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

[Supervegeta]

Plains of Valkaria

Bloodthirster had a point. These Pokemon came from nowhere. They probably weren't apart of the Alpha Alliance either. Which made their tie to the Silver Tribe highly likely. Zane was also on edge after the debacle with the Thieves.

"I realize how you feel." Zane responded to Bloodthirster's comments. "And I agree, we have to be wary. But to not trust anyone based on the acts of those with past bad blood between us is folly. Many hate the Silver Tribe, and this guy probably is one of them. Besides, we need to find Defender, and they said he could help us free Cape City. Isn't that worth the risk?" He asked him, crossing his arms. He sighed, as Blitzkrieg began stirring from his unconscious state next to him.

"Not long." Zane said, responding to the newcomer's question. He filled him in on the current plan, before getting back to Bloodthirster. "If it comes to the point that we have to fight our way out, or anything of the manner, we'll manage. This time, we'll be prepared. We're the Gold Tribe, after all. Right?"

As the Swift passed them on the way to bed, Zane nodded in silent compliance, remembering how late it actually was. "We should all probably be heading to sleep. We've got a long day ahead of us. I'll take the first watch." He decided, seeing as they all were probably tired from the fight anyways, and he didn't feel he should bother the newcomers with the watch yet. Slowly, the others in the Gold Tribe began to retire. Some stayed up for a little longer while others decided to go to sleep. Zane sat silently by himself for a while as he kept watch, the cool wind of the night sky reminding him to keep his eyelids open. He sat, staring off into the distance of the direction of Cape City, thinking on many things. As the Swift prepared to sleep, he heard him mutter something under his breath. "Damned Auron." He said, before drifting off. Zane stared at the Swift for a while as he slept, his words inside of his mind, flowing through. Zane supposed they were good final words to say before a drift to sleep, a curse of your enemies, in this case the enemy. In times of war, Zane figured that this would be the equivalent of a "Good night." It might as well be. He shrugged, thinking to himself that he would probably do the same as he would go to sleep as well. A slight smile crept onto his face by this, followed by a pondering question.

He wondered if Auron should be the real target of their curses. He was the face of the enemy now, the wielder of the Silver Crystal, the one who must be defeated if all of this were to end. But he was not the source of evil. The Silver Crystal was. But could he really curse the Crystal as he would go to sleep? It was just an object, no face behind it. Then what about the Dark being inside? Zane had no idea what in fact it looked like. Could he put that face to Noctus? Noctus, who helped them earlier, only to disappear now and is believed to possibly have been the one to start this all?

"Hey." the deep, grumbling voice of Gallant said as he placed an arm on Zane's shoulder. Zane looked at him, snapping out of his deep trance-like daydream. Apparently, a lot of time had passed as he was in this state. "Your shifts over. Why don't you go get some sleep, Vigil? I'll take over for you."

Zane stared into the face of Gallant for a moment before nodded and heading over to his supplies, laying out his mat he carried with him and resting his head upon it, closing his eyes. As he closed them, he tried to paint a picture of the face he should curse, the one who was the source of all this, but couldn't picture it. Instead, flashes of Dark Lightning and Calamity were in his mind. Destruction in Liberty Town, the Ruins of Poseida, the damage done in Albia. Those were the pictures that haunted his mind. The constant faces of the ones that were lost, or those who had stayed behind to mourn them flashed in his mind. That was the face of what he cursed.

"Damned war." He said to himself, slowly drifting off into sleep.

[Typh]

Accatosh "Blitzkrieg" Coronis

"Not long." Vigil said, responding to the Accatosh's question. Vigil filled Accatosh in on the current plan, before getting back to the other Salamence. "If it comes to the point that we have to fight our way out, or anything of the manner, we'll manage. This time, we'll be prepared. We're the Gold Tribe, after all. Right?"
"We should all probably be heading to sleep. We've got a long day ahead of us. I'll take the first watch." Vigil decided

"very well then," Accatosh said curling up, "Sleep well friends and siblings..." he yawned as he lowered his head and let sleep take his eyes, he kept his ears somewhat open, ready in case something happened in the night. he dreamed of cape city in all it's glory in the older days... the days far before the Invasion.

[Garet]

Hanso SharpEye
~~~~~
Hanso was silent as they gathered the dead Ancients and piled them up to burn. It wasn't a short task to be brushed aside, considering the dead weight of the Ancients. As they finished their task, Zane came around and told the rest of the Gold Tribe what he had learned from his conversation with the three Pokemon. Apparently, the three - Saul, Lashire, and Zara - were from Cape City. They'd been out getting supplies and scouting, and there was a powerful figure in Cape City who knew about the comings and goings of refugees.

There will be a pokemon there who knows all about Cape City. That had been in the letter that Penance had left behind. Hanso stood and watched the burning Ancients for a few minutes, thinking. He hadn't really considered it before, but could Penance have been out of his mind with leaving for Cape City, or only imagined this Pokemon? Hanso shook his head. No, he was sure Penance was in his normal state of mind at the time. Would a crazy Penance have left the letter? Or contacted the Gallade and spoken normally? For that matter, during their brief mental exchange, the Golduck's mind had seemed normal.

He knows what he's doing. It was just a matter of what Penance was doing... Hanso gave a brief nod to Bane and the others who had helped pile Ancients, then turned back to the campsite. He took the time to wipe off his hands and arms, then ate a short meal, drawn from the food he'd packed. From the looks of it, Zane would be taking the first watch of the night. Hanso checked on his outer sensors, then mentally placed another set right around the campsite. So the three claimed to be Cape City...scouts, they might be called. Hanso hadn't been around for the conversation itself, so he hadn't been able to gauge their words and actions.

Whether they really were part of Cape City's network - what else could it be? - or were Silver Tribe spies, or maybe even... Hanso had enough doubt in his mind to keep his sensors out, though it would be harder to detect Pokemon that flew overhead or burrowed underground. The sensors were at ground level, after all. Hanso lied down on his sleeping mat, staring up at the stars before drifting to sleep.

~~~

"So...what? You're paranoid, now?"

That didn't take long. He glared at his mirror-image as he replied, "Why would I be paranoid? They don't know anything about my plans."

"Oh, yeah, sure, so why'd you set up those sensors? Hm?" The mirror-image folded its arms. "Afraid that they're spies? Or that maybe they'll try to steal everything and leave in the dead of night?"

"Like that'll happen. They're not big enough for tha--"

"And may I remind you of what you've done? She went right ahead and told the other Sentinels, from the sounds of it, even told Auron. Nice how it worked out that his orders kept Sentry from beating all of you to a pulp."

He threw a punch at its face, but the mirror-image dissolved into nothingness, leaving him alone in the room. It was a shade of the white room that the Golduck had set him to learn to empty. At the moment, though, there were a few images swirling around like mist, images of the past few months. The only thoughts that stuck for more than a fleeting moment were of his time in the torturehouse...the poisonous injury he'd gotten from Ignitus...Roswell's betrayal, and Dark Lightning's face...Calamity as well, for that matter...Sovereign charged straight at him, reaching out to slam his prey's head into the ground--

He blasted the mirage-Tyranitar with thrown Psycho Cuts. It disappeared, but the feelings surrounding that event swirled around him. He would return the favor, that was for sure. Yes, such a thing would help the Gold Tribe, but even if they and the Alpha Alliance passed from existence, he would return the favor. Then thoughts of her intruded...she'd broken into his network, but that was nothing, compared to his confused feelings about the Gardevoir. He shouldn't be thinking of her as anything except a Sentinel, an enemy. The few images around him began reflecting their conversation, then their meeting.

Perhaps it was that that made him feel worse, rather than that seed of revenge, which was rather ridiculous. Worse than that was the guilt that came from conversing with the enemy, from what he'd told her of their movements, from what he felt--

Hanso awoke with a start, though he was sure he hadn't uttered a word or cry. It was the dark of pre-dawn, with hardly any light at all. At least he'd been able to hide much of what he'd thought during his meeting with Genevieve. So he thought. She better hold her part of the deal, and teach me what I need to learn...

[Megaman765]

Snype

Snype could hardly hold his excitement in of finally being independent from the rest of the thieves and at last one among the Silver Tribe. The King of Thieves was dead... all of the thieves were dead. Snype was begining to wonder if he was the only one alive at this point? If that were the case then he could start a whole new line of thieves once the Silver Tribe was finished with the Gold Tribe and be his own King. Just a little day dream to have but for now, he had to be loyal and make a good impression to his superiors. He worked hard to make it to Sentinel status and despite being a complete loony, he wasn't going to mess that up. It was rather late, so the most he could do for now was at least get Acquainted with his comrades.

Snype was walking by the Mess hall when he suddenly heard a loud crash! He could hear somebody yelling from inside. “Do you dare forget who I am, you useless piece of refuse?” Snype heard. Peeking inside he noticed two Women arguing about something. Whatever the case, that Gardevoir was angry! Snype wished he knew why though, he always loved hearing secrets! He continued to listen in until the Gardevoir left. Snype quickly climbed up onto the wall and clung onto the ceiling with his sharp claws.

All Snype managed to hear was something about Scar and Sovereign. He wasn't familiar with the names at all so he honestly had no idea what to think but perhaps there were important figures. Either way, it looked like this Gardevoir was involved in quite alot! Already he had learned some details about one of his Comrades but not enough! Snype thought about getting to know somebody from the Silver Tribe but perhaps this Gardevoir wanted to be left alone... maybe it'd be good to let her have some time to herself...

"..."

Snype didn't hesitate to follow her. If she got irritated by Snype's presence then that just made it more fun! Besides, he had a natural immunity to physic abilities so he could avoid the worst she could do. Snype smiled down at her giving a large bright grin.

"You look like you've been having a bad day." Snype said. A little Sableye wearing a backpack would be creeping right above her.

[Claire*]

Genevieve L’esprit

A voice. A voice from above, like that of Arceus, but more in the guise of a demon. A smooth, lacquered tone that eased into her ears. Genevieve’s steps froze in an instant. She had been so preoccupied with that sad excuse of a Blaziken, she had failed to sense the presence of another. Quickly spinning on her heels, she surveyed the area for who it might have been. If she didn’t sense somebody, were they real? Surely it wasn’t another voice that only existed in her head. She could not afford those voices to return, those nagging reminders of self doubt. Not now, not now.

Maybe the voice was indeed hers. It hadn’t said anything that she didn’t already know to be true. It was indeed a bad day and it kept growing increasingly worse. But she would not let that be the case. She could not afford to lose herself in these thoughts. That was what lead her down this path. That was what caused her to give in to her animal instincts and lose herself to that pig, Scar. He was probably still asleep in his bed, a smug smile plastered on his face from his night time rendezvous with her. But, that was not the issue at hand, however, she could not dwell on it. Where did this voice issue from? The dark of night cast the hall in shadow, her eyes searching for any semblance of other life.

“Show yourself!” She barked into the darkness, her voice carrying off into a haunting echo down the far side. “You do not know with who you contest. I assure you, the best thing I can give you is a swift death.” Running her gaze across the well worn roof, she finally spied what might have been the voice’s origin. It wasn’t much, but it was a wide, toothy grin and what seemed to be a radiant pair of gem-like eyes. The rest of the creature was cast in darkness, an impenetrable shroud that caused definition to elude her. “Got you,” she whispered in an almost inaudible tone.

Genevieve closed her eyes for but a second, her hands crackling with the vivacity and heat of electricity. She had no intention of hitting her interloper, simply to scatter him like the hidden roach that he was. As much as she would love to follow up her threat to end his existence, she knew you never kill without first getting answers. The build up of her thunderbolt continued to mount, the jolts licking the tips of her fingers in a ticklish caress. Opening her eyes, she unleashed the bolt right near the source of the voice, the result of the attack leaving a smoking crater where a ceiling tile should have been.

“You will come down and face me, or so help me, I will not miss again.”

[Megaman765]

Snype was getting alot of joy watching the girl look around for the source of his voice. It amused him more that her actions answered his question. They do say that actions speak louder then words after all. As expected, the upset Gardevoir attacked Snype. His eyes gave off a bright glow as he used detect to properly avoid her jolt of electricity with ease, as if he had telegraphed her move. Detect was one of his biggest life savers. He quickly jumped down onto the ground on all fours and looked up at her with a large creeping smile. Snype got up onto his two feet and brushed himself off.

"Kehehe, well that certainly answered my question! Do you blast every Pokemon that looks at you the wrong way? Because if you do, I want in on some of that action! Kehehe..." Snype said, still keeping a large grin on his face while crossing his arms and observing her.

"Hm... well you certainly don't seem as mindless as the ancients... I'm guessing your one of the Sentinels then? Oh my, have I picked the wrong lady to stalk tonight! Oh woe is me! This Sableye's days are numbered to a measly decimal!" He joked, giving off a playful snicker. Snype was enjoying himself already. A fine start.

[Claire*]

Genevieve L’esprit

A Sableye, no wonder she had such difficulty detecting him before. His kind was notorious for their abilities to blend in with the background and simply disappear. He had landed near her with agility that she did not know his type possessed. His type... resistant to much of what she could do to him, just like Sovereign. What was this little creature’s reason for being here? Did he not know who she was? He had to guess at her being a Sentinel, that itself was an insult to her station.

“Oh, you want some action?” She smiled at him in her most seductive way, her hips moving in an over the top provocative manner, as she stepped in front of him and knelt to his level. “I can blast you alright, but I’m thinking it might be more fun to squish the insect.” Genevieve giggled and ran a hand up to his face, her face becoming more and more stern by the second. Her eyes glowed in that insidious way they did when she used her psychic abilities. But her power wasn’t focused on him, rather, something down the hall. Silently, she levitated a grand statue of Auron towards them both. A carving of monumental weight and prominence. It would do the job nicely.

Quickly stepping away from the intruder, she glared at him anew, hatred and all the days pent up aggression focused on him. He picked a very bad time to cross her. It would be the last mistake he ever made were he not careful. The statue faltered under her mental grasp before she quickly regained composure. It was heavy, but she could not let it drop without purpose.

“You will tell me your purpose and your name, or the previous words you uttered will be your last. I suggest you speak quickly.” A bead of sweat ran down her face as she kept her focus simultaneously split on both him and the mammoth statue. Her legs quaked as she shifted her stance and reaffirmed her threat.

[Megaman765]

Snype kept a large smile the whole way through. The way she was attempting to seduce him and as he watched her lift a giant statue of Auron using her own Psychic abilities. Oh what fun! She didn't even know who he was and already she was ready to squash him! He kept standing straight up and looked up at the statue above him. He simply stood there, noticing that she was struggling a bit to keep hold of the statue. Her legs gave it away. He snickered again.

"Kehehe. Yup. You sound like you just hit twelve. Where should I start..." Snype stood as if he were saluting her. "Name and Rank, Snype! Newest recruited Sentinel! Ex-Thief! Purpose, spread a little bit of chaos and get to know everyone. Kekeke..." Snype said with a large grin. He didn't move away from the statue at all. He just continued giving off a maniacal smile. "And so far you are making quite a good first impression! Are there more folks here like you? Kekeke...!" He added, not moving from his spot and winking at her.

"Your Genevieve right? I've heard about a few of you before, but I just got a feeling that I'm right! The way you move and your abilities, sounds pretty accurate." Snype said, smirking. Her charms wouldn't work on him. He had an item in his backpack meant to make that sort of thing backfire. Something like Attract would work on him sure, but it would end up affecting the user as well.

[Supervegeta]

Plains of Valkaria

Alright, everyone. This is it, a voice echoed in his mind. Zane saw nothing. Nothing but darkness. The voice sounded familiar. He believed he heard it in a dream before.

Be on your guard. Stay close to the Gold Crystal. So you won’t fall under the Silver’s influence. The vision slowly came into focus. There were figured. Figured in a…city. The city was burnt, damaged. Zane couldn’t recognize it. The vision focused more, showing a group of Pokemon outside of the door to some larger, gray building, broken and ruined, but still standing. Bombardments of attacks passed overhead. Zane’s vision focused onto the Pokemon in front. He recognized them from a dream he had before. “Kaiser” Kent Reed, the Gold Tribe leader from 100 years ago was among them, as was Burstborn, and others. Others he had heard about and seen before. It must have been a continuation of the dream from before.

Remember. Kent told the others. Chaos forms shouldn’t be activated if the Gold Crystal is close by. Neither should illusions. It’s a straight shot to him.

It’s Bellator. An Absol told the Zangoose leader. Kent looked back at the Absol with solemn eyes, reflecting the mood of them all.

That’s not Bellator anymore, Silver. He’s long gone. Bellator would have wanted to sacrifice himself. He wouldn’t have wanted this to continue. We have to end this. We have to end this now.

The Absol silently stood beside the Zangoose leader, all of them with dropped heads and heavy hearts. Zane connected the dots. This was the same situation. Bellator must have been the wielder of the crystal last time this had occurred. Zane watched as the scene unfolded, the Gold Tribe charging into the building, one by one as their faces were marked with contrasting signs of both resolve and sorrow. All left into the building, except Kent Reed, who stood outside for a moment longer.

Sacrifice. Kent repeated to himself, as if he mulled the words over in his head. Then, in a bizarre twist, he turned to Zane, his eyes fixated on him. He repeated to him words he had heard in dreams prior.

Sacrifice is part of being in the Gold Tribe. Sacrifice of your name, your attachments, and ultimately even yourself. Everyone in the Gold Tribe has to be willing to do this. The question is, Zane: are you?

“Zane.” A voice said, and with it an arm shook him. Zane popped his eyes open, the cracks of the sun slowly showing itself above the peaks of the Korhal Mountain. He looked around at the Thieves Forest, at the other Gold Tribe members rousing themselves, and then at his waker, The Keeper. He was smiling down to him as Zane rose himself up onto his backside, then picked himself onto his feet, patting away any strands of grass on his body. The others began to rise themselves as well, those that were already awake rose those still in their sleep.

“Have a good sleep?” The Keeper asked him, still maintaining that smile on his face.

“More or less…” Zane responded, eyeing the group as they prepared themselves to depart. He gave them all some time to eat and pack up before they’d be off again. Time wasn’t with them.

***

Cape City

By the time he had reached Cape City, night was almost gone, and daybreak was just around the corner. Sentry ignored the dispersion of the Ancients he commanded and headed straight to the Stoneguard, where the other Sentinels were staying. If he counted correctly, now that he had arrived, and counting the new addition Auron had just added, six Sentinels now resided there. Though he wouldn’t be around for long. He preferred the company on no one but himself usually. It wasn’t to say that he despised the other Sentinels, but more that he had no opinion of them to begin with. They were the same to him as an Ancient: a tool for the Silver Tribe to use as they saw fit. Besides, Sentry knew his strengths and teamwork certainly wasn’t one of them. All he had to do was notify the other of the new addition, the Sabeleye known as Snype, and be on his way. He hoped none of them would be awake, so that he could merely leave a note for them to read, and be done with it. But as he heard the raised voices originating from the mess hall, he knew it wasn’t meant to be.

Sentry sighed and proceeded there, immediately seeing Genevieve and Snype in the middle of a…‘discussion’. “Oh. Good. The two of you have met. Genevieve, this is Snype. Our newest Sentinel. Snype, this is Genevieve. I’m sure the two of you will enjoy working together…and so on and so forth. Do tell the others, will you? I should be goi-”

“What’s all this then?” Another voice came from the opposite entrance to the room, the slight echo of it reaching down the hallway as it reached Sentry’s ears. He let a deep sigh escape from his mouth, looking over to see the floating Castform of the Sentinels. Cedric “Deluge” Ceffyl. “Did the Sentinels decide to have a meeting and not invite me? I find that rather rude.”

“Genevieve. Sentry.” It’s been far too long. Has the war kept you busy?” The floating Pokemon then turned his form to the newcomer, an odd look on his face. “And who might you be? Not someone I know. Of that I am certain. I never forget a face.”

[Typh]

Accatosh "Blitzkrieg" Coronis

Accatosh slowly awoke, feeling revived and ready to go. He stood up yawned his good morning to the sky before shaking his head to get rid of the sleepiness. “Good morning friends and siblings,” he called out, his mood was clearly cheerful. he took a couple of apples from his neck bag and ate them. A light breakfast yes, but all the more nutritious. he stood up and stretched out his limbs, starting with his legs, then neck, back, tail and finally his wings. ready to go, he simply stood ready, scanning the surrounding area for a few moments. When he decided that they were safe and there was no approaching threat, he glanced over to the three young ones, and gently awoke them from their slumber. “wake up young ones… it’s morning, we’ll have to leave soon,” he said in a calm, gentle but firm voice.

[NecrumWarrior]

Sovereign
Sovereign quickly realized that the dawn was upon him, and he had not slept at all. Yet, despite this, he found himself completely awake and full of energy. He had been staring at his grim trophy for hours. Something about the dangling Lucario unnerved him deeply. But, they had already decided to put the body on display, as a message, so he left it as he departed to meet with the rest of the sentinels, as they surely would be soon.

When he arrived, he found that Deluge and Sentry had joined them, and that there was an unfamiliar Sableye among them. He paid no mind, as he was sure there was a good reason. Somehow he felt comfortable with the Sableye's presence. A sort of resonance between them that he had never noticed in the presence of other Pokemon. Was this a result of the Darkness of which Varren had spoken?

"The King of Thieves can now be found in front of Cape City. I think you'll find that his placement is perfect." An air of pride was carried by his words, yet it was unintentional. "Now does anyone know what we're doing here? Why we can't attack the Gold Tribe yet?"

[Claire*]

Genevieve L’esprit

“Newest Sentinel?” Genevieve spat in the direction of the little Sableye, as she lorded the statue over him. “The requirements must be dropping by the day,” she scoffed and dropped the statue behind him with a resounding thud that could be heard throughout the construct. “I don’t care who he is,” her attention turned to Sentry with a most distasteful look. “Keep him out of my way, or we will be down one more Sentinel and I don’t necessarily mean him.” Genevieve glowered as company continued to pile in around them, her hands clenching and head dropping in resigned annoyance.

It was about to become a Sentinel meet and greet and she hardly had the time, nor patience for such an occasion. If these ones wanted to waste time with one another, all the better. What struck her at that moment, was how truly tired she was. A nearby window gave her the indication that sleep would no longer be possible this day. Rays of light were already breaking through the natural shroud of darkness on the horizon. Daybreak was coming and there were things to be done. The previous night had not been restful at all, there was hardly any sleep to be had after her...activities. Vera had ambushed her and threatened her, a mistake Genevieve promised would most certainly be one of her last and now Snype. This repugnant little cretin had lingered in wait, in the shadows like a coward. Probably eavesdropping on her conversation with the other woman. How much did he really know? Vera knowing was enough, but Snype might not be as discreet as herself. Should his loose lips reach the ears of another, Sovereign for example, he might very well sink her proverbial ship.

“Cedric,” she addressed the Castform with his proper name, a habit of hers attributed to her dislike of titles. “I can assure you, this meeting is both unplanned and unwanted. This company is found to be both lacking and tiresome. All offense intended,” she sneered in the direction of Snype. “I will say it has been long since our last encounter, I do assume you to be well, of course. You are alive after all.”

Sovereign seemed to boast about his accomplished mission of mounting the thieve’s body. Had it taken him so bloody long, so as to him just not returning? Did the idiot forget how to tie a rope? Giggling to herself, she didn’t deem the prospect entirely impossible. She did in fact, not hold his mental faculties in the highest regard, even if she was mistaken. Yet the beast was anxious, as were they all. His insatiable lust for battle was made known in only few moments of his speaking. She could not disagree with him on this point, the Gold Tribe needed to be dealt with and soon. Without even realizing her discomfort at being around him, she edged slowly farther away from his reach. Her memory still vivid with the details of his hand wrapped firmly around her neck. It wasn’t that she feared him, no, it was that she thought it better to play it safe. There was no telling when he could “change” or what might trigger it. According to her own knowledge and Vera’s, he did in fact have a weakness for her and it might be better that she kept her distance.

“I, like you,” she spoke to Sovereign across the way, “am perplexed as to Auron's patience. I guess we shall all know in time why we are here.”

[Megaman765]

Snype

Snype kept his large grin going as Genevieve dropped the statue down beside him. He hadn't changed his expression at all but was still extremely amused. Suddenly several others began to join in and it was suddenly becoming one big meeting! Snype just wanted to say to himself that it was just his charisma that was attracting everybody to him. After all, he was the new guy! And boy was he making an entrance! Already a thorn on ones side and that was enough to satisfy him! A cast form flew up to him and questioned his identity. Snype simply snickered.

"Kehehe, I happen to be the newest Sentinel of the bunch! You wouldn't believe how much I had to work just to get up in rank with all of you! Its a long story! But I've been helping the lot of you for a lonngg time now. Ever wonder why you all have been one step ahead of the Gold Tribe so much lately? Kehehe. You can thank your fellow spy for that, now working full time!" Snype bragged. "But hey, good to meet ya! I can sleep soundly knowing I'm not the smallest sentinel here! Kehehe, no offense of courrsee." Snype joked, snickering a bit.

Genevieve was still pretty angry which only made Snype more amused. "Awww down one more Sentinel? We're getting along so well though! Kehehe... try me! I can give ya a little one two or so!" Snype taunted, holding his fists up and jumping side to side as if wanting to pick a fight. He was mostly joking but at this point the girl could break! Thankfully Snype quickly got distracted when Sovereign entered. Snype gave a large smile toward him and crawled over to him quickly.

"And here he is! The big man himself! The one who took the Kings crown and smashed it straight into his skull! I gotta say its an honor meeting you! What was it like? Did he scream? Beg for mercy? Oh oh! I gotta see him on our way out! Hey, if I poke at him hard enough you think an arm will fall off? Oh! oh!! You could autograph it! Then I could hit Pokemon with it for fun! Or kill them with enough force! Kehehehe..." Snype said, demented as ever.

Snype didn't know about Auron's recent orders since he just arrived at his own accord at all but from what he could gather, Auron didn't take an opportunity to take out the Gold Tribe when they were open. While everybody else was denying his judgement, Snype's twisted mind had a different perspective on things.

"Well... I don't know why you guys haven't gone after them by now when they're wide open but maybe there's a bigger scheme behind it all! Perhaps he wants to do more then wipe them out. Sure, we could march down and destroy all of them, but what would stop another group of Pokemon from doing the exact same thing? Perhaps he has a permanent solution so that nobody goes against the Silver Tribe again. Kehehe... perhaps he has a plan to convert them to our side in some ingenious way rather then kill them? Just going through the possibilities! Oh oh! MAYBE we could poison their leader! Without a leader they'll scatter around like little children in a playground! And it'll be like playing hide and seek! Only you kill the Pokemon you find! OH OH! OR MAYBE..." Snype continued to go through more gruesome ways to end the Gold Tribe. He was getting... uncomfortably creative at this point. He was like a child. A demented unstable monster of a child. He honestly had no clue what Auron had planned and still questioned his movement, but Snype sure hopped he was a part of it! He just wanted to kill something! Maybe slowly this time... with Toxic! That'll cause some panic!

[NecrumWarrior]

Sovereign was caught off guard by the sableye's behavior. His constant smile left him uneasy, as it was also the signature behavior of his own past demon. He felt compelled to ask, but decided against it for the time being. He had enough on his mind without worrying about Varren. The silver tribe was once again whole, and even filled Frosts old position within the Sentinels.

As he listened to the ramblings of the Sableye, he found himself disgusted, not by the Sableye's behavior, but by the fact that he found himself enjoying the descriptions. Sovereign certainly loved brutality on the battlefield, but preferred a real fight. So why did he find all of this talk of poison make him excited? He did not like what was happening to him. He should have had more control than this. So why...?

'Shut up!' Sovereign shouted, his voice echoing with the malice and hate that was welling up inside. 'The King of thieves did not beg for his life, and he did not scream. He may have been a thief, but at least he fought until the end. He died with what little honor he had in tact. Do not speak ill of the dead.' The outburst seemed quite out of context by now, and he certainly wasn't sure why he had done so. But he was relieved to know that his old self was still alive, even in the wake of the rising darkness within him.

[Megaman765]

Snype immediately stopped and frowned. Tch... for a tribe that was focused on destroying everything in their way the Silver Tribe sure had a weak stomach. How amusing. He quickly gave off his large piercing smile and crossed his arms. He had a bit of a grudge with the King himself.

"Kehehe, oh don't mind me. I was a thief once myself. I was working under the King. He could have listened to me and avoided an untimely death but nooooo! He had to miss a perfect opportunity to work along side you all! Now he's a trophy dangling there waiting for some Pidgey to feed off of him! Or maybe some Spearow... oh maybe some bigger bird Pokemon! Or maybe... *ahem*... Kehehe... oh apologies, I'm getting all giddy again!" Snype said. He snickered again. "Does this mean I can't beat up Pokemon with his arm?" He joked. He found death to be a form of art, just a lost one. Snype loved to get creative with how he could take out his target. He ws actually considering beating someone to death with the King's arm. It would be so fitting if it was another thief! That would just be perfect.

[Garet]

Hanso SharpEye
~~~~~
Hanso spent the remaining time before morning thinking. Okay, so it seemed that part of him wanted to strike back at Sovereign because the Tyranitar had broken his arm. He'd already determined, though, that such revenge was ridiculous, since a broken arm can heal back. What other reasons, then? Hanso already knew that by becoming stronger, it would be easier for the Gold Tribe to fight the Sentinels in open combat. They had already gotten rid of four Sentinels, freed a torturehouse's prisoners, and liberated two cities.

So, Hanso could look at this as his way of getting stronger. Yet, he still felt like there was more to it. His mind toyed with the idea that, since the Blaziken had said that Sovereign didn't like losing control, maybe... Not so sure it would be helping him. He probably wouldn't see it as helping, anyways. So why else? Hanso frowned to himself, thinking it through. He didn't like what he saw. This whole idea of his had sprung mainly from fighting Sovereign and having his telepathic network broken into by Genevieve. Hanso wanted to learn how to fight without arm-blades; he also wanted a rematch with Sovereign, but not so much. Yet what he'd thought of wouldn't have occurred if Genevieve hadn't talked to him in the first place. Maybe...

You fool. It just wouldn't be possible, not now. Hanso almost wanted the real reason for his recent actions to be based off of his doubts about the Gold Tribe. Penance had brought up a few good points about it. I don't have a real reason to want to leave the Gold Tribe, though. The closest thing would be the fact that we'd lied to Penance. Which wasn't good enough. Oddly, this subject brought Kivir the Breloom into mind. He'd seemed almost like he could have been a member of the Gold Tribe, but that was because of his actions and fighting ability.

Speaking of which... Morning had come, and the rest of the group was beginning to wake up. Since he was already awake, Hanso rose earlier than many of the others and ate his own breakfast silently, glancing over as the Keeper shook Zane awake. Once he was done, Hanso stood and walked over to the Bisharp, noting Accatosh as he stood over the three youngsters. "A bit of your time, Vigil?" Hanso asked, indicating the edge of camp with his head.

[Xilfer123]

Paladin
Plains of Valkaria

The egg was bright green. It was a small, bright green egg with some yellow markings on the sides. In the morning sun, it gleamed an untainted gold. Paladin had found this egg during his trip through Thieves Forest two months ago. It was alone, abandoned in the woods, motherless. Paladin then decided it was better to take it than to let some Sneasel gobble it up. Ever since, he had been eagerly waiting for it to hatch. As he walked along the plains of Valkaria, he held the egg in his palm, the egg looking minuscule compared to his giant hand.

Paladin, a former member of the Gold Tribe, had first awoken in a barren desert known as the Wastes of Will to find the world in chaos. Remembering nothing of his past, he discovered that half of his body was colored a sickly grey, and that vision in his left eye had become darker, making the world seem more moody. After a harrowing journey, he found himself in a Refugee camp. Since then, he has been travelling from refugee camp to refugee camp. It has been a year since then, and Paladin is still searching. Searching for his past. The only thing that was left to him was a tattered, burned Gold Tribe symbol, which he kept hidden away from the Ancients in his satchel. Then, he found the egg. The green egg represented something that Paladin could care for, something that had a future, and it gave him new-found purpose. In a sense, it was his exact opposite, since it had its whole life awaiting it, while he had already spent his, and was trying to get it back.

Paladin traveled with three companions. At the front of the group was an egotistical Ursaring known as Kromp. Kromp saw himself as the leader of the group, though really, there was none. Kromp and Paladin disliked each other greatly, but for the sake of the other Pokemon in the group, had to put up with each other. Travelling alongside Paladin was a Linoone known as Ryte. Ryte would often complain that the other members of the group were slowing her down, and that she would already have arrived at Cape City if they weren't tagging along. The group's destination was Cape City simply because it seemed like the safest place to be right now. If they stayed out of the Ancients' way, then they would be protected by the city's walls. The final member of the group, and the only one keeping the other members sane, was Frilly, a cheery young Azumarill who tried his best to keep the others from sinking into depression. As for Paladin himself, he was too busy thinking to bother with the other members. That, and the drumbeat. The constant drumbeat in his head. "Dum dum dum dum," just four beats, playing on a loop. It sounded almost like war drums. ...War drums! That was it! Why hadn't he thought of this before? The drums must have been war drums he had heard somewhere. He must have participated in a battle of some sort. But where? "Yes!" he bellowed, not thinking, feeling great about his new realization. This could bring him one step closer to finding out about his past.

Just then, he noticed all the other Pokemon looking up at him in concern. Even Frilly, in his cheerful attitude, was confused. Afterwards, Ryte quickly resumed talking to Frilly, who put on his best smile and continued the conversation, but Kromp just kept on looking. A look of disdain on his face, although it was hard to see, as the sun was only just coming up, and the Ursaring was exactly a meter shorter than Paladin himself. Kromp grunted disapprovingly, and turned away.

Cape City was coming into view. The city's walls were big, but not that big. On one of his trips, Paladin had seen Gold City, which was far more magnificent than this place. Though Cape did deserve some recognition, it could hardly compete with the giant walls of Gold - or rather, Silver - city. All the refugees were coming to Cape for different reasons, most simply to survive, but Paladin wanted to visit a mysterious figure he had heard of who stayed there. This Pokemon was said to have many connections all around the region, and could even do what they wanted under the nose of the Silver Tribe. Paladin gathered that a Pokemon with so many friends would surely know of someone that knew about his past. Perhaps a surviving Gold Tribe member? He didn't know.

Suddenly, something rose from the ground. From the back of the group, Paladin couldn't make out what it was, though it was seemingly brown in color and had a rounded head. Kromp seemed to be in a conversation with it. Paladin walked ahead to see that it was a Diglett. Kromp was having a discussion with it, though Paladin wasn't listening to them. He walked up to the two, and interrupting Kromp, asked "Who are you?" in a commanding tone. "Why, I'm just an innocent passerby," the Diglett coaxed. He didn't seem reliable at all. Then, suddenly, he popped back underground. "Nice going, idiot! He was going to show us the way into Cape!" Kromp bellowed furiously. Paladin simply looked down at him and said, "We can find out own way in." The two then stared at each other for a time before their attention was drawn to Ryte, who was shouting at something. "Hey! Let go!" she protested. The Diglett from before had returned with a different Pokemon. This Pokemon must have been led here from underground by the Diglett. It was a Spearow, who, by the looks of it, was taking Ryte's satchel, which contained all their supplies. Once it had taken the satchel, it began to fly off with it. Not planning to let it get away, Paladin quickly launched a Stone Edge at the bird. Most of the rocks missed, but one was enough to bring the weak-bodied Spearow down with the satchel. Worried, the Diglett abandoned its fellow thief and returned underground, but Paladin wasn't going to let him get away so easily. He stomped his foot onto the earth, creating a massive Earthquake. Though it did nothing more than cause the Pokemon above-ground to fall over, it probably collapsed Diglett's tunnel upon him, rendering him trapped.

"Got what's coming to 'em, the rotten thieves," Paladin stated, and continued walking ahead of the other shocked Pokemon. "They could have just been hungry!" Frilly said. Paladin turned around to face Frilly, looking down upon the smaller Pokemon. "I said, they got what was coming to 'em. There's always better ways than to steal," Paladin said again, then resumed his walk. The other Pokemon did the same. It took a few moments for Paladin to realize that Frilly was probably right. What had he done? He had injured two innocent civilians who just needed to eat. Of course they would resort to stealing, they had no other option.

Soon, the group of refugees stood before the walls of Cape City. "How do we get in?" Ryte asked. "Leave it to me," Kromp responded. Of course, he had no idea how to get in, but Paladin did. "Ha, you couldn't get us in even if you knew how to," Paladin said, infuriating the Ursaring. He charged at Paladin, who simply avoided the attack at the last minute. Kromp then attempted to get himself hands into his arms, and his legs into his torso. "Get on," Paladin ordered. The other two Pokemon looked confused, and Kromp looked on the verge of laughing. Paladin then took off like a rocket, the energy within him was released through the bottom of his torso, and his arms, allowing him to take off like a rocket. After this little demonstration, he once again said, "Get. On." The other Pokemon did as they were told, but Kromp refused. "Fine then. Have it your way." Paladin said, and took off without him. Kromp proceeded to shout some nasty threats at Paladin, who simply ignored them and continued upwards. His plan was to go over the walls of the city using his uncanny ability to fly. Whatever lay beyond the wall, Paladin would face have to face it.

[Supervegeta]

Cape City

"Alive I am, Siren," Deluge retorted to Genevieve, emphasizing her title as opposed to the use of her name. Deluge believed their titles were there for a reason, and thus should be used as the natural order of things, as Auron had intended. "And quite well too, I might add. Though..." He examined over the Gardevoir with his eyes, taking in her appearance. "...I'm unsure the same could be said about you. Are you feeling well? You've looked better." He commented. Deluge was known for his quick wit and intelligence, but also for his ability to read and remember other Pokemon. He would often know by mere appearance when something was amiss with someone. But the true purpose he would often use this skill for was the determination of the strengths and weaknesses of his opponents. Deluge came to battle prepared, having often thought of the entire outcome of a fight with someone in his mind before it ever began. Combine this skill with his determination to accomplish his mission no matter the consequence, and it forms into a deadly Sentinel.

As the thunderous steps of Sovereign now echoed from the Stoneguard, Deluge observed as the two newest Sentinels conversed. Deluged scanned over both of them each time it was their pass to speak. As they were the newest, Deluge had never gotten the opportunity to get a good read on them...yet. However, from his small interactions he's had with Sovereign, he understood that beneath the brutish front he protruded was a more complicated Pokemon, the likes of which the Castform could not quite get a read on just yet. And though he had only just met Snype, he felt he was beginning to get a pretty good read on him, even perhaps if the read was a bit premature. Deluge nonetheless believed time would reveal the two to him.

"I'm sure Auron has a plan. Whether it's along the lines of your thought process or not, Snype, I know not. But I'm sure it will be revealed to us soon enough."

Sentry was quiet during this entire time, hanging by the doorway attempting to find the chance he could to leave without much hassle. However, it was apparent from the reactions of the others that they may not have been as informed as he was.

"Why Auron waits is his business." Sentry interjected. "But the reason we're all here is obvious. In case you haven't heard, both Shine and Gravel City was taken by the Alpha Alliance around the same time Albia was. I think it's plainly obvious where they're going next."

Deluge nodded in confirmation. "Here. Yes, that would make sense. Then we are here to stop their advance. They have gained quite a bit of ground, haven't they? You'd almost feel bad for them for having made it so far only to have to soon be crushed. Almost. And still, I have my concerns. I mean, take our numbers. Auron pulls a portion of his forces from Gold City and positions them in the major towns and cities, each one contains a certain percentage of our force. But the percentage of our numbers back when we controlled the other cities relative to those now stationed around Gold City is laughable. I mean, to me, he almost...opened up the path back for the Alpha Alliance to strike because these cities appeared conquerable. I bet if he placed an equal portion of Ancients in each city, no army would have dared to touch us. Ever." The floating Castform glided back and forth as he spoke of this, barely making eye contact with the others as he ranted on. "But let us forget about that for now. And let us forget about the fact that Lord Auron chooses to allow the Gold Tribe to roam free. Let us assume that these are part of his plan. A more immediate concern for me is this: why, oh why does the Gold Tribe go to Cape City on their own, without the company of the Alpha Alliance army with them?"

Deluge stopped floating and examined the other Sentinels. As his eyes passed over where Sentry was standing, he noticed the Scizor had apparently left at some point in his long explanation. Shaking his head, he looked back over the others. "Well? What do you think?"

[fortworth96]

Daricka "Wildfire" Cambar

Daricka glanced toward Vigil as he approached to explain what he'd learned from the trio of Pokemon they'd rescued. Quickly dropping her burden on the pile of bodies, she shifted closer to hear what he had to say, not paying any mind to the blood that stained her fur. Her expression was relaxed yet intense at the same time as she soaked in the Bisharp's words, her mind working rapidly as she thought the matter over carefully. On one hand, if they were telling the truth, a Pokemon with that amount of knowledge of Cape City could be a useful ally. On the other hand, they could be lying to lure them into a trap set by the Silver Tribe. But if that was the case, why hadn't Sentry simply finished them off when he had the chance? Did they have something bigger planned? There was the off-chance that he didn't believe he could defeat them at the time, but she highly doubted that was the case, partly because of his mutterings about Auron's orders.

Daricka moved her gaze to the trio, scrutinizing each of them. The Tyrogue seemed to be the most rash out of them all and especially proud of their current mission. However, he seemed to listen to Lashire, leading her to believe that the Pawniard must be the leader of the small group. The Eevee seemed to shy and submissive to pull off anything big, but appearances could be deceiving.

"Vigil, what if the Sentinels get to this guy first? If he's not yet on our side... he might be with theirs. These three could be spies. I doubt it, but it doesn't hurt considering everything, especially after the betrayal of those Raticates." Daricka's ear twitched at Bloodthirster's voice. It seemed she wasn't the only one thinking of the possibility of another betrayal.

"I realize how you feel," Vigil said in reply to Bloodthirster's query. "And I agree, we have to be wary. But to not trust anyone based on the acts of those with past bad blood between us is folly. Many hate the Silver Tribe, and this guy probably is one of them. Besides, we need to find Defender, and they said he could help us free Cape City. Isn't that worth the risk? If it comes to the point that we have to fight our way out, or anything of the manner, we'll manage. This time, we'll be prepared. We're the Gold Tribe, after all. Right?"

That much was true. They wouldn't be taken off guard again. As each member of the Gold Tribe drifted off to nearby spots to sleep, Vigil staying up to watch over the camp, Daricka stretched out next to the fire and soon joined the ranks of her sleeping comrades.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It seemed like it had only been a few moments when Daricka reopened her eyes to the light of the rising sun. Though she did indeed feel refreshed after the rest, sleep still stung at her eyes. Though, with all the fights the Gold Tribe had been involved in as of late, that was to be expected. No doubt it would be quite sometime before she was able to get the full amount of sleep needed to be completely rejuvenated. Shrugging off thoughts of staying in her relaxed position next to the smoldering remains of the fire, Daricka picked herself up off the ground, rolling her shoulders to loosen up her muscles before digging a few berries out of her pack; a small yet substantial meal. The others were doing similar actions as they roused themselves and each other.

[NecrumWarrior]

Somehow it did not occur to Sovereign that the Gold Tribe was heading there without the accompanyment they always brought with them. "What difference does it make? It simply means they are a bunch of fools who don't realize what they're up against. Perhaps they have become complacent with their recent victories? Feeling us an easy foe. It's a mistake that will only get them killed."

Sovereign had nothing more to say on the topic. His blood was boiling and he was ready for a fight. Then, a distant rumble. He could feel it in the earth as he stood. Something of his element. An Earthquake? It couldn't be. It was too soon. The Gold Tribe couldn't be here so soon. Could they? Sovereign tried to get a lock on where in the city the rumble had originated, but it was already gone, and perhaps it wasn't close enough. "Something's here. I think inside the city. I felt an Earthquake."

[Delphini]

Dinorah has been searching for the surviving Gold Tribe for what seemed like forever, at least to her. The most recent rumors about their accomplishments and sightings gave her a rough idea of where they may be, but it would take a lot of relentless searching, luck, or perhaps a little of both, for her to find them, as like her, they weren't exactly trying to advertise their location to the world. It would seem though, that luck was on her side, as she walked out onto what looked like the site of a battle, a fresh one at that judging by the acrid scent of burnt flesh coming from the pile of bodies and the tracks left everywhere.

Having lived the last two years trying to avoid the ancients of the Silver Tribe, Dinorah had made a point to learn about tracks. She didn't know the tracks of every ancient, but she could recognize some of the different types. As she made her way around the perimeter of the battle torn area, looking for any tracks entering or leaving the area, she found bunch of tracks that looked like they belonged to an assortment of ancients, going in one direction, and more tracks belonging to several types of Pokemon, going in a different direction. She stopped and blinked, glancing at the two paths. "Did they meet, fight, and then each go their separate ways?" She wondered to herself in a confused tone.

As confusing as the lack of a clear winner after what looked like a brutal battle was, with both sides seemingly calmly walking away from the scene, she decided to follow the tracks of the smaller group of Pokemon, but first she would rest for the night. She awoke before the crack of dawn and continued at a hurried pace. As the light of day began to filter through the trees, she began to make out several figures in the distance, a campsite. Knowing to be careful in case this was not the Gold Tribe, she slowed as she grew near, and stayed out of sight for now, watching and listening to know for sure before she revealed herself of her own accord.

[Garet]

Zane Tyrael and Hanso SharpEye
~~~~~
"Mm?" Zane looked over to see TrueStriker gesturing to the side of the camp, probably wanting to talk over something in private. "Alright." Zane nodded, heading with him. He caught hold of Gallant before he went with TrueStriker, speaking to her. "Brother, can you make sure everyone is ready to leave soon?" He asked. Gallant nodded in response, heading over to the others to prepare them to continue their journey to Cape in order to locate Defender and the Gold Crystal. Zane followed TrueStriker to the edge of camp.

"So, what's on your mind, brother?"

Hanso was silent for a few moments, considering his questions. In truth, there was more that he would have liked to know, but asking about that medallion he'd seen would be prying. The Gallade glanced over at Eden Forest, then back in Albia's direction. "Do you know where Kivir is?" Hanso asked, turning his gaze back to Zane.

There was a pause from Zane. He bowed his head in both grief and shame. He had forgotten in all of the events of the past few days to inform anyone of what had happened to Kivir. Sure, he wasn't apart of the Gold Tribe like them, technically, but he had traveled with the group for a good portion of their journey.

"Kivir...was part of the distraction group that caused the Silver Tribe to retreat in Albia. He was...killed by the Sentinels as they made their way to Cape. I apologize for not informing you sooner." Zane said in a lowered voice, his eyes still focused on the ground. As he stood in silence for a moment, he figured he might as well tell him the rest of the story. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out the old medallion belonging to the Breloom. "This was his...it belonged to the Pokemon who trained him. Who was once Gold Tribe, like us. Delnir “Divine Wind” Blake. I'm unsure if you have heard of him. But quite a while ago, he was responsible for a rift in the Gold Tribe. He felt many recruits were getting “passes” on their character because they were such skilled fighters, and that they were not being taught proper humiliation and honor. He left the Gold Tribe, then. Kivir was apparently his student. When I found out about this, we spoke of it in Eternity City, and he adhered to his master's teachings, choosing instead to fight for the Alpha Alliance instead of continue with us."

Zane took a deep breath, but then continued. "I don't know if he was right. I'm not sure if whatever the two thought were true or not. But regardless of what Kivir thought, we wouldn't have been able to make it out of Albia if it wasn't for him."

Hanso folded his arms silently as he listened. They had lost another one, then, even if Kivir hadn't been-- His eyes were drawn immediately to the medallion that Zane had pulled out. As he listened to Zane's words, Hanso recalled the name from what he'd learned of the Gold Tribe's history. Part of his interest had been the simple fact that Divine Wind was a Gallade, someone whom he could study and, maybe, learn something when it came to combat. Delnir's teachings, however, were something that Hanso, as a young recruit, had paid little attention to.

Hanso looked down at the ground, counting the losses he knew of. Dark Lightning, Calamity, and now Kivir, who had been a Gold Tribe member in his own way. The Alpha Alliance army's losses, the resulting destruction in Eternity City and Albia. Thinking back, Hanso shook his head, sighing. "Well, either way, there's this mess we need to clean up," he said, looking back up at Zane. "Regardless of Tribe membership." After a moment, Hanso added as an afterthought, "Penance may have seen some worth in Delnir's teachings, if he knew of them."

Penance was another subject, though. Hanso debated with himself, then continued. "You told Bane earlier that Penance may be in trouble, but I doubt it. You might know him better than I, but his letter did not seem like the raving of a lunatic. Or whatever it is with him. He told me where I could find the letter before he left, and his mind felt...normal, not half-crazed. I would rather think that we're going to Cape City to find the Gold Crystal, rather than because Penance might have a mess of his own."

Zane didn't comment about Delnir, but he nodded in response. It was probably true. Penance had recently had a lot of negatives to say about the Gold Tribe in general. Whether or not they were the result of his situation or not. He listened as TrueStriker gave him his own thought about Penance in general. When he was finished, Zane spoke back.

"You're right. Our primary objective is the Gold Crystal. But I'm not going to sit by and let one of our brothers go into an enemy controlled territory on his own. Whether he's sane, crazed, it doesn't matter. We can't abandon him on his own. Not if have a chance to help him. Not if he might be in trouble."

Zane paced for a moment, then looked back at TrueStriker. "We're heading to Cape City anyways. These scouts are leading us to someone who can help us not only possibly find a way to free the city, but also locate Defender. If we have that option in front of us, we may as well take it, right? Besides...we may not have a choice. Belas and Hazone, they told me about what is going on in Cape City. The bulk of the Ancient Army is in Anciena city below Cape, with refugees from all corners of Valkaria making their home in the street above in Cape City. In a week, the Generals are taking the Alpha Alliance army, and marching it conventionally through Cape to retake it. As you know, that'll cause a lot of casualties in terms of the refugees and civilian population. If we want to avoid that, before the week is done, we have to try to find a different way to invade. This Pokemon...they might have a way."

If he knew Penance well enough, then the Golduck and this mystery Pokemon would have thought of something already. That, or they'd be working on it right now. I ask that you all keep an open mind about what happens there, that is all I can ask. That had been in the letter, as well. Hanso took a deep breath, wondering again what it was Penance had in mind. "I'm sure if there's a way, he and Penance will have it," Hanso replied. "Or we'll work it out once we get there. Just, keep an open mind, as he asked." About everything, he added to himself as he turned back to the campsite.

He paused, then turned back to face Zane and asked, "What would you do if we were to somehow find Noctus this very moment?"

"Noctus..." Zane repeated aloud. He crossed his arms, and thought. What would he do? If Noctus was right in front of him. Would he leap out and attack him, making him answer for his supposed crimes? Or would he try to first ascertain if it was him who had been responsible for all of this? "In truth...I don't know. We don't know anything for sure, that is true. But can this all be just a coincidence? So, I really don't know. I'd like to think I would keep a cool head long enough to find out the truth, but everyone he might have done, I cannot give you that guarantee."

Hanso watched Zane for a few moments longer, then turned back to the campsite and began packing. What would he do, himself? He'd been the first one to say that they'd have to make sure of Noctus' guilt or innocence first. And if Zane felt that he might not be able to hold himself back for what Noctus might have done, then how would he act if he knew of the path Hanso had begun to tread? Though, I may not know for sure where it heads...

As he closed his pack, Hanso froze, mind ringing. Someone had tripped a few of his sensors. He'd meant to gather them up so they'd leave little more than a faint residue, but now it seemed better that he'd put it off. Since he was done packing, Hanso stood up straight, eyes scanning the area in the direction of the tripped sensors. There was someone out there, that was obvious. He reached out with his telepathy-sense, then felt a bit of relief. It wasn't an Ancient's mind, that was for sure. At the same time, though, Hanso didn't recognize him. Or her. He didn't try to make contact, so he couldn't yet tell which gender it might be. Hm...friend, foe, or neutral? Hanso pulled his emblem off his arm and held it so the sunlight reflected in the general direction of the tripped sensors.

[Megaman765]

Snype got all giddy thinking of all of the possibilities. He just wanted to stick his claws into something already just to satisfy his twisted lust! His prayers may have been answered as Soverign apparently felt an earthquake nearby. An intruder? Leaving such a trail like that? What an amateur! Whatever they were doing, they weren't doing it well if it was this easy to get caught! Snype simply snickered.

"An earthquake? Kehe. How curious! I know how much you all want me out of your hair so may I suggest that I possibly scout the area for this intruder? Just lead the way and I'll find this sucker... kehehe. Where do you think it came from?" Snype asked, eager to get moving. He had very good eyesight especially at night. Whatever was intruding he figured he could get the jump on him! He mostly wanted to show off though.

[Xilfer123]

Paladin
Cape City

Suddenly, a flashback came to Paladin. A massive migraine followed. He'd been here before, in Cape City. That was all his flashback would tell him. That, and there was...someone else. Another Pokemon whom he had been affiliated with. Been friends with. Paladin doubted that it mattered, since this Pokemon was probably long gone. However, if he had been here before, then perhaps more secrets to his past lay here in Cape.

When Paladin came to, he found a bustling torrent of Pokemon coming towards him. Refugees, probably. He realized that he was lying on the ground, and that Ryte and Flurry were no longer with him. He got up. The Golurk towered above the other refugees, causing some to fear him and run away. All the refugees were heading in one specific direction, and many looked panicked as they swerved around Paladin. He decided that they must have been running from something at the back of the group, so he pushed against the waves of fearful Pokemon until he reached the end. There, slashing at anything he could see, was a Kabutops. One of the ancients. He was slashing wildly at innocent refugees with his sickles, striking a few and injuring them very badly. Paladin stepped in before the Kabutops could strike again, protecting a small Sentret from getting sliced in half with his massive leg. The Sentret fled, leaving a confused Ancient with Paladin. "Get out of my way, you gigantic piece of filth!" the Ancient ordered, and sped past the Golurk at the group of Pokemon running away.

The drums. "Dum dum dum dum" got louder in Paladin's mind. He was becoming angry. Seeing these innocent Pokemon being hurt just didn't seem right. Despite how much he wanted to fight it, he couldn't. His common sense told him he'd attract too much attention, but his heart told him the Kabutops deserved it. Paladin used Fly to catch up to the running Kabutops, known full well that this Pokemon was much faster than him. When he was above the Kabutops, he left himself fall down a few feet in an attempt to crush the evildoer. The ancient noticed and stepped aside. Without a moment's hesitation, Paladin went for a Shadow Punch at the Kabutops, managing to hit him directly in his confusion. The Ancient took a moment, but got back up, and managed to avoid Paladin's oncoming Hammer Arm. The Ancient swiftly jumped behind his opponent and used Slash. The move only went straight through the Golurk, giving him enough time to grab the Kabutops and smash him against the city walls. "You always were thick, you Ancients," Paladin said. He then retracted his legs and began to Fly, leaving his arms outstretched to hold the Kabutops. They ascended into the air. One hundred meters....two hundred meters....three hundred meters.

"Alright, alright!" the Kabutops screamed, when they had ascended to four hundred meters into the air. "What do you want?! Leave me alone!" he pleaded. In a raspy voice that did not appear to be his, Paladin said "Re...tri...bution..." and released the Kabutops from his grip. The ancient screamed for his life as he fell to his death. Paladin took the satchel that was strung around his shoulder and reached in. He took out his green egg. The sight of the thing snapped him back into reality. 'What...have I done?' he thought.

[Supervegeta]

Cape City

"Hmm...perhaps." Deluge replied, contemplating Sovereign's words in his head. Deluge thought there was more to it than that, but he figured he shouldn't let it bother him now. Especially after Sovereign's next statement. "An Earthquake?" He questioned aloud. Deluge began trying to formulate the possibilities of what it could and couldn't be. It wasn't another Sentinel, nor unlikely was it any Ancient. The recent events in Albia and Eternity could have sparked civilian insurgency. As well it may also have been the Gold Tribe. Deluge passed into his mind every Gold Tribe member, analyzing who could have made the Earthquake. His mind fixated on one he knew: Sword and Shield. He confirmed the possibility that this was the Gold Tribe. Yet uncertainty still clouded his mind. "Whatever it was, it wasn't ours..."

At the request of Snype, the Castform floated facing his direction. It would have been a better suited task perhaps for the Ancients. Unless it was the Gold Tribe, in which case this might be a necessary time to get their hands dirty. "Yes, I think it's best we deal with this matter. Perhaps a chance for us to get the know the new Sentinels a bit better? Sovereign, if you would, lead us to the source, since you were probably the only one to have felt it." Deluge began to float towards the hall leading to the exit in the Stoneguard. "Shall we? The hunt's afoot!"