[PKMN OPEN] Pokémon Odyssey: Search For Cresselia (IC)

Able and Greg- Cleaning up

As soon as Able was informed by Snype, The Ninjask quickly flew into the front door of the tower. "Hey Greegggg! Ya called for a hand?" Able shouted out. When she flew inside though. Greg didn't seem to be at his desk however which slightly urked Able. Still, she flew on over to the desk an dperched herself onto Greg's desk and looked around the room to see if the Snorlax had moved to another part of the room. "He's gotta be around here somewhere. Ugh! He couldn't have waited a second for me? The big guy sure moves fast..." Able muttered to herself.


From behind the flying Ninjask, one of the serving Graveler cleared his throat at her. He bowed his head silently and pointed upward.


Able nearly yelped when the Graveler just suddenly appeared behind him. "Wha...?" Able looked up at the Ceiling and back to the graveler. "Upstairs?" The Graveler lowered his head more and nodded. He pointed to the platform the group used before to get to the top level where the Emperor's throne room was. Able gulped looked at the Graveler questioning. "I swear if I end up in front of the emperors face I... er..." she quickly realized the type disadvantage between the two mon. "...Well I won't be happy!" Able shouted before buzzing over to the platform. After a bit of waiting, the platform would eventually make its way to the very top. "Ohhh please don't be up here please dont' be up here... Snype what the hell did you get me mixed into?"


At the very top of the tower, the ruinous state of the throne room came into focus. The great battle that had occurred here showed signs of intense destruction, with there being no actual room to stand in, only a rickety platform looking out to all of Karn. Within this rubble, Gregory was standing, looking over some papers while other Pokemon shot past him left and right, helping to clear the rubble and begin fixing up the place.


"Ah! There you are!" Able called out as she zipped right toward Greg. "Greg right? I'm Snype's right hand Gal! Able! Pleased to meetcha! Hooo boy this place sure got trashed! Wonder who pissed the emperor off enough to do this kinda damage huh?" Able said cheerfully.


"Hello there, Able," Gregory greeted politely with a nod, before he returned to his paper. "It was actually your companion, the Dreadmage, who fought the Emperor and caused this."


"That little bastard? Course he would go off and screw something up like this! But... wait he seriously fought the emperor and survived?! Alone? Hrm... ya know what, maybe I'm not giving him enough credit if he pulled off something dumb like that... geez how the hell can the emperor do something crazy like this though? Does training every day just suddenly make you destroy everything in one punch? Or summon lightning or whatever destroyed this place." Able said as he circled around Greg.


"Actually, this has happened before," Gregory sighed somewhat wearily. "This is not the first time he blew up part of the Tower of Rising. And it is not the first time I am to repair it."


Able stopped flying around Greg and flew in front of him. "Seriously? Poor guy. Having to fix up this place must be a pretty darn boring job. All things considered at least. What did he blow it up when he fought Gabe or something?"


"The Gabriel fight actually had severe damage as well, but not quite to this extent," Gregory responded as he looked up from his paper and placed his paws on his hips. "It was more deeper damage, going layers into the tower itself. In ways it was more severe than this. But with this type of damage, the entire hallway basically came off. We'll have to start from scratch here," The Snorlax chuckled wearily. "And this is our Emperor."


"The guy's certaintly got issues eh? Too bad he could rip me a new one with his finger." Able said with a small laugh. "So what's you opinion on the guy?"


"I would like to know your opinion of him first," Gregory replied with a smile. "What do you think of our Emperor?"


"Well...I dunno! He'd sure be nice to have arund and you know, be helpful but if his ego wasn't so far up his ass maybe we'd get somewhere! Though I guess when you're the most powerful thing in the world, everything else would just seem kinda boring. I dunno what that guy's thinking! Also he totally kept trying to gun for Snype in that fight! The ass!" Able shouted.


The Snorlax silently listened to Able as she ranted off about the Emperor. After she concluded, Gregory replied with a slight 'hmm' and thoughtfully returned to his sheet in his hands. "Yes, he certainly comes off that way. But I will disagree with you on that last statement, respectfully of course. If the Emperor was really trying to go after Mr. Snype, he would have done it. And there would have been little he could have done to stop it."


"W-what you're saying he was holding back on us? THAT was holding back?" Able said in surprise.


"Of course," Gregory replied matter-of-factly. "He holds back. He has always had to hold back. There was not a single battle, save for a few handful, where he did not hold back. What exactly do you think the 'most powerful thing in the world' entails? It entails a power so few could even comprehend. An unnatural thing, born from hatred and rage and a constant storm of violence. That is the Emperor we choose to see before us."


"If I were you I would be absolutely terrified of the Emperor. What does he even do for you besides, you know, be all powerful and such? All the guy talks about is fighting and facing powerful opponents or taking over countries. Ugh I'd get bored listening to it! The guy should like, find a date or something, have a fun time or something you know?" Able said.


"That's an interesting thought," Gregory replied with a smile. "As I understand it, the Emperor is in town as we speak, likely doing what you suggest right now. Perhaps first impressions are not always the right ones after all?" He suggested. "Miss Able, may I ask you, how long do you think was the reign of the longest-reigning Emperor?"


"Well I knew that! Just going off what I know! Ignorance is a wonder aint it? Who woulda thought the guy would have a fun side? Couldn't possibly imagine how... well never mind." Able said with a small laugh. "Uh... how long? Welll uh.... okay I'll take a guess! Fifty Years?"


"Twenty-two, actually," Gregory corrected as he scribbled some notes onto his paper. "Before that, in second place is nineteen, and before that, four. Four years is third. We have had hundreds upon hundreds of Emperors in our lifetime, and the longest-reigning Emperor has only reached twenty-two. The very first one was nineteen, who managed to do so when Karn wasn't quite as volatile as it is now."


"Was the last emperor just as powerful as Edgar?" Able asked.


Gregory shook his head. "I truly do not know," He replied. "The reason being was because the last Emperor reigned when I was a young Munchlax. It was... twenty-two years now. If I were to guess from the stories, no, no he was not. He was a capable Pokemon to be sure, but Emperor Edgar is quite spectacular."


"I still can't beleive a mon is that strong though. There'es usually some sort of trick behind that kinda thing... oh! Hey you never told me your opinion on the guy Greg! Comoonnnn you can tell me! I just went off on a rant and everything but you probly know the guy way better then I do! I'm hardly credible!" Able said.


"This entire conversation was actually setting up my opinion for him," Gregory explained. "You see, in the entire over a millennia of the existence of Karn, the longest-reigning Emperor was our first, Kraos. Then, Emperor Edgar came along and broke his streak just now. Why do you think that is?" Gregory asked Able.


"Well nobody has been able to defeat him right?" Able replied.


Gregory nodded. "True, nobody has been able to, but strength isn't what has kept him in power for so long. Not alone at least. Do you seriously believe there hasn't been another in our hundreds upon hundreds of Emperors that had this level of power before?" Gregory shook his head. "No, I expect there have been. In fact, I expect there has been many. One doesn't get to the position of Emperor unless they are exceedingly exceptional fighters. No, the real reason revolves around something else. A number, in fact," Gregory looked through a series of papers he had in his hands and stopped at one. "That number is 2315. Do you know what that means?" Gregory asked rhetorically. "It is the number of times a Pokemon has challenged the Emperor to a fight in the past twenty-two years. Over two thousand times he has been challenged. Sounds significantly high, does it not?"


"Well... yeah! Maybe alot of mon just really want to take a crack at him? But... still that's over two thousand crazy mon trying to take him on. Yikes. Wonder how many of them lived through that?" Able wondered aloud.


"Few, likely," Gregory responded grimly. "But would it surprise you to learn that this number, this '2315', is actually extremely low? Two thousand times he's been challenged. Let me break it down for you, Miss Able. The average amount of times most other Emperors were challenged during their reign was four times... a day. This number? This 2315? Averaged out of his reign of just over eight thousand days, brings him to a grand total of about an average of two times... per week. That, Miss Able, is exponentially below the average. In the beginning, it was likely higher, probably many of those initial battles accounting for his 'blossom period', as we call it here, an Emperor's first hundred days in power. After that, it mellowed out. So in truth, anyone hearing that number would open their jaw and wonder, 'How does a 'mon survive two thousand fights?' To which I would counter, 'why wasn't he challenged more'? And for the longest time I tried to come up with an answer... I observed the Emperor steadily, before I was his General, and then after when I became one. And I learned," Gregory's eyes came off of the pages of notes in his hands and he observed the Pokemon hard at work on the rebuilding of the palace hall.


"The Pokemon of Karn love him," Gregory stated. "They love the type of 'mon he is. Brash, straightforward, without fear, without hesitation. He commands attention with every word. He speaks of power as if he demands it, and rightfully so. And then I realized another side of him, the side that has kept him alive so very long," Gregory looked toward Able. "Emperor Rionart is also one of the most shrewd Pokemon I have met. Cunning, planning, and careful," He chuckled a bit. "I know, I know, it may not seem like it at first. But the Emperor knows when to play the act for the people and when not to. He reacts as he knows the populace wants him to. Spit in the face of others, show no fear. But he has also done things... questionable things that if it were anyone else, I don't think he could have pulled off. Take this, for example. Emperor Edgar is the first Pokemon in Karn's history to end slavery. Before him, many Pokemon of conquered lands were slaves. Then he abolished it. For this reason, many Pokemon, former slaves especially like General Hugh, have much respect for him. But simply releasing all the slaves would be a stupid move. Many of the Karnians wouldn't approve, obviously. So the Emperor didn't just release them. He made them have to earn permanent citizenship. Through fighting. This gave every single slave opportunity to become free by their own merits. It also gave the normal Pokemon of Karn an opportunity to hunt down the 'Serving', as they are now called, for sport. Both sides get something, and the Emperor is loved all the same," Gregory held up a finger.


"Take another example," He continued. "Emperor Edgar is the first ruler to make an open alliance with an outside, foreign presence in the Gold Tribe. Sure, it wasn't an alliance with another country, but it created the very first international cooperation we've ever had. Many did not know what to make of the news, until Edgar calmed the masses by pointing out the warrior-like nature of the Gold Tribe, many Karnians having had a chance to see that first-hand when Edgar displayed the fight with Guardia he had. They accepted her, and again, the people loved him. So... apologies for the long deposition, but the answer to your question: I have much respect for him. I believed Emperor Rionart is perhaps the greatest Emperor we may have ever had."


Able perched herself on one of the nearby broken pictures and listened closely to Gregs explanation of the Emperor. After all she would have to make notes for Snype later on! "That... certaintly sounds different from what I'd have gotten from our first meeting. But I guess if you put it that way then maybe you're right. The guy did seem hard to please but I guess thats just how it is in Karn huh? Maybe in the tournament Snype, Cal, and all of the others can prove that each side of the world has powerful warriors of their own!" Able said happily. "But yet... Snype told me you didn't like Karn at the same time, despite your praise for the emperor."


Gregory sighed and shrugged his massive shoulders. "He is the greatest Emperor we've ever had. But as it stands, he may still likely be the leader of the worst nation in the entire world. As much as I respect what he has done, he has always been and will always be a true Karnian at heart, an ideal I have come not to have much disdain for, unfortunately. He is still apart of a system that fails. And the unfortunate part of it all is that he continues to reign without relenting. Even under his reign, rebellion is happening, the population decreases, and our borders are under siege. With everything as it is outside, how long before Karn falls too? No matter how great he is, the Emperor will never do what we need in time to save ourselves."


"What? Is he seriously just that stubborn? Maybe he doesn't care! Being the most powerful mon in the world he probably just wants them to storm in already so that he can wipe them out himself! I dunno! If I had that kind of power I'd be going out there and kicking the mon attacking the border out of my city!" Able shouted.


"Maybe, maybe," Gregory replied. "But one Pokemon cannot win a war. No matter the strength. Despite that, Edgar has actually paid the armies of Darkrai a visit a few times already, even when he didn't have to. But I suspect he doesn't do it too often because he doesn't want to send the message that they are losing. Or else morale may go. I also suspect stubbornness is part of it too. Emperor Edgar doesn't treat the threat as credible completely just yet. It is difficult to say what goes on in his mind, though."


"So then what do we do? we can't just let things go on! We're trying to get your support! A dead country isn't going to be too helpful with defeating Darkrai!" Able shouted.


"What do you propose we do?" Gregory asked. "Karn has always been this way. And changing the law is not an easy thing to accomplish, especially with such disagreeable Generals around."


"I... well... I dunno! Shoot! What the heck was that other guy going on about changing? That drake fellow?" Able asked.


"Mmm... that Drake fellow," Gregory repeated. "We'll see where that goes. Let's worry about that later. For now, I am to understand you are quite adept at communication at fairly rapid pace?"


Able excitedly flew up to Greg's face. "Only the best! And don't let anyone tell you otherwise!"


"Good, good," Gregory nodded as he looked over a paper, folded it twice, and place it into an envelope. He then sealed the thing with a special marker seemingly designated for him. "This is a letter I want to give an associate of mine. His name is Rolph. A Camerupt. Very... erm... how should I put it... intimidating upon first appearances. Please hand it to him, if you would. He will likely be visiting some of the local bars across Daggen's central side. A please do be careful. Do you require an escort?"


Able snatched the letter and quickly flew around the room to demonstrate her speed. "Depends! Know anyone that can keep up with me?" Able asked confidently.


The Snorlax smiled. "I may have a few 'mon who are fast, though I am uncertain if they are as fast."


"Well I'm not against some backup! You know, if they can keep up!" Able said as she was already about to make her way outside. "I'll check out those bars! You take care Greg!"


"You as well, Miss Able," Gregory waved.

Raz, Rattles, Vee, Obsidian, Cythera - Rattles has a question

Having taken shelter from the snow, the group on their way to stop Xander had paused to eat and rest for a moment. Around the five, the sound of the harsh Karnian weather outside blended in with the crackling of the fire, meshing into a dull noise that could be described as soothing. Luckily, the barrenness of the Karnian wastes wasn't a problem with the preservative nature of Razathiel's Magic Room, which could provide food and supplies on-demand - the wizard had concocted a pleasant stew of various vegetables and berries, though he had made sure to refuse to serve it out to everyone in order to save his villainous pride. If he didn't serve the others, then it meant he wasn't giving things to them; instead everyone else was, as per usual, simply mooching off of his ingenuity and resourcefulness. He'd just made a little too much accidentally. That was it.

Raz took a larger sip of his soup. It was beginning to cool, though it was by all means still comfortably warm. In spite of how much he liked the slight sting of the cold, he had to admit it was probably a little healthier to stay warm in weather such as this. He wasn't an ice type like Obsidian, after all; as much as he could attune his body and mind to resist and even enjoy the biting temperatures, he didn't have genetics on his side in this case. Were genetics ever on his side? The Dreadmage presumed not. Still, no use moping about it. He still had time to see whether his research with Vee would go anywhere.

Obsidian was the only one not deep in the cave. He actually sat near the entrance, his eyes closed as he felt the cold wind and snow whipping across his body. He supposed that if he were some other type of mon he could compare this lovely feeling to that of possibly being at a beach and enjoying the sun. Of course, he never did like the beach. Penance always went on about how beaches were cool but the sun caused Obsidian to itch and sweat. He figured that he could take on the task of being the sentry at the entrance, figuring his eyesight could go a bit further than Raz's psychic senses.

"Could use some improvements," Cythera judged calmly as she daintily lifted a spoon to her mouth, mentally comparing Raz's soup to her own recipes. She paused a moment, suddenly remembering something before smiling and adding, "But it's certainly not bad! Not bad at all!"

"This is actually pretty good," Vee stated as it slurped up some of the soup from a bowl it carried along. "I didn't know you made stuff like this. But then again, you've been on the road a while I imagine?"

"My whole life," Raz answered tersely. "More or less."

"I suppose that's similar to me," Vee concurred as the Victini dug more into the soup.

"My father was the same way." Obsidian spoke up. "Before he met Penance. He told me that he lived in some wastes. That it was culture that young males would be sent off to fend for themselves. The clan he was a part of never visited the cities. They thought them taboo. But he did. He came and met Penance." He sighed, "When we get there... I have a favor to ask."

Razathiel looked up to give Obsidian a slightly irritated, quizzical glance before returning to his soup.

When no one spoke up Obsidian decided to continue to speak, "When we get there... there is a mon I need to fight. No matter what happens, I don't want any of you interfering. It's my battle alone, and if I win then I'll win. If I die... so be it. I've been wanting for this battle for years now. And that's it." He gave a shrug, "That's all I ask."

The Dreadmage shrugged, "Not much of a favor. Knock yourself out."

"Why?" Vee asked curiously.

Obsidian sighed, "... A long time ago, my father came to this land. He was caught, and he was killed. His ghost has appeared to me. He told me who did it. That's what I asked back at the city, and that's why I came this way. Not because of Xander, not because of saving the world. I admit, for this journey... I am being selfish. I want to find the mon who killed my father and kill him in turn. My father told me when I was a young boy that when one attacks your family you owe it upon yourself to fight back, to make sure they pay for their attack. It's honorable to seek revenge on your own terms. If you all were to join me in battle against him you wouldn't understand what you are fighting for. You wouldn't feel the connection to my father that I have. That is why you cannot help me."

"Hmm, makes no sense to me, but if you want to throw your life away when we have bigger Magikarp to fry, be my guest," Vee responded with a shrug, diving once more into the soup.

Obsidian just gave a nod back and turned to face the snow again, "That's all I ask."

Cythera sighed and looked at Obsidian sternly. "I thought you had a whole organization to worry about. One I thought was valuable to our cause. I hope you got all that sorted out before deciding to go and get yourself killed."

"Who do you think is leading them right now while I'm away?" Obsidian asked her. "He's a good mon. I told him before I left what I planned to do. If I don't come back, he'll keep things stable."

"Very well, then." Answered Cythera before returning to her meal.

Rattles, who'd just been watching the others from off to the side since arriving, suddenly walked up to Raz and began writing something. "Raz, why did you seem so much less affected by Guardia's death than the others?"

The Ralts seemed to pay Rattles little mind, only mildly perturbed by the Ferrothorn's presence until he glanced down at what she had written and abruptly began to cough violently, almost choking on his soup. Its curiosity getting the better of the 'mon, Vee decided to look over to what Rattles wrote down, before the Victini formed a frown on its face, backed away and ate its soup in silence.

"I don't," Raz began, before pausing to cough again. "I don't see-" He had to stop to cough again, before deciding to try to finish his sentence while coughing anyway. "What kind of question is that?"

"Please be careful," Cythera interjected. "It would be a shame for your own soup to kill you after surviving a battle with the Emperor. Though if Rattles is bothering to ask anyone anything it's probably related to her emotion research."

Rattles nodded before typing something else. "Others have shown strong negative emotions in response such as deep despair or rage. Your emotions more closely resembled mild irritation. Why?" She spun slowly while looking at Raz expectantly.

"Mild irri-?" Razathiel stopped to clear his throat, bristling in anger. "You know nothing of which you speak! How dare you claim to have even the slightest gauge on my 'emotional' state?" He coughed again, "Ridiculous."

Rattles began to spin slightly faster in thought before writing. "Please correct me if I was wrong."

"You-" the Ralts hesitated. "You were- it's none of your concern! You have no business in... in- doing this!"

"I don't understand. Explain, please." Wrote Rattles. She stared at Raz's face, carefully analyzing everything about his expression.

"This is my business, and mine alone," the Dreadmage snapped. "There's no reason why you or anyone else should be anything but completely clueless as to my, er, stance on... the incident that... occurred. And stop giving me that accursed look!"

"Sounds like someone is trying to hide something." Obsidian stated loudly.

Cythera sighed and cast Aromatherapy around Raz, hoping its relaxing effect would keep him from doing anything rash. It was the first time she had seen him like that, and having seen the way he massacred 'mon while in a good mood didn't exactly put her mind at ease.

"She isn't going to stop until you explicitly order her to stop or you give her what she wants," Cythera explained. Indeed, Rattles continued to analyze Raz, her previous query unaltered. "But knowing there's something that can make you snap like that so easily makes me... uncomfortable, especially when you're such a big part of this group's offensive presence."

Cythera turned so she was facing Obsidian and Vee. "Back in the forest, Gabriel seemed to know a lot about each of us, and he tried to use it to mess with us. He'd done it before then, too, right?"

"Yeah, no doubt." Obsidian just shrugged, "I mean, we aren't exactly secret. Hell, Penance wrote books about himself and me as well. So, really, everything about me is out there."

"It's really quite hopelessly naive to think that this is me 'snapping' - and frankly, it's insulting, too; as though I'd be ****ing stupid enough to jeopardise this group's success. Coincidentally, that's actually why I'm trying to be fairly silent on, uh... the matter." Razathiel scowled, turning his attention to Rattles. "It's not exactly something you bring up in relatively quaint meal-time conversation, while other people have mouths full of soup, you inconsiderate, metal weed! It's rude to stare, too. Consider blinking, for ****'s sake."

"Perhaps I am being a bit paranoid," Cythera admitted with a frown. "But to be fair, you can be a quite intimidating in the best of times, not to mention unpredictable, and I need to do whatever I can to make sure I stay safe. And you act as though I should know you well but I wouldn't exactly call us close."

Rattles rotated in thought, blinking exactly once in response to Raz's words. She then wrote, "Would I have more success if I asked another time?"

"I'm still bloody perplexed as to why the hell you want to know in the first place," Raz snapped at the Ferrothorn, crossing his arms as he turned to Cythera. "Intimidating though I may be, I've been here since Gold City and still haven't so much as attacked anyone allied with us - which is more than I can say for a few other members of the group."

"I only attacked that Golduck guy because he made fun of me," Vee chimed in as the Victini slurped more of the soup gleefully.

"And yet, in spite of suffering worse I've still managed to stay my hand," the Dreadmage grumbled.

"Penance makes fun of everyone." Obsidian pointed out. "It's just how he is... was."

Running out of space on the ground in front of her, covered in scratched out letters, Rattles moved a bit to the side to write, "So I can understand emotion better."

"Is this...?" Razathiel stared at the words on the floor with a skeptical frown before looking up, one eyebrow raised. "Is this real? Am I going mad or is this just completely ridiculous?"

"It is real," replied the Ferrothorn. She paused in thought before adding, "Likely neither."

"Oh good, Rattles answered me, thank the ****ing stars," the Ralts groaned.

Questions still unanswered, Rattles continued to wait patiently. "Like I said" Cythera pointed out. "you can always just order her to stop." She turned to Rattles and said, "You got plenty of stuff you can use anyway, didn't you?" Rattles nodded.

"This isn't just a bit weird and creepy to me, right?" Raz turned to the room's other occupants. "Like, doesn't anyone else see this as absolutely just strange as all hell?"

Cythera finished off her serving of soup before speaking up. "She's is rather unusual, But I got used to her eventually."

Obsidian just stared out of the cave, not speaking much anymore.

Vee shrugged. "You're not actually telling her to stop," The Victini commented. "Maybe a part of you wants to see where this goes?"

"Alright, first of all," Razathiel said, raising a hand. "Vee, that's pretty intensely condescending and I'll thank you to shut your bothersome mouth- secondly, is this actually something that's seen as an ok thing to do amongst your average 'mon? I'm really surprised nobody is calling this out as a terrible thing to do - did everyone read what the actual question was? Alright, ****ing- rephrase the bloody thing and write it out again, perhaps it wasn't as caustic as I'd imagined."

"I did just say she was unusual," Cythera commented.

Rattles thought about how exactly to rephrase her question, then wrote, "Why was your reaction to Guardia's death not as extreme as others'?"

Raz coughed, "Nope, still just as abrasive, holy ****ing ****, alright, I'm done here-" the Ralts moved to get up, stopping to pick up his bowl of soup.

"Why don't you just answer her?" Vee questioned.

"Because psychology." Obsidian muttered out, "He's scared to let something go."

"Oh you can talk, you degenerate cur," the Dreadmage snapped at the Weavile before raising a wicked eyebrow at Vee. "Why don't I answer a question as loaded and astringent as that? Oh, I wonder the **** why- why am I the one being asked this, anyway? I've only been avoiding the subject as much of plenty of others, it's not like you've seen much of a reaction out of the Weavile prick either."

"Yeah, but I'm not ashamed to say that I feel guilt about it." He stated. "If anyone were to ask, yeah, I feel guilty. The thing is that you're avoiding it. You're afraid of showing a bit of weakness. Either by admitting that you never cared for her and that you cannot form connections, or that you cared too much and that you feel sadness at her parting. Or maybe you're somewhere between those two extremes." He looked back at Raz, "Judging by the defensiveness of not answering... well, that's our answer."

"So you've deduced that I'm at some level of care between too little and too much. How in all the hells did you reach that conclusion, detective ****lord?" the Ralts rubbed at his temples. "Can't believe you're all on my arse for this..."

"You told me." Obsidian looked away and back out of the cave once more.

"I don't really know enough to comment, but I don't understand why you can't simply say 'I didn't know her that well', or 'I don't like talking about it' and just move on from it?" Vee questioned. "You seem to be making it a bigger deal than it is. Is this a normie thing?"

"There's also the ol' 'Leave me alone' and 'I won't answer' that I've only mentioned again and again." Cythera said, exasperated at this point.

Rattles was no longer staring only at Raz, now devoting equal time to observing the faces of the discussion's other participants.

"Vee," Razathiel wailed. "Not wanting to talk about it was one of the first things I brought up and for the love of everything dark and evil stop calling people normies!" the wizard paused to wipe his brow. "The ****ing answer, seeing as you're all being such pricks about it, is so complicated and asinine that I really didn't want to go through the bother of explaining it to anyone, but here we go: Whether I cared about Guardia or not is irrelevant, but what I do care about is the success of this bloody group - and that generally means not pissing anyone off to a degree that sparks massive conflict. Now, naturally, nobody dear to me has ever died before, so I've got bugger-all reference for mourning protocol and it's very likely what with the highly-strung emotional states of everyone around at the time that any kind of misstep can be a serious ****-up, so I'm left with very little choice. I can't not care about her death for fear of setting someone off. Likelihood is, I never knew the Lyn that everyone else knew her as, seeing as pretty much everyone else seems to be ****ing lifelong friends or family and I'm just some evil wizard who happened to get brought along for the ride, so I don't really deserve to go through any kind of mourning process and I'd probably **** it up and set someone off if I tried, so it's not an option to care about her death either. Indifference is pretty much the same as not caring, so all I'm really left to do is ****ing dodge the subject like the plague like I've been trying to do, and never have it brought up until this whole Darkrai ****storm blows over and it doesn't matter to everyone what I think any more. Are you happy? Was it worth it? I sincerely hope it was, I'm about to have a ****ing aneurysm and a half."

Rattles nodded, then rolled off into a corner of the cave, where she planted her roots into the ground and mulled over what she'd just learned while absorbing minerals.

Cythera looked at Raz with a frown, speechless and slightly regretting leaving her mother's academy before she could learn more about mental health.

"... Sure." Obsidian said, "If that's what you want to say."

"... Good soup, Raz," Vee commented as the Victini finished the dish up.

"Evil soup, you detestable cock," the Dreadmage muttered.

Journey to the Tournament- Groudon's Farewell

The group bound for Erble steadily progressed north (or by Vee's mapping, west) across Karn's icy terrain for a while. Guided by the Serving Lieutenant Sen, they navigated the blistering temperature with as much efficiency as they could muster. Abel no doubt believed if not for the temperature and the general climate of Karn, the path there would be much shorter. It was especially frustrating to have to endure such a long journey when they were so pressed for time. Darkrai was laying on the pressure everywhere, and each day seemed to carry more weight. But nothing short of suddenly-built Network Points would progress their journey.

"There," Sen called out from the hail as he pointed toward what appeared to be a small shack. "Rest stop for the travelers. We sleep there tonight," He stated as he headed for the spot.

"Keheh, not the most humble place but it'll do. Cold doesn't bug me all that much but... uh..." Snype looked up at Cal. "Yeah we should probably stop for the night."

The Gold Tribe's recently-promoted leader stood firm, showing no signs in his expression of discomfort, but the shivers he failed to suppress, the bits of ice forming over some of the green scales, and the way his wings stiffly furled around his body made it clear he was just being stoic. "Right, it's impractical and dangerous for us to travel without a break longer th-than is n-n-necessary."

"No sense rushing if there's no need to," Abel commented as he headed toward the small, abandoned house.

"Yes," Sen agreed. "Tournament no start for another two weeks. We have plenty time," The Vigoroth burst open the front doors of the shack as everyone piled inside. It was a small, quaint place, with messed up hay and traces of a fire in the middle indicating this was area had been disturbed before. Likely, it was a popular rest stop for travelers passing between places. "We make fire."

"Ya know I never did ask if Cal could breathe fire. Keheh. Hey Cal that could probably warm ya up next time we travel in the cold." Snype said with a small laugh.

"Please someone just tell me you're making fire," Cel demanded as she shivered even within her cloak. Lia, who had been cozying up next to Cel for the better part of the trip thus far, seemed to share the sentiments silently.

"I'm capable of it." Cal commented blandly. "But my physical strength far outweighs the strength of my energy or whatever you want to call it, so I mostly stick to attacks that let me smack things. Draco Meteor is a special case...And it's a little too...explosive to use in here...Unless..." Cal stood up and gathered the already-charred wood and kindling from the fire pit back together and concentrated. After a few moments, a small black orb of pure energy coated in blue flames appeared over Cal's hand, the orb shook violently like it might explode any second until Cal snatched out out of the air and shattered it in his hand. However, instead of combusting or destroying the shack, the Draco Meteor dissipated harmlessly and the flames spread through Cal's body, he looked at himself in wonder at the experiment's results. "Hey, it worked! Now for part two..." He bent down and tentatively reached out his hand, when it made contact with the wood it sparked and the blue flames covered the pit, subsisting themselves on the kindling with relaxing crackles, while the flames on Cal's own body faded away. "I bet I could do a lot with that trick if I practice it." He muttered to himself before sitting down by the fire with a happy sigh.

"For a moment, I thought we were gonna have to put our arms in front of you," Cel muttered as she drew closer to the fire.

"Very good trick, Callimer," Sen commented as he too stuck his paws before the fire.

"Dang Cal, that's pretty darn resourceful! Kehehe! I was kinda just joking with ya but hey! Good job." Snype said with a wide grin as he scooted up to the fire. "You should experiment with that trick a little more! Could make for a good fakeout in battle! Keheh!"

Cal found himself smiling even as he let himself fall back to the floor with a loud thump. "Oh there won't be anything fake about it once I've had some practice. Oh how I love the warmth of fire. Why can't everything be warm? Water isn't that cold most of the time..."

"Warm is nice, I agree," Sen replied with a nod of his head.

"Why do you talk funny?" Cel suddenly asked Sen with curiosity.

"I... what?" Sen responded with confusion.

"You talk so weird. Why do you do that?" Cel asked again bluntly.

"Cel... It's just a thing with different mon." Snype coughed a bit before temporarily changing his accent to a more "French" sounding one. "Some mon around the world may take in funny looking accents like this... keheh..." Snype chuckled and changed his voice up a once more. "Or dey'l try' ta talk all tough n stuff n all dat jazz. Kekek. Ugh... I dunno how they pull that sorta thing off." Snype said, giving off a wide grin to Celebi. "Just something ya gotta get situated with! Some mon might have entirely different languages!"

"I know what an accent is, Snype," Celebi muttered. "But he sounds like he doesn't even know how to talk!"

"I..." Sen began.

"I must admit to some curiosity of my own Sen." Cal joined in. "But there's no reason to tell us if you don't want to, you've had a hard enough life without anyone pestering you about how you talk."

"Yeah! Come on nobody pesters me about my laugh! Kehehe! And if ya do, it ain't getting old anytime soon." He said, followed by a wink.

"... Most Serving were slaves, many slaves no learn to read or write," Sen explained. "My former master no even let me learn to speak. I was warrior slave for fighting, no know anything else. Hugh teach me speak only after slaves were all freed."

"Well hey all things considered you're doing a pretty darn good job at the speaking part pal." Snype complimented.

Sen gave the Sableye a smile. "Thank y-" He began, but was suddenly interrupted when a group of Pokemon, a Tyranitar, Poliwhirl, and Makuhita burst through the front doors of the shack.

"Move!" The Tyranitar roared as he place the Makuhita, who he had been carrying on the ground beside the fire. The Makuhita was convulsing and seizing without stop. His veins seemed to be popping out of his skin, and his eyes were purple. "Come on, Aaron, don't die on us!"

"Aaron!" The Poliwhirl cried in dismay.

"Are any of you doctors?!" The Tyranitar demanded of the group.

"Poison... hold on!" Snype quickly dug into his bag. As usual, he always kept hold of a stash of berries just in case something happened whenever he was on his usual heists. Lum berries in case of more dire emergencies. "Here!" Snype rushed over to the Makuhita and placed one of the Lum berries in his mouth. He was prepared to feed more just in case.

"Those stupid berries won't work, this is Groudon's Farewell!" The Poliwhirl cried out.

"Shut up!" The Tyranitar roared as he allowed the berries by and hoped they'd take. The Makuhita seemed hardly affect by the berries, as he continued to convulse, now coughing up a mixture of blood and a purple liquid. "F*ck!" The Tyranitar howled in anger. "Aaron, hold on!"

"D-dammit! Snype gritted his teeth in a panic.

Cal had jumped to his feet at the intrusion bad had yet to actually do anything else, he was at a loss. "Damn, if only Cythera was here right now... I've never heard of 'Groudon's Farewell' before." He looked back and forth and finally settled on Sen, "Do you have any ideas Sen? I can tell you're smart, your master couldn't do anything to stop that by making sure you weren't educated."

"I know it," Sen replied sadly. "It deadly in Karn. There no cure."

"I refuse to believe that!" The Tyranitar roared, suddenly, the Makuhita sucked in one large, breath of air, before he seemed to be unable to breathe anymore, and stopped moving. The Tyranitar glanced down at his companion and sighed deeply. The Poliwhirl looked down at him as well in silence. "F*CK!" The Tyranitar erupted and slammed his fists to the ground.

"N...no..." Snype looked down at the ground, clutching at his bag.

Cal bowed his head in silence for a moment, but something kept naggling at him until he had to ask. "How terrible...what is Groudon's Farewell? What disease has no cure and kills 'mon so cruelly?"

"It was like the one from Bastille... except... this is different..." Snype said.

The Tyranitar rose abruptly, taking the limp body of the Makuhita and carrying him outside. He shut the door loudly with his tail on the way out. The Poliwhirl sighed and shook his head. "Groudon's Farewell... it's a poison known to Karn. Taken from a plant that grows on the top of Mount Titan. When we first came to Karn five years ago, we thought it was a myth but... apparently some have it. It's very rare, but very deadly. It works its way into the blood, destroying and multiplying inside the body at a massive rate, until your blood is almost entirely made of this poison. It's a painful way to go..."

"Groudon's Farewell one of reasons 'mon try to reach top of Mount Titan," Sen followed up. "With it, 'mon strong because they kill anyone they want."

"I'm sorry that it happened to your friend... that's a terrifying thought though. Crap I wish Able was around, I'd have her warn the others about it... I hate to be insensitive so soon but, how did this happen? Did someone target you specifically?" Snype asked.

"No, Aaron just broke one of the rules of Karn," The Poliwhirl sighed sadly. "Antagonized a stranger. It was over before we knew it."

"Yikes..." Snype was going to mention how easy that rule was broken in Karn with them around but perhaps outsiders were different. Besides, it wasn't proper to make such a joke. "What did the "stranger" look like? Probably a dumb thing for me to tell just anyone but we're outsiders in Karn. Hell I didn't even know there were "rules". We usually call them laws or something." Snype said.

"Didn't get a good look at him, or her," The Poliwhirl murmured. "You too, huh? Join the club, one outsider to another. I don't mean actual rules, more like unspoken. Things you pick up as an outsider going through this country. Like don't travel through Daggen alone. Never draw attention to yourself in a crowded room, don't antagonize a stranger, cause you never know who they are... Aaron broke that last one..."

"A lot of people seem to break that with us as well. Cal here has given them a good thrashing at any attempt." Snype said, pointing over to the large Dragonite. "Where are you guys from? We're from all over the place really. Keheh. Name's Snype."

"Yeah, but our rules apply to us foreigners, not the Karnians. Oh, and John," The Poliwhirl greeted. "The big guy's name is Airen. We come from a-"

"You wouldn't have heard of it," The Tyranitar known as Airen interjected as he returned through the door, without Aaron in his hands. He glanced at John. "Gave him a proper burial, as best as I could in the snow," He sighed and propped himself down onto the ground.

"Aye. This here's Cal, Cel, Kav, and Abel. We were on our way to the tournament so we took a pit stop here. You're free to bunk with us...er... if you want anyways." Snype said, keeping a straight face. He knew their friend died just recently and all.

"Small world, that's where we were going," John responded. "So I guess I don't mind," He added, looking up at Airen as the Tyranitar sat there in brooding silence.

Snype frowned at the Tyranitar. "...I'm sorry about Aaron...we lost someone not too long ago ourselves." Snype said twiddling his fingers "Never mind I should probably stay quiet on the topic."

"... he was one of the last 'mon I knew from the same village as me," Airen muttered angrily. He clenched his fists. "To have him just go out like this, it's not fair."

"Nothing about the state of the world right now is fair." Callimer muttered bitterly. "But we're going to make it better. Soon we'll have the tools we need. This tournament is just another step towards that goal."

"Don't know what this tourney is for you, but I'm gonna get my chance to knock out a few of these Karnian ass holes," Airen responded as he threw a nearby log into the fire.

"So far I haven't really had to put in any effort for an excuse to do that." Cal responded with a laugh.

The Tyranitar managed a small grin and nodded at Cal. "What are you guys doing out here anyway? Got something against Karn as well?"

Cal shook his head, but returned his smile. "No, for the most part we don't have anything against any particular country, in fact, we need the help of each one to stop what's coming." After a few more seconds' contemplation the Dragonite sat down closer to the fire, the ethereal blue light flickering and glittering against his scales. "I'm just never opposed to knocking some heads if it's for a good reason, and Karn has a way of always giving you a good reason."

"That they do," The Poliwhirl beside Airen agreed. "They definitely did for us."

"... What's coming?" Airen asked Cal curiously.

The Dragonite turned ominously towards the newcomers and stared into each of their eyes in turn. "The greatest threat this world has ever known by my reckoning. A veritable god among 'mon driven mad for some reason I can't possibly comprehend, and compelled to end any sort of order and peace as we know it. The Lord of Chaos, Darkrai is growing more powerful by the day, and time is ticking down before he's unstoppable. And we will stop him."

"The rumors are true, then," John murmured. "I would have never believed it for a second. But then we heard talk of an army attacking Karn of all places. And we thought, 'Yeah! Finally Karn gets a piece of their own medicine. Then we started hearing how this army was attacking everywhere, and it was gonna kill us all."

"If I didn't see it for myself, I wouldn't believe it," Airen added. "But are you sure it's Darkrai? When I heard talk at the borders, it was this 'mon called 'the Juggernaut' that was running the show."

"Oh it's real." Cal continued, voice dropping to a low draconic rumble. "I've met him personally. Twice now, in fact. I even fought him. You remember my friend mentioning we lost someone on the way here? It was Darkrai himself that killed them. The 'Juggernaut' is one of Darkrai's main followers, and we intend to stop him as well." His voice lightened a bit, though his smile didn't return when he continued. "I hope you boys really are ready for the greatest scrap of your lives, because one of Darkrai's other lieutenants is going to be at the tourney, and he may be even more powerful than the Juggernaut."

"Gee, you guys live complicated lives, dontcha? You mean James, huh?" John asked. "I heard something about that..."

"Yes we certainly do, and it gets more convoluted every day."

"And I don't give a damn," Airen spat. "Any Karnian in that tournament's going down."

Cal shook his head again, now feeling more somber. "Airen, was it?" At a nod from the Tyranitar he continued. "Don't throw your life away for the sake of anger, or being an arrogant fool. There are pokemon most people can't even comprehend the strength of here in Karn. Some so impressive it would take a missing chunk of sanity not to downright fear them, let alone be wary of them."

"Cal, was it?" Airen began. "Don't underestimate me. We've been living and surviving in Karn for five years now. We know who's who. And you better not make the mistake of underestimating me. Or else your stint in the tourney's gonna be short. And I mean that in the nicest way I can right now." He stated.

"I believe it...but nothing's going to stop us, we're fighting for more than anyone else there, and we'll win because we have to, for much more than just ourselves. Even if that means walking with the gods themselves."

"Yeah, well, I hope you know what you're doing," Airen responded. "Lots of visitors here sometimes suffer from talk-but-can't-walk syndrome. Hope you're not one of them."

"We'll have to see then, won't we?" Cal asked. "For now, I feel about ready for some sleep."

"I think we can all get on board with that after today," John agreed with a nod.

"Aye." Snype said with a small yawn as he scooted nearby Cel. Snype made sure to prepare Detect as he always did before going to sleep. In a place like Karn, who knows who would wander into a shack like this? Especially with Sen hanging around with them.

The further the group bound for Truon traveled, the worse the weather became. It seemed with every passing day, the temperature dropped another few degrees. Even with fire directly in front of it, Vee was shivering. It appeared the harsh winters the Pokemon of Daggen described were accurate. One could only imagine how much worse it got, if that were at all possible. It wasn't long before the behemoth of a mountain known as Mount Titan came into view. Even through the freezing winds and blinding hail, Vee could make out the enormous mass. It seemed to continue on until it touched the sky, and then only go on further.

"Mount Titan," Vee commented as the Victini looked over the map he borrowed from Gregory. "Looks like we're on the right track. Should be a village at the base."

"The question is, has Xander come this far already?" Obsidian frowned, his body quivering from the cold even, "I'm not sure if there's anyway to tell or not. Should I scout ahead? Or are we just going to head in?"

"Just head in, before those clods freeze to death," Raz muttered. "I'm not afraid of any blasted rowdy Karnians."

Cythera struggled to get her words out from the constant chattering of her teeth. "W-we'll fight Xand-der when we see him, n-now let's just g-go in and l-look for someplace w-warm!" The cloak she'd been carrying was bundled tightly around her, but at this point it was no match for the raging blizzard.

"Hold up..." Obsidian peered into the snow, then gestured to the side, "Get over to the side, now!" He hissed softly, "Mon are heading this way." He quickly scurried off the path and glared forward, "I can't make enough details. I'll have to wait for them to get closer."

"How many?" Vee asked as the Victini moved behind a snowy boulder nearby.

Obsidian scanned the area again before answering softly, "About twenty or so, it seems. They look pretty small to me. I think... yeah, they're getting closer. Some are wearing rags it looks like. It's blowing a lot in the wind. Some of these mon are REALLY small. Like Raz size." He stated.

"Hiding isn't particularly my style," Razathiel murmured. "Mind if I just don't? I'll try not to leave you too far behind."

"Well, if you want to defend yourself while out there, they are in a single file. They are very close together one after the other." Obsidian noted, "Just.. try to keep any noise down. We have no idea who these mon are or if they are more of them trailing behind."

"I don't think these are dangerous," Vee examined as it propped up. "Not much energy I sense in them. Best just be moving on," The Victini suggested.

"Hm... I see a lot of Buizel in there. Patrats and Tepigs too..." Obsidian frowned, "Odd for so many young ones to be traveling together. And if they are out here, how could they survive this blizzard? Even you're trembling, Vee. I think... I think there's something wrong here."

"Maybe..." Vee murmured, as the group came into focus nearby.

"I'm cold, Papa!" One of the young Patrats said to a larger one. "Why are we going?"

"It isn't safe anymore, Bee," The older Patrat answered. "Brave it, little guy. We'll be in Daggen before you know it. Then General Hugh and Gregory will take care of us."

"Are you sure, dear?" Another Patrat asked of the older one. "How do you know we'll make it?"

"We can't stay he- hold on!" The Patrat hissed as he spotted Raz and Vee through the blizzard. "Behind me! Nobody say anything!" He said to them. The lead Patrat walked forward more to the 'mon, nervously. He seemed agitated, ready for a fight, while the others behind seemed anxious. "Mountain's blessing to you," He greeted cautiously.

"Didn't know mountains were capable of blessing. Is there Regirock holed away in there, or something?" the Dreadmage chuckled, turning back to the positions of the others. "Will you lot stop being so bloody cautious all the time? We're not endangered here! Honestly."

Obsidian slowly came out as well, looking over the group, not quite sure what to say.

The sudden appearance of others around caused the 'mon in front of them to become a bit more frightened. The head Patrat seemed shaken as well, but held his ground as firmly as he could. "We mean no trouble. We're just passing through. Let's say you walk your way and we walk ours and pretend we never saw each other."

"You were talking about safety. What happened?" Obsidian asked. "And if you thought us Karnians... well, wouldn't you all already be dead if we wanted to kill you?" He asked with a raised brow. "So if you're not dead, then obviously we are not here to kill you."

"Xander happened," The Patrat replied nervously. "And no offense, but I don't give a damn who you are. I just want my family and friends to get out of this place and pass."

"Oh, Xander?" Raz piped up. "We're just on our way over to kill that bastard. You probably don't have to move."

"Yeah, sure, whatever you say, pal," The Patrat responded to the Ralts, as he slowly began leading the group around them, making eye contact the entire time. "I don't mean to butt into your business, but my advice? Turn back. You aren't the first to go after hi-"

"-We will be the last," the Dreadmage interrupted with a wave of his hand, beginning to make his way past the group. "Be on your way, doubt us if you will but be prepared to be proven a fuckwit."

The Patrat didn't respond beyond staring at the Dreadmage for a while before heading to rejoin the rest of his pack. "The Beast's forces are going west. Stay here long enough and you'll run into them," He commented before departing with the rest of them.

"Who were they, Papa?" The Patrat's younger son piped up.

"Just some nuts, Bee, don't worry. Don't look at them," He whispered.

Obsidian glanced over at Vee, "So, they are coming. We at least know they are gaining ground."

Question is, how much ground?" Vee wondered.

"Too much if there are mon pushing their children through this weather." Obsidian commented.

"Worrying though it may be, it is at least somewhat convenient for us to not have to journey so far," Razathiel noted. "Any ground they gain should be more or less null by the time we're done - how much do you reckon the rebellion will crumble with Xander's death alone?"

"I don't know," Vee replied with a shrug. "I don't know nearly enough about this place as I'd like... scratch that, I don't think I want to know too much about it. I guess, let's find out." The Victini and the group began walking forward through the storm, toward the village in front of them. The village was moderately-sized, with a few buildings to each side of the snow-covered main path. The buildings were made mostly of hard, ragged stone, though some were also of wood. There appeared to be inns, bars, and homes, but nothing significant beyond that. Interestingly, above one building on the left, there flew a flag Vee remembered seeing before in Daggen, a flag with a crudely-drawn Pangoro, likely representing the Emperor. On the other side of the street, however, another building had a flag which bore a similar-looking beast, but brown in color. Both of these flags flapped harshly in the cold Karnian air. Directly in front of them, through the end of town, were two paths. On was a steep, jagged path that went left, seemingly upward toward the peak of the distant Mount Titan. There, Vee observed a few 'mon eagerly setting to climb the path, while others, pale and barely standing climbed back down toward town in defeat. The other path also lead upward, though it was more steady, the climb seeming not as harsh, and it didn't travel toward the main peak, but rather toward an adjacent one in the far distance.

"So... do we head up? Or do we go through?" Obsidian asked the others, "We could ask around and see if any of the natives know where Xander's army is currently."

Cythera groaned. "I'm g-going to find an inn with a nice f-fire where I can get something warm to drink. You all can do whatever you w-want. I mean, if you get t-too far you can always just send V-vee to come fetch me. It's the l-least he could do after that incid-dent with our good friend P-percival." With a quick order from Cythera, Rattles went on towards the village ahead of her allies, healer in tow.

"Nigh-invulnerable though I may be, this cold is starting to annoy me. Inn for me too, I think," Raz agreed. "Feeling fairly peckish for some hot chocolate. Ran out of cocoa in the Magic Room a few weeks back, I think it's been about five years since I murdered the occupants of any kind of food store. Well, five years since I murdered the occupants of a food store and left the contents in a salvageable state. Lots of food is surprisingly flammable, you know. I really should just buy a stockpile of the bloody stuff, but I suppose it's just so easy to assume that murderous opportunity will present itself. Why buy things when there's a possibility you might chance upon them for free? It's something of a gamble, and when I've no shortage of money there isn't really any point in taking it, but there you go. Remind me if you lot see a market or something."

Vee nodded and followed as the others headed into the village. Not many 'mon were outside, save for the few that went up the mountain and down it. It seemed most of the ones going up the steep path were filled with determination, while those who had just come down were filled with grief or looks of defeat. Moving past this, Vee observed the signs, which indicated two inn-stops present. One was under the Pangoro-flag, while the other was on the other side of the street under the other flag. "Where should we go?" Vee asked.

Cythera whined in frustration. "I don't c-c-care! If one isn't g-good we go to the other, just p-pick already!"

"If you're that cold, I could chuck a fireball at you," the Dreadmage chuckled.

"F-f-f-f-fuck o-off," she shot back, or tried to at least. Apparently she'd stopped with her attempts to flatter him.

"Oh, so you're not cold? I suppose that means we can take our time deciding..."

After an angry wail muffled in the sleeve of her coat, Cythera stared fiercely at Vee and Obsidian.

Razathiel rolled his eyes and sighed, "Unless you've all somehow speedily inherited my penchant for murder, I suggest we enter that one." The wizard pointed to the leftmost inn with his staff before gesturing with his hands at the flags and commenting to the others, "Take note of the banners. Crude though the representations may be, I know of only one black-and-white bear and only one brown bear who should be on flags around these parts. No matter the ground Xander is gaining, it seems his influence at the very least stretches this far."

"Though, no one in Karn knows who we are." Obsidian pointed out, "Until we tell them. We could always enter the place where our enemies dwell. Once we enter one of these places, the rest of this village will know where our loyalties lie."

"So why establish the loyalty of the other side then?" Vee questioned as the Victini moved closer to the left inn. "I say here, shall we?"

"The loyalty of the other side can help us see what's behind the curtain." Obsidian said with a shrug, "Look at mon such as Gabriel. The reason he managed to infiltrate Valkaria and get network points in place was because he pretended to be on our side. His underlings pretended to be on our side. Same too with Tollen. We could pull a similar stunt here. Have our enemies think we are allies when we are not. It's a gamble, but we could get a lot of good information with some deception."

"If you want to bugger around with that, be my guest," Raz scoffed. "But deception isn't an art I'd be particularly adept at even if I were a fan of it."

As the others continued the discussion, Rattles and Cythera were already halfway to the Pangoro flag inn.

Able and Anna- Delivery Girls

Able quickly flew her way through Central Daggen, looking for any Bars that she could find. She would normally have asked for directions but considering the folks in Karn... she would mostly likely be swatted off. She began by flying into the first bar she could stumble in rather recklessly. She started by flying right up to the Bartender. "Hey! Ya see a Camerupt hanging around here by chance?" Able asked.

The bartender, a very meaty Miltank, reached over to slap the Ninjask from the air. "Who the f*ck do you think you are?"

Able swiftly avoided the swat. "Hey! I'm the gal asking you a question! You wanna be helpful or not?" Able shot back.

"Outta my bar, brat!" The Milktank fumed. "Or I'm taking you out!"

"This patron bothering you, Melly?" A low, grunting voice came from behind as a Muk slithered over to the bar next to the Ninjask. Along the way, the Muk slunk over another patron's tail, a Purugly.

"Yeah, she's being stupid!" The Miltank called.

"You best be stepping out now, Ninjask," The Muk ordered menacingly.

"Hey, you f*ck!" The Purugly that the Muk swiped over suddenly yelled, pushing at the Muk. "You swiped my tail!"

"What?" The Muk turned and looked over the Purugly. "Go away, or you're next." He turned back, causing the Purugly to suddenly slash at the Muk with a series of Fury Swipes. In the process, the Purugly knocked over the drink of another patron, a Murkrow. The Murkrow, angry, suddenly attacked the Purugly from behind, which caused the Purugly's friend, a pair of Rhyhorn, to attack the Murkrow with a series of Horn Attacks. One of the Horn Attacks missed and accidentally stabbed a Vulpix at the far side of the bar, causing her to crash into a nearby Yanma. The Vulpix, believing the attack came from another patron Girafarig, attacked with flames, burning both the Girafarig and one of the Rhyhorn. The Rhyhorn attacked in turn, all the while the Yanma recovered and also attack the pair. Eventually, the entire bar was fighting each other.

"G-gyah!" Able shouted out as she quickly attempted to fly out of the bar to let the chaos roll along. There was no way she would stop this mess. Once the Ninjask flew outside of the bar she began to pant heavily. "Hah...ahh... G-geez! What the fuck?!" She shouted out.

"Able!" Anna called out to the ninjask soon after her shout. She walked cheerfully over to the small 'mon, not really taking note of her frustration or the commotion in the bar. "I've been trying to find you since you left. I'm glad Gregory's directions were so accurate. I was afraid I'd never find you!"

"O-oh hi!" Able said in a panicky sound. "H-how's your day? Oh just walked in a bar and shit went down! Cripes! I'm just asking for a guy! Geez better be careful in the next bar we wander into huh?"

"Oh! They did?" Now Anna looked concerned and when she looked towards the bar she finally noticed the sounds of fighting. "What happened? Well... I guess it doesn't matter. Its important that we get out of here before they start coming outside with you!" She had no intentions of being a part of a fight. The quicker they got out, the better.

"If you go like that to every bar, you're going to get the same result," A Gallade called out to them from their side. He was leaning on the corner of the bar, cross-armed with what appeared to be a plate of armor along his shoulder. The plate was severely damaged, likely from years of fighting. He also appeared to have various injuries across his body, surface scars and other tears, indicating the 'mon appeared to be some type of veteran fighter. "You broke one of the rules of Karnian bars: never ask a question when they don't know you."

"Wha? Well... okay fair enough! We're new here but geez! Coulda gave me a heads up or something!" Able shouted.

"Foreigners, huh?" The Gallade asked with a snort. "I shoulda known," He sighed wearily. "Well, I've got nothing better to do right now. No jobs on record. Come on, I'll show you sorry 'mon around," He suggested as he lead the two.

Able looked over to Anna and followed the Gallade. "Say uh... before ya do, er... well since we aren't in a bar anymore... do you know a fellow called Rolph by chance? Or just a Camerupt in general?"

"Y-Yes," Anna started nervously. She wasn't sure about this Gallade or blindly following him about. "We are in the middle of looking for someone. As much as I'd love to partake in it I'm not sure this tour will help us if we don't find Rolph."

"Rolph?" The Gallade turned. "Name sounds familiar, yeah. I'll take ya to him," He shook his head as he continued to lead. "Honestly, you'd be lost if it weren't fo-" The Gallade suddenly stopped in place on the street and stood still. The Gallade, without warning or pause, then suddenly collapsed to the ground, quickly surrounded by a pool of blood. In front of him, a Sandslash was present with bloody claws, and a familiar tattoo below his left eye. He bowed his head lowly and then began to walk off.

"W...wha... Ah!" Able shouted as she backed away from the body and against Anna.. "What the hell! That guy was gonna help u-" Able quickly paused. "Oh hell... what am I doing, trusting a random guy on the street in Karn? S-still!" Able looked over the body... As much as it disgusted her, the guys stuff would be more useful in her claws.

Anna screamed herself when the Gallade was suddenly slaughtered in the street. She knew this was Karn but she couldn't even comprehend what had happened or why. She recognized the symbol, the Sandslash was one of the Serving like Sen. Even knowing the Serving existed and the challenge they had to take she didn't expect to see what they did.

"The f*ck you shouting at?" A nearby Croagunk asked with annoyance. "It's like you never saw a dead body before!"

Able looked over to the Croagunk. "Oh n-no just kinda caught us by surprise there." Able said as she continued to search the body.

"Y-Yes it did." Anna looked from the Croagunk to Able. "What are you looking for?" Much to her discomfort, Anna had gotten used to looking at the dead bodies around Daggen and wasn't as disgusted by it as she had been before. Still, it didn't make her happy to see Able searching through it.

"Well the guy isn't gonna need his stuff anymore right? I just wanna see if there's anything important on the guy. In case there was a reason he was targeted by our little friend there." Able said.

"He was targeted because he was a f*cking idiot who ran his mouth too much," The Croagunk spat.

"Huh?" Able asked in confusion. "He was just trying to-"

"Kinda like you," The Croagunk interjected. "Are you asking for a death wish?"

Able looked over to Anna with a confused expression. Was this related to the mon they were searching for? The Ninjask seemed completely lost as to what was going on. Perhaps it would be better to just search for the mon their selves. "..."

The Croagunk rolled his eyes. "You really don't get what's going on, do you? You stick out! I knew from the moment I saw you that you weren't Karnian. And if I can figure that out, so can everyone else. And that makes you targets."

"Shit guess that trip to the bar kinda gave it away. And I spose the screaming." Able said with a small chuckle, looking around the group cautiously.

Anna felt her heart sink. The screaming was definitely her fault. "Well... If you're telling us this do you intend to help us?" She wasn't comfortable with this Croagunk approaching them this way. Especially when he could be just as volatile as Karnians are said to be. "Or do you just to let us know?"

"What are you trying to do?" The Croagunk asked curiously.

"Well we're uh... just trying to deliver a message to a mon. A Camerupt. That Gallade seemed to know but... I really should be more careful who I go off and trust in this place. It'd bloody Karn and all." Able said, glancing at the Croagunk suspiciously.

"Hmm... sound boring," The Croagunk replied. "I'll pass. Besides, I have a tournament to get to," He stated as he began to walk off.

"Ah shoot. Guess we'll stick to plan B and find Rolph on our own. You know, without pissing off any barkeeps." Able said with a sigh.

"Rolph's in the Tangled Tangela," The Croagunk shouted back at them as he wandered off.

Able just blinked at the response. That was it? The ninjask grew frustrated at how difficult it was to get answers to a simple question. "Well you heard em. Lets find this place and get back to business." Able said as she flew through the streets. Of course slowing down so Anna could keep up.

Anna rushed after the quick Ninjask, both relieved that they got answered but confused by the Croagunk's delivery. He may have had a point about them standing out, but for the moment they couldn't do anything about it. "The Tangled Tangela? It sounds like another bar." Or a club. "I'm not sure where to look first. There's enough of those around Karn."

"Hmm maybe they have signs up? I mean a name like that has to stick out! And a Camerupt should be easy to spot in a crowd if we end up peeking in all of them." Able said. It should be, but the trip to the Tangled Tangela was not easy. At least it wasn't in Anna's opinion. Finding the one bar amongst thousand was hard in itself and of course she returned Gregory's map and didn't have it at her disposal to make things easier. They also had to take a few unexpected detours as fights broke out and 'mon were killed as was the nature of Karn. Eventually, but not soon enough, they came upon the Tangled Tangela, a bar true to its name. Whether it was from a lack of maintenance or purposeful design the bar was tangled in all kinds of vines and growths from plants. Oddly enough, it didn't make the bar look old or abandoned or messy. It looked like a place Anna might have enjoyed going if this weren't Karn. When they stepped inside there was commotion going on and Anna prayed it wasn't another fight.

The bar was packed with various 'mon, but the mood seemed more jovial than in the previous bar. Instead, 'mon were dancing and drinking their problems away. Even the bartender seemed to join in on the fun. There was a sea of Pokemon inside. Two Zubat, a Herdier, a Cacnea, an Illumise, and many more. Among them also was a Camerupt, who seemed to be at the center of the action, drinking and partying with the others.

"Snype would have a blast here I'm sure... alright We gotta be careful how we approach this guy. I was told he had a rather intimidating vibe. And interrupting his party time probably wouldn't be the best first impression." Able said. "Always have to be courteous! Rule 3 of the Ninjask network! Unless it's an emergency of course!"

"Is he?" Anna didn't get much information on the Camerupt when she volunteered to help. He looked nice enough from a distance, but that was the thing, they were at a distance. "Do you think what the Croagunk said earlier will make a difference?" If they stood out as much as he said they did then maybe approaching them nicely would just make it worse. Not that Anna was the type to not be polite, but it would be devastating to be lashed out on simply because they didn't have the attitude of a natural Karnian.

"Well they're drinking. You never know how a mon will act under the influence. I could share stories of Snype." Able said with a small laugh. "Let's just blend in with them! Maybe grab a drink while we're here huh?" Able said cheerfully as she slowly moved toward the crowd. The Cacnea in the group suddenly grabbed the Ninjask and Mareep and forced them to join in on the partying and dancing. "Eep!"

"Haha! Drinks all around!" He stated merrily.

Able gave off a cheery laugh. "Hell yeah! C'mon Anna!" Able called out happily. She'd make her way to the Camerupt one way or another! For now she just had to make herself known in the bar!

"Oh!" Anna exclaimed when the Cacnea suddenly grabbed them. Now that they were right in the center of the action Anna could feel the energy and fun going throughout the bar. It was certainly a place for 'mon to let their hair down. Anna felt her cheeks heat up at the idea of her partying as hard as the other patrons. "Alright, alright! Where are the drinks?" She asked as she danced along to the music.

"I dunno, Rolph's buyin' all around!" The Cacnea laughed as she forced a drink down both Able and Anna's throats. "Drink! It's a good night!"

"Drinks all around, f*ckers!" The Camerupt roared, to the sound of cheering around.

"Free drinks too? Alright!" Able cheered as she moved over to Rolph. "Ya sure know how to run a party!" She complimented, though she still didn't know what they were celebrating exactly. "Comon Anna! Come grab a drink!" Anna boogied through the crowd and over with Able and Rolph before grabbing a glass and taking a drink.

"She's right! But what are we celebrating exactly?" Anna asked. "Not that we need a reason to throw a good party."

"Being alive!" The large Camerupt yelled behind them. "Another day in the best city in the world! Drink!" He yelled, to loud cheering again.

Able snagged a drink and flew back by Anna. "Sound's like a good enough reason to party wouldn't ya say?" Able said happily. "Oh! by the way Rolph! Delivery for ya!" Able said, reaching into her satchel and passing the letter he had received from Greg. "Read it when ya can! Don't wanna spoil the party!"

"Eh?" The Camerupt examined the letter. His expression immediately went from jovial to sour. "Aww, f*ck! He sent you!" The Camerupt yelled as he grabbed the letter and stormed out of the bar angrily. The party continued inside despite his absence.

"Ahhh shoot." Able frowned at the Camerupt's expression. "I was afraid that was gonna happen." Able said with a sigh before following after the Camerupt with Annabelle close behind. Outside the Camerupt was examining the letter and shaking his head. He sighed deeply in disappointment.

"Sorry to crash your party like that. The other two guys that Greg sent mail too weren't too happy either." Able said.

"I'm sure Gregory wouldn't send a letter for a simple errand," Anna added in as she was reminded of how reluctant 'mon are of doing Gregory's statistical work. "This must be something particularly important."

"It's a job," The Camerupt muttered as he put away the letter into a satchel. "Nothing more. Could have come at a better time..." He mumbled grumpily.

"Sorry bout that. If I knew you were partying I'd have flew a bit slower." Able said with a small chuckle. Able was noticing how late it was getting... stopping by an inn or something would probably be a good idea later. She would have asked about the letter but it was usually improper for a Ninjask to ask about the contents of a letter. It was just common courtesy.

"Yeah, well, nothin' you can do now," The Camperupt sighed. "Looks like I'm off again. You be sure to tell him 'consider it done'. Oh, and tell him it better be more fun than the last time."

"Will do! Anything you need while we're here?" Able asked, just trying to be a good delivery girl!

"Nah... hey, you new?" The Camerupt asked. "I don't remember you two as any of the messengers usually. They usually aren't that chatty."

"Ah are we that obvious? I get it from a certain Sableye really! Hehe! Yup! We're newbies around here! Red marks on our head and all. Caused a bit of ruckus in another bar looking for ya. So uh... oops." Able said with another small laugh. "Name's Able. If ya need anything delivered I'm your gal!"

"Able, I'll remember the name," The Camerupt nodded. "Hope you stick around. Messengers have such a short lifespan in our line of work."

"I've got a good twenty or so years of experience under my belt, Just not in Karn. We've managed so far . Honestly after the incident earlier, I didn't think you Karn folks were party people! My boss would have gotten a kick out of that." Able said.

"Foreigners, huh?" The Camerupt snorted. "Not a lot of love for you around here. You be careful who you say that to, little lady. And yeah, most wouldn't expect it. But I found Karn has the best parties. Most because half of us aren't sure we're going to be alive tomorrow, and the other half are sure they aren't!" He joked with a laugh.

"Hehe! Sound's like a good reason to party to me! Glad to meet someone who has an upbeat attitude! I thought you were gonna be all intimidating like all the others! Me and Anna here will be sure to have a drink in your honor before we head out. Least a gal can do for the life of the party." Able smiled. "Ahh I'm being all mushy though. Just a nice change of pace from what I've been dealing with all day."

"It really has been nice meeting you, Rolph. Delivering this letter was more enjoyable than I thought it would be," Anna said cheerfully. "I do hope whatever you're doing won't be too dangerous. It's always nice to meet someone so easy to talk to."

"Only for the other guy," Rolph joked, as he turned to walk away. "A pleasure, ladies."

"See ya Rolph!" Able said, waving her claw at him. "Say uh... not really proper for me to ask but uh... what the heck's Greg got ya off on? Sounds like the other guy's in for a hell of a time eh?" Able said in a joking tone.

The Camerupt looked at the two of them and cocked an eyebrow. "You do know who I am, right? And what I do?"

"Greg kinda just said you were supposed to be an "intimidating fellow". Goes to show how new we are." Able said.

"Oh, in that case, don't worry about it," Rolph turned to head off again. "Sometimes, the less you know, the better! Enjoy your day."

"Hm..." Able tilted her head curiously. How shady! "Aw I'm probably gonna end up finding out sooner or later ya know! Knowing Karn and all." Able said with another small laugh. "But uh... will do! Thanks for giving us the time Rolph."

As the group finally headed inside, they were greeted by a loud conglomerate of yells and annoyed whines.

"Shut the door!"

"Close it!"

"It's f*cking freezing out there!" They shouted. Vee quickly worked on shutting the door, and most of the 'mon went about their business again as if nothing happened in the first place. The inn had quite a bit of 'mon in there, most of which were chatting among themselves at their own tables or at the bar. There was also a few musicians, playing music at the corner of the room. Vee noticed the markings below their eyes, signifying Serving. In the center of the room, there was a few 'mon who gathered around an enormous fire. They warmed their hands, paws and claws by it. Many of the 'mon in the bar actually gathered around the fire. Most who did looked worn and tattered. The slight remains of ice and the defeated looks on their faces seemed to indicated they had been through some type of hell.

"Like a f*cking nightmare..." An Electrike who was one of these 'mon in bad condition muttered to others around him.

"Never again," A Weezing seemed to share the Electrike's sentiments. "Not for all the praise in the world. I ain't ever going back."

"Well, this seems cheery," the Dreadmage murmured to his companions, a sinister grin plastered on his face. Using his staff, the wizard vaulted onto a stool at the bar and made himself comfortable, throwing his hood down and stowing away his staff in his Magic Room.

Cythera gave a sigh of relief once they finally entered the inn, and ignoring the crestfallen Karnians around she went directly toward the big fire, grateful for its warm embrace. Rattles, on the other hand, kept her distance from the flame and decided to observe the other patrons.

Vee hopped onto the seat beside Raz. In front of them, a Kricketune bartender glanced over them and leaned over. "Who's the Emperor in Karn?" She asked them.

"You don't know?" Razathiel asked with a smirk. "Don't you live and own a business here?"

"Answer the question, hun, or you can take your business elsewhere," The Kricketune was quick to respond. "Unless you like the cold."

"Hun?" The Ralts repeated questioningly, considering barraging the bartender with insults for describing him in such a manner. He quickly dismissed the thought with a shake of his head, seeing as it wouldn't be a brilliant idea and he had a sneaking suspicion she referred to everyone that way. "It's what's-his-face, Edgar Rionart - I should bloody well hope so, at least; I'd hate to have fought a fucking fraud."

The Kricketune nodded. "What'll you have to drink?"

"A big hot chocolate!" Raz announced, as though he took pride in it. "With a swirly straw!"

Obsidian stayed away from the fire, sitting in a cold corner of the room and crossing his arms as he couldn't help but glance back over at the door.

"Some tea for me, if you please," Vee asked politely.

"Get me a hot chocolate as well!" Shouted Cythera from the fire.

A few of the patrons at the bar looked over to the trio after they ordered. A few gave them peculiar looks. The bartender, however, didn't miss a beat and began preparing their drinks behind the counter. Eventually the drinks were prepared and handed out to the three, though the Kricketune had to manually twist the straw to make it swirly. "Here you are," She said as she gave out the drinks.

"Much obliged!" Vee thanked as the Victini dug into the warm liquid.

"Y-you actually bothered to make a-?" Razathiel shook his head and shrugged, taking his drink with the improvised swirly-straw in tow. "Fuck it, I'm genuinely impressed. Didn't even think you'd have regular straws."

The Kricketune shrugged. "I learned a long time ago that for most 'mon that passed through here, this was going to be the last drink they ever have. Including probably you," She explained to the three of them. "No offense, of course. No one makes it up Mount Titan."

"You never know until you try." Obsidian spoke up.

"They do," The bartender responded. "And then they die."

Cythera took a sip of her hot chocolate and sighed happily. "Aah, this place is like a wonderful bubble of heaven in the middle of an icy hell."

"Not sure what you're so happy about, you don't even have a swirly straw," Razathiel said to the Floette with a fairly reasonable degree of mirth. Apparently the hot chocolate was improving his mood, even though he wasn't particularly grumpy to begin with. He turned back to the bartender, "Not sure we even need to scale Mount Titan, we've got other, more murder-y business to deal with - people usually request swirly straws for their last drinks?"

"Oh. Not usually, hun" The Kricketune replied with a shrug. "But I do what I can with what I have."

"Well, what mistakes are there not to do?" Obsidian asked as he glanced at the Kircketune. "Surely there are common mistakes that those who die perform. Right?"

"Yeah, they go up," The bartender responded to the Weavile bluntly. "Listen, hun, I've been here a long time. I've seen thousands go up. And in my lifetime I've only seen one ever make it down from the top."

"Then someone will be the second. The right one to take that place just hasn't come by yet." Obsidian retorted. "So, what did this first one do that allowed him to get up there?"

"Too many stories, and not enough facts to tell you for sure," The Kricketune shrugged. "I would say ask him, but I doubt he'd tell you anyway."

"Shut up about him!" One of the other patrons, a Victreebell, hissed.

"We don't talk about him here!" A Magby added next to the Victreebell.

"... And if one were to climb this mountain, then there would be a lot of respect. Do you have a map of the mountain? Or is it more of a blind climb?" Obsidian asked.

The Kricketune shook her head. "No map, hun. Just the cold, the climb and the peak in front of you."

Raz sipped his hot chocolate idly, thinking aloud, "Wonder if it was Xander that reached the top. Could've been James, too, I suppose, or just someone else entirely, but Xander seems like the only 'mon people wouldn't want to talk about around here."

"I said don't say his name!" The Victreebell shouted.

"Why not?" A Luxray asked from the corner of the room. "Afraid of him?"

"I ain't afraid of him!" The Magby beside the Victreebell spat.

"Yes you are," The Luxray was quick to respond. "All of you are. Especially this lot," He gestured to the group of 'mon gathered around the fire, who looked like complete messes. "Because now they've tried the long path up and failed. They know no 'mon can make it to the top, and they question how in the holy hell he did." The 'mon around the fire with bundled up tighter and said nothing. Some looked at the Luxray, others deep into the fire to forget about their troubles. Few other patrons in the bar seemed eager to speak up too. The Luxray continued. "And it's all making you say the same thing in your minds now: maybe his followers are right. Maybe this isn't just another rebellion. Maybe he does have a claim."

The Dreadmage let out a bark of laughter. "I'll speak the fucker's name as much as I damn well please. Not like anyone's going to be talking about him when I'm through with him anyway," He paused for a moment in thought, sipping up some more hot chocolate through his straw. "Except perhaps to comment on how much of a dead bitch he is."

The Luxray laughed loudly after the Dreadmage did so. "This guy's got some balls. Much more than most of you here!"

Cythera frowned and spoke up to the Luxray. "He's the only one? What about Emperor Rionart? I'm sure he must have been able to do it, right? Strongest 'mon in the world and all that."

"Even the Emperor hasn't made it to the top," The Luxray responded to Cythera.

"N-not because he's not able to!" The Victreebell interjected. "He just never did!"

"Raz has killed far better mon than Xander. So I don't think Xander will last long." Obsidian commented. He glanced out a window and outside. "... How does one know when someone has made it up the mountain? There has to be something up there that you can bring down as a trophy, right?"

"How do you know what kind of 'mon he is?" The Luxray questioned Obsidian. "No doubt you boast a lot about who you are. I even heard what the Ralts said earlier about fighting the Emperor. No doubt Janet's heard about it as well, though she doesn't believe it. But even say you did fight him. In Karn, there is something else that ties with strength. The Karnian way. The Emperor is the strongest 'mon in Karn... probably. But there are those who believe he is not who is best for Karn. Freeing the slaves, allying with outsiders. Hell, he didn't even try the path up Mount Titan! Every other Emperor before him has tried. Failed, they did, but they gained respect because of how far they went. And now, the Pokemon of Karn have someone who actually made the trip, and made it to the top! One who values the true Karnian way."

The Luxray walked around the fire and grinned. "We know the story. Climbed he did, every day making one more heave up the blistering temperatures. Until the cold cracked his skin. Until the cold froze his lungs. And when many others would have turned back, or let death claim them, the Beast roared forward. Another day, another foot up. Then another day, another inch up. For nearly three weeks he made the climb. Everyone thought he was dead. Until he came down the mountain. No one needed to see Groudon's Gift in his hand, they could tell by his eyes: He had made it up the mountain. That is the kind of Pokemon Xander Eidragon is. Stubborn. Straightforward. Fierce."

"You sound like you belong in the The Lair on the other side of town, Erk!" The Victreebell snapped.

"Only an idiot doesn't respect the Beast," He snapped back, before looking at Raz, Obsidian, Vee, Rattles and Cythera. "So, do you still think you can take him?"

"Not quite in the mood for such a serious conversation, but sure," Razathiel said with a wave of his hand, the other supporting his head and his swirly straw that still resided in his mouth. "Like the Weavile says, I've taken 'mon as powerful as him with far less at my disposal. Hard to be all too intimidated by a 'mon whose death is only a fraction of a stepping stone towards an end goal," the wizard paused, chuckling as he remembered something. "Still, can't say I don't respect the prick; I hear he gives Darkrai some fairly sage advice."

"Perhaps...." Obsidian gazed out for a bit longer, "I might as well try it then."

"That sounds like a terrible idea," Cythera said as she glanced over at Obsidian. "I don't intend for us to wait three or more extra weeks before taking on Xander, and I don't know if that enemy of yours will either. Not to mention the fact that there apparently hasn't been a single Emperor of Karn who's made it up." She then turned back to the Luxray. "So what sort of gift is this anyway? A rare stone? Some kind of power?"

"You ain't never heard of Groudon's Gift?" One of the 'mon around the bar, a Pignite asked skeptically. "What, did your whole village die before you learned of Karnian's way?"

"They're obviously not from Karn," The bartender Kricketune interjected.

"Foreigners!" The Victreebell spat to the side. A few other 'mon did the same.

"Groudon's Gift, or also known as Groudon's Farewell," The Luxray began. "Is a plant. It's only known to grow in the most coldest location, the very top of Mount Titan. You'll recognize it as a very deep purple plant. And the fact that what it secretes can turn into the most deadly poison in Karn."

"So our target has a sort of super poison..." Cythera said dejectedly to nobody in particular. "I'll have to start working as soon as possible if I want to be able to fight it in case he decides to use it, but I get the feeling I won't have much luck without a sample of my own. What a pain..."

"Eugh," Raz muttered with disgust. "I hate poison. To a significantly more intense degree than my default hate of everything."

Obsidian sighed wearily, "... So, are there any spare metal sheets around here? Anything thick or so?" He asked out.

"Why the f*ck do you need that?" The Victreebell asked.

"Try the blacksmith in town," The bartender replied.

The Luxray laughed. "I wouldn't worry about Groudon's Gift. I haven't seen anyone have that in a long time. It's extremely rare. Hell, never seen the Beast have it either. Not his style. Unless of course, he boiled it. See, it's a poison when it's secreted, but boiled at just the right temperature, and it's pretty good for healing too."

Obsidian didn't bother to respond to the plant as he got up and made his way back out, opening the door and making his way out to the chilly atmosphere before closing it right behind him.

"Best be prepared, I suppose, when the alternative is apparently certain death," the Dreadmage commented, waving a hand to fix the tuning of one of the performers' instruments.

"Do you happen to know how it interacts with skills such as an Aromatherapy spell or a Heal Bell?" Cythera asked.

"I don't think they have details, Cythera," Raz said.

"Figured it was worth a shot at least." She shrugged.

"All I know is it kills ya," The Victreebell replied with a shrug.

"I never even seen it myself," The Magby added.

"I hear it slows it down, but nothing cures it," The bartender chimed in.

"What about just not getting poisoned?" Razathiel suggested with a smirk. "How's that for an idea?"

Cythera ignored him while she thought about the poison, comparing what she'd been told with her own vast knowledge and taking occasional sips of her drink. Raz didn't seem to be quite so pensive, instead contentedly enjoying his drink and absentmindedly adding in a few complimentary flourishes to the musicians' performance, manipulating their instruments from afar with Psychic. As a thought occurred to the mage, he tilted his head toward the bartender.

"Got any marshmallows?" He asked.

The Kricketune glanced under the counter and brought out a bowl of an assortment of marshmallows, some small and some large. "If you plan on staying the night, rooms are second floor for cheap, by the way."

"We probably should," Cythera noted, still halfway lost in her thoughts. "So who's paying?"

"I'll cover you," The Luxray stated with a grin. "If you guys are crazy enough to try to fight the Beast and head up Mount Titan, then the least I can do is pay for your last night of good sleep and food," He laughed.

"Correction," Razathiel held up a hand. "We aren't heading up Mount Titan, and we aren't just fighting Xander, we are fighting him and we are killing him. All of us present, anyway, although I'll likely still be doing most of the work - I think the Weavile has some other buggery to bugger about with," He paused to gesture to the doorway, then turned to the barkeep. "How many rooms to you have? Do you perchance have one filled with an entourage of friendly deities and a gigantic, chocolate-flavor potion that grants omnipotence and omnipresence to whoever drinks it?"

"None of that other stuff, but we have have five rooms up top on the second floor," The bartender responded. "They're yours since Hal is covering you."

"You were two for two on unusual requests," Raz shrugged. "Figured it was worth a shot."

"Hell, most of the 'mon here hopes you do!" The Luxray says with a laugh. "If you really think you can, go for it! You could always start with a few of his lieutenants in the bar across the street," He chuckled.

"Oooooooh!" the Ralts wizard began to bounce in his seat and tap the table in his excitement. "It's been way too long since I've burned a whole building down! Can I?"

"Might be best to do it after we settle in our rooms and relax a bit, no?" The quiet Vee pipped up.

"Aww, but-" The Dreadmage exhaled, relenting. "Yeah, you're probably right. Save it for later. Fuck, I'm so excited!"

Cythera rolled her eyes before floating up and announcing, "Well , if you need me I'll be in my room." Within moments she was gone.

Obsidian - Gathering info

Obsidian couldn't help but shiver as he walked about in the thick snow. He should have felt comfortable, welcomed by the climate that he had been away from for so long. Instead, it was bitterly slapping him along his cheeks, almost like a hateful former lover. A few days ago he had been enjoying their trek, and it was only going to get worse from here on out. If the cold was already causing him to shudder this violently, then how would he do when they went further on? Would it be possible that he would freeze to death? That was the last thing he needed. He had come this far already, he wasn't ready to quit now. He glanced about at the odd buildings, his eyes searching for any sort of signs when they finally stopped upon a hammer looking shape. He quickly made his way toward the door and pushed against it, making his way inside. "Hello?" He called out, "I need a job done by a blacksmith."

An Aggron had been sleeping along the floor. He was laid out with bottles of drink all across him, and he was awoken by the sound of Obsidian coming inside. Obsidian couldn't help but raise his brow a bit at the scene."Urgh... uh? What's the job?" He asked drowsily as he rubbed his eyes and stood up.

"Well, making a metal suit." Obsidian answered. "I need something my size that offers some protection, but doesn't restrict my movement too much. Is such a thing possible?"

"What? You mean like armor?" The Aggron asked hazily.

"Yes." Obsidian let out a meek sounding cough, "Something that is thick enough to keep claws from getting through. Specifically Ursaring claws. Are you able to do such a thing?"

"Hell, I'm a blacksmith, I can make whatever armor you want," The Aggron chuckled. "But if my guess is right, can't nothing stop that Ursaring's claws from piercing ya."

"So, the armor is no use against him?" Obsidian asked. "Can anything stop his claws?"

The Aggron sighed. "Son, I've been doing my business for a long time," He began. "I've seen plenty try to come in here and try their luck against the Beast. I've grown tired of explaining the same thing every time. The Beast doesn't lose. The Beast doesn't stop. Once he gets going, there is nothing that can. Go fight him if you want, but plenty more tougher-looking lads and ladies tried before you, and plenty more will after you."

"So then, there's nothing that can stop him?" Obsidian asked with a raised brow, "He just wins? Everyone has a weakness. The only who doesn't is Arceus."

"I ain't so sure he isn't," The Aggron replied as he began walking around the Weavile, measuring him. "Still want that armor? I think I got something in your size."

"I'll probably need it against the minions he has." Obsidian stated with a nod, "It won't do to die before I get to him. Though, a question first. Do you know of any Tropius in the area that Xander is? Older, was once a general?"

"Tropius... Tropius..." The Aggron thought. "I think the Beast beat a Tropius to become Grand General, didn't he?" The Aggron asked.

"Yes, that was what I was told. So... do you know where he is?" Obsidian asked eagerly, "I heard he could be in a particular city, but other than that nothing. Would anyone here know of him or where he could be currently?"

"Hell, I thought he was killed when Xander became General," The Aggron responded with a shrug. "Didn't even know he was still alive. Wait there," The Aggron stated as he walked behind the ground and began examining various metal armors that were present. "These are Aggron hides so you know they're tough! Hehehe!"

".... What?" Obsidian croaked out, his face paling. His eagerness faded away as he blinked his eyes a bit, "... Xander... killed him? Are you sure?"

"Nah, I don't really keep track of that," The blacksmith replied as he placed a Weavile-sized armor plate on the counter. "Hell, we go through Generals a lot over here after all," He laughed. "You could always ask the Beast himself. He would know if he killed that guy. How's this piece?"

Obsidian didn't bother to answer the question, "But... surely someone would know around here, right?" He blundered out. "Someone HAS to know."

The Aggron shrugged. "Who would even care about a 'mon who's not even a general anymore? I sure as hell don't."

"I DO!" Obsidian spat out, "I HAVE to know! Don't you have historians or... or something!?" He frantically demanded.

"His-what?" The Aggron questioned with a raised eyebrow. "Hey, are you going to pay for this thing or not?"

Obsidian grit his teeth and rushed out of the store and back out into the cold. If there was ANYONE in this town who would know things, then it would have to be the barkeep. He raced along the snow covered ground, rushing back to the bar that he had left moments ago and scrambled inside. "Barkeep!" He shouted out. "I need a moment of your time!"

"What's the rush, hun?" The Kricketune chirped. "Your friends are upstairs."

"I need to know about a Tropius." Obsidian said as he came up to the bar and slammed his hands down on it, "A Tropius was the general before Xander, right? Was... he killed?"

"You're talking about ancient history for Karn, kid," The bartender replied. "That was over ten years ago. I don't know what happened to him."

"Hmm... it was Dorrian, wasn't it?" The Victreebell from before asked the Sandshrew next to him. "I don't think he died, but I'm not sure."

"Well, what is it?" Obsidian asked as he looked about the room, "Did he die or didn't he?" He gulped down some air in an effort to calm himself down, "I... I need to know. It's important."

The room group silent as the 'mon in it looked around among themselves. "Xander usually kills his challengers," The Victreebell muttered.

"Yeah, but that Dorrian was a tough General. He may have survived," The Sandshrew replied.

"I don't even remember him!" The Magby in the room added.

The Kricketune shrugged. "Don't remember him, either. For as long as I could remember its been the Beast. He's the current longest serving General."

"So.... if he kills all his challengers... that means... that Dorrian might be dead?" Obsidain croaked out. His eyes fell, "... Is there anyway to know? Any news articles? Books? Something that can confirm it?"

A few of the 'mon in the group laughed. The Kricketune shook her head. "We don't have that type of sh*t here, hun."

Obsidian was silent for a bit longer, "... What is the likelihood of his death then? Very certain?"

"I'm not about to shout statistics at you, hun," The bartender retorted. "Everybody who tries to fight the Beast loses. Most who try, die. Does that mean all do? Nah, I don't think so. But don't go looking for a prayer."

Obsidian closed his eyes at the statement. He sat down shakily upon a stool and lowered his head, "... Twenty years is an even longer time in Karn." He croaked out. "Just... just give me some strong stuff then. I don't care what."

The Kricketune shrugged and poured the Weavile a drink into a mug and passed it over. "Cheer up, hun. All your problems will be solved at the bottom of that mug."

Obsidian sighed and tilted his head back, pouring the drink down his throat. He coughed a bit and pulled the mug from his lips for a brief moment, "You know... I should have realized a long time ago he would be dead. I mean, it's Karn. Everyone dies here all the time. Who was I kidding?"

"Everyone except the Emperor!" The Victreebell shouted. Most of the other 'mon in the inn raised their mugs along with him and took a drink.

Obsidian looked down at his drink, "The one rule of life. Everything goes wrong." He took another drink, "Everything."

"Yeah, sounds about right," The Kricketune shrugged.

"How much will it cost to have a night of drinking?" Obsidian asked as he swallowed down more of his drink.

"Hal paid for your bed and drinks already, hun," The bartender responded. "Drink away."

Obsidian smirked and took another down, "Well, then I'll just drink everything away. Cheers."

Journey to the Tourney- In the Inn

Snype was the first to wake up, Even with Detect activated, it didn't seem like unwanted intruders made their way into the small cottage. Nonetheless, the Sableye wanted to be careful about it... "...Ugh I'm just getting paranoid now..." Snype looked down at Celebi and pulled the small blanket over her a bit more. Snype felt guilty dragging Celebi through Karn like this but he didn't have much of a choice.

"Urgh..." John the Poliwhirl stirred as he rose himself off of Airon's tail, which he had used as a pillow. Sen, who seemed not to have been sleeping at all, but merely watching the outside from the window, glanced over at the rest of the party.

"Good morning," Sen declared.

"Hey," John waved, before examining Sen closer for the first time. "Oh, you're a Serving..."

Sen nodded. "Yes..."

"Huh. Didn't notice yesterday. What, are you their servant or something?" John asked.

"I... no, I go to fight in Erble too," Sen muttered.

"No kidding," John replied with somewhat surprise. "Didn't think you people could do that."

"Well at least you have the sense to call them people." Callimer groaned, pushing himself upright reluctantly and making the floor underneath them creak. "But he's our friend, and I'll ask you only once not to imply he's anything less. So, how's everyone feeling? We should get going soon, I think. The cold really makes me sleepy, so if I'm awake, we've been sleeping long enough."

"Hey, I never cared for the slave laws here," John said with a shrug. "I was surprised the Emperor freed them, actually."

Sen nodded at Cal, giving him a slight smile. "Ah, yes, we move soon."

Airen lifted his large body off of the ground with a loud wail. He seemed agitated. "Urgh... hate the mornings," He mumbled.

Cel slowly yawned and pushed her body off Lia, who slept beside her. "Mmm... it's so hard to sleep while it's this cold..."

"Hey," John looked around. "Since we're all going to the same place anyway, why not travel together?" He asked as he looked around. "We could have more strength with numbers. Plus, us foreigners have to look out for each other. What do you say, Airen?" He asked his Tyranitar companion. Airen just grunted and looked out the window.

"Kehehe, I'm down. The more the merrier." Snype said with a wide grin. He looked over to both Cel and Lia. "Kehehe, tried what I coulda to keep ya warm but looks like the cold is a whole 'nother enemy we gotta conquer in Karn. Kehehe," Snype said with a small laugh.

"Heh, if you think this is cold, you should try going up Mount Titan sometime," John replied with a snort. "I hear 'mon literally freeze to death up there," The Poliwhirl shook his head. "Rough way to go."

"Keh, I'm really glad to be a Ghost Pokemon then. Cold usually doesn't bug us that much but ya know, Mount Titan could give me a run for my money. Keheh" Snype replied.

"That's what I thought too," John replied. "I'm a water type. Ice won't affect me!" He exclaimed, then shook his head. "Ghost, Ice, Water, doesn't matter your type. Titan conquers them all. Well, almost all, at least. There's one I know of who made the trip all the way to the top."

"Really? Yike's must be a hell of a trooper." Snype said.

"Arceus knows I'm not going up there." Cal muttered. "I doubt I'd last a minute."

"Maybe you should get a Fire Pokemon into our little group? Kehehe!" Snype commented.

Cal shook his head, missing the joke in his thought. "No, if fire was enough Titan wouldn't be such a big deal, I doubt even being on fire would hel-wait!" He thought back to his little track last night, but then he also thought he didn't want to give anyone an excuse to suggest he go to what may be the coldest place in the world, so he shook his head. "Nevermind, I was being silly."

"It's a waste of time," Airen shook his head. "Nobody makes it up the mountain."

"Then how did he make it up?" John questioned the Tyranitar.

"Because he's a freak of nature," Airen snapped back. He looked at the others in the group. "I hope you never have to run into him. Not worth the fight. He's a freak of nature."

"Who? Do you know his name? What kind of pokemon is this 'freak of nature'?" Cal inquired, intrigued at the information.

"The 'mon they say has the closest claim to the throne," John responded. "They call him the Beast of Karn. You know him no doubt as Xander Eidragon."

"Freak of nature sounds about right." Snype said, gritting his teeth at the thought of another general. "I only caught a glimpse of him the last time our group fought."

Cal shook his head and kicked over a loose piece of wood. "And of course, we can't exactly ask him to tell us more to find out how he survived, or how any of us might do it."

"Well, there are the stories," John stated as he began to pack up for the road ahead. "Three weeks he was up there. They say by the second week, he only moved a foot higher from the sheer cold. They say by the end of the third, it was just an inch. And then, when everyone thought he was dead, he came down the mountain with Groudon's Farewell in his hands, and they knew he conquered it. I'd probably sh*t myself if I ever ran into that guy," John laughed. "Kinda glad he won't be in the tourney."

"You shouldn't be, I already told you there's a 'mon in there just as dangerous as Xander. Possibly even worse when he's at his very 'best'. It'll be a real bloodbath this year." Callimer advised.

"Yeah, James is a badass too. I hear he conquered the Anatellia territories himself," John stated with a shudder. "Urgh, kinda glad I won't be entering."

"Whatever," Airen growled. "James, Xander, doesn't matter. The Emperor could join in too for all I care. It won't change my mind. Would it have changed any of yours?" He questioned.

"Not in the slightest." Cal said resolutely. "But I don't have a choice, the consequences of me not entering seem like they would be far too dire to even consider."

"Same for me," Airen responded with equal resolution. "Err... minus the whole 'end of the world' thing. I don't have that lingering over my shoulder at least."

Snype kept silent on the comment of Edgar joining the tournament, but hearing James' name always made his blood boil. "Well best not waste any time in here then. I'm ready to head out when you all are." Snype said.

---

The group, with the addition of Airen and John, traveled together onward through the cold plains of Karn. It was a rough travel, with snow continuously pouring through the days and nights, but Sen seemed to navigate further to the west, which seemed to be in the less colder areas. Cel and Lia clung close to Snype for most of the trip. Abel had been silently following them without saying much unless someone directly spoke to them. John seemed to be the one who spoke the most, while Airen seemed less inclined to small talk.

Three more days into the trip, and nothing too impressive had been happening. The group navigated through the snow during the day, and rested wherever they could at night. In a cave, in an abandoned home, in a small village, wherever they could find. Eventually, the group stopped for the night in a small village with only a few houses, but included in there was a small inn. The 'mon there were fairly nice for Karnians, offering cheap board to all, though they seemed hesitant a bit about offering the same to Sen. It seemed a certainly level of prejudice wormed its way even there.

Inside of the main floor of the inn, Sen had a map out and was explaining their location. "Here," He pointed to a spot on the map. "This where we are now. We make good time. We should be in Erble four days."

Snype made sure Cel and Lia were kept close to him. The least he could do for the two was keep them warm throughout the journey. He was at least around their size to hold onto both of them easily. "Ahh finally an Inn...rest easy ladies, we finally have some warmth for once." Snype said.

"Ah!" Cel pipped up as she quickly glided over next to the fire and stuck her hands in front of it. Lia seemed to follow Celebi over there.

"Why the heck did you bring those two to Karn?" Airen questioned as he observed Celebi in her cloak and Lia. "They don't seem like they belong here. No offense."

"Oh those two? Uhhh..." Snype took a moment to try and figure out how he was going to explain this one. He couldn't just tell them who Celebi was out of the blue like that. "They uh... kinda got dragged along with us. We didn't have much of a choice after our incident with Darkrai. I mostly just try to keep the two safe. They're pretty close friends of mine." Snype said. He figured that was the best way to explain it.

"Oh," John muttered as he looked over them one last time. "I'm not sure if bringing them here was the smartest thing either way."

"Like Snype said, we had no choice," Abel explained, hoping to drop the topic.

John shrugged, seeming no longer interested in the topic either. Just then, the front door opened, releasing some of the chilly air from the outside. Swiftly into the small inn came a Garchomp, wearing a long, thick beige cloak from the storm. Underneath his cloak, Abel could hear some sort of metal clanking, perhaps armor. The Garchomp talked briefly with the innkeeper, before he pulled up a chair to the side of the room, and sat down. Abel couldn't hear what the 'mon said, but he seemed to glance in their direction a few times.

Snype glanced over to the Garchomp. Occasional glances from a stranger could mean several things. The Sableye would be sure to keep an eye on the fellow just in case... but at least the topic had been dropped for now. He was afraid he would have to resort to a more drastic excuse. He leaned in to whisper to Sen, trying not to make eye contact with the Garchomp. "Anyone familiar to you Sen?"

"No," Sen replied as he examined the Garchomp. "I no know him."

"Doesn't look familiar to me either," John whispered to the others.

"Be ready for a fight," Abel muttered.

Snype prepared Detect and moved over to sit with Celebi and Lia by the fire. "You two gals doin' alright?"

"Fine," Cel muttered as she continued to warm herself by the fire. Lia danced through the air steadily, floating close by the ember as well.

Cal sat backwards in an oversized chair, resting his chin on his arms over the chair's back, and making it creak with his weight. His eyes never left the Garchomp even as they all tried to relax, and anyone who looked at the Dragonite could practically hear the air crackle between the two dragons.

After a few more moments of staring the cloaked and armored dragon rose himself from his seat and approached the group. He eyed them individually, his stern, fierce eyes floating from one ''mon to the other. Then he spoke. "Doth I stand before Callimer and Snype?" He inquired.

"Yes, I am Callimer, Callimer Vian. And this is Snype." Cal gestured first to himself, then the Sableye nearby, his gaze now less hostile, but still fixed firmly on the Garchomp. "How do you know of us?"

The Garchomp smiled and bowed respectfully before them. "Well met, Callimer. I am Percival, bred of House Firrell, of Exatrass. I bring word from the south of Razathiel the Dreadmage, Cythera of House Hallas, Obsidian the Weavile, and Frederick the cloaked one. I hath met those folk on valorous terms long mine own path north. They spake of thee two."

The Emerald Sentinel brightened up at mention of their compatriots and stood out of the chair. "How did you meet them? And are they okay?"

"I wast ambushed long the road north. Those gents hath caught sight of mine own pyre once I burned my attackers. They assisted me in piling the dead and told me of thee and thy mission," Percival explained. "I told those folk if be true I should chance upon thee, I would send thee their regards. As I have done."

It was an interesting story but one thing about it didn't add up. "How did you catch up with us after meeting up with them, and being ambushed, no less? And for that matter, where exactly are you going?"

"I did not come here searching for thee," Percival responded. "I came this way with the same destination in mind as thee. The tournament in the city of Erble," He concluded, just as the door opened again and another 'mon entered, a Camerupt. Percival turned to see the new 'mon, but turned back to Callimer again after the Camerupt sat down and started talking to the waitress. "Running into thy cater-cousins wast a chance meeting yond hath happened nearly a week prior."

Snype eyed the Camerupt cautiously as he entered but looked back over to Percival. "Place is getting pretty packed tonight isn't it...?" Snype commented.

"So you're going to be entering the tournament as well," Abel spoke as he glanced over the Camerupt briefly before looking over Percival again.

"Aye, correct," The Garchomp stated. "Though I doth not interfere with thy mission. I was informed of it by thy cater-cousins."

The Camperupt laughed loudly with the waitress as she left, then drank from a bowl in front of him before he glanced over to the group. He seemed to catch sight of something because he groaned. "Urgh, of all the places," He muttered.

Snype hung around Cel and eyed the Camerupt over. "Kehe evenin." Snype simply commented. "Friend of yours Percy?"

"Nay, I hadn't the pleasure," Percival responded as he glanced at the Camerupt. "Good morrow, sir," He greeted.

"He wouldn't know me," The Camerupt replied as he drank from his bowl to its conclusion in a single gulp. "Ah, that hit the spot..." He muttered. The Camerupt cracked his neck and stood up.

"Ah, then who art thee, if be true I may ask?" Percival inquired.

"Rolph," The Camerupt briefly replied. "But that ain't important. You and me. We'll be having words outside," He said to Percival as he gestured to the door. "The rest of you, stay put and mind your own, and you won't get hurt."

"Ohhh subtle. Bringing someone outside somewhere private in Karn? Wonder what that could possibly mean." Snype said sarcastically.

"Hast I offended thee in some manner, good sir?" Percival questioned the Camerupt.

The Camerupt shook his head. "I got no personal beef with you. But I was hired by someone who does. You're dangerous, so they say. So why don't we make this as painless as possible and you join me out back?"

"If you really want a piece of him that bad, why don't you just enter the tournament?" Cal suggested to the Camerupt. "If he's set on competing like the rest of us, then he has literally no reason to fight you here instead of there, and it would be more fun for everyone. Besides, he sounds like he did right by our friends, that means I'd rather not have you try to kill him if you would be so kind."

The Camerupt glanced between Percival and Callimer. "You're joining the Dueling Tournament?" He asked the Garchomp.

"Aye, 'twas where I ventured," Percival replied with a nod. "If a square is what thee want, then a square there I shall give."

The Camerupt silently glanced around at the others, contemplating the situation. "Well, I haven't been in one in a while..." He seemed to back off a bit. "Plus, I like to play the odds, and mine aren't so good right now. But I'm warning ya now, pal. You don't show up there, and your friends back by your ship are done for," He warned as he headed for the exit.

"What dost thee know of mine comrades?" Percival suddenly demanded seriously.

"My employers eyes are everywhere," The Camerupt suggested before he exited the same way he came. Snype raised a brow at that last note. Something about that seemed to strike him as familiar...

Callimer stood fully out of his chair at the direct threat to some unknown comrades of the Garchomp and warily watched the Camerupt leave before turning to their new friend. "What friends? Percival, are your tied up in something political? I haven't heard such complex or indirect threats since stepping foot in Karn, this is all kinds of weird."

"I arrived to this land by ship to the south, along with mine comrades," Percival responded. "Some of those folk art still there. Our business be not political, but motivated by venture. We art explorers. Although many of us art squarers too. Perchance thee would not mind an extra hand to venture beside to Erble, would thee?"

"Not at all." Cal answered gladly, holding his hand out to the Garchomp. The Dragonite wasn't generally one to get along with other Dragon types. As everyone knows they tend to have natural rivalries much more fierce than most other pokémon, especially the bigger dragons, to the point where the mere sight of Percival heated up Cal's blood at first. But the Garchomp was quickly growing on him, and he felt a strange sense of camaraderie already. "We'd be glad to have you join us along the way, outsiders with a friendly rivalry should stick together in a place like Karn, right?" At his question he turned back to the group's other tagalongs, John and Airen. "I assume you guys have no quarrel with it? After all, Percival isn't Karnian either."

Airen shrugged. "I don't care."

"Fine by me," John agreed. "Good to have another non-Karnian around."

Percival smiled and accepted Callimer's handshake. "As mine own people sayeth, 'the road is traveled less harshly at which hour an extra ear is listening.' I welcome thy company."

Cal nodded resolutely, feeling more and more excited about the tournament the closer they got to erble. "Well said, friend. Wow, so many impressive challengers heading to the tourney already...I can't wait, I think this is going to be the fight of my life...hell, the fight of all of our lives. None of us better get knocked out in the first round! I'll be disappointed if I can't really see what each of you is made of!"

Snype seemed to be deep in thought... why was that Camerupt sent to kill Percy? He had a rough feeling who might have sent him on top of that... keeping each side in check was going to be more difficult than he thought.

Razathiel found it nice to sleep in a room of his own again. Sleeping as he had been on the last few days of travel was a little bit uncomfortable to say the least - not because of the lack of proper shelter or bedding that came with the wilderness, but rather because of how close he had to be to the others. Allies though they may be, the wizard didn't care at all for letting his guard down. That, of course, wasn't even considering the problem of his nightmares, which was something he would rather avoid speaking of almost as much as Guardia's death. Thankfully, either he made too little noise for it to bother anyone, or they shared his disdain for speaking on the matter. He didn't have to worry about that today, of course - it was a welcome change to feel well rested and free of anxious thoughts, and it occurred to him that his ribs didn't even so much as ache any more either. An added bonus.

Two short clangs sounded on the door to Vee the Victini's room.

The door quickly opened with Vee standing in front of it. "Raz, hey," It greeted. "Come on in."

The Ralts, who had craned his head upwards upon the door opening, quickly righted his gaze and shook his head in embarrassment. "Well drat, you're up early," Raz noted, attempting to move on. "Do you even sleep?"

"I do, but not a lot," Vee responded as the Victini closed the door behind them. "What do you need?"

"What do I need?" Razathiel questioned, waddling into the room. "Why, what makes you think I need something? I'm clearly here for a friendly chat - I'm not sure what's deluded you into thinking that I'd ever approach another on business."

Vee shrugged. "Alright, then, chat," Vee gestured Raz on.

"Are you-?" The wizard turned to Vee, his expression suspicious before it slowly transitioned into a worried frown. "Holy shit, Vee, sarcasm. Sarcasm!"

"Ah, right, right, that thing," Vee dismissed with its hand. "It's lost on me sometimes. I don't get to hang around normies as much to know all your... things."

Raz flinched, "Fuck, we've got to have a talk about that word- all right, first of all: it's really not that difficult of a concept! Saying something like that, it's pretty obviously wrong so just... it's either sarcasm or it's just wrong. If you're going to fail to get the joke, at least call me out for lying or something instead of... well, what you just did."

Vee shrugged again. "I don't really get it either way. So what do you actually need then, Raz? Have you come for more research?"

"I have, but before that," The Dreadmage turned to the Victini and took a few steps closer. "That word. 'Normies'. Stop using it. I've told you several times now. It won't endear you to anyone - quite the opposite, in fact. Pretty sure it got you smushed by the Emperor. Not a good idea."

"Ah," Vee rubbed its shoulder at the mention of the Emperor. "I don't think that counts... but OK. It means nothing bad, if that's your worry."

"It sounds like a slur, and that's all most people need," Raz said with a huff, stepping back again. "It's not a personal request or anything, I just figure that things that could garner you the level of hate I expect to receive tend not to be in 'mon's best interests. A word of advice, if you will."

"Eh... noted," Vee responded. "Though I doubt I have to worry much..."

"Because you're lying low?"

"Precisely," Vee said with a nod.

"I mean, it's still a bit of an unnecessary word, anyhow," Razathiel glanced to one side. "And, uh... for the record, I can't help but feel it sounds a little derogatory."

"Why?" Vee questioned. "It's a term to refer to someone who isn't a legendary 'mon. Instead of having to say normal Pokemon every time."

"I suppose it's not its existence so much as your use of it," the mage murmured, crossing his arms. "It's a rather large group to be making assumptions about, what with there being thousands upon thousands of 'mon in the world of hundreds upon hundreds of different species. I doubt every society in the world is a big fan of sarcasm, and I'm sure, from what I've seen of Darkrai, that it isn't totally absent in the realms of so-called deities either."

"Hmm... I suppose you're right," Vee responded after pondering on it for a moment. "Still, I don't think it's that big of a problem either way."

"Look, if it's something I've thought about doing to exacerbate my villainous reputation, then you probably shouldn't be doing it," Raz said with a roll of his eyes. "That's all I'm saying. If you're fine with taking my advice, then that's that and we should probably get down to business."

"Yes... yes, let's get down to it," Vee agreed. "The stone, please?" Vee extended its arm.

"One moment, I'll get the mega ones, but I've got something else as well..." The Ralts dived into his magic room, rummaging around for a moment before jumping to his feet with a stone in each hand. "Tell me, do you know what this is?" As he handed Vee his Mega Stone with one hand, he gestured to the pale green gem that sparkled as he held it aloft in his other.

"Intriguing," Vee glanced the stone in Raz's hand. "Where did you get this?" Vee questioned.

"I don't remember," Raz admitted. "It's why I haven't thought about using it for research until now; I forgot I had one. Probably killed someone for it, decided I wasn't interested in becoming a Gallade and forgot about it. Found it a couple days ago as I was rummaging around looking for the Mega Stone."

"So you already know what it is and what it does, then," Vee clarified.

"More or less," The Dreadmage flipped the Dawn Stone in his hand. "I know what it's called and what it's generally used for, but that doesn't mean I know everything that it can do. I'd like to though - or rather, I'd like to see if it has any properties that could potentially help with this research. Like the Mega Stone, it also resonates well with 'mon of my species."

"Maybe..." Vee muttered lightly. "Since we do have a Mega Stone that's tied to your species as well, we might be able to do something with it. Before, I was only ever forcing a Mega Stone's activation through my own abilities. But if we manipulate the stone into thinking a type that it applies to is present, then maybe we can delve deeper!"

"You're suggesting we try to Mega Evolve the Dawn Stone?" Razathiel grinned. He hadn't lied when he said he'd wanted to be a mad scientist. "That sounds fucking insane and I love it!"

Vee nodded, grinning as well. "That way, we can readily observe the energy flow, and how exactly it works."

"Not just that, Vee," The Ralts brought a hand to his chin. "The Dawn Stone itself is a conduit for power transferal. If energy can be siphoned from a Mega Stone to an Evolutionary Stone, then what happens if someone tries to use the Mega Evolutionary Stone? This is a very interesting development..."

"You mean like a direct Mega Evolution?" Vee questioned. "Imagine the power that would yield... but could it be sustained?"

"Also, would it just fucking kill the 'mon who tried it and/or blow up the stone?" Raz laughed. "I think we should see if smaller levels of siphoning can be done- I wonder how the powers of the Mega Stone and the powers of a Dawn Stone interact... how closely they relate to each other. Technically, I shouldn't be able to use either, anyhow, but I suppose a Dawn Stone is one stage of evolution closer. Might be easier to find a work-around through there."

"It's worth a try," Vee responded with a shrug. Vee held out the Mega Stone beside the Dawn Stone. "Ready to give it a try? There's no telling what could happen."

"I'll get my measuring instruments," Razathiel announced, before pausing and adding, "and my plate mail, too."

Vee nodded and concentrated on the two stones before them. The Victini's hands grew bright as energy surrounded them. The Mega Stone seemed unresponsive at first, a familiar sight for the two of them at previous sessions, but as more energy was poured around the stone, it slowly began to react. Vee was careful, not adding in too much energy to fully force-activate it like Gabriel had done with the bomb Mega Stones, while also ensuring that it would turn on. Eventually, the stone began to react, and Vee quickly brought forth the Dawn Stone beside the Mega Stone to see the reaction. The Mega Stone shined brightly, though the Dawn Stone seemed unresponsive at the moment. "Hmm..." Vee continued to concentrate. The Dreadmage stared intently at the gems through what appeared to be a magnifying glass, his eyes glowing with Psychic concentration.

"No re-" Vee began to say, before a sudden burst of energy seemed to infiltrate the Dawn Stone from the Mega Stone. Vee quickly extended its arms to try to slow and draw the energy into the stone more slowly. The Dawn Stone began to react and shake from the sudden power that was beginning to flow through it. Then, the gem began to crack. "Ah, crap!" Vee exclaimed as it heard the cracks. Raz lifted a hand, readying his mind in case of some kind of Dawn Stone explosion.

"Not going for too much power, are you?" The Ralts asked tentatively.

"No, it's just naturally reacting like this!" Vee cried as it struggle to keep the Dawn Stone from rupturing. "Ah but... I think..." The stone stopped its cracking and the energy flowed smoothly into the stone. "I think it's stable!"

"Now that looks a lot less explode-y," Razathiel muttered in wonder. "This looks good. Evil, rather. Promising, rather."

"The question remains," Vee responded as it continued to focus on safely siphoning the energy. "How to access this? You may need to evolve into a Kirlia to do that. Unless we can somehow gather energy from here directly."

"Would it be possible to feed energy from a stone like this back into the Mega Stone?" Raz wondered aloud. "It's possible, with another stone, that a circuit could be created. Can energy be siphoned from the flow we can see here? That's the real question, like you said. How can we test that?"

"Get another stone?" Vee suggested. "I can tell that the Mega Stone is drawn to the Dawn Stone because they are tied together. I don't know how they would react to another, though."

"Not sure I have another to test the circuit hypothesis," The Dreadmage said. "Another unusable Mega Stone is probably the best I have."

"Hmm... I doubt that would work," Vee replied. "It needs to be an- AH!" The Victini shouted as the Dawn Stone began to react again. Vee quickly siphoned the energy back to the Mega Stone, and proceeded to shut the two down. "Whew... I thought so. There's a bit chink in this plan. The Mega Stone needs to be tied to a live host to be sustained. Doing it directly to a Dawn Stone won't last long."

"Whew," Raz exhaled, relaxing. "Well, a Mega Evolved Dawn Stone doesn't seem like it'd be much more useful than a regular Mega Stone, so it's not much of a loss. Besides, I got a great view of that energy transferal. I'd say that was a resounding success!"

"Well, good then!" Vee exclaimed. "What do you think you can do with it?"

"Well, if the energy transferal can be cut off..." The wizard paused in thought. "Potentially, we can separate out a portion of the Mega Stone's power into the Dawn Stone... though that means it will have to be used quickly after the transferal and it doesn't actually solve the problem of how I or anyone else in the group can actually access its power. Still, it's a very important development. I could try to see if there's another way to access the power without evolving into a Kirlia, but having access to the stone in that way would be an interesting thing to delve into. A bloody fucking shame I can't evolve, there isn't- wait a second..."

"What?" Vee questioned, wondering what the Ralts was thinking.

"Cythera is a Floette. They can evolve into Florges with the use of a Shiny Stone. If we had a Florges' Mega Stone... well, er..." Raz paused to giggle. "I guess we could test it?"

"Do you have a Shiny Stone? And a Florges Mega Stone?" Vee asked Raz.

"I probably have a Shiny Stone," the Ralts replied, willing his armour off of him and venturing into his Magic Room. "I have a Mega Stone or two that don't resonate with me, but if they resonate with her then we're obnoxiously lucky."

"I suppose we can give it a try," Vee agreed. "If Cythera would be on board."

"If she agrees to be the test subject for a mad science experiment, sure," Raz chuckled, emerging with a stone in one hand. "Pretty sure this is a Shiny Stone."

"How about a Mega Stone to match it?" Vee asked.

"I'll have to see if any of mine resonate," Razathiel murmured, pensive. "If I hand you the ones I have, could you pop over to her room and find out? I'm sure she'll appreciate it; 'mon in general love being presented with requests early in the morning. Especially if it's before they've had breakfast - waking people up to ask things of them is really the best."

"Well, I've heard the opposite actually," Vee responded back. "Why don't you do it?"

"Did you hear it from me?" The wizard asked innocently, "It's true, I'm one of the few who don't enjoy it. It's not the case for most, however; I'm sure if you tried, there's no way it would end badly. The only reason why I wouldn't do it is because, as you should know, I'm evil. I don't have great chances of getting people to agree to things I suggest without threatening them."

"Well, when you put it that way, I don't see why not," Vee shrugged. "I'll go see about rising her."

The Victini hopped over from his own room and toward the room Cythera was staying in. Remembering that Raz said she wouldn't mind, Vee decided to bang loudly on the front of her door. Despite how loud it was, there was no response from the other side.

Before Vee could do anything more, the door opened, with Rattles standing on the other side. She raised her feelers to write something, but the moment they landed the floorboards broke apart, cracking the surrounding area enough for the area under the heavy Steel type to break as well and send her plummeting to the floor underneath with a loud crash.

From further into the room, Cythera could finally be heard stirring. "Nnngh... What the fuck are you doing, Rattles?" Within the room, various instruments and plants could be seen scattered around, left from Cythera's long night of research. Cythera reluctantly opened her eyes and looked to the source of the boom to see Vee standing at her door in front a large hole in the floor. She scowled and said with clear irritation. "Fucking hell... This had better be important."

Safely tucked away around a bend in the hallway, Razathiel convulsed with barely repressed laughter, watching the proceedings with wide eyes. The situation was already far more disastrous than he had hoped, and the maniacal wizard was reveling in it.

"I... uh... I was wondering if you could assist me and Razathiel in our experiments, if you weren't busy," Vee replied somewhat cautiously.

Cythera let out a prolonged groan. "What does that f*cker need me for? Isn't he supposed to be all powerful or something?"

"Well, we run into the problem of... is this a bad time, Cythera?" Vee asked.

Cythera gestured to the mess around her. "I was up late last night doing experiments on all the damn poisons I could get my hands on to try and prepare for this Groudon sh*t Xander's got, so I'm really f*cking tired right now. So yes. This is a bad time. But you've already ruined my beauty rest, so go ahead and tell me what you wanted to tell me." Her eyes narrowed in a glare aimed at Vee. "And for both your sakes, it had better be worth it."

His curiosity getting the better of him, Raz decided to hazard a minor excursion into the hallway. He managed to get a peek at the doorway and the massive hole in front of it left there by Rattles, immediately snorting and retreating to cope with the giggling that was bubbling up inside of him.

"Right, err... yes, well," Vee began somewhat nervously. "This is actually good for you, because I was told you inquired about the Mega Stone capabilities previously. And we may have just discovered a way for you to acquire that power with us."

Cythera raised an eyebrow. "...Go on."

Vee nodded. "Come to my room and Raz and I will explain!" He replied cheerfully.

Once Vee finally convinced Cythera to help them, and after she had taken the time to clean up and apply her makeup, she finally arrived in Vee's room where the Victini had explained their plan and Raz had helped only occasionally as he tried to calm his perpetual giggling. The wizard was still a little giddy from the hilarious success of his earlier shenanigans.

"So basically you want to use me as a test subject for an experiment in which neither of you really have any idea what you're doing or of the potential consequences?" The Floette asked almost mockingly.

"Well, when you put it that way..." Vee muttered with a shrug. "But yeah! You'll be able to evolve right now! So that's a plus either way."

Cythera scoffed. "I've been a Floette for around 15 years now, and with my fortune I could have easily evolved whenever I wanted. I-" She opened her mouth to continue, but no words came out. An almost pained expression appeared on her face. "I have to admit, though, this does sound somewhat appealing." She crossed her arms and thought for a moment. "If you can convince me you have a Florges' mega stone on your hands, I'll evolve. But as for evolving with a Shiny Stone that's been tampered with, I'll need something more. I want at least one of you two to swear to do one thing for me. Whatever I ask, whenever I decide to ask it. Maybe it'll be protection from an enemy, or maybe I'll just ask you to bake me a cake. It doesn't matter, really. I'll also need a way to guarantee you'll abide by your word. Or if you won't do that, I want money. Lots of it. I'm risking my life for your curiosity, so I think that's fair."

"On the contrary, I'd see this as a wondrous opportunity," Razathiel protested with a flourish of his hand, raising his chin and closing his eyes in proud defiance. "Frankly, if I were you, I would be more grateful that I - the magnificent Dreadmage Razathiel, most feared Ralts on the planet - am not making any demands of my own!" The psychic lowered his stance with a sly grin. "Though if you're going to be stubborn about it, I'm sure that Vee would be more than kind enough to come up with some arduous shit he can do to repay you."

The Victini crossed its arms. "This mega stone experimentation is for you," Vee gestured to Raz. "And the benefits of getting to a higher evolution is for you," It gestured toward Cythera. "I can't imagine why I would want any part in servitude of any kind to you," Vee stated with a pout. "The choice is yours. Evolve or not, but decide."

"My stance isn't changing," Cythera announced firmly. "I won't do it without compensation. I have other ideas as to how that can be accomplished, since you're both so stubborn, but before we waste any more of anyone's time, you should go ahead and test those stones. If none of those are a Florges' Mega Stone, or at least compatible with the Shiny Stone, then there's no point to me being here anyway."

"You didn't-?" Raz turned to Vee. "I did give you the stones, Vee, did you not already check if they resonated?"

"Right!" Vee exclaimed as the Victini took out the stones and held them before Cythera. "Hmm... no reaction here, it seems," Vee shook its head. "These stones aren't hers."

Razathiel looked to Cythera, then back to Vee. The wizard blinked.

"Right... well," Vee scratched its chin. "I suppose we wasted your time here, Cythera."

"We?"

Cythera rolled her eyes. "I'm going back to bed." Without another word, she made way for the door.

"Ah, but you could always still use the evolution stone, Cythera!" Vee proclaimed. "With luck, we'll come by a stone for you eventually!"

"Don't we want her to not use the stone until we have a Mega Stone to test it with?" Raz murmured, prodding the Victini lightly. "Come on, Vee."

"I'm saying that on the off chance we don't find one, and she still chooses to be useful in a combative-related way," Vee insisted.

"Excuse me?" Cythera asked, irritation flaring in her voice as she stopped. "I'm far more than just useful even without evolving. I can do it whenever I want anyway, so I'll do it when we find my stone."

Razathiel snorted, "When? It's a possibility, but I wouldn't go expecting a resonant Mega Stone to pop up out of nowhere."

"Hmph. Doesn't have to be now, but it has to be somewhere. I'll find it eventually." Leaving the conversation there, Cythera continued towards the door, which she opened Psychically.

"Well, I suspect the temples may have some," Vee stated aloud, mostly to himself. "Hopefully we'll find some there. Or merely ask the legendaries about them, should they know."

"Cythera, wait!" Raz called sternly, raising a hand.

Already halfway out the door, Cythera glanced back at Raz, not looking very happy. "What?"

"Be careful. Don't trip," the wizard snorted, his serious expression quickly twisting into a grin which he promptly hid behind his hand. "Don't trip and fall down the massive fucking hole right in front of the doorway-" Razathiel broke down into laughter. He still hadn't heard anything from downstairs after it had happened. He wasn't sure if that made it even more funny.

Cythera shot Raz a glare, and she gave Vee an unsure look before slamming the door shut.

Erble - The Dueling Tournament Begins

Abel had been quiet for most of the trip now. He mostly kept his distance while the others conversed. Though he did admit to himself that he found the stories of Percival interesting. His land was across the sea, far away from anywhere they had been. It was a country built strictly on custom and specific mannerisms, and was known for their intolerance. Percival, oddly, didn't seem like the sort. They also shared their own stories, and everyone generally kept the mood as best as they could, given Airen and John's recent friend passing, the nature of the trip and the intense cold that persisted. Yet eventually, Sen guided the group through the snow to reach their destination: the city of Erble.

Erble is the second largest city in Karn, beside Daggen. Along with the capital, it remains one of the only three real 'cities' within the large nation. The rest of the locations are larger towns or homes spread out across the cold plains. Erble seemed different in style to Daggen. While Daggen had a large concentration of homes closeby each other, Erble's homes were spread out across the plains. It gave the appearance of being bigger than it actually was, but in general Abel believed the city to be smaller. In retrospect, the design seemed somewhat similar to Beatrucian cities. Abel supposed that this likely may have been a Beatrucian city long ago, but was conquered by Karn. One thing that was the same as Daggen was that the homes were in generally poor condition and showed signs of wear, breakage, and generally poor maintenance. There was also heavy violence in the streets, though not quite as lethal as Daggen. What did catch Abel's eye was the absolutely enormous arena closer to the center of the city. Even from this distance, the arena stuck out. It was massive in size, though more for its width than height. Abel could hear the screams and cheers even from here. It was impressive.

"There it is, the famous Dueling Arena of Erble," John muttered as he examined the thing as they headed toward it. "Look at that beast, it's huge!"

"Probably the most famous structure in Karn, besides the Emperor's tower," Airen agreed.

"Keheh, shouldn't have expected anything less from Karn. All things considered, the town is alot more roomy then Daggen... more or less." Snype commented as he glanced over to Celebi and Lia.

"There exists no city in mine own land of this like," Percival commented. "I do note that the violence seemeth lessened here."

"The arena does the violence for them," John answered. "There's always some kinda bloodsport happening in there. But this tourney's special... happens only once every year."

"Speaking of which, we should go to the arena and register," Airen said impatiently. "I'm not missing out on this."

"Keheh, yeah, I'm interested in the competition here." Snype said as he already seemed to make his way to the arena.

The group passed through the wider, and surprisingly far more peaceful streets of Erble. Fights still broke out on occasion, but for the most part the 'mon saw fit to leave their group alone. It wasn't too surprising. They were now a group of half a dozen intimidating looking fighters, save for Celebi and Lia. However, the natural inclination of Erble in general is not to fight, a departure of Daggen's tradition. The reason for this is a saying spoken in the city: save it for the arena.

As the group reached the behemoth that was the arena, they found a large amount of various 'mon in multiple lines in front of it, signing up for the competition. Abel was surprised. There seemed like there were hundreds of these fighters. Just how many 'mon did the tournament accept? Was it all one-on-one? If that was the case, how long would it end up taking? Abel stood in line behind another group of fighters, waiting to get to the front.

"Name?" The Alakazam asked the next 'mon in line. The 'mon said their name, and the Alakazam quickly wrote it and assigned them a number. The process continued as the line moved up. It was an efficient process, and soon the group managed to reach the front as well.

"Name?" The Alakazam called again to the next 'mon in line.

"Callimer Vian." The Dragonite at the front of their procession said plainly. "Or 'The Emerald Sentinel', or both, the officials can decide what they like best, or the audience."

The Alakazam quickly scribbled the name on a sheet of paper, and handed Callimer another paper with a number. "Group 3. Next!" He ordered, as Abel stepped forward. "Name?" The Alakazam asked again.

"Abel 'Atrox' Onderon," the Medicham replied quickly.

"Group 6. Next!" The Alakazam repeated once more, as the next 'mon stood up.

Snype went up to the desk once he was called up. "Snype." He simply said.

"Group 6. Next!"

Eventually, the entire group of fighters passed through the screening and were assigned numbers. The numbers seemed to vary and range from between '1' and '8'.

"So, what does this all mean, then?" Abel questioned as he looked at his number 6.

"They're the group assignments for the tournament," John explained. "Each number represents the group you'll be put in to fight. Hundreds go in, but only two leave each group. The final two make it to the actual tournament rounds, leaving 16 fighters total. I tell ya, we've had some of the baddest of badasses make it through to the 16."

"Huh, looks like I'm all alone in three." Callimer pretended to complain. "I won't get to see any of you until the finals...damn."

Snype looked at his number and glanced over to Abel. Snype had a six. "Guess we're stuck together Abel. if nothing else, the two of us oughta make quick work out of the competition eh?" Snype said, hoping they could cooperate. But who knew with Abel. Abel merely gave an affirmative grunt.

"Ah, it appears I have drawn 1," Percival stated.

"I too," Sen looked over his number.

Percival laughed warmly. "Well, my comrade, let us square valiantly together!"

Airen shrugged his shoulders. "Looks like I'm not with any of you," He shrugged his shoulders as he showed his number '2'. "Makes going to the finals that much easier."

"Don't pretend like you're the only ones who can fight here," A voice called out from behind the group. A very familiar one. Abel turned to see the source, and widened his eyes angrily as he caught sight of the Blaziken with the eye patch. The Agent James. Abel was also surprised to see another familiar, unpleasant face right beside him. The recently exonerated Agent Roxanna. "Every year, we get tough fighters, and not just from Karn," He gestured to the group. "Case and point. But it's much more than that. The locals, Generals, hell, everyone makes the trip. Think you can handle it all?"

"I harshly doubt it," Roxanna scoffed. "They were barely able to handle me when they overwhelmed me with their numbers. Miscreants," She spat.

Snype just stared at James, gritting his teeth and using all of his might to hold himself back from lashing out at the Blaziken. He was in Celebi's vision as well... "..."

"Roxanna." Cal stated as if bored. "You seem to have forgotten our first skirmish, which was two on two. You know, the one where I killed your little pet? If I'd had any choice in the matter you would have seen just what I can do before we left Anatellia. But I guess I can forget about it just this once...because now you get to see a whole other side of us you would have missed out on before, I wonder if James has told you, or if it's a surprise?"

Roxanna scoffed again. "Your memory must be hazy. Probably because of one too many hits I bestowed upon you. I was in complete control of that fight, and nothing will have changed between then and now."

"Right, OK, Roxanna," James sighed as he gestured her to the side. "This isn't the place... so, what numbers did you guys get?"

Snype simply showed his number to the group. The others did the same, as Celebi tightened her grip on the side of Snype's cloak.

"Bah, useless," Roxanna shook her head as she lazily flashed her own number '4'. "It appears I won't get a chance to destroy you unless you were to reach the final round. Which is unlikely to happen."

Snype glanced to Celebi with a hint of worry on his face. Every time she did that meant it was related to her vision... He wondered what number James had.

James glanced over all of the numbers and smirked slightly. "Hmph, I bet you kinda wish you had my number right now, don't you, Roxanna?" The Blaziken asked her as he flashed the group a number, '3'.

"I see...." Cal said to himself more than anyone else at first. "So it is. I won't try to call some sort of truce, but I'll stay out of your way for now James. I know a simple tussle in the preliminaries with other 'mon in the way wouldn't be enough for you. Just go ahead and make sure to get to the finals, I'll try to do the same."

"I expect nothing less from you either," James replied, and then looked around at the others. "From all of you."

Roxanna giggled. "After all, if you all died, then who would protect Lia and Cel from little old me, hmm? Brilliant job bringing them out here, by the way. Saves us the trouble of finding them later."

"How brazen to threaten noncombatants," Percival shook his head at the Zoroark. "Thy lacketh honor."

"Oh?" Roxanna examined the Garchomp. "And where did you find this fool? A new companion for your little expedition?" She asked as she chuckled to herself. "Just another imbecile who will fall to my claws!"

"We'll see if you have any left by the time we're done with you." Snype scowled, suddenly taking on a more threatening tone. Unlike his usual demeanor.

"Has the brigand finally found a backbone?" Roxanna questioned the Sableye. "I'm going to enjoy picking you ap... ap... uh?" Roxanna was suddenly cut off as directly in front of the two groups, Emperor Edgar Rionart casually strolled through the street and headed toward the arena. "Ap..." Roxanna looked from the Emperor toward James. "But I... he isn't..." Crowds of 'mon began to murmur and whisper, and 'mon parted the streets as the Pangoro walked through unfazed. Upon seeing him, many Pokemon who were in line for the tournament suddenly began to depart. "I thought you said he was in Daggen!" Roxanna hissed at James.

"He was," James replied with a shrug, seemingly not as frightened as everyone else. "And now he's not."

Snype looked back at Edgar with just as terrified of a face... he glanced over to Cel for and back to Edgar as he walked by. "Just what we needed..."

The terrifying Pangoro cut in front of the line to the next spot. The Alakazam was writing in his pad, and without looking up, once again asked, "Name?"

"Edgar Rionart!" The Pangoro roared down below to the Alakazam. The Alakazam immediately stopped writing and glanced above to the looming Pangoro.

"Uh... E-Emperor, sire. I did not know you were joining the tournament!" The Alakazam managed to croak out.

The Emperor grinned and leaned over to the Alakazam, glaring at him menacingly. "Oh, I'm actually not!" He laughed loudly, and seemingly all around, the 'mon let out a collective sigh of relief. "BUT!" He suddenly shouted loudly. "All those f*cks who just left the lines as I passed. Don't let them join. My tournament doesn't have a place for cowards!" He declared. Many 'mon around who had just left line began to groan and complain, with a few professing their disagreement. "OH BY ALL MEANS, WHOEVER DISAGREES, STEP FORWARD AND I'LL HEAR YA OUT!" The Emperor roared. Instantly, all those complaints were silenced. "Cut it off there," The Emperor demanded of the Alakazam. "I want to watch this thing already. Anybody who didn't sign up is late. Start it now."

"Ah, but Emperor, shouldn't we give some time for 'mon just coming in to rest and re-"

"WE START IT NOW!" The Emperor roared as he headed into the arena.

"Y-yes sire!" The Alakazam jumped. He cleared his throat. "By order of Edgar Rionart, the Emperor of Karn, sign ups for the Dueling Tournament are closed! Further, the tournament will begin right away! Fighters, please take your positions inside to your designated arena. Viewers, please make your way to the entrances!" Commotion began all around as the 'mon clamored toward the entrances, with seemingly hundreds making their way inside, both as fighters and as viewers.

"Well, looks like our Emperor got ahead of himself," James shrugged.

Roxanna groaned. "What a hard-headed fool. When is Xander finally going to claim that throne from that buffoon already?" She questioned as she followed the crowd.

"Never." Cal answered as if it was a simple fact.

James shrugged and glanced at the group members again. "See you inside," He nodded to all of them, in particular to Callimer and Snype.

Cal nodded at James in turn, then looked to the rest of the group. "Good luck everyone, put on a good show, and don't die." And with that he followed James inside and to their section of the arena.

"Keh... right..." Snype said as he began to head to his section of the Arena. He however suddenly remembered... He figured Cel and Lia would be spectating the tournament but at the same time, he was worried about leaving them off on their own with Darkrai's agents hanging around. Espeicially with how dirty Roxanna tends to play. "They know you're here Cel... last thing I need is for one of them to pull something while I'm out there fighting." Snype said.

"Don't worry," John commented. "I ain't fighting so I'll watch over your two friends. You go do your thing."

Snype stared at John for a moment and then back down to Cel. "...Alright then. Just keep them safe. By whatever means necessary if you have to. "Snype stated firmly. "You alright with that Cel?"

Celebi frowned at Snype through her cloak. She seemed to almost have tears in her eyes and shook her head. "... It's here Snype," She explained as she gestured to the arena.

Snype froze up at Celebi's words... the Sableye turned to the Arena and just stared it down. "...I'll..." He choked a bit. "I won't die here Cel..."

Snype and Abel- Arena 6

Snype walked into his portion of the arena, haunted by Celebi's warning. Would he die from the battle royale within or would he be fated to face James or Edgar? Perhaps Abel would stab him in the back... He could be holding blame toward Snype for Guardia's death after leading them right into Darkrai's trap... Snype was growing paranoid. All he had to do was defeat everybody within the arena alongside with Abel.

"Arceus, I can't think with all this noise," Abel muttered beside Snype, although he doubted the Sableye could hear him. He instead glanced around at the arena. Apparently, all of the battle royales were being fought all at once, with the other groups separated into eight different parts of this one, large arena. Abel tried to count the amount of 'mon in their group, but knew it was folly. There were too many to pin a number on.

Suddenly, Abel caught sight of an Exploud, making his way to an extended portion of the crowd. He sucked in a deep breath and shouted, surprisingly loudly enough to silence most of the others around. "WELCOME, YOU ****S!" The Exploud roared, which was followed by a massive wave of cheering. "TO ERBLE'S DUELING TOURNAMENT!" More cheers followed. "FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO WELCOME THE EMPEROR, EDGAR RIONART!" He howled, and gestured behind him to the Pangoro, who sat along a large throne with a perfect view of the arena, just above the Exploud's position. "THE EMPEROR HAS DECLARED THIS TOURNAMENT IN THE NAME OF HIMSELF, SO WE HONOR HIM BY CALLING IT THE RIONART DUELING TOURNAMENT FIVE... WAIT, THIS IS SIX, NOW ISN'T IT? SIX!" Once more, the cheers followed his declarations. The Exploud continued, with Abel genuinely impressed with how far and long the 'mon was able to carry his voice. "YOU ALL KNOW THE RULES, AND IF YOU DON'T, YOU'LL PROBABLY DIE ANYWAY. EIGHT GROUPS, TWO CHAMPIONS FROM EACH GROUP. NO BULL****. SINCE THIS GETS TOO ****ING CRAZY, COMMENTARY WILL BE LIMITED UNTIL THE SECOND ROUNDS BEGIN. OH, AND THE EMPEROR HAS GRACIOUSLY DECIDED THAT ALONG WITH THE ANNUAL PRIZE, A SECONDARY PRIZE IS ALSO AT STAKE! THE EMPEROR'S PERSONAL JEWEL! COMPETITORS, GET READY!"

"Kehehe, lets try not to get blasted in point blank range of the guy eh Abel?" Snype replied back to Abel as he prepared himself for battle.

"Shut up and concentrate," Abel retorted coldly. "I won't carry you if you screw up, thief."

"Hey I was being half serious there." Snype said as he eyed the competition. "...Well, lets at least see what we're dealing with here."

"READY!" The Exploud roared. Abel ignored Snype and positioned himself. Already, 'mon all around began eyeing each other.

"I'll open up with Flash Abel. You can do whatever you gotta do from there." Snype whispered. Abel nodded and turned around to face away from the Sableye.

"BEGIN!"

Immediately upon hearing the Exploud finish his words, everything absolutely dove into chaos. Attacks shot everywhere, random explosions began to occur. Various 'mon were biting and clawing and grabbing at each other. Abel was shocked for a moment, watching as all across him, at dozens began to fall instantly. It was absolute mayhem. The Medicham began to move to avoid being hit by stray attacks which fired from all across. From behind Snype, a large clutter of ice was suddenly shot at the Sableye, while fire burned all across them.

Snype avoided the incoming Ice Clutter thanks to his usual opener with Detect. "Here!" Snype called out. From there Snype commenced with his plan and used Flash to blind the competition around them. The Flash blinded a few 'mon close by, and other competitors seized on the moment and slaughtered the momentarily blind victims. However, after a few raced to strike at Snype, with a Rhydon charging toward him. Before he could reach the Sableye, the Rhydon was suddenly sliced down by a Scyther, who then decided to strike at Snype after with a slash. Before he could reach Snype, however, the Scyther was disintegrated by a torrent of flames belonging to a Magmar, who burned him to a crisp. The Magmar yelled a war cry and prepared to fire at Snype, but was stopped by a horn through his back from a Nidoking. The Nidoking then turned to Snype, prepared to take him on.

"Kehehe, comon then big guy. Lets go." Snype said with a taunting smirk. The Sableye didn't hesitate to make his first move with Foul Play. The Sableye turned into a darkish mist and quickly moved forward to plant a firm jab to the Nidoking's chest. The Nidoking roared from the pain, but fought through and fired off an Ice Punch at the Sableye. Snype was hit by the Ice Punch an pushed back a bit. He'd quickly follow up with another punch of his own, only this time when the Sableye threw out his fist, the Nidoking would suddenly be hit by a much larger shadowy fist from above via Shadow Punch. The Nidoking roared and fell down. From over his body, however, a Hypno suddenly emerged and fired a poison gas toward the Sableye. The Sableye used the Nidoking's body as footing to leep over the incoming gas attack and follow up with Power Gem to fling several sharp gems down to the Hypno. The sharp gems struck the Hypno on his chest as the 'mon doubled over. "Keheh...didn't give these fighters enough credit." Snype said as he winded up another shadow punch.

Chaos continued to ensue across the arena, with 'mon falling in a surprisingly rapid fashion. Abel could tell from some of the attacks fired and some of the foes he fought: there are powerful 'mon among these competitors. But the problem is, there is such a jagged divide of levels of power, that it is difficult to discern just how weak or strong a 'mon they come into contact is on first impression. Abel concluded it may be best to try and avoid most strenuous fighting until all of this chaos died down.

The ground shook below Snype as a large Conkeldurr came up behind the Ghost type. He glared down menacingly at the Sableye and pounded his pillar into the ground, shaking it up while also rising pieces of the arena. He then used his pillars to toss these rocks toward various competitors, including Snype. The Sableye used his Shadow Punch to strike at a few of the incoming rocks. Big foes like this were usually troublesome for the Sableye. He has to save his strength for the upcoming fights. Manipulating the other fighters would be his best bet. The Sableye moved in front of the Conkeldurr and used will-o-wisp on him. At the same time he taunted the nearby competitors. "Kehe! Comon your gonna let a little shrimp like me win?" Snype said, sticking out his rear and wiggling it toward the other fighters tauntingly.

The Conkeldurr grunted after being struck by the will-o-wisp, but remained upright and fired off another set of Rock Throws at Snype after he stomped his pillars into the ground. Other 'mon, who heard Snype taunting, suddenly charged at the Sableye too. A Raichu fired a Thunderbolt on him, and a Yanma tried to tie him up with String Shot.

"Kehehehe!" Snype activated detect to predict the incoming attacks to try and lure it toward the Conkeldurr. Snype just sat on top of the Conkeldurr's head and let the chaos ensue around him, basically using the big mon as a shield. The Conkeldurr roared as the other attacks fired on him. But the 'mon was tougher than the rest, and fired off his rocks along the other 'mon. The Yanma and Raichu, as well as a dozen other 'mon were bombarded by the rocks and taken out, while the Conkeldurr remained standing firmly. He reached up one of his large pillars and slammed it sideways, trying to take the Sableye off of his head. The Sableye crawled behind the Conkeldurr and gave off another laugh while planting a nice firm jab in the back with Foul Play. "Comon I'm back here! keheheh!"

The Conkeldurr roared from the pain, and twisted his body around to try and land one of his pillars on the Sableye again. Snype crawled back up onto his head to try and make the Conkeldurr hit himself on the way. He was big but the guy was darn slow! Snype landed another foul play straight across the face, showing off that toothy grin of his. The final Foul Play seemed to do the Conkeldurr in, as he fell onto his knees and then fall on the ground with a thud. From behind the Sableye, another 'mon made his presence known, but merely tapped the Sableye lightly on his head.

"Eyes sharp," the familiar voice of Abel muttered from behind as he slid in, his left eye slightly swollen from a blow he had took recently. "There's strong ones out here too. You would have been dead right now if it were someone else."

Snype tensed up when Abel poked at him. He was relieved that he was still kicking. "Keheh... aye... that guy was slow enough to handle... I got this far with manipulation but the rest are gonna take some work. Got any plans going forward Abel?" Snype said.

"Not dying," Abel replied and headed off into the fray again. From behind the Sableye, a loud thunderous explosion erupted, claiming dozens of 'mon all at once and flinging them across the arena wildly. Screams from the sections were heard all across, and the shockwave caused many other to be carried off their feet.

"Kyah!" Snype shouted out as he was sent flying from the explosion behind him. The Sableye clung onto the ground as soon as his momentum slowed down to look toward the source of the shockwave. Approaching through the smoke and piles of bodies was a Typhlosion, one who didn't seem to be targeting the Sableye, but instead was decimating the rest of the competition almost effortlessly. He destroyed them with his flames, burning most of his enemies to crisps. Multiple 'mon tried to attack him, only to fail before they made it close enough.

"Abel! Stay on your feet!" Snype shouted out. The Typhlosion was at least wiping out the rest of the competition for them, albeit in a crude manner. The Sableye had to stay out of the inferno and fight from a distance. For now he wanted to let things play out before drawing the Typhlosion's aggro.

"Don't worry about me, idiot, just let him get tired and take out our competition!" Abel hissed as he began to wander further from the Typhlosion. The Flamed warrior was relentless, decimating absolutely everyone in his path with ease. If Abel had to guess, he was likely at an Agent level of power.

The Typhlosion's power was demolishing everybody around him... who was this guy? Abel did have the right idea though. Letting the Typhlosion exhaust himself would make approaching the mon much easier... if he could get exhausted in the first place. Snype kept his distance, attacking any nearby competitors.

Abel did the same, concentrating on eliminating any other competitors around while also trying not to draw too much attention to himself. He loaded himself up with Bulk Up as he clobbered a nearby Magby, who fell easily. After, a Pidgeotto tried to attack him with a Peck, only to have Abel palm at its beak and break it apart. Looking around, Abel noticed the amount of competition was growing thin, partially because everyone was knocking each other out, and also partially because of this destructive Typhlosion.

Snype continued to keep his distance from the Typhlosion, watching everyone around him drop dead. Sooner or later he was going to be targeted... thankfully he had a ranged attack. All he had to do was take advantage of his spacing and hopefully take the Typhlosion down...

Abel glanced over to the side, watching a Rhyhorn charging at him. He extended his palm and slammed the Rhyhorn directly in the mouth with a fierce Brick Break, likely shattering its jaw. The move emitted a rather large yell from the Typhlosion, however, who suddenly turned toward Abel and Snype.


"Welp, was bound to happen sooner or later!" Snype said as he started off firing several Power Gems toward the Typhlosion. The Typhlosion continued forward, blasting forward with his own intense embers as he destroyed the Power Gem attacks as they came at him. Once he fired through the initial attack, he thrust his mouth forward and erupted an intense Heat Wave at the pair.

"Crap!" Snype shouted out. His attack didn't even touch the Typhlosion! Snype attempted to avoid the incoming attack. He could feel the heat blast graze along his back. "gah!" Snype cried out in pain. The Sableye rolled along the ground to at least stop some sort of fire starting on his body. A direct hit from that move would have burnt him into cinders. He had to think fast! There was no way he was going to die before the tournament started!

"Sh*t!" Abel cursed as he launched a Focus Blast at the coming flames. He managed to split the fire before it reached him, with him only partially getting burned. This was definitely a warrior on their level. Abel looked around the arena. In their group, there didn't seem to be anyone else left except for the three of them. "We take advantage of our numbers."

"No need to tell me twice Abel. Kehehe" Snype said with a wide grin. "Flash might make the flames more unpredictable if we start off with it. I'll signal when I use it. He might already know my trick by now though..." Snype said, preparing to wind up a Shadow Punch. "Ready when you are."

Abel nodded as the Typhlosion began his approach. Before he got too close, the 'mon unleashed a torrent of flames toward their direction. Abel moved to roll out of the way, causing the bulk of the flames to strike at Snype. The Sableye followed suit and rolled the opposite direction but he definitely took some of the heat for himself as he did! "Keh... ****!" Snype shouted as he fired off more Power Gems toward the Typhlosion. Abel followed in turn by firing a Focus Blast. The Typhlosion released a massive Fire Blast, gathering both energies into it, before bursting through it to strike them. However, part of both of their attacks managed to burst through his own and strike at him, causing him to grunt and stagger back.

"Keep it up!" Snype shouted as he continued to use Power Gem while he was staggered. They were managing to break through his fire at least! The Typholision must have exhausted himself while taking down the other mon! Abel decided to take a chance and move in closer while he could, as he relied better on close range combat.

"Distract him," Abel ordered as he dove in from the side. The Typhlosion struck at the Power Gem with a Flamethrower of his own, with the two attack basically canceling each other out. The flamed 'mon immediately went in for another flamethrower right after, though it was generally less powerful.

Snype continued his assault. The attack had an advantage against the Typhlosion so no doubt he would deal with that before anything else. He just hoped Abel could pull off his plan on time. The Typhlosion, seeing he was somewhat pressed, decided to fire off another powerful Heat Wave toward the Sableye. Snype backed away from the incoming heatwave and fired off more gems toward the Typhlosion. As he started moving away, he took a firm shot of the incoming flames. The Typhlosion wouldn't be deterred, even if he appeared to be slowing down. He continued bursting forward, firing another, weaker flamethrower at Snype. "C-crap!" Snype shouted out as he continued to back away from the incoming attacks. Where the hell was Abel at? Snype used Detect to avoid the incoming flamethrower but that trick wouldn't last forever at the rate this was going.

The Typhlosion angrily shouted, spewing out flames from his mouth to try to burn the Sableye to a crisp.

Snype was hit by the incoming flames, sending him pinned up against the glass wall of the arena. "Alright I've had it!" Snype shouted out as he gave out the signal he presented earlier and used Flash on the incoming Typhlosion. Should be a good enough distraction! The Typhlosion grunted and grabbed its eyes from the flash. The 'mon began to fire off random attacks and explosions of flames in every direction hoping to get a shot at the Sableye. Snype had the perfect chance to strike now. Using the Typhlosions random attack patterns, he used the opening to fire off several power gems toward him once more and attempt getting in close to strike with Foul Play! The Typhlosion grunted from the pain of the power gems striking him, as he staggered back. However, with Flash now wearing off and Snype general direction being known to him, the Typhlosion suddenly erupted with a powerful Fire Blast aimed at the Sableye. Snype wasn't able to get close enough to land Foul Play unfortunately. The Sableye dove toward the knocked out Conkeldurs stone pillars. The rock would make for good enough cover to block the incoming flames. He just needed another opening to land a firm attack...

The Typhlosion angrily glared at the Sableye as it approached. The 'mon was panting heavily, clearly low on energy and fumes. As it began its approach toward Snype, however, a resounding, loud crack was heard on the 'mon's back, and the Typhlosion was flung forward toward the direction of Snype. The Typhlosion fell forward and collapsed onto the ground. The source of the attack was Abel, who had his palm extended, likely positioning himself to strike at the Typhlosion when he had an opening.

"Hah...keheh... phew... took ya long enough." Snype said with a smirk, rubbing his arm a bit from the previous flamethrower.

"I was building up my Bulk Up," Abel replied coldly. "Had to take it up enough stages so that my attack would be precise and deadly. I knew you could handle yourself."

"THE CHAMPIONS OF GROUP 6 HAVE BEEN DECIDED!" The announcer Exploud declared loudly.

"Kehehe, well played Abel. Glad I could stall long enough." Snype said as he looked out to the crowd, holding up his arm triumphantly. The crowd cheered loudly as the group was decided, but as Abel observed, the other groups were still battling.

Snype and Kaveri- Lobby

Snype exited the Arena and moved back into the lobby, panting heavily and holding onto his recently scorched arm. thankfully healers seemed to be on standby for the surviving contestants. "Keh...keh... sheesh... that was... something else... if that's just the preliminary round then..." Snype's thoughts went back to Celebi's words... The arena was where he would be killed... if the vision was accurate anyways... but by who? James? Was he going to be paired with James in this tournament? Or would Edgar make a surprise appearance? He knew it would be one of those two... as much as he tried to push the thought out of his mind it just kept on haunting him to the point where he was ignoring the pain all over his body.

There was a tap on Snype's shoulder, followed by a familiar cheerful voice. "You were great out there! Or at least I'm assuming you were since you're still alive. Gotta admit, though, I was kinda worried I wouldn't see ya standing here, but I should know better than to doubt your abilities by now," Kaveri said with a small chuckle. While she might have been laughing and smiling, tense relief showed in her eyes.

Snype winded a bit in pain when his shoulder was poked but turned around to see Kaveri greet him. "Kav! Man aren't you a sight for sore eyes." Snype said happily. Nearby Audino healers seemed to already be doing their work on Snype, using Heal Pulse to slowly heal up his various wounds. "Kehehe... yeah that was pretty darn rough... the others were easy enough to manipulate but if Abel didn't help me out then I'd have gotten out there covered in Charcoal! Kehehe!" Snype laughed.

"Covered in? No no, you would be Charcoal," Kaveri retorted jokingly.

Snype looked down at himself and up to Kaveri. "Kehehehe, I suppose so! Would hate to end up like the other guys in the arena. No mercy in the place I swear... ugh." Snype said, rubbing his arm a bit anxiously.

"They can be as brutal as they want as long as ya don't go dropping dead out there. You're an important member of the party, and it just ain't a party without ya!" Kaveri said, once again in a jovial tone though she meant it quite seriously. Noting the rather badly burned arm as Snype rubbed it, she motioned to it with a touch of concern on her features. "Are you gonna be alright there? The next fight's only likely to be worse. Is that burn gonna get to ya?"

"Keheh... nah I'm sure the healers can deal with it... I should be..." Snype pauded a bit. "...er... well I'll be fine next round... eheh..." Snype said with a halfhearted grin. The worry on his face was clear enough, despite how much he kept shaking it off.

"...Yeah, of course you will be," Kaveri said with forced certainty, her smile becoming more strained.

Snype looked at Kaveri and just sort of glanced to the side a bit awkwardly as the healers continued to do their work. There was an eerie mood between the two... Snype could feel it. The Sableye felt like he was running on a ticking time bomb. He could be kiiled in any one of the upcoming fights, he just had no idea which one would do it. "...Well uh... are you doing alright? You seem like you got through the fights better then I did." Snype smiled.

"It helps when you're able to move faster than the eye can see," Kaveri replied with a small shrug. "Geez though, you're definitely right about the contesta packing a brutal punch. I swear I thought my spine was gonna snap with some of those blows." She rubbed the back of her neck, wincing. Diverting the subject from death seemed like a good idea. After all, she'd already made up her mind that she wasn't going to mess with fate, didn't she?

"Kehehe, yeah! Those flames were some brutal stu- h-hey!" Snype struggled as the audino's removed the robe he had worn in the fight. It was of course scorched but he was more concerned about the gold tribe badge on it. "Give me a warning would ya? I got important stuff on that thing!" Snype said. The Audinos seemed to ignore him though. They were more focused on getting Snype healed up in time for the competition. No mercy in Karn... "Could ya hang onto that Kav?"

The healers didn't protest Kaveri taking the Sableye's cloak from the Audino - it was, after all, one less thing in their way. She tucked it securely under her arm, patting it with a paw. "Right here, bud," she said to Snype.

"Keheh, thanks Kav. Really don't wanna lose that thing. guess its a good thing we arent in Tollen right now eh? kehehe!" Snype said, wincing in pain once the healers focused on the various burns on his body. He was tryin to force out whatever humor he could just to forget about the future but it was extremely difficult for the Sableye to muster.

Kaveri managed a grin at that. "If we were there, I would have to oh-so-very abashedly turn my face away from such a bold display," she said, turning her face slightly away with a paw over it as she let out a fake gasp of dismay.

"Kehehe! Oh how embarrassing! Don't look!" Snype said in a sarcastic tone back to her. The nurses looked at each other in confusion and just stared at the two for a second as if they were crazy. Admittedly, joking around with Kaveri was helping out a little... he just had to keep humor as his main focus instead of the upcoming match. May as well enjoy whats happening now then later!

Laughter bubbled up from Kaveri's chest, the Floatzel letting out a giggle as she turned back to face the Sableye. "And miss that fine, fine body?' she said with a wink. "I'll live with the shame if that's my reward!"

Snype gave off a deep red blush at Kaveri's comment. The healers seemed to be wrapping up... Snype was already starting to feel much better. "...Kehehe... wow Kav, can't say I expected such a forward comment from ya. Kehehe." He teased back. "But I guess it is Kaveri we're talking about here. Kehehe!"

Kaveri's blue fur was tinged a slight pink that she hoped went unnoticed as she shrugged. "Hey, someone's gotta say. If no one else's gonna appreciate it then I sure will," she chirped with a wide grin and another laugh.

"Kehehehe, well in that case I hope you're enjoying the view over there. Enjoy it while it lasts. Kehehe!" Snype gave off another laugh. As soon as the healers were finished up, they placed the Sableye down and quickly rushed over to the next wounded contestent. The Sableye gave off a nice long stretch to further emphesize his point. "At least someones appreciating it. Kehehe."

"Hmm... I'm almost tempted to keep your cloak so you can't cover up," Kaveri mused, putting a paw to her chin as if pondering the idea.

"Oh how cruel of you! Kehehe! How's a guy spose to stay warm in Karn like this? Kehehe. Good looks don't give ya a free pass against the cold. Kehehe!" Snype replied back. Even with what was fated to happen, talking with Kaveri was helping Snype forget the upcoming events easily... he wouldn't mind keeping this banter going on until the very next round if anything. May as well make the most out of it.

"Hmm, that's true," Kaveri said and dropped Snype's cloak on his head. "We wouldn't want that fine a** freezing off, would we?" When her laughter had died, a serious look was on her face as she stared at the Sableye for a moment then glanced away. "Hey... Snype, there's something I needa talk to you about. Before it's too late."

Snype kept that big ol grin of his on his face as the cloak was placed on his head. The badge was still safe at least... the sableye placed the cloak in his arms and gave his own serious look back up to her rather then continue the banter. The place was still a tad crowded from the various spectators and surviving fighters from the arena. But they way she said it... "Uh... keheh... sure. Guess the next round could be starting soon. Not sure when. Kehe" Snype said, trying to play it off cool.

Kaveri still wasn't even sure if this was the right thing to do, or if it was the right time; but considering the deadly tournament they were participating in, and the equally deadly fate hanging over Snype's head... would there ever be another chance? Once they went back into the arena Kaveri knew there was a very good chance that she never see him again. Nibbling on her lower lip in a rare show of nervousness, she looked around to make sure that no one they knew was within earshot before resting her gaze back on him. After taking a deep breath, she spoke. "Ya know, for awhile - since nearly the day we met - I've felt there was something... special about you. Or I guess more accurately, about the way I felt around you. I've had close friends before, I mean, the entire Gold Tribe is like a giant family to me, but that wasn't the way our friendship felt. I just didn't really think about what it was until recently - really, it was what Silence said to us when we first arrived in Karn that made me realize it. Snype... I'm scared of losing ya. Almost as scared as I am of losing Cal. And after what happened with... with Guardia... I know I can't just hold it all in, especially when one of us is guaranteed to die here. I'm... ah... I mean I..." Kaveri paused, letting out a sigh as she rubbed her head in frustration. "Arceus, even knowing there isn't likely to be another chance, this is hard to say." Another deep breath. "Snype, I love ya."

Snype's expression froze up... over several things. Her feelings on losing him... practicly telling Snype that she knew of what was fated to happen... and the confession on top of that. It took Snype awhile to process. As he did, he just stared down at Lyn's badge and clenched onto it tightly... trying his best not to burst into tears... being told something like that just before being fated to die was just going to make it harder for him but he understood why Kav did it.... so he responded the way the King of Thieves should properly respond. "...Keheheh... uh... probly coulda chose some better scenery for that confession eh?" Snype joked before going back to his more serious tone. "I don't know how you know about whats going to happen... but... I'll do my damn best to make sure I get out of this tournament alive... and if I can't... well..." Snype placed a hand over Kaveri's paw. "...keh... ****... this is hard... I don't want to believe I'll die but I'm treating this like it really is my last day... if it weren't Karn I'd probly have a whole list of things to do. Keheh." Snype joked, still trying to keep that positive attitude going since it was his specialty in the group. "Kav... thank you..." Snype said, leaning forward to kiss her on the cheek. If this truly was his last day alive... he wanted to make the most of it and at least leave someone on a happy note. If it was the girl that loved him then... that was good enough for him.

A warm, fuzzy feeling filled Kaveri at the peck on the cheek, and unsure what else what to do about it, she suddenly gripped Snype in a tight hug. She let go of him after a long moment, clearing her throat awkwardly. "Ah, um... I may have actually... overheard you and Celebi talking about it. Er, sorry... I'm gonna be honest, I kept myself up quite a few nights trying to find some way around it. But I get that it's a delicate thing. So... I won't try to do anything about it unless you ask me to. I just wanted to let you know how I felt before it was too late. I'd regret it otherwise."

"Guess a tent isn't the best place to give secret details... eheh..." Snype awkwardly looked to the side and up to Kaveri. "I mean... I don't even know what will happen if I attempt to change the vision... I... I..." Snype felt himself get shaken up suddenly. "...Kav... c...could we g...go somewhere else? Anywhere away from the others..." the sableye sounded like he was going to burst.

Ah geez... Had she just made things worse for him by telling him all that? Arceus, she hoped not. "Sure, Snyppy," she said with an attempt at a light-heart tone and took hold of his hand. "I'm sure there's gotta be some kinda secluded area around here somewhere."

Snype searched around the arena lobby and decided to move outside. If the Exploud made another announcement he was absolutely sure he would hear it from outside. The Sableye moved to a small ally like structure by the arena. Secluded enough so no passerby Karnians or the other Gold Tribe folks wouldn't see him. "K...keh... t...there... we should..." When Snype was certain that nobody else was watching, he planted his head right into Kaveri's chest, bursting into a stream of tears and sobs. "F..****...Kav... I...I don't... I don't want it to happen like this...I don't want to die!"

Kaveri was surprised at first, but then her caring instincts took over and she wrapped her arms around Snype. "...I know. I'm holding onto the hope that Celebi was wrong until the very last. But... if she is right... Just know I'm never gonna let anyone forget ya. Stories of the greatest King of Thieves to ever live will survive for centuries." She had been half-tempted to say that she'd try to take his place if it came down to it, but... Well, she still had Cal to think about. The Dragonite may be strong, but she knew that if she died, it'd destroy him - until she was certain he'd be fine without her, she had to stay alive. Besides, knowing Snype, he wasn't likely to accept that sorta idea anyways.

"K...kav..." Snype sniffled and continued to rub his head against her chest. It was like he had been holding this all back since before he got to Karn. Here he thought he unleashed all of his tears when Lyn died. The Sableye just looked up at Kaveri and stared her in the eye for awhile. His emotions were spiralling around him at the thought of being killed in the tournament. He didn't want the other contestants seeing him like this or overhearing the two. He wasn't sure what to do. "K...keh... w...well... as long as you don't e...end up forgetting me... k...keh..." Snype sniffled, resting his head against Kaveri, still tearing up endlessly as he attempted to muster whatever bit of humor he could to lighten up the mood again. "Keheh... guess it'd be hard to forget my "fine a** though eh? K...keheh...D...damnit... even when I'm about to die... after all my sobbing I can still muster out some kinda humor... I'm freakin awful. Keheh..." Snype shook his head.

"Awful? Nah," Kaveri said, shaking her head. "That's one of your best traits. Even when you're breaking down and at death's door, you laugh in it's face. It's admirable if anything."

"Kehehe... I've gotten that a few times... even Lyn told me that a few times." Snype smiled up at her. "Keh... even if death comes to get me, I'll laugh it in the face again and cheat it... I'm counting on it. Keheh... did I ever tell you I had a one on one with that one agent in Tollen and survived? Beat the hell out of me... hell I took down three royal guards on the way. What the heck was his name again?" Snype said with another chuckle. "Ahh well whatever it was, I guess I'm just a pretty darn lucky guy... I've gotten close to death far too many times on this adventure..." Snype smiled up at Kav.

"Yet every time you've somehow survived. Maybe fate's just pissed at you for that," Kaveri joked with a small laugh.

"Kehehehe, yeah well fate can go f*** it self." Snype said, holding his claw up to the sky and flipping off the sky. "I guess fate isn't so bad though... I mean... I did end up meeting you right? Kehehe! When we first met, I never imagined someone would be so bold to go and steal from the King of thieves! Kehehe," Snype chuckled.

"You were pretty bold yourself, climbing up on top of poor girl like that and rifling through her belongs," Kaveri laughed.

"Kehehe, hey you're the one who pulled me on top of ya. Kehehe. I'm the king of thieves, I'll dig around where I want! Kehehe!" Snype smirked back at her, giving her a nice hard poke on the belly.

"Well, I can think of a few places you'll never go digging around in," Kaveri said, a mischievous spark in her eye as she stuck her tongue out at him playfully.

"Kehehehe, I don't think you give me enough credit." Snype smirked up at her. "Right back atcha though. I'm not the only pickpocket here. Kehehe," Snype said, placing a hand on his hip. His cloak was placed by his feet just to make sure he didn't lose it.

"Hey hey, at least I always return what I take," Kaveri huffed, then paused. "Uh, unless it's food. That's usually gone for good."

"Kehehe, hey guys gotta make a living somehow! It ain't easy being a thief!" Snype chuckled at her. "I still think you'd make a pretty darn good one. Offer's still open ya know. Keheheh! But I understand ya gotta watch over Cal and all that. Still, if your ever interested..." Snype winked up at her. "The thieves could use a cute face among them. Kehehe."

"...Ya know, if we both make it through this by some miracle, I think I might actually take you up on that offer," Kaveri said after a moment of silent thought. "Honestly, I've been thinking about it for awhile. What I'd do after we defeat Darkrai. Once he's gone... the mission Wildfire left to Cal and I will be completed. Don't get me wrong, I still love my brethren in the Gold Tribe and love everything we stand for - joining was a childhood dream come true. And Cal would probably be fairly pissed if I left, and really I wouldn't blame him. We'd be on opposite sides of the coin at that point. But ever since you first suggested it to me back in Gold City, I started to really consider it, and I've started to wonder if maybe it just might actually be a more interesting life. I'd still be alive at least, so Cal wouldn't honestly be able to complain too much. And I think I deserve a little freedom for myself, yeah?"

"Kehehehe, freedom is exactly why I love being with the thieves... you'd be joining for the right reason. But... hrm..." Snype crossed his arms and went into deep thought. "...If I do make it through all of this... I've been thinking of what I'm going to do with the thieves... if I should still play them off as enemies of the Gold Tribe. It just doesn't feel like. I always felt like the past couple years we were just guardians hiding in the shadows working to prevent any sort of crazy disasters. A fail safe like what we set up in Gold City with the speakeasys and the hidden exits." Snype rubbed his head. "Granted it'd be more or less the same... we'd still have our freedom and all but I dunno..."

"Well, I doubt there will be much need for that once Darkrai's gone," Kaveri said after a bit of thought. "Course, it never hurts to have a back-up plan in case the unexpected happens. But you really don't owe it to anyone to be that back-up, especially after all you've already done. I think... when this is all over, you should think more about what's best for the Thieves. A King should put their people before anything else after all, right?"

"Yeah..." Snype smiled up at Kaveri. "I just... feel like I owe Lyn something after all the crap I did you know?" Snype said back to her. "But I suppose I'm getting ahead of myself... I don't know whats going to happen in the future. I mean..." Snype paused at how contradicting that statement was. He knew exactly what was going to happen. He jut didn't know when. "...Sorry I'm trying not to think about it... part of my mind is saying "what should I do before it happens" but I'm trying to stay confident enough to prevent it... I want to keep the thieves alive but if something does happen... well... I don't know..." Snype rubbed his head.

Kaveri held up a paw. "Stop right there. Until something actually happens, just keep talking like you're going to live. It's better to consider a future, even if it might not happen, then to ponder your own death." Kaveri placed a paw on Snype's head, giving him a stern look. "Never stop hoping."

Snype just stared up at Kaveri, steeping forward to move up closer. "Heh... when I can't cheer myself up... I'm glad I got you around to help put me back into shape Kav. "I promised Lyn I'd see it through all the way... I'm not going to give up on her. And after everything you said? Well... I won't give up on you either Kav." Snype said as he crawled up to face level to give her a smooch right on the lips. "K..kehehe... too forward?"

Kaveri was stunned into silence, seemingly not knowing how to react to the advancement. It felt strange for the usually quick-witted Floatzel to be so stumped by something so simple - but then again, in all her years, Kaveri had never once kissed anyone. She'd always been so focused on taking care of Cal (even when she probably didn't need to) that she'd never really even considered any sort of romantic relationship, too worried that it would ruin the bond she shared with her brother. "I... uh..." Kaveri shook her head, attempting to pull herself out of her daze and only partially succeeding. "N-not at all," she stuttered.

"Kehehehe, already got ya in a stuttering mess? What happened to all the confidence before? Kehehe" Snype said as he got down and turned around slightly. "Kehehe.... Well... We should probably make it back to the tournament. Maybe we'll catch your brother kicking someones ass on time eh? I gotta make sure Cel is okay too..." Snype smiled back at Kav. "Lets get back inside. Thank you Kav... For all this. You better stay alive too you got that?" The Sableye said before walking off. Even if he was fated die, at least felt he left a good memory behind... Snype was ready to accept whatever the future held for him. Be just hoped that his luck would shine brighter then ever this time around. He wasn't about to let fate do the deciding for him. He had too many mon counting on him. And he had to fulfil Lyn's promise no matter what.

"Ah," Razathiel sighed as he skipped out of the door of the inn, a spring in his step. "What a wonderful morning for villainy. And perhaps shopping. But mostly villainy."

The morning was, in fact, just about the same as the previous day's evening had been. Still intensely frigid and unwelcoming to even the most resistant of 'mon, but the Dreadmage seemed fairly adept at passing off almost anything as wonderful for villainy.

The streets were mostly dead of activity, save for a few 'mon entering and exiting various buildings. However, one Pinsir braved the cold and walked along the streets. He caught sight of Raz and as he passed by him, stopped and spoke. "Edgar or Xander?" He questioned.

"I'm Razathiel!" The Ralts answered with a grin.

"Got stones in your ears?" The Pinsir questioned. "I asked what side you're on. Edgar or Xander?"

"Do you have stones in your eyes?" Raz shot back. "I'm standing on the doorstep of this fucking inn!"

"Supporters of the Beast go in there all the time," the Pinsir questioned back. He shrugged and continued to walk on. "But OK."

"And do they come out?"

"Not always," The Pinsir replied with a shrug. "Depends who they run into."

"Yeah, whatever," Razathiel waved a hand. "Do you need something?"

"No," The Pinsir continued staring at the Ralts.

"Then do you have a reason for continuing to stare at me, or were you raised by Mr. Mimes who taught you to creep like the best of them?" The Dreadmage crossed his arms and raised one eyebrow.

"You look funny," The Pinsir responded bluntly. "What town are you from?"

"I can assure you I look a whole lot less funny than a Pinsir missing both of his arms," Raz warned.

"That doesn't sound funny, just cruel," The Pinsir's face cringed.

"Cruel though it may be, I'd find it hilarious all the same."

"... hmm, I just realized you meant that toward me, right?" The Pinsir questioned.

Razathiel blinked, "Holy fucking shit, you're dense."

"And you're a foreigner," The Pinsir replied with a shrug. "I don't trust you foreign types to be wandering here. You're no good. But you also support the crown, so how about I just answer any questions you have about whatever it is you're here for, and we both part ways with our arms?"

"I wouldn't say I 'support the crown' per se, but I suppose it's hard to prove otherwise when killing the shit out of Xander is so high on my priority list," Raz murmured before sighing. "Is there anywhere around here I can buy some cocoa?"

"Bar you came from is the only place that even has that," The Pinsir shrugged. "You're trying to kill Xander? What did he, kill your family or something?"

"Nah, he's just helping some dicklord try to take over the world or something, long story-" the wizard waved it away with one hand. "Anywhere around here I could get a grand piano? I suppose I should just up and ask if there's anything interesting this place has to offer."

"What's a piano?" The Pinsir questioned. Razathiel plonked one out from his Magic Room in response, belting out a short tune before putting it away again. "Oh... I think I saw one of those before, but that was back in Daggen. Years ago... let's see... interesting... well we got some bars that play music. Oh, and Mount Titan. Don't go there, it's cold. Uh... yeah."

"It's cold everywhere here, but no, I wasn't planning on scaling Titan. Anything worthwhile in terms of travelling supplies?"

"Smithey the smith might have something over at Smithey's Smithing," The Pinsir answered. "He does more than smith stuff."

"Hmm, perhaps I'll look into it," the wizard pondered. "Alright. Do you know anything about Xander's current set-up? Where he is, what kind of resources he has gathered and all that."

"Last I heard, Xander's on the move," The Pinsir responded. "He took Truon from the Emperor about a month back, and since then, his boys are moving left, taking any village they come across. I hear his main camp left Truon not long ago. Hell, they might be here in a week, maybe less."

"Moving..." Raz paused momentarily, one raised eyebrow indicating his confusion. "... 'left'? Whose left? Do you mean West?"

"Left is West on the map," The Pinsir nodded. "Duh."

"Left is relative, West is absolute! If you mean West, then fucking say 'West' you babbling troglodyte!" Razathiel snapped at the Pinsir. He seemed finished with conversation and began to stomp away. "Having the nerve to 'duh' me - I tire of your moronic bumbling; begone! Enjoy your arms, cur!"

"You enjoy your arms!" The Pinsir shouted back insultingly.

"I will!" The Dreadmage cried, stomping away to find the blacksmith.

---

"I was told you may have travelling supplies!" Razathiel announced as he virtually kicked open the door to Smithey's Smithing. He couldn't actually kick the door open with much force by just using his foot, so most of the effort came from his Psychic energy, but the Ralts made a kicking motion nonetheless.

"Watch the damn door!" The Aggron smith yelled angrily. "I just got it put in!"

"Well, if you just got it put in and it didn't withstand the force of a little kicking in, I'd be a little angry at the effectiveness of the door, not me," The wizard countered, putting a hand to his chest. "I was merely confirming the solidarity of your investment!"

"Shut up, the door's shit!" The Aggron replied randomly. "Now do you want something or are you just here to break my things?"

"As I said earlier, I have been informed that you may have items for sale that could be considered travelling supplies," Raz huffed. "I have made my way here to investigate said rumors. More simply put; what the bloody hell have you got for sale?"

The Aggron nodded. "I got some Aggron hide metal armors, some Steelix armors, some Piloswine pelts, warmest in Karn! I got some berry drinks, medicine. I got some fire juice from the badlands to the west! Will warm you up like no other if you're makin' the trip up Titan!"

"Just regular Karnian travelling for me, I haven't the time to scale Titan," Razathiel murmured. The warm things did pique his interest, what with the others besides Obsidian being so cold, but he figured straight-up buying things as impromptu presents could be construed as a little bit too nice. Perhaps he should just mention their availability instead. "What are these berry drinks and medicines you speak of? And the fire juice?"

"Fire juice!" The Aggron exclaimed as he gestured to a red, hourglass bottle on the counter. "Made from Magmar fire and Aspear Berries! Guaranteed to keep you going in the cold for longer than anything else!" He then pointed to a few other bottles beside it. "I also have some Sitrus Juice, Oran Ale, and Lum Oil! Guaranteed to heal all your problems! Err... almost all."

"What actually is it, though?" Raz asked, hopping up to peek at the bottles. "This is something you make, yes?"

The Aggron shrugged his shoulder. "Most of it, yeah. Not the fire juice though, we get it imported from a guy from the Capital."

"These berry juices," the wizard began, staring cynically at the bottled liquids in front of him. "Are they pure concoctions? Are there any added ingredients?"

"Just ground up berries," The smith responded. "We don't add any of that weird shit to them out here."

"If they're all just ground up berries, then why do they all have different names?" Razathiel asked, raising one eyebrow. "I would assume an ale would have to be fermented, unless you're just using arbitrary words for some strange marketing tactic. How old are these things?"

"I just made 'em this mornin'," The Aggron replied as he spit to the side of the room, into an urn. "They're all just berries. I just use different names cause I like the way they sound."

"This morning?" The Ralts seemed skeptical, opening one of the bottles and sniffing its contents. "How much are they?"

"Two shines for each of the juices, 5 or something I like for the fire juice," The Aggron replied.

"Shines?"

The Aggron cocked an eyebrow. "What are you, a foreigner? Shines!" The Aggron spat. "Nice things! You know, valuables! That's how we work it here!"

"Valuables, eh?" The Dreadmage seemed pensive for a moment, before he reached into his Magic Room and pulled out a few gemstones. "I'll take two of each berry extract - no fire juice."

"Hmm, shiny," The Aggron commented. "They do anything?" He asked.

"Nothing too amazing," Razathiel murmured, debating on whether to tell the Aggron that he was pretty sure at least one of them was a lozenge of some kind. "They shine, they glitter. That one refracts light particularly well."

"Hmm, some dumb girl might pay a hefty price for them," The Aggron grabbed the stones. And pushed the bottles toward the Ralts. "Here."

"Huzzah," Raz cheered, plonking the bottles into his Magic Room and hastily skipping out of the blacksmith.

The groups parted and found themselves walking down separate sections of the enormous arena. The arena itself seemed like a maze internally, with various sections and passages that led further in, down, and all across. The entire situation was amplified by the slowly stirring crowd that competitors could hear as they walked through the passages. Eventually, they would enter the main arena, where an explosion of noise enveloped them. Cheering, jeering, yelling, laughing. The seats were filled with Karnians shouting down at the competitors. Directly in front of them was the arena, or put more precisely the arenas, as there appeared to be eight, divided by some sort of thin, glassy barrier. Around them were hundreds of other competitors who decided to join the competition. All awaited the tournament to begin. Through the confusion and number of various 'mon around, James was no longer within sight of Callimer.

Suddenly, an Exploud was making his way to an extended portion of the crowd. He sucked in a deep breath and shouted, surprisingly loudly enough to silence most of the others around. "WELCOME, YOU SHITS!" The Exploud roared, which was followed by a massive wave of cheering. "TO ERBLE'S DUELING TOURNAMENT!" More cheers followed. "FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO WELCOME THE EMPEROR, EDGAR RIONART!" He howled, and gestured behind him to the Pangoro, who sat along at a large throne with a perfect view of the arena, just above the Exploud's position. "THE EMPEROR HAS DECLARED THIS TOURNAMENT IN THE NAME OF HIMSELF, SO WE HONOR HIM BY CALLING IT THE RIONART DUELING TOURNAMENT FIVE... WAIT, THIS IS SIX, NOW ISN'T IT? SIX!" Once more, the cheers followed his declarations. The Exploud continued. "YOU ALL KNOW THE RULES, AND IF YOU DON'T, YOU'LL PROBABLY DIE ANYWAY. EIGHT GROUPS, TWO CHAMPIONS FROM EACH GROUP. NO BULLSHIT. SINCE THIS GETS TOO FUCKING CRAZY, COMMENTARY WILL BE LIMITED UNTIL THE SECOND ROUNDS BEGIN. OH, AND THE EMPEROR HAS GRACIOUSLY DECIDED THAT ALONG WITH THE ANNUAL PRIZE, A SECONDARY PRIZE IS ALSO AT STAKE! THE EMPEROR'S PERSONAL JEWEL! COMPETITORS, GET READY!"

All across Callimer, eyes began to wander, with 'mon likely picking out who they wanted to strike at. A bunch of 'mon's eyes wandered toward the large green Dragonite. "READY!" The Exploud called again.

Cal stood his ground and raised his fists, readying himself for the commotion to start.

"BEGIN!" The announcer yelled.

The instant they were allowed to, nearly every competitor sprang into action, save those hoping to wait out the competition. Before Cal could even wonder at who his first opponent might be, he was face to face with a Lopunny. The Lopunny leapt away from Cal's first punch and flew at him with a Hi-jump kick, but he was ready, and as soon as they reached him he grabbed onto their leg and slammed them into the ground with their momentum added to his own strength. The Lopunny didn't get back up. Without so much as a chance to blink Cal caught sight of a Hitmontop zipping over the ground extremely quickly at him. Having no desire to waste his energy on such a rapidly spinning opponent, Cal flapped his wings as hard as he could, and in moments a wind began to stir around the Hitmontop. The upside-down pokémon continued to push forward bravely, but he grew slower and slower, until Cal's Hurricane reached it's Zenith and set the Hitmontop spinning in the exact opposite direction, shooting off into the crowd of competitors. The Hurricane cleaved a path of havoc through the battle royale, sending some flying, and even tearing others to pieces with the wind's speed, and even more still who could penetrate the wind were slammed into by the Hitmontop's unwilling hands or feet.

Cal's display seemed to deter a few nearby competitors from attacking. However, a group eventually made their way around the giant Green Dragonite. Seeing his immense size, an Absol, Cubone, and Patrat decided to form a silent alliance and attack him together. The Absol launched an Aerial Ace toward the dragon, while the Cubone opted to launch a ranged Bonemerang. The Patrat tried to (perhaps foolishly) bite at the dragon with a Crunch.

Weakest Link! Was the only thought that ran through Cal's head before he reacted. He leapt straight for the Patrat and thrust his arm forward, letting it's teeth sink a bit into his scales while he grabbed inside its mouth, then swung it like a club to knock the Bonemerang right into the Absol before flinging the poor abused rodent off into the crowd. "Come on, is that the best you got!?" He called out, feeling his blood start to pump. "I'm just an outsider! Show me that Karnian pride!"

"I'll show you Karnian pride, b*tch!" A Granbull yelled as she tackled right into the Dragonite from behind. "Get outta my country!"

Cal skidded a few feet back and felt his head reel at the impact, but he stayed upright, and even turned in place like a sumo-Snorlax while the Granbull pummeled on him. "Make me!" Cal jeered back, catching on of the Granbulls fists, then rearing his other arm back and slamming into it with an Outrage. The Granbull cried out and fell back onto the ground, but a Xatu quickly overstepped the Granbull and fired a surprisingly potent Psychic at Callimer.

Pain lanced through the Dragonite's head as if he had a massive migraine, and he was hard pressed to move. He raised his head to the sky and roared, apparently in pain, but as the draconic sound spread through part of the arena, a black sphere of energy coated in blue flames materialized over Cal's head, then shot into the air and began to rain Draco Meteors down upon the Xatu. The Xatu attempted to evade left and right, but the Draco Meteors seemed too potent and too spread out to avoid. Eventually the 'mon was struck by the powerful raining attack, which caused it to collapse from the pain. The Xatu began to slowly rise from the ground, only to have its attention suddenly be grabbed by an enormous explosion to its right. The Xatu observed as what appeared to be a large, flaming hurricane suddenly enveloping nearly half of the arena, causing dozens upon dozens of 'mon to be swept up in the immense flame attack. They burned and cried as they quickly perished within the spinning scorching vortex which encompassed the arena. As the flames died down, the bodies, or what was left of them, began dropping out of the ground from the sky at an alarming rate. At the center of the attack, the Blaziken James could be seen, casually observing his work in action. Upon seeing the destruction that he had caused, the Xatu decided twice about getting up again and decided to lay back down and pretend to be knocked out.

The Emerald Sentinel stood and watched the cataclysmic attack to its completion before he even worried about jumping into another battle. When it finally finished he nodded at James and began to scan the arena, unsure if they even had anymore competitors left. Once such remaining competitor seemed to be scanning in the same way Callimer was, as a large Steelix at the very end of the arena matched eyes with Callimer. The Steelix charged forward, slamming its tail into the ground to break apart the earth, before tossing the debris toward the Dragonite with a Rock Throw.

Cal smirked in excitement despite his head still pounding, and charged straight at the Steelix, shattering all the rocks that were flung at him one-by-one, then an idea struck him. He stopped among the glittering frosty particles and frozen pebbles and began to flap his wings rapidly. As the wind began to swirl around in front of the Dragonite, it drew all the particles in until the air was cruelly chilled, and then Cal launched the icy Hurricane at the Steelix, and flew just behind it, using it as cover while he prepared a double-handed Superpower to slam into the Steel-type with.

The Steelix didn't deter its path forward, even with the icy Hurricane on approach. Instead, the large steel 'mon sucked in, and fired a resounding, powerful Dragonbreath through the Hurricane in an attempt to track down and strike at the Dragonite. Though he began to be damaged by Cal's attack, he seemed to be relentlessly pursuing the Dragonite, trying to end him.

Unable to see well through his own attack, Cal's only warning of the Steelix's counterattack was a blue glow emanating from within the frosty winds swirling around it, and despite his best attempts to dive out of the way, the sweeping blast of fiery energy clipped him and sent him to the floor. "Ok, that's enough of this." Before the Steelix could find Cal through the icy Hurricane, his fists became coated in frosty energy, and his body began to glow white. Tired of the engagement, Cal put on a huge burst of Extremespeed and darted all around the Steelix crashing through the mist, Ice Punching it rapidly in multiple places, which, combined with the freezing winds were enough to spout gouts of ice at each impact. Once the Steelix was sufficiently coated in frozen spires and other formations, Cal shot back up into the air, charged up another Extremespeed and Superpower, then divebombed the Steelix and crashed into it like an artillery shell, shattering all the ice on it at once in an explosion of glittering shards and mist.

The Steelix wasn't even given a chance to properly scream from the pain. Instead, the 'mon was knocked out before he was ever able to express such emotion. Ice shards and mist coated the entire area of the arena, even beyond the Steelix's immediately area. The cool environment, however, was contrasted by a torrent of flames on the other side of the arena, where 'mon fell from the burning obliteration James had caused. The two arenas clashed with the combination of elements, fire on one side and ice on the other, almost bouncing off each other. Now, no other 'mon stood besides Callimer and James.

"YOUR WINNERS OF GROUP THREE!" The Exploud shouted as the crowd cheered. James looked up toward the crowd for a brief moment, before his eyes set upon Callimer on the very far side of the arena.

The Emerald Sentinel matched the Karnian General's gaze, and the two stared at each other as the aftershocks of their attacks raged and even clashed around them. There was no need for words, they both innately knew what the other felt at that moment.

Vee had just finished packing up the rest of his belonging into his oversized backpack. He quickly fitted it onto his back and headed down through the bar to the outside, where he agreed to meet the rest of the group. Once outside, he greeted them with a nod. He noted Obsidian, who didn't look particularly well. "Everyone set to go?" He asked.

Obi slowly shook his head, rather pale, "Nope." He groaned out. "Anyone... anyone ha-have a..." He didn't get to finish as he backed off to a corner and bent over, gagging noises being heard.

Vee frowned at the Weavile. "You look horrible."

Obi held a hand up, still while bent over, "So much alcohol. And chugging. Lots of chugging." He groaned out.

From the veil of the poor weather emerged Razathiel, back from the blacksmith. He took a single look at the two 'mon, raised one eyebrow and turned with a grimace to the Weavile.

"Hmph. I see you're facing the repercussions of your imbecilic evening of abandoning your guard. Ludicrous business..." Raz then paused to turn to Vee. "Where are the other two?"

Just as the last few words escaped Raz's mouth, Cythera came floating out of the bar. She took one look at Obsidian and scrunched her face. "That's disgusting," was all she said before casting Aromatherapy around him, primarily so she didn't have to suffer his stench but it would also alleviate some of his symptoms.

Obsidian let out a relieved groan, "Much better..."

"Well now that we have that out of the way," Vee began as the Victini took one last skeptical look at the Weavile. "What should be our next course of action? Should we depart this town and head to the city this 'Xander' is in?"

"Well, if any of you pricks are still suffering too badly from the cold, apparently the blacksmith has some decent supplies as far as keeping warm goes," Razathiel mentioned, before leaning in closer to the others and saying in a more hushed tone. "Also, before we leave, I was planning on unleashing some ungodly destruction on that other inn. Just for funsies."

"The one with Xander's folk?" Vee clarified. The Dreadmage nodded excitedly in response.

Obsidian managed a weak smile at that, "I wouldn't mind that... heh, maybe we could snag someone for some info too. They have to know some things, right? Or rumors at least."

"Hmm... well I supposed stopping his forces at any point would be a bonus," Vee shrugged its shoulders. "Should we pop inside for a quick drink?"

Before any responses could be given, Rattles stepped out of the bar at which they'd stayed, blood coating several of her barbs and marring her shell. Cythera was also nowhere to be seen.

"Not sure I'm the sort to be going in and drinking with those poor sods," Raz said, rolling his eyes. With a psychic hand and an annoyed grunt he picked up some snow from the ground and began to get rid of the blood covering Rattles. "Not really a big fan of espionage. If I'm going in there, I'd rather just go straight in with the intent to kill and not bugger about with the pleasantries."

"I think I can agree to that," Vee replied as it headed for the other side of the main pathway into town, to the bar known as The Lair.

"So... no information gathering? Just kill?" Obsidian frowned, "Do we know how many mon are in there? How strong they are?"

"I don't mind gathering some information," Vee shrugged. "But I prefer to go in first with Raz rather than sneak it. That's just my preference. But I can deduce at least a dozen energies in there, perhaps more. Spread out through the place."

Razathiel said, "If you lot want to gather any information at all, then I suggest doing it before I go in there. Just give me a signal when you come out so I can fuck everything from there onward, I don't want to be caught sitting around in enemy territory like a fucking pillock."

Obsidian frowned, crossing his arms, "Well... there are several ways I can do it. Try to act like I am a natural Karnian and head in to figure out what I can. The only problem with that is if Xander's side has some sort of secret handshake or other means of camaraderie well... I'll be in deep water. The other way is that we do go in, kill, but leave one mon alive to interrogate. Or the last way is to just sneak in with the help of my tech and see if I can find things like maps or messages that have come to and fro with Xander. But in Karn, I'm not sure if they have a messaging service."

Vee shrugged. "I know nothing about Karn, so I say you do whichever way you think is best. I am curious to go inside as well, however. It seems odd to me that two opposing sides have bars on either side of the street, and yet it seems like this town is relatively peaceful, by Karnian standards."

Obsidian nodded, "I've heard about this before. It's the calm before the storm, at least it's how it's referred to. Whenever something big can happen, and everyone knows it, they try not to allow it to happen. It's more than likely why the mon here took to building two bars. There was probably only one before, but with the war a second one was built. They know that once someone throws the first punch, that's it. It's not going to be a few typical mon being killed. One part of the city WILL be razed."

"Maybe..." Vee muttered. "Shall we go find out then?" He asked as he continued toward the bar.

Obsidian nodded, "You all head in... what I can do is use you all as a distraction. If there are any important documents around, letters, maps, or such, I can find them amid any fighting."

"What do you mean you all?" Vee asked. "Raz said he wouldn't go in until we're ready to burn it, and Cythera is gone..."

"And burning is a great distraction. I'm quick on my feet. I can find what I need and get out before I get burned to a crisp." Obsidian explained.

"I think you're overestimating my ability to not target you in a clusterfuck of flaming destruction," Raz said dryly.

In the distance, a floating Piloswine pelt drifted in their direction before landing on top of Rattles. From within it, Cythera popped her head out and asked, "You guys still haven't done anything?"

Obsidian raised his brow, "Well, what have you done in the meantime to help the mission out?" He asked the fairy type.

"Drastically decreased the chances of one of your most important assets freezing to death in this icy shithole country," She answered haughtily.

"Oh," Razathiel looked up at her and tilted his head. "Is the coat for me?"

Obsidian had to put a hand up to his mouth to hide his smirk.

Vee grabbed hold of part of the Piloswine pelt, and examined it. "Stylish. I think I'll check out the bar now, anyone who wants to come with me, feel free."

Obsidian nodded, "I can take that time to scout around. If you don't mind. If I can find a map of where Xander could be going, that's worth it."

The Victini nodded and walked through the front doors of the bar known as 'The Lair'. Immediately, as if the Victini were experiencing deja vu, 'mon began shouting at it.

"Close the door!"

"Shut that sh*t! You're letting all the cold in!"

"Close it!" They yelled, as the Victini quickly slammed the door shut, though not before he felt something brush past him through the opening. The yelling Pokemon quickly turned around once the door was shut and minded their own business. A few gave the cloaked Victini curious looks, but nothing much else beyond that. The Victini looked around. The bar seemed eerily similar to the other one on the other side of town. Similar 'mon, gathered around the fire. Similar music. Similar grumpy faces with a few fearful from likely just returning from a trip up Mount Titan. Vee couldn't point out many differences, in fact, other than the species of the 'mon there. The crowd, the ambiance, it was nearly identical. The Victini wondered what it was the 'mon fought over. Just the bear logo on top?

The crowd inside were being awfully to themselves, so Vee decided to learn what he could from them collectively. "Hello," He pipped up. The 'mon in the bar glanced over to the cloaked Victini, though none spoke right away.

"You want a drink or something, babe?" The Cinccino bartender asked.

"Oh, err, no I was just here for some information really," Vee replied. "About the 'mon you support."

"The 'mon we support," A Lickitung clarified, gesturing to himself and to Vee.

"Well, I-"

"You do support the Beast, don't ya?" The Lickitung asked the Victini.

---

Obsidian glanced about amid the exchange, his bracelet helping to keep him cloaked. He caught sight of the stairs and made his way toward them, making sure to avoid any walking mon as he quickly ascended. From the looks of things this bar was built exactly like the other one across the street. No doubt further credence that the war had caused a second one to be built. If this was just like the other one, then it meant that there were bound to be guest rooms up here. And if there were guest rooms, what was the likelihood of someone here having the duty of keeping tabs on Xander's advances and perhaps recording what he had been doing? The Weavile took in a shallow breath and made his way forward, making his way to the furthest room in back and taking to peering in through the keyhole. He had to be certain the rooms were unoccupied first.

---

Outside, the remaining three could only speculate at what was happening. Impatient, Razathiel's feet shuffled subconsciously.

"... I'm bored," the wizard announced.

"So you haven't been fantasizing over all the ways you're going to massacre these 'mon or whatever it is that evil villains do?" Cythera asked from under the pelt, harshness in her tone. "Don't you carry anything in that magic room to entertain yourself?"

The Ralts grumbled unintelligibly in response, then reached a hand into his Magic Room.

---

"Well, I wouldn't say I am a true proponent of either side," Vee replied with a shrug.

"Huh... you're one of the undecided, huh?" A Throh asked. "We get yer kind too. But you have to pick. Eventually, they always pick. And if ya respect the true Karnian way, you pick the side of the Beast!"

The bar erupted in a cheer. "Down with Rionart!"

"Emperor Eidragon!"

"So... what do you say?" The Lickitung asked Vee again.

---

Obsidian sneaked inside the room after fiddling with the lock. There wasn't much inside save for some discarded robes, a bed, and a dresser. He checked the bedsheets first, then the dresser. Though all he managed to find were various pieces of clothing needed so one wouldn't freeze outside. This room could belong to a travling guest and not someone with information then. Obsidian slowly closed the drawers back up and sneaked out, pulling the door shut. Well, he had a few more rooms to check out anyways.

---

Cythera peeked out of the pelt and looked up at Raz who was perched atop his staff, failing to amuse himself with a ball and cup game. "Hey Raz, do you think you can keep a few of them alive? Brink of death would be ideal, but I doubt you have that kind of self control."

"Depends on how strong they are," the Dreadmage muttered, staring at the ball and cup as though they were his worst enemies. "If they're the usual cannon fodder, then there isn't much I can do to keep them alive. Perhaps if they're caught on the very edge of an explosion. Why do you ask?"

"I'm curious to see what I can get if I come by afterward and heal them," Cythera explained as she shuffled through her bag. "Maybe some valuables or respect if there's any appreciation for healers here. Hell, some of the 'mon I've brought back from the brink in the past have sworn loyalty to me, not that I'm expecting anything like that from them. If they're trouble you or Rattles will take care of it. I've always wanted to try this sort of thing, but my assistants have always been very... morally upright."

Razathiel chuckled humorlessly, "I'm fairly sure deception on that level is despicable from almost any moral standpoint. Not exactly all that profitable of an idea either, seeing as anything you can swindle out of the poor buggers you can just as easily loot from their corpses..." Raz paused to sigh, dropping his ball and cup game. "Why the fuck do I even have this thing...?"

---

"Why do you support him?" Vee asked curiously.

"Cause he respects the true Karnian way!" The Lickitung replied forcefully. "A true 'mon!"

"He brings honor to Karn, and he doesn't deal with that foreigner crap Rionart is. Plus, freeing the slaves? What the f*ck!" The Throh spat angrily.

"I hear he used the poison, though," Vee retorted. "The unstoppable one? Groudon's something?"

"What?" The Lickitung cocked an eyebrow. "Xander ain't never used Groudon's Farewell on an opponent! Not once!"

"The nerve!" The Throh added.

---

Obsidian had checked another room, only finding similar items to the last. Surely there had to be one room that contained something? Alas, as he checked into another he found food, clothing, and nothing much else. The Weavile had to think as he closed the door and stepped back into the hallway. He saw no messages, no maps, nothing at all. Weren't these mon soldiers in Xander's army? Or some sort of relief or such? They had to be, right? A feeling sunk into his heart. Had their initial impressions been wrong? Were these mon not a part of Xander's war tribe? That couldn't be good.

---

"I can't loot an improved reputation off a corpse." Cythera countered. "If I'm going to get my name known around the world, I need to do everything I can. And as for their stuff, it's far, far more satisfying having them give their things to me willingly. That satisfaction is just as valuable to me as whatever it is they're giving me, oftentimes more when it's some tiny village in the middle of nowhere like this where everyone's poor anyway. Not that I don't appreciate the extra bit of wealth, too."

"I didn't realise when you asked me if I could keep a few alive that you meant indefinitely," the Ralts said with a raised eyebrow. "They're allied with Xander, that's why we're killing them. Leaving them alive indefinitely somewhat defeats the purpose, so we should be killing all of them - and as you said, you can't loot an improved reputation off a corpse."

"I thought you were killing them for shits and giggles. I doubt they pose any real threat to our main objective. All I'm doing is trying to find a way to use your mess to my own advantage." Cythera shrugged. "If you won't help me though that's fine. I'm sure to be a hot topic anyway once Xander is dead."

"It's not a mess," Raz cried defensively. He tilted his head to the side, then shrugged. "Well, yeah, I guess it is a mess. And I am starting the fight for shits and giggles, but once it's started, finishing it is pretty important. Otherwise a load of Xander-aligned people with experience of us live and then word gets out and then it's all a real mess. They don't pose a threat to our objective if we leave them be, but after we start shit, they do. And if we don't start shit, then you're not going to be able to bring people back from the brink of death at my hand. If you're really all that bothered about getting a healer's reputation, there are plenty of people coming down from Titan near-dead anyway. Not like you need me to half-kill anyone when there are plenty of hapless pillocks doing it to themselves."

Cythera frowned. "You know, I'm starting to think being around you all has been overall detrimental to my mentality." After patting Rattles' head a couple times, Cythera and Rattles began walking back towards the Rionart-aligned bar. "Have Vee get me when you're done!" she called out as she left.

"Wait just a- you can't leave! I'm bored enough as it is!"

---

"Well how is he so strong then?" Vee asked curiously.

"Cause he is! He beat Titan!" The Lickitung replied.

"But how specifically?" Vee questioned again.

"I dunno, he just is!" The Throh added.

"How can you not know if you follow him?"

"Well, we never actually met the guy in person yet," The Cinccino bartender shrugged.

"Never met?"

---

As Obi continued to ponder while in the hall he couldn't help but edge to the stairs and peer down, just to make sure Vee wasn't in any danger yet. And then he heard it. They... hadn't met Xander yet? Obsidian's stomach twisted up in knots. This wasn't good. He slowly edged back from the stairs. He pushed back into one of the rooms and closed the door behind him, quickly making his way to the window inside and glancing down at the ground. He had to work it open, slowly slipping out and pressing his claws against the outside wall to start sliding down. Once he landed he broke out in a run toward the waiting group, disengaging his invisibility. "Guys, we got problems! The mon in there aren't soldiers. More like fans of Xander or such."

"They're... what?" Razathiel tilted his head quizzically at the Weavile. "That's terrific news, isn't it? Won't even have to break a sweat slaughtering the bastards!"

"They're just harmless villagers," Vee corrected as the Victini stepped outside. "They aren't actually fighting in this war. Killing them wouldn't be right. Besides, I've gotten a bit of information from them, anyway. We should just head off. I think there's nothing more this town could do for us."

Obsidian nodded, "I don't want their deaths on my conscience." He explained. "We're killing soldiers, not fanboys."

Raz bounced on his staff, whining incomprehensibly.

"I agree, killing them would be wrong, and bring unwanted attention to us," Vee responded. "Where is Cythera?" The Victini asked, looking around.

"But dead 'mon can't be attentive, though," the wizard winged. "Cythera went inside. Left me out here all alone, bored as all hell."

Obsidian frowned, "The question is... if you wanted to hard enough, could we even stop you? Well, Vee could. Do you really want Vee slapping you about?"

"That's a fairly loaded question," Razathiel noted, narrowing his eyes at the Weavile. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you'd be happy to see where that line of questioning takes you."

Obsidian crossed his arms, "Go ahead. Try me." He said calmly.

"I'm accusing you of being an idiot by intentionally encouraging conflict," Raz said, tilting his head. "And your response is to encourage conflict. Are you fucking stupid? Nobody here is fighting anybody else here. Vee, go get Cythera and Rattles."

"Uh... don't kill each other while I go," Vee responded as he went into the first bar.

Obsidian looked over at Raz, letting out a sigh, "I'm not saying that." He muttered. "It's just... something else."

"How coherent," the wizard murmured.

".... He's dead." Obsidian let out a frustrated sigh, "He's dead and I'm too late and... and ever since I came to this stupid country I was hiked on doing what I needed to do and..." He sighed, "Not like it ever mattered. Yeah, sure, several years later he would be alive. Just... just plain stupid."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," said Raz, a little perturbed. "And before you continue, that isn't an invitation to start explaining."

Obsidian looked away, "Yeah yeah, I know." He sat down and crossed his arms.

Raz, Vee, Rattles, Cythera, and Obsidian - The Beast

The further the group headed into the mountain, the colder the weather became. Each day that past seemed to bring more harsh weather. Vee found itself struggling to travel normally as a result. There was no question that they were significantly slowed as the weather worsened. As some points, Vee seemed to question if they made any real progress in a day's travels. And the further north they traveled, the worse it got. For a moment, Vee wondered if they accidentally traveled up Mount Titan instead of the other path. Eventually, however, the path began to wind down, and the temperatures slowly rose. They were still nearly unbearable, but at least traveling became easier.

Nearly a week later into their travels, the group stopped near the top of one particular summit, and upon reaching it, were greeted by an impressive sight. In the valley below among the mountains, hundreds, if not thousands of 'mon were set up in a sea of tents. As far as the eye could see, Pokemon of all shapes and sizes gathered in this behemoth of a camp. Raised from many of these tents was the familiar flag that the group saw in the town: the mark of Xander. They had run into his encampment.

"There it is," Vee muttered. "It's enormous. This rebellion is much larger than I thought."

Obsidian frowned at the sight, "Well... for one thing, they've been building this up for ten years now. There were so many mon at Valkaria and other places. Not to mention what Penance said when they got transported to an encampment. I expected far more, to be honest. I suppose any other soldiers are in James' lands though. The question now is how do we get down there to find Xander? You said he accepts challenges. If we can get to him without any interference we could offer a challenge then."

"I say we launch ourselves in as hard and fast as possible, leaving a trail of unrivaled destruction in our wake, until all who reside in the encampment are dead," Razathiel suggested with a smirk. "... too gung-ho?"

"Maybe a bit too forward," Vee responded seriously. "I doubt our group would reach him like that."

"What?" Asked the muffled voice of Cythera as she wormed her way out from under her pelt. "We're here already?" She looked at the sight before her and frowned.

"But Karn respects strength." Obsidian pointed out. "If we start massacring his troops then he'll have to come out to meet us. And I'm sure Raz could kill tons from a safe distance."

"My initial suggestion was made under the pretence of a hefty dose of sarcasm," Raz admitted. "If you poor sods have decided to come around to a route that makes full use of my power, however, I'm open to the idea. This wouldn't ever happen with any of those bloody Gold Tribe around."

Obsidian smirked, "Well... this is your one chance then." He looked back down at the camp, "Unless someone else has a better idea, and I doubt sneaking around there would work."

"Am I the only one who sees a problem with us launching an all-out assault on a large enemy force with the expectation that they'll eventually say we're strong and stop attacking us after we killed their allies?" Vee questioned.

"Well, whatever you all decide to do, I'll need those of you who need healing to stay near me. Or at the very least within my line of sight." Cythera reluctantly left the warmth of her pelt and floated above Rattles. "Which, from what I've gathered, is everyone but Raz."

The Ralts let out a triumphant, "Ahaa!" and waggled his eyebrows at the others.

Obsidian nodded, "Alright. So is it settled? We'll kick off with attacking from a distance and seeing what happens."

"This is not a good idea," Vee muttered as the Victini prepared its arms to fire from a distance at the encampment.

"Agreed," Razathiel said. "We need a proper plan of attack to stop you silly dregs from getting yourselves killed. That, and simply commencing artillery is hardly an interesting way to start things off."

"Why don't we just go up and as for a challenge?" Cythera proposed. "Karnians love that. We were allowed to reach the emperor easily enough, and it's not like they know us as enemies yet."

"Xander does. He's an agent of Darkrai. I doubt he would be barred from any news regarding our group taking down fellow agents." Obsidian pointed out. "Though... that could work in our favor with getting Xander out... yeah, that might just work."

"So... we're planning on introducing ourselves and issuing a challenge?" The Dreadmage asked.

"I suppose so?" Vee questioned. "Though I wonder if we should actually introduce ourselves, and not us as simple Karnians."

"Ugh," Raz muttered. "I don't do deception. I was excited to get the pyrotechnics out, and all."

"That may be problematic if Xander does know you already," Vee explained. "We don't have to deceive, we just don't have to say who exactly we are."

Obsidian frowned, "If we say who we are, that'll definitely get Xander's attention. And he'll be prepared for us as well. But it is more than likely the best chance we'll have in getting him to respond. Who's in agreement here?"

Vee nodded and turned toward the Ferrothorn. "What do you think, Rattles?"

"I protect the Gold Tribe and Master," Rattles wrote in the snow, not entirely aware there were no Gold Tribe members in her group.

"I taught her to call me that," boasted Cythera.

"Shouldn't it be 'mistress'?" Razathiel asked.

"You can blame gender roles or whatever but Master sounds better. More authoritative," she answered with a wave.

"Gender roles are overrated anyway," Vee said dismissively. "So, I believe we are all in agreement on this... shall we proceed?"

"On gender roles being overrated? Sure, I agree, why the hell not?" Raz said dryly.

Obsidian nodded, "Alright. I guess Raz can lead us then."

"If we need to get Xander's attention as ourselves, we can do it from here," the wizard insisted. "It's something of a specialty of mine, as I'm sure you've seen."

"So we're going to do it from here, instead of approach them?" Vee questioned and shrugged. "What about if an avalanche happens?" Vee questioned.

"Ooh, avalanche..." Raz whispered, eyes wide. "Maybe something to save for our exit, hmm? After we're sure Xander's dead?"

"Could be a good escape plan..." Vee concurred with a nod.

---

The group proceeded down the mountain, toward Xander's camp. The closer they got, the more they were able to see the various activity happening there. There were 'mon cooking, laughing and eating, some fighting, and other heading in between tents. Vee also noted on a few crudely-built outposts or watchtowers with a few 'mon guarding them.

"Oi!" A Swellow above the group called down to the four. "Where are you headed?"

"Oh, nowhere," Razathiel replied with a smirk. "Just passing through an encampment of thousands of armed 'mon. As one tends to do."

"Well stay on the outside of the tents," The Swellow retorted. "If you were smart at all, you'd join us. This is the Beast's Liberation Force, after all!"

"Who are they, Bran?" A Pikachu on top of one of the watchtowers asked.

"Just some passerbys!" He yelled to the Pikachu. "Probably headed to Truon!"

"Well, tell them to stay on the outside of the tents!"

"I JUST SAID THAT TO THEM!" The Swellow yelled back. "Telling me how to do my job..." He grumbled, as he examined the group.

"Oh, this is the Beast's Liberation Force? Why didn't you say so?" The Dreadmage tilted his head up at the Swellow. "Say, you don't think you could lead us over to the big 'mon himself, hmm? I figure I might as well try my hand at 'liberating' the Beast's head from his shoulders."

The Swellow coughed and dove down to the ground beside the group. He choked for a moment before he managed to compose himself and glance at the Ralts. "You can't be serious."

"What did he say, Bran?" The Pikachu asked from the watchtower.

"He said he wants to challenge the Beast!" The Swellow yelled back.

"You can't be serious!" The Pikachu yelled in shock.

"I know, that's what I said!" The Swellow yelled back. He looked back at Raz. "Do you know what you're getting into?"

"Ah, this is merely routine," Razathiel said with a wave of his hand and a devilish grin. "Another Agent of Darkrai to add to my tally. Lead me to him before I grow impatient, will you?"

Obsidian nodded, "The Beast accepts any challenge, does he not? We're laying one down to him."

"You don't get it," The Swellow continued. "I'm doing ya a favor. Xander's not just an Agent of Darkrai, he's the Ag-"

"Bran!" A nearby Electivire exclaimed as he approached them. "What the hell are you doing out of position?" He demanded.

"Uh... sir!" The Swellow saluted with his wing. "These guys, this one in particular," He gestured to Raz. "They want to challenge the Beast."

"Then take them to the Beast," The Electivire responded immediately. "It's the rules. He accepts any duel offered to him."

"I... yessir," The Swellow saluted. "I'll... make sure you guys get a proper burial," He murmured as he began to walk through into the encampment. "Follow me," He stated as he began to walk past the tents. Various 'mon around noticed them and began to follow. A few whispered among themselves as they passed.

Feeling like there was no immediate danger, Cythera dispelled her Camouflage. "What was that you were saying before?" She asked the Swellow. "It sounded like you were going to say he was the agent. Do you mean he's the strongest or something? Because I find that hard to imagine when there's someone like James around, what with his immortality and Mega Evolution and all."

"Wha? Were you always... well, whatever," The Swellow continued with a shrug. Various 'mon around the camp began to follow the group now. "He is the strongest. He was the very first Agent Darkrai recruited, they say. And now you have to face him one on one," The Swellow said with a shrug. "Dunno what you said about the other Agents but... sorry, you're dead."

"Nothing we haven't been through before." Obsidian commented.

"Well I won't be dying," she corrected. "Especially if it's one on one. Then the honor goes to our evil wizard over there." She gestured toward Raz.

"I don't suppose you've heard of me if you're so naïve as to immediately assume I'll be the one dying in this upcoming fight," The Dreadmage said. "Rest assured Xander will have his work cut out for him facing me. And likely a lot more cut off... bloody hell," The Ralts paused to turn to his companions. "That's like two of those in the past five minutes. Did you hear those? I'm killing it today."

"Everyone loses against the Beast," The Swellow responded. "Hell, I was trying to save you from the fight earlier because I knew it would happen. But I guess you guys think you can handle yourselves..." The Swellow turned, seeing the vast amount of 'mon following them. The passed beside more tents as they proceeded deeper and deeper into the encampment.

"What's going on, Bran?" A nearby Krabby asked.

"More challengers for the Beast," Bran answered.

"Ooooh! Boys, we got fresh meat!" He exclaimed as the group beside the Krabby also proceeded to follow.

"So, uh... any town you want me to bury you guys?" The Swellow asked them. "I can go as far as Joras. But not beyond that. No offense."

Cythera raised an eyebrow at Bran. "You know, you're rather odd for a Karnian. Especially considering you're all here because of that 'True Karnian way' nonsense. I expected you all to be more like that Krabby back there."

"I am a true Karnian," The Swellow retorted with a glare. "And true Karnians show respect for duelists, as we did in the old ways. Hell, I've seen enough bodies drop by the Beast in person to know that you are all brave for trying, even if you yourselves don't realize it. And anyone brave enough to try, is worthy enough for a proper burial. Almost there." The Swellow muttered as the encampment came to a clearing, with various tents positioned around a clear, circular patch of snow in the middle. All of the tents were relatively the same as the others, save for one which was a bit bigger than the rest, and which had a large flag hanging from it. "Err... stand right here for a sec," The Swellow asked the group, as he pointed to a spot behind a Charmeleon and a Hariyama.

The Charmeleon and Hariyama both glanced back at the others as the Swellow entered into the larger tent. The Pokemon that were following the group gathered around the large open area and whispered among each other excitedly. "You guys challenging Xander too?" The Hariyama asked them.

"Yes. Is this the queue, or something? How demeaning," The Dreadmage sniffed. "I'll have to express my distaste to Xander's corpse."

"Well, you'll have to do it after I'm done beating the sh*t out of him," The Charmeleon stated with a smirk. "I'm the best warrior in my entire village. I've come to test my own skills against the Beast."

"Uh-huh," The Hariyama rolled his eyes. "I'm not gonna brag about my skills, I'll just show you how good I am after you lose and I fight."

"You expect he will let you live?" Raz asked.

"Well... I dunno," The Charmeleon shrugged. "Won't matter cause I won't lose!" The Charmeleon exclaimed with a grin. "You watch, everyone will know my name when I'm done with him!"

"Does he kill all who go against him?" Obsidian asked. "Every single one?"

"Hell if I know," The Hariyama responded with a shrug. "I don't plan to find out."

The group waited for a while longer, with nothing seeming to happen. Vee began to play with some nearby snow to pass the time, and the Hariyama tapped its foot impatiently in line. Many of the 'mon gathered to watch continued to talk among themselves. Eventually, the Swellow emerged from the large tent. "Right! The Beast has accepted all of your challenges!" He declared, which caused the gathered spectators to cheer and roar with delight. "So, challengers," The Swellow began as he walked over to them. "Are you ready to face him? The Beast of Karn? The one they say climbed to the peak of Mount Titan? The true Emperor of Karn? The-"

"Yeah, yeah shut the fuck up," A low voice from the tent interrupted, as an Ursaring emerged from the tent. Immediately, the crowd silenced and observed the 'mon as he approached the center of the circle. The Charmeleon stepped up first, his overconfidence from before seeming to vanish now that he was face to face with the 'mon himself. "Your name, boy?" The Ursaring called out to him.

The Charmeleon gulped and inhaled sharply to calm his nerves. He exhaled, and a bit of his confidence returned. "General Eidragon, I am Darren, son of Finn. I hail from the village of Pesha. I traveled all this wa-"

"I don't give a fuck about your life story, boy, I just asked your name," The Ursaring interrupted. He glanced over to a nearby Murkrow. "Darren, you said?"

"Uh... y-yes, it i-"

"Write that down," The Ursaring ordered the Murkrow, who began carving in the name of the Charmeleon with its beak into a square piece of wood. The Charmeleon glanced down at the wood, trying to figure out what he was doing. The Ursaring was already on approach toward the Charmeleon.

"What is he do-" Before the Charmeleon could finish, the Ursaring pummeled him with his fist, cracking the side of his skull and knocking him to the ground. The Charmeleon made no noises nor did he struggle as he fell to the ground, his blood soaking the snow below him.

"Right. Bury his body in the valley," The Ursaring ordered a few of his soldiers beside him. "Use the name. Pesha Village I think he said." The Ursaring glanced from the body being taken away to the Hariyama who was next in line.

The Hariyama looked at the Charmeleon fearfully, and then toward the Ursaring. "Ah... General Eidragon, I'm not here to fight you, that's a mistake!" He lifted up his hands. "I'm here to join your army. Someone must have mistakenly put me here." He explained as he sweated profusely.

The Ursaring gazed fiercely at the Hariyama, but only took a second to nod and gesture him on. "Get him fitted," He ordered and moved on again, this time to the group. He motioned for Raz to step forward.

"My, my, how impressive," Razathiel drawled at the Hariyama. "Haven't you just shown me how good you are - when was it, you said you'd do that? When he loses and y-"

"His business isn't yours, Dreadmage," The Ursaring interjected. He glanced over to the Murkrow. "No names on his. He's a foreigner," The Ursaring ordered.

"Oh, you were expecting me! How wonderful," Raz grinned. "Where are the streamers? The cake?"

"You're not funny," The Ursaring responded. "Just annoying."

"And you're both," The Dreadmage retorted. "Still, quite the operation you have here. Tell me, who had the grand idea of killing those brave enough to face you and enlisting the cowards into your military?"

"Are the rest of your group fighting after?" The Ursaring demanded of the Ralts.

"We can answer for ourselves." Obsidian spoke up, adjusting his pack a bit. "I have plans of fighting as well, that is, if Raz doesn't straight up chop your head clean off."

"He won't," The Ursaring retorted soon after. The Grand General cracked his neck to the left and right. "I expect you'll all fight after then. Better to end it now," The Ursaring brought his intense gaze back to Raz, but pointed to the rest of the group. "None of you interfere. Anyone of you do, and you all die."

Cythera glared at Obsidian before turning to Xander. "We won't be dueling you," she said, patting Rattles for emphasis. "Just watching our companions for now."

"Then your fates will be tied to their battles," Xander responded to Cythera. "If they lose, so do you. I didn't care for Tyren or Bastille, but I've just about had it with your nonsense. Today, you all die."

Raz said, "No you."

Xander Eidragon sucked in a sharp breath through his nostrils, and clenched his fists. His body began to react as the Ursaring used a Bulk Up, causing his veins to pop out from his fur momentarily before subsiding back down. Already, murmurs and excited whispered were coming from the onlookers, who excitedly observed the match which had commenced between Raz and Xander. The Ursaring didn't take long to get things going, however, as he stormed toward the Ralts which an enclosed fist. His paw glowed a faint red, the effects of a Power-Up Punch becoming prevalent as he extended his arm back, ready to strike at his opponent. Razathiel strafed left and flipped, conjuring homing magical leaves in his wake.

As Xander's fist missed his target, the Ursaring instead struck the ground, which caused the collision to infuse the red energy across his body. The Beast's veins popped out of his skin and fur once more, and the Ursaring seemed to increase his strength more. The Magical Leaves fell across his body, slicing him and causing him to grunt from the impact, but he continued forward. "You won't be able to run in this battle for long," Xander explained as he motioned to the circular battlefield they resided in. "And don't think about escaping either," He added, motioning to a set of Psychics that were positioned around the enclosed battling area, with their arms upward.

"Oh, how dreadful it will be for you," Raz mocked, studying the Ursaring's every move and flinging a Psychic blast at him. "To lose a fight over which you have so much control."

The Psychic blast fired directly at the Ursaring's chest, causing the Beast to grunt again and stagger back. Vee observed the Ursaring react to the hit. The Victini examined the energy that passed through Xander as they fought. Even from a base standpoint, Vee concluded that while the Ursaring was fairly strong, he didn't appear to be stronger than the Emperor, not even close to his power level. But as the Victini observed around the sight, his followers didn't appear to be too concerned yet about the fight.

Xander clenched his fists after being subjected to the Psychic. He inhaled again, as the Beast emptied his mind and allowed the effects of Amnesia to pass through him. He then dove forward at the Ralts once more and tried to strike down on him with another Power-Up Punch. As the Ursaring had been focusing however, so had the Dreadmage. Razathiel had noticed Xander honing his powers throughout the fight, much as the Emperor had been during their spar all those days ago. The experience had convinced Raz to learn a new technique - with the power of Psych Up, the wizard emulated all the focus and preparation that Xander had been putting in. With his mind clear and his eyes glowing, the Ralts could sense all the subtle movements of the Ursaring's hand and willed the force of his Psychic powers to move against them.

The Psychic energy collided with the power of the augment, red fist, but the clear type advantage and superior power of the Psychic seemed to favor Raz's attack. However, Xander clashed with the energy for a moment and withheld it, before he was caused to be pushed back again. The Ursaring seemed unfazed, however, by the fact that his attacks were failing. Vee curiously examined the Beast again, and used his own abilities to examine if there was anything in particular about him that stood out. He wasn't bonded with a legendary, that much the Victini could determine. Neither did he have any of Darkrai's power inside of him. By all accounts, this seemed to be an opponent Razathiel would have a decent change of beating.

The Beast inhaled again, and once more used a Bulk Up on himself, with his veins momentarily popping out of his fur before again subsiding. Then, he seemed to repeat the effect with Amnesia. Vee monitored the power fluctuation inside of Xander, accounting for the increased energy inflow inside of him. Razathiel kept a close eye on the Ursaring's actions, using Psych Up to mimic Xander's preparation and sending Magical Leaves at the Beast's legs. For someone ranked as highly as Bastille on James' catalog of Agent of Darkrai power levels, Xander seemed to be holding back in some way. The wizard considered, of course, that it was entirely possible he had simply become more powerful since fighting the Priest, but he refused to let his guard down and decided to instead stay on the lookout for any tricks the larger 'mon might have up his sleeves.

The Ursaring bent down and positioned his arms in front of his legs. He seemed to refuse to be crippled by the Ralts and instead elected to have his arms take most of the damage. Following the damage inflicted upon him, Xander once more used an Amnesia, and followed it up by a Bulk Up. The Ursaring clenched his fists and stormed toward the Ralts. Vee, meanwhile, observed his increased. That was now three times he had used a Bulk Up, along with one time he used a Power-Up Punch to increase his abilities. Likely, a strike from the Beast at this stage would be pretty deadly, but Vee figured the Beast had maxed out, or was soon about to, on the amount of attack increases his body could manage. The Ursaring leaped into the air and prepared another Power-Up punch, this time this one intending to strike the Ralts from above. Razathiel jumped on a cushion of Psychic energy, exceeding the Beast's height and flinging what he had left down on Xander. He fired off a bolt of dazzling magical energy as he landed, poised to fend off his foe's next move.

The initial Psychic collided with Xander's back as the Ursaring clashed his arm toward the ground below, causing snow to fly in the direction of the spectators. Red energy once more enveloped the Beast, as his attack further increased. The Beast turned, and was then struck directly by the other attack Raz flung out, the magical energy. This caused Xander to back up and fall to a knee and grunt. The Ursaring's eyes were focused on the ground as he clenched his fists. Then, he inhaled once more, and the veins on his body once more showed their face on his fur, before subsiding, the effects of yet another Bulk Up taking on. This was followed yet again by another Amnesia. It was now the fourth time Xander had used the Bulk Up. The Dreadmage rolled his eyes, figuring that at this point Xander was, most likely, finally done with all of his preparation. Taking advantage of the Beast's stillness, Raz launched a malefic blast of Psychic power at the Ursaring's head and then paused momentarily to copy his amassed power.

The Beast lifted his arms to block the Psychic attack toward his head. The resulting effective blast caused Xander to slide along the snow before coming to a halt. The Beast let out a low, deep sigh, the results of Raz's previous attacks weighing on him as he appeared to be slightly worn. The Ursaring then elected another Amnesia, the inhalation of breath into his body causing another boost toward his defenses against Raz's Psychic attacks. Following right after that, Xander clenched his fists, and his veins emerged once more. Another Bulk Up. Xander cracked his neck as he did it, and let out a satisfying sigh as more strength coursed through his veins. Razathiel raised an eyebrow, gradually summoning a torrent of homing Magical Leaves. He launched the fusillade of conjured foliage as one, a slicing maelstrom that would encompass a body even as large as Xander's. He waited but a moment before sending a missile of fire in the leaves' wake; his Hidden Power could likely use the leftover vegetation from his earlier attack as impromptu fuel.

The Ursaring once more tried to block by lifting his arms, but the torrent of leaves from his attack caused the Ursaring to grunt in pain. The subsequent Hidden Power attack collided directly onto the Ursaring's chest and swept him off his feet, onto the cold snow. Vee smiled at Raz's impressive barrage of attacks at the Ursaring, including his counter of his stat boosters with Psych Up. It seemed it did little good for him here, especially since Raz seemed to copy most of it. The Beast lay on the snow, seemingly in defeat. His soldiers around the clearing grew silent, as if they waited for their leader to rise. One Croagunk in the crowd suddenly stomped his foot to the snow. He repeated the effort once more, and then did it again. A Snubull beside him joined in on the stomping. After that, the Pokemon all around them too joined in, stomping steadily in the snow. Soon, the entire circle began to stomp vigorously on the snow, as if edging their leading on, even as the Dreadmage continued to approach, firing blast after blast of whatever energy he chose at the downed Beast. As if motivated by the efforts of his men, the Ursaring brushed some snow upon his body, rose once more, and clenched his fists.

Then, to Vee's surprise, his veins popped out of his fur, and he once more used Bulk Up. The Victini paused, and looked at the Ursaring, perplexed. The Victini didn't think the Beast could use another one. At this point, it would have practically no effect. Vee had heard the Pokemon who tried to continued beef themselves up like this did more harm than good, causing their bodies to literally shut down on themselves. It was why constant manipulation of such stat-based moves were discouraged. But Vee glanced at the Ursaring's energy flow, and it didn't make sense. Again, his strength rose, and no adverse affects seemed to be upon him. Vee felt Xander's energy within his body... something else was there, something that seemed to be assisting him. Right after the first Bulk Up he used since he rose, the Ursaring used another, making it his seventh. "Try again," The Beast commented at the Ralts. "Because you won't have many more."

"So you seek to best me through endurance?" Razathiel mused, using Psych Up one final time and poising himself, willing Psychic energies into his staff for whatever may come next. The wizard's eyes glowed fiercely, radiating determination. "It may have worked with Titan, but I am not a mountain, I am a 'mon. I am not some inanimate phenomenon, indifferent to your trials against it; I am Razathiel, the Dreadmage! Turmoil and carnage made manifest, slayer of your kin, and harbinger of your end!"

The Ursaring didn't respond much to Razathiel's words. Instead, activated Amnesia once more as he spoke, and then he clenched his fists and smashed them along the ground below. His veins popped out once more from his skin as Bulk Up took its effect on his body once more. Vee shook its head. He examined the energy of both of the fighters. Razathiel had, to this point, been successfully mimicking the Beast's stat raises fairly successfully, but as the Victini took a look at Raz's latest Psych Up attempt, he noticed that the move had reached the normal limit. His strength and defense did not rise again to meet the rise of Xander's. When Vee took at look at Xander's energy, however, he was perplexed. Once more, the Ursaring used a Bulk Up, and once more, his strength and defense rose. It was peculiar. When Vee tried to examine his energy signature, it was as if whatever bad energy or block that was in the way was just... gone. Whatever bad effects or consequential repercussions his body was normally supposed to experience with overusing such moves would enter his body and prepare to attack it, but suddenly, his own body would fight against such adverse affects and destroy them. It was as if his body had developed a strong immune system against the adverse energy effects as it entered his system.

"Raz!" Vee shouted upon his realization. "He has no limit! He can somehow keep raising his power!"

"As if I hadn't figured that out already!" Raz shot back at the Victini, conjuring more Magical Leaves. Thankfully, Xander's speed hadn't increased throughout the fight, and would with any luck remain the way it was. With his ability to dodge still in tact, the wizard figured all he needed was a good plan to maximize his damage against the Beast - as long as Xander wasn't healing, Razathiel was still wearing him down. With a strategy forming in his mind, the Dreadmage launched his missiles of plant matter with pinpoint precision, groups heading to the tendons on the back of the Ursaring's legs, the centre of his sternum and the base of his forehead.

This time, the Ursaring elected a defensive strategy. Xander slammed a foot along the ground, causing a set of rocks as apart of Rock Slide to barrel down and come to his defense just as the Magic Leaves began hitting. Given the faster nature of Raz's attacks, however, a few still managed to storm through and strike at his chest and forehead. The Beast grunted from the strikes and paused momentarily, before conjuring another Amnesia onto himself, and moved forward to the Ralts. As with the Bulk Up, Vee noticed that the Beast was somehow able to break the limit, having done seven onto himself already. Vee frowned. This wasn't good. The longer the battle went, the more Xander seemed to become resilient to the attacks. The Victini began looking around to figure out other ways he could potentially help the Ralts secretly.

Razathiel let loose more Magical Leaves at the same positions, hoping to wear them down as much as he could. He prepared a Psychic as the Ursaring approached, poised to evade his next attack - if one would even come, that is.

The Ursaring stormed forward, shrugging off the leaves that struck his body. With each new set of attacks, the hits seemed to be affecting him less and less. In the midst of the attacks, Xander increased his endurance yet again with another Amnesia. The Beast once more began toward Razathiel, while clenching his fists and allowing another Bulk Up to take place. He was closing in on Raz now, but before he had a chance to act on it, the wizard skipped to the side and released a blast of Psychic energy at the Ursaring, hopping away safely on the attack's recoil.

"Arceus damn it!" Vee cursed as he glanced toward the group. "He has to figure out a way past this!"

"It's already too late," The Swellow from before commented to them with a shake of his head. "He had his chance earlier on to try and take him down but... once the Beast gets rolling, no 'mon can defeat him. All that's left is the outcome."

"You don't know Raz," Vee snapped back to the Swellow.

"You think he's the first strong 'mon to try?" The Swellow questioned. "They say that the 'mon who endures Titan can endure anything. When Xander came down the mountain, there was nothing that could beat him."

---

The battle progressed in relatively the same fashion for a quite a while. Razathiel continued his onslaught on the Beast, while maintaining a steady distance from any of the Beast counter attacks. Xander in turn continued to abuse Bulk Up, Power-Up Punch and Amnesia for the most part, while firing relatively few actual attacks on the Ralts at the moment. Vee monitored the Beast's energy every single time he used it, and every sgle time, without fail, his strength and endurance continued to rise. A few more times, Razathiel unleashed an impressive array of strong attacks which deterred and pushed the Ursaring back. However, as the bout continued, each attack seemed to be doing less and less damage to the 'mon. Eventually, Xander was hit by another set of Magical Leaves, and the resulting attack barely caused him to grimace.

The Beast glanced down at the leaves which practically bounced off his body, and then clenched his fists. "Hmph, that about does it," He commented, as his eyes moved toward the Ralts. His previous motions of using the stat boosters seemed to have halted, and instead the Beast was ready to unleash all of the pent up power he was harboring. Vee was genuinely nervous, and questioned how the Victini would fair if they were out there. However, Vee knew that the one thing Raz still had as an advantage was his speed.

But Xander suddenly burst forward in a fairly quick sprint, seemingly ready to clash. The Ursaring jumped through the air, and extended his arm back. Suddenly, his arm was surrounded in a sharp coating of air, and the Beast swiped through the air, unleashing this Aerial Ace directly toward the Ralts. Recognising the attack and thus realising this could be his only chance, Razathiel flicked his staff and sent himself flying on the shockwave of a bolt of fire - straight at Xander. With the flames behind him, licking at his heels and heating the tip of the metal rod he held at his back, the wizard cleared his mind, adjusting himself to the momentum of the Beast's charge. He fixed his eyes on Xander's chest, where his Magical Leaves had been wearing down the surface of the Ursaring's fur and skin and, willing all his Psychic might to bear, thrust his white-hot staff forward. The force of Xander's Aerial Ace was pushed off from the force of Raz's staff thrust, which was amplified by his Psych Up usages. The Aerial Ace was then parried off of Raz's own attack, causing Xander's move to drive off. Raz's staff, however, was also partially deflected from the main part of Xander's chest, or so the Beast thought. A moment later, he felt the pain of the strike as the Dreadmage's staff pierced directly into his chest. The force of the impact caused the Beast to be propelled backward and collide harshly on the snow. Razathiel likewise flew back from the clash, sliding across the ground and eventually bringing himself to a stop.

The Beast remained down in the snow, as his gathered soldiers looked on silently. Vee glanced at the Ursaring, surprised by Raz's clever move. Had he truly beaten him, the Victini wondered? Vee observed into Xander's energy and get a glance. No doubt that would tell for sure if the Beast was faltering, as if the staff in his chest was any indication.

"He... he stabbed him!" A Venonat Xander soldier exclaimed.

"It can't be!" A Drowzee added.

"What the hell?!" A Natu cried out in shock.

"Woo!" Cythera cheered. "Good job Raz! Just uh, make sure he's dead first!" Despite her excitement, she still gripped her flower tightly in case anything went wrong.

Vee observed the fallen Ursaring, examining the point of impact from the staff. Vee concentrated on the energy flow from the one point. As expected, Xander's energy seemed to be deteriorating, as one's body does when its lifeforce is waning. The Victini observed the steady decline in the energy, continuing to watch it lower until it would inexorably hit nothing. Vee didn't want to take any chances with this one. The energy continued to lower steadily, which at this point caused Vee to sigh out a breath of relief. However, suddenly, something happened. Almost immediately, the same effect that seemed to take effect on Xander's body before began working through his system again now.

Xander opened his eyes suddenly, and he rose his upper body off of the snow, with the staff still stuck to his chest. His soldiers all began to roar and howl with delight as they saw their leader rise. The Ursaring grunted and climbed to his feet, and looked down at the staff protruding from his chest. He grabbed hold of it, grunting from the enormous pain he was probably in. Then, in a swift motion, the Beast suddenly removed the staff from his chest, causing a large amount of blood to leave his chest at the same time. He roared as the staff left his body, and clenching it in his paw. The Ursaring panted heavily from the intense action he had just taken.

"Oh come on!" Cythera shouted, throwing a nearby pebble in frustration.

Vee couldn't believe his eyes. As the Victini sensed at the Ursaring's energy, he confirmed that an outpouring of Xander's own energy was traveling to the point of impact now. Vee noticed on a physical level the wound was slowly closing, and through his energy sensing, Vee could see it was Xander's own body doing it for him. It was the same ability that seemed to be working for him before. It was like life was traveling through him. "What... is this?" Vee muttered in disbelief.

"Groudon's Gift, probably," Razathiel muttered, pulling himself upright and summoning his plate mail. "The healing version. Honestly, miss the ****er's heart by a couple inches and it's barely worth pulling off."

Obsidian frowned, "We're dead. Raz can take him out once, but what about fifty more times? And at that power level he has I won't even have any time to lift a hand before he rips my head off and punts Vee all the way to the mountain."

The Dreadmage spat, "Thanks for the vote of confidence, you useless cretin."

"Then kill him already!" Obsidian shouted out. "Prove me wrong! What kind of Dreadmage can't take him out?"

"He can't," Vee managed to mutter fairly silently only to the group around him. "I've been monitoring Xander's energy. And it only keeps growing... as time went on, he keeps getting stronger. And Raz has been firing his own power nonstop. Even if he did have the energy to keep going, Xander's extended boosts will mean Raz's attacks won't do much... he can't win." Vee concluded grimly. The Victini began looking around at the Psychics preventing teleportation. He cursed silently to himself. "We have to figure out a way out of here," He warned the others.

"We can't just go." Obsidian muttered back, "If we leave, then Raz will be left behind and killed. Even if we could go, we're leaving Xander here alive. We won't get another chance like this to get close and kill him. I doubt the army will let us swagger back in when we ran away a first time."

Cythera grumbled. "At the rate this is going I'm starting to think we might actually stand a better chance against his army. Maybe we can come back later with a plan to take him out without letting him buff. Like giving Raz that invisibility thing and trying a sneak attack or seeing if we can snatch some of his Groudon's farewell something. There's also that avalanche idea."

"I refuse to be outdone here," Razathiel said with a grimace. "Give me back my ****ing staff."

"Come and get it," Xander responded to the Ralts as he clenched tightly on the Dreadmage's staff.

"XANDER!" A loud voice shouted from the side of the tents. Suddenly, the area began to be bombarded by all manner of attacks. Tents were set on fire and Pokemon under Xander began to be attacked by others. Vee caught sight of flags bearing the semblance of Edgar on them.

"I blame Vee!" Cythera shouted out of panic while she activated her Camouflage.

"Kill them," Xander ordered decisively, motioning with his arm to clear them out. Vee glanced around, seeing the mayhem ensuing as the perfect opportunity to make a break for it. The Victini fired off a wave of fire at the nearby Psychics, while motioning for Obsidian, Rattles and Cythera to follow toward the middle where Raz was.

Xander burst forward, cutting down the attacks with ease as one fell after the other by his paws. The Beast seemed to be on a collision path with the group, but another, large hooded quadrupedal 'mon stepped in the way. "Your army's going nowhere, Eidragon!" He shouted. At that moment Obsidian stopped in his tracks. He felt his breath getting caught in his throat as he watched the scene starting to unfold before his very eyes. It couldn't be... could it?

"You... when are you going to learn?" Xander questioned with a shake of his head.

The quadruped turned to the group. "Meet back up at Dart. We still control it. Go!" He roared. Vee got everyone in the group in the Victini's sight, and concentrated on a point he remembered off of their journey. Vee shut its eyes and concentrated, before he opened them as the group began to vanish. The last sight Vee saw was the unknown group clashing with Xander's forces, before everything brightened.

The Erble Tournament Opening Ceremony

"LADIES AND GENTS!" The Exploud roared across the arena. "THE EIGHT GROUP STAGES ARE DONE, AND OUR 16 CHAMPIONS HAVE BEEN SELECTED!" He exclaimed, which was immediately followed by a storm of cheers. The glass barriers that were separating each sections of the arena slowly began to lower. "I'LL ASK ALL SIXTEEN FIGHTERS TO APPROACH THE MIDDLE OF THE ARENA WHEN YOUR NAME IS CALLED. LET'S MEET THEM NOW!" He howled. The crowd once more erupted in cheers. Abel observed the center of the arena as he awaited the names to be called. He wondered who had won the other groups.

"FIRST, FROM GROUP ONE," The Exploud began, gesturing to the far portion of the arena. "SEN OF THE SERVING!" He exclaimed, which was followed by a split audience. Many booed the Vigoroth, while another portion cheered him. "SEN IS ONE OF THE SERVING, THOUGH FROM WHAT I HEAR, HIS NUMBER IS GETTING CLOSE TO THAT MAGICAL 1000. WILL HE GET TO IT IN THIS TOURNAMENT? WE'LL SEE! SEN IS ONE OF THE THREE LIEUTENANTS DIRECTLY UNDER GRAND GENERAL HUGH, SO WE KNOW HE'S A TOUGHIE!"

"SECOND, FROM GROUP ONE," The Exploud continued. "PERCIVAL OF HOUSE FIRRELL!" The response to Percival was much better than Sen's, though the crowd seemed to consider him an unknown still. The Garchomp confidently walked across the arena toward the center, joining Sen. The two exchanged pleasantries and bowed to one another respectfully. "PERCIVAL'S A FOREIGNER, COMING TO US FROM ACROSS THE SOUTHERN SEA. THEY SAY HE TALKS WEIRD, BUT THAT'S OK BECAUSE HE'S PRETTY DAMN STRONG!"

"NEXT, FROM GROUP TWO!" The Exploud announcer continued. "AIREN THE TANK!" The crowd cheered as the Tyranitar emerged from his section of the arena toward the center. Abel was somewhat surprised by Airen's victory. He didn't know what to make of the 'mon in the beginning. Perhaps he was stronger than the Medicham thought. "AIREN'S ANOTHER FOREIGNER, BY BIRTH. BUT HE'S BEEN LIVING IN KARN FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS, SO HE'S KARNIAN ENOUGH FOR US! SHOW 'EM ALL WHAT YOU'RE MADE OF IN THE NEXT ROUND!" Once more, cheers, and a few jeers, erupted across the gargantuan arena.

"I am joyous to see thee advance, Airen!" Percival exclaimed to the Tyranitar. Airen merely snorted in response.

"ALSO FROM GROUP TWO," The announcer pointed to the section of the arena from which Airen came. "The Wyvern!" A figure clad in armour - a Samurott, by the size and shape - sat up, picking up two blades covered in snow from the ground and scraping them together in a small shower of sparks. The Wyvern flicked the water from their blades and sheathed them over their back. They made the trip to the centre of the arena in silence, inexpressive. "WE GOT OURSELVES A FIGHTER HERE. I SAW HER DO SOME PRETTY NASTY THINGS IN HER BATTLE ROYALE STAGE. THE WYVERN'S A FORMER SERVING, BUT SHE MADE IT TO THE MAGIC NUMBER. RARE ONE WE GOT ON OUR HANDS, LADS AND LADIES!" Following his description, the crowd, like with Sen was divided between jeers and cheers, though they seemed to react a bit more favorably toward the Samurott than they did to Sen.

"COMING AT YOU NEXT IS GROUP THREE," The announcer rolled on. "CALLIMER VIAN, THE EMERALD SENTINEL!" A steady flow of cheers followed from the massive crowd. "THE EMERALD SENTINEL IS ANOTHER FOREIGNER, BUT A LOT OF YOU WILL KNOW THESE GUYS. THE GOLD TRIBE! TOUGH F*CKS, I'LL TELL YA! CALLIMER IS THE NEW LEADER, SO WE KNOW HE CAN DO SOME DAMAGE."

"Callimer," Sen greeted as the Dragonite reached the center.

"Well met, Callimer Vian of the Gold Tribe," Percival also greeted with a short, respectful bow of his head.

Callimer waved a bit to the crowd, glad he got some recognition, but not too concerned about showing off. It wasn't the crowd he needed to impress, it was the Emperor, and his opponents, and he wouldn't accomplish that by showboating. He smiled at Sen and Percival when he joined them and put a hand on a shoulder of each. "I'm glad to see you both." Cal responded to his new friends. "Not that there was ever any doubt I would, I can't wait to see the matchups."

"NOW... OUR SECOND CHAMPION OF GROUP THREE," The Exploud seemed to grin and extend his hands in the air. "OUR VERY OWN GRAND GENERAL OF THE NORTHERN PROVINCE. JAMES!!" He howled louder than usual. The crowd erupted in the loudest cheering thus far. The one-eyed Blaziken casually walked to the center, seemingly unconcerned of the cheers around him. He seemed less concerned with praise and more with getting things going. James positioned himself in the center, further away from the other competitors. "JAMES NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION, WE'VE ALL KNOWN WHAT HE'S DONE. SINGLE-HANDEDLY GIVING US THE ANATELLIAN PROVINCES TO THE NORTH. EXTENDING OUR OWN BORDERS. JAMES IS ALSO AN AGENT OF DARKRAI. WHAT A RESUME!" The crowd continued to cheer for quite a while. Abel was somewhat surprised, even after the announcer mentioned the Darkrai connection. Likely, the Pokemon of Karn already knew of it... and just as likely didn't care.

"COMING IN FROM GROUP FOUR," The Exploud continued. "LADY ROXANNA OF ANATELLIA!" He announced, to which the Zoroark received a steady wave of cheering. The Zoroark confidently strutted across the large arena to the center, basking in the waves of cheering. She reached the center of the arena, appearing beside James and giving off a cold stare to Callimer. "WE'VE GOT ANOTHER FOREIGNER HERE, BUT LET ME TELL YA, A PRETTY DAMN CAPABLE ONE. ROXANNA LEADS THE... DARK MOONS, WHICH I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS, BUT I THINK IT'S ONE OF THEM SECT THINGS IN ANATELLIA."

"THE SECOND CHAMPION FROM GROUP FOUR..." The Exploud grinned. "WE'VE GOT OURSELVES A DUELIST! REBEL!" Though not as loud as the cheers for James, the quite showed their appreciation for Rebel, who seemed quite popular here. Rebel waved to the crowd as she made her way toward the center. "WE ALL KNOW REBEL FROM THE DAGGEN TOURNAMENTS. SHE'S ENTERED ERBLE'S DUELING A FEW TIMES, AND MADE IT AS FAR AS THE SEMI-FINALS. WILL THIS BE THE YEAR THE DUELIST OF DAGGEN BREAKS THROUGH AND WINS IT? LET'S SEE!"

"NOW'S GROUP FIVE'S TURN!" The Exploud exclaimed. "FIRST, BURNING ROLPH!" The announcer exclaimed, which was followed by a series of cheers. The Camerupt the group had met earlier on the road emerged and walked toward the center. He eyed Percival as he did so, to which the Garchomp glanced back at him. "ROLPH, AS MOST HAVE HEARD, IS A MERCENARY BASED OUT OF DAGGEN. HE'S GOT QUITE THE REP, SO IT'S INTERESTING SEEING HIM IN THIS TOURNEY. MAYBE A CHANGE IN PROFESSION? EITHER WAY, WE'RE IN FOR SOME WILD FIGHTS WITH HIM!"

"I see you made it through," Rolph commented to Percival.

"Aye, as have thee," Percival replied.

The Camerupt merely snorted, and turned to other competitors. His eyes set briefly on the Samurott known as the Wyvern. "Fen," He nodded to her.

"What are you doing here?" The Wyvern's question was stated more as an accusation than anything else.

"I'm after a bounty," Rolph gestured with his head toward Percival. "From the boss man. We'll talk more about it later."

"I'd know if I was required," the Samurott said sternly. "I'll not be dragged into doing your job."

"If you get paired with the fool, you'll have no choice," Rolph retorted.

"I and I alone decide who dies by my blade," The Wyvern shot back.

"Of course you do," The Camerupt stated with a hint of sarcasm.

"AND OUR SECOND FIGHTER FROM GROUP FIVE," The Exploud continued. "MEI YUN, 'THE NUN'!" The announcer exclaimed. Immediately, as some cheers poured in, Abel propped himself up and examined the contestant.

Mei wasn't much for pageantry and showmanship. She found the whole assemblage to be rather loathsome, a brutal display that she participated in only out of necessity. Gliding effortlessly to the center of the arena, her paws clasped in front of her as the image of serenity, she bowed meekly before the crowd and stood quietly near the rest of the competitors paying no particular attention to the others around her.

"THE NUN'S ANOTHER ONE OF THE GOLD TRIBE! BEATRUCIAN DIVISION. DAMN, WE'RE GETTING A LOT OF THOSE!"

"NOW, THE CHAMPIONS FROM GROUP SIX," The announcer pointed to the far arena on the other side of arena three. "ABEL 'ATROX' ONDERON!" The crowd gave a steady reaction as was with Callimer. Abel silently proceeded to the center, ignoring most of the other competitors, even as Sen and Percival gave brief greetings. Instead Abel was more interested in Mei, who he knew back in Beatruce as an ally and fellow Gold Tribes'mon.

"The Nun..." Abel muttered at the Mienshao.

"ATROX IS ANOTHER ONE OF THEM GOLD TRIBERS. WOW, WE'VE GOT A LOT OF THOSE THIS YEAR, DON'T WE? HE SEEMS LIKE HE CAN HANDLE HIMSELF. WE MIGHT HAVE A GOOD ONE ON OUR HANDS!"

Mei's ears twitched alertly as she heard the familiar name bellowed by the vexatiously, bombastic announcer. "Arceus protect you, Abel." She whispered under her breath like a silent prayer for her fellow Tribes'mon, a small, almost imperceptible smile coming to her lips.

"CHAMPION NUMBER TWO FROM GROUP SIX," The Exploud gestured again toward the same arena point. "SNYPE, THE KING OF THIEVES!" Snype stepped forward to the center of the stage, looking out to the crowd. The Sableye stood firm, trying the make himself at least look tough. "THE KING OF THIEVES... THAT'S AN INTERESTING TITLE. SO IS HE A KING OF A PLACE CALLED THIEVES, OR IS HE A THIEF AND THE KING OF THEM? OR DID HE JUST MAKE UP THE TITLE RIGHT HERE ON THE SPOT BECAUSE IT SOUNDS COOL? I GUESS WE WON'T KNOW FOR SURE, BUT WHAT WE DO KNOW IS THIS LITTLE SABLEYE CAN PACK A PUNCH IF HE MADE IT THROUGH TO THE 16!"

"FROM GROUP SEVEN," The Exploud continued. "WE HAVE A TRUE KARNIAN, DOLAN!" The crowd showed their appreciation immediately for the Golurk of Group 7. The pale giant slowly stepped toward the center. He said nothing, and showed little emotion. The other contestants around him could feel the air become even colder than it already was when he drew closer. "DOLAN'S A TITAN-CLIMBER. HE'S MADE MULTIPLE TRIPS UP. HE HASN'T GOTTEN TO THE TOP YET, BUT WE JUST KNOW THAT'S BOUND TO CHANGE! NOW HE TAKES HIS TALENTS TO HIS TOURNAMENT! LET'S SEE IF HE CAN TRANSLATE HIS SLOW AND STEADY ENDURANCE FROM THE MOUNTAIN TOWARD THE ARENA!" The crowd showed their appreciation even more for the Golurk as they continued to cheer him.

"ALSO FROM GROUP SEVEN," The Exploud moved on. "WE HAVE LORD ATLAS, LAST SURVIVING MEMBER OF HOUSE ARCANSUS, HERE IN KARN! A DUELIST RETURNING FROM HIATUS, HE'S BEATRUCIAN BY BIRTH, BUT A KARNIAN AT HEART!"

A 'mon that was fully hooded and cloaked in black had entered the arena, approaching the center. He was bipedal, taller than most, and lithe-looking. A scythe made of fire was sheathed onto his back. Most of the crowd was indifferent to his appearance, but in a small part of the arena, close to the side, a small portion of spectators were cheering and thrashing fanatically, waving flags with a symbol of a red sun. "Arcansus! Arcansus!"

"WE HAVEN'T SEEN MUCH FROM HIM IN THE BATTLE ROYALE. WAS HE HIDING THE ENTIRE TIME? FOLKS, I HAVE NO IDEA HOW THE HELL THIS GUY MADE IT THROUGH!" The Announced stated, causing some laughter from the Emperor and some of the crowd. Lord Atlas didn't seem to mind the laughs. Once he had reached he middle of the arena, the other combatants had a better look at him. A pair of glowing red eyes peered outside the darkness of his hood. His gaze swept across them, lingering on Snype, before it flew to the Emperor's throne. Snype felt uneasy at the lingering gaze. He knew that meant bad news... just another mon to watch his back for.

"FROM THE FINAL GROUP," The announcer gestured to the last section of the arena. "WE HAVE KAVERI VIAN!" The crowd showed some appreciation. Kaveri strode forward to stand next to her brother, arms crossed and a confident grin on her face. "WHAT A SURPRISE, ANOTHER GOLD TRIBER. DANG, IT'S PACKED THIS YEAR WITH 'EM! THEY BETTER NOT DISAPPOINT! LOOKS LIKE THIS ONE AND THEIR LEADER ARE RELATED. BROTHER AND SISTER!"

"AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST," The announcer began to conclude. "WE HAVE DRAKE THE MARAUDER!" The crowd, unlike for most of the other contestants, didn't react much. There was no real cheering. There was no real jeering. For many, there were puzzled expressions on the faces of the 'mon as they wondered who it was. The 'mon approached forward, a relatively unassuming Mienshao who said nothing, nor reacted to the crowd's reactions, or lack thereof. "HE... WELL, I DON'T KNOW WHO HE IS... WHO IS HE? I DIDN'T EVEN SEE HIM FIGHT IN THE ARENA. I ONLY SAW KAVERI KICKING ASS IN GROUP EIGHT. WHO IS THIS GUY?"

The Mienshao known as Drake approached the rest of the group, without speaking or looking at any of them.

"AND HERE YOU HAVE IT, LADS AND LADIES. OUR SIXTEEN FINALISTS!" The Exploud announced as he gestured toward the center of the arena to the sixteen gathered fighters. The was filed with cheering. The audience cheered individually, for particular fighters, and some even continued to jeer at certain contestants. But the noise was near-overwhelming. Clearly, this was one of the most popular events in all of Karn. "QUITE A DIVERSE GROUP WE HAVE THIS YEAR. THEY'VE COME FROM ALL OVER, FOR ALL SORTS OF PURPOSES. BUT IN THE END, ONLY ONE CAN COME OUT ON TOP. WHO WILL IT BE? LET'S FIND OUT! I NOW TURN THINGS OVER TO OUR VERY OWN EMPEROR EDGAR RIONART, WHO WILL RANDOMLY SELECT THE CHALLENGERS!"

Edgar rose from his throne and approached to the front of the arena, as the crowd cheered on their mighty Pangoro Emperor. "No more waiting!" He declared as he had a small sack in front of him. "Let's see who's fighting who!" He yelled, as the crowd began to die down to hear. The Emperor rustled through the sack, grabbing hold of two small scraps of paper.

"First, we have Lady Roxanna of Anatellia... versus Airen the Tank!" The Emperor announced as the first two names were announced. The crowd cheered as the first two contestants were paired up.

Roxanna glanced over at the Tyranitar. "You?" She questioned with an overconfident chuckle. "Well, I suppose you will be a decent warm-up," She smiled maliciously.

"Yeah, whatever, bitch," Airen spat back.

"Next!" Edgar continued as he reached in for another set of names from the sack. "Callimer Vian versus... Abel Onderon!"

Callimer glanced briefly at Abel and nodded, but remained silent. This almost felt like a natural conclusion to things for him...Abel could at last seek closure about Anzu...the question was whether or not he would stay his hand if Cal lost.

Abel didn't react much to the news, not even returning the nod Callimer had given him. Instead, he looked back up to the Emperor to await the next selection.

"Let's see..." Edgar continued as he grabbed two more names from the sack. "Mei Yun versus the Wyvern!"

Mei didn't say a word or move even the slightest muscle in reaction to the news. It mattered little to her who her opponent was. She simply stored the information to memory and closed her eyes, focusing inwards, waiting for the tedium of the ceremony to conclude. The Wyvern seemed similarly unfazed, giving only the slightest glance of acknowledgement.

"Now..." Edgar reached for two more names. "Lord Atlas Arcansus versus Rebel the Duelist!"

As the crowd cheered mostly for her, Rebel glanced at the hooded 'mon and spit on the ground beside her. She didn't seem the least bit intimidated. In turn, Lord Atlas briefly glanced down, on the spot where she'd spat, and then looked at her. "I'll have you pick that up later," He said, low enough so only she could hear.

"Next we got..." Edgar reached in again. "Kaveri Vian versus Dolan!" The crowd reacted again to another name being announced.

Kaveri eyed the behemoth Golurk up and down, examining her competition. "'Ey, big guy! Ready for some fun?" she prodded. He looked down at her and silently nodded, though it was more in acknowledgement than an an actual response.

"Alright, alright!" The Emperor dove into the sack and pulled out two more names. "We've got... Percival of House Firrell versus Burning Rolph!"

As the crowd erupted into cheers, the two competitors glanced at each other.

"Oh, perfect," Rolph stated with a grin.

"I see the fates hath declared us be squarers," Percival nodded.

"Trust me, it won't be much of a fight," Rolph shot back. Percival glared at the Camerupt a bit frustrated.

"Professionalism as always I see, Rolph," the Wyvern muttered.

"Bite me, Fen," The Camerupt retorted at the Wyvern.

"Coming up next is," Edgar pulled out two of the remaining four names in the sack. "James versus Sen!"

The crowd erupted in joy for James. Sen glanced over to the Blaziken and bowed politely to him. James didn't even bother giving the 'mon a glance.

"Which leaves the last two!" Edgar declared as he pulled out the last names in the sack. "Snype, the King of Thieves," He said with a hint of disgust in his voice. "Versus Drake the Marauder!"

"Keheheh, well well look who's up and awake." Snype replied to Drake with a confident grin. "How was the drink?"

The Mienshao didn't reply to Snype. Instead, he gave the Sableye a quick glance and then turned away. There was an ominous presence to him, as if he were more than he let on.

"Keheh, no thank you for saving your hide eh? Well guess I'll see ya at the arena bud." Snype said.

"AND THERE YOU HAVE IT!" The Exploud exclaimed. "THE SIXTEEN FIGHTERS HAVE BEEN CHOSEN AND PAIRED UP. THE MATCHES ARE SET. ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS START!" The crowd roared with anticipation. "THE FIRST FOUR MATCHES WILL BEGIN LATER TODAY. THE FINAL FOUR WILL COMMENCE TOMORROW! GET EXCITED, LADS AND LADIES! YOU'RE IN FOR A TREAT UNLIKE ANY OTHER IN KARN!"

The crowd cheered and roared, before they slowly began to part and exit the arena. Half of the other competitors, including James and Roxanna, also departed. Those that remained were gathered in the middle of the arena and conversed together. They were joined eventually by Lia, Cel, and John, who watched from the stands.

"Hey, you all made it!" John exclaimed excitedly. "Looks like we picked the right group to travel with, eh Airen?" He nudged the Tyranitar. Airen merely grunted in response. "Hey, didn't the announcer say that Mei Mienshao was also Gold Tribe?" John asked as he pointed to her. "I didn't know she was with you."

"I didn't even know she was alive," Abel murmured.

Mei felt the attention cast her way shortly after the conclusion of the ceremony. She lingered momentarily, unsure what to do, wholly uncomfortable being pointed out in such a way. Desperately she fought the urge to turn away and just ignore the situation but she knew it would not be the proper thing to do.

"Abel," Mei called out calmly as she strode to meet him with a bow. "You look…" she studied him up and down with a scrutinizing face, "well?"

"As do you," Abel responded, retracting his surprise as best he could with his usual, cold demeanor. He crossed his arms. "Considering you are supposed to be dead. How are you alive? And what are you doing here?"

Mei cracked a rare smile. "Funny things...rumors I mean," She mused flatly. "I've been told I'm not much for comedy, however. No, I'm quite alive as you can see," she gestured at her body plainly with her arms. "How I came to stay alive may be a story best saved for another time should it be necessity to tell. Of course being 'dead' is all in how you see the universe. I may no longer be here in this physical world one day, but I don't consider my next state of being to be any less alive."

"I digress however," she sighed with a tired and unamused look crossing her face. "I assume that you and I are here for quite similar reasons I dare say. Without being presumptuous of course. We're here to win the tournament, yes? I'm assuming the prize is what we both seek. Of course, should we come head to head in battle, I will gladly withdraw and let you have the day. I have no desire to fight one of my own."

"So you know about the prize already," Abel responded with a nod. "Looks like you've been filled in on what we're doing here," The Medicham stated. He wasn't surprised. Ever since the entire incident with Penance, news of their objective had become much more public. "I appreciate your desire not to fight with us, but if push comes to shove, I expect you still will. There are strong enemies in this tournament, and in order to ensure that we have the best chance to win, we have to send our best to fight them."

"As you wish," Mei bowed politely in the affirmative.

"Your alliances will not save you in the coming battles," The Wyvern spoke up. The Samurott sat in the snow, scraping a seamitar with a whetstone. A mask stylised in the image of Yveltal covered the 'mon's face, but the eyes that glared out from beneath it radiated disapproval. "One-on-one duels. Those who will not engage in a fair fight will find no victory here... those who are not 'your best' should hope they are paired with another of you, lest they be faced with a challenge they are not prepared for."

"This challenge, you speak of..." Mei cast her attention to the eavesdropping Samurott, raising her brow is suspicion "...is you I presume?"

"You misinterpret my words," The Wyvern replied with a small sigh, sheathing one seamitar and beginning to sharpen the other. In spite of addressing the group still, the Samurott's eyes gave full attention to the blade. "While my skill is not to be doubted, skill is not the challenge of which I speak; rather, it is intent. Naïve though you all must be to speak so openly and shamelessly of your coalition, I should hope I needn't inform even you that most 'mon here in Karn hold little value in the sanctity of life. 'Mon here are warriors, killers - your little stunt here is liable to cause many of your deaths, and any fame you garner from it may very quickly turn to infamy should your collusion come to light in the eyes of the masses. An unfortunate outcome for mere misguided ambition."

"Why the warning?" Abel asked the Samurott curiously. "Not very Karnian of you."

"I consider it not a warning out of kindness," The Wyvern murmured. "Rather, I grow weary of witnessing such stupidity unfold before my very eyes."

"I assume you have intimate knowledge of stupidity," Mei scoffed. "Someone like you would never understand what it means to be part of something greater than yourself, to put the needs of others before whatever fame you seek in this arena. There is one greater than all of us, his will guiding all our actions. We are but humble pawns. Forgive me if I refuse to waste my time getting into a philosophical or strategic debate with a repugnant mercenary who only joins an abhorrent event such as this out of selfish, personal gain."

"And yet your stupidity has been demonstrated, whereas your accusation of mine is merely an assumption," the Samurott snapped, throwing one whetstone away and retrieving another before continuing. "A baseless insult, serving only as an indicator of an overemotional reaction devoid of reason, frustration at the mere suggestion that I had noticed how ignorant you are of your surroundings. How juvenile it is to place such leverage on things you have assumed of me, and yet so readily dismiss logic presented so plainly before you."

Mei paused, taken aback by the articulate nature of the creature she had dismissed off hand so easily. "Perhaps," she looked at Abel and then back at the Samurott with a tilt of her head, "you are correct. You have my apologies." Gently, she bent down to pickup the discarded whetstone that was tossed away moments earlier, her eyes studying it as she palmed the foreign item in distant contemplation.

Abel too was surprised at the very coherent Samurott. Didn't the announcer say earlier that the 'mon was a former Serving? Abel was curious how she managed to gain such a command for language when coming from that background. Though it was not his style to pry on those matters, he was curious about something else. "Then why are you fighting here?" He asked.

"Why are you fighting here?" The Wyvern asked back, sheathing her second seamitar.

"To smash Darkrai's face in." Snype stated bluntly. "And the same goes for his agents. The emperor has something we want. Good enough for you?" Snype stated. If he has to use his trump card to win the tournament then that's how it would have to be. The Sableye glanced down at his mega stone.

"To save the entire world from a fate we find absolutely unconscionable, one which has already cost us all the lives of many we care for." Callimer answered more calmly. "And, although my colleague spoke hastily, you yourself should not be so quick to make assumptions. None of us would ever have let the others pass without really finding out who's stronger. Despite our camaraderie, and Mei's offer to Abel, I think it was rather presumptuous of you to believe we'd do anything other than show Karn the very best of what we can do, to win the glory and the influence that we need here." He finished with a sideways glance at the Wyvern, having unconsciously slipped into speaking as the Gold Tribe's leader. "Speaking of which," He continued, turning to the Mienshao. "I can't even begin to tell you how glad I am to see you Mei; it's such a relief to know you're alive."

"Fighting as a team is not the very best you can show Karn - others, maybe, but not Karnians," The Samurott said with a hint of distaste, drawing two more blades from her back and beginning to run the edge of one against the other. "I presume nothing of you, rather I provide a warning for you should your intentions have been unsavoury. Preparing for the possibility of the worst is not an assumption of the worst; though it seems 'the worst' will not come to pass here, I would suggest you refrain from speaking so openly of collusion in this place. Whereas I sensed merely the possibility of illegitimate strategy at play, most here would see it as nothing but," The Wyvern paused for a moment as if considering something, and the speed and intensity of her sharpening eased.

"Thank you Callimer," Mei nodded. "I had no idea my presence would be so missed. I believe at this juncture, we may simply be going around in circles." Looking to the Samurott one more time, she let the stone in her hand slip to the ground. "There is no collusion here, when we meet in battle it will be you and I alone. I don't relish the opportunity to fight you, but I will do what I must for the protection of those who cannot protect themselves."

"Which brings me back to my question of why you're fighting here," Abel repeated to the Samurott.

"I am here for influence," The Wyvern began, stopping her sharpening altogether and pausing for a while in thought. "The influence required to bring about change here in Karn. The idea that those who cannot protect themselves should be protected is laughable amongst most of these 'mon; were it not, surely I would not be here. Rather, safe, comfortable. Naïve, perhaps."

"Well... not the answer I expected," Abel muttered as he crossed his arms.

"And what did you expect?"

"Something more... Karnian," Abel replied with a shrug.

"Karnian?" The Samurott laughed humourlessly. "You heard the announcer, you heard the crowd. A thousand lives taken, and for what? So-called 'full citizenship'? Whatever the Emperor had in mind when he devised this travesty of tainted freedom, what it has become is nothing but a blood sport for the masses... one more malicious than ordinary Karnian life, at any rate. I am no true Karnian, nor will I ever be. Nor will Hugh. Nor will Sen." Sen lowered his head and frowned slightly at the Wyvern's statements.

"Then I should tell you," Cal started, his expression growing more friendly while he took a step closer to Wyvern. "That we sympathize with you, and we feel the same way. Immediately before coming here, I met personally with General Hugh. He taught me more of the plight of the Serving, and I made him a promise. I intend to defeat General James, and I'm sure you can guess what that would mean if I survive." He allowed his words to sink in for a few seconds before he continued. "And if I become a General of Karn, I'll be throwing my support in with General Hugh to convince the Emperor to abolish the practice of 'serving' once and for all. I will do everything I can to change Karn without it devolving into a civil war."

Snype kept silent at the statement, not wanting to really say if he agreed or not exactly... Karn basically was a giant blood sport but who were they to change an entire country's culture just like that?

"Well at any rate I hope you can walk the talk then miss Wyvern. Kehehe." Snype said with a confident grin. "An opponent with a passionate goal in mind should make for a good battle wouldn't ya say? Assuming ya don't get creamed in the first round by our new friend here," Snype said, turning to Mei. "Ah, name's Snype by the way in case ya don't know." He said toward Mei.

"Snype," Mei muttered the name under her breath, almost letting it fall out of her mouth as she eyed the 'mon. "What a unique moniker… My name is Mei Yun, as I'm sure you've ascertained from the well wishes of my comrades. I can't speak much to the 'creaming' of things, I am afraid I was not raised by Miltank. I leave that to their particular brand of expertise."

"Uh..." Snype just have off a bashful grin at how literal she took his statement. He wasn't quite sure how to respond.

The Wyvern threw a sideways glance at Callimer and stood, sheathing her blades in the process. She was silent for a while, digesting the Dragonite's words, before eventually she spoke.

"If your words ring true, then you had best prepare. General James will not go down easily. I..." The Samurott trailed off, as if reconsidering, then posed a question. "You spoke earlier of saving the world... what exactly do you intend on doing?"

"Defeating Darkrai." The Emerald Sentinel answered simply. "Completely and utterly."

"Yes, 'smashing his face in', I believe your friend said," The Wyvern said dryly. "What is Darkrai doing? Are they really a threat to the entire world?"

"He's a threat to everything," Abel chimed in. "His armies aren't just attacking Karn. They're attacking everywhere. And he's using this chaos to fuel his power. Essentially to make the world his."

"Darkrai is...?" The Samurott trailed off, frowning deeply. She was silent for a while, before eventually muttering, "Curse this obtuse place. I... must take my leave. Until we meet again."

"Huh... what that mean?" Sen wondered as he followed the Samurott's path out.

"... I guess we'll see," Abel muttered, before gesturing to Mei. "Or rather, you will."

"I assume I shall," Mei nodded in agreement.

The Dueling Tournament - Round 16 - Fight 1 - Roxanna vs. Airen

"WELCOME, EVERYONE, TO THE DUELING TOURNAMENT!" The Exploud announcer exclaimed to the buzzing crowd. "THE TIME HAS COME TO GET THE TRUE PART OF OUR GRAND TOURNAMENT UNDER WAY! SIXTEEN COMPETITORS FIGHTING FOR GLORY, FOR STRENGTH, FOR KARN!" The audience once more erupted into thunderous applause. "WE'VE SEEN WHAT MOST OF THESE FIGHTERS CAN DO IN THE ROYALE, BUT LET'S SEE HOW THEY FARE IN A ONE ON ONE FIGHT! LET'S MEET THE FIRST FIGHTERS!"

The audience once more cheered, as the Emperor grinned from his throne, clearly also eager to begin the fights. The Exploud continued. "FIRST, FROM ANATELLIA, THE LEADER OF THE DARK MOONS, ROXANNA!" He exclaimed, as the Zoroark emerged from a gate under the audience stand, and proceeded to the massive arena now cleared of the barriers in place during the Battle Royales. She received a fairly sizeable cheering, likely from Dark Moons and other allies of Darkrai that were possibly in the audience. Or perhaps those who were simply impressed with her fighting in the earlier round. Regardless, Roxanna basked in the praise, almost pompously walking toward the center of the arena as if she owned it.

"AND SECOND, ANOTHER FOREIGNER BY BIRTH, BUT LIVING IN OUR OWN KARN, WE'VE GOT AIREN THE TANK!" The announcer exclaimed, to a steady amount of cheering. The Tyranitar walked over from the opposite gate on the other side of the arena, and proceeded toward the center. "THIS GUY WAS RELENTLESS IN THE BATTLE ROYALE. WILL THAT TRANSLATE OVER TO THIS FIGHT? LET'S SEE!"

"Hmph, I expect you've made all the necessary funeral arrangements prior to this fight?" Roxanna questioned with a devilish grin.

Airen rolled his eyes as he and Roxanna turned toward the Emperor, a custom in Karn before all duels in the tournament. The Emperor nodded from his throne, still grinning as he himself seemed excited to get the show on the road.

"I should hope so," Roxanna continued as the two turned back to face each other. "It would be a terrible shame for your corpse to rot away in the sewers of this dreadful city. Imagine how your friends and family would feel to see the Weedle picking at your eyeballs."

"For the love of Arceus, shut up," Airen spat. "Or I'll make you!"
Roxanna grinned. "It would be amusing to me to see you try."

"COMPETITORS READY!" The Exploud declared. Roxanna smirked confidently at the Tyranitar as she crossed her arms. Airen formed a stance, ready to engage the Zoroark. "SET… FIGHT!" He declared, and almost immediately, the Tyranitar stormed forward and tried to lung into the Zoroark with a Giga Impact.



Roxanna merely giggled response as Airen lunged at her and simply shot right through her. The Tyranitar collided through the illusion and fell to the ground with a large thud. He turned toward Roxanna angrily, who was already launching a Dark Pulse at the 'mon. Airen grunted and fell forward onto his back, but didn't stay down for long. His type effectiveness against the dark type attack proved helpful here.

"ROXANNA STARTS BY CONFUSING AIREN INTO ATTACKING AN ILLUSION! OH, AND SHE GOT HIM WITH A DARK PULSE. BUT AIREN DOESN'T STAY DOWN FOR LONG!" The Exploud commentated.

However, Roxanna didn't even seem bothered by the rising Airen. She seemed to have only done the attack in an attempt to antagonize the Tyranitar. Because he was turned when she attacked, Airen couldn't tell where exactly the Zoroark attacked from. However, he figured the one present in front of him was an illusion.

"Is that all you have?" Roxanna asked with a slight yawn. "I was hoping you would provide some sort of challenge. But I suppose that was just wishful thinking."

I'll show you wishful thinking!" The Tyranitar roared, and began furiously stomping the ground below him. Roxanna's eyes widened momentarily as the entire arena began to shake violently. Different fissures of rocks and broken pieces of the arena popped out from the intense Earthquake, and struck all around. The illusionary Roxanna dissipated, and Airen briefly caught sight of a shimmer of what he believed was the real Roxanna jumping in the distance. "Gotcha!" He roared, and inhaled sharply. His mouth began to glow an intense white, as he unleashed a powerful Hyper Beam onto the Zoroark.

Unfortunately, the Zoroark escaping also turned out to be fake, as it shot right through her yet again. Airen caught sight of this, but couldn't conclude his attack as the Hyper Beam continued to fire away. He decided to redirect it across the arena, hoping to catch Roxanna somewhere in the arena with a piece of his blast.

From behind the Tyranitar, however, a sudden stinging sensation emerged as the real Roxanna brandished her claws and struck a deadly Night Slash. Even with the type advantage, Airen roared from the pain, and was unable to stop it, as he could feel the tearing of his muscles from moving too quickly following a Hyper Beam. Roxanna struck with another Night Slash, cutting deep into the Tyranitar's hide. Airen once more howled from the pain.

Eventually, Airen managed to exert his body to turn and strike at the Zoroark, but she had already moved back to avoid any hits. Roxanna giggled at Airen's attempts. "You foolish 'mon. Darkrai's will flows through me! You cannot hope to defeat me!"

"You really need to shut the f*ck up!" Airen responded as he charged again at the Zoroark.

"This again?" Roxanna responded with delight. "How pathetic." She awaited the Tyranitar to strike at her again.

However, this time, Airen smashed into the ground below, causing a plethora of rocks to form around him, he then forced these boulders down Roxanna's direction, but dispersed enough to catch sight of her clone. As he predicted, the Roxanna before him now was a clone, but he was able to track sight of movements from nearby.

"Got you, *****!" He roared as he saw brief shimmers of energy from her illusion interact with one of his rocks from the Rock Slide. The Tyranitar's mouth began to enflame, and Airen drove in to take a nasty bite out the Zoroark with a Fire Fang. The real Roxanna only nearly avoided the flames, the teeth barely missing out on her arm. But a bit of ember managed to reach her coat nontheless and cause a bit of burning.

Roxanna reacted from the pain and moved back, all while noticing that the Tyranitar's eyes never left her. She knew she wouldn't be able to go into another illusion while he was readily observing.

"OH, WHAT AN EXCHANGE! AIREN DOESN'T FALL FOR THE SAME TRICK AGAIN, AND WE'VE GOT OURSELVES A GOOD ONE BREWING!" The announcer yelled delightedly. The crowd seemed to also be getting into the fight, cheering wildly.

"Now you have no choice but to fight straight up," Airen spat at the Zoroark. "Think you can win a straight fight?" He questioned her as he began to advance.

The Zoroark shook her head and scoffed. "You impudent fool. I embody the power of Darkrai. You think you and I are on equal footing? My magnificence dwarfs your infe-"

Airen didn't give her a chance to finish as he drove forward and unleashed a potent Flamethrower on her, all while keeping her in his sight. Roxanna dove to the side, trying to avoid the continuous flames as they came at her. Airen was relentless, continuing to fire the flames, until he had reached the limit of what he could unleash. Roxanna countered with a Shadow Ball thrown at the Tyranitar. Airen grunted at the shot, acknowledging his opponent's power despite the type advantage, and drove forward with a Focus Blast. This time, Roxanna clung to the ground tightly, causing Airen to adjust his shot to make it closer to the ground as well. At the last second, Roxanna made a desperate leap out of the way, and part of the Focus Blast got caught on the ground below, causing a bit of dirt and dust to momentarily kick off the ground, and briefly cover Airen's vision.

"****!" He cursed as he tried his best to maintain vision with the Zoroark. He had no intention of losing her again. Through the smoke, he persevered and managed to keep sight of her it seemed, and drove in while she was in the air and had nowhere to turn. "GOT YOU!" He roared, and stuck out his arm. As Dragon Claw enveloped his arm, he struck it with all of his might at the Zoroark, praying that it wasn't an illusion. His perseverance seemed to pay off, as he felt the solid contact of the Zoroark's body make contact with his claws, and the Tyranitar pierced her directly through the stomach. There were a few audible gasps throughout the crowd, primarily from the Dark Moons, as they saw their leader, Roxanna, be impaled by the power of the Dragon Claw. Others in the crowd cheered and yelled in disbelief and surprise at the impressive power of the Tyranitar.

"HE... HE GOT HER!" The Exploud announced, also in some shock. "A DRAGON CLAW RIGHT THROUGH HER STOMACH!"

Airen grinned at the Zoroark, who had a shocked expression on her face. "You have no idea how good it feels to get that stupid, pompous grin off your face," He stated to her. The Zoroark's face was still in shock. But something caught Airen's attention. A soft shimmer could be seen around it. He cocked an eyebrow, as the Zoroark he had stabbed suddenly began to morph. He realized that he indeed didn't stab the real Zoroark, nor did he stab an illusion without a body. Instead, he seemed to have stabbed through a Substitute, disguised to look like Roxanna.

"You have no idea how your own expression looks," Roxanna giggled from behind the Tyranitar. "A taste of your own medicine?" She asked, as Airen felt a hot, piercing pressure envelop him as he was surrounded by the white hot energy of Hyper Beam. The Tyranitar was pummeled through the air and landed at the far side of the arena without moving. He groaned on the ground, trying to get up, but a direct hit from the Hyper Beam point blank was far too much for him to take. He fell in defeat.

"WOW! WHAT A SURPRISE TWIST!" The Exploud roared. "AND THERE YOU HAVE IT FOLKS, YOUR WINNER IN THE FIRST FIGHT, LADY ROXANNA!"

The crowd cheered at the sudden twist of events, especially from the Dark Moons. Roxanna merely scoffed. "You were expecting something different?"