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

Bloodthirster, after a moment of consideration, bombarded his allies with his tactics and plots.

The thieves are absent, they're not going to make a move now. But if they are truly here and fooling us, we can form a circle and fight them off - if we stay together, it'll be more difficult for them to outpower us. We have brutal force, raw power on our side, while they mostly rely on their speed. A trick room would help us here...

Bloodthirster scratched his claws againist the ground, a sign he was eager for some combat. He was almost wishing for it. Then he glanced back at his allies, pacing forward, continuing to talk.

Keep calm at all times. If circling doesn't work, how about we push them forward, towards their houses? I can see those big tree houses falling down right onto them.

The Salamence stared at the tree houses; they seemed fragile. One cut and poof, they were down. Then he turned his draconic head to look at Vigil.

This clearing helps us - we will see them approaching and get ready for them, unless they fall down from the trees or appear from the bushes behind us. In that case, we'll have to fight them one by one.

Penance 'Defender' Malum​

Penance waited for Roswell to respond and smirked back when the Lucario gave a grin. "Yea, I hear ya. You know, the king have a place for a guy like you." Penance nodded, "Then I'll be looking forward to it. And no cutting me out of any deals, I have experience and I know just how to get what I want." He said as he continued to walk with the group. While Penance remained calm on the outside, he could feel an adrenaline rush surging through his body. He had just lied point blank range to a thief. A thief of all people! Penance just kept calm and followed. The others continued to talk about how the ruse could or couldn't work but Penance did contribute anything. He had just proven it could work so there was no need to worry!

They walked for sometime before Roswell stopped, "Well, we're here." Penance looked around and like the others he was confused, but he tried not to show it on his face. He was portraying a law breaker, he couldn't show weakness to another lawbreaker. As he and Vigil talked between each other Vigil was looking pretty worried and Roswell just left them. There was some talking between everyone about whether to go in or not and whether it was a trap, but Penance stayed silent and looked around, if they were near the thieves village then there were probably thieves all around this area, they had to remain in character... or at least he had to. Penance put a hand protectively over his bracelet as they finally walked into the area and Penance looked around in amazement at all of the houses in the trees and the ropes and the ladders and just... everything.

Bloodthirster was already going on about an ambush and the like, but Penance didn't think they would be ambushed. They wouldn't be led here just to be killed instantly. The thieves would probably want to know why they came. Besides, the greatest asset to a thief was knowledge... or so he hoped. Penance also saw the Cacturne and took in a deep breath and walked right toward the pokemon.

Trust me. He told the others as he walked over and stood right before the grass type and crossed his arms, also making sure his bracelet was still on before he spoke, "So, I heard that I could be of help around here. Where's your king? I like to know who I work for before I even attempt a job." He jerked his head over to the others, "Have no idea what they do but I'm all ears for any jobs that can get me some coins."

Joint Post by Equniox and Supervegeta

Noctus Gamble (In 3rd person for the joint post)

"Hm, they're slower than I thought."

With a yawn, Noctus stood at the center of the field, waiting for the visitors' arrival. He crossed his arms and glanced around, keeping his guards up just in case the guests had been planning something sneaky. But the Cacturne doubted that they had; the visitors, whoever they were, had been treading in the thieves' territory, and the advantage would always be on his side. Now that he thought about it...there was nothing to worry about.

The skies, now a depressing gray, spread across the forest like a sinister shroud. The trees around me continued to dance, confusing whoever had been trapped in the labyrinth. Just then, two rows of dead trees bent towards each other, creating an arch and a little path under it. Noctus continued to watch closely, standing a hundred meters away from the opening. After a few seconds of silence, figures with different shape and sizes slowly emerged from the darkness. An oddly colored Bisharp took the lead and immediately caught his attention. The bunch of Pokemon didn't look like ordinary visitors he had seen for many many years; they seemed to have arrived for another purpose, projected by the serious looks on their faces.

Calmly, the spike grass type stretched his arms a little and made his way towards the approaching team, staring into their eyes one after another. If they walked through the forest literally unharmed, there must had been an explanation. A guide? Special privileges? A traitor who had assisted them on the way? Or because this group of Pokemon had been holding something important and useful for all of us? Noctus intended to find out.

"Welcome to the Thieves Village," said the Cacturne, extending his arm backwards at the site behind him, "I am Noctus."

He was now standing in front of them with only a thin layer of armor protecting some parts of his body. They could no doubt squash him if they wanted to, despite the fact that allies were scattered across the forest. But Noctus continued to maintain his composure. A Golduck came forward and began speaking. Noctus eyed the Pokemon.

"So, I heard that I could be of help around here. Where's your king? I like to know who I work for before I even attempt a job. Have no idea what they do but I'm all ears for any jobs that can get me some coins."

"Alright, cut the sh*t." Noctus said, kneeling back on the tree stump. "If anything I've learned from my experience, it's that when thieves come into the forest for refuge or work, they're usually carrying a lot more than what you are. They're also not traveling in a group. Who are you people, and what are you doing here?" he demanded, trying to sound less demanding by softening his voice, "It isn't common to see a large group of visitors in the middle of my forest, especially considering I'm almost sure you're not thieves."

Zane stared at the Cacturne who introduced himself as Noctus. From the way he describe the forest, it appeared as though he owned it. The messages of Ragnaros filled his head. He spoke of forming a circle and fighting them off. It was a sound strategy, and might work if the time came for violence. Zane looked at the others, and stepped forward to speak.

"Hello, Noctus. I am Zane. We're...travelers. We came here to hide in the Thieves Forest, and hopefully get an audience with the King of Thieves. We need his help. We're friends with Lyn, so we hoped that he might be able to help us." Zane paused for a moment, before asking a question. "Are you...the King of Thieves?"

Noctus stared at them blankly for a second. The name Lyn clearly had weight with him. He knew her. He let out a small chuckle, "Well, I am his right hand man, if that matters to you. What matters to me is that Lyn isn't with you. If you are her friends, then where is she now?"

Before they could answer, the Cacturne had already interrupted them by asking another serious question, "...hm, getting an audience with the King of Thieves. Why would he be able to aid you? What is your motive?"

Zane looked over at the others, and continued speaking, hoping he wasn't messing up their chances. Hoodhide made periodic nervous looks across the trees, believing he was seeing figures in them. Calamity's eyes also shifted back and forth as they attempted to make sure nothing funny was going on. Zane continued to speak.

"Lyn...was with us in the entrance of the forest, but she separated from us in an attempt to find a guide inside. I'm sure she found someone and will be here soon. If you simply wait, she'll show up..."

Hoodhide leaned over to Calamity and Defender and whispered in their ear. "I-gotta funny-feeling. Like we're being-watched..." Calamity looked around in an attempt to locate the disturbance. He couldn't see them directly, but he had the same feeling. Dark Lightning nudged TrueStriker's shoulder, and motioned with his head movement in the trees to their left, giving him a look that meant 'be ready'. Hoodhide continued to look around frantically, backing up while doing so. At a moment, he took a larger step back and the bag on his back was poked open, causing the contents to spill on the ground. Most of it was food or personal belongings, but the last item to fall out was Hoodhide's shiny, golden Gold Tribe emblem. Zane looked a bit horrified as Hoodhide attempted to hide the emblem. Zane looked back at Noctus, wondering if he saw.

"Oh I suppose she will," Noctus replied half-heartedly with a uninterested yawn. The Cacturne made it clear that he hadn't believe in them one little bit. He had to find out what they wanted, though, and the answer continued to remain a little secret. Upon seeing the equipment scattered onto the ground, Noctus tensed a little while scanning the contents. In a millisecond, his eyes locked onto a shining emblem, the color and style ringing a bell in his memories.

The Gold Tribe!

Hoodhide quickly attempted to hide the little emblem, but Noctus' eyesight had been a little too sharp for them. The Cacturne let the information sink in and quickly reacted, hiding all emotions on his face and staying absolutely calm.

"Say, that's a pretty nice emblem you had there," Noctus spoke, a little friendly grin forming on his face. Then, the Cacturne glanced at his left arm, brushing the dirt off his armor plate. The Gold Tribe had no idea that it was a special signal designed by the Thieves in the forest, however. Silently, pairs of red eyes appeared between the trees around them, eying the group with murdering glances.

Zane looked left and right across the trees, seeing the eyes of the Thieves popping up. They were surrounded. Zane tried to remain calm, despite the situation.

"Please, if you would just hear me out for a moment, I'm sure we can avoid any unnecessary hostilities." Zane said, but in his mind, he was thinking something different.

This doesn't seem like it's going to work. Better start forming that circle, brothers and sisters!

"You should have known better, Gold Tribe," Noctus scowled as the thieves emerged from the shadows, surrounding the tribe from every direction. There were hundreds of them spread out all across. "I don't know what you're doing here, and I don't care! You're all dead!"

Penance 'Defender' Malum​

Penance had actually been expecting the Cacturne to not see through the disguise so easily and he paled in response. He quickly backed away to the group as Zane began to talk and explained to Noctus that they had come here with Lyn and that they needed to see the king of thieves. Penance felt his hopes rise when he saw Noctus react to Lyn's name. Perhaps they could salvage this right here and be able to complete their mission? It just seemed that some legendary had other plans for them as Hoohide came up to him and Calamity. "I-gotta funny-feeling. Like we're being-watched..."

Penance held back a groan and could see movement in the trees and carefully lowered his hands and placed them together and began to concentrate his psychic powers. If something did happen he could always use one of his Water Bombs to distract their enemies and try to make a run for it. Just as it looked like it couldn't get any worse Hoodhide's pack opened up and his Gold Tribe symbol fell out. Penance fell silent as Hoodhide tried to cover it up, but again, some legendary was looking at them for entertainment.

"I don't know what you're doing here, and I don't care! You're all dead!" Noctus said as thieves suddenly appeared. Cr*p! Penance thought, too scared to even bother of thinking up a non cuss word to use. Well, he might as well start things off before those thieves got in too close. Penance held up his hands and quickly formed a Water Pulse and made it into a Water Bomb and threw it right at a group of thieves to his left and then began to toss out Water Pulses at a quick rate as he fell in line with the others to form that circle.

Noctus Gamble

A group of thieves lunged forwards upon hearing Noctus' words, but a single Water Bomb blasted them away from his enemies. Right after that water attack, water pulses wreaked havoc everywhere, striking down a part of his troops. A Grovyle managed to dodge the incoming attacks and rushed towards the Gold Tribe, but then he tripped on a rock and landed face first.

Should have taught them how to fight...idiots.

Noctus watched as the massacre continued with agonizing screams piercing right through his eardrums. Just then, a large explosion of steam and hot water erupted from the center of the battle, sending thieves flying everywhere. Only then did Noctus start worrying about the thieves getting the lower hand in battle.

No worries...this is only five percent of the entire forest's population. They're bound to lose. Might as well go in and see what they've got though..."

With unbeatable determination, the Cacturne made his way into his team, standing in the middle where he would be protected by allies, "Standing together will soon be a problem, brothers. Their attacks would blow up an entire phalanx of thieves. Spread out and dodge their attacks with our superior agility; I want some evasive maneuvers here."

"They haven't seen anything yet," said a Gallade while wearing a mischievous smirk, "Speed is our forte."

"On my count. One...two...," Noctus spoke calmly, then let out a loud, confident cry, "THREE!"

In an instant, all thieves bolted away at different directions, leaving only faint images behind their trails. As Noctus' allies surrounded the group, running and dashing around, they launched multiple ranged attacks at the Gold Tribe while some of them tried diving in from above, trying to land a fatal slash at their necks. Noctus himself leaped into the air and aimed at the distracted opponents, launching a barrage of exploding pin needles at their direction.

Penance Malum​

Penance gritted his teeth as he let his Water Pulses continue to fly out. There were so many thieves! Sure, they had the upper hand now, but in a bit they would be quickly outnumbered and even numbers could fight off Gold Tribe members! Penance was getting weak by this time, even during the battle in the city it hadn't been bad since they had medics over there and during that time Penance had fallen at least once. Here... they were on their own. If they fell here then the Silver Tribe would win, and no where would be safe. Penance dodged a Smeagle and grabbed him with a Confusion and slammed him into his fellow thieves and threw him off into the distance. Dammit! They couldn't fight off this many!

Penance was starting to sweat as the battle ranged on and to the Golduck it seemed like it had been going on for hours. As he grew weaker his breathing became harder and his aim began to veer off his targets as his Pulses slammed into the trees and even into the ground.

Noctus seems to be in command of all of those thieves. If we get to him, we might be able to stop all this! Penance's head snapped up as he eyes in on Noctus. Cacturne were grass and dark type... but maybe his Water Pulse could confuse him for a bit!? Penance focused on his Pulse and as he was ready to launch it the Catcurne disappeared. Penance let out a confused cry and looked around as the thieves were suddenly moving much faster than before and barraging them with attacks from all directions! Penance managed to dodge several attacks, although a Flamthrower scored a hit on his arm and burned him pretty badly. Penance spied Noctus sending needles straight their way. Without waiting Penance poured his psychic energy into his Water Pulse and sent his Water Bomb right into the path of the needles and right at Noctus. That last Water Bomb did it for him as the Golduck fell unconscious unto the ground.

Thieves Forest

The situation deteriorated quickly. In a matter of moments, the Gold Tribe were in formation in a circle as the two sides clashed. Zane was at a momentary disadvantage as the thieves seemed to be more interested in encircling than fighting, but that stops as many of them charged in. Zane repelled a Linoone with an Iron Head, sending it back into a bucket of trees. A Ledian and Ariados, who were close-by, jumped at him, but Zane slipped to the side, barely avoiding their claws, although the Ariados partially got him with its stinger, and slashing at both of their backs with a Night Slash. Zane took notice of something during the sidestep. The Pokemon of the forest may not have been as physically capable or resistant to attacks as the Ancients were, but they were much more faster. This would prove advantageous for the thieves, and likewise disadvantageous for the Gold Tribe. Not to mention the fact that their were fighting on their home turf. It also didn't help when Noctus suddenly gave a command to use their speed against them. Zane lost where Noctus when, but instead tried to focus on the rapidly charging thieves. A Throh jumped at Zane, who didn't have time to dodge, but instead grappled with him. Although he was fast, Zane was still stronger. He overpowered the Pokemon, and threw him on the ground, finishing him off with an Iron Head.

He then saw Noctus reappear, and send a barrage of pin missles at the Gold Tribe. The attacks came rapidly, and for a moment, Zane didn't know how to respond, but Defender luckily intercepted with his own attack, and the two basically nullified each other out, although it continued on to Noctus.

Do not waste your energy on attacks that cannot counter their speed. We can instead go for their leader. I'll make way. He heard Bloodthirster think through the connection. Zane agreed, and positioned himself behind the Salamence, ready to fire his own attacks once he made a hole. Calamity and Dark Lightning were right behind him, ready to assist as well. It was simple tactics: take out the leader, and the rest scatter. Bloodthirster sprayed out a flamethrower, targeting nearby thieves, before directing it straight at Noctus. Zane prepared to move once the flames reached.

But suddenly, he stopped. A figure approached in between Noctus and Ragnaros, and a jolt of Thunder came down right on top of the figure, but it did not injure the figure. Instead, the figure seemed to harness the thunder, and prepared for a clash with Bloodthirster's flames. The two attacks clashed for a few seconds, before erupting in a large blast of jolts and flames, and then was subdued. Zane recognized this type of attack instantly, as it had become quite unique and famous in the Gold Tribe. It had become a Reed family specialty, an ability in which they use a Thunder attack upon their own bodies, of which they developed some sort of resistance to. The result is a largely defensive 'shield' using an offensive attack. It has been a Reed family specialty for over a hundred years, the first to use it being Wallace Reed, titled as the 'Champion'. And since all other Reeds were gone, Zane knew exactly who this was.

Lyn Reed turned around and stepped towards Noctus, and gave him a brief smile. "Noctus, it's good to see you again." She said, before her expression changed to a more serious one. "What these guys were saying is true. They are my friends. We need your help. Please, stop this fighting!"

Noctus Gamble

Noctus let out a low-pitched growl as the water bomb blocked his needle barrage, shooting it back where it had came from. Angered and annoyed, the Cacturne placed his arms before him and braced the attack, feeling stings of pain as the bomb exploded right in front of his face. The attack barely left a scratch on his armor though, as Caturnes were resistant and literally immune to water type attacks. It was nothing more than a little burst of water.


Right after the water attack. Noctus spotted a rampaging Salamence ripping some of his allies apart. With an urge to assist his brothers, the Cacturne ran forward, only to be stopped in his tracks when the Salamence flapped his wings, soaring into the air and staring right into the Noctus' eyes. The thieves, terrified of the large Pokemon, had already stepped aside to avoid a burst of flames, creating a straight path which the Cacturne standing at the other end. Unlike water attacks, fire attacks had always been a large threat to him and his armor...


The Salamence's flames were too large and too powerful to be avoided, but Noctus hadn't given up one bit. He tumbled to the right, dodging a little fireball before running at the opposite direction. But the flames had only gotten bigger, and the speed of the fire was definitely higher than a Cacturne's movement speed. Noctus was good as dead as the fire approached him like a high speed train...


Suddenly a jolt of Thunder bolted down between the two figures, and the flames subdued in an instant without hurting Noctus one little bit. The panting Cacturne watched as the figure emerged from the smoke, slightly astonished by what he saw.


"Noctus, it's good to see you again," said Lyn, his old friend in the Thieves' Forest, "What these guys were saying is true. They are my friends. We need your help. Please, stop this fighting!"


"Lyn, you're from the Gold..." Noctus blurted out, staring at her with disbelief, "...nevermind. We'll talk about this later."


The Cacturne then stepped forward and let out a loud command, "Brothers, stop the attack!"


Upon hearing Noctus' order, the thieves decreased in speed and later came to a complete halt around the Gold Tribe. However, their guards had not been lowered one single bit. Confused yet curious to know the answer, Noctus glanced at Lyn while raising an eyebrow, "You better tell me what's going on here."

Thieves Forest

From the way Lyn spoke to Noctus, it was evident that the two knew each other. Zane assumed that last time when she was here, they must have become friends. Nevertheless, apparently even Noctus didn't know she was with the Gold Tribe. Either way, he stopped the thieves from attacking, but they remained encircled around the Gold Tribe. But he wanted an explanation, still probably impatient. Zane looked at the Pokemon around them. He could feel the anger resonating from them. They really wanted to kill the Gold Tribe. If given an opportunity, the thieves probably wouldn't hesitate for a second. There truly was animosity between the two groups.

"How about we leave explanations for later and help our brother here?" Zane heard Ragnaros say behind him. He turned to see what he meant, to see Defender lying on the ground unconscious. Zane ran over to him. Apparently in all the action, Zane had not noticed that Defender went down on the ground. Calamity rushed behind him to check on him too.

"How is he?" Calamity asked Zane. Zane leaned in to check on him. He looked over Calamity.

"I'm not sure. I'm no medical expert." He replied. He looked over at Noctus. "Please, can you let us bring him in to rest?" He looked around at the thieves around as well, who did nothing but stare with hatred in their eyes.

"It's alright, everyone." A voice said from within the crowd of thieves. "If the Gold Tribe were here to kill us, they would have started with him speech about how 'glorious and full of honor they are, and how we're a bunch of lawless heathens', or something like that." The response of the thieves around to this was filled with laughter. Then, the thieves parted to make room for the person who spoke. Zane looked to see who it was, only to see the same Lucario known as Roswell come into the circle and bend down next to Defender. He checked his neck, then leaned into his chest. Roswell turned to Zane.

"He'll be alright. Just needs some rest." Roswell said. He then picked up Defender off of the ground and slung him over his shoulder. "I'll take him in. Noctus! Take the Gold Tribe to the main hall. We'll here their request. They came all this way for something. It better be good." Roswell looked around the thieves surrounding the Gold Tribe there and spoke to them. "Listen up, nightwalkers! No one fights with the Gold Tribe while they are here. For now, they are our guests." He shot a look at Zane, as he walked away with Defender over his shoulder. "For now." He said again. The thieves around the Gold Tribe slowly lowered their fighting positions. Most of them began to leave, either going into the trees, or using ladders and ropes to get up to the tree-houses, some of them leaving grudgingly.

Zane exchanged glances with Calamity and Dark Lightning. "You don't think he's..." Dark Lightning began.

"It seems so." Calamity said. Zane nodded in agreement.

"The King of Thieves."

******

"You know, for a Gold Tribe, you sure do get taken down pretty easily." Roswell joked to Defender who might not have even been able to hear him because he still was probably unconscious. Roswell didn't care. He spoke anyways. He grabbed a rope on the bottom of one of the tree houses, and cut through it with a slice of his foot. The rope seemed to unattach from the ground and propel both of them upwards at high speeds up to the tree-houses above. Roswell landed perfectly with Defender still on his back.

Roswell took him into the first house that was there. It was a medical treehouse. A Chansey stood in the center of the room, looking at Roswell and Defender over his shoulder. She smiled at him as he placed Defender on the bed.

"Another refugees from the edges of the forest, Ralph?" She asked him. Roswell shook his head. "No, not quite. This one's Gold Tribe." He said to her. The Chansey's smile left as a horrified look took her place, but then one of understanding. "Oh, so you want me to..."

"No." Roswell said. "Just treat him."

"I don't understa-"

"Just treat him!"

"OK! OK, I'll...treat him."

Roswell nodded and began to leave. "When he wakes up, tell him to meet his fellow tribesman in the main building." Roswell stopped at the door and turned around to her again. "And I swear, Alice, if you poison him in his sleep, I'll throw you off this f***ing tree myself!"

Thieves Village

A good hour had passed since Roswell went off with Defender, leaving Zane and the others standing there with Noctus, who agreed to take them to the main hall. The bulk of the trip was spent with Zane asking questions to Noctus, most to do with where Defender was taken, with Noctus responding with as little words as he could, and as vague as possible. He clearly was not pleased with the Gold Tribe being there, and after a while, Zane decided not to press him any longer and, against his better judgment, trust that they wouldn't harm Defender. He then asked Lyn how she managed to get inside the Thieves Forest, with Zane learning that when Roswell left them, he had actually went back to find Lyn, and so guide her to the rest of us. Apparently, Roswell had known they were Gold Tribe the whole time. The question that really bugged him was why he guided them in if that really was the case.

But Zane did learn a bit from Noctus. The place they headed to was the thieves' main hall, a building they referred to as the Decreement, which was supposed to be a joke to them, alluding to the fact that just like there was no real word for Decreement, there was also no real laws in the Thieves Village. Instead, thieves or refugees come here to make requests of the King.

So there they were, inside the Decreement. To Zane, it was probably the strangest building he had ever seen. Made entirely of wood and trees, the main hall provided no artificial lighting on the inside, but instead relied upon the sun's lighting outside. Thousands of holes were scattered all across the walls and roof of the building, where the sun shone bright from them. However, Pokemon, mostly flying types, would habitually flying through these holes to enter and exit, causing the lighting in the building to periodically dim and brighten over and over again. It gave Zane a slightly eerie feeling. That is, until he realized more Pokemon were flying in than exiting, and slowly began positioning themselves upon ledges across the large building. This process continued for quite a while as the Gold Tribe waited for the king to arrive. Eventually, the room became so full of thieves that the holes were almost all covered, and very little light was present in the room at all, aside from one larger hole at the ceiling that shone around the area of the Gold Tribe, and another few holes of light a couple of meters in front of them, where an empty chair was positioned, with Noctus standing close by it. The room filled with the whispers of the Pokemon watching. Some carried angry or displeased looks on their faces, but even more carried expressions or wonder and bewilderment.

And then the doors swung open, and Ralph Kenion, or Roswell, entered. He was met with the screams, yells, cheers and shrills of the enthusiastic Pokemon inside. Zane had never seen such adoration for a single person in such a long time. Rey had that same level of respect among the Gold Tribe. It was quite a sight to behold.

Roswell made his way passed the Gold Tribe and sat upon the seat in front of them, slinging one leg over the armchair of the seat and getting comfortable. As the screaming died down, he turned to the Gold Tribe members and stared at each of them individually.

"Well, you're here. Now what exactly do you want?"

"First tell us where Defender is." Zane responded, a bit of sweat tickling down his spine as he did. He realized that with the amount of Pokemon around, there was no way they would be able to fight them off, but he still had to make sure his brother was alright.

"He's being treated as we speak. I've asked him be brought here when he is better."

Zane wasn't sure whether to trust the king's word or not. On one hand, he was a thief after all. They had been enemies for so long now with different viewpoints. But on the other hand, Zane had a gut feeling Roswell led them in because he knew why they were there, or at least had a general idea. Zane decided to accept the response. Lyn stepped forward.

"Ralph, you know what's going on outside." She began. Immediately, Zane saw a reaction from the king, as he leaned back in his chair more and sighed, looking up at the ceiling, as if to say 'not this again'. Clearly, it wasn't a topic he liked to talk about. "We need your help. We're fighting a war out there. We're on the verge of launching an attack on Albia, but we need to take out those watchtowers before we can do so. If we don't, we'll get slaughtered pulling in. I know you know a way inside the city. Please help us do this."

Roswell looked down from the ceiling at Lyn after she finished talking. He sighed once more. "I knew this is what this whole thing was about. You can't expect me to do this for you, Lyn. You and I may be on friendly terms, but the day we help the Gold Tribe is the day the Korhal Mountains set on fire."

Roswell's response was met with wild yells and cheers from the other Pokemon. "Your armies can all do as you please. This is not our problem."

Zane stepped forward and spoke more forwardly "And when the Alpha Alliance armies are crushed, then who will you hide behind?!" The Pokemon slowly began to get silent as Zane spoke. His eyes were full of rage and passion. "The Silver Tribe won't let you roam as you are now. They will burn your forest to the ground, and kill everyone inside!"

Roswell was silent for a moment, but spoke up soon afterwards. "Alotta people have tried to take us down before. This place is untouchable."

"That's what they said about Gold City." Calamity said. Roswell's eyes darted to him, deep in thought. Zane looked around. Even in the dimly lit room, Zane could tell some Pokemon were nervous. Other even looked genuinely afraid. For a while, nobody spoke. Roswell looked at Noctus, shrugged, and then broke the silence.

"Alright. We'll help you get into those watchtowers." He finally said. Zane exchanged pleasant looks with the other Gold Tribe members. Lyn had a huge grin on her face as well, clearly happy about the way things turned out, but Roswell wasn't finished speaking.

"ON one condition. First…you have to help us out with something."

The way the king said this made Zane a bit nervous. Dark Lightning exchanged a look with Hoodhide, who jittered around nervously.

"What do you want us to do?"

Roswell smiled. "If I recall correctly, your friend Defender mentioned to me that he was quite a good ambusher. Even if he wasn't serious, guess what? I've got the perfect ambush job for you."

**********************************************************************

Thieves Village, Healing Center

Alice the Chansey hummed quietly as he attended to her patients. It was the usual batch. A rogue wanderer, a thief that got too greedy, oh, and something a bit different: A Gold Tribe member. The King brought in a fainted Golduck with the explicit instructions not to harm him, which was highly unusual. Although it wasn't technically an order, she had no intention of not heading him. She, after all, didn't want to get thrown off a tree. It was a long way down.

Out of the blue, she watched as the Golduck slowly opened his eyes. She backed away a bit, hoping he wouldn't harm her, but remember the king's instruction in case he woke up. Hiding in the corner of the room, she spoke to him.

"Uh….ummm, hey. Mr. Gold Tribe dude? Yea, King says I'm uh…supposed to tell you when you wake up to uh, join yer, uh, bros and stuff. They're in the Decreement. Biggest building. Down the ropeways on yer left. Can't miss it….yea. Can you go there now? Please don't kill me. I'm just a medic…."

She hoped the Golduck Gold Tribe member would leave without any problems. She really, really liked her life, and had every intention of keeping it.

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Albia

Another explosion sounded as a group of Ancients exploded into the air, falling on another perfectly placed trap. A Blaziken and Granbull emerged from their hiding spots at the base of a house. The Blaziken, known as Erica, wore a yellow sash along her waist. It looked a bit burned, mostly likely originating from her own fire. The Granbull was called Garen, and displayed an ugly looking scar from his lip to the side of his body. Emerging beside the two of them was a Sawk. There was nothing unusual or noteworthy about his appearance other than a golden emblem he carried as a necklace. He was called Kyle, "Gallant" by the Gold Tribe. Together, the three of them were the ringleaders of the rebellion in Albia. Kyle looked around, satisfied with the damage the three of them had caused. He was intent to see the city restored to the hands of the Alpha Alliance. News of victory in Eternity had spread like wildfire. It was now that the time had been to strike, while the enemy appeared vulnerable.


All had so far gone according to plan. They were separated all across the town, performing guerilla warfare on the ancients. They would hit them hard, and then run when more patrols came. Most of the rebels were separated into groups of ten or so, but these three usually traveled on their own, and directed the others to other locations. So far, their plans were going off without a hitch. But bad news was soon to follow.

A Tailow scout flew over to the three of them, landing close by with little breath.

"Gallant! Sentinels were spotted in the city. It's Ignitus and Black Widow, I think."

Erica shook her head. "Two Sentinels? How could we miss that?"

"Must be new arrivals. Stick with the plan. We should lure them away from the others and to us. We have a better chance of taking them than the others do."

The two nodded. They had been setting up traps all across the city. Using fire as a conductor and smoke as an igniter, the two first lured in ancients, and then set off the bomb traps closeby. Erica was quick and precise, and could send a small line of fire to set off whichever bombs she fires at. Usually they would be two or three at a time. But if they wanted to attract the Sentinel's attention, it had to be a bit more.

The three hid once more as a patrol of ancients passed through, looking for the culprits of the last set of bombs. Kyle gave the signal, and Erica nodded, setting of a dozen bombs on the group. It was complete overkill and the bombs ignited and sent sparks and fire through the air in what was thus far the largest explosion in the city. If this didn't attract the Sentinel's attention, he didn't know what would.

Penance Malum​

Penance groaned as he slowly came to. He was aware of someone talking to him and as his vision cleared up he saw a Chansey right before him. He smiled weakly, but then frowned as it looked like she was just on the edge of having a panic attack. "Hey there... no need to worry." He said with a weak smile as he got out of bed, feeling very refreshed. He stretched his back, and smirked as he successfully popped it. He just smiled at the Chansey once more, "So, that big building then eh? Well, I guess I'd better get going then. Don't want to keep my brothers and sisters waiting on me. Thank you very much." He said with a nod as he made his way over to the rope and slowly slid down. He looked around as he slid and took in all the scenery... as well as all the angry faces glaring at him. He finally hit the ground with a solid thud as he walked through the village, very aware that every cut throat was glaring holes in him at every possible second.

He started to feel better when he finally got to the building that matched the nurses' description best and as he went inside he paused by the doorway as he heard voices. Loud voices. He slowly crept inside and sighed in relief as he saw the rest of his brothers and sisters standing there, as well as that Lucario from before. Penance frowned, what was Roswell doing here? It then hit Penance lick a stone in the face. HE had to be the thief king! As Roswell finally lay down his proposition Penance stepped out from the doorway, "Um, no mister Roswell. I wasn't exactly lying, I do have experience. I can help you with that, there's no need to pin anything on my brothers or sisters consciences." He said as he walked up to the Lucario as he felt the eyes of the thieves on him. "I do better alone actually, it helped back then and it can help now."

Penance's gut twisted as the words came out of his mouth, but it was true. He did do better work alone and if he had the others with him... well, they couldn't play the part. There was just a small part of Penance's childhood that would always stay with him, and now he just had to channel that part again, the part that he had buried a long time ago that had slowly come up every so often. He was truly scared if this would bring it up more, but if he could get his brothers and sisters out of it, then it would be worth it.

Noctus Gamble

Noctus had been standing at a side for a while, leaning against a wall while keeping his eyes on the Gold Tribe. On the other hand, the King was sitting on his armchair as Thieves entered the room at all directions, welcoming their leader with cheers and howls. The Cacturne hid a little grin, knowing that the scene must had mpressed the Gold Tribe members. Even if it hadn't done much, it was a sign that the Thieves' Forest was a region of united Pokemon, something the outer world had failed to be.

Another thing Noctus found impressive was how casual the King was while facing an entire squadron of powerful Pokemon. With his leg resting comfortably, Ralph showed no fear, "Well, you're here. Now what exactly do you want?"

"Ralph, you know what's going on outside." Lyn spoke, followed by a sigh from the king, "We need your help. We're fighting a war out there. We're on the verge of launching an attack on Albia, but we need to take out those watchtowers before we can do so. If we don't, we'll get slaughtered pulling in. I know you know a way inside the city. Please help us do this."

Noctus let out a little groan, barely audible to the others and shook his head. This again? The relationship between The Gold Tribe and the Thieves' Forest had always been tense. The King wouldn't be willing to spare some time nor his troops to assist the bunch, would he?

As for Lyn, Noctus couldn't help being a little angered by her hidden identity. For so long, the Cacturne had never known that the Zangoose Girl was a Gold Tribe member. He felt betrayed, useless, acting only as a tool for her.

But finally, the King agreed on providing them help...over one condition. Noctus frowned a bit, wondering what the King had in store for them when a Gold Tribe member stood out, offering to do the job, "Guess we have a deal?"

Thieves Village- The Decreement

Zane turned when he heard Defender's voice. He was initially surprised to see him, half expecting he wouldn't show up for the rest of the day, probably in some thieves prison, but it wasn't the case. Defender looked completely fine, even a little bit rested. But Zane couldn't agree with his plan. He wanted to go in alone, and even though he probably could handle himself, Zane didn't feel comfortable sending him all by himself. Roswell placed his head on his knuckle and eyed the Golduck, probably pondering what he had just said.

"Guess we have a deal?" He heard Noctus ask. Zane didn't think so. Not until they knew what he was doing. Bloodthirster seemed to agree. Zane notice TrueStriker walked up to Defender and whisper to him about holding on. Zane agreed with the Gallade's judgment.

"No, first we wanna know what that 'ambush job' is about and if it's risky for us." Bloodthirster said.

Roswell stared at Bloodthirster, now. Zane felt that he was trying to stare him down, or maybe analyze him. Or maybe he was waiting for him to break and apologize for what he said. Zane wasn't exactly sure. But from what it sounded like, Roswell wasn't someone who liked to compromise with others too often, especially Gold Tribe members.

"Hmm...alright." He finally said, agreeing to tell the others of the plan. "You've heard of Frost's torturehouses, correct?" Zane nodded. He noticed Speculum shudder a bit, probably from remembrance of his time there. "A group of my thieves were recently captured. The Silver Tribe are planning to send them to the main torturehouse in Gold City...err, Silver City, whatever. Obviously, you've heard of the stories about the main torturehouse. Once you're in, you're never getting out. They'll be passing through the edges of the forest on the way northeast to Silver City tomorrow. From what we know, they'll be escorted by a patrol of a hundred or so Ancients. Maybe one Sentinel, too. We're not sure on that. What I want you to do, is ambush them as they go through the edge of the forest, take my thieves back, and bring them back to me, unharmed. Obviously this can't be a mission for all of you. Some of you don't have a knack for hiding." As he said this, he looked at a few of the Gold Tribe members, including Sword and Shield, Dark Lightning, and Zane. "I'd say four or five of you go, along with Noctus to escort you, and get my men back. That's the job."

Zane listened carefully, but something didn't add up. Roswell's story seemed flawed. He had to address some things.

"Hold on. Something doesn't make sense. I don't mean any offense, but one hundred Ancients and a Sentinel for just a group of thieves? And they're taking them to the main torturehouse? That seems a little too much guard for just...well, thieves."

Roswell sighed and looked up into the air. He seemed to sulk even lower in his seat as he brought his head down and spoke. "Yea, you're right. That usually would be the case. Except one of those thieves happen to be my brother."

Zane was silent as he listened to the King speak.

"Apparently, Auron wants to teach me a lesson for messing with his troops around the areas. So they're giving him and the others a public execution in Gold City."

Now it made more sense. The plan seemed rather straightforward now. A group of them, along with Noctus, were to lay an ambush for the patrol, grab the thieves, and bring them here, unharmed. If they did this, the King would help the Gold Tribe sabotage the watchtowers. But Zane had to make sure the others agreed to this. He turned to his brothers and sisters.

"Well, what do you think? Should we do this?" He asked them, unsure what they would say.

If they did do this, they would be without him, Sword and Shield, and a few others, who didn't have the skills of an ambush job. Sword and Shield was too big. Zane's gold color gave him away. Kivir and his team probably didn't have the hiding skill to pull it off either. That left about half of them that wouldn't be able to help them with this, even if they did agree. Either way, Zane waited to hear their opinions on this.