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

90. The Pre-Game Banquet

Night had fallen upon Earthland, with the East Forest's nocturnal life was bustling. Morelull faintly glowed as their numbers blanketed the forest floor. Hoothoot were hooting hour by hour, and wild Oddish roaming freely after being buried all day in the dirt.

And yet, this tranquil life had another story within its thicket. In its depths, within one of its many clearings, there was a human with bated breath facing a Torterra. The human held his segmented baton with colorful lacrima ready to activate.

It was Duncan Roserto, one of Fairy Tail's many otherworld Pokémon Trainers doing his nightly routine of training. Far out here where he and his team, The Freaks, would often train, he spends his time here alone trying to keep a leg up on the competition. Said competition had two meanings to it: His guildmates, as well as the upcoming Grand Magic Games. He knew the participants they could be pit against were experts on their magic, veterans who had years to hone their craftsmanship in the arts that this world provided. And right now, Duncan was doing just that.

Spreading his legs, he clenched the staff tighter. "Leaf Storm!"

Understanding the motive, Torterra let out a loud roar as the leaves on his shell's tree glowed brightly. A barrage of whirling, glowing leaves tore through across the ground, tearing it up as it closed in on Duncan.

Duncan willed his magic into the Elfen Forja, causing the gears to shift the red and green lacrimas into activation. They shined brightly as he began twirling, a combination of whirlwinds and flames accumulating in the momentum.

"Twin Gears: Burning Storm!"

He faced the oncoming Leaf Storm and pivoted, exerting a spiraling cyclone of burning winds that funneled over a broad area. The added air pressure increased the speed that it traveled so it could intercept the Leaf Storm faster. The two attacks met in the center, the wind pressure brought by both forces mixing as it came down to power. Duncan kept spinning and pumping magic, keeping the force up until the momentum gave out.

Charred leaves and embers fluttered towards the ground between them, Duncan exhaled, relaxing his muscles like he did during his kendo training. He didn't let up as the two gears shifted back into place, with the blue and brown lacrimas glowing.

Water and Earth Magic began fusing as he twirled it overhead, building up momentum to bring downward.

"Twin Gears: Mud Slide!"

The two magics fused, becoming an oncoming wave of mud that closed in on Torterra. However, the veteran battler didn't show any signs of hesitation as he faced the Muddy Water phony of an attack. Green energy surrounded his tree that shaped into a stump.

"Wood Hammer!" The energy extended into a log that punctured a hole through the thick mud, barreling towards Duncan on the other side. However, the Trainer had already anticipated this as his baton was already lit ablaze once more, bashing into the stump's flat, ramming end.

Despite his efforts, Duncan found himself sliding backwards to a halt. He panted heavily as he caught his breath, Torterra's Wood Hammer dispersing as the fresh mud blanketed the clearing.

He was exhausted, but he refused to stop. He knew he was getting somewhere after all this time. 'I finally have enough control of my magic for my Twin Gears. I just need to focus on shifting the magic into different lacrima faster.' He wasn't satisfied with where he was. He wanted to be better, faster, stronger. He wanted to do so much more with the Elfen Forja that he hasn't had the Magic Power for. 'If I can evenly spread my magic through all five, I can use my full power. I just need…!'

He didn't get to finish his train of thought before he took notice of Torterra stamping on the ground, sending a linear path of dense, sharp stones glowing bright blue his way. Duncan activated his Earth Lacrima and slammed down on the sharp stone coming straight below him, causing it to smash to pieces. He pulled back and landed on a knee, panting.

"You're slipping." Torterra noted.

Duncan scoffed, holding his weapon up. "That won't happen again."

Torterra could tell where this was heading and sagely closed his eyes. "Perhaps a respite would do for now."

Duncan scoffed back. "That's funny. Since when did you become the Trainer? You and I both know this is far from over."

An expectant answer from his Trainer. He had to give him credit for his tenacity. He's never been one to take things slow. Even when they first knew each other all those years ago. He hummed as he spread his sturdy legs apart. "Whatever you say."

Duncan was back on his feet, gripping his staff. He wasn't going to slow down. He had to keep pushing! He wasn't going to get dragged down like he did before.

"Your heart does not yearn for the easy road, boy." Tophet's words echoed in his mind. "What you seek now is but mending that must be sewed." His grip tightened as he recalled more painful words.

"Duncan…find your strength. Find it…for me…"

Gnashing his teeth, he poured magic into the Elfen Forja, causing all five lacrima to flicker. 'I won't rest…until I have that strength.' He glared ahead, his cap shadowing his grueling glare. 'No matter who stands in my way!'

---

As the days passed, the members of Fairy Tail were hard at work to get the job requirements needed to participate in the Grand Magic Games. With 25 jobs already under their belt, the guild worked to get the remaining number that they needed.

…

Job #26

Gray and Juvia stood alongside a newly established riverbank, courtesy of Juvia's Blastoise blasting bedrock while Gray used his magic to redirect the water from the mainstream. And with Snover's help, cutting down tree branches to help the Bidoof and Bibarel get a head start on their relocated dams made the process that much smoother. With the riverway undisturbed now, Gray and Juvia high-fived, with Snover cheering and Blastoise shooting spouts from his cannons in celebration.

…

Job #27

Inside a furnished pub, Cana was drinking away as the bandits who were using Pokémon to harass the establishment were all in a stack of cards that sat beside her on the counter. As she sat on a bar stool, drinking down another keg amongst many, her Liepard, Prinplup, and Vulpix huffed with their own pride at the job well done,

…

Job #28

Tropius hummed as she was flying across Death Valley, Sophie on her back as she was memorizing the layout below. She pointed at a spot and Vanessa instructed Krookodile to dig a fresh route through that area for safe passage. The two girls looked towards each other and smiled confidently in their job's success.

…

Job #29

Team Natsu stood against a horde of rowdy Primeape that have been terrorizing the outskirts of Freesia for days. Unfortunately for the anger-embodied Pokémon, they had the displeasure of having to run into a bait trap set by Grovyle leading them into a Stealth Rock trap set by Tyrunt. It didn't end there as they were met with Taurus's axe and Lucy's whip that sent them flying along with the earth that stood beneath them. Any else were frozen by Gray and Snorunt, blown around by Wendy and Dragonair, or sliced by Erza and Aegislash. And it only piled on when Natsu came into the picture.

Suffice to say, a good chunk of forest was flattened into a field of char littered by unconscious Primeape.

…

And so, the days went by within Magnolia. The sun was shining as always, and the members of Fairy Tail were up to their daily business as usual. Things within the guild were as lively as they always were. Active or inactive, everyone was just happy to be in a place they could call home.

"Man, that job was a total piece of cake." Natsu beamed with glee as he put his hands behind his head, resting in a booth with Happy and Lucy. "They made it sound like they were a hassle."

"Really? Cuz considering how much of the forest was left, I'm wondering who the real hassle was." Lucy dryly countered.

"Dat's Natshu hor ya." Happy agreed, a fish muffling his words.

"Well I'm just glad we got the job done without much trouble." Wendy smiled, Carla in her lap and Swablu dozing off in her hair.

"Yes, me too. Because with this large of a group, we would've trashed half the city otherwise." Carla quipped.

Gray sat idly back, shirt off as expected. "Sure they're being managed just fine now that the Cambire Foundation took them in." He noted.

Juvia, who was sitting beside him, nodded in agreement. "Well given how the Cambire Foundation has been on a steady recovery streak, I wouldn't push their buttons." She urged. "Don't forget, they are the ones giving out these jobs for us to begin with."

"You have a point." Erza agreed. She sat at an adjacent table with Nic and Vanessa, the latter drinking from a glass of fresh lemonade from concentrate. Junior was hopping around the guild, interacting with other Pokémon at Staraptor's insistence. "It's thanks to them that we have plenty of work. We should be grateful for their consideration of us."

"Well, it's because of some of the jobs we've been getting that we've been coming across some new Pokémon." Sophie chimed in, recalling her recently caught Tropius.

"That's true. Our guild's strong enough as is, but with this change…" Vanessa pondered, putting a hand to her chin with looking down at her glass introspectively. "Just how much stronger? I'm actually worried about the competition."

Natsu shrugged. "Who cares? We'll beat them all in whatever kind of battle it is, right Happy?"

"You betcha! Especially if it's a fishing competish!" He quipped.

Carla looked at him with a deadpanned expression. "Somehow I'm not surprised to hear that from you."

Erza turned towards Nic. "Speaking of the games, Nic, have you and Arthur squared everything out regarding the games?"

Nic nodded affirmatively. "Aside from a few small errands, yeah. Everything's wrapped up preparations wise. The games should be fully organized by the time it begins."

At an adjacent table, Cana brought a barrel of booze down with a thud and sighed. "About time! Been hyping us up for ages. Let's a get a move on so I can sample the liquor over there."

Liepard, who was sleeping at her feet, opened an eye towards her. 'That all you wanna do? Y'know…forget it.'

"Hm? Speaking of…" Sophie turned towards the job request board. Despite the large amount of space it took up, she could only see so few jobs available. "It doesn't look like there's much work today."

"We know. We tried looking for a Cambire Foundation job earlier." Gray informed.

"Unfortunately it seemed like there wasn't any available." Juvia grimaced.

Mirajane, who was walking by, turned with a smile. "Hm? You're talking about jobs needed for those stamps, right?"

"I think I saw one earlier, but Joey and his guys took that one." Max quipped.

Nic turned towards him. "That so?"

"Yes, they left bright and early. I can confirm that myself." Freed chimed in. "I believe that the job tasked them to acquire a Gabite Scale from a wild Gabite taking place inside a cave."

Natsu raised a brow. "Huh? Gabite Scale?"

"Oh, I think I heard about that once." Levy noted. "It's in the PokéDex. Apparently their scales have very rich medicinal properties to them. They're said to even cure illnesses and diseases that even seasoned magic healers can't cure."

Erza put a finger on her chin and hummed. "With properties like that, it'd make sense they're so valuable."

Vanessa turned towards Nic. "Nic, you caught Garchomp when he was a Gible, right? When he evolved into a Gabite, did you use any of his scales?"

"Hmm…" Nic blinked, trying to think of his past training with Garchomp's pre-evolved form. "Honestly, not really. It wasn't like we were unhealthy since we were working out and training all the time."

As the guild was going about its conversation, Shiin, as expected, was sitting at his designated table. He was eyeing everyone, especially Nic as he listened in on his conversation. Naturally he was taking mental notes that would go into his nightly reports later on, but for the moment he was docile and seemed intrigued, if not curious, about these Gabite Scales himself. He already learned so much from being in Lumiose City a few days ago, and he was still processing everything he saw and learned from there. All this new information was starting to get to him.

'Even these Pokémon can cure diseases?'

"Well I hope they make it back okay." Levy worried.

"I'm more worried if they'll make it back on time. The deadline for the 30-Job prerequisite is here." Jet reminded.

"Yeah, something tells me we're not going to be getting anymore job offers from the Cambire Foundation this late." Droy chimed in, his mouth stuffed with meat as always. "It's already September 22nd, and Autumn just started. Didn't they mention the deadline is a week before the games begin."

"Yes, I do believe that's right." Carla answered.

"In other words, tomorrow. Great." Gray huffed. "So basically this might be the last job they'll issue us for the season."

"I wouldn't worry so much about it if I were you." Evergreen smirked. "From what we've seen, The Freaks can handle their own just fine."

"Yeah, remember Joey's plan during the whole rebellion. Hard to beat someone who can think like that." Bickslow added.

Sophie chuckled, knowing that to be true. She noticed Vanessa glancing at her newly designed fingernail polish. "Oh, like this?" She showed the delicate patterns of swirling white and midnight-blue glitter gloss. It reminded one of a snowy mountain night.

"Yeah, that's a new pattern. Let me guess, did Joey do them for you?" Vanessa deadpanned.

Sophie smirked. "Jealous? Sure he'd be delighted to do yours too."

The two girls chuckled, earning confusion from a few.

"What're they giddy about?" Gajeel questioned.

"Probably something manly." Elfman proclaimed.

Natsu stretched overhead, getting up. "Well wherever they are, hope they wrap up soon. All this waiting around is-!"

"Hey guys, they're coming back!" Warren warned. Using his Telepathy, he could hear the thoughts from outside coming closer. "It's the Freaks! They're here!"

"Wait, for real?!" Lucy gasped.

"Well speak of the devil." Cana slyly said, before lifting the barrel to resume her fill.

Just then, the guild's saloon doors flew open. Everyone's attention fell onto The Freaks as they returned from their recent job. Everyone, even Shiin, gave them expectant looks. Given the circumstances, it was a given.

"Huh?" Junior hopped to a halt, giving time for Nab's Munchlax to gradually catch up before comedically falling onto his face.

The Freaks stood before their guildmates, looking neutral if anything else. Mirajane walked to the front with a smile. "So, how did the job go?"

"…" Joey turned towards Dereece, then Duncan; all three still retaining neutrality if not mild confusion. Though when Joey began to show signs of visible hesitation, the guild started to look uneasy.

"Was it…really that hard?" Wendy worried.

Joey took a deep breath through his nose, then sighed outwards. "I gotta say, that Gabite didn't make it easy." He admitted.

Everyone frowned.

"But…" Joey suddenly flashed the job flier, which had a noticeably large red stamp on it. A big smile crossed his face. "We Freaks don't take it easy either! Boom! How do you like us now?!"

Everyone erupted into cheers at the accomplishment made.

Lucy let out an exhausted sigh. "They really had us there. Talk about keeping us on our toes."

"I know, right?" Gray smirked.

"Yeah, now we're talking! That's our party boy right there!" Cana cheered.

"A fine job indeed, you three. Because of you, our guild's finally eligible to compete." Erza commended. "You three hold your heads high, you are this guild's pride and joy."

Nic smirked, sharing his wife's sentiment.

A bright smile came across Dereece's face. "Ya mean it?"

Duncan huffed, showing no apparent need for the praise.

"Alright then. Everyone, listen up!" A voice shouted with a slight booming effect. Everyone in the guild knew only one person who could do that. They all turned towards the bar to see Laxus standing upright, arms folded across his chest. He had a serious expression on his face that made it clear to everyone he was going to make an announcement.

"As you know, the Grand Magic Games this year has a quota to meet, and we just reached it. That being said, we can't sit around and twiddle our thumbs and wait for the competition. I want all of you who meet the required participation requirements to spend the rest of your time training and getting prepared."

"Yes, sir!" The guild exclaimed back.

"This'll be something." Gajeel sneered.

"I'm actually looking forward to these games." Pantherlily admitted. "The year before was one to remember."

"Yeah? Well get those history books ready because Fairy Tail's gonna be making history!" Natsu declared.

"Aye, sir!" Happy beamed.

Dereece turned towards Joey. "Well Captain, looks like we've got some more work to do."

"Yeah, looks like it." Joey beamed. But he didn't look at all disappointed, rather the opposite. "Alright, Freaks! Rest up, because we're hitting the battlefield after this!"

As everyone was cheering and making plans for their training, Duncan eyed the Pularis duo from afar. His gaze was unnervingly intense as he watched their backs as they were talking. But for a moment, they seemed to have caught on and glanced back. It was like a predator watching his prey.

This time, he was going to make sure the apex predator was him.

---

And so, the guild's members began their preparations for the games in their own way.

…

Natsu stood in the middle of a clearing. Surroundings him was Charmeleon, Darumaka, and Tyrunt. All three glared at him readily while the Dragon Slayer remained passive for the moment.

His eyes dilating, Charmeleon suddenly blitzed after him via Aerial Ace. Darumaka and Tyrunt followed in pursuit, with Headbutt and Bite respectively. Despite the opposition, Natsu sidestepped Charmeleon's claw, then Darumaka's forehead. When Tyrunt went to bite his head, he leaned off to the side. Charmeleon suddenly flanked him and went for a jab at his side, but fell short when his wrist was caught.

Charmeleon gasped. He found the world spinning as he was thrown overhead. He managed to catch himself and land on his feet on a nearby rock.

Tyrunt and Darumaka leaped once again with the same attacks, but to their shock, Natsu caught them with one hand each. He spun around as his hands ignited and threw them towards Charmeleon. He managed to catch his comrades, but was thrown off and all three went tumbling across the ground, ending up sprawled a short distance from each other.

"C'mon, don't tell me that's all you guys got?" Natsu challenged.

Charmeleon growled as he attempted to stand. "Not…even close." He heaved. Slowly, Tyrunt and Darumaka arose beside him. "In fact, I think we're just about warmed up!"

Natsu smirked eagerly. "Then bring it!"

All three charged at Natsu again.

As the training progressed, Happy was watching while nibbling on a fish.

…

"Beast Soul Fusion: Chimera!" Elfman roared as his body changed to his hybrid Take-Over. The forest around him shuddered violently from his roar that scared away birds. He hunched forward, a hot breath escaping as he glared at his Machoke, who brought two boulders in hand together, causing them to crumble in front of him. As expected, Machoke didn't wear his belt, leaving his power sweltering.

"Let's go!"

Both roared as they sprinted towards each other, fists pulled back aiming for the other.

…

Over by a sea, nearly fifty complex shapes of water levitated over the sea. As Juvia was keeping her breathing steady so as not to lose concentration, Gray froze them all. Fifty frozen targets were in place for everyone.

As they gave commands, Snover unleashed a wave of Razor Leaf, whereas Snorunt fired an Ice Shard. Juvia's Vaporeon unleashed an Aurora Beam whereas Blastoise's cannons charged with light before blasting with Flash Cannon.

The targets shattered to fragments that scattered into the sea. Gray and Juvia smiled as they looked at each other at a job well done.

Of course, when one shard hit the beach, Snorunt immediately took to munching on it, much to Gray's annoyance.

…

In the midst of another forest clearing, Grovyle was in his element. He leaped from tree to tree while avoiding Sagittarius's arrows. The Celestial Spirit was working on his aim while at the same time Grovyle was honing his maneuverability and agility through the canopies.

"Star Shot!" Lucy, in her Sagittarius Star Dress, fired a glowing arrow that spearheaded towards Grovyle as he was heading her way.

Grovyle harrumphed. His arms' leaves glowed and extended into Leaf Blade and sliced downwards, carving the arrow into halves that continued past him, spearing clean through multiple trees.

Lucy triumphantly snickered, whereas Grovyle looked bemused at best.

"Alright, now I'm warmed up. Klefki!"

Klefki hummed as she tossed another key towards Lucy.

…

"Sky Dragon's Wave Wind!"

"Twister!"

"Icy Wind!"

"Mirror Move!"

The four attacks launched created a massive tornado that swirled with chilling blue whirlwinds. Swablu, Amaura, and Arcelia were focused on maintaining a steady threshold whereas Wendy was at the epicenter, using her magic to control the wake of the increasing cyclone around her.

When her eyes opened, she raised her arms skywards, forcing the subzero tornado to snake through the air at incredible speeds.

…

Under the new autumn sun, Joey stood before his Pokémon with his beloved Boombox at his side. With a hard exhale, he swept his hand through his hair, raking it back. "Alright…from the top!"

He pressed the play button on the Boombox. As the Captain of The Freaks was doing his own training, Dereece was high above, working more on his magic control while trying to avoid Heracross's Pin Missile.

…

Erza stood in place, surrounded by all her Pokémon. Clasped in her Armadura Fairy Armor, she held her Armadura Aggron Armor's heavy sword and her Flame Empress Armor's sword in both hands. She inhaled through her nose, and out her mouth, relaxing her muscles before opening her eyes. "Come at me!"

Aegislash shifted to her Blade Form, the sharp edging on her body glowing purple as she went for Night Slash. Scizor rushed in with Bullet Punch, while Clyster wasn't far behind with Razor Shell. Talonflame flew from above with Steel Wing, Slurpuff lunging for a Play Rough, and Houndoom sprinting for Fire Fang.

Erza braced herself and slashed in opposite directions, making everything white.

…

Krookodile roared as he went to chomp at a teal draconic energy head, but found another one flanking him. Had it not been for Mawile bashing it with Iron Head, it would've bit him. He continued as his Crunch landed its mark, forcing the head to disfigure into a teal haze.

Mawile huffed. "You're welcome~."

"Let me tell you something, Mawile!" Krookodile objected, angrily pointing at her. "I-!"

Before he could finish, more hydra heads opened wide and headed towards him. A Flamethrower and Flash Cannon flanked the two heads and caused them to turn to hazy teal stubs. Krookodile and Mawile turned to see Delphox and Magnezone covering for them.

"Focus, you two!"

"Save the squabbles on your downtime!"

Krookodile snarled, turning away with arms crossed. "…whatever!"

Farther away from the two, Venusaur and Goodra turned towards each other, understanding what they needed to do. As three hydra heads shot towards them. Venusaur let out a roar as his leaves expelled a full-scale cyclone of pink petals, via Petal Blizzard.

The tempest of sharp, harsh petals deterred the aura heads, but it didn't last for long before they started barreling through, locked on their targets. As they breached the veil of petals, they were met with Goodra's Power Whip, her glowing green horns extending and smashing into the heads, turning them into stubs.

The numerous destroyed lengths wriggled around in front of the team. At the epicenter of it was Vanessa, who was sitting cross-legged with eyes closed as she was focusing her Magic Power on maintaining her Aura Hydra.

Slowly, the heads took their shapes again. Vanessa exhaled, but she fought through the strain to keep herself under control. She refused to fall behind! Her eyes opened back up, glaring at her team. "Come!"

They all braced themselves as the half-dozen heads bellowed and shot at them.

…

Araquanid fired a beam of bubbles at Kadabra, who had prepared psychokinetic energy to launch at an interception. His Psyshock met the Bubble Beam in a misty explosion.

As the two were taking their turn training, Tropius was using her leafy wings to fan Lumineon and a very relaxed Salazzle. Sophie oversaw all of this with a smile as she put a finger to her forehead.

…

Fairy Tail wasn't the only ones who were making preparations for the events to come. There were other guilds who had the same idea, and they were aiming for the top more than the other. Mages of top guilds such as Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus were busy readying themselves for the games. And one way or another, they were going to make the best impressions possible.

Amongst those who were training, a Blaziken leaped through the air, coming down with a burning axe kick that struck a boulder. The impact was so strong that it crumbled to pieces beneath him.

Behind him his Trainer looked on, a smirk crossing her face as her platinum-blonde hair whipped up in the wind. Yet if one looked on her exposed left arm, they would see Mermaid Heel's guild mark in a lavender purple shade.

Elsewhere, in a dense forest, a wild Ursaring was looking frantic as he was trying to find his way around, but the thick mist was only irritating him. He knew he marked trees around the area. Unfortunately, it meant nothing if he couldn't see them.

He then heard something head his way, but by the time he turned around it was too late. An Ice Beam struck him square in the chest, making a frosty explosion surge through the mist. The explosion blew past a Lapras, who exhaled a chilled breath.

On her back, another Trainer was concealed within the mist. Though his silhouette appeared masculine, and on the back of his neck, there was an orange emblem belonging to Quatro Cerberus.

…

Once night had fallen, the long day of training had come to an end for most. Many found themselves already tuckered out and ended up in bed earlier than expected. Of course, that without say who had their own sleep reputation like Natsu and Vanessa. They needed their strength to train for the next day after all.

Meanwhile, Shiin was wrapping up on another report on everything he had recounted throughout the day. Once the report was finished, he closed his grimoire and let out a sigh.

"Well…that should wrap up my business for the day." He stood up and looked around, making sure no one else was around. Aside from him, it was Butterfree, who had gotten comfortable on his bed while eating a Sitrus Berry he plucked up somewhere.

Checking again for signs of Magic Power, the area was safe. No mages from the guild were around. He walked over towards the window and unlocked it, presenting open air towards Butterfree. "I'm turning in for the night. You should as well."

"Free?" Butterfree tilted his head, seemingly confused. Though he fluttered closer, he didn't exit the window as he got into Shiin's face. "Free! Free!"

Shiin blinked rapidly, looking surprised. "Pardon? What could you want at this time?"

Butterfree suddenly got closer and began yanking on his robe.

"Hey!" Shiin pulled his clothing away, giving the butterfly a studious glare. "These garments are of the finest quality in the Pergrande Kingdom. I'd rather they weren't sullied."

"Free, Free!" Butterfree motioned his head towards outside. Shiin followed him towards the window as the Bug/Flying-type flew out and turned back towards him. "Free!"

'Does he want me to follow him?' Confused, the Pergrande Kingdom mage – against better judgment – decided to see where this would take him. He looked out the window and around before he stepped back. He glowed as he used his Transformation Magic to become a fellow Butterfree.

"Free?" Butterfree chirped.

"It's to avoid suspicion." Shiin reasoned. "Now show me."

"Free, Free!" Butterfree fluttered off, with the transformed fake version in pursuit. The two made their way over Magnolia's nighttime atmosphere and closed in on the forest. Once they made it, Butterfree descended below the canopies, with Shiin doing the same.

Now at ground level and out of sight of others, Shiin deactivated his magic and transformed back into himself. "Alright, I'm out here. Now what?"

Butterfree chirped as he fluttered several meters apart while looking intently at him. For some reason, it unnerved the white-haired mage.

'This is strange. I can see his body is more tense than usual. A stance like that usually means…' His eyes widened as he gasped at the realization. "Wait…perhaps you want to battle?"

"Free!" Butterfree nodded.

"You saw everyone else training and thought it was a good idea we did the same?"

He nodded again.

Shiin furrowed his brow. He found it hard to believe this was actually happening. Did he really transform into a Pokémon to fly across Magnolia, only to be brought out here to train and let out some steam. If he had Time Magic powers, he would've gone back five minutes ago and enchanted those windows shut right after Butterfree flew out.

'This is absolutely ridiculous. And here I thought it was something actually important.' He exasperated in his thoughts. 'I'm not participating, so why should I? But…' The logical part of his brain began to see a positive. 'I suppose this might be an opportunity. Pokémon have different levels of strength, and from what I understand they can grow just like a mage with enough training. I'm a Captain, and I have a large reservoir of magic from years of cultivation. Perhaps waging magic could help with understanding our limitations if we were to…'

The thought lingered for a moment before he spread his legs. "…very well. But only for a little bit. I want my rest."

Butterfree kicked his feet up and chirped.

"Then let's begin." Shiin used his Requip Magic to summon his rings and staff. The green ring glowed and summoned a magic seal at the top of his staff. The end heated up, becoming a fireball. "Fire Bolt!"

The medium-sized fireball went spearing through the air towards Butterfree. Rather than dodge and let the spell set the forest ablaze, Butterfree gathered kinetic energy and fired a Psybeam to counter.

The fireball and Psychic-type move met centerfield, resulting in an explosion that sent smoke everywhere. Shin covered his face as he was processing the information.

'He naturally is weak to fire related spells, I see. So that's why he countered. And because of his Compound Eyes, he can see me better in the smoke than me.'

Butterfree fluttered above the cloud and started scattering green pollen, via Sleep Powder. It began mixing with the smoke in an attempt to put his opponent to sleep. This continued until he exhausted the pollen he exerted. When he looked down, he tilted his head in wonder if he accidentally put Shiin to sleep.

"Thy winds, be thy piercing blade! Air Bullet!"

A bullet of compressed air shot out of the smoke and pollen, startling Butterfree. He managed to pull back, his left foot barely nicked. He retained his balance and looked down to find Shiin unharmed.

'That was a close one. I was worried of an attack, but I wasn't expecting him to use that knockout pollen. He's more intelligent than I give him credit for.' A wry smile crossed Shiin's face. 'These Pokémon…certainly know how to keep me on my toes!'

While they were engaged in their private training, they were being observed from the trees above. Within the shrouds of night, Nic and Greninja were watching them.

As Shin was using Dream Knock, Butterfree evaded and flapped his glowing wings, via Gust. However, Shin was an expert at Air Magic and conjured his Cyclone, which overwhelmed Butterfree. He managed to fly out of range, but their eyes never left each other, as of reading the other's movements.

Seeing them bond this way, the two seemed satisfied and leaped through the trees.

'What was that just now. It felt like I was watched, but there wasn't any magic.' Shiin pondered.

"Free!" Butterfree shouted.

Shiin gasped as he saw a glittering wind heading his way. He brought his staff up, generating a transparent magical barrier that absorbed the Silver Wind. Although, the force of the attack was enough to make him slide across the ground.

"Free?" Butterfree questioned.

"I'm fine." Shiin huffed. "In fact…" He raised his staff, looking determined. "I've been looking for a reason to exercise my Magic Power. Guess I have one now."

…

Nic arrived at the sanctity that was his cottage home. Using his Shadow Form, he became a shadow and snaked through the window to his bedroom, reemerging on the other side. He returned to his default self and began undressing.

Erza, who had dozed off before, fluttered her eyes awake and turned towards him. "Nic…?" she groaned.

"Yeah, it's me."

"Where did you…" She yawned. "…go?"

"Just had to check on something really quick. Nothing to worry about."

"That's. good…" Choosing to believe her husband, she relaxed and started falling back to slumber.

Not wanting to miss out on rest himself, Nic slipped into some black pajama pants and got into bed with his wife, watching her sleeping face with a smile. 'Yeah, guess it is…' He thought before slowly slumbering away.

---

The days passed for everyone, until finally the day came: September 30th. One day before the X793 Grand Magic Games would commence. The members of Fairy Tail had found themselves within the beguiling nature of the famous flower-blooming Capital of Fiore.

"Woooow~, so pretty…" Asuka awed, seeing all the different people and Pokémon around, though she was more captivated by the beautiful flower atop a passing Lilligant's head.

"Sure is." Alzack agreed. "Never gets old seeing the sights around here."

"And it saved us a lot of time getting here thanks to you, Nic." Romeo beamed towards Nic, who looked relatively relaxed in his Mind Form.

"Yeah, figured it'd be more convenient for us." He returned to his default form and turned towards Laxus. "You didn't mind, right?"

Laxus didn't look the least bit annoyed. "Works for me. Good work."

Junior looked around, his awe rivaling that of Asuka's. "Look, Mama! So many big buildings!"

Staraptor smiled. "Yes, there sure are. Be sure to mind your manners that we've been working on, alright?"

"Okay~!" He raised a cloudy hand up in acknowledgment.

"Nice that we're here and all, but what do we do exactly?" Max questioned.

"Yeah, aren't there directions or something?" Lisanna inquired.

Freed turned towards the Guild Master. "Master Laxus?"

"Relax, I got it." He turned towards his peers, arms folded. "We got sent instructions on what to do. The Guild Masters are to head up to the Domus Flau colosseum to register their guild. There's supposedly a banquet that's going to be held for the guilds participating around 6 tonight in the center of the city."

"A banquet? For real?!" Natsu nearly jumped at the mention of a free meal.

"Do they have fish?!" Happy added.

Erza put a hand to her chin. "A banquet at 6, huh? That's different than from the last time we were here."

"Yeah. They held the banquet afterwards, and even then that was supposedly for a special occasion." Vanessa reminded.

Pantherlily smirked. "You ask me, that's a generous welcome gift."

"I'm starting to think these Cambire Foundation guys are alright." Gajeel admitted, smirking eagerly.

"What time is it right now?" Gray asked.

"It's 2 right now. Which means we have 4 hours left before the banquet." Sophie noted.

"That means we've got plenty of time before then." Wendy smiled.

"Yes, but we better keep track. It'd be rude to show up late." Carla chided.

"You're all free to do whatever. Just don't cause a scene, alright?" Laxus ordered his guild. Everyone complied with his wishes and began heading their own ways to enjoy what the city had to offer.

"Let's see what kind of swag they got around here." Joey urged his team, heading off into the city.

"Right behind ya." Dereece chimed away.

Duncan didn't say anything, but nevertheless followed them.

"I wanna head over to Sorcerer Weekly. Been meaning to catch up with Jason on my novel's publishing." Lucy commented.

"Oh yeah, you used to live here a little while after the guild disbanded." Natsu bluntly noted. He then raised a brow in thought. "Wonder if we should stop by?"

"Well considering that I was kidnapped out of my apartment and hadn't been back in over a year, I very much doubt it." Lucy deadpanned.

"C'mon, let's check out the sights! Sure they got some new stuff we haven't seen!" Happy insisted.

Lucy smiled. "Yeah, you're right." She then grabbed Natsu's hand and pulled him along. "C'mon ya slowpoke!"

"Gonna see what the local booze is all about these days." Cana stated, walking off with hands behind her back.

"Hey, you better be sober before the banquet!" Macao chided.

"Yeah, yeah." She waved him off.

Macao put his hands to his hips. "Geez, that girl. Wonder what Gildarts would say about this?"

"Ah, let it be. She's a grown woman. Besides, takes a lot more than alcohol to keep her down." Wakaba smirked.

Macao watched her off with a thoughtful expression. "Yeah, guess that's true."

As everyone diverged to tend to their own matters, someone stayed beside Laxus. "Laxus, we should get going."

"Yeah, you're right." Laxus turned towards the Domus Flau colosseum in the distance, a mild huff escaping him. 'Should've asked Nic to teleport me there.'

---

Laxus and Freed didn't bother wasting time with exerting their energy to get to where they needed to go. Laxus used his magic and became a lightning bolt that zipped up the ridge, whereas Freed used his Dark Ecriture: Wings to follow behind. Suffice to say they both made it to the colosseum at record time.

They walked into the colosseum's lobby, expecting a long line. To their surprise, it was a lot shorter than they thought. When looking at the Guild Masters that were in line, they recognized them as those he saw at the conference back when Alvarez plotted its revenge.

"Wasn't expecting the line to be this short." Laxus admitted.

"Touche. Either many have already registered, or perhaps they didn't meet the quota and couldn't register." Freed figured.

"Ah, my friends. We meet again." A familiar, disturbingly silky tone called out to them.

Laxus and Freed briefly tensed up. Their noses inhaled a pungent aroma…one that they recognized all too well. They turned to find Ichiya striking a pose, sparkled glimmering around his aura.

"Oh, Ichiya. Been a while." Laxus casually greeted his fellow Guild Master.

Ichiya smiled. "Likewise, my old friend. Though it is post-parfume, I'd like to thanks you for all your help for us back then on Nirvana. We'd be telling a different story of not for you and our friends."

"Yeah, don't mention it." Though he tried to play it cool, he couldn't help but smile. "So how's the guild been doing since then?"

Ichiya adjusted his pose. "Rest assured, everyone is doing well. We've mostly recovered, and as you can see, we have worked hard and produced the results needed to formally qualify."

"That's a relief to hear." Freed smiled.

"Yes. Now about you two, by any chance where are Miss Evergreen and Sir Bickslow?"

"Bickslow is out doing some errands. As for Evergreen…" Freed paused as he chuckled. "Been hearing she was seen in town with Elfman."

…

"Achoo!" Elfman and Evergreen sneezed.

"Oh, bless you." Lisanna said.

"Are you two coming down with a cold perhaps?" Mirajane questioned.

"Absurd. I happen to be in fine health, thank you very much." Evergreen huffed.

"Yeah, a real man doesn't sit out because of something like that." Elfman beamed. "Wait…"

The two turned to the Strauss women, their shock on the rise. "Why're you following us?!"

"We just wanted to see what kind of dresses we'll need for your wedding, that's all." Mirajane chimed.

"Our what?!"

Mirajane and Lisanna chuckled. Nearby, Bickslow happened to be on one of his 'errands' and spotted the couple, snickering.

…

Ichiya's eyes sparkled with delight. "Ah, the parfume of being young is truly an intoxicating aroma. Take pleasures in the strides you take while you still can."

THUD!

"What do you mean we can't participate in the games?!"

The three turned their attention towards a neighboring line where the commotion was coming from. They recognized the guy as Twilight Ogre's Guild Master, Banaboster. And judging from his fist banging the counter, he was pissed.

"I'm sorry, sir. But it's just as I said. Your guild isn't eligible to compete unless you've accumulated all the necessary stamps." The young receptionist repeated with a straight smile.

"That's absolutely ridiculous! We have the 30 job requirements counted. See? Get some glasses and count them again!" He pointed towards the stack of jobs with red stamps on them.

"Apologies, but our records show that your guild has only accomplished 13 jobs." She answered, unfazed by the Guild Master's growing ire.

"Oh yeah? What proof do you have?!" Banaboster demanded.

"Certainly." Keeping her poise, the receptionist took one job with a stamp and moved it underneath a black platform. When the platform glowed green, so did the stamp. "The Cambire Foundation associates that stamp the completed jobs use a special ink that reacts to magic. And as for these…" She then moved another job with a stamp on the registry platform. However, the ink didn't react like before. "This one is clearly a faux request, thus indicating it was forged."

Banaboster flinched, his actions caught red-handed. 'Shit! They found out!'

"As you know, forgery of a completed job is considered a crime. I'm afraid your guild cannot participate under these circumstances, sorry."

Banaboster shuddered, trying to find an excuse to use. "Yeah…well…it's not my fault these jobs were so difficult! If we had more time, we could've gotten the required amount! C'mon, give us a freebie here!"

"I'm sorry, sir. We don't make exceptions. The prerequisites are the same for everyone else."

"Why you…!" Banaboster clenched a fist, looking ready to strike. However, his body stiffened against his will. "Gngh! W-what the-?!"

"Excuse me, sir." A Rune Knight accompanied by a Bronzor using Confusion held Banaboster in place. "You're causing a scene. I'm afraid you're coming with us."

"What? No! Wait!" Banaboster tried to protest, but he was floated across the ground with two Rune Knights escorting from behind. "Damnit! Put me down! Put me down this instant! It's not my fault! It's not!"

As his retorts became more distant, other Guild Masters became nervous at the scene. It seemed like he wasn't the only one who thought this stunt would work.

The receptionist sighed. "That's the fifth one now. You'd think they'd learn after the first example."

Laxus, Freed, and Ichiya watched the scene, frowning as they saw a handful of Guild Masters back out.

"Looks like they're not playing around this year." Laxus mumbled.

Ichiya nodded. "Yes, it would seem so."

"Next please!" The receptionist called up.

Laxus turned forward and saw the line had suddenly shortened. He walked over towards the black-haired receptionist wearing a Cambire Foundation uniform like the dirty-blonde one in the neighboring window. She looked at Laxus with a smile.

"Welcome. Are you a Guild Master?" she politely greeted.

"Yes, I am." He confirmed.

She slid a clipboard along with paperwork through the window. "Alright, please state your name, the guild under your name, and present the jobs with the stamps you've earned."

Laxus proceeded to do the necessary paperwork, using a pen that the receptionist provided. Once that was done, he brought the copies of the jobs that were completed with the red stamps on them. He slid the stack over and the receptionist began processing each and every one of them.

Once they were all assessed, she smiled brightly. "That's about it. You've reached the 30-job benchmark, so your guild is eligible for competition."

"Thanks." He felt relieved with how straightforward it all was. 'Guess it's better than having sketchy guilds compete like Raven Tail.'

"Your guild is to attend a banquet housed in front of Mercurius at 6 p.m. And also…" She handed him a hard-covered textbook that was mildly slim. "You'll be required to read the rules and guidelines that this year's competition are mandating."

"Master, allow me." Freed took the book at his own liberty.

"Your guild will be staying in the Crocus Gardens. The expenses and services are all on us." With a final nod, the receptionist nodded. "Best of luck."

---

Within the vicinity of Crocus, there was a boutique named 'The Crimson Curtain'. It was said to have been a top-tier accessory and apparel boutique, or so the signs proclaimed. True to its namesake, the background of the sign was a pure crimson, with glimmering white lettering in cursive on it. The exterior was a modern white with neatly trimmed edging. The display window had several mannequins wearing expensive but flashy clothing that looked like it could be worn by kings and queens.

Outside this boutique, Duncan waited as he sat against the wall, one leg pressed against the wall with his cap down. He was waiting for Dereece and his Captain to come out, even though it's been so long that he started dozing off.

Even though Joey offered, Duncan made it clear when he said "I'll pass" in the bluntest tone possible. Though given that the sun was in a different position than when they went in, he was starting to wonder if they would ever come out at all.

However, just when he was thinking of bailing, the bell rang as the door opened.

'About time.' He grumbled.

"Sorry for the holdup…but behold! The new and improved…Captain Joey!" Joey strutted out with his new apparel.

While the family earrings remained on his ears, his attire overall looked a lot more stylish. His white dress-shirt underneath was replaced by a turquoise t-shirt fixed with brighter blue wave-like patterns. His jeans were replaced by a blacker pair with dark yellow trimming. Long dark socks covered his ankles and was accompanied by a pair of brown dress shoes.

However, the most eye-catching aspect was the new coat Joey wore. It had the same magenta color, but now had an array of bright pink spots overlapped by hot pink petals. The black fur lining was only around the cuffs, neck, and the entire interior of the coat. Along the edging was a crisp yellow that matched his pants' lining.

"What do you think? Does this scream 'wow-zah', or what?" Joey pivoted on his toes, doing a twirl to show off different angles of his attire.

Duncan, who was anything but a fashion expert, scoffed. "Looks fine to me."

"Hey now, don't even think about forgetting me." A voice exiting the boutique called out.

The two turned towards Dereece, who underwent his own apparel upgrade. He wore a deep blue jacket with golden zipping lined up over a black long-sleeve sports shirt with a bright blue concave design below the collar. Underneath that was a black tight underarmor that covered up to his neck. He wore green cargo pants that were tucked into his brown boots with steel toe and bright brown strapping.

Like Joey, his trademark bandana was also upgraded. It retained its red coloration, but had yellow rhombuses lined up, his Key Stone stitched to the side of it.

Joey snapped his fingers and pointed at him. "Hot dog! That's what I call Dressy swag!"

Dereece chuckled. "Thanks. About time I got something thicker. Walking through the air is colder than I expected, especially so high up."

"So that's what you guys went with?" Duncan asked in a neutral tone.

Dereece turned towards him. "Yeah, we did. Wasn't cheap, I can tell yah that. You sure you're fine with what you're wearing?"

"Yeah, I'm just fine." Duncan harrumphed.

"Surely you boys didn't forget about us." A feminine voice chimed from inside the boutique.

The Freaks turned their attention towards the boutique entrance and saw two figures walking out side by side. And what they wore was enough to turn many heads.

First up was Vanessa in her own new attire. Out of her usual outfit, her new one was a black dress with gold edging. However, the top-half was open to reveal her ample cleavage, supported by a white tank-top underneath. Red sickle-like accents around focal point designs covered the dress's sleeves and back partly. Underneath her massive bust was a half-circle arch of golden plates. A similar design served to cover the circumference of a red circle with spokes, giving the appeal of a sun. The right side of her dress had a slit that exposed her sexy, thick right thigh. Her Poké Balls were all carried by a durable belt around her waist that was fastened by a silver locket in the center. And the center of said locket was her Key Stone.

The ensemble also had black armguards with golden edgings to match the set, brown boots, and two earrings; one with a scarlet jewel on the right ear, a violet one on the left, and lastly a teal jewel on her collar. Her teal Z-Ring was on her left wrist, with her fingernails wearing a matching teal polish.

Next up was Sophie, whose attire had its own overhaul. She wore a dark pink dress top with lighter pink edging. It was shoulder-less, and the matching sleeves were detached. Her hands were covered by brown fingerless gloves. The top, like Vanessa's, did little to hide her ample bust. Her bottom consisted of a brown skirt that hugged her hips, with two white cloths draped on either side. She wore black leggings accompanied by brown shoes with steel-toe akin to Dereece. Her Z-Ring was also attached to her left wrist.

"Hey, you both look amazing!" Dereece complimented.

"My guy said it best. That's what I call style." Joey praised.

"Why such fine gentlemen we are met with after our debut. Wouldn't you agree, Vanessa?" Sophie sang as she lifted her head, strutting out with an extra sway in her hips.

Vanessa, being more modest, held back her flaunting. "Well I do feel lighter than before."

"That dress is said to be made of Diremoth Silk. They mentioned it when they showed it to us earlier." Sophie recounted. "The silk they make is very fine and rich, and it's not easy to break. And since Diremoths are adaptive creatures, the silk they produce aren't tampered by thermal temperatures."

"Well it certainly feels snug." Vanessa pulled at a sleeve, noticing that despite how thick it felt, she wasn't too hot.

Joey was satisfied with how the girls felt. It made sense, given how close they were. Although, he knew a certain someone was short of any consideration. He saw Duncan close by and made eye contact with Dereece, nudging him in Duncan's direction.

Dereece, understanding his intentions, bumped his elbow into Duncan's arm, causing him to stir.

"H-huh?" Caught off guard, Duncan turned towards the girls, only sparing a glance before losing interest. "Suites you both fine, I guess"

Satisfied, Joey shrugged. "That's cool with me. Now, let's say we try that beauty parlor I've heard about? I know a good color that'll work for your outfit, Sophie."

Sophie smirked. "Lead the way."

Joey led them away, with Sophie following behind. Vanessa and Dereece were at a more moderate pace, whereas Duncan dragged in the back. He honestly didn't care about any of this. He just wanted the banquet to start. That's when it would all begin for him.

---

Junior hopped through Crocus's streets, his developing brain taking in everything around him. "Wow, so many flowers, Mama!" He eyed a set of purple flowers hanging from a windowsill. "Those ones are so purple!" He saw red ones on a front porch that were being watered by a Lotad. "Look, those ones look colored like strawberries!"

Staraptor chuckled. "Just don't eat them, okay? They're meant to look at, not touch."

"Aww…" Junior sulked. Clearly he was curious of what a strawberry flower tasted like. Not far behind, Erza, who was walking hand-in-hand with Nic, had a hand to her chin at the thought that reached her ears.

'Would they really taste like how they smell…?'

"Doubt it." Nic's educational guess was on the money.

Erza cringed. "I-I wasn't…!"

"It was written all over your face."

Erza crossed her arms, huffing. "You're just seeing things. Anyways, it's been some time since we've been here for something outside of work."

"Yeah, sure has." Nic looked around, his eyes wandering towards the various homes and business they passed by. The people, young and old, were looking partially at him. It made sense, given that a couple years ago the capital of Fiore itself was turned into a battleground for not just Dragons, but Legendary Pokémon. The fact that every single person in the diverged universe at the time witnessed divine intervention was something he knew he was going to be hearing for years to come.

Personally, he wanted to lay low the whole time. However, considering his involvement with the Cambire Foundation and the Grand Magic Games this year, he knew that wouldn't be the case. The only consolidation he had was the agreement he and Arthur had that he'd stop relying so heavily on Nic for favors and tasks. Though for the request of helping people back home and being the Champion to face the winner, it seemed like a fair price.

"It's a shame you're not allowed to compete." Erza made more conversation as they followed Junior and Staraptor from a distance.

"That so? Or you just saying that because of my convenience?" Nic countered.

Erza smirked. "Fair point. A competition without much of a challenge wouldn't be as exciting. Besides, you've never been one for public's standards, have you?"

Nic smirked. "I'm not a people pleaser. I'm leaving that to everyone else. It's your guys' job to show Earthland that working together with Pokémon is worthwhile."

"So you're intentionally making sure the spotlight is on us this time?" Erza teased.

Nic pursed his lips, groaning as he turned away. "Isn't that what you want?"

"I don't mind, but I'm sure everyone is grateful for this opportunity." She moved her fingers to intertwine with Nic's as they held hands. "This year will be different. Unlike before, we have different stakes. Hard to believe how much has changed since the last games we've been in."

"You mean aside from the fact that we started dating around that time?"

"Yes, though that has more meaning to me than anything else." She looked down at her wedding ring. The time that they've spent these past few years were some of the most memorable, as well as the most painful, that they've experienced. Yet they experienced it together. They grew together, lived together, slept together, fought together; all aspects that made up their relationship only surmised to a couple years. And she was hoping for many more to come in the future.

"Hey Mama, I'm hungry." Junior pouted.

"Yes, I hear you." Staraptor smiled before turning towards Nic. "Say Nic, it's almost 6. Should we start heading towards the meeting place?"

"Yeah, sure." He turned towards Erza. "So, you up for a meal?"

"As long as there's strawberry cheesecake for dessert." Erza chimed.

Nic dryly chuckled. "Knowing Arthur, he probably expected that from you."

As the two went about their casual walk, they were followed not too far behind by Shiin. The Pergrande Kingdom Captain remained focused and was taking pictures and recordings of the various people and Pokémon in Crocus. Coincidentally, Butterfree was brought along too, absolutely insisting despite Shiin's chagrin. As Butterfree was enjoying the sights around him, Shiin was keeping tabs on shadowing Nic.

'That direction, it seems like it leads to the center of Crocus.' He checked the time and realized it was only a half-hour until the banquet began. 'I need to stay vigilant. It's here that I'll see for myself just what this kingdom has in store.'

---

Around the time the clock struck 6, the skies were starting to wane into an orange sunset. The autumn sky was considerably cooler as opposed to its summertime heat, making being outside more bearable at this time for everyone attending the special occasion.

Before Fairy Tail, they found themselves at a large-scale venue in front of Mercurius. Rune Knights blocked of the area that was designated for registered parties only. Beyond them lied Fairy Tail and a handful of other guilds in a setting that reminded them of the big ball.

Tables of expensive foods and drinks were laid out, with dozens of round tables that could fit up to ten people each. A makeshift stage was created in one area, with white stone arches all around with lacrima lights strewn around them to give them a party kind of setting.

Lucy gasped with delight. "Wow, just look at all this!"

"Amazing…" Wendy marveled.

"Not bad. At least we don't have to go wear fancy getups this time around." Gray commented.

"At least wear something." Gajeel retorted. True to form, Gray was indeed half-naked again.

"Man, look at all these guys." Natsu gazed at the numerous people around him. "So these guys all got 30 jobs done like we did, huh?"

"That seems to be the case." Erza confirmed. "Still…" Her suspicions grew as she noticed how skim the amount of people were attending compared to what she figured. "I figured there'd be more."

"Well I don't know about you guys, but let's get some grub!" Natsu rushed off towards the food.

"Mind your manners! We're still in public!" Erza chastised.

"There he goes again." Gray sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "If he eats the whole buffet out, I swear…"

In the midst of their talking, a Cambire Foundation associate walked up to them. "Are you all with Fairy Tail?"

Erza blinked, but regained her composure almost instantly. "Yes, we are."

The associate nodded and gestured towards an array of tables. "Very well. You'll find your seating over here."

"We get seating as well?" Sophie was modestly surprised.

"Guess they assigned different guilds to different spots." Elfman figured. "Beats having to wander around aimlessly."

The members of Fairy Tail took the cluster of tables assigned to them, all the seats filling with members getting their own silverware and high-quality napkins. Associates came around acting like waiters to fill their glasses with water.

"Hey, I got an idea." Wendy suddenly said. She turned towards the Cambire Foundation waitress. "Excuse me, miss?"

"Yes?"

"Would it be alright if our Pokémon are out as well?"

The associate nodded. "Of course. Provided the contestants don't engage in battles or acts of assault of any kind, everyone is permitted to have their Pokémon out."

"Great. Thanks." Wendy smiled as she reached for her capsules and tossed them skywards. "Alright guys, let's eat!"

The three balls popped open, with Swablu, Amaura, and Arcelia emerging.

"Hey, good idea. The guys could use a good meal for all the work they did." Gray agreed, pulling out his Poké Balls.

"That settles it." Lucy didn't think twice when tossing her capsules skywards.

Others began having the same idea as well. Simultaneously, the guild's Pokémon emerged, all with hardy appetites. Like their human compatriots, they too were given their share of the banquet. Everyone began to pick from the vast assortments of food that was prepared with only the finest of ingredients. The fruits and berries that were prepared were of the ripest quality. Even the alcohol served was of top quality, though Cana was visibly annoyed when everyone was only limited to one, presumably to avoid hangovers during the competition. Responsible, but also annoying to alcoholics.

"Yo, Natsu!"

A voice called out as the Dragon Slayer and his Pokémon were eating away at some fresh meatballs that were marinated with some kind of sauce that made them sweet. They turned to find familiar figures walking up to them. "Hey, Sting! What's happening!"

"Been a while, hasn't it." Lector, who sat on Druddigon's head, raised a paw to assert his presence.

"Hey, guys! Glad you made it!" Happy cheered.

"So I take it you guys managed to qualify for the games?" Natsu asked knowingly.

Sting smirked. "Of course. We wouldn't be here otherwise."

"We managed to finish registering earlier. It was easier than we thought it'd be." Lector admitted.

"That's good. Be a real shame if you guys weren't in it this year." Happy commented.

Natsu cheekily smirked. "Sure would. Can't wait to fight you again."

Sting's joyful smile faltered some. "About that." He paused, "That ain't happening."

This caught Natsu by surprise. "What do ya mean?"

"I read over the new rules and guidelines, but some of the rules remained the same. One of them being that the Guild Masters of guilds aren't allowed to compete in the games."

"Which is a major bummer. So much for the Twin Dragosn of Sabertooth in action." Lector huffed with folded arms.

Natsu frowned with visible disappointment. "Man, that is a letdown."

Sting scoffed. "Yeah, but oh well." His confidence returned. "Even if I can't directly compete, everyone is Sabertooth is way stronger than they were before. Better watch your backs, because us Sabertooth tigers are gonna pounce for the win!"

Natsu smirked at the challenge. "Yeah? Well I say bring it! We've been looking for a challenge. How about a warm-up before the competition starts?"

Sting clenched a fist. "That's the answer I'd expect. We'd be happy to show ya what we learned as well."

Druddigon snarled as he stepped forward, whereas Charmeleon, Darumaka, and Tyrunt looked eager to battle. Suddenly, a whistle blew that made the Dragon Slayers' sensitive ears ache. They all turned towards a male associate who blew a whistle to get their attention. "Apologies gentlemen, but during this banquet, there is to be no battles of any kind." He warned.

"Aw, what? For real?" Natsu grimaced, visibly annoyed.

The associate looked him dead in the eye. "I'm afraid so. Any violation of this could affect your guild's participation. So please behave yourselves. Thank you for your cooperation." With that, the associate walked off, leaving the two sides with an awkward tension between them.

"Buzzkill…" Natsu grumbled.

"What can you do?" Happy shook his head.

Sting cleared his throat, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. "Er, my bad. Guess I was getting too carried away there."

A chuckle came from behind, revealing Rogue alongside Frosch. "Seems you almost forgot where you stand, Guild Master." The Shadow Dragon Slayer lightly chastised.

"Fro thinks so, too!" Frosch chimed.

Sting turned towards him. "Oh, Rogue. Frosch. You guys and the others got something to eat yet?"

Rogue nodded. "Yes…though it's taking quite a bit to hold back Milady's appetite."

Sting shook his head. "That woman, I swear I wish I knew where she was putting it all."

"If you did, I'm sure it would help you win the next Tiger, Tiger, Tiger Eating Festival, wouldn't it?" Rogue smirked.

"We'll get her one of these days." Lector hoped.

"Sounds like you guys are having a lot of fun at your guild." Happy commented.

Lector turned towards him with a smile. "You betcha. With Sting in charge, we've got a lot of events to liven up the place. Won't go into too much detail though, guild policy and all that."

"Well whatever the case…" Natsu rammed a fist into his palm. "Let's have some fun, alright?"

The Twin Dragons nodded in agreement.

Elsewhere on the banquet floor, Wendy was amongst the many who her ogling the ever-so sweet desserts that she couldn't wait to try out. Of course, she had to mind her manners and fill her stomach with the main course first. What looked like cranberry sauce next to a fully cooked duck surprised her. "What's this?"

"This is a special sauce made from mashed Persim and Grepa Berries. It's a popular recipe used for events." A Cambire Foundation caterer explained.

"Really?" Curious, Wendy managed to get a sample via a small paper cup with a tiny spoon. She took a bite, in which her taste buds were mixed with the Persim Berries' lack of dryess with a tint of the Grepa Berries' sweet and tangy mixture. It was surprisingly delicious. "Sho good…" She mumbled.

"I know, right?" A familiar voice caught her attention as she turned to find Chelia beside her. "Hiya, Wendy!"

"Chelia!" Wendy's smile brightened further.

"It's so good to see you here of all places." Carla chimed, her mood equally as joyful. "I take it that this means Lamia Scale is competing as well?"

"You bet. The old hag was really driving us into the ground though." Chelia sheepishly admitted, rubbing the back of her head. "But we managed to reach the quota, and now we're here." She looked over at Wendy's Pokémon. "Wait, are these all your Pokémon, Wendy?"

Wendy nodded. "Right. Let me introduce you. There's Swablu, Amaura, and Arcelia. Guys, she's Chelia. She a friend from Lamia Scale."

"Hello~!" Swablu chirped.

"Hi there." Amaura chimed.

"Pleased to meet you." Arcelia bowed her head.

Seeing the Dragonair, Chelia's eyes widened in surprise. "Is that a real dragon you got, Wendy?"

"Yeah, she is. She's really nice. Actually, her skin is really smooth."

"Really? Can I…?"

Arcelia nodded. "Sure, I don't mind."

Chelia stepped forward, moving her hand to touch Arcelia's smooth, slender skin. To her astonishment, it was so slick that she felt her finger glide straight down. "Wooow…so smooth!"

Arcelia giggled. "That tickles."

As they were catching up, The Freaks were having their own fun when they too got company. "Huh? CJ? That you?"

The Freaks turned towards the voice and looked shocked to find Kevin standing there. Joey and Dereece's surprise was evident, while Duncan's was more subdued. The Blue Pegasus otherworlder stood with equal shock, though it was masked by his shades.

Blinking twice, Joey suddenly approached Kevin, as did the latter. The two stood apart from each and glared square in the eye towards the target acquaintance.

"Mister P." Joey responded in a firm tone.

"CJ." Kevin spoke softly.

A tension built between the two that it was almost unnerving. Dereece seemed even more uneasy as the time went on.

The seeming hostile tension between the two suddenly flipped to a 180 when Joey started smiling. "Mister P!"

"CJ!" Kevin smiled warmly back.

The two hugged and patted the other's back, then exchanged a handshake with broad grins.

"Man, it's been ages since we've seen each other. How've you been?" Joey asked.

"Been racking up brownie points in the guild. I can say the same about you guys." Kevin beamed. He turned towards Dereece, opening his arms in welcome. "Dreesy sauce, what's happening man?"

Dereece chuckled and pumped fists with him. "Been here and there." He then looked down at Kevin's wardrobe. "Wow, looks like we weren't the only ones who got upgrades."

True to form, the Mister P of Blue Pegasus was wearing an all-new attire. He wore a dark blue, long-sleeved dress shirt accompanied by black dress pants. While not as flashy as Joey's apparel, he wore a white fur-trimmed mantle over his shoulders with dark green squares with bright blue lining. A button fastened the mantle together with his guild mark in bright blue on it. Red and white-patterned strings laced it together. And to top it all off, he wore black gloves with silver cuffs that matched his black dress shoes and socks.

Kevin smiled at the compliment. "Thanks. I can see you guys went shopping. Plan to compete with style, eh?"

Joey winked. "Like always."

Kevin laughed. He turned towards Duncan. Who was silent for the most part. "Hey there, uh…Duncan, right?"

Duncan scoffed. "Yeah, that's me." He glared at Kevin. "From Blue Pegasus, right? My Captain spoke a bit about you." He then lowered his head. "Guess I should say thank you for your help during the rebellion."

Kevin rubbed the back of his head, frowning. "Don't mention it, but I really do much. I was pretty much up to my neck in bruises and stingers at the time."

"Well, we're just glad to see you again." Dereece smiled.

"You planning on entering the games too?" Joey asked.

Kevin smiled. "You bet. Master Ichiya and a handful of us were looking forward to this. Wonder what these games will have in mind?"

"From what we've been hearing, the committee before this year always did things inconsistently." Dereece admitted. "But now that the Cambire Foundation and our world's structure is involved, guessing it's gonna be more straight-laced."

Kevin put his hands to his hips, frowning. "That's imaginable. As much as I love a good surprise, rather it not be a hassle."

Duncan scoffed, seemingly agreeing. That's when he noticed something from the corner of his eye. He turned and saw Shou, who was walking with a plate of food in hand, his Jolteon by his side. The two Trainers stopped for a moment and recognized each other.

"Wait…Duncan, is that you?" Shou immediately walked over to join their conversation.

"Huh? Oh, look who decided to join the party!" Joey beamed with delight. "Shou! Long time no see, pal!"

"Hey, Joey, Dereece. You guys are looking well for yourselves."

Kevin turned a brow towards his friends. "Friend of yours?"

"Yeah, we've met while we were around Sabertooth's guild. He's a musician and a Trainer." Joey explained.

"That so?" Sounding impressed, Kevin extended his hand out towards him. "Well, if my pals here say you're okay, then so do I. Name's Kevin."

Shou extended his hand to shake his. "Pleasure's all mine. Hoping we all get along."

"Wait, hold up." Dereece intervened. "You have to be part of a guild to be attending the banquet, Shou. So, does this mean…?"

Shou looked amused as a smirk crossed his face. He began pulling on his right sleeve, revealing to everyone a yellow Sabertooth guild mark. "As you can see, I'm a legit member of Sabertooth."

"For real? Congrats, man!" Dereece grinned.

"When did this happen?" Joey asked.

"It was just after the rebellion. They were absolutely insistent after seeing as how I performed during the excursion. It's been busy, but fulfilling." He admitted. "In fact, Olga's been absolutely insistent on singing covers of my songs at the guild hall a lot. We get along pretty well."

"Well I don't know about you, but I can't wait to hear more of your music. Really gets my blood pumping for my dancing." Joey shuffled his feet and did a pivot, ending with a snap of his fingers.

Shou chuckled. "Maybe after the games, just not now." He held up a glass towards the small group. "Here's hoping for a good time, gentlemen."

"Hey, I'll toast to that." Kevin chimed, holding up a glass. Joey and Dereece did the same, the four toasting in unison. All except Duncan, who only turned away to attend to his own meal.

He was focused, and as far as he was concerned, all he saw around him was competition. Competition he intended to defeat.

Cana finished gulping down the last of a bottle of fine wine, leaving her with sigh begrudgingly. "They really only give us this much? Barely got anything out of that." She complained.

"Can't tell if that's a good thing or a bad thing." Liepard huffed.

"I say it's for the best. They probably took into account they didn't want anybody suffering hangovers during the competition." Vulpix beamed.

"Yeah, but one way or another, she'll find a way." Liepard casually noted, her forked tail dangling a piece of skewered meat that she dropped into her mouth.

"Do you have to use your tail for that?" Prinplup chastised. "You have claws for reasons like that."

"Since when did you become Vulpix?" Liepard countered. "Speaking of which, where'd she run off to?"

"She went to get some food. Sure she'll be back shortly."

Liepard scrunched a brow. "Eh? Isn't that her over there?"

Prinplup noticed Liepard pointing her tail over at Vulpix, who was afar. "It is. Hey, Vulpix! Over here!"

"Huh?" Blinking, the quadruped fox turned towards the shouting. There was a Liepard and Prinplup waving at him, making him feel confused. He looked left and right to see if they were gesturing towards others possibly nearby. He pointed a paw at himself. "Me?"

"You managed to grab some food?" Prinplup asked.

The Vulpix blinked. "Uh…sure."

Prinplup blinked, looking surprised. "Huh? Say, you alright? You're looking pretty pale. And your voice sounds deep. You feeling that sick?"

Liepard raised a brow. "Uh…Prinplup?"

Vulpix looked visibly disturbed. "Uh, no. I'm just fine."

"Really? Well, if you say so. I know how steadfast you've been to keep working till we reached the quota. Better get some rest tonight."

"Prinplup…"

"Sorry, but I think you got me confused with someone else. I don't know you." Vulpix stated.

Prinplup, however, remained adamant. "Haha, real funny…wait. Is this your idea of a joke? Did you actually try to crack a joke for once?!"

Liepard facepalmed herself. "Prinplup!"

"What?!" He yelled back. He noticed Liepard pointing a paw towards his side. When he turned to see where she was pointing to, Vulpix was standing there with a small plate of food in her mouth. He blinked once, then turned towards the other Vulpix. He looked back at her, then him. Her, then him. This went on for several repetitions until it finally sank in. "Uh…uh…"

The male, white Vulpix cocked a brow. "Lemme guess, feeling awkward?"

"Uh, well…" Unable to deny it, Prinplup rubbed the back of his head. "My bad."

"Geez…" Liepard murmured.

"Eh?" Cana looked at the two Vulpix with subtle wonder. "Say, why're you so white? Got a cold or something?"

"Maybe it's one of those shiny variants we heard about." Romeo's Litwick suggested.

Koffing chuckled. "Well they sure do look alike, I'll give'em that!"

Vulpix groaned and shook her head. "These guys, I swear…" She hastily turned towards the third party and bowed her head. "I'm sorry about my comrades' behavior. They didn't mean to get you confused with me."

The white Vulpix waved a paw at her. "Hey, no worries. It can happen. There's a lot of Pokémon here, so it's bound to happen at least once."

"Hey, Vulpix." A male voice called out. Everyone turned to see a young guy walk up. The male in question, to certain standards, could be described as a handsome face that looked relaxed. He had messy dark hair with bangs covering his forehead. He had dark gray eyes that only added to his charms. He wore a large white t-shirt and baggy navy-blue pants underneath a black cloak with a hood. On the back of the cloak, orange zigzag lines went horizontally in a mirror-like manner to make a pair of teeth chomping. His knees downwards were covered by gray shinguards with open-toe shoes.

Cana turned towards the new guy, immediately taking notice of his young, hot looks. "Oh, hey there. This one yours?"

"Yeah. Was wondering what held him up." The guy said.

The Vulpix turned towards him. "Oh, Aiden. Sorry, just a little mix-up here."

The Trainer – Aiden – nonchalantly shrugged. "If you say so." He kneeled to allow Vulpix to jump onto his arm and move towards his shoulder. He faced Cana and casually nodded. "Guess I'll be seeing you."

"Uh, sure." Cana watched as Aiden walked away. Though it was only brief, she had to admit he did lean towards the handsome side. Much more than a lot of guys she knows. 'Looks like a chill guy if he wasn't picking any fights.' She noticed an orange insignia on the back of his neck. 'Quatro Cerberus, eh?'

"So…is no one going to explain why that Vulpix was so white?" Liepard hummed.

Romeo's Litwick hummed. "Um, maybe he's albino? Humans have that, right?"

"Yeah, but not Pokémon." Macao pointed out. "I've been hearing some things about how some Pokémon look different in other areas of PokéEarth, at least from what Erza told us about her and Nic's trip. Maybe it's something like that."

"A different form of me?" This intrigued Vulpix as she looked in the direction her counterpart was heading. From the look in her eyes, she was vastly intrigued by the idea.

"Erzy!" A voice broke through the crowd that Erza recognized. She turned with delight as she saw Millianna and Kagura approaching her.

"Miliianna. Kagura." The swordswoman extended her arms in delight as Millianna jumped into them.

"It's been too long, Erzy!"

"Yes, it has." Erza pulled away and gave her a smile. "You look well."

Millianna winked. "Yup, sure am. Right back at ya."

Erza turned her attention towards Kagura, the fellow swordswoman remaining awfully silent. When Erza opened her arms towards her, Kagura turned away. "Forget it."

"Come on."

"I'm fine."

"Do I have to come over there myself?"

"That's unnecessary."

"Don't be silly. Come here."

"W-wait!" Before Kagura could retort, Erza already pulled her into an embrace. The Mermaid Heel mage's cheeks flushed red at the contact, but she couldn't openly deny it either. She just grumbled while being stubborn in the pushy woman's arms.

"You both seem well." Aegislash spoke casually.

Millianna struck a pose. "Meow~, you betcha! We've been double timing at Mermaid Heel so we won't lose this year!"

"That's great. Sounds to me that you've all worked hard to earn your spots here." Erza praised.

"We have. Though admittedly only a handful of us will be able to compete this time around." Kagura admitted. "Still, we're fortunate to have made it this far."

"Don't be so modest. You've earned your place here fair and square. Why don't we eat together?" Erza suggested.

Finally pulling away, Kagura looked her in the eye and smiled. "As much as we'd like that, we respectfully decline. We'll be eating with our guild. Perhaps another time."

"I see, that's too bad." Erza pouted, though she willingly accepted the ordeal. She would just have to ask them another time.

"Catch ya later, Erzy!" Millianna waved her friend off with Kagura following behind.

"Be seeing you." Erza watched her friends off with a smile. She was thankful to know they would be competing again, this time on much more amicable terms. In her thoughts, Aegislash nudged her and she turned back. Her smile broadened as she saw her husband and his Greninja return with plates of food.

"Was that Millianna and Kagura?" Nic asked.

"Yes, it was. Looks like they'll be competing with us again."

"You worried?"

Erza smirked. "How could I when you're here?"

Nic sheepishly chuckled. "By the way, managed to save you something." At his behest, Staraptor appeared with Slurpuff in her talons. Her mouth had frosting and crumbs around it as she looked guilty about something. From her inflated stomach, it didn't take a genius to figure it out.

"Caught her as she was eating the desserts." Staraptor chimed.

Erza sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Slurpuff, I swear…" She was going to have to scold her later.

"Don't worry. I managed to save something I'm sure you'd like." Nic insisted.

Erza was confused by what he meant, until he showed that amongst the platter he got for them, a single piece of strawberry cheesecake glistened like a display. Erza eyes sparkled with delights as her mouth watered with sweet anticipation.

"Please try and save that for your dessert." Aegislash insisted.

A hardy laugh broke through the couple's moment. "There you are. Was wondering where'd you be."

They turned and saw Arthur in his wheelchair, being pushed by none other than Marie. Beside him was his Stoutland who followed him. As they had imagined it, he had what looked like expensive wine in a glass in his hand.

"Arthur." Nic greeted.

Not too far from them, Shiin's focus was squarely on the person Nic was talking to. 'So that's him. That's the man who orchestrated the Cambire Foundation's stake on Fiore.' He finally met the man himself, and from the way it sounds like, he was a big deal.

"Nic, Mrs. Pularis. It's great to see you both here." Arthur greeted them.

Erza bowed. "You're far too kind, sir. You can drop the formalities with me. Erza is just fine."

Arthur chuckled. "As you say. I trust that the catering is to your liking. Siebold was quite gracious when working with the chefs. He thanks you for this opportunity."

Nic shrugged. "Don't mention it."

"He wishes to personally thank you for this opportunity when this is all over, but I'm afraid he's busy at the moment. Seems he's been exchanging quite a few ideas with the chefs from the royal palace that they're dying to try." He broke into a laughter again.

"It's fine." Nic didn't look bothered by the sentiment. "He has the accommodations needed, I suspect?"

Marie nodded. "Yes. Rest assured, Queen Hisui and the Foundation made certain of that."

Erza blinked. "Siebold?" The mention of the Kalos Elite Four made her think back to their time in Kalos a while back. 'That must be part of the errands Nic had to run. Outsourcing from his world for this event.' Now it made sense why he was so busy these days. It brought a proud smile to her face.

"Hm?" Arthur noticed someone just past Nic who was looking intently at him. "A new face?"

Nic turned around to glance at Shin. "Right, about that. This is Shiin. He's from the Pergrande Kingdom. Apparently they sent him to observe the relationships between us and Pokémon."

"The Pergrande Kingdom, you say?" This caught Arthur's attention.

Seeing as there was no reason to delay the formalities, Shiin stepped forward to present himself. Against such an authority figure, he knew he had to be respectable but also impose his stance. "Greetings to you. Mr. Arthur, was it? My name is Shiin Verdade, an associate of the Pergrande Kingdom." He reached into his coat and pulled out his badge to show his authenticity.

Arthur greeted the foreigner with a smile. "I see. Pleasure to meet your acquaintance." He reached for a handshake. "I understand that you must have a number of inquiries about our games. That being said, we do hope to build a stable relationship with your country if given the opportunity. I hope these games show that potential."

Shiin had to hold back a sneer. Despite his better sense to not shake the hand of this otherworlder, he had to put up a front and power through. He reached and shook his hand, his eye contact strong with resolve. "I hope to learn much from your ways." He half-lied.

Nic and Greninja exchanged glances, sensing the underlying meaning.

Marie looked down at Arthur. "Sir, it's almost time for the proceedings."

"Thank you, Marie." He thanked his secretary before returning his attention to Nic. "Sorry, but it looks like we'll be readying the formal presentation soon. I advise you and everyone else to find a seat when explanations begin. Excuse us."

On cue, he, Marie, and Stoutland walked away to start what sounded like important business. Nic and Erza took this as their cue to find seating amongst their guildmates. That left Shiin standing fixated on Arthur as a volley of inquires invaded his mind he was going to have to solve on his own.

As soon as all the guilds have arrived and got plates of food, they and their Pokémon were enjoying the delicious banquet's offerings when at the stage Arcadios Darton made themselves known.

"Everyone, may I have your attention please!" Arcadios's stern tone broke through the murmurs and conversations everyone had. They all quieted down and adverted their attention towards the front.

"In honor of your accomplishments of making it into qualifying for the games this year, Her Majesty would like to have some personal words to address to you. Pay heed!"

Everyone's attention turned towards someone entering the stage, followed by a number of royal guards that picked up the draped of her long robe. Elegant heels clicked as they entered the stage. Appearing before everyone was none other than Queen Hisui herself, accompanied by a Togetic.

Lucy's eyes widened. "It's Queen Hisui!"

"She's looking good. New ruler digs fit her." Warren praised.

'I see, so she is the ruler of Fiore.' Shiin thought critically. He made certain to snap a hidden picture with her and Togetic in it.

Once Hisui made it to the center of the stage, the lacrima lights lit up and focused on her. She cleared her throat and smiled at everyone. "Greetings to you all. For those who might not be aware, I am Queen Hisui E. Fiore, the current Queen of this kingdom. It is my privilege to thank you all for being here at a most important time in our lives.

"This banquet that we have prepared serves as the reward to everyone's merits for making it to this point. I trust that you all are satisfied with the accommodations that we've worked hard to prepare, just as you all have. You are all the pride of this kingdom, don't forget that. Please, in the days that follow, I want you to keep that in mind." She did a light bow and gave everyone a warm smile. "So to all of you, I wish you the best of luck."

Everyone clapped in praise for her speech.

"Now, I'll be handing the remainder of the proceedings over to Mr. Arcureus and the Cambire Foundation. They will explain the layout of the games that you will be participating in. I look forward to how everyone giving their best."

With that, Hisui stepped off to the side, allowing for Arthur to enter the stage on his wheelchair. Following him was Charlotte and Jefferey, both flanking him and imposing a sense of authority and power. Once again, everyone applauded out of necessity.

'Those must be his top officers.' Shiin figured.

"Thank you, Queen Hisui. Your charisma is certainly giving mine a run for my Jewel." Arthur started, his joke provoking some chuckles. "Now then, as Her Majesty explained in advanced, the Cambire Foundation has joined forces with the Grand Magic Games committee this year to propose a series of events that will be both engaging and versatile for mages and Pokémon alike. Mr. Bistro, if you'd be so kind?"

Jefferey nodded. "Thank you, Arthur." He pressed a button, causing a massive holographic panel to appear overhead.

"We'll begin by going over the necessary qualifications. As you all are aware, every guild must have a minimum of 30 completed jobs assessed by us, the Cambire Foundation. The mages that partook in those jobs are who qualify. That said, if you did not participate in at least one quest, you are exempt from the roster."

As Arthur explained, the guidelines he spoke of appeared on the holographic screen above for everyone to understand.

"Your Guild Masters are required to go over the rules with you, but we'll be emphasizing the main rules of the competition." As he spoke, the board above showed a numerical chart listing the rules. "You may be familiar with these rules, but keep them in mind. The first major rule is that Guild Masters of all participating guilds cannot participate in the games."

Sting folded his arms. "Sounds like a given."

"The second rule is that the guild members must bear the emblem of their respective guild, and cannot represent another guild in the competition."

"Sounds reasonable." Evergreen muttered.

"The third rule is that a mage is required to have at least three Pokémon in their party to compete in the games. And catching any new Pokémon during the competition will not count if they're under the required sum to begin with."

That rule was what caught a number of guilds off guard, and rightfully so. Even though they kept that in mind.

"Well, so much for us getting the spotlight." Macao sighed dejectedly.

"Real shame there, but oh well." Wakaba sneered.

"Look on the bright side, at least our efforts weren't completely wasted. We got this far, didn't we?" Kinana pointed out.

Alzack dejectedly frowned. "You might have a point there I guess. At least we got to enjoy this banquet."

"Cheer up, honey pistol. We'll have another chance to get more by next year." Bisca prompted.

"Guess it's a good thing I caught my third on time." Gajeel sneered. Beside him, Meltan was slowly dissolving a piece of iron with its liquid body, savoring its own meal.

"You don't have to rub it in!" Jet and Droy exclaimed in unison.

"Oh cheer up, guys. Let's do our best to support our guild from the sidelines, alright?" Levy insisted.

Arthur continued his speech. "Those are the primary rules that have been determined by the joint community. As you may have surmised, the prior rules to being at your designated inn at midnight as well as each guild having two teams have been terminated. Which brings me to the fourth rule: A guild can have as many mages on their team, so long as they have three Pokémon and meet the requirements."

Once again, everyone was taken aback.

"Wait…so we're not limited to just 5 members and reserve members like before?" Wendy gasped.

"Which means we can have as many as wee want!" Elfman realized.

Erza smirked. "This certainly broadens our versatility."

"That only sweetens the game. More competition to go around." Natsu smiled eagerly.

With The Freaks, Duncan scoffed. More competition for him to beat and get stronger.

The screen above then changed to a new one that looked like a schedule. "Now, as per new regulations, we are required to tell you about the schedule in advance of the competition. Starting tomorrow, all guilds will be partaking in preliminaries. As soon as those preliminaries are complete, those who qualify will be apart of the official roster of the Grand Magic Games. Immediately after, we will begin the first day then and there. From the first day to the fourth, the first half of each day will have an event in which guild mages will volunteer. Following those events will be battles of varied styles."

"Varied styles? So it's not just mages fighting?" Chelia inquired.

"That is correct." Charlotte spoke up, her harsh tone surprising the girl. "These battle formats have been determined by the formats that those from PokéEarth are familiar with. Not only will mages be combating, but so will their Pokémon."

"Guess they really went all in on the inclusion for this one, huh?" Gray smirked, clearly liking where this was heading.

Arthur raised his head. "Yes. As my associate Charlotte pointed out, mages will be working alongside Pokémon to complete these events and win battles. As the competition goes, points will be given out to every guild. Which brings us to the 5th day. As you may be aware, the final day of the Grand Magic Games in an all-out battle with all eligible mages participating. However, the point system that the guilds have earned throughout the games will instead have a different meaning than usual. Instead of the guild with the most points, it shall be determined by the last guild standing. And the participant who has earned the most points in the end…" His eyes narrowed. "Shall have the honor of facing Nic Pularis in a Pokémon Battle."

Nic sat in his seat, looking calm despite a number of gazes falling upon him. Even those from his guild couldn't help but feel their hearts race at the golden opportunity.

Natsu clenched his fist tight, "Just you wait, Nic. When I get the most points, I'm gonna be the one to beat ya."

"You say that like it'll be easy." Duncan chastised. "Look around. You're not the only one who wants that."

"Facing Nic himself." Shou mumbled.

A girl from Mermaid Heel's table looked determined.

"This'll be interesting." Jura smirked.

"The winning guild shall be rewarded 30 Million Jewel, and the title of the strongest guild in Fiore. However, there will also be consolation prizes for those who manage to come close behind, rest assured."

This made everyone perk up.

"Now…" Arthur lifted a wine glass high. "To you mages, you Pokémon, and the games themselves, let us all do our absolute."

"Cheers!" Everyone raised their glasses up to toast.

With that, the big speech had concluded, leaving everyone to dine with expectations that they will surely hold up to.

As he was sitting at an adjacent table, Shiin remained silent as he was going over the recent pictures that he had just taken. No doubt valued intel that will be essential to the information gathering he's been doing. But rest assured, he had been paying strict attention to everything that had been laid out in the schedule and rules.

'It looks like much of the rules have been adequately balanced. From my research, the committee has never been consistent. Is this new change in part to the standardized format the other world follows?'

"Free! Free~!"

Snapping out of his thoughts, Shiin turned towards Butterfree. "What do you want?"

"Free!" Butterfree sat a medium-sized plate down beside Shiin. He fluttered to the seat beside him and began munching away with his tiny mandibles into the berries he plucked from the table.

Shiin furrowed his brow, grunting annoyingly. Munch after munch, it only grated his ears and eyes to see him use such audacious eating habits that rivaled Natsu, who was stuffing his face so unmannerly. Eventually, he had enough of it.

"Don't do that." He picked up a fork and stabbed a berry with it. He then held the fork up to Butterfree. "There. If you're going to eat in public, at least be civilized about it."

Butterfree tilted his head in confusion, but then seemed overjoyed as he began munching away from the fork.

Shiin scoffed, making sure to not keep eye contact as he fed Butterfree by hand.

Nic and Greninja glanced over their shoulders, turning away when Shiin looked around to see if anyone was looking at him. The two had small smiles on their faces as they began feasting.

---

"Woooooow~!"

Junior's awe echoed the thoughts of everyone else around him. He's never seen such a luxurious place in his life. Well, as far as he was self-aware. Who wouldn't be in awe when you're in an inn that had marble columns, rich, fine carpets, and eloquent lighting. One could say that this was more akin to a mansion than an inn.

Staraptor chuckled at her son's expression. "It's certainly lavish, isn't it?"

"That's an understatement. Have you seen the bathrooms here?" Macao exclaimed, having walked out of a nearby facility. "You should see the baths and showers here."

"Man, makes you wish the old guild hall wasn't trashed. At least there we had a bathing area." Nab commented.

"And we're really staying here?" Lucy asked their Guild Master a short distance away.

Laxus confirmed with a nod. "Yeah, that's what they said."

"And the expenses are all on them. Sweet! Room services 24/7!" Bickslow grinned maniacally.

Gray looked up to the vaulted ceilings. "Check it out. This is way different than the inn we stayed at last time. Guess there's more perks being so close to the Cambire Foundation than we thought."

"Yes, dear. But that's largely in part of Nic. We should be mindful not to abuse that." Juvia warned.

Erza glanced over at her husband. "Was this part of the package deal?"

"It was. Though Arthur absolutely insisted as part of the trouble he's given me." Nic explained. He still didn't like the idea of the Champion moniker he has to wear during the games, but the concessions Arthur offered for his guild couldn't be beat.

"Woah, check it out! Even the bedrooms are epic!" Natsu shouted from one of the rooms, revealing two queen-sized beds with eloquent bedposts and robes.

"Let's figure out who sleeps where. There should be a maximum of three beds for each room." Freed imposed. "Bisca, Alzack, Nic, Erza. Since you are wed, they made sure you got king-sized beds for your rooms."

This put a smile on Alzack's face. "That's great."

Vanessa turned towards Sophie. "Sophie, you don't mind?"

"Not at all. Lead the way, roomie." Sophie chimed.

Joey linked his fingers and stretched overhead. "Guess it's a given for us then. We'll take a three-bed room together. And Dereece, you better keep your sleep mumbling down back there."

"That was one time." His compatriot slouched his shoulders as he trudged behind. Duncan silently followed behind.

"Make sure you all pick your room arrangements and get some sleep. We've got a long week ahead of us." Laxus announced. "That said…" A smirk crossed his face. "Don't go leaving too big of a mess for the staff to clean up."

Almost immediately, all eyes turned towards Natsu. The Dragon Slayer blinked in curiosity it hit him. "Wait, why're you singling me out?"

"Seems pretty obvious to me." Lucy dryly warned. She then started pulling Natsu by the scarf away. "C'mon, mister. We're staying in the same room so I can keep an eye on you."

"Ow! Lucy!" As much as Natsu protested, it was futile against the abrasive blonde. Although, if he was honest, he didn't mind sharing a room with her. Not like he hasn't seen her naked before if that was her concern.

Juvia immediately sprung onto Gray's arm. "Shall we find our room then?"

"Sure. It's probably gonna be two beds if you're cool with that." Gray warned.

Juvia nodded, showing no visible signs of dejection. If she was dissatisfied, she was doing a good job hiding it. "No problem. Besides, since we're participating together, we'll have plenty of time to be close."

As members were all scattering to assess their rooms, Laxus watched them all head off. The Strauss siblings took to a three-bed room, and Macao, Wakaba, and Romeo took to another. With them tending to their matters, he took a moment to look around, admiring the scenery that this place provided. 'So Sabertooth really stayed here last time? Not bad.'

"Shall I draw a bath for you, sir?" Freed dutifully asked.

"Yeah…that'd be nice."

---

Astray from the lodging that the competitors were given, there were a number of inns and hotels that were all reserved or booked for the games' onlookers. Amongst them was an inn labeled the "Sweet Creek Inn" that had a picture of a creek in the background of a sign with SC engraved onto it. It was more along the lower-brow inns, but it was convenient for those of low stature.

In this establishment was Shiin. Since he wasn't part of the guild, he had to find his own accommodations for the duration of his stay.

Inside his bedroom, Shiin was at a desk with a dull lacrima light. As he was writing his report and going into details, he took a moment to look over his shoulder towards the bed. There, Butterfree was sound asleep, his stomach full from Shiin feeding him.

Oddly enough, Shiin didn't feel as bothered as he thought he'd be. A very meek grin crossed his face as he was finishing up his report, then folded into an envelope along with the lacrima chip that he would be sending with it.

With his report finished, he took a moment to compose his thoughts. 'From this first meeting, it's clear how dependent everyone is on this competition. Although it's nothing more than a national festival, they've made it into a bigger ordeal due to the Pokémon's involvement.'

He recalled how everyone at the guild a week ago was talking about their plans and how excited they were to partake in something like this. He didn't want to share their sentiment, nor was he obligated to…but seeing how everyone progressed so far has made him feel something strange. Was it expectations? He couldn't be certain, but it felt something akin to that.

'Well…suppose we'll just have to see how they all fair tomorrow.'

Just then, his grimoire's pattern shined. He immediately decoded the meaning and turned towards a bookmarked page with a glowing rune circle. "What are they sending now?"

He expected another memory chip, which he had requested in advance. Sure enough, one went his way as well as a lump sum of Jewels for his budget that he put off to the side. Yet, something else was sent his way.

"Hm?" He noticed a small lacrima chip with a glowing red dot on it. "A recorded chip?" Curious, he checked to make sure no one was around. He made sure the curtains were closed, and the lights were dim enough for just him.

Checking once more to make sure he had his privacy, he reached for the chip. His palm glowed as it reacted to his Magic Power. Immediately a miniature hologram of Sheela appeared above the chip.

"This is to Captain Verdade, from Vice-Captain Starlock from the Heaven's Eye faction." The message played. "The Grand Captain has a message for you."

Shiin's eyes widened as he gasped. "From the Grand Captain himself?"

"Your mission during the duration of these games is to watch the competition. Be mindful and study how the mages use their Pokémon. You are also to find out everything you can about the factions of the Cambire Foundation and of their rankings, power, finances, all of it. Remember, every move you make is crucial. Please, be careful, Captain."

With that, the video ended. The lacrima chip suddenly shattered apart, and in place several video lacrima spheres were clustered manifested. Shiin walked over to collect the necessary equipment for his new primary job.

'So my job now is to collect intel of the games rather than shadow Nic. This is a direct order from the Grand Captain, so I can't refuse.' A part of him was worried about this. 'But, to get all this footage…I'll need help.'

"Free?"

A familiar chirp made him realize he wasn't alone in the room. He sharply turned towards Butterfree, who had awoken from dozing off and seemed curious of what Shiin was doing.

"Oh, you're up." He stared at his butterfly associate before an idea came to his head. He looked down at the lacrima cameras, then towards Butterfree. "Listen, I know I don't ask a lot from you, but since you're here…could you be of help to me?"

"Free?" Butterfree tilted his head, curious of what Shiin had in mind.

---

Happy Pokémon Day! Managed to get this done on such an important day, and I believe this was a good place to stop. This officially starts the X793 Grand Magic Games Arc! It was mostly everyone wrapping up their guild business, as well as setting up for the games themselves. As you saw, there are going to be a lot of familiar faces that you recognize from the previous games, as well as new ones.

As you have seen, Quatro Cerberus has an OC Trainer of their own now, Aiden. And as hinted, so does Mermaid Heel, though she'll be revealed soon.

With the competition under joint management, how will the preliminaries go for the competitors? Who will move on to the main events? And in the end, who will it be from the winning guild to face Nic? So many questions!

The new designs for Joey, Dereece, Vanessa, and Sophie are on my Deviantart. Aiden and more will be added soon, so look there for their new appearances.

Credit for Duncan's Mud Slide move goes to Kallerston.

I got two updates this month, which was what I expected. Next month I'm gonna try and be consistent with around three chapters.

Please leave a review to show your support! Thanks again as always!