[PKMN FULL] The Age of Heroes [IC]

[Ray Maverick]

Ser Mantarys

Ser Mantarys had remained motionless for a long time in the spot where the heroes had vanished. The Murkrows were still all about him, he could feel them latching onto his body. It was a strange connection, a giving one rather than a taking. Ser Mantarys was stronger with the Murkrows by his side, though he'd never have imagined it. Who would have known, beings as weak as those birds, giving him the immense power to wipe everything around him from existence. He was charmed by all that power, the capability, the moment it had arrived.

There was something queer, though, about those birds. Perhaps they were blind, or deaf, or simply didn't quite comprehend with reality... they stayed there, faithfully clinging onto him. He flexed his claws, causing a small burst of dark energy in front of his eyes, as if to test the dark power.

The forest burned to his side, for a long time, and he was satisfied about that. Only he was tired of it, as he knew how things would end. There it was, the blinding light that would turn everything back to normal, as the Stranger had said. Ser Mantarys never comprehended with his planning, his way of thinking. Why burn a forest if it was going to be healed anyway? Why go through all this trouble, knowing the heroes in the end would win?

Ser Mantarys had lost. Even if Vallckran did manage to return from the Forest's Heart, Mantarys at least would have to apologize to the King, and the best he could hope for was to have his head between his shoulders when he exited the throne room. And even then, he would be shamed by his rival Crimson Captain and possibly replaced as the leader of the Company...

The Krookodile shook his head in disbelief of the developments. His throat was raw and aching, blood was coming out of his nostrils, sticky saliva dripped down his jaws, and his headache couldn't have been worse."Water," he croaked, feeling nauseous. He felt the dark beings around him... dissipate. Dissolved in thin air, the grand power had left him now. But he knew it would return he needed it most. The Stranger had assured him of that... he had also warned him of the aftermath. So much power... it had a cost. It was like a drug, giving him a massive burst of energy at first, but then sapping it completely. If he had overused it... if he had fought the heroes, maybe there would be no going back for him.

"Ser Mantarys, you aren't looking well," a high pitched voice said from somewhere. It was the Trade Prince, almost perfectly camouflaged in the sunlight-filled camp; he was wearing his sunglasses. Behind him, another Pokemon stood, his Reuniclus bodyguard, Sigmund, and next to him, an unconscious Alysanne was floating gently mid air. None of the other two seemed to find this scene macabre. Sigmund was keeping a straight face, not giving away his thoughts or emotions, but Januario's grin was wide, toothy and full of chocolate.

Mantarys took a step towards him, then stumbled and fell. The tip of his snout fell a yard away from the little Pikachu. "Water," he croaked again, shutting his eyes. Suddenly, he felt his upper jaw being pulled upwards, a liquid pouring into his thirsty mouth afterwards. He screamed and choked, spitting it out. "Bloody hell, what was that!"

Januario let out a chuckle, shaking his empty glass. "The river's been poisoned, and all I have for you is my juice. Now, excuse us. We'll be taking our leave. This place's a mess, like Mantarys here."

They left him to rot in the middle of the camp.

Pierce

The ghost had sunken into the ground, walking next to Januario and the two others as they left the camp. He would have killed Mantarys as they turned away, but he didn't dare put his entire operation to danger by risking to kill a pawn. The tables had quite turned in this game, but it was nothing somebody like Pierce couldn't deal with. His absence from the Forest's Heart would be noted, but then again, the grand plan required his attention elsewhere...

Once they were out of sight of the camp, the group stopped. Pierce didn't know with what means Januario was getting away, but he could now reveal himself to confront him. He emerged from the ground, knowing Sigmund would immediately use Imprison on him... as it happened. The cage made of dark green energy locked him in place, but he was safe. He was too valuable to be killed.

"Pierce!" Sigmund's voice boomed metallic, "you've shown yourself! I knew you were around. Next time you pop up, you're a dead ghost." Only Januario laughed from the clever play of words. The Gengar wasn't smiling.

"Hello, Sig," Pierce greeted him, rather seriously. "I see fire in the forest," he continued, "you haven't stood true to your contract. You said you would command your forces to retreat."

The little Pikachu was grinning at him, a dark smile with sunglasses. "I said I would command my forces to retreat. That doesn't include Vallckran. I'm not the one paying Vallckran, so whatever comes out of my little mouth and enters one of his ears, it just travels through his empty head and exits from the other ear."

He's tricked me again, Pierce reflected, letting his smile return to his shady face, despite being imprisoned. Sigmund had burst into a metallic, distorted laughter after Januario's remark on Vallckran's head. Who is Vallckran? Pierce wondered. A new pawn was added into the power play. "Who's paying Vallckran?" he inquired casually. If he could know that bit of information, that would be useful...

The Pikachu shrugged. "How should I know?" He knows, Pierce decided, suddenly intrigued by this Vallckran character. His smile almost shook in irritation, but he managed to hide it. Patience was key when talking to Januario, he reminded himself.

"So, you intend to kill off the Brotherhood after all," the Gengar said with an almost arrogant air of confidence in his smile, "you will lose, Januario. Our contract is off. But we're still friends... it's past time we should be headed to Skyhaven now."

Just as he had thought, Januario lost his cool at the mention of Skyhaven. "Skyhaven?" he repeated, "how did you know?"

"That you were hurrying back to Skyhaven?" It was Pierce's turn to laugh now. "You can't be away for long... I know the stakes there. The King wants the Plate, the Council would be happy to give it up and kiss his feet goodbye! You want my help in this, if you want to keep the Plate there."

Januario was staring at him suspiciously at first, as if examining him. "I will allow you to lend me your help, then," said the Trade Prince... the Gengar's eyes flashed with malice, victoriously, but neither of the Pokemon in front of them saw it through the bars of the distorted prison.

Good, good, and this time, I'll make sure you won't fool me again.... So, the question arises... when will Toa contact me?
​

 

[Greiger]

Reginard Asphos​

Reginard was about to argue even more with the Sceptile, but as the flute played Reginard found an odd sight happening up in the sky. He saw a being appear, though it was too small to make out he was definitely sure that Celebi was now here in the forest. That was all fine and dandy, but his theory still stood on solid ground. Even with Celebi helping them they couldn't change the past! The forest would still burn!

At that moment though, something happened that even Reginard couldn't predict. A bright light formed out and the forest began to heal. It was almost as if the forest itself was moving backwards in time. Trees that had fallen were rising back up, the flames were snuffed out one by one. He felt his knees tremble underneath him while he thought back to all of the various tales he had heard about Celebi. In every single tale he had heard Celibi could only travel through time and possibly carry others back and forth across the past and future. But… but this wasn't possible! How come no one else in recorded myth had written that Celebi could cause forests to be healed!?

Reginard quickly opened the pack he wore and numerous scrolls spilled onto the ground. He only levitated up a handful and quickly scanned over them. He was frantic to find some sort of mention of this power. Had he missed it in his usual reading? Was he so used to reading about Celebi that he had unknowingly skimmed past a few important lines detailing other powers Celebi possessed!? He was the Chronicler of Tales! He was supposed to know these legends back and forth! He was supposed to be able to recite them anytime he was called to recite one!

No… he couldn't have missed as an important detail as this! He had to have missed something! He scanned all the lines, but not once did he see any mention about Celebi's abilities other than time travel. He felt sweat drip down his face, more so at his embarrassment. How could these… these barbaric cultists know about this power!? Unless this had happened before… but when could it have happened before!?

He now found himself frantically looking through the others scrolls to find some mention of a forest healing faster than normal. There had to be evidence! This just didn't happen one day and have everyone forget about it!

He was dimly aware of Roscoe's curt insult toward him, and he once again felt his anger boil under his skin. He scattered scrolls all over in a desperate attempt to find something, anything! His heart thumped in his chest faster and faster while his stomach knotted up in pain. His body shook as he fell to his knees, his scrolls scattered around him in chaos. Slowly all of them floated up and rolled back up, making their way into their container once more.

How… how could he have missed this? It was impossible… he had been to libraries… gone to first hand accounts…

The Chronicler closed his eyes tightly and gripped the ground with his hands. What now? The barrier was up… he couldn't get past those Mukrow, they would just resist his attacks. He… He was useless. Reginard closed his eyes even tighter as he felt a strange pain in his soul. He wasn't sure what it was, but it made him angry… so angry.

 

[Trev]

Loria / Duskwood

"Reginard! You fool! Pull yourself together!"

Loria was extremely irritated as she could feel Reginard's distressed thoughts hitting her like a brick wall. He apparently had trouble grasping the concept that two people that he claimed were less intelligent than him knew something he didn't - and the painful thoughts he was suffering from were close enough to effect her as well. And she wasn't going to stand for it.

"You act like it's the end of the world because there's something you don't know. It's okay that these two know of things you don't. You have never experience Celebi firsthand, so how would you know what she could do? I myself am slightly bewildered that I didn't know of her powers, but it's no cause of concern for me. You learn from both experiences and study - you can't become completely knowledgeable from just one or the other. Act like the proper man you are supposed to be and get off the ground!"

Despite that Reginard was dragging her mind down with his angry thoughts, Loria felt uplifted as Celebi's pulsating power began to repair the forest systematically and instantly. She had never seen a forest recover as fast as it was now, and she felt relieved that the deadly flames were finally dying down. It was actually a beautiful thing to watch; so beautiful, in fact, that the fighting warriors had stopped in awe to watch the reconstruction.

"Celebi's power is stunning. I feel energized. She is truly the protector of the forest, it seems. To have the ability to purify an entire, destroyed forest... I am utterly awestruck."

 

[Garet]

Vallckran
Duskwood - The Forest's Heart
~~~~~

Vallckran had not charged in with his army, opting instead to watch from the slope and get an idea of how the Brotherhood would respond. As the last few hundred flooded around him, Vallckran held up several Cyalans. "Stay with me."

Before long, a sight greeted his eyes that had Vallckran grounding his teeth. What?! The forest had been burning, the Forest's Heart was on fire, only for the damage to be swept away. The destruction of the Brotherhood's nest, gone! As he watched, Vallckran noted a sphere of blinding light in the center of the valley before him. It seemed to be the source of the widespread healing. "You three," Vallckran growled, pointing out an Aggron, a Dodrio, and a Charmeleon. "Check out that light, and report back to me."

As the three Cyalans left quickly, Vallckran descended into the valley at a slower pace with the remaining four Cyalans following. Before the forest had healed, he'd noticed a particular point of activity. It seemed that the Brotherhood had a few Pokemon on their side that devastated the Cyalans they met.

Let's see who these particular bugs are.

 

[Greiger]

Reginard Asphos​

Reginard's eyes snapped open as he heard that vile Witch already chewing him out. How… How dare she!? Did she not realize how much such a thing mattered to him!? Did she not know that he was THE Chronicler of Tales, that it was his moral duty to KNOW such details about the Legendaries because it was his duty to not only Area 52, but to Durand himself?

However, instead of receiving some criticism such as calling him a derogatory name or degrading him even further… much to his surprise the Witch was actually defending himself from… well, his own thoughts. To actually hear one who moments earlier had been taunting him so gleefully actually standing up for him… for some strange reason he began to feel a bit better. That pain in his soul felt oddly out of place. In that clarifying moment he knew something was wrong. He never acted like this… did he? No, there had been moments where he had been proven wrong… but why was he acting like this now?

His own words and actions were like seeing them through a mirror now. He could still see why he had reacted so rashly… but at the same time it was as if a light had been lit before his eyes.

He shook his head a bit, struggling to fight against these strange feelings that seconds ago had completely dominated his spirit. "I… I too don't know what to say." He frowned slightly, "It looks as if… she is rewinding the forest in a way. Using time powers to restore the forest to its prime look." He glanced over at the barrier, "I must make haste over there. We put up the barrier, we must be able to bring it down. And…. Thank you."

Regianrd ported away and appeared right where he needed to the next instant. As he glanced over the Mukrows the clarity his mind was experiencing really hit home as he remembered an important piece of information he had forgotten in the fog.

His eyes glowed blue as he sent out a Miracle eye at the mass of Mukrows, more along to make them susceptible to his powers. What he saw instead caused his anger to boil. "It's fake… IT'S ALL BLOODY FAKE!" He snapped angrily. He quickly connected his mind to the others heroes

Listen to me! Those Mukrows are illusions! They aren't bloody there! Charge the barrier and get it open! He already worked on his own advice and began to hit the barrier with psychic powers. Whoever was in there would pay for making him look like a fool!

 

[Ray Maverick]

Tsulong

Those Mukrows are illusions! Reginard's voice boomed in Tsulong's mind. The Arcanine stopped in his tracks to look at the murder of Murkrows that flapped their wings about, covering almost all of the Giant Tree's base. Some moved suddenly and frantically, some remained motionless... it was all a strange sight. And all this cawing, they were cawing ceaselessly at nothing. It was awfully awry, completely wrong, now that Tsulong looked at it carefully. Murkrows wouldn't act like this. To his knowledge, Murkrows were beings of the dark, who preferred to stay under the shades of the trees during the day... now the sun had no affect on them whatsoever.

Unexpectedly, a memory came to his mind: him and Vincent, fighting off Ser Mantarys in the sacred chamber of the Original One, up in the Sanctum. They were this close to finally killing him, they were both in range for a fatal strike... then the Stranger appeared, all these Murkrows and the hysterical laughter that belonged to neither of them. The Murkrows had stormed Tsulong and Vincent over, throwing them off of Mantarys, yet they were left unharmed. We were unscathed by the Stranger's advance... why?

Then he remembered the two rangers of Area 52. The Murkrows had left nothing but a pile of bones and ash of them, and it was the Stranger's work, no doubt. What kind of Pokemon can control Murkrows in such way?

All this he thought in a brief second. He plunged into battle, his body slashed to the side and to the legs of his left side, bleeding. Pain he had taught himself to suppress from a young age; he usually grit his jaws so hard, the pressure there took his mind off the pain. When he played with fire, the pain was infused into it. Powerful, scorching hot flames would took his foes in front of him. The Brotherhood had stopped their songs now. Instead, they were roaring fiercely, some times shouting "Arceus!", "Lord Zeke!" or "Duskwood!" as they plunged into battle with a sacred fury. The Cyalans replied with their own cries of "King Aion!" or "Cyala!". The storm had started once again, beneath the light of the Paragon of the Forest. The renewed grass was bloodied over again.

Tsulong charged into battle, going after a Stoutland that noticed him. The two engaged in a fierce combat with fangs and claws... a flash of a pulse came from Tsulong's side, he glanced, to see the Lucario of the Brotherhood kneeling. Joseph, the Argent Healer, had launched a Heal Pulse towards his allies, but he was now on his knee, a Mamoswine ready to stomp him over... Tsulong didn't see the rest, as the Stoutland bashed him directly in the head in a Take Down that sent him rolling on the ground, unconscious.

Howland

The Sceptile played with his scythehook and dirk on his claws, running and leaping across the grassy, low hills of the Forest's Heart. The Cyalans were spread, attempting to surround the Brotherhood once again. A dangerous tactic, Howland considered it, as they had the Paragon of the Forest on their side. The Time Flute had worked, and they were about to expel the mercenaries from the forest once and for all... The Forest's Heart was entirely different under that light, but he knew it would soon fade; the healing of the forest didn't take long. Celebi had to focus on the Stranger some time, too... when the time came, Howland would be ready.

For now, slaughter...

There was a Magmar, in the distance; a burst of flames was shot against the Sceptile, who fluidly dodged it and threw his dirk, which sunk onto the Pokemon's torso. There was another burst of flames as Howland approached, but he slid right past it, then used his scythehook to lock the foe's throat, pull him forward and stick the dirk deeper, before jerking it out and moving for the next foe... "For the Brotherhood," Howland hissed, swishing like a panther through the enemy ranks.
​

Faolan

Faolan stood on the grassy hill, watching the Murkrows on the base of the Giant Tree intently. Reginard had used Miracle Eye on the Murkrows and had informed everyone of how they were illusions. Impossible, Faolan declared, I am able to understand their auras, even from this far away... looking at them, he saw them consumed with a black smog, that almost hid all of their features. It was like a massive black haze. He'd never again witnessed a similar aura. Then, it struck him... that is not aura, he thought. "That is not aura," he repeated solidly out loud for the others to hear him, "that is... a black fog." Or so it seemed to him. Reginard's Miracle Eye had allowed him to see through the illusion; Faolan couldn't help but wonder what could be achieved if they all intensified the move by focusing more psychic energy to it. Perhaps the Stranger's illusion would drop.

Reginard, I don't believe your psychic attacks will be of help here, unless you maintain Miracle Eye active, Faolan thought back to the voice that had warned him, hoping he could use the same telepathetic link Reginard was using. These Murkrows do not seem like a normal illusion to me. Therefore, we must tread into the unknown with caution. Illusion or not, we ought to try to get through this... fog, in order to reach the barrier. I can try blasting my way through with Aura Spheres, but my attacks alone will not suffice.
​

 

[Sir Bastian]

Vincent 'Vince' The Wanderer – Forest's Heart

Vincent's head was suddenly filled with the sound of Reginard's hurried voice, revealing the Murkrows in front of the entrance to the large tree in the middle of the Heart to be nothing but an illusion. Vincent dared a quick glance over there, seeing Reginard teleport in front of it and start barraging the barrier with his attacks.

He only just managed to snap back to the massive, loud battle in front of him, in time to duck and toss himself backwards and away from a Scyther that just swung at him. It shouted out something, but he couldn't hear the words due to both the Brotherhood and Cyalans shouting out their battlecries. He huffed out, blanking his mind as he always did when he fought, giving him much more clarity and control of the situation.

Raising his shells, he managed to parry several of the Scyther's swings and deliver a swift kick to its chest, forcing it to stumble backwards. Before it could make another attack forwards, he shot an ice beam at one of its scythes, causing the block of ice-for-a-limb to fall to the ground, the Cyalans making good use of the opportunity to tear into it. Taking a deep breath through his nose, his mouth still covered by the scarf, which now had a couple of bloodspatters across it, he turned and watched as a Mamoswine was preparing to trample Joseph, the Argent Healer, who was currently kneeling on the ground.

I can't let him die, Vincent thought to himself, gritting his teeth as he quickly spun and raised his right hand and shell, which shot out a 'beam' of water from the ground, with him riding on top of it, at high speed, which smacked square into the side of the Mamoswine, putting it off of its otherwise solid footing. Vincent launched himself off of the pulse of water, spinning around himself with his arms stretched out, which delivered two, large gashes along the swine's side, causing it to howl out in pain.

Backing a little away from his opponent, the Mamoswine glared at him, digging one of its tusks into the ground before flicking it upwards, sending a large ball of mud flying at Vincent, which he was forced to roll to the side to avoid, just to see the Pokémon charging at him. Clenching his shells tightly, he lept upwards, avoiding the charge at the last moment, and proceeded to slice one of his shells across the swine's side, causing it to stumble and fall to the ground behind him as he landed. He panted heavily and moved over to Joseph, hooking one of his shells to the strap across his thigh.

"Joseph, are you alright? Gather your energy, I'll keep you safe meanwhile."

He gave another look over towards the large tree, where some of the heroes were gathering to try and win back the grass plate. I can't help you this time. I'm needed here. Good luck, everyone.

​

 

[Greiger]

Reginard Asphos​

Reginard narrowed his eyes as he glanced at the fog, No... I can do this Faolan. I know my limits. Reginard put in all of his focus on that barrier. He had put this up... he had to take it down. His eyes shot open as he sent out a Psychic attack right at the barrier. His eyes began to glow a bright blue as he poured more of his power into his attack. The fog couldn't be that hard to break through, after all, it was only fog. It wasn't as if it was a dark type pokemon or such. He knew the weak points on his own barrier, and since it had only shrunken down he could find such spots and work on them one by one.

He would kill whoever decided to hijack creation of his! At least it provided some information about how strong the king's forces really were. It would have taken several psychics to secretly take control of the barrier and the mold it to fit whatever they saw needed to be protected. They were all probably in there now, keeping it up while they searched for the Grass Plate. He had to admit, distracting them with the soldiers to keep their mind off of the barrier was a genius idea. He would have to write down such strategies to use later, but for now he had to find the weak points and hit them hard. Yes, there could be many psychics powering this new barrier, but he knew he was stronger than all of them. He had been chosen by Arceus himself after all.

Anyone who wishes to help can come help. We're taking this barrier down.

 

[Ray Maverick]

Ambassador
​

It seemed like the Trade Prince had secretly arrived in Skyhaven, using the Embassy's teleporter, Sana the Kirlia. In fact, the little stumpy Pikachu had just left Franklin's office, along with his friends, or associates as he liked to call them: a Reuniclus, a Mienshao & a Gengar. Only Sana was left behind, her hands behind her back and her eyes on the floor, awaiting Franklin's orders. Franklin was a Tangrowth who held the title of the Cyalan Ambassador, the operator of the Cyalan Embassy in Skyhaven. In case trouble came up with Cyala and Skyhaven, he would make sure to work things out best between the two cities... always to the best interests of Cyala, of course.

And it seemed the Trade Prince and his associates were running from Duskwood. That could mean two things: King Aion had succeeded in retrieving the Grass Plate, and the Brotherhood was no more... or the Brotherhood had managed to fight back, somehow, and kept the Plate. In any case, war was coming toward Skyhaven, black clouds in the distance like those gathered in the skies of Duskwood. The King wanted the Plate, and he would get the Plate, or destroy Skyhaven thoroughly and step over the dead bodies of the Council's members to get it.

Franklin leaned in on his desk, deciding he would have to think of things through, pinpoint his role in all this. Before they could give the Plate to King Aion, the Skyhaven Council would have to remove it first from the Pinnacle... it was Franklin's job to convince them. He slammed his hand on the desk, a determined look in his face.

"Skyhaven must yield the Plate, or there will be war... surely, Januario, of all people, you would know that best," he muttered to himself, fiddling with a feather that he used ink to write with. He would have to formulate a plan, to counter Januario's futile efforts to keep the Plate within the city. Actually, the Trade Prince knew very well what he was doing. It wasn't luck that made Januario the Trade Prince, it was his cunning and ruthlessness.

That damned mouse would bring war to Skyhaven just to satisfy his need for gold. He was sapping the city of it, and Franklin, as a diplomat, could see that a war situation did indeed favor the Trade Prince. The price of grain and berry would skyrocket above the highest peaks of Montajo Range. And Januario, who was the biggest contributor to the city, would have his incomes multiply by hundreds. If war was ever to damage his businesses here in Skyhaven, he would be repaid tenfold by what money those businesses had made him before. I know what game you're playing, you filthy rat. You'll be uprooted in a second, just you wait... Lady Tanda will see to it that you're expelled from the Council of Skyhaven. Her plan is simple and gorgeous. Sweet Lady Tanda, always understanding, and caring, so caring...

"Sir?" Sana the Kirlia asked him. "What would you have me do next?"

The Tangrowth smirked his eyebrows together, disturbed by Sana's interruption. "Remove yourself from my office. And tell your father that if he doesn't do his duties as a teleporter, I'll gut him."

"Yes, sir," Sana said mechanically, with the best poker face she could put on. Franklin leaned back on his chair, lighting up a pipe for relaxation. The smoke rose to the semi dark room. He could see Sana's shade by the glass, standing out the door like a good guardian she was.

Thinking back to the Trade Prince... he remembered one of his allies. A shady Gengar with a bright, malevolent, white smile and red eyes. He was no other than the Cunning Shadow. A clever entrepreneur and shrewd negotiator, Pierce had the potential to be one of the most successful businessmen in Skyhaven, yet he chose to spend his talent only in acquiring and trading rare objects, mostly artifacts, that had or had not historical value. Franklin would have never imagined that the particular Gengar fellow was on Januario's side, especially after the Light Ball fiasco. How come? How come... I will need to investigate their connection - if they are truly working together... that cannot be good. Each of them has a skill the other has not. Januario has the commanding power, and Pierce has the charisma. Together as allies, they are dangerous.

Just then, the door busted open. Franklin saw the Kirlia had an expression of terror on her face, and he could immediately tell something was wrong. He pushed his chair backwards, standing up.





"Sir, th-the... s-someone is d-downstairs..." she whispered, on the verge of crying.

"Who?" the Tangrowth inquired in a low voice, as not to be heard.

"I... I don't... know..." now Sana was crying for real. "E-everyone is dead..."

Franklin's pupils dilated. A small sweat dripped down one of his vines. An attack? On the Embassy? Who could be behind this? Sana was saying, they were all dead? And Franklin hadn't heard a thing. Fear started getting a firm grip of him. But he managed to compose himself - the Kirlia was here, he would have a safe route out.

"How many are they?"

"J-just one..."

"One?!" Franklin shouted. He blinked, stunned. One? Impossible..."Quick, come, take us out of here--"

A massive shadow appeared behind the glass. Outside, on the corridor, someone was standing tall. The moment the Kirlia raised her eyes to look in fear and awe, the glass shattered in a deafening boom, sending shards to all directions. Along with the glass, the wall had fallen as well, raising a cloud of dust, rubble all over the floor. Franklin raised his hands to protect his face, though he peeked. The Kirlia let out a scream as something big hit her; she rolled in front of the Ambassador.

He looked at her face, twisted with fear, her eyes shining with what could be the feeling of impending death. A shard of glass had pierced clean through her chest. Franklin grabbed her little shoulders.

"Teleport us!" he shouted at Sana, shaking her.

The assailant was towering over him, a big shadow in the dust. "I told them to stand aside... they never listen, do they?" the assailant's voice sounded alien, unnatural, if it even belonged to a male. The Kirlia shook uncontrollably, then, drawing Franklin's terrified gaze. Her eyes had widened so much, they seemed ready to pop out... in fact, they did.

She exploded into bits by an explosion of invisible matter so powerful that launched Franklin off the floor against the wall, falling on the floor, aching all over.

"I've come to collect your life, and it's gonna hurt like hell," the assailant said casually, as if it was all in a day's work.

Suddenly, Franklin had lost control; his eyes were shut, he couldn't even open them to see who was doing this to him. His heavy body rose to the air by an unknown, unseen force, and crushed against the wall, again. And again, and again, until the wall broke into bits. Franklin was thrown from the second floor, out in the Embassy's yard.

He rolled on the ground painfully. An overwhelming sensation of pain on his brain had paralyzed him completely, it was nothing he had ever felt before, and he couldn't think of why, why someone would do this to him, a peaceful Ambassador, what it would accomplish, and most importantly, who was it.

He managed to open his eyes, but the sun was behind the shadow of the bulky Pokemon, blinding him. He could, though, see fire. Fire, circling around the shadow in spheres of condensed energy. There was a Pokemon there, but Franklin couldn't quite make its features out... "Wh-why?" he stuttered.

"That's what I do," the voice said, hard to be heard through the roar of flames. The spheres let out a burst of flames, increasing their intensity...

Then they were shot against Franklin, the fire swallowing him wholly once they found their mark. The Tangrowth started wailing, feeling his vines catching on fire, and when his body rose in the air, he knew he was lost. He crushed heavily against the ground with such savageness that he lost his senses. The assailant was silent, one fat finger raised, his hand going up and down, controlling the bloody mess that was Franklin, until all that was left of him was ash and a few bones.

The remains were disposed at the quiet Embassy's walls. The silence of the grave engulfed the area... before the blood that had sprayed on the ground rose in the air, defying the gravitational force. The blood formed a perfect blob, levitating in midair, then it was shot against the wall, splashing and painting it after a fashion. It almost looked like graffiti.

There were spots the blood hadn't managed to stain. These spots formed a single word:

Zeal.




​

 

[Manska]

Gaius the Disciple ​

Gaius pulled his cloak tighter around him as he meandered along the path, a slight shiver running along his body despite the thick fabric. The air had a chill to it this early in the morning and despite the fur that covered most of his body, Gaius did not consider himself a creature built for the cold; if anything the opposite was true, the protruding spikes of metallic bone on his chest and hands gave the cold an easy entry into his body. Stopping his wandering for a moment to lean against one of the many delicately carved statues decorating the paths Gaius raised one hand to his face, squinting in concentration for a moment as he brought forth a miniature aura sphere in the palm of his hand. As the glow and heat from the condensed aura washed over him Gaius let his eyes wander around the area - between the tall hedgerows, winding gravel paths and exquisite statues there was plenty pleasant to look at - while his mind stayed put, pondering the situation that he had gotten involved in.

Gaius had to admit, after the exciting and perilous tale that the elderly xatu in Area 52 had told him, he had been expecting a task somewhat more… dynamic than simply going to some city and waiting around there. True, the original request had been phrased more eloquently than that; containing plenty of filler about how important Skyhaven was as the resting place of the Sky Plate and the necessity of Area 52 having a presence in the area in case something happened, but that didn't change how little there Gaius actually had to do other than amuse himself as best he could. With a sigh Gaius pushed himself off the statue and continued walking along the path, eyes still flicking around at his surroundings. If there was any place that he absolutely had to wait around without a task like this, then Skyhaven was at least one of the better ones to be in. The city was massive compared to the places Gaus usually traveled and there was a bewildering amount of sights to see and things to do for a casual tourist; as much as being stuck in one place with no task grated on him Gaius could hardly say that he was bored.

Suddenly an odd sound off in the distance broke the peace of the remote district, sounding almost like a muffled explosion. His train of thought broken and ears twitching under his hood as they tried to locate the source of the sound Gaius peered over where he had heard it. The only thing that he could see over there was the Cyalian Embassy; an overly large building of white stone, decorated with large pillars and a wide, sloping roof. "What the…?" he muttered to himself curiously, wondering what he had heard even as a part of the embassy's upper wall abruptly exploded and a figure went flying out into the courtyard below. For a moment Gaius' eyes were wide with shock as he stood stationary, trying to process what had just happened until his feet caught up with his head and he started running towards the embassy, hedges morphing into green blurs in his peripheral vision as Gaius used Extremespeed to get there as quickly as he could.

Still, despite his speed by the time Gaius arrived the Embassy was quiet once more, nothing from the outside revealing the earlier disturbance except the holed wall. A quick, panicked sweep of the building and grounds with Aura wasn't heartening; there were far fewer Aura signatures than a house of that size should have and the few that Gaius caught were weak and fading, matching that of a highly injured pokemon. Rushing through the gate Gaius was stopped in his tracks by the stench of blood and turned around, freezing at what he could see. In his years traveling Gaius had seen many gruesome things and caused some of them himself, but he had never seen quite so much blood spilled on one place. This hadn't been a simple fight or disagreement between two pokemon, the wall before him was almost entirely soaked in crimson and Gaius could just see a few bare spots where the original white of the stone shone through. "Zeal." He muttered to himself, wondering what it meant.

 

[Sir Bastian]

Vincent 'Vince' The Wanderer & Vallckran – Forest's Heart & Outskirts

Commanding an army that outnumbered the Brotherhood was no reason to sit back and relax while others did the work, and he wanted to make sure the pests wouldn't survive. As he entered the fray, Vallckran waited until some foolish Pokemon took an interest in him.

A Breloom appeared in front of him and lashed out with a Mach Punch. Taking the hit without a flinch, Vallckran opened his jaws and released a Flamethrower, pushing the now-burning Breloom back. It was finished off with a Dragon Claw in the chest. Vallckran waved away the four Cyalans who'd followed him, letting them join the battle on their own.

A Beedrill came at him from above. Only a brief burst of flames. A Vigoroth in front; a hastily cut-off Thunderbolt from behind warned Vallckran of a Pikachu. A wave of his arms to create a small cyclone of sand, and the Vigoroth's legs were trapped in a Sand Tomb. Turning around, Vallckran saw that the Pikachu had disappeared, replaced by a Sneasel who called in several other Pokemon to Beat Up the Garchomp. Vallckran released another Flamethrower in a circle around himself, forcing them back while he pushed off with his legs to stab the Sneasel with a Dragon Claw.

Flinging the body at another of the Brotherhood, Vallckran snorted. Give me a real challenge.
Vincent landed on the ground after cutting a large gash across the face of a Blissey, who was trying to heal up the Cyalans around her. Normally, Vincent wouldn't attack a medic, but she had shifted between healing the Cyalans and throwing explosive eggs into the midst of the Brotherhood, so he'd been left with no choice.

However, his attention was drawn to an area to his left, where Brotherhood Pokémon were falling like flies, some of them even backing away, and as Vincent looked, he noticed just one Pokémon standing taller than anyone around him. He narrowed his eyes while taking a couple steps back, leaving the Brotherhood to take the front lines while he scoped out the Garchomp currently tearing into the Brotherhood.

It can't be him... can it? Vincent thought to himself as he watched the dragon blast another few members of the Brotherhood with the flames from his breath and Vincent decided that he couldn't stand by and let him damage the Brotherhood any longer. He grasped his shells tightly before darting forwards at high speed, slipping under and between other Pokémon due to his small size, until he eventually made it into the small circle Vallckran had made around himself, The Brotherhood hesitant to attack as Vincent stared up at the massive monster of a Pokémon, his shells at the ready and his body in his usual, balanced fighting stance. "... I think you've done enough damage here as it is."

Vallckran's eyes narrowed as a Dewott stepped up to fight him. There was little to recognize him by, but the scarf itself revealed who this challenger was. It had been years since they'd last met. "Not near enough," Vallckran rumbled, a vicious grin spreading on his face. One arm waved forward a small cyclone of sand, aiming to trap the Dewott in a Sand Tomb, immediately followed by a Dragon Claw.

Raising his arms to cover himself, Vincent blinked as he found himself trapped by the sand. However, before Vallckran, despite his swiftness, managed to plunge his claw into his chest, Vincent thrust an arm upwards, a blast of water shooting him out of the ground, at which point he landed a little ways off to the side. Thinking quickly, he looked around himself. I have to draw him away, he'll do too much damage here.

Without a word, the Dewott gave Vallckran a challenging look before turning and leaping forwards, setting off in a dash, in between the Pokémon, mainly ducking and curling around Cyalans to minimize Brotherhood casualties while he heads for the border of the Forest's Heart. Hopefully he could get this hunter of his to some place where there wouldn't be any more casualties.

It was to be a chase, was it? Before Vallckran set off, the Vigoroth and two other Pokemon stepped in to attack him, despite their fear. He merely knocked back the Vigoroth's Slash with a fin, pushing it back against another Pokemon while the third's head rolled back from a Dragon Claw to the neck.

Vallckran didn't give anyone a chance to attack after that. His arms folded in, he pushed off with his legs to speed through the battle, following the blue blur that was the Wanderer.

Not taking a moment to look over his shoulder, Vincent knew that Vallckran was following him. He couldn't help it, his mentor had told him. He was obsessed. All the same though, it gave him the opportunity to do what was right and give the Brotherhood a fighting chance. He ducked, jumped and dashed as fast as he can through the blur of Pokémon fighting and shouting all around him, barely avoiding getting hit a couple of times.

Eventually, he made it out of the mess of bodies, which he knew was going to be a problem. Without any bodies to cover himself from the dragon's attacks, Vallckran was surely going to try his luck at a ranged attack. Taking a deep breath, Vincent lept into the air, gracefully moving both of his arms backwards and just as he touched the ground, he thrust them forwards, a jet of water shooting out diagonally with Vincent on top of it, giving him the boost of speed he needed to reach the very edge of the forest.

Not exactly the kind of chase he wanted; the Wanderer was aiming for too large a distance from the battle. Vallckran considered for a moment whether he should oblige, as he ran and bashed through the press. The Pokemon of the Brotherhood were here and fighting for their lives, while a Dewott that had eluded him in years past was leaving the fray. Leading him away from the weaklings.

Well, then. If his elusive prey would lead him away, then he ought to leave a parting blow with the Brotherhood. It wasn't like this distraction would take long enough for the battle to move elsewhere. Outside the edge of the fray, seconds after the Dewott had shot off, Vallckran slowed to a halt as a ball of energy grew inside him. He spun around and opened his mouth, releasing the orange energy into the air above the battle. Moments later, it exploded into smaller meteor-like orbs that rained down onto the Pokemon below.

Vallckran did not stay to watch his Draco Meteor hit. Right after releasing it, he turned again and resumed running, eyes tracking the airborne Dewott in the distance. As he neared, Vallckran aimed a Flamethrower at the spot where he expected the Wanderer to land.

Vincent's eyes widened as the glow of the meteor shone on the trees in front of him, turning around mid-air with a look of surprise on his face, just as the tounge of flame shot towards him. He winced and raised his arms to shield his face, the flames slamming square against him, sending him staggering back.

Thankfully, the flames didn't hurt him that much, but they still singed his fur quite badly. They'd gotten far enough away from the fight for Vallckran to deal any damage to the Brotherhood without turning his back to Vincent, which would be a mistake. The Dewott breathed heavily, weary from the VERY long day of nearly non-stop fighting, though his stare up at Vallckran was as defiant and challenging as ever.

"... So, I finally meet you. It's been a long while since last, but I still remember you quite clearly. What are you doing with the Cyalans?"

Vallckran came to a halt as he finally came face-to-face with the Wanderer. At the Dewott's question, he snorted. "Do you have a thick head?" He tapped the shell that hung from his neck, painted black with the Crimson Company's red heart. "I'm with the Crimson Company."

"What about you? Where's your master now?" The last word came out right before another Flamethrower; Vallckran cut it short and fired a Sand Tomb at the Wanderer.

Seeing the attack coming, Vincent rose his right arm to the sky, which shot another burst of water from the ground, right in front of him. The flames hit the spout of water and a thick fog was quickly created due to the colliding elements. From what Vallckran could tell before the area became too foggy, the sand tomb hadn't hit its mark. However, Vincent's voice still spoke out from somewhere in the mist.

"My master left the title of Wanderer to me. He's of no concern to you, hunter. I am actually disappointed. I didn't think someone like you would become the king's pet."

Vallckran did not answer as he made a jump forward, Dragon Claws outstretched in case the Wanderer was too close. In fact, it should be the other way around. Raising his arm-fins, Vallckran spun in a circle, calling up sand from who-knows-where. In moments, the mist-covered area was barraged by a sandstorm.

"Dead, is he?" Vallckran taunted a few seconds later, his voice coming from another direction. "Or did he grow tired? Let his apprentice take on the trouble so he could relax?"

Vincent huffed out quietly as the sand blew around him, his scarf thankfully somewhat protecting him, the both of the fighters now shielded from the other as the Dewott slowly moved around, his shells at the ready to strike, should Vallckran show himself, his ears twitching with every little sound in preparation of an attack. "You couldn't understand the bond between us. You're nothing but a senseless killer. I don't expect you to know of anything but different ways to gut someone."

"Believe me, I'm anything but senseless." The Garchomp's voice was elsewhere again. He'd pinpointed the Wanderer by his voice. Vallckran dashed by the Dewott, aiming to drag a Dragon Claw along him before disappearing again.

His ear twitched as the Garchomp came barelling towards him, his arm swinging in a vicious arc, which Vincent barely managed to raise his shell to deflect, before the dragon disappeared into the sandstorm again. Vincent grit his teeth behind the scarf, squinting as he tried to make out Vallckran's shadow through the sandstorm while slowly moving towards the edge of the little clearing the two were in. "What's the point in your hunting, then? Sport? Fun?"

There was no response at first as Vallckran circled around. Then: "Trying to escape, are you? Just like the coward that your master was." The Garchomp darted by again, this time firing a Flamethrower ahead of the Dragon Claw that came.

Vincent swiftly lept to the side of the flames blasting past him, wincing in pain as the Dragon Claw grazed him across the chest, giving him a nasty cut, though he was lucky it wasn't anymore than that. The Dewott was panting for air, he was complete exhausted, but now was no time to relax. He took in a deep breath, muttering out a "You have no idea what you are talking about." With just a hint of anger as he waited for more movement.

As he saw the flicker of a shadow move past in the sandstorm, he thrust his right hand forwards, a beam of ice shooting from it, aiming to ensnare Vallckran, followed by Vincent charging forwards, shells at the ready to deal with Vallckran's claws, and to deliver several slices along his body and arms.

Vallckran had been ready to move in again when the Ice Beam came his way. He raised his fins to protect his head and torso, leaving them slightly frozen as the Wanderer charged.

Vallckran spun in place to whack him with his tail, continuing the movement in order to follow up with a swing from his fins. What ice had formed needed to be broken. Another Flamethrower, and Vallckran aimed with another Dragon Claw.

As the tail came swinging for him, Vincent managed to flip himself sideways over it, continuing charging up to him. As the fin came swinging towards him, he held his shells at the ready, and just before hitting him, he drew a slice across it with both of his shells, turning his shoulder as he winced, the fin smacking into him and causing him to slide off to the side.

He barely managed to dive forwards, away from the flames, his exhaustion visible, to him at least. His movements and reaction times were still good, but alot slower than usual. As the claws came slicing down, he only just managed to bring both his shells up overhead to block the attack, gritting his teeth as he held the dragon at bay, glaring up at him, the scarf slipping away from his mouth and nose, falling down around his neck as he took in a deep breath, almost spitting out his words at him. "... You're nothing but a killer."

Vallckran snorted, dragging his claws to one side in order to push the shells out of the way, before kicking the Wanderer back. "I am a dragon." He slashed at the Dewott with a Dragon Claw, then another, and another. "You. Are nothing. But an elusive pest."

Vincent staggered back from the kick, all of the air knocked out of him and he barely had enough time to recover as he raised his shells to deflect claw upon claw, his movements turning more and more sluggish. As he parried the fifth attack, the shell in his left hand let out a 'crack' before splintering into two, Vincent's eyes wide as his hand now grasped thin air. He swung his right hand in an attempt to deal another blow to Vallckran, but the oncoming Dragon Claw was too powerful and Vincent was too tired. With another, swift blow, the shell flew out of his hand and stuck itself firmly into the trunk of a nearby tree, leaving Vincent weaponless, though with the same, if tired, defiant glare up at Vallckran.

"Pests live to die." As the sandstorm died down, Vallckran knocked the Wanderer to the ground with his fin. His breath came smoothly to him, as if he hadn't expended any energy in the fight. The cold burns left on his fins had healed over; the shell around Vallckran's neck seemed to give off a faint shimmer of light for a moment.

"Just one question." Vallckran stared down at the Wanderer. "Where is your master's sword?"

Vincent wheezed for air, the pain in his body throbbing as he pushed his hands against the ground, slowly pushing himself slightly further up, his one kept shut due to the pain now going through his head. He lifted it and glared up at Vallckran, clearly despising the dragon in front of him, despite his... well, not-so-favorable current position.

He took a breath, followed by a cough as he spoke out with considerable pauses. "I'm not... going to give you that... satisfaction. You don't... deserve to know."

Hmph. Without a word, Vallckran leaned over and gave the Wanderer's arm a neat Poison Jab. He then gave one last wave of his arm to trap him in a Sand Tomb that covered the lower half of the Dewott's body. The Garchomp then walked over to the tree, a slight limp in his left leg back now that the fight was over.

Mentally cursing his lack of hands, Vallckran bit down on the shell lodged in the tree and pulled it out, pushing it to one side so it fit inside his mouth. A trophy, when he found the time to have it strung around his neck. Leaving the Wanderer to die in his tomb, by bleeding or poison, Vallckran began heading back to the battle near the Giant Tree.
​

 

[Ray Maverick]

Guardian

As Guardian swept through the battlefield, he was letting out bass, long grumbles that terrified all the Pokemon around him. They had battle cries, he had his grotesque shout that sounded as if the reaper ghost from the underworld had come to take lives back with him. Some members of the Brotherhood screamed 'Hellreaver' when they saw him slamming into the Cyalans like a battering ram and punching, bashing and stepping over them to his way through their ranks. He tried to keep an eye on Tsulong and Vincent but it was much too hard. The battle carried him away and the two heroes separated.

His Shadow Punch sent a Gothitelle flying; a psychic attack hit his chest that moment, a future sight perhaps, reminding him of old wounds: Ser Mantarys's Foul Play on his shoulder. The black scar, however small, would remain forever, for dark type attacks never fully healed.

The battle around him looked to be close to an end... there were many Pokemon of the Brotherhood left, and the Cyalans outnumbered them still. Guardian's help would be needed, but the heroes needed him most right now.

Obey. Serve. Protect. The three words circled into Guardian's mind when he remembered he should have been protecting the heroes. He had never done a good job as a Guardian of Area 52. Now it was time to find the heroes and let the Brotherhood fight their own battle. His arms and feet retracted into his body, flames from ignition shooting out of his legs as he launched himself skywards like a rocket, leaving the battle behind him. He dodged a flamethrower that tried to take him down and scanned the Forest's Heart. Being a ghost, he could feel the life essence of the heroes... Vincent lay motionless in a hill. Even though Guardian wasn't supposed to process feelings, a swift strike of panic made him fly towards the Dewott.

Underneath him in the grassy field, another Pokemon ran with ExtremeSpeed towards the hero of the Water Mastery - the Lucario healer of the Brotherhood, Joseph. Guardian was relieved to see him, though still worried about Vincent's condition. How had he ended up there, away from the fight?

Guardian landed with a thud next to the Dewott, quickly kneeling over him to dig him out of the sand with long swipes of his shovel-like hands. He took the Dewott in his arms. The next moment Joseph was firing a Healing Pulse at him, the sacred white light engulfing both Guardian and the Wanderer. The sorcery made his wounds close and cleanse the poison in his veins. The toxin came off on his blue skin as a hot black stain that slowly dissipated into the air. Joseph put a hand on the Dewott's head to check his temperature.

"I may have the means for a quick healing, but time is the best healer," Joseph said kindly to the unconscious hero. "I fear he shan't fight for a while."

"This one advises you to not push yourself into battle again," Guardian suggested. The Lucario glanced at him.

"He's unconscious, Guardian," he said grimly.

Guardian rose from the ground, looking to the battlefield. "Argent Healer," he called out to Joseph, "your people are faltering. This one is grateful for saving the Wanderer's life, but believes you are most needed there, and not to the side of heroes."

The Lucario sighed, watching Guardian retract his legs and floating in midair. He put the limp body of Vincent over his shoulder and offered a hand to Joseph, who smiled broadly as he took it and climbed to the Golurk's shoulder. How he smiled, after having watched his people die, Guardian had no idea... but he had no way of knowing what was in the Argent Healer's mind.

Flying over the battlefield, the Lucario dropped off of him to land in the middle of his ranks, launching another Healing Pulse. Guardian kept flying, looking for the other heroes. He found them on the other side of the Forest's Heart, closer to the massive cloud of Murkrows that flew about in the base of the Giant Trees; it seemed like the heroes had formed a stand there and were trying to take the barrier down. He placed Vincent on the grass gently, then looked at the Murkrows, trying to find the purple colored barrier among them.

Durand

Durand watched the sun that sunk into the horizon slowly, soon to be pierced by Mount Aegis as it happened this time every afternoon, ever since the very first day of the Making. In the golden light of the sun, Xatus like Durand were able to see the future, but Durand wasn't just any Xatu. Known or not, he was one of the most powerful psychics of Altica, a Pokemon that could see not only the future, but the past... and the present. Altica's forests shook with happiness in the return of their Paragon. Durand could feel their leaves shaking, not with the wind, but with Celebi's return.

From the roof of Lookout Pointe, his house, built in and on the top hill of Area 52, he would usually look towards the west, where the sun set to bathe the Sanctum of the Original One atop Mount Aegis in its golden light. Today was different. He had turned to watch the north intently, his eyes burning blue with the power of the psychics; it was a trick, an extension of Miracle Eye that allowed his vision to be enhanced. The use of psychic energy was an art to him, he had extended many of his psychic abilities to ways normal psychics could not ever hope to reach... at the cost of his wings. That was why Durand had robes on, to protect the weak parts of his body that were his wings.

He needed not fly, if he could teleport halfway through Altica with a concentrated burst of his powers. That's what he was doing right now, assuming powers to carry out the spell needed to take him to Duskwood, where he was staring at. Far away, to the northern forest of Duskwood, he could see fires. The Forest's Heart was found... the Forest's Heart burned, only for a time... now, the Forest's Heart will be left in peace. His robe was flapping in the wind for a moment, as he stood atop the Lookout Pointe. The next moment, he was gone.

***

"Heroes," Durand croaked out, walking on the soft grass of the Forest's Heart. He knew he had teleported close to the main source of psychic power of the heroes, Reginard. Close to him were Faolan the Wicked, Loria the Frozen Witch, Guardian and an unconscious Vincent the Wanderer. "I'm pleased to see you in good health. Don't bother updating me," he said grimly, "I'm aware of what's going on. The guiding of Arceus brought me here... Reginard! Come over here, my son. These Murkrows have plagued the forest long enough. Lend me your powers... we shall reveal their true nature together, for all to see."

Guardian stepped forward, "Elder Durand, this one is pleased to see you."

The Xatu turned at Guardian, Faolan and Loria and nodded solemnly, without saying a word. "You three, every minute that passes brings us closer to the night. A task such as waning the Murkrows during nighttime would be impossible. You must hurry down the barrier - that is where your powers are needed most. Reginard and I will help you from this point... we must stop this madness--"

Suddenly, the battle cries of the war nearby were silenced. Durand felt as if he dove underwater. Every sound was blurred, and the cold pierced through his feathers terrifyingly easily. A long, well known sigh echoed in the mind of Durand, before the resonating whisper came...

"Roscoe the Leech... Howland, the Exile... alive still, I observe. If you wish to see your homeland safe, come, come to me, heroes of the Forest... come to your death..."
​

 

[Greiger]

Reginard Asphos​

Reginard paused in his barrier break in attempt as the voice spoke out. He quickly whirled around to see Durand there and instantly he fell to a knee before the elder. "Durand-" He began, but he quickly silenced himself as the psychic spoke. He knew what was going on? That was strange... how could he know? Everything that had happened to them... had Durand seen a vision of it some time ago? Anyways, Reginard felt a bit more calmer now in the presence of the elder and at the call to come he rose back up and made his way to Durand's side.

Durand was already making a plan and while Reginard was helpful of the support, deep down he wondered why the elder hadn't come sooner. He quickly pushed such hideous thoughts away. He was here now, that was what mattered in the long run. As he prepared to add his powers and will to Durand's he heard a voice in his head. It was a familar voice... one he had heard before... He gripped his head a bit in pain as the voice asked for the two Secptiles to come to him.

He gripped his staff tighter as he wobbled a bit, "Elder! We must stop that voice! We cannot let them go to him!" He glanced back at the barrier. "But why.... why ask for two of the brotherhood? What does Howland have that he wants?"

 

[Garet]

Roscoe and Howland
Duskwood - Into the Barrier
~~~~~

Reginard's discovery that the Murkrows were illusions had registered in his head, but Roscoe was not about to skip out on tearing through the Cyalans. His head felt clear, yet he wanted nothing more than to continue fighting and forget the whole barrier business. Nothing mattered at the moment except driving out the intruders. If he had been keeping track, he would have lost count of how many Cyalans had fallen to his Leaf Blades, Giga Drains, and even a few SolarBeams.

An unsuspecting Stoutland had its back to him. After he'd whirled around a rolling Golem that crashed into two other Pokemon, Roscoe jumped onto the Stoutland's back and sank his Leaf Blades into the back of its head. The large dog had a moment to howl in pain before the Leech's Giga Drain ended its life. As it collapsed, Roscoe rolled off to keep his momentum; only, that roll was stopped prematurely by a large ball of orange fluff.

Tsulong? "Hey, Tsulong." Roscoe shook the Arcanine's shoulder, then checked for a heartbeat. "Alive, but are ya awake?" His eye twinkled as he Detected a presence, and Roscoe spun to meet a Sableye's Shadow Claw with his Leaf Blade. The Sableye backed off as its eyes glowed red and fired a black beam at him. The Leech pushed forward despite the Night Shade and latched onto the Sableye's neck with his claws, releasing yet another Giga Drain. He didn't yet realize just how many injuries he'd acquired in his rage, or how most had already disappeared due to all the Drained energy. His Leech Seed had always kept him alive and fighting in combat longer than would otherwise be possible.

Tossing the limp Sableye away, Roscoe turned back to shake the Arcanine's shoulder again. "Tsulong, ya big lump o' fur, wake up!" With that, he gave him a jolt of energy from his Leech Seed, in an attempt to get Tsulong up and fighing again. The small round bits of energy were absorbed by the Arcanine's body, making him shake momentarily. It was like a jolt of electricity that brought him back to his senses.

Tsulong slowly opened his eyes. "Huh?" he got up, looking around, recalling where he was. The wounds he had suffered on the battle were still bleeding, thoug, though, crippling him partly. His eyes fell on Roscoe. "Roscoe? My thanks... let's... let's get moving..." Then the world went cold. The voice from before arrived, a whisper that brought a chill to Tsulong; it was heard by everyone around them, he could feel it.

"Roscoe the Leech... Howland, the Exile... alive still, I observe. If you wish to see your homeland safe, come, come to me, heroes of the Forest... come to your death..."

Roscoe shivered as the world went cold and the voice called for him and Howland. "Not a warm invitation," he muttered, looking toward the base of the Giant Tree. Why had the voice called for him and Howland? For that matter, why Howland? Heroes of the Forest...which forest?

Looking back at Tsulong, and his wounds, Roscoe asked, "Not gonna die, are ya? 'Cause you need to either keep fightin' or find a healer."

The Arcanine let out a laugh that was stained with pain. "One does not simply kill an Arcanine. Go ahead... be careful!" Tsulong turned his head to glance at the remaining members of the Brotherhood. "I'll help those bastards survive," he said with a smile.

"They'll survive, that's for sure," Roscoe replied, grinning himself. With that, the Sceptile turned and began moving through the melee again, heading directly for the Giant Tree.

Come to his death? He doubted it, but seeing the figure inside the barrier earlier, where Grandmother Cybella was also, meant that she and the Grass Plate were in danger. If something hadn't happened to her already. So why Roscoe and Howland? It made sense to lure them, if the forest was in danger, but why not call Lord Zeke or the Brotherhood in that case? Howland was also a hero, apparently...

"Roscoe!" someone shouted his name. It was Howland himself, fighting his way through the Cyalans to reach Roscoe.

The older Sceptile launched himself off the ground, landing next to Roscoe, patting him on the back to get him moving. The commenced a free run through the small hills, leaping towards the flocks of the Murkrows. "Glad to see ye alive! Who'd be that's callin' us?"

"Likewise!" Vaulting over a Lairon and Draining some energy as they went, Roscoe answered, "I'm pretty sure it's this fella called the Stranger. Not sure how, but he's inside th' barrier the others made earlier."

"Blast it all! They want the Plate, don't they? Well, they ain't getting it."

They stopped in front of the Murkrows, a solid wall of them covering the Giant Tree's base, flapping around and doing nothing. The thought of entering this murder of vile birds brought second thoughts to Howland's mind. His greatest desire was to see the forest saved, the Brotherhood alive, and the Plate in safe hands...ands... but did he dare enter this tempest of vultures that could eat him alive at the second step he took? "Oi," Howland shouted out, "didn't know so many Murkrows lived in Altica." He looked at Roscoe in the eye, seeing a familiar glow in it that he'd seen elsewhere. Perhaps on himself, when he was looking in a mirror. That was strange, he thought...

Holding Howland's stare, Roscoe couldn't help but notice the same thing. It had to be coincidence, though. Maybe I'll be like that later in life...

"Yer a brave lad, Roscoe. Think we can get through? This Stranger you're speakin' of, he wouldn't have us harmed so soon, would he?"

"Nah, I doubt he would." He turned his attention back to the Murkrows that flapped around mere feet away, remembering what Reginard had said. "Even if Reginard's wrong and this ain't just an illusion, I think he'll let us through. Probably wants a couple witnesses for some triumph."

The Leech's eyes narrowed slightly as his claws clenched, glowing green. "Big mistake. He called in a couple o' party crashers."

"Well said, Roscoe," Howland said, and without a second thought, he stepped into the wall of Murkrows, which looked as if they parted, forming a path inside, welcoming him. The world grew cold instantly. He took his first step then glanced behind. The fray had shut, he couldn't see Roscoe anymore. Light was little as he stumbled forward, pushing the Murkrows out of his way. His head was starting to ache from the cold, a nagging feeling set in the back of his mind grew with every step he took further into the darkness.

Still, Roscoe didn't immediately step forward with Howland. He recalled the murder of Murkrow that had been with the Brotherhood earlier, when he and the heroes had first come to the Forest's Heart. Shaking his head, the Sceptile walked forward, a couple seconds after Howland had disappeared. The Murkrows didn't resist much to his advance, closing up behind him as Roscoe continued on.

It was rather dark at first, but as Roscoe pushed further, light seemed to appear from around him. Before he knew it, the darkness was replaced with firelight, the flames burning the forest around him. He also saw a village around him, before he was thrown back into a tree. Not again. He picked himself up, weariness dragging at his limbs as he tried to fight back against the Infernape before him. Before long, he was on the ground again, glaring up at the Infernape that loomed over him. "Finish it."

The Infernape smirked as he crouched. "No, I don't think I will." His hand came closer to rip the Leech Seed away--

Roscoe shook himself, rubbing his eyes. It was just a vision, it wasn't real. It came because of Elder Durand the first time; how would the Stranger know to call it up now? Or was it all himself?

Meanwhile, Howland had fallen on his knees, tears welling up in his eyes. He was lost in a vision, somewhere in the darkness of this cloud of Murkrows. His mind was elsewhere, though. He was walking through a village in the middle of the forest... that village was burning, long tongues of flames rising up the sky, consuming everything around him. Howland was now running, headed to a house. He kicked the door open, shouting, "No!" both in his vision and for real. Inside the house, he found her, trapped in one of the heavy wooden logs of the collapsed roof. "No! Seraphine!" he screeched, jumping close to the fallen Grovyle, who looked unconscious... Howland didn't want to believe she was dead. Howland grasped the log, trying to lift it, but he was unable to. Soon, another part of the roof collapsed and the fires swallowed him.

In the hostile darkness of the Murkrows, the aged Sceptile fell on the ground, breaking down in tears and sobs, clenching the grass with his claws. With every breath he took, he inhaled the cold and his despair grew as his ears rung with the constant, ceaceless cawing of the birds.

 

[Trev]

Loria / The Great Tree

Loria was attempting to keep up with everything that was going on, utterly confused about what she should do. She had seen Vincet run off from a Garchomp, but decided that it was a battle she should avoid. However, in the light of her confusion, an unexpected guest arrived - Elder Durand.

Before she could greet with formalities, Elder Durand handed out instructions for everyone, including her. However, he immediately looked troubled as soon as he finished, adorning a pained expression. "Elder Durand, are you alright? What happened?"

"I... I am fine," the old Xatu replied shakily, with a waning smile. "Loria! Roscoe and a fellow called Howland are headed to the barrier. They answer the call of the Stranger. I fear your help is urgently needed there."

Great. Loria knew she would be called to destroy the barrier eventually, although she hadn't exactly thought of how she was going to do that. "Right. I shall go forth as well. Whoever this stranger may be, he will not take them. I will prevent it if it shall kill me first."

With that, she took off to the barrier, immediately sensing the dastardly fog before she could even see it. When it came into view, she was bewildered - it was like a swirling cloud of misery and death, one she hadn't experience in her life time. "My... how evil and foreboding. How will I get inside that?"

She inhaled a sharp breath and blew out an Ominous Wind, hoping it would blow away whatever was in front of her. Sadly, it simply bounced off it other directions, not even coming close to getting inside of it. "Well... that's unfortunate. I guess I have no choice."

Loria floated forward, hesitantly sticking out a hand and phasing it into the whirling fog. It seemed harmless, albeit rather cold. Assuming the worse, she slowly phased all the way into it, her body becoming covered by the black winds.

The next instant, a long sigh resonated in her mind, echoing in the darkness. In front of her, the tall, hooded figure of the Stranger appeared. His eye was sparkling green, wide open. The air had grown cooler, charged with tension.

"Frozen Witches do not belong in the forest," the figure whispered. "My orders were clear. Turn back..."

Loria took a fighting stance, clenching her hands into fists. "Correction: evil creatures such as yourself do not belong in this forest. I believe it is you who should turn back."

"Foolish ghost... you speak as if you are aware of me... I am everything. I am the forest that burns, I am the fire, I am the poisoned water, I am the bloodied ground..."

The whisper ended in another long sigh, as if he was drawing breath. The dark around her was replaced by a chamber. It was the chamber of the Original One, the Santum. The altar of Arceus in the middle, bathed by a white, glittering light. And all around it, sixteen lesser altars. Nine of them had Plates in them, bathed in a light colored according to the element they represented. The others were empty. The Stranger was standing to the side of the chamber, close to an altar with a light of a hue of blue coming from above.

It was the Ice Plate, perfectly placed upon its rightful place in the Sanctum. The Stranger touched it gently, three black claws trailing over its surface. "I am your home's doom... the Fire Nation.

Figures of various Pokemon started appearing all around him. All of those shared one common characteristic: they were all fire types... the fire types that raided her village.

Loria growled. "You are not permitted to speak of my home in such a way, you volitile demon!" She inhaled deeply once again, blasting out a freezing Blizzard, dispelling the images in the blast. "Cease your cowardess and face me! I will mutilate your entire being if you so speak of my village in that way!"

The freezing wind made the Stranger's cloak and sleeves flap; the cold didn't seem to affect him. He slowly took his hand off the Ice Plate, focusing his green eye entirely on her. "You disregard me as a lie... so be it. Pain ought to suffice as your proof..." The Stranger raised his arm, a black claw protruding from his sleeve. A flick of darkness rose to its tip, before a massive wave of screaming darkness the size of a train was shot at Loria.

Loria jumped out of the way the best she could, but her "legs" where in the way, and the train sent her spiraling and crashing into the wall roughly, bits of rocks flying from where she struck. "Ah... it will take more than that to defeat me..." She pulled herself from the Froslass-shaped indent on the wall, charging her Shadow Ball and firing it at the Stranger.

The Stranger let out a sound, as if he was sucking in air, a sudden gust of wind cutting through the chamber. His image was distorted for a second, as if shaken by a psychic wave. The Shadow Ball dispersed into smaller ones mid flight; before any of them reached him, they had gone. "You... are clueless." He brought his hands together in a movement that looked as if he slashed his left hand; fire came out of his left sleeve, to swirl around him in scattered embers. "Now, Frozen Witch... you will melt... The floor of the chamber cracked in a terrible sound. The whole mountain it was built on was shaking in an earthquake. Then, lava shot up the cracks, to engulf the chamber, making the temperature rise. The door was shut, there was no way back...

Loria immediately shot upwards, trying to avoid the rising lava. "Grief, this isn't good..." She could feel herself sweating, which wasn't a good thing, because Ice-types don't sweat - they melt. She looked at her arm, which was slowly beginning to warp and drip as her body began to melt. "No no no, this isn't happening!" She tried to keep herself cool by shooting out an Ice Beam, but only a puff of air came out. "Blast it!"

She held out her melting arms, attempting to blast the lava with a Psychic and push it back from whence it came, but the power was weakened as her body structure began to falter. "Oh Arceus, this isn't real! This can't be real! This... this has to be some illusion! Cease this at once, you demon!"

The Stranger had started levitating, the cloak covering him wholly, its tip just a few inches from the flaring lava. He approached the melting ghost, levitating like her. His eye was now sparkling red, like the lava below him... and his being radiated all the heat. Raising his right arm, he locked Loria in a phantom, unseen grip and stared at her in silence at first. The whisper that followed was louder, charged with power. "I sense doubt in you... you do not believe me. Then, let me show you... what lies beneath..."

He brought his free hand on the tip of his hood, then pulled it down.

---

"... what?"

Loria looked around - she was still wrapped in the black fog, but the Stranger and the melting altar were both gone. She was completely intact, and no part of her was becoming an icy puddle. "... So... it was an illusion. But... what happened after?"

She could remember everything, except what was under the Stranger's hood. She remembered almost melting, she remembered being flung into the wall, she remembered everything - except for his face. It was as if it was blanked from her mind.

... That elusive creature.

 

[Greiger]

Reginard Asphos and Durand​

"Elder Durand, are you alright? What happened?" Loria asked Durand.

"I... I am fine," the old Xatu replied shakily, with a waning smile. "Loria! Roscoe and a fellow called Howland are headed to the barrier. They answer the call of the Stranger. I fear your help is urgently needed there."

When the Frosslass left, floating to the barrier, Durand turned to Reginard. "The Paragon is present... you didn't quite know of her powers, did you? Don't fret over that, Reginard. The world is a vast place, we cannot possibly be aware of everything."

Reginard hung his head in shame, "I... I do not know what came over me Elder." He said softly, "But that does not matter now." He held his head up and looked at the barrier, the barrier must come down and we must fight against these illusions. I know that I will need your help Elder." Reginard took in a deep breath, "We shall show all eyes what these Mukrows really are. The truth shall be spread."

"Indeed," Durand agreed. He spread his wings open, throwing his robe on the grass. Then, he pointed at the ground with one of his wings, his eyes sparkling blue with power. A pulsing circle of power appeared on the grass, encraved with the old runes of the Fenju civilization. "Let us stand here," the Xatu jumped on the circle. "Miracle Eye is a technique with an effect that differs, depending on the power you sacrifice... should you sacrifice a bit, the truth is revealed to you, and the obstacles your powers face are lifted... should you sacrifice a deal of it, the truth is revealed and the obstacles are lifted for all..."

Reginard nodded his head and stood in the circle as well. "I remember your lessons Elder." He closed his eyes and tightened his focus, "Hopefully it will be enough. I am unsure as to what other tricks he has, so we must stay on our toes." With that Reginard opened his eyes once more as they glowed a bright purple. He lifted his hands up into the air causing the Mircale Eye he had built up to spread along the forest. All within range of his attack would find any illusions they were caught in would quickly disappear. Instead, they would see the truth, and the Mukrow was just like that. The Mukrows disappeared and in their place a black fog was shown.

"The black fog," Elder Durand muttered, his eyes half shut and reflecting the darkness. It was literally a cloud of darkness, seemingly so dense it was liquid. The cawing of the birds had ceased, no wings were there to be heard as they flapped. "I see," the Xatu conceeded. "I see. I fear for the well being of the heroes who have gone there." Suddenly, he turned to the Alakazam again. "Reginard, you can sense the barrier now, can you not? Our attacks should penetrate this black fog right through. We shall bring the barrier down, now."

Reginard nodded his head, "I can Elder... but I still cannot feel the two that went inside... " He shuddered, "I fear as to what the Stranger is doing to them." He shook his head, "But now, to attack what we made." Reginard's eyes glowed blue as he shot out a psychic pulse at the barrier. He shot out similar weak pulses to get an idea as to where the weak spot was.

"There!" Reginard managed to find the very spot that would be most effective and hit it with everything he had left. He would ensure this barrier fell even if he had to fall unconscious for it to do so.

They joined psychic powers together, using the circle in the ground as the common link. With their powers linked like this, the intensity of their blast would multiply tenfold. Durand was channeling immense psychic power in the circle, joined by Durand's; it brought a violent gust of wind that flew through the grass around them. A bright sphere of purple and blue energy had formed above their heads, the size of Durand's rune circle.

The Xatu turned to him. "Are you ready?"

Reginard nodded, "Yes, I am." He said firmly, "Let us bring it down!" He said with a grin forming on his face.

With a burst of their energy, the sphere of psychic light was shot towards the black fog, penetrating right through it. An explosion of blue and purple light occurred somewhere in there, sending a flare of the light to the sky. Purple lightnings followed, ones that belonged to the Stranger's barrier. "Success!" Durand whispered, "your powers have grown, I observe. Well done, Reginard. The barrier is down!"

 

[Manska]

Gaius the Disciple
​

The carnage literally painting the wall in-front of him looked and smelled fresh, yet it seemed impossible. The wall was too entirely covered, the letters too clearly formed for this to be a quick job and as a second brief aura scan confirmed, aside from himself there was no living creatures nearby except a few injured house-staff and a few birds. Slowly, almost hesitantly, Gaius stepped forwards towards the wall and raised one hand to press lightly against it. His paw came away red and slick, leaving a smudged mark besides the word and further confirming what his other senses had reported; the blood was fresh, extremely so.


The sound of flapping wings reached him from behind; a group of six flying Pokemon of the same species were flying full speed towards him. Five Archeops landed around him, while a sixth one knocked him off the ground. Pushing himself back up and onto his feet Gaius dropped into a fighting stance only to freeze a moment later, his eyes wide and a curse dropping from his mouth as he saw who had attacked him, remembering the figures from an earlier trip into the city; they were the Skyhaven's Guard. "Murderer!" some of them croaked, horrified. "Murder in the Embassy! Murder in the Embassy!"


"I'll warn the Council," one of them said and took off, before glancing worriedly at the Lucario. Raising his hands before him Gaius backed away from the pokemon as best he could, "I did not do this, I arrived only just before you did." he said, inwardly wincing as he realised that his hand was still covered with the blood of whichever poor sod had been turned into this mess and he had jut practically waved it at them.


"Liar, liar," two of the Archeops screeched, then charged at him, grabbing his shoulders with their talons, eliciting a yelp from Gaius as the sharp claws dug into his skin. "You were found here... that must mean you killed the Ambassador!" They lifted him in the air and flew higher, and higher, so that if they dropped him, he would surely die. The whole city of Skyhaven could be seen from up there. Gaius shivered as he looked down, torn between his natural instinct to thrash and struggle and the knowledge that if he did so it would mean his life; no amount of aura or any other tricks he posessed could help him if he was dropped here.


The Archeops flew him towards the Pinnacle, the massive rock castle that towered above all buildings of Skyhaven. That was where Skyhaven's dungeons were, on the base of the grand castle. "You'll be taken into custody," one of them shouted, to be heard through the wind, "then you will be tried for your crime. May Arceus have mercy on you... because I would not!"

 

[CourageHound]

Vash, the Bullet & Scorpius​

The morning was a still one. Vash was the type of pokemon that preferred to go with the flow. Mother nature intended the day would start off slow and steady, so the Crobat wasn't going to argue. He took his time emerging from the peak of the Pinnacle, making sure all the devices of its passage ways were operating functionally. Once exposed to the sky, Vash spread his wings in preparation for his routinely patrol flight. However, he stopped moving entirely when his left ear twitched, picking up the sound of muffled grunts. Gazing over the east wing of the castle of the Pinnacle, The Bullet locks onto a pokemon attempting to scale the wall. Sigh, not even before I could even eat breakfast, the bat huffed. Vash then dove down the side of the pinnacle's massive walls and braking midair only several meters from the intruding pokemon, not only startling it but throwing the trespasser off balance with the force of his flaps.

The trespasser was a female Braixen in her mid twenties. Tied around her waist was a red sash, where a sheath of a sword was hanging from. The end of her sash was billowing behind her as she climbed the walls of the Pinnacle, defying the fierce winds that usually dominated this sky.

"What business do you have here? Explain yourself or I will assume you are here to steal the plate and react accordingly."

She jerked her head to face the Crobat, baring her teeth in response. "I'm here sightseeing," she shouted back, as to be heard through the wind, "what does it look like I'm doing?"

Vash's yellow and red eyes flared with disgust. "What a rude creature you are. I'm sure the Council will know what to do with you." Before waiting for a rebutal, the bat thrusted his wings through the air causing reverberating blades of air to rip the stone apart just above her hands and blasting the fox off the wall. Diving towards the earth below, the sound wind cutting through the wails of the Braixen, the Crobat snatches her up a few meters before her plummet would be fatal. "What a bother....At least I'll be able to dine at the with the council. The food there is always satisfying....", Vash trailed off murmuring to himself as he shifted the Braixen between his tiny feet. They weren't enough to carry something that large so he had to use his lower wings to keep her steady. It was more effort only using two wings, but at least he wouldn't risk dropping the impertinent fire type.

The Braixen kicked and punched the air in a violent fury. She was screaming fiercely, "let go of me, you miserable bat! Do you know who I am?! I am Scorpius! World's number one swordsman!"

"Regardless of who you are I assume you'd know that you are in no position to make demands", The bat scoffed. "From this height, if I were to put you down it would make quite the mess. Now sit tight and be quiet."

The Braixen struggled a bit more, but when she finally computed with Vash's words, she stopped and crossed her arms, quietly letting him take her wherever he was going. With that, they soared over the Skyhaven dungeons and to the council. Little did the Braixen know what was in store for her.

 

[Manska]

Gaius the Disciple and Scorpius
​

Gaius closed his eyes and let an aggravated breath rush through his teeth, head knocking gently against the wall he was slumped against. Anger and humilitation rushed through his mind in equal measure and some part of him couldn't decide which was worse; that he had been accused of a crime that he had not committed or that he had been neutralised so quickly and effortlessly. It was his desire for dignity overpowering his anger that stopped him ranting and kicking at the bars that now held him.

He was down in one of the deepest dungeons of Skyhaven, exactly where the Guard had promised to leave him. "New guy, huh?" a feminine voice sounded from the cell across the corridor. It was a cute Braixen with a red sash and a scabbard full with a sword hanging from it. "What'd you do, bad boy?" she asked him with a smirk. The words reached Gaius' ears easily, the woman's strange accent quickly grabbing his attention. He opened one eye to observe the woman. "Nothing, though I suppose you believe that as much as the guard did." he stated with a dull, forced calm, the statement punctuated by a single bitter snort; better to laugh at himself than rage ineffectively, at least on the outside. Even captured and bound like this, Gaius was one to be overly concerned with appearances.

"I am accused of murder, they say I killed the Cyalan Ambassador." He said, fighting to maintain the forced calm of his voice as he leaned back against the wall once more. His paws tightened into fists but the smooth, bare cell offered him nothing but unyeilding stone to vent his frustration onto, so they dropped loose again a second later. "What about you?" he asked, his voice showing less interest in the answer and more simply the avoidance of silence.

She glared at him intensely with her red eyes. It passed quickly, though, and she got the expression that belonged to an accomplished and well respected queen. "I tried to steal the Sky Plate. The caretaker got me before I got to it, but I don't care." She popped a wicked, strangely charming smile. "I don't really want the Sky Plate." Only a minute twitch of his ears showed it, but that certainly got Gaius' attention. Trying not to outwardly show his interest except in the opening of his eyes, Gaius turned his head to face her fully.

"Oh? From what I've heard you're not the first to fail at that." he said casually, watching for her reaction. Someone messing around with one of the plates was either one that he should help, or that he should hinder and he intended to find out which this woman was.

Her face flushed in anger and she bared her teeth, clutching the bars of her prison. "I failed because I wanted to," she spat, "I'm here on purpose, unlike you." The words lessened any wondering if this woman was relevant to whatever task he had been sent here for, but his interest in the conversation was far from lessened. His eyes narrowed into a glare to match the one being levelled at him and a faint growl reminiscent of his doggish origins rumbled up his throat. "I failed at nothing, unless you consider not committing suicide while being brought here a failure." His words were practically spat out, his anger finally finding some small outlet through the wound to his pride.

A smile of amusement spread on her snout, the anger from before gone. "I dunno, it depends on the person," she cortled, looking at him from head to toe. "What do they call you?" Gaius looked at her, part of his own anger fading when lacked with a suitable reply to provoke it. "Gaius" he said shortly, half torn between annoyance at the woman and curiosity at what she was doing here. "Might I ask the same of you, and what sort of business you have that you plan to conduct from a prison cell?" He asked, letting a little bit of his curiosity leak into his voice.

The Braixen glanced quickly to the end of the dark corridor, perhaps to listen for any guards coming, before turning her red gaze upon him. She leaned her furry head through the bars, closer to Gaius. Something about her sharp look gave a cool impression. "I am Scorpius, the best and still undefeated swordsman of the world. I care for no Plates, if that's your concern. I'm only down here because I want to challenge a man who claims the title of the best swordsman in Altica... When they next come down here, they'll be taking us to the Council. You'll see, then, Gaius."

Gaius' eyes widened in shock at her words, his anger temporarily forgotten in surprise. "Lord Zygon." he said, more a statement than a question. "You have lofty prey." he said softly. While he would normally be dismissive of someone taking action against a council member like this, the idea of two pokemon dueling for the title of master swordsman was an interesting one, that and he was in rather short supply of good will for Skyhaven at the moment. "I doubt they'll let you go marching up to the Lord fully armed and fight him though." he pointed out.

"I'm no fool," she snapped, her eyes glowing in anger, "just you wait and see what happens. I'll cut off his head and present it to the Council." Gaius smirked and leaned back against the wall again, closing his eyes to rest for a while. "I suppose I will, it will be more interesting than the rest of my day at least."

 

[Garet]

Roscoe and Howland
Face-Off In the Giant Tree

Howland stumbled on the ground, breathing in the dark. The thick flock of Murkrows was dulling his senses. Many times, he thought he was back in that burning village. Now, he was despairing, wondering if he would ever get out. Just when he thought of giving up walking, a sphere of light passed above him, showing him the direction. After a while of walking, he realized everything was silent. The Murkrows were gone. All that was left was a black fog. He did hear a sound - at last - but it seemed distant. It was a psychic explosion that sent out blue and purple flares of light up the sky. Now he knew where he was needed.

Suddenly, he stumbled out of the fog. He fell head in to a fresh patch of grass, groaning. Roscoe, was his first thought. "Roscoe," he gasped, trying to look around for the younger Sceptile. Instead, he saw the remaining purple sparks of the barrier that was once designed to protect the Forest's Heart. Now, no barrier was protecting the cave where Grandmother Cybella was. Between Howland and the dark of the cave, a small fairy-like being was floating midair, glowing bright green with energy.

"C-Celebi," Howland uttered, slowly getting up. Celebi was smiling at him, somewhat naughtily, somewhat sad, but silent.

He didn't recognize when, but Roscoe found the darkness around him filled with silence and a black fog, rather than noisy Murkrows. He pushed through despite the lingering images from the vision, despite the growing feeling that he might be walking to his death. The Sceptile heard the Psychic explosion, saw the flares in the sky. It gave him direction to--

--stumble over the other Sceptile. An undignified "whoa!" escaped Roscoe as his feet found Howland and sent him sprawling on the ground. Pushing himself up on one arm, Roscoe looked back and raised his eyebrows. "Did I miss the crashing?"

Howland didn't answer. Instead, he took cautious steps towards the cave that was where the Anonymous Brotherhood would hold court. Then, he glanced at Celebi, who motioned and started flying towards the cave. "Hope we ain't gonna die here," Howland spoke out loud. "'Least the Paragon's on our side."

The Paragon? Roscoe finally laid eyes on the small fairy before she flew into the cave. Celebi was here. Grinning, he stepped up beside Howland. "Well, we ain't gonna find out by standin' out here. Comin', Howland?" Back-seeds and arms glowing, Roscoe moved toward the cave himself, alert eyes watching for the Stranger.

"Aye, lad, comin', just a sec," Howland said, grasping his knees and taking a deep breath. The air was strangely fresh here... the place felt different than the last time he'd been here. It could be him, but he sensed a strong source of power nearby. He started walking after Roscoe, cautious of that hooded figure he'd seen inside the barrier earlier. "Who in the twelve seas wears a hood 'n a cloak?" his voice echoed inside the cave; the dark slightly backed away from the green light coming off of Celebi.

As the light illuminated the cave further... they came upon a hole in the ground. Howland smirked, thinking that was where the pond was. "Where'd the water go?" He asked, glancing around wearily. "Where's the Grandmother?" was the second question.

As he was the first to enter, Roscoe had frozen in place upon realizing the absence of both the water and Grandmother Cybella. How in the world could a massive Torterra just disappear?! His eyes flicked up as he saw a shadow against the wall.

At that moment, Howland glimpsed a shadow on the wall, slipping to the exit. He jerked around. The Stranger was standing there, the tall hooded figure with one eye. Howland snarled, taking off his scythehook and dirk and assuming his panther's battle stance.

"You are not gettin' away that easily!" the Leech hissed, crouching into his own stance. He fired his SolarBeam at the Stranger, following it with a dash forward, one Leaf Blade ready to impale the intruder, the murderer. The other was held back defensively.

The Stranger snapped his hand, a sudden gale of wind running in the cave; the Solarbeam lost its direction, crushing against the wall of the cave. The green colored psychic blast Celebi had released hit the Stranger, covering him in light momentarily... he was standing still, untouched. Sparks of dark energy were coming off of his cloak as he raised his hand, claws snapping. The sparks united, forming a massive blast of dark energy that shot towards Roscoe.

Roscoe had to redirect his Leaf Blades so they would intercept the blast. The collision forced him back several feet, leaving him slightly dazed for a brief moment.

Howland managed to reach him and lock his scythehook around the Stranger's arm, then plunge his dagger into his chest. He raised his head to look into the unblinking, emerald eye. Celebi's green light found its way into his hood, strangely piercing the darkness... Howland's eyes widened and he screeched, falling backwards, his hands leaving both his weapons. The Stranger lifted his hand, plucking the dagger out of his chest; no blood was drawn. Only liquid darkness that dripped to the floor of the cave. Sighs echoed in the dark. "No mortal weapon can harm me."

There was a long sigh, then it felt like the air was being sucked out of the cave. As the Stranger stood tall in the exit, a sun's ray falling on the back of his hood, he spread his arms wide. Celebi waved her hand, creating a small green barrier around Roscoe and Howland; the next moment, the black fog that covered the base of the tree rushed into the cave, storming everything exactly how a flock of Murkrows would. Howland could see nothing past that, not the exit of the cave, not the whole in the ground, not the Grass Plate.

"No, no, no!" Roscoe pounded a fist against the barrier, glaring out at where he'd last seen the Stranger standing. "He's gettin' away!"

***
Vallckran
Fall of the Lord of Duskwood

As he returned to the battle, it was back to decimating the Brotherhood. Vallckran had yet to see the three Cyalans he'd sent away, and now the barrier was down. There were other Pokemon beside the Brotherhood here, aside from Vincent. There was no way to hide a display of fireworks and power like that.

Such Pokemon would be more likely to move about Altica, however. Vallckran would deal with them as they came; now was the time to focus on the Brotherhood, who called Duskwood their home. The Garchomp re-entered the battle at a point where the edge was dominated by Cyalans, not yet joining the fight himself. Perhaps it was time to see what was inside the base of the Giant Tree...

The Brotherhood was faltering. Their numbers had dropped and now they were falling quickly like flies. The Cyalans started chasing them on the Forest's Heart, as some of the Pokemon broke formation and started running. There were those who stayed, though, like Lord Zeke... the Zangoose came across the Crimson Captain and roared in wordless fury as he pounced at him in a slash.

Panic the Swalot had also appeared, leaping to the Garchomp Captain in a Poison Jab to his side.

Seeing the approach of both Pokemon, Vallckran raised a Dragon Claw to deflect the Poison Jab while executing a half-turn, presenting his side to Zeke instead of his front. He gave the Swalot a face-full of flames, which he then directed toward the Zangoose. Vallckran's own claw was beginning to drip as he prepared a Poison Jab.

"Lord Zeke!" Panic shouted, opening his mouth wide to unleash a Gunk Shot; Lord Zeke had leaped out of the way of the flames, though the fur of his arm started catching on fire. He tried to put it out, but it spread quickly over his fur.

The Gunk Shot never hit its target. Vallckran darted forward before it was fired, his Dragon Claw shooting into the Swalot's head. He dragged it down and out, finishing Panic as he turned his attention back to the Zangoose, who was still trying to put off the flames. Lord Zeke was screaming, until he suddenly stopped and dropped to his knees, looking up at the sunny sky... his hands joined in a prayer to Arceus.

"Lord Zeke," Vallckran growled, his rough voice slightly muffled by the shell in his mouth. "He won't save you now."

The old Zangoose did not hear him; he kept mumbling strange words of that foreign language, his fur burning... not many Pokemon had the willpower to stop screaming while ablaze, yet another factor played its role in Lord Zeke's prayer. Three times he had died, three times risen...

"Or your Brotherhood." The Garchomp stepped forward and impaled Zeke with both his Poison Jab and Dragon Claw, twisting his claws as he watched the Zangoose's face. His good green eye was empty of life soon; Lord Zeke had died in his hands, along with the Brotherhood of Duskwood.

Pulling his claws out of the lifeless body, Vallckran stood back and released a roar of triumph that echoed over the valley. The surrounding Cyalans who had seen the fight cheered in reply, now pushing harder to destroy those of the Brotherhood who had not yet fled. Looking down at the Zangoose, Vallckran waved over a pair of Cyalans. "Bring his body. I will take it to Cyala."

The Warlord raised his head and looked out over the battlefield, eyes glinting. Another victory in his career.