Pokémon Odyssey: A New Beginning [T] [Best Veteran 4Q '12]

Cape City

Another blast shook Cape City. Once more, Zane saw as flames erupted into a large explosion that caused buildings to crumble, and fire to spread like a virus. Though he knew he was probably in for a huge fight once he would reach the area, he found himself releasing a sigh of relief, largely because he was thankful they had managed to evacuate most of the civilians before any of the destruction had begun. That lingering thought soon vanished, however, as he realized that if they didn't stop the Inferno soon, he would end up severely harming a lot of the Alpha Alliance soldiers, along with the Gold Tribe, if he hadn't already. Zane hoped he hadn't already.

As he approached the area, Zane could feel sweat dripping down his forehead. There was a significant increase in the temperature in the area, and portions of the area was already on fire, even if he was quite a distance from the point of the action. He quickly moved through, covering his mouth with his arm as to not inhale too much smoke and ash and dust. Then, another large explosion of energy hit, causing Zane to stagger back at this one. There was no telling the amount of damage that was being caused. He had to hurry, dashing past Alpha Alliance soldiers as they clashed with Ancients, and lending a hand as well along the way, quick with his Aerial Ace.


Gallant and Speculum retracted from the fighting momentarily to catch the other Gold Tribe members, Paladin, Blitzkrieg and the Shadow Protector along the roof.

"Hmph..." Gallant began, grunting and crossing his arms as he looked over them, having earlier observed Paladin and Blitzkrieg taken on Ancients. "I hope that's not all you guys are capable of. Back in my day, I could wrestle a Tauros with my bare hands and come out on top. Remember that you've got Valkaria on all your shoulders. We gotta give it our all!"

Sounds of battle escalating could be heard below. Gallant observed the battlefield, spotting General Hazone among the mix, directing Alpha Alliance soldiers through the hordes of Ancients. He was leading them to the Stoneguard, the capital building and base of operations of the Silver Tribe. Though, they still had quite a bit of Ancients to bulldoze through to get there. Still, they were slowly making progress. The battle seemed to go favorably.

Then there was the large eruption of flames further off on the battlefield, most of the others determining the handiwork of Inferno, to which Gallant agreed. But also, on the other side of things, he saw the crumbling of part of the wall of Cape City, an act seeming to have happened by a single Pokemon. If Gallant had to guess, it was another Sentinel, which reminded himself that there was likely more than one on this battlefield. When they would be making their appearances, the dynamic of the battle would change, and the advantage of the lack of leadership they would have had would be gone.



Gallant cracked his neck, preparing to go back into the fray of the battle below. He observed the others one last time, setting his eyes on each of them to see how they were doing. For the most part, they seemed to be in stable condition, though Gallant did worry a bit about the Golurk Paladin's appearance, the mysterious gray area that inhabited his body. He figured it was something better to handle after this battle. However, as he set his sights on Speculum, he noticed the Ditto, who now appeared in his Grovyle form, intently and somewhat uneasily staring off to something behind the old Sawk.

Gallant turned quickly to see the object of his torment, seeing a larger paw that is tipped in purple and split at the end grab hold of the edge of the building and make its way to the top. The Pokemon leaped up in a heave of his body weight, then landed with one paw and one knee to the ground, before standing upright, facing his Gold Tribe upon the rooftop. Gallant now turned his entire body to face the Pokemon, and Speculum did the same. Though the Pokemon appeared to be panting heavily, he gave his enemies a malicious smile. The Mienshao stared down the vast number of enemies upon the rooftop unfazed, each one of them of different sizes and shapes than himself, some of which were twice or even three times as large as he was, yet still no reaction of panic or worry came to him. Instead, he appeared to be in a state of jubilance, excited to finally be able to come toe to toe with the enemies they had been hunting for so long, without any roadblocks or red tape to stand in the way. As per the orders of Auron, and other roadblocks along the way which prevented him, he had not gotten a chance to entangle with the Gold Tribe since the torturehouse, which seemed so long ago, and even then, the encounter was brief. Now, the Mienshao was free to do as he desired, having been thinking about this moment for a while, and letting his mind roam free over the different, intricate, and elaborated ways in which he wanted to see his opponents suffer. Gathering his body, the Mienshao bent his knees and formed a fighting stance, preparing to engage his opponents head on. Though he was an enemy that Gallant once called friend, brother, he knew that one false move, one misstep, a single lowering of the guard, or misplaced footing could mean death against one of the most threatening Sentinels. After all, he had a reputation of getting things done with ruthless efficiency, upon relying not on brute force or his own form to accomplish goals, but on a combination of tact, strength, and careful deliberation in his movements. He was known to make use of every advantage he could get, of using his environment, his opponents' weaknesses, and his own advantages to the maximum, all while encompassing a body no bigger than Gallant's but deceptively much stronger and faster. Those who had typically died against this Sentinel saw only what their eyes could show, and thus were easy targets.

And that once again would be how Scar the Sentinel intended to destroy his enemies.

Hanso SharpEye
~~~~~

Standing as Vera stood, Hanso found himself catching her before she fell the rest of the way to the ground. "Too early t' get up," he growled, steadying the Blaziken. "An' what do you mea--"

"Okay. I'll trust you... I know Genevieve all too well. We do not get along. She is a foul woman who manipulates the hearts of men for personal gain." She paused. She looked up at the Gallade, her face now covered with tears. "Tell me she has not twisted you as well. Tell me you only have the best intentions. We cannot kill my only friend!"

The best intentions...Hanso returned Vera's gaze, taking a moment to search for his answer. Had Genevieve twisted him? He'd felt confused before in the Gardevoir's presence, but since it had been at least a day since they'd met, Hanso found it easier to recognize what he felt for her. And shook his head. "I'm not tryin' to kill Sovereign through his mind." What about when his berserk mode is outta the way, Hanso? What'll you do then?

"I can't say for the other Gold Tribesmen, though," Hanso added calmly, keeping his gaze, "if Sovereign keeps his allegiance to Auron. But we'll get to that when it comes." Is it such a good idea to bring Genevieve in on this, now? I just promised, in a way, that I wouldn't try to kill Sovereign. A thought came to mind. "It is possible that Genevieve was a catalyst, somehow?" he asked, checking his mental scan. If the Gardevoir didn't show up, then Hanso might have to move forward without her anyway.

Hoodhide
Cape City

"Oh, boy!" Hoodhide scoffed, grunting at the pain of his injuries. First and second-degree burns riddled his body, along with various other injuries such as bruises and cuts. For any normal Pokemon, the pain would have been too much, but Hoodhide was Gold Tribe. He had come a long way from being the protector of the village in the forest, and he would not give up now. He was too close to saving Valkaria. He would fight the Silver Tribe menace with all of his power, until he drew his last breath.

These inspiring thoughts came to Hoodhide in the midst of all the chaos. Grunting and panting heavily, he found that he had been lying down on the ground. Although it hurt, he rose to his feet. "Must...not...give...up..." he muttered. One of his eyes was forced shut because of the directly above it, on his forehead, making it all that much harder to see through the smoke that the maniac Inferno had generated. Looking around, Hoodhide realized that the explosion generated by the Typhlosion had been powerful enough to reduce nearby buildings to mounds of rubble. The last thing Hoodhide remembered, he was about to die at the hands of the Inferno, but he'd been saved by a small, yellow figure...an Abra. He had teleported him out of the way just before the blast would've reduced him to ash. Hoodhide stood for a moment, realizing that he'd been teleported some way away from the scene of the fight. He wanted to return there and aid his allies, but he was too injured. He couldn't. Looking around, he noticed one house which had not been destroyed. Odd, he thought. The door leading to the inside of the house stood ajar, and peering inside, Hoodhide found that the house was very different on the inside than it was on the outside.

The house looked like it belonged to some kind of shaman; engraved into the walls were various glyphs the likes of which Hoodhide had never seen, on the table stood various potions and a strange, bubbling cauldron which produced an aroma similar to lavender. A bed also stood in the room, and next to it, some wooden planks which made up the floor had been cracked, apparently by some heavy force. The strangest thing, though, was that on the night stand, near to the bed, lay an emblem of the Gold Tribe. Hoodhide limped into the building. He had no idea to whom this could belong, or why it had not been destroyed, but based on his observations, it appeared that some kind of mystic lived here. Perhaps their house had been protected by some enchantment?

Looking around, he spotted something he thought he'd never see: an pair of Oran berries. Hurriedly, he limped over to the table on which they sat, and gobbled them up as quick as he could. He waited a few seconds, and found that his burns had begun to heal. He felt refreshed, his bruises began clearing up and his cuts sealed. He felt like a new Scrafty again. It was time to go back and help the others.

Meanwhile, the Inferno screamed in rage. His scream could be heard from miles away, as it was one of horrible anger the likes of which Cape City had never seen. This maniac simply didn't want to die. As the Inferno stopped his scream, another voice, not nearly as loud but just as resilient, could be heard. "Oh, shut up you big old lard!" Came the voice of Hoodhide as he approached the scene, arms crossed and head held high. The Inferno's fire would just not let out, and even though he looked severely weakened, the Typhlosion just couldn't relinquish his enormous rage. Hoodhide's prideful stride ended when he realized that everyone here was about to be burnt to a cinder from the Blast Burn that was soon incoming. "Move! MOVE!" Hoodhide shouted to his friends, beginning to run.

In his sprint across the battlefield, Hoodhide charged into an unsuspecting Guardia, pushing her along with himself out of Inferno's eyesight. He didn't have time to help the others, but he hoped that they would follow suit and take cover. Hoodhide and Guardia quickly ducked behind the nearby remains of a building, before the blast was released.

The Inferno's fury knew no bounds. From the enormous flames on his back, the Typhlosion produced several focused streams raging fire, each stream aimed at a different opponent. The streams focused pure, raw fire with an unimaginable heat. The ferocious beams of fire aimed straight at the building behind which Guardia and Hoodhide hid. The building exploded upon the first impact, sending a shower of rocks falling down upon the heads of the Gold Tribesmen. "Quickly!" Hoodhide screamed, though his voice was lost in the deafening noise coming from the beams of fire. Unlike a normal Blast Burn, in which a Pokemon would release one outburst of flame towards an opponent, this Blast Burn was divided into several beams, and it was constant. More and more Blast Burn energy kept on radiating from the Inferno's back. Such was the power of this mighty Sentinel. Hoodhide and Guardia ran from the beam of flames, which followed them as they did. The beam was directed at a wayward angle, so it was not directly aimed at the two because Inferno couldn't see them, but it was steadily catching up to the two. If they even touched the thing, they would instantly disintegrate from the pure heat radiating from it.

All they could do was continue running, the buildings they passed were instantly blown apart, sending a storm of rocks falling behind them. The beam was catching up, even though they were now some way away from the Inferno himself, and it was almost near enough to roast them. The two could already feel its heat burning away at them. "Over it!" Hoodhide decided. He grabbed Guardia's arm tightly, then mustered all the power he into a jump, thrusting both himself and Guardia up into the air, towards a nearby building. Hoodhide bounded off the building, with Guardia still in tow, and jumped for another building. He bounded off the wall of that one too, and was now high enough in the air to be able to jump over the beam of fire. The beam passed underneath them, and they began their descent back down to earth.

Of course, Hoodhide never planned the landing. The two Gold Tribesmen landed abruptly on the ground, the force of the impact would certainly leave a few bruises. "Come on, sister! We're not finished yet."

Accatosh "Blitzkrieg" Corronis

Accatosh turned around to see the old Sawk, Gallant, comment on Accatosh's and Paladin's performance, as Accatosh turned to respond he saw a strange, looking Grovyle, possibly a shiny. Accatosh saw that they were focused on something else, then that something jumped up and landed on the roof on the other side, it was a Mienshao, a sentinal, possibly former Gold tribe, considering training, and not being intimidated by the appearance of this small party of Gold Tribe.

"Paladin, Allora," Accatosh called out, "pardon the interuption but, we've got company!" he said as he turned to face this new foe, Accatosh had heard romers of this sentinel, exceptionaly fast, strong, and a fit fighter, he's name was now Scar.

Accatosh prepared for the upcomming battle, taking a position behind Gallant ready to fight, Accatosh, let his size and his ability to intimidate kick in he hoped that with any luck the intimidation would affect him even slightly, but considering how this sentinel acted... this would not be the case.

Vera Fayos
Vera hadn't shed a single tear since she ran away from home, many years ago. In her weakened state, with all that had happened, she simply could not keep her emotions bottled inside any longer. She barely even knew this person, and yet she was pouring out her very soul to him. She wasn't sure what to think of him, but she had to trust someone. She couldn't go on alone.

She managed to calm herself down, and sat in front of the Gallade once again. She felt a pulse through the ground, its source unknown, but the origin was certain. "Sovereign's looking for a challenger. He chooses who he fights very carefully. If I had to guess, that pulse just now is a message to the intruder who broke in to Cape City not long ago." She stared at the Gallade, Hanso. "If you truly mean that... At the very least we will need to find another individual to join us in Sovereign's head. Genevieve is strong, and would be an excellent choice. But I wonder if she can be trusted not to break Sovereign? Is there no one else you can call on with that kind of power?"

Levina ~ Tunnels​

Levina smirked and tried to make out the form of her partner. The tunnels pitch blackness swallowed them up and spit them out when the rare ray of light shown in. Levina felt Snype's hand pat her on the back. "We gotta find a way out of here quick. Things don't sound good up there. That last earthquake was really rough. Kehe. If we end up being stuck here I suppose I'll be fine. I feed off minerals anyways. You though? I don't know if you'd like the taste of sapphire..." He said. Levina let out a small sarcastic laugh and rolled her eyes. "Me eat dirt? Yeah right." She let out a sigh and paused as she thought up a plan. "How good are you at giving directions? I could use my speed to find an exit faster but I can't see in these dark tunnels. I could light up the place but it would fry you in the process. Levina tripped a little on a crack created by the earthquakes. "Dang it!" She hissed and sat down. "Ok I've officially had it with this place! How about we hurry up and go find us some bloodshed up there." Her evil smirk appearing on her face once again. Levina stretched and got in a position to take off running while waiting for her partner to jump on her back.

Allora ~ Cape City Roof​

Allora focused again and managed to access Veletra's mind. A field of gorgeous flowers covered the ground as far as the eyes could see. Giant, fluffy white clouds dotted a bright, baby blue sky. A gentle breeze rolled through Allora's fur and picked up flower petals; making them dance in the air. "Veletra?" Allora called out as she slowly made her way through the field. "Veletra where are you?" Slowly, one by one, Veletra's memory frames began to appear. Old ones and new ones. Each frame showing a still photo of a memory. Allora continued to walk through the field, calling out to Veletra, as she looked around. Eventually she spotted Veletra floating in front of two older looking frames on a hill. "Veletra?" Allora whispered as she approached her. "Are you ok?"

Veletra continued to stare at the memory photos the frames portrayed. "I remember these two days like it was yesterday……" She whispered sullenly. Allora sat beside Veletra and looked at the photo on the left. In it was a very young Misdreavus playing in a flower field, much like the one they were in now, with a Mismagius chasing after her. The photo on the right portrayed what seemed to be an older version of the same Misdreavus riding on the shoulder of a Gengar. "Who are they?" Allora quietly whispered.

"The Mismagius is my father. He took me to that field on my birthday." Tears formed in Veletra's eyes as she spoke. "He died shortly after that day."

"I am so sorry Veletra…"

"Don't be. As much as I miss him I am proud of what he did. He died protecting innocent Pokemon as a member of the Gold Tribe. He is the reason why I am doing what I can to help the Gold Tribe."

"He sounds like an amazing and honorable man."

"Thank you, Allora……"

"May I ask who the Gengar is?"

"He is also my father. A few years after my real father died, my mother remarried him. His name was Cain. He was just like my real father. We did everything together……the last time I saw him he was being taken away by the Sentinels. He wasn't the type to give into them so I am sure he fought until they killed him. I very much doubt he is alive today."

Allora sunk down as she listened to Veletra's story. "I am so, so sorry for your loss Veletra. Both of your fathers were honorable men. You should be proud of them." Veletra turned to Allora and smiled. "I am proud of them." Just then a loud thud echoed throughout the area. "It seems like Paladin has returned." Veletra stated, "Let's head back now okay. You have done a marvelous job learning how to access the mind. All that is left is to hone your skills." A bright white light flooded the area as Veletra and Allora returned to their main conscious. Allora blinked a few times as the light from the sun stung her eyes. "Allora?" Paladin questioned. "Pa…Paladin?" Allora squinted to see her friend until her sight returned to her. She saw Paladin standing before them with Accatosh behind him. The sounds of intense battle rang out throughout the entire city. Allora was about to say something when Accatosh blurted out defensively. "Paladin, Allora, pardon the interruption but, we've got company!" Allora followed Accatosh's gaze to see a Meinshao standing before them. "A Sentinel?" Allora growled as she jumped between the Meinshao and Veletra. "Veletra stay behind me. I will protect you." Veletra had recovered quite a bit from her poisoning and floated a little ways from Allora as she spoke. "Be careful everyone. That is no ordinary Sentinel. His name is Scar and he is a force to be reckoned with."

Hanso SharpEye
~~~~~

Anyone else? Hanso considered all the Pokemon he knew. None of the other Sentinels, that was for sure. Of the Gold Tribe, he knew Bane, a Ninetails who could use telepathy at least, and the Keeper, the old Alakazam whose powers Hanso wasn't entirely sure of. Then there were Penance, the Golduck Madman who may not be entirely sane, and Brynn, who could be occupied with something else just as important for all he knew.

Sighing, Hanso shrugged. "One who's most likely busy with somethin' else important. One who may or may not have the power. One whom I'm sure knows at least something of it, but I don't know if he'd stop where we'd stop." He laughed once. "I don't know what to expect from him, really, except that he may listen to me." I hope.

"Wait, intruder?" Hanso's gaze snapped back to Vera. "There's someone besides the Gold Tribe that broke in?" What am I saying? She didn't have to know I didn't know about the intruder... So what? If she's gonna trust you, then you might as well do the same. It's not as if it's worse than telling Genevieve where and when the Gold Tribe was heading out. The intruder... "Probably an earth Pokemon, since they can track pulses in the ground." Oh. It could be Paladin, since he hadn't been with the Gold Tribe at first.

Paladin
Cape City

A Sentinel. Just my luck, Paladin thought. "Be careful everyone. That is no ordinary Sentinel. His name is Scar and he is a force to be reckoned with," said Allora. Even better, he thought sarcastically. He'd heard of Scar before; the Mienshao, although he may not have seemed like it at first, was one of the most powerful Sentinels. Unlike the others, he did not rely on brute strength, but rather on tactics, speed, and strategy. In Paladin's experience, these were two of the most dangerous opponents a Pokemon could face. One mistake could mean their end. This would not be a battle of power, but rather one of tactics.

Paladin analysed the situation. No matter what they tried, none of them could match Scar's speed, least of all the Golurk himself, and even with his strength, he doubted he'd be able to use it because of Scar's speed. He would hardly be of any use in this battle; it was up to the others. Speculum could be of some use, since he could transform into a Pokemon with a type advantage over Scar. Accatosh, being the extremely speedy dragon Paladin knew him to be, was probably the fastest of them all. He would be of great use in the battle. Allora, a Fire-type with some Psychic abilities, would also come in handy thanks to Psychic's strength over Fighting. Gallant, like Paladin, would probably not be of much help, and was in fact in danger of dying in this battle. This fight would be decided by the younger ones. All Paladin himself could do to help was protect Veletra from Scar, if he tried to hurt her, his defensive type advantage over the Mienshao.

Paladin devised a viable strategy, but depended greatly on the actions of the others. He needed a way for the others to hear of this plan without Scar catching wind of it. He decided to use one of his Arceus-given Ghost-type powers to do it: whisper speak. Whisper speak was a special skill given to all Ghosts, and was a low-level form of psychic communication. The recipient of the message would hear it as a sort of whisper in their ear, and would not be able to reply. Without further ado, he decided to try it. He sent the whisper message to Allora, Accatosh, Gallant and Speculum.

"All of you, listen up. It's me, Paladin. We can't beat this Sentinel without a proper plan, and I've got one. Allora, slow him with your Psychic powers, while Accatosh makes his way around the Sentinel, and ends up behind him. Speculum, transform yourself into a Psychic-type Pokemon to help Allora hold him back. Accatosh and Gallant, quickly deliver blows to Scar as much as you can. I doubt the other two will be able to hold him for long, so when he gets released, retreat. We will then regroup. I will protect Veletra. When we're back together, he'll most likely begin with a counter-attack. Watch out, he'll be very fast. He'll try to use your weaknesses against you. I'll figure out a plan from there."

Accatosh "Blitzkrieg" Corronis

Allora let out her warning, which only confirmed Accatosh's suspicions. Accatosh then heard Paladin Whisper, a series of directions, this Whisper must have been the ghost type ability of Whisper speak. Accatosh simply blinked, he didn't move his body or do anything to say to Scar that they were planning something, Accatosh waited for the right moment, Accatosh wandered his way around, he made sure it looked like he was pacing, then he let himself drop over the edge of the building into the alley.

Accatosh slowly and quickly made his way over to the other side where the Meinshao, Scar was located, he then used the ability Paladin had taught him, the Palkian energies, to communicate with the rest of the group, guys, it's me Accatosh, Allora let me know when you're making your attack, I'll work to catch him off guard by flanking him. Gallant wait till I have him pinned or at least off guard before you attack, alright team lets do this!

in a side conversation to Paladin he stated, if the other's didn't get my message send it using your whisper speak to the others

Accatosh remembered how when Paladin first taught him about the Palkian energies, that connect all pokemon, when Paladin had first used those energies to talk to him, it was hard to hear, it felt much like a psychic communication, but when he heard it it sounded like pulses that carried a few words, but they were hard to understand, so if a pokemon was to communicate effectively with such energies they would need another trained in such energies to be able to relay the message to the others.

Vera Fayos
Bizarre... Vera thought to herself. Does this mean we were searching for nothing? "All this started when an intruder tipped off Sovereign to his presence when he used an Earthquake. I don't know who or what it was, but they could fly as well. Then, when we went to the source of the commotion, there was no traces left of the intruder."

But what good could that do them? "I hope that if it's someone you know, that they're capable of handling Sovereign. Just because we'll be in his head, don't think the monster will stop fighting for a moment. He'll need to keep Sovereign occupied while we do what we need to." Vera looked away grudgingly. "Any luck finding Genevieve? We don't have a lot of time." She didn't want to bring in Genevieve, but Vera knew she was a powerful psychic, and probably the most qualified to help. She respected Genevieve for her education, but loathed her for her methods.

She could hear the start of more battles in the distance. Perhaps another Sentinel was in a fight. "We need to get moving. I should be able to walk now."

Snype nodded and jumped onto Levina's back to ride her. While the cave wasn't lit up, he was able to see perfectly fine thanks to his natural night vision. He would be able to direct Levina on where to go. The only problem was this whole cave was a maze... they would be going through it blindly.

"Try to feel for a wet surface. That flood couldn't have dried out so quickly. We just need to get back to where we were before. Now keep looking forward. I can see pretty well through here." Snype said as he hung onto the Jolteon. Finding the room that got flooded would be their best bet right now. Hopefully from there they could find their way back above ground and lend a hand. There was no way he would be able to take on the Gold Tribe alone so would have to devise a plan before hand...

Plans always went awry. That was why he made sure NOT to include the Gold Tribe in his plans. Always going left and right, up and down!

Penance! We have locations! Sector Z the Mienshao sentinel has been spotted, several Goldies ready to battle him! Sector A-1 has that Typhlosion, some Goldies against him as well including Leon and Ramsley, though he's almost out of juice. Orders?

Lead Ramsley and Leon to Sector A, I'll rendezvous with them there. I'll be making this up as we go so keep options open!

Penance ran as fast as he could, starting form a Water Pulse in each hand. His eyes glowed blue as he began to form shapes out of the water, elongating them and widening them just a bit.

He turned the corner and huffed along. There was a drop as Leon landed down and quickly sped up to meet him, "So, target this time?" He asked.

"The Mienshao. Distract him and ice me."

Leon smirked and sent out a small ice beam to hit into the Water Pulses. "Where is Ramsley? He taking another nap?" He asked.

"Think so boss." Leon stated as he finished his attack. "So, this guy good?"

"Very."

"Yeah, I'll decapitate him easy then." Leon stated.

"No decapitations, I have another use for him. Just keep him distracted and this will work out fine." He said. "We just need to keep those Goldies under control or they'll ruin everything!"

Leon chuckled, "Don't they always?"

Penance rolled his eyes. "Why does Z have to be so far away?"

Cape City

Guardia panted heavily, having trouble keeping up with the rapid-moving Hoodhide, mostly because her own injuries prevented her from moving at her highest rate without some sort of pain. She did her best to bury the pain deep inside, as her father Rey had taught her. She had to be strong. Not just for her brothers and sisters, but for the entire Alpha Alliance. However, she had no time to rest, as yet another attack by the Typhlosion was released at the pair. This time, Guardia grabbed Hoodhide so that the two of them would avoid the intense Flamethrower.

"Argh...damn it!" Guardia cursed, narrowly avoiding the edge of the flames on her back. "How does he have so much damn energy?!" She yelled, wondering while now going on the move again, hoping the Typhlosion wouldn't launch yet another attack. But when she looked towards him, she saw the Inferno once again preparing for it. As Guardia and Hoodhide entangled with the Inferno, so too did Wildfire, who prepared to go at the Inferno with another set of attacks. The first was a Focus Blast, the first orb going straight at the Inferno while the second struck from above. The Inferno quickly powered up his flames again, and shot at the blast with his flamethrower. He purposefully extended the flames so that it would continuously go for both balls, the intensity of the attack thus stopping the two from reaching him. As Wildfire landing behind him, the Inferno turned, and without much hesitation was prepared to fire another fire attack at the Infernape, but was suddenly caught from behind with a Shadow Claw. As the Typhlosion grunted in pain, he turned to see the mangled and burnt form of the Prince of Light, barely managing to cling to life to give Wildfire a chance to strike her attacks. Angered once more, the Inferno mustered up all of his energy and shot a devastating Fire Blast at the Prince of Light, ensuring his demise this time around. Yet as the Zoroark fell, he gave Wildfire the opening she needed to launch her blur of attacks of Close Combat and Flare Blitz. In his anger at the Zoroark, the Typhlosion Sentinel could not prevent the attacks from attacking him, and thus was struck by the constant wave of her hits.

"Yes!" Guardia shouted from her position, sprinting toward the two attackers in hopes of also joining in for a chance to help take the Inferno down. She charged right at him, dealing a deadly Slash onto his side just as he was turning to deal with Wildfire. The two successfully seemed to bring the overpowered, destructive Sentinel panting to his knees. All bloody and bruised, the Inferno panted heavily from his spot on the charred marble ground. Guardia, who was also panting from her damage she had endured, looked from the battered body of the Typhlosion over to her brother, the Prince of Light, who had given the last bit of his life to give them an opening for their own attacks. She silently thanked him, then angrily stared at the Sentinel. "This is the end for you, Inferno!" She exclaimed, preparing to help finish him off with her Thunder.

The Inferno did not look up at the two, presumably too weakened to even do that much. Yet he muttered something under his breath. "No...this...this is only the beginning..."



Seeming to come out of thin air, a large explosive energy surrounded the area where the Inferno resides, forcing everyone in the area to be forced back at least a few meters, but in Guardia's weakened state, she was sent even further back, crashing into a crumbling building and having some of the burning object fall dangerously near her. From her spot on the ground, she observed as fire from across the field that the Inferno had unleashed seemed to be traveling back to the Sentinel. Then, there was screaming. Not from civilians, or Alpha Alliance soldiers, or even Gold Tribe members. The screaming came from Inferno. Intense, painful-sounding screams of anguish. Guardia widened her eyes as she began to witness the Pokemon visibly change. The Inferno's eyes, which before was a mix of a deep red had suddenly darkened into a black one. She felt as if she was staring into a void, an empty space of nothingness. She suddenly felt that this sensation was making her prefer the destruction of whatever Inferno was before to what he was about to become. As the Inferno continued to scream, dark flames, not the bright ones that he before initiated, but dark black ones, suddenly formed on his back and around his body, burning his skin and fur while also surrounding him in this new-found energy. The screams continued for a while longer, before they were suddenly unnaturally stopped. The black flames exploded, traveling around the area, and expanding quickly. Though Guardia had been pushed out of their immediate reach a chill of fear, something she had not often experienced, ran down her spine.

Now, Guardia saw the form of the Inferno, an altered Typhlosion who appeared to be even more powerful, if it were possible, and seemingly unnaturally so. It didn't take long for the Zangoose to realize what was going on. The Sentinel had tapped into the powers of the Silver Crystal, and activated his chaos form ability. In one fiery huff of his breath, the Typhlosion unleashed hell upon the remaining Gold Tribe members, a dark Blast Burn incinerating all who would oppose him.

Levina ~ Tunnels​

"Gotcha. 'Kay hold on." With that Levina took off straight ahead. She hoped that with each step she wouldn't smack face first into a wall. She had to put all of her trust into Snype. As she ran she tried to recall the turns she took as they ran from the flood. Levina was normally really good at remembering landmarks and directions but in here it was so easy to get turned around. If it wasn't for gravity it would even be easy to mistake up for down. Levina listened to Snype give directions and promptly followed them. After a few minutes the smell of wet dirt reached Levina's nose. "We must be getting close. I smell water." Eagerness was apparent in her voice as she spoke.

Allora ~ Cape City Roof​

Allora's ear twitched when she heard Paladin through the Whisper Speak. She flicked her nine tails in a wave like pattern as a way to say she understood the message. Before Allora could move she heard another voice; this time it was Veletra. "Allora, you know you can do this. Believe in yourself. It is time to show the psychic training we did. Show them that we are a force to be reckoned with!" With Veletra's encouragement Allora stared down her foe with confidence. Using her new developed abilities, Allora made a connection with everyone around her. "I won't let you down Veletra! Accatosh, Speculum, on my mark. 3……2……1……NOW!" As soon as those words left her mind Allora activated her psychic abilities; using her newly developed Psychic. A blue aura engulfed Scar and surrounded his entire body making him immobile. Allora then picked him up to keeps his feet from touching the ground. She hoped that if Scar got free the extra seconds it would take for him to touch the ground would give everyone more time to respond.

Cape City

Sweat trickled down Gallant's spine. The Sentinel Scar had not moved for a while, but he knew if they would take their eyes off him for even a moment, the consequences could be drastic. He made a particularly concentrated effort to observe every slight movement the Mienshao made. It made look inconsequential, but Gallant knew better. In an abrupt fashion, a message seemed to be forced into his mind, the likes of which didn't seem to come from a traditional Psychic method. Instead, it appeared to be more unnatural, as if it were forced inside. Gallant quickly figured out by the message that it was from Paladin. It was good that the Golurk had decided to send a message of their plan of attack instead of announcing it, as Scar would quickly have picked it up.

Speculum nodded his head, while Scar took his gaze from each of them before lingering on the Ditto for a moment longer. The Gold Tribe quickly went into formation to do their plan. Speculum transformed into an Abra and did his best to form a psychic barrier as Paladin instructed. He worked with Allora, who also began to do the same. Scar was picked off his feet, the combined Psychic energies of Speculum and Allora seeming to be able to hold the Sentinel off. At this moment, Gallant tried to take this opportunity to strike at Scar, but in a sudden twist, Scar somehow wriggled free of the Psychic force around him, using the momentum of the energy around him to propel himself high into the air. The move seemed at first to catch him off guard, but one of the Gold Tribe had made a costly error.

Right before they had initiated their plan, Speculum had chosen to nod his head as a sign of understanding of the plan. The gesture had seemed to come out of nowhere for those watching, and thus the action was quickly picked up by Scar, who deduced that the group had been communicated telepathically. He quickly looked among the group at those who would have had that potential, and assumed for the moment that it was most likely the Ninetales, and thus he marked her for as a target. But more importantly, he prepared his mind, with the help of his Calm Mind, to increase his telepathic defense capabilities, in case they would try something on him. His deduction proved accurate, and he was able to break free of the dual Psychic control much fast. Thus, he now propelled himself in the air with astounding speed, and just as quickly, was on an impact course right on top of all of them on the rooftop, striking at an area in the center of them with a Bounce. The impact hit nearby Gallant, and the shockwave from the hit on the roof was automatically felt. Scar forced his way right at the center of the building, breaking through the roof while creating a shockwave that was flung out to all of the Gold Tribe members. Gallant, who had the disadvantage against the attack, took a tremendous hit, even if Scar had not hit him directly. He staggered back, and suddenly fell off the rooftop, down below. Speculum was hit with a similar force, tumbling down off to the side of the building. As if finally seeming to take notice of its own structural damage, the building seemed to finally give out of the impact of Scar's attack, and slowly began to crumble, with or without the Gold Tribe members on top of it. Piles of wood, brick, marble and rock suddenly imploded on each other as the building collapsed onto the ground, creating a field of dust and smoke in the immediate area of impact.

As for Scar, he leapt gracefully from his spot on top of the rooftop onto the ground, landing on one knee and a paw, and standing upright, quite please with the damage he had cause. Gallant coughed, buried beneath remnants of the destroyed building. He could feel his side bruising, he possibly might have received a few broken bones in that last impact. Speculum cough as well through the smoke, checking his arm to see blow flow from a wound. How the other Gold Tribe members managed to fare, he didn't know. It was a single error on their part that caused this entire situation to form. One small misstep, and they already were in a position of disadvantage. In Gallants mind, there was little doubt that the Sentinel Scar would be one of the toughest battles he would ever fight.

Accatosh "Blitzkrieg" Corronis

the thought from Allora shouting NOW, and the sounds of battle sent Accatosh into the air. he quickly found that he was at the back of Scar and that Scar had some how freed himself from the psychic powers.

and then he saw the building crumbiling to the ground, he saw that Gallant and the one he was with, were missing, they must have fallen off of the roof. Accatosh dove towards Allora, he grabbed her with his front claws and took to the air again, landing her in the streets, Accatosh then returned to the building just in time to see a wall start to fall towards Gallant an an Abra, that must have been a ditto, because he was a Grovyle earlier.

Accatosh forced his body in between the falling wall, and he stood against it holding it up, the weight of the wall was enough to make him have to struggle slightly but he was fine. "get out from under here Gallant," Accatosh ordered. as he slowly, with a great amount of effort forced the wall to fall the other way... towards Scar.

There were all sorts of sounds of battle escalating around the city. Penance knew his Affiliates would be able to handle the blunt of the ancient forces far easier than the Alpha Alliance knew how. They knew how to use little numbers to make a big impact, that with every life lost it just made the job that much harder. They would use the advantages of the knowing the city well enough, he just hope the army wasn't that rough. They could be a huge problem in fact, which is why his hidden spies were keeping tabs on most of the huge pools of army men. They were much closer than one thought, but that was enough thinking for now.

He had to stay focused on the task on hand. Scar was somewhere in sector Z and judging by the loud noises and tremors, he had a good idea of where the Mienshao was.

Send a link to Zane! We have another to free. Penance sent out in his psychic communication.

This was the time, the time to find out more and make. This. Right.

"Scar! Why not fight someone who CAN take you on?" Penance shouted at the fighting type as he found him. He made sure to keep his distance, the two Water Pulses he had formed into sword like shapes and were now, technically, ice sword. "What's better? A group of mon who make mistakes, or a warrior that plans for every single possibility? Quite... intimidating, isn't it?" He asked with a knowing smirk.

Leon took up a battle position behind him, "I give him a minute Penance."

Penance chuckled, "Even Leon doesn't see you as too much of a threat Mienshao. So what will it be?" He smiled even more, "By the way, watch out for that wall."

Hanso SharpEye
~~~~~

"We need to get moving. I should be able to walk now."

Hanso nodded and stood, considering Vera's words about the intruder. Earthquake, flight, no traces. Ghosts can disappear without a trace, and Golurk and Golett are the only naturally earth-oriented Ghosts. Yeah, likely Paladin.

Sighing, Hanso said, "No real indication of Genevieve. Either she's shielded in some way, not in th' city, or...but you're right about movin'." Tapping the shoulder of a passing Chansey, the Gallade asked for and received a couple berries, which he then offered to Vera. The sounds of fighting in Cape City were escalating, especially with a few explosions or something in the distance. If the Sentinels weren't fighting by now, then Hanso dreaded what would happen when they did show up.

It would take too much focus to actively search the city if they got going. Hanso retracted his mental feeler, then took a moment to build up a beacon, one that was shielded from those weak in the ways of the mind. Yes, it would attract the attention of Psychics like Penance and the Affiliates, and anyone else for miles around who knew how to detect such a beacon, but Hanso didn't much care at the moment.

"If not Genevieve," Hanso added, "then someone else. Shall we go find Sovereign now?"

Sovereign
Sovereign's eye's shot open! That energy. He felt it in Albia. But this time was different. Like it was coming from someone else. Sovereign could feel it resonating with his own darkness. He wanted to fight these tendencies, but he could no longer with such darkness in the area.

Sovereign grabbed a citizen as they ran. A Furret's neck now held in his hand. It could barely breath as it stared into Sovereign's eyes. Fear. He could feel it's fear as his vision became obscured by shadows, invading from every side.

Sovereign abruptly turned and screamed to the city at the top of his lungs.

"I don't want to do this! If you value the life of these innocents then someone come fight me!!!"

His fingers twitched, the desire to spill blood was now beyond any desire he had felt before. Sovereign let out a mighty roar as the earth shook once again, this time with enough force to shake the very city itself! This time he didn't care about attracting a specific warrior. He needed a fight, and he needed it now!



Vera Fayos
Vera accepted the berries, she would need the extra strength for what they needed to do.

"If not Genevieve," Hanso added, "then someone else. Shall we go find Sovereign now?"

"I-" The earth shook once again, this time more violently. "What the...? Sovereign isn't usually this impatient about his fights. Once he sets his sight on a target, he can wait for hours. Can you feel anything? Anything at all that might be the cause?" She looked around. "All of you need to get out of the city, now! It's not safe here any more!"

"We need to go to Sovereign, but we can't engage him until we have a third mind to assist us in our task. If not Genevieve, there must be someone! Anyone!?"