2/2

One evening, an army of tangible shadows emerged from the forest and attacked the town. The townsfolk were caught off guard by this sudden assault from the forest. The townsfolk had to fight back, but the only flaw was that they only had so many Mages, as many as maybe ten. Eventually, the army was driven back to the forest, but not without some points to their end. To be more accurate, the tangible shadows simply touched someone and they were in a state of hyper sleep.

Immediately afterwards, Hiro ordered strict sentry and around the clock watches for precautionary reasons. It was just in time because the tangible shadows came back the night after. More and more people were put into this state of sleep, even the Mages were no match for the sheer numbers. Hiro thought that this shadow army was being manipulated and Nic could find the source and destroy it. This was the original request Nic was tasked to do, but that was six months ago.

The townsfolk that were put in this state of sleep were experiencing dreadful nightmares, an infinite hell. They had sweat drop and screamed in their sleep from time to time. They never woke up. They were stuck in that state until the source was destroyed. They all had to rely on help to arrive.

One night, three cloaked wizards arrived in town. It was obvious that one of them controlled the shadow army. It was also clear that their Magic was hazardous and had no chance of being surmounted. The townsfolk were forced to surrender due to their overwhelming use of Magic. Since the three wizards were cloaked and hooded, their identities remained a mystery to this day. Their goals were also unknown.

The three wizards spared, but there had to be a price. Everyone that was in a state of sleep, which was now ninety percent of the town, was awoken by one of the mages and the sleep rejoiced, but that was just the beginning of something horrible. Every night, the three demanded a tribute from the ones that were asleep. The tangible shadow army would come to town and escort them back to their masters back into the woods. At first, people volunteered to be sacrifices. So much as ten went at once the first week, but then the volunteers dropped to one. The numbers began to dwindle down bit by bit. The town had a size of one thousand, but now there was only half as many left. If this continues, the town will be left a barren wasteland.

When Nic heard this, his serious mode shifted to anger mode. He slammed his fist down on the desk and began gritting his teeth. He proclaimed that he will help these people even without a reward. At this point, he screwed the money and wanted to save the lives that people cherish in this town. He then proclaimed that he's gonna make those three wizards pay for the suffering and heartbreak that the townsfolk had to go through. He walked out, ready to break some bones.

After the layout of the situation, Nic was arranged to sleep in their house that night, but Nic said he's use to sleeping in hammocks and in trees, so he didn't think sleeping in a house was his niche. Regardless, Nic and Hiro walked towards Hiro's house.

Now Nic knew why the townsfolk hesitate to even look at Nic. They clearly mistrusted visitors and outsiders due to this catastrophe. It makes Nic upset seeing a once lively town turn into such a desolate desperation. They needed help, and Nic intended to do so.

They came about at the large town square in the middle of town. The town square had smashed flowers that wilted and died, much like the townsfolks' trust and hearts.

"This is where the town gathers for the tribute and the shadows come and claim them." Hiro informed. "This happens at midnight every night."

Nic nodded. "Do the wizards make an appearance?"

Hiro shook his head. "No. Only their shadow army comes and claims the victim. They then escort him or her into the woods. It's reason to believe that the controller will have to be in such a range, so he or she must be watching from a distance to see things work accordingly."

"I see." Nic was formulating a quick strategy in order to deal with the matter. His plan was near completion when he'd finally made it into Hiro's house.

The house's exterior was reasonable enough for a mayor to live in. It was two stories tall and had a cozy porch with a bunch of depicted flowers. The railing was smooth and black for someone to hang onto. Hiro opened the door and walked right in with Nic following in pursuit.

"I'm home!" Hiro hollered out. Nic stepped inside and heard light footsteps approaching from upstairs. A young girl came down. She had the same hair as his father's but the eyes were more brown than blue. He was roughly five, maybe seven. He came down and rushed towards his dad with a big hug.

"Hi Daddy!" the boy exclaimed in excitement.

"Just then, some barking could be heard from within the living room. Out of the living room came bursting a little brown spotted dog with a tag that said "DALE". It came up at the young girl and sat obediently in front of her. The young girl crouched down and hugged her little puppy. Nic couldn't help but smile at the sight. It was too precious, let alone innocent.

Another set of footsteps could be heard from upstairs, it was the nine year old that was in the portrait. He had brown hair, bur brown eyes as well. He came down and greeted his dad as well.

"Hey Dad." The young boy said. "Man, you're home rather early today." He pulled away and took notice of Nic's precense.

"Dad, we have a visitor?" The boy asked. Hiro looked back and realized he didn't introduce Nic yet.

"Ah, yes. Jane, Edmund, I'd like to introduce to you Nic Pularis. He's going to help us in our time of need." Hiro said.

Nic waved at the kids, only to get glares shot at him. 'Hm, nice kids.' He sarcastically thought. The kids' faces changed from having sugar-crazed looks to desolate dark moods.

"We want dinner." The spoiled kids said, particularly to no one. They gave Nic another cold stare before they ventured off into the kitchen with Dale walking and hanging his tongue out.

Nic looked at Hiro with a blank face, obviously not impressed with his kids' attitudes. Hiro looked down and sighed.

"You'll have to forgive my children." Hiro said after a moment of silence. "Normally, they would be jumping for joy and be happy rather than spoiled and demanding. They aren't fond of Mages or anyone who could use Magic."

Nic frowned at this. "What happened?"

"It's because of their mother. My wife." Nic then paled, thinking of what he thought Hiro was about to say. Hiro then looked up at the ceiling and began speaking.

"Things weren't easy for us. The onslaught of attacks and people pulled into nightmares kept increasing, and the agreement with the three wizards only made matters far more unbearable. Every single midnight, a victim would be claimed. I've even sent scouts into the woods to follow, but not a single one has returned."

He took a deep breath before continuing. Nic could see he was beginning to show some tears. "One night, my wife was a victim of these attacks and fell into a potential nightmare. When she was brought back to reality, my kids and I were so overwhelmed with joy that our sorrow was pushed aside. That is, until three months ago. We gathered for the picking. The army of tangible shadows came. We stopped with the volunteering and they had decided to pluck us out by that point. "

Hiro paused and he was definitely showing some tears forming. "That was the night. The last night. Out of the blue, a shadow pointed out and everyone turned towards that person."

He choked and began to shed a tear. "I was useless…my…my wife…oh god I miss her."

Nic patted him on the back as he began to break down and cry, trying to comfort the grieving man. No more was to be said. Nic saw the children peep over from the kitchen and look at their depressed father. Nic understands why they dislikes Mages now, and he didn't blame them. Even he would be disgusted by the sight of Mages if that happened to him.

After some time went by, Nic got Hiro back to his feet and took a deep breath.

"Dinner will be in an hour." He said, walking over towards his beloved kids and the cute dog that was sniffing the floor.

Nic went into the living room and sat straight up on a nearby couch. He was left to attend to his own thoughts. Nic thought of this to be the situation for every family in Freesia. He tried depicting the shattered hearts, the loneliness, the empty void. All of that was steadily increasing every single night. Nic thought about the little girl with her puppy and the young boy with only those two to care for while Hiro was in his office. This was when Nic thought of the three wizards that began this whole sorrow.

'These wizards, who are they? What do they want?' Nic was halted with the earthquake that camr from his bottomless pit known as his stomach. Once again, he went the whole day without a single bite. Nic had to set aside these uneasy feelings for now and try to get some brain food into him pronto.

Nic, not wanting to make the kids feel sick, chose to eat in the living room. After his belly was filled with nourishment, he remained in the living room, trying to formulate a strategy. As the sun was slowly turning the sky orange as it set, Nic was just about finished with his thinking. He had his idea.

Before he could proceed, the dog was being rather noisy upstairs and Nic went to check it out. He climbed up the stairs and found that the boy's room was empty. The dog was whimpering in front of his closet as it tried clawing the closet door, obviously trying to get into something. Nic then slowly approached, getting Dale's attention. The little dog then stopped whimpering and slowly walked towards Nic and stopped in front of him. He looked down and saw that it was somewhat melancholy. Nic then slowly proceeded towards the closet and stopped in front of it. He very slowly turned the knob and saw Edmund huddled into a corner. He looked as though he saw a monster. He was shuddering and almost breaking down in tears.

Nic didn't think was good, so he opened the door wide and Dale came prancing up towards Edmund and it sniffed him. The wet nose felt ticklish, which made him squirm. Soon enough, he looked up and saw the family dog licking his face. Nic then kneeled down and tried speaking to him.

"Edmund?" Nic quietly said. "It's okay. Nothing bad is going to happen to you."

Edmund looked up. "Y-you sure?"

Nic had to be positive. If he said "if tonight goes well", then that'll only put the kid in doubts. In situations such as these, Nic gently smiled.

"No doubt. After tonight, no more people will be claimed as a victim." Nic put a lot of confidence in his words, which made Edmund feel more hopeful.

"So, you're really gonna help us?" Edmund wanted a positive answer. Nic turned towards the dog and petted its head.

"I'll say this. I will not rest until this nightmare is over. What you were doing was understandable, but there are other ways of confronting fear." Nic informed.

"Like what?" Edmund asked.

"Well, you did it. You showed your fear, and saying you're afraid is okay as well." Nic said. "That's good because if you know your fear, you can overcome it and become a better person."

"Really?" Edmund asked rather shockingly.

Nic grinned and turned to walk out of the closet. "Yup, and don't ever forget it for as long as you live. You might want to pass this along towards your little sister. She really needs her big brother at this time."

Edmund then got up and walked out and made haste with Dale walking right beside him. He left his room with a determined grin and went to comfort his little sister, who was probably in her own closet, afraid.

Seeing a brother go aid a younger sibling had Nic feel touchy, yet depressed. Touching because it was family, but depressed because he hasn't seen his twelve year old sister in a long time. Nic had to be strong, no matter how painful and touching it was. It did, however, give him even more motivation to not even think of giving up on these people.

Before midnight…

The townsfolk slowly began to emerge into the town square, with somber looks with a hint of fear added in for a recipe of despair. The remaining families were hanging on to one another like there was no tomorrow, because another wasn't going to live to see tomorrow. The silence was like dread to the heart. A rock falling to the ground could probably make them all jump. It was so quiet, you could hear other people's breaths getting wavy, and their heartbeats were escalating to a maximum.

It was time for Nic to get to work.

Nic slowly turned towards an alley and followed it. He traveled the alley and trailed it back to where the town limits were. Beyond there, there was nothing but forest and pine. There was also a huge amount of bushes and shrubs so that you couldn't see the forest floor, as well as the little animals that were shivering in fear from what they anticipated to be another unholy night.

When Nic got towards the limits, just at the edge of the alley, he stopped just before the 400 meter field of grass. Silently, he smirked. 'This is where we get to work.' He thought. He brought out a poke ball and tossed it up. "Get out here, Kecleon." Nic said, calling forth his Color Swap Pokémon.

Kecleon emerged from its poke ball, right in front of Nic. Kecleon has been with Nic ever since it was caught back in Route 6. Nic had a sharp eye, for if he didn't, then maybe he wouldn't have captured Kecleon.

Greninja was much like Nic, Charizard was willing to go that extra mile, and well…let's just say Kecleon was, in a light term, "odd".

"Hello Nic." She said in a monotone, turning her head a little as she said it. She almost sounded a little creepy, but that's what makes Kecleon special to Nic, much like the others. Nic crouched down and spoke to his old friend.

"Hey Kecleon. This is extremely vital." Nic explained, which got Kecleon listening. "Now you see that tree line?" Nic pointed out towards the trees that were over the desolate field. "I need you to hide in there. I'm going to be escorted into the forest. From there, I need you to track and follow me. Make sure you keep your distance, we can't have the enemy see you. I'll most likely be in trouble. If that happens, you jump in and stop the enemy and then we rush them and finish them off, once and for all." Nic explained rather thoroughly. Kecleon was able to understand, though it looked in multiple directions while listening. It turned back towards Nic and nodded.

"You got it Nic." Addressed the Color Swap Pokémon.

"Also, if we get to a clearing or cave out in the forest, do not leave the forest unless you see me in a dilemma." Nic added.

With all of that said and done, Kecleon turned invisible, leaving only the red zigzag stripe visible. Since Nic trained Kecleon to be as stealthy as Greninja, he knew that she could remain quiet and undetected. All Nic saw was a dashing red stripe making a break for the forest. It wasn't as fast as Greninja, but it certainly was way above average speed for a Kecleon.

With Kecleon out of sight and in the woods, Nic silently ran back towards the crowd that was gathering for the next victim.

Nic returned undetected and unnoticed. He slowly slithered through the crowd and make way towards Hiro and his kids' side. Nic was sure that if this plan worked, everyone will be rid of this nightmare; if not, Nic didn't want to think about that outcome.

They all heard some rustling, as one tangible shadow monster emerged from the forest. The crowd tensed up and tried to hold back any yelps that might emerge from their mouths. They all saw the first shadow being followed by another shadow, and then several more, until there were about five hundred dragging themselves towards the town. They were moving sluggish and didn't make a sound. In a few minutes, they were in town and facing the citizens.

The shadow just stood there, awaiting for the next victim. Nic took a good look at these guys. For one thing, they had black cloaks, their hands looked like bare bone, and their faces were pitch black with red eyes. This left a stale feeling going down Nic's spine.

The people were scared to death, and not all exaggerating. They couldn't move, because they feared that they would start panicking and then the nightmares will come back. Nobody wanted to lose another family member, so the odds of anyone volunteering were slim. None wanted to go into the forest, because they know they'll never return. They all had just prayed for this curse to be lifted.

A hand shot up from within the crowd. "I'll go!"

Everyone turned almost immediately to see this stranger raise his hand. They all looked to see him with his trademark sunglasses on his V-neck, and his long, black, sleeveless coat with blue flames. They all watched as he marched straight towards the shadows. They cleared the way so that he may confront these shadows and be a victim. The citizens didn't understand something. Unlike the previous victims, he didn't sound scared, but confident. And what was even weirder was that he wasn't showing any reluctance. What was even more strange than that was that he was smirking.

Nic stood in front of the army, arms crossed. "What are we waiting for, Christmas? Let's get this over with." Nic stated boldly. He then walked towards the army and the army surrounded him. They made him the center and kept their distance, knowing touching him would resort to him being put to slepp and a shadow would be given the burden to carry him.

A little while after…

So far, everything was according to plan. Kecleon was invisible as it dashed through the trees, not wanting to cause sound through the grass and bushes below. Nic obviously trained Kecleon to see skilled with jumping as well as stealth. If you think about it, it's also the silent killer of Nic's team, hardly losing any battles due to its training with such skill matching Greninja.

Anyways, Kecleon followed as Nic was escorted through the forest. The army took the bait as Nic was taking a risk as being the bait. Kecleon was invisible, except the red stripe, but since it was the dead of night, it wasn't even noticed, so it could stay close by.

Nic walked along the horde of tangible shadows as they continued to slowly walk towards their destination. From this short distance, Kecleon saw that Nic was even being touched. No chains nor cuffs, leaving him to be of free movement. Either the enemy was arrogant, or really stupid.

Kecleon dashed to another tree and waited for only a few moments before pressing on towards another branch. The horde's pace was never ending, but it was constant as it was slow. Nic notice that about ten or twenty shadows vanished into thin air. Nic was wondering as to what was happening. Was the enemy trying to conserve power? He wasn't certain as to what was happening.

It was rather strange to Nic. He felt some odd energy that was close, yet so far. It was somehow making Nic feel strange. He could sense the Plates from within him surge with such energy that was similar to the one he was feeling from such a distance. As kept walking, he felt the energy growing stronger.

After an hour of dragging his own two feet, the walking finally came to a halt. Nic was peculiar as to if they've reached their destination. It wasn't likely, considering that they were still in the forest. He scanned his surroundings, knowing Kecleon was somewhere among the tree branches and proceeding to follow him.

A sudden voice almost made Nic jump. "Well done pets. Yet, another sacrifice for the glory of Zeref." The feminine voice called out. The name Zeref ranged a few bells within Nic. He recalled him being the one to create Lullaby. This didn't feel good at all. If that voice mentioned Zeref, then it's most likely that he's involved with this predicament as well.

A hooded figure stepped out from the shadows of the trees from up ahead. She looked up at Nic and smirked. She then pulled down her hood, revealing her long hair as white as snow, which fell over her shoulders. She had what looked like eerie green eyes and pale skin. She proceeded forward as the army parted before her as she went to get a better look of Nic.

Nic was troubled, not just by this woman, but the fact she had something to do with Zeref. Nic remembered Zeref being an ancient wizard that was of pure evil and hatred.

She smirked at Nic, smitten by his appearance. "Oh my, what do they call you gorgeous?" She asked. Nic was sick to the core. She was obviously seducing him, which Nic didn't find amusing.

"I suppose it's ladies first." He said in an unemotional way.

Her smirk widened. "Hmm. I see we have ourselves a gentlemen. I'm known as Rosa. And you?"

He paused, trying not to hesitate. "Nic."

"Nic." Rosa was perplexed by saying his name. "That's a rather peculiar name."

She turned around and made her way in front of the army. "Enough stalling, let us proceed."

With a snap of her fingers, she signaled for the army to proceed once more. Kecleon observed the army beginning to move once more. She watched as they all began walking and she kept being stealthy to avoid detection, with her being invisible the entire time. At the time, Kecleon noticed about another twenty or so shadows vanish with no warning. Kecleon was beginning to have some speculations as to how the woman's magic worked, but needed to get some more intel in order to be sure. Regardless, Kecleon had to make use of what she gas.

Kecleon proceeded to track them with the upmost caution. There was no telling as to what was to become of Nic or the woman's magic.

Later…

After yet another hour of relentless walking, trees began to decrease in numbers and began to thin out. This eventually led to an open field of grass. Kecleon wasn't worried for it was invisible, but was beginning to worry as to what is to happen now that they were in a field. She would eventually descend from the trees and follow by swift foot. She, however, did not proceed too far and stayed back as a lookout and watch over and become a surprise. This mission allowed no mistakes tonight.

When Nic got towards the field from the forest, the energy he sensed from earlier was even greater in intensity. The Plates from within him were going crazy. It was like a magnet to a fridge. This energy was irresistible to Nic, but he didn't know if it was good or bad. He looked ahead and saw a structure that was similar to that of a step pyramid.

'Oh sweet Mother McArthur.' This structure was huge! It was bigger than that tower that the Mega Evolution guru lived in. This structure was large with what looked like flat and smooth shale, with smooth and no rugged edges. There were stairs that led to the flat top. Nic stood forth at the humungous structure, gazing at its size and how beautifully made it was.

'Wish I could take a picture, but they would probably confiscate my phone.' He thought. He held back the intensity of his voice, because his body was feeling energetic. He can't explain it, but it felt like this energy is like two tons of sugar. It was driving the plates inside of him nuts. He also had another sense of dread, as though it were another type of energy at the same. There were two energy signatures, and both originate from the pyramid. This definitely didn't feel good. Not one bit.

The two saw two more cloaked wizards approach. The shadow army parted so as the wizards confronted Nic.

One was taller than the other. They both pulled down their hoods to reveal themselves. The tall one had spiky white snow hair. He had narrow eyes and eyes of the ocean abyss. He had a mark all over his face. It was like a black stripped tattoo running from around his eyes and ran down his cheek bones and ended at the bottom of his neck. He had a serious look that made him look like the head of them all.

Nic turned to see the shorter one. This one was a little taller than Nic. Unlike the other two, he had messy, black hair. He had brown eyes that were of the tainted earth. He had a weird tattoo on his forehead that looked ancient. It also looked like a hieroglyphic eye.

All three gathered and stood in front of him.

"You seem to be different compared to the others." Said the taller one, feeling as though Nic was different in a way he couldn't describe.

"How so?" Nic asked, feeling mentally ready for a brawl.

Rosa stepped in. "Though, he is pretty cute." She admitted, licking her lips.

The other two men didn't care one bit. They had to proceed to revive Zeref and bring forth his power. "No matter, the ritual shall proceed."

Rosa pouted. "C'mon. We could have so much fun together."

Nic was well aware of what she meant by "fun", and that feeling almost made him sick. She gave Nic a glint that had send shivers up his spine, if they spare him, he wouldn't get out of this alive anyway.

"Rune is right, the ritual shall commence." Conjore, the tall one, stated. "Bring him forth!"

Rosa was willing to wrap her arms around Nic, much to the latter being uncomfortable, as they began up the flight of stairs that looked as though it could touch the stars. She had her head somewhat resting on his shoulder, as though they were a couple walking romantically. Nic did not like this touchy feeling from her, especially since she and her pals are the enemy.

As they began to climb even further up, Nic felt as though was ready to burst out of the pyramid. Nic was literally on top of both sets of energy. Nic wasn't going to forget he was bait, if they found out he was a "wizard" this very instant, then the plan would be compromised.

He had to lay low until the time was right, then he and Kecleon would strike.

Before you start asking why, let me answer in anticipation. I chose Kecleon not just because I wanted to introduce another pokémon, but also because Greninja was relied more on speed, as to where Kecleon is a master of stealth and camouflage. Let me also add that I wanted Nic to have a team that has unpopular pokémon, exclude Greninja and Charizard.

I am making up names, as you could see. What was ironic was that I looked up the definition of "Rune", and it said a mark of mysterious or magic significance. That was pretty convenient.

So this is during the Galuna Island Arc. Since I didn't like that arc, I had Nic take a different path. Don't panic, Nic will be in the Phantom Lord Arc with participation of sorts.

I got done early because of one snow day this week, so the next update might be of early next week.

Please Favorite, Follow, and Review this story and/or chapter.

Next time: Two Ancients Unleashed