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

Hanso SharpEye
Cape City - Stoneguard
~~~~~

Sovereign opened his eyes again, and looked at Hanso. "I hope it's enough." He began walking towards the very split in the wall he had created to get into the city. "I am no longer your enemy. But I can't join you. I made an oath to Auron, and my word as a dragon is something I cannot break. But... I made another oath... long before then. I have to return to my home." He looked back over his shoulder and grinned. "I doubt he'll let me though... take care of Vera when I'm gone."

Hanso merely nodded, watching until the Tyranitar was out of sight before turning to go. Honor...had that had something to do with his decision to break into Sovereign's mind? The fact, perhaps, that he may have wanted a fair fight? Except I'm a fool if I'd expected to win a fair fight against him. That can't have been why I'd done it... Either way, Hanso felt it was what he, Brynn, and Vera had done that somehow caused Sovereign to stop fighting.

'Take care of Vera when I'm gone'... It was only when Hanso had teleported to the area outside the doors of Stoneguard that he mentally slapped himself. And she's in the Affiliates' hands. No one else takes orders from Penance.

~~~~~

The Gallade leaned against the wall as the meeting began, his Gold Tribe armlet in his hand. Hanso did not feel much surprise at any of the news that Zane spoke of; he didn't feel much like anything at the moment. He looked up as Lyn said that Noctus had been in Cape City with Sentry, face blank of emotion. Eye-witness account of Noctus' treachery. It would be very difficult to disprove that if anyone were to deny it now.

Penance, on the other hand, provoked more thinking inside Hanso's head. To his ears, the Golduck was condemning the Gold Tribe. Still not a big surprise, really, but it threw fuel on Hanso's personal doubts. He had seen some of his brothers and sisters of the Tribe focus more on combat than anything else, himself included. At least Hanso and his sister had done things other than fight; there had been cases where a Psychic or two were required.

The real jolt that made Hanso look up at Penance was the statement that he had Genevieve. His hand tightened around his armlet. Don't want to know what's happening to her? You condemn the Gold Tribe, then you say something that...stinks of stooping lower.

Has she snared you as well, hm?

Shut up. Then Hanso wondered what the Affiliates might do once Vera was healed, and the other voice in his head chuckled. "Can we stick to the news before we start the debate?" Hanso demanded, pushing off the wall to join the other Pokemon. His voice brooked no argument as he spoke his first words since entering the room. Hopefully he'd stopped any arguing that he felt would have come up between the Gold Tribe and Penance. The Gallade was not in the mood for either one to speak up.

"You all heard what Sovereign said." Hanso paused and looked up again in Penance's direction for a moment. "Except you, since you weren't connected. If any of you didn't figure it out already from what he said, Sovereign's no longer our enemy, so that's one less Pokemon to worry about. Yet neither will he break his oath to Auron." Thinking of the destruction he had seen and Sovereign's episodes, he felt the urge to add that it was probably not the Tyranitar himself who'd gone on a rampage. No, don't need to tell everything...won't say what I've done just yet, though.

Sovereign
Sovereign had a long trip ahead of him. He had to return to Silver City, all alone this time. Up until now, Vera had always accompanied him in travel.


"You know how I feel about the Gold Tribe, eh, Sovereign, I think you said you were calling yourself now?" Vera's hut was cozy but well kept. Sovereign had a hard time fitting inside while the Ancients he had brought with him waited outside.

"This is different though, Vera. The Silver Tribe came from the Gold Tribe, but they want to change things. Surely you are in support of change?" The Blaziken swirled her cup of tea while she thought about this. Change was something worth fighting for, wasn't it?

She looked up at Sovereign. "How do you know this Auron guy isn't just like everyone else? How do you know he's not just another Varren?"

"He's a dragon, Vera. You cannot question his honor."

"Honor? Is that what you father taught you?" Vera set the cup down and stood up, nearing Sovereign, and resting her hands on his shoulders. "You don't need names or honor to be someone. You already are my friend. The only one I ever had." She thought back to that day, when Sovereign's inner beast first appeared. "If this is what you want to do, I will support you all the way. I will help you bring the Silver Tribe to power. But I will pledge allegiance to no one but you."


It wasn't that long ago that Sovereign was recruiting Vera, and yet it felt like a lifetime. Sovereign looked back at the city once more before it was out of his view. I'm sorry for ever bringing you into this, Vera. I was a fool. Sovereign wasn't sure if the connection was still there, or for that matter if Vera was even connected to it herself? But he had a feeling it didn't matter. She probably knew.

And so, Sovereign marched forward, ever certain of his destiny. He knew what he had to do. He had to kill Auron, or die trying...


Vera Fayos
Everything was dark. Seemed like this was happening a lot lately. Vera was tired, and decided to just let herself embrace the serenity of the darkness. Death was leaving her alone this time, it seemed. Perhaps she had also felt that Vera deserved a rest. Or maybe she saw that Vera was ready to keep living. She smiled. Someone was thinking about her. Somehow she just knew.

Heat. Vera opened her eyes to the city in ruin and flames. The heat had woken her, as she was being carried on a stretcher. She tried to move, but winced in pain at the opening in her belly. She wasn't sure who she was at the mercy of, but they carried no Gold Tribe markings. Who else could they be? Vera doubted the Alliance would go out of their way to retrieve a war criminal so badly injured when they have their own to attend to. Only one other group came to mind that could possibly be involved.

"Affiliates..." Vera murmured to herself. This was not a good place to be, and certainly not a good time to be in their custody. But there was little she could do.

They treated her wounds, but it was not pleasant. The damage was deep, and there was no time to relieve the pain. The operation took about an hour of screaming pain before it was over. Vera wanted to sleep, but there was no time to. She could rest later. She waited patiently for whoever was responsible for saving her life, whether she wanted it or not. She did not want to be in debt to an Affiliate, if it was indeed one.

Cape City

Lyn lowered her eyes to the ground as Penance barraged her with the accusations. The worst was that she knew he was right. It was because of her past friendship with Noctus, and the fact that she wanted to trust him that made her blind to everything else. The rest were silent as they listened to Penance and his explanation on everything bad about the Gold Tribe. Zane wanted to speak up and defend, but in his points, there were some that actually made sense. It was true, that the Gold Tribe was responsible for what had happened. None, of course, of the Gold Tribe currently present, but those that were now long dead. And it was also true about what would happen when they won again. What if everything were to just repeat itself?

Thankfully, TrueStriker was there to switch topics back to the news than to debate the faults of the Gold Tribe. He confirmed what Zane suspected, that Sovereign no longer threatened them. It meant one less Sentinel to face, which was fine by him. But it was only after he spoke that another voice spoke up, and it only caught him by surprise because of how rarely he spoke.

"I suppose, if I may, I should speak now," came the voice of the Keeper, the old Alakazam that accompanied them from the Golden Catacombs. "After all, I have come to give counsel, and it seems that time is upon us." He walked with a limp, the result of old age perhaps, and something that required a walking stick to travel normally towards the central table. The old Alakazam looked around the room at all of the faces, then smiled, showing even more wrinkles across his old face.

"Now then, I feel I must address certain points, since I was the one who helped create the Gold Crystal many years ago...many many...I am not certain how many now..." He seemed to trail off into thought, before shaking his head and focusing back onto the group. He pointed to Guardia. "You, young one. Do not be certain to believe that which your eyes have shown you, for the powers of the Dark Crystal are numerous. One of which is to show you sometimes that which you want to see. An illusion." The Keeper stated. Zane cocked an eyebrow and pondered what the Keeper just said.

"Wait, are you saying that whoever that was wasn't Noctus?" Zane asked.

"No, he could be exactly him, or he could not be. But without you close by," The Keeper said, pointing at Zane, and Zane assumed he meant the Gold Crystal around his neck. "There is no way of knowing with certainty. You have all witness this ability before, yes? As you have told me of your exploits, the ambush in the Thieves Forest? There were those hidden beneath cloaks, who appeared before you, but when the unmasking came, they were not as they were shown."

Zane recalled the event which the Keeper referred to. The ambush by the thieves had occurred before they acquired the Gold Crystal, so they were not immune from its effects. "So even now, we don't know with complete certainty that Noctus was with the Silver Tribe..."

"Now then," The Keeper continued, coughing a bit, "I must explain to you about what you are to do in order to win. What actions you must take. I have witnessed the events of the preceding battle with intrigue. It seems your company have been able to reject the effects of some of the captured minds, and free them. I commend you for this, as such an act is quite challenging to complete. Yet let me warn you all now: this tactic will not work on the remaining of the captured minds. The wielder, and those who follow him in your final destination, are beyond saving, but especially perhaps the wielder himself." The Keeper stood up and began pacing back and forth, relying on the weight of his cane for help. "The Silver Crystal, when it chooses a wielder, immediately latches onto one's essence, one's very soul. It then slowly, but surely, begins to eat it away. The very strong-willed of Pokemon may be able to resist at first, but eventually, the Dark One inside will eat away at everything that once made you who you are, until nothing of what you once were exists. With the wielder of the crystal, and those who remain close by him now, they haven't just been altered. They have been completely corrupted. They no longer are who you once knew.

"You must remember this, when you face them. There is only one way to stop this all, and that is to defeat the wielder in combat, and demote his essence. Only then will the Gold Crystal's effects begin to activate. The Silver Crystal, I'm afraid, is far too powerful to have any effect by the Gold before then. It is a more passive effect than an offensive one."

Zane listened quietly as the Keeper went over every explanation. He understood what had to be done. In order for this to work, the wielder had to be stopped. Auron had to be killed. He closed his eyes, remember long ago, back before this war, at the Pokemon Auron was. Kind, gentle, and fearless. If there was anyone who cared more for the Pokemon of Valkaria, he wouldn't have known him. But another question now tinkered in his mind, something Penance had brought up. "And...what will happen if...once he is defeated?" Zane asked.

"Then that which has happened before will take into affect again. The Dark One's soul will once more be bound to the Silver Crystal and be sealed away. The two crystals, I would then recommend, be hidden away, never to be brought to the public's eye again."

Zane shook his head and closed his eyes. "So all of this could happen again?" He said to himself, but loud enough for everyone else to hear. "No," He said, standing up off his seat. "No, there has to be another way."

"I understand your worries, young one, but this is the best solution, believe me."

"Is it?" Zane asked impatiently, looking intensely at the Keeper, and then all around at everyone else. "I don't know...no, it can't be. There has to be a better way. We can't let this happen all over again. It happened before, it could happen again."

"These occurrences are so rare, by all accounts. You may not have lived to see it, but I was there during the Dark Times. We can never go back to what was then. This ensures our survival. This is for the greater good!" The Keeper said in a raised tone. Zane looked at him, seeing that the old Alakazam was getting riled up.

"The greater good...I've been hearing that a lot lately. To sacrifice some to save more. To not take some Pokemon into account in order to ensure more would live. To make the better decision versus making the right one. We...the Gold Tribe, we're supposed to stand for something. The protection of Valkaria, of Pokemon, of all Pokemon. But even along with that, we were supposed to stand for something among ourselves. We were supposed to stand together as brothers and sisters. Not just as titles, but as a family."

"Need I remind you," The Keeper began, "that the Gold tribe was created to prevent the return of-"

"We're not your Gold Tribe anymore!" Zane yelled. The Keeper instantly fell silent. "We don't have to be about him, and the stupid crystals, and the secrets, and the lies, and the deceit. We can actually stand for what we have come to stand for. We can be Pokemon of character, like Rey said. Peacekeepers, not warbringers, like Auron once said." He turned to everyone else, then looked over at the Keeper again. "We can be what we were supposed to be. If...when were survive this thing, that's what I want the new Gold Tribe to be. So no, I will not accept this way. There has to be another way."

The Keeper and Zane glared into each others eyes silently. Each was expecting the other to do something, to say something. Both just stared and waited. Eventually, and to Zane's surprise, the Keeper finally broke his glare, and simply smiled at him. He sighed, "Very well, Vigil. We will do it your way. It will be risky, but if it works, you will have what you wanted. I cannot deny it is not what I would choose, but I understand what you say."

"Truly?" Zane asked, surprised of the turnaround from the old Alakazam. "How?"

"...we will discuss this when the time comes. For now you should all rest and recuperate. If you have any final endeavors that you wish to perform, now might be the last time. Do that which you need to do before the final horn calls. For when it does call, you will all be asked to march...one last time."

The Swift again began to process what had just been said. Apparently...Just maybe...Nocturne had been with Sentry at the end of the battle. Jirmonji didn't know much about this Cacturne...but he was a valuabe asset to the Gold Tribe. It was all a matter of where his heart lied. But there was one thing that stuck in his mind. You will be asked to march...one last time. Jirmonji had a good idea what the plan was...We're going to assault Silver City...We're actually going to do it! Jirmonji never expected to survive this long. He expected he would die in the wilderness. He expected to die in battle with comrades such as Hoodhide and Calamity. He expected to die in Albia when he challenged Sovereign. Still...he persisted. "I must have some purpose...It is the only reason Arceus kept me around...I need to find it. Excuse me...Please." He gave a salute to his fellow members of the Gold Tribe, perhaps for one of the last times, and left Stoneguard.

-----

The Swift wandered aimlessly through the streets of Cape City. Am I a coward? Will I die? What is to become of me? There was so much running through his mind, yet only so much he could process. He looked to the sky. Arceus above, what is my purpose? What is to become of me, Jirmonji Slynt? Jirmonji hadn't referred to himself by his first and last name since the attack on Gold City. Just give me a sign...Let me know what to do when the time comes. Jirmonji wandered near the front gate by chance, the gate that the Gold Tribe would depart from, and leaned back against the wall. He bowed his head and slowly began to drift off to sleep. Before he did, though, one last thought entered his mind, and a single tear ran down his cheek. Must I die?

Cape City

The bulk of the Ancient had already long departed Cape City, and Sentry was scheduled to leave as well. Or, at least that was the initial plan. He had accounted for basically every Sentinel that was supposed to be on this battlefield from reports he had heard. Deluge had fallen. Scar was no longer among them. Sovereign was said to be sighted leaving the city and reportedly heading to Silver City. Genevieve was unaccounted for, but none had seen her since the reported fiasco of the underground tunnels. The Inferno had perished in a fiery blaze, as he had expected. All that remained were Snype and Levina, who apparently were still in the thick of things at Cape City, whether out of stubborness or insanity. Sentry didn't know the pair long, but he hope it was the former. If they were to be the last of the Sentinels, he would prefer ones with all the screws attached in their heads.

He went in a rapid motion through the torn and ruined city of Cape. Most did not bother with him if they saw him. However, because very few saw him to begin with. He was not a master track, the leader scout, and one of the fastest Pokemon in the world for nothing. He soon caught up with Levina and Snype, who were fairly close to the edge of the city, but not enough for Sentry to be comfortable with.

"Hey," He began to the two new Sentinels. "We've got nothing more to do here. Auron requests us to return back to Silver City." He said to them. He began to turn to leave, and assumed the two would follow.

Paladin
Paladin's subconscious

It felt like he was away from everything for a moment. Paladin felt like he was floating in the air, away from all the stresses of life. Whatever darkness that now possessed him had pushed him so far down into his own mind that he'd ended up here, in the deepest part. Despite the fact that, while in his subconscious, he could access anything he wanted, the dark presence had imprisoned him here, and left him with only the memories of his past, which slowly came back to him the longer he stayed. That, and visions of what was happening outside, in the physical world. These visions were designed to torment him, as whatever had taken over his body would surely wreak havoc, leaving him to watch helplessly. There, in the visions, he saw a meeting... Zane was there, occasionally glancing worriedly at Paladin, along with all remaining Gold Tribe members.

The things Zane said at the meeting, they were true, and Paladin knew it. He had no problem denying it. He'd know it all along, in fact, but never truly wanted to acknowledge it. Now that his memories had begun returning, he remembered the disdain he'd felt for the Gold Tribe's condition, even before the Silver invasion. Being a veteran of the Tribe, he'd seen it deteriorate over the years; it had steered away from its true purpose, and become selfish and even cruel at times. As Penance had so clearly stated, they aimed to avoid battle, yet they relished in it. But... this did not exclude him. Since this evil had begun sharing this body, he'd been no better than the Silver scum he was fighting.

Oh my Arceus. What have I done?

Paladin began to remember. The events of the fight with Sovereign. A gaping hole in the face of the city, a dark storm... it came back in fragments, but it was there. However, the thing he remembered most of all was the faces. The innocent faces of all he had killed that day. In the wake of their battle, the Golurk and the Tyranitar had left unimaginable destruction, and killed dozens upon dozens of scared, innocent Pokemon.

Those were the Pokemon I was supposed to be protecting! What have I done?!

Sadness flooded him. He hadn't had such a rush of emotion since the battle. His anger washed away with what would have been tears, were he not locked inside his own mind. What had he done it for? The battle with Sovereign. He had begun it out of a selfish need for revenge. As a result, destruction to the once beautiful Cape City and the deaths...so many deaths that could have been prevented.

They didn't deserve it! It's all my fault!

Paladin's mental screams echoed in his own mind, for nobody to hear.

IT'S ALL MY FAULT!

Allora
Cape City

Carrying the hefty body of Paladin all the way to the Stoneguard took a toll on Allora, both physically and mentally. Despite having to focus almost entirely on keeping her friend in the air, she noticed Zane Tyrael approaching. He spoke, but she was too focused on Paladin to hear what he had said, much less respond. He appeared very worried for the Golurk. It seemed like Paladin was acquainted with, and also was a friend of, many of the Gold Tribe members here, and even a mentor to Accatosh. Without thinking on it any longer, Allora placed him down as gently as she could, as the Healer began overseeing his condition. The Ninetales let out a loud sigh as the mental strain melted away, allowing her to recollect her thoughts. As soon as she had done so, she shook her head and snapped to attention, immediately making her way over to the Healer. "How is he?"

The Healer responded with a worried tone. "He'll live, but it doesn't seem like it's his injuries that are crippling him. While they are severe, none of them are fatal to one of his species, so it must be... something else."

Allora knew exactly what this 'something else' was. She looked worriedly down at him, staring at both his right and left sides. Both sides seemed to be radiating different energy, or at least, so she thought. As expected, his normal side radiated the energy of the true Paladin, while the dark side radiated intense negative energy. This energy seemed to be the exact opposite of what the normal side was radiating, and was slowly canceling it out, it seemed. Though this was just a feeling, it was confirmed when she tried to enter his mind, only for a quick moment. Something mentally lashed out at her, something sinister, pushing her out of his mind.

The dark side was winning. She had to do something about it.

Allora paid little attention to the meeting going on before her, but she couldn't help listening to what they were saying. She listened intently to Zane, as he argued. She agreed with him one hundred percent. But... all this made her uneasy. If what he said was true... was this really what the Gold Tribe had come to in her absence? He claimed that it had even been this way before the Silver invasion. Though she initially disagreed, looking back on it... it was true, wasn't it? The Gold Tribe themselves were on their way to becoming another Silver Tribe. When the decision was made to finally destroy the Crystal once and for all, Allora couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. Maybe, just maybe, this would all finally end.

Turning her attention back to Paladin, she grasped him with her Psychic without another word and left the Stoneguard. She normally would have stayed and talked, but there was no time. Whatever was happening to Paladin, it had to be sorted out now. No more distractions. She only wondered where Veletra was in all this. Was it possible... that she was dead?

Trying not to think about it, Allora set Paladin down at a spot near to the Stoneguard, but not near enough to attract attention. She looked around. Dead bodies of Ancients, Affiliates, Alpha Alliance soldiers, and civilians lay strewn across the street. The sight would have been too much for any normal Pokemon to behold. Still, it seemed like a good place to set him down and begin the mind infiltration. She remembered what Veletra had told her. She would probably have to mentally battle whatever... thing was hidden within Paladin. Therefore, she didn't want to be too far away from the rest of the Gold Tribe in case things went sour.

Yes, Paladin's mind was corrupted, but not entirely. She figured if she could access the part of his mind that he was still in control of, the real Paladin could allow her access. Her plan was to visit his memory, as whatever was inside of him was undoubtedly hidden in there. She imagined it must be the cause of his amnesia, if it even was amnesia at all. Should the need arise, she would retreat and call for the help of other psychics, but she hoped it would not come to that.

Closing her eyes, Allora took a deep breath, and then exhaled, blotting out any background noise and focusing only on the mind before her. Immediately, she sensed that Paladin was in a comatose state. At least, the normal part of him was. The dark parts of his mind buzzed with activity. Zoning in on a good part, she attempted to communicate with the comatose Golurk. "Paladin... you there?"

The response chilld her to the bone. A bloodcurdling voice which sounded like a mixture of Paladin's own voice and something else's, responded.

"Nooooooo."

Allora hesitated for a moment. She noticed that the good parts of his mind were slowly being taken over by the dark ones, so she had one last option. His subconscious. This precious area of the brain could, hopefully, never be touched by the vile darkness spreading throughout him.

Indeed, it was not. It took a few moments of strenuous mental focus, but Allora was able to break through the darkness and access the subconscious. Here, she could easily gain access to his mind. In her mind, it seemed like she had a bird's eye view of a landscape, but this was no ordinary landscape. It was a swirling mess of information and memories. Everything that had ever happened in Paladin's life was registered here, and Allora had access to all of it. Having never been in someone's subconscious before, she took a moment to marvel at the sight, before regaining her focus. Just in sight was the memory area of Paladin's fragile mind.

In the recesses of Paladin's dark thoughts, a shrill voice resonated.

"So... she's here."

Penance 'Madman' Malum​

Penance watched with a growing grin as Vigil and the old Alakazam argued back and forth like mother and father. That was what they were after all. Or maybe it could be parent and grandparent? Hm... nah, he would go with the first metaphor. Still, it was humorous to see the Gold Tribe so easily breaking apart. He could tell from Hanso's expression that he was being disenchanted. That was right... he just had to lead the Gallade down the right path. How he should act and such. Once he would lead him there then he could rely on yet another high profiled Affiliate. It was just the guy he would need actually.

The others were also showing wears and tears here and there. Zane perhaps the most. Penance knew for a fact that back at Liberty Town Zane would have eagerly done anything that the Gold Tribe stood for. If he had heard back then that the crystals had to be sealed back and hidden away he would have done it in a heartbeat. Now... now he was more rebellious. Now... he was capable of thinking.

"But before all that, inconsistencies must be fixed." Penance balanced himself on the slab he stood on. "I must meet with the Generals as soon as possible, likely before the ceremony of course. Speaking of which you all are invited to the moment. Please stop on by, we'll all be waiting." He gave a courteous bow as the same Abra from before appeared and lounged on Penance's head.

"Oh... five points to the Goldy who can remember this good looking guys name." He said with a smirk as he pointed up at the psychic. With a yawn the Abra ported away the two to the secret bunker. Penance glanced about as the maps were hung up. Perfect... simply perfect.

"Sir! The Gardevoir is in position! Shall the interrogation commence?"

Penance smirked, "No. If Zane wants to, we can try and direct him back here and free her mind. BBBUUUUUTTTT, I think some good old fashioned putting her on the pole should work just as fine. Put her on the stick and leave her there. She'll be fine right there."

He cast a glance to the side, "Lashire, you ready with your piece."

The Pawinard nodded, "Yes, I have finished it Penance. I hope it's good."

"It will be." He looked back at the map. "Good... very good. Keep me updated as to where the Generals are. But now... it's time for a meeting. Leon, get the black squad and get them up. Malphus, you'll be with me. You up for it as well?" He asked the Abra who floated to the side.

The Abra however was snoring. The Marowak nodded his head, "I'm up for it Penance. Old Bonebreaker can break their bones if need be."

"Good..." Penance smiled widely. "We shall show them how strong we are."

With the gathered mon Penance and his entourage ported out, this time appearing back outside the city hall. Eventually the Generals would come no? Well, he would wait then. Malphus just gripped his bone and the Abra still snored loudly.


As the Sentry appeared the two copycats of Snype edged back and nodded to each other. They weren't going to go after the two, but they would defend themselves.

Accatosh "Blitzkrieg" Corronis

Accatosh heard the message sent by Vigil, and by Sovereign, which he thought was rather peculiar... something has triggered a change of heart in this pokemon, enough to help them, Accatosh remained silent as he listened to the Tyranitar speak to Hanso. then he heard him speak of the oath of a Dragon!

this both surprised and angered Accatosh, the Tyranitar's speaking of honor had hinted to this, the fact that Sovereign worked for Auron, a dishonorable angry beast with an appetite for power.

Angered he left to join with the others.

there he found the situation tense with Vigil Arguing with the one known as the Keeper who eventually submitted. when the conversation was over Accatosh angered by well everything, walked over to Vigil and growled in his ear,

"I would heed the Keeper's council Vigil... we may not be the Gold tribe of yesteryear, but we are still the Gold Tribe and We are the Gold Tribe of tomorrow... look within yourself Vigil... the Gold Tribe that you see before you, many trust you to be a good leader, I've seen it. To be a truly great leader, one must understand all angles and see all the options before them, then choose the right choice that would protect the Future! not the Present. how can there be a future if there is a present that doesn't make the right choices? heed the wisdom of your elders Vigil... they have been around more than any of us... especially the keeper, he has knowledge and wisdom we don't... and for that matter may never have..." he paused then said one last bit, "and DONT YOU EVER SAY THAT WE ARE NOT THE GOLD TRIBE OF OLD!!! BECAUSE LIKE IT OR NOT WE ARE, WE ALL TOOK THAT OATH. AND THE GOLD TRIBE IS NOT TO BE FASHIONED OUT OF YOUR WANTS AND VISIONS, THAT'S WHAT GOT US IN THIS SITUATION IN THE FIRST PLACE... HUNGER FOR POWER. if that's the Gold Tribe you imagine than you are hardly better than Auron."

with that he turned away to let Vigil think on what he had said, he then wandered over to Allora's side where she was next to Paladin. Accatosh huffed and layed himself down, his head facing the battered and changing Paladin... Accatosh was indeed worried, worried for Paladin, Vigil, all of the Gold Tribe Members... how would they survive this if they can hardly stand each other. his eyes got heavy and he started to sleep.

The Kecleon messenger was fast... or was she? The pluses of being invisble were just what the Affiliates needed. It was humourous when looked back... on how merchants had been so easily swayed to join with them, to take back their rights from a totalistic government. Invisiblity had its charms what with being able to slip past stupid drooling soldiers and get right up and close to a General without so much as a scream of horror.

If she had been an assassin such a victory would have been humours, but she would take what she would get. The light stopped bending around her body as she appeared before the Metalgross and in an instant whipped out the telegram she had been tasked with delivering and fell to a knee, totally silent as was a good messenger.

General Belas, who had been attending with the living arrangements of the soldiers who had just fought, looked down a bit puzzled at the Kecleon, but accepted the message and read it silently to himself. Once finished, he looked back down at the Kecleon, and gave her an affirmative nod. "Soldier!" He shouted to a nearby Houndour. The Houndour instantly shot up in attention. "Send word for General Hazone and the other higher-ranked officers in the Alpha Alliance to meet me in the Stoneguard, as soon as possible.

"Aye, sir!" The Houndour barked, and went off his way. General Belas immediately dropped what he was doing and began towards the Stoneguard. When a Gold Tribe member calls, even a former one, he always gave them the respect he thought they were supposed to have. There could be no victory without them, and he knew that. And Penance was perhaps one of the most crucial to the battles in the past.

He arrived at the Stoneguard and proceeded to the 'war room', where the meetings of the past often would take up the time of the Generals. Thinking back on any meetings they had in this room, Belas suddenly begain remembering the good times, when all three of the Generals were accounted for, and were a merry bunch. Now, though Hazone was with him, General Catria, who has been labeled 'Missing' for almost a year now, is still unaccounted for. He awaited the arrival of whoever else was to join him in the meeting. There was still much to discuss.

As soon as the message had been delivered the Kecleon had vanished once more, and as the Generals arrived at the 'war room' there was actually quite an abscence of anyone inside. That was... unless there were those who would be paying attention. In an instant the shroud the Abra had put up dissapeared and the psychic slammed the door shut.

"Hello Generals... other lesser people of importance who won't have a name in this narration." Penance said casually. He sat in a chair, leaning as far back as possible. "These are some comfty seats! I have to give props to that!"

Malphus the Marowak was right behind him, making sure to have his bone out. "I think you all should sit and be merry! Go ahead and chat, eat the snacks! Oh wait... huh.. no snacks... you know, you just NEVER know when to have snacks? It's like you can have snacks here when you don't need snacks and then when you need them they aren't here! Funny huh?"

He leaned back a bit more, "So.... how have your days been? Sunny? Nice? Full of freshly picked daisies?"

"I spent most of my day accounting for the dead, so there's that!" General Belas boomed. His voice seemed to hint with irritation, but that wasn't quite it. It had always been like that. He was just eager to begin things than to go into chit chat. "Let's get on with the point of this. I'm sure we haven't been called for no reason. He looked around, seeing General Hazone and the others nod in agreement. Hazone stood up.

"So...?"

"Oh yes!" He leaned back up. "But first... a play perhaps! Ahem!"

Out from the shut door came in two Kecleons that set down what could be considered a miniature puppet show wall with curtain included. The curtain pulled apart and two puppets that were a Dragonite and a Metagross came up.

"Gee Mr. Hazone! We sure know where those Gold Tribe members are going!" The Metagross said with, what could be considered, a dumb voice.

"My jolly good bones yes! They are going toooooo the Forest to see if they can merrily pass though the place! Woot woot!" The Dragonite said in a british tone (Even though britain is not in the pokemon world) as it picked up a miniature teacup and sipped it.

The two puppets dissapeared back down and then a sign on a stick was put up that said 'Later on in the forest...'

A puppet of a Bisharp with black emo hair popped up looking about, "Hm... this is the spot." The puppet paused as it whipped it's hair back, "Not like it matter, cause what matters in life? Life is a big black hole..." *Cue whipping hair back again*

A Scizor puppet popped up, "Ha! We have found you Gold Tribe surrender or die!"

The Bisharp once more whipped back his hair in an emo style, "Like dude, how did you find us? We could take this path or the mountain path, like, you know?" *Hair whip again* "And also how did you know we would be chilling it with the king of thieves? Did, like, Auron already know, and how?" *Hair whip again*

"Well you don't know do you! Only you guys, the Generals, and whoever the Generals told knew! That means, someone in here is a TRAITOR!" At that the invisible Kecleon in the room reappeared all holding out their knives in position on everyone save Belas.

"Such a lovely puppet show, isn't it?" Penance clapped a bit and stood back up, "Now... metaphors are done with. So... who here works for Auron hm? Who here squealed like a Tepig?" He inquired as he looked about. "We can do this one of two ways, one someone talks, or two, you all are killed to make sure Auron doesn't have his supply of information still. So... how do you want to play this?" He asked as he sat back in his chair once more. "Feel free to discuss after all."

General Belas and Hazone, and the rest of the group were in shock. "What the heck?!?" Belas shouted. "What is the meaning of this? None of us are traitors! I trust all these Pokemon here with my life! They've done nothing but serve the Alpha Alliance! LOWER YOUR WEAPONS!!"

At first Penance cocked his head, then he burst out laughing. "Hehe... you passed!" He clapped as the Kecleon withdrew and once more became invisible. "So lovely. But really, just wanted to see what you would do dear Belas. You're not as crunchy as some others I've met... so easy to open up and all. But we do have serious matters to discuss and really? When would I EVER be able to show off that Zane doll!? I mean I put serious work into that you know!"

He chuckled softly, "As you know, many soldiers and Affiliates died down there... but we're having a open ceremony as we usually do. Well, not really. Since, you know, we usually are trying to be found and detained and all. It's tradition! It's a way to pass on the dead, and it's really effective. Depends on your mood I suppose, if you want a bit of madness in your lives." He shrugged and leaned back a bit furhther. "Dang, this is a comfy chair. Oh right! Just follow the crowds when it starts. Just outside of the city. Hm..."

Penance thought for a moment, "Oh! Generals, I do have a question for you two, you can answer it later of course.. but do you know this good looking guy's name?" He asked as he pointed over to the Abra. "Get it right and you get a point!"

General Belas titled his head in amazement and bewilderment. He was certain now that this Penance, who had introduced himself as the Madman, had a few loose screws. He should have probably realized that back during the war, when he made threats against him when they were about to strike at the city. That, of course, was for the best, but this seemed borderline...insane. Either way, Hazone interrupted Belas's thoughts.

"Hmm...a ceremony would actually be a good idea. Not just to honor Affiliates but all soldiers who died in these battles. It could be a huge boost to morale before the invasion of Silver...er...Gold City." He suggested, ignoring the request of the Abra's name. Belas turned his head from Penance and to Hazone. Despite what had just occurred, Hazone had managed to keep his cool. Belas decided to take a page out of his more humble and easy-going associate and not overreact, and merely accept the request.

"I suppose you're right," Belas answered finally. "We'll join you on the ceremony. We should invite the Gold Tribe as well. They would want to be there as well, as they have also...lost."

Penance snorted, "They are already coming silly! Sheesh, can't you read the news?" He rolled his eyes and leaned back a bit more, "I guess if you wanted to read from the ceiling this chair would be a good one to use."

He snapped his fingers and the door opened. "You all can leave. Hm... reading from the ceiling... could work..."

With that, the Generals and the officers left, a bit bewildered by what had occured, but nontheless ready to help plan out the ceremony for the fallen.

Penance hummed to himself as he followed after, though going down by riding the banister and landing back on the floor with a hum.


Zane stopped in his tracks and listened to what Blitzkrieg had to say to him as he growled inside of his ear. The manner by which he spoke revealed his own opinions about the entire matter, and it was completely in line with a traditionalist perspective. Indeed, Blitzkrieg was a true Veteran of the Gold Tribe, one who sought to preserve the old ways while listening to those who came before. In many ways, Zane was the same way, though perhaps he didn't show it in the heat of the moment with his debate with the Keeper. Though perhaps, as he continued to listen to the Salamence, Zane thought he too mistook his intention. He provided him with valuable wisdom, one which he intended to take, but not applicable to the situation at hand. Zane had no wish to use the Gold Tribe for his own desires. He only wished for the mold that held it together, the Silver Crystal, to be gone forever. That way, the burden of the Gold Tribe to contain it would be lifted, and they could begin focusing once more their true primary function as was laid out by the elders so long ago.

Yet before he could give any response beyond the simple, "I understand", Blitzkrieg departed from Zane, leaving him alone with the thoughts of what he would do once, or if, he survived this war. As he continued to think on this, Zane called out to Penance, who appeared to still be within the immediate area, or at least enough for him to track him down.

"Penance," Zane began, calling him forward. He recalled something that he mentioned earlier during the meeting, and it was something that he felt should be addressed now. "You said you had Genevieve with you, right?" He tried to push aside whatever else he might have been doing with her in his possession. As much as they needed each other as allies, Zane was beginning to see why he was earning his moniker of the Madman. "Take me to her. It's time she goes free."

Hanso SharpEye
Cape City
~~~~~

There he went, throwing the whole thing about Noctus back into uncertainty, despite the point that the Keeper made. Hanso really just wanted to find that Cacturne, pin him down, and delve into his mind long enough to see whether Noctus really was the traitor. And if he were, then proceed to--

Whoa, slow down. Taking a deep breath, Hanso continued to listen, having backed up a little once he'd finished speaking. Aside from the fact that if the Keeper meant every single Sentinel that was yet under the Silver Crystal's hold couldn't be turned, then... aside from that, the Gallade found the argument between him and Zane to be a little irritating. At the same time, Zane's emphasis on the idea of the Gold Tribe being more than just about this Crystal business was somewhat heartening. The idea that maybe it wasn't lost forever to its corruption...

Inconsistencies...a ceremony... Yes, Penance had his plans, didn't he? Nothing that Hanso could accuse him of lying about, not that he wanted to, yet the Golduck hardly ever told everything. He even had a flair for the dramatic. It made Hanso wonder why Penance would have joined the Gold Tribe in the first place.

Aside from Accatosh's words to Zane, there was little else to hold Hanso's attention as he'd returned to leaning against the wall, then sliding down to sit. Reaching out in every general direction with his mind, the Gallade seemed to tune out of the world as he found the Pokemon he was looking for.

~~~~~

"I see you didn't check whether I was busy," Brynn stated, eyebrows raised slightly. In their 'room', Hanso's twin was walking about as if she was tending to things, none of which materialized. Or perhaps as if she was going from one place to another, though she couldn't walk on her own in the physical realm for long. "At least you're improving again in the mind, if only slightly."

"I'm almost tempted to criticize you on your physical condition," Hanso retorted lightly, keeping pace with the Gardevoir. "Is Vera fine?"

"She'll live." Nothing more was said for a few moments. If it would have achieved anything, they could have walked on forever in the psychic realm without having to turn. Eventually Brynn said, "You came to talk, of course."

"Yeah, we didn't have the time before to share everything in detail. Like this thing about Egrinn calling you a TrueStriker. Oh, and the fact that you can do something you couldn't before the war."

Brynn sighed, turning to face Hanso, who stopped as well. "Those are actually more connected than you might think. Unless you remembered enough of your history lessons."

He knew what she spoke of. As the twins had been taught during their childhood, there'd supposedly been a time when it was common to find a Pokemon somewhere within the SharpEye family, close or distant, who would be dubbed a 'TrueStriker'. Not as a Gold Tribe title, but as a somewhat literal title for those who naturally 'struck true', whether in combat or healing or, in several cases, the mind. These 'TrueStrikers' had been said to also possess a grey eye, as Hanso and Brynn did.

"...'and the supposed reason for their decline and eventual extinction, so to say, was due to dilution through generations and non-pure, or outsider, blood.' Or, as some wanted to say, it had to do with...diverting from their true morals and such." Hanso looked sharply at his sister. "What're you gettin' at, sister?"

"Honestly, for all we know, it could have been both, or neither." Brynn shrugged. "Maybe they just made it up and were somehow able to enforce. In which case we'd be some sort of freaks. But I know that's not true. As you'd know, then, part of this TrueStriker heritage is a hidden power, so to speak, that would be unlocked for each Pokemon. They knew it was declining because the TrueStrikers' hidden powers appeared less and less often. In tandem with the decline of their true ways. Which, coincidentally, happened along with the Gold Tribe, or so some would say."

She hesitated, then continued, "This is the first time such a hidden power has emerged, even if it isn't necessarily powerful. One of those in the torturehouse, a Froslass, aspired to be like Frostbite. Only, she inadvertently unlocked mine. That's what you saw in my mind, what I did with the Ice Shard." Looking Hanso in the eye, Brynn said, "That's one of the reasons why I'm sure the Gold Tribe isn't so golden anymore. Because it was only when I'd left it that I really started to realize my new power. ...Something's happened to you, brother."

Looking away, Hanso shook his head. It seemed something of a jump that Brynn had made, but he saw how it'd make sense to her. And how she might use it to try persuading him. "...Well, now I'm stuck with a Gengar in my head who may or may not still be the psychopath he was back in Sovereign's head. He's probably rootin' through my memories now." He looked back at his sister, who was slightly surprised, then put a hand on her shoulder. "You can trust me still, right? Like I still trust you, despite our...opinions." Taking a peek back into the physical realm, Hanso said, "I don't know when we can talk again. See ya later." After a brief hug on both sides, he turned and seemingly faded away.

~~~~~

Pushing himself up from the floor, Hanso made his way over to where Zane and Penance stood. He had a lot to think about, while they took their next actions.

Levena was suffering more from the Poison as they fought against the two Snype clones. Eventually, Sentry appeared before them. The two edged back a bit as soon as he appeared. The whole battle was a mess and Snype had no idea what happened to everybody else. They were separated for awhile... Snype didn't want to feel guilty for it though. He did his part awhile back after all. The two clones seemed to back up and retreat. The job was done.

"Sentry! Good to see somebodies alive out here... Levena's seen better days unfortunately... she got hit by a heavy dose of Poison." Snype explained. He sighed, looking at the ruins around him. The Silver Tribe was in a rough spot. Snype walked alongside Levena. She was suffering pretty baddly and Snype didn't have any proper medical supplies to help her. She'd have to troop through it until they got to Silver City...

"So... wheres the others? How did they fare in the fight? How many are left...?" Snype asked, concerned.

Zane, Hanso, and Penance - Torture Chambers
​

The room was dark... very dark. It was a specific cell for a specific type of pokemon... a pokemon who had been trained extensively in combat yet had sought to not start wars... a type of pokmeon who had honor, who would fight to their last breath... and it was meant to break those certain types of pokemon. Break them like a twig. Have them endure weeks of mental torture to snap them open and have them realize their wrongs. That was the situation Genevieve would find herself in when she would awake. No lights, all heavy duty steel, and full of despair.

...I'll break them all...I'll... Genevieve couldn't think straight in the few seconds after she awoke. Her body ached, yet that feeling of pain indicated she was still alive. The Gardevoir opened her eyes, then blinked and shook her head. No, she didn't imagine it: there was no light. Panic threatened to strangle her mind for a moment, before Genevieve took a calming breath. She would not panic. She hardly ever lost her composure before, and she wouldn't now.

Pushing herself into a sitting position, Genevieve poked at the room with her mind. She seemed alone, for now. So how did she get here?... Closing her eyes again, Genevieve recalled her most recent memories. There was the flood, then waking up to an assault from several Pokemon. She felt confident that she could have destroyed them if it had not been for the rushing water minutes before.

Could this be the darkness Genevieve had always seen in her own future? No, that did not make sense. She could have seen past that if she were to leave this place alive. The Gardevoir shuddered slightly before angrily firing a Shadow Ball from her hand. It splattered against one wall, the weakened attack doing nothing to mar it. Focusing on the far wall before her, Genevieve fired an Energy Ball, taking the time to charge it up a little more. From its light before the attack broke against the wall, she saw the steel and shrugged. Steel. I won't be breaking out of here any time soon.

A thought crossed into her mind before she banished it: I may not leave here at all. Genevieve folded her knees beneath her, focusing now on her Psychic energy. Sit and wait. That was all she could do for now, with no one else around. Yet she could not recall any time before now when she'd found herself in a room such as this, with no lights.

As the psychic began to settle down, it seemed the real torture was just beginning. A small beeping sound began to sound. At first, it was nothing, just a beep but as the seconds passed the beeping got louder and came out in faster intervals. The beeping began to reverberate around the steel room, using the walls to make an even louder echo. All the while it got louder and louder and louder, but there was no specific opening it was coming out from, no mesh that would allow it to sound in the room.

It seemed that the sound was just in the room... but how could something sound in the room if there was nothing in there to make the sound in the first place? Regardless of the conumdrum the sound continued to get louder and louder, not caring if it got so loud that eardrums would burst. In fact, the louder it got the more pain the psychic would feel in her head, almost as if a needle was being pushed deep into her brain matter.

What was this? Since there did not seem to be any other change, she ignored the beeping sound at first. That was before it got to the point that Genevieve's head began to hurt. So this is what they have for me. If it weren't for the fact that she was the prisoner here, Genevieve would have relished the fact that her enemies would stoop so low as something like torture.

Then the sound got so loud that she couldn't think clearly about anything except stop the noise. Genevieve opened her eyes in irritation and released a wave of Psychic energy into the room. It was not a wild burst; it was concentrated, directed, despite the effort it took to get past the pain. She would not break so easily.

As she screamed out the noise stopped, and a masculine voice sounded in her head, Of course. They are coming for you now, so put on your pretty face. If everything goes smoothly than the one known as Truestriker will be here to retrieve you... if everything went smoothly back there of course.

In her mind the image of an Alakazam appeared, If you force us to kill you, we will. Keep that in mind. The Alakazam shook his head slowly, Why we don't kill you now I don't know, but staying calm will aid your case greatly.

Really. Genevieve gave the image of the Alakazam a sweet, sarcastic smile. You're too kind. In her own mind, where the other Psychic couldn't read it, she giggled to herself. So Hanso wasn't done with her after all. Silly, silly men. Do give them my regards, will you? Nothing like a nice little chat. After a pause, Genevieve added, Unless, of course, you all continue to stoop down to our level.

The Alakazam narrowed his eyes, No... your kind fell down to OUR level. If it wasn't for Penance sending the order before hand, you would have continued to be tortured. And no mind games. I can already see through any sort of illusions you might put up. Other than that you will remain in your cell and my men and I have been tasked to watch over you.

The Alakazam sat on down, levitating his two spoons. I suggest in the mean time you entertain yourself with word games or however you train your own mind. We are quite a ways from them, so it will be some time before they arrive.

Her smile remained, though something flickered in Genevieve's eyes. So nice of you to admit it. At the same time, he was all business and no fun. No surprise there, with these Alakazams. The Sentinel pointedly ignored him after that, returning to her meditative state. She really shouldn't have released what energy she'd concentrated.

Now that she was allowed to think again, something nagged at her. It was hardly a surprise that the Gallade they called TrueStriker would come to retrieve her. Yet how would these Pokemon have known to name him in particular? Moreover, why let him take away a Sentinel?

As her silent captor continued to levitate his spoons, he cocked his head and stood back up. If you would excuse me, a situation has come up. I'll leave you in capable hands.

With that the Alakazam dissapeared from within her mind and in his place a young Hypno appeared. The male grinned smugly at the Gardevoir, Well well! Another Gardevoir! There was only one around before... so a Sentinel eh? Hehe, you don't look so intimidating! He sat on down with that same grin, Anyways until Rupert comes back I'll be in charge here, so no trying to escape or anything! Besides, that cell you are in is Gold Tribe proof! No one can escape from it! Solid steel inside and out!

He leaned back a bit, I say if we wanted to you could be kept in there for a few years, in no way able to get out! How'd you like that lass?

A situation, he said. The odds that it was something to do with the other Sentinels was...well, Genevieve truly didn't know which of the other Sentinels had survived the flood. As for this Hypno. He was already more talkative, and she didn't have to do a thing. He'd already told: the name of the Alakazam was Rupert; there was another Gardevoir somewhere in the premises, wherever she was; this cell would have been very difficult to escape, obviously. Even the Psychics' presence alone told of the likely possibility of security measures set in place for any prisoners who were Psychic.

Of course, none of this showed on Genevieve's face as she ignored the Hypno as well. The way he sounded, being ignored would irritate him in the end. Really, men were so predictable.

And likewise after a few moments of silence the Hypno frowned, Didn't you hear me? I said I am in charge. He narrowed his eyes at her, You know Rupert was too calm with you. Without me here you woldn't have any sort of interaction! You would be all alone in that dark cell and be bored! He chuckled, We could always do that you know, just have you in there all alone...

He shrugged, It all depends on you after all. Still... you are fine looking Gardevoir... too pretty to be counted as a Sentinel you know/ His eyes gleamed a bit, I bet you have all the guys falling over for you eh? It was obvious at this point that the Hypno was trying his best to now hit on her.

There was no indication that Genevieve had in fact heard the Hypno. Given her posture, one might have thought she was completely alone both in the cell and in the mental world. At this point, Genevieve would have preferred to be alone.

It was only as the Hypno finished that the Gardevoir reacted. Oh? Just like you are falling for me? Genevieve sounded bored as she gave her short reply before resuming her feigned ignorance. Toying with this Pokemon, limited as she was, did give her something to do. And it gave her time to restore what she could of her mental defenses on the sly; it never failed to have something in place.

The Hypno smirked at her statement. I... uh... well, you do look rather good... He looked away as a light blush formed over his cheeks. I never did get talk to the other Gardevoir after all... Penance kept us all away from her, said that she had important stuff to do and all, but you don't seem that evil, what with what all the other Affiliates say about you guys. He shrugged, But that's how they are. Mostly it's because of the move I think, it's caused everyone to just get tense, moving into the new cavern can do that, especially with leaving most of the little things behind.

He grinned once more, But I'm sure that you would want to talk about other things. I mean, I don't know what women talk about a whole lot, I guess jewelry or something?

Typical. It never failed to amuse Genevieve how they would act, no matter the circumstances. Just throw in a beautiful Pokemon, like herself, and a time and place where their attention wasn't too focused elsewhere, and they fall. At the same time, some were entirely unconsequential, meaningless, especially if she had no use for them at the time.

This other Gardevoir worked with these Pokemon, away from them for some reason. Affiliates, the Hypno said. Not the Alpha Alliance or Gold Tribe at all, then. Genevieve scoffed lightly at the Hypno's last statement. Hardly worth talking about. Now if you will excuse me... With that, she ignored him once again.

He huffed and crossed his arms, turning his head away, I guess you don't want to hear about what we have planned then eh? No matter, I'm sure it wouldn't matter. He gave a weak shrug.

Rupert will be back soon, and he isn't as talkative as I am. He pointed out.

She would love to hear what they have planned, but Genevieve would not give him the satisfaction of knowing that, for now. She did not seem to react. If the Hypno was desperate to fill the silence, he could spill something more. Or he could go the other way and decide that if Genevieve didn't seem to want to know, then he wouldn't bother saying. If need be, she could tease something out of him later.

The Hypno after a while glanced back over at her, Well... uh... I'm not supposed to say... but we're going to have a ceremony tonight you know. Honor the dead and that stuff. Everyone is leaving to attend it... but I won't. Have to stay behind and make sure everything is accounted for and not broken into. He said with a firm nod. Penance picked me out and everything! He said, almost as if emphasizing this point would cause Genevieve to pay more attention to him now.

After a few moments, Genevieve raised her eyebrows as her apparent attention returned to the Hypno, though she never looked directly at him as she spoke now. Just you? That could have two different implications. The Gardevoir seemed to think, though as part of her act. One. You're one of the best this Penance has, trustworthy enough to make sure nothing gets out of hand.

A small frown came onto her face. Or, it could be...that he doesn't trust you. It might be that he thinks you don't deserve to attend this ceremony. Perhaps he thinks you're not ready to handle the bigger things. Then Genevieve shrugged. There is still that, though, the fact that he'd be leaving you to guard so many important things.

At her comment the Hypno frowned, No... that's not it. Penance said he trusts me, that I need to prove myself this night. He said firmly. I know that's what it is. I'm already rising up in the trust ladder, that's why I'm here after all. Only the most trust of Affilates can interact with prisoners. He paused, Hm... they're coming through the tunnels now. About a few minutes before they come and let you out. Anyways, heard that you're going with them, to Gold City and fighting to free it. Also heard about that shadow supposedly in your mind, but I see nothing.

Once again, Genevieve said nothing. However, this was not so much out of wanting to toy with the Hypno as it was out of not speaking on this particular subject. A twist of events, one she had not anticipated. The idea of fighting to free what they called Gold City, of fighting against Auron, was incomprehensible for the Sentinel. Nor would Genevieve say anything about this shadow the Hypno mentioned.

The Hypno smirked, I bet you know all about it? That shadow from the Silver Crystal apparantly? I heard it's big and strong, you don't even know its in your mind, do you? He grinned wider. Yeah, a shadow that is controlling you apparently. Eh, whatever I say! I see no shadows in here, so I guess you don't have one huh? Or it could be a rumor, I don't know. He rubbed at his pendulum, Anyways Rupert should be getting back soon along with the others. I bet you're ready to get out of this cell eh?

Genevieve's mind seemed to fight with itself, or perhaps with another power. In the end, the subject of this Crystal was shoved to one side. And she still said nothing.

He shrugged, Well Rupert is back. Catch ya around With that the Hypno dissapeared and with him the inner room they had been in.

---------

Penance glanced over at Zane and then Hanso. "Hm... to let her go or no... hm... what to do? Hanso! You have anything to add in? Eh eh?"

Folding his arms, Gold Tribe armlet still in one hand, Hanso met the Golduck's gaze. "I say we go for it. We won't know if she can be freed or not unless we try."

He nodded, "Sure sure sure. Zane you'll have to come along anyway, but we'll need to see if there is something in there! She's in good hands for now though, so up and away!" He walked on over and kicked open the door. "Just follow and I'll do the twisting."

"Right," Zane replied with a nod. The idea to bring Hanso along here made Zane a bit more comfortable with the whole idea of what they were doing. After all, going deep into a chamber where many Gold Tribe members of the past were held, and likely tortured, wasn't something he wanted to do on his own. He stared down at the Gold Crystal around his neck, hoping it would work once more. He never knew Genevieve as a Gold Tribe member before the war, but he doubted she preferred this life, even if he had no way of tell what they mindset was. He walked inside, prepared to do what was necessary.

Slipping the armlet back on, more for convenience, Hanso followed Penance and Zane through the door. To be honest, along with working to end this war, he had a more personal reason for wanting to free Genevieve from the Silver Crystal's grip. He hadn't known her before the war either, but Hanso had a gut feeling that if they took the corruption away, Genevieve might just be the kind of Pokemon he could live with for life.

At the moment, however, Hanso had no real good feeling for the Gardevoir. And it would be one less Sentinel to worry about, if this worked.

Penance hummed lightly as he led them along the streets to a still intact house. Inside was a Lotad who just gave a brief nod to them and moved a carpet out of the way to reveal a well dug out hole. Penance jumped down with a grunt and picked up the lantern down there, motioning for the others to still follow as he led the way down a passage. The going was tough since the water had managed to make quite a bit of mud and it was a good half an hour before they arrived at a pair of steel doors deep inside the tunnels.

Penance rapped on it and an Alakazam opened it up. "Heya there Rupert. Everything going good?"

The psychic just nodded, "Yes, she is in the back cell."

"Splendid! Come along you two!" Penance hummed as he let them into what could be considered a piece of hell on earth. Inside was steel plating, but worst of all were the devices there. Tortrue racks, small cells that looked like they could barely fit in any sort of pokemon. There were shackels hanging from the ceiling and as Penance brought them in further and further they soon reached 'the sticks'. Hanging from the ceiling were wooden stakes, thick enough not to fall, that had steel square prisions hanging from the tip. Right underneath the prisions was a large row of sharp steel spikes that would be able to tear right through the steel if the stakes were ever cut through.

Penance led them to a staircase and went up at a relaxed pace. There was no walkway attached to the steel shell, but there was a wooden plank and near the stairs was a Hypno cleaning his pendulum. "Yo." He stood on up. "She's quiet... been too quiet in fact."

"Well, let's crack this open!" Penance stated as he grabbed the wooden plank and slid it on over, humming as he fiddled with the lock and with a click the door swung open. "There we go... not that bad."

Zane kept quiet during the trip to the captured Sentinel. He couldn't bring himself to speak, not on anything he saw in there. In fact, Zane barely looked up to avoid all the torturous devices that caught his gaze. And this was the Pokemon who called us corrupt? He thought to himself. He shook his head, but saw that they had finally reached their destination. In front of them, the Sentinel Genevieve remained in prison.

Zane looked down as his Gold Crystal, then at Hanso and Penance. He didn't have anything to say to the Sentinel, and as far as he was concerned, the only job he had to do was carry the crystal here. It was up to the Psychics to do the rest. He would, of course, keep an eye out for the dark smoke should it appear. But as of now, his was a passive role.

Whether the others noticed it or not, Hanso froze the moment he set foot inside and his eyes widened at the sight of the torture devices. Racks, small cells, shackles... "Lessee, what's next on today's list? Ah, one o' the Gold Tribe. Fighter, fast on your feet, right? No matter, of course, not now. 'Cause now you ain't on your feet. Shall we begin?" Before the steel instrument was set to his leg, Hanso had not known such pain...

Giving his head a furious shake, Hanso hurried after the other two, trying to ignore the memory and the ghost pain that had awoken in his leg. He...What could he call Penance now? What, if he condoned these torture devices?

The Gallade shuddered slightly as he came up the staircase, avoiding both Penance's and Zane's eyes by staring at the steel prison that held the Sentinel.

The Gardevoir did not open her eyes as the door behind her swung open. She wasn't hasty in leaving her meditative state, and her eyes needed time to adjust to the sudden light. All the same, a quick scan revealed not only that three more Pokemon had arrived, but that one was Hanso. "So." Genevieve stood slowly, smoothing her dress as she turned toward the others. "Nice of you all to come see me."

Penance nodded, "Why of course! Why wouldn't we come?" He cocked his head, "Though... you have a little black ink in your head. We'll head in and stop it, okay? Okay. Let's get this started on the road!" He pumped a fist in the air. "First off... we'll get the three of us. Rupert, Somnus, let's dive on in!" The Hypno's eyes shined as he launched his mental attack on her as did the Alakazam down below. Penance jumped on in as well, seeing the inner fabric of her mind. "Ah lovely, where is that shadow hm?"

Zane watched as the psychic barrage was initiated. As before, he was unaware at what happened within the minds of the Psychics, having no Psychic ability of his own. They all began to struggle, which Zane assumed was a good thing. But the opponent that they tried to crack was different from the other two Sentinels they tried to free, for a few reasons. The first and obvious reason was that they were Psychically entangling with a Psychic. A Sentinel-class, former Gold Tribe Psychic. The second was, as the Keeper suggested, the longer one was around the Sentinels, the harder they would likely be to free. He wondered if they were successful.

In the room they occupied, Zane was ever-weary of the shadow that would likely approach. Yet thus far, nothing came. In fact, nothing appeared out of the ordinary. That is until Zane blinked once, and thought he saw another figure in front of them, standing there as if he was with them. He looked over at him, stunned, but when he blinked again, the image was gone. Was it the visions again?

Her Psychic defenses came up full-force the moment the Golduck mentioned the 'black ink'. "Wasted no time, did you," Genevieve's voice echoed in the minds of Zane, Hanso, and the three Affiliates. "I have to admit, you're no weaklings." She could have simply continued to resist the attack, but discord needed to be thrown in as well. "You say you want to stop this...black ink? Should you not have addressed such darkness within your own ranks first?"

Though Zane wasn't in the 'room', Hanso could tell that Genevieve's words were reaching him. The Gallade had begun his part of the barrage at the same time as Penance and the other two Psychics, but the Gardevoir's words made Hanso hesitate for a moment.

"Honestly, I had not expected more than one of the 'honorable' Gold Tribe to be associated with Pokemon of such a low level as these Affiliates. One, perhaps, but not two of you. Makes me wonder just how righteous the Gold Tribe really is." Speaking did not distract Genevieve from pushing back the Psychics' barrage. She could also feel something stirring inside her head, which had begun the moment the Bisharp had entered the cell.

Penance cocked his head as she spoke. "You forget though Sentinel... the Gold Tribe has been warped. In the beginning they were there to protect the population from the other nations surrounding them. It worked for a time, I will admit that. Without them then the entire continent would have been overrun. You wouldn't be here as well as I."

He shook his head, "But... with time passing, as is usual, those in power desire more power, whether they realize it or not. They begin to tell themselves lies, claim that the world NEEDS them to make peace and balance when in fact it does not. The time of empires rise and fall each and every day... similar are organizations. Knights no longer exist to this day because they are not needed, they served their purpose and gladly departed from the world. The reason the Gold Tribe exists and continues to 'serve' is because of the crystals, something that should have been taken care of long ago."

Then, he grinned. "But answer me this Sentinel... if these goldies are fighting so that the crystals can be destroyed... that another cycle doesn't happen again... that such a fate can never befall you or any other warrior... then maybe they aren't so bad... maybe, just maybe they are more honorable than our lot." He chuckled, "Face it, we have to stoop beneath the law to get what we need done, yet even in this time they haven't taken over every single facet of the community. They aren't recruiting at a young age or killing off those who claim to have different opinions than them. Unlike the Sentinels of course... now killing indiscriminately... that's too far in my book. Even the Affiliates have specific goals, but to just kill or lock up whoever they come across? Pssh... At least this Gallade can look you straight in the eye and say, without a doubt HE. IS. BETTER. THAN. YOU."

With that said, Penance shot out a psychic beam. "For now... the cleansing must be taken to a new level... even if that must mean death."

Though Zane didn't want to listen to what the Sentinel had to say, he was interested in what she meant by the darkness in their own ranks. Of course, he assumed it was the Affiliates she referred to, and she seemed to confirm that. Yet he wasn't surprised to hear Penance say the things he said about the Gold Tribe, how it was merely the crystals that ensured its existence. That it was becoming obsolete. He didn't believe it, but whether he liked it or not, he knew that the crystal's end might very well be theirs as well. However, he was surprised that Penance did mention that the Gold Tribe still had some honor left, though that was only in comparison to the Sentinel. He remained silent, and scouted around, awaiting something to happen.

What he couldn't see, as before, was the figures of the others standing in the white room, with the larger shadow covering the body of the Gardevoir. Just as in the other cases, Zane did not appear in the room, but the light that permeated from his general direction began to do its work again, and soon the shadows was in another battle for its life The gold energy clashed with the darkness, and the battle within the mind intensified. But on the outside, a rumbling had begun to emerge, though Zane was unsure from where. The others didn't seem to react as he did, but that might have been due to their preoccupation inside the mind. Soon from the rumble, darkness approached. In rapid speed, it encircled the area, roaming round. Yet surprisingly, it did not choose to enter the Sentinel as it did before. It just seemed to...observe.

For a few moments after the Golduck replied, Genevieve had to step up her game with deflecting the Psychics' barrage. There was a deep urge within her to win this battle, deeper than her own desires. The psychic beam and a few other attacks met a steel-like wall of Genevieve's energy; it seemed to crack by the time they dissipated. Four Psychics against her, two of which were definitely Gold Tribe caliber, were no easy match.

Then the Gardevoir chuckled slightly. "I suppose I wasn't specific enough, but it's funny that you mentioned this Gallade. What do you do to traitors in your ranks, hm?" The slice of energy that Hanso threw at Genevieve in that moment wasn't quite full-power. "It would have been so easy to crush the Gold Tribe on its way to Cape City, leaving the Alpha Alliance behind about a week ago. We had less than three hours, yet that would have been enough time." She gave a teasing smile. "Now how do you think we got that kind of information?"

Regardless, Genevieve felt she was running out of time.

Penance cocked his head, and chuckled. "Ah... I see." He grinned at the Gallade in question. "You know... females are said to be tempters... that it is said in the beginning it was a woman that caused man to fall. And... if he was in my employ I would have questioned him, maybe a bit of mental torture if he wasn't entirely honest, and then seeing if he deserved life." Penance shrugged, "Buuuut, he's a grown Goldie, he also makes his own decisions of course. Though, if you must take to seducing young men obviously you're lacking something else... of course..." Penance's smile grew a lot. "My psychics found lots of hidden extras in Scar's brain. Such a lonely night it must have been for you."

He chuckled deeply, "Just how good WAS Scar? I hear some naughty details that he caught onto... and I wonder, do you do that with all the males you meet? I bet you do, hehe. You must have a ton of experience on your end, simply finding no meaning in life than finding another to quickly take your lusts away. Maybe there are many eggs left behind with fathers who don't know how to care for them hm? Eggs that want to meet their mother?"

His eyes glittered with sarcasm now, "I wonder... how many did you sleep with? So much experience and I bet you tried to seduce this hunk of a guy eh?" He gave a sly wink to Hanso, "Still he's youngHehe... and he's quick to talk so if you had done it with him then he would have been shaking and been so distracted just now... I guess it's true what they say. Even women can't get everything that they want."

Zane raised and eyebrow as Genevieve spoke. Naturally, his first instinct was to dismiss what the Sentinel said. She was a known manipulator, one of her most formidable weapons being her words. But to confirm, he would probably see if TrueStriker knew what she referred to after they were done here. Zane watched the dark shadow intensely as he heard Penance continue to interrogate the Gardevoir. It encircled above them, not seeming to have any reaction to the psychic battle below. Zane wondered what this meant. Did it not care? Was it waiting for something else?

As he watched it, Zane blinked his eyes again, and once more the silhouette of a Pokemon seemed to enter his vision. It was a shadow of a figure, something he couldn't make out. And as he blinked again, it was gone. While this occurred, on the inside, the purging affects of the Gold Crystal was working to dispel everything that corrupted the Gardevoir's mind. In a rapid but hardfought motion, the corruption was being eradicated.

Out of everything else he might have said, Hanso stared at Penance and retorted, "You blind, kid? I'm older than you."

That was hardly any of Genevieve's concern. The Gardevoir glared at the Golduck, putting up another catch-all shield of her psychic energy. It was apparent now that talking would get her nowhere, and her mind felt as if it were on fire. "Fine, then." A part of her mind seemed to be struggling to get out now, trying to help push back against the corruption.

For the next few moments, the shield was not fully supported against the psychics' barrage as Genevieve closed her eyes and concentrated. The corrupted part of her mind had one last conscious thought: All or nothing. The shield began to crumble after a few more seconds, but that was just enough time.

Four concentrated blasts of psychic energy shot out, one for each Psychic. At the same time, in the physical realm, the Gardevoir pushed herself up for a second off the floor with a psychic push before firing two Thunderbolts from her hands. One shot directly at Zane while the other aimed at the floor around the Pokemon's feet, where the steel could conduct it to all three of them and anyone else touching the cell.

Penance gritted his teeth at Hanso, "You just never learn do you?" He muttered. As the shield broke Penance watched the Sentinel closely. Something was up... why would the shiled break so easily? The psychic energy waves ended up hitting the Hypno easily, the Alakazam put up his own barrier to repel the attack and Penance took the force. And as that happened the electricity hit them.

Since the Alakazam was actually on the floor below them and projecting his mind up into Genevieve's he was unaffected by the attack, but the Hypno cried out, his image disappearing from the mind as he fell unconscious. Penance screamed out as his weakness hit him hard, with metal no less. He fell out of the mind as well, but luckily didn't fall unconscious as he fell to his knees panting heavily.

The Alakazam narrowed his eyes and shot out more power to hit the Gardevoir, "Now you die." He replied testily as he worked to squeeze her with a psychic force.

The Thunderbolt fire by Genevieve took Zane by surprise, as he was more focused on the shadows than on her. He payed for it, the bolt piercing his side and striking him directly, the electricity passing through his system and shocking it. He reacted with a yell, and fell to the ground, clutching the point of impact, even though the shock had reached all across his body now. The shock seemed to trigger something, and immediately the dark shadow headed down to the action. However, instead of heading to any one Pokemon, the shadow seemed to dissipate across the room, and form into a single ball of purple energy in the center. From the center of it, a chilling voice pierced the room, heard by all inside.

"The nightmare is not over for you..." It said, as the purple-black energy began to increase in power and size. At any moment, the attack seemed like it was about to detonate. It was almost as if his body move on its own, covering the area in rapid motion and charging to the center of the blast to try to stop its detonation. "...Void..." the voice said again, its voice cut off from the multiple noises on Zane's end as he charged and leapt onto the attack. Unexpectedly, upon his contact with the blast, a bright golden light shot through the room, originating from Zane. It spread all across the room, permeating brilliantly both the physical and psychic world. It dispelled any remaining corruption both inside and out, and as the darkness that once covered the area disintegrated, a chilling voice made one final statement to all.

"The nightmare...has only begun."

Zane fell to the middle of the ground, in a state of semi-consciousness as thousands of words made their existence known in his head simultaneously, most prominent of which seemed to originate from the same voice as before. We have not seen the last of each other, Zane Tyrael, Vigil of the Gold Tribe. We are, after all, connected. With those final words in his mind, as well as many, nameless more, his eyes closed, and he rested shakily on the ground.

Hanso knew the Gardevoir was too powerful to let her shield crumble so easily...unless it had a purpose. He'd pulled his psychic energy together in a prepared defense, checking the physical realm at the same time. Then Genevieve had pushed off the floor. Oh, snap. In the second it took for the Thunderbolts to fly in their direction, Hanso jumped to one side, clearing air for a couple seconds as the bulk of the electricity began to fade.

That left him mostly unprepared for the psychic blast, which left Hanso disoriented as he landed hard near the wall to the right of the door. Something in his mind stirred as he returned his attention to the psychic realm, where Genevieve was being squeezed by the lone Alakazam's force. He couldn't be sure, but in the midst of the voice's words, Hanso thought he heard, Save me...

He couldn't care less about Genevieve the Sentinel, especially after what Penance had revealed. As Hanso saw it, however, the initial cause of the personality change was the Crystal's corruption, which was close to being erased. Take that away, and... No. She won't die. Not now. The Gallade lashed out with his psychic energy, aiming to cut through the Alakazam's force and protect Genevieve. He thought he saw tendrils of shadow twined in it, before the golden light permeated everything.

Back in the physical realm, Hanso pushed himself up into a kneeling position, rubbing his head with one hand. Looking at the cell revealed the battle's results: Penance on his knees; Zane lying in the middle of the floor; and Genevieve lying some feet away from the Bisharp. Well. She snared you after all, once all is said and done.

I don't need your comments right now, Varren, Hanso replied tiredly, slowly getting to his feet. Almost mechanically, he stopped by Zane, then Penance, releasing a Heal Pulse for each of them. His last stop was the Gardevoir, who looked to be unconscious as Hanso crouched down beside her. There was no trace of the corruption anywhere that his tired mind could find.

She'll always remember it, though.

Cape City- Penance's Torture Chambers

Zane panted on the ground. He felt disoriented, damaged too from the Thunderbolt. However, with his eyes still closed, he felt some of the pain begin to dissipate. Opening his eyes, he saw his brother TrueStriker standing over him, using a Heal Pulse. He wanted to open his mouth and say 'thank you' to him, but the large quantity of visions and voices that just inhabited his brain disoriented him to the point where he felt he couldn't speak. Instead, he gave the Gallade a nod of the head, and let the healing take effect.

While there, he thought a bit about the situation he found himself in. Now that the primary reason for being here was gone, Zane came to the realization of where exactly he was. Inside this...place, many had most likely been tortured at the hands of the Affiliates, led by the Madman. Led by Penance. Before, they had to secure Genevieve from the power of the Silver Crystal. Now, it seemed she was fine, or at least Zane she was. He no longer felt she had any business being here. In fact, as a member of the Gold Tribe, she shouldn't have to be. Especially (and this Zane knew for almost a fact) since Gold Tribe members have died here before.

He tried to stand, finding it a bit easier than he imagined it would be, likely because of TrueStriker's Heal pulse. Looking around, he took in the scenery around him as a final confirmation of what he already knew. He turned over to Genevieve, who appeared to be unconscious from the whole event. Then, Zane turned to Penance. "She's free now, which means, she doesn't have to be here anymore. I don't want her here. She goes with me and TrueStriker. She was a member of the Gold Tribe, long before she was a Sentinel. The same goes for Scar."

Zane glared intensely at Penance, who he once called Defender, before turning over to TrueStriker. "Try to see if you can port us out of here and to the surface." He closed his eyes, not wishing to take in any more of the sites. "I think I've seen all I want to out of this Arceus-forsaken place."

Paladin
Paladin's subconscious

For the first time since he'd been imprisoned here, in this cerebral jail cell, Paladin heard his jailer speak to him. "Enjoying the movie?" he - no, it - asked as Paladin watched Allora enter his mind through the visions. All the Golurk did was grunt angrily and try to move his metaphysical form, despite the fact that it was paralyzed. Even his eyes were unblinking and forced to gaze upon the visions of what happened outside. He couldn't speak, even. The thing laughed maniacally, as its voice faded out.

High above, he could see the metaphysical form of Allora in his mind. What would befall her, he did not know, but if this thing, this darkness, was as powerful as he thought it was, she didn't stand a chance alone...

Allora
Paladin's subconscious

As she drifted through her friend's mind, looking for a way into his memories, Allora had to shield herself from the waves of information that struck her. She knew that all the information stored in a Pokemon's subconscious was far too much for the conscious mind to handle, so she couldn't let too much into her own mind, but she did help herself to a bit of info. She found herself knowing Pokemon she'd never even met - fellow Gold Tribe members - as well as Paladin knew them. It saddened her to see how many had died. Before she could see any more, though, she saw a light. A faint glimmer in the distance: Paladin's memories.

Heading in the direction, she soon found herself in a long, dark corridor, much like her previous trips into Pokemons' memories. However, this corridor was different. On one wall, beautiful paintings hung, each depicting a moment in Paladin's recent memory. It started at his awakening at the Wastes of Will, and followed up all the way to the battle of Cape. On the other side of the wall, though, there was nothing but inky black. No paintings hung, as if they had been swallowed up by the darkness. Upon closer inspection, Allora found that the walls darkness was moving, somehow. It shifted like water, but when she tried to touch it, her paw was instantly repelled by some unseen force.

"What is all this?" she thought. Right on cue, another voice that was certainly not Paladin's answered.

"Why, it's me."

Then, the darkness began to shift uncontrollably. Allora backed away as a strange, disfigured form began to emerge from the pool of shadow.

"Paladin. Or at least, what's left of him."

She would not stand for this thing impersonating her friend! Without thinking, she charged into the pool of darkness, preparing a Psychic attack. However, before she could even get close, a long, shadowy hand emerged and grabbed her by the neck, strangling her.

"Now, now. You don't want to do that."

Allora was thrown back by the hand, crashing onto the wall of good memories. As the hand receded into the shadows, Allora couldn't help but notice that it vaguely resembled the overgrown hand of a Golurk.

Then, it stepped out. First, a foot emerged. Allora gazed in horror as it dripped with some black, ink-like liquid from which is seemed to be made. It was followed by a torso and a head, arms, and finally, another leg. Horrified, Allora stared up at the corrupted figure of Paladin. His eyes were glowing blood red, and his entire body was wavy and in an almost liquid state, as if it was made from the shadows that covered the wall. "What ARE you?!" Allora asked.

"I am what is left," the creature said in a distorted version of Paladin's voice, "and I am what will become. It raised its arms to the sky. "I am what has always been, and what will always return to this world." It lowered its eyes and, for the first time, looked at Allora. Its eyes seemed to be boring holes into her body.

"I AM CHAOS!"

As soon as it said this, Allora could feel the room twisting around her. Everything disappeared in an instant, and then reappeared, but it was not the same scenery as before. They found themselves in a grassy plain, a forest to one side and Cape City to the other. Were they outside the city? No. Allora reminded herself that this was probably a place in Paladin's memory. Soon enough, the creature that called itself Chaos appeared before her. Its huge, demeaning form towered over her, threatening to squash her at any point.

It was blindingly fast. In an instant, Allora felt a sharp pain in her side as Chaos smashed into her, knocking her aside with tremendous force. She found herself skidding along the landscape, and when she finally came to a stop, she struggled to get up. Even though this was only a mental battle, it was almost as if that had physically hurt her.

The battle had begun.

Accatosh "Blitzkrieg" Corronis

Accatosh's nap was short-lived considering all that needed to be done and more. he lifted his head and stood, both Allora and Paladin were still out, whatever was happening was big... and as much as he would love to help he was not a psychic and even the abilities of using the energies of Palkia were limited in that respect.

Accatosh let the two be, deciding that he would check up on them later. he looked up into the sky and saw a figure flying in the air. towards the mountains. Accatosh being bored and looking for either someone to spar with or talk too, which there was Veletra, but she was probably busy caring for the wounded at the medical station, her being an apothecary and all.

Accatosh watched the being leave, he needed to get away from the bloodshed and the ruin of his old home city and just go somewhere. Accatosh turned to Sword and Shield, "If I'm not back when the others return tell them I have gone for some alone time."

With that Accatosh took to the sky heading for the mountains. he dodged the mountain tops and ran himself through the old course of the Cape City Circuit when the races were around in times of peace, he did notice a slight decrees in his reaction time to the obsticles, but an increase in speed as well. soon he landed on what would normally be the finish line, a cliff that overlooked Gold City, always a great way to end a race back when he was younger.

he ended up landing beside Bloodthirster, the Salamence was looking at Gold City... well what was Gold City before the take over. "what a shame... that place used to be a wonder to watch... I remember when I was younger after every race the other racers and myself would watch these plains turn gold and dream of racing in the Gold City cup." Accatosh sighed, "now those dreams are all distant memories, have you ever Sky raced before Bloodthirster? I think you might enjoy it."

Accatosh "Blitzkrieg" Corronis

Bloodthirster looked at him, then responded with, "The only pleasure I've ever known was killing, I came here for a reason... to have a look at our enemies, but if you insist I'll race you to Gold City."

With that he took off towards the city, Accatosh smiled, a good friendly competition was what he needed right now. So Accatosh took off after Bloodthirster, Accatosh was at first behind him, then with a few hard strokes of his wings he caught up with the Salemence. Accatosh smiled at him then tucked his wings in and dove for the ground, he then pulled up and opened his wings and leveled off a few feet above the ground, the burst of speed sent him faster towards the city.

Penance 'Madman' Malum
​

Well it wasn't EXACTLY the way he had wanted this to go down, but it worked none the less and it was already in past. The Heal Pulse tingled along his skin and he got up, stretching his back a bit and grinning as he heard a few snapping sounds as he cracked his back. Of course with Zane's outburst Penance started to smirk, but the fun ended too soon.

"You know, with that attitude no one will ever know how you feel!" He snorted as he picked up the Hypno. "Just what? A hiss and that's it? No poison in your system at all!" He tsked sadly. "But must you three go so soon? Vera is in need of cheering up!" He added in a wink, "The poor girl is probably heads over heels of course! She'll need a welcoming party you know! But... if you really don't want to." He shrugged and made his way back down stairs. "I guess we'll just have to see ya later... that is if you aren't too sleepy by tonight.' He snickered and handed the Hypno to the Alakazam, humming as he made his way out and back into the tunnels.

He made the twists and turns eagerly. So far he had this last thing to do and then it was show time!

Hanso SharpEye
Torture Chambers
~~~~~

Hanso sighed as he closed his eyes. He agreed with Zane in that none of them needed to stay any longer. Then Penance threw in something about Vera, and something about that night. Heads over heels? The Gallade wasn't sure what Penance was trying to do, except that it likely had to do more with him than Zane, but Genevieve needed a place to rest. Wherever the Gold Tribe could rest. Where, indeed.

As Penance said his last words, Hanso concentrated on the image of the area outside Stoneguard, lifting the Gardevoir into his arms as he did so. The Golduck was heading down the stairs as Hanso, Zane, and Genevieve disappeared.

~~~~~
In front of Stoneguard

Taking a moment to consider, not paying much attention to surrounding activity, Hanso sighed and turned to Zane. "Can you take her?" he asked, nodding down at Genevieve in his arms. "I need to...I need to at least check on the other two in the Affiliates' care." A bout of chuckles in his head made Hanso want to roll his eyes, but he didn't want Zane thinking he'd gone crazy or something.