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

81. The Wayward Fortuneteller

The dense snowfall and wind blew across Mount Hakobe. Even in the depths of summer, snowfall was all year around. That proved to be true as a blizzard roared across the dense altitude of the snow-white plains.

But these plains were currently occupied.

Standing closely together were a group of mages dressed heavily for the snow. They braced themselves as they stared down the numerous creatures that brought them to this point.

Around them were several dozen humanoid creatures, their flesh a more yellow tone with small orange spots like warts. They all had large noses and green, sclera-less eyes. Their bodies lacked any facial hair. They did, however, have small canines sticking out of their upper jaw. Their limbs were all skinny but had sharp nails to help them dig into the snow.

Many of them were armed, holding small farming tools as makeshift weapons or icicles in hand as they yelped a headlong rush through the blizzard towards the mages.

A broad, bearded mage reached his arm out. "Gogoat, Razor Leaf!"

His partner, a female Gogoat, let out a loud hum as her mane glowed bright green, unleashing a broad funnel of leaves that slashes large counts of the horde in front. Most of them that were struck were taken down, but more filled those numbers quickly.

"There's just no end to these guys!" A female mage in her early 20's scowled, holding up a metal pole as her weapon.

"Then we'll just have to thin them further, won't we?" Another mage said, his armed back facing away to cover her blind spot.

One of the creatures closed in and swung his tiny pickaxe at the female mage's legs, only to get smacked by the pole. She swung again to keep adjacent foes at bay. Her associate behind her kept his guard up at a half-dozen humanoids closed the gap.

Casting a yellow magic circle, lightning shot forth and struck the snow in front of them, breaching them to a halt.

"Hiya! Hiya!" The broad mage rode on his Gogoat like a steed, charging straight at them with her body glowing via Take Down. The humanoids barely got a glimpse before a strong force slammed into them, knocking them further into the blizzard.

Gogoat skid to a halt in front of the armored mage. "Thanks for the save."

"Pay my tab at the pub and we'll call it even!" The broad mage chimed, half-joking. He was lost in his musings that he didn't realize one humanoid snuck up behind and chucked a rock in his direction.

The armored mage, however, saw this, and cast another magic seal that fired a bolt of lightning. It reduced the rock to dust. With the projectile destroyed, Gogoat voluntarily raised a hindleg and kicked the humanoid straight in the face, sending it crashing backwards into the snow.

The two mages looked back at each other for a moment, processing the exchange.

"Heh…now you gotta pay my tab." The armored mage mused.

"Is this seriously the time, guys?!" The female mage berated, still swinging away to keep them out of arm's reach. "I could use some help over here! No pressure though!"

The broad mage directed at the small humanoids. "Gogoat, Razor Leaf!" Once more, Gogoat's mane shuffled madly as numerous leaves shot in all directions.

The dozens close by all cried out in pain as sharp leaves curt into them, their cut flesh painting the white snow red as they fell over. Not a single one was left standing within a certain proximity, leaving the ones keeping their distance wary and startled.

"Alright!" The female mage chimed.

The broad mage smirked while chuckling. "You see? I told you this job would be easy."

"You say that, but that's because your Pokémon's doing most of the work." The armored mage harrumphed.

"Hehe. Well, the girl's got more spunk than you!"

The remaining humanoids gripped their makeshift weapons and bared their fangs readily. Before they could engage however, a low but dense howl echoed through the blizzard, catching everyone off guard.

"Hm? You all hear that?" The armored mage asked cautiously.

Gogoat's eyes locked onto the blizzard, noticing something. "Look, there!"

All eyes turned towards something that was walking towards the humanoids. They all immediately filed away and made way as a larger, more robust silhouette trudged forward with a torn cape flapping through the blizzard. With how thick the blizzard was getting, they couldn't make out anything but the adult-sized stature.

"What…is that?" The female mage asked. She didn't know why, but she felt incredibly disturbed.

"Whatever it is, we're not taking chances!" The armored mage pivoted and extended his arm out, summoning another lightning bolt spell that zapped through the blizzard.

A loud and bright crackle flashed through the blizzard…but no cries of pain. He thought that they were either too quiet or he missed, but a bright blue glow in the shape of a blade dimly shined.

All four looked in shock and horror at what came before them.

The glowing blade shined menacingly, highlighting the burning emerald eyes of the armored figure as it raised its blade high before bringing it down, engulfing everything in a blinding shockwave.

Meanwhile, on a peak well out of range, the radiant destruction unfolded before a hooded figure's eyes. With the alcove beside her as cover, she was spared from the harsh blizzard's wrath. She sat on an icy rock, one leg over the other while holding a smoking pipe as she witnessed everything.

"The future could go an infinite number of ways…yet many can only live reality once." As she chimed away, she held her crystal ball tight, vague, dreamy mist swirling deep inside its mystifying confines. "Now…who is next to see their fortune become reality?"

---

Everything was quiet as Nic sat cross-legged on a rock, his shirt off as he had only his baggy pants on. Even under pressure from the cold water, he looked unfazed. He remained calm and still as he was conserving his oxygen and holding his breath. Since he wasn't in his Splash Form, he was holding it for nearly three minutes. A new record from his count.

He wasn't alone underneath these depths either, as all his Pokémon were doing the same underwater meditation. Their eyes closed, they were focusing on keeping control of their bodies. Of course, this was nothing new to them.

All six, save for Greninja, were holding their breath for an equal amount of time. However, as soon as they knew it was time to breathe, their eyes shot wide open in unison.

Immediately, Nic's body outlined in green and exploded skywards with Extreme Speed. His intense spur defied water resistance as the wake provided as a draft to spur all his Pokémon to follow his lead.

Breaching the surface, a geyser erupted, expelling Nic as he took in sweet oxygen while somersaulting over his backyard pond. Knowing he only had a few precious seconds to react, he shifted to his Splash and Stone Form dual typing, conjuring silver energy around him.

He flung his arm down, firing Rock Slide like rain into the water as a deterrent. The moment they would breach for oxygen, they'd be under fire.

As predicted, six splashes spurred out of the water, revealing Greninja with the others behind him.

"Ready?!" Greninja shouted.

"Do it!" Garchomp scowled his first word after refilling his lungs.

Greninja's red eyes beamed before he used Garchomp's tail as a springboard. He catapulted up towards the falling rocks and spun rapidly. As he did, he reached for his thighs and conjured Water Shuriken. As he spun, dozens of metal-tearing water shards shot in all directions as he closed in on Nic. The rocks were all severed to nothing more than small steppingstones for them all to use to skip and leap without relying on flight.

Seeing their nimble movements, Nic held an arm up, generating an orb of water. He projected the orb downwards and fired Sparkling Aria, raining down dozens of heavy-pressure bubbles.

Greninja changed tactics. In midair, the wide range of bubbles wouldn't be diminished so easily by Water Shuriken, so he opted something else. He pulled out two long, dark purple needles via Night Slash and furiously sliced faster than the normal human eye could trace, creating a dazzling burst that he spurred through.

Meanwhile, the bubbles he missed shot like bullets, firing indiscriminately at the others below or at the falling rocks. As they leaped and spurred, they all quickly lost their steppingstones while still under heavy fire. However, this didn't deter them in the slightest. In fact, they all used the bubbles as a more elastic springboard. The moment their claws sank into the bubbles, they exploded, giving them another catapult spur.

The sky dazzled with blue sparkling bursts that climbed upwards following the five, until finally all six were at the same elevation as Nic high above the pond.

Nic retained his diligence as he knew he was surrounded. However, he was never outmatched.

Garchomp closed the gap with his fins gleaming with Poison Jab. Nic leaned back and avoided a slicing blow, but when Garchomp brought his other arm around to swipe, Arbok had a coil around the appendage and was slung around, his fangs briming with Ice Fang. Nic intercepted the fake out by summoning two blades of water, via Liquidation. He was spared the swift lunge, but Arbok's fangs froze the water blades entirely to his hands.

Charizard reappeared behind him, his fists crackling in lightning. Knowing what was coming, Nic spun around and used his frozen swords as shields to thwart his Thunder Punch. Nic ended up backflipping in freefall over Arbok and used his hood as a springboard, moments before the cobra flipped his body to face skywards and fired a Gunk Shot.

However, Staraptor was already anticipating this and were in actions. Charizard, Garchomp, and Arbok's assault was just a diversion to by Staraptor time as her body shined sky blue.

Nic had his hands out by his side, readying what to do, but his wrists were restrained in that instance. From his side, both Greninja and Kecleon used their long tongues, the latter having blended into the sky to avoid detection.

With his arms pinned and two powerful attacks coming at him from above and below, he had to act fast and time it right.

BOOOOOOOM!

The sky exploded with a bright blue and purple flare, followed by a sonic boom. Water far below violently rippled waves into the grass from the force of the twin impact.

After the explosive flare died down, the six Pokémon looked expectant at what happened.

Still in midair, Nic was in his Iron Form and surrounded by a spherical shield with a hexagonal pattern. His last-nanosecond King's Shield saved him. Staraptor, who had also made contact, had a blue aura envelop her, depleting her Attack power.

Greninja and Kecleon retracted their tongues immediately. All seven dropped back down to the ground nimbly. With his ironclad guts, Nic's body was unharmed by the landing that crushed the ground beneath him. The seven took a moment to register what happened.

"Not bad at all." Nic smirked.

Everyone seemed relatively pleased with his praise and instantly relaxed.

"Mama! Mama!" Junior hopped up towards Staraptor, having kept a safe distance from the training session.

"Yes, Junior?" Staraptor questioned.

"You were so awesome! You were so fast that I didn't see you! Then you came down in a blur like 'boom'!"

Staraptor blinked twice, but took the observation as a compliment and smiled softly to her son. "Yes…I guess I was. Thank you, sweetie, for looking out for your mother."

Junior bashfully chuckled.

"That's a strong move you've got, but it takes time to charge." Nic noted.

"That's true. So we'll have to compensate that with counteroffensives and evasion." Greninja noted.

Staraptor nodded in full understanding. "Right. I'll be counting on you guys."

Garchomp sneered. "Heh, that's our line."

"Nic!" A voice breached their focus and turned towards the house. They all saw Erza walking up, her Aegislash beside her.

Nic straightened up. "Erza, hey. What's up?"

The redhead paused and scanned the area. "Looks like you're training hard as always. What were you doing this time?"

"Coordination." He answered.

"I see. Can't deny that teamwork is essential, especially in large battles." She sagely noted. "Anyways, lunch is ready. I made sandwiches."

"Thanks. We'll be sure to eat when we're done." He smiled at her, before turning back towards his team.

Erza watched Nic return to his team, a frown casting upon her face. She didn't like how blunt he was with her, but she could tell he was focusing on other matters. "Alright. Well, they won't stay warm forever you know. Just make sure that you eat something before you head anywhere."

"Arthur's been keeping me in the loop. He doesn't need me for anything for now."

"I see…so that means you don't have any errands for the Cambire Foundation?"

"Not today at least." He cocked a brow. "Why? Something on your mind?"

She was silent for a moment as she studied her husband's eyes. His eyes weren't by any means hostile, but she could read him all too clearly. He was steadfast in his training. Beneath the temperate light in his eyes, she could feel a roaring pressure. It worried the redhead, but she also knew Nic was mature enough to not get ahead of himself.

After what felt like an eternity, she turned back towards the house. "It's nothing. Just…make sure you take a break once in a while, okay?"

He rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I hear you."

"Also, I was thinking of inviting Vanessa over for supper. It's been a while since we've ate as a whole family."

"Yeah, it has. Maybe tomorrow if we're not busy in the evening." he suggested, stretching his arms overhead.

Erza's face grew slightly terser as she sighed out her nostrils. "Fine, I'll let her know." With that, she decided to vacate the yard and head back inside. "I'm heading out to take a job later. Make sure nothing happens while I'm gone."

"Got it."

As Erza walked away, an uneasy silence filled the air…and it didn't go unfelt by anyone.

"The leaves are getting prickly along the sides." Kecleon whispered to Charizard.

"Yeah…feels strange." Charizard murmured.

Arbok flicked his tongue. "Human affairsss can be ssso tediousss."

Garchomp scoffed. "I think you just scratched the surface with that statement."

"I know what you mean…but Nic has a point. We can't slack now…not while we have such pressure to hold." Staraptor noted. The others didn't disagree with her on that point. They knew if they got shabby now, they'd fall short in future endeavors. The incident with Neuro and his wits and force were still fresh in her and Nic's minds. They couldn't allow themselves to be usurped by such a force again. They needed to be better. Faster. Stronger. And especially adaptive.

She turned towards Junior. "Junior, sweetie. Step back, okay? Mommy's got work to do."

"Okay!" Junior floated away to a small pile of assorted gummies to snack on while everyone resumed their training.

Greninja stayed silent, his focus equally as leveled as Nic's.

Taking a deep inhale, Nic relaxed his muscles. His eyes opened with laser focus. "Right." He took a deep breath and dove into the pond again, his Pokémon following his lead.

---

Deep upon his perch a few miles out, Shiin was keeping a low profile while cloaked within his surroundings. He was being extra critical scoping Nic through his binoculars. As usual, they didn't sense any Magic Power, but he was making sure to make mental records of the training Nic was undertaking the whole time.

'That makes six hours straight. And he and his Pokémon don't seem exhausted in the slightest.' Shin evaluated critically. 'First a marathon, then single combat spars, now full-squad coordination. This is the fifth day in a row they've underwent such an intense physical regiment.' His brow furrowed with his growing criticism. 'His regiment has nearly doubled since my initial analysis. Just how much stronger does he have to be for him to feel satisfied?'

As he studied his objective, Butterfree was nibbling on an Oran Berry, minding his own business while studying his object of attention.

---

Erza closed the backdoor behind her, letting out a loud sigh that didn't go unheard by her Aegislash. "Are you alright, Erza?"

"Yes, I'm fine Aegislash." She smiled, immediately dismissing her woes. "These things happen. But enough of that. Let's get ready for-"

She was interrupted by a knock at the front door.

"Hm? Who could that be?" Curious, she walked through her cottage and made way up towards the front door as it continued to knock. She turned the handle and opened it to find her surprise visitor. "Vanessa?"

"Erza, hey. How's everything?" The youngest Pularis sibling greeted her sister-in-law. Beside her was her Delphox, both carrying what looked like pitcher glasses.

"What brought you here? Not that you're never welcome here, of course."

Vanessa and Delphox held up their pitchers, revealing one being yellow, while the other was more reddish pink. "Vanessa spent all morning tampering with lemonade recipes. We figured you've wanted to try some."

Erza smiled thoughtfully. "Oh, you shouldn't have." She opened the door and allowed them entry. "Come inside. I've made plenty of sandwiches if you want some since you're here."

"Really? Thank you." The two stepped inside and headed towards the kitchen. Vanessa and Delphox made way towards the kitchen and sat the two pitchers on the counter. Erza grabbed some cups for them and poured some of the red lemonade into one, and yellow into the other.

Erza took the red liquid and inspected it first through the glass, checking for anything that would've tainted its contents. Seeing as how it didn't seem suspicious, she took a long, cool sip and felt a sweet, quenching feeling run down her throat. Her cheeks flushed with extra color as she couldn't hold back a hum of sensual pleasure from the sweet explosion hitting her taste buds.

Vanessa smiled and chuckled. "I'm guessing you like it."

Calming down from her sugar high, Erza smiled back. "Yes, of course. What is this?"

"It's a special strawberry-lemonade blend I've been working on. Took me some tries, but we got the mixture to where it's sweet…well, at least to your standards."

Erza cupped one of her cheeks as she gulped down more of the delicious drink. "Such an exquisite punctual taste." She critiqued, before turning towards the other one. "Hm, and what might this one be?" She reached to pour a small amount into her empty cup, much to Vanessa's growing worries.

"Um, I wouldn't drink that if I…"

It was too late as Erza drank the seemingly normal lemonade. The moment they struck her tongue, she felt every cell in her body cringe as something strong swam down her throat. She almost chocked, but managed to stop herself from expectorating the sour liquid.

"That was extra lemon tart I added into mine. It adds more sour." Vanessa finished matter-of-factly.

Erza bitterly swallowed and visibly cringed, but managed to smile. "As expected of a sour connoisseur…I should say I'm impressed." She took a minute to get her second wind.

"I can give you the recipe for the strawberry one if you'd like."

"I'd be delighted. Thanks for that."

The two spent their time relaxing in the kitchen. As they were eating toasted sandwich slices and drinking lemonade, Aegislash and Delphox were in the other room, having a mock jab fight with a blade and the latter's stick.

"So, how was your recent job? I heard you and Sophie explored some caverns in Clover Canyon." Erza asked.

Vanessa washed down her sandwich before responding. "We did. Turns out, the person we've found had broke his leg when a horde of Woobat startled him. We were lucky we found him in time to get him treated. And what about you?"

"Actually, I was about to head out for a job before you arrived." Erza admitted.

"I see. And what about Nic? Is he not coming?"

Erza pulled the glass away from her lips and paused. For a moment, she seemed to hesitate on what to say. The notion didn't go unnoticed by Vanessa, who sensed an uneasy aura emanating off her.

"He's been…occupied these days." She couldn't strain enough on how she phrased it. "Ever since we returned from Pokéto…Rolica." She corrected herself. "It feels like he's been putting in more effort into his training." She tapped her table with her fingers. "Honestly, it feels like that's all he thinks about these days…"

Vanessa frowned, pondering her viewpoint. "I see what you mean. I guess it makes some sense. After all, Neuro nearly had everyone wrapped around his finger, and we all struggled against his forces. It'd make sense to prepare for something like that again."

"I suppose, but still…you'd think that he'd stop every once and a while. Between me going on jobs and him training, it's just…" She pinched the bridge of her nose, her angered brow furrowed heavily. "Honestly, he doesn't make it easy…"

Vanessa nervously chuckled. "Well, Nic never does…but I get what you mean." Her smile faded some. "Honestly, it feels like a while since we did anything together."

"I suggested that we should have you come over for dinner tonight, but he didn't seem to appeal. I know he still cares and loves us…but it feels like he's focusing too much on improving himself."

Vanessa sipped the last of her ultra-sour lemonade with a cool exhale. "He's been doing better ever since Alvarez's initial invasion. At least he isn't pushing others away like he did before."

Despite the viewpoint, the two girls drank and ate their snacks in silence. Delphox and Aegislash continued their playful spar in the other room until Aegislash got a good jab at her paw, causing her to help and drop her wand. Even without a mouth, Aegislash seemed smug, much to Delphox's chagrin.

Erza stood up, looking much better. "I have a suggestion. What do you say you accompany us on our next job?"

"You sure you wouldn't mind?" Vanessa questioned, but realized quickly that Erza wasn't going to relent.

"Why of course, the more the merrier. Now then, let's say we head out to the guild. I'm sure there'll be plenty of work for us."

With no reason to decline, Vanessa followed her lead and the two and their Pokémon readied quickly and left for the guild hall.

---

The four entered through the guild's saloon doors, greeted with their guildmates and Pokémon all looking to be in a good mood as always.

"Hey, Erza! Over here!" Lucy ushered over at a table where she Natsu, Happy, Gray, Wendy, and Carla sat.

"I was wondering when you'd show up." Gray smirked.

"About time! What took ya so long?" Natsu complained.

Erza and Vanessa walked up to their allies. "Sorry for the tardiness. Hope I didn't keep you all waiting too long."

Wendy shook her head. "No, not at all. We just got here ourselves."

Sophie, who was sitting at an adjacent table with Kadabra, turned towards her. "We were just talking about the jobs everyone's done so far, and how many stamps we've collected."

"Oh, really?" Erza raised a brow, genuinely interested. "How many?"

"Well, Gray took a job the other day involving illegal fishing of Water-type Pokémon in Cedar. And Natsu, Lucy, and Happy took a job in Clover Town that involve a gang of Primeape if I recall."

"You forgot the part where Natsu nearly burned down the forest they were living in." Happy reminded.

"Hey! Those stupid pig monkeys wouldn't stop moving!" He berated. "Besides, those guys had it coming for stealing all those crops."

"Yeah, but did you have to turn them over to the Cambire Foundation in char?" Lucy sighed.

Natsu crossed his arms, huffing. "Whatever. Still counts."

"Right, so putting those together, on top of the number we've had before, that makes…" Sophie tallied the number with her sparkling green nail polish that matched her eyeliner for today. "…18."

"At this rate, we'll get those 30 jobs in no time." Natsu beamed brightly, clenching a fist. "Getting in those games is gonna be a piece of cake!"

"Aye!" Happy cheered.

"Yeah, but we've only got a month left before the games." Lucy reminded him. "And those Cambire jobs aren't easy to come by, you know."

"Well, let's just hope that our next job is as good as one." Wendy chimed optimistically.

"I know those jobs take priority, but mustn't forget there are other jobs out there important too." Carla pointed out.

"Yeah, good point."

"Excuse me." The group's plans were brought to a standstill when someone walked up to them. To their surprise, it was none other than Freed.

"Huh? What is it, Freed?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah, can you keep it short? Just about to head out soon." Natsu quipped.

"Did something come up perhaps?" Vanessa inquired, her tone neutral but patient.

Freed cleared his throat before speaking. "Actually, this is a matter pertaining Erza."

Erza blinked, surprised. "Oh?"

Freed then held up a flier that looked like a job. "This was recently posted, but it's also an emergency."

"And emergency request?" Lucy parroted.

"Sounds pretty important." Gray chimed in. "What's it say?"

Erza took the flier and scanned its contents. As she did, her eyes scanned the picture of what looked like a snowy mountain, as well as silhouettes of a small humanoid creature.

URGENT REQUEST

Mount Hakobe has become inhospitable. The territory has come under siege and is currently dangerous to trek due to invasive inhabitance. Beware, these inhabitance are very lethal to mages and Pokémon alike. Extreme caution is warranted.

Location: Mount Hakobe

Reward: Negotiable

If the description itself wasn't concerning, the fact that the job had a huge red 'S' covering a quarter of its space was, as well as who administered the request. 'An S-Class mission by the Cambire Foundation?'

Natsu peaked over to see the contents. His eyes widened at what he saw. "No way? An S-Class quest?"

"Yes…and it's provided by the Cambire Foundation as well." Erza noted.

"The Cambire Foundation?" Vanessa parroted. "Then suppose this job has relations to Pokémon."

"That's very likely. Mount Hakobe is home to some Pokémon. I believe that's where you caught your Snover and Bergmite, Gray?"

"Yeah, it is." He confirmed.

"Mount Hakobe?" Over at a nearby table, everyone turned towards Macao as he was hunched over with a beer in hand. "I've been hearing the news. Apparently something's happened that prohibits people from venturing up there."

"Yeah, and those who do don't come back in one piece." Wakaba side noted. "The cases have been getting worse, too. Not sure I'd take that gamble with my age."

"I've been hearing reports about that, too. You guys sure you can handle it?" Mirajane asked as she swept by with a tray of fresh beer.

Natsu gave his trademark toothy smirk. "Well, not sure about you guys, but I'm up for the challenge. A little picture and rumors don't scare me."

Despite how she felt, Wendy was more reserved on the matter. "Um, I mean, maybe…but aren't Nic and Erza the only S-Class mages available?"

"Whatever, I'm strong enough to be one." Natsu folded his arms, turning away with a pout.

Freed smiled and chuckled. "I have no doubts about that, but unfortunately you're not a certified S-Class. Sorry." He knew, however, there were plot holes. "Although, the guild's policy is that you could accompany an S-Class mage on their quest should it deem necessary by them."

Everyone turned towards Erza expectantly. Seeing how all her friends appeared to be already in on this, she knew well that it would've been a challenge to sway them away, especially Natsu. "Very well…but don't cause any unnecessary hassle." Her glare grew sharper on a particular pink-haired Dragon Slayer. "Am I clear?"

Natsu tried to avoid direct eye contact while smirking. "C-crystal…"

"Hold on a sec." Lucy stopped the momentum cold. "Stop and look at it. It's saying it's by the Cambire Foundation, but why's the job reward say 'negotiable'?"

"Yeah, that is weird." Happy jumped on her head, scanning the job himself. "Why'd you think they'd do that?"

"Not sure.

"Okay, now it definitely sounds fishy to me." Gray didn't hold back his skeptical tone. "Clearly they're holding out on us for a good reason…or at least they better."

"Well, Erza?" Vanessa turned to her.

Erza held her trademark studious disposition. She knew well that despite being a job, she knew the risks as well as the rewards that came with an S-Class mission. The fact that it was also urgent meant that it was paramount that someone capable – like her – responded to it as soon as possible. "It can't be helped. Whatever the case may be, Mount Hakobe is close to Magnolia. If it's as dangerous as they say it is, it's best that we move in with extreme caution."

"Hey, Gray, where's Juvia? Isn't she around you?" Natsu asked.

Gray folded his arms. "Not this time. She went on a job on her own." He didn't mind if he was honest. Before, he opted to join her, but to his surprise, Juvia wanted to take this job on her own. Though initially worried, he knew she was in capable hands with her newly evolved Blastoise, so that left a slot open for the time being.

"Hey wait a minute. What about Nic?" Lucy suggested.

"Hey yeah, that's right. When's the last time we've had a job with him?" Natsu pointed out. "The dude's overdue with us if you ask me."

Erza put a hand to her chin, pondering what Natsu said. 'He's not wrong. It has been a while since Nic joined us on a quest.' She weighed her options briefly and considered the weight of the situation. "Alright. I'll talk to him. I'm sure I can get him to join us."

"This job's gonna be a breeze now!" Natsu beamed. He could already see the stamps with his name all over them.

"Then it looks like the matter is settled. I'll contact the Cambire Foundation to let them know you'll be on your way shortly." Freed acknowledged them before walking off to do the necessary paperwork.

With everyone excited for the job, Erza looked up towards the ceiling, her expression lost as her thoughts for a certain Trainer. Whether he liked it or not, he was going to face another interruption. Something she knew to prepare for.

With that, she stood up and started for the guild doors. "Right, I'll go find Nic. You all wait here while we make the necessary preparations."

"Sure thing. Be careful." Lucy called out.

"Don't keep us waiting like you did earlier!" Natsu shouted back.

Vanessa watched her sister-in-law off with a relaxed expression, though she was frowning. She could feel a tension that didn't sit well in her stomach. But for now, she would have to leave it to focus on her own preparations. "Right, let's make sure we have the items we need."

---

Draconic claws clashed as Nic and Charizard parried at lightning speed in midair, though Nic was putting more pressure. His initial Dragon Dance gave him an edge in offense and speed that put Charizard's evasive reflexes into overdrive when his shots couldn't be parried.

Kecleon and Arbok glanced at each other briefly below, a mute understanding met. Arbok coiled himself up tight, using Coil to bolster his Attack, Defense, and Accuracy. Kecleon used her tong, sticky tongue and grappled the tip of his tail.

With a heavy pivot and a surprising amount of force, Kecleon slung Arbok skywards with superb force. The speed itself was staggering, but what made it more staggering was Arbok using his coiled mass and spring for a second burst, immediately transitioning to Ice Fang.

However, in the middle of his parry, Nic's lower spine generated a long, glowing, sturdy tail, via Iron Tail. He used it as a bunt to take Arbok's jaws. Even with Dragon/Steel typing, he couldn't hold back a twitch in his eye when he felt a stinging cold seep through the makeshift appendage.

Arbok immediately used his raw muscle and yanked Nic out of midair combat, flinging him towards the ground where Staraptor and Garchomp shot skywards in unison, breaking the sound barrier in a hypersonic spur. Dragon Rush and Steel Wing overlapped each other to make a multicolored, draconic blitz with silver wings barreling through the sky like a bullet train.

"Shift Gear!" Time briefly slagged as ethereal energy shaped in gears churned and grinded around him. A red aura enveloped his body, increasing his Attack and Speed further. With his excess speed, he tucked in his wings and narrowly – yet fluently – escaped the two-fold wake of the attack. He glowed as he continued his course, crashing into the grassy ground and shattering it.

Everyone looked down to where Nic landed, only to realize there was a hole.

Instinct kicked in as Greninja and Kecleon knew what they had to do.

Both extended their tongues up towards Garchomp and Staraptor respectively, both pulling towards them moments before the ground exploded with molten earth cracks and lightning. A combination of Earth Power and Discharge shot electrified earth debris everywhere like an active volcano erupting.

After catching Arbok in midair, Charizard brought his wings back and flapped hard, expelling a Heat Wave downwards. The inferno whirlwind met the electrified earth and meshed into a molten storm between the two forces that leveled acreages of land.

"Greninja!" Garchomp shouted.

"Right!" He knew what to do. His foot glowed bright purple, via Return. With a forceful kick of trust and friendship, the force shot Garchomp faster than a bullet through the electric firestorm without a nanosecond to spare.

With his Ground typing, the Mach Pokémon lived up to his namesake as he met earth, immediately causing an eruption of earth that flatlined the collision. The dust briefly cleared to reveal a bigger hole in place of Nic's, via Garchomp's own Dig.

A second later, the ground shook heavily before everything blew up beneath the five Pokémon. Jagged stones erupted through the ground, puncturing every part of it until the underearth itself met sunshine.

Nic held onto a Stone Edge spike as he ascended back topside, looking unfazed. Everything felt slow to him as he thought to himself. 'During the battle, my options were extremely limited because of my opponent's foresight.'

He caught wind of a downward cleave and turned into lightning, zapping away from Kecleon's Slash that bisected the stone with no effort. Nic manifested on a knee while keeping a serious glare.

'I have to learn from this, and anticipate their moves in advance and neutralize them the moment there's an opening...we can't let something like this happen again!'

"Nic!"

A familiar voice called out to him from behind. He halted on the spot and turned towards Erza approaching him. Immediately, they all stopped and regrouped behind him.

"Erza, what's wrong? Did you find any jobs to go on?"

The redhead stopped a few paces from him, looking rather miffed. "You still haven't eaten lunch." Her tone was cold and stern.

"Sorry. I was going to soon…I lost track of time."

Erza sighed heavily. She wanted to chastise Nic on his dedicated regiment, but she chose to let it go over other priorities. "I'm heading out on a job with Natsu and the others. Vanessa and Sophie are coming along, too. And I think you should come along as well."

This got his attention. "Really?"

"Of course. You said it yourself that you're just going to train. I think this is reason enough to take a break."

"You serious?"

"You can train as much as you want through the night, but right now, this job is important…please."

Nic furrowed his brows in thought. If he was frank, he'd rather not digress anymore than he already has right now. Time was valuable, and while more enemies are out there plotting, he knew that he had to better prepare for them. He still wanted to work more on the full-scale coordination versus one, but the look from his wife told him that she was steadfast on the matter. She was serious.

Ultimately, Nic relented and sighed out his nostrils. "Alright. I'll tag along."

Erza smiled triumphantly. "Good. Hurry up and shower. We need to leave as soon as possible."

She turned and started back towards the house, leaving Nic to attend to his own preparations. He turned towards his Pokémon once more, all having expectant expressions.

"Guess we'll leave it hear for now then." Nic started for the house. "C'mon, let's eat before we set out."

As they all started off with him, Junior hopped across the grass to join with his mother. Staraptor smiled and ushered him onto her back so he could enjoy the brief glide back indoors.

---

After a quick shower followed by a much necessary lunch, Nic and Erza arrived back at the guild hall, with Staraptor and Junior in tow.

"Huh? Hey, about time! The heck man!" Natsu brashly greeted.

"Hey…sorry for the wait." Nic apologized. "Erza filled me in on our way over here."

Kadabra looked over towards Staraptor and Junior. "Oh? You've decided to bring him along for this?"

"It'll be fine." Nic assured, turning towards Staraptor. "Right?"

"Yes. He's been getting into watching us battle constantly." She turned towards her son confidently. "I'm certain that he'll be of help."

"Really, Mama?" Junior looked up to her with hopeful eyes.

She nodded sincerely, humming. "Yes…but if it gets scary, be sure to teleport to safety. Okay?"

Junior nodded back. "Okay! I'll help out Mama the best I can!"

Vanessa hummed with a smile. "Seems as though yesterday he acted like a newborn."

"Yes, certainly seems that way." Erza mused. "But it looks like he's in good care…so I'm not worried." She turned towards everyone. "Now then, are we set?"

"Hold on a moment." Sophie made an interjection, garnering everyone's attention.

"What is it, Sophie? Something wrong?" Lucy prompted.

"This is just a small vouch from me, but I think we should bring The Freaks with us."

The suggestion left everyone mildly surprised.

"Wait, you mean Joey, Dereece, and Duncan?" Happy inquired. "What about them?"

Sophie looked away as she subconsciously played with a lock of her long hair twirling around her index finger. "I think they'll be a great help to us. Remember what happened during the rebellion? Joey managed to make that plan to help divide the guild and act as bait."

Vanessa put a hand to her chin and pondered. "She's not wrong. Joey's barriers do make for a sizeable defense, and as…unorthodox as his methods come off, they do work." She grinned. "I think that's a good idea. I think they have enough experience to help."

Erza acknowledged this notion. She heard it from Joey personally back on the island. Plus, on top of him having the ability to summon an ethereal army at his command now, he's contributed to the guild with collecting some stamps according to Mirajane. On top of hearing Dereece's Yanma evolving and Duncan ascertaining a higher level of magic control, she took all this into account.

She put her hands to her lips and smiled. "Very well, I welcome them. Has anybody seen them?"

"They have yet to arrive at the guild hall." Kadabra explained. "If they're not out on a job already, they must be at home."

"Then let's pay them a visit and get going. The sooner we get them, the sooner we move out." Gray motioned.

The small faction of mages soon ventures through Magnolia to where The Freaks had their base. Sophie led the way since she's more comfortable going over there. She memorized the quickest route through town and before they knew it, they arrived.

Natsu noticed something on their doorstep. "Huh? Hey, wait, isn't that…?"

Sitting casually on The Freak's porch, Duncan was eating a piece of bread while reading a book to pass the time. From the incantations on the front, it was a book related to magic. As he was indulging his morning, his Elfen Forja sat in his lap comfortably.

"Duncan?" Hearing his name called, he looked up from his studies to find Gray and the others walking towards him.

"What do you want?" He greeted in his usually crude manner.

"That should be our line. What're you doing out here?" Lucy promptly replied.

"What's it look like? I'm waiting." He took another bite of his bread.

"Waiting?" Wendy parroted.

They waited for him to swallow before answering her inquiry. "That's what I said. What was yesterday?"

"Uh, yesterday?" Lucy blinked. "I think Friday, why?"

"Take a guess. What do they do on Friday nights?"

The majority of everyone looked confusedly at him, not sure what to come of his little blunt guessing game. Taking the lead on the front, Erza walked up the porch steps and knocked. When she didn't get an answer, she resorted to turning the handle. To her surprise, it was unlocked.

"They gave me a spare key in case of emergencies…see for yourselves." Duncan prompted.

Erza opened the door to The Freak's home, immediately being hit with a whiff of cheese and pepperoni. But that wasn't what struck them as odd. What did startle them, however, was the scenery that literally laid before them.

Strewn all across the living room, everyone saw Joey and Dereece laying on the couch, both snoring away in blissful food comas. Their Pokémon were fast asleep too, but there were a number of outliers that they couldn't begin to question. For starters, Joey was wearing a sparkling red dress with equally painted nails. Yanmega was wearing a bra as a sleeping mask over her large compound eyes. A mountain of paper plates and melted cheese covered what they could recognize as Garbodor. Tranquil was sleeping right next to an eloquent painting that was nothing but pepperoni pizza. Right in front of the blank screen to their lacrima TV, Larvesta was on her back using Stunfisk as a makeshift blanket, kicking gently in her fussy little dreamland.

Everyone slowly walked in and felt a wave of uneasiness sink into them. Looking at their compromising positions and the smell of pizza, they could only imagine what they were up to. 'What the hell did these guys get up to last night?!'

Brushing away the initial shock, Erza managed to power through and walked on in. She stepped over Palpitoad's tongue that had pepperonis stuck all over it and walked up to Dereece first. Looking down at his sleeping frame, she tried to nudge him first. "Dereece? It's late in the morning, wake up."

"Nah, woman…you know I like massages before we…" Dereece waved at the air in his sleep dismissively, turning his back towards Erza.

Erza's patience ran thin. "Dereece!"

"GAH!" The shout alarmed the man from his slumber so much that he fell over the couch onto his face. The loud thud caused all the other Pokémon to awaken from their stupor and lazily turn towards the commotion.

Dereece lifted himself off the ground, shaking his head to rid of any blurred vision. Realizing he was awake, he looked up and saw Erza and the others inside their home. "E-Erza? What's going on? And how long were you here?"

"We just arrived…seems like you've enjoyed yourselves last night." Sophie teased.

Dereece recalled the events of last night. He and Joey hadn't mowed through that much dough in a long time while watching so many movies in a row that made his head spin. "Ugh…should've told Joey to hold back on the pizza again…"

'Just how much pizza did these guys eat?' Everyone questioned again. From the smell and the crumbs littered all over the carpet, they had a good idea how much it was. A lot.

"Uh, is he alright?" Wendy ushered to a sleeping Joey, who was snoring away lazily.

"Yeah, he'll be fine. Hang on." He got up and arched his back, ushering a loud spinal crack that almost knocked the wind out of him. He swiveled over towards Joey and nudged his shoulder. "Joey…? Hey, Joey, wake up. We've got company."

Joey moaned in his sleep. "Dereece…Duncan…my turn down the ice cream slide…get my spoon ready…"

Dereece shook his head and sighed. "Hang on. Where's his emergency donut?"

Natsu raised a brow. "A donut?"

"Oh! Me! I'll get it!" Tranquill jovially announced. He flew from the living room towards the kitchen. A series of pots and pans clanging and a clanging of a fridge, everyone watched him return with a small white bag and handed it to Dereece.

"What's that?" Lucy asked.

"Trust me, if there's one thing you guys should never come between, it's Joey and a good donut. Stand back." He turned towards Joey and held the bag over his head. He placed his hands in a tearing position and waited. "…CLEAR!"

With a swift tear, a chocolate sprinkled donut suspended for a few seconds before Joey's eyes snapped wide open. Out of instinct, he sat up and snatched the donut, immediately gorging insatiably.

Everyone was speechless as they just watched the whole thing happen in less than a second. "Does that usually work?" Gray asked.

"Every time." Dereece confirmed.

After savoring the quick bite, reality caught up to Joey as he looked around. "D-Dereece…?" He turned and saw everyone present, startling him. "GAH! I don't have my proper makeup on! I wasn't having a house party!" Before he continued, he paused and thought about what he said. "Eh…not today at least."

"We apologize for intruding, but Duncan let us in." Erza prompted, getting to the point. "Anyways, we have a job and in need of urgent help. Would you all like to accompany us?"

Joey sat upright, looking stunned at the offer presented to him. "AH! Y-you mean it…?"

"Yeah, she is. But…" Nic's gaze fell upon Joey's attire. "You…wanna change first or something?"

Joey blinked and looked down at his dress and caught onto the sinuation. "Oh, right. Sorry, forgot to change out of my last job."

'What kind of job makes him wear that?' The majority of everyone figured it was best not to know.

As Larvesta yawned and stirred awake, Junior hopped over to her with a big smile. "Hi there!"

"Oh! Hey, it's you!" Larvesta's horns flashed warmly. "Goodie! My playmate!"

"Mama's gonna help Nic. I am too." Junior said innocently. "I think you coming too."

Larvesta bounced up and down, doing a mock dance. "Yay! Going on an adventure with my playmate~!"

Staraptor hummed and smiled at their interactions. She'll have to consider having Junior stay over to play with Larvesta sometime.

"Captain, we should probably get ready." Dereece insisted, using Joey's title to know the mood they're switching in.

Joey nodded. "Right! We just finished the renovations to the bathroom recently. We're gonna need more if we want those upgrades."

"Huh? Upgrades?" Happy questioned.

"And just what kinds of ridiculous upgrades are you thinking?" Carla prodded. She then realized she may have provoked a very unnecessary answer.

Joey led everyone to the bathroom door and opened it with a "Tada~!" He showed everyone the prestige, clear tiling, as well as the smooth, large mirror on the wall. To anyone it looked like a moderate bathroom comparable to Lucy's, but knowing The Freaks and Joey, it was anything but.

"It's uh…" Lucy started.

"Very…clean, Joey." Sophie chimed.

Gray stepped in. "Kinda hard to see though. Where's the light switch for-" When he flipped the adjacent switch on the wall, a disco-like club music began playing, followed by the tiles on the floor turning to bright pink, yellow and blue squares. As the disco music played, the tiles changed color in accordance with the beat. The colors danced to the funky tune right before everyone's eyes as they only saw colorful tiles light up the bathroom.

Gray flipped the switch off, stopping the club music and returning the tiles to normal. He flipped it again to make sure it wasn't an illusion he saw. Maybe it was the wrong switch? That proved to be wrong as the club music kicked up where it left off and the tiles flashed various colors.

He flipped it off, then on, then off. Then on, and off. He did this three more times before everyone turned towards Joey with blank, expectant faces. The Captain of The Freaks, however, shrugged. "What? It gets stale if you're doing business or taking a shower. Wouldn't hurt to add a little color to the mix."

"Okay, but was it really necessary to turn your bathroom into a club?" Lucy despondently groaned.

"What's next, a disco ball for a lamp?" Natsu questioned.

"No." Joey denied, but then followed up with a correction. "It was actually gonna be for my bedroom ceiling, but we're putting that into next month's budget plan."

"Wait…what?" Wendy blinked. At this point, everyone could understand why Duncan remained outside.

Joey's face grew serious. "Anyways, we'll get ready. Garbodor, girl! Cleanup duty~!"

A loud, grotesque bellow came from Garbodor, her foul breath mixed with cheese and liters of absorbed grease.

…

Everyone vacated back to the front porch and closed the door in wait for their allies.

"Well, that was…something." Lucy quipped.

"Well, on the bright side, at least it's never boring with them." Sophie smiled, playfully eyerolling.

Vanessa chuckled. "That's one way of looking at it." The Aura Mage was brought out of her amusement when she picked up a familiar signature close by. Her disposition immediately changed and glanced to the corner alley. 'Don't tell me…'

His sixth sense prodding at him, Nic glanced over as well, folding his arms with a serious frown. "I know you're there. You can come out anytime now."

The waiting party heard his notion, some partially confused. However, those like Vanessa and Natsu with enhanced sensory immediately picked up on someone familiar close by. This was confirmed as they saw a pair of boots walk around the corner. A familiar head of white hair and blue-green eyes fixed on everyone; more accurately, the one who called him out.

Shiin stood a short distance away, retaining a serious disposition as always.

"As expected of you. Seems keeping my distance in this case won't suffice." He stated matter-of-factly.

"Shiin? The hell's he doing here?" Gray questioned.

"My inscribed job." He turned his attention towards Nic. "Don't forget, I am to shadow you as per the arrangements."

"You couldn't just stay back at the guild and waited?" Nic questioned back, equally as accusing.

Shiin, however, scoffed. "How am I to observe you if you're not there? Besides, this is a mission entailing Pokémon, is it not? If the nation is in jeopardy again like it was before, it'd be an obstruction of justice to overlook such a case."

Wendy frowned. "I mean, he's not wrong. But, still…"

"I say he's cool." Natsu bluntness caught everyone off guard.

"Natsu!?" Lucy exasperated.

"C'mon man, aren't you being too easy?" Gray berated.

The Dragon Slayer, however, didn't show any second thought. "I don't see why not. I heard how he helped ole Laxus and the others while we were gone. If he's willing to help the guilds out, then I say give him a chance."

"Even if that's the case, I still don't agree." Gray stated, furrowing his brow. The majority of everyone agreed, not that they would be as blunt as him of course.

Shiin and Nic locked eyes briefly, their irises locked onto one another. Nic internally agreed with Gray on his statement, but he didn't want to discourage Natsu's points either. Both were valid, and so far, Shiin hasn't done anything to tamper or hinder the efforts that everyone has been making ever since his arrival. Admittedly, as out of place as he was, he wasn't – to an extent – a hinderance.

Briefly recalling their initial interaction, Nic had a promise to keep helping any humans and Pokémon alike within his reach. He wasn't going to back out now. He turned away; his eyes closed. "Fine…but you better not get in our way."

"You have my word." Shiin said dutifully.

For a brief moment, Duncan glanced over at Shin, their eyes meeting directly. Like Nic's, their was a stern defiance within his irises, but a much darker disposition. From the way he was clutching his Elfen Forja, he was on guard.

---

Due to the lack of locomotive, the only means to reach Mount Hakobe was either by foot or carriage. However, because of Nic's familiarity, it saved everyone several thousand Jewel to hire a carriage when he used his Mind Form and used Teleport to reach the base of Mount Hakobe. In a blink of an eye, everyone found themselves in a snowy valley.

"Well, this is more convenient." Wendy smiled cheerfully. "At least we don't have to worry about time."

"Man, wish I could do that." Natsu beamed half-jokingly. He was partially serious though. It'd save him from motion sickness.

"Yeah, but that doesn't fix the cold!" Lucy complained, shivering while hugging herself. Even with a light pink coat on for a layer, it was still rather chilly for her.

"It's not that bad out." Vanessa pointed out. "At least there's no blizzard. Those come quite often."

"Brrrr…" Junior shivered as he nestled deeper into Staraptor's feathers. "Mama, it's cold…"

"Yes…it is." She wasn't fazed in the remote slightest. Even with her being a Flying-type, having been trained in cold water and in Frost Cavern numerous days did wonders on her endurance and tolerance.

Nic and Erza were observing their surroundings, looking left and right, both saw the snow white plains that glittered beneath the sun. The observation was quick to sink to a revelation for Nic.

'There aren't any Pokémon around.' He frowned heavily. "Erza…"

"I know. Something's off about this."

Vanessa's sensory kicked in as she felt something up ahead. "Ahead. We've got company."

Everyone's attention turned towards the front. They saw two Rune Knights accompanied by what looked like a Watchog and Audino. The two knights' robes bore an emblem that the others recognized all too well.

"Halt, travelers!" Knight 1 shouted.

"We ask that you turn away from this point immediately. Otherwise, we need identification." Knight 2 stated. He then saw Nic amongst the group, immediately drawing a gasp. "Wait, Nic Pularis…? Then you all must be…?"

Erza stepped forward, offering to speak on behalf of the party. "We are mages of the Fairy Tail guild." She proudly stated, holding up the job request. "We've come on behalf of the job request sent by the Cambire Foundation regarding territorial monsters."

The two soldiers looked towards each other and back. "A moment." They both reached up to their ears with earpieces with Communication Lacrima. They kept their voices down as they were relaying the situation to what could only be other associates or higher-ups. After a brief conversation, they turned back to them with heads high. "Please, do pardon us. Our commander would like an audience with you to discuss further."

"Please, right this way." Knight 1 turned and started walking further ahead, leaving everyone to look at each other for a moment before they decided to follow along. As they did, Shiin was keeping a watchful eye on Knight 2 taking up the guard behind while his Watchog was keeping a surveillance.

The white-haired mage looked at the emblem on their robed and narrowed his eyes. 'So then…these men are affiliated with this Cambire Foundation.' he thought. 'I need to uncover as much as I can about them as possible.'

As they walked on, farther away, Butterfree was flapping away in the cold air. Despite shivering, he shook it off and followed the group.

The group trekked through the light layer of snow to a valley well before it opened up to a gratifying slope. Nestled at the base of this hectic climb, there were tents pitched and various Rune Knights and Pokémon around doing the necessary duties. They were either tending to the wounded, relocating supplies from other tents, or keeping patrol.

"Check it out, looks like they've got a major operation going on here." Gray noted his surroundings, turning to see a medium-sized tent open to reveal men inside tampering with a device that looked like a radar.

"It looks like a base camp. But I don't think there was one here before." Vanessa stated.

"This must be new. Probably in response to that job." Duncan figured.

Shiin was very quiet, being discrete while everyone walked through the camp. With storage and video space to use in his camera, he was snapping away at photo evidence when he made sure he wasn't being watched.

Knight 1 led them to a tent that was larger than the others, most likely the commander's tent. It was larger and much wider than the others, having a large emblem on the front printed in bright red. A small light that was currently out due to daytime was on top, similar to a lighthouse.

"We've informed the Commander of your arrival. You are free to enter, mages." Knight 1 stepped off to the side, allowing them entry to the tent.

Erza bowed in respects. "Thank you. Let's go." She and everyone else followed along and went inside.

Almost immediately, they noticed a warmer temperature change due to the insulation from the cold, as well as the Slugma sitting in a furnace. The heat traveled through vents throughout the tent so everyone inside was warm, even though there was only one person inside. Behind the foldup table and desk chair, there was someone who was looking at a board that had a diagram of Mt. Hakobe with various red arrows and circles drawn on it.

"Are you the one who's in charge here?" Erza spoke up.

The person she was referring to turned towards her. "Hm? Oh, it's you guys from Nic's guild." It was none other than Travis, Charlotte's direct subordinate. As always, he had a glaring disposition.

Natsu raised a brow. "Hold up, who's this guy?"

Lucy smacked him on the head. "Don't be rude! You want a job?"

Travis stepped towards the table, hands behind his back while keeping his stern look. 'So this is Nic's guild. Definitely looks like a rowdy bunch.' He kept that thought to himself. "Right then, let's start with the introductions. I'm Travis, admin and executive of Miss Jet's division of the Cambire Foundation."

"Erza Pularis. Is there any reason this job didn't require Charlotte herself to be present?" Erza greeted followed by a question.

"Miss Jet is currently assisting with preparations for the games as well as reorganizing the ranks after that rebellion fiasco." He had a begrudging undertone at the m=remembrance of that knight. The scar his Skarmory gave him was still fresh. "That being said, I was tasked to oversee this operation in her stead."

Shiin kept his arms folded while hearing him out loud and clear. 'I see, so there are ranks within the foundation itself, as well as division with various functions. But how many divisions are there? Their strengths, as well as resources? Even with setbacks, they must still have a grand supply.'

"Now then…" Travis continued. "I assume you're all here for the job?"

Nic stepped forward. "Yeah. It mentioned something about 'invasive inhabitance'. Mind starting there?"

Travis took a deep sigh. "Fine…let's start with some context before we get ahead of ourselves. I'll start off where this began about two weeks ago. We were doing a survey on the area when we noticed that the population of Pokémon had shifted."

"Shifted?" Sophie parroted.

"Yes. There was a sizeable amount in the area before, but the numbers drastically thinned. So we've sent a reconnaissance team to investigate the matter shortly after." He turned away, looking visibly annoyed. "But…they never returned. We've even sent another unit and some Pokémon to help in finding them. But then…that's when they struck."

"Who is 'they', exactly?" Dereece inquired, feeling unnerved with what the answer might be.

Travis pulled out photo sheets from his foundation pocket. He flicked his wrist and spread the photos out across the table for everyone to see. "This was what our scouts were able to get."

Everyone stepped closer to the table to get a better look at the spread. The half-dozen photos didn't get very good quality, but there were some that showed decent visuals for them to make out. They showed little yellow, bald creatures with handheld weapons and large noses. From various angles; be it dangerously up close to far out of sight. One thing was for certain, there were large numbers of them.

"The heck are these guys?" Natsu questioned.

"Not sure. I don't think I recognize those before." Wendy remarked.

"Maybe they're Pokémon?" Happy inquired.

"We thought that too, but we've checked our databases for anything familiar regarding them." Travis explained. "But despite the vast amount of Pokmon data we have, none of them registered in the PokéDex."

Vanessa put a hand to her chin. "So then that means we're dealing with Earthland native creatures."

"That seems to be the case. From the reports we've got, their numbers are large. We don't know much about them aside from their size and strength, but if left unchecked, these creatures will likely expand their territory further."

Sophie turned towards Gray. "Say, Gray. Remember those Cryogonal we fought the other day? You think they came from Mt. Hakobe?"

"Makes sense now" he admitted. "They were probably driven out by these guys."

"Uh…if I may, w-what happened to the people before us?" Dereece asked. "You mentioned they didn't return…?"

Travis's frown dampened further. "Unfortunately, because of our limited resources, we couldn't do much. So we've enlisted this task as a job, and mages before you took the task themselves five days ago. But…the last group suffered incredulously."

"How so?" Erza inquired.

"Two of the three were found in critical condition. They were found with many of their bones broken, concussed, and unconscious. Both were suffering Magic Deficiency Disease by the time we've sent our scouts to find them. The other one went missing, presumably captured by these things."

"So this is an extermination and a rescue I take it?" Duncan elaborated.

Nic folded his arms. He was taking everything in, thinking about the situation critically. 'They sound like barbarians, yet they came from out of nowhere. And mages suffered Magic Deficiency Disease? That only happens when a mage's magic is depleted near completely in a sudden instance instead of gradual.' His eyes narrowed. 'Are these guys the reason for that?'

Shiin remained completely silent. He was studying Nic from the side, but he was paying attention to the details. He had a similar – more knowing – fixation on the photos.

Erza stepped forward, arms folded. "Is there any lead to them that you were able to get?"

Travis nodded. "Of course, Mrs. Pularis." He reached into his jacket again, pulling out more photos. "We've sent an aerial unit to inspect the terrain, and this is what we've found."

Everyone looked at the two photos presented, seeing the one looking like a stone fortress sitting on a slope buried within the snow. The other was blurry because of the blizzard, but it seemed like a profile of something.

"Check it out, a fortress." Happy awed.

"How'd we miss that? We've taken jobs at Mt. Hakobe before. You'd think we saw that at least once." Natsu figured.

"It's not unlikely. Mt. Hakobe snows all year around. I'm sure there are more than a few buried relics if you look hard enough." Erza answered with a stern tongue. She didn't show it outwardly, but even she was surprised by this revelation.

"They're probably using that as a stronghold." Lucy figured. "I bet that's where they're keeping the prisoners too."

Vanessa turned towards the other photo. "So then…what's the story with this picture?"

"Yeah, not to be rude, but it's rather…blurry to see clearly." Sophie tried to word it so as not to sound offensive.

"I understand, but at the time that was the only viable shot we could get." Travis admitted. "Amongst those things, we have reason to suspect that a larger one is leading them. We assume that one's their leader."

Natsu took the photo and squinted, trying to make heads or tails of it. "I can barely tell if it's an actual person or not!"

"You think someone's manipulating these things?" Happy inquired.

"It's possible, but we don't know for sure." Carla figured.

"Well whoever they are, we'll send them packing for all the trouble they've caused." Natsu declared.

As they all were fixated on the subject at hand, Shiin, while multitasking with remembering the equipment and Pokémon around him, took a look at the photos before him once more. As he did, his sights sat on the blurred humanoid, or more accurately, the blue sword that barely took shape.

Shiin saw the blue blur, his eyes widening briefly. 'Wait…that can't be…'

"If these creatures aren't dealt with, we'll likely suffer more casualties and endangered wildlife in this region of Fiore, best case scenario." Travis figured. "Will you accept?"

Before anyone could say their piece, Joey stepped up, hands up with a sassy disposition. "Eh, eh, eh. First, we need to talk about this 'negotiable' reward you're offering." He folded his arms. "Cuz we don't work for free or cheap around here, buddy."

"Yeah, he's got a point. What's the deal with that anyways?" Gray inquired.

Travis let out a dense sigh. "Right…as you know, the whole rebellion fiasco left a big blow to everyone, both physically and economically. We're still trying to make the necessary repairs caused by this incident. That being said, our budget's fairly limited right now, so we can't offer something financially extensive outside of the allotted amount."

"And what might that be?" Duncan crudely asked.

"Approximately ten-million Jewel."

Everyone's eyes widened at the amount. Even for an S-Class mission, a reward of that value was subliminal at best. Having experience, Nic and Erza knew amounts could go much higher than that, but they felt there was more to the story.

"Not that I'm complaining about the amount, but is there a catch to this? What about stamps we need?" Sophie accusingly asked.

"Right, so here's our ultimatum for you all…" Trevor turned to face them with a stern expression. "In exchange for doing this job, your reward will be a pay of ten-million Jewel, valuable held items…and five approval stamps."

The reward caused everyone to react with great shock. Not only a financial compensation, but bonuses including a number of stamps for a single job.

"No way! You serious!?" Natsu shouted in delight.

Duncan, who usually kept a straight face, had a slight smirk. "Now things are getting interesting."

Five stamps for one job? That's crazy!" Lucy gasped.

"If that's the case, that'll bring our count up to 23." Sophie recalled. "Which would put us well near the required number to participate."

Travis cleared his throat, garnering everyone's attention once more. "Well, that's what the higher ups had debated over. That's our offer, will you accept?"

Everyone turned to look to see the other's reaction. From the looks of it, they were all in agreement.

Erza turned back towards him with a nod. "Very well. We accept your conditions."

"Alright!" Natsu rammed a fist into his palm, igniting embers. "I'm all fired up now. Those guys don't know what hit them."

"You ready?" Vanessa smirked at Sophie.

"I was about to ask you that." Sophie chuckled.

Everyone went to exit the tent, leaving Shiin in the back to stare at the photos longer. He though he took in everything from the conversation, his fixation was still on the picture. Or rather, the blue blur. He swore he thought he knew about it, but wasn't concrete enough to confirm. He wanted to ask for better resolution, but he knew better than to interact with the Cambire Foundation. So for now, he would have to let the matter go.

Silently, he turned and filed out with everyone else. Once outside, everyone gathered and started conversing.

"I believe our first priority should be scouting their base of operations." Erza prompted.

Joey snapped his fingers. "Can do. Leave that part to Tranquill. If he ever gets lost, he can always find his way back to me."

"I'll provide a second set of wings. That should cover more ground." Staraptor prompted.

Natsu smiled. "Sounds good to me. Then we can drop and fireball on their asses and they won't know what hit'em!"

Lucy put a hand to her hip, glaring half-heartedly. "Yeah, somehow I doubt how that works."

As they were conversing and strategizing, far up over the mountain ledge where the base camp sat, Hoshina was standing with her feet close to the edge. Her hood covered her face, but as she gazed down at the group strategizing, her focus was fixed on a certain Pokémon Trainer standing beside the infamous Titania. A small smirk tugged at the corners of her lips.

Feeling as if someone was watching, Nic's gaze took a sharp shift skywards…only to find nothing there. He never doubted his instincts, so he was certain something was off. With a furrowed brow, he focused on his peers' strategy.

---

A short time passed as the group carried out their new mission. Using Nic's Earth and Icicle Form, he was able to zero in through the snow and icy ground and homed in on their destination. Even so, the trek was a ways off, so they all had to trudge through the snow to get there.

And as per suggestion by Joey, they used Tranquill and Staraptor as aerial reconnaissance. A sound move by the prestige leader of The Freaks.

Yet, the farther up they went, the once clear skies started turning gray. Winds began picking up that was threatening low windchill.

As the group marched on, their tracks leaving a ditch in the snow as they made their way over a slope. Nic led the way, his forms' input used as a map. "Should be up ahead. We're close." He alerted his comrades, who managed to keep tabs. "Vanessa, how's our radar?"

Using her aura, Vanessa was sensing her surroundings. "Nothing so far. We're in the clear."

"And I ain't smelling anything either." Natsu added. "Didn't that Trap guy say that these things were in large numbers or something?"

"Yeah, he did." Gray frowned, scanning the ice. Along the way, he stripped out of his shirt, leaving him topless in the cold. "Maybe they're all back at their hideout. He never specified when they're active."

"Unfortunately, we weren't able to get that kind of information. The previous mages are still comatose, so they couldn't give us any details." Erza stated. "We'll just have to work off what intel we have."

"Whatever we're dealing with, let's hope they're nothing like what we had to face." Dereece turned towards Joey, who was farther to the back.

Getting his incentive, Joey recalled the Parasia incident on the island. And how they barely managed to get out alive. "…right." He kept the notion short, on the account of a certain white-haired mage following them in the back. Best to leave it opaque for now. 'Maybe I should've brought my staff with me just in case. I probably could've if we weren't being watched.'

Shiin retained silence as he fell behind the others. His gaze was fixed ahead, but his mind was elsewhere. This go unnoticed by someone.

"Lost in thought?" He looked up to see Duncan close. "Either you're dragging your feet on purpose…or perhaps there's something you're aware of that we aren't."

Shiin immediately dismissed his forlorn disposition, replaced with upmost composure. "My awareness has nothing in relation with you, PokéEarthlander." He scoffed. "And if you must know, I'm in the back to keep a set of eyes on our position. The rear is the most probable point for an enemy to ambush after all."

Duncan didn't feel the need to argue. He was just as skeptical as everyone else. Their last direct interaction was fresh in his mind. Gripping his weapon tight, he marched on.

"Brrr…is it me, or is getting chillier by the minute?" Lucy shivered in her coat.

"Yeah, the wind's getting colder too." Wendy added her two cents. Even as a Sky Dragon Slayer, that didn't mean she was tolerable to cold air.

"Look, up there!" Carla pointed towards the sky.

Everyone turned their heads skywards, noticing two avians gliding from different directions. As they drew closer, they recognized them as Staraptor, Junior, and Tranquill, the three returning from their scouting.

"No sights of anything but white fluff, Master Joey!" Tranquill chirped.

"Same here. It's completely baren between here and the fortress." Staraptor added. "The snow doesn't have any tracks leading anywhere neither."

Nic fell silent, taking in what they explained. Something still didn't feel right about all this.

Erza stepped forward. "We need to make haste. These winds mean that snowfall isn't very far."

Nic nodded to his wife's concerns. "Right…let's move." Despite the nagging feeling in his gut something felt off, he knew staying in one spot was a bad idea. They all chose to follow along while Joey recalled Tranquill.

As they all moved along, everyone was keeping an eye out. As they trudged up the hill, getting out of noticeable sight range, something in the snow stirred and lifted. A head poked out of the ground, with red eyes fixated on everyone's backs.

The observer chuckled quietly before retreating into hiding.

---

The farther along they went, the more drastic the scenery became. Hillsides of snow became more abundant, making it an uneven trek. It didn't help that it started to snow in moderation snow.

Junior looked towards the sky as he was on Staraptor's back. A snowflake drifted onto his face and quickly melted, making him blink before sneezing.

"Hey, Lucy?" Sophie called for her fellow blonde female in front of her. "I heard that you finally got your book published. Congratulations."

Lucy sheepishly rubbed the back of her head, chuckling. "Thanks, Sophie. That means a lot. Though it just got through the printing stages by Jason, but he said clearance is certain. We're just looking for a date."

"Suppose I'll have to buy myself a copy then." Erza smirked. "It'd be rude not to if it's by you, Lucy."

"I might as well, too." Vanessa chimed in.

"Look at that, Lucy. You've already got fans!" Klefki merrily chirped, twirling beside her.

Lucy smiled brightly as she felt embarrassed. She honestly didn't mind the praise from them, especially since she worked so hard over the years to make her novel come true. To be frank, she still couldn't believe it herself. To finally have a lifelong goal assessed was truly an accomplishment.

"Maybe I can talk to ole' Quinlan about getting some copies shipped to Rolica. Sure my subjects would like a good read." Joey mused.

"You seriously still on that?" Dereece prodded.

Joey shrugged. "Hey, that's where we'll be next summer. Wouldn't hurt to have something good to read in downtime."

"Oh yeah, that's right. I heard the Cambire Foundation's started trading over there as well." Sophie noted.

"Yeah. It's still amazing that they've held up, especially after what's happened." Wendy chimed in, then frowned. "Still, knowing their circumstances, I feel kinda bad taking the reward."

"It can't be helped. In the long run, this is probably just a minor setback like everything else." Carla interjected. "They've been fair to us so far, so it's reasonable we hold up our part as well. If that means dealing with these monsters, then so be it."

"Yeah, hopefully they're not too difficult."

Duncan closed his eyes and scoffed. At least now if they get jinxed, he'll know who to blame for this.

"Look! Up ahead!" Happy pointed ahead of them. "I think I see it!"

Everyone's attention turned towards the front. Despite the rapidly falling snow, they could make out a faint visual on something atop of a hill that seemed edged into the cliff. Snow and ice barely coated its corners, but the manmade stone was all too clear from Natsu's standpoint.

"Guess we we're on the right track." He smirked readily. "Alright, time to pay these guys a visit and see what they're up to."

"Aye!" Happy cheered.

"We better hurry, the blizzard's starting to get thicker." Dereece warned. Right as he said that, irony struck in the form of a strong breeze followed by cold snow threatening to push them back. He was thankful his magic helped give him footing.

As the group trudged further towards the fortress, the howling of the blizzard resonated through the area, like a scream. Fr some reason, this gave Nic goosebumps, even though he was in part Icicle Form. His sixth sense was telling him something was very wrong.

Vanessa felt this, too. The younger Pularis woman's aura was picking up faint waves all around, even if they weren't visible. She knew something was close by.

The vacancy of the landscape. The dense blizzard and piling snow. The slopes overlooking them…it finally clicked.

Both their eyes widened. It was a trap!

"Everyone, get close!" Nic shouted.

Just as he said that, a flurry of arrows and rocks were flung from either side. The frozen crags rained down compilations of skewers and rocks that aimed for them. Luckily, Nic anticipated this and shifted his Earth Form to his Stone Form, summoning a Wide Guard that guarded them from the vindictive assault.

"An ambush!?" Lucy gasped.

"How!? I thought Staraptor and Tranquill scouted for clear paths!" Sophie exasperated.

"We did!" Staraptor couldn't believe it herself. She was sure she swept across here earlier. 'Was this set up on our way here? How'd they anticipate us so quickly?'

"That doesn't matter now!" Erza shouted, requipping into her Heaven's Wheel Armor. With Nic keeping up their guard, she had room to summon numerous swords pointed in all directions. "Vanessa, can you trace them?"

Vanessa closed her eyes and focused. Though the blizzard was resonating, with the arrows coming down from definite points, this helped her in locating numerous aura signatures. "Got it!"

"Blumenblatt!"

"Lustrous Spire!"

The Pularis girls unleashed an array of swords that blitzed into the cliffs, followed by a twisting double helix of teal aura that peaked high and rained down dozens of aura meteors throughout the area. Bright slash marks and teal explosions were followed by high-pitched cries that echoed through the area. The impact of both assaults caused the cliffs on either side to cave in and collapse. Everyone stayed put as the cliffs collapsed into the snow, Nic's Wide Guard still not fading.

After a minute, the assault diminished. Nic finally let up, with everyone looking in all directions with uncertain looks.

"Did…that do it?" Wendy questioned.

Vanessa was picking up on numerous signatures still, strong as before. She frowned. "No…get ready!"

The snow wounds shifted in several spots, popping out thin yellow arms with long nails. Looking something similar to a horror movie, dozens of little, red-eyed cretins crawled out of the snow with low snarls. Some looked dazed as they were rubbing their heads, while a few remained buried, possibly dead from the fall. But all around, dozens of small creatures the size of a child emerged from hiding all around the party. From seemingly out of nowhere, they horded around them in the thick of the blizzard, many carrying low-grade weapons.

Gray scanned his surroundings, eyes narrowed. 'The hell are these things?'

"The heck are they?" Lucy spatted.

"They look similar to the creatures in the photos." Sophie recalled. "If I had to guess, looks like we've found them."

As the group of mages were bracing themselves, Shiin was critical about the situation. The others were too focused on the current enemy at the moment to see the wide eyes he had. 'Then, it's just as I suspected. There's no mistaking them now.' He thought. 'Gremlins.'

One of the creatures – a Gremlin – stepped closer with teeth bared.

"Whatever they are…" Natsu's fists ignited in broiling fire. "They picked the wrong guys to mess with!"

All at once, numerous Gremlin approached them at the same time. Natsu didn't hesitate to compress his flames to a single point and punched the snowy ground. A heated plume of flames immediately vaporized dense snow, creating a flash-freeze shockwave effect that blew numerous Gremlin back. If the heat didn't faze them, the shockwave sure did. Though not as many compared to those closer, the horde was taken aback.

Gray was next to attack. "Sorry about this, but you asked for this! Ice-Make: Lance!" He summoned a magic seal, which expelled dozens of frozen lances that spearheaded into numerous Gremlin. Those hit were struck down with loud gags, while others scrambled to either get away or work around the ice.

"Wendy!" Carla shouted.

"I know!" Wendy generated whirlwinds around her – contributed by the blizzard – and used her arms to control the flow. "Sky Dragon's Wave Wind!"

A voracious cyclone whipped up around them that made for a barricade. The surroundings Gremlin that got too close were instantly swallowed up by the maelstrom and lifted off the ground. They screamed as they were whirled around at dizzying speeds that threatened to tear a normal person apart.

"Klefki!" Lucy shouted.

"You got it!" Her Klefki chimed and undid her key ring, flicking a golden key towards Lucy for her to snatch in midair.

"Open: Gate of the Archer – Sagittarius!"

A golden seal expelled Sagittarius, the horse-man stood ready with his bow and arrows in arms. "Righty-O and ready to serve, Lady Lucy!"

Lucy pointed the key to her chest, causing her body to give off a bright shine. "Star Dress: Sagittarius Form!" She emerged from the light, adorning her exposing Star Dress with an archer's bow and arrow ready.

The surrounding Gremlin that weren't swept up by Wendy's earlier assault turned and made hasty retreats, to which Lucy was well prepared for.

"Klefki, now! Fairy Lock!"

"Sorry, but you're not going anywhere~!" Klefki chimed as her body suddenly expelled numerous ethereal chains Because of her Prankster Ability, the chains crossed and blocked off passage from all around before any of the Gremlins could get away. They all locked with louds clicks, enveloping the area.

"Let's hit'em, Sagittarius!" Lucy shouted.

"Yes, with pleasure!" The Celestial Spirit raised his bow and arrow, with Lucy doing the same. They aimed at the trapped Gremlins and let loose.

"Star Shot!" The two unleashed an array of magical arrows that spearheaded with deadly accurate precision. Each shot made impact with the Gremlins' vital spots, leaving them gawking and falling over onto the ground.

Sophie smirked, flocking a lock of her hair. "It's rude to keep a lady waiting." She sassily chimed, putting a finger to her forehead. She channeled magic and manifested chains of memories around her as she focused on the Gremlins close to her. "Memory-Make: Field of Frozen Dreams!"

From the snow, buds sprouted beneath the nearby Gremlin. Half-dozen looked down as buds open, expelling pollen that freeze-dried almost instantly. Their lower halves almost instantly froze up, slowing them down and making some of them fall over.

One Gremlin was fortunate enough to escape from the range, only to hear a growing cry coming from above. "Skyfall!"When he looked up, it was too late as Dereece ran straight down and smashed the Gremlin into the snow with full force.

He got up and steadied himself on the snow, seeing stars. "Oh man…that was a rush. GAH!" By the time his vision cleared, he saw three Gremlin rush towards him with daggers and knives. He used his Elemental Walk and escalated quickly skywards, getting out of their reach.

With them gathered in one spot, Joey crossed his fingers and manifested a barrier in front of him. "Barrier-Make: Crash!" He shot the barrier across the snowy ground, flattening it and slamming the Gremlin with the force of a truck. The impact sent them careening through the air, smashing into the snow.

Several Gremlin grouped around Duncan, who kept his cool and observed cooly. Keeping his breathing steady, he gripped his Elfen Forja, channeling his magic and shifting to the Earth Lacrima. He twirled his staff overhead to gather momentum before bringing it down.

"Gear Five: Earth!" He slammed one end into the snow, creating a dense shockwave to run through and level the terrain. Snow flung in the air, making a barricade for Gremlin throwing rocks or shooting arrows. They consequently ended up being blown back and crushed by the snow sheets unearthed.

By the time the rubble settled, all the Gremlin that were surrounding them were either sprawled or buried under the snow. Though they all looked intact, it was clear they were all knocked out.

Shiin, who was appropriately a safe distance, had wide eyes from what he saw. 'This can't be…they wiped out a whole nest of Gremlin in less than a minute. Taking out large nests such as these would take half a day for even professionals.'

"That seriously it?" Natsu questioned in a whining tone. "I didn't even break a sweat!"

"Calm down, Natsu. Wasn't like they put up much of a fight anyways." Gray chastised. "I say that's a good thing."

Natsu folded his arms. "Guess so…" He didn't sound convinced.

"Still, you think we went a bit overboard there?" Wendy inquired. "I almost feel bad."

"Can't be helped." Joey pried. "I mean, that's what the job wanted, right?" He looked around, scanning the many Gremlin scattered around them. He couldn't help but feel uneased about all this. 'This really S-Class level difficulty?'

"Well…still, at least we're out of immediate danger." Dereece chimed.

Duncan scoffed. "Don't jinx it. How'd they know we were coming here? Seems pretty suspicious to me." He glanced over towards Vanessa. "Your aura should have picked up on them sooner, what happened?"

Vanessa frowned as she furrowed her brow. Truthfully, even she wasn't sure. But she had to think even her magic had flaws. "It must be the snow. They must have layered themselves thick enough to be kept out of immediate sensory."

Duncan glared over his shoulder at the snow pile with Gremlins half-buried. He may not know Vanessa's Aura Magic to a tee, but he had a good idea how it worked. All living things gave off a aura, so surprise attacks were near impossible for her. Something didn't feel right.

Lucy sighed in relief. "Well I'm just relieved that's over."

As the group talked amongst themselves about the perspective, one of the Gremlins that was close by was cringing. He was right near Natsu, the Dragon Slayer's back turned to him. His exposed ankles were within sight. The creature's eyes narrowed as a wicked sneer appeared on his face.

"Can you sniff anything out?" Gray questioned Natsu and Wendy.

Wendy shook her head. "Sorry, there's too much wind, and the snow's too thick."

"Yeah, this weather bites." Natsu complained. "Seriously, why'd it have to snow now of all ti-" He was halted by a strong bite force on his leg. "GAH!"

His scream caught everyone's attention. All eyes widened when they saw a Gremlin sinking his fangs into Natsu's exposed leg, drawing some blood.

"Natsu!" Happy panicked.

Natsu gnashed his teeth and kicked the Gremlin off. "Get off, ya jerk!" He sent the creature flying, but it left bite marks in his flesh that was leaking some blood.

The Gremlin went careening through the blizzard and landed on his feet. He didn't look impacted at all. In fact, that's what a lot looked like. Slowly, the ones that were knocked down by them earlier gradually got back to their feet. They all eyed them evilly as they sneered and bared their enlarged canines. They started surrounding them again, much to their horror.

"Wait…what?! How?!" Gray exasperated. "I thought we just beat them?"

"Were they faking?!" Natsu exasperated. "Damn cheaters!"

"But…I was sure that my arrows hit their mark…was there a miscalculation?" Sagittarius worried.

"No, all those attacks met their mark." Erza assured. Even she was surprised, but she was better at not showing it. 'Most of them don't even look fazed. Do they have high durability or rapid recovery abilities?'

Nic leered at them all, looking equally perplexed. Something definitely didn't feel right.

A Gremlin closed in on Vanessa. The Aura Mage took a step forward and crossed her wrists, her stance loose. "Nugatory Burst!"

Teal aura holes appeared beneath the Gremlin before they were all swallowed by numerous teal pillars. The impact shuddered through the blizzard, making a staggering light show from miles away. However that's all it did.

When the attack subsided, the Gremlin only seemed deterred for a moment, but not a one was down. In fact, they all smirked and mockingly laughed at her failed endeavors, leaving her completely stunned.

"You're kidding, that didn't even work!?" Lucy gawked.

"What do we do?" Wendy worried. Suddenly, a Gremlin threw a rock at her, causing her to shield her face.

Carla responded by speeding in, transforming into her Guman Form with a kick straight to the Gremlin's side. "You foul creature!"

The horde of Gremlin closed in, with many making attempts to close in on their legs. Lucy and Sagittarius made attempts to shoot them down, but their magical arrows only buffered and slowed them down. They drew closer, their fangs and lecherous eyes fixed on the girls' slender and ripe legs.

'This isn't good.' Shiin turned and noticed two Gremlin coming at him from behind. In a hurry, he put on one of his magic rings, which made a flame magic seal. "Fire Bolt!"

A medium-sized fireball manifested from the ring that aimed for both Gremlin. The blast met both Gremlin, enveloping them in fire briefly. However, they only scowled before the flames diffused themselves, the two yellow creatures shaking off the embers.

Shiin's eyes widened in disbelief. 'How can this be? Are they immune to magic?'

"Guys, they're getting closer…what do we do?!" Dereece panicked.

Nic looked around briefly to scope their situation. Seeing how everyone was losing traction, he stepped in front readying his next move.

"Everyone, stay where you are!" He shouted. "Wide Guard!" He summoned another Wide Guard barrier, surrounding all his comrades.

However, he knew that wouldn't do anything against the Gremlins when they're going in physically. It was meant for his next trick he had up his sleeve. "Blizzard!"

Just then, the winds picked up and a violent maelstrom of icy-cold air and dense snow whirled around. The once dense snowfall was manipulated by Nic into an explosive force in all directions. Unlike before, all the Gremlins were powerless as their screams went hoarse in midair, freezing up and blown away. Not a single one was left when the snowstorm dialed down and became more visible again.

Nic let off on the Wide Guard, allowing everyone levity once again. "Everyone alright?"

Sophie deeply sighed. "I believe so. That one was too close."

"Yeah, they were ready to bite my leg off." Dereece grimaced.

Wendy sank into the snow, sighing loudly. "That was scary. What was that?"

"Whatever they were, looks like Nic's attack wiped them all out just as we wanted in the first place." Carla noted.

"Blizzard never misses within snow or hail either." Duncan noted, shooting Nic a glance. "Not bad."

Gray turned towards Natsu. "How's your leg man?"

Natsu looked down at it, seeing the blood and bite marks left. "It's nothing. Little critter's got strong teeth, that's all."

"Here, I'll heal you." Wendy moved closer to Natsu, moving her hands to his wounds as green energy quickly patched up his injury.

"Thanks, Wendy." Natsu smiled at her. He then turned to Nic. "Hey man, save some for the rest of us next time, would ya? Was just about to warm up!"

"Right, sorry about that…" Nic meant that, but he knew that it couldn't be helped. It was a dire case and he'd rather not take risks like before. He knew the consequences of doing so. In hindsight, he should've gone with his Meadow Form and Earth Form to pinpoint the hidden enemies in advance. It would've saved the hassle that they had to go through. He probably could have also changed the weather so it could be rainy and flush the snow and Gremlins out. Either way he looked at it, it was foresight and mistakes that he felt responsible for. He mentally cursed himself for this folly. He needed to learn from this and make sure it didn't happen again.

As the snowstorm howled away, the Pularis man's sixth sense was going off again. Feeling like he was being watched, he quickly glanced up towards the cliffs in the distance. It was vague – almost like a shadow – but he knew something was there. By the time a layer of snow descended, the figment was already gone.

"Nic…" His Staraptor looked in his direction. She must have saw, too.

He frowned with fixation. He knew he couldn't let this slide now. He turned towards Erza and the others. "Erza, I'm gonna check for stragglers. You guys go on ahead."

"You sure?" Erza questioned, sensing her husband's concerns.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I won't be long, but it's best not to let loose ends be untied." He gave her a reassuring grin. "I'll be back…promise."

Erza gave him a straight look, one that he recognized as a challenge of ethics. He's been getting that quite a bit lately, and even he had to admit that it was difficult to get her to simmer. But thankfully Erza knew the mission was important, and Nic had a point. She chose to relent…this time. "Very well…just meet up when you're all done."

"I will. Let's hurry." With that, Nic stomped on the ground, causing a slanted, flat precipice to rocket out from below and make for a springboard for him to fly towards the higher white yonder.

"C'mon, Junior. We're taking a detour." Staraptor directed Junior, who held on tight and snug against her feathers and flew with gusto.

"There they go again." Gray groaned. "Off doing their own thing."

"Was it really a good idea to just let them go like that? Aren't you worried about him?" Dereece sheepishly asked.

Erza lowered her head, sighing at the stupid question. "Of course I am. But Nic's intuition is never wrong…" She smugly grinned. "And I'm not his babysitter, not that he ever needed one. I trust him."

Everyone didn't say anything against her. Vanessa remained silent, but her subconscious sensory picked up on her emotions. She was resolute in her ovation, that was obvious. But she also sensed…anxiety, worry, and…mistrust? She didn't like it. She turned in the direction Nic ventured off to with a frown of her own. 'Nic…you certain you know what's going through that head of yours?'

A viable distance away, hidden underneath a layer of snow, there was one Gremlin that stayed back and witnessed the whole thing. He saw the full-scale attack he barely escaped from by keeping cover underneath the snow. He saw Wendy using Healing Magic on Natsu, and the fact that his kind was taken out by one man.

With a low snarl, he retreated further into the snow. So deep in fact that he burrowed into a tunnel. With eyes that could see in the dark, he navigated the small passageway that snaked through the mountain. When he arose again through a small hole, he was within the base of the fortress, which was completely dark inside with no windows. The creature hurried through a dark room, where he stopped at the entrance.

Yelling something like gibberish, it could only he decoded as language for whoever was inside. Sitting on a stone throne was an armored silhouette, whose green eyes flashed with cynicism. Metal clanged as armored heels sat foot on stone. The taller figure let out a hollow language in a deeper tone, causing the denizens in the dark to stir and snarl, their red and yellow eyes gleaming enviously.

---

Far from the others that were taking the straight path, Nic found himself on the detour road. Or rather, a lack of one. He stood in the midst of the snowy gale, unfazed by its icy bite while in his Icicle Form. He took the time to transform his Stone Form half to his Meadow Form and actively search out any natural life.

'I know someone's here. They couldn't have gotten far.' He closed his eyes and subconsciously focused.

Aside from Staraptor and Junior, he knew there was someone else with him.

"…you know, it's a bad idea to keep hiding when I know you're there." He kept his back turned as he called out behind himself. His face showed a cross between displeasure and annoyance.

His knowing tone was answered with the sound of footsteps coming from behind an icy rock. It was none other than Shiin himself, his flat expression unwavering. "Suppose my efforts can't be so discrete in this scenario." He muttered to himself.

He walked until he was several meters away from Nic. He looked straight at Nic's back focused, whereas Nic didn't bother to look at him.

"Apologies, but I find it prudent to leave nuisances unattended as well." Shiin countered matter-of-factly.

Getting the innuendo, Nic sighed. He knew from the moment they first interacted with each other at his front doorstep that Shiin had it out for him, and to a certain standpoint, he could understand where he was coming from. Still, he'd rather not waste his time on a debate and focus on current matters.

"Tell me…you know those things, don't you?"

Shiin kept a straight face despite Nic's keen judgement. "And let's say that I did?"

When Nic glanced over his shoulder, what Shiin saw made his blood run cold. It could have been from his Icicle Form, but the air got colder as Nic's absolute zero glare was laser focused on him. It was like he was trying to freeze him from his gaze alone…and it was working.

"I've been patient with you up until now. Frankly, I don't give a shit about you being a representative. But what I do care for is the wellbeing of my guildmates." His tone was icy-cold. "I've learned a lot of things since my time here, and one of those things is cooperating with those who you don't see eye to eye with for a common goal." He thought of the Magic Council and the Cambire Foundation, most notably when Arthur inducted the title of Champion onto him. "So I'll ask again…what do you know about these things?"

The crisp, cold air was crystalizing. Junior shivered in Staraptor's wing as the bird's red eyes glared down Shiin, ready to act of he made the wrong move. However, from the looks of it, it seemed that Shiin got the message loud and clear.

Keeping his eyes shut, he tried to control his shivering body enough to where he could stay upright, but Nic's patience was running thin, as was the remnants of his body warmth. "…very well." He tersely admitted. "They are known as Gremlin."

"Gremlin?" Nic repeated with inquiry in his tone. This was his first time hearing of such a thing.

"Yes. You nor many Fiorians are aware considering their habitat isn't normally isn't in this vicinity. They're territory extends no further than Iceberg all the way to the Pergrande Kingdom. Compared to the ecology of higher species of beasts, Gremlins are the weakest. But…that doesn't make them any less of a threat.

"By no means are they bright creatures, but if needed be, they can be resourceful and adapt…at least according to what I have studied."

"You implying your Magic Government doesn't deal with these things themselves?"

"We have guilds of our own, with mages who have graduated and have gone on quests slaying them. The guilds send the reports to us for us to assess and learn from." Realizing he was digressing, he quickly followed up. "Anyways, the Gremlins often live in dark places in rural areas. One Gremlin alone isn't a negligible issue, but when their numbers multiply, they can do more harm. There have been many cases where villages were ransacked, their men and children slaughtered, and women kidnapped. They're especially drawn towards mages."

"Why's that?" Staraptor had a feeling she wouldn't like the answer.

"It involved their teeth. They have the ability to drain a mage's magic by biting them, similar to leeches. The more magic they consume, the stronger and more evolved they become. There have been cases where some very potent mages were eaten alive by swarms…it's utterly a magic scourge of itself."

Nic's leer sharpened. 'That why that thing bit Natsu?' Hearing the explanation now made some sense, but it felt like there was more to it. "And you said they kidnap women?"

"Yes. They are a single-sex species, and they have the ability to breed with females of any kind. But they mostly prefer human females." He paused as he looked down, grimacing. "And it doesn't help that they multiply quickly. Their numbers become even more if the mother is a mage…which ultimately leads to Magic Deficiency Disease at birth."

"Then, the ones kidnapped before…" Staraptor led on, getting an idea of what happened.

"Yes…and I fear it's already too late for them. Your guildmates might be walking into a swarm of fresh Gremlin already in their adulthood-"

A swift wind harshly slapped his face. His eyes widened when he felt something sharp against his throat. In the blink of an eye, Nic had a forearm morphed into a Leaf Blade pointed at him. The look on his face was colder if that were possible.

There was a heavy tension in the midst of that moment. All that was heard was the snowstorm raging around them. Their eyes were locked onto each other with Nic's having a ferocity that the representative had not seen before. It sent another shiver down his spine.

"And you didn't us any of this before?" Nic vehemently sneered.

As they were talking, Butterfree struggled to flutter through the hellish storm. Eventually, he found a suitable slope to protect him from the wind. With a moment to breathe, he looked over and saw Shiin and Nic.

Despite the circumstances, Shiin managed to put his words together. "I wasn't certain at the time. And besides, Gremlins don't come this far south…they must have bene driven out by something." He furrowed his brow. "I fear that someone may be pulling the strings here."

Nic didn't let up unfortunately, unconvinced. "Anything else you want to say?"

Getting impatient with the interrogation, Shiin glared back. "Rather than interrogate me with a weapon at my throat, perhaps it would've been effective from the start if you read my mind." His gaze grew more accusing. "And besides, with how much power you have, I fail to see how working with your guildmates would make any difference when the end result falls on you. That last attack was evidence enough of my point. If anything, you could solve this whole quest by yourself…or rather, I should say that you and your Pokémon that you rely on to solve all of our problems."

Nic's eyes widened at his words. It wasn't about how he said it, rather the observation behind it. Even he figured that out, but he didn't want to exclude his guildmates from leveling up.

The tension grew between them as the winds howled. Junior looked confused, but also unsettled by this. Staraptor was there to protect him.

"Free…" Butterfree tilted his head, listening in on everything.

The confliction between the two resonated for a while, and yet, Nic refused to let down his guard for a moment. Even in the face of a threat, Shiin made it clear that he was willing to stand beside what he said. His eyes conveyed nothing but truth to what he said so far, that's what his Meadow Form was sensing. Pure.

Before he could make a move, he sensed something heading his way. Behind him, a Moonblast and Shadow Ball sped towards them. However, Staraptor and an aloof Butterfree saw them coming and acted promptly.

In a flash, Staraptor moved in front of the Moonblast, using a Steel Wing to dissipate it.

Butterfree chirped as his wings glowed, firing a Silver Wind at the Shadow Ball, resulting in an explosion.

Shiin gasped, covering up from the smoke. 'I didn't sense those. A Pokémon attack?'

Nic glared ahead, his Meadow Form's life sensory picking up on the signature he had before. From the thick of the snow, he watched as a Gardevoir and a Musharna emerge into the open, staring directly at them.

"Those must be Pokémon." Shiin figured, adjusting himself. He readied his magic rings just in case. "Speak now! I know you can talk. What business do you have assaulting us?"

"Pardon thy prudence." A voice called out. "I wanted to be certain I had your attention."

The voice had an echo, making it indiscernible of its origins. The hassle was alleviated when a mist covered the area around Gardevoir and Musharna. When it thinned out, a hooded figure stood between the two Pokémon.

What immediately stuck out to them…was the swirling crystal ball between her hands.

---

The group trudged further, breaching snow that immediately covered their tracks behind with fresh layers of white. At this point, their own tracks were lost, but no one paid heed as they marched towards the fortress that was within clear sight now.

"There it is. That's gotta it." Lucy pointed out the fortress half-buried into the cliff.

"You'd think that would've stuck out like a sore thumb." Gray complained. "Whoever built it sure didn't put location in mind."

"Yeah, why would anyone build a castle all the way up here?" Wendy wondered aloud.

"That's a good question. Normally they'd build fortresses or settlements in such places to withhold something far from others." Carla informed. "It's hard to say, but it could have been an attempt to localize on Mount Hakobe at one point. But with the climate being as it is, routes would be impossible to keep stable and assure safety. I doubt it'd be occupied if not for these things."

"An abandoned hideaway up a mountain with no one else around. That isn't typical." Gray scowled,

Dereece leaned closer to Joey. "Captain, doesn't this sound like what we've found underground on Rolica?"

"Yeah…it does." Joey frowned. He recounted that accidental peril they ended up in. At least the upside was that it worked in his favor at the end.

"So how do you think we get in?" Gray questioned, seeing the massive double doors. "Looks like it's locked from the inside."

"Hm?" Duncan, who was inspecting the rim of the fortress, noticed movement. "Look alive. Looks like they've prepared a warm welcome."

"Huh?" Lucy looked up and gasped. "Oh crap!"

Gremlin lined up along the top floor, armed with arrows and spears made out of stick and rock. They launched them down upon them.

Acting fast, Joey got in front, reaching his arms out. "Barrier-Make: Barrier!" He manifested a turquoise barrier between his guildmates and the hailing barrage. They all deflected off and into the snow, some snapping upon impact from being too fragile. However, the Gremlin were well stocked, so their poor-quality weapons were by no means going to run out soon.

"Well, so much for sneaking in." Sophie grimaced.

"We can't stand around forever! C'mon! While Captain Joey holds up our defenses!" Dereece encouraged. "First thing's first, we've gotta take down their shooters!"

"Got it!" Natsu brought his hands together, generating intense heat and molding it into a fireball. "Fire Dragon's Brilliant-!"

"Wait, Natsu!" Lucy shouted, stopping his attack. "Do you wanna blow the place up?! There's still people inside!"

Natsu's eyes widened. "Crap, you're right!"

"Hmph, then I guess this'll have to do." Duncan scoffed, pulling out an Ultra Ball. "Magmortar, start!"

Appearing from his capsule, Duncan's Magmortar stood in the snow with a gruff hum. His molten body instantly melted the snow beneath him, putting his heels in pits.

Duncan pointed up at the Gremlins flinging arrows along the top. "Magmortar, Flamethrower! Go!"

Sneering, Magmortar's claws retreated into his arms, turning them into cannons. He aimed his left arm up and expelled a superheated blast of broiling flames that ate through the raining spears, disintegrating them. The Gremlins were unprepared and panicked as the flames consumed one corner of the roof and traveled across with Magmortar's aim.

Using his second cannon, Magmortar repeated the process, firing another molten blaze at the other corner. He slowly brought his literal cannonfire closer, similar to a hammer and anvil maneuver that ate away the Gremlin's line of shot. Any that were too close were engulfed in flames, immediately burning to death in rolling agony. Once the entire top was ablaze, Magmortar ceased his fire.

Duncan tapped his shoulder with his Elfen Forja, humming. "That takes care of their high ground."

"That was nothing." Magmortar harrumphed.

Suddenly, a loud caw from above caught everyone's attention.

"Huh?" By the time Lucy looked up, she saw something huge falling straight onto her. "AAAAAAHHHHHH!" In a panic, she dove into the snow to avoid a boulder that would've crushed her.

"Lucy?!" Happy panicked.

Lucy lifted herself out of the snow, shaking off the cold embrace. "I'm fine, Happy. But…" She looked towards the sky again, her eyes widening in shock like everyone else.

Flying their heads, a half-dozen White Wyvern let out screeches as they all had boulder in their dark talons, ready to drop. But that wasn't the disturbing part. It was the fact that Gremlin were on their back riding them, all smiling wickedly and cackling.

"You've gotta be kidding me! They learned to tame White Wyverns, too?" Wendy panicked.

"How did they manage to pull a feat like that off?" A question Carla asked aloud. Everyone wondered that same thing.

Natsu's sensitive ears picked up something, making him look towards the entrance with a serious face. "We've got a welcome wagon."

Just then, a loud creaking sound came from the massive entrance doors as they opened before everyone's eyes. Slowly, numerous silhouettes marched out into the open, all having red eyes.

However, it wasn't just the average Gremlin they were against. They saw a handful of other Gremlin that appeared to be taller, with more rotund built to them. The biggest difference was that their skin was orange, and their eyes were yellow. Some of these had weapons of their own, ranging from chain whips to axes that looked sharp enough to cut rock in half.

Copious amounts of them filed out ready to confront the intruders, all cackling sickly and snarling vehemently.

"Great, we get the red-carpet treatment." Gray quipped.

"That looks like more than what we've fought earlier." Wendy chirped, and added a second analysis. "And they got bigger ones, too."

"They look tough, Captain." Dereece quipped. "Any ideas?"

Joey frowned, keeping his gaze forward. "Yeah…not die."

"I can get behind that." Duncan scoffed.

"We need reinforcements. Everyone!" Erza rallied her guildmates, pulling out a Dive Ball in the process. The others did the same thing, readying their choices for the battle.

"Cloyster, I need your assistance!"

"Goodra, go!"

"Grovyle, you're up!"

"Tyrunt, show'em!"

"Come out, Bergmite!"

"Amaura, go!"

"You're up, Gyarados!"

"Yanmega, it's your turn!"

"Go, Salazzle!"

The Pokmon emerged inti the open, joining Klefki and Magmortar in their ranks against the onslaught. They all let out mixed cries and hisses alike. Gyarados's cry in particular had broader depth to it, not just because of his size, but also his Intimidate Ability immediately weakening the Gremlin forces all at once.

'Not a bad call. He used his head and made their offenses weaker right from the start.' Duncan hated to admit it, but he was impressed with Joey's choice of support.

"Ugh, again?" Salazzle felt the chill around her, visibly annoyed. "The hell's with you dragging me into the cold?"

"Hey, it's no picnic for me either, toots. I'm freezing my toes off here." Grovyle complained.

Erza requipped into her Black Wing Armor, brandishing a long dark sword. "Don't let a single one escape! Take them out with everything you have!"

"GROOOAAAAAH!" Numerous Gremlin and their elders rushed for them, the group ready to fight for every tooth and nail.

---

Nic and Shiin continued to stare at the feminine enigma in front of them. Her presence is completely in the open, yet she looked composed and confident.

Using his Meadow Form that's still active, Nic tried to read her energy. From what he could tell, there wasn't anything malicious he felt. But still, her attempt to garner their attention wasn't a very welcoming approach. 'I'm not sensing any ill-will. Did she come here to fight?'

Shiin shot her a steadfast glare. "Identify yourself at once! Do not attempt to resist!"

Hoshina made no attempt to rebuke Shiin's demand, but while the white-haired mage was an inquiry, an even bigger one stood right beside him. Her eyes locked onto Nic, the two in a deadlock where time felt nearly irrelevant as the cold embracing them.

After a minute of studying them, she gave a small "Hmmm," as her lips curved.

"I said identify yourself at once! That is an order according to article 3. All mages must have an identification or thus be condemned as hostile, thus treated as such." Shiin urged, his tone drenched with impatience. He didn't like being ignored. Especially given his position.

As if his threat fell on deaf ears and feeling her focus on him, he decided to speak his mind. "Tell me, are you related to these Gremlin?" A viable question to start.

After what felt like hours of anticipation, Hoshina uttered her choice of words. "And, to say that I contributed to this present?"

"That's to say, what are you hoping to gain from this?" Nic spatted back. He urged to hold back his need to mend some roots and restrain her for precaution. His patience was already trimmed thanks to Shiin. He didn't appreciate this curveball.

Feeling the skin of his caution, Hoshina spoke up. "My gain, you said?" She chuckled. "Allow me to correct. Rather, it's what do you gain?"

He furrowed his brow, taken aback by her correction. "My gain?"

"Yes, Nic Pularis. It is not what anyone else gains. Rather, it's what you take in and learn from all this. To what extent do you benefit from this adventure that you hope to achieve? That is the question you should be asking yourself."

Nic stared at her with heavy vexation. He wanted to know if she was to be accountable, but instead she riddled him with a question of experience. It didn't remedy the situation at all.

Although, when Nic paused for a brief moment, he thought back to when he initially questioned his need to be on this mission when Erza was already capable. What did he benefit from this exactly?

"That still doesn't answer the question." Staraptor argued, her red eyes bearing daggers at their unwelcomed company. "I believe he asked if you were accountable to these things our cohorts just fought."

Hoshina hummed again, bemused. "You needn't fret. I wasn't present for their arrival." She admitted, pausing for a moment. "Though…I did witness their development. Quite the resourceful creatures, if I say so myself."

"So you've allowed them to populate here freely?" Nic inquired, almost accusingly.

"It is not my concern nor my business what these creatures do. I am merely watching a future unfold…and what possibilities will come from this."

The level of mystery only served to rise further. Nic and Staraptor only gave her crude eyes. She admitted to not being involved, but rather observed, and for such an opaque purpose no less.

In the midst of all this, Shiin stepped forward with a spiteful brow. "That is a complete violation of both Article 13 and 17. The obstruction of reporting a threat, as well as allowing such conditions to lengthen out of jurisdiction. You have any idea the threat level of a Gremlin horde of such a scale could amount to?!"

Hoshina's smirk stayed as frozen as the ground itself. Either she had no inclusion, or she had no care. If anything, she was more curious above all else.

'Something's strange here. I'm not picking up any ill intentions from her, yet I can't shake this feeling.' To Nic, it felt like something was itching in the back of his head and he wanted to scratch it. 'Sounds like she's not affiliated with these things. If so, what's her motive against me?'

"Mama, the weird lady is looking funny." Junior whined into Staraptor's wings.

"I know, Junior. Just stay close." she instructed.

Nic decided to bait her. "You asked what I hope to gain and witnessing development. Yet why me?"

Hoshina's expression vaguely darkened in the shade of her hood. "Why you, you ask? Well, the world revolved around you after all, does it not? And if not, you certainly could make it so on your own accord with the gift that your 'God' transcended to you."

Nic's eyes briefly widened. Immediately, it clicked that she was talking about his powers. The same powers that defeated countless foes, foes that used magic with years of more experience than he had being a Pokémon Trainer, powers to become legendary entities that defied – ne become – the laws of nature, powers to put down the strongest threats this world had to offer.

Not waiting for an alibi, Shiin requipped his magic staff. "This is your last warning. Speak your incentive now…" He pointed his staff's tip at her. "Or I'll be forced to take action against you."

Gardevoir and Musharna moved in front of Hoshina, but the fortuneteller finally interceded. "I come bearing you a fortune, Nic Pularis. Yes, explicitly you. It must be quite the shock to receive such favoritism, wouldn't you say?"

"I'd rather not be in people's eyes if I can help it." He retorted.

"Understandable…yet given your track record, that's all but unavoidable. Though I must say…" As she held up her crystal ball, the mist inside swirled around, revealing illusions of two individuals. They were none other than Natsu and Gray. "Because of the course you've taken, you've changed others' futures. But can you change yours with them?"

"Where are you getting at?" Nic inquired aloud. Of course he wanted to know more like how she knew his biggest fault with Natsu and Gray, but he kept it simple.

Hoshina pressed on her soliloquy. "Blessed with the power to change the world as you see fit. Such a gift you have." Her smirk widened. "But tell me…how different would it be if you had none?"

"What?"

"You've spent years amongst those who reside in this world, harnessing powers many could only dream of. But if you were to lose that luster of yours, I wonder, would you still be the same man? A man who relies on his might is a strong one…but one's might is as finite as others around him. And yet you can't see that about you."

Shiin's eyes widened. 'This Magic Power, something's changing.'

"Free!" Butterfree quipped.

Nic got on guard, feeling on edge. 'Is she after my powers?' He prepared another Leaf Blade. "What the hell do you want?"

She held up her crystal ball, which started to glow as the mist inside swirled faster. "I simply wish…to show you the truth."

Her orb's pressure from the mass inside wasn't able to hold it in. The mist bloomed everywhere, especially towards Nic and Shiin. Acting swiftly, Nic transformed into his Sky Form, his wings glowing as he used Defog to dissipate the mist before it reached them.

However, when it did, Hoshina was gone. In a fraction of a second, the snow-covered valleys surrounding them were gone, replaced with a forest clearing.

Nic and everyone had the same shock. '…what?'

---

Numerous Gremlin made a beeline for the humans that ventures into their territory. They were ready to fight with whatever means necessary to guarantee victory and survival.

Many Gremlin stayed back, preferring to use their arrows and launch weak, thin sticks that snapped upon impact with Cloyster's shell as he stood in front of Erza. His already immense Defense, coupled by the Gremlin's lowered offenses showed not even a scratch.

Erza swiped her arm with a command. "Cloyster, Icicle Crash!"

Cloyster's closed shell then opened, revealing his black pearl face. He adjusted and looked skywards, expelling dense, cold air into the already raging snowstorm. The winds seemingly cancelled the other out, until the air began solidifying into dense icicles.

The half-dozen icicles came crashing down onto the opposing Gremlin. None of them were prepared before some were impaled by the piercing tips. Though many were alarmed and scattered about haphazardly.

With their coordination completely off, it was time to take action. "Don't let them spread out!"

"Right!" Lucy shouted. "Klefki, you're up!"

"Right, Lucy!" Knowing what to do, she moved above her peers and twirled around. "Fairy Lock!"

Klefki scooted in the air, making quick work with her body expelling energy chains all around. Her Prankster Ability made sure they outpaced everyone else and lock the ethereal chains into place. Though the Gremlin attempted to duck under and climb between the chains, an invisible forced boxed them in.

"Like flies to a sticky trap. Nice." Gray commended. "Bergmite, Ice Fang!"

A short distance off, a couple Gremlin raced towards the iceberg with eyes with weapons in hand. Bergmite remained stagnant and waited until they were close enough. The three leaped in unison and stabbed him with stone daggers…only for them to do nothing against such tough ice.

Bergmite simply shrugged them off and, with a mild leap, created icy energy fangs over the middle Gremlin. He snapped down like a beartrap, gouging him in piercing ice. He landed with the Gremlin still locked in place and threw him into the other two, sending them away.

"Comin' at ya, Tyrunt!" Natsu shouted.

Tyrunt, who had two Gremlin's heads in his immense jaws, turned and saw the three Gremlin flying his way. His tail glowed green and extended his Dragon Tail and, like a baseball player aiming for a home run, he swung hard, crushing their small bones as they went flying wayward limply.

"That's showing'em!" Natsu praised.

Tyrunt turned and spat out the two Gremlin's, letting out a high-pitched roar of triumph.

Vanessa and Goodra found themselves surrounded by Gremlin, but rather than feel riled up, the Trainer remained relaxed and focused. "Goodra…" She reached her arm out. "Muddy Water!"

"Right, here we go!" Goodra adjusted her stance and careened her head around. A violent roar was accompanied by a brown torrent spiraling around her and Vanessa that quickly extended its range. A spiraling flood caught all the Gremlin by surprise, swirling them around or otherwise drowning them.

Sophie turned towards Salazzle. "Salazzle, you ready to go?"

"You mean back home?" The Toxic Lizard lethargically asked, her tone drenched with as much sarcasm as it did with venom. "I'd like that, but I can see your friends are busy. So I'll just wait till your done and-"

In her refute, a rock lobbed through the air, hitting her side. "Ow!"

Gremlin mockingly snickered within earshot, alerting Salazzle of the culprits. Now brimming with anger, the heat in her tail ignited as she hissed vehemently. She opened her mouth, congregating a medium-sized fireball and fired it with surprising speed.

Karma struck hard as the fireball met the foremost Gremlin, making it cry on contact with the flames. The residual embers of the attack trinkled in all directions, causing the surrounding Gremlin to scowl in pain and cover up.

Salazzle scoffed. "Hmph, that felt good."

Wendy swiped her arm across. "Amaura, Icy Wind!"

Amaura was in her element, literally. Undeterred by the raging blizzard, she opened her mouth and unleashed a large-scale blast of cold, sparkling air at the Gremlins near her. Instantaneously, the various miniature and taller ones were pushed back by the wind. A blue aura enveloped all of them as they slowed down considerably.

"Nice work!" Wendy praised.

"Wendy, above you!" Carla warned.

Catching wind of her plea, Wendy looked up and saw one of several rocks coming down onto Amaura. "Look out!" In a burst of air from her heels, she spurred after her and tackled Amaura off her feet. The result was a clean save from a boulder that would've crushed her.

The White Wyvern circled above, with the Gremlin on their back chanting and crying out feverishly.

"Since when is dropping boulders on us allowed!?" Natsu retorted, evading a falling boulder as well.

"Nobody told us the forecast called for raining rocks and wyverns!" Happy wailed.

"We need to take out their flyers!" Joey shouted. "Freaks, with me!"

"On it!" Dereece nodded in understanding. "Yanmega, go! Signal Beam!"

"Magmortar, Flamethrower!" Duncan commanded.

Yanmega and Magmortar eyed the wyverns across the sky, six in total. Yanmega immediately zoomed to a higher altitude to match their elevation range. Once there, her maw opened, readying converged energy that she expelled into a pixilated energy blast that met its mark on a wyvern's face, getting a cry of pain out of it.

Magmortar's two arm cannons exposed once again, aiming two broiling blasts of fire that seared through the skies. Despite the White Wyvern's tough hides, the two that were struck erupted into flames and smoke.

In the wake of it all, a White Wyvern scowled as it went flying head-on, its black talons bared with intent to shred.

"Gyarados, Ice Fang!" Joey commanded.

Gyarados let out an intimidating roar as his own maw jutted icy energy fangs, whereas his actual teeth brimmed in cold ice. The wyvern's talons met Gyarados's bite force, creating a bright blue flash in the stalemate. However, the lowered attack strength of the wyvern played a factor, and it found its foot quickly numbing and being frozen over by the fangs.

Gyarados only added insult to injury when he lifted his bulk, and with heavy force, brought the wyvern and its rider down on the small group of Gremlin approaching from in front, crushing all of them.

Lucy, who was close by, looked startled at the brutal display. "Sheesh! I know it's big, but you have to throw your weight around!?"

"Lucy, behind you!" Happy warned.

Lucy caught his warning and turned around. Two of the larger, muscular orange Gremlins with more ornate and heavier weapons charged at her, both holding axes.

Before she could move her legs, Grovyle spurred past her, bright green slash marks following his wake as gashes went straight through their legs. The two massive Gremlin crippled to their knees, howling in agony as Grovyle withdrew his Fury Cutter.

"Grovyle!" Lucy gasped.

"Pay attention!" He scolded her.

Lucy nodded, noting to save the sentiments for later. "Right, got it. Klefki, use Foul Play!"

"Nice choice!" With a hum, Klefki zoomed down towards one of the crippled Gremlin head-on. Her key-shaped head jabbed him in his large gut, which didn't do much. But with surprising strength, she pivoted and ascended, startling the beast as well as gathering momentum before being slammed down onto his brethren with thunderous force.

"Careful…these bigger ones are tougher than they look!" Gray sneered, parrying a weighted chain with an ice sword. Once he successfully deflected the chain, it was withdrawn to reel momentum. This was Gray's chance.

"Ice-Make: Cold Excalibur!" With a deafening pace, Gray blitzed past the Gremlin's torso, holding a massive ice blade out that froze the air itself. He held his pose as an ice-shaped gash covered the midsection of the beast as it growled. He took it as a sign of pain.

However, that was quickly expunged when cracking came from behind. Gray's eyes widened as he turned and saw the ice slowly breaking off the skin, which wasn't impaled at all. 'Unbelievable…' He gaped in thought. 'It didn't even freeze over?!'

The Gremlin, undeterred by the advance, turned and sneered at Gray with a sickly smirk. Gray gasped, seeing the weighted chain slung his way and immediately pulled away from it. He saw it being slung around and ducked beneath.

"Damnit! The hell are these guys made of!? They got some kind of magic resistance or something!?"

Two higher Gremlin raised their clubs over Erza, attempting to smash her to a pulp. However, their advances were nulled by Cloyster, who got between them with her shell closed and making a forcefield, via Protect. The clubs met the rippling shield, and law of inertia took effect and ricocheted their weapons out of their hands.

Erza, adorning her Armadura Aggron Armor, leaped over and slew dense cuts into their bodies, making them fall over with blood staining the snow. This didn't go unnoticed by her.

'That affected them?'

"Gyarados, Aqua Tail!" Joey cried out.

Gyarados let out a beastly cry, his tail enveloped in spiraling water that he swung around like a tidal wave. The wave-like appendage smacked multiple Gremlin, sending them flying off. The Atrocious Pokémon let out a deep scowl. "These things are starting to annoy me!"

"Welcome to the club." Dereece grunted. 'Hold on, there's supposed to be someone leading them in all this right? Are they still inside-?'

"GROOOOAAAAAHHH!"

A loud yet deep, beastly roar echoed through the raging blizzard, reaching everyone's ears, including Joey's hearing aids. Everyone who was engaged in battle immediately stopped and turned towards the castle, where the roar resonated from.

"Eh? Tyrunt heard big roar!" Tyrunt exasperated.

"Yeah…me too." Natsu frowned. Something felt off all of a sudden. He immediately noticed how the Gremlin were pulling away from him and Tyrunt.

In fact, the higher Gremlin sneered as they were stepping off to the side, as if clearing a path. The littler Gremlin followed their lead like general and soldier. The party that was engaged in battle didn't feel like advancing for a specific reason. They knew it'd be a very bad idea.

"Huh? Why're they retreating?" Happy asked.

"I'm not sure, but I think something's telling them to." Carla informed.

"What could it be?" Wendy inquired.

"Why bother when we're gonna find out anyways?" Grovyle sneered.

Everyone got on edge as they heard what sounded like metal clanging. Erza recognized that all too well since she wore knight armor all the time. Something clad in metal was heading their way.

A man-sized silhouette slowly stepped out of the shadows of the castle into the gray light. The howling winds made its fur cape flare violently, but not enough to tear it off his armor. Green eyes glowed with fury while pointed fangs parted, exhaling a hot breath. In a metal grip, there was a blade that shimmered in the light.

The beast had finally emerged.

---

The sudden change from snow to grass was one thing, but the fact that an entire mountain's worth of snow turned to forest life in a matter of a second was a bigger concern. Nic didn't bother with the much warmer climate they were in, not that he felt it in his Icicle Form to begin with.

The sky above was still a gloomy gray, that was the only thing that didn't seem out of place.

'Where are we…?' He scanned his surroundings for anything abnormal. 'Did she use some kind of transportation magic? This isn't an illusion, my eye would've seen through it.' He narrowed his eyes. 'I need to be sure.'

Glowing, he shifted out his Icicle Form for his Earth Form. Stepping harshly, he sent out an invisible omnidirectional ripple through the land beneath, which quickly echoed and bounced off every corner of the region. When it echoed back towards him, a mental map was drawn to a landscape that he wasn't familiar with.

Opening his eyes, he showed earnest shock. 'This region's shape…this isn't Fiore. No, I doubt it's even Ishgar. Did she take us to one I'm not familiar with?' At this point, more questions filled his head than he cared to answer. And he wasn't the only one.

Shiin looked around, baffled with the sudden scenic change. But more so for another reason. 'Something's wrong. The air feels different than before. I'm not sensing any Ethernano in the air.' He looked down at the back of his hand. Nothing seemed out of place, even when he flipped to his palm. 'I can still feel magic active within me. Just where are we?'

Nic took a moment to focus on his Pokémon. "Staraptor, Junior, you both okay?"

Staraptor nodded. "(Yes, we're just fine.)"

Junior stretched his arms out. "(It feels so much warmer now, Mama! Boo to the cold!)"

'What was that?' Though Nic understood what they said, the same couldn't be said about Shiin. Staraptor's speech. "Did your Pokémon lose her voice?"

"She just said she was fine." Nic deadpanned.

"That's funny…because from the sounds of it, seems like she was speaking her name." He frowned. 'Perhaps this is code of sorts?'

Nic's eyes narrowed. "Her name…?" Then they shot open. It didn't matter to him because of his ability to communicate with them, but he recalled the time he was in Kalos with his guildmates. 'Don't tell me…' He looked back around, this time more aware. 'Are we back in my world?!'

As the group was contemplating on their situation, far up over their heads, the gray sky covered for a drone-like projectile with a lens that scanned the forest. It zoomed in on Nic and Shiin, in which showed a clear visual of them.

---

In another area, a red alarm went off in front of a computer screen. The person who was busy monitoring the drone's performance and tracking immediately picked up on what to do. "We've got detection from Drone 7-C!"

"7-C? We swept that area clean. What could possibly be there?" A fellow grunt rebuffed.

"Putting it on screen now." With a few buttons and keystrokes, the imagery was put on the massive screen at the front of the room. Everyone who was there immediately shirked off whatever laziness they had.

"That's him!" a grunt gasped.

"Yeah, but who's that other guy next to him?" another asked.

Another grunt reached for an earpiece and spoke into it. "Sir, we have sightings on Pularis from drone 7-C. I repeat, the target is in the open…understood…yes, we'll be on standby."

The recipient and decoder of the message was inside of an office-like chamber, eerily similar to Lusamine's. However, the blocks were all tainted black, with the digital carpet and the lining being a deep red that gave the room an ominous appeal. At the end of the red carpet on a platform was a man that stood before several holographic screens, one of which showing Nic and Shiin. On the wall of the massive room was a huge rainbow-colored R.

"Well now, what kind of ruse are you concocting this time, my friend?" The figure was masculine in voice, and he had a vindictive, callous smirk full of confidence. "Be sure that he gets the message…Ghetsis."

---

Still in the field, Nic looked left and right, still processing everything so far that he was aware of. 'If this is PokéEarth, which region are we in? Now that I think about it, Fiore and Kalos' regions are shaped similarly. So that means if it wasn't shaped that way, it can't be Kalos.' He closed his eyes as he went deeper into thought. 'The matter is knowing where we are…no, that's not it. The real question here is how we got here.'

"I simply wish…to show you the truth." Hoshina's final words resurfaced.

'Show me the truth, she said…but what's this have to do with my powers?' He looked down at his stature, not feeling anything different. 'I still feel the same. Whatever she did, it doesn't look like it affected how I use my abilities.'

A thunderous echo from the sky drew Nic's gaze skywards again. The sound of thunder was eerily close.

The dense echo made Junior cower closer to Staraptor, nestling into her wings for safety. The Predator Pokémon looked up towards the sky, not seeing any signs of lightning so far.

"A storm is approaching?" Shiin inquired.

Nic scrunched his brow. He wasn't sure it was because of this land or the fact no winds were stirring to manifest such a storm. But he knew something about this felt off, more so than it was before.

His Meadow Form was picking up a negative atmosphere…a strong one. And it was close.

Butterfree's antennae shuddered like an alarm. "Free! Free!" Butterfree chirped impatiently, as if disturbed by something.

"What do want? I can't understand you anyways." Shiin dismissed.

"Free! Free!"

Junior, looked towards the sky. "Huh? Mama, look!"

Staraptor and Nic looked towards the sky. The thunder abruptly stopped, in which a bright blue, crackling glow illuminated above the clouds. Blue lightning stirred overhead to a singular point, supercharging the air and making everyone's hairs stand on end. The ground vibrated as the sky illuminated with radiant blue straight over their heads.

"GROOOOOAAAAAAHHHHH!"

A deep, desolating bellow thundered through the sky, immediately making Nic's instincts take over.

"GET DOWN!" At his cry, Staraptor immediately took action. In a fraction of a second, Staraptor became a blur, speeding towards Shiin and snatching him up in a talon with Junior on her back. Nobody had time to react when an enormous hemisphere of blue lightning suddenly came crashing down onto Nic. He stood his ground, spreading his legs before the enormous, heavy sphere made impact. The moment it did, a shockwave rippled before blue lightning discharged like an explosion. The air fried immediately, as did the ground and other surroundings trees.

"FREE~!" Butterfree panicked as he was blown away, but Staraptor caught him by his antennae and was able to fly out of range, evading the debris and stray lightning bolts.

After a minute, the dense thunder eventually faded into an echo. What once was a grassy clearing had turned into a desolate crater with charred earth. All the trees were destroyed within a given radius, with those not being overturned and charred.

Recovering from the disaster – and subsequent ringing in his ears – Shiin uncovered his eyes and realized that he was unscathed. "I'm okay…?" He turned towards Staraptor. "You! It was you! What gave you the right to-"

"Free!" Butterfree quipped.

"What do you want now?" Shiin was at his wit's end…before he looked at the enormous blue sphere of lightning. His eyes shrank as he looked downright stunned. Literally. 'Where did that come from? I didn't sense any magic from that. I couldn't react!'

Standing completely unfazed by the attack, Nic was standing upright, his Earth Form making him impervious to the destructive electric attack. He saw the enormous blue voltage around him fade away, giving shape to something that gave a low roar.

Nic's usually composed expression broke, his eyes shrinking in sheer surprise.

Staraptor's red eyes shrank as well. Junior looked in awe. Shiin was gobsmacked with disbelief. "Is that…?"

The voltage retreated back into a generator tail, leaving a glow behind the pitch-black bipedal dragon that towered over Nic. Its piercing gaze was fixed on its target.

"…Zekrom." Nic muttered.

Zekrom gave no reply, but he glowered over Nic studiously. He raised its head, expelling a loud, thundering roar that shook the land and skies. Everyone was forced to cover their ears from the depths the roar reached.

Shiin managed to keep an eye open, his calm nearly gone. 'That's it. One of the Legendary Pokémon that was said to have fought off the dragons and the Dark Legendaries alongside Nic Pularis's Pokémon.'

Nic managed to stay on his feet, trying to keep his composure. 'Is that really Zekrom?' Something felt different than before. His Meadow Form was getting nothing but foul energy. 'Something's different. His signature…it's like there isn't like in his essence.'

"KWOOOOOOOAAAAH!" An equally loud howl shook the air from above. Almost immediately, the air felt hotter than what it was a moment ago.

When everyone looked above Zekrom, shock overcame them yet again.

Red flame seared the air as a turbine-like tail exerted heat. An enormous set of white wings spread out, expelling the heat everywhere below. The heat was so strong it caused nearby leaves to shrivel up, some catching on fire. Nic kept his ground despite this…but his eyes didn't want to believe what he was seeing either.

"Reshiram…"

The Vast White Pokémon – Reshiram – opened his maw, expelling another vibrant roar that shuddered the earth. With another flap of his wings, it dimmed the heat at the tips of its fur and tail, cooling down the air.

Shiin looked mortified beyond his rational thinking. 'This has to be an illusion. A dream? Two of the Legendary Pokémon that decimated the dragons in one place. This is beyond an international threat scope now.'

Staraptor noticed something. "(Nic, up there!)"

Barely getting over his initial shock, Nic looked up and noticed something on Reshiram's back. He squinted to get a better scope.

On his back appeared to be a human male that looked to be in his middle ages, with gray-green hair that was wavy and went over his shoulders. He had red eyes, with his right eye covered by a lens. He wore a thick yellow and purple robe with inverted coloring on opposite sides, with identical piercing red irises imprinted. An ornate castle-like collar mantled over his shoulders with a split black and white shield in the center, with a blue P imprinted on it.

Shiin gasped. "A human?"

"Free…" Butterfree chirped in fearful awe.

The human riding on Reshiram gazed downwards, noticing Nic staring up at him. A roguish smirk grew on his face. "There you are. Decided to come out of hiding so soon?"

Nic immediately sensed danger rising. His Meadow Form picked up a potent force from this man. Anything but fruitful in nature. He didn't have time to fret on Zekrom or Reshiram as he braced himself.

"Now then, I shall make this simple for you. You can either surrender now, or…"

"KRROOOOOOAAAAH!" At his behest, Zekrom let out another thunderous roar.

"You will die where you stand. Which one shall it be?"

Nic's eyes stayed vigilant. 'Whatever's going on, looks like they're following him. He must be the reason behind their conditions. Which means…'

The man scoffed. "I'll take your silence as a no then…very well!" He reached down at him. "Zekrom, exterminate him!"

Zekrom bellowed as his huge hands glowed, turning into Dragon Claw.

'I have to get to him first!' Resolute in his thinking, Nic braced for Zekrom's attack barreling his way. While the man above smirked at seeing his headstrong stance, he didn't expect what came next.

Nic brought his forearms up, a green shield expanding with dense green spikes on them jutting outward. The energy claws met his Spiky Shield, creating a shockwave that demolished the ground around Nic, yet remained unfazed.

The man's red eyes widened in disbelief. "What?!"

Nic held his ground, despite being at a clear weight disadvantage. He held off the attack and caused Zekrom to recoil from pain. With him reeling, Nic crouched and spun his entire body like a drill, via Drill Run. He kicked off the ground and blitzed into Zekrom's torso with force that could tear air apart.

With a heavy grunt, Nic managed to send Zekrom careening off his feet with a howl of pain. The enormous Legendary crashed into the crater's wall with a dense thud, shuddering the land.

With him down, Nic turned his attention skywards. He bent his knees and glowed, shooting up like a rocket in his Draco Form.

The man was deeply shocked by this, but he didn't allow this development to dilute him from his intentions. He swiped his arm again. "Reshiram!"

Reshiram let out a dense roar, causing shockwaves to expand downwards via Hyper Voice.

As the omnidirectional sound blast came barreling down, Nic glowed again, turning the accents of his Draco Form to Spooky Form. The Dragon/Ghost typing allowed him to faze through the distorted hair, heading right for Reshiram with his right arm channeling his own Dragon Claw.

"HRAH!" With an uppercut, the energy claws cut clean skywards from Reshiram's chest up to his lower jaw. The white dragon let out a gruesome cry of pain that shrilled the air once more.

Shiin looked on from below, his mouth gaping with disbelief. Staraptor retained her patience, making sure to spot Nic with Junior.

The man found himself off balance from Reshiram's rebuff. Before he went into freefall, he was seized by the collar, held up in one arm by Nic. Suspended hundreds of feet over the ground, the man had nowhere to go.

"You…what is the meaning of this…?!" He sounded shaken, but angry. "How were you able to do all that!?"

Nic squinted, undeterred by his shout. "Maybe you should look at your position before you start making demands. Who are you? What're you doing with Reshiram and Zekrom?"

The man gritted his teeth in resentment. What the hell was going on here? Who was this person glaring him in the eye so straightforwardly. Not a shred of fear was in his irises that everyone below him would have. Whoever he was, he was no ordinary human.

However, rather than answer his opponent, the man's frown curved to a cynical smirk.

Reshiram and Zekrom suddenly appeared behind Nic, their claws brandishing Dragon Claw.

Narrowing his eyes, Nic glared back. He flapped his wings, expelling a Twister that surrounded him. The claws met the typhoon that shielded him, which gave Nic the time he needed to sweep his left arm across with another Dragon Claw. Explosions arched across the dragons' torso as they careened backwards with pained roars.

Nic turned back towards the man, glowering with draconic force amplified by his Spooky Form, making him deathly projective. "I won't ask again. Who the hell are you?"

The man gritted his teeth, his frustrations spiking. "Reshiram! Blue Flare!"

Reshiram's eyes opened in the midst of his recoil. He found his balance and superheated the air around him. His turbo tail exploded in broiling flames as he opened his mouth to channel light blue flames hyper-concentrated to a singular point.

"KWWOOOOOOOOAAAAAH!" With a dense howl, an enormous bright blue blaze made numerous airwaves that expanded skywards. The air nearly burned from the heat generated.

Nic's focus was diverted towards the roaring flames heading his way. His reflexes kicked in, forcing him to let go of the attacker and drop into a bright purple hole.

The blaze continued skywards, the force so intense that it tore the gray skies apart to reveal the bright blue sky. The blaze continued to the high atmosphere, where it seemingly vanished for a moment before the high altitude expanded into a sea of blue fire.

As the man fell, he was caught by Zekrom.

Near the ground, a bright purple portal manifested, Nic dropping to a knee unscathed, save for the tips of his wings singed. That was too close. He looked back up, watching the flames in the sky fade away while the two dragons returned their focus onto him.

"These powers you have…they mean nothing to the likes of ME!" The man outraged. "Reshiram and Zekrom, turn this freak to ashes!"

Zekrom and Reshiram snarled low, their turbine tails glowing blue and red respectively. Lightning and flames expelled from their tails in preparations for their attacks.

'At this rate, our destruction is imminent!' Shiin gawked at the thought. If his face wasn't sweaty from Reshiram's heat, the pressure was doing the job.

Nic bared his teeth at the threatening display. However, before he could counter, something was thrown past him. He turned to watch a purple orb shatter upon impact with the ground. A blanket of smoke plume across the area, immediately cutting off everyone's view.

"What?!" the man scrunched his brow.

'A smokescreen…?' Nic thought.

Shiin immediately covered his mouth to avoid inhaling. "A second attack?!"

Something spurred through the smoke at lightning speed, grabbing Shiin's wrist first, then Nic's. Neither had time to act before a harsh force pulled them away against their wills through the smoke.

"Hey, hold on…!" Was all Nic could shout.

"(Nic?)" Hearing him through the smoke, Staraptor followed with Junior latched on. "This way! And don't breathe in the smoke!"

"(Okay!)" Junior held his breath and clung to her back.

"Free?" Butterfree looked around, his Compound Eyes Ability scoping clear through the smoke. He saw Staraptor flying away, following the three figures in one direction. "Free!" With a chirp, he fluttered after them so as not to get left behind.

It didn't take much longer before the massive smoke veil eventually lifted. By the time it did, the man and the Legendaries at his disposal found no sign of their opposition.

The man grunted in annoyance. "Blast it all!"

A sound came from an earpiece from his side. "Ghetsis, are you there? What happened?"

Ghestis scoffed, but he regained his composure and tapped the earpiece to communicate. "Seems that our little Rattata managed to scurry away again, Lysandre."

"I see. They couldn't have gotten far. The drones have infrared seekers, so they can't hide."

Ghestis was aware of that. He didn't need that to be spelled out for him. But his mind was still preoccupied with the display he just witnessed. It wasn't strange for Nic to confront them as such, but time was different. Vastly different.

'That man…was that really him?' He had to think about it for a moment. There was no way it could be. Humans weren't capable of using Pokémon moves. Whoever this was, it was someone else entirely…someone very interesting.

"Ghetsis?" The voice on the other end awaited his respond.

He spoke into the com again, his concerns slowly turning to a wicked smirk brimming with unspeakable ambition. "Tell the other bosses to be aware…that our little Rattata isn't the only one running around freely now."

---

Though they had managed to get away for the time being, Nic and Shiin were still being pulled along through the forest.

"Unhand me at once!" Shiin demanded.

Nic managed to twist his own wrist, prying himself of his grasp. He flipped and glowed in midair, turning to his Insect Form. He extended an arm out and fired and fired a String Shot that laced around Shiin's waist. Nic pulled him out of his grip a safe distance, despite the blue aura that lowered Shiin's speed.

The figure came to a stop and turned around. His body was covered in a tattered camo cloak, perfect for blending into the forest. His hood was still up, concealing his face from view.

Shiin held his staff out, the orb on the end glowing with a bright blue magic seal. "Jury Seal!"

Below the figure, a medium-sized magic seal manifested, catching him by surprise. The seal created a light blue wall surrounding the captive and holding him in place.

"It is a serious act of misconduct to lay hands on a Magic Government representative. Now then, I believe you owe me some questions. You won't escape from my spell unless you answer truthfully." Shiin glared daggers. "Who are you? And what is your agenda here?"

Despite being trapped, the figure scoffed. "That any way to act after I saved your asses?"

'This voice.' Staraptor gawked. 'He sounds just like…'

Nic didn't say anything, but his glare sharpened. It sounded very similar to his own tone.

The figure let out a tired sigh, reaching for his hood. He pulled it off to reveal his face to his audience's ultimatum…and he saw how stunned they were.

Nic's eyes shrank to the size of salt grains, earnest bewilderment taking over. Shiin, Staraptor, Junior, and Butterfree looked equally dumbfounded with who they were seeing.

There was no mistaking it. Similar spiky black hair, skin tone…and piercing deep blue eyes that reflected Nic's own.

It was Nic.

Only one thing came to his mind. 'Oh shit…'

---

Here we are in 2024, and the first update for the year! Sorry for the two-month reprieve on you guys, but I had gifts and family to attend the whole holiday season. And as for this January, I had work and played a little too much of Pokémon Violet at times. But I promise you guys, I'm gonna try and be as moderate with updates as possible, at least with this arc.

I plan to make this arc roughly 4 chapters long, and I'll be as to-the-point without lowering quality the best that I can.

So kinda similar to what I did in the Astral Arc, there's gonna be two sides to the story, but they'll converge eventually. It'll be Nic and Shiin's side primarily, with Erza and the others on their S-Class venture.

The inspiration for the Gremlins came from the goblins from the series Goblin Slayer, with the movie Goblin Slayer: Goblin's Crown being a basis for the arc, or at least the S-Class quest part of it.

Hope you guys thought the wait for the Rainbow Rocket Arc was worth it, and hope to hear feedback soon!