Another bustling day in the world of Earthland. Despite the incidents that have transpired over the months that Pokémon have been inhabiting this magic-centralized realm, it certainly didn't stop the world from revolving. Despite circumstantial hiccups that came from this abrupt union, the people manage to make light of it.
On a bright and sunny mid-morning, a middle-aged vendor along a street was humming away, hoping to sell more of his products to bring revenue. To his fortune, a regular stopped by. "Ah, it's good to see ya, John!"
The man in his 30's, John, waved back. "Hey there, old-timer. Been doing well these days?"
"As well as it can get." The vendor leaned over his counter. "So, how's the wife doing?"
John scratched the back of his head, humming in thought. "As well as you'd expect."
As the two were making small talk, something small with a liquid, shimmering body waddled within the shadows of the stall, eyeing the metal cookware.
"Oh yeah. She's in her second term now, right?"
"Yeah. Starting to feel old myself now with how much sleep I'm losing putting in the hours at the butcher's."
"Well, bills don't just pay themselves. Speaking of which, you lookin' for some fresh cookware for the house?"
John looked pensive as he put a hand to his chin. "Hmmm, well, the set we have now is starting to stain. Guess it wouldn't hurt to look."
The vendor's eyes twinkled with a potential customer. "Excellent choice! You've come to the right place at the right time! Just got me some new stainless steel that works great with magic ovens."
"Really?"
"Yeah, lemme show you." He reached down for the set. "This set is a little on the heavy side, but it's made of a special alloy easy to conduct heat from fire lacrima…hmmm…" He trailed off as he noticed something off. "Wait…what?!"
When he pulled back up, he showed the black skillet set he was proud of, only to find half of it was missing, like it was eaten through.
The vendor's panic was understandable. "How?! These were just new! What happened?!" In his panic, the little creature squirmed away back into the city streets.
And yet even these days, there's no denying troublesome humans or Pokémon.
"Man, this takes me back." Gajeel Redfox stood in the midst of Oak Town, the local town that once belonged to the infamous Phantom Lord guild he was part of so long ago.
But remembering those days now left a bad taste in his mouth, like when he swallows rust. And part of that reason walked beside him.
"It's been a while since we've taken a job here." Levy McGarden observed the scenic avenue they were walking on. "Looks like this place recovered from that rebellion fiasco, too."
"Yeah, looks like it." Gajeel frowned as he watched a merchant's carriage being towed by a Tauros. Even though everything looked calm on the surface, he knew there were many layers underneath that others couldn't see. Layers holding dark secrets that would create an uproar if unearthed.
The purpose of their visit to Oak Town was because of a job administered by the Cambire Foundation. Reports of missing women have been occurring as of recently, and all the reports of their last known sightings were in Oak Town. However, there have been less Pokémon in the surrounding area as well, hence why the Cambire Foundation administered it.
Pantherlily folded his arms as he looked around. "You really think these instances are connected?"
"Hard to say. Doesn't feel like a coincidence if they're all in the same spot."
"Those reports also didn't have the same timeframe either. They all happened at various times." Levy added.
Gajeel nodded. "Yeah. Also…why are you guys here?"
Behind Gajeel, Levy, and Pantherlily were Jet and Droy, the other members of Team Shadow Gear.
"Well, isn't it obvious?" Jet argued. "Wherever Levy goes, we go!"
"Yeah! Team Shadow Gear sticks together!" Droy declared, though much of it was muffled thanks to the fresh mutton in his mouth he bought from a stand a few minutes ago.
"That's sweet guys, thanks." Levy smiled warmly, thankful for their comradery.
"Yeah, sure…" Gajeel didn't buy it, but he knew they meant well. Plus they were here anyways, so it'd be rude to shoo off his friends. 'Been hearing how Joey's own team of The Freaks have been upping their game recently. Figures they'd have a bruised ego or something…'
"Anyways, we need to contribute too the guild, too!" Jet declared. "We may not have three Pokémon yet, but that doesn't mean we can't help reach our guild's next stamp!"
Levy put a finger to her chin in thought. "Oh yeah, that's right. You need a minimum of three Pokémon to participate in the games legitimately." She turned towards Gajeel. "Gajeel, what about-"
"Let's keep moving." Before she could pry him of his opinion, Gajeel picked up the pace.
"Wait!" Levy rushed to pick up the pace. "Geez, what's the deal?"
Pantherlily observed, silently smirking. 'That Gajeel…he's still salty that he hasn't found his third Pokémon yet. No wonder he's been out around the house looking for Pokémon.'
'Those wild Pokémon around our house ain't gonna cut it.' Gajeel thought. 'That Salamander and Wendy already got three Pokémon, and they took that S-Class with Luminous and Erza. I gotta step up and find the right Pokémon for me soon!'
As they were making way through the city, Levy took note of a nearby cutlery stand. "Oh, look Gajeel! Looks like we can do some shopping while we're here."
Gajeel raised a brow. "We're here for work, not for home decorations, remember?"
Levy then gave Gajeel something he was always afraid of – her stink eye. "C'mon, it wouldn't hurt to look just a little. And besides, a certain someone put some bite marks into our set already."
Gajeel cringed. Of course Levy had to bring that up. If he remembered right, that was a pretty expensive set they bought when they just moved in together. Though the taste made him think otherwise.
Seeing the argument won, Levy hummed and strode towards the stand with a smile. The vendor present gave her a gracious smile. "Ah, what can I do for you, young miss?"
"Hello. I was wondering if you had any pots or pans."
"Pots or pans, huh?" The vendor sighed. "Well, I did, but I doubt they'll be good anymore."
Levy tilted her head. "What do you mean?"
The vendor satiated her curiosity by reaching for the set he had earlier, revealing to his customers the damaged rims and half-eaten pans. "Not sure myself how it happened. I just know that this ain't gonna sell now."
"Oh, I see. That's too bad." Levy frowned.
"Is that so?" Gajeel stepped up, taking the pots and pans and inspecting them himself. "Huh…this stuff looks pretty top-notch."
The vendor nodded. "You've got an eye for quality, my friend. That's top-shelf metal that's easy to conduct heat. But I wouldn't use it now that-"
To his utter disbelief, he watched as Gajeel began munching on the damaged cutlery. What's more, it looked so natural to him that it was like seeing stale crackers getting chewed on. The vendor's eyes bulged out of their sockets as his jaw hung open in shock.
"Mm. Well whatever did this, they got good taste, that's for sure." Gajeel muffled, strolling along casually with his new 'snack'.
Levy was quick with the assist and put a sizeable amount of Jewel on the vendor's counter. "We're sorry! We hope this should cover the cost!"
"Uh, n-no problem…" The vendor watched them off, still stunned by the day's events so far. "Well, I guess a sale's a sale."
Levy caught up to Gajeel, furrowing her brow in annoyance. "You dummy! I thought we talked about that!"
"Eh?" Gajeel looked back, still chewing away. "What's the big deal? The stuff wasn't gonna sell anyway. Was doing him a favor."
"Ah, geez…what am I gonna do with you?" Levy facepalmed. As she continued chastising her Iron Dragon lover, little did the couple know that they were being watched from an adjacent alleyway. The figure's small eye traced their backs, more accurately, the man with piercings and delicious-looking metal it had earlier.
After a while of searching, the team thought it'd be time for a small break. Despite the lack of any suspicious activities or personnel, they did find the stroll pretty enjoyable for the most part. The group decided to stop at a local café, sitting outside underneath an umbrella around a four-corner table, with Pantherlily sitting on the counter.
"So, how are we supposed to find these missing girls and Pokémon anyway?" Jet asked.
"Yeah, feels like we're on a wild goose chase." Droy muffled with a large sandwich stuffed halfway into his mouth. "All we know is that they all happen here, but all the stands look pretty normal so far. It's hard to tell which one's hiding if that's the angle we're going for."
Pantherlily folded his arms. "If that's the case, then we'll need to spread out our search further."
"Lily's right. We need a proper strategy." Levy insisted, taking a bite of a small salad. "What about you, Gajeel?"
However, Gajeel was idly watching people stroll by, a chunk of metal leftover he was nibbling on as he silently acknowledged their input. "Tch." He grunted.
"Huh? What's his problem?" Jet questioned aloud. "Think he thought of something?"
"Nah, I say he's still salty about not having a third Pokémon yet." Droy replied absentmindedly.
"Sssh!" Jet immediately hushed.
That seemed to have struck a nerve as Gajeel's ears twitched and he shot them a glare, immediately making Droy regret provoking the latter. "Like hell that is!" He roared.
Levy sighed. 'Figures.' She knew Gajeel was as stubborn as Natsu, maybe more so. She knew something was itching him for a while now. She reached out and put a comforting hand atop his, immediately catching his attention. "Hey, it's okay. I'm sure you'll get another Pokémon very soon. You just have to be a little more patient. Just wear with it a little longer, okay?"
Gajeel would've ordinarily protest or shrugged, it off, but he couldn't do that when Levy gave him such a genuine and sweet plea. He grunted and calmed down. "…yeah, okay."
"Great. How about some salad? You need something other than iron in your system after all."
"Yeah, sure." Gajeel reached for his fork and picked it up…only to find something stuck to it. "Huh?"
Holding up the fork, there was a weird, liquid mass attached to it. "Mm?" The small metallic liquid had a yellow hex nut with a liquid eye turning to look at the human that caught its eye. In this case, literally.
An awkward silence fell as everything seemed frozen between the two. Though, that didn't last long as Gajeel immediately pulled back with a yelp, dropping the fork onto the ground.
Everyone got up from their seats in shock and stared alarmed at the creature.
"The heck is that thing?" Droy wondered.
"Don't know, but I wasn't planning on having lunch now anyway." Jet chimed.
They all stood in shock and wonder as they saw the small mass's liquid body slowly engulf the fork, until all of it was gone. The mass's body returned to an upright goopy fragment with the nut sighing at the hardy meal.
"The hell did that thing come from?" Gajeel inquired, looking mildly offended.
"Is that a Pokémon?" Pantherlily wondered.
"Well whatever it is, it just ruined my appetite." Gajeel glared downwards. "Alright, what's your game here?"
"Mm?" The amorphous tilted its head in wonder of the human.
Gajeel grunted. "Well, if you are a Pokémon. Guess there's a good way to deal with you." He pulled out a Poké Ball and threw it. "Alright, go!"
The capsule spewed energy that formed into Shieldon. He spread his legs and glared forward. "Let's go!"
"You want something to chew on, how's about this?" Gajeel taunted.
The little creature hummed and looked at the quadruped dinosaur in front. Its place, shield-like face and the metal rim on his nose caught its attention. With an eye glistening with awe, the creature suddenly leaped forward gleefully with a loud wail.
"Huh?!" Caught off guard, Shieldon's face was smothered by the molten steel.
Gajeel looked shocked. "Huh?"
"It just latched on!" Pantherlily exclaimed.
"AAAHHHH! MY FACE! IT'S EATING MY FACE!" Shieldon wailed around as he swayed his head left and right, trying to shake off its attacker. The hex nut squealed as its molten body was eating away at his iron nose. "AAAAH! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!"
Acting fast, Gajeel reached his Poké Ball out. "Return!"
The red laser touched Shieldon, but he didn't get recalled.
"What?!"
"Why didn't he go back inside?" Droy wondered.
"I don't know, but we better get it off him before he really gets eaten!" Jet insisted.
Gajeel grunted. "In that case…" He pulled out another Poké Ball and threw it. "Try your lot with this! Go, Lairon!"
Lairon emerged into the open, raising his head and roaring proudly. "Let's go!" He stepped forward with a heavy thud. "Alright lil' guy, off the face shield this instant!"
"Mmm?" The blob stopped its feasting and turned its hex nut head towards Lairon, giving Shieldon a breather from the horror. The even more enormous body of metal and iron layers – it was a buffet! "EEEEEEE!"
With a squeal, it abandoned Shieldon's face to dogpile onto Lairon's back, immediately breaking down the iron.
"Ah! Aaaahhhhh!" Lairon panicked and roared at the burning pain he felt. "This thing's eating me alive! Arceus, make it stop!"
"Not you, too!" His patience running thin, Gajeel trudged over. "Welp, guess it's my turn then."
As the creature was enjoying its feast, unperturbed by its agonizing prey, its hex nut head was suddenly picked up, dragging the rest of its molten body it clung onto as it was face-to-face with Gajeel again.
"Alright, buddy. Enough with the feasting. They're off the menu. Now you can either get lost, or we can turn that head of yours into a-!"
It suddenly latched onto Gajeel's face.
"GAAAAAHHH!" Gajeel started oanicking as he could feel his iron piercings on his nose getting eaten. And it ached!
"Holy crap! That thing's crazy!" Jet and Droy bellowed in unison.
"GAH! Stupid thing! Get! Off! Me!" Gajeel screamed as he tried oulling it off, but to no avail. "Levy! Ahhh!"
"Hold on a sec!" Thinking fast, Levy immediately traced her finger in the air. "Solid-Script: Iron!"
The word 'IRON' materialized in iron lettering that landed in front of Gajeel. Almost immediately, the creature hummed and looked down at the fresh metal before it. It jumped off Gajeel's face and landed atop the lettering, immediately beginning to feast upon it.
Gajeel, Lairon, and Shieldon all let out a collective sigh of relief.
"You okay, Gajeel?" Pantherlily asked.
"Yeah, somehow." Gajeel said, clenching his nose bridge. It felt like his piercings got a corroded trim – something to be pissed about. He looked down at the creature merrily eating away. "The hell's wrong with this thing?"
"Looks to me it has a hankering for metal." Pantherlily noted.
"Hold on a sec." She reached for her Poké Dex and began an analysis.
"Meltan, the Hex Nut Pokémon. It melts particles of iron and other metals found in the subsoil, so it can absorb them into its body of molten steel."
"So it really eats iron just like Gajeel." Jet figured.
"Yeah, and apparently it ain't picky if it's living or not." Droy eyed Shieldon and Lairon's melt marks. "Those…heal, right?"
Gajeel sneered and started off. "C'mon. Let's get outta here." He walked off, with Lairon and Shieldon not arguing or complaining. They felt the same too.
Unfortunately for them, they didn't get far before they felt a strong magnetic force pull on their backs.
"What the hell?" Gajeel grunted. "I can't step forward!"
"I wonder…" Levy took a moment to scope through her Pokémon Dex. After a few seconds of surfing the various pages, she found what she was looking for. "Ah, here it is. I thought I read this somewhere. It's called 'Magnet Pull'. It's an Ability that prevents Steel-types from escaping, but it also draws them in from the wild as well."
"Woah, I didn't know some Abilities worked like that outside of battle." Droy awed.
"You probably forgot. Joey's Garbodor has that Stench Ability that wards off wild Pokémon. They don't always work just for battle." Pantherlily explained.
"But Gajeel isn't a Pokémon." Jet pointed out.
"No, but he is an Iron Dragon. Guess that technically makes him a Steel-type." They saw Gajeel struggle as he ran slowly in place. "Poor guy."
"Mmm?" Having finished the iron lettering, Meltan turned its attention towards Pantherlily. More accurately, the compressed blade on his back. Its liquid eye dazzled at the sheen of the metal.
Not having it, Pantherlily brandished his Musica Sword. "Don't even think about it!"
"Eeeee!" Squealing in fright, Meltan swept behind Levy's leg to hide from them. It slowly peeked from the side, looking at the four glares the prey gave it.
"Okay, little guy. Here." Levy kneeled and scooped up Meltan in her hands, offering a soft smile. "Are you lost, lil' fella?"
"Mmmm." Meltan hummed.
She turned towards the others. "I think this guy's lost. Maybe we should find where it came from."
"Yeah, good idea. Anything to get that thing out of here." Gajeel didn't hold back the venom in his tone. He knew he was short of a Pokémon, but even he had his own limits. Becoming a Pokémon's dinner was not worth the risk.
"This is a good time to change our strategy." Pantherlily suggested. "We can split up and cover more ground for our search this way. Killing two birds with one stone."
Levy nodded. "Then it's decided." She started down towards the avenue. "I'm gonna check down here. You guys try other avenues. How about we meet up at the town's clock tower in an hour?"
"Yeah, sounds good to me." Gajeel agreed.
With that, the group went their separate ways for their mission. As Meltan was carried off by Levy, it sighed as it watched Gajeel, Shieldon, and Lairon get farther away.
"You've certainly got an appetite there, don't you?" Levy began making conversation as she went through town. They continued passing various people and Pokémon while taking in the sights. "You and Gajeel are a lot alike. You both don't give it much thought when you're both hungry. But…" She looked up thoughtfully. "Despite that, he doesn't eat Lairon or Shieldon. Probably because they're all friends."
"Mmmm…" Meltan tilted its head in thought.
"Anyways, where do you come from? You have a Trainer?"
Meltan shook its head.
"You live with others Pokémon in the wild?"
It shook again.
"Then…you're just wandering around?"
"Mm!" Meltan beamed.
"I see…" That didn't help Levy's case. Though, that didn't mean there wasn't hope. "Well, we'll find a good place for you soon. Let's just keep looking, alright?"
Meltan hummed again, stretching a stubby limb from its steel body.
The two continued their venture through the avenue, Levy taking notes of various people and landmarks that were noted in the reports. It was when she passed a stand, she got piqued by its closed purple curtains.
"What's this…?" Levy approached the stand, looking up at the sign that read: 'Hypno Phsycology' in bright yellow letters with a swirly background. "A psychology clinic?"
"Huh? Who's there?" A voice spoke up from behind a curtain. The stand's vendor was a rather broad, middle-aged man. Compared to the other vendors, his appearance was more rugged. His dress shirt had some stains and he had dense black moustache. When he saw Levy, he immediately fixed his round glasses. "Oh? 'xcuse me, miss. You looking for something?"
"Hello, sir." Levy turned around, showing her Fairy Tail guild mark. "I'm here on an official job quest."
The man's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh? You mean the Fairy Tail?" He adjusted his glasses. "Well now, not every day we get to see a full-fledged mage. What kind of job are we talking here?"
"There's been reports of missing Pokémon from around here. We're trying to figure out what's responsible for them."
The vendor hummed and crossed his arms. "Hmm…that's tough to say. To be honest, not everyone's recovered from that apparent attack a while back. I'd assume the Pokémon were driven out by the humans and fled elsewhere."
"You think so?" Levy frowned, feeling skeptic about this man's conclusion.
"Yes…of course that's just one way of looking at it. It's hard to trust just anyone if you both stand to gain something. But hey, while you're here…" he paused. "Why don't you step inside? Perhaps some mental stress waning on you?"
Levy waved her hands in front. "Oh, there's no need. I actually have somewhere to be."
"It's no trouble, really. It won't take long at all. Heck, since you're a mage, I'll even throw in a discount. Whaddya say?"
"Uh, well I…" Levy felt uncertain for a number of reasons. She didn't appreciate this man's pushy sales tactics even though she was aware that's how a lot of businesses go. That's one thing she learned when she went undercover in Avatar as a spy for the Magic Council. However, she didn't want to come across as rude either. 'Why not. Maybe I can find something around here if I just look.'
Meltan hummed lowly, hiding in her purse as she was guided past the stand into the purple tent. The inside wasn't as dirty as one would think. The floor was made of wood, and there was a large rug in the middle where a desk and brown leather therapy chair sat.
"Yo, Hypno. You up? We've got patients." The vendor chimed.
"Eh?" Waking up from a light doze, a humanoid Pokémon stood up. He had a white collar of fur around his neck along with a long, pointed, yellow nose. In one hand, he held a pendulum attached to a string.
The vendor gestured to him. "This is Hypno. He's my partner in this bizz."
"A Hypno?" Levy pulled up her PokéDex, analyzing the new creature before her.
"Hypno, the Hypnosis Pokémon. There are some Hypno that assist doctors with patients who can't sleep at night in hospitals."
"Hypnosis?" Levy pondered aloud.
"You needn't worry. Hypnosis is just a part of the psychology." The vendor explained. "By undergoing hypnotherapy, your stress is said to be drastically reduced. Hypno is an expert in that field."
Hypno nodded, holding up his pendulum. "Yup, had a few guys come every now and again. I tell ya, you'd be surprised with some of the dreams they have."
"Anyways." The vendor quickly took control. "How's about it? A single session for a mage of the prestige Fairy Tail guild will be a good price."
"Hmmm…" Levy put a hand to her chin. When he explained it, it did seem like a decent idea. Especially since she's had a rough few nights every now and again with Gajeel's snoring. She was still getting used to that. ''Maybe it's worth a try.' She nodded. "Alright, sure."
"Excellent! Now, just lay on the chair and Hypno will guide you through the rest."
Levy did as instructed and made way to the leather chair. She laid down and Hypno sat on the stool next to her. "Alright, this may seem scary, but try to relax, okay?" He instructed, holding up the pendulum.
"Yeah, sure." Levy kept her breathing calm.
"Perfect. Now…breathe slowly…and fall asleep…" As Hypno's voice grew slower, the pendulum began swaying back and forth. "Fall asleep…"
Almost immediately, a wave of drowsiness washed over Levy's body. It hasn't been 3 seconds yet. This Pokémon's hypnotic powers must've been superb. Feeling her strength fading, her eyelids grew heavier by the second. With the last bit of her conscience, she thought of only one person.
"Ga…jeel." Her eyes shut, her will finally succumbing to the hypnosis.
The vendor inspected Levy's sleeping form with a less than welcoming air around him. It was like a switch was flipped. "Well…that went easier than I thought."
Hypno scoffed. "Told ya. She'll be out till I say."
Inside Levy's purse, Meltan peeked out, looking around with worry. The two therapists had a displeasing vibe that immediately told bad news.
"Perfect. Let's hurry and put her with the others. A mage as strong as her will make for a good payday."
"Do I still get to eat her dreams at least?"
"Yeah, yeah. Let's just secure the cargo first. I'll get her Pokémon so they don't cause trouble."
Hearing this, Meltan muffled a gasp and squirmed out of her bag just before the vendor reached and took Levy's belongings. Being so small, it was able to avoid their eyes as the Hypno surrounded Levy in a telekinetic power that lifted her off the chair while still horizontal. Meltan made a break and squirmed out of the tent in a panic, heading off with high-pitched squeals.
By the time the hour deadline had come, Gajeel, Pantherlily, and the other members of Shadow Gear had converged at the base of the town's clock tower. Right when it struck 3 o'clock at that.
"Man, Levy sure is taking a while." Jet worried, arms folded. "She's usually on point with things like these."
"Maybe she got hungry and grabbed a bite somewhere." Droy reasoned, holding another bucket of chicken.
"That's rich coming from you. All you did was hit up every food stall." Jet groaned. "I'm starting to get a bad feeling about this."
He wasn't the only one. If one looked closely, the tenseness in Gajeel was palpable, so much so that it sounded like his body was creaking like compressing iron. It didn't go unnoticed by Pantherlily, whose years of military experience made him keenly aware of observations.
'Where is she?' His thoughts raced with anxiety hidden behind his iron mask of a face. 'She's never late, not even when reporting in. Something's definitely wrong here.'
"Uuuuu!" A distorted shriek caught the Dragon Slayer's attention. Almost immediately, he felt a strong magnetic pull on his body.
"What the-?!"
To everyone's surprise, Meltan hustled their way, its eye glistening with panic.
"Look, it's that Meltan from before." Pantherlily noted.
"Yeah, what the heck is it doing back here?" Jet wondered.
"Yeah, and didn't Levy say she was going to try and find its home or something?" Droy inquired.
Gajeel was in no mood for being this thing's snack again. However, it looked like the living hex nut didn't come back for seconds. From the sounds of its frantic wailing and echoes, it was trying to portray something…and it didn't take a genius to know what it was trying to say. Gajeel's eyes slowly widened as he stood in front, giving the Pokémon a look. "Where's Levy?"
Meltan muffled incoherent speeches as it animated what looked like someone taking a nap. It then moved its stubby arms to portray someone taking something.
Gajeel immediately grabbed Meltan, clutching the molten steel and brought the hex nut closer to his face. "Show me! Now!"
Meltan pointed back the way it came, giving Gajeel a sense of direction as he immediately took running.
"Hey, Gajeel! Hold up!"
"Wait for us, man!"
"He must've caught Levy's scent." Pantherlily figured, using his Aero Magic and took flight to catch up to his partner
'Damnit! If I wasn't so caught up in my own problems! She wouldn't be…!' Gajeel had no room to berate himself. He couldn't. Not when the person most dear to him was in some sort of peril. It didn't take long for Gajeel's sense of smell and Meltan's directions did he manage to reach the tent where Meltan fled from. "In here?"
Meltan nodded.
Jet looked at a sign. "A hypnotherapy stall?"
"Haven't seen anything like that around here." Droy added. "Didn't know there were stands like this in town."
"There isn't." Gajeel swept the tent's curtains open and walked in, the others following his lead. He looked around and saw the few pieces of furniture and noticed a strong scent. "Yeah, no doubt about it. She was here alright." His eyes narrowed. "And she wasn't alone."
Jet's eyes widened. "Wait! You mean someone kidnapped her?!"
"Hard to say." Gajeel followed his nose and scoped the surroundings. There was no question that the trail was still fresh. She was just here, so she couldn't have gotten far. Everything else seemed noticeably sound, but his works in shady places made his intuition spark with a realization.
Looking down at the rather clean rug, he scrunched his eyebrows. He brashly kicked the desk over and pulled the rug's edge up. His eyes fixed on the wooden hatch door that was sitting right below. He didn't think twice in opening it, revealing a set of stairs going down into the dark.
"Check it out, a secret passage." Jet awed.
"So Levy went down there? What are we waiting for?!" Droy exclaimed.
"Keep it down." Gajeel warned in a rather quiet tone. The others caught his notion and fell silent. He had a serious vibe going on as he glanced back at them. "You guys stay put. Lily and I will go scope it out first. We'll need reinforcements if things get dicey on our end."
"You sure man?" Jet frowned. As much as he wanted to argue, he did admit Gajeel had a point.
Droy pumped his fists. "If you don't find Levy in the next five minutes, we're busting in! Got it?"
Gajeel nodded. "Got it." He turned and exchanged looks with Pantherlily. The two, along with Meltan on Gajeel's shoulder, started their way down the stairwell. Even in the dark, he could tell that the flight was rather deep. He noticed that it had a second flight that went down further and took them to an opening.
When they stepped out, they noticed the ceiling was fixed with light lacrima to allow illumination, allowing them to see the cave walls that looked spacious.
"What in the hell is up with this operation?" Gajeel muttered aloud.
"Looks like a chamber right underneath the city." Pantherlily noted.
Gajeel frowned. "Yeah, I heard this place was a castle town. Back in the day, civilians would hide in bunkers to avoid the fights above. Looks to me we've just found one of them."
"Mmm? Mmm!" Meltan pointed at something that caught their attention.
"Gajeel, look over there!" Pantherlily pointed at something on the far wall. With the bunker being well-lit, he could clearly see the wide room lined with thick metal bars. But what made him unnerved was all the Pokémon that were trapped on the other end.
And what's worse was the adjacent long cell beside it.
A number of women were sitting in regular clothing. None of them looked the slightest bit moved by their arrival.
"You've gotta be kidding me here." Gajeel sneered.
"Looks like we've found where those missing women and Pokémon went to." Pantherlily stated. "Right under our noses the entire time."
"Go figure." Gajeel didn't need a reminder of that ideology. Fairy Tail's Lumen Histoire was hidden underneath their own noses the entire time, and that was the reason a major war transpired. He hurried over towards the girls to check on their conditions. At first glance they all seemed just fine. "Hey, Levy? Levy! Are you in there?!"
No response.
Gajeel felt his unease heighten. "What's going on here?"
Pantherlily peered closer. "Take a look." He pointed at a girl's eyes, showing the lack of light. "Looks like they're all in some sort of trance."
Gajeel raised a brow. "A spell?"
"Maybe. Doubt they can even hear us right now."
"Gajeel!" A high-pitched dual voice echoed from the neighboring cell.
Gajeel gasped. "That voice…!" In haste, he hurried over towards the Pokémon's cell and immediately recognized the set of gears in front. "Klink!"
"Are you alright?" Pantherlily asked.
Klink hastily churned faster. "I'm fine! But Levy, she's…!"
"Looking for something?" Another voice caught all their attention. Gajeel and Pantherlily turned around. Standing several meters away from them was the vendor and Hypno. Both had very crude dispositions as they welcomed their uninvited guests.
"Alright, pal." In haste, Gajeel's arm morphed into an iron column; it also shocked Meltan, but it was too caught up in the seriousness of the situation. "Where's Levy!?"
"Who? You mean my recent 'patient'?" The vendor chimed, getting a low growl out of the imposing mage. "Don't worry, she's right here."
He and Hypno stepped off to the side, revealing Levy standing completely still. However, the brown in her eyes was devoid of light, indicating she too was under a trance.
Immediately, Gajeel felt his heart pounce. "Levy!"
Levy made no response.
"Afraid she can't hear you, pal. She's completely under Hypno's hypnosis. As long as she's tranced, she's gonna be wrapped around our finger till otherwise."
Gajeel gnashed his teeth as veins popped from his forehead. The sight of Levy devoid of emotion was enough to make his metallic skin crawl.
"Mind telling us what you were planning to do with all the kidnapped women and Pokémon?" Pantherlily demanded.
The vendor continued to be nonchalant. "Well, since you asked, I'll tell ya. You see, while Fiore doesn't allow for slavery, the same can't be said for the other countries. I don't care, really. But they make for good business to clients who are in need of their uses. Just look at the Pokémon, they're turning the work force on its head. As for the women, well that's just standard for the more…lavish clientele."
'This sick bastard…' Gajeel snarled.
"Don't worry, we haven't done a thing to them if that's what you're worried. We have a policy of keeping our clients' goods in good condition. Hence Hypno's handiwork." The vendor huffed as Hypno held up his pendulum and smirked.
"You better undo Levy if you both value your lives." Gajeel threatened, his iron column growing spikes on it. Pantherlily transformed into his Battle Form and brandished his Musica Sword alongside him.
"Eeep!" Startled, Meltan jumped off Gajeel's shoulder and squirmed away, keeping its distance from the certain mess.
"Careful now. Wouldn't want anything to happen to her, would you?" At the vendor's behest, the Hypno held up his pendulum as his eyes brimmed with telekinetic energy. That was enough to put a halt in their tracks. "I'd hate to damage goods, especially ones that can go for a very high price. You can imagine how much a mage from the mighty Fairy Tail will go for?" He taunted with a chuckle.
Gajeel lowly growled.
"And since you're here…" With a snap of his fingers, around a dozen men began filing out of adjacent tunnels. All of them surrounded Gajeel and Pantherlily, forcing the two back-to-back with each other.
"Go!" The dozen men threw Poké Balls, bringing out a series of Pokémon that included a Gloom, two Zubat, three Koffing, a Nidorino, an Ariados, a Scraggy, Croagunk, and two Drilbur.
The boss continued. "Guess that makes three. Now, do you prefer to come quietly, or would you rather take the hard way?
"How do we deal with this one? We can't risk making wrong moves or Levy will be in danger." Pantherlily whispered low enough for Gajeel to hear.
"I know that." Gajeel grunted. 'But he doesn't realize we have our own hand to play.'
Meltan hummed quietly, watching from a safe distance with worry.
"Hypno, if you'd be so kind." The faux vendor instructed.
Hypno stepped forward, snickering. "Heh, would've preferred another fine lady, but I think we can work with this so long as you got some sweet dreams. Now…" He showed them his pendulum. "How's about you lie down…and have a nice, relaxing session on us."
Gajeel and Pantherlily braced themselves for what's to come. Just when the pendulum was about to start swinging, a high-speed projectile shot into the back of Hypno's head, causing him to fall forward into the ground.
"What?!" The boss was taken aback by the surprise attack. He heard the sound of clattering beneath him and saw plants rise up and fling knuckles that sent him hurling into the dirt beside Hypno.
Recognizing the magic, Gajeel smirked. "About time, you guys!"
Arriving on the scene were Jet, as well as Droy lagging behind. Jet had a hand to his hip, grinning. "You sure took a while. Wondered what held you up. Now we know."
"These guys have the nerve to play mind games with Levy and all these girls! They're in for it now!" Droy declared.
The boss groaned as he rubbed the back of his head. "Damn, did a light lacrima fall again…?" Gathering his bearings, he turned in shock at more of the unexpected company. "More of them?" He grunted angrily. "Great, this is getting too tedious to deal with now." He turned towards his men. "Alright boys, sweep this place clean!"
The men roared in acknowledgment. Jet and Droy brought out Poké Balls of their own and stood in front of Gajeel and Pantherlily.
"You guys, we'll take care of these guys." Jet insisted.
"Yeah, that's right. We can take these guys! You go help Levy and the captives!" Droy shouted.
Gajeel smirked, nodding. "We're counting on ya!"
At the same time, both Jet and Droy threw their respective capsules.
"Swellow, let's go!"
"You're up, Weepinbell!"
The Poké Balls popped open, bringing out Jet's Swellow and Droy's Weepinbell. Both let out battle cries to signal their arrival.
A grunt reached a hand out to give a signal. "Alright, get 'em!" At his notion, the envoy of Pokémon began their assault. An Ariados's shadow extended beneath him, while the Zubat went flying at them with their fangs exposed.
"Swellow, Aerial Ace!"
"Weepinbell, Vine Whip! Go!"
"You got it!" Swellow quickly took off in a swift blur, white streaks beaming around her as she quickly closed the gap on her opponents. She maneuvered threw their respective attacks and struck through several Pokémon at once, including the Ariados.
"Hiyah!" Weepinbell's curved stem suddenly extended, using it as a prolonged whip and smacked the Drilbur close by and continuing towards the Scraggy, only missing him when he jumped.
"You're messing with Team Shadow Gear now!" Jet took off at high-speed, rushing towards a grunt with a leg stuck out. "Falcon Heavensword!" The leg made impact, immediately putting the guy into the ground.
"Try my Knuckle Plant for size!" Droy threw a set of seeds at three grunts' feet. Magic seals sprouted from them before vines shaped like hardened fists uppercut them. The clustered gawked as they fell onto their backs.
As they were engaged in their own fight, Gajeel made a rush towards the trade boss. "Lily, while everyone's distracted, you work on freeing the captives. I can handle this guy."
"Right, just leave it to me!" Finding no room to object, Lily beamed towards the captives.
With everyone doing their part, Gajeel was left to assess his part. 'Gotta watch out for that Pokémon. Looks like his hypnosis is what's controlling Levy. If I can knock him out…' His eyes narrowed at the prospect. Taking out a Poké Ball, he threw it. "Alright, go Lairon!"
Lairon emerged in midair, flexing his four limbs. "Alright!" He landed with a harsh thud that picked up dust from his sheer weight. "Let's go, big nose!" He challenged.
Hypno looked offended. "Huh? What're you on about? My nose ain't that huge, man."
The boss crook swiped his arm. "Hypno, Hypnosis!" On cue, Hypno brought his pendulum forward and began swinging it, a psychic energy wave starting to emulate towards Lairon.
"Oh no you don't!" Gajeel bellowed. "Lairon, Rock Tomb!"
Lairon scowled as his body outlined in a bright white aura. Numerous silver energy orbs turned into large, heavy boulders that flung through the air. They created a wall that blocked off Hypno's hypnotic wave while at the same time, more rained down, startling Hypno and making him bring his arms up to defend the few boulders that made contact. He grunted heavily and was pushed back, a blue aura reducing his speed.
"What?!" The boss was taken aback by the move that he didn't see Gajeel move in front of him, smirking maniacally.
"Hypnosis won't mean anything if you can't see, pal." He pulled back an iron club, aiming for the guy's body.
The boss crook looked startled for that brief instant. As Gajeel was going for the blow, he couldn't help but notice the corners of his target's lips curving. His heightened senses picked up on something from his left, forcing him to bring his iron column in front and block a downward kick with the sword 'SWORD' swinging down onto him. He managed to block it and pulled back. When he regained his composure, he instantly lost it when he saw Levy standing before him.
"Levy!" He roared.
The vendor chuckled. "Did I forget to mention? Hypno's hypnosis puts her in a trance, but it also makes for a convenient foil." His grin turned smugger. "These Pokémon really do wonders that magic doesn't."
Gajeel could see right through this guy's plan. He hated the idea of a meat shield. What's worse, it was his own guildmate; and even worse is that it's his lover. By no means could he bring himself to hurt her. It took everything in him not to drill an iron screw right between the guy's eyes for sinking this low.
"Hrah!" With his Musica Sword, Pantherlily slashed into the steel bars trapping the Pokémon. He followed through with his crisp blow, but something was off. "What?"
To his utter shock, the steel bars weren't cut at all.
'Not even a dent?!'
"Haha! Jokes on you!" A grunt taunted. "Those bars are made of reinforced anti-magic ore! No magic sword is gonna cut through that!" He taunted, which promptly earned him a kick from Jet that knocked him out.
Pantherlily shifted his eyes. "I see. So it's resistant to magic then…" He held up his sword and flexed his muscles. "Let's just see how durable they really are!" He lunged ahead and swung again, making a loud clang.
As he was making efforts to do his part, Meltan was observing everything. A lot of things were happening all at once that its molten eye was caught between Jet and Droy's scuffle, to Pantherlily's efforts to cut the steel bars, to Gajeel's own struggles against the boss grunt. It didn't know what was going on exactly, but it was clear this was all for the petite girl, at least it hoped that was the case.
It whimpered softly, unsure of what to do.
"Levy, snap out of it! C'mon!" Gajeel yelled in an attempt to free Levy from her trance. From the flat look she gave him, it didn't work.
The leader smirked. "Sorry, guess she couldn't hear you. Why don't you try a little louder?"
Hypno sneered, bringing up his pendulum towards Levy and swung it again hypnotically.
The hypnotized Levy began remotely drawing in the air with her finger. "Solid Script: Fire." The word 'FIRE' appeared in flames and launched blast of flames at Gajeel.
Alarmed, Gajeel moved out of the way of the flames. He instinctively made a sword of iron to retaliate. The sword extended towards Levy, but as it drew closer, Gajeel gasped and put the brakes on it, stopping just a meter ahead of her. His teeth gnashed at his lack of resolve.
'Damnit. I can't risk hitting her. There's no telling what they'll make her do in that state.'
"Solid Script: Bullets." The word 'BULLETS' manifested in bright lettering around Levy before firing at Gajeel.
This time, Gajeel retracted his sword and used it to parry and slice away at the projectile words. Back on the defensive, he grunted heavily as the words kept coming, literally.
'No good. I gotta-!' As he was rethinking his strategy, time slowed to a crawl. His eyes caught something that startled him.
As she was firing bullets with her magic, the corners of Levy's eyes were starting to draw tears. Tears that spelled out the silent words that he could hear all-too-well: Gajeel…help me.
"Levy…" Realizing she was subconsciously in distress, Gajeel's temper heightened beyond reason. "You bastards…ARE GONNA PAY FOR MESSING WITH MY FRIENDS!"
From afar, Meltan gasped at his uproar.
"Lairon, Rock Slide!" Gajeel shouted.
Lairon grunted as his body gave off another white aura, thicker, stronger orbs became gray stones that hung above in the air. When Lairon lowered his head down, the rocks all fell like rain directed onto Hypno and the boss.
"Gah!" Panicked, the boss collected himself to issue a command. "Hypno, Confusion!"
Hypno's eyes glowed a faint purple as he held his free hand upwards. A telekinetic wave rippled upwards past the falling rocks, enveloping them all in a purple outline. They all slowed toa stop just before impact, and once they were in freefall, Hypno jutted his hand out, sending them all back the way they came.
"Don't think so!" Gajeel countered. "Iron Head!"
Lairon roared as his entire head's armor coated in a thick iron sheet and charged forward with all his might. With his weight and ramming force, he crushed the rocks effortlessly, stampeding across the ground towards Hypno.
The boss smirked, something that Gajeel immediately regretted. "Hypnosis!"
Snickering, Hypno reached his pendulum out as Lairon drew closer. With the momentum behind his opponent, Hypno knew he had him where he wanted him. "Light's out, metalhead!" His pendulum started swinging left and right, unleashing a psychic wave towards Lairon.
Lairon roared as he closed in, but upon seeing the psychic waves he attempted to halt, but it was too late. The waves eventually reached him, quickly putting him in a drowsy state for a few seconds before he buckled and crashed into the ground, fast asleep.
"Lairon, no!" Gajeel exclaimed, seeing his Pokémon fall victim to the attack.
"Don't worry, your four-legged tin can won't be down for long." The boss warned, reaching out his arm. "Alright! Wake-Up Slap!"
Hypno cried out as he raised his spare hand, which glowed a bright white. He closed the distance between him and Lairon and slapped the latter across the face. The shock immediately awoken Lairon, but the force was so intense that he was sent hurling through the air, crashing onto his back with a thud that shook the chamber.
Gajeel's eyes widened. "That much damage?" He grimaced at a realization. "Damnit, that must've been a Fighting-type move."
"Not only that, but Wake-Up Slap deals double the damage to anyone asleep." The boss added.
Lairon stirred in the dirt and turned himself over. He hesitated for a second, shock running through his body from the sudden wear he felt. However, he muscled through it and turned around to face his foes with a territorial roar.
Gajeel subconsciously clenched his fists. 'If it wasn't for Lairon's insane Defense stat, he'd be out cold. But he can't take another hit like that. And Levy…' His inner ire only grew.
Taking the initiative, the boss reached out once more to direct. "Now Hypno, put that oversized metal dog down with Psybeam!" Hypno did as told, bringing his pendulum up as kinetic energy amassed to a bright blue energy ready to be launched.
Gajeel moved to get in front, protecting his partner from the attack. "You don't scare me, pal! Don't mess with anyone close to me! Not even my Pokémon! Got that?!"
Meltan's liquid eye remained glued to Gajeel, his steely resolve leaving it speechless. It then recalled what Levy said earlier.
"You and Gajeel are a lot alike. You both don't give it much thought when you're both hungry. But…despite that, he doesn't eat Lairon or Shieldon. Probably because they're all friends."
It didn't get it before, but now that it saw with its own eye, it could see despite how delicious the four-legged iron armor thing was, Gajeel was willing to protect him. It moved it so much that he huffed with his eye slanting reminiscent of anger.
Hypno sneered as he held his pendulum out further, moments away from launching onto Gajeel, who braced for the attack. He only caught a metallic blur that squealed as it passed right by him. "Huh?"
"Eeee!" In a surprising move, Meltan's hex nut head collided with Hypno's forehead, making him stagger and falter backwards. Everyone looked shocked, but none more so than Gajeel.
"You…!"
Meltan landed in front and turned to look back at him, waving a metal arm.
Hypno stumbled back, staggering as the flinch effect of Meltan's Headbutt took effect. "Tch! Damn you…!" He brought his pendulum up, readying another attack.
Seeing the metal weapon, Meltan was momentarily taken aback. "Eeeee!" Squealing in delight, it bolted right across the ground in a hungry lunge for the pendulum. It jumped and latched on, surprising everyone yet again.
"What the…?" Gajeel blinked.
"The heck's it doing?" Lairon grunted.
"Huh?" Hypno blinked rapidly, trying to understand what was going on. Getting annoyed, he tried shaking it off. "Hey! Let go of that! That ain't yours, bucko!" He swung it around for a few more seconds, until Meltan finally flung off. "Geez, now, where were…we?!"
His shock came from seeing his pendulum. To his utter horror, half his pendulum was missing! The boss and his eyes both nearly bulged out of their sockets in sheer disbelief. "THE HELL?!" They exasperated.
Realizing this was his opening, Gajeel took it. "Now, Iron Head!"
Lairon saw the opportunity and rushed after the distracted Hypno. His head coated in dense iron, Hypno was too slow to react before he was hit square in the nose, sending him flying.
"Wait, wait, wait!" The boss pushed his hands outwards in a panic, but that didn't stop Hypno from hitting him and sending both flying into the wall. They slumped to the ground, the boss dazed while Hypno was slacked against him, eyes swirling from fainting.
"How did you like that!" Lairon roared.
Meltan let out a little cheer of his own.
With Hypno unconscious, the hypnotic effects on everyone immediately began wearing off. The captive women all in their cells began questioning their surroundings, some quickly panicking behind the bars.
Amongst the hypnotized was Levy, whose body relaxed and started falling over.
"Levy!" Gajeel rushed and caught Levy in his arms before she hit the ground. He held her close as he called out to her. "Can you hear me? Hey! Say something! C'mon, open your eyes!"
A small groan came from her as her brows furrowed. Slowly, her beautiful brown eyes opened, bringing instant relief to the Iron Dragon Slayer. "Uh…huh? Where…am I?" She muttered. "It's strange…I was talking to the vendor, and then everything just became a blur…"
Gajeel smiled, relieved she was alright. "Hey."
Levy meekly smiled back. "Hey, Gajeel." She paused. "It's so strange. It felt like I had a bad dream just now."
"Yeah, I know." He spoke softly. "But it's over now. I'm here."
Over by the jail bars, Pantherlily continued slashing away. One cut after another, he carved at the same spot, only stopping to catch his breath. His frustration only grew when he saw that the one bar was barely scratched. "Whoever designed these bars wanted to make sure mages didn't escape, that's for sure."
"Mmm?" Squirming to his side was Meltan. The little hex nut turned towards the source of Pantherlily's plight. Staring for a moment, it shuffled forward, much to his confusion.
"Wait, hold on! What're you doing?"
Meltan paid no heed and attached to one of the bars. Pantherlily was initially confused, but that confusion turned to shock when he saw the metal being dissolved as it ate it way through. Once it did, it jumped to another bar and began eating away at it. Once a certain amount of bars were gone, that left a gap wide enough for the panicking women to escape.
"I don't believe it…it actually ate through that?" He sounded genuinely shocked. He nervously grinned. "Well I'll be…guess Gajeel's got some serious competition."
"Alright, wait a go guys!" Jet cheered.
"That's what I'm talking about!" Droy cheered.
From the other end of the wall, the boss saw the women exiting their cell and escaping. Much of his men were already defeated, as were their Pokémon. He saw Pantherlily and Meltan work their way towards the Pokémon's cells and gnashed his teeth. "Damnit…" He cursed. "We're not done…not by a long shot. You hear me?" From his side, he pulled out an Ultra Ball.
Seeing this, a number of his men grew alarmed.
"Wait, boss! Not that one!"
"You crazy?! We're all gonna die!"
"Think what you're doing!"
Unfortunately, he wasn't having it. "Shut up! We're not letting this big payday slip us, ya hear me?!" He shoved the unconscious Hypno off him and got up to face Gajeel. "You think you've won. Well, try this on for size!"
Gajeel looked up, bracing for what's to come.
"Go!" The boss threw the Ultra Ball, the capsule popping open to expel his trump card.
Manifesting in front of everyone was a large, mammalian Pokémon that looked like a camel with two dense rock mounds on his backs, similar to volcanoes. His body was primarily covered in orange fur, with his legs and hooves being considerably broad. Three blue circles covered the sides of his abdomen.
The Pokémon lifted his head, letting out a roar that shook the air around him.
"What the heck is that thing?" Gajeel questioned.
Answering his inquiry, Levy reached for her PokéDex and analyzed the new opponent.
"Camerupt, the Eruption Pokémon. The humps on Camerupt's back are formed by a transformation of its bones. They sometimes blast out molten magma. This Pokémon apparently erupts often when it is enraged."
Levy's eyes widened. "A Fire and Ground-type? Gajeel, be careful!"
"Yeah, I hear ya. Let's end this quick and get out of here." He swiped his arm across. "Lairon, Rock Tomb!"
Undeterred by his new opponent's threat, Lairon scowled as another white aura coursed over his body. Silver orbs above turned into gray boulders that he lobbed at Camerupt. The rocks all met their marks on the bulky beast, covering him in a layer of dust.
"How's that?"
Silence fell at Lairon's attempt at a taunt. When the dust cleared, Camerupt was unfazed, though a blue aura engrossed his body, reducing his Speed. Smoke snorted out his nostrils.
The boss gave a crooked smile. "Now it's my turn." He pointed at Lairon. "Now, use Earth Power!"
Camerupt roared as he lifted his front hooves and pressed them into the ground. The ground between him and Lairon shuddered violently. Golden cracks traveled across the earth towards his target, who was only gaping in shock before molten, fiery energy erupted like a volcano beneath him. His cries were heard loud and clear through the molten wake that scattered dust.
Gajeel shielded Levy, but looked concerned. "Lairon!"
The wake of the attack settled, revealing Lairon having collapsed and fainted.
"Yeah, that's what I'm talking about!" The boss sneered. "Now-"
A snort came from Camerupt as he roared out once again. "HRAAAAAH!" His cries bellowed through the chamber, catching everyone by surprise. Without warning, his volcanic humps erupted a set of plumes of scarlet flames and smog that quickly spread out.
"Huh?! No, wait-!" The boss didn't get to finish as the attack engulfed him, screaming in burning agony.
"Get down!" Gajeel withdrew his unconscious Lairon and quickly turned his back towards the expanding plume to protect Levy.
The attack continued its wake, swallowing everything around the vicinity. Jet, Droy, Swellow, and Weepinbell were blown off their feet, as were the grunts and their Pokémon. The only ones spared from this immense wake were Pantherlily, Meltan, and the prisoners who only watched in horror at the plume engulfing everything before them.
"What happened?!" Pantherlily showed genuine worry. "Gajeel! Guys!"
It took a minute for the plume to clear up. When the smoke settled, all the men and their Pokémon were laying around, partially charred and unconscious. Jet and Droy were amongst them, both toppled over and barely able to get up. The same couldn't be said for Swellow and Weepinbell though as they laid unconsciously close by them.
Levy was startled when she only felt mildly warm. When she wondered why, she heard Gajeel speak up. "Hey…you good?" When she looked up, she saw that his body was covered in his Iron Dragon Scales that steamed from the attack.
"Gajeel…!"
"Don't worry. That was nothing compared to Salamander's fire. Speaking of which…" He looked around, seeing everyone collapsed from the attack. "What the heck was that just now?"
Levy observed the Camerupt, who snorted and turned his head about. "I think that was Lava Plume. It's a Fire-type move that strikes everything around the user with a plume of fire like a volcano erupting."
Gajeel clicked his teeth. "Well that checks out." He looked past the roaring Camerupt, seeing his Trainer was knocked out against the wall. "Looks to me that they don't have a handle on this one."
"Which means we have to stop it before it brings down this entire chamber!"
"Yeah. That happens, this whole area of Oak Town could collapse. Guess there's no choice. Levy, what type is it?"
"The PokéDex said it was a Fire and Ground-type."
Gajeel scoffed. "Alright then." He pulled out a Poké Ball and threw it. "Go, Shieldon!"
The capsule popped open, revealing Shieldon on all fours. "Bring it on!" he challenged.
Camerupt saw the new opponent before him and snorted smoke out his nostrils. Letting out another violent roar, an energy field enveloped him as he charged across the ground towards Shieldon, via Take Down.
"Shieldon, Ancient Power!" Gajeel ordered.
Shieldon spread his legs as white energy surrounded his body. "Take this!" The energy changed shape into a silver hemisphere that he launched at the approaching Camerupt. The attack hit squarely in the face, obscuring everything in a blast of silver dust. However, it did little to stop Camerupt's charge as he pressed on without mercy.
As he braced for the impact, Meltan squealed as it appeared in front of him. "What?! You again!"
"Eeee!" Shrieking and bracing itself, its body tensed up and flashed white. A red aura enveloped its body that increased its Defense, via Harden. Camerupt bashed his snout again Meltan, sending it flying over Shieldon's head and landing with a thud, much to everyone's shock.
"Is it okay?!" Gajeel worried.
"You…" Shieldon looked baffled, barely able to understand the reason behind its help. "Why did you do that?"
Meltan whimpered weakly, but managed to sit up and point back at the battle with a shriek.
"Rock Slide!" Camerupt's body gave off a white aura as dense silver orbs above became rocks that came down on everyone.
Gajeel's arm turned into an iron spearhead and aimed it towards the ceiling. "Iron Dragon's Lance: Demon Logs!" Iron spears shot in succession across, piercing and breaking apart the rocks into smaller fragments that left them unhindered.
One of the fragments fell onto Meltan, who covered its head to protect itself. At the last second, Shieldon bashed the debris away and looked down. "Hey, you good?"
"Mmmm?" Meltan looked up, surprised.
"Hmph. I prefer Rock-types, but we both Steel-types." Shieldon reasoned. "We even now."
Camerupt roared angrily, catching their attention again.
Gajeel glared. "Let's see how it likes this! Now Shieldon, Swagger!"
With a snort, Shieldon faced Camerupt as a red aura enveloped him. With Camerupt in sight, the massive quadruped was enveloped in a similar red aura that increased his Attack. However, he looked disoriented and roared sporadically.
"He's confused! Great work!" Levy smiled.
"Mmm!" Squealing, Meltan squirmed to Shieldon's side. They watched it turn around and wiggle his tiny red tail at Camerupt, via Tail Whip. A blue aura indicated a Defense increase.
"GRAAAAAAH~!" Camerupt's roar shook the air again. In his disoriented state, he stampeded towards the nearest wall and crashed so hard against it that the wall pressed inwards. He repeatedly headbutted the obstruction, leaving his backside exposed.
"Solid Script: Water!" Levy wrote the word 'WATER' in the air, creating letters made of water that launched a torrent at Camerupt's exposed back. The water made contact, erupting steam all around the heated camel.
"KRAAAAAH~!" Camerupt roared in agony.
'Fire and Ground-types are weak to Water-types. That should have done a lot of damage.' Levy figured.
Camerupt snorted and diverted his disorientation in their general direction. He sneered and charged again, though with less vigor.
"Shieldon, Ancient Power!" Gajeel ordered. Once again, Shieldon's body gave off a powerful white glow that morphed into a white ball that launched towards Camerupt. They watched it make contact and engulf his face in silver dust again. The difference this time was that a red aura enveloped Shieldon, increasing his stats.
"Mmmmmm!" Meltan flung ahead, its Headbutt diving through the smoke and connecting with Camerupt's forehead. With his lowered Defense, the attack was enough to make Camerupt recoil in pain. Meltan landed in front, huffing while standing in front of Shieldon.
"Well I'll be damned. That lil' guy's got steel guts in there somewhere after all." Gajeel smirked.
"Yeah, sure does." Levy smiled, but that joy was short-lived. "Hold on, look!"
Camerupt shook his head around and opened his eyes. When he did, the glowing red color was gone.
"The confusion wore off!" Pantherlily exclaimed.
"Already?!" Shieldon gawked.
"Crap! Get out of there!" Gajeel warned.
Camerupt snorted again, the steam startling Meltan bellow. He lurched his head back to prepare his attack, making Shieldon gasp. "Look out!" He rushed towards Meltan, who was too scared to move.
"LAVA PLUME!" A plume of intense flames mixed with smog erupted in all directions. It quickly engulfed the area up to Meltan and Shieldon, and quickly beamed towards Gajeel and the others.
Quickly getting Levy behind him, Gajeel plunged his fist into the ground. Columns of iron shot up and crossed in a line in front of him to make a wall that blocked off the Lava Plume. The exhaust of the attack flew past them, but they held their ground as the intense heat surged until it simmered to a smoke.
Near the center of the attack, Meltan was covering itself…only to find it was unscathed. Blinking its one eye twice, it noticed it wasn't on the ground, but something's back.
"Hey…you good…?"
Meltan gasped and looked forward. The back of a shield-like face was all it saw. The front sizzled from the intensity of the attack. It didn't take long for it to realize Shieldon protected him.
"Hmmmm!?" It shrieked in shock.
"Shieldon…" Gajeel watched as his partner staggered, barely catching himself.
"If it weren't for that Ancient Power boosting his Special Defense, I don't think he would've withstood that." Levy admitted, looking worried.
As Shieldon panted, a shadow loomed over him and Meltan. The latter looked up, seeing the hostile Camerupt snarling down at them. The little creature nudged Shieldon, but he didn't budge.
"I'm fine…" He didn't sound like it. He was met with a hoof to the face, immediately feeling a pressure trying to crush him beneath Camerupt's weight.
"Hnoooo!" Meltan panicked.
Shieldon grimaced in pain, gradually sliding back a few inches every second. Grunts were heard between him and Camerupt at the oppositional stubbornness.
"We have to help him!" Levy moved to help, but was cut off by Gajeel's arm.
"Wait." He had a steady gaze as he was seeing Shieldon hold off the attacker with all his might.
Shieldon leaned forward, trying to fight back and give Meltan room on his back. He dug his heels into the ground and grunted heavily. "My Rock…my Steel…" he sneered. "Won't break to you! Because I am protecting comrades…" His eyes widened with resolve. "And that's what Shieldon do! Hraaaah!"
Camerupt roared back in challenge to Shieldon. As Shieldon's roar echoed, a bright light enveloped his body, startling everyone conscious in the chamber, including Meltan.
"That light…!" Levy gasped.
"No way…is that what I think it is?" Gajeel watched with visible shock at the show before him.
As the light surged energy through Shieldon, his shield-like face grew larger and broader, the nasal jutting out that it pushed Camerupt's hoof back. The attacker found his momentum gradually faltering as the body grew, and the large facial structure got to where it nudged, pushing him off.
When the light exploded, it did so with a force that pushed Camerupt back several feet. Emerging with a prominent roar was a quadruped Pokémon with yellow limbs ending in thick gray armor. A gray spine with bones jutted out from behind. The face was extremely profound, reminiscent of a bastion tower with large, curved teeth and horns for brows.
"HRAAAAAHHHH!" The newly evolved Pokémon made his entry with a dense roar that shook the air around him.
Everyone gasped, leading up to Levy smiling. "Shieldon evolved!" She pulled out her PokéDex again, analyzing the Pokémon in question.
"Bastiodon, the Shield Pokémon. This Pokémon is from roughly 100 million years ago. Its terrifyingly tough face is harder than steel."
"Well I'll be. Just what we needed." Gajeel smirked. "Alright, let's show'em what you've got!"
"Right." In a deep, gritty tone, Bastiodon braced for battle.
Camerupt's eye twitched, a sign of his patience at an end. He roared mightily and stomped on the ground. An Earth Power coursed its way towards Bastiodon, leaving everyone with suspenseful gazes.
"Nice try." Bastiodon didn't falter. His maw started opening, frost expelling with a bright blue orb concentrating in the center.
When the crumbling, molten earth cracks were about to reach him, Bastiodon roared and expelled the cooled energy in three beams at the ground. A wave of ice fought molten earth for several seconds before the beams eventually overpowered and froze the earth, continuing towards Camerupt.
"Hang on, was that a new move?" Gajeel questioned aloud.
"I think that was Ice Beam!" Levy exclaimed. "Now it has a defense against Ground-type attacks!"
The newly learned Ice-type move reached Camerupt, making contact in an intense, icy burst of energy that made him slide back several feet.
"Hmhmm!" Meltan awed atop Bastiodon's head, its eye moist in astonishment.
Gajeel sneered. "Never thought I'd be pulling that stripper's shtick, but here goes." He held up an Icium-Z and inserted it into his Z-Ring. Upon activation, the hue in the chamber darkened as all the surrounding light was drawn into the Z-Power. An icy blue aura surrounded Gajeel as he crossed his arms in front, a snowflake insignia briefly appearing.
The air chilled drastically, but he didn't care. He started stacking his arms up on top of the other, making a spiked mountain of sorts that led up to him separating his arms to the side and then projecting them forward. The icy-blue Z-Power arched overhead onto Bastiodon, who absorbed the power and made the air around him begin frosting.
"SUBZERO SLAMMER!"
With a roar of finality, the ground below Bastiodon erupted into an ice mountain, lifting him up to a high altitude. Meltan and everyone watched the remaining half of the Z-Power turn into a concentrated ice blue hemisphere that Bastiodon launched downwards into a monstrous beam that rivaled his Trainer's Iron Shadow Dragon's Roar.
The icy beam shot into the ground, freezing it solid up towards Camerupt, who could only roar before the beam struck him head-on. A bright flash was preceded by a block of ice encasing the now frozen Camerupt. Ice spikes grew sporadically and shattered to fragments, along with the frozen earth.
As icy sparkles rained down across the chamber, everyone had bright smiles as they watched Bastiodon's mount return to the earth, quickly melting.
Before them, the mist cleared around Camerupt, revealing the Eruption Pokémon collapsed and swirling eyes.
"Incredible…" Levy awed.
Gajeel crossed his arms, grinning widely. "Heh…that's my 'mon."
Bastiodon let out a triumphant roar that echoed through the chamber once more.
Meltan stood atop, its admiration completely peaked. It squealed with delight at the uproarious victory won today.
By the time the sun was setting in Oak Town, the Rune Knights had come to collect the slave traders and captured women, the latter they intend to aid. With all the crooks rounded up, the boss of the bunch was the last being led into the wagon, his shoulders slumped in defeat.
A short distance away, a Cambire Foundation employee with a Chatot on her shoulder spoke to Gajeel, Pantherlily, and Team Shadow Gear. Bastiodon and Meltan were out as well.
"Thank you and congratulations on a job well done, Fairy Tail. We appreciate your services done here today." She started. "Thanks to you, a number of Pokémon will be free, and the ones owned by those crooks will be taken to the Cambire Foundation for due rehabilitation. Now, for your reward."
This was what they all waited for. A handsome check was handed to Gajeel, followed by the job's documents with all their signatures written in light pen, the witness's signature also in such, followed by the much-anticipated stamp that was placed cleanly in the corner.
"We thank you for your time." With a polite bow, the woman left, her Chatot flying with the pen in his mouth.
Once they were gone, the group was left to take in everything that happened.
"Aw yeah, that's what I'm talking about!" Jet celebrated.
"We got another stamp! Alright!" Droy cheered. "Let's see The Freaks top that!"
As the two cheered on, Gajeel couldn't help but find their enthusiasm enticing. He looked over at Levy, noticing her downtrodden expression. "Hey, what's the matter?"
She sighed tiredly. "I'm sorry. I ended up causing trouble." She looked at the ground in shame. "I really messed up this time."
To a degree, Gajeel could understand where she was coming from. However, he was able to see past all that and put a hand on her shoulder. "Nah, I wouldn't say that." He grinned. "You were able to lead us to their base, even if you didn't mean to. So what if you were hypnotized?" He looked directly at her, the sunset brightening his face. "I'm just glad we're all okay."
Awed by his care, Levy's eyes twinkled before a proud smile crossed her face. "…right!"
Gajeel crossed his arms and turned to look at Bastiodon. "Besides, thanks to that little skirmish, Shieldon evolved. Not a bad way to end a day, I'd say."
Bastiodon huffed proudly. Beside him, Meltan hummed in cheers for him. The two shared a unison chuckle at each other.
"Check it out, looks to me they're buddy-buddy." Pantherlily beamed, arms folded "So, what now?"
Gajeel frowned as he looked at Meltan. Despite the less-than-happy meeting they had, he had to admit, he might have been wrong about this metal-eating maniac if it was willing to help them out. It could have just ate away at them silly the whole time, but it didn't. It helped eat those bars magic couldn't break, and it gave them an edge against that boss's Pokémon. To him, that was all the proof he needed.
"Alright then." With a smirk, he walked up to Meltan and crouched down at eye-level.
"Hm?" It looked up, curious of Gajeel.
"Y'know what, you're not half bad. Nice work out there." He praised, snickering. "For a little guy, you sure know how to use that head of yours."
Meltan hummed in response.
"So, how about it? Wanna come along?"
Meltan looked shocked. It turned towards Bastiodon to see his opinion. "We Steel-types. We look out for each other."
Meltan turned back and looked Gajeel in the eye. A brief moment of anticipation passed before it made its decision. "Hm!" It nodded approvingly.
"Hehe." Gajeel sneered toothily and stood up. "Well, that settles it. You're going to be my third Pokémon. Just don't eat Lairon or Bastiodon, 'kay?"
"I can make plenty of iron for you, and Gajeel can too." Levy promised.
Meltan wiggled in delight. If it wasn't on board before, it was now!
With that business out of the way, Gajeel pulled out a Poké Ball. "Alright. Here!" He tossed it at Meltan, which connected with the edge of its hex nut.
Everyone watched it turn into energy and fall to the ground. The ball rattled in place a few times before it stopped with a loud click and stars twinkling. It was caught.
Gajeel walked over, picking up the Poké Ball with a smile.
"That's so wonderful! Congratulations, Gajeel!" Levy cheered.
"Man, what luck." Droy groaned.
"Right? Well, he needed a third Pokémon. Guess he got what he wanted in the end." He shrugged. "Ah well, I say the little guy's earned its spot."
Pantherlily smiled approvingly. "You know what I think? I think it'll fit in just fine."
Bastiodon nodded. "Yes."
Gajeel couldn't agree more with all of them. Every single one. Now that he had a third Pokémon, he knew he could compete with his fellow guildmates and Dragon Slayers. 'You all better watch out. Cuz we're just gonna get tougher from here on.'
Starting off 2025 on a strong yet simple note. Managed to get this chapter done at a reasonable pace, and for once in what felt like literally years, I managed to keep it under 13K. I figured I would make it another chapter that focused on other characters besides Nic again, this time peeking into what Gajeel was up to.
Hard to believe that it's been over 10 year now that I've started my fanfiction career. Wow, how the years fly by. It felt like only yesterday that I was writing The Fairy Contender, and look how far it's come. From such sloppy, poorly-written beginnings, to something that I managed to build up and make into a half-decent series. I'll admit, I wasn't sure what direction I was going for, but I'm glad despite my lack of directions, I managed to get this far. Thank you all who stood by me all these years. You guys are part of the reason why I'm still here today!
So as you may have guessed, that Camerupt's Ability was Solid Rock. If it wasn't, Levy's Solid Script Water spell would've shut his lights out and it'd just be anticlimactic. But all things considered, I think I managed to make this a decently paced and fulfilling chapter.
So now Gajeel has 3 Pokémon, which means he'll be joining the Grand Magic Games coming up!
So this year, I wanna plan on getting as far as I can with this 3rd installment. If I finish before 2026, great! But I'm going to be focusing solemnly on this story to its end. I'll try to shoot for this installment's conclusion by the end of this year, and after that, work on my other stories and finishing them up in the years to follow.
Thank you all for your patience, and look forward to the next chapter soon!