The Choosing

**The Choosing** is the second chapter of Part 1 of Little Witch Academia: Ragnarok Tetralogy.

## Summary

### Prologue

Akko is dismayed upon mundanity of the class in the first day of the school. As she expresses her disappointment during the lunch break, her mentioning of Shiny Chariot attracted the attention of Diana Cavendish, the top student of Luna Nova, and her familiar Pongo the chamrosh, griffin-like creature with ears and lower half of a dog. Diana tells Akko that Chariot is frowned by Witch Community and she shouldn't look up on her as a role model, with Pongo somberly added that in spite of him agreed Chariot's performances being spectacular, not all people thought the same way, and it might had something to do with her disappearance 10 years ago. Akko briefly amazed that Diana's chamrosh can speak human language fluently before quickly retorted that nothing being wrong on her idol's magic. She even added that she also have the Shiny Rod, Chariot's lost magic staff. Intrigued, Diana asked Akko to try using it at the courtyard.

At the courtyard, Akko tried to cast magic on a statue with the Shiny Rod, but nothing happens. Hannah and Barbera, Diana's teammates and good-for-nothing sycophants, sneer Akko and dismissing the staff as a cheap imitation. Curious whether Shiny Rod that Akko have a real artifact, Diana asked the brunette to hand her the staff to inspecting it. However, upon touching the staff, the young Cavendish senses strange presence in the area before sees something which startled her: A red tailed ermine-like creature with strange pair of hollowed protursion on its back, four pointed star-shaped yellow crest on the face, and an eyepatch over its right eye, is standing on the head of the statue and staring at her before jumped away and disappears, unnoticed by students in the courtyard. In spite of the strange feeling upon the sight of the mysterious ermine, Diana quickly dismiss it and have Pongo examine the staff on her behalf instead. To Hannah and Barbara's dismay, the chamrosh stated that the staff genuinely real as he returned it to Akko and explained that she just not know how to use it properly.

### Luna Nova Familiar Stable

As Diana, Hannah, and Barbara leave Akko alone, Pongo jokingly told Akko that his master being a pain in the neck that he "can't stand serving her". The chamrosh then unexpectedly asked Akko to made contract with him, which of course, angering Diana that she dragged him away before the brunette could give a definite answer whilst stating that Akko won't have a familiar. Akko retorted that she will have a familiar of her own, only to realized that she doesn't know where to find one. Fortunately, Ursula appears and tells Akko that she can find a familiar she wanted at Luna Nova Familiar Stable. The astrology teacher also lends her a book about "Pomokai Holoholonas", a type of Familiars best known as "Magic Energy Beasts" due to possessing massive magic energy reserves.

Accompanied by Sucy, Lotte, and Jìan, Akko enter Familiar Stable to see the facility in mess: Mrs. Hegarthy, the owner of the facility, stated that due to lack of enough staff to run the entire facility, they cannot improve living conditions for familiars who staying and had difficulty in managing its resources. Moved by compassion, and recalled on her experience in helping a neighbor of hers who worked as pet shop owner back in Japan, Akko offered to help Mrs. Hegarthy improving the facility's living conditions the best she could and urged Lotte, Sucy and Jìan to do the same. The young witches and the mamba seal's selflessness in helping the staffs improving Familiar Stable's condition and managing its resources inspired familiars who stay in the facility to assist everyone, much to their pleasant surprise. With that, Luna Nova Familiar Stable become a better place for a time being.

In spite of the improvements, Mrs. Hegarthy stated that there's one more problem left: Two of familiars in the stable, an apathetic dragon horse named Yondu, and a lightning weasel who just arrived last night, have made the quite reputation that she wishes someone to made contract with both of them soon: Yondu, who had stayed in the facility for almost a year, had curb-stomped every single witches who attempted to made contract with him; Spewing water on Hannah and Barbara for insulting him, kicking Wangari out of the window, sending Avery falling from his back when she took him for a ride, throwing Blair into a pile of familiars' poo, and the list goes on. To add the insult for injury, the dragon horse even blasted every teachers who tried to disciple him with his geyser impact with exception of Holbrooke. The lightning weasel on the other hand, due to his race's reputation as the most fearsome Pomokai Holoholona race in the world of magic, frightened the students that neither of them dare to enter the facility out of fear of being attacked. Akko argued that the weasel have ill-intention to anyone as it might come just to made contract with a student just like other familiars in the facility, something which Mrs. Hegarthy agreed. To everyone's surprise, Akko asked familiar stable owner for the stall where the lightning weasel being kept at.

As the girls and young mamba seal walked for the lightning weasel's stall at the left wing of the stable, Sucy uneasily asked Akko whether she will made contract with the said Pomokai Holoholonas. Lotte stated that reason why witches urged to flee should they ever see a lightning weasel is their terrifying capabilities: They can move so fast that they could appear behind a witch and attack her before she realised where they are and what they doing; cover an entire village in the short amount of time, and employ a spell faster than even the most fastest witch. They even capable to appear before a witch or other familiar sense their presence. Not only that, in spite of their size, they displayed considerable strength and durability a well as having abnormal level of regenerative capabilities. Akko doubts Lotte's explanation about lightning weasel being that scary, but not argue it either as she had seen how the one she encountered at Arcturus Forest killed a cockatrice and possibly, a large dragon by itself. The brunette stated that she just wanted to see how the said weasel looked like before considering which familiar that suit for her.

## Yondu's Challenge=

By the time the girls found both mentioned dragon horse and lightning weasel's stalls, they found both familiars bickering over the former's negative view on witches. Yondu loathes witches for seeing his kind as symbol of status. He even added that none of young witches in Luna Nova proved worthy to be his master, something which argued by the lightning weasel who stated that it was due to him not giving them the chance. The dragon horse is about to leave his stall when he sees Akko and co. Lotte is about to confront the dragon horse for his misbehavior when he unexpectedly challenged her to prove her worth as his new master, apparently sensing something different in her compared to other witches. Much to her friends and the weasel's protest, Lotte firmly accept the challenge where if she win, he must become a better familiar.

With that, Lotte jumped on Yondu's back and to her surprise, the dragon horse takes her for a literal ride around the world. As both of them jump out of one of the stable's window and take flight in insane speed, Yondu takes Lotte with him out of the school grounds as they passing through someone's house, knocking a Yeti at the peak of Himalaya mountain, submerging underwater at the ocean whilst briefly swim around a submarine, flying above the clouds whilst passing through an airplane, and finally, passing through a flock of gulls. Over the course of the ride, Lotte barely remains conscious, but her grip on Yondu’s neck remained strong even whilst submerged underwater.

The tour finally ends when the duo returned to the stable where Yondu expresses his awe upon the young witch's persistence, only for her fell off of his back and greatly exhausted by the journey. This infuriated Akko and the lightning weasel that they called out Yondu for, only for Lotte calmed the duo down and stated that she had beaten Yondu in his challenge. With that, Yondu accepted Lotte as her new master and stated to her that unlike others before her, she had displayed humble and bravery that he valued, and remorseful for standards that he gave to previous candidates that too high. After have Lotte magically signed her contract with Yondu, the dragon horse proceed to project a stream of magic energy that washes through his new master's body which resulting it generates yellow aura before generates his own that glows from green to same color with Lotte's. Akko asked Sucy what just happened, and Sucy explained that when a Pomokai Holoholona made a contract with a witch, they sealed it with their new master's signature on the contract paper and synchronizing the color of their magic energy with hers. She also added that magic energy normally bright green in color, but upon channeled by a witch, it changes color which reflects her personality: Due to her kind and warm personality, Lotte's magic energy is yellow in color.

### Shiny Rod and Mysterious Lightning Weasel

Lotte asked Akko whether she has decided which familiar she wanted to choose when noticing the Shiny Rod glowing ominously. When Akko examines it, she realizes the staff glows due to the weasel's presence for some reasons. The lightning weasel asked Akko where did she get the staff and Akko explained to him circumstances that led to her finding it at Arcturus Forest. Hearing the young girl's story, the weasel implored Akko's friends to leave both him and Akko alone as he wanted to talk to her personally.

After Yondu, Jían, Sucy, and Lotte left, the lightning weasel inquired Akko whether she tell the truth, and Akko insisted all she said was true. He then asked Akko what brings her to Luna Nova, and Akko answered that she wanted to become an amazing witch like Shiny Chariot and added that she was once watch one of her shows, something which startled the lightning weasel for some reasons. Shrugging his uneasy feelings, he asked Akko to close her eyes. As she did, the weasel magically changes his eyes to see her magic condition where they glow in bright green with four pointed star-shaped, emerald pupils. Through them, he sees magic in Akko's body somewhat weaker than other students in the school, and unlike theirs, she had 2 of them: One is her natural magic like other humans' where hers shifts between light green and vermilion, and the other is golden and spark-like, something which he never seen before. The weasel finds that the state of both magic Akko has inside her somewhat abnormal, as something had crippled them and seems oblivious with it, at least that was what he assumed. This, added with the fact that she attended Chariot's show 10 years ago, reminds him with someone in his past which disturbed him for some reasons.

Knowing Akko won't become the witch she wanted in such condition, the weasel infuses a spell into his palm and thrust it against her chest, staggering her. Checking her magic's condition with his transformed eyes once again, the weasel relieved that the spell worked as her defected magic slowly improves. Akko on the other hand, oblivious with what happened, yelled on him why he hit her. The weasel poorly excuses that he just wanted to hit someone, which obviously not improve her mood. Just then, a minotaur who clumsily carry a box full of new shipments, accidently bumps into Akko, causing her to fall forward and kiss the weasel. As this happens, Hannah and Barbara enter the scene and rendered speechless and incredulous by the sight of the Japanese girl kissing the most terrifying Pomokai Holoholona, so much that their jaws dropped before hastily make their leave. Hilariously, Headmistress Holbrooke, Lukic, Ursula, Badcock, Finnelan, and Nelson also witnessed such infamous event via. Holbrooke's crystal ball at the Headmistress' office and reacted with the same way, with Lukic cried out that it is the bad omen for the school. Akko and the lightning weasel on the other hand, it took good 14 seconds for them to realize what happened before abruptly move apart with different reactions: Akko clasped her mouth in embarrassment whereas the weasel wiping his tongue in disgust before awkwardly yelled back to her.

In spite of embarrassed by the experience, Akko feels that it was the best moment in her life, second to visiting Chariot's show 10 years ago. In retrospect, she found it bizarre due to her first kiss being a magical creature feared by everyone. However, the awkward moment soon vanished in the next instant because they heard a loud crash and everything at Luna Nova Familiar Stable fall into chaos.

### The Attack

Out of nowhere, a winged insectoid monster bursts into the building and starts its rampage, causing panic among everyone inside. The monster has battering ram-shaped reptilian head with mouth full of sharp teeth and a pair of eyestalk; a thorax with a pair of leathery bat-like wings and a pair of insectoid arms, segmented maggot-like abdomen, and strange implants on its lower jaw, the top of its head, neck, and upper thorax. The creature seems to looking for something as it only threatened them before setting its sight on Akko and her glowing Shiny Rod. Something on the young brunette and the rod provoke it to fly towards Akko and snatches her on the midair, revealing that she is its target. Lotte, Sucy, Jían, and Yondu attempted to stop the beast, but the beast managed to fly away out of the stable.

Fortunately, when it appeared that no one can save Akko, a flash of yellow light flies past the winged beast, cleaving one of its wings on the mid-air while simultaneously snatched Akko away and picked her up in a prince-like manner before gently put her down, leaving the beast crashed not far from them. To Akko's surprise, her savior is none other than the lightning weasel himself. Infuriated, the insectoid monster let out an ear-deafening roar, summoning a pack of its brethren to its side and surrounded the Japanese girl and the lightning weasel. As this happens, Lotte, Yondu, Sucy, and Jian catch up with their friend and the weasel. Acting fast, Sucy throws a vial of cockatrice poison on the surrounding monsters, releasing petrifying gas that turned some of them into stone statues. This effectively distracted insectoid monsters that they failed to react when the lightning weasel swiftly rushed towards them and cut them down one by one with his electrified arm scythes, much to Akko's awe.

However, the fight is far from over. Opening its mouth inhumanely wide, the leading winged monster reveals what appeared to be sinewy appendage that grows to massive size before unfurls like a flower, revealing it to be malleable quadripartite jaw full of sharp teeth and four whip-like tongues. With its enlarged inner mouth. Akko and her friends grimace upon the sight of the monster devours its own brethren's corpse. Ingesting its meal, the beast undergoes drastic metamorphosis as it regenerates its injuries; its head become more reptilian with its eyestalks retracts into the skull and become normal eyes, the clawed arm elongates and split into two pairs, and its lower half molts into resembling centipede's. With its metamorphosis completed, the beast roars on both Akko and the ermine-like Pomokai Holoholona.

At this point, Akko notices the glow on the Shiny Rod become more and more brighter. Just as Ursula, Mrs. Hegarthy, Finnelan, Diana, and Pongo enter the scene, the staff releases an enormous amount of magic energy that enveloped the lightning weasel, which then shifts from bright green to vermilion. Simultaneously, seven pairs of crystal orb-like growths sprout from the side of the his body arranged in Big Dipper constellation-like position in the same manner with Shiny Rod's stars. Though still confused with what happened, Holbrooke stated that the weasel has chosen Akko as his master, much to Finnelan's surprise.

Empowered by Shiny Rod's magic, the lightning weasel roars back on the winged monster who undaunted by its adversary's empowered state. The battle starts anew with the weasel send the beast sailing to the sky with a powerful swipe of his elongated tail. Flapping its wings, the insectoid monster flies back to the lightning weasel to attack again. The weasel anticipates this by forming a green energy orb enveloped by yellow arrow head-shaped aura in front of his face before firing it on the insectoid monster. The beast failed to react as the magical projectile enters its mouth and detonates, evaporating it in green firework-like explosion reminiscent to the one created by Shiny Chariot 10 years ago.

### The Second Light

In the aftermath of the battle, Holbrooke sends officers of Luna Nova Security Forces and Damage Control to investigate the origin of attacking flying monsters and repairing the damage. Grateful that the weasel has saved her life, Akko, after some considerations, made her mind to made official contract with her savior, much to Yondu and Finnelan's dismay- while Yondu annoyed by the weasel's presence, Finnelan still think of him as dangerous beast. Holbrooke argued otherwise, and reprimands her not to judge the Pomokai Holoholona from his race's reputation, but from what he is. Diana agrees with Holbrooke's statement, and expresses her interest on Akko because she is the second witch in Luna Nova who not afraid with lightning weasels and even made contract with one of them. Meanwhile, Akko named her new familiar Biri Biri after the noise he made when generating electrical surge from his body, much to his chagrin as he already has a name of his own. However, noticing Ursula's presence, the lightning weasel accepted the name anyway.

Later that night, while Akko, Lotte, Sucy, Jian, and Yondu sleeping soundly in their room, Biri Biri sneaks out through the window and sits on the roof. He is expected by Ursula who waited for the weasel and greets her, "It's been a while my old friend, Ursula Callistis. Or should I called you Chariot du Nord."

"Shiny Flash, you're back. It was you who saved Miss Kagari and her friends at Arcturus Forest, right?"

The weasel nods before unveiling his true identity by turning the black on his tail into red and wearing an eyepatch over his right eye. Ursula does the same by removing her glasses as her hair reverted to its original red color. Chariot mused somberly that while the staff returned to Akko and gives them the second chance, someone else knows and coveted both the staff and what lies in Arcturus Forest. Flash agrees with her concern, and hoping that their enemy is not their old friend Croix in spite of hearing shady rumors about her. But regardless, they must make sure that Akko is ready for what will come for her...