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

85. Tying Up Loose Ends

With it still being early morning, the sunlight was permeating through the forest's thicket from the east. Shortly after the battle with Rainbow Rocket, Nic, Junior, AU-Nic, and Shiin found themselves in front of the tree that hid AU-Nic's secret bunker. Even after Nic's Heal Pulse fixed up their injuries – much to Shiin's chagrin – the long, stressful situation left them worn out. Physical fatigue was one thing, but mental fatigue was another matter altogether.

With everything that happened between the respective parties, it took some time to process what happened, but none of them seemed to deny anything that transpired.

AU-Nic sat at the base of the bunker tree, his head down in thought. "I see…so Sina and Dexio were onto something after all." He mused, looking up at Nic. "And to think you were the catalyst."

"It was thanks to Junior. He's the one who got it to me." Nic responded, turning towards Junior with a grin. "And it's a good thing he did."

Junior smiled and giggled, a tinge of joy hearing how his efforts didn't jeopardize anybody this time.

While the group was alleviated of their worries, a certain someone was still befuddled. Shiin leaned against a nearby tree, arms folded, and brow furrowed. Even he did not expect Nic to appear when he did; and witnessing firsthand the power of his Legendary Force that have acclaimed powers beyond Earthland Dragons. He hated to admit it, but had it not been for Nic and Nic-Greninja intervening when they did, he wasn't certain they'd still be standing.

The bitter reality sank deep, but he had to accept it…at least for the time being. But that did little to dispel the discomfort he had when against Giovanni and Mega Mewtwo. 'So that was the power of Legendary Pokémon in person. When commanded by such people…it's truly a foretelling of a cataclysm.'

"Free." Butterfree fluttered beside him, checking if he was well. Shiin responded with a huff.

"Well, regardless how you see it, it was thanks to you that it all paid off." AU-Nic reasoned.

"You sure about that?" Nic cocked a brow, putting his hands in his pockets. "Honestly, our timing was merely coincidental. Really, what I think made all the difference were the strategies you thought of. Had it not been for those and Shiin helping when he did…I think we'd be singing a different tune."

Hearing his reference, Shiin shrugged. "I merely helped out of necessity. It wasn't like I was worried about your condition. Had I not intervened, the situation would've only escalated further."

AU-Nic smirked, seeing through Shiin's choice of words. "Well regardless, you helped us both out. Thanks for your guys' help. For some guy with magic powers and whatnot, you're not bad."

Shiin turned his head away, folding his arms in front of his chest. "I didn't ask to be thanked…but I suppose…you're welcome."

"(So then…that means we all played big parts!)" Junior chimed.

Nic snickered. "Yeah…we did." He let the sentiment settle in. It was a strange feeling; ever since Natsu – or END back then – pointed out his biggest pitfall, he was trying to be more open to depending on others aside from his Pokémon to settle a score. Now that he had time to retrospect on it, he always found himself facing off against the head of whatever syndicate they were facing. There were some exceptions like with Laxus, Zero, King Faust, and Precht, though in the end Nic and his Pokémon ended up pulling ahead of everyone. Of course, those all fell under different circumstances that he was an exception of. This was probably the first time in a very long while that he felt like their victory was equally shared. It wasn't bad. It felt…fulfilling. 'It's strange, haven't felt this in a while. It's good.'

AU-Nic hummed in agreement. Butterfree chirped happily next to Shiin, who kept his stoic front, though it didn't seem he rebuked the jovial gesture either.

A short silence fell as the mood of the conversation changed as a warm breeze shifted through the trees.

Nic turned his attention back to AU-Nic. "Well, Rainbow Rocket's gone. So…what now?"

AU-Nic turned his head towards the sky, a distant expression fixated on the blue skies – something that was very rare before all this. "I wonder. Honestly…I'm not sure myself. I spent all these years on this vendetta, and now it's finished." He paused as his gaze fell towards the ground. "It's like there's an empty space now. And in the end…it's just me."

Everyone turned their heads and saw the lost look he had. It was like gazing at a man who had fought and survived a war. Despite having prevailed, there wasn't without the fair share of sacrifices along the way.

Nic's frowned dampened. He could only imagine how many comrades AU-Nic had lost. He remembered him saying Sina and Dexio, but he was certain there were plenty that had meaning to AU-Nic and their overall mission. At the very least, their souls were now at peace.

"Hey…" AU-Nic softly started.

"Yeah?" Nic answered.

"Tell me…what's your life like? You got others besides you in your life?"

Nic blinked, the question taking him by surprise. He hummed as he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, unsure of how to respond. But he could tell from his tone that he wasn't asking out of necessity. He was genuinely curious. "You really wanna know?"

AU-Nic silently nodded.

Knowing he needed an answer, Nic's gaze turned towards the sky. "I do." He began. "I actually have a wife." He held up his wedding ring, thinking of Erza. "But it's not just her. I have quite a few actually." He thought about his guildmates, faces of his peers flashing one-by-one in his mind. "They're a rowdy bunch, and definitely a handful…but when it comes down to it, they're the closest thing to a family I have. They supported me when I made enemies. And even though it took a while to get along with some, we've managed somehow."

Saying it aloud put a tinge in Nic's chest at the realization he was taking them for granted. 'And I've been so focused on perfecting my own abilities that I never thought to rely on them anymore…'

"I see…" AU-Nic looked pensive. "And…what about Vanessa? Is she…?"

Nic stared into his eyes, looking calm but sincere. "…she's still with me. She's become a beautiful, healthy young woman that everyone loves. And a proud, strong Pokémon Trainer that can handle herself now."

Hearing this was like a led weight off of AU-Nic's heart. His eyes became misty, feeling a swell of emotions knowing that little information. Even though it wasn't his Vanessa, it brought relief to him knowing that at least his counterpart didn't have to suffer the pain he felt.

Tears silently started rolling down his face. "That's good…I'm glad." He muttered between sniffles. "I'm…so glad to hear that."

Nic watched as his counterpart was weeping. He could understand how he must have felt. The years of anger and grief he's been holding in up until now was finally showing. He knew it had to happen, and he had no intention of ruining the much-needed moment AU-Nic needed to let out his grief. But he had an idea of what to say to know his endeavors weren't meaningless.

He dropped to a knee to reach eye-level with AU-Nic, and softly spoke again in a thoughtful tone. "You know, it's not all bad in the end. Even though you've lost a lot, you still gained something valuable. More importantly, you actually understood that value. You were able to get as far as you did because you learned to adapt and be resourceful. No special powers to solve all your problems." He looked down, shame washing over him. "Yeah, having these powers helped a lot, but I was relying on them to solve all my problems that I was being singled out."

He turned back towards AU-Nic. "Honestly, it's hard to say who the better of either of us is here. I don't think I could've done what you did all this time. You should be proud of what you've done. As shitty as this experience was, it was a good kick in the pants that I needed…so thanks. Thanks for making a difference in someone's life."

AU-Nic looked up, noticing Nic's hand stretched out towards him. There was a brief pause before he took his hand. Nic helped him up and they both stood, their eyes locked with respect.

The last of the tears dried up, AU-Nic meekly grinned. "Heh…I, uh…guess we both needed saving."

"Yeah…looks like it."

The two smiled, their past afflictions finally resolved thanks to each other. Shiin watched them from afar with his ever-studious leer. Although, if one looked really carefully like Butterfree was thanks to his Compound Eyes, they seemed less harsh than before.

"Seems more than one future has been changed."

A voice echoed in the air, immediately alarming everyone. The familiar, mystical tune to it immediately made Nic turn around. 'This voice…!'

Shiin gasped, his trained sensory detecting Magic Power. He turned in the direction of the power and he and everyone else saw a thick mist amongst the trees. Even though morning mists were an occurrence around here, AU-Nic knew it wasn't naturally this thick.

Footsteps treaded in the mist, slowly approaching them. A figure slowly emerged with a crystal ball in hand and a neutral smirk on her smooth skin. It was Hoshina.

"You…!" Shiin immediately requipped his magic staff, but before he could attack, Nic cut him off by putting his arm out in front of him.

Hoshina slowly treaded out of the mist, the vapor slowly fading behind her until it was gone. It was as though it was an illusion to begin with. She eventually stopped several meters before Nic and Shiin, their eyes slowly observing the other party.

"(Nic, look! It's that weird lady again!)" Junior pointed out.

"Yeah, I know." Nic kept his voice low. He knew better than to let his guard down, especially after what this woman had done. But it was strange. Even now, he wasn't sensing any hostility from her.

AU-Nic looked between the two parties, reading the room and deducing the situation. 'Is she the reason they're here?'

The tension lingered in the air between the standoff. Nic and Shiin – and partially Junior – were ready to act on a moment's notice if Hoshina did anything. Shiin was tempted to trap her with his magic, but Nic was more open. He had a feeling of where this was going.

"…so, have you thought about my fortune?" That was the first thing Hoshina asked.

Nic pondered what she meant for a moment, but then recalled what she mentioned before.

"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."

'So that's what she meant.' Thinking back to his recent experience and what he said to AU-Nic just now, Nic felt a tinge of guilt for not realizing his faults. 'Guess some lessons are best learned the hard way.'

Mist swirled in Hoshina's crystal ball as she caressed it. "Seems that you have found your answer."

"I did. Not sure if I should thank you or not to be honest." Nic admitted, his tone begrudging but sincere.

"Don't flatter her." Shiin intervened, his glare sharp as knives. "She needn't deserve it, especially considering we were brought into this matter because of her to begin with. Have you any idea the amount of tribulations we've endured because of you? Not only did you fail to identify yourself, but our lives were in jeopardy because of your actions."

"My actions, you say?" Hoshina countered, chuckling. "I merely foresee the future. It is not a fortuneteller's job to act upon that future, but merely foretell one's fate. Their actions are what cause the change, Shiin Verdade."

Hearing his full name, Shiin tensed up. "How do you know my…?"

"I see many faces as I do lives beyond just one." The fortuneteller cut him off. "Now, if you are satisfied with the truth…shall we prepare your return?"

Nic's eyes widened briefly. 'Is she serious?'

"(Nic, we all get to go back home?)" Junior quipped.

"Yeah…that's what it looks like."

"You expect me to believe the words of a rogue mage such as yourself?" Shiin voiced his ire clear as day. His staff was aimed with intent to attack. "Don't believe a word she says! She'll only send you to another realm for her amusement!"

Hoshina gracefully bowed. "I assure you, I have no such intentions. You have my word."

"We'll see about that as soon as-"

"Don't, Shiin." Nic interrupted.

Shiin turned to him. "What? You actually believe her?!"

"I'm not. But you said it yourself, she's the reason we're here in the first place. You really wanna jeopardize our only source back home?" When Shiin didn't respond, Nic knew he hit the mark. "But, that said, I have concerns of my own." His stepped forward. "I just have one question for you. Just now, you said that you can only foresee different events, but can't change them. Is the reason you had us go through all this because you saw something you wanted to change, but couldn't?"

Hoshina took a moment, observing her crystal ball as the smoke inside swirled slowly. "…you can say that." She mused.

"I see. Tell me, what was it you saw before?"

Hoshina hummed, moving her fingers gingerly over her crystal ball. The mist inside was building as she was working her magic. "Yes, that future…I saw the magic world in chaos. A war is to come, and the enemy is still watching and waiting for the right time to purify the world, starting with you." She paused briefly with narrowed eyes. "And that future may still come to pass."

Nic's eyes sharpened. Junior looked up to him, worried.

Shiin felt a chill run down his spine. 'Is she talking about a greater threat?' He had a better reason to incapacitate her, but she followed up.

"However, depending on your actions, that course may be avoidable." She locked eyes with Nic. "You now have seen what would have been if you were dealt a bad hand. Even a good hand can become fatal if misused."

Nic didn't deny her words. He didn't have reason to rebuke her after this experience. But he was still curious. "…who are you, really?"

Hoshina's smirk slowly widened, almost to where it was disturbing. "You will know in good time. Now…I believe that you have your own future to foresee, yes?"

"Yeah…guess I do."

With his consent, Hoshina held up her crystal ball, a glow flourishing as the mist inside started leaking out. As the area started to cover in a light fog, Nic turned towards AU-Nic one last time, both sharing forlorn expressions.

"Heh…looks like you've got your travel costs covered." AU-Nic smirked.

"Yeah, looks like it." The fog began to thicken around him. Though Nic and AU-Nic could still clearly see each other, time was very short. "Hey, Nic."

"Hm?"

"…I think it's time for a new phone, don't you think? Maybe try to see other people for once. Who knows? You just might find someone."

AU-Nic took out his old smartphone, looking at its cracked screen while thinking of what Nic said. Despite the wear the casing and battery had, to an extent, it was a reflection of his trials and tribulations up to this point. It wasn't something he could just easily discard; this item had more value to him beyond a memento from his late grandparents.

But…everything had to end at some point. Years of relentless fighting have finally come to an end. It may not be easy, but doing something as simple as moving on may be a step in the right direction. After all, his counterpart did just that. If he could do it, then there may be a chance for him yet.

His grip on his phone tightened, a smirk forming on his lips. "Heh…I'll think about it."

The fog started thickening up to where they could barely see each other.

"Oh, right. I almost forgot." AU-Nic reached for something in his pockets and pulled out something. "Here. A little something for your troubles."

Nic watched as he lobbed something through the thickening mist. With his reflexes, he caught the rather forceful shot with one hand. To his surprise, it was heavier than it looked. Taking a glimpse down, he saw that it was a small black sphere that was smooth to the touch. He wasn't too familiar with items, but he could tell what this one was. 'An Iron Ball?'

"It's not much…but I think you can make better use of it than me. In return…can you do me a favor?"

"What is it?"

When he looked back at AU-Nic, he could've sworn that he looked like he was about to cry again. It could've been the mist messing with his vision, but he knew a sincere and genuine smile when he saw one. This was one of those times.

"That wife you spoke of, and Vanessa…Make sure you tell them how much you love them. You love them so much that you can't imagine another life without them."

Nic paused from shock, but after a moment, a soft smile formed on his lips before the mist fully enveloped him. "Don't worry…" His voice echoed in the fading space. "…I will."

---

When the mist faded, Nic, Shiin, Butterfree, and Junior immediately noticed the forest they were in a moment ago was replaced by white snow. The air was so cold that they could see their own breaths, and a mild wind chill brushed against their sides.

Shiin blinked twice, taking notice of their surroundings. "We're…back to where we started?" He looked around to be sure, but noticed something else more crucial to him. "Wait, that fortuneteller! Where'd she go?!"

"Free?" Butterfree scanned his surroundings, but fell short of the aforementioned enigma.

"Damnit, she escaped again." Shiin clicked his teeth in frustration. "I knew I should've trapped her when I had the chance." His attention lifted towards the sky, noticing dawn breaching through the numerous ice peaks from the east. "It's morning…did that mage put us under an illusion spell?"

Nic silently thought about Shiin's concerns. It couldn't have been an illusion…right? His left eye made him immune to Illusion Magic and any magic that entails eye contact. Even so, it felt too real to have been a trance of any kind.

He then felt something in his grip. When he looked down at his right hand, his eyes widened as he saw the Iron Ball in hand. The reality sank deeper than any blade could. A small, thoughtful smirk crossed his face.

Junior let out a loud yawn. "Huh? Is it still morning?"

"Morning…?" When he realized where they were, Nic's body tensed up. 'The job! Erza!' He immediately went into action. He stashed the Iron Ball away and transformed into an Earth and Meadow hybrid. He stomped on the ground, sending an omnidirectional pulse across the landscape as he mapped out everything. In his vision, he could make out the numerous life signatures. He noticed a lot in one spot and focused on there.

It wasn't far. It was that fortress the group was supposedly seizing before. He felt most of the signatures from inside, most notably ones he was familiar with.

'There!' He turned towards Shiin. "Shiin, bear with me and stay close!"

Alarmed, Shiin furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"

"Just follow me. You too, Junior. Dig!" Nic brought his arms up and then down into the snow, plunging himself underneath into a medium-sized hole.

Shiin watched in disbelief at the urgency in Nic's tunneling. His brain started putting two and two together through his observations. 'Those forms he used, they let him manipulate earth and sense natural life force. He must have sensed his guild's presence. They must have been captured by the Gremlin.' Steeling himself, he jumped into the hole in pursuit.

"Weee~!" Junior jumped in next.

"Free!" Butterfree chirped as he fluttered down last.

---

"C'mon! Come off already you stupid…!" Natsu's teeth were clamped against the rope around his wrists. He had been biting away for a while now, but despite his tenacious jaws, they were nowhere near Tyrunt's strength.

"How long has he been at it?" Gray questioned, he, Happy, and Carla lazily observing their guildmate's futile struggles. At the very least it was equally entertaining and impressive how Natsu was thrashing through the night. Did he get any sleep?

"Beats me." Happy chimed.

Carla sighed tiredly. "Well, at least someone has energy." He turned towards the wall beside her. 'I just hope Wendy and the others are doing alright.'

The next cell over, the majority of the girls were half-asleep. Rather than burn through their energy trying to gnaw their way out, they tried untying each other. Unfortunately, it proved to be tougher than they expected. The knotwork was a mess, and the rope didn't fray no matter how much friction they used against the stone wall. To a degree, Erza was impressed with the quality of this rope.

Having gone half the night with their troubles, the redhead made it in her best interest to conserve her energy and get whatever rest she could. She had only woken up recently and looked over to see how Vanessa was faring. As she expected, the young woman was sound asleep.

'She never fails to sleep in.' Erza couldn't help but chuckle. She was thankful her sister-in-law was alright. Her thoughts drifted to a certain other person on her mind. 'Nic…'

A loud yawn came from Lucy as she awoke from her nap. "Hey, does anyone have the time? How long have we been here?" she groggily asked.

Erza shook her head. "Hard to say." She wouldn't admit it, but she could use a place to relieve herself right about now.

Wendy awoke to her grumbling stomach, sheepishly squirming in embarrassment. "Uh, s-sorry."

"Oh, Wendy, you're up." Lucy smiled.

The blue-haired girl nodded. "Yeah, but uh…I don't suppose anybody packed any rations with them, have they?"

"If we did, those things would've fed themselves by now using them." Erza begrudgingly admitted.

Sophie, who had come around, looked at her cellmates. "Are Joey and the others alright?" Her makeup had started smudging due to sleeping on the floor, though Erza and the others were too tired to comment on her cosmetic jeopardy.

"Hard to say. Haven't heard anything for a while now."

A small groan got the knight's attention. She turned to her side and noticed Vanessa waking up, albeit grumpily. "Mmm…"

"Vanessa, how'd you sleep?"

Vanessa glanced over at her sister-in-law, her tired expression giving her the answer she needed. "Erza…?"

Erza offered a small smile. "You're usually a heavy sleeper. Guess the floor wasn't cutting it."

Vanessa dryly chuckled. "Well, it's not like I can sleep on stone so casually like you and Nic."

In the midst of his dental endeavors, Natsu paused.

Noticing his lack of squirming, Gray turned towards him. "What's wrong?"

His draconic nose caught a whiff of something foul. And from the smell, it wasn't just one. "They're back!"

The sounds of low grunts and deep cackling echoed through the chamber. Everyone looked through the bars to see at least half a dozen small, yellow Gremlins. Their red eyes gleamed in the dark as they stood before their fresh inmates.

"What do you think they want this time?" Lucy wondered. The others shared the same worries as her.

A few Gremlin stepped forward, one carrying a bowl of water and the other a slab of meat. They could smell the blood from their distance. Even though the meat wasn't cooked, their growling stomachs made them seem tempting.

"Well, at least they care enough to provide." Sophie mumbled.

Natsu prodded his head out of the bars. "Hey! How about some for over here-GAH!" He immediately pulled his head back in to avoid a spear. The Gremlin cackled and snarled in twisted joy.

The Gremlin turned towards the ladies' cell, displaying the much-needed nourishment they desired. As the two showed off, the others clapped and laughed, some of them doing silly dances with tongues dangling out.

"What are they doing…?" Vanessa questioned.

Erza squinted. "I'm not sure, but…I think they want us to put on a show."

"What?!" Lucy gasped, covering her chest. "Ew! No way!"

The Gremlin continued taunting them, swaying the meat and bowl around to tempt them. Their lecherous gazes made it clear what they wanted to see, and the girls knew where this might be heading.

Uncomfortable, Lucy gritted her teeth and reflexively kicked a small rock. "Perverts!" The projectile went shooting between the bars, smacking one of the Gremlin square in the face. As he recoiled from the shock, the slab of meat he carried fell to the ground.

The group paused, an uneasy silence following. Lucy, who had realized what she had done, blinked and felt a shiver down her spine. "Uh oh…"

The Gremlin regained his stance and glared at Lucy, his red eyes twitching from anger. He and the other Gremlin snarled at their prisoners and gripped their weapons. The assaulted Gremlin's frown turned to a cynical smirk as his tongue swayed side to side.

"Did you really have to do that?" Sophie whispered to Lucy.

"I-it was a reflex!" Lucy snapped.

The Gremlin holding the bowl of water held it up overhead before dumping it onto the ground in front of them. The girls watched as their sustenance was tarnished before their eyes in a fit of contempt. One Gremlin holding a set of rusted keys turned the lock to their cell door and pried it open. The half-dozen sauntered in, all licking their lips in anticipation for what's to come.

"Hey! Wait a minute!" Two Gremlin moved to grab Lucy by her arms and pinned her down. "Stop!"

"Lucy!" Erza moved to help, but spears pointed in her and the rest of their faces. Even in the dimly lit sanctum, she could make out a tint of something glistening on the tips of the spears. 'Poison?'

One of the Gremlin holding down Lucy's arms spared a hand and reached back, pulling out a shabby dagger and held it up to her neck. She immediately tensed up at the threat she and the others were under.

"Hey! What's going on over there?! Don't you dare touch my friends, you bastards!" Natsu roared. He made an attempt to ram the bars again, but to no avail. "Damnit! Stupid bars! Just break already!"

The Gremlin paid no heed to their prisoners' futile efforts. They would be sure to deal with them later. But right now, they had to make their point across. The Gremlin that Lucy assault hopped between her legs, grabbing her inner thighs. They felt plump and smooth, just the way he liked them. He was salivating as his eyes widened with excitement.

"LUCY!" Erza roared.

Lucy shuddered, knowing what the beast was going to do. She closed her eyes tightly, not wanting to bear the sight of what was to come.

CRASH!

The ground behind suddenly exploded. The Gremlin and everyone were too caught up in the moment of despair to catch the figure that shot out of the hole. Yet, in that short span of time, a pair of blue eyes shone through that Erza recognized almost immediately, immediately making her heart pounce.

With the swipe of an arm, a funnel of Razor Leaf was unleashed upon the Gremlin. By the time they turned to the interloper, it was too late for them. Sharp leaves gashed their bodies, most notably their necks. They all dropped like flies dead on the spot.

As the seconds passed, Lucy didn't feel anything intrusive like she thought. When she peeked to see what happened, her eyes shot wide open at the disfigured Gremlin around her. "Huh? What the…?"

Sophie didn't have time to blink before she felt a chill around her wrists. She looked down, noticing the rope was severed. "Our binds are gone!" She thought back to that Razor Leaf a moment ago. 'He cut them down in an instant and simultaneously cut our binds?'

Wendy looked up, her once horrid gaze turning to shock. "Is that…?"

With her binds gone, Vanessa's aura wasn't fooling her. Even then, she recognized the figure from a glance alone. "Nic…!"

Erza was speechless, her husband had come to their aid at long last.

"Looks like we made it in time." Shiin noted, next to appear out of the hole. Junior and Butterfree followed behind him.

"Hi, everybody!"

"Free!"

Nic observed his surroundings, seeing the dead Gremlin and the compromising position Lucy scrambled herself out of. "Is everyone okay?"

Lucy quickly sat up, covering her lower areas sheepishly. "Uh, y-yeah, am now…" she uttered.

Nic nodded. "That's good."

Hearing the voice, Natsu spoke up from the cell over. "Is that Nic?!"

"Yeah, it's me." Nic responded.

"About time man! The hell's happening over there?" Gray asked.

"Forget about that! Get us out first!" Natsu shouted.

Not dawdling given their circumstances, Nic moved out of the cell and positioned himself in front of the cell over. In a flash and ending with striking poses, Nic ended up through the bars behind the inmates inside, his arms glowing with Leaf Blade. The bars shattered, and Natsu, Gray, Happy, and Carla's bind were cut off, much to their relief.

"That's more like it." Gray stood with flexed wrists after being bound for a good while.

"Carla!" Wendy rushed to hug Carla.

"Wendy, thank goodness!" Carla reciprocated the embrace. "I was worried something happened."

Wendy sniffled, shaking her head. "Don't worry, I'm just fine. See?" She flashed a bright smile.

Carla smiled softly at her gesture. "Honestly, what am I going to do with you?"

Happy stretched his arms overhead. "Oh yeah, back in the action!"

"You said it, pal!" Natsu beamed with an ember in his breath. "Alright, where are those little yellow jerks? I owe them a good char barbeque!"

Shiin scoffed, folding his arms. "Seems your little 'barbeque' is called off. Nic took care of them."

"Wair, for real?!" Natsu's fires of determination turned to annoyance as he diverted that towards Nic. "Hey, man! Could have saved some for me!"

"Yeah, and maybe brought some fish too. I'm starving my stomach out!" Happy complained.

"Seriously, the hell took ya? We've been tied up for hours." Gray chimed in.

Sophie put her hands to her hips. "I gotta say, you have a way with timing. I'll give you that."

"Yeah, thanks for that." Lucy subconsciously shuddered at what would have been happening right now if Nic hadn't intervened.

Nic looked around. "Everyone…" He glanced at the familiar faces, faces that felt like he hadn't seen in a while. Even though a whole day hadn't passed, it felt so long since he was in that alternate reality. It brought relief to him seeing they were all well.

"Nic?" A familiar voice tickled his ears.

Immediately, he turned and saw the two most important women in his life side by side, looking at him with concerns underlying their respective gazes. Those brown and blue eyes. Those faces. That scarlet hair covering the right eye. The vague smell of strawberry and lemon they gave off.

There was no mistaking it. It was his beloved wife and younger sister.

He fell completely silent as he found himself in awe at them. It was partially because it felt like forever since he'd seen them, but also because of the experience he went through. The lives he was starting to distance from now before him tug at his heart to where it felt like bleeding.

Noticing his silent stare, Vanessa spoke up. "Nic…?" She used her aura to check him. 'It's definitely him. Is he thinking of something?'

As if on instinct, his body immediately moved on its own. His hands reached behind their backs as they pulled them into a hug, resting his chin between their shoulders. The action took Erza and Vanessa by surprise, something they weren't expecting from him. But oddly enough…weren't denying.

"N-Nic?" Erza asked, startled. "What's wrong?"

"…sorry." His tone was soft, just enough for them to hear. "I'm so sorry I worried you both." His embrace on them tightened, as if his life depended on it. "I'm so glad you're okay."

The two girls exchanged shocked looks, but their worries quickly simmered. Sensing the genuine distress in his voice, the two embraced back, warm smiles forming on their faces. The anxiety they all felt before faded away in an instant by their warmth.

"It's alright…we're together now, that's all that matters." Erza hushed.

A meek smile formed on Nic's face, his eyes misting a little from the swell of emotions he was keeping in check. "Yeah…we are."

Everyone watched them with confusion. They weren't exactly sure what was happening, or why Nic was so emotional, but they thought it would be in their best interest not to get in between them. Even Shiin chose to stay silent, mostly out of respect knowing the trauma they endured.

Just then, Natsu's nose twitched as another scent was coming from down the corridor. He turned with a glare fixed with ire. "Heads up, guys. We've got company."

They all turned and heard the sound of foul growls and tiny footsteps. Another small group of Gremlin started towards them, all brandishing weapons. Natsu wasted no time generating a condensed fireball.

"Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!"

He lobbed the fireball through the airspace, barreling straight into Gremlin horde. The horde hissed before they were swallowed in flames, generating an explosion that shook the entire castle.

Elsewhere inside the castle, the explosion echoed. It caught the attention of many Gremlin. Amongst them, the Gremlin Lord's green eyes glinted as he growled angrily.

The explosion settled down, leaving smoke to disperse in front of Natsu. The Dragon Slayer looked proud of himself. "That's the least you guys deserve!"

Sophie gasped. "Hold on! Look!"

Her reaction was warranted as the Gremlin all trudged out, snarling angrily at Natsu's attack. Aside from their clothing charred, they were all unfazed.

Natsu's eyes widened. "What?! Seriously?!"

"Our magic's still not working against these things?" Gray grunted. He reached back to pull out a Pokémon ball but then realized something. 'Oh, right. Those things must have taken them.'

The Gremlin cackled with taunting smiles at Natsu's efforts, that was until silky threat shot out of the smoke and wrapped around them, binding the bunch together. For a moment, everyone was taken aback by the attack before the Gremlin were pulled back in.

"Pin Missile!"

"Flamethrower!"

Commands were followed by the launch of green projectiles and a roaring flame. The Gremlins' cries were heard upon contact before silenced. A compact explosion rushed through the corridor, in which everyone covered up from the shaking wake of both attacks pushing past them. By the time it dispersed, they were stunned to find the small horde lying in a crisp at three pairs of feet surrounded by a Larvesta, Heracross, and Magmortar.

"Thought we heard something down here. Looks like a party just started." The casual tone belonged to Joey. He and The Freaks had arrived.

Lucy's eyes widened. "It's Joey! Dereece, Duncan! Thank goodness you guys came when you did!"

Joey and his group rushed to get closer. "Are you guys okay?!"

Vanessa nodded. "Yes, we are now. Thanks."

Dereece sighed. "Thank goodness. It's a miracle that you're all in one piece." His joy diminished, thinking about what he and the other saw before. 'Especially after knowing what these things did to those women.'

Shiin silently observed, his arms folded. 'Seems they were able to avoid the Gremlin up until now. Interesting.'

"Larvesta!" Junior hopped in joy seeing her friend again.

"Junior!" Larvesta's stubby hands wiggled in delight as she caught her. She spun around and let go as Junior splashed excitedly.

"You won't believe the crazy things that I did with Nic and my Mom!"

Gray raised a brow, hearing his tale. "What's that supposed to mean? Something happened?"

Duncan turned his head to look over his shoulder. "We'll catch up later. That explosion from before must've alerted those other things around here. We can't stay here."

Nic nodded. "Right. Everyone, into the hole. We'll escape through there."

Everyone complied and made way down the large hole Nic made before. The Freaks recalled their Pokémon and followed behind. The last one was Nic, who jumped in and used his Earth Form's powers to fill the hole immediately, covering their tracks.

---

A short while later, Nic managed to fully collapse his tunnel as they finally made it outside. However, knowing their enemy was still around, Nic used his Earth/Icicle Form to mold the snow on the side of a mountain into a small cave. He then sealed the entrance, making it blend naturally with the surroundings.

Though it was safer, it still didn't help the fact it was cold. Thankfully for them, Natsu's magic provided flames that lit up the dark environment. For good measure, Joey's Larvesta's Flame Body was doing its thing, providing a very toasty environment. After being in a cold cell for hours, it was refreshing.

Lucy was amongst the first to express relief in a long sigh. "Yeah, this feels a lot better."

"Better than a stone floor, I guess." Gray hummed. He honestly didn't mind the cold given his magic, but he didn't find the cell as comfortable as a bedroom. He turned towards Nic and Shiin. "Anyways, what took you guys? You've been gone for hours."

Nic wasn't able to answer immediately – drawing concerned looks from his peers. He and Shiin turned towards each other and exchanged knowing looks. Though they knew what they went through was certainly an experience, they thought it'd be best to keep it to themselves.

He turned back to answer his friend. "Sorry…we got into a disagreement and got sidetracked. But we were able to work it out. Right?"

Shiin huffed, lowering his head. "Yes…something like that."

Erza turned towards Vanessa, seeing the younger Pularis woman focused on the two. She could read her body language; she knows she's reading their aura to get an understanding of the agenda. She would have to ask later what happened, but she knew the priority right now was the mission.

Wendy frowned, clearly displeased.

"What's wrong, Wendy?" Carla asked softly.

"Nothing. It's just…our Pokémon are still stuck back there."

"Yeah, she's right. We were lucky enough to get out of there. Now we have to rescue them." Sophie chimed in.

"She's has a point…but, there's a number of problems." Erza noted. "We don't know what these things are. What we know for certain at least is that our magic is ineffective against them. That alone puts us at a disadvantage."

"Yeah…and that's not the worst of it. That sword that red one used, it was a huge problem."

"Where'd they get it? And what's more, what are these things after?" Lucy pondered.

"I…think we have an idea." Surprising everyone was Joey, who added his two cents. "While looking for you guys, we came across some things."

Gray turned towards them, raising a brow. "Huh? What did you see?"

The Freaks had pensive looks on their faces as they looked towards the ground. The tension in the room became as heated as Natsu and Larvesta's bodies. Their silence gave everyone an uneasy chill down their spines.

Finally, Duncan sighed. "We'll tell ya…but you're not gonna like one bit of it."

Nic turned towards Shiin. "Shiin…I believe you have something to say about the situation as well?"

The Pergrande Captain shot Nic a look, but seeing how involved he was with the situation now, he knew there was no going back. "…if I must."

For the next fifteen minutes, Shiin spoke up about what he said to Nic before regarding the Gremlin, as well as their habits and high threat level if left unchecked. The more he spoke about them, the more it made sense.

The Freaks also went into detail about their venture inside the fortress and what they saw. They left nothing out. The more they unraveled about the Gremlins and their bizarre habits, the more confused everyone got, and equally disturbed. However, nothing was more shocking than knowing what those creatures did to those women…and what they had to do to the infant Gremlin.

During the explanation, Junior was snuggled right up to Larvesta and dozing off. Though he earned it after the exhausting adventure he had, everyone else was wide awake and uncomfortable.

Erza had an arm stretched out to her knee, her grim sorrow aimed at the ground. "I see, so we were too late…"

"Yeah…" Joey huffed.

Wendy had her hands over her mouth, trying to hold back her tears. "All those poor women…and they were all…" She trailed off, unable to say anymore. Luckily, Carla was there to hold her.

"You were very lucky. Had it not been for Nic's intervention, you would've been fellow victims of Gremlin procreation as well as nourishment." Shiin stated matter-of-factly. He didn't even bother sugarcoating the facts that it stung.

"Hey man, watch it." Gray warned.

Shiin scoffed, keeping arms folded. "I'm merely stating the truth."

"At least that explains why we weren't killed on the spot." Sophie chimed, trying to see a positive in this otherwise disastrous scenario.

Natsu's anger peeked as the flame in his hand expanded with his anger. Happy scooted away, alarmed. "Hey! Natsu! Cool it!"

"Those little creeps…they've gone too far!" He roared, grinding his teeth. "Those girls didn't deserve to die like that…and capturing all those Pokémon! These guys are worse than scum!"

Duncan hummed. "For once, I can agree with you."

Vanessa put a hand to her chin in thought. "Still, there's a lot of things that don't add up. How were these…Gremlins, was it, unaffected by our magic? From what Shiin described, they sound like they'd be very vulnerable."

"Perhaps they gained a resistance or immunity to it." Lucy answered thoughtfully, her eyes narrowing. "But I haven't heard of much else that can nullify magic other than Nullification Magic or magic sealing stone."

'Magic sealing stone?' The mention of that made the gears in Joey's head turn. His breath hitched when he remembered something. "Wait, Dereece. Didn't we see a whole lot of stone before?"

Dereece nodded. "Yeah, we did. When they were preparing food. They were grinding it up and sprinkling it on that raw meat before eating it." His eyes widened. "You don't think…"

"They're…eating magic sealing stone?" Happy quipped.

"That seems to be the case. But why is the question." Carla pondered for a reason, but couldn't find one.

"They've committed taboo." Everyone turned towards the voice. Shiin had a calm and calculated gaze as he explained further. "In the Pergrande Kingdom, there was an old art in which mages would ingest the minerals lying in magic sealing stone."

"For real? That sound hard for their stomachs." Natsu complained.

"That being said, ingesting magic sealing stone allows the body to absorb the magic neutralizing minerals inside the stone. Doing that, the body is able to neutralize the effects of external magic. In other words, eating magic sealing stone will make you immune to magic."

"Wait…it can really do that?!"

"Yes…but it has a drawback. Mages who ingested magic sealing stone are unable to use magic themselves. And consuming too much of it will completely flatline your ability to draw in Ethernano altogether. It's a double-edged sword for mages. That's why it was considered taboo and banned in practice over a century ago."

"So then the reason our spells didn't work at all is because these guys have been eating magic sealing stone?" Gray surmised.

"That would seem to be the case."

"That would explain why our Pokémon and their attacks were able to affect them" Sophie realized. "Their moves don't use magic, so they're not cancelled like our magic was."

"Right…and then there's that sword. Whenever we attacked, that sword was able to absorb our spells. It was strong enough to even shatter Joey's indestructible barriers." Vanessa recalled that moment, which everyone was stunned as well.

"Just what is that sword anyway? And how'd they get their hands on it?" Gray added.

Once again, Shiin sighed. "This truly is the worst-case scenario."

Nic turned towards Shiin. "What do you mean?"

"You all mentioned that you were fighting a red Gremlin, correct? Well, Gremlins have a hierarchy that's broken down into three categories. The first is the yellow ones, they're smaller and the weakest of Gremlins. As they age and consume things with magic, their skin darkens, and they grow physically as well. The orange ones are the more experienced ones, though they're far less common. They're said to be Gremlin who lived past 5 years."

"Then what about that red one?" Natsu questioned, having an idea where this was going.

"That one, those are Gremlins who have been said to lived longer than a decade. We call them Gremlin Lords. You can say they're the S-Class of Gremlins, and the rarest of them all. They've lived long enough to master human weapons, and their years of experience allows them to lead armies of their own. What's more, they're said to be able to use magic as well."

Vanessa blinked. "That so? But the one we've fought hadn't use any that we've seen."

"That's probably because of the magic sealing stone they've consumed." Shiin answered. "But…" His brow furrowed as he was recalling something. "I've been wondering this for a while…but I'm certain now based on what you've described."

"There's more?" Gray scrunched his brow. Just how much was Shiin hiding from them?

"That photo taken before at the base camp…it was hazy, but now I'm certain. I believe that to be the Zeldaris."

"What's that?" Erza pondered. This was the first time hearing of such a sword.

"It was an heirloom of one of the finest blacksmiths in the Pergrande Kingdom at the time. It was a sword designed to nullify, absorb, and store any magic that comes in contact with it. One can argue it being the ultimate anti-mage weapon. However, it went missing around 11 years ago…now we know where it's been."

Natsu's eyes widened. "Wait, for real?!"

"It can neutralize and store magic at the same time?" Wendy inhaled at the revelation. It definitely explained their tribulations against the Gremlin Lord.

Erza's eyes widened. 'So that's why that armored Gremlin was able to wield that sword! And why I felt my magic being drained!'

Shiin nodded. "Yes. If you add that to an army of magic-immune Gremlin led by an experienced Gremlin Lord, and utilizing Pokémon as well…we'd be looking at yet another potential national-class threat."

"It looked like they were gonna target Magnolia…" Dereece started panicking. "The guild and everyone would be in danger!"

"And it would only get worse from there." Duncan gruffly added. "They'll turn Magnolia into a breeding ground and multiply till their numbers are enough to overrun every town up to the Capital. Right?"

"That's exactly right." Shiin confirmed. "I wager that as soon as they get the Pokémon compliant, they'll make their move. At this rate, we'd be looking at closest as tomorrow night."

"That's not much time! We've gotta do something!" Wendy urged.

"We will, Wendy. We just need to come up with a plan first." Carla folded her paws. "Of course, that being said, we'll have to work around the fact that our magic has no direct effect on them, and we still need to free our Pokémon friends, too."

"Hmm…" Nic lowly hummed, staring off into space. He took in everything he heard. If the notion was right on the Jewel, this entire scenario played out like everyone described, this would be beyond a disaster. He could already see the hundreds of dead men and children. The young women assaulted and forced to populate the Gremlin. Such an image was hard to stomach. Subsequently, Nic did remember Arthur telling him how the Council warned that if another major incident involving Pokémon happened again, they would cancel the games, and the Cambire Foundation would lose its funding. Even though that wasn't the major issue, it'd defeat the purpose of all their hard work up until now.

Taking another look around, Nic saw the pensive looks of his friends. They've been through so much, both experience and individually. They've been through some tough times already and they always pulled through in the end. But now, they had to step up their game, but they didn't know how.

"…" Remaining silent, he thought of what his counterpart taught him.

"That's one way of looking at it…but even scavengers can get by with what little they get from others than just themselves. How to use resources and how to use them."

That's right! Even though he could use his powers to fix this, he had to remember that it wasn't just his fight. It was everyone. Everyone had their own unique set of skills they worked hard to master. Strengths and weaknesses they could use if pieced together.

He recalled the one question AU-Nic asked him. "What's in my pocket…?"

Barely catching wind of his question, Vanessa turned towards him. "Nic?"

After a moment of considerate thought, Nic turned towards his sister. "Don't worry…I have an idea." He declared. "But it's gonna take all of us for this to work." He turned expectantly towards Shiin. "Right?"

"Free! Free!" Butterfree flew besides Shiin, urging him.

The white-haired mage sighed. "Supposed I'll lend my aid for this mission. But only because this is a national class threat. I'm merely fulfilling my obligations in protecting Ishgar and the magic world."

Nic nodded in understanding. "Sure."

---

Inside the fortress, the large room where they were holding the Pokémon was busy. Around twenty of them were gathered inside, mostly spectating as they were forcing Pokémon to battle each other. A Gremlin snarled and cracked his whip, the wild Boldore unleashing a Power Gem.

The half-dozen glittering stones shot through the air, but the opposing Gremlin shouted back as the Gogoat he rode complied, firing a Razor Leaf that shattered the stones like glass.

The Gogoat sighed, but despite her best efforts before, she had much less resistance to the Gremlin. Just the way they wanted her.

Many other Gremlin were on guard, keeping watch of the wild Pokémon that were hauled up behind bars. Many of them looked exhausted, with a few having flesh wounds as earlier repercussions the Gremlins were more than happy to beat into them.

"Kyaaah!" The Gremlin pointed forward.

"Kyaaah!" His opponent did the same.

The Gogoat and Boldore glared at each other and began charging at each other…

BOOM!

Before they were within two meters of each other, the ground between them thundered for a split-second before earth and rock collapsed. Time slowed down as they were thrown off their feet as a plume of dust blocked their path.

The Gremlin riding the Gogoat looked shocked, seeing a silhouette in the dust…but that was all the time he had before his head severed from his body.

"GRAAAAH~!" Bursting out of the hole, Garchomp shot at Mach speed around the corridor. The nearby Gremlin could only spare glances before sharp bladed fins passed them, slicing them up. Others were splattered by tail swipes, kicks, or being thrown into the wall so hard their skulls split apart.

Meanwhile, the dust picked up was being thrown around made it hard to tell what was going on. The other Pokémon's visibility was unclear. They all tensed up when a human emerged from the dust in front of their cell.

With a silent slice of her sword, Erza made quick work of the bars containing the captive Pokémon. "You're all fine now. I mean you no harm."

Emerging from the hole next, Vanessa used her aura sensory to pick up on their Pokémon. She turned in the direction where there was a narrow storage room on the far side of the chamber. "Over there!"

Immediately following her, Natsu, Lucy, and everyone else rushed through the one-'mon carnage and reached the storage space. There, they saw several Pokémon Balls of many varieties.

"Yeah, just like Dereece said, they're all here." Natsu stated.

Lucy hurried to find her capsules. After a few moments of scrounging, she held three shrunken balls in the palms of her hands with a smile. "I got mine!"

"Yeah, same here. Looks like they're still inside." Wendy smiled happily.

"Perfect." Gray smirked, holding up one of his Poké Balls.

"Got mine." Sophie announced.

Vanessa managed to select her and Erza's capsules, letting out a sigh of relief. She looked through the dust and saw Erza from the far distance. For a moment, the sisters-in-law nodded in understanding, their task just starting.

…

"First thing's first. We'll have to save the captive Pokémon as well as the others." Nic started explaining the schematics of their plans. "They're probably on high alert because of our escape. We can't rely on stealth for this. So we'll bait them."

"Bait them? With what?" Happy inquired.

He turned towards The Freaks. "How much Honey do you guys have?"

Dereece blinked. "Uh…a couple? Heracross always gets the munchies, so…"

"That'll be fine. We'll use the same method we used back when we lured the Pokémon into Magnolia during the rebellion. They have a strong smell, so they should pick up on the Honey quick. Lure as many as you can to the front entrance of the fortress."

…

With all their Pokémon back in their possession and the Gremlin in the chamber all but dismembered by Garchomp, the gruff Pokémon turned towards the others. "Take the hole back to your freedom. Don't blame me if you get left behind."

The Pokémon all seemed hesitant at first, but a few exchanged glances and realized the opportunity before them. They all hurried towards the hole and made turns jumping in the find their path towards the freedom they so deeply craved.

"Thank you so much!" A Sneasel hollered.

"Freedom!" A Swinub snorted.

"May you be blessed." A Chimecho bowed in respect before descending.

As they all made way out, Erza turned towards her comrades around her. "Alright, does everyone know their part?" It was more of a rhetorical question, but she wanted to make sure everyone got the message loud and clear.

Natsu rammed his fist into his palm, causing a burst of flames. "Hell yeah! Let's turn this castle upside-down!"

"Aye, sir!" Happy cheered.

Erza turned towards The Freaks, giving them affirmative nods. Dereece stepped forward and began distributing the few Honey jars he had on hand. The only ones who didn't get them were Natsu, Gray, and Shiin. Once set, she glared at the narrow entrance, pointing her sword with dignity. "Spread out!"

"You heard Erza-senpai! Freaks, let's move!" Joey ran ahead, with Dereece and Duncan in tow of their leader. The others followed his lead and reached various corridors that fanned off. One-by-one, they began separating. Some seemingly heading to specific areas in mind.

Lucy ran with a jar in her hand, heading down a narrow passage. "Maybe this'll help…" She pulled out a Pokémon Ball, lobbing it upwards. "Go, Staryu!"

The capsule popped open, expelling Lucy's Staryu with a flash in his red core. BEEP-BEEPBEEP!

Up ahead, a few Gremlin were laying around sleepily. As one yawned loudly, he was stirred awake by a faint red light in the distance. "Hngh?" He got up, seeing a voluptuous woman with a bright star beside her…and they smelled good!

"Krah! Kraahah!" The Gremlin got to his feet and took chase. His cohorts, stirred by the same reason, also gave chase.

Hearing the hollering, Lucy could tell the plan was working. 'Staryu's Ability is Illuminate. It's not great for hiding, but it makes for a good beacon to follow!' Lucy smirked with pride. She and Staryu continued down the hall as many Gremlin started tailing them. "That's right, just keep following us!"

As the pair continued, the faint glow Staryu had drew drowsy Gremlin from their daze to give chase. As soon as they reached another corridor, Lucy ducked into it. Staryu kept going, in which many of the allured Gremlin gave chase towards the enigmatic light.

With breathing room, she pulled out a Great Ball.

…

"We'll need to take out their weapons. Just because they're immune to magic, doesn't mean they won't fight back. We should also take out their food storage since that's where they're adding the magic-sealing stone."

"Don't worry, we'll hit them there!" Natsu volunteered, smirking. "If I can't hurt these things, then I'll make sure they can't hurt us."

Vanessa nodded. "In that case, we'll handle their food supply. They'll have a hard time if their magic sealing stone supply suddenly runs dry."

…

Reaching down a flight of stairs, Natsu and Happy looked at the chamber they came across. Their eyes laid upon the barrels of arrows, lances, even the looks of some pretty decent swords.

"Looks like we've reached the armory." Natsu concluded.

"They sure have a lot of this stuff." Happy glanced around, noticing the shabby quality of most of them. "I wonder how they got ahold of this stuff?"

"Probably poached them off their victims." His voice carried a hint of resentment to the notion. "Alright…let's great crackin'!" He threw all his Pokémon Balls at once. "Guys, it's trashin' time!"

The Pokémon Balls popped open. Charmeleon, Darumaka, and Tyrunt emerged simultaneously with loud cries.

Immediately, they went to work. Tyrunt snapped spears between his dense jaws, as well as swinging his tail and snapping a polearm made of wood with relative ease.

"Cannonball~!" Darumaka jumped into the air and came down with a Fire Punch, shattering a stack of wooden shields.

Charmeleon used his sharp claws and snapped a spears tip from its long body. He turned towards Natsu. "You in?"

Natsu's fists flared with excitement. "I was just waiting to hear that!" He rushed ahead with excitement fueling the spiraling flames amassing around him. "I'll show ya how it's done!"

Elsewhere, a Gremlin slammed into a wall, his limp body dropping to the ground amongst the rest of his kind.

The perpetrator was none other than Vanessa's Krookodile, who clasped his claws together. "Alright, that's the last of them! Now what?"

"Now, for the fun part." Delphox chimed. "Ready when you say, Vanessa."

Nodding in understanding, Vanessa directed her arm forward. "Delphox, Flamethrower! Krookodile, Outrage!"

Both Pokémon adhered to their Trainer's command. As Delphox brought out her wand, Krookodile's body flared with a red energy and his eyes glowed brightly with rage. Delphox unleashed a broiling fire onto the meat and carcasses, incinerating them. Whereas Krookodile focused on the magic sealing stone, roaring with might as he slammed his tail into the haul, commencing the carnage.

Vanessa watched her Pokémon go to work, determination in her gaze. 'Even if they're all dead, this much magic sealing stone is dangerous. It needs to be leveled!'

…

"Um…are you, uh, sure about this…?" A less than eager Snover sauntered through the dark halls, his root-like feet trotting with every pivot.

"Look, I'm as peeved as you, so let's get this over with." A gruff voice spoke up. It belonged to Grovyle as he stomped in his usual grumpy demeanor.

"I'm not exactly peeved, more like…frightened." He shuddered. "I…have a history with these things."

Grovyle glared over his shoulder. "Look, it'll be in and out, alright? My Trainer and yours told us this was important, so let's just focus and get on with our lives."

Snover swallowed a lump. "O-okay…"

They stepped through a tunnel out into the open chamber. There chained to the ground were six white wyverns, all sound asleep and chained to the earth by their necks. Grovyle and Snover approached them, marveling – and shuddering – at the herbivores.

"This must be them. They probably worried those chains are made of magic-sealing stone or something." Grovyle brought his hands together and stretched them, cracking the joints. "Well, let's do this."

"R-right!" Snover powered through his nerves and spread his arms apart.

"Leaf Blade!" Grovyle growled as he spread his arms apart, the leaves on his arms becoming two green energy blades.

"Razor Leaf!" Snover's hands glowed green and swiped them, sending a funnel of shredding leaves ahead.

The sharp attacks left green outlines across the huge cuffs around the white wyverns' necks. Once the leaves dissipated and Grovyle landed back on the ground, the cuffs fell apart, falling to the ground with loud clangs. The wyverns were stirred from their slumber at the sensation of fresh air around their necks.

"There, happy now?" Grovyle exasperated. "See, that wasn't so…"

"Grrrr…" A low, collective snarl halted Grovyle mid-sentence. He turned back and noticed the six wyvern turning towards them, their eyes seemingly fixed on them.

Snover took an uneasy step away. "Uh…why are they looking at us like that?"

Unbeknownst to them, the six wyvern's stomachs were grumbling. They were only fed sparsely, and the creatures before them had leaves on their bodies. One even licked their choppers in anticipation to a potential meal.

It didn't take long for Grovyle and Snover to realize the latter's concerns were validated. They sharply turned to each other, then back at the wyverns and paused…before they turned on their heels and ran off screaming. The wyverns all charged after them, their maws open wide.

"AAAAAHHHH~! I knew it! I knew this was a bad idea!" Snover panicked, comedic tears flowing past him.

"I can't believe we were bait! Arceus, I hate humans!" Grovyle swore.

The two hurried towards the iron bars that were opened by a drawbridge outside. Not wanting to wait around, Grovyle sprung ahead, using Leaf Blade to slice an opening for him and Snover to leap through. With the wyvern hot on their tail, they made a desperate leap through. The wyverns collectively rammed down the iron bars, bursting into the open.

"Aaaaah~!" Snover and Grovyle panicked as they both went diving into the snow. After a moment, they popped their heads out and realized they weren't chow. They looked skywards and saw the wyverns parting ways into the cloudy sky.

Realizing they were safe, Snover fell onto his back in the snow.

A figure walked up, putting hands in his pockets. "Nice work, guys. That takes care of their aerial advantage."

Grovyle shot him a deep scowl. "Next time, how about you be the bait!"

"Please…never have us do that again…" Snover pleaded between breaths.

Gray smiled nonchalantly. "Right, sorry. But it was the only thing I figured would draw them out. Now…" He brought his hands together, then slammed them into the ground. "Ice-Make: Rampart!"

A massive wall of ice shot up at the opening to the castle, sealing it off once more.

"That takes care of their backdoor." Gray then turned towards the sky, seeing Staraptor in the sky with Junior atop.

All around the fortress, the dead bodies of numerous Gremlin were sprawled everywhere. The entrances to the roof, windows, and now the backdoor, were all blocked by ice. Staraptor smirked, with Junior gleefully giggling.

…

"We'll need to seal off their escape routes, so they only have one exit." Nic explained. "Gray, use your ice. Block off the routes from outside. Staraptor will take care of the guards around the outside."

Gray nodded. "Got it."

Natsu leaned forward. "Hold on a sec, what about you?"

"While I was in my Earth Form, I noticed a large network of tunnels running throughout the ground that connected to the fortress. That's probably how the Gremlins knew we were coming." Nic explained. "I'll flood them, so they can't escape through there."

…

Underground, a handful of Gremlin were running towards their kin. They were relaying the recently escaped prisoners when the entire tunnel started to shudder. The Gremlin looked around nervously before they all turned towards the one end. Their eyes widened as they saw a swift-moving tidal wave head their way!

They panicked and turned to run, but their legs and feet couldn't outrun the rush of the flood that swallowed them.

…

Duncan pointed his Elfen Forja forward. "Gastrodon, Muddy Water!" Without a word, his Gastrodon complied, summoning a tidal wave of brown water surrounding his body. He expanded the wake, sending it rushing down the hall.

The Gremlin further down panicked and rushed to the other end of the hall. However, Joey stood in their way, crossing his fingers with a serious expression.

"Barrier-Make: Wall!"

He created a wall between himself and the Gremlin with a barrier, blocking off the Gremlins' escape route. They all hopped and lunged, but no matter how much they tried scratching or pounding, the barrier didn't budge. That left them at the mercy of the brown tsunami was washed into them.

Joey watched with a straight face as the creatures were left to drown in the murky turbulence. He would've felt bad doing this before, but after what these things did, those thoughts went out the window. "Can't let a single one run loose."

"Uh, Captain Joey…" Dereece pointed behind him.

Joey turned around, only for his eyes to widen at an orange Gremlin. But it wasn't just any orange Gremlin. He recognized it from its patterns and the weapon it had. "Hey there, big guy. Remember me?"

"Krrrrr…!" The orange Gremlin growled, his attention clearly on the blonde dancer. The smell was vaguely familiar to him…and he didn't like it.

"Yeah, figured that'd be the case. So how about it?" He started tapping his foot and shrugging his shoulders. "Wanna finish our little dance?"

"Hrrrrgh?" The Gremlin raised a brow at Joey's movements. It took a few moments to realize what he was doing. And given his experience, he knew what to do now. "Hehe…" A malicious smirk crossed the rotund being's face as he cast his weapon aside, beating his large feet against the ground.

An eager smirk crossed Joey's face. "That's what I thought." He began twirling on one foot and gathered momentum, before lunging at the Gremlin with a front kick.

…

A horde of Gremlin were rushing after Erza, many holding daggers and knives; all of them had sickly perverted gleams in their eyes. The female knight made no move as Aegislash suddenly appeared in front, her Shield Forme deflecting the Gremlin.

"Right. Now, Houndoom!" Erza tossed another Poké Ball, this time bringing out Houndoom.

The Dark Pokémon whipped his forked tail. "Say the word!"

Erza reached her arm forward. "Inferno!"

Houndoom careened his head back and closed his maw. Blue flames heated inside his mouth and gained pressure until he finally released it in a monstrous blue blaze down the hallway. Any Gremlin that stood before it was immediately burned alive, and stragglers rushed in the opposite direction.

"We need to move! We need to make sure they don't take any other paths!" With urgency, Erza, Aegislash, and Houndoom raced down the corridor.

In a nearby corridor, Wendy had a similar situation. Yellow Gremlin were pacing heavily towards her, but she stood with Swablu and Arcelia ready. "Alright Arcelia, Dragon Tail! Swablu, use Mirror Move!"

"You got it!" Both Pokémon shouted. Arcelia flapped her head wings and ascended, as did Swablu. The draconic serpent's tail glowed and developed green, scale-like energy collecting into an extension of her tail. Swablu had a spatial portal appear before her, which she flew through and came out with a similar draconic energy tail.

As the Gremlin all closed in, the two swung their tails in unison, hitting all the Gremlin and sending them flying down the hallway, their cries echoing into the dark.

"Good move!" Carla praised.

Wendy pumped her fists with a smile. "Yeah, great job guys!"

Arcelia sheepishly rubbed her tail against her head. "Hehe, it's nothing really."

…

A group of Gremlin were rushing down a hall as they were trying to find the intruders. Their smells were lingering around, but it was overtaken by a strong, sweet smell. It was almost intoxicating that it was hard to resist. Whatever it was, it was close.

"Krah!" From an adjacent corridor, a fellow Gremlin rushed towards the horde and pointed in the direction they came from. He grunted something, but it was incoherent like their usual speech was. But the other Gremlin looked past him to see what he was referring to.

On the end of the hall, Sophie was taking a small break from running. She had been running for awhile now, add the fact it had been awhile since she ate made her realize she was low on steam.

"KRAH~!" The Gremlin didn't hesitate even for a second. They rushed past the Gremlin pointing the direction and made a beeline for Sophie.

Unbeknownst to them, the Gremlin smirked.

The small horde leaped out of the shadows of the corridor into the main hall, howling as they attempted to grab Sophie and pin her down. Just as the horrified blonde seemed like she was a goner, she suddenly vanished. The Gremlin all looked around for any sign of her, but it was like she wasn't even there.

Around a corner, Sophie was keeping an eye on her targets. 'They fell for the Afterimage. Now…'

As the Gremlin scouted, a green powder was sprinkling on them from above. One Gremlin yawned, and then another, until they all got drowsy and collapsed into slumber. Above was none other than Butterfree, chirping at the success of the trap.

With the coast clear, Sophie pivoted into view and threw out a Poké Ball. "Araquanid, go! Bug Bite!"

The capsule opened, Sophie's Araquanid hissing aggressively as his fangs glowed white and extended. He sank down onto the Gremlin, snapping down and bringing them into his water bubble.

As the foes drowned, the Gremlin from before emerged from the corridor and transformed with a poof, revealing it to be Shiin. He turned towards Sophie with his serious gaze. "That should take care of the stragglers."

"Which means we have the main route to take." Sophie figured.

Butterfree's antennae rattled and he began chirping. "Free!"

"More of them?" Shiin turned towards the direction Butterfree faced. He and Sophie peered down the dark hall and saw a horde of Gremlin dragging themselves. The two braced themselves as Araquanid and Butterfree readied for the fight ahead.

…

Joey brought an axe kick down, but the Gremlin backstepped and then brought his leg forward again to kick. Joey jumped and cartwheeled over the leg and spun out to get some distance between him and the Gremlin.

'These things are fast learners, but…it's still clumsy.' Joey breathed calmly as he was analyzing the battle so far. 'Just need a misstep, that's all it takes!'

The Gremlin cackled and began dancing his way towards Joey. Joey watched his moves carefully and ducked a backhand, and then another, followed by a front kick he swerved out of. He got to a knee, hooked the ankle of the beast's heel sticking out with his own, and leveraged himself up.

'Now!' He performed a backflip, sending the Gremlin's heel high into the air and howling onto his back with a loud thud.

The Gremlin rubbed the back of his head, the pain fresh but bearable.

"You got some groove in ya buddy…I really dig it." Joey commended. "But…time for your retirement."

The Gremlin snarled and got back up. Once he got a foot behind him, he suddenly felt an intense jolt run up his leg through his body. Static crackled around him as his nerves convulsed violently.

Joey watched patiently, knowing what happened.

The Gremlin grunted and looked down where his foot was at. A pair of eyes opened and something blended into view. "Hahaha! So much for a step in the right direction!" Stunfisk laughed hardily, his Camouflage fading.

The Gremlin looked shocked – both literally and metaphorically. Dereece balled his fist tight with a proud smirk. "Perfect! All yours, Captain!"

"Thanks!" Joey performed a windmill, sweeping his legs into the Gremlin's. The large oaf fell onto his back again. Upon landing, Joey pulled out a Poké Ball and tossed it skywards. "You're up, Quilladin!"

The capsule opened, with Quilladin emerging in midair. "Let's go!"

Joey pointed at the ceiling. "Aim for the ceiling! Pin Missile!"

Quilladin's glare turned serious and his horns stiffened and glowed bright white. As he tensed, three orbs streaming with green energy whistled over the Gremlin and curved skywards towards the ceiling. The projectiles met their marks and collapsed the ceiling's rock, causing large chunks to fall straight down.

Paralyzed and too slow to move, the Gremlin roared in agony before the heavy stones smashed into his head first, then buried his body under its fallen rubble.

Joey and Quilladin stayed silent as they watched the dust clear. By the time it did, they saw a pile of broken rock with a bloodied orange hand sticking out, with more of the offensive liquid staining the floor.

With the battle won, Joey undid his barrier. A literal flood gate opened as brown water flowed past him and Dereece, carrying a dozen drowned Gremlin bodies. Duncan and Gastrodon emerged from the other end, the team reuniting.

"Was wondering when you'd take down that barrier." Duncan huffed.

"Yeah, well…just had to get one last leg up, ya know?" Joey shot the dead Gremlin's 'grave' one last look.

"Oi, let's get a move on. We got some rounding up to do here." Stunfisk urged.

"He's right. That group came from one of the tunnels Nic flooded. That should mean this area's clear." Dereece insisted.

"Then let's get going." Joey urged. The others agreed and recalled their Pokémon. With haste, they rushed towards the main hall.

…

Lucy ran with haste as Staryu's core shimmered dimly in the darkness of the corridor. It was cold being back inside, but now that she was running, her body was warmer thanks to the blood pumping through her. And she had no intention on slowing down; not that she could anyways, because a swarm of Gremlin was right on her tail!

"These things just don't let up! Seriously, how many are there?!" Lucy wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer. The Gremlin were drawing dangerously close, so she had to create a gap. "Staryu, Swift!"

BEEP! Staryu's bright core flashed as it beeped in recognition. It surfed behind its Trainer and spun its body as glimmering golden stars shot out from its center.

The front of the swarm was caught off guard by the attack and panicked. They were too close to the stars and were pelted by them, making glimmering explosions. However, that only bought Lucy and Staryu a few precious seconds before the remainder of the horde continued its course towards the shapely human female leading them.

BEEPBEEP BEEP!

"What? You see something?" Making out Staryu's coding, she peered ahead and gasped. "That's gotta be it! The front gates!"

Two orange Gremlin with an axe and club in hand snarled as they saw the intruder head their way. Tipped off by the red glow and snarls, they waited around each corner to strike Lucy as soon as she was close. However, their opportunities fell short when something hard struck the back of one's head, while a set of claws gashes into the other.

"Not so fast!" Natsu shouted, his Darumaka's Headbutt and Charmeleon's Aerial Ace landing their marks.

"Natsu!" Lucy's smile returned upon seeing Natsu and Happy once again. With the coast clear, she made it into the main chamber with Staryu, both unscathed thanks to their guildmates' intervention.

"How'd it go?" Natsu asked, smirking.

Lucy reciprocated. "You're about to find out. Get ready!"

Not long after, the other parties began breaching out of the corridors, all converging and immediately had their backs to the front door. They all took fighting stances against the massive swarm of Gremlin all snarling and baring their fangs.

"They're even more repulsive up close." Delphox exasperated.

"Yes, you're right about that." Vanessa agreed.

Sophie took a defensive stance alongside Araquanid, who guarded his Trainer with his life. Tyrunt, Darumaka, and Charmeleon stood before Natsu, ready to face their opponents.

'I've never seen such a scale of Gremlin in one place before.' Shiin grimaced, making sure not to break his stance as he held his magic staff. He's seen a number of Gremlin before, but mostly based on reports and whatever minor details about them were brought up by the Research & Development Department. Now that he was in action, his heart was racing at the threat's sharp teeth just waiting to sink into his flesh.

"KRRRRRRRRRR!" A grotesque below echoed throughout the fortress, almost shuddering the airspace. Everyone felt their nerves tense as they recognized that hideous echo; it caused the rowdy Gremlin to calm down some.

Duncan gripped his Elfen Forja tighter. "Here he comes."

Joey and Dereece braced themselves, as did everyone else. Erza stood alongside Aegislash as they watched a set of glowing green eyes leered at them through the darkness. They watched a tall, armored figure step into view, his red skin visible on his space, as was the accented sword he carried in one hand.

"It's him." Erza knew who had finally arrived: The Gremlin Lord himself.

The Gremlin Lord snarled as he brandished his sword and directed his horde. They all made room so as not to get in his way as his armored heels trudged along the stone floor. He studied the individuals and Pokémon before him for a moment, recognizing them from the ones he's defeated before. "Krrrr…!" He lowly snarled.

Natsu smirked wildly. "Yeah, same to you pal!"

"Remember, our magic is ineffective. The sword will just absorb it." Erza warned.

"Yeah, I know."

A cold breath escaped the Gremlin Lord before he suddenly charged at the group.

Erza took the initiative, bringing her arm forward. "Aegislash, King's Shield!"

"Right away!" Aegislash dutifully brought herself before the group, her Shield Forme still active. Just as the Gremlin brought his blade down, Aegislash brought up a hexagonal barrier between her and the attacker. Upon immediate contact, the blade's blood red energy flared throughout the chamber, but the shockwave didn't breach the forcefield, instead there was a momentary standoff before the Gremlin Lord lost his momentum and stepped back, a blue aura appearing around him that harshly lowered his strength.

Shiin brought his arm forward. "Go!"

"Free~!" Butterfree chirped above as his wings glowed a silver sheen. He flapped them, unleashing a windstorm with a silver tint. His Silver Wind made contact with the Gremlin Lord, the glimmers pelting his armor. Though it didn't seem too effective, it was enough to make him step back and give them some distance.

Aegislash nodded appreciatively. "My thanks to you, brave one."

"Free!" Butterfree nodded.

The Gremlin Lord snarled and swiped to the side, grunting something that was coherent to an order. The surrounding Gremlin began closing in, some holding weapons, but they all smirked maliciously.

Erza turned her glance onto Shiin. "Cover for us!"

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't order me around, Mrs. Pularis." Shiin warned. As much as he wanted to berate the hierarchy in the command chain, he was pressed for time. He closed his eyes as he concentrated Magic Power into his staff. "May the rays of light radiate thy enemies. Heaven's Light!"

Shiin's staff conjured a bright flash of light that radiated throughout the confined space. Being so close to it, the Gremlin Lord put a hand in front to protect his eyes. His cronies didn't have the same aspect, all veering away blinded by the attack.

"Hurry! Open the door!" Shiin shouted.

Erza dutifully nodded. "Right!" She turned towards the door and gave the order. "Aegislash, Sacred Sword!"

Without a moment's hesitation, Aegislash's eye turned serious and her sword-like body pulled out from the shield, slipping it onto her left arm in one fluent motion. She twirled her body and raised her blade-end as it glowed blue and extended. With one swift upward motion, the doors sliced clean open, exposing the outside.

"Everyone, let's go!" Erza led the way with Aegislash as they started down the snowy slope.

"Right!" Everyone quickly followed, not wasting a breath in the infested fortress.

As soon as everyone was out, Butterfree fluttered next, turning back towards Shiin with a chirp. "I know!" He subsided his magic, quickly turning and turned to run. "Swift winds, enchant this body with your light. Be thy weightless guide to the denizens below! Air Walk!" Bright blue magic seals appeared beneath his feet, and he began running into the sky out of danger.

Once the light dimmed down, all the Gremlin felt relief wash over them as they could finally relax their pupils. Though the relief was short-lived as they found their lack of intruders alarming. What's more, the open doorway gave way to the cold air outside. It didn't take long for them to realize what happened…and the Gremlin Lord was furious.

"Krrrr…GRRRAAAAAAHHHH~!" His bellows shook the fortress as his forces heed his call and flooded out to chase after their prey.

---

Everyone began making their way down the mountainside, moving as fast as their legs could carry them. The echoes of the Gremlin Lord's ire were heard loud and clear, especially to Natsu and Wendy.

"Well, that sure pissed him off!" Natsu smirked.

"You got that right." Happy smiled.

Dereece, who was using his Elemental Walk to get into the air above, looked outwards. "Don't look now, but we've got a hot trail!"

Natsu and the others looked over their shoulders to check for themselves. As Dereece warned, a wave of yellow and partial orange Gremlin raced down the snowy mountainside. Amongst the head of the pack was the Gremlin Lord, his ire palpable through his green eyes fixated on them.

"Boy, they sure look pissed." Natsu teased. "Wonder what got them all riled up?"

"Now's not the time for horseplay!" Lucy exasperated.

"For little guys, they're light on their feet." Sophie noted, seeing some run on all-fours to get closer.

A handful of Gremlin got closer, them brandishing worn out daggers. Suddenly, Grovyle leaped from out of nowhere, and in a swift fashion, cut into the pack's frontliners with Fury Cutter, causing them to fumble over.

"Grovyle!" Lucy gasped.

"Yup, that's me! Not that I'd care to be anyone else."

As Natsu ran, Gray caught up with them. "Hey, what took ya?"

Gray scoffed back. "Had to finish up on my end."

The Gremlin panted like wild hogs in heat as they chased after them. As a handful were drawing closer, Natsu grunted. "Okay, so maybe magic won't slow these guys down…" He pivoted on his heel and flipped, facing the horde in midair. "But I know what will! Tyrunt, Stealth Rock!"

Tyrunt snorted before snarling. Like his Trainer, his claws dug into the snow and he pivoted to get a look at the Gremlins. A white aura encompassed his body before he roared, sending long energy arrows jetting through the vicinity towards between them.

The projectiles became sharp, solid stones that implanted into the snow. Though the Gremlin horde continued, they seemingly failed to acknowledge the attack. Big mistake as sharp stones burst upon contact with the front of the pack. As they ran, the horde suffered damage, including the Gremlin Lord.

Natsu landed on his feet and kept running. "That'll teach'em!"

As more Gremlin drew onto the fray, two got dangerously close to Charmeleon and Darumaka. The two dodged their weapons and opened their maws, flames searing bright via Fire Fang. They chomped down onto their shoulders and tossed them into each other, causing the Gremlins to collide and fall into the snow

Duncan fastened his grip on Elfen Forja. A click followed by gears turning activated the green lacrima as he brought the massive staff around. "Gear Three: Wind!" Whirlwinds charged up around the ends and he swung it downwards. The blast wave brought up a wave of snow that buffered the majority of the frontline Gremlins, causing them to fall backwards.

"Alright!" Lucy cheered.

'Magic isn't effective against them, but using magic indirectly like that is clever.' Vanessa had to admire how creative Duncan was. It gave her an idea. "Delphox! Give us cover with Psychic!"

"I see…I can do that!" Following her Trainer's lead, her eyes glowed purple. As she ran down the mountain, she waved her arm in an arch. The moment she passed the area, a psychokinetic aura flared for a moment before a layer of snow began rising up in a large tsunami wave towards the Gremlins.

This was enough to bring the majority of the fleeting lot to a standstill. Those that were too close had the misfortune of being swept up by the manipulated snow wave. Though taken aback at first, the Gremlin Lord stood against the oncoming threat with the Zeldaris's accents shimmering a bloody red.

"KRRRRRR!" With a violent cry, he swung the blade down, unleashing a wake of energy that split the snow wave in half. The energy stream carved a path towards them that drew dangerously close, to which Erza had a counter.

"Aegislash, King's Shield!"

Aegislash immediately turned around and faced the impending slash wave. Without a shred of hesitation, her blade leaped and twirled quickly before settling behind the shield again. Her Shield Forme created a large, hexagonal barrier that took the intense slash head on. After several seconds, the energy dissipated, leaving a fissure that led up to Aegislash.

But rather than it being cleaved, the energy shield was without a scratch. "Hngh?" The Gremlin Lord looked earnestly surprised.

'Just as I suspected. It's not compatible with penetrating through Pokémon move defenses.' Erza realized. She recalled how the blade was able to carve through Joey's barrier because it was made by magic. But Aegislash's defenses were anything but that.

As he ran down the mountain, Joey pulled out a Poké Ball. "Dereece, a hand please!"

The red-bandana man nodded from above. "On it!" He pulled out one of his own, both throwing at the same time.

"Tranquill, go!"

"Give us a hand, Seel!"

The capsules expelled energy into the air beside Joey and Dereece. Both emerged midflight, though Seel descended and started sliding down the slope while Tranquill flew beside his Trainer.

"Tranquill, Air Cutter!" Joey commanded.

"Seel, slow them down with Icy Wind!" Dereece shouted.

Seel nodded in understanding. "Count on it!"

"Righty-O, Master Joey!" Tranquill chimed.

Both Pokémon went to work. Seel jumped and turned around to face her adversaries, whereas Tranquill flew higher; a few feet higher than Dereece and Shiin's positions. With some of the Gremlin with spears and arrows in hand, they didn't hesitate to fling them at their prey.

Tranquill took the initiative, flapping his wings and unleashing light blue crescents that rained down on the oncoming projectiles. The weapons snapped like twigs, and the air blades continued raining down on their foes over a wide range. The Gremlin Lord saw one crescent heading his way and grabbed a nearby Gremlin, using it as a meat shield that took the attack. He didn't hesitate to toss the body aside and keep going.

However, Seel didn't give them levity. Her mouth glowed bright blue and lurched forward, unleashing a dense, broad wind with blue glints. Unlike Tranquill's attack that allowed gaps, Seel's attack didn't allow such levity. A blue aura enveloped the Gremlin struck, even the Gremlin Lord. This caused them to slow down a little.

Two Gremlin flanked both attacks and adamantly closed in on Seel. However, Tyrunt and Arcelia beat her to the punch when both their tails created Dragon Tail energy scales and swung at the same time. Their moves struck their necks with audible snaps of bone as they went flying limply back into the horde, knocking several down like bowling pins.

"Nice one." Gray commended. "Now, where's the spot?"

Running above, Dereece pointed ahead. "That way! We fell down there!"

"That so?" Shiin inquired. "Then I suppose the stage is set."

The group hurried down the slope, more accurately the slope that Joey and Dereece took during the last battle when Gyarados and Magmortar slammed into them. The gorge was within sight!

"Now?!" Happy exclaimed.

"No, not yet!" Erza shouted.

The group hurried as fast as their legs could carry them. The distance between them and the Gremlins had to have been two-hundred meters at most. That distance was gradually increasing thanks to Seel's Icy Wind slowing down the swarm.

In the wake of their desperation, Carla looked up. "Up there!"

"Hruh?" The Gremlin Lord didn't buy her little scheme…but he noticed his henchmen around were quickly feeling underwhelmed. Curious, he turned skywards and saw a flock of large birds with piercing red eyes swoop down from above. His eyes widened and quickly brought up his sword to defend with.

When one of the bords got too close and kicked with a talon, he veered away and swung Zeldaris, cutting clean through the attacker…but instead she became a puff of smoke and vanished!

"Hah?!" He stepped back surprised. When he looked around, he noticed his swarm was fighting back, but the rocks and spears thrown all misfired, either phasing through or too slow to keep up with their speed.

High above, Staraptor watched as her Double Team clones were keeping the horde occupied. Junior was on her back and had a front-row seat. "Now, Mama?"

"Yes…now!"

High above, Shiin raised his magic staff high as Light Magic channeled into its orb. "May the rays of light radiate thy enemies. Heaven's Light!"

Once again, a blinding light shined from the staff. It permeated through the area, drawing the Gremlin Lord's attention away yet again. He used a hand to cover his eyes as the beaming light was like a yellow star in the cloudy sky.

Down below, Erza and the others grouped together. They knew what was to happen next. 'That's the signal. Nic, now it's your turn.'

…

Atop the mountain's snowy peak, Shiin's light breached the eyes of Nic, who was in a hybrid of his Meadow/Dread Form. He stood alongside Kecleon and Arbok as they glared at the makeshift signal.

…

"Once they're all gathered in the front, you all make a break for it. You'll have to lure them out into the open all at once. Once you do that, Shiin will use his Light Magic to signal for Arbok to use Earthquake."

"What's that gonna do?" Natsu raised a brow.

Vanessa blinked, then gasped. "You're saying…?"

Nic nodded. "Yeah, we'll make an avalanche. Wipe them all out in one swoop. Joey…" He turned towards the male blonde. "You mentioned you fell into a gorge earlier, right? Lead them there. Whatever stragglers the avalanche doesn't get, the spikes I'll put at the bottom of that gorge will. Make sure you protect everyone…we're counting on you."

Joey nodded, a serious look evident. "Right, I won't let you down."

…

'Garchomp should have the rest of the Pokémon on the other side of the mountain. Time for the real plan.' Nic narrowed his eyes. "Arbok."

The purple cobra hissed, glaring forward. "Sssay the word."

Nic and Kecleon jumped and landed on the back of Arbok's hood, bracing for what's to come.

"Earthquake!"

The order loud and clear, Arbok let out a violent hiss as he slammed his tail into the snowy peak. The moment it pressed into the snow, a shockwave ran deep into the mountain, spreading throughout the landscape into the white land.

The echoes reached far below where the others were engaged. The light and Staraptor clones dissipated as the Gremlin Lord's ears twitched. Grunting confusedly, he and everyone turned towards the direction where the rumbling was coming from. Though Erza and the others anticipated this, the Gremlins were caught off guard by a thick, white wave of heavy snow rushing at them.

"Here it comes." Erza muttered.

The avalanche drew closer, forcing all the Gremlins to rush down the mountain again, only this time, they were the ones fleeing for their lives. They hollered in fright as their slow pace gradually cost them numbers one by one. Dozens were leveled by the snow's wake as it carried on towards the rest of the team below.

"Joey, now!" Erza shouted.

Nodding, Joey crossed his fingers. "Right! Everyone, get behind me!"

Nobody objected as they hurried behind Joey. The only ones who didn't were Happy, Carla, Arcelia and Tranquill, who joined Dereece, Shiin, and Butterfree above to escape the avalanche.

"Barrier-Make: Dome!"

He jutted his arms in front, focusing on creating a dome-shaped barrier that acted as a shield to the direct line of snowfall. The avalanche reached the group, but the snow that wasn't impeded by the barrier moved around it, split into two waves that fell into the enormous gorge further behind them.

At the bottom of the gorge where The Freaks landed previously, rock spikes Nic laid out earlier were set up in numerous layers. The snow fell straight down onto them; any Gremlins that were fortunate enough to have survived the avalanche this far was good as dead upon impact with the spikes, if not buried under several tons of snow.

After several minutes of enduring, the snow finally settled. A fresh field of overlapping, churned snowfield covered the mountainside. Not a trace of life was spotted; no Gremlin, nor mages, nor Pokémon. Aside from the ones that managed to make it out by flying.

Scouting the snow below, Happy and the others descended. "Natsu? Lucy?!" He called, but didn't hear any responses.

"They should be fine. Joey's barrier protected them from the impact." Carla explained, though even she looked uncertain. "Still…where could they be?"

Not too far, something shifted in the snow, alerting the others.

"Wendy?" Arcelia wondered.

Shiin's eyes widened. "No! Get back!"

Suddenly, a red, crystalline blade of light shot skywards from the snow. They all pulled away and watched the red beam dissipate, revealing a hole in which the Gremlin Lord crawled out of. Emerging from what was a snowy grave, the armored veteran managed to pull himself to his feet and look around in a daze. The avalanche swept away his helmet protecting his head, revealing black hair growing on the sides. He was also missing a pauldron, but he still had the Zeldaris, and that was the most important thing.

Scouting for any sign of the numerous offspring that made up his army, he didn't see a single one. Even further down, he didn't see his enemies either. Could they have been swept away?

"It's just you." A voice called out.

Grunting in confusion, the Gremlin Lord straightened up and turned around. Approaching him across the snow was a young man whom he hadn't recognized. The purple cobra beside him had a threatening gleam that made him feel challenged.

Nic and Arbok stood several meters away, looking calm and composed. The sign of experience mad ethe red fiend's hair stand on end as his fangs gritted in spite.

"It's just you now." Nic reiterated. "You…and us."

Beside him, Arbok hissed.

The Gremlin Lord brandished his sword, letting out a deep sneer.

Nic knew what to do next. It was clear as day. "Thief!"

Just as the Gremlin Lord was about to swing his glowing blade, an unseen force struck him so hard in the gut that the blow went through his armor. A dent in his abdominal plating followed by a harsh slide across the snow sent him fumbling and landing on his face.

When he got his bearings back, he struggled to stand. Something red started dripping from his nostrils that stained the snow. He recognized it as blood…but it was his own. When he coughed, more of it splattered the crystal white snow. Refusing to take this, he felt around for his sword, only to feel something off. He turned his head and looked around, finding his prized blade missing.

"Looking for this?" The Gremlin Lord immediately turned towards Nic. Beside him and Arbok was the Zeldaris attached to a pink tongue wrapped around its hilt. Fading into view was Kecleon, revealing herself.

"Hruah?!"

"Heard you caused a lot of people trouble, including my friends." Nic stated, his tone laced with a tint of contempt. "What else do you have?"

The Gremlin Lord stepped back, his guard up with a disgruntled expression.

"Thought so. So I'll give you something instead." He reached back, revealing the Iron Ball AU-Nic gave him as a parting gift.

The red veteran could feel his frustrations rise with every passing second. His hands twitched, nothing to hold onto. That sword was his lifeline, and the enemy took it away so easily like that?!

The memories of his arduous life flashed in his mind, starting from when he was born amongst a small bunch fresh from a misfortunate mage. He only lived because he hid while the rest of his fresh kin were slain before his eyes by other mages, and the body of his mother was taken, not that he needed it.

From there, the years followed, wandering from nest to nest, getting the few chances he could to sink his teeth into some rookie mages' flesh to eat their magic.

At one point when he was an orange Gremlin and gained experience, merchants were transporting goods with mages as their guards. A feast it was. Despite the sacrifices, enough were slain for him to tear the carriage open to find any potential women…but instead a sword. However, he had no choice but to brandish the weapon to preserve his life against the numerous mages, to which resulted in their deaths.

That sword, along with the techniques he picked up from humans, became the reason he was alive now. He wasn't going to lose it. Not to another human!

"KROOOOOAAAAHHHH!" He howled in defiance, trudging after his opponents.

Nic silently commended his desperation, but that was all. He slowly brought his arm back, taking aim at his weakened foe. "This is for messing with my guild…and also…" He thought of Erza and Vanessa. "My wife and sister."

The Gremlin Lord was a few meters away, their eyes locked onto each other.

"Fling!"

Nic threw the item with all his might, the force rippling the air and traveling at Mach speed straight into the Gremlin's face. Time slowed for a moment as the Gremlin's face painted with defiance and horror, only catching a glimpse of the sphere.

"KRA-!"

SPLOOOSH!

The Iron Ball lobbed straight through the head, completely dismembering it from the body and splattering blood across the clear-white snow. Nic, Arbok, and Kecleon didn't even flinch when they watched the body collapse in front of them.

Shiin, Dereece, and the others above stared with shock plastered all over their faces, and rightfully so. The being that gave them a hard time since yesterday that was immune to magic, was taken out right before their eyes.

'Woah…not even Captain Joey's magic could stop him.' Dereece awed. 'And he did it with a simple Fling?'

"…" Shiin remained silent, meekly humming as he expected this result.

Nic remained unfazed by his opponent's downfall. He used his Meadow Form's abilities to scout for any other signs of life energy. To his relief, he could sense his comrades clearly not too far, all of them alive and well.

However, that was all. Nothing else was alive.

Realizing the mission was over, Nic relaxed his shoulders and transformed back to normal.

"Master Joey!" Tranquill flew down towards the snow and circled above it. "Over here everybody! Master Joey and the others are right here!"

"How do you know that?" Arcelia inquired.

Dereece's eyes widened. "That's right! Tranquill have the ability to know where their Trainer is no matter how far they are." He smiled. 'The Captain must have thought ahead in case they couldn't find us in the aftermath.'

They noticed shifting in the spot he pointed out. Everyone got on guard but immediately dropped when they recognized the pink head of hair that popped out.

"Huh? Hey, what did I miss?" Natsu questioned.

"Not a whole lot." Nic smirked.

With the help of Dereece's magic, Arbok, and Kecleon pulling out everyone, they were all back on top of the fresh snow. Thanks to Joey's barrier protecting everyone, they all came out unscathed, aside from the snow that they were able to shake off. Having regrouped, they all joined Nic.

"Gave us a real scare there, man." Gray berated, albeit with a smirk. "What, were you planning to sweep us up back there with them?"

Nic eyerolled. "Funny. That's why I told Joey in advance to make a barrier. Though I'm sure he would've done so anyways."

Joey rubbed the back of his head, laughing impishly. "Eh…sure, we'll go with that."

"So, I take it that you took care of the Gremlin Lord?" Duncan nonchalantly asked, knowing the answer given their situation.

Nic turned around, looking at the corpse of the beheaded beast. "Yeah, I say he's through."

"Damn, could've saved just a little for us? I wanted to at least knock some of his teeth out." Natsu grumbled, looking annoyed.

Happy shook his head. "Sorry, Natsu. It wouldn't have worked anyway."

"I know, just saying…"

Nic turned towards his troubled companion. "Maybe next time."

Erza looked towards him. "It seems that it's over."

Just as Nic was about to answer, the clouds began parting, showing the rays of sun that they hadn't seen since venturing up the mountain. The blue sky showed itself, the sunlight beaming on everyone as a good sign.

For Nic, seeing the sun for a second time filled his heart with a nostalgic warmth. "…yeah, it is."

---

With the struggle finally settled, the wary group eventually found their way back down towards the Cambire Foundation's base camp. Despite the exhaustion that they were under, they still had to report in on everything that transpired; in these instances, nothing was to be left out. Every detail regarding the S-Class assignment was relayed by Erza to Travis as he stood behind his desk, the Zeldaris sitting atop his desk as proof of the mission's accomplishment.

After a lengthy overview of everything, Travis took a moment to process the information. "I see, so that's what happened?"

Erza nodded firmly. "Yes, without a doubt."

Travis hummed, turning his attention towards the Zeldaris. "Well, it's a shame regarding the captives. But, you were able to exterminate the threat and save the Pokémon. For what it's worth, I say it's an accomplishment."

Wendy gasped. "Wait, so does this mean…"

Travis nodded. "That's right. This job has come to a close. Good work, Fairy Tail."

Natsu pumped a fist with excitement. "Yeah! That's what I'm talking about!"

"Aw, yeah!" Happy cheered.

Gray cooly huffed. "Gotta admit, that was an experience."

"Yeah, I'll say. So that was an S-Class quest." Wendy marveled at the revelation. Now that she thought about it, this was her first S-Class quest.

Joey and Dereece fist bumped each other in a mini celebration. Duncan huffed silently and turned away, indifferent to the party's feelings. "Well, I'll take the experience. Thank you for bringing us along."

Travis cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention once more. "Now then, regarding your rewards. As agreed, you'll get ten-million Jewel and five approval stamps." On cue, an assistant stepped in from the side with the necessary paperwork. "Everyone who participated, we'll need your signatures for your participation."

Nobody argued, not that they could. Starting with Erza, she took the Magic Pen off the desk and proceeded to write her signature.

Travis watched her walk away and looked at her signature. For a second, he thought he was looking at some foreign language and raised a brow. 'Is that seriously her calligraphy?'

Nic's signature was thankfully more legible. Proceeding him was Natsu, Happy, Lucy, and the rest of the guild members. One by one, they all signed the papers. The only one who didn't partake was Shiin, who was off to the side silently observing everything.

Once all the signatures were present, Travis took the stamper and pressed into the corner of the paper five times, showing five individual Cambire Foundation marks in thick, red ink. As per the agreement as well, Erza was handed a check containing the ten-million Jewel amount to share amongst her guildmates.

"That officially puts us at 23 stamps for our guild." Sophie smiled proudly.

"Right. We just need 7 more." Vanessa added.

Erza nodded at their insight. "Right. There's still some time before the closing date. Let's work hard to make our guild proud."

"Right! But first thing's first!" As Natsu beamed with excitement, a loud growl came from his stomach. Immediately he almost folded over. "We gotta get something to eat…"

"Aye…" Happy's stomach also grumbled.

Gray raised a brow. "Didn't you eat some of that Honey we used as bait?"

The reminder only made Natsu slump further. "I did, but it wasn't enough."

"Aye, and it made my fur all sticky and I had to roll around in the snow to get it off."

"Then if that's the case, I'll just teleport us straight to the guild. We can distribute our reward funds there." Nic prompted.

The notion immediately rekindled the fire in Natsu's belly. "Hell yeah! Now we're talking! Buffet, here we come!"

Lucy facepalmed. "Good grief." She sighed, though she had to agree that a meal and a bath sounded very enticing right now.

Erza turned back towards Tarvis. "Then if nothing else, we shall take our leave."

"Very well. Thank you for your hard work. If we need anymore assistance from you, I hope that we'll be in adequate contact."

Nic glanced over his shoulder and nodded. "If needed be." With that, he and the others turned and exited the tent.

"Nic-senpai?"

Nic heard a voice and noticed Joey walking up towards him. "What is it?"

"If it's not too much trouble, I have a favor to ask." His gaze grew remorseful. "About those women…"

Knowing what Joey meant, Nic sympathized. "Don't worry. I'll go back and give them proper burials. At the very least they can rest in peace now."

Joey bowed. "Thank you, Nic-senpai." He turned and started walking.

"…hey, Joey."

He stopped and turned back. "Yeah?"

Nic paused, making Joey feel tense. But the black-haired veteran only offered a grin. "You did a good job. Not just on the job, but back at Rolica. You've really grown…you, Dereece, and even Duncan; you all can stand on your own."

Joey looked like he was about to cry, both from joy and the experience he's been through, but he worked through it and gave a toothy smile that beamed under the sun. "Thanks!"

As Joey left, Nic watched him off. Though it didn't last long as he sensed another figure approach Shiin walked up with a stern expression. "You really gave the Cambire Foundation that sword?"

"They wanted to examine the material of that sword, and I'd rather not hand it over to the Council." He turned towards him. "Supposed you're not too upset about that?"

Shiin sighed tiredly. "Supposedly…not like there's anyone qualified to begin with to handle that blade. Contact with it is deadly enough as if with those who possess Magic Power. I'll let the matter off this time, now if you'll excuse me."

"A moment, Shiin."

Shiin froze and glanced back.

"I know we've had our differences before, and I'm still certain you hold your reservations for Pokémon, but for what it's worth…it wasn't bad, working alongside you." He smiled genuinely. "Thank you, for all that you've done. I meant what I said before. I intend to help the inhabitants of this world and Pokémon, and find a path forward together. I hope after today…you can see that just might be possible."

Shiin remained silent, seemingly disregarding Nic's sentiment. "…we'll just have to wait and see." He walked off, with Butterfree fluttering nearby.

Watching his associate off, Nic couldn't help but feel different about his opinion of Shiin, especially from when they started. Before, he could feel nothing but hostility. His greeting at his home made that clear as day. However, it felt as though Shiin's tone had been mellowed out slightly – if just slightly. Though one thing was certain after their little detour. They could finally trust each other, and that was enough for him.

"Nic?"

A familiar voice tickled his ear. Turning towards his side, he saw Erza, her mature, beautiful smile as radiant as the warm sun. He almost had trouble responding right away. "Uh, E-Erza?"

The redhead chuckled. "What's the matter? The weather finally giving you cold feet?"

Nic scoffed. "Hardly. Ready to head home?"

She nodded. "I am. A nice bath sounds relaxing right about now." She looked at him, oddly humbly. "So in the meantime, guess you can resume training like you wanted."

Nic paused. He almost forgot that he came along on this mission just because his wife insisted on it. Earlier he would've been irked, but now that emotion was all but gone.

"That wife you spoke of, and Vanessa…Make sure you tell them how much you love them. You love them so much that you can't imagine another life without them."

AU-Nic's last words made Nic reflect on his decisions. He wasn't going to take them for granted anymore. He suddenly pulled into Erza, planting a kiss on her lips, much to her shock.

"N-Nic?" Erza blushed, pleasantly surprised by his affection.

Nic warmly smiled. "We can worry about training tomorrow. How about we just unwind when we get home?" He suggested. "You said you wanted to invite Vanessa over for dinner, right? Let's get some groceries after we divide the pay."

"R-right." Her words came out more unnerving than she had liked. It was a first that Nic took the initiative with affection of all things, but now he was being cooperative. It surprised her, but she wasn't necessarily opposed to it.

Nic's gaze turned towards the sky, thinking about Hoshina. 'That fortuneteller…she mentioned she saw the magic world in chaos, but I never got to ask how soon. I don't even know who she is, but…I guess I owe her to opening my narrowed vision.'

"Nic!" Shouting through his thoughts, Vanessa called out with the rest of the group ready. "You ready?"

"Yeah, coming." He called out. He exchanged grateful smiles with Erza as the two walked hand-in-hand to their friends in waiting. 'I don't know what will come yet, but at least I won't have to rely on myself in the end. Not anymore. There's a lot of work ahead of us. But for now…I can be grateful for what I have.'

---

Night had soon fallen upon Magnolia once more. The guild had since closed, and its members had gone home for the day to continue another bustling day tomorrow.

Shiin was back in his temporary apartment. Though exhausted, he had to write the necessary – mandatory – report on everything he saw and went through. With clarity, he began his log.

August 26th, X793

21:03

I understand that my absence yesterday is not to be overlooked. However, there were a number of variables to which I can explain my lack of a report for August 25th, X793.

As of yesterday around 12:49, Nic Pularis withdrew from his training to accompany his wife, Erza Pularis, on an S-Class quest. The following participants also were part of the quest: Vanessa Pularis, Natsu Dragneel, Happy, Lucy Heartfilia, Gray Fullbuster, Sophie Lednick, Joey Haycliff, Dereece Iwoda, and Duncan Roserto.

The job in question had the Cambire Foundation as its client. The job took place on Mt. Hakobe. Due to Nic Pularis's Teleport, travel costs were expunged. Immediately, we came across associates of the Foundation who escorted us to their base camp. I will send the evidence of the technology that I have seen. Amongst their higher ranked officers, there was a man named Travis, in place of the higher brass that were handling affairs back at headquarters.

The Foundation itself has a series of ranks, as well as divisions and functions. I will continue to gather information regarding their forces. They appear to have trained men from Earthland who work alongside Pokémon, as the knights that escorted us did so with Pokémon assisting.

The job was an extermination of Gremlin that had taken refuge in an abandoned fortress within the depths of Mt. Hakobe. However, the situation was far worse than anticipated. Under normal circumstances, a job like this would benefit D and C Level Guilds; but it changed due to them being under the guidance of a Gremlin Lord. What's more, during the task at hand, Nic Pularis and his Pokémon Staraptor, along with the anomaly Junior, separated from the main group to exterminate the scouts in the neighboring vicinity. Within that allotted frame, he and myself were assaulted my a fortuneteller who had Pokémon at her command.

The fortuneteller refused to answer to my demands; hence she was recognized as hostile and an offender of various articles, including reporting the escalating Gremlin invasion. She refused to disclose details of her involvement, but despite my warnings, she only focused on Nic Pularis. Her affiliation with him was evidently not of association, as he was unsure of her stance as well. The mage in question thus-

He paused, momentarily thinking of his actions. He wanted to report on everything that he had seen in the alternate world. What criminals he went up against, the alternate Nic that lacked powers, and the Legendary Pokémon that he witnessed with his own eyes. He should. It was his duty.

…and yet, something in the back of his mind was telling him not to. It could have been out of lack of relevance to the mission, or the fact that such a superior realm existed and would divert the mission's objective. Yes, that had to have been it. Tracking down Hoshina would definitely be a recourse and prove to be detrimental towards his mission.

That's what he wanted to think at least. He thought about AU-Nic's generosity and his time with Butterfree and their cooperation. As ludicrous as it was at times…it was inciteful in its own way.

He proceeded to continue the report.

…she casted an illusion spell that had us in a trance until sunrise, approximately over 18 hours. By the time the illusion wore off, the mage had vanished. Her magic signature was lost due to the timeframe between the casting and our reawakening. She will be regarded as an enemy until further incitement is conducted.

The extermination of the Gremlin was delayed due to various factors of this particular group. Outside of the Gremlin Lord, they all acquired the prohibited art of ingesting magic sealing stone, which in turn made them immune to magic. In turn brings the biggest setback. They were in possession of the Zeldaris, the magic-neutralizing weapon that was lost a decade ago. Through The Freaks' infiltration methods, they were able to find out their plan was to target Magnolia with the Pokémon that they have captured from both the surrounding area as well as from past victims. Because of their increased threat level given the explained factors, I considered them a notional-class threat, thus I was forced to cooperate with Fairy Tail once more.

I made sure to use my magic sparingly, thus I only used my Transformation Magic, Air Magic, and Light Magic in tandem with Nic Pularis's plan to draw every Gremlin out of the fortress to be crushed by an avalanche. The only one to survive was the Gremlin Lord, whom Nic, who did not rely on magic, along with his Pokémon Kecleon, seized his weapon and killed him with a projectile move.

There were fatalities, but they were the female prisoners of the Gremlins.

The Zeldaris was put into the Cambire Foundation's custody. I will find the means to access it soon enough.

With the mission successful, Fairy Tail acquired 5 stamps, bringing their total to 23. 7 more are required to participate in the upcoming Grand Magic Games starting in one month's time.

I will send the evidence to you along with this message.

~Shiin Verdade

Shiin finished his report and pulled out his camera. He briefly looked through the images he saw. However, he was hesitant as he peered at the images he got during his time in the alternate world. The technology would definitely pique the Magic Government.

However, in the end, he resolved to delete all the images. From AU-Nic's hideout, to Rainbow Rocket's HQ; it all was deleted in a few short clicks. He kept the memory with the Cambire Foundation's base camp and the mission and turned towards the page that exported the enclosed envelope of his report.

With that done, he closed his eyes and reflected on what he had just done. 'Whatever happened in that world…stays there.' He resolved. 'Now we're even, Nic Pularis. I owe you nothing now.'

He stood up and walked towards the window. Outside there was a dusk sky rolling in, but the only thing he saw was his own reflection.

'Still, what that fortuneteller saw, could she have meant a threat that surpasses Nic Pularis? Or perhaps…?'

Sudden tapping made him lose focus. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't see Butterfree fluttering outside his window. "Free!"

Shiin clicked his teeth. "Oh…you again. I'm actually surprised you're up and about still after all that's happened."

"Free, Free." Butterfree chirped back.

Shiin turned away, scoffing. "Well, in any case. What happened was a one-time only thing. Don't expect me to rely on you like that again."

"Free! Free!"

Shiin grumbled, his brow furrowing. His patience was visibly worn. "Honestly, what on Earthland am I going to do with you? I need to be clear. You Pokémon are not my allies, as us yours. Do you not get that?"

"Free…" Butterfree's antennae drooped slightly.

Shiin turned away from the window and started walking away. He had no intention on betraying his words. Yet Nic's words rung in his head. "I know we've had our differences before, and I'm still certain you hold your reservations for Pokémon, but for what it's worth…it wasn't bad, working alongside you."

He stopped when he only made it a few paces away. He refused to admit it aloud, but a part of him was genuinely grateful for everything Nic and Butterfree had done for him throughout their time knowing each other. Though he didn't intend to make nice with Pokémon, he'd be lying if he said that he had gotten accustomed to the annoying otherworldly insect, even if it did feel like a bother at times.

Glancing over his shoulder, he could see Butterfree still looking at him. Emerald eyes met red compound eyes. A silence fell between them as the meaning behind Nic's sentiment lingered in Shiin's mind.

Eventually, Butterfree was the first to turn away, slowly fluttering off. "Free…"

Shiin clicked his teeth, grunting at this torn feeling in his chest. 'Damn it all.' He hurried back towards the window and opened it. "Hey…"

"Free?" Butterfree stopped and turned around rather excitedly.

"Look…I heard it's going to be a cold night. So…" He looked like he was trying to hold back bile, a disgusting feeling. "I suppose for the time being…you can stay here."

Butterfree's antennae stood straight up. He gasped, as if saying "Really?!". Shiin begrudgingly nodded while avoiding eye contact. Butterfree looked between him and the windoe for several seconds before flying into Shiin's room, fluttering merrily in circles.

The white-haired mage sighed tiredly. 'I know I'm definitely going to regret this.' He was given another surprise when Butterfree suddenly clung to his shoulder. "H-hey!"

"Free!" He happily chirped.

Shiin blinked before looking annoyed. Though ultimately he chose to let it go, he couldn't help but lighten up upon seeing how happy Butterfree was. 'I'm keeping this off the record, too.' He thought. 'But still…suppose there are some Pokémon that could be helpful to this world…if just maybe.'

---

"Cheers!" A group of refugees raised glasses in a tavern with big smiles on their faces. They weren't the only ones with jovial moods. With the news of Rainbow Rocket's downfall, the world's remaining populace were finally able to feel free after so long. All around the world, celebrations were taking place and people were able to unwind with loved ones and friends that made it through the oppressive ordeal.

"About time Rainbow Rocket finally blasted off! Good riddance!" One guy shouted

"You got that right! No more forced labor." Another laughed.

"Hey, does anyone know who it was that took them down?"

"Huh? I thought you knew. There was a resistance that had been pushing against them for years. Looks like they finally won."

"But I thought they were wiped out ages ago. Strange." He put a finger to his chin and looked up thoughtfully. "Maybe it's some legendary hero from another world?"

Another guy laughed and slapped his back. "C'mon, you've been reading too much fantasy books. They probably just destroyed themselves. You know crooked organizations like that gotta have internal power struggles. Maybe they just wiped themselves out."

The other guy nervously laughed. "Yeah, guess you're right…"

Unbeknownst to them, AU-Nic was sitting at the end of the bar alone, a glass of iced water in hand. Hearing the speculations going around like some kind of folklore was cathartic in its own way. On one hand, he could just announce to the world what really happened, but at the same time, he figured that this was for the best. Better to be an unsung hero seeing the lives he's saved live to their fullest; that alone was enough for him.

Thinking about everything he went through, he took out his phone, a fresh, clean screen showing the world news. He decided to follow his counterpart's advice and discarded his old phone. And by discard, he put it in a small shoebox and buried it along with his hideout.

While scrolling through the news bulletin of the revitalization efforts being put into motion, another person walked up to him. "This seat taken?"

AU-Nic spared a glance over to his left. Before him was a tall and slender woman whose body with an ample chest, if he said so himself. She had golden blonde hair that reached down to her lower back. She had hot pink lipstick with a beauty mark on the left cheek, just below her beautiful olive eyes.

AU-Nic huffed and turned back towards his water. "Knock yourself out."

"Thank you." She took the bar stool next to him, resting her cheek on her hand. "What's wrong? Nobody to drink with?"

AU-Nic shrugged. "Not really. Haven't found the time."

"I see." She turned her attention towards the TV strip overhead. She could see the numerous reports covering Rainbow Rocket's sudden collapse, along with some revitalizing efforts by small communities. "Hard to believe, isn't it? I can only imagine what a fight it's been all these years."

AU-Nic's gaze glued towards the screens. "Yeah…it sure was."

Her gaze fell back onto him, catching his sentiment. "So tell me, what was it like for you?"

AU-Nic shook his head, chuckling. "Trust me, you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

He figured the conversation would end there, hopefully she would go talk to another guy, but to his surprise, she brushed one of her locks and looked directly at him, genuinely curious. "Wanna bet?"

AU-Nic blinked. The words of his counterpart came to light yet again.

"…I think it's time for a new phone, don't you think? Maybe try to see other people for once. Who knows? You just might find someone."

Staring at this woman who seemed to have taken an interest in him, AU-Nic snickered to himself and turned towards the bartender. "Two Mago Berry Daiquiri." He requested. The bartender took his money and went to prepare the two drinks. "Hope you like your drinks on the sweet side."

"I do, actually." She smirked.

The two looked at each other, their smiles intriguing the other. As their drinks came, the two made a small toast.

"Well, where do I begin…"

---

As promised, I managed to get this chapter up by Thanksgiving, and coincidentally this year, the same date as my birthday! A birthday/holiday chapter update for everyone! Hope you guys enjoyed this conclusion to the Rainbow Rocket Arc! I know compared to my longer arcs like Revenge of Alvarez and Alola Arcs, this one was more on the shorter side, but I hope this arc was well worth the read. Thank you all for your patience. I know my 7-month hiatus this year caused some problems, and I do apologize for that, yet I hope you can all understand that compared to when I first started fanfiction almost 10 years ago, I'm not as free as I used to be. But I started this, so I at least intend to see this through to the end.

My plan is to take the holidays off so I ca focus on planning the remainder of this story. So far I planned up to the X793 GMG Arc. I'll use the holidays wisely to plan a lot of inclusion that will lead to the finale some arcs after. If all goes as smoothly as possible, it should be another year for this installment to be complete, assuming I focus solemnly on this story.

For the woman that AU-Nic talked to at the end, I basically used Liza Runecastle's design from To The Abandoned Sacred Beasts. Ironically, she has the same English VA as Lucy.

There will be a couple of chapters focusing on other characters, then we'll finally get to the X793 GMG Arc! Got a lot of work ahead of me to ensure this goes smoothly.

Hope you all enjoy the holidays and enjoyed this chapter! I really appreciate any comments and/or reviews to share your thoughts! Until next time!