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

92. X793 GMG Day 1: Old & New Faces

Arthur was wheeled by Maria through a tunnel lit up by light lacrima on the ceiling. Having done his part in opening the Grand Magic Games, now all he had to do was watch the rest pan out.

"An excellent job out there, sir." Maria praised.

Arthur smiled. "Thank you, Maria. I must say, having magic to move around like that does make things convenient for me. Perhaps we could look into upgrading my accommodations soon?" He chuckled at the idea of levitating around like a Claydol freely through the air.

"I would advise focusing on our current financial situation before we start diving into, ahem…luxuries." Marie lightly chastised.

Arthur hummed. "Yes, afraid you're right about that. Still, these past few months have been nothing short of revolutionizing. Who'd ever guess a world filled with magic could lead to so much opportunity in engineering? At this rate, modernization with our technology could revolutionize civilization within a few years."

"Assuming everything goes according to plan. I have to remind you of the resistance we've been pertaining."

"Ah…yes, that." Arthur's tone fell some as his expression turned serious. "We've been able to open up business across numerous nations so far, but there's others who are still apprehensive. That embargo in the Pergrande Kingdom for example; from what I've heard, it still hasn't listed. Then of course there's that representative we've met at the banquet last night."

He recalled the brief interaction with Shiin last night and how he was shadowing Nic for the Pergrande Kingdom.

"I hope that we get to talk with him again." He admitted. "I'd really like to know more about the Pergrande Kingdom and what their affairs are."

"I understand your thoughts, sir, and I agree. Though look at it this way; should the games prove to be engaging and successful in promoting Trainers, Mages, and Pokémon working together, there might be a chance the Pergrande Kingdom would open up to delegations."

Arthur put a hand to his chin. "Yes, suppose that's one way of looking at it. Though, I can't forget our immediate matters either. For now, let's just focus on maintaining the games without incident."

The two reached a door that slid open. Upon walking through, they were met with both Jefferey and Charlotte.

"Arthur. A fine display out there." Jefferey graciously bowed towards his superior.

"Thank you, old friend." The group began their venture down the corridor. It was strange. From what they've heard, the underside of the Domus Flau colosseum was supposed to be an abandoned chasm. However, after the renovations, it now acted as a tunnel that took them beneath the stadium's support system. They were currently walking towards a magic circle on the other end where two Rune Knights were stationed and waiting for them.

"How is security, Ms. Jet?"

"Fret not. My trained men have the entire area under watch, in and out." Charlotte assured. "You'd have to be a fool to try and get close to the action."

"Nothing from Eliza either. I believe we can continue coordinating the games without interference." Jefferey insisted.

"Let's hope so." Arthur hoped. "Do you know the current status of the games now?"

"The preliminaries have just concluded. I believe the first contest is about to begin." Jefferey relayed.

"Let's hurry and see how they're all doing. I can't wait to see what all those mages do." Arthur admitted. "Especially the ones from Fairy Tail."

---

"T-that is a long run."

Dereece's statement and him pointing towards Crocus perfectly personified the initial uneasiness The Freaks felt upon appearing in the mountain valley. Even from their standpoint, the fact that Crocus was no more than the size of a dime to them made it unnerving.

"Well, they did say this was a cross-country contest." Duncan reminded matter-of-factly.

"That's true." Joey agreed, leaning forward with a hand perpendicular to his forehead. "Still, that's a lot of ground we gotta cover. Safe to say we got our work cut out for us."

Duncan scoffed. He pulled out a Poké Ball and lobbed it skywards. "Honchkrow, start!"

Honchkrow emerged in the air, letting out a loud caw.

Dereece raised a brow. "Uh, Duncan? Why'd you bring out Honchkrow?"

"What else?" Duncan raised his Elfen Forja overhead. Honchkrow immediately knew what to do and flew down to grip the staff with his talons. "It's much easier to fly back rather than waste energy running. Plus they mentioned obstacles and traps."

"Yeah, good point. They did warn us about that." Joey agreed, looking outward with a furrowed brow. "Guess we'll have to take an aerial approach then. Dereece, I need a lift."

Dereece nodded. "On it." He pulled out a Pokémon Ball and lobbed it skywards. "Yanmega, you're up!"

Yanmega appeared in the open with her lenses shimmering underneath the sun. "Ready!"

"Honchkrow, Fly!" Duncan instructed.

With a scoff, Honchkrow began his ascent, his brilliant wings flapping and taking him and Duncan off the ground. Yanmega swooped around and carried Joey into the air, leaving Dereece to use his magic and race after his teammates through the air.

On another plateau, Lyon's team with Lamia Scale didn't waste time. "Come!"

"Right!" Toby and Chelia followed in hot pursuit as they started their trek.

"Let's make haste!" Rogue lead Orga and Yukino as they darted off the plateau towards Crocus.

"WILD~!" Rocket, Nobarly, and Semmes howled as they began their charge.

"Let's move, girls!" Arana told Millianna and Risley.

"Let's get there in style." Hibiki chimed, he, Ren, and Eve striking fashionable poses.

…

Back in the stadium, the crowd was in an uproar as they were watching numerous lacrima-vision projections set up above the finish line in the middle of the stadium. The guilds watched as their teams were on the move towards Crocus and moving in tandem.

"And it looks like our competitors are on the move." Lola commented. "This is all a race to get the head start that they need for Day 1." He turned towards Yajima and Professor Sycamore. "Tell me, Mr. Yajima, who do you think has an edge in this race?"

Yajima folded his arms. "Well, at first glance you can see the Sabertooth pack is making strides. But if you look over at Fairy Tail…"

"Huh?" Lola's eyes widened. "Woah, mama! It looks like the members of Fairy Tail are taking an aerial approach right at the start!"

"Unbelievable." A bystander awed.

"Is that allowed?" Someone worried.

Hearing the notions, Yajima spoke up. "Technically speaking, the race doesn't dictate how you get back. Using magic and Pokémon to fly is perfectly legal."

"Ah, muy bien! Such resourcefulness amongst mages and Trainers alike." Professor Sycamore chimed in.

"Makes sense. They'll be able to avoid traps from the ground." Erza deduced as she watched with her peers.

"Dereece's magic is perfectly suited for a situation like this." Sophie stated. "His Elemental Walk allows him to walk or run on any surface at any angle, even air."

"Let's just hope the rest of the teams don't get the same idea. Be a hassle if they do." Elfman grumbled.

"I'll tell ya what's a hassle." Cana scowled, shaking an empty booze bottle. "I'm out of liquor!"

"You seriously choosing now of all times to drink?" Gajeel protested.

Cana, however, looked a little too relaxed. "Ah, quit your griping. Besides, with a group as big as ours, what are the odds that I get picked for the fight?"

"Don't jinx it." Lucy nervously sweatdropped. A shiver ten went down her spine upon saying that word. Memories of that battle on Rolica alongside Cana against the human-obsessed Jynx made them relive some unsavory moments, most notably how they were put to sleep. 'Ugh…why did I have to say that?'

"It looks like Chelia's team isn't lagging far behind." Wendy smiled, seeing Chelia on the screen.

Gray stood beside her with a thoughtful smile. "Right, you used to be part of Lamia Scale. You gonna cheer for them as well?"

Wendy nodded. "Yeah, of course. Of course I want our guild to win, but Chelia's my friend. I'm sure you feel the same way about Lyon."

Gray almost laughed at the sentiment. "Yeah right. Hope he does us a favor by tripping and falling on himself."

"Man, wish I could just walk on air like that." Natsu awed, watching Dereece use his magic.

"I bet you would. You probably wouldn't have to worry about trains ever." Lucy teased.

Natsu folded his arms, pouting meekly. "Or if Charmeleon evolves faster." He grumbled beneath his breath.

"Hm? What was that?"

"Nothing." He lied, focusing on the contest. "If those guys don't get first place, I'm kicking their asses!"

Erza had an astute glare. "There's a lot of expectations on these games. For Joey and The Freaks to win, they'll have to stay ahead of everyone in terms of versatility and flexibility. It helps that they've had some experience since joining our guild. But…" Her eyes narrowed. "We'll see just how far that experience gets them."

…

Rogue was jumping from rock to rock, his agility being greater than Orga and Yukino's. Still, the group didn't lag as they were heading through a field of rocks and small boulders.

"What is this, a boulder quarry?" Orga questioned.

"Not sure, but I'm certain this is still the right way." Yukino insisted.

Rogue stopped on a boulder, pausing as he looked towards Crocus. "It's closer than before. We're going the right way, I know it...hm?"

Yukino stopped, looking at him. "What is it? Smell something?"

Rogue looked down. It felt like a small shudder, but did the rock move? He was sure it was stable, so it shouldn't be shifting on its own. He blinked in confusion before the notion passed. 'Was I imagining things just now?'

Orga continued his strides. "I don't know what the big deal is. If Rogue doesn't smell anything, then there's nothing to-oof!"

He was blindsided when he felt something hit his ankle and ended up faceplanting into the dirt. Rogue and Yukino looked ahead startled at what they saw.

"Agh, damnit! Must've slipped." Orga grimaced until he felt something on his leg. "Huh?"

Looking down, the rock he had hit began budging…until its eyes opened! Orga gasped as he and Sabertooth found themselves in the company of a Geodude.

"A Pokémon?" Rogue realized.

"Hey, watch where you're going buddy!" The Geodude snapped. "We were taking a dirt nap!"

Yukino blinked. "Wait, 'we'?"

Suddenly, the boulders and smaller rocks around started shifting. Despite no seismic activity, they all started moving, including the one Rogue was on, forcing him to jump off and stand with his guildmates as the quarry turned into a horde of Geodude and Graveler. And they all looked unhappily at them.

"Oh my. Looks like Sabertooth's come in contact with some Pokémon first!" Lola announced.

"Those look like Geodude and Graveler. They're a common sight on mountains and fields." Professor Sycamore informed. "They're commonly mistaken for rocks if stepped on, so be careful."

The Geodude and Graveler gathered around, looking ready to attack. Orga stood in front of them with a smug expression as black lightning crackled around him. "Ha. I know what these guys would like." He brought his hands together, channeling his lightning between his palms. "You guys wanna move or do we have to clear a path by force?"

"Yeah, right." A Geodude scoffed.

"What're you gonna do about it?" A Graveler challenged.

Orga's smirk widened. "I was hoping you'd ask that." He spread his legs and finished charging. "120mm Black Lightning Cannon!"

A condensed beam of black lightning shot horizontally, creating a discharge that blinded everyone for several moments. Dust was picked up from the attack as a result of the force. Orga looked amused as he managed to get a warm-up in, but his arrogance immediately went south as the dust settled.

All the Geodude and Graveler looked unfazed, as if the attack didn't affect them at all.

"You're kidding!?" Orga exasperated.

"Electricity had no effect?" Yukino gasped.

"They must be part Ground-type." Rogue realized. "Orga's black lightning is like Electric-type attacks to them, which means they're ineffective against Ground-types."

As if on cue, the Geodude and Graveler began their retaliation. Some threw themselves at them, while others made rocks from energy and chucked them. The three hurriedly moved out of the way to avoid the barrage of attacks.

"This is ridiculous! We're just gonna slow down like this!" Orga scowled, shooting black lightning spheres at the rocks. They all crumbled to gravel, but at the cost of several Geodude using Rollout and Tackle and had him slide backwards.

"Orga, hang on!" Yukino shouted. "Rogue!"

Rogue nodded. "I hear you." He took out a Dusk Ball and threw it. "Gourgeist, go!"

Yukino threw a Great Ball. "We need you, Grumpig!"

The two capsules expelled energy beside one another. The first to emerge was Rogue's Gourgeist; a rather sizeable one, if not compared to the Adult Size. She raised her hair-like arms with a smile. "Peek-a-boo~! I'm out now!" she teased.

Beside her, Yukino sent out a Grumpig, who snorted. "Alright, who wants some? Oh…" He immediately slumped his shoulders at the large number of Geodude and Graveler. "Uh…that's a lot."

Once again, the Geodude made their advances, startling Grumpig.

"Gourgeist, quick! Use Bullet Seed!" Rogue instructed.

"Here's a little treat for you!" Gourgeist floated up and exhaled, unleashing a barrage of energy seeds in rapid succession. The Geodude in the frontlines were all wiped out and rolled back, hitting their kin behind and causing them to fumble on one another.

"Good work." Rogue praised. "Now, Yukino. It's your turn."

"Right." Nodding, Yukino turned forward and reached out. "Now, Grumpig, use Teeter Dance!"

Snapping out of his wariness, Grumpig smacked his own cheeks. "Okay, yeah!" He did a backflip, landing on his pink, springy tail and fell right back on his feet. "Okay, everyone together! A 1! 2! 1, 2, 3, 4…!" He began doing a small dance, one that had a blue wave of energy outlining him.

All around him, the bewildered Geodude and Graveler were looking at Grumpig's silly dance routine. It proved to be a fatal mistake as a blue outline surrounded all their bodies and they began to follow the rhythmic movements with hazy eyes, almost as though they were hypnotized.

"It looks like Sabertooth's taken control of the situation, thanks to the help of their Pokémon." Lola announced.

"Using Bullet Seed which is very effective against Rock and Ground-types, then confusing them all at once with Teeter Dance. Truly impressive teamwork right there." Sycamore commented.

"Looking at that dance is making my head spin." Yajima groaned.

"They're distracted. Let's hurry while they're confused!" With haste, Rogue recalled Gourgeist, who was subsequently caught in Teeter Dance's entrapment as well.

The group hurried through the field of disoriented Geodude and Graveler. Some followed their silhouettes and made an attempt to use attacks. However, they were well off and ended up hurting others of their own, which turned into an internal scuffle. Geodude and Graveler soon began bashing into each other and throwing rocks. Some Geodude even got caught up in the rock chucking through the area.

"C'mon!" Yukino hurried behind the pack, with Grumpig springing off his tail.

"See ya, guys! Hope that I rocked your hold!" Grumpig taunted, holding up two digits at the scuffling rock field.

"KYAAAAH~! Help! Giant rock snake is after me! Aaaah!" Millianna panicked as she and the rest of Mermaid Heel were running away from a wild Onix that was following them.

"Man, for a thing that's made of rocks, it sure ain't slow." Risley grimaced.

"At this rate, it'll catch up to us!" Arana warned.

The wild Onix continued slithering, but he raised his head and roared. Over the girls' heads, giant gray boulders manifested and began plummeting rock on top of them.

Noticing it getting darker all of a sudden, Millianna looked up, her eyes shrinking as she saw rocks rained down upon. "NYAAAAH~! Look out! It's raining boulders!" She leaped away from one that crashed in her spot moments prior. She zoomed around in a hurry to avoid the ones following, leaving her completely discombobulated.

"Don't worry, shugs'. I got what we need." Risley brought out a Poké Ball and threw it. "Alright, go!"

The Poké Ball popped open, revealing a Whiscash. She opened her eyes and blinked. "Eh?"

"Out of my way!" The wild Onix roared mightily as he barreled towards them.

Risley chuckled and smirked. "Sure, just after how you take this!" She reached her arm out. "Now, Arana! Millianna!"

"Right!" The two girls nodded.

"Nekosoku Tube!" Millianna made a pink magic seal that fired a long, thin orange tube.

"Web Shot!" Arana crossed her arms, firing expanding threads.

The tube wrapped itself along Onix's horn, whereas the webs were slung around his body to restrain him. He struggled to move, but his movements were much more sluggish now.

"We've got him! Now hit him!" Arana shouted.

"Alrighty!" Risley swiped her arm across. "Now, Whiscash! Water Pulse!"

Whiscash seemed to have gotten out of the initial daze and opened her mouth and generated a sphere of water. She sprung into the air and lurched forward, unleashing the sphere towards Onix. The Water-type move collided with his face in a misty explosion. The Onix let out a roar of agony before he went tumbling down onto the ground, completely knocked out.

"Alright!" Millianna raised her arm in a fist pump.

"That sacred us at first, but that wasn't so bad." Arana admitted.

"Yeah, these overgrown rock chains got nothing on chubby power." Risley beamed.

"Uh, you sure about that…?" Whiscash questioned.

The girls caught onto her worries and looked ahead. Behind the defeated Onix, there were several more that were glaring menacingly at them. Their earlier confidence went completely south as they knew the long road ahead was just getting longer.

"Ice-Make: Snow Dragon!" Lyon created a serpentine dragon made of scaly ice, using it to bash into an opposing Onix and sent it flooring. "Like we'll be slowed down by something like this."

Behind him, Toby was swiping away at Machop and Geodude he passed by, with his Growlithe following suit by becoming a wheel of flames and barreling into a nearby Machop. Chelia wasn't far behind as her Swoobat charmed a male Rhyhorn by sending pink hearts his way.

"You can do anything with the power of love~!" Chelia chimed.

"It looks like the teams of Mermaid Heel and Lamia Scale aren't too far behind either as they bypass the wild inhabitants." Lola commented.

Eve reached his arm out. "Panpour, Water Gun!"

His Panpour opened his mouth and unleashed a spray of water at a Numel. Though the numbers still weighed against them, Hibiki and Ren were more than prepared.

"Exeggcute, Sleep Powder!"

"Pidgeotto, Twister!"

Hibiki's Exeggcute expelled green pollen at the same time Pidgeotto cawed and flapped her wings, summoning a tornado that began sweeping up the pollen. The tornado struck a number of Pokémon around them, causing them to flinch and at the same time fall to a slumber.

As they dropped around them, the Trimens and their Pokémon shared valiant poses at their little victory.

Quatro Cerberus had their own approach to the matter. Rocker and his Hitmonlee were launching kicks that blew nearby Mankey and Primeape away. Semmes was working in conjunction with his Baltoy as they spun rapidly to blow apart rocks obstructing their path. Nobarly wasn't far behind, relying on his Houndour as he used Roar to send any Pokémon tailing them back to the hills.

Watching them made the crowd cheer in anticipation. It looked like no one was disappointed with what they were seeing so far.

"Seems like the teams are well on their way back. What are your thoughts, Mr. Yajima?" Lola asked.

"They clearly have an understanding of how to use their magic and rely on their Pokémon where and when. You can see why they got past the preliminaries." The old man noted.

"Right you are. Meanwhile, Fairy Tail's team continues to remain aloof to the troubles far below them. Talk about smooth sailing. The question is, will that be enough to carry them all the way to the finish line before the others?"

"Time will only tell."

Meanwhile, The Freaks continued their venture overhead. Looking down, they could see a vast number of Pokémon sauntering around, and their fellow competitors trying to hammer their way through to first place.

"Boy, looks like things are pretty dicey down there." Dereece figured. "Thank Arceus we're up here."

"If you want to get a closer look, be my guest." Duncan dryly chimed. "Just know that if you slow us down and cost us the race, you'll have your curiosity to blame."

Honchkrow chuckled at the crude remark.

Dereece shot him a cold look. "Like I'm that easy."

"Enough bellyaching, you guys." Joey chastised. "We need to keep moving. The sooner we get ahead, the better."

As he was being carried by Yanmega, however, his large earrings were shuffling in the breeze, making a glint that didn't go unnoticed by others below.

"Huh? Hey, look at that!" From below, Millianna pointed towards the sky, alerting her teammates.

"Hey, that looks like those fellas from Fairy Tail." Risley realized.

Others beside them realized what she meant and looked upwards.

"Hey, how is that fair!?" Nobarly argued.

"D'ose guys been over our heads dis entire time?!" Rocker exasperated. "Dat against the rules er somethin'?"

"Well, they did say anything goes." Lyon noted. "That being said…" A smirk crossed his face as he got an idea. "That also means there aren't restrictions on slowing down competition either."

As if sharing the same idea, an ominous gleam shined in everyone's eyes. An opportunity was amongst them as they fixated on The Freaks heading to first place.

"That Joey acting all high and mighty. Let's say we bring him down back to earth." Hibiki prompted.

"Leave that to me." Ren volunteered and pulled out a Poké Ball. "Go, Trumbeak!"

The Pokémon Ball popped open, revealing a Trumbeak that flapped in the air. "Where's the action at?"

Ren pointed at Dereece's Yanmega. "Up there, use Rock Blast!" At his directive, Trumbeak began her ascent and flew towards them.

Yanmega, with her large lenses, took notice of the approaching avian from behind. "Huh?"

"What's wrong?" Dereece looked back and saw the Trumbeak from behind. "Oh no."

Trumbeak opened her beak, unleashing a barrage of silver energy rocks towards The Freaks. Dereece managed to evade them thanks to using his magic to instantly change his direction, but he had to warn the others.

"Yanmega, Detect!"

Her eyes glinting, Yanmega instinctively began dodging the Rock Blast barrage. Joey yelped as he was yanked around swiftly, quickly getting him dizzy. "Aye, a little less jerky! Important passenger here!"

"Golbat, use Confuse Ray!" Nobarly commanded.

"Bronzor, Hypnosis!" Semmes followed.

Their Pokémon, a Golbat and a Bronzor, adhered to their commands and launched a simultaneous blast of eerie purple orbs and a psychic wave.

Duncan glanced down, taking a countermeasure against their offenses. "Honchkrow, Dark Pulse!"

"Copy that, boss!" Honchkrow opened his beak, charging up a jumbled array of dark rings enveloped in a purple aura. He turned towards the oncoming attacks below and unleashed a broadening blast of rings that dispersed the orbs and hypnotic wave.

The Dark Pulse grazed across the ground, erupting rock and dust that startled and fumbled the runners. The beam continued until it met Bronzor and Golbat, who had the misfortune of being too close to each other and were blown back into their Trainers, flooring all of them at the same time.

"Cheap shot!" Lyon scowled. He brought his hands together and created an icy magic seal. "Ice-Make: Dragonfly!" He summoned a swarm of dragonflies made of ice that went sailing skywards towards The Freaks.

"Uh oh, it looks like everyone's going after Fairy Tail now." Lola declared.

"Guess they're not taking too kindly to not being on leveled playing fields." Yajima chimed in. "An unlikely alliance brought by a common enemy."

"Crap, look out guys!" Natsu shouted at the broadcast.

"Those guys better get out of there and quick." Gray grunted.

Seeing the impending threat, Joey pulled out a Poké Ball and threw it. "Tranquill, Steel Wing!"

The capsule flew open, expelling Tranquill ready to serve. "Anything for Master Joey! Come get some!" Tranquill's wings shimmered a metallic gray as he began twirling towards the dragonflies. "Weeeeee~!" His metallic wings collided with the ice, shattering all of them in a glimmering display, much to everyone's shock below.

"Oh yeah? You're not so tough!" Millianna challenged. She created a pink magic seal and aimed at Tranquill. "Nekosoku Tube!"

Another orange, stretchy tube shot skywards towards Tranquill, but the avian was more than prepared as his metallic wing smacked the tube away, much to Millianna's annoyance.

"For real?!"

'This would be a good chance to use that new move.' Joey figured. "Alright Tranquill, use Taunt!"

"Okay!" Tranquill perked up with glee.

"Huh? Now what?" Millianna wondered, noticing Tranquill focusing on her.

"Come here~! Doesn't the kitty want some birdie tush?" Tranquill turned around, shaking his tailfeather at his opponent. "What's wrong? Nothing wrong with this birdie meat! All nice and tender just for you!"

"Why that little…!" Millianna clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. A huge red tick mark flared on her head, which stuck out unnervingly towards everyone. "Nekosoku Tube!"

She made an attempt to make several at once…but nothing happened.

"Huh? Hey! What's happening to my tubes? I-I can't use them!"

Tranquill mockingly laughed at her. "Gotcha!"

"Yeah, but I got you!" Orga warned, his hands charged with black lightning. "Lightning God's Charged Particle Cannon!" He unleashed an immense beam of black lightning that coursed through the air, barreling straight for Tranquill.

"Orga, wait! That's too much!" Rogue shouted.

"Isn't that a little excessive?!" Yukino panicked.

Even though their notions were warranted, the black beam crackled as it closed in on Tranquill. However, the Wild Pigeon Pokémon had a saving grace in the form of a certain Trainer crossing his fingers.

"Barrier-Make: Hemisphere!"

A turquoise half-dome manifested in front of Tranquill, catered by Joey's Barrier-Make Magic. The curved structure completely blocked off Orga's black lightning. What's more, despite the namesake of the attack, the barrier wasn't disintegrating like he had thought it would.

"A barrier?!" Millianna gasped.

"We're just getting started." Joey warned.

True to his word, the force behind the black lightning separated into several smaller beams and discharged back in the direction it came from. The land was decimated as the attack struck everything within the radius of the deflection. Even Orga found it impossible to withstand the attack and was blown off his feet. Everyone else suffered a similar fate as they screamed in panic and agony.

Lola jumped up from his seat in surprise. "Woah! What's this?! It looks like Orga's magic was reflected right back at him!"

"How'd that happen?! It's impossible to stop Orga's black lightning attacks unless you're a Ground-type!" Lector pointed out.

"Uh-oh…" Frosch mumbled.

Sting paid close attention, his focus on the barrier. "That barrier…" He recalled seeing that same type of barrier used by Broly during the excursion. "Heh…guess he really did inherit that guy's magic after all."

"Man, Joey and the others aren't giving an inch." Gray admitted.

Erza folded her arms as she studied the tactic. "Joey's barriers are indestructible. Not even great pressures or spatial magic can permeate it. It's the most solid defense out of any kind of magic I've ever seen. And it looks like he's been refining it as a means to attack and defend at the same time. He basically turned his opponent's power on themselves."

"Boy, guess they really walked right into that one." Lucy said lightheartedly, though she felt slightly unnerved by how destructive the onslaught was.

Joey dispelled his barrier and looked down below. All he and his team saw was a sea of dust picked up from the attack's discharge. They weren't sure just how much damage that attack had dealt or if anyone got hit. But he knew this was their opportunity if they were going to score first place.

"Let's get moving." He ordered.

"Right." Dereece nodded, with Duncan scoffing.

The trio thus continued their flight path with Yanmega and Honchkrow carrying the two Trainers. Joey recalled Tranquill to conserve his energy. Dereece jogged through the air close behind.

As they were nearly out of the dust sea's vicinity, something shot out of it and barreled skywards. The projectile quickly caught up and struck Dereece's back, exploding.

"GWAGH!" Dereece cried out in pain and lost his balance, ending up falling forward. Everyone turned back in shock at the surprise attack, but Dereece ended up fumbling on Yanmega, causing her and Joey to fall with him straight down.

"GAAAAAAAH~!" All three panicked as they dropped into the mountain valley beneath.

"Damnit!" Duncan scowled. He looked back to see where that came from. That's when he noticed a hole in the dusty sea, revealing a Graveler. However, this one seemed different.

Unlike the Graveler that everyone has seen, this Graveler had a few minor characteristics. He didn't have singular digits in his four arms, making them look smooth and mitten-like. He had pointed stone eyebrows, with similar stones jutting out from the main arms' forearms. Orange specks peppered the body.

Standing beside the unique Graveler, Orga was on a knee with an eye open. "Lucky shot…but we got ours in, too."

Duncan clicked his teeth. If he thought that attack just now was what he thought, it could mean issues for Honchkrow. However, he had a bigger issue in the form of a plummeted trio that he knew he couldn't leave behind, less their placement be in jeopardy. With a scowl, be knew what he had to do. "Honchkrow, descend."

"Got it." Honchkrow adjusted his trajectory, beginning a steady glide in the direction of Joey and Dereece's crash.

Lola watched it all unfold with a professional expression. "Would you look at that?! Looks like Dereece got blindsided, and now he and Joey have taken a dive right out of the lead!"

"I don't recognize that spell. Reckon it's a Pokémon move used." Yajima figured, turning towards Sycamore. "Professor, your thoughts?"

"That looked to be Smack Down." Professor Sycamore relayed. "It's a Rock-type move that enables the target to plummet to the ground. It's very effective on Flying-type Pokémon and ones with the Levitate Ability."

"I see. So in this case, it literally knocked Fairy Tail's team out of their airborne advantage. What a turnaround! Now it's anyone's guess who'll be finishing this race!" Lola shouted enthusiastically.

Yajima sagely nodded. "Probably so. It was a wise call on Duncan's part to descend. No point in reaching the finishing line if his teammates are MIA."

"Right you are. That last counteroffensive really knocked the daylights out of everyone else, though. Will anyone be able to make it back at all?"

Cana rested her arms against the railing. "Boy, talk about a bad break. Fellas literally got blown out of the air."

"They let their guard down." Vanessa grimaced. "They were able to slow down the competition, but they didn't account for the opponents' other Pokémon they've yet to use."

"Yeah, what's up with that Graveler anyway? Looks different from the rest." Gray questioned.

"I was wondering that, too. Is it an affliction of sorts?" Juvia wondered.

"No, it's something else." The attention returned to Erza as she continued explaining. "Nic and I were traveling through Alola when we've come across Pokémon that looked similar to ones we've seen in Kalos. They were called regional variants if I remember right. I think that Graveler is just that."

"You serious? So Pokémon can have different forms?" Natsu inquired.

Cana recalled the white Vulpix she saw yesterday, how it looked similar to her own had it not been for her white coat. 'So that's what's going on, huh?'

"Hey…are Joey and Dereece alright?" Wendy worried. Her insecurities were understandable given the situation they were in.

Sophie, however, remained confident while looking at the screen. "I wouldn't count Joey out just yet." She smirked. "He doesn't lie down so easily."

Catching wind of Sophie's notion, Vanessa snickered. "That's true. We'll just have to wait to see how he and the others bounce back from this."

"Yeah. And when they do, well…we can expect quite an entry."

"For all our sakes, they better." Elfman warned.

---

Within the valley's vicinity, the recent plummet that The Freaks had taken brought them to a less than merrily landing. Joey, Dereece, and Yanmega were sprawled close to each other while laying on gravel and dirt. Fortunately for them, they weren't near any wild Pokémon at the moment. Part of the reason was because of Garbodor's Stench Ability keeping them at a reasonable distance…presumably.

Joey roused from his daze, his eyes still rolling. "Did someone catch the number of that Pidgeot…?" He dizzily lulled. After blinking several times and shaking his head, he managed to gather his bearings and scuffled towards Dereece's side. "Dreezy! Up and at'em, buddy! You alright?"

Dereece lowly groaned in his half-daze. "Nah, woman. You know I like sleeping in on weekends…"

Joey frowned annoyed. "Rise and shine!" He forcibly slapped Dereece across the face, bringing him back to Earthland.

"Huh? Wha-?!" He blinked, realizing he was no longer in the air. "Captain Joey?"

"Well I'm glad somebody enjoyed their dirtnap." Joey groaned.

Dereece took a moment to recollect how he ended up on the ground. 'What happened before…?' His eyes widened upon recalling something hitting him from below. 'Oh…that must have been it.' As much as he wanted to berate himself, he turned his worries over towards Yanmega, who came to as well. "Yanmega, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm well." She assured.

Dereece sighed tiredly. "So much for our aerial advantage. Didn't think we'd be shot out of the sky like that."

"That had to be a Smack Down." Joey figured. "Can't think of anything else that could forcibly bring you down." He then looked down with mild disappointment on his face. 'Still, I should've been more aware of my surroundings. We went down because I was careless and withdrew Tranquill who could've covered the rear. This is on me.'

They heard the sound of flapping and noticed Duncan descend with Honchkrow. The Big Boss Pokémon flapped harshly just before nearing the ground before dropping Duncan onto his feet. As expected, Duncan had his trademark scowl but otherwise fine.

"Figured you two would be just fine." He huffed.

"What are we gonna do? We just lost the lead." Dereece worried.

"Can you get back in the air?" Joey asked.

"Hold on, let me see." Dereece made an attempt to use his magic to escalate back into the air, however, he only made it a couple paces skywards before he dropped back to the ground, barely catching himself.

"Guessing that's a no." Joey put his hands to his sides and scowled. "And we can't exactly separate because that'll affect our scoring." He turned towards Duncan. "That's why you came to search for us, right?"

Duncan scoffed. "Not like I have a choice. That being said, we better think fast. Last I saw, they were nearing Crocus's city limits."

Joey frowned as he began brainstorming. That Smack Down really messed with their strategy big time. And with how off course they were, getting back by foot at the rate they were in would likely put them in last place.

Then again, their odds of just sliding into first out of the blue were slim…wait. 'Slide?'

Joey took a long pause as he looked where they were standing. They were on a mountain, close to a cliff that was pretty steep from the looks of things. The gears in his head turned as he remembered something similar that happened awhile back.

They all screamed loudly as the slab slid down the mountain cliffside. With all of them facing the wrong way. The slab jerked to the side, then back into place, surfing along the ground until the entire board jumped from a small break in the rock's underside. A piece fell off, causing the entire slab to pivot, and put Kevin and Ella in the front, and Joey in the middle, and Dereece in the back.

A lightbulb went off inside Joey's head, an idea coming to fruition. "Bingo!"

"What?" Duncan questioned.

"Listen up guys, we haven't got much time. Duncan, Dereece, we need Torterra and Heracross out here for this part."

Dereece slumped his shoulders. "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

…

Back with the competition, everyone was making way through the valley, Crocus's city limits within sight. All that mattered to them was maintaining a strong lead. Lyon, being a crafty one, knew just how to bridge that gap.

"Ice-Make: Snow Tiger!"

A tiger made of ice manifested into existence, which Lyon immediately hopped upon. "Quickly, get on!" He held his hand down to Chelia, who accepted his gesture with a confident smile.

"Right!" She skipped and hopped onto the tiger's back, holding Lyon's back tight.

"Arf! Wait for me!" Toby shouted, jumping onto the rear of the icy beast.

"Hey, no fair!" Millianna whined. "First those guys from Fairy Tail, now Lyon!?"

"Then we better kick it up to eleven, on the double!" Risley announced. "Maybe this'll rock your world…" She stomped on the ground and pointed ahead. "Alright Whiscash, use Earthquake!"

Millianna and Arana looked startled, the latter urging her to reconsider. "Wait, Risley! You do that here-!"

However, the damage has been done as Whiscash brought her whiskers up and slammed them down, making her jump into the air and come crashing down with her abdomen against the ground. Seismic shockwaves erupted across the mountainside, creating intense shifts and fissures beneath that shook everyone up. The contestants all wobbled and tried to find their footing, but it proved futile against the force of mother nature. Rocks parted and everyone was blown off their feet; even Risley herself found it impossible to stand upright and ended up overturned by the shifting mess made.

All that could be seen from the lacrima-vision was a cloud of dust and an immense eruption. Everyone looked startled and surprised as they watched nearby formations come crashing down with the competition.

The rest of the contestants were all worse for wear, for a lack of better word. Many were completely buried underneath rubble, whereas others managed to come out of it with only scrapes and dirt. Millianna was one of those people. "Nyaaaah…that's smarts…" She groaned.

"Are you alright, Millianna?" Arana asked, reaching down to help her fellow guildmate up.

Millianna accepted the gesture and got pulled up. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks." She then turned towards Risley, clearly annoyed. "Risley, what was that for?!"

"Sorry, gals. Didn't mean for that to happen." Risley apologized, Whiscash rubbing a whisker on the side of her head awkwardly. "Guess we got carried away there…"

The sound of rocks shifting caught their attention. Boulders moved as two massive black and white fish emerged from the rubble. It was Pisces, and beneath them was Yukino as her Zodiac Key was shining brightly upon activating. She, Rogue, and Orga were well, though Orga's Alolan Graveler wasn't so lucky.

"Graveler!" Orga was rightfully shocked.

The other contestants were coming around, but they and their Pokémon were in shabby condition. In fact, Nobarly's Houndour was out of commission. The man himself looked outcold as well from the shock of the attack, much to his guild's worry.

"It looks like that Earthquake bit off more than what the others could chew!" Lola announced. "Everyone's looking worse for wear as they're getting back to their feet…wait! What happened to Lamia Scale?!"

Everyone turned in the direction where Lamia Scale was supposed to be. Amongst the collapsed rubble, they saw a massive ice spike that was partially cracked and deformed. It eventually dissipated to thin air, revealing Lyon and his team unscathed.

"Woah! It looks like Lyon managed to save his team from serious harm by making a supportive ice barrier at the last second!"

"You're kidding…" Rocker grimaced.

Lyon smirked. "We're not one of the top guilds for nothing. I have no intention on losing like this. The one to achieve victory first shall be…huh?"

"What's wrong, Lyon? Oh?" Chelia looked to where Lyon was gazing, her eyes darting upwards.

"Arf! What now!? Who's interrupting our victory?!" Toby backlashed, though he eventually found himself drawn towards something that caught his eye.

A projectile was blazing in a steep dive down the mountain, barreling in their direction. Everyone noticed a fast-moving rock beelining downwards, crushing other rocks that stood in its way.

Lola took notice of this as well. "Hm? Hold on, folks. It looks like something's heading their way. Let's get a closer view."

As inscribed, the lacrima-vision closed in, everyone seeing the projectile with shock.

"Is that…?" Lisanna trailed off.

"I don't believe it…" Macao awed.

"It's them!" Romeo realized.

A series of rocks and boulders were blown to pieces as a jagged stone barreled down the mountainside. When it got close enough, another boulder burst apart, revealing The Freaks atop a slate of dense rock, a barrier covering the front like a windshield as they surfed down the mountain.

A few minutes earlier…

The echoes of the wake reached far up the valley. However, to The Freaks, it felt nothing more than a mild vibration beneath them.

Dereece looked outwards, seeing a cloud of dust in the bleak distance. "Does anyone know what that was just now?"

"Eyes front!" Duncan warned. "Torterra, Stone Edge!"

Duncan's Torterra grunted lowly as he pushed himself onto his hindlegs, then came crashing down with his forelegs. Several columns of piercing stone slabs shot up from below that went in a straight line.

Dereece regained his focus and swiped his arm. "Now Heracross, Brick Break!"

"Gotcha!" Heracross stood across from Torterra as the massive precipices were barreling his way. His forearms glowed bright white and slugged the base of the slab as hard as he could. The result was the entire stone collapsing and becoming a massive pike that laid on the ground.

Joey pointed towards the cliff they were beside. "Now hurry, push that over there towards the ledge. Don't knock it off till I say!"

Duncan turned and nodded at Torterra, giving them the confirmation since he only listened to him. Heracross was already on it, flying over towards the pike and placed his hands against the bottom. Torterra came over and bashed his head against it and began shoving it towards the ledge.

As they were working on that, Duncan turned towards Joey. "Do I want to know what you're about to make us do?"

Joey didn't look bothered. "Easy. Dereece, you remember what we did on that Parasia island that one time?"

Dereece blinked, wondering what Joey referred to. After a few moments of retrospection, his eyes shot wide open. "Hold on, you're not saying…!"

"Yes, I am. Duncan, we're gonna introduce you to a little thing we invented called 'Mountain Surfing'. We're gonna shoot our way to first place. It's a long shot, I know. But it's our best shot."

"If this goes south, it'll be our last shot." Dereece grumbled. However, he couldn't find it in him to disagree with the motif. "Well, guess it's better dying trying. Let's do this!"

Duncan sighed. "Fine by me."

The three hopped onto the stone's flattest side sitting up. Once they were all in position, the stone stopped just at the tip of the ledge.

"Torterra, return!" Duncan recalled Torterra, his task complete.

"You too, Heracross." Dereece withdrew Heracross next.

"Alright, boys. When I say, lean forward." Joey instructed. He didn't have to wait to see the other two nod. He knew they understood the assignment, no matter how much it stressed them. He knew as their Captain, it was his responsibility to ensure that they succeeded as a team. Despite Duncan's declaration from before, he was at least grateful that they were still teammates and could work efficiently in a situation like this, even if it was only for his own benefit.

This time, they were gonna get ahead of the competition. And this time, stay ahead.

"Alright. 1…2…3…" All at once, their eyes grew intense. "Now!"

At the same time, The Freaks leaned forward, causing the momentum of the slab to tilt forward just enough to where there was a harsh bump that chipped off the cliff. They felt the world tilt as they started their descent with a view of the steep valley below.

"Get ready for a BUMPY RIIIIIDE~!" Joey wailed as the rock began its descent.

The makeshift slab grinded against the ground and rocked up and down, causing The Freaks to jumble and rock heavily, both literally and metaphorically. Their velocity, aided by gravity, only made it go faster and barrel down faster than a Linoone running at full speed. The slab left behind a clean trench as it shot downwards.

The three screamed as they were all leaning forward, making sure to keep the momentum as fierce as possible.

"Captain! Up ahead!" Dereece warned, referring to a huge rock in their path.

"Keep leaning forward!" Joey instructed. He instead steadied himself on his feet and pushed his hands forward. "Barrier-Make: Windshield!"

A barrier in the shape of a windshield covered the front of their stone locomotive. The indestructible barrier served as a battering ram as it bulldozed through the rock formation, followed by another, and another.

The rest of the competitors were rightfully baffled. They could only watch in wonder and disbelief as The Freaks were coming back in a way they hadn't anticipated.

Lola announced through the erupting crowd. "It looks like Team Fairy Tail is roaring back into the competition! Out of nowhere, Joey, Dereece, and Duncan are surfing their way to catch up!"

"Definitely not the most orthodox method, I'll give them that." Yajima admitted.

"The heck are they doing?!" Gray gasped. "They riding that thing down the mountain?"

"I don't know, but…" Natsu looked like he was suppressing his breakfast. "Just looking at them is making me wanna hurl."

"You're not even the one riding that!" Lucy pointed out.

"Using gravity and momentum, along with Joey's barriers to make an indestructible transportation." Erza mumbled, mild impression in her tone.

Sophie smirked. "Like I said, when they bounce back, they do it big."

From Blue Pegasus's corner, Kevin gasped as his eyes widened at what he saw. 'Don't tell me…' He recalled something similar they did on the island, the instance clicking almost immediately. 'So they used experience and adapted on that.' He smirked. 'Well played.'

'With that kind of momentum, they could get ahead of us!' Rogue worried. He knew he had to hurry and threw a Dusk Ball. "Gourgeist, Bullet Seed!"

"Pisces, stop them!" Yukino ordered.

Gourgeist appeared once again the same time Pisces went spearheading towards The Freaks. The Pumpkin Pokémon unleashed an onslaught of seeds akin to bullets. The seeds only deflected off Joey's barrier like rain, and when Pisces rammed their heads into the shield, the rock blew past them as they crashed hard into the ground.

"That didn't even slow them down!" Orga exasperated.

The Freaks carried their momentum past their competitors. Thankfully everyone was wise enough to get out of the way as they ended up beelining to a rock that made for a makeshift ramp. They flew a vast distance, crashing the bottom of the rock into the ground as they continued their course towards Crocus.

"We're not out of this yet!" Lyon warned, summoning another creation. "Ice-Make: Snow Ape! Ice-Make: Snow Dragon!"

A simultaneous manifestation of an ape and serpentine dragon made of ice appeared at his side and went charging for The Freaks. They were surprisingly quick, but more so with the fact the rock was starting to grind at a slower rate.

"Guys, we're slowing down!" Dereece warned. He looked over his shoulder, seeing Lyon's creations getting closer. "Dereece, slow them down!"

"On it!" He pulled out a Poké Ball. "Seel, come out!"

Seel emerged on the edge of the rock, looking raring to go. "Here!"

"Icy Wind!"

Seel opened her mouth as the insides glowed bright blue. She exhaled and expelled a broad, cold wind with crystalline sparkles that blew into the ape and dragon just as they were closing in on them. The impact of the Ice-type move did little to nothing against them, but the effects of Icy Wind were enough to slow them down and buy the boys time.

"Duncan, thrusters! Now!" Joey yelled.

Duncan gasped, catching wind of what Joey was insinuating. "Yeah, sure." He pulled out an Ultra Ball. "Magmortar, start!"

Magmortar came out next, the heat his body gave off instantly making Seel sweat beside him. 'It's like being next to a furnace!'

"Flamethrower!"

Magmortar didn't need to ask. He knew what to do. His cuffs turned into cannons and unleashed two intense streams of broiling flames that not only blast the ground, but instantly melted Lyon's creations to vapor. The force of the flames propelled the team at breakneck speeds, leaving a smoldering trench in their wake.

"Wait…what just happened!?" Ren was left in awe like everyone else around him.

Hibiki was using his Archive Magic, quickly deducing a plan. From the way his expression faltered, it looked bleak. "To stop something like that, we need the Christina…" A sad smile crept upon his face again. "Seems that Joey's got more brains than I gave him credit for."

Rogue chuckled. "Fairy Tail never fails to surprise us."

The crowd was going ballistic at the improvised craft that carried The Freaks straight through Crocus's city limits, and no one could blame them. Lola could barely keep his hand from ruining his toupee. "This is absolutely astonishing! It looks like using a Pokémon's ice and fire attacks as a combination gave Fairy Tail a tremendous lead! And now they're on the home stretch!"

"Go, guys!" Kinana cheered.

"You got this! Take that momentum all the way home!" Nab cheered.

"Are they really gonna get ahead of the others?" Lisanna wondered.

"Betting my life savings on this one." Macao half-joked.

The Freaks beamed through Crocus's streets, heading in the direction of the mountain with the huge colosseum on it. However, they had to account for something.

"Captain, we have to turn!" Dereece panicked as he saw the sign that pointed them in the direction of the spiral staircase that would take them to the top.

"Forget about turning! We're making a shortcut!" Joey dispelled his barrier, immediately they felt the windburn against them but powered on. "Barrier-Make: Ramp!"

A very narrow ramp made of Joey's barrier stretched from the bottom of the hill all the way upwards to where it looked like the entrance to the colosseum. The stone slab's friction instantly smoothened upon meeting the glass-like surface texture of the barrier ramp, making it slide up easily with the help of Magmortar and Seel expelling more cold air and fire.

'Don't quit!'

Their eyes were fixed on the prize. They were so close! They just had to keep pushing!

'We're crossing that finish line…whatever it takes!'

Just when they made it to the end of the barrier's length, they barely made it to solid ground where the tunnel led to the stadium. Everyone watched as the jetting rock spearheaded across the field in a trail of fire and icy air behind.

The moment the rock crossed over the white finish line, a bell went off and confetti shot into the sky.

"They did it! Fairy Tail's team scores a tremendous victory for their team!" Lola declared through a thundering crowd. "With that, they start the games with 10 points!"

"Alright~!" Lucy and Wendy high-fived each other while smiling.

"Nice going." Gray commended.

Erza folded her arms, pridefully humming. She wasn't the only one with that sentiment as Laxus smirked amidst his cheering guild. It was understandable to feel pride for this moment.

In the heat of the moment, Joey had an energetic smile brightening his face. The roaring of the crowd, the feeling of accomplishment, the adrenaline of the race that had their hearts pounding. This was what it felt like being a winner. 'We did it! We…oh shit.'

Everything went so well for them…until they realized there were no brakes.

CRASH!

The rock kept going, smashing into the colosseum wall with the force of a meteor. Everyone cringed from how harshly it shook the front row people, despite an Enchantment that was put up around the perimeter for an extra layer of protection.

"Oh! That's gotta hurt!" Lola grimaced.

"All that momentum with nothing to slow them down. Guess some lessons are best learned the hard way." Yajima chimed in.

"Are they alright?!" Professor Sycamore worried.

The dust cleared out, revealing a sizeable fraction of the stadium's sturdy wall completely depressed. The Freaks, Seel, and Magmortar laid amongst the rubble in a dazed state. Slowly, Joey arose with a shaky finger pointing skywards.

"Now that's what we call…a crash course in mountain surfing." Joey lulled with an unnerving smile, before falling unconscious.

"Not to worry, folks! We have an emergency medical team on standby. We'll get them vacated and treated ASAP!" Mato dismissed.

As soon as he said that, a medical team in white alongside two Chansey hurried over to help remove The Freaks and their Pokémon from the rubble. The Chansey didn't waste a beat utilizing their Soft-Boiled and Heal Pulse moves to restore damage, though that didn't do much for their concussive states other than alleviate the pain. They were all carried by stretchers towards the infirmary as the rest of the competitors were managing to hurry through Crocus and up towards the stadium.

"And it looks like the rest of the competitors are rolling in now." Lola announced, continuing his job.

Lamia Scale's team rode on an ice tiger that Lyon crafted, carrying them across the finish line. Following them was Rogue and Orga, followed by a narrow finish between Yukino and the Trimens. The Mermaid Heel women looked worn out, and Risley looked more slender after using her Gravity Change and Arana's Threads to help get their team up the colosseum. And lastly, Quatro Cerberus had Nobarly carried by Semmes after the former was knocked out by that earlier Earthquake.

"And it looks like everyone's finally made it across. So, here are the scores of the six guilds after their placements in the fist day's contest…"

1st: Fairy Tail – 10

2nd: Lamia Scale – 8

3rd: Sabertooth – 6

4th: Blue Pegasus – 4

5th: Mermaid Heel – 2

6th: Quatro Cerberus – 0

"Fairy Tail kicks off to a strong start thanks to their team's improvisation. Coming in second is Lamia Scale, with Sabertooth just a hair above Blue Pegasus. Mermaid Heel's just behind them, and despite their rocky venture, Quatro Cerberus ends up catching the tail end."

"Could've been worse off, I suppose." Jenny sighed dissatisfied.

"There's always the battle portion." Kevin reasoned.

Kagura frowned at their team's placements. "Risley and Whiscash just had to make that mess."

Bacchus scoffed. "Man, looks like we've got our work cut out from the start, eh Aiden?"

"…yeah." Aiden remained casual, his expression never changed.

"Lyon, you idiot! You should've tried harder!" Obaba raged. "You three are in for a serious spinning if you don't win the next contest, yah hear me!?"

"Not first, huh?" Dobengal hummed. "This is honestly a first."

"Seems we've underestimated Fairy Tail yet again." Minerva teased, sounding more amused than hurt.

"Those guys from Fairy Tail aren't gonna keep that spot forever. We'll show them!" Lector cheered.

"Fro thinks so, too!" Frosch agreed.

"With that being said, we'll be setting up the matchups for the second half of today's competition in advance." Lola stated. "Here are the Day 1's battle pairings."

Lamia Scale VS Quatro Cerberus

Blue Pegasus VS Sabertooth

Mermaid Heel VS Fairy Tail

Mato raised his arm up. "We'll be entering a 30-minure intermission for our guilds to recuperate. Please enjoy these words from our sponsors and performances while our mages and Pokémon get some much-needed refreshments."

---

A portion of Fairy Tail comprised of Erza, Vanessa, Sophie, Elfman, Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Wendy, and Cana entered the room designated as their guild's infirmary. To their surprise upon opening the door, they saw Porlyusica sitting in a chair at a desk while Joey, Dereece, and Duncan were all in beds.

"You're here, Porlyusica?" Lucy questioned.

"Is it not obvious? Despite the overhaul in mandates and rules, I'm still this guild's healer." She scowled. "Besides, I'm allowed to support you all from this way."

"That's great, thank you." Wendy smiled.

'Rules for unsolicited healing parties, huh?' Gray figured. It made some sense, but he knew there was something to it if Porlyusica was present. 'Nic pulled some strings again.'

Vanessa turned towards The Freaks. "How are they?"

"They're fine. My guess is Joey's barrier broke their crash. The medical team's Pokémon healed their concussions before they got here. Just give 'em some rest and they'll be fine."

Sophie sighed, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders upon hearing that. Vanessa put a hand on her shoulder and smiled in equal relief.

A small groan shifted their attention towards the three. They noticed Joey stirring and fluttered his eyes open. Almost immediately, he winced from the overhead lighting piercing his retinas. "What happened…?"

Joey turned his head, seeing a majority of their team in the infirmary. "Guys?"

Dereece was next to come around. "Install airbags next time…eh?" He looked over and widened his eyes upon recognizing Joey. "Captain Joey…!?"

A third groan came from the last bed nestling Duncan. He opened his eyes and realized he was in an infirmary. His cap was sitting on the bedpost behind him, and his Elfen Forja was sitting against his bedside.

"Hey there, fellas. Nice to see you awake." Cana greeted.

"Cana?" Dereece mumbled. "What happened?"

"You guys kept going past the finish line." Gray answered. "Gotta say, you three know how to stick a landing."

"Real funny." Dereece groaned.

"What did we miss?" Joey asked.

"The rest of the guilds were pretty behind. It took a while for them to catch up." Wendy admitted. "Lamia Scale came in second though. Sabertooth wasn't too far behind either."

"You guys totally killed it out there." Natsu smiled, clenching a fist.

"Yeah, you guys are the man!" Elfman praised.

"How is that possible when there are three of them?" Lucy sweatdropped at his statement.

"You three performed most admirably." Erza admitted. "You've managed to show everyone the strength and endurance that a mage strives for. You've shown not only our tenacity, but flexible thinking and coordination. You should stand tall and proud from this accomplishment."

"What she said, but fewer words." Cana added.

"Really?" Joey sounded genuinely touched. "Wow…thanks, guys." As appreciative as he was for their support, he couldn't help but notice the absence of some of their members. "Where's everybody else?"

"We're on intermissions right now. They went to get something to eat." Wendy explained.

"You guys want something? After a race like that, you definitely earned it." Sophie offered.

"Some water, thanks." Dereece mumbled.

"Yeah, same here." Joey followed. "Maybe something like a hot dog. Duncan, you?"

"I'm fine." He mumbled.

"Keep it light. There's no telling who will be battling next. All we know are the guild matchups. You go in on a heavy stomach, you'll make it worse for the rest of the team." Porlyusica sternly reminded.

"I hear you." Sophie turned and headed out. As she went to get The Freaks something to eat, the rest of the team had other plans.

"We should get back. Almost time for the battles to start." Erza urged.

"Yeah, now I'm all fired up!" Natsu clenched his fists tight, his trademark toothy smirk plastered on his face. "Let's show everyone when Fairy Tail stands at the top!"

"You guys get well, okay?" Lucy hoped to the three bedridden Trainers.

"Yeah, just kick back while we go kick some ass." Cana smirked.

They all left the infirmary, leaving The Freaks and Porlyusica alone. The elderly apothecary sighed with a soft smile. "These kids these days. You boys have no idea how lucky you are being surrounded by such a family."

"I hear that." Joey grinned.

As they resumed their rest, Joey and Dereece turned their attention towards the performances for the half-time show shown on the lacrima-vision screen in front of them. Although, Duncan's mind was elsewhere as he thought about what Porlyusica said. 'Family, huh…'

As they left, Wendy couldn't help but wonder something. "I wonder who we'll be facing against Mermaid Heel?"

"Hard to say. Arthur did mention yesterday the matchups are random, but not handpicked either." Erza explained. "We could be having a double battle, or maybe even three."

Vanessa remained silent, recalling that Trainer she made eye contact earlier. 'That one…she had a sharp aura.'

"Well whoever they are, we can't let our guard down." Elfman urged. "Magic's one thing, but with Pokémon, there's no telling what we'll be fighting on top of their Trainers."

"He's right. We'll just have to wait and see." Lucy agreed.

---

The crowd cheered loudly as the last of the performances ended. The crowd continued to be elated throughout the entertainment that would only intensify with the battles they would be seeing firsthand. Shin was amongst the spectators and remained silent and astute on everything he was seeing so far.

'These battles will determine just who holds the most power between a mage and their Pokémon.' That was the mindset he was going with. Despite how things went in the first contest, he knew some mages didn't rely on Pokémon at all. 'Their skillsets or abilities may not have been suitable, or perhaps they were being reserved.'

"Alright folks, it's time to kick off the battle proportion of today's event!" Lola's announcement initiated the second half of the games. "Keep in mind, folks. These matchups are not a tournament setup. For those of you at home from PokéEarth, allow me to explain how the battles go. The battles taking place are between opposing guild mages. The winner of said battle will receive 10 points, while the losers receive 0. In the event of a draw or time runs out, it's a 5-point settlement between the two sides.

"That all being said, every day will bring a different theme to the battle format that Trainers from PokéEarth might be accustomed to. I'll hand things over to Mato to explain the rules of today's battles."

Mato took over on the colosseum floor. "Hey there, pumpkins! For today's battle theme, we'll be having a standard theme, meaning it'll be a classic brawl between mages, Trainers, and their Pokémon." Above him, two panels were side-by-side. "To keep things fair and unbiased, all the participants will be picked at random, and they can range from 1 or three fighters for each side. Similarly, a roulette will determine how many Pokémon a mage can use."

"So we could be facing two opponents but only use one Pokémon each?" Lucy surmised.

"Or it could be one mage each having three Pokémon." Vanessa unilaterally spoke.

"That being the case, this is where those restrictions I mentioned before come into play." Mato continued. "The rules for the fight will be simplified to this: You have 30 minutes to defeat either the opponent mage, or knock out all their Pokémon. It's an either-or battle."

"So if we can't knock out the mage, there's always their Pokémon." Jura smirked. "Certainly increases the stakes."

"Now, time to decide the numbers for the first battle between Lamia Scale and Quatro Cerberus!" Lola beamed.

The two screens began scrolling with the numbers 1, 2, and 3, almost like a jackpot machine. After several seconds, the numbers slowed down until they eventually stopped on a 2, with the screen beside it showing two Poké Balls."

"It looks like it's two mages battling two Pokémon each. Now, let's see who is gonna be battling."

A third screen popped up. A series of card silhouettes revolved around two Poké Ball like Saturn rings, the number of cards equal to the number of mages of the two battling guilds. Two cards swooped out of orbit and plastered the four mages on the screen in golden star backgrounds.

"From Lamia Scale, it's Lyon Vastia and Toby Horhorta VS Bacchus Groh and Semmes of Quatro Cerberus!"

The four combatants made way towards the center of the stadium. In the Pokémon Ball-shaped lining, Lyon and Toby stood the designated distance around the circumference. Bacchus and Semmes did the same, making four men standing at four quadrants.

"You go, Lyon! You put those dogs in the doghouse where they belong!" Obaba shrieked.

"Arf! What did you say, old hag?!" Toby lashed out. "Watch who you're calling a dog!"

"My souls just shaking and stirring." Bacchus grumbled, licking his lips in anticipation. "You fellas gonna get a taste of what it means to be wild."

"I wonder…" Lyon paused, a smirk crossing his face. "Can a Cerberus handle the cold?"

Bacchus chuckled. "Guess we'll find out, won't we?"

Mato stood in the center of the circle that made the Poké Ball's button. "Alright, the battle between Lamia Scale and Quatro Cerberus is about to begin! Each mage is allowed the use of two Pokémon each. You can only use one at a time, but substitutions are permitted. The battle will be over when either both mages or all their Pokémon are unable to battle. Now, bring out your first Pokémon!"

Lyon held up a Poké Ball with grace. "Alright…come on out, Cryogonal!"

"Arf! Get out here, Herdier!" Toby barked.

Both of them threw Poké Balls at the same time. As a Herdier spread his paws and landed on the ground, a Cryogonal floated beside him, shimmering underneath the sun.

Bacchus followed suit. "Alrighty then. Mienfoo, go!"

"Bronzor, you as well!" Semmes followed suit.

Emerging from the capsule, Bacchus' Mienfoo was tucked into a roll and landed on one leg. He balanced himself, taking up a karate stance as he stood against his opponents. Beside him, Semmes's Bronzor emerged, its eyes flashing.

"So Lyon has a Cryogonal now, huh?" Gray observed with folded arms. It reminded him of the Cryogonal he, Juvia, and Sophie had to face some time ago.

"An Ice and Normal-type against a Fighting-type like Mienfoo." Vanessa studied carefully. "On paper, it looks like Quatro Cerberus has an edge in typing."

"Yes, but we'll see what tricks Lamia Scale has now." Erza prompted.

With both sides ready, Mato and his Pumpkaboo scooted away from the center. "Alrighty. Let the battle…BEGIN!"

Immediately, Toby barked. "Let's go, Herdier!"

"Right!" The Loyal Dog Pokémon huffed. He snarled at Bacchus and Semmes, causing a blue aura to envelop them and their Pokémon.

"Looks like something's happen almost instantly!" Lola announced. "Professor Sycamore, what's going on here?"

"That would be Herdier's Ability called Intimidate." The otherworld professor explained. "Pokémon have various abilities that are effective in battle. Intimidate is an Ability that lowers all opponent Attack power."

"In other words, their physical strength has taken a hit." Yajima deduced. "Bacchus and Semmes are gonna have to work that much harder since their magic is all physical."

Bacchus didn't look the least bit fazed. "That all? Not a problem for me." He swiped his arm across. "Mienfoo, use Meditate!"

Mienfoo clasped his paws together and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath in and out, calming his nerves. A red aura enveloped his body that signaled a stat increase.

"And it looks like Mienfoo's got himself a counter! Meditate is a move that increases a Pokémon's Attack power, so Intimidate is cancelled out!" Lola announced.

Lyon scoffed. "Let's see what that can do against this!" He brought his hands together to create ice. "Ice-Make: Water Serpent!" He summoned a spiral serpent made of ice that closed in with a gaping jaw towards his opponents.

"Not so fast!" Semmes countered determinedly. "Bronzor, Gyro Ball!"

Bronzor's eyes flashed again as it began spinning. The corners of its sides lit up a bright blue energy and became rings as it went ahead.

Semmes's visor came down as he straightened his arms out. Like Bronzor, he began spinning. "Wild Spin!"

The two spinning forces closed in and met the icy serpent head-on. Despite their weakened strength, the ice was stopped by their rotation power and Gyro Ball's Steel-typing.

Lola showed genuine shock. "What an impressive counter! Semmes combined his Spinning Magic alongside Bronzor's Gyro Ball to stall that attack!"

"Nice work, Semmy~!" Bacchus chimed as he darted ahead. Mienfoo, who had completed his meditation, followed his Trainer's lead.

"You want some? Come get it!" Toby brandished his green claws into elongated nails. "Mega-Mega Jellyfish!"

He proceeded to slash away at Bacchus and Mienfoo. When they got close, he'd slash and continued his advance. However, Bacchus and Mienfoo proved to be too agile, much to Toby's irritation. "Grrr…stay still! Herdier, use Take Down!"

Herdier sneered as he reared his legs for a charge. His body swelled in a forcefield of golden energy and barreled across the ground towards Mienfoo. The latter had his back turned from focusing on Toby, but Bacchus saw it coming.

"Detect!"

Gasping, Mienfoo caught on. His eyes glinted just as Toby and Herdier were a few feet from contact. At the last second, he evaded their pincer assault, leaving them in the other's path.

"WHAT THE-?!" Toby and Herdier didn't stop in time as their claws and body connected. A sharp, paralyzing electricity permeated Herdier, while Toby cringed from the force of the collision.

As the two backed off, Bacchus and Mienfoo jumped behind their opponents. Bacchus landed a palm strike into Toby's back, while Herdier suffered a super-effective Force Palm that shoved him and Toby into each other.

Bacchus snickered.

"Cryogonal, put them on ice!" Lyon protested. "Aurora Beam!"

Cryogonal sputtered something before creating a bluish green orb at its mouth. From it, a glowing black and green beam launched towards the pair, forcing them to dodge and back off from Toby and a stunned Herdier.

"Reduced strength or not, it's foolish to get into close combat with them." Lyon's eyes narrowed. "They won't get far if we put them on the defensive." He brought his hands together and then spread them apart. "Ice-Make: Eagles!"

Several eagles made of ice sailed through the air after Bacchus. Despite the numbers, Bacchus pivoted and unleashed a series of palm strikes that shattered the ice. Mienfoo took the opportunity before him to close in on Lyon and Cryogonal.

"Ice Beam!" Lyon ordered. Cryogonal began charging an orb of ice infront of it.

"Don't count us out yet!" Semmes challenged. "Bronzor, Confuse Ray!"

"Got it!" Bronzor understood the assignment and created glowing orbs of eerie energy that launched towards Cryogonal.

Despite the launch of the attack, Cryogonal was much faster and launched towards Mienfoo. "Detect!" At Bacchus's order, Mienfoo's eyes glimmered again and he evaded the icy bolts that froze the ground.

"Cryogonal, in front of you!" Lyon warned.

Cryogonal straightened and turned towards Semmes and Bronzor…and a flash was all it saw. The Confuse Ray hit its mark. Cryogonal tilted around in a daze, looking disoriented.

"Now you're mine." Bacchus sneered. "Drunk-Chop Hanging Palm: Under Moonlight!"

Mienfoo came in as well with his palm back. "Force Palm!"

The double palm blast struck Cryogonal harshly square in the face. The dazed crystal was immediately floored, kicking up dust throughout the area. The crowd cheered loudly at the display shown before them, much to Lamia Scale's fans' chagrin.

"And Quatro Cerberus has Lamia Scale overwhelmed!" Lola announced. "Through a use of evasion and diversion, Bacchus and Semmes manage to already put Toby into the dirt, and left Lyon's Cryogonal in a daze!"

"What are we boys?" Bacchus chimed.

"WILD!" The rest of the guild howled, saved for Aiden, who looked too nonchalant to care.

"That can't be all Lyon can do." Gray watched amongst his guildmates, clearly disappointed. "He's got more tricks up his sleeves, I just know it."

"Yes, but he's working at a type disadvantage." Juvia reminded him. "And look…"

As the dust cleared, Cryogonal struggled to get up. Static crackled around it as its movements became much slower.

Chelia gasped. "It's paralyzed!"

"Indeed. And on top of being confused, Lyon is left with little options." Jura figured.

Obaba spun her index finger madly with adrenaline. "You boys get back in there and win this, or I'm spinning ya double-time!" Alas, that didn't stop her from subconsciously spinning nearby guildmembers.

Lyon gritted his teeth. He pulled out a Poké Ball and shot a red laser at Cryogonal, choosing to withdraw it.

"It looks like Lyon's choosing to substitute. What will his next Pokémon be?" Lola wondered.

"I understand that my Ice-types are at a disadvantage here. I was hoping I'd get to save this for later, but…it seems that I misjudged the situation." Lyon pulled out another Poké Ball and tossed it skywards. "Now…come forth!"

The capsule spun as it went sailing into the air. Once it reached peak kinetic energy, it shot down energy that was so heavy it made the ground thud. Bacchus and Semmes could feel the air instantly freeze around them, making their hair stand on end.

When the energy dispersed, there was a massive white, furry mound that slowly rolled up, revealing beady dark eye that flashed before the figment careened backwards, revealing his broad claws and beard made of icicles. "GROOOOAAAAAAHH~!" The Pokémon resembling a polar bear let out a massive roar that sent chill waves everywhere, making the audience awe.

"Woah! It looks like Lyon's brought out the big guns!" Lola shouted.

A smirk crossed Gray's face. "See? Knew he wasn't out yet."

"A Beartic?" Lucy gasped.

"Just like that Isaac back in Glacidia." Wendy recalled the stubborn old man from their venture to make the country open to trade.

Juvia blinked several times, coming to a realization. "Gray, you don't think…"

"Yeah. That's his Cubfoo, it has to be." He figured, mildly impressed. "So he managed to evolve it. This'll get good."

"A strong opponent. Let's see how Lyon works with him." Erza watched carefully.

"A Beartic is a formidable Ice-type Pokémon for certain." Professor Sycamore spoke up. "With such a formidable opponent, it comes down to how Quatro Cerberus handles this new threat."

Beartic let out a deep breath, the air freezing as ice particles clattered against the ground in front of him. He snarled at Bacchus and Semmes, ready to challenge them.

Lyon stood behind him, his grin deeply confident. "Now…let's claim our win. Toby! Enough lying down, get back up!"

Toby grunted and managed to kick back upright, steadying himself. "Aroof! Yeah, got my second wind!" He turned towards Herdier. "C'mon, Herdier! Up and at'em!"

Herdier snorted before getting back up. He huffed as he glared at his opponents again.

Bacchus watched his opponents with keen interest. "Say now…I'm liking where this is heading. Well then, guess we better show them we're not messing around either. Mienfoo, Meditate!"

Mienfoo clasped his paws together and took a yoga pose. A red aura enveloped his body as his Attack increased yet again.

"You think we're scared of something like that?! Dream on!" Toby roared as he lengthened his claws again, rushing with Herdier towards Bacchus and Semmes.

"Wild Spin!" Semmes began another rotation that aimed to counter Toby.

Herdier rushed past Toby and opened his mouth for Bite. However, he was bashed across the face by Semmes's hands and blown away. Toby went to slash and was met with Bronzor appearing in front of him.

"Out of the way!" He insisted.

"Confuse Ray!" Semmes ordered. Bronzor made another set of eerie orbs and fired them at Toby. With the hotheaded dog-man so close, he was caught in a flash before his vision blurred and he looked dazed.

Lyon gasped. "Toby!"

"Grrr…rrrrr…!" Toby snarled, wobbling back and forth until he shot up and began an irate. "WHO'S WHO?! I CAN'T TELL ANYMORE! WHY'D EVERYTHING NOT AS IT SHOULD BE?! GRAAAAAH~!" He began slashing wildly in a heated fury.

"Uh oh, now it's Toby who's confused!" Lola announced.

"That Confuse Ray's got some potent effects in a multi-battle such as this." Yajima speculated.

"Heh, nice work! Now let's finish him!" Bacchus went after him with palms ready.

As Toby howled and slashed at nothing, Lyon kept his distance. 'That settles it. I need to take out that Bronzor while keeping Toby under control.' He brought his hands together and planted them into the ground. "Ice-Make: Ring!"

A massive ring of spiked ice appeared around Toby. As Bacchus and Mienfoo closed in, they landed palm strikes to no avail, only jumping away to avoid the spikes.

"And in a quick save by Lyon, Toby's spared from an attack by Bacchus and Mienfoo! Is this to seal him off and wait until the confusion wears off?"

"You just sit tight, Toby. Beartic and I will handle this for now." Lyon glared at his opponents ready for battle.

Bacchus scoffed. "Alright, so one dog's put in the kennel…" he paused. "But you forgot another one."

Herdier growled defensively as he found himself surrounded by Bronzor and Mienfoo. The two pincered his sides as he had nowhere to go.

"Use Gyro Ball!" Semmes ordered. Bronzor did as instructed and spiraled after Herdier with glowing rings around its body.

"I'm not afraid of you!" Herdier lunged for him. "Bite!" He chomped down with glowing fangs against Bronzor's force. The lowered Attack power, coupled by Bite being super-effective against it left Bronzor unable to counter.

"You're forgetting about me!" Mienfoo rushed for him, his palm brought back.

Herdier glanced over and shifted to where Bronzor stood between them. He kicked Bronzor's back and made it topple over onto Mienfoo, who skidded to a stop and panicked before the small Pokémon came down and crushed him beneath its weight.

"Good work, we'll handle this now." Lyon reached outwards. "Now Beartic, Icicle Crash!"

Beartic growled before taking in a deep breath. He opened his mouth and let out a dense roar, creating a cold win skywards that crystalized into several massive icicles that came down like missiles.

"Ice-Make: Snow Ape!" Lyon summoned a massive ape of ice that lunged into the air, coming down with the same momentum as Beartic's attack.

"GAH~!" Semmes panicked, looking terrified for Bronzor's life.

Bacchus, on the other hand, looked steady. A mischievous smirk crossing his face.

BOOOOOOM!

A thunderclap exploded across the battlefield from the wake of the attack. The colosseum ground shuddered as a mix of ice and dust crystals spread across everyone's feet. When it cleared out, the ice ape lifted its huge fists off Bronzor, who wasn't stirring after those blows.

Mato raised his left arm up. "Bronzor is unable to battle!"

The crowd cheered as Bronzor's icon beside Semmes turned black.

"And the first Pokémon is down! Now Semmes is down to just one more, so either he falls or his next choice will, leaving Bacchus to fight alone!" Lola beamed excitedly.

"That all depends on his next choice." Yajima reasoned.

"Still, an impressive display indeed." Professor Sycamore reasoned. He then noticed something off. "Wait…"

Lola seemed to have caught on as well. "What's this? Where'd Mienfoo go?"

As Herdier was gathering his bearings a safe distance away, his ears suddenly perked up. "Huh?" He looked up and saw a figment falling from the sky. "Huh?!"

It was Mienfoo, and he was coming down with his palm stacked with energy. "This tiem for sure!"

"Force Palm!" Bacchus roared.

Mienfoo's palm smashed into Herdier's head, the wake of the attack immediately flooring him while summoning a small explosion. Lyon and Beartic looked shocked as they watched the dust settle.

Herdier, much to their misfortune, laid with spirals for eyes beneath Mienfoo as he put his palms together. "Thank you for the battle."

Mato raised his right arm this time. "Herdier is unable to battle!"

Herdier's icon next to Toby immediately blacked out. Once again, the audience cheered at the counteroffensive.

"Talk about a hit for a hit! In a shocking move, Mienfoo managed a surprise attack that knocked Herdier out! Now it's up to Toby's last Pokémon to pick up the slack and give his battler a hand."

Lyon stood silently, thinking about what he saw. 'But how? He should have been knocked out by our attack. Unless…' His eyes widened in shock, before smirking. "I see…you used Detect again, didn't you?"

Mienfoo took a fighting stance against him and Beartic. His silence was the only answer they needed.

Semmes recalled Bronzor back and stashed it away. "I'm not out of this yet! I can still go wild!" He pulled out his second Poké Ball, picking up speed in another spin and launched. "Go, Electrode!"

The ball tossed popped open, revealing Semmes's second choice – an Electrode.

"Semmes's second Pokémon has touched earth! It's an Electrode!" Lola commented.

"Those are some very volatile Pokémon to be around." Professor Sycamore noted. "Lyon and Toby are going to have to be careful not to get too close to it."

Erza put a hand to her chin. "An Electric-type, huh? And a fast one at that."

"That shouldn't be an issue for Lyon, should it?" Juvia wondered.

Erza went silent. She wondered that herself.

Toby continued slashing at the ice cage trapping him in his confused state. Eventually, the confusion ended, leaving him to regain his bearings.

"Arf…?" He blinked as hew drew a blank. "Wait a minute, what happened? Hey! Where'd this ice wall come from?! Lyon! Why'd you cage me, you scum!"

"Good. Sounds like that confusion wore off." Lyon reached his arm out, dispelling the ice ring around Toby.

Now in the open, Toby looked around for Herdier. His eyes widened when he realized his partner was laying down unconscious. "GWAAAAAH! Herdier! Who did this to you?!"

"Excuse me. You need to bring out your second Pokémon, sir." Mato reminded him.

Toby growled. "Fine!" He withdrew Herdier, bringing out another Poké Ball. "Then how about this!? Go, Growlithe!"

Appearing on the field, a Growlithe appeared and barked at his opponents. "You chumps messed with the wrong dogs!" He challenged.

Once again, a blue aura enveloped Bacchus, Semmes, and their Pokémon that reduced all their Attack once again.

"And Toby's second Pokémon is a Growlithe! And it looks to me that he also bears that Intimidate Ability." Lola deduced. "Now their strength is even lower than what it was before!"

"Right, but Mienfoo already used Meditate, so his Attack should be even." Professor Sycamore reminded.

Shiin watched from the stands as he was watching the battle progress. 'Abilities that weaken mages that are akin to physical magic puts them at a disadvantage. It's clear who's getting the upper hand in this fight.' He deduced. 'That being said, they're past the halfway point. Less than fifteen minutes left.'

"How many times do we have to do this?" Bacchus groaned. "Alright, Meditate!"

Mienfoo once again clasped his paws and took a calm breath. A red aura enveloped his body as his Attack heightened.

Toby howled as he brandished his claws once more. "Here we go! We'll take out that giant beach ball first! Growlithe, use Fire Fang!"

"Here I come!" Growlithe opened his maw as flames erupted and charged ahead.

"Mega-Mega Jellyfish!" Toby ran alongside him with his elongated nails, both charging for Electrode.

They drew themselves in and clamped jaws and slashed at Electrode, who took the attack and bounced away. It managed to roll upright with only minor wounds, but that strained smirk on its face never left.

"How do you like that!? Now you're too stunned to move! Ha!" Toby snarled at his foolproof plan…or it wouldn't be if there was one drastic flaw. "Huh? Hey, w-wait a minute! Why aren't you paralyzed?!"

Electrode's eyebrow twitched. "Didn't anybody tell you? Electric-type don't get paralyzed."

Toby looked gobsmacked as his jaw nearly hit the floor. "S-seriously?!" Just then, a crackling static appeared on his body, making him twitched. "Bzzzzzt!"

Lyon gasped. "What's this?"

"Uh-oh! Looks like Toby's the one who ended up paralyzed in the end!" Lola commented.

Professor Sycamore decided to debrief the situation. "I believe that would be because of Electrode's Ability, Static. When someone makes contact with it, there's a chance that it could be paralyzed."

"Oh, I see. Toby walked right into a trap! Now he's one stunned dog!"

"Also…" Electrode's eyebrow twitched again. "You called me a beach ball…" Its form started shuddering and crackling static. "I am not a beach ball!"

Semmes pointed forward. "Now Electrode, use Electro Ball!"

Electrode's body discharged electricity that congregated into an orb in front of its body. "Here's a ball for you, dog…fetch!" It launched the sphere at blistering speeds towards a paralyzed Toby.

Toby immediately showed panic, but Growlithe rushed over to help him. "I'm coming-!" However, he was cut off by Mienfoo.

"Sorry, dog, but you're sitting this one out." Bacchus warned. "Drain Punch!"

Mienfoo clenched a fist as energy spiraled into a black, green hemisphere. He roared out as his punch slugged Growlithe across the face, the force shooting him through the air.

"No…no, no, no, no no!" Toby panicked, but there was nothing between him and the Electro Ball that struck him. "GWAAAAAAHHHH!"

A painful explosion exerted from where he stood. After it settled, Toby's body was covered in bruises and char as the static still tingled his nervous system. He looked completely dazed before falling over beside Growlithe, who was knocked out by Mienfoo's attack.

Mato raised his right arm again. "Both Toby and Growlithe are unable to battle!"

The crowd cheered yet again as they watched Toby and his Growlithe's icon turn into silhouettes, eliminating them from battle.

"Would you look at that?! Both Growlithe and Toby were knocked out! It just took one or the other to get Toby eliminated, but who could've guessed a double whammy like that?!" Lola chimed.

"WILD~!" Semmes and Bacchus roared, their guildmates following suit.

"Oh…poor Toby." Chelia grimaced.

"He brought this onto himself. He should learn to control his habits better." Yuka reprimanded.

Toby and his Growlith were suddenly wrapped to a section of the area where it was closed off. There was a small magic barrier that protected them, but also kept them from interfering from the continuing battle.

"Now it's just Lyon and his Beartic in play. Along with a paralyzed Cryoginal in reserves, does the ace of Lamia Scale have any means of getting out of this?" Lola wondered.

"He could aim to knock out Semmes or his Electrode." Yajima suggested.

Lyon and Beartic stood against Bacchus, Semmes, Mienfoo, and Electrode, a calm, cold expression on his face despite the pressure that he was under. He closed his eyes and started to focus. "Then I suppose…"

"Let's finish this! Screech!" Semmes commanded.

Electrode's eyebrows continued twitching as its body gave off an ear-splitting screech, sending red shockwaves through the air that reached Beartic. The massive bear covered his ears as a dense blue aura sharply lowered his Defense.

"Now to finish it! Wild Spin!" Semmes spun like a top once again, barreling across the ground towards his staggering opponent.

Lyon's eyes flashed open. "…I need to show you why I'm one of Lamia Scale's top mages!" He started creating more ice and aimed above. "Ice-Make: Titan Feet!"

A huge leg made of ice manifested above Semmes and came down upon Semmes, crushing him beneath its wake. The impact of the attack shook the battlefield and made many people awe and cringe at the sight.

When the dust settled, the ice was dispelled by Lyon ever so casually as he looked dismissive against the unconscious Semmes sprawled on the ground.

Mato raised his left arm this time. "Semmes is unable to battle! He's out!"

Semmes's icon on the lacrima-vision became a silhouette, whereas Electrode's got a large red hollow circle.

"And just like that, the odds were evened up between Lamia Scale and Quatro Cerberus. Now it's down to just Drunken Hawk Bacchus, against Lyon."

Semmes was teleported away to where Toby was, with a disgruntled, twitching Electrode following. Once they left the field, it left Bacchus, Lyon, Beartic, and Mienfoo.

"Hey now, that move kinda pissed me off." Bacchus scowled, frowning disapprovingly at his opponent. "Did ya really have to go and do that?"

"Apologies, but it's better we get this over with." Lyon dismissed. "I have a guild's reputation to uphold, and I don't intend to be the reason why we lag behind."

"Eh?" Bacchus raised a brow, intrigued by his opponent. "That so? Heh, well then…" He reached back, pulling out a handheld gourd.

Lyon narrowed his eyes, realizing where this was going.

"He's gonna do it." Elfman grunted, remembering what happened in his fight two years ago.

"It's that gourd. That's his alcohol?" Juvia recollected.

"Buckle up, everybody. It's gonna be a real show now." Cana warned.

"Yes…it is." Erza frowned.

"Time for me to get serious, too." Bacchus bit the cork off and spat it out beside him. He started drinking away the contents as Lyon and Beartic brought their guards up.

"And there he goes! Drunken Hawk Bacchus is living up to his namesake." Lola announced.

"Is that even allowed?" Professor Sycamore wondered. "Alcohol alone is a problem, but…"

"As long as it's been approved by the committee in advance and serves as a function for one's magic, it's acceptable." Yajima assured.

Bacchus finished the contents of the gourde and sat it down beside him. Almost instantly, a pressure changed within the arena as Bacchus's was red-cheeked and smiling disturbingly at Lyon. He started hiccupping, followed by a cackle.

'Here we go.' Lyon braced himself. "Beartic, on your guard!"

"Right." His voice was deep and profound as he raised his arms up.

Bacchus cackled with joy at the rush the alcohol was giving him. "Oh, man! My sould's all shaken and stirred now!" He cocked a brow towards Mienfoo. "Yo, Mienfoo. How's about you give yourself a break there, lil' guy?"

Mienfoo humbly nodded. "Fine with me."

Bacchus withdrew Mienfoo, which Lola detailed. "Looks like Bacchus withdrew Mienfoo. What's his next choice in Pokémon this time?"

This time, what Bacchus pulled out was an Ultra Ball. "Now to get this party into high-gear…" He threw the Ultra Ball up, hiccupping in the process.

The Pokémon that emerged from it landed beside Bacchus, looking like a bipedal frog with pale, dark blue skin with a massive red sac at his throat. Two massive red spikes were where his knuckles were that shimmered beneath the sun. His yellow eyes darted ahead as he expanded his throat sac and let out a disturbing, dense croak across the arena.

"A Toxicroak?" Vanessa's voice carried genuine shock.

"A what?" Natsu questioned.

Wishing to satisfy her curiosity, Lucy pulled out her PokéDex and began an analysis.

"Toxicroak, the Toxic Mouth Pokémon. Its knuckle claws secrete a toxin so vile that even a scratch could prove fatal."

"Sounds like a real bruiser if you ask me." She figured.

"Bruiser or not, Lyon's still at a disadvantage." Erza reminded. "And the alcohol Bacchus drinks increases his destructive power and dulls his sense of pain. We'll see just who manages to win this in the end."

"And we have Bacchus's second Pokémon, Toxicroak!" Lola announced.

"A Poison and Fighting-type. They're not fooling around here." Professor Sycamore admitted.

Shiin was watching the battle with keen interest. 'Knuckle claws and a venomous sac. Another brutal close-range Pokémon apparently.'

Toxicroak's sac inflated, churning poison inside. He let out a low growl as he focused ahead, raring to go. "Let's bring the pain." He croaked.

Bacchus cackled beside him. "You got that right. Now…" He hiccupped. "Let's get…"

"Wild."

"Heh…damn straight."

Without hesitation, the two blitzed across the field towards Beartic and Lyon.

"Beartic, Icicle Crash!" Lyon ordered. As Beartic did as told and exhaled a breath, Lyon brought his hands together. "Ice-Make: Eagles!"

A flurry of icicles came crashing down from a cold skyward breeze along with an array of frozen eagle creations that soared after Bacchus and Toxicroak. Bacchus met them head-on, breaking them to fragments as he cackled.

Toxicroak broke through, getting into Beartic's range. "Low Sweep!"

He landed a kick to Beartic's legs, striking so hard the shock almost caused him to buckle over. He backpedaled and barely caught himself. He turned towards his opponents with a pained scowl. "Why you…!" A blue aura enveloped his body, reducing his Speed.

"Hidden Power!" Lyon ordered.

Beartic created a light blue ball of energy and threw it at Toxicroak. He crossed his arms and took the attack, resulting in an explosion that sent him back several feet. He dug his knuckle claw into the ground to anchor himself down.

"Ice-Make: Snow Tiger! Ice-Make: Snow Dragon! Ice-Make: Snow Ape!" Altogether, three massive creations of a tiger, dragon, and ape made of ice appeared in front of Lyon and rushed towards Toxicroak and Bacchus.

"Now we're talkin'!" Bacchus roared. He charged at the ape and dragon without hesitation. They charged for him, but in the blink of an eye, a multitude of hits resulted in them shattering and vanishing.

The ice tiger slashed at Toxicroak, but the reptilian biped jumped overhead, dodging the strike. A white aura enveloped his body as orbs of silver energy became stone.

"Rock Tomb!" He threw the stones down onto the tiger, the dense rocks causing it to shatter.

However, this was where Lyon wanted him. "Got you!"

"Eh?" Toxicroak was too slow to act when another Snow Dragon bashed into his side, hurling him into the ground. He was suppressed underneath the dragon with its maw acting as a weight and a vice that looked extremely painful.

"Oh, look! Bacchus's Toxicroak is pinned down! Will he be able to escape?" Lola announced.

"Now we have you!" Lyon reached out. "Brine, now!"

Beartic opened wide and lurched forward, expelling a blast of saltwater that barreled towards Toxicroak.

What they failed to see though was the small smirk he had.

A gush of mist erupted from the impact, briefly adding humidity to the atmosphere. "Oh! And that attack hits home! Brine is a Water-type move that does double the damage on an already battered opponent, so I don't see…wait!"

Lyon and Beartic gasped. When the vapor dissipated, Toxicroak was still pinned, but green waves of energy were traveling up his body. He looked better than he did before!

"You're kidding…" Lyon awed.

"Uh-oh! What happened there?!" Lola wondered.

Professor Sycamore put a hand to his chin. "If I had to guess…I say it's the work of Toxicroak's Ability, Dry Skin."

Vanessa furrowed her brow. "Of course. That's why he chose him."

"Huh? What's the big deal?" Natsu asked.

"Dry Skin is an Ability that restores your health instead of taking damage from Water-type attacks and spells." She explained. "Of course, it's the opposite with Fire-type moves, which deal more damage because of it. But I doubt Lyon has a Fire-type, so…"

"He got played." Gray grimaced, clenching his fists. "Hey, Lyon! Are you being serious out there or what?!"

Lyon scoffed. 'Believe me, Gray, I'm just getting started-' He felt a wind behind him, immediately knowing what was coming. "Ice-Make: Hedgehog!" In the last second, he made a spiky shield of ice to protect from Bacchus's barrage. In a series of swift hits, Lyon found his defenses shattered with Bacchus only getting out with bruised arms.

But nothing stood between them.

"Rising Wake!"

Bacchus did an upwards swing, uppercutting Lyon and sending him careening across the field.

"You bastard!" Beartic threw another Hidden Power at Bacchus, who countered with a palm strike and dispersed the attack's force around him.

"Hahahaha! Gotta try harder than that~." He teased.

Meanwhile, Lyon got to a knee, using his sleeve to wipe the blood off his chin. He gritted his teeth, noticing Bacchus and Toxicroak flanking Beartic. He didn't have much time left!

'It's my last resort. This is the only way to ensure we don't lose.' Lyon furrowed his brows as he stood back up. "Beartic, use Hail!"

Beartic gasped in surprise at the command, but didn't argue. "Yeah, got it!" He clenched his paws tightly as a blue aura shimmered off his body. He roared towards the skies above, which began to change to a darker shade and slowly accumulated over the field.

Suddenly, hail began coming down. A hailstorm brewed across the battle.

"What's this? Beartic just made it start hailing!" Lola gawked. "You're seeing it here, folks! It's hailing down on the battlefield, but how will this affect the battle?"

"He's making hail?" Lucy looked towards the sky. She noticed the hail's radius was just beyond her. If she stuck her hand out, she was sure she'd be able to touch it.

"That's an Ice-type weather condition that only doesn't hurt Ice-types. But what's he going to do?" Elfman wondered.

Gray remained silent as he studied the tactic Lyon was going for.

"Too bad, ice boy! Your bear's done!" Bacchus roared. "Under Moonlight!"

"Low Sweep!" Toxicroak brought his heel around for a kick.

As Lyon remained still, he smirked knowingly. Beartic knew what to do.

"Hiyah~!" Both palm and leg smashed into something…but why did it feel so painful to them? More so, Toxicroak from the palm strike to his throat sac, making him spew poison. Bacchus was more confused than anything as he stumbled back, a blue aura enveloping his body.

"Woah! What just happened?!" Lola awed.

"Wha…?" Bacchus blinked and looked down at his hands. "The hell just happened? Eh?"

Toxicroak slowly got up, but he felt something cold behind him. He looked over his shoulder, but only caught a glimpse of Beartic before he vanished like a ghost back into the hailstorm.

Both Bacchus and Toxicroak cringed from the damage hail dealt.

"Now, Hidden Power!" Lyon ordered.

A silhouette of Beartic appeared and fired a bright orb through the hail. Toxicroak turned towards the attack, but it was too late when it collided with his cheek, flooring him.

"The hell is this? How'd be get so…ghosty like this?" Bacchus wondered.

"You're not the only one who knows how to utilize abilities." Lyon spoke in a confident tone. "You see, my Beartic has an Ability called Snow Cloak. Good luck trying to land that hit you need."

"Snow Cloak, eh?" Shou raised a brow as he watched with the rest of Sabertooth. "Nicely played there. Looks like he's trying to evade with the last few minutes remaining."

Bacchus groaned and hiccupped. "Oh well. If I can't hit your 'mon…" He blitzed across the field. "I'll just settle for you!"

"Try me." Lyon created more ice around him. "Ice Blades: Swan's Wings!"

A plethora of ice blades shaped lie swan wings rushed after Bacchus, the latter beelining towards him in return. His palms condensed his magic power as he began his attack.

"Drunk-Chop Hanging Palm: Breakneck Spears!"

His hands shot and jabbed like spears that met the oncoming ice blades. Each blade was met with decimating strikes that had the force to spear down trees. Bacchus was moving fast, though with that accidental Low Sweep, he was barely getting anywhere.

"C'mon, Lyon! You can do it!" Chelia cheered.

"You got it, Bacchus!" Rocker supported.

"It's a neck-and-neck brawl between Lyon and Bacchus, the strongest of each guild in an epic showdown!" Lola narrated. "Will the two finish the other off? Or will Toxicroak strike Beartic first? It's just too decisive!"

Bacchus smiled wildly as he was closing in gradually, although not without repercussions. Some of the ice blades managed to get past his defenses, striking his armor and bruising his arms. Lyon didn't let up his swan wings that were chipping away at Bacchus bit by bit.

Toxicroak was skulking around, the hail chipping at his health as more time went on. He leered around and waited patiently for when Beartic would attack again. As an orb of light began charging behind him, his eyes snapped open. "Got you!" He pivoted, turning to lunge with a glowing dark fist. "Sucker Punch!"

Bacchus and Toxicroak roared as they were giving it all they had to land the hits they need…

Ding! Ding! Ding!

"And that's it! Time's up!" Mato shouted.

Lyon ceased his onslaught just as Bacchus backed off. Toxicroak lost his momentum and stopped a few inches front Beartic's throat, his knuckle claw just a few inches off.

The crowd cheered at the results of the battle. Despite the lack of a clear winner, it was riveting to have seen such an intense battle unfold.

"I think that was a very well-put battle, don't you both think?" Yajima inquired.

"Yes, it certainly was." Professor Sycamore agreed with a bright smile. "It's amazing to see how these mages work off one another with their Pokémon. Both Lyon, Bacchus, Beartic, and Toxicroak gave it their all. I just know it."

"Right you are, Professor." Lola chimed. "Since this is a draw, both sides get 5 points."

The hailstorm receded, bringing light back onto the battlefield. Toxicroak slowly pulled his knuckle claw away, his throat gurgling menacingly at Beartic before turning away. Beartic let out a deep sigh of relief.

"Man, is it over already?" Bacchus whined. Despite his still drunken state, he still wanted more action.

"I'm afraid so." Lyon confirmed.

Bacchus sourly chuckled as he turned to walk away. "Welp, guess that's that. But hey, there's always next time, right? C'mon, Toxicroak."

Toxicroak croaked lowly. "Just another second was all I needed…"

"Hey." His Trainer gave him a crude look. "Don't get so worked up. There's more fish to fry to come, remember that."

Toxicroak scoffed, choosing to let the matter be for now. He and Bacchus left through their tunnel, whereas Lyon left with Beartic walking on all fours right beside him. Inside the tunnels, Lyon was thinking about the battle just now, how drastic things could have been had it not been for several factors.

'If Toby hadn't had his Pokémon with Intimidate to lower Bacchus's strength, I'm not sure I'd still be standing.' He turned towards Beartic, a smirk crossing his face. "We certainly have our work cut out for us, don't we?"

"Aye…that we do." He admitted.

"Well, I have to say that was an exhilarating performance." Jura reasoned.

"Yeah. But Lyon and Bacchus still had both their Pokémon after the time went out." Chelia noted. "Makes you wonder how long they could've kept going."

Jura smiled at his intuition. "Hmmm…"

Chelia shrugged. "Still, 13 points for the first day is pretty good. I bet we'll sweep it at this rate!"

"Just 13 points?! That all?!" Obaba threw all common sense out the window as she spun her finger around, forcing Chelia to spin madly. "You better not slack like Toby and Lyon did out there today! I won't spin ya otherwise!"

"You're spinning me right now~!" Chelia wailed.

"That was a fierce battle." Erza admitted. "I honestly wasn't sure who would win that one."

"Yeah, but hey, it's not like Lyon lost either." Lucy reasoned.

Juvia smiled. "That's true. He had Bacchus pinned down in the end. I'm certain he would've came out on top eventually."

"Maybe. Then again that Sucker Punch could've knocked Beartic out and he'd be stuck with a paralyzed Cryogonal." Cana countered.

"That's true…" Juvia mumbled.

"That Toxicroak looked strong." Natsu smiled widely. No doubt he was looking forward to fighting something like that in the competition.

After several minutes, the medical teams tended to Toby and Semmes and carried them off the field. With the field clear, it was time to press on.

"Alright folks, we're jumping right away into the next fight between Blue Pegasus and Sabertooth." Lola declared. "Mato has the honors from here!"

Mato and Pumpkaboo appeared in the arena again. "Hey, everyone! Hope you all enjoyed the battle, but now let's see the numbers that the next two guilds fighting will contend with!"

Two monitors appeared overhead with numerical values and Poké Balls. They began spinning rapidly, gradually slowing down until the numerical value 1 and a single Poké Ball appeared.

"It looks like it's one mage and one Pokémon for each side." Lola announced. "Now, for the competitors?"

Two Poké Balls had cards orbiting around them on a third monitor above. After several seconds, two cards shot into the foreground with starry background effects like before.

"It looks like it's Blue Pegasus's dazzling beauty Jenny Realight VS Sabertooth's master of percussions Shou Kagamine!"

"Wish me luck out there, guys!" Jenny waved to her guildmates as she made way down the tunnel towards the arena.

"May the parfume of victory be in your favor!" Ichiya declared.

"Indeed, may you do our guild proud!" Nichiya stuck a similar pose beside him.

Orga turned towards Shou, smirking. "This'll be fun to watch."

"You think?" Shou guessed. He then felt a pat on his back, looking back to see Sting smiling.

"You'll be just fine. Get out there and kick some ass." He assured.

Shou nodded. "Sure thing."

"I wish you luck as well." Rufus gracefully bowed. "Now, milady…" He as well as the rest of the guild turned towards Minerva. "Don't you have words of encouragement for our newest member's first battle?"

Minerva folded her arms, looking nonchalant as possible. "Just remember our training. Do that, and victory will be assured."

"Yeah, sure thing." He turned and started down the tunnel with his bag of instruments. "Well, wish me luck."

Minerva and the others watched him head towards his battle. The raven-haired beauty turned and noticed her guildmates smirks. "What are you all gawking at?" She demanded.

"Surely there was more you wished to say to him, wasn't there?" Rogue prompted.

"The look in those eyes just scream for your approval, dear Minerva." Rufus poetically exaggerated. "Surely you saw, but must have been speechless."

Minerva was unamused by their remarks, turning with a straight face towards the arena. If it wasn't for them being essential to the games, she would've blown them up with her Territory by now or teleported them to the ocean.

"Well one thing's for certain." Sting paused, standing alongside Druddigon. "At least these games aren't boring anymore."

Jenny and Shou entered the arena through their respective tunnels. With just the two, they stood on opposite ends of the Poké Ball print on the battlefield.

"I can't wait to see what these two will do." Lola commented. "Now from my understanding, Shou is another Trainer that's from PokéEarth, is that right?"

"From the records, yes. From this place known as the Unova region if I do recall." Yajima added.

"Right. So this will be a battle between an experienced Pokémon Trainer and a mage. How do you think this battle will go?"

Professor Sycamore put a hand to his chin and hummed. "Hard to say. It all depends on how Shou responds to magic and the opponent's Pokémon."

"I heard Sabertooth's got their own Trainer recently. Now that I get a good look at you, you're kinda cute." Jenny teased as she smirked at Shou. "Don't worry, I'll try not to aim for your face if I can help it."

Shou responded with a determined smile. "Much obliged. But we'll see if you'll be singing that same tune when this is over."

Mato and Pumpkaboo appeared in the center. "Alright, for this round, the mages are permitted the use of only one Pokémon with no substitutions! The battle will be over when either the mage or Pokémon are unable to battle. In the event of a draw or time runs out, the match will end with both parties getting 5 points. Now, bring out our Pokémon!"

Jenny swiped her arm across, sending a Poké Ball spinning. "Alright Milotic, let's go!"

Milotic appeared in the air, her body giving off a radiant gleam that refracted light off her beautiful scales. The audience was dazzled by the display. Milotic landed on the ground, swaying her huge feelers around and peered ahead with a confident hum.

"It's Milotic." Mirajane gasped.

"And she looks stronger than before." Kinana figured.

"So Jenny's starting off strong, is she?" Hibiki smirked.

"Yeah, seems like it." Ren said. "Hopefully it'll be enough."

Eve clenched his fists. "You've got this, girls! Dazzle them!"

As they were cheering, Kevin was using his Search Magic to look into Shou's information. Looking at the holographic profile, he turned to look back up at the ensuing fight. 'Shou's got those kinds of Pokémon, huh?' He grimaced, having seen his background. 'This might not be as easy as we'd think.'

'A Water-type. That case…' Shou pulled out a Poké Ball and threw it. "Go, Serperior!"

In front of him emerged Serperior, the Grass-type snake raising his head high in stature against Milotic.

"A Grass-type against a Water-type." Vanessa figured. "Looks like Shou's sizing up how Jenny will fare with types."

"If it's a Water-type against a Grass-type, then Shou's got the advantage for sure." Natsu noted.

Gray didn't look convinced. "That's unless Jenny or Milotic have something in mind. Let's see what they do."

Mato and Pumpkaboo left the center as the former brought his arm down in a chop. "You have 30 minutes to seal the deal! Battle…BEGIN!"

"First strike for the win!" Jenny reached her arm out with a confident smile. "Milotic, use Twister!"

Milotic's tailfins began spinning, creating a tornado that fired across the ground towards Shou and Serperior. The cyclone struck Serperior, but the serpent endured the harsh draconic winds without much effort.

Shou managed to back out of the Twister's wake and unzipped his instrument cases. "Okay, time to see what I can do."

Jenny's body swelled in a broad light as she activated her Take-Over Magic. "Take-Over: Machina Soul!" Her appearance changed to her Combat Form, immediately hurrying past the tornado to blindside Shou.

"And Jenny and Milotic make the first moves on their opponents!" Lola shouted. "Shou are Shou and his Serperior going to respond?"

Shou managed to uncase his violin and bow that he lubricated in advance. He held it up as Jenny was closing in on him.

"The heck's he doing? Trying to play a band?" Natsu questioned.

"Looks that way. Bad time to put on a concert." Cana grumbled.

"Why's he need those instruments?" Lucy wondered aloud. In her experience watching numerous magic battles, her eyes widened as a hypothesis. "Unless…"

"Here we go." Sting hummed.

"What, you looking to serenade me with a song?" Jenny taunted as she drew closer.

"You can say that." Shou held up the bow to his violin's strings. The instrument began glowing as he prepared to play.

"White Noise!"

He began playing a harmonic tune that expelled purple 3D notes that rode along currents made up of ethereal chords. They panned out across the battlefield, all while Jenny ran past them, readying her heel for an enhanced kick.

"Haaaaah~!" She cried out as she closed in, but then started to slow down as a warm, hypnotic sensation washed over her. "H-eh…?"

Lola's eyes shot wide open. "What's this? It looks like Shou's music is actually slowing Jenny down."

"That looks to be Sound Magic." Yajima deduced.

Professor Sycamore looked stunned. 'Just like Joey and Dereece!' He recalled when they visited his lab and showed off their magic. 'So it's not just them who learned magic while being here.'

"Another otherworlder that can use magic?" Shou was taken aback by this revelation, but he was more invested in how a more experienced mage like Jenny was going to handle this. From the looks of things, not so well.

Jenny slowed to a stop when she was only a few feet from Shou. As Shou played his violin, he skipped and pedaled around the transfixed mage, all while keeping an eye on her as her crystal blue eyes were hazy.

"He's got her under his spell." Rogue spoke his observations.

"Yeah, she walked right into that one." Lector chimed.

"Fro thinks so, too." Frosch hummed.

"I see, so that's his approach." Minerva folded her arms beneath her bust as she figured out Shou's angle. "Choosing the simple route for this fight then."

'As long as my notes reach her, I don't have to worry about her for the time being.' Shou thought as he continued playing. 'I have to take out Serperior while she's still unable to give commands!'

"Huh? Jenny! What are you doing standing around?!" Milotic shouted. Unfortunately, it seemed that it wasn't loud enough to permeate through the sound.

Of course, with one problem comes another. The Twister's wake finally diffused, but Serperior was anything but fazed. The regal serpent kept his chin up as his tail rose in what Milotic nervously guessed was his counter.

Shou broke his music's rhythm to issue a command. "Leaf Storm!"

Serperior huffed. "Want something to blow you away?" He asked. "Perhaps this will do the trick." He brought his tail up as whirlwinds began churning with leafy green energy leaves compressed into a high-speed, large cyclone. With his tail as a guide, Serperior swept around, unleashing the disastrous funnel towards Milotic and sending her into the sky with a pained wail.

Shou backpedaled as he let up on his spell. With a safe distance between him and Jenny, the blonde, free from the lack of music, began to come around with harsh blinking.

"H-huh…? Wait, what am I standing around for?" The short-term memory loss left her confused.

"I'd look up if I were you." Shou warned.

Jenny was confused, but then followed his advice and looked up. Her face contorted to a nervous smile and twitching brow as Milotic came crashing down atop her with a harsh thud. The dust surged through the area, which Serperior used to snake back to Shou's side and watch the scene unfold.

Once settled, Jenny was sprawled beneath Milotic, both their eyes filled with swirls.

Mato raised his arms up. "And that's it! Both Jenny and Milotic are unable to battle! The winner is Shou from Sabertooth!"

The crowd broke into a cheer at the battle's conclusion. While fans of Sabertooth were elated at the victory, Blue Pegasus fans were less than cordial. Shou turned towards the crowd with Serperior, both giving a bow for their show.

Orga scoffed. "Showoff. You taught him that?"

"I have no memory of showing him my etiquette." Rufus chimed back.

"Well, better safe than sorry." Sting shrugged. "Still, all things considered, he did pretty good."

Minerva watched Shou from the stands. As he turned towards his team, their eyes met for a moment. A small smirk tugged on her face. "Yes…suppose he did."

Hibiki sighed. "Man, just when we got our hopes up."

"We've got a lot of ground to cover if we're gonna get out of the hole we're in." Ren sighed.

"If it weren't for Shou's Serperior, Jenny would've had this in the bag!" Eve argued.

Kevin watched as the medical team went to remove Jenny and Milotic from the field. "They're gonna be feeling that in the morning…that's what she said." He smirked.

"Well that fight didn't take nearly as long as the last one, but it's clear that with experience doesn't guarantee victory" Lola commented over the roaring crowd. "A Pokémon Trainer that's experienced in battling with Pokémon and mages is a force to be reckoned with. Shou earns Sabertooth 10 points for his stellar performance."

Shou turned towards Serperior. "Nicely done."

Serperior kept his head high, looking dignified. "She had looks, but apparently everything else was trivial."

Shou chuckled. "Maybe next time we'll face stronger opponents. Let's go." Packing up his violin, he went towards his team's tunnel, with Serperior right beside him.

"Man, just how strong is that guy's Pokémon to win in just one hit?" Lucy wondered.

"Beats me, but one thing's for certain." Gray paused. "Things aren't gonna be like they were before if we end up fighting Sabertooth."

"You think his other Pokémon are just as strong?" Wendy wondered.

Erza frowned. "That's hard to say, but it's a possibility. Still…" Her proud grin returned. "It's not like our guild isn't short on experienced Trainers either."

"Well, those first two battles certainly were something to behold. Now it's time for the last match of the day!" Lola declared.

"About time!" Natsu yelled.

"Hell yeah, it's our turn now!" Elfman exclaimed.

"We're gonna kick some mermaid ass today." Cana smirked.

"For this match, it's Fairy Tail VS Mermaid Heel. Mato, you have the honors!"

"With pleasure!" Down in the arena, Mato stood in the center as two holographic panels appeared. "Everyone, please divert your attention to the number of mages and the amount of Pokémon they'll be allowed to use each."

Everyone watched the roulette roll once again. After several moments of spinning and slowing down, they stopped on a 1 and two Poké Balls.

"It looks like it'll be a one-on-one battle between mages using two Pokémon each." Lola explained.

"So only one of us is going out there." That notion didn't sit well with Juvia, which went without say for the rest of her guildmates.

"Better be me. I'm itching for some action." Gajeel insisted.

"Dream on. Bet you'll be the last that'll be picked." Natsu argued.

A tick mark grew on Gajeel as he turned his anger towards the fellow Dragon Slayer. "Did you forget that the whole thing's unbiased!? We all have an equal shot!"

"Please, settle down!" Wendy implored.

"What if it's Joey or the others still lying down?" Lucy worried.

"Then we go fetch them. What else?" Gray responded. "But given that there's all of us, there's a huge pool to choose from."

The third monitor appeared above Mato. Two Poké Balls were on the screen, one having six cards, and the other with fourteen, both orbiting their respective spheres at a fast revolution. Two cards shot out, revealing the profiles of the two fighters.

"And it looks like from Mermaid Heel it's Kagura Mikazuchi VS Vanessa Pularis from Fairy Tail!"

As the crowd cheered at the matchup, suffice to say members of Fairy Tail and Mermaid Heel were surprised, especially the selected participants. Shiin especially was shocked to see this matchup.

"It's Vanessa's turn?" Mirajane gasped.

"Oh wow, she's actually gonna fight Kagura?" Happy exclaimed.

"Is she even ready for something like this?" Vijeeter wondered.

"I'm not sure. That Kagura's freakin' scary, especially when she goes all out." Nab grimaced. Memories of the swordswoman's fight with Erza resurfaced that had all of Fairy Tail on the edge of their seats.

Erza immediately turned towards her sister-in-law. "This'll be your debut. Be careful, Kagura is not someone you should have your back to."

Vanessa nodded. "Thanks." She turned and started down the tunnel with her teammates cheering her on.

"You've got this, Vanessa! Show them what we're made of!" Lucy cheered.

"Break a leg, girl!" Cana chimed.

Gajeel scoffed. "This is gonna be good."

"Still, I can't help but feel worried." Juvia admitted, her emotions showing concern. "Kagura's a very strong opponent. She even held back against Lyon when they fought once."

Gray folded his arms. "Maybe so, but that was back then." He reminded her. "Besides, Vanessa's way stronger than she was two years ago. Bet she'll give Kagura a run for her Jewel."

Erza knew Gray wasn't wrong, but she knew from personal experience that it wouldn't be any kind of cakewalk for the young Pularis woman heading down to her first battle. 'This will be difficult, even for Vanessa. Even if she's Nic's sister, she still has to hold her guard high. It all comes down to the others' strategy.'

"Good luck, Kagura!" Beth cheered.

"Show those fairies what us mermaids are made of." Risley beamed.

"I will." Kagura calmly ventured through the tunnel, her expression calm and focused. As she made way through the corridor, she felt a sense of anticipation wash over her at her opponent. It wasn't Erza, but someone who definitely piqued her. 'Vanessa, huh…'

Something about her drew her in. That black hair, those blue eyes, and those facial features that unmistakably reminded her of Nic. And from the last names, it dawned upon her who she really was.

'This is going to be an interesting match.'

---

The door to the infirmary soon opened, revealing Sophie as she returned with three bottles of water and a hot dog on a bun covered in condiments. "You boys still awake in here?" She called out.

"Yo, Soph." Joey called mildly low from his bed. Unlike earlier, he looked to be far more conscious, a sign that he had made a nearly full recovery.

Sophie walked over, giving Dereece a bottle of water. "Thanks."

She then walked towards Duncan, who scoffed low. "Thanks."

Once she reached Joey, she presented him his bottled water and the hot dog he asked for. "I figured you didn't like relish, but they had mustard and ketchup."

"No, it's fine." Joey dismissed the notion and sat up to take the food. "Thanks, Soph. You're the best." Almost immediately, he began unscrewing the bottle's cap and gulped down some nice, cool water. After an exhausting day, it was well-deserved.

"Don't mention it." She looked around the room and noticed an absence. "Where's Porlyusica?"

"Think she stepped out for the restroom." Dereece answered between sips.

Sophie took the notion in stride and turned her attention towards the broadcast screen they were watch. "So, what did I miss?"

"We were kinda fading in and out through it, but I think Lamia Scale and Quatro Cerberus tied." Dereece answered.

"Yeah, and Shou knocked Jenny's lights out just now." Joey reported matter-of-factly.

"So that means we're up next." Sophie looked towards the screen as the matchups showed for their guild against Mermaid Heel. She'd be lying if she didn't feel anxious if she got to fight. She wasn't mentally prepared right now.

"Whoever it is…" Joey's words lingered as he took a bite of his hot dog. He chewed before swallowing. "We at least know half of what Mermaid Heel's mages can do."

"Now that I think about it, they hardly used Pokémon in the cross-country race, did they?" Dereece realized.

"Maybe they didn't have the Pokémon suited for speed. Or they wanted to save them for battles." Joey's gaze went towards the screen as the roulette began. "Either way, it doesn't help us. The more information we have, the better for us to work out a game plan."

"I hear that."

Duncan retained his silence, but he had to agree with Joey on this one. 'Feels like I'm starting to catch his wavelengths.' He didn't know if that was a good or bad thing.

The screen showed Kagura and Vanessa. "And it looks like from Mermaid Heel it's Kagura Mikazuchi VS Vanessa Pularis from Fairy Tail!"

Sophie's eyes widened. "It's Vanessa's turn?" An unnerving chill went up her spine as she turned towards Joey. "Joey?"

The male blonde froze mid-chew, his mouth hanging open. As if a switch flipped, he flipped out of bed and grabbed Sophie's wrists.

"Joey?!"

"C'mon, Sophie! I don't care if the freaking world is ending! I am not missing this!"

The voluptuous blonde shared the same sentiment, though she'd prefer her friend wasn't so forceful. She went along with him as the infirmary door closed behind them, leaving Dereece and Duncan in their beds to watch the games.

Duncan glanced over at his other teammate. "Not gonna bring him back here?"

"Nah, no point. You know him, once he gets like that, there's no stopping him. Trust me." Dereece groaned. He could expect Porlyusica to appear any moment ready to nag about their Captain's attentiveness. He chose to focus on the upcoming match instead. "Still, this is one heck of a matchup. I wonder how Vanessa's gonna do?"

Duncan wondered that as well. As he focused on Vanessa's icon, he remembered what he said to her earlier. For her sake, she better not lose.

'You and your brother sat high bars for us to reach. Don't even think of lowering them.'

---

Vanessa remained relaxed as she was on the edge of the tunnel's exit. She could hear the crowd's cheers rivaling thunder. Her aura could feel the crowd's adrenaline and expectations. She knew the real reason behind it though.

And it was standing behind her. "Came to wish me off?"

Standing behind Vanessa was Nic leaning against the tunnel walls. It didn't matter how he got there, but she was grateful to see him support her.

"Something like that. You nervous?" he asked.

Vanessa paused for a moment before responding with a smirk. "Were you, when you competed back then?"

Nic smirked. "Thought that'd be how you'd respond."

"Ironic that both our matches happened on the first day. Not sure whether to call that luck or Arceus telling us something." She joked. "Don't worry. Remember, I'm not alone in this fight."

"I never said I was worried." Nic responded.

The two siblings glanced at each other, their blue eyes telling the other all they needed to know. It was cathartic, having family there to support you. Vanessa would be lying if she said she wasn't elated by this feeling. She was grateful beyond words that she had a brother like him in her corner.

"Oh yeah, I remember something." Vanessa added. "Wait for me when we win this whole thing."

Recalling what was proclaimed in the locker room earlier, Nic didn't waver. "Yeah. Give them hell."

Vanessa smiled as she proceeded into the sunlight. The crowd went crazy as they saw the beautiful Pularis woman venture onto the field with such a relaxed yet well-rounded disposition. Their shock was just as palpable.

"Is that really Nic Pularis's sister?"

"I didn't know he had a sister! She's banging!"

"If Nic's her brother, that means she's gotta be as strong as him. Makes sense to me."

"Does she have powers like her brother?"

The questions and expectations went unanswered to Vanessa as she made way to the edge of the circle, meeting Kagura on the opposite side. The two opponents were positioned and looked ready.

'Vanessa Pularis…' Shiin watched the opening, his magic camera at the ready. Now that he thought about it, this was the first time he was going to see Vanessa in an actual battle utilizing both Pokémon and magic. 'The government made it clear the revelation of Nic having a sibling was a shock. They must be watching the broadcast while In-Sue is having a field day with the data he's collecting right now.'

From Fairy Tail's balcony, footsteps rushed through the tunnel before Joey beelined with Sophie catching herself. "Hey! Did we miss it?!"

Erza's eyes widened at the sudden entry. "Joey? Are you well already?"

Sophie adjusted her hair locks and sighed. "Take a guess why he rushed out of bed." She looked out, seeing Vanessa and Kagura opposing each other.

Kagura smiled at Vanessa. "I've always wondered what it would be like to face off against Nic properly. To think that you were his younger sister, the resemblance is uncanny now."

"You seem to be confused." Vanessa corrected. "I may be his sister, but…you're also forgetting that I'm another Trainer and mage like you."

The identity consultation left Kagura impressed. "Well said."

"Well, I for one am excited for a matchup like this." Lola admitted. "The sister of the Champion is making her debut right before our eyes!"

"You can see the family resemblance, that's for certain." Yajima chimed.

Professor Sycamore smiled brightly. "I remember when I first met her many years ago. She was a pretty resolute Trainer who picked Fennekin as her Starter. I'm looking forward to seeing how much she's grown."

On PokéEarth, Johanna, Michael, and Tan were at home watching the broadcast from Earthland. Suffice to say they were all shocked.

"Mom! Dad! Look, it's Vanessa! She's on TV!" Tan pointed out.

"I know." Johanna smiled, but excitement and worry were clearly evident. "Still finding it hard to believe myself."

"Hope she's careful." Michael fretted.

Mato rushed between the two to relay the rules. "Here's how it'll go, so listen closely. The battle between Vanessa of Fairy Tail and Kagura of Mermaid Heel will now begin. Each mage is allowed the use of two Pokémon. You are allowed to substitute Pokémon at any given time. Once both Pokémon or the mage are unable to continue, the match is over. Now mages, bring out your first Pokémon!"

Both women threw Poké Balls at the same time.

"Dewott, go!"

"You're up, Krookodile!"

Coming from Kagura's corner, energy morphed into a Dewott that stood on a knee. He slowly stood and opened his arms with a focused gleam. "I am ready."

The other energy slammed into the ground, kicking up dust that shrouded Vanessa's Pokémon. "KRRAAAAAAH~!" With a violent roar, Krookodile blew apart the dust and spread shockwaves across the arena, wowing the audience.

Natsu leaned over the balcony. "Say, what's that otter guy Kagura's got?"

"I gotcha." Lucy pulled out her PokéDex again, running an analysis.

"Dewott, the Discipline Pokémon. Strict training is how it learns its flowing double-scalchop technique."

Gray looked over at the excess data. "A Water-type? Vanessa's Krookodile is a Ground-type, right? She's at a disadvantage."

"That's true. But don't forget." Erza paused, her eyes narrowing. "She and Krookodile aren't pushovers."

On the field, Krookodile snarled as he faced Dewott. "Let me tell you something, Dewott and Kagura Mikazuchi of Mermaid Heel! I'm gonna chew up your weapons like gum, spit them out, and force you to fight with those!" He irate.

"You talk loudly for someone that has a large mouth. Be mindful of your words less they be the one to bite you." Dewott warned.

Krookodile clenched his claws. "You think I'm scared of vocabulary! Bring it on! Bring the whole spelling bee here! It's go time, man!"

The majority of everyone listening got nervous and confused at Krookodile's declaration. "Is he thinking he's fighting words or a battle?" the masses exasperated.

"I see he's still shy of a fully-functional noggin as always." Lucy nervously chimed.

"Maybe so, but he's freakishly strong." Cana reminded. "You go, Vanessa! Don't let them intimidate ya!"

Vanessa and Kagura glared at each other, waiting for the moment the fight would commence. Everyone was on the edge of their seats as the last battle for the day was going to begin. Nic was in the shadows of another tunnel, watching carefully for how Vanessa will handle this challenge.

"Is everyone ready? You have 30 minutes to seal the deal!" Mato reminded, backing off and chopping. "Battle…BEGIN!"

Almost immediately, Vanessa's aura alerted her of Kagura. Her eyes shifted over her shoulder as the swordswoman was on a knee with Archenemy at the ready. 'She's fast. Just as I thought!'

Kagura went for a slash, but Vanessa pivoted in time and used her Aura Guard to deflect the slash, shattering the defense in the process. The crowd awed at the reaction time displayed.

"She's as fast as I remember." Erza commented.

"Go, Vanessa-senpai!" Joey bellowed. "You got this! Knock that mermaid back into the sea!"

Kagura made attempts to slash, but Vanessa deflected them all using her aura. As fast and relentless her opponent was, Vanessa's aura proved to be a sturdy defense.

"And the fighters are already in a heated battle right from the get-go!" Lola announced. "Kagura's swift and decisive sword strikes are putting Vanessa on defense."

Vanessa was holding up her defense, until Kagura managed to outpace her. 'There!' She sheathed Archenemy and swiped at Vanessa's wrist, leaving her exposed. "Now you're mine!"

Vanessa remained composed. "You sure about that? Crunch, now!"

Kagura gasped. Behind her, a monstrous pair of glowing jaws threatened to chomp down onto her. She quickly moved out of the way of Krookodile's jaws and flipped across the ground to get a safe distance away.

"That was a close one." She muttered. "That thing's faster than I give it credit for. Dewott, Focus Energy!"

"Leave it to me!" Dewott stood still and closed his eyes. An orange aura enflamed his body and shot upwards.

"And it looks like Dewott is powering up for something!" Lola announced.

"Focus Energy is a move that heightened a Pokémon's chances of landing a critical hit." Professor Sycamore explained. "Seems Kagura wants to get some solid hits relying on type advantage."

"Keep Krookodile busy! Razor Shell!"

At her orders, Dewott plucked the two scalchops at his sides and moved them around, summoning blue blades that he crossed in front and darted towards Krookodile.

"Krookodile, Stone Edge!" Vanessa commanded.

Krookodile clenched a fist and roared as he drove it into the ground. A mild tremor erupted before a linear path of glowing blue precipices shot across at blistering speeds towards Dewott. In white outlines, Kagura blitzed through them, reducing all the stone to diced shrapnel and cleared a path for Dewott to get to Krookodile.

"You're mine, reptilian scoundrel!" He went to slash, but Krookodile moved around the slashes, proving his agility despite Dewott's advances.

"That Dewott's pretty resilient, I'll give him that." Beth chimed.

"I'll bet. Kagura's spent hours with him honing those scalchops he wields." Risley noted. "He's gotten to the point that he could put Kagura through her paces. That croc's got nothing.

Dewott grunted as he crossed his scalchops, ready to land a decisive blow.

"Dig!" Vanessa ordered.

Krookodile bent his knees and suddenly jumped over Dewott's strike, much to his shock. He watched as Krookodile dove into the battlefield and created a massive hole.

Vanessa knew not to be distracted, not when Kagura was right above her. She had her sword up and ready to strike, but Vanessa brought her hands up with teal aura. "Emanation Beam!" She fired a blast of teal aura that forced Kagura to pull back from her assault, forcing her to land a short distance away.

With distance between them, Vanessa took a leap and dropped into the hole, disappearing from sight.

"Looks like Vanessa and Krookodile are taking this battle underground!" Lola stated. "Just what are the two doing down there?"

"Is she using Dig to hide and wait it out?" Lucy wondered.

"No, not likely." Erza deduced. "I get the feeling she has some other tricks up her sleeve."

"Still, pretty amazing that she was able to read Kagura's movements like that." Gray admitted.

A proud smirk rose on Erza's face. "Well of course, we've spent an entire year in Kalos. She's gotten used to reading sword strikes after sparring with me countless times. I think she has a chance yet."

Nic remained silent as he watched amidst the roaring crowd, carefully observing the battle and his sister's efforts against Mermaid Heel's ace.

"Stay sharp, Dewott, they could come up from anywhere." Kagura warned, scouting the ground.

"Right!" He leered at the ground as well, hoping to sense where their opponents would come up to attack them. They couldn't hide forever, and when they do reveal themselves, they would be ready.

As time went on, Kagura felt like something wasn't right. She looked down as saw a teal portals beneath her and Dewott. Before they could react, two geysers of aura shot skywards, rattling the ground. Vanessa's Nugatory Burst landed its mark, forcing Kagura through the air, whereas Dewott managed to roll out of his pillar at the last second.

"That was close." He muttered.

Underground, Vanessa used her aura to track her opponents. Her arms were crossed as her wrist remained loose. "Nugatory Burst!"

Pillars of teal aura erupted across the battlefield, causing the entire field to rumble at the wake of the attack. Kagura made sure to dodge all the teal spots before they erupted into pillars, leaving her unable to stand in one place for more than a second.

"Kagura, hang on!" Dewott hurried over to help his Trainer, but he was blindsided when dirt and rock exploded in front of him. "What?!"

"I got a word you'll like: PAIN!" Krookodile arose from underground, smiting Dewott with his tail so hard that he went flying across the field, and misfortunately into an erupting pillar of aura.

Kagura paused as she looked on, her eyes wide with disbelief as she saw the towering pillar that her partner was struck by faded. A figment dropped towards the ground with a loud thud, revealing Dewott as he laid unconscious, his scalchops laying beside him.

"Dewott is unable to battle!" Mato declared.

The crowd went wild as Dewott's icon became a silhouette, indicating his elimination for Kagura's side.

Natsu clenched a fist. "Yeah, now we're talking!"

"That's a good strategy. Using her aura to separate them and conquer them." Lucy awed.

"Pretty badass you ask me." Gray admitted.

"Yeah, that's our girl. She and Krookodile are manly for that." Elfman smirked.

Amongst the guild, Joey was the most elated. "That's what I'm talking about! No holding back our Vanessa! You mermaids are fish food!"

Sophie chuckled. "Someone's worked up."

Krookodile let out a wild roar at the triumph. A red aura enveloped his body as his Moxie Ability activated, increasing his Attack.

"And now Kagura is down to one Pokémon, so if Vanessa can knock her or her last Pokémon out, the match is over." Lola reminded.

Kagura proceeded to recall Dewott, looking at his capsule with a small grin. "You fought hard. We'll work much harder next time." She pulled out another Pokémon Ball and threw it skywards. "Looks like I'll have to get serious. You're up, Doublade!"

The capsule opened, revealing Kagura's next Pokémon: A Doublade. The two sheathed swords pulled each other out, readily poised as the crowd cheered.

"A Doublade?" Wendy parroted.

Gray turned towards Erza. "Say, didn't you used to own one a while back yourself?"

Erza nodded. "I did. It was from when Aegislash's prior evolutionary form." She recalled the grueling battle fought against Saboth and his Demon Karbia sword. She even remembered what followed against her battle with Kyoka.

"And Kagura's second Pokémon is a Doublade!" Lola announced.

"A Steel and Ghost-type…" Professor Sycamore hummed less-than-enthusiastically. "Against a Ground ad Dark-type, Krookodile clearly has the advantage."

"I see, so then what compelled Kagura to make that choice?"

Down on the field, Kagura stood patiently. "Ready?"

Doublade nodded, understanding the assignment. The two swords moved to her arms, where the sheath stuck to her side, while the blades wrapped themselves around Kagura's arms. Her hands griped the pommels, and she stood with a focused glare that awed the audience.

"Doublade became her weapons?" Wendy wondered.

"Wonder what she taught that thing?" Gajeel questioned. A Poké Ball popped open from his pocket, revealing his Meltan. "The hell? Why're you out?"

Meltan moaned as its liquid eye focused on Doublade's shiny steel blades. It jumped into the air with glee and was about to dive into the stadium if it wasn't for Gajeel catching and holding it back.

"Pull yourself together! You can't eat that!" He berated.

"Mmmm! Mmmm!" Meltan feverishly whined.

Back in the battle Kagura stood still. She knew where Krookodile was, but now her focus was getting Vanessa out into the open. "You can't hide from us…not when we can do this!" She swiped Doublade's blades as they glowed. "Slash!"

Erza's eyes widened as she gasped. She realized what she was siming for. 'It's…!'

The ground sliced up in a certain spot, revealing Vanessa as she was brought out of hiding. She locked eyes with Kagura, who glared down at her. "Found you."

"HEY! YOU'RE FORGETTING ME!" Krookodile warned, coming up behind for another Crunch.

Kagura managed to anticipate the attack and planted a kick on Krookodile's abdomen, followed by Doublade using Slash to stagger him. Thankfully, because of the momentary distraction, Vanessa could jump out of the hole and face Kagura properly.

"Quite a clever trick you pulled back there. I must admit, I'm impressed." Kagura admitted.

"Likewise." Vanessa parroted. "Wasn't expecting you to rely on No Guard to track me down."

Elfman gasped. "Hang on, that Pokémon has No Guard as well?"

"Yes. And because of No Guard, no matter which side attacks, the one with No Guard guarantees they're unavoidable." Erza explained. "Even if they're underground."

"So much for hide and seek." Sophie grimaced.

"It's not over yet. Vanessa's still working with a type advantage. She just needs to take out Kagura or Doublade and it's over." Joey reminded.

Kagura crossed Doublade in front of her. "Swords Dance!" Doublade manifested illusionary swords that began circling around them. They crossed overhead and faded, a dense red aura enveloping the two swords.

"And it looks like Kagura's powering up for a counterattack. How will Vanessa respond to this?" Lola wondered aloud.

Erza stood apart with her and Krookodile glaring at Kagura from both sides. She observed the swordswoman for a while, only adding to the anticipation.

"I wonder how Vanessa's going to get past that?" Jet worried.

"I don't know, but she better act or time will run out." Droy reminded.

"This isn't good. Vanessa isn't a close-range fighter. And with a defense and offense like that, Kagura's gotten tougher to handle." Levy grimaced.

Laxus crossed his arms as he observed the battle studiously. "Hate to say it, but looks like this fight won't be as easy as we'd figured it'd be."

After several moments of contemplation, Vanessa finally acted. "Krookodile, return!" She held up her Pokémon Ball and withdrew Krookodile, only serving to brace their opponents more.

"What's this? It looks like Vanessa's making a substitution!" Lola announced.

Vanessa pulled out another Poké Ball and brought her arm around. "Go, Venusaur!"

The capsule popped open, unleashing Venusaur in midair. The large beast stamped onto the ground with a thundering thud. "Ready!" he boldly declared in a roar.

"And Vanessa pulls out her second Pokémon of the day – a Venusaur!"

Natsu blinked rapidly. "Venusaur? Why the heck would she use him?"

"Maybe if she's looking to get his leaves trimmed." Gray sourly joked.

"Funny, but is this really the time for jokes?" Juvia fretted.

"She's right. Venusaur is a Grass and Poison-type, and Poison-type moves have no effect on Steel-type such as Doublade." Erza recounted. "She must have something else in mind."

"An interesting choice. Wonder what that Pularis girl's thinking using that thing?" Millianna wondered.

"Whatever it is, it won't help her against Kagura and Doublade when they're like this." Risley proudly declared.

"She's right. I don't think I've seen them lose when they're like this." Arana noted.

Julia folded her arms as she watched the battle carefully. She kept her eyes on the battlers as she studied them, Vanessa in particular.

"We'll need cover." Vanessa instructed Venusaur. "Petal Blizzard!"

Venusaur understood the assignment. He let out another roar as an explosion of pink petals erupted from his body, expanding in all directions. The storm of petals struck Kagura and Doublade from all directions as they endured the brunt of the attack. Despite managing to hold her ground, Kagura's kimono gradually ascertained small tears.

"And Vanessa's Venusaur unleashes a full-scale attack! What force!" Lola detailed.

"Resorting to an omnidirectional attack, are you?" Kagura challenged. "It won't matter. Because of Doublade…" She used Doublade's swords as a guide, lunging straight ahead through the blinding pink blizzard. "You can't hide from us! Night Slash!"

Doublade's blades glowed bright purple and she skewered at pathway for Kagura and herself through the attack towards Vanessa and Venusaur. They scurried through at impressive speed – mostly on Kagura's part – but were shocked when a pair of huge energy fangs opened wide and caught Doublade's attack.

Kagura gasped as the Petal Blizzard finally let up, revealing Vanessa several meters away, her Aura Hydra activated and having two heads clamp down Doublade and holding Kagura's advance at bay.

"Woah! Would you look at that, folks?! It looks like Vanessa saw that move coming a mile away!" Lola gawked. "She lured Kagura and Doublade in, and it looks like whatever magic she's using has them stuck!"

"Since when did she learn to do that?!" Natsu and Gray shouted in unison.

"That's a new one to me, too." Lucy realized.

Cana smirked. "Looks like you were right, Erza. She's got some tricks up those sleeves of hers."

Kagura struggled to pull Doublade free from the teal aura jaws. They were surprisingly strong.

"Now, Toxic!" Vanessa shouted.

In the air, it was revealed Venusaur had used the Petal Blizzard as cover to get above, much to everyone's shock. He aimed his huge flower head and fired a thick purple liquid at Kagura. Just as she turned towards the sky, the Toxic met its mark, striking her back and exploded in a purple smoke.

"And a surprise attack by Venusaur struck Kagura! Will she be able to rebound after that?!"

Millianna gasped. "Oh no, Kagura!"

"Is she okay?!" Beth worried.

"We'll see." Risley said.

Everyone watched as the purple smoke diminished, revealing Kagura still standing. However, she looked to be struggling as dark purple, toxic bubbles came out of her body with a purplish blush on her face. "Cheap trick…" She grunted, the poison straining her voice.

Venusaur landed with a loud thud behind her. "Don't worry, the poison won't be lethal." He assured. "But with time, it'll be enough to knock you out."

Kagura's eyes widened. 'So that's their game now!'

Vanessa knew better than to let her get ahead. A third hydra head sprouted from her body and arched overhead. Its maw widened and unleashed an Emanation Beam at a close proximity. Kagura had no choice but to let go of her Doublade's swords and unsheathe Archenemy again to bisect the beam. Although, it was enough to keep her at bay.

Venusaur narrowed his eyes. "We have you now."

"Venoshock!"

Venusaur aimed his flower once again, this time unleashing an intense, pressurized stream of purple liquid into Kagura's back. The liquid made impact, resulting in a painful grunt that broke through the poisonous mist.

"Oh! That's gotta hurt!" Lola cringed.

"Venoshock is a Poison-type move that deals double its base damage if the target has been poisoned." Professor Sycamore explained. "In this case, Kagura took a lot of damage."

"Add that to the accumulating poison, odds aren't looking good for her." Yajima grimaced.

Vanessa manipulated the hydra heads and swung them into each other, bashing Doublade's swords together in a painful clang and threw them towards the ground. The cloud dissipated as Kagura was revealed on a knee, using Archenemy as a crutch to support her weakened state. More poisonous bubbles rose from her that only made it worse for her.

"It looks like Kagura managed to endure that attack, but it left her worse for wear." Lola announced.

"C'mon, Kagura! You can do this!" Beth cheered.

"Yeah! Don't let that fairy put you down! You know you still got plenty of fight in ya!" Risley berated.

"Stay strong, Kagura! Try and knock Vanessa out while you can!" Millianna suggested.

Kagura raised her head, her breath laboring from a sign of fatigue. She managed to get back up, though Doublade seemed to be struggling some.

"Venoshock!" Vanessa ordered. Venusaur unleashed another thick liquid that spearheaded its way towards Kagura.

Grunting, Kagura resorting to reaching for Doublade herself. "Sorry about this!" She used one of Doublade's swords to block the poison stream, causing it to sizzle as the passing streams made contact with the ground.

Vanessa added pressure by using her three hydra heads to unleash three teal beams at Kagura's back. "Slash!" The blades shimmered bright white as Kagura pointed Doublade's other blade at the tri-fold beams, effectively pinning her down.

In her grips, Doublade was grunting in distress. Despite her increased Attack power, the magic she was parrying was strong. She wasn't going to hold out much longer at this rate. It didn't help either that the poison was getting worse the more the battle dragged on.

They needed to change things, and they needed to now.

"Yeah! That's the way, Vanessa! Show and Venusaur show them we're not chumps!" Natsu cheered.

"That poison's gotta suck. How much longer would you give it?" Gajeel wondered.

Gray shrugged. "Depends. If she attacks or move, it'll definitely get worse. Probably a few moves more would do it."

Erza studied the battle intently, her focus on Kagura's position. She'd be lying if she said she was feeling some measure of pity for the Mermaid Heel mage and her other 'younger sister'. It was a strange feeling to have. She honestly wasn't sure who she was supposed to be rooting for at this point. 'Of all the matchups, it just had between these two…' She smiled bitterly at the irony. She was going to have to talk to Kagura about this later, depending on how the match would end.

Because she of all people knew that a cornered animal was the most dangerous.

Kagura raised her head, her focus stern on her face. A red magic seal expanded beneath her and her opponents within its vicinity, catching them by surprise.

"This is…!" Vanessa gasped.

Suddenly, gravity began to alter around them. A force was pushing against them from below, causing Vanessa and Venusaur to ascend into the air as though an unseen force was pulling them from the ground.

"It looks like the counterattack has finally begun! Looks like Kagura's Gravity Magic is taking this battle to new heights for the fairies and mermaids!"

"Woah there…!" Venusaur found himself unsteady in the lack of proper gravity. Vanessa managed to keep herself steady, but the lack of footing made them lose their momentum.

'Now we have you!' Kagura eyes narrowed. "Doublade, aim for Venusaur! Aerial Ace!"

"Yes!" Her two swords nodded.

Using her manipulation of gravity, Kagura leaped high into the air. She and Doublade separated and shot towards Vanessa and Venusaur respectively.

Kagura unsheathed archenemy and let out a battle cry as she closed in on her target. Vanessa's hydra heads open fired more beams, all of which were sliced and deflected.

"Archenemy: Slashing Form!"

Kagura blitzed through, her blade slicing Vanessa's surrounding hydra heads to oblivion. She and Vanessa only had a short distance between them when she brought her blade up ready to strike.

"Strong Form!"

"Vanessa!" Sophie shouted.

Vanessa grunted. With haste, her body released two more hydra heads at the last second, clamping their jaws on either side of the blade and holding it and Kagura back.

As the two struggled, Doublade spearheaded towards Venusaur. "You're mine, Venusaur!" She sliced past him with streaking blades, leaving energy gashes across Venusaur as he grunted low.

"This is bad. In the air, they're both sitting ducks!" Warren fretted.

"This can't go on forever! The poison's gotta take out Kagura first, it's gotta!" Romeo pleaded.

"It's seriously a neck-and-neck scuffle between these ladies!" Lola shouted with enthusiasm. "Will it be Vanessa and Venusaur who come out on top, or will it be Kagura? I just can't call it anymore!"

"This is surely a battle of mages and Pokémon alike." Yajima stated.

"You're Pokémon are stronger, I'll admit to that." Kagura grunted, her body feeling the intensified poison siphon more of her energy. "So, before I go down…I'll make sure you go first!"

A red magic seal appeared above them. The upscale gravity turned to freefall for a moment before they all started plummeting towards the ground. With what momentum she had, Kagura shoved Vanessa downward to ensure her back would hit the ground first.

"Crap, they're falling fast!" Gray exclaimed.

"With that force, it's seriously gonna hurt!" Elfman worried.

The entire team panicked as they watched the battle's climax. Their worries were palpable. Joey was no exception as he vigorously ate the hot dog he brought with him. Sophie clenched her fists tight, her green eyes glued on the battle and her partner's situation.

As they were descending, Vanessa looked towards the ground and saw it approaching fast! She had to hurry!

When she saw Doublade approaching Venusaur to finish what she started, she had an idea. 'This is our one chance!'

Venusaur opened an eye, seeing his opponent spear towards him.

"Now Venusaur, Earth Power!"

Venusaur's eyes started glowing orange. As they plummeted, the ground beneath them started shuddering. Cracks teeming with golden energy surfaced right below Venusaur and Doublade, though the latter was too focused on diving for her strike.

BLOOSH!

Molten energy shot skywards, erupting in a geyser-like fashion into Doublade from below. The dual-sword Pokémon only noticed at the last second and tried to pull back, but found herself unable to due to No Guard. She let out a scream of pain as she was blasted by the earthbound force.

Kagura glanced over her shoulder, looking shocked at the strike that engulfed her Pokémon.

'Now!' Vanessa unleashed a third Aura Hydra head straight from her abdomen, crunching down onto Kagura's waist and shooting her across the airspace. The swordswoman went arching into the fissure, creating an explosion that enveloped the battlefield.

Everyone watching gasped as they were on the edge of their seats. Most of Fairy Tail were on the edge of the railing with shocked and frantic looks. Joey looked like he was having a mild heart attack from ecstasy and horror. Professor Sycamore stood up from his seat with concern. Shiin also shared shock at the scene laid before him.

"Woah! Looks like Vanessa managed to get Kagura off at the last second! But are any of them okay?!" Lola worried.

The dust eventually settled, revealing two silhouettes standing against the other. They were both on a knee and looking battered, but alas, one could be the winner.

Vanessa gradually stood up, managing to be eye level with Kagura as she held Archenemy in one hand. She stood so composed that it was almost unnerving. Both had some dirt from the scuffle, but they seemed fine otherwise.

"Tell me…" Kagura started. "Are you as strong as Nic?"

Vanessa lightly grinned. "There's no one more capable than him." She admitted. "But I like to believe that I come close."

A smile crossed Kagura's face, seemingly satisfied with her answer. "You otherworlders are full of surprises…" Before she could say anymore, more toxic bubbles arose from her body, which proved to be the last straw. Unable to stand any longer, the swordswoman collapsed to the ground unconscious.

The dust settled beside her, revealing Doublade laying on her crossed sheath with swirls in her eyes.

Mato managed to overcome his shock, raising his arm. "Both Kagura and Doublade are unable to battle! Which means the winner is Vanessa Pularis of Fairy Tail!"

Kagura and Doublade's icon turned to silhouettes and shoved to the side as Vanessa, Krookodile, and Venusaur's icons overtook the screens with the word 'WINNER' in gold embroidery. The audience broke out onto an ecstatic cheer at the results of the battle that definitely shook the entirety of the competition.

"No way…" Risley gawked.

"Kagura…actually lost?" Millianna paused, letting the notion sink in.

Arana looked dismayed, but understanding of the situation. "Seems even she has her limits."

Julia remained silent as she saw the results of the battle. She didn't look as shocked, but it was clear that she was impressed with the display, if but a little.

"I don't believe it! Against all odds, Fairy Tail's Vanessa Pularis managed to work through it and cause Kagura to fall! What an uproarious first day, ladies and gentlemen!" Lola shouted.

"That was all the results of the clear trust and coordination Vanessa and her Pokémon shared." Yajima smiled proudly, his Pansear doing backflips of joy beside him. "She's what I would call the epitome of someone whose mastered magic and Pokémon training to a perfect blend."

"Yes! That's our girl!" Michael shot up from his couch with a proud smile.

Johanna looked relieved as she put a hand over her chest. "That was almost too scary to watch."

"They won! They won!" Tan cheered. "Mom! Dad! Vanessa beat her, did you see that?!"

Michael rubbed his son's head. "Sure did. She's definitely come a long way from when we took her in."

Inside the infirmary, Porlyusica, Dereece, and Duncan were watching the conclusion of the games. The apothecary turned away with a smile. "These young ones, I swear…"

"She's definitely something." Dereece admired. "Gonna take some serious effort to reach that level, right Duncan?"

Duncan stared at the monitor, taking in everything he saw just now. If he was elated in some shape or form, he was doing a good job concealing. But one fact was certain, and that it was Vanessa was more capable than he realized. And he wasn't going to fall behind that.

The crowd whistled and cheered in glee in an echo around Vanessa and Venusaur as they praised her battle.

"That was awesome!"

"She's got some serious skills!"

"Yeah, and her Pokémon are so strong!"

"Well I can tell ya one thing, if they can do that to Mermaid Heel's ace, I sure ain't messing with them."

Vanessa heard everyone's cheers, but she was focused on someone more important to her. Using her aura, she turned in the direction of a certain tunnel amidst the populace. She saw her brother making eye contact with her, to which he was smiling. She reciprocated the smile.

"That's the way, yeah!" Gray smiled.

"Man, she and her Pokémon kicked some serious butt out there!" Elfman exclaimed.

"Hell yeah! That's our girl!" Cana cheered.

"Vanessa-senpai~!" Joey was perhaps the most enthusiastic about what he saw. He was a sputtering mess as the rest of the words were incomprehensible, but otherwise he was overwhelmed with excitement and joy.

Sophie chuckled at her friend's respect towards Vanessa. She turned ahead and smiled. 'That really was awesome. I'm speechless as well.'

"Yes, she certainly did." Erza couldn't help but smile with joy. Memories of all the times they've spent together over the years flashed in her mind. From how meek and inexperienced Vanessa was in the beginning, she went through some harsh battles that toughened her up. It honestly astounded her just how profound she's become. 'She's come a long way.'

The medical team proceeded to take Kagura and Doublade off the battle area. Once she was on the stretcher, the swordswoman weakly opened her eyes, the bright sunlight making her uncomfortable. However, she could make out a silhouette that stood above her. "You…"

Vanessa reached for something and placed it in Kagura's hand. "Here, for you."

Kagura glanced down at the object in her hand. It was a Pecha Berry.

"The poison mostly dissipated once you went out, but it'll help just in case."

Kagura mustered a small smile of gratitude. "Erza's lucky to have you as a sister-in-law."

With those words, she was carried off to get treated alongside Dewott and Doublade. Vanessa saw her off with a smile. Her aura was definitely warmer than when she was in the past. She didn't know the specifics, but she had an idea of what it could be.

"And with that, Fairy Tail earns 10 points for their team." Lola declared. "And so, here are the final results of Day 1's scores."

1st: Fairy Tail – 20

2nd: Sabertooth – 16

3rd: Lamia Scale – 13

4th: Quatro Cerberus – 5

5th: Blue Pegasus – 4

6th: Mermaid Heel – 2

"In 1st place, it's the guild that everyone's watching – Fairy Tail! Though not far behind sitting in 2nd place and only 4 points off is Sabertooth, with Lamia Scale right on their tail. The following teams of Quatro Cerberus, Blue Pegasus, and Mermaid Heel are still in the single digits, but we'll see how they try to sweep the rug beneath us tomorrow! With how these games are now, you don't know what to expect! Stay tunes, folks!"

"That was a very riveting set of events. Looking forward to what tomorrow brings." Yajima noted.

"Bien! Everything was splendid to see." Professor Sycamore chimed in. "To see all these people and Pokémon working together towards a common goal, it's absolutely inspiring. I'm truly grateful to have been invited for this. Thank you for having me here."

"Likewise, Professor." Lola chimed. "Well, that concludes today's Grand Magic Games. Tune in for tomorrow's action same time, same channel!"

"Man, I can't believe we got the bottom barrel." Risley grimaced. "Really wished Kagura had won."

"We've got a lot of grindin' to do these next couple days." Beth grimaced.

"We should go see if Kagura is alright." Arana suggested, turning to walk away.

"Yeah, we need to go cheer her up after that! No way we're gonna fall that hard again!" Millianna declared. "Watch out Erzy and Vanessa, cuz the nice kitty paws are coming off!"

Goldmine smirked at his team's placement. "Well, it's better than what it was before. We ain't falling behind this year."

"Just you wait, Makarov's grandson! Your guild's going down, and we'll do it by our own hands!" Obaba declared.

Ichiya posed in front of his team. "Our guild's parfume has yet to fully blossom. Expect tomorrow to be when we make that happen."

"I can't wait. Tomorrow's really gonna be something." Sting smirked.

Laxus could feel the anticipation, and it made him smirk with some lightning crackling from his body. "Bring it."

Back on the field, Venusaur turned towards Vanessa. "We should head back now?"

"Yes, we should. I'd imagine we'll be wringing another tavern dry tonight." Vanessa mused at the thought. As she and Venusaur started for the tunnel, the Aura Mage could feel a similar aura from before. She turned her attention back towards Mermaid Heel, where she locked eyes with Julia for a moment. She could feel the expectations resonating from her, but it was like she was being sensed as well. It was a strange feeling. Was she sizing her up?

"Vanessa?"

Hearing Venusaur, she pressed on. "Nothing. Let's go."

As they exited the arena, the audience began filing out. Many were chattering with ecstasy about the games and how Fairy Tail usurped Sabertooth's place as the mightiest guild. Yet, still in the stands, Shiin was still speechless at what he saw. The coordination, the moves used, the way that Vanessa Pularis was able to challenge the likes of an elite swordswoman like that. It was absolutely baffling, yet awe-inspiring at the same time.

'To be able to counter someone of that expertise…that swordswoman and Erza herself could give Captain Nielva a run for her Jewel…'

"Free!" Butterfree began his descend beside Shiin, the video lacrima around his neck deactivated.

"Were you bale to get all that?"

Butterfere nodded. "Free."

Shiin sighed. "Then, suppose I must thank you. Come." He started to walk away, with Butterfree in tow. "We'll find some nice berries as your reward. Will that suffice?"

"Free!" He chirped merrily.

'id' hate to waste expenses on something like this.' Shiin berated himself as he glanced over his shoulder, seeing Butterfree's antennae slightly shifting, his feet kicking up; they were signs that he was happy. It brought a meek smile to his face. 'Well, even soldiers need their incentives. I have to admit, I'm looking forward to what else these games will bring.'

The first day of the X793 drew to a close, and with it, the competitors were set. Only six guilds with scores to settle. Old rivals meeting once more with new tricks. New rivals with new tricks. The old and the new coming together in this monumental festival that was to be the face of the age of mages, Trainers, and Pokémon working together to overcome impossible odds.

And as the flame of Moltres continued to burn brightly, so did everyone's spirits.

---

Happy Spring! And that's a wrap for Day 1! I warned last chapter that it was going to be a long one, but even I wasn't expecting to drag it out this long. The biggest factor was perhaps the battle between Quatro Cerberus and Lamia Scale. In all honestly, I felt like it was really sour how that guild was nothing more than a joke in the Grand Magic Games. They scored so poorly, lost every match, and didn't get anywhere remotely. In all fairness, Fairy Tail was just like that for seven years before everyone came back, so I figured that with the inclusion of Pokémon, I figured that Quatro Cerberus deserves to at least have a fighting chance. I think that I was able to get that point across with their fight this chapter. I won't say they'll be a force to be reckoned with, but they won't be a laughingstock anymore, I can guarantee that for those who felt like they deserved better.

The toughest fight had to be Vanessa VS Kagura without a doubt. I was racking my brain literally for almost a whole day trying to figure out how to choreograph the last half of their fight, and if I should've had them go for a tie, or have Vanessa take the win. It was a tough call, but I think that Toxic Venoshock was a tremendous factor, as was Venusaur's veteran battling experience. Of course, I didn't want Vanessa going all out and using her Aura Guardian for something like this. She's not the type to do that.

My next update will be at the end of March. The first day of the Grand Magic Games comes to a close, and Fairy Tail is partying it up. However, Nic has some business with the Cambire Foundation, and Duncan continues to remain aloof. As the second day begins, who will be the next to surprise everyone?

Please leave a review to share your thoughts, and thanks for reading!