thought process diverted him back towards the Tartarus incident, when Igneel had to team up with Mega Rayquaza just to get even with the accursed Acnologia. He then thought about his losses against Sandshrew, Joey's Gyarados, and that Hariyama from Seven. 'I can get strong Pokémon, too. Just watch me. I won't fall behind again and fail my friends.'

He subconsciously clutched Charmeleon's Poke Ball tightly before going inside.

---

Inside the shared household of Vanessa and Sophie, a loud groan was heard from the couch, where Krookodile sat with a claw beneath his massive maw. "...well, today was boring. WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO TOMORROW, HUH?!" he shouted.

Mawile cringed in annoyance. "Sheesh, can you tone it down a little? Not our fault you're not easily entertained." She shrugged. "Maybe you should get a hobby?"

Krookodile glared at her with an accusing claw at her. "Let me tell you something, Mawile! Krookodile only has one hobby! AND THAT'S BITING FACES OFF!"

Mawile despondently gleamed back. "That's sounds more like a lifestyle habit than a hobby."

Just as Krookodile got up off the couch and stomped over, Venusaur intervened between them. "Alright you two, enough. It's much too late to try and get a reaction." He turned towards Krookodile. "Take it easy, Krookodile. I'm sure we'll have plenty to do tomorrow."

Krookodile turned away, huffing with his snout up. "Fine...but not because you told me to!"

Mawile pouted as she turned away. "Alright, alright...though it's not my fault the big lug can't take his leg being pulled..."

Catching his murmur through his perceptive hearing, Krookodile whipped back. "Let me tell you something, Mawile! Ain't nobody pulling Krookodile's leg, without Krookodile BITING THEIRS!" He snarked, before walking away.

Goodra watched Krookodile walk past her, earning a raised brow from him. "What?" Goodra put her gooey hands up in innocence as he continued away.

"Well, someone's in a bad mood." Magnezone mused.

Venusaur nodded in agreement. "Yes. Probably because Vanessa was working on her own spells instead. She looked fairly focused."

Magnezone's red eye glowed. "That's an understatement. It seems like only a short while before she finally grew up to become a responsible Pokémon Trainer..."

Venusaur found himself with a small sense of curiosity. An epiphany came to his mind. "It's...probably not in my place to ask but...you knew Vanessa before she became a trainer, right? That must have been a very...immense experience."

Magnezone paused again, thinking of Venusaur's wording his past regarding the Pularis family. His magnets still hummed from time to time whenever he thought about the times he had to forcibly shock Nic. Though thankful that he was able to look past it and be forgiven, it doesn't always stop the few dreams he has of such suppressing times.

Despite those contemplative feelings, he didn't feel the guilt like he would have from the Impure Underworld incident. "Yes, it was...but even so, it's best to look forward and make the best of that experience." If he had a mouth, he would have smiled. "That's what Mark did. That's enough of a reason for me to feel free."

Venusaur couldn't help but grin. Rather than press the matter on, he chose to focus his energies on drawing in the living room's natural lighting into his flower.

Goodra let out a small yawn, though as amusing as retiring for the night seemed, she couldn't help but look over at where Delphox was. She was sitting on an adjacent couch, her long stick for a wand extended with a scorching tip. She was looking at the small flame for what had to be a while, just to roll around the time.

The dragon tilted her head. "Are you trying to look into the future again?"

"Something like that, yes." Delphox's tone was as composed as her mindset. "Supposedly, anything to help retain my own sanity from Krookodile's short-sightedness."

"I HEAR THAT!" Krookodile shouted from the other room.

Delphox and Goodra turned to each other and giggled. It was days like these that weren't too eventful. But it also served as a means to help them catch up to speed. In Delphox's case, it was to help maintain and focus her psychic powers. Though Goodra didn't have a wand, so all she could do was lounge and try not to cover any furniture in her slime.

"Do you ever feel like a mage whenever you use your wand?" Goodra questioned.

Delphox's large ears twitched. "Sometimes. Why? You see me with a robe and wizard hat?" She chuckled in amusement at the thought. Now that she thought about it, imagining herself in human robes and dubbing a sorceress-like theme did seem enticing. "Though I apologize on your behalf. I understand having a body of slime is rather troublesome in terms of clothing."

Goodra rubbed the back of her neck. "Hehe, it's no big deal. I can barely see myself in just a vest anyways. Maybe a scarf, too..." Her tail slung in and out. "And also, I've been working on controlling the thickness of my slime. Something to do with how much water I drink or something."

"Huh...well be sure to stay hydrated...even though your Ability isn't Hydration." Delphox teased. She found herself gradually drawn into the small flame, her eyes narrowing as she tuned out everything around her.

Silence fell around her. Everything to her was turned mute; from the stomping of Krookodile in the other room, to the crackling of her flame. Nothing. Just the bright, burning center that she solemnly focused on. The longer she stared, the clearer her find felt. Just as she had thought clarity was met, her ears perked as her eyes widened. A shirt breath escaped her lips at something.

"Delphox?" Goodra raised a brow...but was completely ignored.

At the base of the flames, Delphox saw something faint, but very...disturbing. She thought she saw shadows moving through the fire, cries heard as humans were being pinned down or thrown projectiles. There was what looked like a city that was overrun by monstrous shadows, to which many bodies were trying to fight against. From what she saw, she could only deduce one thing: Carnage.

"Delphox!"

The shout was enough to snap Delphox out of her trance. She turned towards Mawile, who sat beside her cross-legged. "Hey, about time! You were spacing pretty deep there on us."

"Oh...m-my apologies." Delphox stuttered. She actually stuttered. The others exchanged confused looks, but with it getting late and the job opportunities tomorrow, they chose to not pry too much.

"I think it's time we turn in. Maybe some rest will serve us well." Venusaur advised.

"Yes, very much so." Delphox humbly nodded. She gave her wand one more look, her brow furrowing. 'The future...what was it? Whatever it was...I have a feeling about this.'

As she got up, she couldn't help but feel her fur itch.

Soon enough, they were all withdrawn into their Poke Balls for the evenings. Vanessa met Sophie at the stairwell after turning off the first-floor lights. "We should get to bed. We're going to start looking for jobs in the morning related to the Cambire Foundation."

Sophie shot her a mischievous grin. "Oh, most definitely...that is, once you learn to get out of bed after nine o'clock."

"Right." A short silence fell between the two before Vanessa spoke again. "So, you going to help Joey train, I presume?"

Sophie eyerolled. "Something like that. He wanted to teach me something that he's been teaching his Pokémon. I believe that he calls it 'twerking'?"

Vanessa musingly chuckled. That sounded like Joey alright. "That sounds entertaining. Though, I doubt how that'll function in a fight."

Sophie shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. But this is Joey we're talking about. With him, you never know what to expect."

Vanessa's smirk widened. "I suppose you're not wrong. He's an interesting character, and that's putting it mildly."

Sophie mischievously smirked. "Someone sounds a little envious~. I wonder why you say that of all things about him? Considering that I'm the one who he knows better."

Vanessa smugly scoffed. "It's just an observation." She raised a brow. "Besides that, he's fanatic about me and Nic. You sure he knows you better than me?"

"Well I hang out with him quite often. And despite how...feminine he can be at times, he definitely knows how to look after your back. He's a left fielder...but he's as human as you can get."

Vanessa fell silent. She wasn't going to disagree with Sophie's statement. And in a sense, Sophie was in the right. Joey has been hanging out with her a lot more than usual. Though she didn't know why she was so invested on the subject of Joey to begin with. She wasn't going to deny that she knew that Joey had been through quite a bit as a mage, even experiencing the death of a close mentor-figure.

When she thought about the time when he and Sophie were out by the pond that night, she knew it wasn't best to pry. At this point, she could understand why the two hang out a lot – because while Vanessa was sleeping away, Joey could relate to the fellow blonde in her place. She didn't know whether what she was feeling, but what she did know was that this feeling she had in the pit of her gut was starting to ache.

"Guess you're right...goodnight, Sophie."

"Goodnight, Vanessa."

They separated not their own rooms. But while Sophie was looking carefree and looking ahead, Vanessa stopped and looked back over her shoulder as her best friend got farther away. She turned away to walk towards her own bedroom, turning off the hallway lights along the way.

---

"No..." The soft sound of a paper ball knock on the door for the umpteenth time. It ricocheted off the wood towards Trubbish, who ate it. "No, already did that." Another scrunch sound was heard before another paper ball was thrown and knocked on the door, to which fell towards Trubbish's mouth. "That was last year's gimmick...nah..."

The door opened, causing Trubbish to belch in shock and move to allow Dereece to step in. "Captain? You still awa-!" He was cut off when a paper ball flew into his face, making him cringe. "What the...?"

Over by Joey's desk, the light lacrima was on to allow Joey to see what he was writing with a black pen. However, the more he scribbled, the more annoyed he was getting. "Ugh! No, that's too easy!" He tore the piece of paper out of the notebook and scrunched it into another paper ball. He lobbed it over his shoulder, to which Dereece dodged. Trubbish was more than delighted to catch it in her mouth, though.

"Joey...? Something wrong?" Dereece chimed in, walking closer towards Joey and his desk. "What's going on here?"

"Nothing, Dereece. Just outing together I've been meaning to do for a while now." Joey quipped, not bothering to take his eyes off the blank sheet of paper.

Dereece blinked before finding himself drawn towards a sheet of paper off to Joey's left that he had yet to throw away. He held it up and scrutinized the crude font of the title. "Joey's Bucket List." He turned towards Joey. "You're making a bucket list, Joey?"

"Yeah, Dereece. After the time we've spent here on Earthland, I realized something. What exactly did we accomplish?"

Dereece stopped and thought about it before listing everything. "Uh, well...we took down an entire empire, we stopped a tyrant businessman from getting Moon Drip, and we stopped a massive parasitic race from feasting on other lifeforms."

Joey tapped his index finger against his cheek. "...okay, sure, get technical, Dereece. But I mean the stuff that makes us feel fulfilled. We won't know how long we have, be it tomorrow, or next week, or even before my next birthday! Which is why if I'm gonna live, I'm gonna live extra big!"

Trubbish raised her flippers and belched in agreement.

Dereece raised a brow. In a sense, Joey wasn't entirely wrong. He was right that he wouldn't know how long they would survive in a world as crazy as this one. With magic that could kill them, it was best to make the most of what they had before they lost it.

"Lemme see what you have so far..." Dereece looked at the list's first subject and read it aloud. "#1: Get Laid."

A short silence fell in the bedroom as Joey froze with an expectant look. Dereece's face turned despondent as he slowly craned his head towards him. "...really?" he muttered.

Joey shook his head, shrugging in innocence. "What? C'mon, it's something you've gotta try at least once in your life."

Dereece eyerolled with a hefty groan. "Anyways..." He looked at the next item below. "#2: Drop a Potato from Space." He shot Joey another look. "Now why this?!"

Joey shrugged. "Because I wanna see if it'll cook on its way back down into the atmosphere. You know how it takes forever to bake in an oven in aluminum foil, and even then it doesn't come out perfect. But if you wrapped it in aluminum and dropped it from space, it catches on fire. So that way, when it hits the ground, it's instant ready."

Dereece wanted to question the sheer stupidity of such an idea. But with this being Joey of all people, and the chances of them going to space being slim to not at all, he didn't bother dwelling on it. He rolled his eyes to the next item below. "#3: Throw the Biggest Party in the History of Earthland."

Somehow, that one felt like a no-brainer, but Dereece refrained from commenting aloud on that and went to the next item on the list. "#4: Put my Signature on the Moon." He shot Joey an estrange look. "Do I want to...forget it."

Trubbish looked on from behind, tilting her frame with a hiccup. She blinked slowly in one eye, and then the other.

"#5: Invade a Country and Impose My Ideologies by Force." Dereece raised a brow and smirked in mild amusement. "Well, someone has an ambition."

Joey shrugged with a cheeky grin. "Something you've gotta try at least once."

Dereece couldn't help but shake his head with an amused smile. "Whatever, if it'll make you sleep at night. Guess I'll turn in. Got another big day ahead of us. You wanna compete, right Joey?"

"Ha! Please, as if that's even a real question! Of course I do, Dereece. I'd have to be a real wuss to not go after my last orientation there." He briefly recalled the last time he paid a visit to the Domus Flau colosseum for the exhibition match against Millianna. He wasn't gonna lie when he couldn't help but remember how insecure he felt back then. But that was months ago, now he was a lot stronger and more confident in himself.

"And let me guess, you're gonna drag me along, too. Aren't you?" Dereece despondently asked.

"As if you needed to ask." Joey chimed. "Where would I ever go without my best man? We're bros for life, we've been over this."

Dereece wasn't sure whether to take that as a compliment or an insult, but again it wasn't something he couldn't deny. "Yeah, guess you're right." He turned back towards the door. "Night, Jo-Jo."

"Night, Dreesy." Joey chimed. Once he heard his door close, Joey turned towards Trubbish, who belched lightly. She waddled up towards him and looked up to his face with a merry fixation. He bent down, rubbing the top of her head with a soft smile. "You're always there to pick up the slack for me, aren't you, guys?"

Trubbish delayed another blink before hiccupping.

Joey's eyes widened. "Oh! I know!" He quickly grabbed his pen again and started jotting down another item to add on the list. "...there! Perfect!" Joey turned towards Trubbish with a larger smile. "Now this way, I'll feel complete when this is all done."

Trubbish belched again in glee.

"Alright! Time for my beauty sleep! Another day, another booty to shake." Joey got up from his chair and turned towards his bed to ready for his well-earned rest.

---

With the long days' worth of training finally receding, now was a time to unwind before a little rest. To pass the time, Nic sat at a desk underneath a lamp's lighting. He looked to be sketching something using a light shade of pencil.

The sound of a door was heard, followed by footsteps that traversed into the living room. Even without looking, he knew that it was Erza stepping out of the shower. She turned the corner, revealing a large pink towel wrapped around her sexy frame, hugging her large buxom rather tightly.

"Nic, I'm finished showering. You can take yours now." She chimed from the corner.

"Thanks, I'll be in there soon." He told her, not taking his eyes off the artwork he was making.

Curiosity overtaking her, Erza walked over. "What are you working on at this hour?"

"Just something I'd thought I would put on a wall one of these days..." He trailed off as he was focusing on the light pencil markings. Suddenly, he felt a shiver run up his spine when he felt what seemed to be a large set of breasts that sat atop his head, nearly burying him beneath the underside.

Erza hummed as she sexily bent over her husband's head, mentally chuckling to herself at the slight moans of discomfort beneath. She tossed a lock over her shoulder and saw what Nic was drawing. At least judging from what the pencil lines, she could make out what seemed to be Nic, alongside all his Pokémon. At his back, Greninja had his arms crossed and glancing over his shoulder. Charizard and Garchomp took the adjacent spots around them. And with enough room behind was Arbok, with Kecleon standing on his hood.

Erza's eyes slightly widened as she was marveling at the sleek lines to make it feel more crisp. It wasn't so firm that it looked like it would leave indents in the paper when he gets to colored pencils later on, but also not jagged lining that made it seem illegible either.

"This looks really promising." She chimed. "I bet this would go up nicely on the wall in our room."

"Mmmmphf..." Nic muffled beneath the weight of her buxom.

Erza closed her eyes as she solemnly nodded. "Yes, well, as much as I'm looking forward to the end results, what matters is getting there." She removed herself from using Nic as leverage, allowing him to breathe again. "You better hurry to bed...I won't wait forever."

"Yeah, I'm coming." Nic watched Erza leave, taking a moment to watch her voluptuous frame disappear into the hallway. As musing as that was, he found himself cascading towards the picture once more. He had just started getting to Staraptor's part of the picture, much to his chagrin.

'Guess we'll have to settle with this...for now.' With a small, lingering thought in his mind to keep himself sedated, he got up from his seat and turned the lamp light off. He started for the bedroom where his wife would be waiting for him. "Night, Staraptor."

Staraptor lifted a wing back at him. "Night, Nic." She watched him walk back into the hallway without so much as looking back at her. The pain in her chest seemingly escalated for some reason. Once she heard a door shut in the darkness, she looked down at Junior, who let out a loud yawn. She dryly chuckled. "You've certainly been making things interesting around here, that's for sure."

"Cooo..." Junior lulled, until his eyelids gradually shut.

As soon as sleep finally overtook the little enigma, Staraptor was left to tend to herself and her thoughts until she would eventually succumb to sleep. Despite how kempt her feathers were, she was feeling restless. Anxious even. It would be logical to cast the fault onto Junior if possible, but blaming a child that didn't know better wouldn't do her any favors. She was certain that she had let out plenty of pent-up steam during training with Nic...apparently it wasn't enough.

She nipped at an inch underneath her right wing. It's been a while since she's felt this uncomfortable. It felt like an Infestation that didn't seem to go away. Ironically enough, Bug-types wouldn't come anywhere near the home, no matter how far out to the woodlands it was. She shook her head upon realizing her digression.

'I better get some sleep. Hopefully tomorrow will be more opportunistic.'

She spread her talons to get a nice flex in the joints. She didn't want to go to bed to stiff. She nestled herself into the rug and brushed a wing over Junior to keep him warm and comfortable. If he was comfortable, that's all that mattered...or at least, that's what she told herself. But if she were to ask of consult the others of how she felt, what would she say?

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

While Greninja's earlier sentiment was something that made her feel warm and motivated, it wasn't enough of a deterrent to keep her from thinking otherwise. 'If I hadn't met Nic and the others...'

A solid image - one she could never forget – faded into her mind. She could see a younger version of Nic, with earbuds and black glasses concealing his eyes beneath the trunk of a tree.

With that solemn image in mind, her weary mind finally caved into slumber. Her red eyes closed as that image was all she had to console her.

---

With it being late at night, many houselights were on to indicate occupancy. Those who had taken liberties to bed early had turned their bedroom lights off.

However, with a curtain to mask the dim lighting of his lampshade, Shiin sat at his desk, writing his daily report, as per his duties. He kept a solid composition as he continued the message.

August 9th, X793

21:20

Today marked the first official day of the prerequisites for the annual Fiore Grand Magic Games. The Fairy Tail's guild hall productively was far more active compared to my first arrival. Many of the mages, including the likes of Vijeeter Ecor, Max Alors, and even Warren Rocko, have taken up guild jobs to increase the strength of their overall Pokémon for the events.

According to Mirajane Strauss and the guild's request log, the first job to be completed for the competition was by Kinana, returning from the request's location prior to 15:10. The following completions were due to Lisanna Strauss and Elfman Strauss, returning at 17:02.

According to the complaint sent by the Magic Council, the team of mages comprised of Natsu Dragneel, Happy, Carla, Gray Fullbuster, Lucy Heartfilia, Wendy Marvel, and Erza Pularis were unable to ascertain the required stamping for their inclusion for these upcoming events. Much of Margaret Town's sewer and plumbing was significantly damaged due to the actions by Natsu Dragneel.

The duration of the day was spent as per the assignment I was given, to observe Nic Pularis and his actions.

Unlike yesterday's routine that comprised of him having jointed team training against his own Pokémon, today's training was a consistence of individual training that lasted approximately two hours with each of his Pokémon. The training was a measure of reflexes and reaction timing to quick-handed assaults by the other. In the training, I have seen Nic make rapid succession of attacks, along with form combinations that enable him to faze through matter and adapt to the environment. From what I have gathered, there are an approximate eighteen forms individually, including his standard form.

Each of these forms have their unique qualities, but upon combining two at once, I was able to witness him not only utilizing those two forms' powers simultaneously, but also mounting the other's properties atop the other to amplify the power. For example, upon observing a fusion of what looked like Lightning Magic and Spectral Magic, he is able to expel ions as he fazes through matter, electrocuting whatever passes through him.

It appears that each of these forms have a correlation to a "type" that many of these Pokémon have taken up.

This training had proceeded from 07:45 to 18:30, with only a singular fifteen-minute window to allow the Pokémon to eat their nutrition.

After the training concluded, Nic Pularis, Erza Pularis, and their Pokémon, attended to their supper. The Pokémon feasted upon Pokémon Food that was provided by the proprietor known as the Cambire Foundation. Nic Pularis and Erza Pularis' meals were comprised of baked beans, along with bone-in pork chops that were thickly sliced to about one-inch thick each, with four in total.

After supper's conclusion at 20:25, Erza Pularis proceeded to the showers first. Nic Pularis remained stationed in the living room to enact art with pencil and paper. Unfortunately, due to my current position, and the target's heightened sense of awareness, I was unable to decipher what the sketch could be. I shall enact an investigation when the household is vacant, and the target is retired for the evening.

Tomorrow, I shall resume my observations amongst the guildmembers in conjunction to maintaining the quota for Nic Pularis' activities.

~Shiin Verdade

21:39

With the report complete, Shiin took an envelope and sealed the contents inside of it with another stamp. He pulled out his handheld grimoire and flipped to the bookmarked page that had the incantation seal to send the message. Once the message faded into the seal, he closed the book and withdrew it from view.

'After almost a month of observing him in this environment, there has been no primary activity from Nic.' His brow furrowed. 'If he is also under the classification of Fairy Tail Mages, then he must work to provide. It would be a test to see his abilities against other humans of our world against Pokémon...is he perhaps hiding something?'

Before he fell too deep into the prospect, his attention averted towards the shadow that fluttered behind his curtain. "Who's there?!" He walked closer towards the curtain, but in the faint light provided by the streetlamps below, he recognized the white wings that fluttered repeatedly. "Tch! You again..."

He stepped forward and pulled the curtains to the side, allowing him a full view of the Butterfree that tapped his feet on the window glass. Upon seeing Shiin, he chirped and kicked his feet up.

"It's you again, I see." Shiin grunted. His tone was neutral at best, if not severely strained for composure's sake. "You have nothing better to do than harass me, don't you?"

"Free!" Butterfree chirped a response, to which Shiin sighed at,

"Assuming that you're the same one that's been pestering behind my back for over six weeks, then I fear that I may already know the answer to that question. How foolish I am of asking such an obvious question." He turned away in disinterest. "Why am I still wasting my breath on you when I know it's ill-competent to try and reason..."

"Free!"

"You can say what you want, but persistence will get you nowhere. I have no reason why I should trust you."

"Free...?" Butterfree lowly chirped. He fluttered his way back towards the East Forest to sleep for the night.

'Even after spending hours in my perimeter...does it really think that I can be comfortable?' He reached into his robe's pockets, pulling out the Z-Stone that was contained in the crystal lacrima. 'This power that the Pokémon and these PokeEarth humans share...how could they live so comfortable in this relationship they have? The Pokémon...these monsters...' He glanced over his shoulder, seeing that Butterfree was no longer there. 'The potential they have could jeopardize the security of our world. For the future of Earthland, we must keep that in check...until the day comes that we will no longer have to look over our shoulders for such a cause.'

---

As he was leaving the city limits, Butterfree chirped as he was looking around, finding a suitable branch to perch himself for the night. Thanks to his Compound Eyes, he could see clearly, even in the darkness of the nighttime wilderness. A nearby branch that he saw to be suiting was taken up by three Seedot dangling beneath its bark. He didn't want to bother them, so he pressed onto another branch that was nearby, but that also been taken residence by an Ekans coiling around it for a secured hold. He looked all around until he took notice of another tree branch – while low – was vacant. It would have to do for now.

He fluttered over towards the branch, his wings beating rapidly to keep himself steady until he finally clutched onto the bark. With a safe hold, he let out a yawn before starting to lull towards sleep.

"Hey, back off! I've found it first!"

"Free...?" Butterfree chirped a groan.

"My eyes saw it first, and you know it!"

"You mean the eyes on your butt? Yeah, like that hardly counts!"

"Well the early spider gets the...the thing!"

Butterfree turned his head and looked down below, where his antennae rattled from the constant hissing and retorts that were being parried by the Paras and Spinarak down below. He was curious what they were fighting about, so he continued observing.

Paras pointed an accusing claw at Spinarak. "I was on the ground when I saw this. And last I checked, the ground is way closer than a bunch of trees where you were dangling!"

"Please, it's not my fault you can't climb well because of those mushrooms. Maybe if you did yourself a favor and rid of those, you'd be faster." Spinarak taunted.

Paras' left eye twitched. "In case you hadn't realized, we Paras need these mushrooms to survive."

"Sure, sure. Who am I to deny the testimony of a handicapped 'mon?"

"What was that?!"

"You heard me, grassy breath! Besides, you really wanna pick a fight with a spider?!"

Butterfree yawned loudly. He didn't know what was going on, but from what he could tell, it went from being related to either food or a mate, to a devolving slapfest. He shook his head and chose to take roost at another tree branch, away from the noise that prevented him from getting quality sleep.

"Take this!" Paras leaned forward, firing a thin stream of green energy at Spinarak, via Absorb. The Grass-type attack met its mark, but Spinarak stood there like nothing happened. "What?!"

"Now you've done it. Let me show you how it's really done! I'd get out of the way if I were you!" His eyes glowed red as the pupils turned black. "Night Shade!"

Two black, streaky beams of energy rushed from his eyes towards Paras. "Yikes!" In a hurry, he jumped out of the way of the streaky black beams that continued into Butterfree's flight path.

"Free-?!"

Before he had the chance to realize it, a black explosion engulfed him, sending him towards the ground. He thud on his back, much to the surprise of Paras and Spinarak. "Huh? Hey, buddy! Watch it! You wanna mess with me, too?!"

The retort was met with the dust dissipating quickly. Butterfree lifted himself and shook his head. Realizing what happened, he slowly turned towards Spinarak and Paras with his antennae shivering from his growing anger. "Free~!"

Paras backed away, growing nervous by the second. Spinarak wasn't far behind his approach. "Uh-oh..."

"FREE!" Butterfree's wings glowed bright blue before he furiously flapped them, creating a powerful Gust that strewn its way straight into Paras and Spinarak. The two fellow Bug-types didn't have any ground left, not after the whirlwinds sent them flying off the ground into the same tree trunk. They gagged loudly as they fell into the bushes below, unconscious.

"Free!" With a huff, Butterfree irritably turned away. He was about to fly off to a more suitable place to sleep when his antennae lightly rattled. And this time, it wasn't because of his anger. "Free...?" He slowly turned around, noticing something twinkling in the corner of his eye at the base of the nearest bush.

He fluttered closer to get a solid look at what piqued his interests. From what he could tell, it was a bright green crystal, in the shape of a diamond with an insectoid insignia on it. The closer he got to it, the more vibrant he felt. His eyes glimmered in the bright green tint of this enigmatic crystal.

Chirping in wonder, he came to a realization. He looked left and right to see if anyone was looking. Aside from that Spinarak and Paras, it looked like everyone else was sound asleep. He decided that it would have been best to take it since leaving it in the open would be pointless. In his tint hands, he took the crystal and hid it away.

With a merry chirp, he fluttered off towards the deeper parts of the forest to find a better spot to unwind for the night.

---

With the nighttime sky dazzling over the Earthland realm, its stars could be seen from across the globe. Be it from mountains, to the seashores, to even the domestic foundations that resided across the plains and hillsides.

In one particular domain, behind the arched windows to a lavish balcony, a figure was standing beneath the moonlight. His white hair was outlined with the glow given by the sun-like decoration on the left side of his head. He stood tall with what seemed to be a focused gaze fixed on the populace below.

Emerging from the shadows behind him, a humanoid figment with a bald, blue head walked out and stood behind him. "Your Highness. The preparations are complete."

His Majesty kept his eyes locked on the lights below, but heard his subordinate loud and clear. "I see...so then the brigade that was assembled has everything they need?"

"Yes, of course. By your command, we shall set out immediately."

A short pause fell over the man as his purple eyes shined with a red outline around them. "Then...let us commence, my friend." He raised his head to look at the stars. His arms slowly raised by his sides, revealing white robes with golden crosses accenting the edging. "With this night, we mark this as the new era. An era, in which those who once saw from such heights, now are the ones that are looked down upon."

His arms gradually moved closer until the palms were facing the other. He closed his eyes, allowing a moment's peace before his eyes gradually reopened again.

"Now...hear my voice. Follow your instincts, and liberate yourselves from your restraints."

---

Lucy was sound asleep in her bed, sleeping on her side with a warm smile on her face, she was having a sweet dream, presumably about an adventure to add to her story. Klefki was sound asleep on a cushion on her desk. Staryu, on the other hand, was staring through the crack of Lucy's curtains at the night sky, its core glowed with the twinkling stars above.

As things seemed peaceful for their nightly routine, Staryu's core kept its core blinking slowly until it suddenly glowed brightly, like a shock running through its system.

"Gnnngh...keys...so many keys..." Klefki was so lost in her dream that it seemed impossible to get her out. But it didn't take long before she stirred awake, her eyes faintly opening. "Gnnngh..."

As Lucy was sound asleep, she heard the sounds of keys jangling in the air. It was barely enough to awaken her from her peaceful slumber. "Huh...?" Slowly, her eyes fluttered opened, barely blurry as they were, she saw two silhouettes looking at her. "What...?"

CRASH!

Lucy jolted upright at the sound of glass shattering. Her eyes widened to their fullest when she turned towards the sound coming from her left. She saw glass fragments of what used to be her window shattering apart by golden stars that came from a core.

"Staryu?! What the-?!"

Before Lucy could finish her sentence, she was cut off by golden chains and locks encompassing her bed, restraining her legs to her sheets. The shock continued mounting until a click was heard by large locks. She looked down at her legs, realizing what this was.

"Fairy Lock...?" She looked up at the culprits...only for her shock to be mounted by sheer horror. "Klefki...? Staryu...?"

Both Pokémon only stared at her, before resolving themselves to rush out of the window. Staryu spun outwards into the streets below, whereas Klefki carried herself out.

"Hey! Wait a minute-!" Lucy went to budge, but was halted when she felt the chains and locks restraining her. "Oh no..." She tried desperately to grab the chains and yank them off, but alas they were far too tight and strong for her to break free. 'What's going on here?! If I don't break free...' She gnashed her teeth. 'Klefki...Staryu...why?'

---

Inside Natsu's home, he was snoring away on the small couch next to the wall. Happy was laying sprawled atop his chest, equally deep in slumber. As the two were sound asleep to rest for tomorrow, there was a light shaking happening from Natsu's Poke Balls, before they started violently rattling.

Suddenly, the room was filled with a powerful light, enough to stir Natsu awake from his slumber with a snort. "Huh...? Man, who turned on the lights? Happy?"

"Aye...?" Awakening from hos slumber, his eyes opened wide before he gasped. "Natsu, look!"

Natsu turned his head towards the center of the small room they lived in. There, standing upright, Charmeleon stood beside Darumaka and Tyrunt, all three turned away from him.

"Hey...what are you guys doing up this hour? You hungry?" he questioned.

They gave no response, prompting Natsu to question again.

"Guys?"

"Maybe they're sleepwalking?" Happy sleepily answered.

Natsu furrowed his brow. Something about this didn't feel justified. Even he wasn't that much of a fool. His nose picked up the faint smell of smoke from fire that came from Charmeleon's maw. His eyes widened upon realizing what was happening. "Happy, get down!"

"Wha-?!" Before he could process it, Natsu grabbed him by the tail, comedically pulling the dumbfounded Exceed out of the way mere seconds before Charmeleon lunged with Flame Charge, shooting straight into the sofa and tearing it in half.

Natsu rolled off to the side, landing on a knee and craning his head in the direction of the furniture's contents piling on the ground; Happy flopped on the ground at the expense of landing on his face. Natsu's face was painted with horror and confusion. "The hell...?"

Charmeleon turned towards Darumaka and Tyrunt, completely ignoring his trainer. "Guys, move it back there!"

"Leave it to me!" Darumaka eagerly jumped into the air, his eyes glowing bright red. "Thrash!"

"Hey, wait! You can't just-!"

Natsu's testimony was stopped cold when Darumaka suddenly began kicking and beating up everything around him. The nearby weights Natsu had neatly stacked ended up being kicked over after the support gave up from a kick. A chair was smashed to pieces by a punch. The hammock that Natsu would usually sleep in was torn to pieces when he tore down the one side and yanked it off the support pillar that kept the house up.

"Hey, stop that! What do you guys think you're-gah!" He was thrown off balance by a frying pan that was thrown in his direction, slamming against his face and flooring him.

Tyrunt snorted steam, huffing as he retracted his tail. "Hehe, nice one, Tyrunt! That'll leave a mark!" Darumaka chimed.

"Hurry, let's get out of here!" Charmeleon enforced. His maw was engulfed in dragonfire before he unleashed a searing Dragon Rage that blasted down Natsu's door to their home. The attack also engulfed parts of the wall, making dust and smoke thick enough for Charmeleon to jump through. Tyrunt followed behind, carrying a confused Darumaka in his very tiny arms.

Natsu rushed out of the smoke, seeing his Pokémon take off into the wilderness. "Hey! Get back here! You have some explaining to do about this mess, you hear me?!"

They chose to not respond to him. Instead, Charmeleon stopped at the base of a hillside ledge before glaring back over his shoulder at Natsu. As soon as their eyes met, an unnerving chill ran down Natsu's spine. He recognized that scrutinizing look from anyone. He could see it clearly as one emotion: Disappointment.

"Charmeleon..."

The lizard continued staring at him before leaping off the ledge to the lower lands deeper in the forest. Natsu took a step back and reeled from the shock of the situation.

"Owie...man, what's the big idea...?" Happy groaned.

Natsu turned back towards him. "Happy, quick! Go check on Lucy!"

Happy blinked in confusion. "Huh? Wait, why?!"

"Just trust me on this!" Natsu jumped over the rubble that was his doorway, wasting no time in making headway into the forest. His nose followed their scents not too far out. "I've got a bad feeling about all this..."

---

Inside his room, Joey's Poke Balls, Luxury Ball, and Nest Ball were all rattling madly. Meanwhile, the trainer was still sound asleep in his bed, holding a medium-sized plushie of Vanessa while wearing a frilly pink sleeping mask over his eyes.

"Mmmm...Dereece...fetch me a donut...or maybe three dozen would be fine..." He lulled in his sleep, completely unaware until a bright flash was followed by a tremendous tremor that went about through his room. He opened his eyes as he shot straight up. He looked left and right to see what was going on...but only saw black. He removed his sleeping mask...only to be met with piercing purple eyes from Gyarados.

"Eh...Gyarados? Why are you looking at me like that?" His eyes widened at the epiphany. "Wait...oh, come on! You know you can't fit in my bedroom anymore! I'm gonna have to get Dereece to fix the ceiling now!"

"KRRAAAAAAAHHH!"

Gyarados expelled a temperamental roar that caused Joey's blood to run cold. His attention adverted towards his bedside, seeing that not only Gyarados was out, but also the rest of the team. And the way they glared at Joey did him little comfort.

In defense, he slowly reached for a pillow and used it as a shield. "Um...is this like a hunger strike? You know, a little communication would really help me out here, you know."

Quilladin glared daggers before he stepped off to the side, allowing Palpitoad to step up with his bumps vibrating. He took a large inhale, a sign that made Joey's eyes shrink.

"BUPTA~!"

Palpitoad's Hyper Voice was so intense that the entire room exploded, causing Joey to be flung out along with the debris to the ground below.

---

A tremendous rumble ran throughout Vanessa and Sophie's apartment. It was so loud and destructive that it was barely enough to stir Vanessa from her slumber. Her blue eyes fluttered open as she lifted herself to her side. "What's causing noise at this hour...?"

Her door swung open, revealing a horrified Sophie. "Vanessa, wake up!"

Vanessa's aura subconsciously activated, sensing the intense distress from Sophie. Whatever it was, it wasn't a joke.

In a matter of minutes, the two found themselves heading down the stairs, making way towards the living room. They saw that nothing was out of place...but when they looked towards the door, they saw that it was completely destroyed.

"Vanessa...your Krookodile wouldn't happen to know how to sleepwalk, right?"

Vanessa furrowed her brow at Sophie's question. "...no, he doesn't."

---

At Fairy Hills, it was chaos. The sounds of glass shattering was a constant, along with being destroyed, and the residence scurrying about in a panic.

Cana barely dodged a Metal Claw, which crashed into the flooring. "Prinplup! What the hell?! Have you lost your mind or something?!"

Prinplup didn't listen. Instead, his beak opened with blue bubbles generating inside. He fired a Bubble Beam that she barely sidestepped from. The bubbles continued until they broke down the door to her room, allowing both him and Liepard to race out along with the other Pokémon the residence had.

Cana stepped out of her dorm, looking down the hall with shock written on her face. "What...?"

"Cana!"

The brunette turned around, seeing Evergreen, Wendy, Carla, Levy, Laki, Kinana, and Juvia running down the hallway with panic written on their faces. "You guys? You too?" The girls met up with her as she glared serious daggers at them. "What the hell is going on here?!"

"I don't know! Carla and I were sound asleep when all of a sudden Amaura and Swablu got up and took off!" Wendy worriedly answered.

"The same thing happened with Granbull." Evergreen prodded, adjusting her glasses. "But in my case, he nearly bit my hand off."

"Where do you think they're going?" Laki wondered.

"This is really dangerous. What if they hurt someone if we're not around?" Kinana fret.

Juvia looked down the hallway, her blue eyes looking worried for what's to come. "Vaporeon...Azumarill...Wartortle..."

"Hurry! We need to find them!" Levy ushered, taking off down the hall.

"Right! Let's go, Carla!" Wendy followed in pursuit.

"Right behind you, Wendy!" Carla transformed from her Exceed form into her human form, taking off behind Wendy's lead.

---

"Run! Get away!"

"They're attacking!"

The cries of many people were heard all throughout Magnolia. Various Pokémon were either taking their leave, or deliberately fighting back. People were vacating their homes and taking cover to avoid attacks by their partners. One citizen was trying to get away from his Skiploom that was hovering after him.

"S-Skiploom! What're you doing?!" the man pitifully asked as he kept running.

Skiploom didn't give a verbal response. Instead, she spun her petals, unleashing a bright orange powder that showered down around the man. He let out a gag as he inhaled the pollen, causing his muscles to convulse and drop to his knees.

"No, Venonat! What are you doing?!" Another citizen fret. She was left in horror when Venonat glared at her, whereas his eyes glowed with his Confusion picking up a nearby chair. Without hesitation, he flung it at her screaming face.

CRASH!

A wall to another house smashed open and crumbled away. Emerging from the dust, a Gurdurr strut out, puffing his chest with a cocky smirk. "Heh, about time for some fresh air. Now..." He lifted his steel beam, twirling it with excitement at the many startled people around him. "Who wants it first, huh?"

Emerging from his household, the door slammed open, revealing Shiin. At the sight of the chaos ensuing, his eyes shrank in utter horror. "What is...?"

He was left completely speechless. What could he say? All he saw were either Pokémon running through the streets, people trying to get away, if they weren't already getting injured.

He was snapped out of his shock when he heard the sounds of explosions from the distance. He whipped his head in the direction where he saw a Ducklett firing a Bubble Beam in an arch across several houses below.

'These Pokémon...they're finally...!'

"Help me!"

Shiin gasped when he turned towards a shout. He saw a little boy running his way in tears, away from the Beautifly that had its long proboscis out.

"Beautifly! Stop! Don't hurt me!" he pleaded.

Beautifly scoffed. Instead of listening, his wings glowed bright blue and flapped them. The Gust whipped up enough strength to send the boy tumbling through the air, screaming in both shock and fright.

Shiin's eyes narrowed. He rushed over and grabbed the kid before he could hit the ground. He held the kid close, looking at him with a serious glare. "Young one, are you hurt?"

The little boy looked up, sniffling his teary eyes away. "Uh...n-no..." He looked back at the oncoming Beautifly heading their way. "But Beautifly...he just suddenly popped out...and started attacking me!"

Shiin squinted. "Is that so?" He took a look at Beautifly, seeing it head his way. His eyes narrowed at what he knew what he had to do. "Listen to me, you must evacuate. It is not safe here, do you understand?"

The kid gulped before nodding in understanding. "Uh, y-yes?"

Shiin sat the kid down on his feet to allow him to run off. As he ran off, Shiin adverted his attention back towards Beautifly. He saw a bright orange powder being expelled from his wings that he instinctively knew would be bad if it touched him.

'I have no choice!' He reached his arm out, causing a glow to appear in the form of a long staff. As soon as he clutched the Requip, the glow faded to reveal a brown staff with a hooked end that had an orb at the top of it.

He held the staff out, putting his left forearm at the elbow to keep it steady. A bright blue magic seal appeared in front of the staff that aimed for the Stun Spore about to engulf him.

"Almighty winds, lend me your ferocious strength! Cyclone!"

The magic seal expelled a raging cyclone that blasted into the powder. The pollen dissipated into thin air in an instant while the winds continued their way into Beautifly, sending him flying across the sky into a nearby building wall. He thudded harshly before falling to the ground, blacking out from the spell.

Shiin looked back over his shoulder to see if the kid was there. It was vacant. 'Good. It looks like with the ensuing chaos that nobody was aware of my magic.'

He was safe for the time being, but the others around him were not. And that's where the problem lied.

'We weren't prepared for an uprising of Pokémon like this to come so soon. Were we too late...?' He shook his head. 'Whatever the case may be, this is now a high-level class security breach. According to my missionary details, I am to refrain from engagement as much as possible. However, if the mandate is to be assumed...'

He knew what to do. He took a look around, seeing many people running about and panicking. He remained calm as he walked back into his apartment, making sure that the door was locked. The curtains were closed, so no one could see him. He closed his eyes and took in a calm breath.

'Now...Requip and Transformation!'

A glow engulfed his entire body, another bright blue magic seal appeared underneath his feet and traveled up his body in the process until it reached the top of his head. The glowing pixels faded into his body, revealing a new guise in the form of a man that was the same height, but with tan skin and a larger nosebridge. He had dark eyebrows that matched his narrow, sharp, dark eyes. He had short, dark hair that was spikes and went back, barely reaching his neck. His attire also changed, sporting a pair of baggy white pants with black boots that matched his short-sleeved top that was covered by a navy blue, fur-lined best. On both hands, there were six magic rings; three that aligned from the index to ring fingers. The rings were ranged from red, to blue, green, and brown. The other two were accented with turquoise with a silver band. The other was a deep purple with a golden band that had woven accents and tiny incantations in its edging.

Looking down at his transformation. 'This should suffice for now. In such case that I run into any of the Fairy Tail Mages, they won't recognize me. This way, I'll be able to use the extent of my magic without giving away my position and abilities.'

He turned and unlocked the door one more time and stepped out, holding his magic staff tightly as it slammed shut behind him.

---

Off in the East Forest, sounds of screams and panicking were heard loud enough to alert Duncan as he was walking back to his stay. He stopped in the middle of the dirt trail and looked towards Magnolia's direction, seeing smoke and in some cases aerial Pokémon flying over the town.

His eyes narrowed in suspicion. 'Something's wrong here...' He felt rattling coming from his coat. "Huh?" He was taken back when all his Poke Balls explode energy out of the opening. He turned in shock to find all his Pokémon appearing before him, all having expectant stares fixed on him.

His dark eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What's the matter with all of you...?"

None of them said anything. Instead, the look in their eyes was something that didn't sit well with Duncan. He barely suppressed a growl as he slowly bent his knees and readied his Elfen Forja.

Torterra raised his head, letting out a groundbreaking cry. Magmortar started the brigade with his claws retracting into cannons. He lifted his arm, firing a Flamethrower at Duncan without any hesitation.

The woodlands erupted with an explosive burst of fire and smoke that could have been seen miles away.

---

"Hurry! Evacuate the residence!" Eliza swept her arm down the hall, directing all the occupants down the one direction. Far behind them, explosions were heard along with screams of the injured.

Travis covered his arm and veered away from a Slash by his Skarmory's wings. He watched her fly pass him and into the air, letting out a loud shriek that went throughout the foundation's skies.

"Damnit! What the hell is going on around here?!" Travis sneered. "Have all our Pokémon lost it?!" He turned and ran down the hallway, away from the turmoil happening close by. "Miss Jet, ma'am!"

Charlotte was still in her office, standing firm with a distasteful look in her eyes. A thud shook the room that came from her Electivire, his antennae crackling with high volts of electricity. Despite her humanly instincts telling her to run, she did no such thing as she glared down her Pokémon.

Electivire sneered as he walked closer to her. All Charlotte did was glare back as she held out Electivire's Ultra Ball. "Return this instant!"

The capsule fired a red laser directly at Electivire, but the large beast was surprisingly light on his feet and sidestepped. Using his wire-like tails, he smacked the Ultra Ball out of her hand, causing her to cringe. She watched it drop to the ground close to her reach. However, when she attempted to lunge for it, a flaming fist came down and smashed the capsule to pieces, much to her utter horror.

"Electivire...this is mutiny! Have you lost your mind?!"

Electivire slowly turned towards her, returning the less than cordial glare back. Static enveloped his antennae once more as he closed in for a downwards Thunder Punch. With a mighty cry, he went for a strike that Charlotte jumped away at the last second, tumbling across the ruptured flooring.

A piece of the flooring went flying in her direction when she wasn't looking, hitting her in the side of her face. An audible gag was heard as she hit her head against her desk, causing her to see black. She barely had the conscience to kneel and grip her desk to support herself.

The door to her office slid open, with Travis running in. "Ma'am, we have a-!" He stopped cold when he saw Electivire standing over shattered remains of an Ultra Ball. His attention averted towards Charlotte who was facing away while gagging from head trauma. "Miss Jet!"

Electivire glared over his shoulder, snarling at Travis. Without warning, lightning charged to a critical point and unleashed a boisterous Thunder. The last thing Travis saw was a brief flash before everything went dark.

Inside Jefferey's office, he was suppressed to the floor, his body unable to move due to the restraint of Psychic by the Metagross that stood several meters from him. It was accompanied by a fellow Magnezone, and a Forretress. Both looked anything but pleased as they glared down at their trainer.

With only enough strength to turn his head upwards, Jefferey shot them all a glare. "Metagross...why...?"

Metagross aid no heed. Its eyes glowed brighter, causing the Psychic's force to multiply and pin him to the ground harder. It was so intense that he could barely stay conscious from all this telekinetic pressure mounted on him.

All their capsules were Ultra Balls. With Metagross suppressing their trainer, Forretress slammed her thick shell on top of all of them, causing them to shatter beneath her weight. She lifted herself to see the damage she had done, looking relieved.

'Dear Arceus...what is happening?' Jefferey dreaded.

Magnezone channeled up sparks in his body before unleashing his own Thunder, leaving Jefferey only a brief second to dread of the pain to come.

In his office, Arthur frowned with genuine worry. He used the remote on his wheelchair to wheel himself back from his Stoutland, who growled at him with fangs lit up in flames.

"Stoutland...what's wrong?" Arthur didn't get a chance for a response before he sharply turned by an unknown force. The wheelchair made haste rolling out the office with a set of hands pushing it from behind. Arthur looked back at his savior. "Marie?!"

"Sir, we need to get out of here, now! Your safety as well as those of the Cambire Foundation are in moral jeopardy!" she shouted.

They exited the floor, but by the time they've reached the lobby, they looked down over the balcony to find the numerous Pokémon, either picking up human materials and throwing them around, or breaking apart the glass front to allow them to escape. Some ferns that were used for decoration were set ablaze by a passing Magmar deliberately setting ablaze with flames. It wasn't enough to cause a huge inferno, but it was a deterrent to prevent Arthur and Marie from wanting to press any further.

'What kind of madness is this?'

---

In their home, away from the destruction in Magnolia, Staraptor was sleeping as peacefully as she could manage. Even with Junior present, she was still able to rest well.

"Now...hear my voice. Follow your instincts, and liberate yourselves from your restraints."

Staraptor's eyes shot wide open. A shock ran through her body before she relaxed. Taking a look around, she saw that Junior was sound asleep. And yet, while he could sleep, she was unable to...not while he was under the same roof.

Very carefully, she sat up and placed the sleeping Junior on a nearby cushion. Making sure he was comfortable, she ominously turned and walked towards the hallway.

In their room, Nic and Erza were still sound asleep. The latter was atop of her man, latching onto him possessively, if not lovingly.

With them strewn beneath the covers, a light rattling came from their Poke Balls. The vibrations intensified, until it was enough to awaken the extremely light sleeper himself.

His sixth sense stirring him awake, Nic glanced over at the Poke Balls, seeing a show they were about to burst. His eyes widened before a realization dawned.

"Erza, wake up!"

Erza gasped as the cry of her husband activated her instincts. Not even a second later, a bright flash, followed by a rush from the door, resulted in twelve figures that rushed for the bed. Nic's eyes glazed with the visages of six familiar figures that were heading his way...

BOOOOOOM!

The combined rush of the figures resulted in the bed's wall being mowed down. Dust and shrapnel expelled outside as wood from their cottage into the backyard. As the dust depreciated, two figures burst out of bedroom before simultaneously glowing.

Sliding across the ground to a halt, Erza was in her Ataraxia Armor, whereas Nic was in his Fist Form, having up an energy barrier that protected him and Erza, via Mat Block. The mat faded from view, allowing them to see the dust from their bedroom disperse. Twelve silhouettes stepped out into the field, lined up with glares fixed on their trainers.

Snarling menacingly, Garchomp careened his head back before expelling a battle-crazed roar that shook the air violently. He stood beside Charizard, Arbok, Kecleon, Staraptor, and finally Greninja as they all glared at Nic.

Similarly, pincers snipped as Scizor took a battle stance against Erza. Aegislash's eye glared her down, as did Cloyster, Talonflame, Slurpuff, and Houndoom. They all looked unamused, if not angrily, at her.

"What's this...?" Erza gasped. "Everyone just..."

Nic showed just as much surprise, but he was quick to retain composure. The look in their eyes showed it all: Angst. "Mind telling me what's the idea?" he scowled.

Charizard breathed out embers. "What's it look like?"

Kecleon slowly tilted her head. "The light stayed red too long...so we made it green by force."

Arbok flicked his forked tongue. "Our dutiesss were tiring. It'sss time for a change. No more being dragged to death by the likesss of a human like yourssself."

Nic's eyes narrowed. Now something was definitely wrong.

"Nic..." Greninja stepped forward, giving him a fierce glare in the eye. "We'll only say this once...so please, stand down, and let us go. Because if you don't..."

Aegislash gradually unsheathed herself. "Then we shall do it ourselves if we must."

"'Let us go'?" Erza parroted.

Nic scowled heavily. It wasn't just because he was woken up in the middle of the night by an unexpected attack. But by the unexpected attack being by his Pokémon no less. What's more, they're suddenly hostile, and unwilling to listen to them. If he were still asleep, this would be the awakening of some nightmare to be.

A pair of talons stepped forward, with wings raised to attack by Staraptor. "Greninja...you know the only way he'll respond."

Greninja humbly scoffed. "Yeah, you're right. You can tell by his eyes...he won't let us go without a fight."

"Then...we give him one." Arbok sniped, reeling his body to attack.

"Here they come." Nic warned.

The couple glared daggers and braced themselves as their Pokémon suddenly rushed after them once more.

The night of the liberation had only just begun.

---

Here's the first chapter to the Pokémon Rebellion Arc, guys! Hope you all enjoyed it, despite how long of a menacing read it is. You know, it isn't easy to account every mage and Pokémon in detail, both habits and character development, but I'm working with what I can manage. Trying to account everything to ensure all-around coverage definitely takes a toll on a word count, just a heads up.

But I hope that I did justice with giving just enough screentime (if any) to the Pokémon and mages that you guys have been missing. This arc is going to be a long one precisely because of these elements that I'm implementing. Hope you all bear with me!