Chapter 6: Two Ancients Unleashed 1/2

Chapter 6 – Two Ancients Unleashed

S'up peeps! I got another update here for you. I have another FanFiction that's coming soon, so that's what's keeping me from updating this story. Don't panic or go crazy, I'll still be working on this story; in fact, one of my stories that I've been doing for a friend is nearing the final chapter. Expect some updates here and there between the two.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pokémon nor Fairy Tail, they belong to Satoshi Tajiri, Nintendo, and Hiro Mashima. The only thing I do own is the OC.

For the record, I forgot that Hiro's name was the one that created Fairy Tail, so that was a huge coincidence.

Regardless, let's get on with this story!

FOREWARNING: Insanely long chapter!

To Recap:

After going to a café and talking with Erza for a little bit, the two decided to spend some time together and got to know the other's past. He then went to go on a job to find some Plates (not dining plates) and get some cash into his pockets. He enters Freesia to find that the town has to make a daily sacrifice in order to have peace with three wizards. Nic uses himself as bait while his Kecleon trails him and the army to an open field that has a shale pyramid of sorts for a ritual to revive Lord Zeref.

Chapter 6 – Two Ancients Unleashed

Nic didn't like this feeling, and it wasn't the creepy seductive lady draped on his shoulder. It was a more vile and potent feeling. The Magic energy was massive, more massive than he could have imagined. He had to think as to how this group of people got this power. Nic recalled the Dark Guild Eisenwald. That guild was linked to Zeref, and the name Zeref came from this particular group as well. There might be a good chance that these guys have more power than Erigor and that demon Lullaby put together.

This left Nic to assume one thing.

He looked up at the three above him and asked something. "Mind if I ask something?"

The three turned towards Nic, but still pressed on. Rosa licked her lips and squeezed harder. "What might it be handsome?" She asked seductively. "If it's about that silly ritual, don't worry. I wouldn't wanna ruin the surprise, a fine-looking townsfolk like you isn't a Mage after all."

That's right. The enemy isn't suppose to know he's from another guild. He acted like an ordinary citizen from Freesia. Boy, this will be a shock to them when they find out the truth.

Anyway, Nic got back on topic and asked his question. "No, it's not about this ritual." He paused before speaking again. "You guys are a Dark Guild, aren't you?" His tone was slightly more accusing. The three wizards stopped walking and stood in place, all three were shocked from this statement. Conjore looked back towards Nic, seeing his eyes glaring towards him. Conjore definitely had an uneasy feeling about this guy now.

'Just what is this guy?' He questioned himself. He made a façade by smirking. "You're not dumb, I'll give ya that much." He remarked, turning back and walking up. Rune just glared at him before they all proceeded once more. As far as he was concerned, he was another sacrifice from a crappy town. He sure was arrogant. Nic was sure that Rune wasn't as suspicious as Conjore was. He could tell by how he was glaring at him more uncertain than the other. Nic had to keep his guard up.

Nic looked over and saw that Rosa was purring, seeing how he had looks and brains. Nic had to hold back his sigh as they continued onward. 'What would Erza think if she saw this? Better yet, what wouldn't she do?' Nic thought, imagining if Erza was right there. She might try and tear Rosa's arms off at least and send her flying thirty miles to who knows where.

They had another minute to go, and they finally reached the top. It was flat and square in shape. There were three triangles and a red symbol going about the entire flat top. The center was a solid red with a diameter of a meter. From there, the red markings circulated and stretched about in zigzags and more circular patterns that reached the edge of the strange top. The Runes were obviously from strange text that was ancient. Near the other end was an altar that was rather small. It was like a little rock that you could stash away something

Nic wiggled his arm free of Rosa's arms, but she only pouted as her time with him has come to an end. Rune and Rosa escorted Nic to the middle, where the red circle was, while Conjore walked over towards the altar. He turned and had some sort of long six feet sphere with a blood red bladed-edged crystal on the end. The crystal emanated a demonic influence that Nic could sense. This wasn't like Lullaby, but more bloodthirsty and unholy. Nic had a pretty good feeling that this was coming from the glowing crystal.

Rosa and Rune took their positions on the two triangles, and began to recite a chant. It was some words that Nic had no clue was. Probably ancient words, definitely not Italian. The runes then began to glow a blood red that filled the air with such evil. Nic could feel the energy all around him, it was making his skin crawl. Nic had to stay put, no matter how bone-rattling the feeling got. Kecleon was watching from the distance, just at the tree line. She recalled Nic saying to jump when he's in a dilemma. She tilted her head and proceeded past the army, still invisible. She swiftly found the staircase and trailed upwards.

Nic then felt as though his body became completely immobile. He was stuck within that tiny circle, paralyzed and not able to even lift a finger. This sick energy was binding his body so that he couldn't escape. The only thing he could move was his head and neck.

Nic turned his head to see that Conjore has joined in on the chanting. As the chanting proceeded, the spear was slowly rising and was levitating from Conjore's hands. The spear made way towards Nic very slowly and Nic saw that the circle under him was swirling with blood red energy, drawing the weapon ever so near. Finally, the chanting stopped and they were speaking English again.

"The seal shall be broken, with the body of the relentless human race and their blood of greed." Conjore recited. "The new era of darkness and chaos shall enter the twilights and swallow the light. With one more sacrifice, let it appease the hunger of the demons that dwell within the name of Zeref. The death of the oblivious and the unfortunate shall awaken his power."

The spear was above five feet away from Nic and at a killing arc from above. Nic now was in a panic. His heartbeat was racing faster than the fastest Rapidash and pounding harder than a Heavy Slam. Nic swallowed hard, hoping for his pal to make her appearance.

'If I possibly die, let me remember three things.' Nic mentally prepared a will. 'My pokémon. The ones who stood by my side and would follow me through death, they are my true family. Let me remember Fairy Tail, and how annoying Natsu and Gray are when they fight. I still don't know why Gray takes his shirt off, it's weird. I'll miss Erza for as long as eternity lasts. Finally, let me remember one more vital thing…omelets. Boy, how delicious they were. The numerous omelets I could've had. I'd find it nice to have two omelets at most in a week, but I guess I'll have as many as I want now.'

The spear then came down. Just as the blade was coming down on Nic, a shadow from underneath sprung up and rammed into the spear, knocking its trajectory off. It missed Nic and hit between his two feet. The spear cracked the circle, making the runes stop glowing and freeing Nic, enabling him to move again.

The three wizards only had a few seconds to process this as they were all suddenly hit by Kecleon's Slash and they all fell to their sides by this stealthy intruder. They all laid down and looked up to see Kecleon reappear by Nic's side.

"Just in time." Nic said, looking down at the Color Swap Pokémon. She simply tilted and turned her head and looked in another direction.

"That spear looked pointy." Kecleon said in her creepy manner that always sounds so innocent. Kecleon usually points out the obvious and says weird things, but Nic and the other pokémon can always understand her point.

Nic looked at the spear and kicked it away, off of the pyramid and plummeting down towards the grassy field. "So it was." Nic agreed. Nic then glowed, activating his Splash Plate form. He then turned back towards Kecleon. "You know what to do." Kecleon nodded. It turned invisible, exclude the red stripe, and zoomed down from the pyramid. Nic followed and leaped down from the steps. Kecleon was using her Shadow Sneak and taking out multiple shadows all on her own.

"Kecleon!" Nic shouted, reaching the bottom and signaling her to come to his side. She revealed herself and was back by Nic's side without the army touching her.

"Surf!" An enormous tide then erupted from underneath him, having the two ride it without harm. The wave swallowed up the entire army and the three from above on the pyramid watched as their army was reduced to zero by one move. When the water cleared out, all of the shadows were no more. Every single one has vanished. Kecleon then leaped from Nic's side and looked up at him.

"Hang ten!" she said, waving her arms up. Nic did the same and waved his arms a little as well, satisfied to have those guys out of the way too. Suddenly, Nic and Kecleon both sensed something.

They turned and Rune suddenly appeared before them and shot a punch on Nic. He blocked with his elbow and pivoted. He then punched him in his gut and he regained his footing immediately from upon landing. He back off a few feet as the other two were surrounding them. They were at different sides, all cornering the two. They were pretty fast to recover such a critical blow from Kecleon's Slash from earlier.

"I thought something was different about you." Conjore proclaimed. "It looks as though Freesia has enlisted the help of another guild. I think we need to repay them a visit once we're done with this amateur and his overgrown gecko."

"I am a Kecleon." She stated, correcting him and hardly taking offense. Nic narrowed his eyes and turned his attention towards the three enemies.

"No guys aren't going to rob another soul tonight, for we'll stop you." Nic proclaimed, with Kecleon now battle ready and holding up her claw.

"You're welcome to try." Conjore said in an amused way. He spread his arms out, being cocky and inviting Nic to attack him. Nic noticed that the spear from earlier was zooming at high speed and flew into Conjore's hand. He now held onto the spear and smirked. "Though, you're efforts will be futile." He finished.

"We'll see."

"I say we bring the pain." Kecleon said in her weird manner. Nic couldn't agree more. Kecleon always gets her point across, no matter what she says.

Nic thought as to make a tactic that involved catching them off guard and getting them all individually. He would need a diversion, so he used Muddy Water and tried to swamp the whole place. Kecleon was swift to avoid the three-sixty tidal wave. The other three leaped, but Nic lunged at Rune with an Aqua Jet. Rune blocked it with his arms and brushed Nic away. He then had his fingers straighten out, and they glowed a blue that also extended their length. Nic then sprinted with Razor Shell at Rune, but was caught off by being grabbed by a huge hand.

"Oh boy, it would appear that you've forgotten about me." Rosa stated. She rode on the large monster's shoulder and laughed. Nic was being held by a huge humanoid monster that Rosa might have created. He tried struggling free, but to no avail.

He took notice that this monster wasn't like the other ones. For one thing, it was touching him and he wasn't falling into a nightmare. Another thing he noticed was that it felt as hard as a rock. He looked over quickly and saw that a large portion of the field was missing. She must have somehow made this monster from the field only a few moments ago.

"You're a bad boy." She continued. "Using an Animation Spell on something this large was very hasty for me to do, especially after you took out my army of shadows."

Nic continued to try and break free of the grip he was in.

"Just give up already!" Conjore shouted from afar. "You're no match for us. You never had a chance to beat us in the first place."

Nic was showing signs of being annoyed. He was beginning to grit his teeth and glaring at them viciously. "You irritate me!"

They all failed to register the presence of Kecleon until she was spotted on the ground in front of the monster. She opened her mouth and the inside began glowing red. She then shrieked loudly, causing red shockwaves to come out from her mouth. The rock monster was shuddering at Kecleon's Screech. Since it didn't have ears and the vibrations were so immense, tiny parts of it was crumbling off. Rosa covered her ears and began to yelp for it to stop. She twisted left and right, unable to focus and the rock monster was beginning to crumble and break down.

As it was doing so, Nic was able to pry himself loose. Fortunately for Nic, Screech only affects its intended targets, so he was safe from the earsplitting attack. He jumped and turned towards the crumbling monster and Rosa. He unleashed a powerful Water Pulse from his two palms and threw it at the monster's cracked chest. They all watched as the monster exploded into shattered fragments and Rosa was send flying. She was in midair and Kecleon ran and leaped behind her. She let loose a Slash and send her crashing in front of her accomplices.

She slowly got up, agitated that her monster was obliterated with ease by two novices.

"You sorry beast! You've done it now!" Rosa shouted at Nic. Her flirtatious and seductive manner was replaced by a more cynical and angry side of her.

Nic had to change his strategy. Now that surprise attacks were no longer available, he had to swat them down one at a time. He has to make sure that he takes as little damage as he could. The three wizards were only a little injured, but not as much as he wanted them to be. This was going to be a little bit harder than he had anticipated.

"Not bad." Conjore remarked. "Nevertheless, your efforts are in vain. You're clearly outmatched here. Did you honestly believe that you could take on Tartaros?"

Nic was confused. He tilted his head just like Kecleon does.

"Eh, Tartaros?" Nic asked.

"Yes. We are part of one of the three most powerful Dark Guilds in history." Conjore explained, clenching a fist and smirking heinously. "The Magic Council labelled us the weakest of the Baram Alliance, big mistake for those old prunes. Tartaros has been storing power this entire time, so we're actually, and secretly, the most powerful guild ever devised. Those fools think they're all high and mighty, well we'll see who's superior once our plan goes accordingly. Their so arrogant in fact, that they don't even realize that they have quite a few traitors among their ranks."

Nic was now gritting his teeth even more. He hated the Council just as much as he did. The very mention of the Magic Council itself mad Nic want to break something. He could understand as to why they wanted to do it to the Council, but using innocent lives in doing so was going too far. He even had the very thought of someone being a traitor. He suspected Siegrain almost immediately. He knew something was off about him.

He shook his head and tried to refocus his efforts into stopping these guys. He couldn't be distracted by mere thoughts of a potentially lethal future. He had to remain focus on the present.

"So you just plan to show power, by killing off the innocent? The Council will only think less of you monsters!" Nic berated. "What can you possibly gain from killing the innocent?"

Conjore smirked even more now, making him look as though he was a madman. "It's not so much the Council than it is with our primary goal. Tartaros is dedicated to reviving Zeref, and we simply needed nightmares in doing so. We snagged every person we could, starting with the ones that were inflicted with nightmares. After we're finished with those guys, it's on towards the rest of the town. Those dumb fools cannot be allowed to live in a world where they can't use Magic. If anyone is considered a nuisance, you included, they'll be disposed of, forbidden to see a future of greatness. Those without Magic shall be disposed of, and Lord Zeref shall reign in the coming ages of darkness and ever thriving Magic. A future where Zeref and his followers shall stomp all over the weak, that is what we shall gain."

Nic sighed and shook his head. 'The madness never ends.' He thought. He then turned back up towards the three maniacs and glared them down, getting into a fighting stance in the process.

"Aside from the fact that you've knocked a few of your own crews loose, I'm pretty sure that I'll be whooping your sorry behinds." Nic proclaimed.

"Save the children!" Kecleon proclaimed. She wasn't wrong there as well. They needed to protect the future and its future inhabitants from these weirdoes. Man, she's really good at getting a point across.

Conjore's smirked expression turned into a devilish frown in a split second. One moment, he was gloating of a future of darkness, and the next thing you know, he's got shivers going down your spine.

"Kill him and his pet." He ordered. The two other wizards then advanced towards the two contenders.

Nic glowed and shifted into his Toxic Plate. He ran up and Kecleon followed suit. Rune rushed in while Rosa was summoning forth a few shadow from before.

Rune confronted Nic while Kecleon dealt with said shadows, aware of not to be made contact with. Rune gave Nic an elbow to the gut, where Nic recoiled and pivoted. He turned and used Poison Jab, but Rune shifted to his right and Nic regained footing. Nic lunged forward with another Poison Jab. Rune dodged and grabbed Nic's arm and threw him overhead. Not the best choice.

Turning away, he saw that the small group of shadows was taken down by Kecleon's Shadow Sneak. Keleon worked fast. Kecleon immediately turned back towards Rune and pivoted and ran straight for him. Rune was ready to counter her assault, but was stopped by a Sludge Bomb to the head, sending him hurling back and sliding on the ground a few feet.

Nic regained footing upon using that midair attack and tried to take an analysis just like that. He noticed that whenever Rune looked at something or someone, that large eye mark on his forehead lit up. He also picked up as to how he was able to avoid Nic's Poison Jabs easily, but noticed that he was hit when he wasn't looking.

A theory developed in Nic's head, thinking that eye could see into the future as long as that said Mage has a visual on the opponent. There was only one way to find out. Nic turned back towards Kecleon.

"Kecleon, do your thing!" Nic shouted. Kecleon then became invisible, all except the red stripe. Nic turned back and leaped. He came at Rune with his mouth open and enveloped his fangs in a thick poison. "Poison Fang!" As his strong, venomous teeth was about to bite down on the wizard of evil, Rune stepped back and watched as Nic fell forward. He gave Nic a good punch to the gut, but saw Nic grab his wrist. He yanked on his arm that he used to punch the Multitype Mage and he bit into his arm, sending relentless pain through his body. Rune yelped in pain as he brought his arm in a circle and elbowed Nic.

Nic smirked back as he stumbled backwards. After regaining ground, he looked and saw that Rune looked rather feverish and his nose looked a little purple. He was badly poisoned. He coughed as he knelt on the ground, unable to withstand the poison. Rune was a little pale and he slowly got back up, groaning and glaring at Nic.

"Bet you didn't see that." Nic shouted out.

"You're going to die." Rune growled. He leaped forward, ready to punch. He was running forward until he was stopped from the side. Something slashed him from his right, and back to his left. He stumbled back a few feet and let out a gasping breath, having the poison take its toll.

He'd forgot that Nic's Kecleon turned invisible and was moving fast. Since he could get a visual on the Color Swap Pokémon, he couldn't predict its moves.

"Come out and fight you coward!" He shouted, turning left and right. He'd tried to search for that red stripe. He scanned the area, but didn't see it. Either it was too fast or it ran off.

"Hello?" Nic whistled, getting his attention. Rune turned back at him and was hit from behind with Kecleon's Slash, propelling him forward and unable to fend against Nic's Poison Jab into his gut.

He gawked as he fell forward into a Poison Jab he couldn't counter. Kecleon was swift and smart enough to jump above as Rune was observing his surroundings from before to avoid detection. Talk about being a sight for sore eyes. Ha!

He slumped backwards into an unconscious state. He wasn't going to be getting up for awhile. Nic's poison wasn't that lethal, but it sure knocked his lights out.

Having that said and done, Nic only had two more to go. The flirty crazy head and the tall one with a spear. He shifted his focus over to Rosa and was ready to fight the said Mage that could use Animation Magic to give life and form to certain things with certain characteristics.

Rosa summoned forth three human sized rock monsters from the earth, much like the big one she made from before. Given that they weren't shadows this time, Nic assumed they'll have the same characteristics as did the giant one, meaning upon contact he won't fall asleep.

Nic would imagine that since they're also made of earth, that meant that they should be easy to destroy. He remembered that since they're solid, Kecleon's Screech can make their bodies vibrate, causing them to crumble and weaken, which meant Nic could use a physical attack and easily shatter them. Nic thought of this in less than three seconds. That's how fast Nic was when being serious in a battle.

The three golems advanced, and they were much more agile than the one before. It had to be the lack in size that gave them such speed. Since they weren't as large or made of much earth, their bodies were lighter.

Nic changed from his Toxic Plate over towards his Splash Plate.

The first golem shot a direct punch to Nic's face, of which he was able to dodge by jumping. Nic was about to unleash a Water Gun from above, but failed to take into account that the second golem jumped and tackled him to the ground. Nic was send crashing into the ground with a five hundred pound earth being standing affirm and ready to throw a punch.

Just before impact, Kecleon was able to throw the beast off with a swift Shadow Sneak, allowing Nic enough area to stand and use a point blank Water Pulse. The water explosion had send the beast flying and crash into the ground with several fractures in its body. The first and third rock monsters advanced and Nic used Bubblebeam to stop them in their tracks. The attack made contact, having the creatures block with their arms. Slowly, they were pushed back. The moment when Nic stopped was when they unguarded themselves, which wasn't even two seconds later that Kecleon used Slash on both of them, leaving shallow gashes in their abdomens.

Kecleon back flipped and was right next to Nic. Kecleon stood for a brief moment, thinking back as to how this woman's magic was strange.

She recalled that Rosa could summon creatures that had to be under her control, but she remembered something that was extremely important. During when Nic was talking to her in the forest, Kecleon noticed shadows disappearing. She looked rather fixated on him, so that meant her mental capabilities had to be of some value. Kecleon noted that when she used Screech from before, Rosa couldn't concentrate, forcing the rock monster to crumble. It was no doubt her mental capabilities.

Upon realizing this, Kecleon turned towards Nic. "Nic!" she said, somewhat tilting her head. "I know her weakness."

"Feel free to fill me in anytime now." Nic said, seeing the creatures close in on them again. All three rock monsters were up and they were swiftly making way towards the two.

"The crazy lady needs focus to work those dummies." She said. Nic then pieced it together. It did make sense. He noticed she did lose concentration when Screech had hit, so it must be true. With a brand new strategy, Nic cracked his knuckles.

"Let's get to it!" Nic said.

"We shall rock their world." Kecleon said in her usual innocent yet creepy voice. She learned the puns from Nic, and she still made a point. Is there nothing she can say that's beside the point?

Just before the rock monsters could make contact, the two leaped back to avoid the beings. Kecleon used Screech and the red shockwave had the monsters stay still. Rosa could feel the intense Screech ringing her ears. This lowered all of their defenses sharply, leaving Nic to do some damage.

"Razor Shell!" Nic shouted.

He straightened his fingertips and they extended into long, blue, glowing blades. He ran up and sliced all three monsters that were shaking and crumbling from the lack of control Rosa had. They were all easily taken down, leaving Rosa to fend for herself. Sadly, she was in no position to defend.

Kecleon had just stopped using Screech, but Rosa's ears were still ringing like bells. Nic took the opportunity to switch into his Zap Plate really fast and then go for a sprint. By the time she uncovered her ears, Nic was right in front of her face with a ThunderPunch that said 'I'll give you a real charge!'. Hehe, puns.

Nic send a roaring ThunderPunch that dug into her chest, with her screaming with the combination of a physical punch and electricity shocking every nerve in her body. The attack sent her soaring back at high speed past Conjore and slam into the pyramid wall, leaving a tiny crater in her place. She fell to the ground with a thud and static popping up a few times. She was definitely out, with some paralysis for an insured policy of not getting up anytime soon.

'That's two for three.' Nic thought, using his opponents as fractions, each being a third.

"That was pretty shocking." Kecleon stated. That comment was not only obvious, but clever as it was punny as well. How does she do it?

Conjore was deeply enraged by this turn of events. Two Dark Guild Wizards were taken down with ease by an amateur wizard that didn't even look all that tired. He glared at Nic with rage.

"How dare you?!" Conjore scolded the Multitype Mage. He had a thick black and purple aura surging all over his body. "My accomplices, beat by an ignorant snob and an overgrown lizard!"

Nic raised a brow. "If we're so ignorant, then how come we whooped your friends' sorry behinds?" he retorted.

"He just got oveeerrrrr!" Kecleon shouted, having her hands wail in the air.

Conjore was clenching his fists, his magic surging. "Very well. They may have been no match for you, but my power will give you a glimpse of the despair that you will feel!" Now his magic was concentrated into his right fist, the one that didn't have the spear. This magic was immense in negativity. Nic and Kecleon could sense it from their distance as well.

"Be ready Kecleon!" Nic said, bending his knees and getting into a fighting stance. Kecleon followed suit and showed her claws.

Conjore was grinning very cynically. "Prepare to die."

"Yeah, how about no." Nic said. Conjore then unleashed a beam of pure darkness at Nic. Nic countered with a Thunderbolt, which intercepted the blast. The two assaults collided, but Nic was easily overpowered with the amount of magic Conjore was delivering. The Thunderbolt only held up for about five seconds before the negative blast ploughed through. Nic was caught off guard and was struck with the immense force, giving off a shout of pain before landing on his back a few feet from where he was standing. Nic slowly got back to his own two feet, uneasy from that powerful blast. 'Just how much power does this guy have?' Nic thought.

"Now that you had a glimpse of the despair you will suffer from, I believe we should put you out of your misery and give you an eternity's worth of despair." Conjore said.

Nic used Charge Beam and Conjore easily dodged the attack. Kecleon turned invisible and reappeared in front of him in only four seconds. As she was about to strike him with a Slash, he unleashed another blast of pure darkness from his chest rather than his hands. Kecleon was send flying and flipping in midair.

Conjore gave no room to have them recover as he used another blast straight at Nic. Nic dodged by leaping to his right. He came back around and used Electro Web. He spit out a yellow web that surged with electricity. The web came down on Conjore, keeping him immobilized while being electrocuted at the same time. Before long, he shot another blast, freeing himself and getting the Electro Web dispelled. He then launched another blast of pure darkness, of which Nic generated a ball of electricity.

"Electro Ball!" He threw the ball at the pure blast of negativity and the two attacks intercepted one another. Since Conjore's speed went down from the Electro Web, Electro Ball's power shot up. Eventually, the two attacks gave in to one another, and an explosion occurred. The two Mages were clouded up by a large cloud of smoke that blocked their visions.

Conjore was cursing for having Nic's power tie with his. He gathered some more magic energy for another blast as soon as Nic moves or is in sight.

Suddenly, he was struck from underneath by Kecleon's Shadow Sneak, making him stumble back. He didn't have time to look as a sphere of yellow and green electricity with a red center, via Zap Canon, came through the smoke towards an off guard Conjore. The attack made impact, electricity flying everywhere. Afterwards, Conjore was barely standing, but electricity was paralyzing him.

The smoke finally cleared, and Nic leaped out with Spark. As Conjore was about to shoot one more assault at him, he was struck by Kecleon's Screech from the side, throwing off the blast's trajectory. The blast missed and Conjore fell to one knee. It wasn't just the damage that has made him drain, but those pure dark blasts he shot exhausted a huge chunk of his magic power. That last shot was all that he had left, meaning he was powerless.

Nic rammed into him, causing him to stumble back. Conjore remained standing, but his face was covered in sweat from overuse of his magic on so few blasts.

"You lousy punk!" He muttered under his breath. "I've had enough. I may not be able to drain your nightmares nor soul, but I'll kill you!" He held up the spear with the crystal. He was no doubt gonna try and strike Nic down with just that.

As Conjore was dashing forward to strike, he (once again) failed to notice Kecleon, of whom wasn't even visible. Kecleon was just too fast for him to trace as she swiped him from behind, knocking him over. He groaned as he looked to see that he didn't have the spear in possession.

"What?! Where did it-!" He was wide eyed when he saw Kecleon with the spear. Nic smirked, seeing how Kecleon's Thief was able to finish him. Conjore couldn't move, but watched as Kecleon looked back at him with the spear.

"Give it back!" Demanded Conjore. "Lord Zeref must be revived! Give it back you fools!" Conjore was infuriated. No matter how much he tried to get up, the paralysis kept him from doing so.

"You guys really think you're mighty?" Nic questioned. "You guys were way too easy." He then looked down at Kecleon and nodded, allowing her to terminate the spear. She held up an arm at an angle with Slash at the ready.

"Stop!" Conjore yelled.

Kecleon threw it up in the air and jumped. She then used Slash, which made the crystal crack. She jumped back down to Nic's side as the spear fell to the ground within Conjore's reach. When it landed near him, bad things happened.

They saw red demon-like energy come from the fractured crystal. It flowed everywhere. When it finally cracked and shattered, it exploded red demon energy.

Like a volcano erupting, the deluge of energy burst from the shattered spear. The explosion was so powerful, that all Nic and Kecleon felt was the feeling of flying. They could hear the faint screams of the three others that sounded like a far distance. The two saw only white for a brief moment, blacked out for that brief second, and they found themselves sailing straight into the debris of the remains of what was the pyramid. The two were too lightheaded and drained to do anything, except fall like meteors crashing into the earth.

'This is gonna hurt so bad.' Nic thought before succumbing to his lightheadedness.

Sometime later…

Dawn broke out, and Nic found himself lying on his side. He wasn't in his Zap Plate Form from before, meaning he was reverted back towards himself during his unconsciousness. He felt nothing except pain in every single cell in his body. He clenched his fists in searing pain as he struggled to stand. He was up on his two feet, his hands on his knees. He gasped tremendously for air before. He had multiple scratches and bruises from the explosion. He looked around and was wide eyed.

Everywhere he looked, nothing but pyramid debris. There were piles and piles of black shale scattered about. The entire field was covered in the shattered pyramid. You couldn't find grass unless you were close towards the tree line back into the forest.

Nic searched around, seeing that no one else was there. He wasn't sure if the other guys were buried or dead. 'Are they…? What did…? Wait!" Nic remembered that his Kecleon was caught in that explosion. Almost like he had a sugar rush, he jumped and tossed rocks everywhere in search of his dear Color Swap Pokémon.

"Kecleon!" Nic shouted. "Where are you?!" He then turned and saw his pokémon approach from over a hilly pile. She looked just as bad as Nic, but at least she wasn't dead. Nic dropped to his knees and let out the deepest breath you've ever imagined. He was so thankful that she was okay.

"Nic!" Kecleon shouted. She walked out and hugged him. Kecleon was relieved that her trainer wasn't dead either.

Nic got back up and looked back around. "What happened?" He asked quietly.

"We were caught up in that explosion and we hit the ground very hard." Kecleon explained. She then looked back in the direction that she came from. "I found something though."

Nic was curious as to what she found. With what strength he could muster, he followed her towards the original spot of the pyramid. It was surrounded by huge chunks of shale, but the middle was somewhat leveled.

It was really strange. Some time ago, Nic sensed two powerful signatures that originated from the pyramid. One was super evil and one made his plates go nuts inside. During the battle, Nic's sensory towards those things turned off. Now, his sensory was back on. Though there was one thing off; one of the signatures from before was gone. Nic didn't feel his spine shiver, so it must be the energy that made the plates react that wasn't rid of. The evil energy was dispelled.

Nic was walking ever so closer towards the middle and the plates were acting like metal detectors. When they continued walking, they were getting crazier and crazier. Nic then saw something under a few grains of rock. It looked like some sort of stone, but it was more like a midnight blue. Nic's plates suddenly stopped reacting as soon as he was ten feet away. The weird stone then slowly lit up, as did Nic.

"You're shining!" exclaimed Kecleon. Nic felt the plates starting to draw in the one stone. The stone was levitating in front of them, slowly coming towards Nic. Nic quickly pieced it together. The forest. The plates. The pyramid. The reaction. Now it all made sense. There was no question about it.

It was a plate. Not just any plate, the Dread Plate.

Upon realizing this, Nic had his mouth open in shock. That explained the signature coming from the pyramid from earlier. Slowly, the Dread Plate made its way in front of Nic. Once the plate had touched Nic's chest, a flash of light appeared, as well as a slight pain. Nic gritted his teeth as the plate began fusing with Nic. The process was rather painful, but it was the first time. Add the fact that he was already damaged. The light slowly faded, and the process was complete. Nic now had six out the eighteen he had to collect.

"Wow." Nic muttered. He could feel about a millennium's worth of history flow through his body. This plate was ancient, no question. He felt all of the evil come from the plate, and it filtered into a positive energy for him. It was rough to describe. The plate gave off a vibe that could send shiver down your spine, but after a few seconds, he felt better than he was twenty seconds ago. Think of it as a vaccination for evil.

Nic then turned back and saw the sun beginning to rise even higher. He flipped on his sunglasses and plopped back down on the crumbled shale. As did Kecleon.

Nic turned to her in exhaustion still. "Kecleon, you okay?" Nic thought. Kecleon did look tired, but who could blame her. She fought with Nic against three wizards, and survived a catastrophic explosion, and got up earlier and found the plate.

"So…tired." She said in her usual creepy and innocent voice.

Nic grinned and looked back up into the sky. "Yeah. I wonder what happened to those guys?" He wondered. This question went unanswered as Nic got out a poke ball and held it up to Kecleon. "You did a great job destroying that thing Kecleon, now get some rest. Return." With absolute zero reluctance, Kecleon returned to her poke ball to get some rest. Nic then fell on his back and succumbed to exhaustion. Man, that explosion took a lot out of him. Poor guy.

Meanwhile, back in Freesia…

The women were doing their morning laundry and cleaning. Some were washing dishes, others were hanging clothes to dry. Some were unchanged from last night's choosing, but some felt rather curious as to why Nic had no fear in his eyes. This scene of bravery replayed over and over in some of their minds. This was the kind of bravery that could leave you depressed if it were in vain. This made some women feel less hopeful.

Before Hiro went to the office for some mayor stuff, Jane ran up to him. The little dog followed in pursuit.

"Daddy." The little girl said. Hiro turned around towards his daughter and crouched down.

"What is it sweetheart?" He asked. She just stood there with a blank expression on her face until she slowly began to tear up. She then leaped into her father's arms and began sobbing. Hiro stood back up with her in his arms.

"What's the matter sweetie?" He asked in deep concerns of his little girl.

"I don't wanna lose you." She sobbed. Hiro held his daughter and comforted her.

"Don't worry Jane, I'm not going anywhere." He assured. She kept sobbing for the next three minutes. This victim claiming was shaking her up really bad. It was bad enough that she'd lost her mother, but it would just break her if her father was next.

Last night was something that left her in awe. She was in the closet at that time and Edmund went to comfort her after his chat with Nic. He told her it's alright to admit fear so that you could grow strong. That replayed in her mind a few times.