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

64. Making Waves

It was bad enough that Fairy Tail was busy as it was with the back-to-back setbacks that had happened in a span of three days. It was worse that because of it that everyone was barely running on much sleep from stress. So suffice to say Laxus looked like he was ready to break furniture any given second.

The only thing keeping him occupied from losing whatever sanity he had left rested on his desk. And even then, it wasn't a pretty sight...or rather, a handsome sight. He's been in Blue Pegasus long enough to see Ichiya's face in person plenty of times, but seeing him on a Communication Lacrima really...broadened his angles to lengths even he found unfathomable.

"And you're sure about this?"

Ichiya struck a pose on the other end of the ongoing visual. "Me~n, yes, my good sir. I trust you, this data is anything but false."

The Thunder God Tribe was present for hearing this news, but for the most part they stayed quiet. Evergreen managed to break that silence however as she adjusted her glasses. "So then...that's where it's all leading to?"

Ichiya nodded. "Yes, dear Evergreen. According to Hibiki, we've been getting reports of not just Pokémon disappearing, but also fellow mages to other guilds. Any sightings of them were recorded at the Worth Woodsea."

"So Nic and Erza weren't the only ones after all." Freed pondered aloud, putting a hand to his chin. "This certainly broadens our perspective; that's rather contradictory to what we need now."

"Yeah, that's putting it mildly. So you're saying that all these disappearances have been happening there, yet we got a different location far away from Fiore altogether. You think there's a miscommunication here?" Bickslow wondered.

"I'm not sure myself. Joey seemed pretty confident in where they were." Evergreen chimed.

Ichiya struck another pose. "Me~n! Worry not, my dear comrades. Your friend has good intuition. Kevin's Search Magic is second-to-none other! If he says they are there, there's not a doubt on Earthland otherwise."

"Okay, fair enough. But that still doesn't answer any of our questions." Bickslow reminded them. "So are these two places connected, you think?"

"It's possible that this is a coincidence altogether. We've seen enough to know that there is in fact a brainwashing effect on the trainers' Pokémon. Let's see..." Freed paused to gather his bearings. "The variables we have on our end are that Pokémon have been brainwashed, and that aside from my enchantment or by some extension they are able to free themselves, they can only be reversed once you defeat them. We also have rogue Pokémon who aren't brainwashed, but are using human mages in similar fashion to capture other mages of capable caliber. Now, we have a location where this activity is occurring. This definitely warrants a further investigation."

Laxus crossed his arms as he glared ahead. "Has the Council done anything?"

Ichiya shook his head. "Afraid they are just as perplexed about this as the rest of us. Neither heads nor tails for anyone for them to come to a compromise."

"So in other words, we're acting on our own." Laxus sighed. He was hoping the Cambire Foundation could provide some levity to assist them in the investigation. However, considering they were in bad shape after the rebellion's beginning, the odds weren't in their favor.

Ichiya struck yet another gallant pose. "There's no need for panic. We of Blue Pegasus are bringing together an investigation into the matter at hand. An active party is forming amongst any able mages that we have shared this information with. Your assistance is most assuring for our success, Master Laxus."

"Thanks for the heads up. I'll keep that in mind and get back to you soon." With that blunt reply, Laxus disengaged the Communication Lacrima, cutting off the feed. He leaned back in his chair, sighing loudly.

Freed approached him in worry. "Master, are you okay? You've been putting yourself through the wringer lately."

"I'm fine." Laxus groaned, trying to keep his composure. He took a deep breath to calm himself. "...sorry for worrying you all."

Bickslow shook his head. "Don't be. We're just as worried as you are. Don't take this all on by yourself."

"He's right. You may be our Guild Master, but more importantly, you're our friend." Evergreen smirked knowingly. "We worry too."

"The Thunder God Tribe sticks together with you. This is our problem as much as it is yours." Freed placed a hand on Laxus' shoulder, offering a sincere smile. "It's true, everything is scattered. But right now, we need to come together. Not just as a guild, but also as a country. Fiore needs all of us if we are ever going to be successful."

Laxus lowered his head, managing a smirk. He knew that Freed was right on the money. It wasn't just their problem alone, it was a nationwide dilemma that also affected guilds and fellow mages they were associated with. While Laxus doesn't have much familiarity with much of them personally, he wasn't stubborn enough to not know they wanted to fix this mess as much as he did. Besides, he owed Ichiya for what he did for them back in the initial Alvarez war. That debt won't be going unpaid.

Standing up, Laxus looked forward at the others gathered. "Alright, enough rolling over in filth. Let's get ready to move out. Let's tell the group moving forward with the investigation where to meet up with the other guilds soon."

Meanwhile, outside the enclosed office, Shiin leaned against the wall, his arms folded as he heard everything from the other side. He frowned as he opened his eyes, showing a steadfast glare.

---

The exaggeratingly long day had finally rolled over into night. The serene blue skies of such a tropical paradise had turned midnight blue. The land known as Pokétopia was bustling even as hours went by, though with notably less Pokémon to occupy the streets themselves. Some Pokémon in fact looked like they had just woken up for third shift while others looked less stressed when returning to their homes.

Amongst the many buildings that composed the housing district, there was a medium-sized apartment that sat mid-level of the entire building. With the blinds open, Greninja peered out towards the surrounding buildings and Pokémon below. He pulled away, twisting the rod to fold the blinds inwards to close them off.

He turned back towards the fellow Pokémon gathered composed of his group and Erza's. "This should do for tonight."

"It's not exactly accommodating, but at least we have a roof over our heads. I ain't gonna complain about that." Houndoom chimed.

Greninja respectively nodded before turning towards Talonlame. "How long were we able to rent this room for twelve of us?"

"I had to pour my whole allowance to preserving this space until noon tomorrow." She explained matter-of-factly. "Unfortunately, because there's so many of us, it costed more than the standard amount. And that's not including room service...whatever that is. I'm afraid I tapped out this one time."

"Hopefully, this one night is all we'll need." Scizor insisted, before turning towards Aegislash. "But regarding our standing on the matter, have we've found any word regarding this so-called PC where Erza and Nic might be?"

Aegislash grimaced, shaking her metallic body. "Afraid that information still eludes us. All we know is that this PC would have to be here within this region's reaches."

Arbok's coils tightened as he sat close by. The sounds of his scales grinding was heard loud and clear. "If we find out they did sssomething to Nic, I will crush them all to death." He crudely hissed.

"And we'll get back at them, that's for certain." Charizard assured, keeping a calm disposition. In truth, he was just as riled up as his serpentine brother. It was taking everything in his power to not want to explode in flames. He glanced over at the other Pokémon present before another serious topic came up.

"Has anyone seen any signs of Staraptor as well?"

The room fell silent as everyone frowned – those who could, that is. They all shook their heads dismayingly.

Charizard's expression downcast towards the floor. "I see...her Poke Ball wasn't present when we were first brought out. She must be back in Magnolia."

"Probably thanks to Junior." The group turned towards Greninja as he leaned against a wall, folding his arms. "Had it not been for him, she may have joined us here as well. Though, all things considered...this might be for the best."

Garchomp scoffed. "And what gave you that idea?"

"Let's stop and backtrack for a second. First of all, from what Charizard and Talonflame relayed, we're on a remote island, which is surrounded by an ominous atmosphere. Those stormclouds don't appear to be going anywhere; they haven't even moved since we first arrived here. We could try and escape, but with all the security, they'll be easy to provoke and get us attention we hate."

Houndoom snorted as he sauntered forward. "Heh, what's with that attitude you have going? It wasn't long ago that you all would have just done your own thing and make a big scene. You'd done that sooner, that'd change our situation now. When did all this happen?"

Greninja glared at Houndoom before turning back towards the blinds. If he was honest, he questioned that himself. What Houndoom said just now wasn't something that he could easily brush off and make an excuse for. It wasn't out of the realm of impossibility for him and the others to just completely level the place if they so desired just to find Nic. However, as tempting as it was putting a Night Slash to an authoritative mon's throat, he remembered what Nic and Erza talked about back on Exeggutor Island. He thought of the change in perspective Nic had a short while before that, how he was using rational thinking and quicker solutions. It was slow-going, but even he could tell the progress.

A short silence fell as Greninja was deep in thought. Charizard gave him a look. "Greninja, I know that look in your eye...what're you thinking now?"

Greninja thought about the massive white palace that sat high above the plateau from earlier, then about Nic's personality...and it clicked. "I have a feeling – no, I'm definite of it. This was Nic's intention all along."

Charizard, Arbok, and Garchomp's eyes widened slightly at the realization brought upon them.

"You absolute about this?" Aegislash fret. "Is so, then how could he end up captured so-"

"He couldn't. That's the problem." Greninja interrupted, shooting a knowing glare at everyone. "We all know Nic. We all know each other. If he wanted to, he could have just blindsided and downed all those Pokémon right then and there instead of sitting back...but he didn't. Instead, he observed with minimal action to see them use humans similar to how we battle and use our attacks. He could have evaded those cubes that capture humans, too."

Garchomp raised his head. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Greninja nodded. "Yeah...Nic must have had a strong gut feeling that our brainwashing and those togue Pokémon had a connection right from the first glance. He must have realized instead of fighting it out this time, getting captured and working from the inside was the most effective means to undermining this farce."

"So an inside job? Heh, guess where we're wanna be after all." Houndoom smirked. "Definitely wouldn't have seen that play coming."

"Ssso getting captured wasss the only way to get to the sssourccce." Arbok stated.

"Well, looks like he wasn't far off from that hunch." Charizard glanced towards the window, moving a claw to peek through the blinds. He saw the white palace that Greninja was invested in earlier. "I can see why you were so hung up on that earlier. Believe that's the source?"

"Possibly, but we don't know for certain." Greninja noted. "But, if we're out here right now...then it's our job to find out. If Nic and Erza are entrusting all of us to get to the bottom of this while they're subsiding, we need to get as much information as possible...and exploit it."

Charizard nodded. "You took the words right out of my mouth."

Arbok and Garchomp exchanged nods. Another silence fell amongst the group of Pokémon as the atmosphere shifted in dynamics once more/

Aegislash silently floated over. "Very well then. Now that we have reassurance of that aspect, let's go over the information that we do have at the moment. From what we know, the inhabitance don't appear to be appalled by this society they live in. They looked so heavily integrated that it was almost impossible to distinguish them from average everyday human civilians...mannerisms and clothing included."

Cloyster turned towards her. "Don't forget about that Ursaring, too."

"Right. She said that about a few months ago, it's apparently illegal here for Pokémon to have humans out of their capsules, unless it's for battle, or at home. Otherwise, only higher ups and authorities may have that exclusive privilege to use them."

Scizor gasped. "Now that you mention it..." She thought back to when she sought the criminal Sneasel earlier. "It looked like the authorities here carried humans of their own as well."

"You're not gonna tell them how you got us in trouble?" Houndoom sniped, raising a brow.

Aegislash narrowed her eye. "How so?"

Scizor looked down grimly. "Apparently...it's also illegal for a Pokémon to use their moves as well. I was able to subdue a midday crime, but we were given exemplary warnings that we shouldn't use our moves, less they end up becoming a public health issue."

"We got off with a warning by those hotshots, but it looks like that's about it." Houndoom snarked annoyingly. "Bad enough we Dark-types get a bad rep, but seeing how they looked at me really makes me wanna broil their faces..."

"Calm down, Houndoom. There's much worse things to get provoked over." Talonflame sinuated, resting atop his horns with her talons.

Houndoom glanced up at her. "Tch...well, you're not wrong." He shot his glance over towards the side. "Because a certain someone was too busy spending her entire allowance on sweets to last a whole damn week!"

All eyes turned towards the dining table that sat adjacent to the kitchen. Sitting on a chair in front of an assortment of sweets, Slurpuff licked her lips as she held a slice of cherry pie up to her mouth. Midway to a bite, she froze and realized all eyes were diverted onto her.

As if she had committed a crime, she guiltily sat the pie piece down, shifting herself to look back at everyone with a bashful smile. "Hehe...um...I don't suppose you guys want some...?" Nobody was amused. It only made Slurpuff less comfortable with her position. "I-I'm sorry..."

"Your addiction to sweets is worse than even Erza. You seriously put your appetite above your own awareness?" Houndoom sniped. "You really expect us to last this long on cake and sugar?"

Slurpuff jabbed her digits together. "Well...they don't expire if we refrigerate them...and the ones that I didn't eat yet we can return..." She glanced away nervously. 'Though I really hope that I don't.'

Aegislash sighed angrily, shifting the subject. "Speaking of allowances, has anybody else realized the currency rate is that of Jewels?"

Talonflame turned towards her. "Why's that a big deal?"

"Because, if Pokémon really adapted human lifestyles yet came from PokeEarth, you would think they would have a different currency function. It'd make sense since it appears that the inhabitance may have some affiliations to human lives before coming here..."

"Unless they're all brainwashed, too." Greninja noted.

Aegislash nodded. "A possibility...so we need to remain silent and sharp until we understand more of how this economic system of theirs functions. Perhaps that is also a key to how they were able to create those Human Cubes. After all, Poke Balls also cost money. Why wouldn't they in this instance?"

Arbok slithered forward. "Thossse Human Cubesss are a problem...we need to get rid of that, and fassst."

"Claws crossed." Garchomp sneered.

"But how were they able to mimic a Poke Ball using the resources here?" Charizard asked. "I never imagined that they would have the construction power to make something to trap humans, let alone make them."

Scizor folded her pincers, looking down at the ground discerningly. "That brings us to another subject that needs addressing. When Houndoom, Slurpuff, and I went through the market, we've noticed similar devices similar to machines and refrigeration for a number of shops...ones that looked mechanical."

"Mechanical, you say? As in they run on actual power to operate instead of those lacrima?" Aegislash asked.

Instead of giving a direct response, Scizor turned her attention towards the kitchen area. More specifically, the microwave. "You all see that? That is a microwave. I've seen Erza use it sometimes when we were on PokeEarth, but it's not something relatively native here. If one usually wants to reheat their food, they would use a stove, would they not? And their light fixtures, I noticed also that they were all little light lacrima, too. Not actual lightbulbs."

Houndoom frowned. "I noticed those, too, but what's your point?"

"My point...is that these are two completely different mechanics to make such vending mechanisms. Yet somehow, they were created into one. All this requires work from parts from our world and here, would they not?"

Her argument made everyone look at each other in realization again. Yet another key to their crackerjack operation.

"But in order for that to happen...wouldn't you need the machine parts?" Cloyster wondered aloud.

"You can as long as you have the right substitutes." Greninja narrowed his eyes. "I think I know where you're going with this. These Pokémon are privileged to be as close to modern-day PokeEarth, because someone crafted these devices. That might also explain how these Human Cubes have been adapted from Poke Balls."

"For someone to have knowledge of both human resources and this world's...they would have to have extensive knowledge of both worlds." Charizard frowned, realizing where this was going.

"In other wordsss...sssomeone from PokeEarth, right?" Arbok hissed.

Greninja clutched his biceps tightly, glaring ahead with red, steeled eyes. "That's our most likely assumption, given the evidence we have right now. Perhaps a human, since they engineer these from scratch."

"You really think a human is behind this?" Garchomp questioned.

"That's rather ironic, given the circumstances." Charizard folded his arms. "A human helping create a Pokémon-governed society..."

"Makes sense to me. You'd never expect a Pokémon to know how to build those stadiums or skyscrapers by themselves." Garchomp grunted.

"Crude in tone as usual...the point Garchomp made just now still stands. We can't rule out the possibility that this whole conspiracy is the works of a native from our home world." Aegislash reminded them. "That doesn't explain the brainwashing, nor does it answer the prolonged goal that this third-party is achieving. We need a firmer base to get to the bottom of these suspicions."

Greninja silently turned towards the blinds. He peered through the small space between it and the window to peer into the high night sky above. However, in the distance, the white castle was brightened up in lights.

'...and I think I might have an idea where that might be.'

Suddenly, there was a soft tap on the window glass, provoking Nic's Pokémon's second-nature instincts to get on guard.

"A bug?" Cloyster wondered.

Greninja glared at the window as he heard another tiny tap. Thanks to being a Dark-type, he could see more adeptly in the dark. It made him notice a barely visible red zigzag, making it obvious who their visitor was.

Casting the blinds up, he clicked the window seal open and lifted it slightly. The small gap was all that was needed for the zigzag to beam through and shut the window just as fast. Reappearing before everyone, Kecleon stood before them with her head tilted off to the side.

"Geez! Almost made me spew a fire there!" Houndoom snapped, before giving a grunt. "I swear, I never get used to that."

Garchomp glanced down at Kecleon. "You sure took your time, Kecleon. So, what did you find?"

She gave no verbal reply, instead she opened her mouth, rolling out her tongue that had a number of materials coiled up along the sticky, unbelievably durable rope. She flung her tongue and the contents all shot at them. Charizard, Garchomp, and Arbok caught them without even trying and looked t what they were given.

In Charizard's hands, it was a map that had a whole diagram of what appeared to be the region. Garchomp looked at the poster he unfolded and recognized the stadium that was drawn on it. Arbok noticed the lanyard that was attached to an ID that had a Pangoro's picture on it.

"Special delivery. No charge..." Kecleon chimed in her trademark eerily, merry, and monotone voice.

Houndoom raised a brow. "Well I'll be damned. So that's what you've been up to...I honestly thought you were hiding around somewhere."

"I was..."

Houndoom blinked rapidly. He and Kecleon exchanged looks, but to the former it was like staring at a black hole. He felt extremely uncomfortable with how her black eyes were peering into his soul without even trying.

Aegislash cleared her nonexistent throat. "A-anyways, where have you been? We lost track of you just after we went shopping ourselves."

Kecleon craned her head upright. "I played espionage with the popo..."

The police Spearow that was watching the shopping avenue earlier continued its flight path through the streets. Not too far above that it would get him into trouble, but low enough in case he needed to pull someone over. His flight took him several avenues over until he came to a stop in front of an extensive building to say the least.

For a police department, the building sat two stories tall, with the front face being a massive arch made of marble that was supported my huge pillars of concrete. Large windows had reflective glass so no one from the outside could see inward. On the top, finely engraved into the marble in bright white was labeled "Pokémon Resources & Public Safety Administration".

As the Spearow trotted inside, the doors slid open to allow access. With nobody seeing her, Kecleon seized the opportunity and silently followed behind. Just before the doors slid shut, she beelined in just a split-second and found herself inside the complex.

To her surprise, the complex's interior reminded her a lot of the accommodations on PokeEarth. A black mat sat in front of the doorways and stretched halfway up to the reception desk, where a Snorlax sat with an extra-large box of donuts that was down to only one donut left. The ground was sleek porcelain tiles, with a Geodude wearing a janitor cap mopping the floor back and forth with a mop. Ferns and flowers decorated the corners of the department's front as many of Pokémon wearing police uniforms were talking or talking Pokémon in handcuffs to other places for interrogations and questions.

Before she could saunter about, she heard the doors reopen behind her, making her reflexes beam behind a large potted plant sitting at the foot of the reception desk.

"Well, I call that routine checkup a success. Not bad, newbie!" Flora chimed as she walked in beside Sune. "That was surely a rush, wasn't it?"

Sune frowned, not in any perky mood after what happened. "Maybe...but we weren't able to catch up to that Sneasel in time. And a citizen put themselves in danger because of that. I can't help but feel like we didn't do our jobs..."

Instead of sulking about it, Flora leaned over and patted her back. "You're not wrong, Sune. But don't forget, just because someone takes action, doesn't mean that they're always in the right. That Scizor still used a move. Just or not, the law is the law. The Pokémon and their safety come first. It's our job to make sure they all don't fall out of line. Understand?"

Sune looked down, taking the Sunflora's words to hearth. She silently nodded in understanding. "Yes, I know. I just needed to be sure."

"Or is it because you're still frazzled by that Houndoom coming onto you?"

Sune flinched. "W-what?! Don't be disgusting! Thug-types like him just want attention and trouble wherever they go!" She pouted, raising her nose to the ceiling. "Besides, if I see him again, it'll be because of an arrest."

Flora sighed. "We'll see. Just remember, you're only one week into the job. Don't act irrationally or you'll get demerits from your probational period."

"I know the rules. I'll be just fine."

"Officer Flora! Sune!"

Kecleon turned towards the booming voice that belonged to a Pangoro wearing a fine, dark blue police uniform. In his mouth was a Pangoro's trademark bamboo shoot that grinded against his sharp teeth. In his paws were papers held by a paperclip.

"Chief Hugo!" Flora immediately turned with a salute of her leaf. Sune raised a paw to mimic the movement.

"At ease, you two." The police chief walked up to them, holding up the papers for them to see for themselves. "I just got the paperwork from the recent arrest. I need a word with you both."

Sune and Flora looked at each other before deciding to follow the police chief to his quarters. Out of curiosity, Kecleon started to slowly follow behind. As she walked past the Snorlax receptionist that was sleeping on the job, she noticed the last donut. With reflexes, she snatched the donut with her tongue and ate it.

Hugo's bamboo shoot twitched, sensing movement. "Hm? What was that?" He turned around, seeing if anything was around them. He narrowed his eyes and spotted Snorlax sleeping, but not much else. "...Officer Stew! What have I told you about sleeping on the job!?"

The Snorlax snorted before sitting upright. "H-huh?!" He looked over and saw the Pangoro glaring. "Uh, r-right! Sorry, Chief!"

"Next time I'm catching you, consider giving me your resignation." He warned without an inch of remorse. He turned back towards his office and guided the Sunflora and Vulpix, with Kecleon silently following and remaining camouflaged.

Anxious, Snorlax reached for a donut, but realized the last donut was gone. "Huh? Gone already?" His ears dropped. "Oh man...I'm so hungry."

The three walked into an office that sat further within the complex. The office, much to Kecleon's surprise, was relatively small and had tan walls. Ther lighting was low due to the blinds blocking out the majority of the sunlight. The Pangoro walked around the dark oak desk that had a lacrima lamp on the side. He sat in his seat, as did Flora and Sune on the opposite sides.

"Yes, Chief Hugo?" Sune worried.

The chief held up the papers before slamming them on the desk with a sigh. "I'm just going to rip off the band-aid and say it. You both messed up."

"Wait...why?!" Sune quipped. "We made an arrest today!"

"Technically, yes. You did. But, how's about we go over the ramifications, hm?" He cocked a knowing brow at the Vulpix specifically, filing through the paperwork. "You both abandoned your post at the northern end of the vending district to follow one criminal into the borders of the southern district. You called for backup halfway there rather than rom the start. And, Officer Flora, may I remind you that Officer Sune is on her probational period. In other words, having her in active arrests is against the rules."

Flora dropped her head, acknowledging the protocol failure. "My sincerest apologies. That slipped my mind, Chief."

The Pangoro sighed heavily. "You were lucky that Officer Sune nor did any bystanders sustain any injuries in the process. Don't forget, you were in charge of her."

Sune looked between her partner and the police chief. She wanted to say something, but as she was trying to make up and excuse, she fell short of what to say. She looked down, crestfallen and annoyed.

The Pangoro sighed again. "But, to be fair, that Sneasel has been undermining smuggling of stolen goods between the vending and shopping districts. At least now we can crack down on anymore market trade-offs that might be happening between those districts. So this once, since this was your first large case Officer Sune, you and Officer Flora shall be given levity."

Flora and Sune lightened up some.

"But I expect you both to remember the protocols next time. Now then, onto the real reason why I pulled you both here." Hugo cleared his throat as he shifted, pulling out identical papers for Flora and Sune. "I have new assignments for you two regarding tomorrow's upcoming tournament."

Sune's heart skipped a beat. "Wait, new assignments? Already?"

"Yes. Due to the large crowd expected tomorrow, we'll require security. One of our officers the other day had to withdraw due to an accident, so Flora, you'll be part of the security in the stadium." He handed her a stack of papers. "The details of your station and times shall be listed here."

Flora silently accepted the papers.

"And Sune..." Hugo held up a small stack of papers. "You shall be assisting in managing the PC for Professor Penelope."

"Wait, what?!" Sune snapped. "B-but I just got onto the field, now I'm being pulled out?!"

"It's all part of the job I'm afraid. It's not always about catching bad guys like you see in sitcoms. This job is about guaranteeing safety in more places than just our alleys and streets, you know."

"I-I mean I know that, but shouldn't I be on the field just a little longer before transferring to...?" She trailed off as she saw the look Hugo gave her. His brow furrowed deeply as his underjaw stuck out, showing his grizzly fangs that made Sune immediately back down. "I-I understand. I'm sorry..."

Hugo handed her the papers, to which she accepted. "Both of you will be temporarily reassigned to your new stations. This may likely be only for the weekend, but we need as many personnel here as possible to make sure this all runs smoothly. Flora, make sure that Officer Sune knows where the PC is so she'll be ready by tomorrow morning."

"Yes, sir." Flora got up from her seat and turned around. "C'mon, Sune."

"Okay..." Hollow in tone, a clearly dismayed Sune trotted behind the Sunflora as they exited the office. Meanwhile, Kecleon silently observed, her vision fixed on the papers as well as the ID on Hugo's belt.

"I played crooks and robbers without them knowing they were the crooks..." Kecleon tilted her head in the opposite direction. "Then I was their shadow until we reached for the finish line."

"In other words, this so-called PC." Charizard interpreted.

Kecleon silently nodded.

Scizor sighed tiredly. "Well, at least we can rest easy knowing where our trainers are being held. We'll be able to get to them by tomorrow if not sooner."

Arbok sneered matter-of-factly. "If that were the cassse, they wouldn't need thisss policcce forccce in with them." Arbok noted, holding up the lanyard and ID. "Henccce why you got thisss, right?"

Kecleon nodded. "Bingo!"

Arbok flicked his togue before snickering. "That lumbering ssstaunch of a chief might get mad."

"Ha! Works in our case! Aim for the head and the body falls with it!" Garchomp growled.

Greninja turned towards Kecleon with a smirk beneath his tongue. "Nice work, Kecleon. Right now, whatever edge we can take will mean the difference between success...or full-scale carnage."

Houndoom let out a grievous sigh. "And here I was hoping we could settle down for a little while...but I guess you guys have a point. The sooner we get this over with, the faster we can get back to our dysfunctional lives." He turned away and walked towards the table of sweets. "Hope you guys like sweets, cuz apparently, that's what we're living on for a while."

"Hey, at least sound appreciative! It's still food!" Slurpuff complained.

Aegislash bowed her head. "Suppose you're right. It'll have to do for now. Tomorrow is a bid day...we'll need whatever strength and sound of mind we can."

As she and the other Pokémon corralled towards the table to skip straight to their desserts, Greninja turned and gave the closed blinds one more look, knowing what was on the other side. He knew they would have to tackle that part as well, but right now wasn't the time. He turned and walked towards the dining table.

"Hope you bought something minty, Slurpuff."

---

Meanwhile, inside the prestigious palace, chamber doors flung open to reveal Adamantine. His glare was fixed ahead as he walked along the long, red-velvet carpet with golden edging up towards King Quinlan. His Majesty currently was looking out towards the city far below, continuing to study and admire the blossoming society that stood at his feet.

Adamantine stopped just at the foot of the shadows, getting to a knee and bowed his knee. "Your Majesty...you have summoned me?"

Acknowledging the Golisopod's words, Quinlan glanced over his shoulder. "Welcome back, Adamantine. I just that your endeavors in the Fiorian country brought some limelight for you to mingle with for a while."

Adamantine craned his neck lower with a grunt. "...you can say that. I have only retired from there because of my current party. I have brought back some new humans that I believe will be most...adequate for our cause."

"I see...do tell me, do you have any particular plans in mind, Adamantine? If not, then might I suggest compromising with a proposition I have for you. I believe that it may suite to your tastes."

He lifted his head. "...I'm listening."

"As you are well aware, we have the tournament coming up tomorrow. This is expected to be an immense ordeal. Not only will it bring in ideal revenue for our future projects, but it will also sport how well Pokémon battle with their humans."

"And how does this concern me?"

Quinlan smirked. "Well...if I do recall, you only want to battle the strongest and get stronger, am I right? As one of my fellow Apostles, you are a symbol of perseverance. The winner of the tournament tomorrow will receive a grand prize, as well as an exhibition battle from one of the Apostles. I think you can understand where I'm going with this."

Adamantine narrowed his eyes, his whiskers trembling. "Yes...I do."

"You are free to use whichever humans you like that you currently have, but remember, this is a show of strength. Show all of Pokétopia the potential they can have should they want to match your ambitions."

Adamantine stood back up. "Hmph...as you wish. I suppose I see your merits in this favor." He turned away to face back into the darkness. "And you said this as a show of power, and I can use whomever I want in my possession...correct?"

Quinlan continued looking away, keeping his growing smirk out of view. "Of course."

Adamantine lowly sneered, an idea coming to mind. "I see...then excuse me. I will have to reorganize my party. But first, I must retire for the evening. If you'll excuse me." He returned to walking back down the velvet carpet to where a set of chamber doors swung open and shut behind him.

He marched down the grand corridors of the lustrous domain, not minding his fellow Apostles as some of them were idling walking by. Amaryllis merrily hummed as she exited a corridor with a skip in her step until she noticed the towering arthropod.

"Hey there, big guy! Check these out!" Amaryllis held up her twin tails, showing the glossy red polish on the orange tips to make them shimmer underneath the lighting from above. "What do you think?"

As if her existence meant nothing, Adamantine grunted and continued trudging down the hallway.

"...uh...okay then?" Amaryllis frowned. "Geez, talk about a buzzkill. I've heard of stoic and being a stiff, but that guy's like both."

"Are you seriously meddling with that stuff at this hour?" From across the hall, the Ambipom looked up and recognized Blade as he folded his arms, leaning against a wall.

"Heh? Oh, Blade! I almost didn't see you there! Sorry, you were just so bland that it was hard to notice ya." She spoke aloud, showing him her nails. "Hey, you can't knock it unless you try it. Wanna get your fingers polished?"

"Does it look like I have nails?" Blade held up his claws, showing no sign of such extremities for polish. "Besides, I like actually little clothing, thank you. This stuff is so constricting!" He tugged on his vest to loosen the collar.

"Ah! Ah! Hey now, that's no way to talk fancy! You make it sound like you'd rather go naked." She impishly smirked. "You an exhibitionist or something you wanna secretly tell me~?"

Blade shot her a death glare. "No! I'm not a pervert you pea-brain!"

"What the hell is going on here?" From an adjacent corridor, Akando sauntered out, his red eyes glowing with rage that rivaled the harsh tone in his voice. "Both lot...you're making so much noise that I can hear it from halfway down the hall. Either tone it down or take this spat outside."

Amaryllis turned towards him, her upbeat attitude shown in her smile. "Oh! Akando, good evening! Say, you wanna try out this fingernail polish I got? It'll really compliment your-"

Akando glared vehemently, his red eyes glowing.

"Uh...m-maybe tomorrow then?" Amaryllis nervously pressed the matter further, but the Midnight Lycanroc's intense stare kept draining away the confidence in her to where she started shimmying her way back down the hall. "Well, okay then! I'll just ask Suria if she's not too busy! Night, guys!"

The two watched as the Ambipom skipped her way down the hall. Blade furrowed his brow as he shot leers at her back. "What I wouldn't give to have her shut up for one day."

Akando sneered in agreement. "Definitely annoying." He glanced over at Blade. "Speaking of annoying, you know that king has been pressing the matter of you getting a human of your own."

"Not like I needed one from the start. I don't even know why I'm here to begin with!"

"Your guess is as good as mine. If I were him, I would have thrown you out for wasting my time." He turned his head away. "Then again, it'd be annoying to find a replacement. It's a no-win situation. Pfft, a drag."

Blade grumbled low. "You probably just woke up, didn't you? Awfully chatty, aren't we?"

Akando sneered again. "Whatever. Now that the noise has died down, I can get to training." His lips formed a cunning smirk. "We could use a practice dummy if you know what I mean. Hard to find another thick-skinned 'mon such as yourself."

"Nope, not doing this!" Blade turned and walked away, leaving the Lycanroc to sneer at the corner of his lips.

"Hmph, suit yourself." Akando picked up his Human Cubes from his belt and headed down the opposite direction.

---

The 'PC' was still sound. Or at least as sound as it could get with it being a prison to the likes of the mages trapped behind their cells. Some of them have long since gotten accustomed to the confined rooms they were given, others were so impatient to be let out that they tried prying the bars themselves. Of course, their resistance was met with a painful shock that made them cry out in agony.

A buzzing was followed by a wail from the other end of the hallway, getting Erza's attention. The knight normally wasn't affected by screams of pain; she gets that on a daily basis from the ruffians who meets the steel of her blades. However, her mind was slowly falling into a pit of darkness.

Even as she sat against the wall, her elbows rested on her kneecaps as the feeling of being trapped and tortured inmates brought vivid reminders of her slavery days in the Tower of Heaven. Though not as strong as they were before to make her cringe, she did seem lost to where she felt uncomfortable. Had it been quiet like the Council jail it would have been far more tolerable...but a place like this was anything but sincere. The only thing keeping her lucid otherwise was the mild grip on her bare left shoulder by none other than Nic, who was taking the atmosphere just as well, if not more so.

Footsteps were heard drawing closer until Dahab crawled his way along the floor. He lifted his body and faced the two with a sneering look. "Cof! Cof! Cof! Lights out in five minutes! You both better be in your beds! Wouldn't wanna wake up feeling like you've slept on a rock, right~? Cof! Cof! Cof!" Without heeding the stale looks on either of their faces, he resumed crawling along the floor to warn the next cell of the curfew.

Erza musingly snickered. "Does he know that you actually prefer sleeping on the floor?"

"Doubt he minds either way." Nic said low. He turned and looked her in the eye. "Hey...you holding up alright?"

Erza soundly smile, moving her right hand to hold over her husband's hand of comfort. "Yes, I am. Thank you for your concerns." She gave him a glance. "Nic..."

"Yeah?"

"Be honest with me...I've known you for a long time. You've been going through changes left and right...but these events, what happened at the guild...I have a feeling you didn't fight back as hard as you should for a good reason. Am I right?"

Nic blinked. He closed his eyes and sighed out his nostrils. "And it took you this long to catch on?"

"I know you're a man of sheer improvisation, but you could have at least warned me in advance, or a signal." Erza warned him, her brow furrowing in dismay. "Honestly, I worry enough about you. If they had taken you without me knowing...you have no idea what I would do. I wouldn't forgive myself if that happened."

Nic opened his eyes as he turned fully towards her. "I know...sorry."

Erza sighed heavily. "It's okay...at least we're safe for now, that's the important part." She put a hand to his cheek. "But I'm serious, at least try to give me some signal next time. Don't forget that I'm her for you, alright?"

Nic leaned his cheek closer into her hand, feeling the warmth and took her words into consideration. "Right. I'll try."

Erza smirked. "You really are a handful." She sighed. "Given the last-second circumstances, I'll let it slide this time."

"Well at least someone's feeling cozy, aren't they?" A sarcastic voice chimed from close by, earning their undivided attention.

"Was that referring to us?" Erza asked aloud.

"Yeah, who else? Seriously, you guys better not be mingling, you'll probably get some serious trouble with the coffin otherwise...then again, not like there's anything better to do other than sit around and stale until morning."

Nic furrowed his brows and silently moved closer towards the cell doors. There was just enough space for him along the side to peer his head out towards his left. He noticed the neighboring cell was a just a few cements blocks away from their room. No wonder they could hear him and vice versa.

"If you've got a mouth, mind if we see it?" Nic asked in a lower volume.

"Uuuugh, you're gonna make me get out of bed?" the young masculine voice groaned. "Fine, hold on..."

There was the sound of shifting, followed by the sound of feet pressing against the ground and grew louder. The sound eventually ended and Nic caught a glimpse of a very young man, who was no older than him. He had kempt brown hair that was short, with a sleek bang running along the nosebridge. His hazel eyes were small, and from what Nic could tell, he had on a midnight blue undershirt and green cargo pants, which were held up by a brown belt. The young man looked about average height, thought seemed a little underweight given his small stature of muscle had had.

"This good enough for ya?" he asked grumpily. "So, you're the new neighbors eh? I tell ya, you got a lot of nerve to pull me out of..." He trailed off as he stared at Nic, as if an epiphany was dawning before. "Hey, hold up..." He blinked twice. "Aren't you...?" His pupils shrank as he cringed. "Wait...don't tell me..." He almost cringed so hard he nearly touched the bars. "Nic Pularis?!"

'Looks like even wherever we are, I'm recognizable...guess that's a given.' Nic thought to himself. He gave the stunned man a scowl. "Yeah, what about it?" he asked, barely holding back a rude tone.

Immediately, the man's cocky demeanor he had a minute ago turned to one of fearful respect as he gazed upon him with a nervous smile. "U-um...nothing...I'm just really...surprised that someone like you is here, that's all..."

Though Nic understood his uneasiness, he remained won-to-earth and to the point. "Define 'here', exactly."

The guy blinked. "Uh, here? Here as in Rolica, what else?"

"Rolica?" Nic went silent as he recounted the few other countries he's been to aside from Fiore. 'I don't think that's part of Ishgar. I've studied the map at least a couple times, so I would know.' He turned towards Erza for any answers. "Erza, ever heard of this place?"

"Afraid not. It might not be a country close to Fiore." She answered, turning towards the man. "Are you by any chance a native of this country?"

The man snickered lowly as he smirked. "Well, if you must know, name's Harrison Freeston, but my close buddies call me I's."

"That doesn't answer my question." Erza answered sternly, breaking Isaac's ego.

"Erk! Uh, r-right. Yeah, I'm well-known here...or at least my father is. He's a manager at our province's colosseum." He frowned. "Or at least, he was until this whole damn fiasco started."

"Colosseum?"

"Oh, right. You guys probably haven't been topside. Pretty sure it's a mess up there after what happened."

Nic didn't like the sound of it, but he knew better than to be left in the dark. "...so what happened, exactly?"

Harrison lowered his head, a small but barely vocal sigh heard. The anxious look he had a second ago completely deflated, turning into one of grimace. "Oh, geez, well, where do I start...?" He pulled himself back into his cell, sitting himself on the floor cross-legged while slumped in the shoulders. "Well, can't exactly say we were a well-known country from the start, but we got along just fine, even before this whole Pokémon thing happened. After those things started showing up just overnight, we couldn't make heads or tails until we learned they were actually intelligent. I tell ya, of all the things to fall from the sky, I never imagined that a talking pig would be one of them. I wonder what Grumpig is doing now?" He shrugged. "Probably lounging on a couch like he always did. Lazy pig."

"Is there a point?" Nic asked, his patience taxed by the second.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. Anyways, when Pokémon first fell to here, we didn't know what to do. Then we saw your big conference and started taking notes. We started importing some of your guys' merchandise and vice versa, eventually we got to where we could live comfortably with our Pokémon. We even used that huge colosseum that was run down and cleaned it up just so we could have weekly tournaments. Yeah, it was all good...until something strange happened. I'd say...about a month and a half ago, maybe?" He paused, a deep frown taking his appearance. "Just one night, everything just...flipped. Our Pokémon broke all their Poke Balls, and people were in a panic. People were kicked out of their homes and thrown into the dungeon in clusters. I can still hear the panic even in my sleep..."

Nic and Erza exchanged looks. They chose to not say anything as Harrison continued.

"A lot of us were scared, confused...then a few days rolled by and then suddenly we were all divided into two sides. Those who could use magic, and others who couldn't. Those who could use magic were put into these really strange-looking cubes. And those that couldn't were taken to the palace."

"A palace, you said?" Erza repeated.

"Yup. It's a huge white castle that sits atop the plateaus. Can't miss it. Anyways, we were hoping that our King would do something about it...but it looks like even he's lost his marbles."

Nic blinked. "'Lost his marbles'? In other words, something happened to him?"

"Beats me, but ever since the whole Crossing incident, he was seen less and less outside his palace. He was always quite a cheerful and outgoing guy. I don't know the beef of it all, but one day, he just made a declaration."

"People of Rolica! From this day forth! I – Quinlan Van Vansley IV – make this solemn declaration! Here me not, my citizens! We have been misled by the likes of our practices. There is no justice to how we, as humans, have been conducting ourselves to our Pokémon. We must repent for the mistakes we have caused our comrades!"

Harrison rolled his eyes as he barely remembered much of what was spoken. "He said a few things after, but long story short, we humans are essentially pets now. Bummer, right? What I wouldn't give to get out of here and teach that king and that pig of mine a damn good lesson. And I'm sure quite a few of us down here feel the same way...I'm not sure what the hell our king's been up to for the past couple of months...but clearly something's up. Though I doubt we'll be getting answers anytime soon as long as we're stuck down here and those damn cubes."

Nic remained silent as he processed everything. Just from the way he worded it made it clear as day that something was up regarding this so-called King Quinlan. Immediately, his instincts told him that the roots of this whole mess had to come from here.

'So I guess my theory was spot-on after all.'

Suddenly, all the light lacrima illuminating the cells turned off.

"Lights out! Better be silent for the rest of the night!" Dahab shouted from across the hall.

"Shit!" Harrison hissed. "Sorry man, but hey, you ever find a way out, I'm all aboard...though if you're here of all people, guess we're in some deep trouble after all." Without another word, he turned away from the cell and walked further in towards his bed. "Better sleep tight while you're staying!"

Nic and Erza slowly backed from cell bars and took in the information their neighbor had let them in on. To them, every bit of information was crucial, a necessity. Though Harrison seemed so nonchalant and callous about it, he indulged them on something that helped add another piece to the puzzle that was this whole mess.

'An outgoing king, who suddenly turned reclusive after The Crossing occurred. Then gave an order for Pokémon to subjugate them against their own wills.' Erza turned towards Nic. He had that same look in his eye that he always got when he was deep in thought of something. "Nic?"

"...I have a pretty good idea of where to start looking." Nic figured aloud.

Catching wind of his inclination, Erza smirked. "There...that's easy enough for me to understand. Let's rest up...we'll need it for whatever your head stirs up next."

Erza made way towards the single bed, while Nic took the floor beside her. She would have invited him in, but the bed was too small, and Nic doesn't accommodate himself to such luxuries unless it was with Erza. He laid on his back and nestled the back of his head into his hands and closed his eyes. As he was starting to lumber to sleep, he thought about what Harrison said.

"What I wouldn't give to get out of here and teach that king and that pig of mine a damn good lesson. And I'm sure quite a few of us down here feel the same way..."

'I wonder...' Nic trailed off as his speculations made his brain churn until sleep took over.

---

Meredy groaned as her eyes fluttered open. The first thing she processed was how bright the ceiling lights were to make her want to turn over and lull back to sleep. When she registered a blanket over her body, her eyes shot wide open and immediately sat up with a gasp.

"Wait...what happened?!" She looked around her room, checking the surroundings. As far as she could tell, the ceiling lights were gray, with bright lights beaming down onto her. Off to her right was a closed purple curtain, which when she opened saw that it was nighttime. When she pulled away, she realized the walls were painted purple. "Where am I...?"

"Meredy...?" A high-pitched voice chimed.

Turning to her right, Meredy immediately got on her guard when she recognized the Jigglypuff that sat on a stool, looking deeply concerned for her. "Gah!" She pulled away. "Jigglypuff!? But...but I thought you were-!"

"You can relax...she isn't brainwashed anymore, we checked."

For the third time in less than a minute, Meredy recoiled. She turned towards the door and saw two familiar faces appear before her. Accompanying them was the blue-furred canine standing on two legs, as well as a small green serpent with large red eyes gleaming with pride. She thought she was dreaming, but after rubbing her eyes with a sleeve, she blinked and recognized the familiar faces staring directly at her,

"Wait a minute...Jellal?! Bellona?! Is that really you guys?!"

Despite how surprised Meredy looked, Jellal calmly smiled. "It's good to see you're back on your feet, Meredy."

"Looks to me that someone's been running around without proper direction if they ended up falling over." Bellona teased. "I don't recall you being so careless before, Meredy."

For the first time in what felt like days, Meredy was able to put on a bright smile for the reunion of her former guildmates and colleagues. "You guys...it's so good to see you again!"

"The feeling is mutual." Jellal said, before his frown changed the mood. "Though, I had only wished that it had been under better circumstances than this."

Meredy blinked. She was about to press the matter until she realized they weren't the only ones in the room. She took notice of the Pokémon that were by their sides. "Are those your Pokémon?"

Bellona smirked. "So you've finally noticed." She put a hand to her hip, looking down at the green serpent. "Yes, suppose you can say we picked up a few things while we've been finding our way around. Meet Servine."

Servine walked up on her tiny feet, giving a small but humble bow to Meredy. "A pleasure to meet you."

"A Servine..." Meredy mulled, turning towards the Pokémon beside Jellal. "Then you must be Jellal's partner, right?"

He stepped forward, putting a paw above his chest spike and nodded. "Yes. You can call me Lucario, at your service. Jellal has told me much about you and your exploits from the past. I am pleased to meet your acquaintance in person."

"It was thanks to Lucario's sense of aura that we were able to tell you were close by." Jellal pointed out. Lucario nodded in confirmation to this statement.

'So it can track aura as well? Just like Vanessa...wait, trouble?' It was slow-going until Meredy's brain jolted at the sudden flood of memories. She remembered why she was in trouble to begin with, and why she was running away. She almost flew out of her bed with how sudden she jerked upright. "Wait a minute! Ultear! What happened to her?! Where am I?!" she yelped.

"Calm down. You've been under for a while. It isn't wise to be on your feet so suddenly." Bellona warned.

Meredy, however, didn't back down. "That doesn't matter! I've been asleep long enough! Tell me, what happened to Ultear?!"

Jellal and Bellona exchanged wary looks. They knew they had to tell her, it was only right that she knew what happened. However, the anxious look Meredy had only grew as she knew their blank expressions all too well...and it was never good news.

"I'm afraid that by the time we arrived, she was nowhere to be found." Jellal admitted, guilt drenching his tone. "Lucario attempted to track her aura. However, he only has a range of half a mile...I'm sorry."

Lucario frowned and bowed his head. "My apologies for us not being sooner."

"No..." Meredy's gaze fell towards her lap as she slumped down in her head. She looked like the world had just ended, and she just missed the opportunity to save it. To say she was upset would be an understatement. She clutched her sheets tightly, barely able to hold back the tears in the corners of her eyes. "Ultear..."

Jigglypuff leaned over, putting a tiny hand on her shoulder. "Meredy...I'm really sorry, really. I didn't mean for any of this to happen..."

Bellona stepped forward, a straightforward look plastered on her face. "Many mages went missing in the Worth Woodsea recently. If you were there, that's to say that you caught onto the case as well, right?"

Meredy closed her eyes, sniffling as she wiped away her tears with a finger. "Yeah...Ultear and I were tracking our Pokémon down when we found other people have been missing, too. We tracked them there and came to a dead end...that's when we were ambushed by all those mages...with Macbeth and the others, too."

Jellal's pupils shrank as he gasped, his glare sharpening. "So, they have Erik and the others as well?"

"This certainly complicates things, that's for certain." Bellona grimaced. "Our colleagues...they were instrumental in numerous ways. Perhaps that's why they were captured?"

"Personal history aside, they're all very strong mages. Whatever these Pokémon have in mind with them...I have my doubts that it won't be for any kind of special treatment." Jellal figured. "We need to figure this out, and the sooner the better."

Lucario nodded. "Agreed."

Meredy sniffled again as she turned towards Lucario and Servine, a realization dawning upon her. "Hey, hold on...how come you guys aren't brainwashed?" She turned towards the two mages/trainer for an answer.

"You don't need to be alarmed. For you see, Lucario is protected by his aura." Jellal explained. Lucario demonstrated this by showing off his aura, which was a royal blue shade that outlined his entire body briefly.

"Uh-huh..." She turned towards Bellona. "How about you, Bellona?"

A mischievous smirk crossed the sky blue-haired woman's lips. She glanced down at her Servine, who froze up on the spot. As if triggered by some painful instinct, she gulped and her red eyes lost their coloration. The look of fear on her face made it vividly clear that whatever Bellona did to snap Servine to her senses wasn't on a lighthearted note.

"Dear Meredy...let's just say, I made her reality a little...nightmare for a while." She darkly sneered, her left arm held up making a tiny dark galaxy in her palm. "Right...Servine?"

Servine cringed, swallowing a lump. "Uh...y-yes! Of course!"

Meredy nervously frowned. 'Good grief. Guess desperate times call for guilty pleasure...' She realized something else. "So then, where am I now?"

"We're in the Sabertooth guild's infirmary. It was the closest guild in the vicinity...and an ideal place to lay low." Jellal explained.

"Sabertooth...?"

"That's ri~ght!" Meredy cringed when she heard a familiar chime of a certain woman who popped up behind Jellal and Bellona. They stepped off to the side, presenting Sorano, as well as a mildly embarrassed Yukino that was dragged along. "Hey there! Long time no see~! Did ya miss me?!"

"Hello..." Yukino nervously waved in greetings of their new guest.

Without warning, Sorano slid up to Meredy's side with a skip in her step. "Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed! Perk up already, would ya? At least you got Jigglypuff back safe and sound!"

Still wrapped up on her sudden appearance, Meredy barely had room for an answer. "Uh...nice to see you too..."

"I heard everything from outside! Those rogue jerks took Sawyer and the others? For real?!"

Meredy frowned. "Yeah...I'm afraid so."

Sorano clenched her fists, pulling back as she gritted her teeth in frustration. "Gnnnngh! The nerve of these guys! First they go a-wall, now they capture our friends!? We're gonna get them for this!"

'Wow, she seems livelier than the last time I saw her.' Meredy blinked, partially amazed at the revelation before a second one took over. "Wait, you said 'get the'. What's that mean?"

Sorano mischievously chuckled, winking at her. "Oh, has nobody told you yet?"

"About what?"

Before Sorano could give an answer, heavy footsteps were heard from the doorway. All eyes turned towards Sting as Lector and his Druddigon followed behind him. "I thought I heard chatter from across the guild hall. Looks like you're finally up, that's a relief." Sting greeted.

"Oh, Sting. Glad you made it!" Yukino greeted.

"You know our Master, perceptive hearing is a dragon's essence." Lector beamed with pride.

Sting stepped forward, turning towards Bellona. "Been a while, Bellona. Looks like you've been handling yourself well."

Bellona nodded with a hum. "The feeling's mutual. Heard Sorano gave my regards to you when she returned from Seven to join your guild." She glanced over at the white-haired mage. "Though not necessary...I actually do appreciate it."

Sorano winked as she gave her a thumbs up. "You bet!"

"Um, I hate to break up this reunion we have going, but I think we're getting off topic here." Lector pointed out.

Sting looked down at him. "Right, sorry." He turned towards Meredy and the others. "Anyways, glad you're up. Jellal and Bellona filled us in on everything. Sorry about Ultear, we promise that we'll all do everything we can to bring her and the others back safe and sound."

Meredy raised a brow. "All of you?"

"Apparently, the guilds have been sharing knowledge with each other for the past few days. Seems like they picked up on the pattern like we have." Jellal informed.

"Yeah, thanks to the advice Fairy Tail had, we were able to get Druddigon and the others back to their senses before it was too late." Sting pointed out. Druddigon grunted behind him. "Anyways, you woke up at just the right time. There's talks of a coalition expedition to the Worth Woodsea soon. Any able mages from guilds are heading there to get to the root of it all."

"Really?!" Meredy nearly jumped at the opportunity. She could save Ultear if fortune was willing to smile down upon her. And what's more, now that Jigglypuff wasn't brainwashed, that was just another asset on her side. She made up her mind without hesitation. "That case, take me with you! I can help!"

"Me, too!" Jigglypuff beamed.

Sting looked at her. "Well, it's not like we'll stop you or anything. Besides, any piece of intel is helpful at this point. We need all the able-bodied help we can get, especially with so many mages out of condition. And some trainers themselves can't use magic either. That leaves us pretty thin in numbers."

Lucario stepped up. "We'll be applying ourselves as well in this operation."

"We'll be leaving at first light. Meredy, would you lend us your strength?" Jellal pleaded.

Without hesitation, Meredy nodded. "You bet!"

Bellona smirked. "This should be entertaining."

---

By the time Starly had opened her eyes, it was already night. Her dark eyes slowly fluttered open as she stirred at the base of a tree, with leafy branches to provide as a makeshift pillow.

"(Gggnnngh...w-wha...what happened?)" Starly groaned as she started sitting upright. As soon as her brain registered taller figures than herself, she gasped and jolted back. "(Gah!)" Immediately, she cringed in pain. "(Ow!)"

"(Hey, take it easy, would ya? You ain't in the best shape right now.)" The dark red, bipedal lizard warned.

Confused, Starly realized that he was pointing a claw at her left wing. She looked down and realized that it was bandaged up in some gauze, albeit poorly, it was still intact and refrained her from taking flight.

"(Your wing looked pretty banged up when we found you like that.)" The blue frog beside the red lizard stated. "(You looked like you had a nasty fight. Didn't want to leave you like that.)"

Starly was confused, until a green chameleon suddenly appeared beside her, startling her. "(Gah! W-what the-?!)"

The bipedal chameleon blinked, tilting her head to the side. "(The patient has awoken. Thanks to the nurses and doctors...)"

Starly blinked. "(Wait...what are you saying? W-what's going on here?!)"

The three went quiet when they heard footsteps close by. They all turned towards the resonator of the sound. Starly followed their lead and turned to see what looked like a very young man, possibly fifteen still fair if not mildly pale skin tone. He had very short black hair that spiked up towards the right side. He had a gray V-neck, short-sleeved shirt beneath a sleeveless black coat with blue flame designs rising from the bottom. He also had running shoes to compliment his faded, roomy jeans. However, the most eye-catching thing about him was the earbuds that were hooked on the alcove of his shirt that connected to something in his pocket. His black sunglasses covering his eyes concealed his blue eyes from her, though with her Keen Eye Ability, Starly could see through them just fine.

The three Pokémon immediately went silent as the human walked up to the Starly. "Thanks for looking out for her while I got these." The human thanked them. He walked closer, his hands holding several Sitrus Berries that he had found close by. He placed one in front of the startled Starly. "Here, this will get your strength back up."

Starly blinked. She had no idea what was happening. Even as she witnessed the human corralling the three Pokémon around him to share the remaining Sitrus Berries, her mind was elsewhere. She couldn't help but think how in the world she got to this point. She looked down at her tiny orange feet, thinking of what happened prior to her being knocked unconscious.

'(How did I get here? Let's see...we were all roosting in the tall grass, and then a human trainer and-!)' It struck her just then. The electricity in her brain jolted a twitch in her still damaged wing. She cringed, but her gasp of realization far outweighed the pain by a mile.

She remembered it all. The small horde that ended up fighting the Raichu, all of whom ended up defeated. She saw the visage of Shiny Starly before the Electro Ball met her left side. All she felt was a striking pain before blacking out.

'(Wait...NO!)' She jolted upright, her sudden jerking catching the others' attention.

"(Huh? Hey, what's wrong with her?)" Charmeleon wondered, clutching his Sitrus Berry between his claws.

Kecleon looked back, tilting her head. "(Her car battery went into overdrive maybe?)"

Starly's heartbeat was so fast that she couldn't sit still. She anxiously looked around with worry on her face. She looked left and right before turning towards the others. "(W-where is she?!)" she quipped.

Kecleon tilted her head in the opposite direction, though more so out of confusion. "(Who...?)"

"(My friend! Have you seen her?!)"

Frogadier raised a brow. "(Um...there's no easy way for me to say this...but you were the only one that was on sight when we found you.)"

Starly's black eyes shrank a little. "(...what?)"

Frogadier and the others fell silent as they exchanged wary looks. They had no idea what was going on, but from the look on her face, she looked to be on the verge of a panic attack. Unfortunately, they had no recourse to do much else as Starly flapped her wing and kicked the ground feverishly.

"What's wrong?" Nic asked, looking mildly concerned. He walked closer, but served to alarm her.

"(No! Stay back! Where's my friend?!)"

"Hey, take it easy. You're not in immediate danger. You shouldn't rush, or your wing isn't going to heal up as fast." Nic warned.

Starly, however, had other plans. She hopped on her tiny legs and rushed way from Nic into the nearby tall grass.

"Hey! Wait!" Nic hurried towards the edge of the grass, but stopped just before it. He knew she was long gone as soon as he saw the shuffling of grass blades fade. With no visible sight of her, he balled his fists and grunted low.

'The hell was that about? Did she get scared because she didn't recognize us from around here?' Nic looked down at his feet, furrowing his brows. 'Well, guess as long as she can still move, that's enough I suppose. If she were smart, she'd stay out of danger till that wing heals up.'

He sighed. His gut told him it didn't feel right leaving her like that. His gut physically hurt just from acknowledging that. He meant well, but she didn't have to rush off like that after realizing her situation. He thought about how shocked she was. Though, while it was shock, it was also...scared?

'Is she afraid of humans perhaps?' Nic pondered. He chose to turn away to get back to his team, pulling out the fresh Sitrus Berry. "Guess that's just how the boat floats..."

Frogadier walked up to him. "(Nic...)"

"C'mon...let's eat up before we start training,"

Meanwhile, Starly scurried as fast as her legs could carry her. Which wasn't saying a lot, because her feet were so tiny that she was fumbling every couple of meters. She hopped as fast as possible while flapping her one good wing, hoping to get a higher altitude. Tired as she was, she refused to slow down. Not until she got to the bottom of this crisis she was having.

After what felt like an eternity fumbles and flops, she finally made it to where she was last. In the tall grass, she could recognize where there was a skirmish. She saw seared grass blades, a clear sign of electricity. She scoped around with anything that her sharp eyesight could make out. However, as far as inhabitance went, she didn't see any other Starly in the area.

"(D-did she manage to escape...?)" She hoped that was the case. She flinched when a soft rustle came from the grass patch beside her. Immediately she drew to a conclusion. "(I-is that you?!)"

The grass shuffled, making her anxious by the second. The hopes she had were dashed when a Chingling hopped out.

"(Hello~! Good evening to you!)" he eagerly quipped, the bell in his body chiming with every syllable, giving his voice a soft echo.

"(Um, e-excuse me. Have you seen another Starly around here? She looks like me, but shiny, and a lighter brown color?)" Starly asked, jumping from one foot to the other from anxiety.

The wild Chingling blinked in confusion. "(Huh? Another you but shiny...?)" His eyes widened at a realization. "(Oh! I think I know what you're talking about!)"

"(You do?!)" She sounded more hopeful by the second.

Chingling nodded. "(Yup! I remember now! I think I heard the commotion a little while ago. I checked it out, and I saw a human trainer with a Raichu pass by through here earlier. Those Starly fell like flies one after the other...oh! You're one of them! That explains it...well, that and the wing thingy you have.)"

Starly blinked. She looked at her bandaged wing and turned back towards him, her brow furrowed. "(Don't worry about that! What about the Shiny Starly? What happened to her?!)"

Chingling recoiled in surprise of her tone. "(U-uh...well I mean, after you all dropped like Bug-types...she was the last one...and I think I saw the trainer throw something at her and she went inside.)"

Starly stood dazed, her whole world stopping around her. "(...what...?)"

"(Yeah. He said something weird, like 'Go! Great Ball!', or something like that. I don't really know, but once she was sucked inside, she didn't come out. And then the trainer picked it up and left.)" He didn't get an answer, making him tilt his body. "(Uh...you good?)"

Starly didn't say anything. She was completely lost, in more ways than one. The realization that one of her dearest – and possibly only – friend was captured by a human trainer of all things just felt...horrendous. Not just for her, but for Shiny Starly. Starly looked so distraught that she didn't even realize the rainclouds that were rolling in from above.

Chingling looked up, noticing the weather changing. "(Looks like the rain's coming. Hate to get wet-!)"

Out of nowhere, the Chingling was startled when Starly suddenly got into his face. "(W-what's wrong?!)"

"(You have to tell me! Which way did they go?! Please!)" she pleaded. "(If they're still here, maybe I can catch up and get her back!)"

Chingling looked extremely uncomfortable, but he managed to take a tiny step back for some breathing space. "(Uh...I-I think I saw them head up the valley to Reflection Cave! But that was hours ago, so they might have-!)"

Starly backed off, instead diverging her attention to her surroundings. She looked left and right until she noticed the trail that sat close by. She gasped and realized where it could lead to. "(I'm coming!)" In a hurry, she hopped away from the Chingling, leaving him bewildered as he saw her take off without so much as a word of thanks.

"(What's her problem? And talk about rude...)" He trailed off as he noticed the dark clouds getting closer. "(Yikes! Better find cover!)"

Starly frantically hopped on her tiny feet, the joints aching from how much she was using them as opposed to when she flies about. She moved around so much on land that by the time she saw the human-made stairwell towards the higher altitude of the mountain, her feet were sore. Her movements were stiff as she drew closer towards the stairs.

'(Please...)' She thought of Shiny Starly. '(Don't leave me!)'

She picked herself up and faced the enormous stairwell. It stretched a good length up, enough to where the stairs faded from view, in her perspective at least. Looking at the mountain stairs from such a small scale was unlike anything she's ever seen before. Just the first foot of the stairs matched her height alone. Had she had both her wings operable, she would have been able to fly up easily. However, fate was not kind to her today if she was grounded. But no matter what, she had to try. She just had to!

With a lump in her throat, she hopped the best she could onto the large step. It was so large that she flopped onto her stomach than her feet. She shined in pain, but she shook it off and focused on the next ledge. This time, she hopped over towards it and gave another harsh jump, getting the same results as last time. Then a third time, and then fourth.

And when she finally reached the fifth step, she was already exhausted. She felt so lightheaded that it could just fall off her nonexistent shoulders. As tempted as she was to rest, she focused on the next step. However, her hop was so weak that she couldn't get over the ledge. She tried again, but was much shorter.

'C'mon...c'mon!' Starly took in a sharp breath, before readying for one big leap...only for her legs to completely collapse on her. Time slowed down as the whole world revolving around her seemed to be fading away. She saw the massive stairwell's top get farther away the further she fell down the stairs. The world seemingly returned to normal when she fell on her side on one step, then rolled onto another, and another, until she fell on her face in the dirt at the bottom.

As the rain started coming down, tint droplets started painting the dirt and stairs a darker color. It started low until the volume intensified, becoming a drizzle that made everything wet.

Starly stirred on the dampening ground, her tiny legs thumping with pain. She made an attempt to stand, but she didn't have the strength to even twitch. She tried to flap her wings, but only the one wing worked. She grunted as she flopped in the dirt towards the first step, but was unable to get her beak above the ledge and fell at its base back into the soggy dirt.

The rain pouring down from above dampened the dirt on her feathers. She felt heavy, helpless...and lifeless. Her breath hitched as tears stained her eyes. She got back up to make another leap, only to repeat history. Then again, and again...and again...

Finally, after the tenth time, Starly's tiny body finally gave in. The wet air, the mud, and the intense fatigue weighed on her so much that she was nearly stuck to the ground. She laid on her back, staring into the sky with tears streaming down the sides of her face.

"(Why...why...?)" she whimpered. Her beak quivered as she wanted to say something, anything that could get her friend back.

But nothing came out. Nothing but batted breath and clatter from her beak.

As the rain kept falling and Starly was unable to move, she did the only thing she could do: Cry.

Low, chirpish quips escaped from her as she sulked at the base of the steps. Everything she worked for, the merit and the desperation she put into getting Shiny Starly, and this was the best she had to show for it.

Her chirps of anguish echoed in the rain as she was left in defeat, and even more so...alone.

---

"Cooo!"

Staraptor was brought back to reality by the soft chime of Junior. She looked down at him and saw how tightly he was clutching her leg. "It's alright, I'm right here." She cooed, brushing his head with her wing. It doubled to help shield him from the high-sea breeze that swept across the ocean.

When Staraptor looked back ahead, she realized that it was barely daybreak. Small strands of light radiated the horizon, but not enough to give any clear directions. Her talons kept her on top of the mast that held a small compartment much like a nest to help her keep lookout for anything that laid within miles ahead.

Plus being far up kept her just out of earshot of the unison groans of certain Dragon Slayers beneath her.

"Cooo!" Junior cooed again, his tone having a slight inflection towards it.

"Are you worried about me?" Staraptor asked, continuing to console him. "It's fine, don't worry. Your mother was just...thinking of some bad memories is all. She just doesn't want them to happen again is all..." She frowned, looking steadily outwards. 'I lost someone once...I won't let it happen again, not while I can do something now thanks to them.'

Junior blinked as he silently observed his mother-figure. She seemed a lot more...focused. It kinda scared him, but he didn't want to be yelled at again, so he nestled in her feathers as the ocean breeze drowned out the groans coming from the deck.

"Ugh...please tell me...that we're almost there..." Natsu groaned, his stomach doing flips as he dangled on the side of the ship's port.

"I...don't think so..." Wendy mumbled, barely holding back the urge to gag.

"Can't this thing...go any faster...?" Gajeel lurched, barely keeping his stomach contents in check.

"Sorry guys, but it'll still be a while before we get there." Lucy nervously pointed out.

The Dragon Slayers slumped over the edge of the large ship in sickly unison. Along with them, their fellow Exceeds, Lucy, Gray, Juvia, Cana, Elfman, Mest, Sophie, and Vanessa were aboard to accompany on the rescue mission to Rolica. Unlike the three who were barely hanging on, they were faring much better, admonishing the mild fatigue they had. Luckily, they already agreed to rest in shifts as they navigated the high seas.

"We keep this course, we should be able to get to Rolica by midday." Mest stated aloud. He was looking at the map and compass that he had packed to help them maintain their sense of direction.

"You really think Joey's plan will pull through?" Gray wondered aloud.

Mest took a moment to glance up at him, ignoring the fact he was shirtless again. "Hard to say. Can't say that I give him much credit aside from how much he likes being the center of attention. But I guess that's why we're going by boat in case his little bait plan fails...I hate to say it, but he actually thought this through."

Gray turned his attention towards the daybreak seas ahead. "Yeah? Guess we'll find out soon enough." He turned towards the deck stairs, seeing Juvia climb them. "Hey, how are they?"

"They're all alright. Thanks to Swablu and Snover, they were all able to rest well." Juvia noted.

"Got it. Thanks for checking up on them for us. Really appreciate it."

Juvia warmly smiled, blushing with glee at Gray's praise. "Anything for you, dear~!"

Mest raised a brow. "You really sure it was such a bright idea to bring all your Pokémon? You know there might be a possibility they get brainwashed again."

Gray shot him a look. "Look, I get what you're saying, alright? But let's face it, we need them now more than ever. If what we're facing is affecting them, it's as big of a fight for them as it is ours." He turned to look at Natsu. "Besides, knowing how Natsu raised his Pokémon, they would have snuck aboard anyway."

Mest angrily groaned. "Guess it's better to have a calvary than no calvary, I suppose. Still, it's inconvenient to have them out when their Poke Balls are broken. F we're caught in a situation where that can compromise us, I'm not taking the blame."

"We got it."

Vanessa watched the flowing waves teaming with a combination of wild fish and sea-dwelling Pokémon just below the water's surface. Her long, black hair and blonde bang flew in the breeze as she watched several Clauncher swim past the ship, followed by an Octillery. She looked so transfixed right now that if it wasn't for her aura subconsciously checking her surroundings for her, she would have been devoid of reality.

Her aura picked up on a person heading her way. She didn't bother looking as she already knew who it was.

"Morning, Vanessa." Sophie greeted leisurely. She had just woken up recently, taking up a shift of rest that Cana and Elfman had recently taken occupation of. She hardly had much time to redo her makeup, so her bright pink, large lips were a slightly more natural color. And her eyeliner she brought along was cheap, so it was fading fast from a lack of layers.

"Sophie, good morning." Vanessa said, her tone maintaining a slight level of professionalism in it. "Hope the trip wasn't too rocky for your sleep."

Sophie smirked, chuckling low. "Actually, surprising enough, it was quite sound. I think it has to do with Swablu or Snover putting us to sleep, but I didn't notice anything."

"That so? You must have been exhausted." Vanessa smirked.

Sophie raised a brow. "You're certainly one to talk. You're the last person to tell me about sleep, considering whom it is that has to wake you up almost every day." She chastised playfully.

Vanessa caught onto the turnaround, crossing her arms and grinning modestly. "Suppose you have me there."

Sophie blinked. "Speaking of sleep, did you get any rest?"

Vanessa shook her head. "No, unfortunately...my mind hasn't been at ease, for a lack of better words."

Sophie was able to read the mood. It could have been because while she got sleep, she was feeling a little more refreshed, but she wasn't too certain of what it was. Still, she meant well and worried for her friend. "Are you perhaps...worried about your brother and Erza?"

Vanessa dryly smirked. "Something like that, yes...this wouldn't be the first time we were in this situation."

For a moment, she recalled being held captive alongside Nic against the Rivolta, and the gruesome, bloody torment they were put through. Her thoughts went forward to when Erza was taken by Tartaros. Both instances left them all wounded.

Sophie stepped up, putting a hand to her friend's shoulders. "Listen, Vanessa...I know it's not in my place to say this, because, well...I haven't been too familiar with either of them..." She tried to word it delicately, knowing the subject of her memory loss was revolving around the air. She powered through. "But I do know this much. From what I've seen, they're the most resilient people I've seen...so let's just try and put our faith in them to hold on. I'm sure even they know that."

Vanessa managed a weak but notable grin. 'She's not wrong...' As far as personal experience went, her family had some of the most stubborn people that ever walked two planetary faces. However, that was only part of her worries. Something else itched the back of her mind, though she couldn't make it into words.

"I suppose you're not wrong about those regards. Scrappy wouldn't even begin to describe their natures." Vanessa chimed, mustering a proper answer for her colleague.

Sophie smirked, budging her forearm with her elbow. "There we go, a little skip to keep your spirits up." She looked up towards the open air. "If all goes well, maybe we'll see Joey's Tranquill fly by."

"If that's the case, I'd be surprised it could fly out this far without getting tired." Vanessa admitted. She paused for a moment to think of how to word her next question carefully. "Sophie..."

"Mm, what is it?"

"I wanted to ask you...what do you think of Joey?"

She raised a brow. "In...what way exactly are you asking?"

"Nothing in particular. It's just, you've been finding yourself around him a lot more these days. I just needed to be sure of something." She shot her a glance. "What do you think of him?"

Sophie glanced away towards the horizon ahead. Daybreak was barely afoot as there was more light teaming from what lied ahead. The sun would break through any minute now. She didn't want to say it aloud, but she got a very strange vibe from Vanessa about the question. It sounded more judgmental than anything, which put the blonde on the spot for such a subjective implication. Still, she tried to think of it the best she could.

"Well...you might find it hard to believe, but beneath that fashionably eccentric exterior of his...he's a very down-to-Earthland kind of guy." She hugged her forearms to warm them from the sea breeze. "When I first really talked to him, he was taking his Tympole out on a late-night stroll. It was really strange, but that's our guild, right?" She shook her head. "Anyways, he knew what I was going through, the pain I felt of losing something that no matter how hard you try, it's gone. Everyone always talks of his wild habits, but deep down...he actually has a very wise head on those shoulders, more than anyone gives him credit for."

She turned to look Vanessa in the eye. "I'm not saying that I 'like' like him like that...but I admit he's a riot to hang around with. Never a dull moment with him around. He's a good friend to lean on if given the chance." Her lips formed a smirk. "If you give him a shot too, you'll see just what I mean. Who knows, maybe you could accompany us the next time we paint our nails?" She gave Vanessa a playful wink.

"You don't say." Vanessa blinked, before lowering her head. "I'll...think about it."

"I'm sure he'd be ecstatic to get to know more of someone whom he admires."

Vanessa fell silent as she thought about what Sophie said. Ever since return from Seven, she's been a whole new person – literally. Though she did what she could to help her adjust, she couldn't help but feel something tug at her. The way Sophie radiated a sense of confidence of what she said about her guildmate made it clear how close she had gotten to him...more so than what she had been able to. It wasn't that she didn't dislike the idea of Sophie hanging out with Joey a lot more these days, but something was teeming at her from the inside. The same feeling she got the last time she spoke to her a few nights prior.

'Wait...is this what jealousy feels like?' Vanessa's expressionless face was a stark contrast to the realization exploding inside of her. It explained quite a bit now that she thought about it.

The way Sophie was more confident and assured, it wasn't because of her...but because of someone else. Sure they were best friends, and were roommates and all, but why was she feeling so contorted about Sophie spending time and putting her trust in Joey instead of her?

"Vanessa?"

Sophie's question brought her back to reality. She mentally cursed herself for getting too distracted from her surroundings again. "Sorry, Sophie...I guess I must really be tired after all."

"You should try and sleep a little. It won't do you any good if you stay up like this."

"I suppose...you're right. I'll try..." Vanessa walked past her and made way to the cabins that led to the deck below.

Sophie watched her go into the cabins, her eyes blinking rapidly when a speck of light beamed from the distance. She turned ahead to see the first rays of sunshine finally break through the horizon. A glow was seen in her eyes as she gazed at the beauty of the sea.

Meanwhile, Vanessa walked towards the nearest bed in the darkness of the cabin near Elfman and Cana. Not a single speck of sunlight breach through the window she was turned away from.

---

Nic and Erza remained quiet in their cells, both resting while keeping track of all the information they had on hand. They were made wary when Dahab arrived at their cell, using a pair of keys to open the doors. A loud click was heard, followed by the slow echo of the iron door opening up.

"Cof! Cof! Cof! You've got new friends~!"

Rather than act on impulse, Nic and Erza remained calm as they saw a Vulpix wearing a police officer uniform. She led three humans wearing similar collars around their necks as what Nic and Erza were wearing. Behind them was a Ducklett, also wearing a police uniform. Sune and the Ducklett ushered the three in so impatiently that they borderline fell onto their stomachs with thuds.

"Uh...ow! A little easier on the merchandise, thank you!" Joey snapped back.

"Whoops~, our bad." Dahab shrugged, nudging his entire body like a shrug. "But hey, play nice with your new roommates and that might be the only harsh treatment you'll get." He turned towards Sune and the Ducklett. "Make sure that they behave, you two! We have a lot of humans that need a close eye around here."

"Right sir, I won't let you down." Sune said, saluting with a confident tone.

"Aye-aye!" Ducklett saluted.

Dahab closed the iron bars and inserted the key to lock it shut. He got on all furs and crawled away, leaving the two tiny officers to leave the cell to patrol the cells further down the hall. Once they were gone, The Freaks got back up and groaned.

"Was this what you had in mind?" Dereece scolded Joey, deep annoyance in his tone.

"Okay, I admit I wasn't expecting a jail cell of all things, but at least we're not in those cubes anymore. That means wherever we are, he's not here." Joey pointed out, before turning towards Duncan. "And Duncan still has his weapon as well, so we're not completely disarmed at the moment."

"Joey?" A voice quipped.

The Freaks looked up, realizing they weren't alone in the cell. Their eyes widened when they recognized the two familiars sitting a few feet away from them. Even they looked mildly surprised. Joey's face brightened

"Nic-senpai! Erza-senpai!" he quipped merrily.

"I don't believe it. Captain Joey, you were right! Your bait plan actually worked!" Dereece gasped.

"Ha! I knew it! Take that, all you haters out there! Who's laughing now!?" Joey beamed with pride, a cunning smirk growing on his face.

Duncan scoffed lowly, his cap concealing his halfhearted surprise on his face. "Hmph...well guess I'll be damned. I hate to say it, but it looks like one of your ideas got us closer than we thought."

"What are you three doing here? What happened to the guild?!" Erza lurched forward with her questions.

Duncan turned towards her. "Apparently, everyone freaked out about your sudden capture. We didn't have any idea where you were or how to reach you." He shot a glance over towards a smirking Joey. "Then our Captain got the idea that in order to find you, we should play bait...that explains why we're here."

Erza blinked in surprise. "Really? Then what about the rest?"

Before Duncan could continue, Joey intervened. "Not to worry. That's all part of the plan as well. As soon as Mest and the others are within range, we'll get a signal on the Communication Lacrima and we'll book out of here." He beamed again. "And then we can all throw a big shindig honoring how I brilliantly saved the day...oh, and you all, too."

Nic and Erza slowly turned towards the other, exchanging looks of mild surprise over the development. It wasn't so much that it was because The Freaks were able to find them, but how their guildmates were heading out to find them actively. To them – mostly Nic – this was a whole new development they had to take advantage of, if possible. They turned their gazes back towards The Freaks as they tried to think of what to say.

"Thank you, Joey...but you do realize that you're all stuck here with us, don't you?" Nic pointed out.

"All part of the plan!" He looked down at the collar around his neck. "But this choker really doesn't fit my style. It's...a little tight..." He slowly reached for it, alerting Nic.

"Wait, don't-"

He was a hair too late when Joey's fingertip touched the collar. The lacrima lit up brightly before a discharge of bright blue volts surged through Joey's body briefly, shocking him and making his body twitch. The spark only lasted for a second, however, before it diffused. Joey fell onto his back with a thud.

"Ow! That's smarts!"

"Captain Joey!" Dereece rushed over to tend to him. "You okay?!"

Nic groaned. "That's what I wanted to warn you about. These collars are laced with some form of Organic Link magic. You touch them or show any form of resistance, it'll shock you."

"Thanks for the heads up. We feel so safe..." Dereece dryly grimaced.

Erza sighed. "Anyways, you won't be able to use your magic in here either. The walls are lined with Magic Sealing Stone." She looked at their pockets. "From the looks of things, they took your Pokémon as well."

Duncan looked down at his pockets, realizing that his pockets were empty of his capsules containing his Poke Balls. "Yeah, looks like it. You wouldn't happen to know where they are by now, don't you?"

Nic looked completely calm. "No...but I know someone who does."

The Freaks looked confused until glanced over towards their side. All eyes turned towards Joey's left when they barely saw anything there. It was bad lighting already with how their cells don't have light fixtures in them, so at least to Nic, this was perfect cover.

However, even with an artificial eye, Erza could make out a faded red zigzag walking up towards Nic's side. 'Is that...?'

Nic's frown slowly curved into a small smirk. "Sure took your time."

Duncan squinted, catching on to what was going on. 'Is that his...?'

Joey gasped, his own realizations dawning. "Dereece! Is that-" Before he could finish, he felt a hand clasp over his mouth. His eyes widened as he froze from shock...literally. His nerves still partially stunned, long enough for him to see Kecleon make herself visible and shake her head at him, before fading out of view again. He remained silent as he got the message.

The Ducklett that was taking part in security waddled past their cell. The group present got his attention for only a brief second, but as far as he saw, there wasn't anything suspicious other than them getting situated in their cell. He resumed his patrol down the hallway to watch over the other PC bystanders.

As soon as he left, Nic narrowed his eyes. "So tell me...what did you figure out?"

Kecleon moved closer to Nic's side and whispered something into his ear. The atmosphere in the cell went silent as the small group looked anxiously at what she was saying. However, because of her...dialect...and how quiet she was, only Nic could hear her.

As she spoke into his ear, the explanation led to Nic's eyes widening with surprise. He looked taken back as his lips parted. He pulled away, looking down at the ground with a revelation. "I see...that's worse than I thought."

"Nic, what's wrong?" Erza asked.

Nic looked around, seeing if anyone was looking. He turned towards the invisible Kecleon and nudged her towards the doors. Nodding in understanding, she blitzed towards the cell doors and stood guard for an emergency signal if needed.

With a security measure, Nic turned towards everyone present. "Alright, so here's what's going on..."

Once again, the cell went silent as Nic interpreted what Kecleon spoke to him about what she and the other Pokémon had discovered yesterday. He made sure to leave nothing out, even the unified technological achievements, as well as the potential culprit being a human from their world. Everyone retained silence the whole way through until Nic finally concluded the interpretation.

"You all got that?"

"Yes...but it's still hard to believe." Erza pointed out. "A society governed by Pokémon, and humans used in their place...just what exactly is this Pokétopia?"

"I don't know about you, but this sounds like a better reason for us to get out of here and away from this crazy prison." Dereece hissed. "Seriously, are the others going to be here soon?"

"Don't look at me. Last I checked, we'll know once they get in range." Duncan glanced over to Joey. "Speaking of which, what are we going to do now that we got this intel? Well, Captain?"

Though Duncan's tone was more of a challenge, Joey tried to stay focused on the priority at hand. "It stays the same. The important thing we have to do first and foremost is secure Nic and Erza-senpai."

"What about our Pokémon? They might not be brainwashed anymore, but we can't just leave them behind either." Dereece worried. "And I don't even wanna think about what a Slowking as a professor will be studying about us."

"Normally, a professor or a familiar you know manages your Pokémon in a 'PC'. By that logic, this professor of a Pokémon must be in charge of managing this 'PC'." Duncan figured aloud. "That Cofagrigus is the gatekeeper here, so we just have to get past him first, wouldn't we?"

Dereece turned and frowned at him. "But how are we-"

CLANK!

A notable clanking sound was heard from the iron bars. The sound of a claw thumping against the metal alerted them to Sune as she walked by. Immediately, they all went silent and watched Sune as she turned to look at them from the outside. She huffed and beamed with pride as she swaggered herself away.

As soon as she was out of hearing distance, Nic turned towards the invisible Kecleon. "You wouldn't have happened to pass it when you went through here, didn't you?"

Kecleon faded in only briefly to nod before fading back out.

"Alright, then I might have an idea." He turned towards Joey. "I'm sorry, Joey, but we can't leave the island just yet...not when we're this close to the source, that is."

"R-really...?" Joey quipped his shock.

"What are you gonna do?" Dereece wondered.

Nic paused before smirking. "What else am I good at?" He glanced over towards the wall. "Harrison, you up over there?"

"Harrison?" Joey blinked.

A low groan was heard before footsteps approached the neighboring cell. Harrison looked tired as he faced Nic's cell. "Yeah? What do you want now?"

"You know the meal schedule by any chance?"

"Yeah, once around 10:30, and again around 6. Why?"

Nic's smirk darkened. "I see...how's about a proposition that'll fix your living situation?"

Harrison raised a brow, catching onto what he meant. "Huh...I'm listening."

"Good." Nic turned towards the others. "Alright, here's what we're gonna do..."

---

The ship to Rolica – or now Pokétopia – continued its venture along the high seas. The farther southwest they went, the more visible stormclouds became.

"Huh? Hey guys, look ahead!" Lucy pointed forward towards the direction of the massive ring of dark clouds looming ahead. "What's that?"

"A storm?" Happy inquired.

"Looks like a big one. Aren't those the kinds of storms that happen far out at sea?" Gray questioned.

"I believe those are called hurricanes, but I don't think so." Mest looked ahead, a stern look on his face. "If that were the case, the wind would be picking up at this point. It's too calm..."

Sophie brushed a lock out of the way of her sight, when she and the others heard a familiar caw from close by. She turned outwards towards the starboard side and noticed three figures flying close by one another. "Is that...?"

Everyone aboard the deck noticed the three projectiles flapping their wings. They glided across the ocean current to keep a steady pace towards the storm. The leading projectile was a black, white, and gray bird with large yellow eyes, with a dragonfly and massive crow following, albeit at a less than ecstatic rate.

"I'm coming, Master Joey! Nothing will stop me!" The leading bird was none other than Tranquill, flapping his wings vigorously and went full-speed into the wake of the storm afoot.

"It's Tranquill!" Lucy quipped.

Juvia's eyes widened upon realization. "Then...that means Joey and the others really were taken to this direction!"

"Well I'll be damned." Mest muttered lowly.

Tranquill kept flying through the windy ocean, remaining undeterred despite the fatigue his body and wings felt from flying all night. Meanwhile, Honchkrow and Yanma were less than accommodating to Tranquill's impossible loyalty towards his master. When Yanma's 360 Degrees vision spotted the ship within sight, her compound vision saw Lucy and other familiar figures afoot.

"Hey, look!" Yanma chirped.

"Heh?" Honchkrow turned his head, recognizing the residents of the ship. "About time! I'm too damn tired for this!"

Both avian and dragonfly adjusted their courses and flew over towards the ship. They veered closer until they were finally able to dock on the same mast Staraptor comforted Junior on. Honchkrow sighed heavily as his aching wings were finally able to rest for once.

"Aaaah...that's more like it." He was sound with his roosting post, until he felt something heavy perch atop his head in the form of Yanma. "Hey! Watch it! That ain't no nightstand, ya wormbrain!"

Alarmed Yanma jerked off Honchkrow's head and drifted down onto the deck. Her wings and body were too drained from flying so long. She buzzed her way down, finding herself falling loosely onto Sophie's head. The sudden added weight made her grip the rails she was nearby and held on until she was able to regain her balance.

"T-that's not a bed! Hello?" Sophie called up, slight annoyance in her tone.

"Huh...oh, sorry..." Yanma mumbled, yawning loudly. Her neck twitched as her wings dropped lower. "It just...looked so cozy to land on...I..." She was too drowsy to finish her sentence, so much so that she looked like she was about to fall asleep any second. Had it not been for the cold sea air being brisk against her the entire time, she would have long since been lucid.

"Looks like she's wore herself out." Juvia observed, smiling at the scene. For some reason, seeing the sleepy insect on Sophie's head made her giggle.

Sophie wanted to put up a fuss, but out of empathy for what she's been through, she chose to allow the matter to pass...this time at least. She looked ahead and saw Tranquill flying past the ship, his plumage looking partially ruffled as he looked frantic diving into the stormy atmosphere they were drawing near.

"Everyone, brace yourselves! It's gonna get rough!" Mest warned.

"We better get below while we still can!" Carla encouraged. "C'mon, Wendy." Using her Human Form, Carla moved closer to help support Wendy to the cabin. Pantherlily used his Aera Magic and helped in lifting Gajeel, while Lucy tried her best to help the slouching Natsu. Juvia and Gray followed, with Sophie trying to hold her balance the entire way.

Mest kept a firm hold on the ship's wheel as he glared ahead. The waves started getting rough to where the boat was moving up and down. To Junior, it was a joyride, and oddly enough, in Honchkrow's case, it was motions that made him even more lucid.

The only one who seemed steadfast the entire way through was Staraptor as she focused on Tranquill leading the way. 'Nic, everyone...nothing won't anchor me. Not this time.'

The storm thundered as rain began pouring harshly.

---

Along the shorelines of Pokétopia, the calm ocean waves moved back and forth, darkening the sands that absorbed the moisture, only to turn bright under the sun's warmth. As the cycle repeated itself, the entire sea around the island looked calm and serene, despite the dark clouds ever present around the island.

A long, serpentine figure swam through the ocean waters, as if on patrol. It swam seemingly aimlessly until it went stiff for a second, as if it sensed something. Suddenly, the water splashed and spouted upwards, revealing the figment.

The serpent had a long, slender, and very smooth blue body, with huge black eyes with magenta irises. A singular small horn sat atop her head, with two wings that sat on either side similar to an ear. The entire underside was a bright white, leading up to a tail with two blue orbs reminiscent of the one on her collar.

Her attention drew towards the storm that lied ahead. When the orb on her collar glowed brightly, she blankly stared outwards. She knew nothing was in sight, but she just knew something was coming. Almost like an instinct.

And right now, her glare fixed as harshly as her instincts were right now.

"Mom...?"

The serpent heard a small voice from the shores. She turned around and saw a much smaller serpent that was slouching closer to the shores. She had a pale periwinkle color instead of blue, and had no orbs. She had a large white nose and fin-like ears. Compared to the other serpent, she was much smaller in size. In her mouth, she had what looked like a bento box in a red and white checkered cloth.

"Arcelia, what have I told you about being out here?" The motherly serpent scolded. "You know how dangerous it is to walk around when you've just recently shed."

Arcelia flinched, her fin ears folding back. "I-I'm sorry, Mom...I wanted to see if you wanted breakfast. You weren't home when I woke and I was just...worried, you know."

She turned towards her daughter, giving her a comforting look. "I'm sorry, dear. You know mommy has a very important job to do. I have to keep my baby safe, you know that."

"I know that, Mom. But do I really look helpless?" Arcelia pouted. "When are you going to let me help you with your job?"

The mother gave a glare towards her daughter, a look telling her she's not having it today. "You don't have to think about that, dear. This is a mother's responsibility." She turned towards the storm ahead, her orb glowing once again. "Head back home, okay? Mommy has to go to work now. I'll eat it when I finish this job, okay?"

Arcelia looked disappointed, but she knew better than to put up a fuss. She left the bento box on the shore and slithered away. The mother sighed in grief before she unfolded her ear wings and shot into the air to confront whatever was heading her way.

---

With the sun arching over the tropics, it was close to reaching the top and radiating down warmth and sunshine onto the beloved city governed by Pokémon. However, no rays of sunshine were strong enough to puncture solid blocks underground.

Dahab crawled between cells, distributing poor, plastic dining plates through slots at the bottom of each cell door. They were pushed through, allowing mages the freedom to have a delicious taste of what looked like Pokémon Food. However, the labeling and recipes were fixed so the human body would ascertain nutrition from it than Pokémon. One would call it 'Human Food' if named aptly enough.

Dahab eventually crawled towards Harrison's cell, where he looked bored and aloof as ever. It was only when he heard the echo of a slot lifting did he spare a glance to see his meal waiting for him.

"Make sure you eat it all up. You're expected to have your strength for a lot of you today." Dahab chimed.

Harrison only scoffed, but his little display went completely unnoticed by the likes of the Cofagrigus. He just watched him move to the cell next to him.

Nic, Erza, and The Freaks were quiet as they were seen looking seemingly idle. Dahab narrowed his eyes at them, seeing just how laxed they all were, if not bored. Nic of all people looked like he was taking a nap against the wall, prompting him to knock on the iron bars and grab his attention.

"Hehe, rise and shine already, sleeping beauty." Dahab slid five plates of their Human Food through their slot. "You'll need your strength. All of you. So make sure you eat plenty."

Nobody said anything as Dahab resumed his gatekeeping duties. The Ducklett and Sune also looked busy as they were pushing the cart behind them, filled with canned Human Food with an assortment of flavors. As soon as it was rolling by, Nic's leer sharpened.

'Now.'

Knowing the signal, Harrison lowly scoffed. "Heh, been wanting to do this for a long time..." He picked up a piece of his food and walked over to his doors. He aimed a piece at the back of Dahab's coffin-shaped head and chucked it. The piece subsequently met its mark, causing him to freeze up in place.

Dahab was quiet, a shadow cast over his fixated glare. Suddenly, his eyes glowed a sinister red as he slowly turned around towards the other cells, a sickly curve in his gnashed teeth shown in clear view.

"Hey! Mind giving me something else other than prison food for once!?" Harrison cried out.

Dahab hastily crawled back over towards Harrison's cell, looking him dead in the eye. "What was that?" He sniped with such a sharp tone, as if he had taken an offense to something, but was keeping as calm as possible.

"You heard me. I said can I get something else to eat besides this crap I'm given? You really expect us to perform our best when all we have in our stomachs is this crunchy excuse of chow that you call food? Just look at this." He held another piece of Human Food between his fingers. "Look at this shit! Does this even look fresh to you? It's got the texture of a dog treat, and last I checked, humans aren't dogs."

Dahab narrowed his eyes at the sentiment. "Hmmm...Officer Sune! Signus! Get back over here!"

A little further ahead, Sune stopped pulling the cart and turned back towards the gatekeeper. "Y-yes, sir?"

"Come back over here...I need you both for a minute."

The Ducklett and Vulpix felt the disturbing tone, but they tried ignoring the chills running down their spines and wheeled the cart full of Human Food back down the hallway in front of Harrison's cell. Nic, Erza, and The Freaks remained silent until they waited for their positions to be met.

"Now then...what was that again?" Dahab asked belittlingly at Harrison.

"What, you want me to say it again? I'll say it a hundred times over if I have to for you to get it. We're humans, aren't we? Unlike you lot, we need other food groups than this crappy excuse of a grain!"

"Cof! Cof! Cof! Well, I hate to break this to ya, but Professor Penelope is the one is who you need to talk to about that logic...I just distribute."

Harrison scoffed. "Then you should really give her a talking to, because eating this every day just makes me feel like shit."

With the commotion afoot, Dereece sneaked up towards the iron bars to see the occupants were all distracted by the complaints coming from next door. He turned around and nodded at Nic. "Go." He whispered.

Nic nodded. He closed his eyes to focus. 'These walls may prevent one from using magic...' He glowed briefly, shifting to a cross of his Normal and Mind Form. 'But that doesn't mean that these walls can also stop a Pokémon's moves.'

'Magic Room!'

Bright blue lines streamed out of Nic's body as his body briefly gave off a small dazzle. However, Erza, Duncan, and Joey shielded him from view as the faded lines surrounded their entire cell. Pixilated, shimmering squares faded into the walls and out of sight.

In a matter of seconds, the lacrima on the collars stopped glowing, rendering them unable to work for a short time. Just what they needed. With that, Nic turned towards the invisible Kecleon.

"Go."

Swifter than the speed of light, a glint of a cut was seen by shimmering, long nails in the form of her Slash. However, it was so fast that no one saw it. The backs of their collars were all sliced into, causing them all to fall off their necks and onto their laps.

"It wouldn't kill you guys to give us something else every other meal, like a steak or maybe something simple like a salad bowl or something!" Harrison was continuing to throw in complaints that Dahab was taking personally. He was garnering plethora of attention from other cells that were close by, just like he wanted. 'You guys better move fast, I can only insult somebody for so long.'

With that covered, Nic moved to his next phase. His body jumped back closer towards the wall as an afterimage was left standstill in his place, eventually taking a solid figment of himself, via Substitute. He glowed yet again, becoming another fusion of his Earth and Spooky Forms. He fazed through the ground below like a ghost and vanished into the darkness.

'There he goes.' Duncan observed quietly. 'Guess all we need to do now is wait.'

"Cof! Cof! Cof! Well now, it's true. Guess you do have a point. It wouldn't kill me if I did that." Dahab scoffed. "But~..."

Harrison's eyes widened. Dahab saw him hold up what looked like a remote with a very small antennae attached to the box. It pointed directly at him. With a single push of the button, the collar activated, causing a small but notable shock to course through Harrison's body. His body cringed as he cried out in pain. The coursing electricity pulsated for several seconds while Dahab watched, a maniacal sneer on his face.

Harrison gagged as he fell backwards onto his butt, then flopped onto his back. Dahab leaned into his cell with glowing, evil eyes. "...that doesn't mean it wouldn't kill you. Cof! Cof! Cof! Cof!" He sneered. "Man I love this job. And since you've put up such a good point, I'll reward you. Officer Sune!"

Sune swallowed a lump and hastily nudged the cart closer to him. The massive, 1-foot-tall can of Human Food sat on top that Dahab reached for and inserted through the slot. The contents spilled into the cell all over the floor, rather than just the plate.

"You can help your fellow cellmates by eating up this food, since you hate it so much. Oh, and right, one more thing." He pulled back. "If I come back and see even a single piece of food left, you're gonna get mummified."

Harrison grunted in pain and annoyance. His body was still in shock, but he could make out the footsteps fading from his cell. He laid on the ground, surrounded by his bountiful supply that he had to stomach. Dahab ignored his groans and looked inside The Freaks and Pularis cell to double check on them. When he saw all five the same as before, he snickered before taking off to the next cell.

"Ugh...is he gone...?" Harrison grunted lowly.

"Yes...for now." Erza informed. "You did your part well, thank you."

"Yeah, whatever." He groaned. "I just hope this is all worth it..."

---

Nic traversed throughout the corridor, moving through the shadows like a ghost along the floor. With his Earth Form constantly sensing the earth and surroundings around him, he made out the various passages from the chambers, to the exits that led to the community jail above, to where that connected to the massive city on a huge island. The whole thing was like a blueprint that bounced back to Nic like echolocation.

'So Kecleon was right on the mark. Have to make this fast!' He kept going in the direction where the schematics Kecleon showed him were apparent. He bolted until he blitzed around a corner and noticed a metallic door. 'There!'

Being engraved into the ground, Nic was unable to be sensed as he fazed through the cement blocks and came to a massive room lined in sleek, metallic walls. The blue chrome lighting that lined the corners all the way towards the ceiling gave the room a scientific vibe towards it. There were walls upon walls of what looked like Human Cubes in rows with names of Pokémon whom they belong to.

He retained his position, knowing full well that the room could be monitored. He immersed himself upwards towards the ceiling, where there was a small, black hemisphere that was supposedly an all-around surveillance camera. Before he moved to disable it, he heard the sound of a large beep, followed by the sound of a door sliding. Beneath him, a speedy Ninjask zoomed in and looked around for a second. He buzzed his way in, followed by Penelope.

The Slowking let out a long sigh. "Honestly, would it kill anyone to give me just one day off?" She groaned.

The Ninjask beamed closer to her. "I know, I know. But it's not like we have anyone else available for the job. Plus, you gotta think of it this way, you're being sponsored by the Apostles themselves. It'd kinda look bad for both of you if you went on some vacation."

Penelope rolled her eyes. "Thank you for reminding me. As if I didn't know that myself." She turned and walked along a wall of Human Cubes. "Honestly, if it came down to it, we know you can work things out. You're speedy and you're very efficient...I guess that's why no one else applied for an internship." She shook her head. "But that's not my problem. It's all these Pokémon that are getting Human Cubes. At this rate, we'll need to get a bigger storage unit, or get the Apostles to commission a second set. And knowing how tight we'll be regarding finances, we can't exactly splurge on such luxuries."

"I see your point. Still, don't forget about that whole tournament happening today. The revenue would be good business for us. I'm sure commissions for construction aside, there should be some leftover for us to make leisure of." Ninjask advised.

"Okay, yeah, you have a point there. Now, what's on our agenda?" She moved towards her desk, where she acknowledged the various Poke Balls, Great Balls, Luxury, Ultra, and Dusk Balls sitting on a small tray. "Are those some more Pokémon that trainers had?"

"Yes, I believe they were just freshly brought in. There's even more here than there was the last batch it looks like." Ninjask could have sworn he heard a small groan from Penelope. However, he chose to dismiss it and follow her in zigzag fashions around her area.

"We'll worry about that later. I've put off enough as it is. Suppose we'll have to start with those empty Poke Balls." She moved towards another wall, where there was a long funnel that was embedded into the wall. It connected to a slide where there were Poke Balls, along with a Net Ball and Dive Ball.

"Weren't those the capsules that belonged to that Greninja and his colleagues from yesterday?" Ninjask questioned.

"Yes, they are. Unfortunately, I was preoccupied yesterday having to follow a mandatory study session involving the human's ability to conserve magic. If not for them being able to use magic, they'd be too frail as specimens. The Human Food I modified from Pokémon Food is supposed to actually have special minerals that are not only satiable for human's dietary needs, but should also regularly help their magic's performance as well."

"But we've been getting a few complaints about the taste..."

Penelope sighed. "Right. Humans are such picky eaters. I'll look into that when my schedule opens up next week. Now then..." She turned towards the capsules. "Time to send these to the Human Cube Factory for Ms. Aphrodite to reconfigure."

Nic watched and heard from the ceiling, keeping himself intangible and immersed so the surveillance didn't catch on. His body compressed into a shadow that slowly enveloped the ceiling around the surveillance system and was absorbed underneath. He attacked the wiring and disengaged a few chords, causing the monitor to turn off.

With free reign, a very weak glow came from the camera high above before a shadow slipped out and hung on the ceiling. The pitch-black shadow moved until it was above Penelope and Ninjask as the latter brought over a box to place the capsules in.

Ninjask placed the box next to the capsules and turned towards Penelope. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but why exactly does she need these?"

"Apparently, they help serve as a base for Human Cubes. And with other varieties of capsules like what he have here..." She turned towards the Net and Dive Ball. "These can help her with making more designs for Human Cubes with diverse effects. Alright, le...e..."

Penelope gradually trailed off, her conscience starting to falter. Her body gradually felt weaker as she felt all the strength she had in her suddenly get sapped away. She was so sleepy that she didn't realize the deep green pollen falling from the ceiling before it was too late. She slumped to the ground, laying on her side sound asleep.

Ninjask was spooked, but was otherwise far too late. The pollen came down onto him like soft snow, but even he didn't realize this until too late. He gradually faltered until it became too much. He slumped to the ground beside her, leaving the Poke Balls completely unguarded.

With the coast clear, the Spore ceased falling. Nic pried his head from the open shadows where the pollen fell from and looked straight down, realizing they were fast asleep. With hasted, his shadow extended straight down like an outstretched cloth until he manifested on a knee. When he became tangible, he was revealed in a cross of his Spooky and Meadow Forms.

He glowed again, this time shifting his Spooky Form to his Mind Form. He kneeled and touched their heads. The touch made bright pink glows that quickly faded into their heads.

'This should give them short-term memory. They won't remember anything the last two minutes...' He turned his attention towards the capsules and took them. He went over towards Penelope's desk and seized The Freaks' capsules as well. Once all of them were secured, he turned back towards the sleeping Slowking and Ninjask. He swatted his arm, expelling a bright green fragrance with bright pink twinkles that quickly took over the room, via Aromatherapy.

As soon as the soothing fragrance overtook the entire room, he used Teleport and disappeared just before Penelope stirred awake.

"Gnngh...hmmm...?" Penelope's eyes fluttered open. She felt the cold, hard ground on the side of her face and processed the porcelain tiling. She gradually stirred up and looked around to observe her surroundings. "My lab...? Wait, what was I doing again?"

Ninjask stirred awake, shaking his head. "Ugh...five more minutes, Mom..." His eyes snapped open in realization. "Wait, what happened?"

The two looked around in confusion. They both didn't see anything out of the ordinary, nor did they see any Human Cubes missing. Everything was in place as it should be. Yet somehow, it felt as though something wasn't right.

Ninjask turned towards Penelope's desk, seeing that it was empty. "Hey, was there something we had to do right now?"

Penelope staggered back up to her feet. "If we did, I would have remembered that." She scanned the room, deciding to not allow any stress to drench her conscience. "Hmm...I guess I worked so hard I fell asleep...maybe we should take the rest of the day off..."

"You can't. Still have research plans for the afternoon...which are now ahead of schedule it seems." Ninjask pointed out. "We need to file research for the human reproduction system by two. And then afterwards get results of various unique magics and categorize them as types."

Penelope sighed. 'Why me?'

---

In a flash, Nic reappeared in the darkness of his cell. Everyone turned towards him, looking shocked.

"Nic?!" Erza immediately hurried towards him, looking worried. "You alright?"

Nic nodded. "Yeah, I'm just fine." He showed the capsules to everyone. "Got what we needed. This should make things easier for all of us."

There was a glimmer of lights around the edging of the room before it all faded. Duncan looked up, realizing what was happening. "Guess the rumors are true. You've got some timing. Your Magic Room just wore off."

"So are all those our Poke Balls?" Dereece questioned.

"Yeah. Now then..." Nic glowed again, this time becoming a Ghost/Mind Form. He looked out towards the cells to see if anyone was looking. His body became translucent as he phased through the cell and turned back inside.

'Ally Switch!'

In a split-second, he and the invisible Kecleon switched places. Thankfully, the cells were spread thin, and everyone was too distracted eating to realize the ghostly silhouette that was only there for a split-second. Nic reappeared inside the cell facing the other side of the bars.

"You know what to do." He told her.

With an invisible salute, Kecleon tilted her head and sped away in an invisible speeding bolt for the exit.

'We've done our part. Now, it all boils down to timing. If what she said is true...then all that needs to be done now is set the stage.'

With that resounding thought, Nic went back to being idle and sat next to his bowl of Human Food. He gave it a discerning look, one that wasn't too thrilling. 'He's right about one thing...doesn't look very appetizing.'

Meanwhile, Kecleon remained invisible as she beamed down the hall towards the stairwell, leading to a security checkpoint. She opened her mouth and showed an ID of the police chief that she had stolen and inserted it through a code scanner. Once the light went green, the door unlocked, allowing her to quietly open it and then shut it without anyone noticing. She exited the main floor of the prison where many of the regular Pokémon crooks were. However, the cells were all empty because unlike the cells down below, there was a cafeteria with high security. With no one watching her, she beelined for the exit and back through the open streets.

---

The storm alone was harsh enough as it was. The strong winds only added insult to injury when the main sails caught wind – literally. The wind was pushing against their trajectory, making it nay impossible for clear visuals of what lied ahead of them. Rainfall and harsh winds pelted the deck so much that if it wasn't for Juvia using her magic to direct the rainfall over the ledges, the rain could have leaked to the lower deck.

The boat rocketed over a large wave, nearly sending it airborne. The momentum caused the entire structure to creak loudly as it tipped back into the descending wave arch with a massive splash. The bow slammed so harshly that everything in the boat jumped, especially those hanging on for dear life on the main deck.

Juvia was barely keeping balance and control of her magic enough as she could. The unsteady wake made it almost unbearable to where she almost fell over. "Gah!" she quipped.

"Juvia!" With the deck's surface layered in water, it made it easier to slide over and have Gray catch her before she completely fell over. "Hey, you okay?"

"G-Gray...?" Juvia shook her head, but she didn't know whether it was from the storm rocking her head, or because her knight in shining armor valiantly saved her. Either way, her heart skipped a beat when she felt comfort in his arms. "I-I'm okay, really."

Gray took a breath of relief. "That's good...look out!" Ahead of them, a large wave rolled across the sea, threatening to barrel the ship with its enormous wake.

Gasping upon the realization, Juvia took immediate action. Her hands were surrounded in a deep blue glow as she outstretched an arm towards the oncoming wave. Her manipulation of water enabled her to sever the tide with a swipe of her arm, lining the ship's port and starboard with seawater that roared past it.

"Is everyone alright?!" Juvia shouted through the roaring wind. Even though she had her arms out to keep the sea waves at bay, that didn't mean the rain nor wind was stopping on her account.

"Yeah! Think so!" Lucy shouted from a higher deck point. "You sure this is the right way?!"

Mest spared a second to look at his compass to check their direction. He knew the arrow was pointing where north would be, which was at his 4 o'clock position. "Yeah, we're on the right track!" He shouted equally as loud through the howling winds. 'I knew storms at sea could get rough, but this is just ridiculous! This keeps going, we'll sink before we even get there!'

Gray adjusted his footing, albeit still rocky. Water still brushed against the sides of the ship, making it a liability to go anywhere near the edge. "Juvia, think you can keep this at bay?"

Juvia nodded, for once in a blue moon, casting a dead serious expression ahead of her. "Don't worry! I'll try and keep the sea as calm as possible!" Her hands glowed bright blue, showing two magic seals engaged. She swiped them to wither side to help the flowing waters of the disastrous waves around them simmer. For a limited range around them, it was like the sea was almost completely calmed, with large wakes of daunting levels of deluge rolling along.

Gray looked on with a mildly impressed look on his face. 'She's gotten better at her magic control. She can even control the sea around us.' He looked at the waves the size of mountains that spouted on either side. Seeing just how drastic of a change it was from how Juvia's manipulation made it how it ought to be was almost just as terrifying. Suffice to say that he would have been gad of her own magical improvement had it not been for the circumstances.

"Keep it steady, just like that!" Mest shouted from the deck, his grip on the ship's steering wheel far more manageable thanks to the lack of pressure.

In the wake of it all, something instrumental sounded in Lucy's head that she vocalized. "Hold on, guys! Where the hell is Joey's Tranquill!?"

They all looked around, save for Juvia as she was trying to focus on keeping a steady course. It was barely noticeable, but they could make out something small and gray flying through the hurricane level air with resilience. Ther questioning turned to wonder – and partial astonishment – at the visage of Tranquill braving the storm towards his designated target. It couldn't be seen so easily, but his yellow eyes were dilating; a clear sign of fatigue and wariness alike. And yet somehow, the avian was flapping his wings and barreling through the shower with drenched feathers like his life depended on it.

"...I'm...I'm coming...Master Joey..." The Wild Pigeon Pokémon wheezed, his motivation revitalizing his sudden spur. "Nothing...nothing will stand between us..."

Watching from his roosting point, Honchkrow watched Tranquill lead them, scoffing. "Hmph...well, I'll say this much, I'm not even sure if I'm supposed to feel impressed, or disturbed by that guy." He paused as the wind brushed against his face, making him bring a wing over his fedora. "Seriously, here I thought you were the only gutsy one to fly through this crap."

"Trust me, I'm just as surprised as you." Staraptor responded cordially. She was so focused on keeping Junior dry and warm beneath her plumage that she almost completely disregarded Honchkrow's tone of challenge. "I'll say this, from what I've known about him, there isn't anything that can stop Tranquill from being with his trainer."

"You say that, but that bird's got a one-track mind. Seriously, who's really that committed to someone you'd home into them like it's your only anchor?" Honchkrow sneered apathetically, unknowingly ruffling the nerves beneath Staraptor's plumage.

If it wasn't for Junior as a priority, she probably would have given him an Intimidate glare, perhaps a good backwing while she was at it, but as offensive as Honchkrow's words were to her on a personal level, she braved the storm for the same reasons. No amount of natural disasters was going to slow her down.

"Cooo!"

"What is it, Junior?" Staraptor hummed as she looked down at the infant. She noticed him pointing an appendage ahead of her. She glanced ahead, realizing a literal silver lining that lied ahead, followed by a small landmark from their vantage point. "Is that...?"

"Huh? Hey, guys, I think I see something!" Lucy leaned over the upper deck, her hand covering her eyes as she scoped ahead.

"Yeah, I see it alright." Mest narrowed his eyes. "There's not a doubt in my mind. That has to be it...Rolica."

"We're nearly there." Gray narrowed his eyes. He was looking forwards to getting to the root of all this and giving justice to whomever was responsible for destroying their stable relationships with their Pokémon.

"I can't believe it, it's within sight. We're nearly there?" Juvia gasped at the realization.

Mest turned towards Lucy. "Lucy, go and alert everyone! We'll be near land soon as long as we-" He was cut off when a glint shimmered in the clouds above. He looked up, seeing it vanish for a second before something in the shape of an extended dragon head barreled directly at their direction.

Before anyone could shout, the multicolored, dragon-shaped beam soared into the water in front of the ship. It caused a rainbow eruption underwater, causing the ship to rock as water pressure spouted in front of them. The wave blasted the bow so hard that Juvia lost her balance and lost concentration on her magic for that instant.

"Gah!" She quipped, thudding on her back.

"Juvia!" Gray shouted.

The ship's exterior was a story of itself. However, the interior down below the deck was a complete hell. Those who were trying to sleep their way through the storm were rudely awakened by the rocking of the boat. Save for the Dragon Slayers – who were long since unconscious at this point – everyone stirred at the sounds of ruptures that rattled the ship.

"W-whoaaa~!" Snover fumbled onto Charmeleon, knocking the lizard over. Both fell onto the boarding below with thuds.

"Ow! Hey, watch who you're falling on there, snowflake!" Charmeleon sniped.

Snover groaned, trying to leverage himself up. "Ugh...oh! Sorry about that. There's not a lot of room and...hey, is it just me, or does it smell like something's burning?" He sniffed the air, only getting the familiar smell of smoke, yet no fire. "Huh, that's strange."

"Uh...Snover?" Snorunt nervously muttered, garnering the Frost Tree Pokémon attention.

"Yes?" He blinked at the confusion pressed upon him. He noticed Snorunt and Bergmite glancing at his tail and made him look at it. His question was answered when he realized the bare tip was so close to Charmeleon's in fact that it caught on fire. "Ohhhhh~...AAAAHHHHH!" He jumped into the air in a hectic wail. "OH MY ARCEUS! I'M ON FIRE! I'M ON FIRE! SOMEBODY HELP! I'M GONNA BURN TO A CRISP!" He started running around the lower deck in a panic, his tail trailing smoke with the small fire lingering.

The overzealous cries as Snover past Cana, stirring her from her sleep. "Gnnngh...what's with all the noise? Hey, what time is it anyway?"

"The hell is going on up there?" Elfman questioned, his eyes focused on the deck ceiling above them. He was briefly interrupted by the smell of burning wood. "Hey, what's cooking down here?"

"ME! AAAAAAH~!" Snover shouted as he wailed past him. In his hectic state, he was making matters worse for the others around him. Others like Vanessa were starting to finally emerge from slumber. "SOMEBODY HELP ME!"

As she was trying to nap, Liepard opened an eye and noticed Snover wailing in her direction. Once he ran past her, she closed her eyes again and nonchalantly swung her tail like a broom and swept Snover's feet, forcing him into a faceplant.

Wartortle's eyes shimmered coolly before he tucked in his limbs and spun after Snover, via Rapid Spin. He blitzed straight over his fallen state and breeze through the very small fire, putting it out. He pulled out his limbs and struck and pose behind Snover as he got back up.

"Huh...?" He looked back over, sighing in relief. "Phew! That was a close one. Thank you!"

"Don't mention it." Wartortle muttered, before looking mildly tense. "Although...even though it wasn't direct...you're...quite chilly." He shuddered, looking borderline cringing.

'Oh, that's right, I forgot he has a problem being around the cold and Ice-types.'

The ship suddenly rocked again, followed by a sudden rise in elevation, with an equally staggering fall back into the waters. This caused everyone to almost jump out of their beds.

"Oh boy, sure doesn't sound pretty up there~." Azumarill chimed, her huge ears picking up explosions and raging waves.

"What's going on? This can't possibly be because of the storm, could it?" Sophie worried.

Vanessa looked out the window, seeing the keen difference to now as opposed to when she fell asleep hours ago. The once peaceful ocean was swept away hours ago. Instead, she saw a raging storm that had large waves and heavy rainfall pelting the bulletproof glass of the frame. And yet, as much as she wanted to believe that it wasn't mother nature, her aura sensory magnified on her surroundings.

The hairs on the back of her neck tensed up when she felt a strong, defiant aura. And not a good one. 'Something's coming...no, it's here!'

"Come on! Let's check it out!" Cana ushered everyone to the doorway. She looked back to the cabin, realizing Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy were still completely out. "Ah shit. Make sure you guys keep an eye on them!"

"Got it!" Charmeleon voiced. He and the rest of Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy's Pokémon remained put as the ship rocked again, making them as well as their trainers even more discomforted.

Everyone else along with Cana's Pokémon and Dereece's Yanma hurried up towards the deck. Immediately they were met with rain and heavy winds, making it hard for them to hold their ground. Cana barely got through to Lucy when she noticed the blonde. "Lucy!"

"Cana!" She shouted back.

"The hell's happening?!"

"I don't know! We were managing just fine until something shot out of the sky and attacked us!" She looked up towards the clouds, pointing at something shimmering that caught her eye. "Guys, look!"

Everyone's attention adverted towards the heavens. They didn't realize it until sooner, but as the blue light drew closer, the rainfall lightened. The ocean's heavy embrace of danger gradually dilated to shorter waves that barely rocked the ship. All eyes watched the figment descend with an aura radiating around its body.

"Guys, what's that?!" Happy shouted.

Carla's eyes widened. "Is that what I think it is?!"

Descending from the stormclouds was a long, blue, serpentine creature with black eyes and magenta pupils. She had a radiant blue aura around her – which Vanessa immediately drew in. She had a headstrong look in the pits of her eyes as she flapped her ear wings to stay airborne.

"No way! Guys, is that a dragon?!" Elfman exclaimed.

Pantherlily stepped forward, his fists balled. "No, that can't be! This is clearly not any normal dragon!"

"He's right." Mest glared daggers of caution. 'I'm certain of it. All the dragons are wiped out. Acnologia was the last one. That must mean...could it be a Pokémon?'

Vanessa narrowed her eyes, which teemed with realization at what it could be that stood in their way. "A Dragonair...?"

"What was that?" Juvia barely picked up her note.

Getting to the point of her curiosity, Sophie pulled out her PokeDex before anyone else could. She held it up as the monitor showed a statistical display of the Dragonair that Vanessa allegedly pointed out.

"Dragonair, the Dragon Pokémon. It has long been thought that its crystalline orbs are imbued with the power to control the weather."

The vocalized info didn't go unnoticed by Lucy's curiosity. "Wait a minute...did it just say..." Her eyes widened. "It can control the weather?!"

Mest squinted. "That would explain this crazy storm out here."

"I've heard about it, but I've never seen a Dragonair use that power in person before." Vanessa pointed out. Granted, she would admit that she may have battled some Dragonair that were fished up along Route 21 back in the Kalos region, but she never saw them use their powers to manipulate weather. 'This one...it's special. The aura she's given off, I'm certain about it...she's utilizing her powers against us on purpose.'

True to how Vanessa sensed it, Dragonair's large eyes were locked onto the inhabitance and their Pokémon. She swayed her tail to and fro, whipping it with the orbs shimmering with a brightened aura.

"Um, guys...is it just me, or does she seem a little hostile?" Happy shivered fearfully.

"This is bad, we need to act, now!" Carla urged.

'She's right. If she's guarding the perimeter of the island, then we're in deep trouble.' Mest gnashed his teeth. "Everyone, look alive!"

Dragonair spread her wings, flapping harshly to get above everyone. She raised her head high in beaming pride. "Listen well, humans. I am giving you this one warning. Turn back now, or face the fate of others that came before you." She sneered.

Gray raised a brow. "Others?"

Juvia also realized the innuendo. "You mean we're not the first ones...?"

Seeing as how they were more inquired than they were supposed to be scared, Dragonair didn't hesitate. Her crystalline orb shined brightly. Suddenly, the rainfall and strong winds picked up again, this time blowing in their direction solemnly. Everyone on the deck covered up as the waves were starting to rise once more around them.

"What's going on?!" Lucy screamed.

"She's manipulating the weather...just like the PokeDex said!" Sophie shouted, kneeling on the deck to keep her balance.

"Gah! That's just crazy! What kinds of Pokémon can even do this sorts of stuff?!" Happy exasperated, rocking heavily on the deck. It got so bad that he eventually landed on his head. "Owie!"

Taking control of the situation, Mest fastened his hold on the wheel so as to keep the ship from being taken over by the waves. "Juvia! Do it now!"

"Right, of course!" Using her magic again, Juvia swiped her arms to either side, manipulating the surrounding seawater to keep the water level as simmered as possible around the massive waves raging around them.

"Nice work, Boss-Ma'am!" Wartortle exclaimed.

Prinplup leaned forward, very much wary. "We're not safe yet! Look alive!"

Dragonair careened her serpentine body back into the high atmosphere to gather momentum. Her tail swung around as spiraling water surfaced around the tail's tip.

"That's Aqua Tail!" Vanessa warned aloud.

Dragonair swooped down towards the bow of the ship, twisting her entire body so the rain-empowered force of the Water-type attack would inflict dense damage. She hammered the surface of the calm water Juvia manipulated with all her might, summoning a large wake that sent shockwaves through the water. The entire ship was pushed back along the tides of her force, causing everyone aboard to scream as they held on for dear life.

The ship and its passengers were brisked a short distance away. However, the wake eventually subsided to give them all room to recover.

Gray was on a knee as he staggered back up, his head ringing from hitting the deck rather hard from that sudden push. "Hey...everyone in one piece?"

"Uh...we're good..." Happy groaned. Though in truth, he wasn't. He and Pantherlily were crushed beneath Carla's humanoid form's rear since it had nails to help her hold onto the wood.

"Please...if you could move just a little, we'd appreciate it..." Pantherlily wheezed.

Carla got to her feet, looking down at her companions with flustered surprise. "Sorry, guys!" She saw how in shock they were; Happy more so than Pantherlily. "Hey, I'm not that heavy! Get over it or go hide! This is getting dangerous!"

"A-aye..." Happy moaned weakly.

"Ugh~, my head..." Lucy grimaced, clutching her head.

"Lucy!" Klefki floated close by.

BEEPBEEP! Staryu blinked.

"Yeah, don't worry. I'm okay guys. More importantly..." She looked up, seeing Dragonair looming over them with an intense, bright blue aura surrounding her body. "We've got to find a way to get to that island, and get past that Pokémon somehow."

Mest grimaced at their situation. He held firm to the wheel as Juvia was still trying to keep themselves leveled. 'If I could do a direct line, I could teleport everyone here instantly...but Natsu and the others are still under. Plus I can't teleport an entire ship.' His eyes narrowed in annoyance of their stalemate. 'If we can just push a little further, we'll be in range for the Communication Lacrima to get a signal. Then I can pick them up and we can split before-'

"Incoming!" Sophie warned.

Dragonair swerved above the stale ship and arched her head back. Multicolored rays converged in front of her tiny mouth into an orb before she lurched forward, aiming a projectile, multicolored beam that seared through the air with a draconic upper body.

Gray put his hands together, hastily creating ice for his magic. He eyed the beam and took a defensive stance before everyone. "Ice-Make: Shield!"

A large shield made of solid ice covered the entire ship. With a complete barrier to take the oncoming attack, everyone braced themselves as they watched the Dragon Pulse sear steeply into the middle of the barrier. The head of the attack literally bit down, creating a large-scale eruption of ice and multicolored energy mixed with each other. The rubble flew over everyone's heads and into the surrounding warm waters around them.

Gray was taken back, but he maintained his stance in the wake of it all. "Didn't expect it to pack such a punch..."

"Dragon-types are weak to Ice-types!" Vanessa warned aloud. "Gray!"

"Thanks for the heads up. In that case..." Gray reached his arm out, directing any commands towards Dragonair appropriately. "Snorunt, use Ice Shard!"

"Vaporeon, Aurora Beam!" Juvia followed up.

Snorunt hopped forward and faced Dragonair, alongside Vaporeon in a crouching stance. Both channeled their respective attacks and fired shards of fast-moving, crystalline ice and a dense black and green energy beam up towards the serpent.

However, what neither attacker accounted for was how nimble Dragonair was. Big mistake. When she elevated and serpentine herself around the ice shards, she careened around the beam with slick, clean glides like silk. She corrected herself and gave a stern glare down towards the failed attempt with scorn.

"So fast...!" Juvia gasped.

"Hang on guys, we got this!" Lucy shouted. She positioned herself upright and glared at Dragonair. "All that speed she has won't mean anything if we hit her with an attack that never misses! Staryu, Swift! Go!"

Staryu beeped loudly before it jumped several meters above its partner. Its body spun counterclockwise and tilted towards Dragonair. The red core shined vibrantly as dazzling golden stars spun through the air after her in vast numbers that made it look like a sea of stars barreling right for the dragon.

Dragonair saw the stars head towards her, but she also registered the amount of space that it took up as opposed to the last two attacks. Instead of opting to mingle her way out like before she careened her tail back and gathered momentum for a swing. As she did, the tail gradually encased itself in collective green scale-like energy that molded into a hardened tail.

Vanessa's eyes shrank as she realized what was coming their way. 'That move...is that Dragon Tail?!'

With one fell swing across, Dragonair cried out and battered the oncoming wake of stars with her energized appendage. Th long, harsh sweep through the air shattered the wave of stars in golden bursts that flared around her space, making her smooth skin stand out. However, as shocking as that was, that wasn't Lucy's concern as her Staryu's attack was thwarted with ease.

"No way!"

With a hostile grunt, Dragonair glided down and extended her body towards Staryu. It continued spinning until it was smacked by the brutish wake of the tail's scales. The impact was so forceful that it made an airwave pulse clean through its body before the momentum caught up with its body. It shot back into the deck, namely over Lucy's head and crashed into a crate.

"Staryu!" Lucy panicked.

"Is it okay?!" Klefki worried.

The crate was partially smashed into, but Staryu was still visible. It looked alright, albeit barely. Its core weakly blinked, signaling a significant degeneration of health.

'When a Pokémon is hit by Dragon Tail, it's usually withdrawn from battle unless otherwise by an ability.' Vanessa realized the facts, seeing Staryu being unresponsive. 'Power aside, Staryu doesn't have a Poke Ball to return to. So it was forced to withdraw just like that.'

Elfman looked up, remaining alert. "Look out! She's attacking again!"

Dragonair let out another loud cry as she careened her head back, another indication of her charging up a Dragon Pulse. The orb rapidly condensed until the energy was fully packed to be launched. When she lurched forward, she fired another draconic beam searing straight for Juvia.

"Boss-Ma'am, hang on!" In a leap of urgency, Wartortle sprung to her side and jumped in front. He spread his appendages forward and created a turquoise barrier, via Protect, to guard his trainer from the beam that bit into the barrier. The impact was absorbed into the shield for a few seconds, before it erupted into a smoky explosion.

Juvia kept an arm up even though she was well-guarded by her Pokémon. "Wartortle...!"

"Are you alright, Boss-Ma'am?" Wartortle shouted through the fading smoke.

"I am...thanks." Her eyes widened when she saw something beam through the smoke. "Wartortle, behind you!"

Wartortle remained wary when he glanced over his shoulder. He instinctively pulled away just before an Aqua Tail swept through the smoky aftermath, dispelling it in one fell swoop – literally. He turned towards Azumarill and Vaporeon, who flanked his sides. "Alright, go!"

"Yes, sir~!" Azumarill hopped in front, inhaling before she expelled a high-speeding blast of blue bubbles through the rain.

Vaporeon followed that with a blue hemisphere of water that gradually gained momentum at the base of her mouth. She lurched forward to project the hemisphere towards the center.

As the Bubble Beam and Water Pulse jettisoned closer towards Dragonair, they gradually were drawn into each other, meeting halfway before the two water-based attacks became a rush of bubbles pushing the glowing blue water sphere. The added propulsion gave it enough force to send it searing through the high winds and rain until it connected with Dragonair's chin. A bright blue explosion of mist and water bloomed through the air over everyone's heads that was quickly swept away by the roaring wake of the stormy sea.

To everyone's shock, they saw Dragonair careening and doubling over until she fixed herself in the air. She shook her head to rid of the sudden shock her body went through and looked down at the intruders, her eyes teeming with more anger in them.

"You'll pay for that..." she sneered.

Vanessa, who retained caution, was able to sense the rise in frustration and annoyance from her opponent. She felt vehement rage before; the past few days have been no exception to that fact. However, Dragonair's aura in particular was distinct from the others, namely in one aspect. Something more...murderous.

'Her aura...that alone confirms it. It was written in the warning shots from earlier.' A small shiver went up Vanessa's spine. 'She doesn't intend to have us leave at all, nor does she want us to go further...she wants to sink us here.'

Dragonair glared them down, her wings spreading as a blue aura emanated from her crystal orb on her chest. She raised her head and let out a wail that echoed throughout the sea. As if mother nature was answering her outcries, the winds picked up further, pushing the raging waters up against either side of the ship.

The harsh brushing caused the ship and everyone to almost jump from shock. Honchkrow was barely able to maintain his balance on his roost, in fact looking more annoyed than before.

"Hey, the hell's this weather about?! I'm gonna be primming them for hours because of you!" he cawed. His piercing red glare fixed on Staraptor right beside him. "Hey, you gonna sit around like an ornament or do something?!"

"I'm...rather backed up right now!" Staraptor sniped with a begrudging undertone. Though she couldn't deny that she had to do something like Honchkrow pointed out, she knew she had to do something to help contribute to settle the escalating madness. She knew it, and she knew it very well.

However, Staraptor was neither ill-considerate nor was she a fool. She was intelligent. She knew from past mistakes that if she were to engage right now, a certain premature creature would most likely mingle with her endeavors. Just like what happened with her training, when she made an attempt to quell Houndoom, and lastly when she tried to stop the Golisopod and the rogue Pokémon.

Every time. Every. Single. Time. Junior would always intervene and put her as well as himself in a state of compromise. It went against every second-nature instinct she lived with since training with Nic and her brothers and sister. Though her expression was concealed by her bang, a very hostile grievance could be seen in her eyes.

"Cooo!" Junior whined, shuffling closer to his mother's feathers.

Staraptor shrouded her youngling into her feathers, trying to console him rather than engage this time. Though inside, she mentally cursed herself for concealing so belittling to such a priority.

'Damnit...!'

Dragonair's wails echoed into the storm as it continued to rage madly across the sea.

---

Safe within the walls of his prestige palace, King Quinlan was out by the balcony, ready to look over the tournament that was bound to happen. Already, he could see small shifts in what sounded like the escalating crowd getting early seats for a good viewing. If he was honest with himself, he'd have half a mind to get up close and personal to see the labors that this tournament will exhibit.

However, his musings were dampened when he noticed something in the distant clouds. It wasn't noticeable to the standard human eye or the Pokémon populace, but thanks to his vantage point, he could make out the dark clouds in the distance turning a shade darker than what they normally were.

"Hm...looks like Adelita has found some company to mingle with again." He mused aloud.

"Who the hell you talking about?" The voice came from behind, Quinlan didn't need to turn around to know that it was Akando. The Midnight Lycanroc sauntered up to where the shadows ended, his red eyes glowing vibrantly in the dim lights.

Quinlan glanced over his shoulder. "Akando. What brings you here?"

Akando sneered low. "Just wanted to let you know that I'll be retiring for the day. But what's this about an Adelita?" He paused, thinking of what he was referring to. "Oh...you mean that Dragonair?"

Quinlan sagely nodded. "Correct. Well done, Akando. I'm pleased to know even our clocks aren't of the same caliber, your mind is still functional." He chuckled. Akando snarled lowly at the light joke. "My apologies, my friend. I was just trying to ease any tension."

Akando eyerolled. "No offense yourself, Your Majesty, but it's pretty obvious that our brains clearly aren't as functional as you say if your idea of a joke puts two inches from somebody's claws. Namely, mine." He cocked a brow. "How's that for a light joke?"

Quinlan sighed, albeit tiredly. "I understand. My apologies. I'll be more wary from now on." He adverted his attention towards the turning clouds in the far distance. "Now then, you were asking about Adelita, was it?"

"Heh? Oh...right. Yeah, I think it's coming back to me. You mean that Dragonair you commissioned to manipulate the weather, right?"

"Yes. You see, it's like a muscle. The more you exercise something, the stronger it becomes. You Pokémon and your powers work in a similar manner if I recall correctly."

Akando raised a brow. "Yeah, so...?"

Quinlan's lips formed a small grin. "It was within our fortunes that we have found somebody who was willing to contribute to our society. Thanks to Adelita's manipulation of weather, she has done nothing but safeguard our society from the world's eyes. She's been doing this for so long that she must have a complete control on the weather, even in her sleep presumably."

Akando furrowed his brow, looking mildly disturbed. "The hell? I'm not exactly what you call a physician, but isn't that supposed to be bad for your health in the long run? And what about hiring a relief team for her or something?"

Quinlan lowered his head. "Valid points, my friend. Alas, she dismissed any form of aid we provide for her."

"Why?"

"Hard to say. Perhaps pride if one looks at it that way. Could be that she'd rather not share the responsibility..." He smirked. "But we've managed to convince her to bring along...reserves should things look rocky along the horizon. Seems if what the weather is telling me, that might come to pass sooner than she realized."

Akando didn't offer any words of question nor criticism. He chose to just let the matter go than drone on about their one-woman vanguard. He didn't have the patience nor the time for that, especially when it was well past his standard sleep schedule. Instead, he turned around and started walking back the way he came.

"Whatever, Your Majesty. I'm heading to bed. Call me only when it's an emergency." Akando made his statement clear as day before the doors shut behind him.

"I'll keep that in mind." Quinlan muttered to himself. He resumed looking at the clouds for a little longer with mid interest on the matter. 'I won't deny what I heard just now. Akando brought up a valid point. When I commissioned her, that look she had. I recognized it all too well. That face...that's the face of someone clinging to life with a purpose.'

The growing sounds from the colosseum managed to bring him back to reality. He saw the populace beginning to make way through the city towards the massive attraction that was about to happen. Quinlan was willing to dismiss his earlier transparencies to indulge on the battles that were to be starting shortly.

'I wonder what a show Adamantine shall be putting on for us?'

---

The winds howled around Dragonair – or rather Adelita – as she careened her neck up and charged up another multicolored beam that she shot directly down onto the deck. This time, Vanessa was the one to provide an interception as her aura teemed around her hands.

"Emanation Beam!"

She brought both arms together and projected her attack at the draconic ray. The teal blast seared through the air, meeting the Dragon Pulse midway. Both attacks met in a small implosion that pressurized and grew smaller for a second, then erupted in a spontaneous shockwave that blew away everything nearby. The air rumbled violently over everyone's heads.

In spite of the large-scale wake, Vanessa was able to hold her ground on the ship's deck, using a forearm to shield her eyes. "Sophie!"

"Right!" With the eruption as cover, Sophie spread her legs and put a finger to her forehead. A chain of memories formulated behind her as she was readying a spell. "Memory-Make: Shower of Thunderous Swords!"

Adelita veered a little further skywards to keep herself balanced through the shockwave. She grunted before she noticed several bright yellow glimmers from above. "Lightning...?"

The bright yellow glimmers echoed with the sound of thunder. It rumbled through the clouds, until in a sudden flurry, rained down hundreds of lightning bolts in the form of swords like rain. They spearheaded down onto Adelita's astonished expression and rendered her almost incomprehensible to counter.

In desperation, she swerved through the air, evading showering bolts as gracefully as she could. She barreled and did double takes every other turn so as to keep track of what came down onto her. However, as evasive as she was, a lightning sword pierced her scales, making her cringe in pain. That proved to be a mistake when several more swords shot down and stabbed her body, sending waves of pain throughout her entire being. She faltered a short distance away with heavy grunts to show how staggered she was.

"You got her!" Happy cheered.

"It's not over yet." Mest warned, earning a confused look from the Exceed.

"Huh? Why? She looks wiped."

"That's not what I meant. We need to signal Joey and the others we're close by, but we're still not within signal range. We just need to get close enough for the signal to be in reach."

"So in other words, we need to buy time to keep her distracted?" Gray interpreted.

Mest nodded. "Exactly." He turned towards Carla and Pantherlily. "Carla, Lily, think you guys can buy us enough time?"

"Just leave it to me." Carla beamed, her tail snapping to show her confidence.

Pantherlily's body shifted on the spot, transforming into his Battle Mode. "We'll keep her busy for as long as we can. You guys get going!" He gripped his Musica Sword and activated his Aera Magic. Carla copied him and took off with him towards the staggering serpent. "Hey, overgrown lizard, how's about picking on someone your own size!"

Adelita shook her head to rid of the pain spell when she heard the manly cry that sounded awfully close. When she looked back, her eyes widened when she saw a humanoid black cat with wings slashing at her with a blade twice as long as his body. She barely dodged the attack, choosing to extend their gap for her caution.

With a cover for them, Mest turned towards Juvia. "Juvia, we need a little push!"

"Right!" Juvia reached her arms forward, conducting the still waters around them. The ship started sailing forward through the raging waters beneath Adelita as she was preoccupied with the humanoid Exceeds. The still waters retained a sound perimeter even as the ship moved, courtesy of Juvia's magic.

"Looks like it's working! We're moving forward!" Elfman shouted.

"Yeah, but we still got a ways to go." Cana reminded them. She turned towards Mest. "How much farther till you get a damn signal?!"

"Just a little further! Once we're there, I'll get them out and we can pull away!"

Liepard shivered as she shook her body relentlessly under the heavy rain. Her claws were sunk into the boards to help keep her stable in the rocking mess that was their ride. "I've decided...I hate boat rides!" she sniped.

Prinplup, who was barely keeping his own balance, stammered beside her. "That goes double for me!"

Meanwhile, Pantherlily and Carla were doing everything they could to keep the Dragonair at bay to buy their allies the time and proximity they needed. Pantherlily slashed his Musica Sword, interjecting with another Aqua Tail by Adelita. The two battered and swatted at one another high in the storming air in parries until either one gave in.

"HRAH!" Pantherlily slashed down, but Adelita pulled away from the blade in time. 'She's so fast!'

Adelita pulled away and glared at Pantherlily. She was about to attack when she noticed something was off. When she looked down, the ship wasn't in its spot. Her eyes widened and she turned around, realizing that the enemies were gradually getting past her.

'No...this was a distraction!' She mentally cursed herself. In haste, she turned away from her opponent to focus on the fleeing humans. 'I won't let them get any closer to my home!'

Pantherlily gnashed his teeth. 'She caught on quick! Have to stop her!'

"White Moon!"

As Adelita swerved towards the ship, she was blindsided by a harsh axe kick to her head from above, courtesy by none other than Carla. The impact sent shock that sent her reeling with a loud whimper and pulled away.

"Your fight's with us, not them!" Carla assured.

Adelita recovered and shot a hostile glare towards her. "That's what you think..." She slunk her entire frame skywards, arching herself to look taller than Carla – which was obvious enough. She positioned her tail behind her and swept it forward.

'Another tail attack!' Carla pulled away to avoid the sweep that she expected to follow through. However, much to her surprise, the swing was loose, and the tail end aimed at her. 'Wait, what?!'

"You fell for it..." Adelita sneered, her eyes deepening with a grudge. "Thunder Wave!"

With the tail's tip in perfect alignment with her intended target, Adelita discharged yellow rings of electricity that looked like a funnel extending into Carla. With how close they were, Carla was taken back by the attack and covered up, expecting some form of damage. However, much to her shock, that same shock, ironically, enveloped her body in paralyzing static. Rings of static rippled like a veil around her and infused into her body until she was stiff to the bone.

"Gnnnngh!" Carla grunted in angst, her nerves unable to respond to her as her wings twitched sporadically. Her aerial appendages unable to keep up with her needs, she drifted down towards the roaring sea waters.

'This is bad, I'm paralyzed! At this rate, I'll only be slowed down...'

"Carla, hold on!" In a rush to save his friend and fellow Exceed, Pantherlily flew through the air to swoop in and catch her before she was mere feet from the torrential disaster below them. He flapped his wings and hauled himself and her back up to an open proximity.

"Lily...!" Carla gasped, her tone barely stable.

"Are you hurt?" He asked.

Carla shook her head. "No, I'm fine...but that attack paralyzed me." She looked up, gasping in shock. "Lily, watch out!"

Pantherlily barely caught wind of Carla's warning and looked up...only to notice a green-scaled energy tail sweeping from Adelita's side into his direction. The motion was so fast that he couldn't evade in time and ended up smacked harshly by the attack. Both he and Carla careened through the air with cries on pain as they shot through the storm over everyone's heads.

"Carla! Lily!" Lucy cried out.

"Behind us, you idiots!" Honchkrow warned aloud.

Adelita pulled her head back and lurched forward, expelling another Dragon Pulse that roared across the atmosphere into the stern of the ship. The draconic head of the energy opened wide and gnashed down hardly on the haul, making a multicolored eruption of energy flourish and budge the entire structure.

Everyone aboard rocked immensely at the sudden attack. Nearly all of them fell forward onto the wet deck, and those who remained standing nearly fumbled thanks to the violent winds pushing against them. Though thankfully enough, the attack didn't push anyone overboard...this time at least.

"Ooh...deja vu..." Lucy groaned, putting a hand to her damp, aching head. She fell so hard forward that she hit the side of her face.

"Are you okay, Lucy?!" Klefki worried, drifting closer in worry for her trainer.

"Uh...I think so...?" Her questionable tone aside, Lucy felt like she was in one piece. She opened and eye and looked up to find Lily dropping to a knee while holding Carla, the latter's body covered in static.

"I'm sorry...we were only able to buy you only a little time. She's more steadfast than we realized." Pantherlily grimaced.

"It's okay, you both did your best." Lucy assured, her mood souring towards anxiety when she saw how numb Carla looked. "Carla, what happened to you!?"

Carla gnashed her teeth, looking embarrassed and pitifully at Lucy. "She got me with a paralysis attack..."

Mest looked at Adelita with a dense frown. 'So that was the trick up her sleeve.'

Suddenly, inside his pockets, there was a small vibration that didn't go unnoticed by him. He blinked before he reached into his pants, pulling out the Communication Lacrima he had stashed away. It was only the size of a small-serving apple, but it had a bright blue-green shine to it.

A small gasp escaped from him. "Is this...?" His eyes only grew with the realization. "We finally have a signal!"

"Really? Then what the hell we waiting for?!" Signal them and let's get out of here!" Gray encouraged.

"Yes, please hurry...I'm...having trouble holding out for this long." Juvia muttered as she was straining in her focus. She was keeping a constant state of water manipulation around her that against the sheer storm they were in, it was starting to do a number on her Magic Power.

With a nod, Mest held the lacrima tightly in his grip. He held it close to his face for his voice to be as clear as possible through the roaring wind. "Joey, you there?!"

---

Though Nic had done his part of their internal sabotage, there was still the matter of time to deal with. And frankly, it was taking longer than necessary for what Nic and Erza were expecting. The former settled to stay low and quiet while Joey found his stomach doing the work. Las, the only source of food they had available was the 'Human Food', which, to Joey's phrasing, looks like 'boom-boom'. However, beggars were not choosers. In Joey's case, he didn't knock it until he tried it.

"Mmm...y'know, the dryness aside, it's not so bad after about five or so handfuls." Joey shrugged, before leisurely shoveling more of his plate's contents into his mouth.

"Really?" Dereece questioned.

Erza blinked in curiosity. She turned towards her large platter and saw the untouched contents. Needless to say, her curiosity got the best of her. She picked up a morsel and held it up to the dim lighting. She turned it about and inspected it as though it had committed a crime. Though it didn't look very appetizing, she acquiesced and ate it. As she did, she noticed how it wasn't like hard candy, but not soft like a gram cracker; more or less in between.

"Hmm..." She muffled, swallowing before looking piqued. "You know, if you put a little sweet in this, it's not that terrible." She admitted.

"You too?" Dereece groaned.

Though as tempting as it was, Dereece took one look at the spoils and back at his Captain sustaining himself. He turned to see if Duncan was indulging in filling his stomach as well, but instead found his teammate slouching against the wall like Nic; neither seemed interested in trying something that wasn't even prison food.

With a sigh, Dereece reached a shaky hand out and grabbed a handful of the stuff. "Ugh...here goes nothing." Slowly, he brought it closer to his mouth as he opened wide. He closed his eyes as he braced for the sustenance...

"Joey, you there?!"

"Eep~!" Dereece nearly jumped from the voice, making him drop his food across the ground like rain.

Joey's eyes widened when he heard the voice and the vibrations in his pocket. He garnered the attention of the others in his cell as he pulled out the small Communication Lacrima sitting in his man purse on the inner pocket of his stylish coat.

"Joey?! Dereece?! Anyone there?!" the voice called out again.

Erza's eyes widened as she heard the voice through the sounds of winds raging. 'That voice...Mest?'

'Looks like Joey's plan was pulling through in his favor, just like he said.' Nic thought soundly. Though he didn't have much on an opinion on the matter, he had to at least admit he was a little surprised at how well it worked out for the lesser experienced mage.

Looking back towards the cells, he realized the volume could draw attention. He looked left and right down the halls to find Sune and the Ducklett occupied with patrols. A fair length fir him to get a message across. He picked himself up and jumped over the beds to the farther reaches of the cell to remain hidden as he held the lacrima closely to his ear.

"Pssst! Yes, it's me! Just tone it down a notch, we're trying to lay low here, remember?" Joey whispered harshly.

"Look, this isn't the time! We're all in danger out here! You have Nic and Erza with you guys or what?!"

Joey looked back at the two Pularis members, briefly recalling what his original plan entailed. In hindsight, he was actually proud that the plan carried out this far, but was equally as concerned based on what Nic's Kecleon had relayed.

He remained silent for a few precious moments. In such moments, Dereece and Duncan exchanged wary looks as they waited for how their Captain was going to answer the call.

"...Mest, listen buddy. There's been a change of plans." Joey said low, his tone having zero lighthearted conduct. "We need you to pick up only The Freaks and nothing else, you got that?"

A small blare was heard on the opposite end as the wind howled. Mest didn't hold back his shock. "Wait...what?! That wasn't part of the plan here, Joey!"

"I know that..." Joey hissed, his tone in a harsh whisper. "Like I said, there's been a change of plans. There's something messed up here that Nic and Erza are figuring out." A gasp was heard on the other line. "Just teleport me, Dereece, and Duncan only. We don't have time to explain!"

"Joey...just what are you thinking?"

"Just trust me on this, man! Quit arguing and do your part already!"

A short silence fell across the cell. Everyone looked at Joey having a monologue with himself and the lacrima attached to his ear. Anyone walking by would have figured he was talking to himself, or having some disillusioned conversation with a ghost. Either way mattered. What was important was the response would be to the arbitrary scheduling forced upon their only source of transportation.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of hearing nothing but rain and wind, a voice was heard. "...alright. Sit tight, be there in a second."

The lacrima's signal ended on the abrupt note. Joey turned back towards the others and nodded to confirm their support on the way. In a second, Mest appeared in front of Joey, albeit his clothing drenched in rainwater, and he looked like he was in the middle of a hellstorm breaking loose.

"Woah, you okay?" Dereece worried.

"I'm fine. Let's just hurry back." Mest's tone was strict, if not mildly disappointed. He turned towards Erza and Nic, seeing the two looking at him with serious eyes. "You guys sure about this?"

Erza nodded. "Yes, it'll be fine."

Mest glanced at Nic. "And you?"

Nic glared at him. "Yeah...but tell everyone else this." He paused. "Tell them, to meet us at the shores. We'll explain everything there."

Mest furrowed his brow at the response. In all honesty, he wasn't very confident in what was going on at the moment. He'd much rather try and drill out whatever information he could to get on the right page with Nic and The Freaks. However, he also realized they were pressed for time, a valued asset that they needed right now.

And so, despite his chagrin, he sighed. "Alright then..." He pulled out a Poke Ball, tossing it up and summoning his Kirlia. He stood beside his trainer with his feet nearly touching. "Kirlia, Teleport!"

Kirlia closed his eyes and concentrated. He, Mest, and The Freaks all had brief rainbow outlines before vanishing from their cell, leaving Nic and Erza behind.

"Looks like they're faring well." Erza chimed, before turning to her husband. "You think they'll notice they'll be gone?"

"Already took care of that." Nic said/ He glanced over his shoulder at the two beds facing each other on opposite sides of the cell. The blankets were bulging with three silhouettes inside them. "It's an old-trick, but I guess an old trick would be the last thing they'd expect from us."

Erza snickered with a knowing smirk. "You sure know how to play your cards, mister."

Nic returned the sentiment. "Playing cards is Cana's gimmick. I just try to make the best of my hand." He went silent as he looked towards the ceiling. 'Still, even though we may have been dealt a bad hand, we can still win...if we play our cards right.'

---

Cana was maintaining the steering wheel in place of Mest, who left seconds prior. "The hell is he?! He get them or what?!"

"Hang on just a little longer! His teleportation takes several jumps at a time in long distances!" Vanessa reminded through the harsh storm.

While everyone was still hanging on for dear life in the wake of Adelita's weather trap, they anticipated he would be back any second. And sure enough, their prayers were answered when he suddenly appeared in front of everyone with The Freaks and Kirlia.

Vanessa blinked, realizing something missing in the plan's picture. "Joey?"

"What. Is. Up. Everybo-ah!" He was buffered by the boat rocking slightly. He jumped back in shock at the stormy state they were all in. "Not the welcome wagon I wanted to come back to, thank you very much!"

"What's going on?! A hurricane?!" Dereece panicked with the wind and rain quickly dampening their clothing. He was blindsided when he heard a familiar buzzing and felt something land on his head. "Yanma!?"

"Dereece!" She merrily chirped. She fluttered her wings and took her roost atop his head with a grin. To Dereece, he was relieved to see that she was in one piece. Though at the same time, her content look when they were in a crisis felt unwarranted.

Duncan looked up towards the masts, seeing that his Honchkrow was there. The large avian spread his wings and glided down to finally reunite with his trainer. The only praise he got from him was a hum and nod of compliance.

"Sure took you all long enough to get here." Duncan sniped.

"Well excuse me, but we were a little backed up at the moment!" Lucy exasperated.

"Hold on!" Sophie looked at the present number before them. While she was very much relieved to find her dear friend and his comrades okay, she knew there was something missing. "Weren't you guys supposed to bring Nic and Erza back with you?"

Vanessa had a dead-serious look on her face. She turned towards Mest, knowing that he was the one communicating with them at the time. "What's going on?"

Mest had his Poke Ball out and recalled Kirlia. Once he did, he turned towards Vanessa with a familiar serious expression. "Listen, there's been a change of plans. Nic and Erza, they're both alright. I can tell you that much at least."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Gray questioned. Though he was a little at ease knowing that their friends were alright, that didn't help in making his current discomfort fade.

Joey rocked in the wind before he was able to get decent balance. He had his legs spread far apart, his eyes wide and arms out with palms towards all parties close by. "Okay, everybody shut up and listen! So Nic and Erza passed along a message! They said that we need to meet them at the shores as soon as possible!"

"You serious?" Elfman scoffed.

Duncan glanced at him. "He's right. There's a whole new problem we're dealing with." He looked up towards the Dragonair swerving after them, his scowl intensifying. "And it looks like you guys have one of your own as well."

"You think!?" Cana shouted from the upper deck. "She's been on our ass and we can't shake her off! Could use a hand here!"

Prinplup looked up, jutting a flipper at the air. "Here she comes!"

Adelita swerved after them with her tail whirling in the stormy air. Water spiraled around as she closed the gap to strike the ship and everyone with it in a powerful Aqua Tail.

"Honchkrow, use Dark Pulse!" Duncan commanded.

"Well, nice resting while it lasted." Honchkrow mused. He flapped his wings and shot off the deck, turning towards the oncoming serpentine dragon. He opened his beak, channeling dark matter into compressed black rings with purple outlines. "Alright you loose worm, how's about you settle with this!"

He unleashed a broad, bumbled dark beam across the stormy skies, barreling through the atmosphere towards Dragonair. With the direction of the wind blown, it only deterred the trajectory of the attack by only a small margin. But not nearly enough due to the extended mass that it took up s it traveled towards Adelita.

Adelita swung her water-encased appendage with all her might, sweeping into the dark ring beam. However, she was overwhelmed by the brunt force the attack had and her tail's veil dissipated. She gasped before pulling away in haste to avoid direct damage. Though her tail's smooth underside was scraped by some.

She wasted no time in making a counter against him. She aimed her tail at him, expelling rings of electricity at the bird, via Thunder Wave. However, Honchkrow was witty enough to extend his wings and pull away to avoid the rings. He sailed above Duncan awaiting his next order.

Joey turned to leer at Dereece. "Dereece, fix it! Fix it right now!"

"Uh, r-right away Captain!" Dereece turned to face the Dragonair, reaching up to direct at her. "Yanma, use Supersonic!"

To his relief, Yanma was still responsive. Her wings flapped vigorously and ascended into the air from his head of a perch. She escalated hastily after Adelita and positioned herself in front of the wary dragon.

Adelita snapped back at her with a Dragon Tail, but Yanma was much faster than she realized and evaded. With the higher position, she hummed and unleashed distorted soundwaves into Adelita. However, the dragon swerved away from her attack, barely getting out of range and getting to a higher position above the Yanma.

"I'll end this quickly for you if you stop resisting!" Adelita pulled her tail around, readying another Aqua Tail to strike down her prey.

"Yanma, look out!" Dereece shouted.

Adelita readied to swing the aquatic wave around, when something in the distance shimmered brightly and close in while her back was turned. The glimmer sailed in at breakneck speeds with two bright appendages tearing through the air towards the Dragonair.

Staraptor blinked, her eyes shrinking in realization. 'Is that...?'

Everyone down below noticed the glimmer as well. However, amongst them, Joey looked the most shocked. "That's-!"

"HAAAAAAH~!"

Adelita ceased her momentum from the loud cry from behind. Before she fully turned around, she felt a metallic, heavy strike that smacked her in the back of the head. The shock went straight through her body and made her gag.

Yanma looked on in shock as she watched Adelita go limp and drop from the sky like a fly. The serpentine dragon gradually lost altitude and was eaten up by the harsh waves down below. In a hardy splash, she disappeared underwater for everyone to bear witness.

"Woah! You guys see that?!" Happy quipped. "She just dropped like that!"

"That came out of nowhere." Sophie's breath hitched. When she looked up, her own eyes widened. Their savior glided around in the air, its metallic wings diminishing to normal gray plumage.

"Master Joey!" Their savior, Arceus forbid, was none other than their guide on this hectic journey – Tranquill. The pigeon's homing instincts brought him back to his Master Joey in a timely fashion, just as he was supposed to.

Joey's eyes brightened in shock. "Tranquill!?"

The bird descended to the ship in hasty flaps. Joey was witty enough to allow his forearm as a perch for his feathered associate to land on rather than crash on the deck in front of them. Everyone looked at Tranquill like he had committed a crime, though ironically enough, that crime saved them.

"I completely forget about that bird leading the way." Cana realized. "Did it just turn around after realizing Joey was on the ship now?"

Prinplup groaned. "That's...a really weird homing instinct it's got."

"That bird's so manly! Way to swoop in for the save!" Elfman rejoiced, smirking.

"What a swoop that was. Nice timing!" Lucy praised.

Vanessa silently observed Joey, looking piqued for a lack of better word. Even she had to admit that timing and uncanny luck worked out for the better. She'd be a liar if she said she wasn't pleasantly surprised. 'Is this the power of Joey's luck?'

Tranquill was looking ruffled, but with a perch, he could finally rest his aching wings. "Master Joey...it's you! I've found you at last..." he wheezed.

Joey raised a brow at his avian, slightly unnerved by how exhausted he looked. 'Woah...he's certainly seen better days.' He cleared his throat. "Yeah, you sure did little buddy. You did a great job."

"Oh! I'm so happy, Master Joey! You don't know how happy that makes me fee-" Just as he was about to finish, he cut off and looked stiff. In an instant, he fell off Joey's forearm and onto the deck, his eyes rolling to the back of his head.

"Tranquill?!" Joey hovered over Tranquill as he laid in the rain. His eyes were completely shut as he looked unconscious, if not fast asleep.

Dereece nervously scooted closer to Joey's ear. "Um...I think he needs to get back in the Poke Ball...like right now." He encouraged.

Joey's face contorted to guilt and nodded. He stopped to think about what Tranquill had been through the past couple days, from helping him reign in several of their Pokémon in a span of two nights, to having to fly what had to be hundreds – if not thousands – of miles across the sea, through an entire storm. Even he knew where to draw the line. "Yeah...I think you're right, Dereece." He held up Tranquill's Poke Ball. "You've pulled so much weight for me buddy, thanks. Take a rest, you definitely earned it."

The red laser struck Tranquill, returning him to his Poke Ball.

Cana looked over the edge, peering into the seas beneath them. "You think that knocked her out for a while?"

"Doubt it, but I wouldn't take my chances standing around to find out." Gray stated. He turned ahead towards Rolica. "We need to book it, now! Nic and Erza said we need to meet them at the shores, so that's what we'll do!"

"Alright, everyone hold on!" Mest kept the ship steering through the sea towards their destination that was closer than ever.

---

Meanwhile, under the blue depths of the sea, Adelita's momentum was slowed gradually thanks to the water resistance. The cool water sent another shock through her body that helped with her heated headache. Her head throbbed from that surprise attack that she barely registered everything around her.

When she finally came to, she realized the drastic change in temperature around her. 'It's cold...' Here eyes gradually opened, before widening at what she saw. Around her was the sea, not air. She couldn't hold back her dismay in the form of a squirm.

'Those human brats! They took me by surprise!' She mentally cursed herself for not being cautious sooner. 'That Pokémon being used by the human...they had my back turned so they could give me the slip!'

She would be hard-pressed to say it aloud, but she felt like she was played. Played unfairly and cowardly. It could have been because of her pride as a Dragon-type, but that alone wasn't what made her blood boil. It was the fact that she was being messed with by humans. That aspect alone made her want to spew a Dragon Pulse out of impulse.

However, she also knew better than to do just that. She looked up at the ship at the surface, a ferocious glare foxed on it. '...seems that I have underestimated this particular group of humans. I suppose this means only one thing...'

She sighed heavily. "I'll have to dip into my reserves." She turned towards the ocean floor beneath her. "You all have my permission. Just make sure that whatever you do...they. All. Drown. Understood?"

Beneath her multiple red eyes beamed through the darkness. In the center of it all was a larger set of eyes attached to a bloated silhouette gradually drifting towards the surface.

---

The storm continued its course around the island's perimeter, albeit at a lower volume than before. It didn't evaporate entirely; a sure sign that Adelita was still conscious and lurking right beneath them. That much Vanessa knew.

While things were calmer on the surface, Vanessa felt it beneath her. All around them. Her expression was as serious as ever, even more so. The fact that it wasn't relaxed got noticed by Sophie, who was close by. "Vanessa? What's the matter?"

Vanessa remained quiet and on guard. Her aura sensory was igniting with something heading directly for them from below. From what she could tell, it was massive. "Everyone! Stay on guard! Something's coming for us from below!"

Happy peered over the edge, looking to the sea below. "Hey, what's that?"

"What?" Lucy moved towards the port side of the boat and noticed it almost instantly. As bizarre as it was, she could have sworn she was making out some movement beneath her...a lot of it. Silhouettes drifted closer towards the surface in large numbers and took frilly, flipper shapes.

Klefki blinked. "...uh-oh~!"

Suddenly, dozens of spouts splashed alongside the ship. Each spout shot up a human-sized amorphous creature of either blue or pink coloration. They had small red eyes surrounded by purple eyeliner. Their heads were large and bulbous, taking the appearance of an onion. They had three tendrils beneath them, and two flippers for arms.

"The hell!?" Gray snapped.

"An ambush!" Juvia realized.

"More Pokémon!" Elfman shouted.

Sophie took out her PokeDex again, managing to get a scope on one of the figures that floated eerily close to the ship's side.

"Frillish, the Floating Pokémon. Using the invisible poison spikes on its veinlike arms and legs, it paralyzes its enemies and causes them to drown."

A shiver went down Lucy's spine as she took a cautious step away from the side of the ship. "W-wait...you don't mean like us, do they?" She looked at the Frillish surrounding the ship's boundaries. Suffice to say all their mischievous smirks did was instill more anxiety into her system.

"This was bad enough with a Dragonair, but now a swarm of these ugly suckers?" Prinplup scoffed.

Liepard pressed a paw to the wooden floor, glaring ahead. "Looks like she had reinforcements biding right beneath us in case she was falling under. Cunning, I'll give her that." She couldn't help but smirk at how well they planned for this. Though she'd be even more impressed if she wasn't so pissed.

"There's so many of them...are they all protecting the island as well?" Dereece worried aloud.

One the Frillish – a male – snickered with glee. "About time we got ourselves a live catch! Been getting bored after a while!"

"Yeah, I was starting to wonder if we'll ever get a chance to play with our food a little." Another male Frillish prodded. "Then again, we aren't called the cleanup crew for nothing around here."

"Heh, check it out. Some of these human girls are looking kinda cute, too." Another sneered, his attention specified on some like Lucy, Sophie, and Vanessa. "It's a shame really. Such quality fun...oh well, guess we can play with them for a little while before we have to drown them." He sinisterly snickered.

Many of the Frillish snickered at the sick joke. To the humans who were seen as prey, it only served to make them glare and tense up with worry of what would happen if they made a wrong move.

Lucy groaned. "Things could not get worse."

Alas, irony had it out for her when an even larger splash erupted in front of the ship's bow. The wave of water expelled something large with glowing red eyes that glared everyone down. When the waved diminished, they all looked shocked at what floated in their way.

"W-what's that?!" Happy quipped.

The wave subsided, revealing a Pokémon that looked almost identical to a male Frillish. However, his head was extremely bulbous, nearly sizing over his legs and arms alike. His huge head had a small white crown, with a white coat surrounding the lower half of the head similar to a moustache and beard.

The creature bobbed his head up, spreading his arms out. He eyed them all with a sinister gleam in his eyes.

"The hell!? Did one of them just swallow too much seawater or something?!" Elfman exclaimed.

Duncan furrowed his brow, shooting the Pokémon a glare. "No, that's not it. That's its evolved form."

"Evolved form?" Cana looked skeptical, so to sedate her curiosity, she reached into her purse and pulled out her PokeDex. It scanned the enlarged amorphous and projected it on the screen.

"Jellicent, the Floating Pokémon. Fishermen are terrified of Jellicent. It's rumored to drag them into the sea and steal their lives away."

'Well that's a red flag all on its own.' Heavy sarcasm drenched Cana's mind as she looked up at the Jellicent. "If I had to guess, he's the one calling the shots, right?"

"We're about to find out." Gray spread his legs, bracing for what might come next.

The Jellicent raised an arm up and directed at the gathered humans. "Alright, you lot! Let's earn our keep! Sink them!"

"Yes, Admiral!" The Frillish all obediently shouted. All of them pulled their heads back and readied various attacks. All at once, they fired a wild barrage of Bubble, Bubble Beam, Night Shade, and Water Pulse onto the deck and alongside the ship. Everyone braced themselves and either jumped out of the way or stood their ground as the attacks pelted their footholds.

Quickly taking the initiative, Joey stood his ground. "Barrier-Make: Prism!"

Suddenly, a large, turquoise barrier appeared on the entire deck, encompassing everyone aboard within its indestructible confines. The deep-edged defense helped in providing a barricade for them to regroup, as well as help deflect the enemy attacks at different angles.

Several Frillish were caught off guard and got struck by either dark beams or heinous purple winds. Some of them were struck so harshly by the latter that they fell back into the sea. But the bubbles that were repulsed were only partially striking them, while others shielded as their skins absorbed the liquid.

A female Frillish unfolded her arms, having absorbed the moisture with a smile. "That felt nice."

"Was that Water Absorb?" Juvia questioned aloud.

"This is bad! We need to get moving, pronto!" Gray shouted.

Snorunt hopped on his tiny feet, looking anxiously ahead. "Oh no, oh no! Guys, look!"

Bergmite looked ahead at the bow, seeing what made Snorunt so anxious. As usual, he looked mute. "Not good."

The Jellicent that blocked their way had his eyes glow bright red. He swung his arms inward before spreading them outwards. He expelled a dark purple whirlwind that rushed into the ship. The bow's external wood snapped and chipped inwards as the wake of the Ominous Wind repulsed the entire structure by several feet.

Everyone aboard felt the entire structure rock heavily. Despite how Joey's barrier kept them safe aboard, the entire barrier didn't cover the whole ship. They all were unharmed, however, though admittedly they were stirred by the force of the attack.

Joey shuffled along the deck, barely keeping his balance yet an unsteady heartbeat out of fear. "Why is it that every time we're on a ship, something bad always happens?!" He snapped feverishly.

"This isn't good! At this rate, the ship's gonna sink!" Mest warned. "We need to shake them all off! They keep hammering us like this, the ship will take in water!"

"Then we gotta strike back rather than hide behind this barrier!" Elfman encouraged.

"Hey man, I get it, but that's not what I'm worried about here!" Gray forewarned. "We don't get moving, that Dragonair is gonna recover and be on us again. And besides that, these things are Water and Ghost-types. Your Rhyhorn and Machoke are at a major disadvantage in this fight! Use your head!"

Elfman gritted his teeth. He had almost completely forgot about that. True he still hadn't gotten the full grasp on typings, but it was better to try than not try, right? But then again, a real man knows when he's cornered.

"It's obvious what we need to do here." Duncan noted, his glared fixed on the Jellicent ahead of them. "We take out their leader, they'll fall with him."

Joey finally got a stable footing and glared forward. "Right, then as Captain, the responsibility falls onto me!" He declared, pointing a thumb to his chest.

Everyone turned and gave him skeptic brows. 'Who made him the Captain just now?'

"Listen...it'll be difficult to maintain a barrier around us at this rate. I can try and create one around the ship, but there's a big problem. My barriers are as dense as glass. In other words, if I engulf the ship, we'll just sink. And I can't just encase the lower half because that'll happen anyways. I'll deal with clearing the path for you guys...you all just worry about taking out their numbers."

Vanessa was silent as she realized Joey's intentions. 'I see now...we need as many numbers directed onto the fodder as much as possible. If we focus on the main head too much, we could get blindsided and pulled under.

Sophie noticed Vanessa's piqued look, smirking knowingly. "See what I mean?"

Vanessa snickered to herself. "...guess so."

Jellicent raised his arms on either side, crying aloud through the falling rain. "Attack!"

Once again, the Frillish all fired their respective attacks onto the ship. This time, just the ship. With the barrier protecting the humans and Pokémon on the deck, they had to hammer the sides with spheres of water or streaking darkness. Either way, the ship's study exterior was able to hold out against the barrage of attacks. However, the more pressure that was being put onto it, the more it creaked; it wouldn't be much longer unless their meals decided to come out of their shell.

"Guess we don't have a choice anymore..." Cana muttered lowly. "Alright Joey, lift the barrier! Time to attack!"

"Gotcha! Here we go!" With a swipe of his arm, Joey dispelled his barrier keeping them shielded. The rain continued pouring onto them as Joey raced across the deck and towards the thick figurehead of the haul. He stood before the Jellicent that eyed him.

Joey pulled out a Poke Ball, enlarging it.

"Alright buddy, you wanna bring the Captain down with the ship? Well first, you gotta sink me first!" He threw his Poke Ball towards the ocean. "Gyarados...let's go!"

The Poke Ball popped open, expelling blueish-white energy that dove into the water. It vanished for a moment before the water spouted a massive serpentine figure that towered in the open ocean.

"KRRRAAAAAAAH!" Gyarados emerged from the sea with his signature monstrous battle cry. His purple eyes darted at Jellicent with fangs exposed to show he was ready to tear him open.

Jellicent's body shriveled as a blue aura encased him. Gyarados' Intimidate Ability was active and reduced his Attack.

Joey put a hand to his hip and looked serious and confident at the same time. "Alright Gyarados, time to let loose!"

Gyarados fiendishly sneered at his opponent. "I'm gonna pop you open and rip you apart!" he threatened.

The opposing Jellicent floated in the air, looking at the Atrocious Pokémon like the threat was empty in demeanor. "I'll have to drag you down to the bottom as well if you don't stand aside." He warned.

Though Gyarados was well aware that as a Water-type, he wasn't able to be drowned. Though on the other hand, he didn't take kindly to how leisure Jellicent was. It made him snarl deeper. "You don't see me swimming away, do you?" he snarled.

Taking the hint, Jellicent went on the offensive. He careened his head back before expelling a dense blast of saltwater across the roaring sea, via Brine. Joey was quick to reach an arm forward.

"Barrier-Make: Barrier!"

A turquoise barrier spread in front of Gyarados, providing a barricade that the saltwater jet struck. It met its mark on the wall, but it didn't budge. The wall didn't let up until the Brine dispersed first. Jellicent looked shocked at his attack not meeting its mark.

"What?!"

"Now Gyarados, Waterfall!"

Gyarados narrowed his eyes onto Jellicent, before expelling another heinous sneer. He slunk his body into the seawater and a sudden rush of it shot into Jellicent's frame; his lower half to be more accurate.

With his opponent locked on, Gyarados roared as he shot like a torpedo across the surface of the water, smashing head-on into Jellicent's face with his head crest. While the attack wasn't very effective, it repulsed Jellicent away. He buffered across the sea until he halted upright. He looked at Gyarados with a dampened scowl.

Joey's eyes narrowed. 'That actually did damage...that means this one's Ability isn't Water Absorb. Which means that we can still do damage outside of Bite!'

Jellicent harrumphed before bringing his arms closer to himself. He swatted them outwards, expelling another Ominous Wind that shot across the sea into Gyarados. The range of the attack was a lot wider compared to Brine, making Joey change stances.

He spread his arms apart, his fingers crossing to further focus his magic. "Barrier-Make: Bowl!" This time, a large barrier appeared in front of Gyarados, taking a new shape instead of a rectangular wall. The barrier molded into a bowl shape that the wind shot into.

Once the Ominous Wind closed in on the bowl, it refused to budge. Instead, the wind shot into its space and blew the wind back in the opposite direction. The residual drafts around the bowl went around Gyarados and the ship, but the main force of the attack was blown back into Jellicent.

His eyes widened in shock before the ghastly winds blew directly into him. He cried out again in a dense scowl, this time being forced into the water with a loud splash.

"Don't you know blowing into narrow dead-ends pushes it right back where it came from?" Joey smirked. He couldn't help but remember the hundreds of times he was still in school and had to use a pencil sharpener. 'Those automated ones always get jammed. All that pencil dust gets blown back. This is no different.'

The waves bobbed up and down, with no sign of Jellicent in sight. Suddenly, Gyarados sensed something below, heading right for him. Before he could react, water spouted behind him, surprising him and Joey.

"What?!" Gyarados snapped around, seeing Jellicent appear in front of Joey with his arms out.

"You guard your precious pet so much that you forgot about yourself~!" Jellicent closed the gap between himself and Joey, ready to snare and pull him underwater for a potential kill.

However, Joey remained still as Jellicent closed in on him. He stood well balanced at reached out. "Barrier-Make..."

"You're mine-!" Jellicent was mere inches from him when Joey swung his arm down. Something mildly heavy and solid struck the top of his head in the shape of a rectangular board. The impact was so fast that he reeled from the sudden head trauma.

"...Board!" Joey finished. With Jellicent cringing from shock, he jumped off the figurehead of the ship onto the board. He jumped off Jellicent's head with a kick and dispelled the barrier as he jumped aboard Gyarados' head. The Atrocious Pokémon snarled loudly at his opponent's cringing state.

"Hnnngh...that's smarts." Jellicent rubbed the top of his head with the tips of his flippers. In his daze, he realized he was open.

"Now, Bite!"

Gyarados' open jaw exposed his sharp fangs, which glowed brightly. The sharp teeth closed in on Jellicent's large head just as he turned around to confront his attacker. The Dark-type moves met its mark and bit down harshly on the side of his head. Jellicent cried out in pain as Gyarados dragged his body overhead and around, flinging him away from the ship back to the open waters.

"How's that?" Gyarados snapped back.

Joey looked out towards the waters, seeing Jellicent cringe on the spot. He had mildly surprised that combo trick didn't take him out, but that wasn't what made him worry. Rather, his eyes narrowed when he noticed something strange happening around Jellicent.

As he was flinching from Bite's secondary effect, a dark indigo aura appeared around his body. Gyarados swam in place readying for his next attack when that same dark indigo aura enveloped his body. He lurched as he felt restraint in the jaws.

"What's going on?!" he snapped, looking down at the aura enveloping his body.

Joey looked down, his breath hitching in surprise. "Wait, I know this one..." His eyes widened. "It's Cursed Body!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Joey frowned. "It means...we've either gotta take this guy out now, or stall until you can use Bite again." He glared at Jellicent with balled fists. "On your guard, Gyarados!"

Gyarados growled vehemently as he eyed Jellicent, ready to tear into his lumbering frame. However, the state of their battle garnered the attention of the nearby Frillish.

"The Admiral...is he actually being pushed back?" A male Frillish worried aloud.

"We have to help him!" A female Frillish encouraged the entourage close by. "Come o-!"

Before she had time to finish, she, along with many of the surrounding Frillish, were enveloped in solid ice. They all had horrified expressions on their faces as they were left stiff in the ice block that trapped them. They fell back into the water with loud splashes as Gray kept his arm out at them.

"Sorry, but your fight's with us. Now..." He got into another fighting stance, his hands clasping together. "Who's next?"

Some of the Frillish were partially deterred by his cold threat. As they hung back, several more Frillish took the opportunity to float in the seize their prey, be it out of haste so they aren't affected by their magic, or their inexperience. They had their tendrils wide open as they closed in on the deck.

SHING!

In a harsh sweep, Elfman struck several Frillish on the front line with his Jet-Black Sword. They all cried out as they were blown off the ship. "You're not going anywhere expect back to the seas you spewed out of!" He cried out.

"What he said, and there's plenty more where that came from, too!" Cana declared, holding up cards in her hand. They shined brightly with her Magic Power. "Thunderbolt's Fate!"

The card were layered atop each other and flashed, discharging an intense, electrical shockwave that discharged directly into the Frillish surrounding her. Every single one in a specific area cried out in pain as harsh voltage levels dropped them like flies back into the ocean.

However, quickly taking their places were more Frillish that swam up from beneath. Simultaneous barrages of Bubble Beam and Water Pulse directed onto her, but Cana was able to pull herself away from the barrage that instead pelted the wood of the deck.

"We need to draw their fire away!" Mest shouted.

"Leave that to me!" Sophie reached back, pulling out a Great Ball. "Finneon, go!"

The Great Ball was thrown into the air, with the capsule popping open to expel energy skywards. Finneon flipped her body in the open as she appeared for battle. "I'm ready, Lady Sophie!"

Almost immediately, any traces of their saltwater sprays, bubbles, or spheres of water instantly changed course from their intended targets. All the water from their moves were instantaneously drawn into Finneon. She remained unaffected however, instead several rounds of red aura flared around her body, increasing her Special Attack immediately to a maximum output.

"Look at that! She drew in all their attacks like a lightning rod!" Lucy gasped.

"That's because of Finneon's Storm Drain Ability." Sophie stated. "It'll draw in all Water-based attacks happening all around her. It won't cut them off completely, but it'll limit their options!" She reached out towards one side of the ship. "Now, Gust!"

Finneon nodded and eyed the direction of Sophie's direction. Her tailfins glowed bright blue before flapping harshly. An intense windstorm picked up and shot with intense force at dozens of Frillish floating in the wake of the wind blast.

With the added effects of Storm Drain and her Special Attack pushed to the maximum, the Flying-type move literally knocked the wind out of the amorphous invaders. Their faces cringed with pain as they limply fell back into the sea beneath. Suffice to say that many of the other Frillish that were watching looked a little wary of their chances, especially when Finneon dove into the sea surrounding them.

Duncan looked at the display, his scowl seemingly lighter than usual. 'She was able to inflict damage while reminding herself of their Water Absorb...clever move.' He was witty enough to notice two male Frillish floating closely towards him. Activating the lightning lacrima, he swung his Elfen Forja across, hurling both into the sea.

Vanessa looked around, finding many of Frillish starting to find their way closer to the ship. Rather than stand about and not contribute, she positioned herself upright with teal aura brightening around her wrists.

"Lustrous Spire!"

She raised her arms high, expelling spiraling beams of teal aura high into the atmosphere. The two beams reached a pinnacle and met each other, exploding in hundreds of teal meteors raining down across the sea surrounding them. Dozens of Frillish were blindsided and hammered by the projectiles, falling back into the sea with pelting splashes of water.

One Frillish that was spared from the barrage of auras brought her arms around and then forward, expelling an Ominous Wind that raced after Juvia. With the waves having simmered some, she could focus on battling. Her arms moved up as she conducted water.

"Water Nebula!"

"Juvia, hold on!" Gray shouted.

His call was a hair too late when Juvia unleashed a raging helix beam of water to attack the oncoming dark wind. However, as it barreled towards the wind, it suddenly changed direction in a sharp angle, much to her shock. 'What?!'

Instead, the nebula condensed and was absorbed into sea, mainly Finneon as she fended against the many Frillish. The water absorbed into her body, but her Special Attack was maxed out, thus nothing happened.

With nothing to defend her, Juvia covered up as the Ominous Wind met its mark. She cried out as she slid back across the drenched deck, barely keeping her footing.

"Boss-Ma'am!" Wartortle cried out. In an act of sheer haste, he turned towards the Frillish and spring with his jaws exposed for Bite. He went directly for the head, snapping his jaws down and making the Frillish pull away in pain.

"Nice job, Wartortle!" Vaporeon cheered for her ally, before running to her trainer's support. "Are you okay, Juvia?"

Barely shaken, Juvia loosened her guard and turned towards her. "Yeah, don't worry. I'm fine..." Even though her statement was a half-truth, it was also a half-lie. She frowned in utter displeasure. "But I don't understand, what happened?"

Duncan slid across the deck, regrouping when he heard Juvia's inquiry. "You really that dumb?!"

"What?"

"Storm Drain doesn't just draw in an opponent's Water-type moves, it also draws in its allies, too!" He paused to focus on a Night Shade beaming right for him. His weapon changed gears again from lightning to pure darkness that he swung through the streaking beam, dispersing it. "If all you have are water-based attacks, you'll only get in the way!"

Juvia cringed. Even though Duncan wasn't wrong, he didn't have to treat her like she was a nuisance. She balled her fists and glared away. "...very well then. We'll just have to work with what we've got." She reached her arm out at nearby Frillish. "Wartortle, Bite! Azumarill, Play Rough!"

"Right!" Both cried out before springing towards their objectives. Wartortle struck a male with another viscous round of sharp fangs, while Azumarill sprung for an adjacent female Frillish. A smoke cloud appeared and expelled pink hearts and bright stars in a comedic display while Azumarill smacked, kicked, and battered the Frillish across the face, ending with a strong roundhouse kick across the cheek.

"Now Vaporeon, Aurora Beam!"

Vaporeon crouched and concentrated an orb of black energy. She took aim at the two adjacent Frillish and fired an intense black and green beam. They were so close to each other that the Aurora Beam's proximity struck both of them at the same time, inducing a shockwave that repulsed them back into the sea.

Juvia smirked. "Alright!"

Though many had dropped in numbers around them, there were others that weren't fully taken out by prior attacks. Others that didn't focus on the deck were floating just above the sea, glaring at the deck. They all fired rounds of Bubble and Bubble Beam to take down the ship. However, many were left displeasured and shocked when they redirected around the ship into Finneon to absorb.

"H-hey! What gives?!"

"Yeah, why are all our attacks not working?!"

"We have to keep trying! We don't sink them, Miss Adelita is gonna wring us try-kah!"

The neighboring Frillish were taken back when feet pressed by a man dropped onto one of their heads. It was more like a complete shove from above that smashed them back under. Parallel to the water, Dereece's breath labored as he used his hands and pressed on the water to hold himself upright.

"W-woah...a little bumpy ain't it...!" He moved with the waves, yet his Elemental Walk didn't let him fall through the surface. He weaved through the open sea with wind and rain guiding his directions away from the ship. Fortunately enough for the others, some of the Frillish took the unintended bait and pulled away to chase him.

"Not what I had in mi~~nd!" Dereece quipped, gliding across the sea away from his peers. The Frillish were on his tail. One Frillish got brisky and waved his arms at him, firing an Ominous Wind across the water. As it closed in, he looked at it incoming and got a quick idea.

'I can use that!'

Lifting one foot off the sea's surface, he placed it at an angle and the Ghost-type attack rushed into him. He cried out as she was blown away, but with his surface attached to the wind, it forced him higher into the atmosphere. It served as a tailwind that propelled him further away from the swarm below.

At a higher altitude, he looked down to find a better distance from them. He looked between that and the ship. "Phew...guess this is far enough." He pulled out his Great Ball, tossing it into the air. "Now, Stunfisk! Use Discharge!"

The Great Ball popped open in the air, expelling Dereece's Stunfisk into the open. He let out a hardy chuckle before smiling brightly. "Hate to be a downer for you lot..." His body crackled with electricity, magnifying in voltage every second. "...but you're going down!"

The nearby Frillish floating towards him were completely oblivious when he unleashed a powerful discharge of electricity in all directions. The voltage struck all their bodies and made them cry out in pain. Many fell right on the spot, while others cringed and pulled away in fear.

"Nice one, Stunfisk!" Dereece cheered.

Stunfisk flapped his tiny fins, gliding his way down towards the sea. He surfaced with a mischievous smile. "Haha! You sea that?" He snickered.

Ignoring his dry humor, Dereece looked at the many Frillish that were scattered about between them and the ship. 'I don't really have much that I can do. Seel's attacks wouldn't be effective, and Heracross' attacks would hardly be effective. This was the only way we can score effective damage by Stunfisk without harming the others.'

Stunfisk looked up, his eyes widening. "Hey, watch out!"

Before Dereece could react, he felt something lace to his leg. He yelped in surprise and saw a pink tendril by a female Frillish pulling on him.

"Gah! They got me! They got me!" Dereece panicked as he was trying to shake them off. However, more Frillish clustered around him, wrapping their tendrils around his body in sickly embraces. The added weight was starting to force him into the dark waters below.

"C'mon, big boy. Just stick with us for a while~." A female Frillish purred.

"Yeah, we promise to keep you company...all the way to the bottom." Another female maliciously smirked.

"A little help here!" Dereece snapped anxiously. "Aaaah!"

Suddenly, a bright beam shot from the sky, striking a Frillish in the head. The impact separated her from Dereece and hurled her back into the sea below. Another beam shot into another, unlatching her from his legs. Then another onto the one clinging to his arm. Free of all limbs, he looked up and saw his Yanma zipping down beside him.

"Yanma! Great timing!" he praised.

"No problem!" She chirped. She looked at Dereece's head, a singular thought resounding in her mind.

"Not now!" He cut her off. However, he was cut off as well when a massive splash shot up behind him. He got spooked and felt a shadow loom over him. His goosebumps intensified tenfold when he felt the wind pick up around him.

He turned around, his fears brimming with life as Adelita hovered over him, Stunfisk, and Yanma; a judgmental glare fixed on them.

"Oh no..."

Lucy turned away from the battle to look out, recognizing the Dragonair in the distance. "Guys, look!"

"She's back up! And she's singling out Dereece?!" Mest grimaced. "Damnit! This is bad!"

"Quick, we've gotta go help!" Lucy encouraged. She saw a Frillish closing in on her and Klefki and swiped her arm. "Klefki, go!"

"Leave it to me, Lucy! Foul Play!" Klefki swiftly drifted through the air, speeding until she met the Frillish up close. She didn't have the momentum on her when Klefki suddenly picked her up by the tendril and twisted herself. With a loud cry, the Frillish was sent back into the water with a loud splash.

Klefki floated merrily. "How's that! You ain't touching these keys today!" She cheered merrily...but was interrupted when a dark indigo aura flourished around her. She shuddered in place and blinked. "Uh...what was that just now?"

"Beats me..." Lucy trailed off in slight worry. She caught onto a Frillish heading right for her Klefki again. This time, she was ready. "Klefki, Foul Play!"

Klefki shuffled in place before she readied to tackle Frillish. The male Frillish rushed with a tendril and snagged her – the perfect time to attack.

"Alright, time to send you...huh?" She tried to gain momentum. However, much to her shock, the momentum refused to come forth like before. "Huh? W-wait...my attack's not working! Lucy!"

Lucy gasped in horror. "Klefki?! What's going on!?"

The male Frillish smirked in delight. "Hehe, she's taking a little dip, that's what's happening." With his tendril and weight pinned on her, he gradually reduced towards the ocean beneath.

"Lucy! Help me!" Klefki pleaded.

"Hang on!" In a desperate attempt, Lucy pulled out her Fleuve d'etoiles and slung it down towards the descending Klefki to rope around her. However, as the rope slung downwards, it stopped halfway before the celestial waters suddenly took a sharp turn around the ship. Lucy gasped in horror.

Sophie's eyes widened as she snapped around. "A rope made of water?!"

The whip's range slung into Finneon again, who was on the other side of the ship. She shot out of the water just as the rope's water was absorbed into her skin and her fins glowed bright blue. She expelled another powerful Gust, blowing away numerous Frillish yet again.

"Oh, come on! You've gotta be kidding me!" Lucy exasperated.

"Lucy!"

She heard her name by her Klefki over the ship's edge. She could see the fear in her small, dark eyes as she was starting to submerge. Unable to be freed by the tendrils, all Klefki could do was look into the horrified look of Lucy's face as water gradually ate up her vision.

"KLEFKI!" Lucy gnashed her teeth in anxiety. She gripped the side of the boat and grunted angrily. She wasn't going to lose Klefki or her Spirits again. She couldn't. That happened far too many times already. She had to get them all back...no matter the cost.

Her impulses forced her to do something completely impulsive. Taking a deep breath, she filled her lungs to the brim with oxygen before diving into the seawater with a deep splash.

"Lucy!" Happy peered over the ledge, seeing bubbles get swept by the waves. "LUCY!"

---

The water was cold, but that wasn't enough to slow down Lucy from kicking her feet to swim further down. Klefki was holding her breath as well, though with her capacity, she most likely didn't have any longer than Lucy. With every kick and arch of her arms, her body ate up the oxygen she needed to breathe.

But even so, her objective was sinking further by the second. She had to hurry!

Lucy swam further down, getting closer to her Pokémon until she was within arm's reach. Klefki reached out to her as well, albeit with a golden key. They were so close that the tips of Lucy's fingers were barely touching the metal.

'Almost...there...!'

Just when she was but a meager swipe away, she felt her body going numb. Her legs that propelled her downwards ceased moving altogether to where her nerves were barely able to make a twitch. This shocked Lucy as much as it did Klefki.

'What's happening? Why can't I move?!' She spared a glance over her shoulder, her eyes shrinking when she saw a female Frillish lacing a tendril around her legs. She had a sickly smile on her face as she clutched Lucy with the invisible spikes that she secreted.

"Going somewhere?" she maliciously chimed.

Lucy's pupils shrank in horror. 'Oh no...'

Having fully stunned her prey, the Frillish drifted closer and wrapped herself around Lucy's waist, much like a vice. Another tendril laced around her forehead, permeating more toxins that made her head numb. She couldn't move even if she tried. Just what the Frillish wanted.

Slowly, the pair drifted further down into the dark depths. Every second that passed drew them further away from the surface. Away from air. Away from their friends. Away from life. It didn't help that the lower they sank, the more Lucy's lungs burned for the need to breathe. Both Lucy and Klefki realized this and tried to move, but all that moved between them was Lucy's limp hand filled with numbing Frillish toxins, and her Celestial Keys Klefki had around her ring.

'Klefki...'

'Lucy...'

Lucy was starting to get dizzy. She probably only had seconds left even. Though numb, they were still close enough for the tips of her fingers to graze her keys. Klefki, being the only one between them to have free movement, managed a hasty decision.

Very quickly she undid her key ring, allowing the key closest to the end of her right loop to face up as gravity did its job. The extra length was just enough for Lucy to grab it between her numb fingers.

'Please work...just this once...please...'

As the two faded with the Frillish further below, a faint, golden light radiated in the dark tides...

---

"Lucy!" Happy cried over the edge of the deck, looking down at the waves splashing against the side of the side. "Guys, she's been under too long! We've gotta pull her out!"

Gray turned towards Mest. "Hey, can't you teleport underwater?! You've done it before!"

"I have to now her precise location if I'm supposed to directly get to her!" Mest's countered was followed up by a gasp of realization. "Wait...Vanessa! Hurry, track Lucy's aura!"

"Right!" Vanessa closed her eyes and concentrated on her surroundings. She remained sound and focused while the others around her were keeping the Frillish at bay.

"Finneon, Gust!" Sophie called out. Her command was answered when Finneon shot out of the water directly in the line of Frillish that threatened to get too close to her trainer. They all fired either rounds of Night Shade or Bubble at her. Though she could absorb the bubbles and neutralize them, they jetted at the same time the ghastly streaks bolted. She flapped her tailfins heavily, unleashing another heavy wind blast that repulsed their attacks and bored straight into them, pushing them all back into the sea.

Finneon splashed back into the water, seeing the many stronger Frillish remaining. "What's going on!? Lady Sophie!"

Sophie glanced over at Sophie. "Vanessa, hurry!"

Vanessa eyes her eyes shut despite the warnings around her. Her aura sensory ran deep, picking up several signatures that she could make out being Frillish centered around the ship. However, she distinctly noticed two very weak signatures getting weaker by the second.

'That's it...that must be them!' She was about to launch a tendril of aura into the water until she felt a shift in aura. 'What's this? Another aura signature...' Her eyes snapped open in shock. 'This is...'

"Vanessa...what's going on!?" Mest shouted.

Vanessa furrowed her brow, taking a guarding stance. "Everyone...something's coming!"

Juvia gasped. "Another enemy?!"

Along the port side of the boat, there was a noticeable current spiraling in the water. Many Frillish who were recuperating below looked at the ripple in confusion before a massive cyclone of seawater shot skywards like a tower. Everyone immediately stopped in their tracks and looked up with shocked expressions at the enormous wake beside them.

Nearby Frillish who didn't have Water Absorb were all caught in the vortex, spinning incredulously until the waters level depleted to thin air. They all scowled as they fell back into the sea with loud splashes.

Meanwhile, Lucy was barely conscious, gagging up a mixture of both water and vomit from taking in seawater. It was a dangerously close call, but somehow she was back on the surface, with Klefki dangling tiredly in her grasp.

"Hmph...still haven't mastered a single ounce of grace yet."

The snarky voice was all too familiar to Lucy, though she was still coughing up seawater. She opened an eye, smirking at her savior. "It's you..."

Cana had a hand shielding her forehead from the rain, looking up at the uninvited savior. "Well, I'll be damned." She smirked.

Nearly everyone looked up surprise, seeing none other than the infamous Spirit that they helped Lucy ascertain recently – Aquarius.

"It's her!" Happy gawked. His attention immediately drew to the human and Pokémon in her arms. "Lucy! Klefki! They're okay!"

Lucy continued weakly smiling, even as Aquarius drifted down towards the ship. She didn't bother passing anyone a glance as she harrumphed and sat her master and Pokémon down.

Immediately, Happy rushed for her. "Lucy! Please tell me you're alright!?"

"Happy...!" She managed a weak smile before patting his head. "Yeah, I'm okay. Sorry for making you worry..." Her attention fell up to her savior. "You have Aquarius to thank. If it wasn't for her...I wouldn't be here right now."

Aquarius closed her eyes, grunting lowly at the acknowledgment. "You're welcome, by the way."

Lucy could have sworn she was seeing things – possible due to low oxygen levels. But from the corners of Aquarius' lips, she thought she could see them make a small smirk. It was enough to bring her to tears, but all she could do was sniffle and look proudly.

Aquarius turned away from the group and looked out towards the ocean. To her indifference, she saw the amorphous army of Frillish floating and squirming close by. "So I take it that these things were what gave you so much trouble?"

Lucy nodded. "Yeah, we them gone!"

Aquarius scoffed confidently. "Really now, this bunch is causing you so much trouble?" She summoned her urn between her hands. "Just stand back unless you wanna end up drowning two times in one day."

Lucy silently acknowledged the Celestial Spirit's warning and pulled away with her peers.

"Sophie, you should return Finneon to her Great Ball for now." Vanessa warned her blonde friend. "We wouldn't want her water spells getting pulled in like before."

Sophie nodded in understanding. "I hear you. We understand." She turned back towards Finneon, holding up her Great Ball. "That's enough for now, Finneon! Return!"

Finneon jumped back into the air to expose herself for her withdrawal. "Understood, Lady Sophie!" She allowed the red laser to hit her from the back, putting her back into the capsule.

Sophie turned back to her friends. "Alright, you're clear!"

"You heard her, Aquarius!" Lucy cheered.

"Hmph, all you fish flunkies make me sick. Hrah!" Raising her urn above her head, she drew in large quantities of water from the surrounding sea and falling rain. As soon as it was all charged up, she raised the urn high, unleashing a massive water cyclone that surrounded the ship.

The Frillish both in the air and water cried out in shock and fear before they were swept in the massive wake of swirling water. They were unable to escape the tidal wave that they were too weak to get out of. Thanks to Aquarius' domineering force, none of them were able to withstand the wake. The only ones who seemed unaffected and firmly in place otherwise were the Frillish that had Water Absorb.

"Aquarius...some of them are unaffected...they can absorb water." Lucy warned in battered breaths.

"I can see that...but at least this way, I'll be able to slow them down. Now hurry! Take out the ones that aren't affected and weed out their numbers!"

Vanessa positioned a foot in front of her heel, crossing her arms and arching her hands and wrists skywards. Teal aura surged around her hands the same time aura beneath the Frillish handling Aquarius' attack magnified.

"Nugatory Burst!"

Suddenly, all the Frillish were engulfed in roaring pillars of dense teal aura from straight underneath. They all cried out in agony from the pinpointed attack beaming their undersides until they blacked out on the spot.

The scene didn't go unnoticed by Adelita, who was currently glaring Dereece down as he stood upright in the air, alongside Yanma; Stunfisk being in the water looking up at the enraged dragon. When she was about to bring her tail around, she was taken back by the sudden explosions of both water and teal pillars towering into the atmosphere like lights.

Suffice to say her surprise was equal to that of her annoyance. "What the...?"

Dereece glanced back, looking just as surprised. 'What's that!? Is that the Frillish?' He bit his bottom lip with uneasiness. He knew he should go back and do something, but even he knew he was occupied at the moment. He turned back towards Adelita, intending to get the jump on her.

With her distracted, he called for his attacks. "Yanma, Quick Attack! Stunfisk, Mud Shot!"

Yanma hummed before her body was outlined in bright blue. Thanks to her prolonged engagement in battle, her Speed Boost Ability made her borderline invisible and blitzed after Adelita when she was barely wary. She struck the side of her face, causing her to grunt.

"Gngh! What...cheap shot!"

Stunfisk's beak glowed bright orange before he took aim at Adelita from the steep angle below. He fired several balls of brown mud that shot like bullet bombs up towards the aerial serpentine. However, her attention procured this time, Adelita swerved around the balls of mud, retaining her aerial agility around the barrage. Her attempt at a retaliation came in the form of green energy scales materializing into another Dragon Tail.

"Watch out, Stunfisk!" Dereece warned.

Stunfisk heeded the warning, but was still too slow to react promptly. Moments before he could dive into the ocean water, the draconic tail swept skywards, hitting his underside harshly. He let out a hefty grunt as he was shot of the water and went airborne before he became energy, returning to his Great Ball.

Dereece grunted at what happened, but kept caution as he eyed Adelita as she turned her attention onto him. "That's one down. Now, for the ringleader of this awful circus-!" She was ready to move, but suddenly static crackled around her body, making her cringe in a show of pain. "Gngh! W-what?!"

Dereece recoiled with a gasp. 'She's paralyzed! Stunfisk's Static activated! Good...at least this'll slow her down.'

Adelita shook her body and glared up at Dereece. She continued her way towards him through the air, albeit at a slower rate then before. As she did, her tail swept around with spiraling water for an Aqua Tail. Dereece saw this coming, and in haste went vertically up, running as though the air was the ground. Adelita's attack swept across the air just mere inches below Dereece. It spooked him enough to pivot and put a leg upright and angle himself down at the Dragonair.

"I have you now..." Dragonair readied multicolored draconic energy into a singular point at the base of her mouth. However, before the charge could be completed, she felt her body tense up in a deep cringe and crackling electricity.

'What?! How...how am I paralyzed?!'

'Gotta be quick about this!' Dereece pointed down at the paralyzed Dragonair for an attack. "Yanma, quick! Supersonic!"

Yanma hummed before she zipped right by her trainer into Adelita. Her wings buzzed heavily as she quickly prepared an attack. However, rather than emitting ultrasonic waves immediately, her body was giving off a faint glow as she positioned just above Adelita.

Dereece blinked, completely taken back by the sudden change of pace by Yanma. "Yanma?" 'That isn't her Supersonic...is it?'

Yanma hummed heavily as the white glow around her body separated from her completely as she careened backwards to gain kinetic energy. The energy molded into a bright white and silver energy sphere that she held in her claws and hurled it at Adelita.

The attack met its mark straight into Adelita's forehead. The impact generated a burst of gray smoke as she buffered lower towards the sea, but was able to catch herself this time and arch back up towards them.

Unable to find time to question the new attack, Dereece hastily countered. "Quick, Detect!"

Yanma's eyes glinted bright blue for a split-second as she waited for Dragonair's next attack. When she aimed her tail and fired rings of yellow electricity, via Thunder Wave, Yanma disappeared in a speeding blitz. She reappeared suddenly in front of Adelita's face, surprising the dragon.

"Now, Signal Beam!"

With the help of Speed Boost, the charge for her attack happened much faster than anticipated. The bright pink and pixilated beam closed in and struck Adelita square in the face. An eruption of bright pink energy flourished and repulsed the dazed serpentine backwards.

As she shook her head, her eyes had a hazy disposition n them. She squirmed around in place, looking disorientated once again.

"She's confused again! Alright!" Dereece cheered. He looked past the ship, seeing the Gyarados and the Jellicent facing off. 'Captain Joey, you better hurry up. We can't hold on much longer out here!'

---

The Jellicent hummed aggressively before creating a hemisphere of water between its tendrils, via Water Pulse. Once enough momentum was charged, he pushed the attack through the rain with extensive force that ripped apart the waves beneath.

"Barrier-Make: Barrier!"

Once again, Joey shoved an arm out, creating a barrier in front of Gyarados and himself that blocked the Water Pulse's line of impact. It met the thick glass material and erupted in a large spout of mist that covered between the three combatants.

'The rest of our moves aren't very effective. Even in the rain, I remember in the video games Dereece and I played that Jellicent are tankers. We gotta hammer at him until Cursed Body ends!' Joey readied another command. "Gyarados, Ice Fang!"

Gyarados snarled aggressively before his fangs glowed bright blue. Icy blue energy materialized around them that resembled four massive fangs around the thick ice spears that covered his real teeth. He swam after Jellicent with Joey on his head.

"Barrier-Make: Dragon Ram!"

Another barrier materialized around Gyarados, resembling a draconic dragon frame that resembled encased armor. Gyarados' fangs aligned with the end of the snout as he closed the gap.

Jellicent grunted and swatted his arms out, expelling another Ominous Wind through the open waters. They were meant to thwart Gyarados or at least slow him down. However, thanks to the barrier, the wind did no such thing. Joey and Gyarados bored straight through until the snout of the battering ram met Jellicent's face, causing intense pain.

"Now, hit it!"

Dispelling the barrier, Gyarados had a clear opening to engage his fangs and sink them into Jellicent's body. A frosty, cold burst of ice scattered on the spot, causing Jellicent to pull away and cry out in agony. The opposing duo pulled away as they watched the seafloor ghastly figment grunt in pain.

Jellicent looked up, looking visibly angered by the assault. "You're...starting to annoy me..." he labored heavily. A bright wave of radiant energy covered his body. The wave gradually washed over the multiple wounds on his body, gradually reducing them.

Gyarados' eyes widened with a snarl. "What?!"

"He knows Recover?!" Joey exasperated.

The two watched as Jellicent's body eventually ceased glowing, revealing the wounds inflicted upon him having been mostly healed. He looked ahead with a healthier disposition, much to Gyarados' ire.

"Stay calm, buddy...don't panic just yet." Joey ordered sternly, his tone dead-serious.

Once again, Jellicent huffed as he spread his arms out, sending out another Ominous Wind that fanned across the water's surface.

"Barrier-Make: Bowl!"

Once again, Joey made another barrier that materialized into a solid bowl shape facing Jellicent and the projected winds. The purple winds went past the bowl's space and missed Gyarados and Joey. The area inside the bowl took the wind and repulsed it back the way it came from, striking Jellicent again. This time, however, it was harder than before with an added force that made him almost lose balance.

'If we keep reversing his attacks on him like that, it'll help wear down his stamina faster! That Ominous Wind...it has to be near its PP limit soon!' Joey swiped his arm across. "Gyarados, now, Aqua Tail!"

Gyarados' purple eyes dilated with adrenaline. He raised his scaly, finned tail out of the water as a water spiral enveloped it. He lurched across the water in an attempt to attack Jellicent.

Jellicent grunted and brought his hands together once more. A Water Pulse generated and fired across the stormy sea again.

As the projectile closed in, Joey zeroed in on the oncoming hemisphere. His eyes glazed with the blue sphere drawing closer by the second. In his head, he envisioned something completely different. He recalled the basketball game training he and Dereece had, and how their Pokémon used various moves to get the ball to the opposite hoop.

With a mindset ready, he narrowed his eyes.

'Get the ball in the hoop...' He held firmly onto Gyarados. "Now, hit it!"

"FINE!" Gyarados snapped aggressively, swinging his tail back. He raised it high and waited for the attack when it was just within striking range. He swung his tail with the force of a tidal wave and smashed the Water Pulse head-on. The force of the physical strike was so intense that the compressed sphere shot back at Jellicent.

For the umpteenth time, the wild Jellicent was left taken back as his attack shot right back for him. It struck him dead in the face, erupting in an explosive, misty surge that clouded up the space surrounding him.

The mist gradually dissipated, revealing Jellicent wobbling and disoriented. His eyes were extremely hazy as he looked left and right, unable to make out anything.

'Just like that Steelix from the island.' Joey recalled when he had Magikarp do a similar tactic and had the Steelix hurt itself with its own attack, getting burned in the process. "What goes around, comes around!"

Though confused, the Jellicent grunted and moaned as he was trying to figure out what was going on. Instead of an offense, a wavy energy appeared over his body, gradually reducing his wounds again with Recover.

"Waterfall!" Joey ordered.

Gyarados snarled as he streamlined himself and expelled another wake of water across the sea into Jellicent's lower half. With him kept contained on the surface, the serpentine dragon scowled loudly before he rushed across the water into the Jellicent, sending him sailing back several meters with a scowl.

When he tried to attack this time, Jellicent raised his flippers, but instead smacked himself, hurting himself in his confusion.

Gyarados waited for the next opportunity when he felt the dark indigo aura surrounding his body fading away. He blinked and looked down at himself. "It's gone!"

"Finally! Now, let's hurry before it recovers again. We're ending this while it's dazed!" Joey held up his left arm, showing off his Z-Ring. In it was a black crystal with a Dark-type emblem on it. "Showtime, Gyarados!"

"Let's destroy him!" he encouraged.

"Alright...but you asked for it! Here we go!" Joey stood atop his head and straightened his back. He crossed his arms over the other as the Z-Ring gave off an eerie glow. A Dark-type insignia flashed before him that absorbed all the hue in the area, making everything darker as the aura absorbed it all. Joey held his arms up in an intimidating stance and transmitted the aura directly beneath him through Gyarados. His body was covered in Z-Power that made highlighted the glare in his eyes.

"BLACK HOLE ECLIPSE!"

"YOU'RE GOING...DOWN!" Gyarados opened his maw, concentrating dark matter into a single gravitational point. The matter grew into a swirling black, red, and purple mixture until the spiraling ratio was perfectly even. He lurched his head forward, firing the sphere across the water into Jellicent. The sphere shifted about until it made its way in an arch above, appearing directly above him before exploding into a small black hole.

Jellicent was too confused to realize the danger he was in. Before he had the chance to realize, he was dragged into the matter's gravity and wailed in shock and fear. "AAAAAAAaaahhh~!" The volume of his cry lessened the further in he was dragged by the black hole. When he was sucked in completely, the hole closed and compressed into a sphere again. A split-second later, it erupted into a massive shockwave of pure dark matter that made waves across the ocean.

Joey and Gyarados watched the waves brush past them. The shockwaves made them wince, but they didn't budge until the discharge finally diminished. When they looked ahead, Joey had a cold glare as he watched Jellicent's body drop back into the sea with a loud splash.

Jellicent laid along the tides, his eyes brimming with swirls as he gradually sank back into the depths of the ocean.

"Good riddance!" Gyarados sneered in victory.

"That guy was tough to break through..." Joey muttered. He trailed off as retrospection took over his mind. 'But this time was different. This time, I was a lot more experienced than I was back then. I was able to use my barriers more effectively.'

He shook his head and realized the priorities. He turned back around towards his peers. "Now guys, the path is clear! Book it!"

"Right!" Lucy pointed at Adelita while she was still distraught. "Klefki, Fairy Lock!"

"You got it, Lucy!" She jingled her keys before jettisoning up above the ship. She faced Adelita's swaying frame and got a lock on her – again, literally. Her eyes narrowed before she flexed her body. "This is for almost drowning me!"

Her body expelled chains with locks on them. The chains swerved through the air and snaked around Adelita's atmosphere. Rather than anchor onto her directly, they instead lined themselves in crisscross fashion from the raging seas into the skies above her. Chains surrounded the barricade with locks that gave a loud click, signaling the compressed sealing's completion.

"That's our cue! C'mon, Yanma, we're out of here!" Dereece shouted. With his magic, he escaped the air and traversed his way down towards the sea. His footing made contact with the wavy surface and try to keep a proper stance so he wouldn't fall.

Lucy turned back around, smirking. "Alright Aquarius, it's your turn!"

The Zodiac Spirit sneered. "No need to tell me that, you little brat. Anyways..." She held up her urn that helped concentrate her magic. Water began pouring in a violent wave around her. "All of you better hang onto something, because it's gonna be a bumpy ride!"

The ocean gradually rumbling around them for several seconds, until behind them, a massive torrent of water rushed in their direction like a tsunami. It closed in and made the sea even more rocky than before.

"Hang on, guys!" Gray screamed.

The large wave carried the entire ship and Dereece across the ocean in a speeding wake. Everyone aboard the ship screamed as they held onto the sides or something stapled to the deck. Their screams faded into the distance as they rushed through the storm and closed in on Rolica's sunny hemisphere.

Adelita moaned as she was still in an absent-minded daze. It didn't take too long for her to have her mentality return and snap out of it. She shook her head and blinked several times to find herself in an entirely new situation.

"Wait...where...where am I...?" She hazily asked. Her body was tired from the battle, especially against that speedy insect that irritated her. 'Where did she go? And what are these chains here for...!'

Suddenly, the reality of the situation dawned upon her. She sharply turned towards the island, seeing the ship and its pedestrians aboard fading further from view.

"NO!" She slammed her tail into the chains, but alas they barely budged from their position. "How could I have...?!" Angered, her desperation to get out was coupled by her rasping breath. She was tired. Very much so. But every time she rammed into the Fairy Lock, it only repulsed her.

The look of sheer ire on her face grew more intense by the second. She looked like she could fit into a rage at any second. She reared her head back one more time and rammed her small horn into the locks...again, nothing.

She pulled away. And only when she was trying to catch her breath was when she heard the sound of a large click. 'Are you kidding me? Now...?'

The Fairy Lock and chains gradually dissipated from existence. As soon as the confining chains dissipated, Adelita cringed as she glared at the ship heading to her home. She didn't have the words, only the look of sheer annoyance...and grievance.

'Those humans...they're more witty than I gave them credit for. But this will be the last time. I'll hunt them down myself if I must...' Her body cringed again from the static paralyzing her. She knew she was in no condition to chase them. Not now, at least. 'I'll have to report this to the Apostles at once. They may have gotten past me this time, but if I don't end them, they'll need more than just luck once the Apostles get their hands on them. It's only a matter of time...'

She drifted back into the sea, slithering away to find a shortcut to the shores.

---

With it being mid-morning, the active party of Sabertooth, along with Jellal, Bellona, and Meredy, had found their company on the road towards the rendezvous point for the supposed coalition.

After about a few hours of carriage rides, they found themselves at their destination – the Blue Pegasus guild hall. From what they all heard from Sorano, she was present when there was another coalition that had it out for the Oracion Seis some years back. Though many of them questioned how she knew, they chose not to dwell on the past for very long before arriving at their destination.

Once they had made their arrival, the company found themselves surrounded by numerous other members of various guilds. From Lyon and Jura of Lamia Scale, to Kagura of Mermaid Heel. Even Bacchus was present to represent Quatro Cerberus. They recognized much of the participants of the coalition in general being the ones that participated in the Grand Magic Games the other year.

"Looks like we arrived on the mark, huh?" Lector chimed in, scanning the guild hall of any familiar faces – namely those of fellow Exceeds. He raised a brow. "Huh...I guess Happy and the others aren't here then?"

"Fro thinks so, too!" Frosch chimed merrily.

"If they aren't here, does this mean Gajeel isn't here either?" Rogue speculated. He was mildly displeased with the possibility, even though he wasn't supposed to. He would be a bold-faced liar if he said he wasn't expecting him to show up. Though personally, he'd pick Gajeel over Nic any day of the week for obvious reasons.

"Yeah, looks like Natsu isn't here either...bummer." Sting sniped. He saw the members of Fairy Tail with his own eyes. He recognized Evergreen and Bickslow of the Thunder God Tribe, along with Guild Master Laxus himself. There was also Mirajane, Lisanna, and Kinana.

"It's too bad Freed couldn't come with us." Bickslow grimaced.

"It couldn't be helped. He needed to stay behind to keep up the Enchantment around Magnolia." Evergreen countered. "It'd be a hassle if the Pokémon suddenly went wild again while everyone is working on fixing up the town."

"Yeah, that's true." He smirked with confidence. "Still, we'll give them hell for him too, right Laxus?"

"Yeah." Laxus looked around, seeing the many familiar mages that were present for the coalition. 'There's a lot less here than what I had expected. Their best members must have taken a toll when the liberation happened. The ones here were just the lucky bunch.'

"So...this is everyone?" Lisanna looked around to see members they were familiar with. Like the others before her, she recognized them as ones from the precious year's games.

"Been quite some time since our last encounter here, hasn't it?" Jura chimed, recalling the Oracion Seis incident. "Sure brings back memories, doesn't it Lyon?"

"That's an understatement if I've ever heard one." Lyon teasingly smirked confidently. "Even with it being so far in the past now, I still wouldn't prefer it if he gave the others the spotlight."

Jura chuckled a little again. "As expected." He turned towards his side, recognizing some more faces not far away. "Ah, speaking of familiar scenery..."

Lyon turned his head and looked past the members of Fairy Tail to find a certain pink-haired woman alongside Jellal and Bellona looming near the Sabertooth members present. His eyes widened as a small blush crossed his face upon recognizing the woman. 'It's Meredy...sweet Meredy is here, too!'

Kagura turned around and recognized the familiar faces. Suffice to say that while she didn't seem too ecstatic seeing them in person again, she didn't seem nearly as anxious as she would have been in the past. "Jellal. Bellona." She greeted curtly.

Jellal looked at her, retaining a neutral expression. "It's good to see that you're doing well, Kagura."

"I've been told of your pardon by Queen Hisui herself. My congratulations to you."

Jellal bowed his head. He still felt guilty being congratulated by the sister of a close friend he inadvertently ended years ago. But in the end, it worked out, and both saw the light in the darkness that was their grief.

"Thank you for your kind words." He turned to Millianna, who still looked uneased by his appearance. "And Millianna, you look well too. I'm glad."

"Jellal..." Millianna's reply was borderline strained. Unlike the mellowed Kagura, Millianna wasn't nearly as placated with seeing him again. And she didn't do a good job hiding it.

"Millianna. Behave yourself." Kagura reminded in a stern tone.

Millianna cringed. "But, Kagura-"

"I understand how you feel, but he's not an enemy. The least you can do is try to tolerate being around him. Without him, we all probably wouldn't be joined here right now to solve this crisis."

Millianna's face fell. "...yes, Kagura." While she did understood what her friend had told her, by no means did that mean she liked it. In all honesty, she was still stained with how Jellal was given such levity after what he had done, more so with how everyone else around her seemed complacent. But it wasn't in her place to point blame on anyone.

"Millianna..." Jellal stepped forward, looking at her in the eye. He seemed serious by all means. "Let's try and work to a common goal here. We can do that much at least to start."

Millianna begrudgingly looked back at him. "...fine."

"Man, just look at all these faces. It's gonna be one heck of a party." Bacchus slurred. "Sucks that all the boys ended up taking infirmary beds...I'll make sure to go extra wild!"

"Me~n! Welcome, my brothers and sisters!"

Everyone turned towards the eerily silky tone that came from the stairwell leading to mid-level stairs. Before them was the one who instigated their joint efforts in the first place. Along side him was none other than the Trimens, Jenny, and Nichiya.

Laxus gave the familiar faces a straight stare. "Well now, aren't those some familiar faces."

"Looks like Ichiya's been doing well." Bickslow chimed.

"That's an understatement. Not even a second in and he's having so much spotlight." Evergreen groaned.

Ichiya and Nichiya jumped and pivoted in the air. Their glossy heels acted as lubricants for them to slide down the railings to the stairwell all the way to the bottom. They jumped off at the exact same time, striking poses beside one another.

"Men~!" They pursed their lips and had radiant sparkles around them. Everyone around them all looked on with complete shock or had shivers down their spines. They flipped forward and landed on their heels and stood before everyone with straight backs and hands behind their spines. The Trimens and Jenny followed behind down the stairs to fill in the background.

"Thank you all for coming on such short notice." Ichiya started. "Firstly, I wish offer you all my condolences. I understand that many of you were hurt in numerous ways with the recent events that led up to now." He reached out his arm. "But, that is precisely what brought us here! The pain we have all endured shall bring us closer as one! Together, we the proud guilds of Fiore shall resolute ourselves to getting to the bottom of this rogue plague!"

"Indeed." Nichiya added. "Now then, before we begin, does anyone have any questions that they would like to ask?"

A short silence fell amongst everyone. However, that silence was broken when Bacchus hiccupped. He awkwardly raised a hand.

"Yes, you good sir?"

"Um, yeah. Truth be told, I was out drinking last night and the ole' boss just sent me here, so what're we doing again?" he slurred.

Almost everyone floored at his lack of orientation. However, thankfully, Ichiya was able to keep his composure – or rather sparkle in this case.

"Men~! I suppose a basic summary shall suffice our reasons, yes? Then let us all recap what has happened." He struck a dignified pose, which was his feet positioned and straightened, and his arm up like a salute. "s you all might be aware, about three days ago, all of our beloved Pokémon has lost their reasoning and became independent. Many were hurt because of this, hence why not many of us are here right now."

"Yes, indeed. And our friends of Fairy Tail have deduced that this form of rebellion is because of an effect by some brainwashing." Nichiya added.

Bacchus scratched the top of his head. "Oh...yeah, now it's coming back to me. Man, talk about a pain. Mienfoo really packed a punch, hehe..."

"Yeah, but it looks like the Pokémon return to normal after you beat them." Sting reminded aloud. "It happened with ours before it was too late."

"Mine, too. Right?" Rogue turned towards Minerva, who nodded in agreement.

Ichiya struck yet another pose towards Sting directly. "Right you are! However, we have recently discovered information that is confirmed by our allies for this adventure, Jellal and Bellona, otherwise former Crime Sorciere members. Thanks to them, we have learned that much of the Pokémon have found sanctuary within the Worth Woodsea. Not only that, but they have also ascertained a peculiar item that is similar to the Poke Ball. The only difference, however, is that this particular item is meant to capture humans."

Millianna gasped. "Meow~! Wait, seriously?!"

Kagura narrowed her eyes. "A weapon meant to capture humans...how could brainwashed Pokémon get a hold of them?" She muttered, before raising her head. "Does anyone have any information on that?"

Laxus spared a glance at her. "We have a team working on that right now. They're on their way there to investigate, and get back our guildmates in the process."

Rogue couldn't help but rapidly blink to this. 'Is that why Nic isn't here?'

Sting took another step forward. "So our objective is clear. We're gonna head to the Worth Woodsea and check it out for ourselves, isn't that right?"

Ichiya nodded. "Yes, indeed. We'll set out immediately! Everyone, we shall board the Christina Advance once all preparations are made! If everyone is sufficient with this debriefing, we shall make our way pronto!"

"If you'll all follow me, we'll get right to loading the ship." Hibiki offered, leading the way for everyone to follow.

"Yes! Hang on, guys! Erik! Sawyer! Macbeth! Richard! We're coming to save you!" Sorano enthusiastically cheered as she made way to where the others were following them to where everyone else was gathering.

"W-wait up, Sorano! No need to be so impatient!" Yukino reached out to her sibling, but sadly she was already too far gone. Her shoulders drooped. "Oh dear..."

Bellona snickered as she walked beside her. "She's quite the handful, isn't she?"

"Hehe...um, you can say that." Yukino swallowed, pushing her index fingers together. "She's really hard to keep still most of the time."

Bellona could understand where Yukino was coming from. It was true that back when Bellona was part of Sabertooth, she never really sided with being particularly kind towards the weaker members that Minerva stood up for. Though, she had to admit, part of that was because of her father's sociopathic tendencies to achieve flawless victory. She had to make an effort to at least try and seem hospitable towards her colleague.

The sky blue-haired woman put a hand to her hip, humming aloud. "I certainly see your standpoint. But take it from me, she's a lot livelier than what she used to be." She grinned. "After all, she was imprisoned for some time, and forced to live a horrid slave life in such a tower...humans don't always bounce back in the right direction. Believe me when I say, this is her way of filtering out that stress and energy. Give it some time and I'm sure she'll simmer some."

"Bellona..." Yukino was stunned by her words. She never knew Bellona as the compassionate type, not even when they were in Sabertooth together. This was a first, even for her. "R-right...I'll keep that in mind. Thank you."

Bellona huffed as she raised her chin, carrying herself with pride. Not far behind her, Minerva observed with small interest at what she saw. 'She still carries a little pride around her juniors still it seems...but it looks like she's on the right foot.'

"Am I late?"

Some of the participants turned away and looked back towards the entrance. There was an individual present, and he looked partially out of breath. Not many of them recognized the character aside from Sabertooth. And even then, they looked surprised for a lack of better word.

"Hey, wait. I know that guy." Orga stated, his eyes partially widening.

"Yes, I seem to recall as well. I believe he was the one you spoke of that played at our guild hall that day, yes?" Rufus chimed in. He had a great memory, so he also knew from just one look that it was the same guy that he saw Minerva walk with when he returned from his initial reunion with Sophie.

'Is that...?' Minerva's eyes gradually widened upon recognizing the familiar face. "You're...Shou?"

True to form, Shou – former Unova trainer – made himself known and smiled at Minerva. "Hey, how've you been? You've sure have been busy, haven't you?"

Minerva's shoulders lifted as she hugged her triceps. She looked away, mildly uneased speaking to him so informally in front of her peers. "You can say that. Things have been rather busy. The same for you I take it."

Shou smirked back. It wasn't that his company was warranted per se, but the fact that this was a guild intervention. And last Sabertooth checked, Shou wasn't an official member to them. At least, as far as they knew of.

"So what brings you all the way out here?" Lector asked, getting to the point. "A bad time to show of a new song now, don't you think?"

"Fro thinks so, too!" Frosch chimed unintelligently.

Shou gave them all a serious look. "Look, it's not what you think it is. You really think I'd come all the way out here just to play some music on a patio?" There was a mild drop of sarcasm in his voice as he pressed the matter. "Look, whether you believe me or not, I think I can help you guys."

"You wish to help?" Minerva raised a brow to this statement. Suffice to say that she was as surprised as anybody else.

Sting stepped forward in interjection. "Look, I can appreciate your enthusiasm, but it's not like we're asking you to throw yourself out there. Exactly what do you mean by 'help' us?"

Shou faced Sting, his eyes showing a tint of seriousness that the Dragon Slayer could make out. "Look...believe it or not, if what you said is true, then my Pokémon are out there, too. You saw how strong they can be. Wouldn't it make sense to have somebody who knows how to handle them?"

Sting stopped to think about it for a brief moment. In hindsight, there was a kernel of truth to what Shou was on about. Having an ally around who knew how the brainwashed Pokémon would react could help in the long run. At the very least, it'd save them a lot of hassle, especially with coordination involved.

However, there was also the downside of bringing a trainer along; cons weighing more than pros in this case. Sting took that into consideration. "Not to be rude and all, but you can't expect us to protect you if things so south unexpectedly, you know that right?"

"I know that. But don't think that I didn't come here expecting you guys to do that." Shou countered cordially. "Besides, I came prepared." He smirked. "Trust me, you might be surprised with what I've been working on."

Minerva blinked. She didn't know if he was being genuine or not, but rather than voice her own concerns, she turned towards her Guild Master, "Master Sting?"

Sting scrutinized the Unova trainer with discerning judgment. He didn't seem too entirely confident on the premise presented to him.

"We could use an experienced trainer. Perhaps his insight may be of some value to us?" Rogue offered.

"Yeah, plus I heard trainers may have some good resources on them like Repels. Maybe that'll come in handy for the trip." Orga advised.

"He has a point. Experience may not sound like much as opposed to achievements, but not something to be ruled out entirely." Rufus pondered aloud. "Master, I think we should consider this as an asset for the time being, if his resources are found worthy for us to use for the time being."

Sting looked towards the waning group of guilds that were walking to the Blue Pegasus' Christin Advance. They were pressed for time, and Sting found himself on the spot to make a hasty decision. He sighed heavily. "Alright, fine...you can come. But only on one condition." Sting said aloud. "Don't be on the frontlines, and unless you're sure of what you're doing, try to stay away from danger, understand?"

Shou nodded in full understanding. "I understand."

"Alright, guess that settles it."

"Sting!" Yukino called out from the rest of the group. "Hurry up, everyone's starting to load up!"

"Got it!" He yelled back. He turned towards Minerva. "Milady, keep an eye on him, will ya?"

Minerva blinked rapidly. "Me?" She looked back at Shou, who was supporting the large bag on his shoulder, most likely stocked full of items...or instruments. She sighed heavily. "Well, if that's what my Guild Master wants, I suppose I can't say no."

"Thank you. Alright, let's get a move on, guys." Sting ordered. He, his guild – with Shou besides Minerva – made way through the Blue Pegasus guild hall towards the Christina Advance.

It didn't take too long for everything to be loaded up for the coalition. Thankfully for them, the Christina had plethora of room to spare for them to move around. Once all the coalition members had found themselves inside the spacious transport, they readied for the venture.

As Laxus readied to board the ship as well, he found himself stopping just as he was the last one to be boarded. He didn't bother turning around when he felt a familiar set of eyes glaring at him from behind. He closed his own eyes and sighed loudly.

"So, you've decided to tag along after all?"

Behind Laxus, making himself present for the matter at hand, was none other than Shiin. The Pergrande Kingdom native gave him a stern glare telling him that he was serious about something. However, all he did was march up the stairwell to join the others on their excursion.

"I would have figured you'd gone with the others to track down Nic and Erza?" Laxus continued.

"Do not mistake me for being part of your guild's vendetta for your colleagues' misfortunes." Shiin rebuffed. "Though I will not deny that while I was instructed to observe him, the current situation mandates that I follow the protocol."

Laxus raised a brow. "And that might be...?"

"Clause two, Article Nine of the National Security Directive. 'Should the national threat level reach a potential international level, all personnel are to withdraw from their current positions to mandate action to the cause'." He recited matter-of-factly. "While this rogue Pokémon crisis may be a Fiore national crisis currently, there is no guarantee that this shall climax into an international incident. Therefore, I will have to postpone my mission to contribute to quelling the problem."

"Is that so?" Laxus' tone was skeptic at best. He didn't truly find Shiin's reasoning believable, but for as long as he's been around, there was always something about him that he found uncertain of. "Don't you have to consult your superiors about this? I thought that was a protocol, too?"

"That isn't of your concern." He sniped back. "Need not to worry how the Pergrande Kingdom handles its affairs. This is within my jurisdiction, that is all you need to know." He started past him, walking further into the Christina Advance. "But make no mistake, Guild Master Laxus, should this matter be resolved, I shall resume my assignment and continue seeing how humans and Pokémon continue to contribute to this world's society...that is, if they do not wish to continue after this melee."

Laxus narrowed his eyes. However, he chose to focus on the current problem for now. As much as he would be invested to look into Shiin and his matters, he had enough common sense to not deprive himself from the big picture. At least that was something they both had in common.

With a heavy sigh, he walked off. "Do what you want. Just don't get in the way."

Shiin glanced over his shoulder, giving him a half-hearted stare. "As I, you."

Aboard the Christina's cockpit, Ichiya pointed his finger upwards, before levering it straight ahead. "Now then, to the Worth Woodsea! Men~!"

With all the passengers aboard, the Christina Advance set sail through the air, heading to the supposed destination to find the root to the crisis and procure their lost friends' minds.

However, not too far behind the Christina Advance, a familiar Butterfree flapped in the breeze, humming as he followed Shiin and the others on their adventure.

---

Nic and Erza were sound in their cells until a shadow cast over them. When they glanced up, they recognized Dahab with a Human Cube in his shadowy clutches.

"Cof! Cof! Cof! Well now, it's your lucky day, Nic Pularis. Your Trainer needs you right now." He held up the Human Cube between the cell bars. "Now, be a good human and get in the cube."

Thanks to the dim lighting, couple with his head partially down, Nic hid his slightly narrowed eyes well. 'Looks like it's time.' He glanced over at Erza. "Erza..."

Erza nodded in understanding. "I'll be fine...just be careful."

Nic nodded back at her. He turned towards Dahab as his smirk widened. He snickered as energy zapped from the cube into Nic, drawing him inside. With him back in the cube, the Cofagrigus took his leave towards Penelope to deliver the withdrawal.

With Erza left alone in the cell, she remained astute and calm. She sighed out her nose and resumed her momentary rest. However, she remembered the important part that Nic left behind...and it involved the collar around her neck, coupled with something that was in her pocket that she kept close in clutch.

---

Meanwhile, outside on the surface, many Pokémon were making way through the avenues. All of them were corralling in one singular direction. More accurately speaking, a singular place. With so many of the populace having their sights on the massive colosseum in Pokétopia, the signs were all too clear where their time and investments would be going towards.

Amongst the crowd of otherworldly creatures wearing people clothing, there were those who weren't wearing such things. Many didn't bother looking at them, but that due to embarrassment and partial shame. Greninja, who was leading the ten other Pokémon behind him, stopped and looked up at the huge stadium that was waiting for them.

"So that's where they told us to meet them?" Greninja asked aloud, albeit low.

Beside him, retaining invisibility, Kecleon nodded in confirmation. "Uh-huh. Stamp the postage sticker here..."

"Hngh, so a battle arena is it? Setting the stage literally." Garchomp sneered.

"Understatement of the century. If what Kecleon relayed to us is true, then this has to be the place." Charizard noted.

"You really think Nic and Erza are there?" Talonflame inquired.

"With what's going on, I say those odds are most likely." Scizor noted.

Houndoom smirked. "This should be a show."

Greninja relaxed his shoulders. He couldn't agree more to that statement. His blank eyes turned red with seriousness as he looked fixed on the growing roars of the audience inside. With one last look at everyone around him, they all looked ready to go through with it.

"Alright then...let's go." He embarked towards the main entrance where many were gathering. 'Nic...I'm glad to hear you're fine...let's meet up again soon.'

With that heartfelt thought in mind, the eleven were ready to turn Pokétopia's world upside-down. And with all eyes watching, it was sure to be an eye-opener.

---

Hope that you guys thought the wait was worth it! Sorry if this took longer than anticipated. To be honest, I was planning to update by last weekend, but my writing pace was incredible slow, and I found myself indulging into smaller stuff, like drawing, watching stuff on YouTube, anime, etc.

That being said, I realized something as I was halfway through this chapter. I decided that I had to double my efforts and refine something I feel I was lacking on – quality. I understand that my chapters are a lot longer these days, but that's not just in part of the plot, but also the details that I try to portray. This chapter was intended to be shorter than what it was, but a key part about quality is inclusion. So for the ship battle, I needed to ensure that the readers got as much quality from the tiniest things. And that meant including as much as possible in the best way. So if the fight dragged on as it did, that's me trying to include and bring out the best in all the characters, which is apparently a lot. That also goes for descriptions too to others and their perspective. So if the first half of the chapter felt less winded than the second-half, that should explain why.

Hope that you guys enjoyed regardless! I'm looking forward to what you have to say about this change of pace!