A Date Without A Heart...

In The Last Chapter:

Everyone returns to the guild, where they learn the hard way that you never touch Nic's phone or earbuds. Nic finally battles Natsu and eventually wins. Afterwards, Nic and Erza are arrested and taken to the Magic Council for charges. With Siegrain threatening Erza, Nic snaps and shows a more monstrous side of himself that's even scarier than Erza. Nic lied to the council and his secret wasn't discovered, but he and the council did not like each other one bit. Afterwards, Natsu, dressed as Erza, and Greninja barge in and destroy stuff, making them all spend one night in a prison cell. The next day, Mystogan shows up and Nic is unaffected by his Sleep Spell as he takes a job and leaves immediately after. Everyone wakes up and Laxus and Nic glare down at each other in spite of one another's attitude...

Chapter 5: A Date Without A Heart...

About half an hour rolled by after Nic and Laxus's confrontation with one another. Nic was walking about around Magnolia and was listening to music to entertain himself. He didn't think going back to the guild at this time would be such a good idea, especially with the hysteria that bloomed with the consecutive confrontations involving Mystogan and Laxus.

He strolled about and eventually ran into some sort of café. It was just a small café with a cute little red roof and a sign hanging over the door that said "Sunny Side Up's". It was a few blocks away from the bakery that Erza loved to get her strawberry cheesecakes from. The café had a few tables outside, so he took the liberty to step inside and the doorbell rang.

The lady as the waitress looked at Nic, noticing another customer walking into the café. She looked to be in her early twenties with brown eyes and brown hair in a bud. She turned towards Nic's direction to serve him.

"Hi, welcome to Sunny Side Up's. How may we help you?" She asked. Nic looked about inside and noticed that the place had quite a few people being served. This little café was generally known for its breakfast and lunch specials, so it's not like he was coming in for a special occasion or anything. Nic didn't feel like being inside with people, so he thought he would sit outside.

"I'll sit outside." Nic said. He then went out the door and the waitress followed. Nic took a left outside the café and sat at the closest table that was five feet away from the door. He sat idly and the waitress pulled out a piece of paper and a pen.

"What would you like to drink?" She politely asked. Nic wasn't feeling much of anything. The only thing he really drinks ever is water. Nic disliked beverages that weren't water. The only exceptions were lemonade, orange juice, milk (skim), and chocolate milk if possible. Seeing as they serve mainly coffee at this café, he would just have to resort to his usual.

"Just some water will be fine." He ordered. The waitress then went back inside and came out in less than thirty seconds with a glass full of water. Nic was shocked as to how fast she made the order. "Whoa. That was fast." He commented.

"We were trained to react fast to orders, especially since we're super busy around this time of day." She responded. Nic nodded in understanding of how much effort a waitress has to put into serving customers. "Alright, what would you like to order?" she asked.

Nic looked at the menu rather quickly. He just scoped the menu and found an omelet section. Nic didn't mind omelettes, it's one of his favorite breakfast foods. The only problem was that he could only get them whenever he's in a city or town.

Back in the pokémon world, Nic roamed constantly. He was always going through every route and every city every day. It would take Nic at least a few days to get from one town to another. (I'm just stretching the geography here.) Here, he's right in a town that he could have omelets whenever. Though, he did have some omelets whenever out on routes. All he had to do was get the necessary ingredients from the previous town and just make them over a fire. This didn't happen too often though, only about once a week. Ever since he joined Fairy Tail, he could have omelets whenever he wanted, as long as he cooked it for himself. The Guild Hall is literally his home, so the guild's kitchen was basically his kitchen, to which no one argued.

"I think I'll have a Western Omelet with tomato, green peppers, cheese, mushroom, and ham." He ordered. The waitress took a few seconds to write that order down and nodded.

"Okay." She said. She then walked right back into the café to tend to the other customers inside. When she was out of sight, Nic immediately zoned out and listened to music.

Upon his zoning out, he was recalling as to how this was a situation before he ventured into this world. Nic recalled being at a café with his Greninja and then they left for Fiore. It was hard to believe, it only felt like they've been here less than three weeks, probably because they were.

At that thought, he noticed that Erza was walking by and she saw him sitting in a chair outside the café. She had just finished replenishing her supply of strawberry cheesecake. She walked by with a cart of thirty strawberry cheesecakes. She then started to walk over towards Nic.

Nic almost immediately turned his volume off so he could speak to Erza. He sat upright and she was standing right next to him.

"Hey Nic." Erza said.

"S'up Erza." He responded casually. He was trying to keep himself from not talking as much, considering she was there when he confronted Laxus; more importantly, how he mentioned she was very sweet. The thought of saying she was as sweet as her strawberry cheesecakes almost made him look away in embarrassment.

Erza took notice of Nic slowly turning away. She assumed he was trying to avoid her. She didn't blame him though. Even she began thinking back as to how he was bold, not to mention clever, enough to tell her she actually meant something to the Multitype Mage.

She took notice of the empty seat across from Nic and thought it wouldn't hurt to hang around before heading back to Fairy Hills to put her strawberry cheesecakes away. (She must have one big fridge!)

"Mind if I take a seat?" Erz asked. This made Nic's head almost spring upwards. He didn't necessarily see this coming, though he didn't want to avoid it either.

"Sure. Be the guest of honor." Nic said. Being called 'the guest of honor' almost made her lightly blush, so she quickly sat down right across from him.

After a brief moment of quiet, Nic thought it would be nice to get to know her more, so he started to look at her in the eyes and began thinking of some things to say.

"So…" Nic was squirming a little bit in his chair, just to think of something casual. "Wonderful weather we're having." It wasn't the best thing that came to Nic's mind, but it was the first. Though it was rather obvious, he wasn't wrong. The weather has been great since he'd been in Fairy Tail. It probably rained maybe once or twice.

Erza looked up at the sky, seeing as there are very few clouds. She then looked back down at Nic and grinned. "I suppose you're right." She replied.

After that, Nic's food came out from the café. The waitress had it served on a plate and had set it in front of him. "There you go. Is there anything else I can get you?" she said.

Nic shook his head. "Nope. Thank you." He politely said. She then turned and went back inside to serve the other customers and left Erza and Nic alone once more. Nic couldn't help himself, he hasn't had an omelet in awhile and he was aching to cram some into his mouth. With one stab of his fork, a huge chunk of the omelet was lifted up and Nic almost began drooling at the glorious sight. "Here's to an eggxcellent rest of the day." Nic said, trying to fight off the drool that was trying to escape his mouth. With one quick motion, the piece was send hurdling into his mouth. He just shoved that huge piece into his mouth and savored every bite of it.

Erza couldn't help but stare at him. For one thing, he shoved a huge piece of omelet into his face right in front of her. Secondly, she couldn't help but see the content look on his face. He looked as though he was taking a bite out of heaven. Erza felt a few things going through her mind. For one thing, she was shocked that NIc had as much manners as did Natsu. Second of all, she thought as to how Nic almost forgot she was there, as he was eating something that caught his attention. This made her almost feel jealous. Thirdly, she wondered what heaven tasted like as well.

She let out a slight cough, which got Nic's attention once more. The moment he looked up at her, he was wide eyed and had forgotten that she was even there. He was frozen in place, not to mention he had a little bit of the egg dangling from his mouth. He quickly opened his mouth and gulped it down, still had his shocked gaze on the beautiful Mage that was in front of him. Once he swallowed, he looked around left and right to see if anyone was watching, which thankfully no one was.

"Uh…" Nic had to improvise, so all he did was smile idiotically and looked as though he was happy. "So…yeah."

Erza just sighed and smiled, thinking as to how silly his reaction was. She then looked back at Nic and tried to think of a few things as well.

"It looks as though you were in quite a heavy moment with that omelet of yours." She noted.

"Seems like it." Nic responded.

"Seems as though the omelet is more popular to you than I am." Erza said. This made Nic feel somewhat guilty. He had forgotten she was there and he was too busy eating food to notice her. Looking down in shame, he thought as to fix this and slid the plate to the middle.

"Try some." Nic insisted. He cleaned off the fork with a napkin and handed it to Erza. With little reluctance, she grasped the fork and dug into the omelet. She got out a small piece and then brought it into her mouth. After chewing it up and tasting it, she couldn't help but raise a brow.

'Hmm, I can see why Nic loves this stuff.' She thought. Truth be told, Nic can tolerate others having a bite of his favorite breakfast/brunch special, but can never tolerate people touching his phone. At this point, he was satisfied to see Erza enjoy his food. After swallowing, she cleaned the fork and handed it back to him.

"Not bad, do you have this stuff on a daily basis?" she asked.

Nic just shrugged. "Not really. I mean, I travel all the time back when I was in my world, so it's not like I had the necessities for this brilliant work of art between us. I could get the ingredients in a town, but I would only have one omelet a week. Ever since I came here, I had much more to eat, though I don't have it too often so as I don't get sick of them. I would probably have it maybe twice, maybe three times a week, depending if I'm in the guild in the morning." Nic wasn't feeling at all nervous about telling his omelet life, but along that topic, he noted the strawberry cheesecakes in her cart.

"I guess I could ask you the same thing with your cheesecakes." He said, referring to her food. She looked over and turned back towards him.

"I guess, but it's a long story." Erza said. Nic didn't feel like asking her anymore questions, mainly because he wanted to eat some more. Every other bite, he would have Erza eat a little piece. Eventually, the omelet was finished and the waitress came out with the bill. It wasn't big at all, so Nic paid on the spot. He also had to leave a tip for her serving him. With that said and done, he took the cash and nodded.

"Thank you, come again you two." She then walked back in, finished serving him.

Erza couldn't help but feel as though her face was exploding with red. She was feeling rather fuzzy inside, like some butterflies were fluttering in her stomach, though that could be the omelet she ate.

'D-does she mean 'you two'…as in…me and Nic…together…o-on a date?" These thoughts were making her steam as well. This felt so embarrassing to her.

The thought flew right over Nic's head and he proceeded to get up. He noticed as to how red and steaming Erza was. He leaned in very slightly and wondered as to what she was thinking.

"You who." He whistled. Erza was brought back to reality and turned towards Nic. "You okay? You look as though you were gonna burst in flames." Nic joked. Erza then looked down and turned back to her steaming red, heavily embarrassed.

Nic grinned as to how cute she looked when she was like this. It wasn't every day you see a shy Erza. Nic has known Erza for only a short while, and she was always so stoic and dead serious. He hasn't seen this side of her before.

Pushing that aside, Nic thought as to be the gentleman from day one and he looked over at the cart of strawberry cheesecakes. He then began walking over and Erza looked up at him, now in a light pink rather than a deep red. She was curious as to what Nic was doing. Nic grabbed the handle and looked back at Erza with a smile.

"I do believe that I should be a gentleman and help you with your "groceries"." He said. Upon this realization, Erza shook the embarrassment off and got up. Erza had no objections, so she allowed him to drag her cart all the way to her place.

The way there wasn't too bad. The load sure felt much lighter compared to last time. Since this was only "groceries", it didn't feel like he was yanking away at five hundred pounds of "luggage" or something.

Fairy Hills was a female dormitory, which was where most female members of Fairy Tail lived. It was atop a grassy hill that wasn't too far from Fairy Tail.

The exterior design wasn't too bad. It was large and mildly imposing. It was made of what looked like bricks. It consisted of a central, elongated section at which the sides sat two wings protruding outwards, much like a sideways capital I. One of the center's right acted as the main entrance, which looks like a double door with a pyramid shape part topped by a similar pyramid-shaped roof, which was held by wooden beams. Lighter bricks lined up vertically to enforce the edging of the standard bricks, with light beams that went horizontally. The front had a porch in front of the central part, with a steep tiled roofing split by beams held by wooden pillars. All of the windows had arches in them. The entrance had a sign that was held by two pillars that was stone and brick. It had Fairy Tail's symbol and there was a large arch saying "Fairy Hills" in dark letters.

Nic took a good look and gave an impressed nod. "Not too shabby." He commented. He only walked up to the overhead sign, where Erza stopped in front of him. She turned back towards him and sighed.

"I'm sorry Nic, but Fairy Hills is a female only dormitory, meaning you're not allowed in to help." Erza explained. Nic just shrugged it off and turned.

"Don't worry, I trust you can take it from here." Nic said. Erza nodded and was handed the cart. Nic then stretched and began to turn.

"Ooooookayyyyy." He sighed stretching his back. "Now that that's done, I think I'm gonna…" As he was leaving, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Upon instinct, he jumped and turned in a super quick motion. He exhaled in relief that it was only Erza, still. "Geez, you almost gave me a heart attack." Nic complained.

"Don't fool around with that nonsense. If you had a heart attack, you'd be lying on the ground by now." Erza reprimanded.

"Well, at least you know I'm not heartless." Nic joked with a pun. It took a few seconds for the joke to sink in, and Erza smiled and giggled just a little bit. Nic then recalled as to Erza touching his shoulder. "Hey, did you need something?" Nic asked. There was a brief silence and Erza was looking down, trying to think of what to say. As time progressed on, Nic could see the light blushing forming on her face, yet again.

Eventually, after five minutes of awkward silence, she looked up at him and took in a deep breath.

"I was wondering." She asked.

"Yeah?" Nic was a little curious as to what she wanted from him. He'd never seen Erza so shy before.

"C-can you wait here?" She somewhat stuttered on the beginning, but got through with her question. With no protest, Nic stood there by the sign as Erza went inside to put away her cheesecakes.

Later…

Nic was practically dozing off in front of the sign due to Erza taking so long. He did wait for her, but she never told him how long to wait. A hundred years? Nightfall? Never? Was he suppose to just doze off until the end of time or what? It's felt like an hour when it's really been an hour.

When Nic woke up, he heard someone telling him to get up. He, once again, sprung up and took fighting stance.

"Mommy! It wasn't me! It was…" Nic then noticed Erza was in front of him. She looked different. She had on a white blouse and her blue skirt. She turned a little here and there with arms folded, it looked as though she was shivering, but how could she when it felt just fine for any type of clothing.

"Oh. Erza, hey. What happened to your Heart Kreuz Armor?" Nic wondered.

"Well, I wanted to put that away and ask if you wanted to stroll with me?" She asked not as serious, but not as secured. This was off to Nic. Erza never felt so insecure. He couldn't help himself but wonder as to why she didn't wear her Heart Kreuz Armor. This side of Erza was nice and all, but she looked a little uncertain.

Regardless, Nic had to say something in defense. "Look Erza, it's okay if you wear your Heart Kreuz Armor. It's not that you don't look ravishing, believe me when I tell you that you do look quite nice, but you don't seem too sure of yourself." Nic explained in concern.

Erza looked down and uncrossed her arms. She then sighed and look rather unhappy. "I haven't worn this in awhile, also…I wanted to wear this just in case if nothing goes on and I feel safe."

"You don't look safe to me. Just requip into your armor. I'll go with you anyway." Nic insisted. She then looked up in shock that he said yes.

"You mean it?" She wondered.

Nic just shrugged. "Of course. If you feel insecure, just change back into your armor. I have no objections." Erza hesitated and chose not to.

"I think I feel safe for now." Erza said, insisting they go through without her Heart Kreuz Armor. The two then began walking into town, Erza was right by Nic's side.

Along the way, Nic looked at her. "Hm, not a bad look for a first date." He teased. She looked over at him and glared.

"It's not a date! We're not even dating!" She protested.

"Keep telling yourself that." Nic said sarcastically, which got him a punch in the face. That's Erza for ya.

At any rate, things went pretty well. They walked around town was pretty pleasant. Erza and Nic did nothing but nonstop talking. Erza told Nic as to why she doesn't wear her blouse that often. It was because she had a painful childhood and wore armor just to be secure, but she went no deeper than that. Nic didn't push her though, he did the same thing to everyone when he first came to Fairy Tail. She told him about how in her childhood, she lost and eye and got an artificial one. This was too horrific for Nic. He knew that people could be scarred for life, but at such a young age, this made Nic almost pale. Before she could speak anymore stuff, Nic held up a hand.

"I think you've said enough. I get it you had a painful childhood, so what? What matters is now. Erza, you've become a warrior that can fight off numerous people and come out without a scratch, you care deeply for your comrades, and you're very capable. If you still doubt yourself, we got your backs." Nic said. Erza nodded, knowing what Nic said was true.

Now it was Nic's turn. As Nic told his story, Erza was just as shocked as he was at her story. He explained that his parents ignored him and focused all of their attention on his little sister. Whenever his sister did something wrong, innocent or not, Nic would be held responsible and would be given punishment. He had so much trouble on his hands, that he had a few tiny, barely noticeable, scars on his back from punishments. Nic finally had enough and he decided to yell back at them one day, which concluded with him getting beaten up. The day after, he left home and never looked back, never regretting leaving fifteen years of hell. His parents even called the police to bring him home, but Nic told his side of the story to the police and his parents threatened their own son with potential death involved, which sentenced them to life in prison. His little sister was then taken care of the neighbors, which were far more sweet than her parents. In summary, he was a slave of punishment, much like Erza.

Erza put her hands to her mouth, seeing as their pasts were somewhat similar. They were both horrified as to what the other went through. That's when they realized their personalities are what they are now. Erza felt more secure now that she had someone to relate to, as did Nic.

With their pasts revealed, they were more optimistic for a better future. They then ventured towards the South Gate Park. It was a cute little park that had a large tree in the middle. It had a playground that looked like a castle and quite a few people were there.

They both sat on a bench, where they'd decided to shut up and take in some peace and quiet. Both laid their heads back and Nic put on his sunglasses so that the sun doesn't shine into his eyes. They were both completely still and just had themselves plopped on the bench.

About half an hour rolled by and Nic turned his gaze towards Erza. He noticed her scarlet hair reflecting the light, and how she looked so peaceful. Nic smirked, happy to see this side of Erza. He's aware that he has to keep this to himself, otherwise Erza will destroy him, repair him, and destroy again, followed by more destruction.

Eventually, the two arose from the bench and stretched. They then decided to venture back to Fairy Hills, where Nic would drop off Erza.

On the way back, Nic was in thought about something. Not about how his little "date" went, but a different topic. This has just hit him just now. He hasn't found a single plate yet. As of now, he only has the Flame, Sky, Splash, Zap, and Toxic Plate. Though he's been here for roughly three weeks, he hasn't made progress.

He kept this thought undercover as he smiled and walked with Erza. When they reached the place, Nic stopped at the overhead gate and sighed.

"Well, that was an interesting first date." Nic said. Erza only shot a glare at him.

"It's not a date!" She gritted her teeth.

"But you enjoyed it anyway!" Nic exclaimed happily. Erza only blushed and turned so that Nic didn't see her face turn red. As she turned to go back inside, Nic whistled to her, signaling her to turn around. She turned and Nic smiled at her.

"Hey, guess I'll see you later then." Nic said. Erza grinned and went inside. "That was a fun date!" Nic hollered out.

"It was not a date!" Erza yelled from inside. Nic giggled, having finished with teasing her. He then turned and walked off back to Fairy Tail.

He had to get in some jobs. He had two reasons in doing so; first: He needed money because he was fresh out from going to the café, and two: He needed to find Plates, so he had to explore. Now that the guild has settled down, Nic thought it would be best for him to go about and take a job and get out.

It's around five in the evening, so it was close to dinner. At that point, everyone would be probably getting into fights. Nic could use that to his advantage and sneak in, show Mira or Makarov the job and skedaddle out of there.

He slowly opened the door, and quietly went inside. There was a lot of laughing, and cheering, and a few guys talking each other down. Nobody took that big of a notice of Nic. He made haste to the Job Request Board and quickly scanned it.

He found a job. It had a good pay on it. Six hundred thousand jewels to stop a group of maniacs from tormenting a town. He thought that this should be fun. Nic took the job request and brought it over towards Mira. She helped him pack some supplies, mainly a rucksack of food and water.

"I'm rather surprised." Mira said. "This job has a decent reward, but the job itself looks atrocious. Are you sure you're up for it?"

Nic just shrugged. "I won't know until I try now will I?" He said. Mira just nodded.

"Okay, at least it's not S-Class." Mira said in relief, thinking of such a job.

Nic stood in wonder. He did recall Erza being S-Class, and it meant she was powerful to the greatest degree, but never thought of what being an S-Class Wizard is about.

"If I had to guess, S-Class missions are dangerous to the power of insanity, yes?" Nic asked in a mathematical way.

Mira nodded. "Yes. You know the jobs down here are for all Mages, well the ones on the second floor are reserved only for S-Class Wizards. There are only three: Erza, Laxus, and Mystogan. Only those jobs are for them since they're S-Class. That's also why Natsu wasn't allowed on the second floor, because he isn't S-Class."

Nic understood and left the guild, he was as quiet as a mouse.

Fortunately for him, he left just before Happy sneaked towards the second floor and stole an S-Class job.

The next day…

Nic slept that night out of sight, not too far from the road to Freesia. He woke up from a decent sleep from underneath a tree. It wasn't the best place to sleep, but it suited him for the night. He sprung up and immediately began running towards Freesia. He didn't bother to have breakfast because he thought the townsfolk really needed help. Whatever it was they needed.

A half hour past ten, and Nic could see a town up ahead. He still had a ways to go, but he was getting closer and closer within every minute of his constant dashing. Nic mentally face palmed himself, thinking he could've gotten there overnight; regardless, his speed was super fast. Since he's been traveling all over Kalos, his leg muscles heavily increased, making him a strong and fast runner without even getting tired.

"Taking trains? Who needs them?" Nic rhetorically asked himself. "Not this guy." If he were to take a train, he would probably be at the spot where he is right now, yeah, he's that fast! On another sort of transportation, Nic also learned to climb trees to avoid the swamp while he's normally on route to Laverre City. This enabled him to tree hop, much like ninjas, so he proceeded to do so to save time, which is how he managed to get this far that fast.

As Nic strolled through town, he took in many of its features. Many beautiful buildings had flowers about, all scattered. Most of the window were arched and tiled. A lot of the buildings were white with brown roofing, which didn't bother Nic.

He tried to find whoever was in charge of this town, which would probably be the mayor or something. As he tried to find this guy, he noticed that not many people were out on the streets. He heard that Freesia was a lively town that likes to party. It would be more accurate to say they were preparing a funeral rather than a party.

Everyone was looking rather gloomy and melancholy. People were not even close to being motivated; in fact, they looked as though they were just about ready to keel over. They were all hanging up banners that were saying "Freesia Petal Festival", of which meant a big festival that was going to show off any and all flowers. Then again, this town was known for its export of beautiful flowers.

A mother was walking uneasily with her son and younger daughter. Both looked oblivious as their mother was slowly beginning to crumble away and hug them, shedding tears. Nic didn't like this situation at all. He needed to help in any way he can. He could care less about the Plates right now, the depressed citizens were his number one priority.

Nic found a large building and stepped inside. There, the secretary was reluctant to let Nic see the mayor, but allowed him access when he explained the job request. At that instant, Nic waltzed into the mayor's office. It was pretty classy for an office. On the left wall was a book shelf with a plethora of books. Right next to it was what looked like a picture of a father, a mother, a son, and a daughter. The father looked to be around his mid-thirties as well was his wife. The father had black hair and a goatee. The wife had long blond hair that curled at the ends. The kids looked to be about between five and nine. He then saw the plant growing right next to the picture. It looked rather wilted and could wither away the second you'd touched it. On the right wall was a long red couch and another wilting plant. Of course, there was his desk and his chair was facing the window that was behind him,

Nic walked up to the desk and the chair turned. It was the same man that was in the photograph. He looked heavily fatigued. He looked as though he hasn't been sleeping well, let alone sleep at all.

"May I help you?" He asked rather ill. Nic then showed him the job request that was posted.

"I'm Nic Pularis from Fairy Tail, and I'm here in regards of your job request." He said. They both shook hands, but something felt wrong.

"Ah yes, you must be an S-Class Wizard. I'm Hiro, and I'm the mayor of this village. I trust that your guild has been notified of the changes in regards of the request, yes?"

"Eh, what changes are we talking about here?" Nic asked.

"Due to circumstances, I had to change the rank to S-Class, also adding a huge sum to the reward." Hiro said.

That's what felt off. Mira did note that the job did seem rather dangerous to be on the normal request board. The job specifically stated to take down a group of maniacs, though that might not be in depth.

Nic frowned. "Eh, nope. Not a word on the changes."

Hiro's face fell. He slumped back as though he has suffered a defeat of sorts. This situation was looking more grim than it was ten seconds ago. "This is upsetting. What am I going to do now?"

Nic had to do something to cheer him up. He looked so tired and frail, so he had to act upon instinct, again. "Who cares, I'll get this job done!" Nic proclaimed, making the mayor look up in awe of this guy's will to fight, despite the changes.

"Well, okay. This is critical, and if no one helps, everyone here will die." The mayor said. He stared at Nic, seeing how he'll respond. All Nic did was nod.

The situation went much like this:

First, Hiro sent a letter in regards of changing the job to S-Class about five months ago. Hiro explained that about six months ago, the people were growing desperately. Nic paid extremely close attention to the events, so this was where he got his serious mode turned on.

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...