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

Evening of Hanso's Return - Another Meeting
~~~~~

It had taken around a couple hours to track down any of the Thieves, but then, Hanso wasn't expecting to find them easily. With the threat of Darkrai and the Silver Tribe gone, society and the Thieves were likely to go back to their previous relationship. In other words, Thieves were back to being criminals.

"How do I know you're not tryin' to put us all in jail now?" the Umbreon asked, eyes blinking lazily at Hanso.

Hanso rolled his eyes. "I can only give you my word. I am not working with anyone to capture any of you, especially after your help a week ago."

The Umbreon kept her eyes on the Gallade for several more seconds, then stretched her legs. "All right, then. Right this way."

Back after defeating Darkari, Snype took the opprotunity to get as far away from the gold tribe as possible. Considering all of the stuff he was involved with, who knows if he would be turned in or anything along those lines? Sure they saved the world and all that but one couldn't be too careful and he really wasn't interested in taking part of whatever celebrations or funerals they were doing. He had other things to worry about, like fixing up some mistakes he made. First of all, the thieves needed to be put together. Snype was involved in killing a good number of them when he was working with the Silver Tribe but after realizing he on the verge of being used as nothing more then a puppet, he grew to regret it. The least he could do was rebuild the thieves into what they originally were. But maybe with a little more omph then before... keheh.

Snype was aware Hanso was tracking down whatever was left of the thieves. Snype wanted to leave rebuilding everything a secret more then anything but looks like plans would have to change.

Snype was crawling through the forest, keeping an eye on both Hanso and the Umbreon from above. "Keh, hey! Whatcha doing bringing outsiders in here?" Snype shouted out to the Umbreon from above, giving off a big toothy grin. "Kehe, ya know if we're going to be getting this whole band of thieves back together, some better communication might be something we should work on eh?" Snype said, giving off a snicker. He turned his head to Hanso and just stared silently.

"Of course," the Umbreon purred, keeping her tone neutral. She sauntered to a tree and began climbing up, effectively leaving the imminent conversation.

"Snype, if I recall correctly." Hanso folded his arms as he looked up at the Sableye. "Not sure if you know me at all. Name's Hanso. I came looking for Ches, or whoever else would be in charge of the Thieves now."

Snype tilted his head and chuckled again. He hopped down in front of Hanso and crossed his arms. "Kehe, Chaz? Yeah he's helping scavenge whatevers left of our old hideout. I got a couple of the other thieves doing a bit of work too. Levina is gathering up any survivors or possible recruits who might wanna tag along. Keheh. But I'm talking too much. Your looking for the guy in charge? Your looking at him." Snype explained.

"All right, then." 'Old hideout' indicated that they were moving their base of operations. It wouldn't matter as much now that Hanso remembered enough to teleport to the Village if he wanted to. He wasn't here to uproot the Thieves as a group, though. Chances seemed slim to him, but Hanso still wanted to see if he could do this.

"I imagine you're all going back to your usual ways now. That includes avoiding the Gold Tribe?"

Snype nodded. "Ya got it. Nothing personal or anything... well... for the most part. Kehe. But we gotta make a living somehow ya know? It'd wouldn't feel right if the thieves just suddenly dissapeared! I know that first hand. Keheh. This time around we probably won't be so welcome to forming any kind of alliances. We'll keep ourselves strictly independent using whatever resources we find." Snype said. He really didn't want to bring up that he was kind of involved with destroying the thieves last time, but that was in the past. He'd rather just move on and just make amends. In the end, he still got his wish. He was finally in charge so its not like he had regrets.

"So yeah. we'll be doing what we usually do. I take that's not all you wanted to ask though right?" Snype said.

Hanso was silent as he thought over what he could say. On second thought, he probably wasn't going to get anything out of this. Whatever. "I do have something to ask. Prob'ly more to confirm it in my mind than anything else." His arms unfolded as he took a deep breath. "If you were paying attention, you would've seen how some of the Gold Tribe had been slowly falling away from the values they're supposed to uphold. I'm sure the Gold Tribe is going to be the best it can be now..."

Hanso paused. "If they don't, though...if the Gold Tribe somehow ends up trying to take over, the way the Silver Tribe did...will the Thieves keep them in check?"

Snype just kept his arms crossed and listened to Hanso. Snype hadn't really payed attention to the Gold Tribe all that much considering he was mostly involved with the Silver Tribe's activities. Even before the whole mess he never got himself involved. But this kind of info was good to know just incase. The possibility of the Gold Tribe repeating what the Silver Tribe did? They'd have alot more to prepare for in that regard.

"You think they'd really do that kind of thing huh? Keheh. I thought you were all like brothers or family or some junk like that? Well, if things do get out of control I suppose we could try to knock a bit of sense into their heads... if it directly involves us anyways. But why ask us? Kehe. Losing trust in your fellow tribe or something? Even after everything they went through?" Snype said.

"Those whom I traveled with for the last few months, I trust." Hanso raised an eyebrow. "I'm looking more at what can happen years from now, when there will be more of the Gold Tribe. Even if Darkrai doesn't show up again for decades, it's possible for a future generation to start thinking that they're better than everyone else. I don't want it to get as bad as it did with the Silver Tribe."

Essentially, Hanso felt he was asking if future generations of the Thieves would keep the Gold Tribe in check. He would have no guarantee of that. However, by passing on the word to the Thieves now, they could prepare for such a case.

Snype nodded. "Well I'm expecting some conflicts between the thieves and the Gold Tribe as usual. After all, we gotta keep them busy somehow right? Kehe. Not a moment of rest you know? We'll prepare for any possibilities though. It depends on how the thieves turn out throughout the years. Kehe. I can't make any promises, but we'll do what we can." Snype simply explained, being rather mature for a change. He gave off a different vibe then he did back in the Silver Tribe.

Hanso nodded in return. "Thank you. This was the most I was expecting." He glanced at the tree that the Umbreon had climbed up. No doubt she was still watching, along with any other Thief that might be around. "By the way, if I don't see Ches on the way out, let him know that he has my thanks for coming to me at Cape City." The Gallade began to turn and walk away.

"Shouldn't I be the one thankin' you?" Ches said, who was hanging around from a tree. He had come into the conversation about halfway in after one of the others told him that a Gallade with strange eyes was walking around. Ches jumped down from the tree trunk and walked up to Hanso. He stared at him silently, then placed a claw behind his head and scratched his head.

"Yeah, I'm not really good with this so...yeah. You know, if you didn't beat that guy, everythin' would be a mess...so yea..."

"A mess is one way to put it." Hanso looked down at the Sneasel, then gave Ches a friendly punch in the shoulder. Which was unusual for the Gallade. "I did want to talk to you, actually," Hanso relayed to Ches' mind. "I want to know if you'd spy on the Thieves for me. It would be for my benefit, not for the Gold Tribe or anyone else. If anyone within the Thieves were to be a traitor and do something that would affect the future of Valkaria, I want to know about it. I don't want a repeat of the Silver Tribe."

Ches's face scrunched up as he tried to relay a message back. This was one of the first times he had used mental communication. "Ok, how do I do this? Do I just talk and you'll hear? Ok!" He kept making different faces, thinking that would help in the communication. "Normally if anyone ever asked me to do somethin' like that, I'd say beat it! But I'll always 'member what you did for the Thieves, so I guess I don't mind. Don't wanna repeat of everythin', after all." He replied with a nod. "So, I guess we'll keep in touch, then?"

"Yes. Not out loud...and stop it with the faces. That doesn't help. Just think about talking to me, access this channel..." Without asking first, Hanso set up a more permanent 'station' on Ches' end for their communication. "...and I'll hear you. It'll probably be hard to hear at first, given the distance, but it should work. Of course, it doesn't have to be the only way to contact me. See you around, maybe." Hanso nodded to Ches and began walking away again.

So, what, I'm setting up my own network now?

As Hanso was leaving and as the talks were going on, a more... vibrant delivery system was being used. There was a twinkle among the trees as a thrown knife flew right by Snype and imbedded into the tree behind him. Attached to the tip was an envelope with the following words on it.

To: Snype
From: Penance

P.S. Your security kind of sucks. :P And you should REALLY read this letter soon.

Snype noticed the twinkle within the trees but stood still. It was aimed just beside him so no need to freak out. Though the letter did grind his gears a little. His security? Yeesh they just started! What did Penance want with Snype though? The Sableye grabbed onto the letter and opened it up.

Inside was only one thing that needed to be said... COME TO CAPE CITY. MEETING COMING ON. ONE WEEK. BE THERE OR BE SQUARE.

Tsk. Snype supposed Penance was back to being the Madman or something like that. He remembered back when they both thought that they made some small chit chat and formed a deal or something like that. Guess it wouldn't hurt to get an outside source to rely on and get info but he wanted to do his best to keep the thieves as independent as possible from all the other outside messes. Either way, Snype was all for going to Cape City to see what this meeting was all about.

Vera Fayos & the late Sovereign Chronos

The loose dirt rolled over Vera's hands as she finished. There was still a rather large pile of dirt still nearby. Sovereign was a rather large Pokemon after all.

The mountain air was familiar to Vera. It was just the same as before. Cold and thin. The nearby opening had long since cooled and sealed from when she had been there as an adolescent. Funny how something so set as mountain terrain could so drastically change in such a short time as a life.

Vera heaved up a large rock she had found, shaped like a malformed egg. She placed it down solidly at the head of the plot, giving it a proper look. The "Mega Stone" around her neck came off with ease, and she looked at the strange stone as she thought about what had happened in the last year. "One more time. I only need you to work for me one more time."

Once more, the stone glowed with the force of the sun, and transformed Vera into something beyond what was known. She held her hand out to the the grave stone, and carved her claw into the surface.


Vera hesitated a moment.




Vera spent several days watching over the site, not quite ready to leave it behind. One day, she awoke to find something she had not expected. When her eyes cleared she could have sworn she was looking at Sovereign. Although it was not the Sovereign she should have been seeing if he had been there. It was a Larvitar, standing over her, looking down at her. She sat up abruptly, and stared at the young Pokemon. "Hello," she said nervously.

The Larvitar said nothing, and only stared. When Vera looked around, she could not see any Tyranitar around. Though if one had been there with the child, she probably would have known it quite quickly.

"Where's your mom?" The young Larvitar only averted his eyes and looked at the ground. Vera knew the look. "She's wrong you know. You're not a burden, or a weakling." The Larvitar looked twice at her, surprised that she could have known. "Pokemon like you have great destinies. And can even change the course of a war."

"Really? I could fight in a war?" The child asked, it was pretty obvious that it was a boy.

"You could, but you shouldn't want to. War changes you for the worse." Vera went silent, thinking about how Sovereign's transformation had been much more literal than hers.

"My mom said my dad was in the war. Said he was nothing but a servant who lost against wimps." Vera grabbed the child by the throat, and held him against the grave Stone.

"If you ever say that again, I will kill you. He was a great Pokemon!" Vera set the boy back down and took a deep breath.

Over the next few hours, the child asked many questions about his father, and Vera answered them with harrowing tales about Sovereign's battles against the Gold Tribe, his own flaws, and finally how he went back to face the one who had misled him. Vera left Sovereign's death as being against Auron. The boy didn't need to know about the monster his father had become. She began to wonder just how much of that had passed to this kid.

"My Name is Vera Fayos," Vera told him. "You?"

The Larvitar blinked. "I... don't really have one..."



As the days passed, Hanso began building his own house, somewhere in the plains between Albia and the bottleneck formed by Eden Forest and the Korhal Mountains. It was roughly in the middle of Valkaria, and relatively close to his personal mountain clearing. For that matter, his house was also relatively close to the Golden Catacombs, where the Keeper had once resided. Hanso wasn't sure he'd want to assume the position of librarian; it didn't suit him at this time.

All the same, it didn't take long to erect an acceptable shelter. It was still being constructed, but Hanso had the core rooms built first. He had nothing else important to do, aside from attending the imminent meeting that Penance had invited Pokemon to. So Hanso was surprised when he got a knock at the door. Putting down the saw, the Gallade strode to his front door and scanned the outside with his mind.

"Vera?" Hanso pulled the door open to look at the Blaziken. "Nice to know you didn't up and disappear."

"Nice to know you aren't dead," Vera retorted. "It's good to see you again, Hanso, but it's not why I'm here. I have someone I want you to meet." The Larvitar Vera had met on the mountain peeked out from behind her. "This is Sal Chronos, Sovereign's son." Sal looked up at Hanso in wonderment, never having seen a Pokemon like him before. Around the child's neck hanged the stone Vera had inherited from her family. "May I come in? I'd like to talk to you."

Hanso's eyebrows rose in surprise. Sovereign had a son? "Yeah, come right in," he said, stepping back to allow the two Pokemon in. The first room was a small entry hall, which opened out into a living room. Much of the house's structure was still visible on the inside, with temporary panels set up where windows and the doors to other rooms would eventually be erected. The floor was scattered with different pieces of wood and some tools; a bed and other essentials were shoved neatly into one corner.

Once they were inside, Hanso closed the door behind them. "You caught me on a day when Vanni isn't around. Sorry, I can't offer much in the way of food."

"It's quite alright. I didn't come here to eat. Sal, go play outside for a bit, I need to talk to Hanso in provate." Sal nodded and left promptly. "He seems so different from Sovereign. And yet somehow the same..." Vera paused and looked around the house Hanso had built. "I remember when I lived out on the plains. You think that you've secluded yourself, and then you find a familiar face at your door. Sorry about that."

Vera looked over at Hanso with a serious demeanor. "Before Sovereign joined the war, he was an Alpha among the mountains. He gained ned quite a reputation, which was the reason that Auron recruited him in the first place. As you can imagine, it probably made him a desirable mate. Sal seems to be the result of that." Vera was afraid of what she had to say next. The idea was a terrible one, and she hoped it was avoidable.

"Sovereign's blood probably passed to the boy. I fear for him. Sovereign was barely able to control it himself." Vera stared at her hand a moment. "The stone stopped working for me as well. Shortly after I met the boy. I don't think that power is meant for me anymore."

"I'll get to the point. Sal needs a mentor. Someone to help him learn self control, and teach him to be a good Pokemon. And I don't think I can do that. I'm a lost cause, but I have hope for the next generation. I want you to take care of him instead. If anyone can teach him about control, it's you."

Hanso listened to every word, absently rubbing his right arm, where it had been poisoned once by Ignitus. When Vera finished, Hanso's hand dropped. "First off, I'm not exactly trying to become a hermit. If I wanted to do that, I know a place in the lower mountains that's more out of the way." He shrugged. "Though it probably looks like I am. I don't have any other place of my own, though, especially since Shine City is still mostly rubble."

Self-control. Hanso almost laughed; he kept his face neutral. "Teach Sal self control. Before I agree to any of that, you need to know something." Hanso faced Vera, serious himself. "Varren's back." He let that sink in for a moment, then added, "It happened a couple nights ago, while I was meditating. I don't know how, but he found his way back into my head."

Nooo, I never left, in a way. I told you you would be stuck with this madness, twice.

Ignoring the voice in his head for now, Hanso said, "The most that's happened so far is a bunch of chattering. He seems weaker this time around, but I'm not sure yet of his limits. If you leave Sal with me, you'll have to accept that."

Vera smiled at Hanso. "I already know. I could see it in your eyes when you opened the door. But whatever was left of Varren's soul, his memory... it died with that Toxicroak. When he died, he almost seemed... grateful. Like I was releasing him."

Vera looked out the only window in the house, seeing Sal examining the new terrain. "That's exactly why it has to be you, though. You're the only one who truly understands what Sovereign went through. If I brought him to that madman... I don't know what he would do." Vera closed her eyes in disgust. "I can't let him become like Sovereign. It's not what he would want." Vera opened her eyes and put a hand on Hanso's shoulder. "He can't hurt anyone now. Whatever is left of Varren is only a memory."

"Yeah, I wouldn't take Sal to Penance, either." Hanso looked out at Sal, then nodded. "I'll do it. Not like Varren can ruin this, right?" To be honest, even if he was just a memory now, Varren wouldn't stay quiet on the matter. Hanso was fairly sure that the ghost would look for some way to influence the Larvitar. Eh, it'll be good practice to keep Varren in line.

Pfft, it's gonna be the other way around, hero boy.

"Thank you, Hanso." Vera was relieved that he had agreed. She wasn't 100% sure that he would.

The rest of her time there was spent discussing the events of the battle after she left. The idea that the Dark One was a real, Tangible force was rather disturbing. But Vera couldn't stay for too long, not wanting to intrude more than she already had. Eventually it came time to say good bye.

"Sal, Hanso is gonna take good care of you. And remember, whatever your mom said, you are strong. Stronger than most. Maybe stronger than your father. Or at least you can be. I'll be sure to visit occasionally, and when it comes time, I'll teach you how to use that stone I gave you." Vera almost cried at the saddened face of the Larvitar. He really was a lot like his father. "I promise I'll come back." She looked toward Hanso one more time. "See you around, Hanso. And take care of him."

Vera gave Sal a hug and went on her way. As she stood on the horizon, a chill wind blew through her feathers, flowing towards the mountains. "He'll be safe with Hanso, Sovereign. You know, you told me about that temple in the mountains. How no one without Dragon Blood has been there. I think maybe it's time someone found it. We may just find some useful knowledge there." The wind seemed to blow more gently, as if in approval. "I'll take that as a yes." Vera walked out of view of Hanso's house, venturing towards the Mountains in search of Draco Temple. Perhaps she could find something about the Dark One there. But more than anything, she wanted one final connection to her dead friend's life.

"It's been fun... Goodbye, Sovereign."

Accatosh "Blitzkrieg" Coronis
With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility
~~~~~

Accatosh's wings beat down as he flew around the far end of Gold City, eyes on the other dragon in front of him. In another few moments, they had come back around the city and were racing back toward Cape City. It would have been unlikely for anyone on the ground to look up, let alone see two shapes among the clouds race on. Snorting, Accatosh beat harder, catching up as they got closer to Cape. In another minute, he passed her and spread his wings to catch the wind, braking himself as he skidded on the ground in front of Stoneguard.

Behind him, Veltra skidded to a halt, breathing just as hard as he was. "I can't believe you still beat me," she panted, giving Accatosh a mock glare. "You're supposed to be resting up still!"

Accatosh grinned despite himself, looking back at the other Salamence. "I was one of the three fastest sky racers in Valkaria. I probably still am." They turned and trudged down one of Cape's streets for a couple minutes before Accatosh spoke again. "So did you find anything?"

"That can wait," Veltra retorted, watching him. "I want to hear more about what happened with you while I was gone."

So Accatosh explained everything that he had been part of, from after the end of the battle for Cape City, to the Gold Tribe's triumph over the Dark One before he escaped as a dark fog. He then related a few of the events afterward, including how Daricka "Wildfire" Cambar had announced her intent to rebuild the Heroes Alliance School.

"That'll take some work." Veltra went quiet for a few seconds before asking, "What about you?"

"I intend to help my sister with the H.A.S.," Accatosh answered proudly. "Wildfire will need all the help she can get, and someone will have to teach the dragons of the next generation."

Veltra smirked. "Aren't you a bit hotheaded to be a mentor?" she joked, nudging Accatosh's shoulder. "You're gonna need someone to keep you in line for that."

Accatosh smiled in response. "And I wouldn't ask for anyone else, Veltra."

Penance 'Madman' Malum - Yes, another one of his crazy plans​

It was time. It was so close now. He hummed as he moved some pages about on the stage and set the boads out. He looked over at Guardia, "So, got everything bundled and ready to go? It's your speech after all." He looked up through the window at the sun, "Yeah, almost time too. It's going to be quite a crowd you know. Those that are like us... and others who want answers regarding what the flying f**k happened with their cities and all. You sure you're ready?"

Guardia looked over the old texts she had gathered from the Golden Catacombs. There was a lot of information in them. Some of which was relevant and important, and the rest which was simply making it hard to find out what exactly happened during those turbulent times. It took a while to track down what they needed to know, but eventually, it was found with Penance's help. Now, it was time to share. "I'm ready," She nodded to him, standing up and looking around at the many gathered faces present, most of which she knew.

"Ok..." She began, not sure how exactly to relay everything. "It took a lot of digging. And I mean A LOT. Everything was a mess back then. If it wasn't for the Keeper keeping records of everything, things would be a lot messier." She took one more look at the books, then kept going. "Some of the language is older and words are a bit different, so it's hard to make clear of every detail to the bone. But from what we get, the crystals weren't created by us. In honesty, there's so many conflicting stories and words, it's hard to say where exactly they originated from. However, a few matching papers listed that the crystals were in the possession of...Darkrai. When he first came to Valkaria."

Penance nodded, "We've formed several theories to this... though my personal favorite is that... well, he could have been a different mon back then. Something could have happened to him that made him who he was today. Think about it, chaos exists and a guardian MUST control that chaos. In the beginning of the world if Darkrai was like this, our world wouldn't be in existence then. We would only have order and no chaos. No balance means no stable world. It very well could be that Darkrai saw what was going to happen to himself and brought these crystals. How else could the silver crystal capture him... if he didn't whoever made them details as to how TO capture him. But please, continue Guardia."

Lyn nodded and continued. She picked up another document, scanning it over again as she spoke. "There's some debate in several places as to what exactly happened, but after Darkrai was discovered by the different tribes and started causing havoc, the crystals came into the possession of the tribes of Valkaria. See, the crystals weren't always silver and gold in color. They were made into that. Apparently, wherever these crystals did come from, they're very adaptable to different energies, and could have a wide array of purposes pushed into them."

Lyn dropped the paper she was looking at, and looked around the room. "One crystal was fashioned into a prison for Darkrai, and reflected his energy signature, and thus became silver. The other was designed to combat the silver crystal's energy, a polar opposite of power, originating by the opposite energy signature of Darkrai." Lyn leaned in on the table in front of her. "It took a lot of digging, and at the moment, we can only guess on what did and didn't happen. But this other Pokemon, the one who used their energy for the Gold Crystal, most likely stole the two crystals from Darkrai and handed them to the tribes for them to use."

Penance nodded, "This... other being has been told in myths here and there, and we saw some mentions of her in the writings. She, as Lyn stated, is the opposite of Darkrai. Her golden energy no doubt inspired the name for the Gold Tribe itself and she probably even influenced how the tribe would work, why they have the rules they do. Simply put... she founded the tribe no doubt. At least that's what I'm going with. Now, given her polarity with Darkrai, she would try to keep the balance between chaos and order. She would aim to prevent Darkrai from becoming too powerful, hence why she donated her energy back then. However... she didn't come to help us. The crystals weren't together to hide Darkrai's return and he summoned ancients and all manners of chaos. She should have theoretically felt that.. but she never came."

"And she didn't," Guardia began, continued off of Penance's points. "Because she died." Lyn looked through the stack of papers in front of her, trying to find one in particular. "In the struggle back in those days, a lot happened. Darkrai had gained so much power, and nothing could be done. Except to seal him up. But that was payed for with many lives, including hers. She died sealing him up, and used the rest of her energies and memories and poured them into the Gold Crystal. So even though she was gone, she thought that with chaos sealed up, everything would turn out alright." Lyn shook her head. "Obviously, it didn't, but that's the reason we never received any help from her during the times that Darkrai's powers acted up. There was no one to give it."

"But..." Lyn frantically looked through the papers, trying to find one in particular in the stack, and found it, reading it through to remember what it said. "I did find something, something I think she wrote, or at least came from something she said," Lyn cleared her throat and read.

"Harmony never truly dies, and neither does chaos. If chaos returns to the world, light will follow in its rebirth."

Lyn placed the paper down, and looked up at everyone in the room.

Penance nodded and stood up, "We shall no longer be known as the Affiliates." Penance was silent for a bit, "We are going to spread this tale around. We are going to go row after row in the books to put everything that we experienced in history books, in school books even. But… sadly this isn't over. Some of you may think that, but it isn't. Let me say this… Rey managed to corrupt Paladin and myself with darkness. Where was Rey when we battled in the cities? Where was even Sentry for that matter? I realize Sentry was like Paladin and I… so why can't there be more like us? Those also infected by Darkrai's darkness. You know… it's a saying."

He resumed his pacing, "Never put all your eggs in one basket. Darkrai is a f**king genius, that much is shown. Why would he put all of his hopes in only Rey and for that matter only Paladin? He wouldn't. There are no doubt more of us out there. Maybe they are here in our country, or they could be in other places. As long as that possibility is out there, then this WILL happen again. It is why I refuse to have children of my own, if I so much as produce an egg then it is possible that the darkness will move onto my child and Darkrai will easily take him or her over. No doubt with Dakrai still roaming he could infect new pokemon born and begin to place them in his nightmare. A hundred years from now he could activate all of his drones which would number in the thousands by that point and finally take over our world. But there is a way we can combat such a future."

"Gentle'mon… my Affiliates have adopted a new name. Because we are… seeking a specific mon, one that can save us from this looming disaster, because if we cannot find her, then we are doomed. If we cannot find her then we cannot purge those corrupted by Darkrai. And even if we manage to identify them… then there is no way we could kill them all. Darkrai would take over and this would all start again."

Penance crossed his arms and looked about, his smile widening even more, "Gentle'mon. We must find our dear darling Cresselia."

Hanso SharpEye, formerly TrueStriker
A New Beginning, One of Many...
~~~~~

For the meeting, Hanso stayed at the back of the crowd, where he could easily walk out without drawing much attention. As if he hadn't already; Hanso had Sal up on his shoulders so the Larvitar could see over everyone else. He'd never known before how much a little kid could weigh! As for what Guardia and Penance were explaining, it...actually didn't matter so much anymore to Hanso. He didn't feel an obligation to help the Affiliates in their new search.

Hanso did find it interesting that the power of the Gold Crystal had came largely from Cresselia. With that kind of sacrifice, he would have to be careful about how to use the little that still remained in the gem around Hanso's neck. He wasn't going to give that up anytime soon. If they needed to know what kind of energy signature Cresselia would have, then Penance could ask Brynn, since she knew the looks of it from personal experience. Besides, Hanso had a few things to do himself.

"Gentle'mon. We must find our dear darling Cresselia." That was when Hanso decided to leave the meeting. Naturally, Sal had questions about the whole subject once they were away from all the other Pokemon. Hanso tried to answer them in a way that Sal would understand, but it was difficult when he hadn't raised a child before now.

They spent a few more days at Hanso's house; the Gallade had to leave more of the construction to Vanni while he spent time with Sal. If it hadn't been at Vera's request, Hanso might have been more lenient. Not with this. It got to the point where Vanni stopped and asked Hanso how he expected the Machoke to build most of the house by himself.

"I don't." Hanso took one more look at Sal; the Larvitar was deep asleep. "You're the construction expert here, Vanni. Do you know a reliable crew that can do this job?"

"Hm..." Vanni rubbed his chin with eyes half-closed. "I do. Last I checked, we'd lost only a couple o' the guys I work with t' the war. Helpin' you out here by myself for free is one thing, though. They're gonna want to be paid."

Hanso nodded. "I was expecting that. I never brought it up in the last three years, since it didn't matter during the war, but the SharpEye family had a considerable amount of money and influence before the Silver Tribe. I'm the last SharpEye standing, but I'd bet that some of that money is still buried in the rubble of Shine City."

"What, a secret vault or somethin' that Ancients and thieves missed for three years?" Vanni shook his head in disbelief. "I doubt it."

"Regardless, I'm going to go looking, alone or with help." Hanso held the Machoke's gaze until Vanni sighed and looked away.

"Fine. But they're gonna be mad if they help us look an' we find nothin'."

~~~~~

Typical of a child, as far as Hanso knew, Sal was exploring the surrounding rooms while the Gallade and Vanni's crew picked through the rubble of the SharpEye mansion in Shine City. The other Pokemon asked several times why he didn't just have this place rebuilt; Hanso told them he didn't want it, that he wanted a new start for himself. That was certainly true in the case of material belongings - they found nothing in the way of usable objects or valuable trinkets anywhere in the mansion. It wasn't long before they found a vault in the basement. The vault was ruined and empty, just as Hanso and Vanni had suspected.

Ignoring the crew's general dismay, Hanso ran his hand along the wall several yards to the left. He could sense Sal hanging near the stairs up to the ground floor. Everything was layered with dust, but Hanso knew what to look for. He had watched his father open it when he was a child. Hanso pushed on one brick, causing a few others to shift slightly as if opening a small cupboard in the wall. He pulled the door open the rest of the way, revealing the miniature vault and its contents.

"Would you look at that," Vanni rumbled, looking over Hanso's shoulder. Hanso pulled out a lump of gold the size of his fist and showed it to the crew. Someone in the SharpEye lineage had melted a few nuggets together in order to store it in savings for an emergency.

"For helping me today," Hanso said, handing the lump to Vanni. "And for building a house for me. Vanni knows the specifics." While the crew of Pokemon were busy with inspecting the gold, Hanso turned back to the savings vault. There was also a small pile of money and a few other important or valuable objects. The two Dawn Stones reminded Hanso of the day that his father had shown him this vault and given him the stone that would allow him to evolve. Opening his own pack, Hanso stowed the rest of the vault's contents and closed it all up. He was going to need all the resources he could get his hands on.

When the group got to the front door of the ruined mansion, Hanso waved them on. "I need to be alone for a bit. Except for Sal." The Larvitar stood by him while Vanni's crew walked away, talking to each other about their new project. Hanso waited until they were a good fifty yards away before turning back to the mansion. "What do you want?"

The Gardevoir's appearance from behind a doorway caused Sal to draw closer to Hanso. "I'll be honest," she said, hands folded in front of her, "I was half expecting you to never show up. I didn't know if you'd come back to your family house."

Hanso only returned eye contact at first. It disturbed him that she looked so much like Genevieve. "You know who I am, but who are you?"

"Morgan L'esprit." The Gardevoir raised her eyebrows at the look of surprise on Hanso's face. "No, of course you wouldn't know. Genevieve was my sister. I just never got the same amount of public notice that she did. So who's this?" Morgan tilted her head to look down at Sal, smiling slightly.

Now that Hanso was paying more attention, she seemed like something of a friendly character. Not at all cold like the Siren, but it remained to be seen whether this Morgan was manipulative. "None of your concern," Hanso answered, lightly pushing Sal around until they were both walking away. He ignored Morgan's questioning call; as far as he was concerned, she didn't have anything important to say. Besides, there was no point in paying attention to Morgan. She would probably just turn away upon learning of the madness that resided in Hanso, and possibly Sal.

~~~~~

Huh. I didn't think you'd turn away like that, hero boy. She's Genevieve's sister, after all.

Hanso didn't respond to Varren. He was sitting against the front wall of his house, which Vanni's house had begun to work on just the day before. Sal was still munching away on his lunch beside Hanso. The Gallade was still thinking over his next moves. Already found a couple Thieves who could be coerced into spying for me. Vanni's going to keep an eye and ear on things for me as well, along with a few others in the Alpha Alliance. Haven't tried to get anyone into the Affiliates, or whatever Penance calls them now. I still need to, though, I can't trust him despite everything we've been through.

There was very little reason to build this network of his, but Hanso did not want to be caught off-guard by anything. As far as he was concerned, the Affiliates, or Penance at least, could have any number of ulterior motives. The Thieves, being criminals, were the likeliest at this time to spawn someone who would attempt to conquer Valkaria. Same with the Alpha Alliance, considering how big this nation was. Even the Gold Tribe could revert to acting like the Silver Tribe, even if it would happen years from now. Sure, the Gold Tribe was supposed to be the elite of the Alpha Alliance, but who would guard the guardians?

Hanso frowned and looked up from his thinking; Sal was too busy eating to notice. A mind had appeared on his radar without warning. He stood up and marched to his front door, opening it and stepping inside. Sure enough, Morgan was standing against the back wall, a mischievous grin on her face. "What do you want, Morgan?" Hanso snapped, folding his arms.

"That's no way to greet a guest," Morgan retorted. "The very least you could do is offer me some food."

In response, Hanso pivoted and stepped back outside, shaking his head. That was the second time she had appeared unannounced. What in the world could she want? What do you think she wants? Don't tell me she's ugly, 'cause she isn't.

It's nothing to do with what she looks like, Varren.

I'm starting to think you really are oblivious.

Before Hanso could retort, he turned around to watch Morgan come outside. "Well, then." The Gardevoir shrugged. "I suppose I'll see you around, Mister SharpEye." With that, Morgan teleported out of sight.

Hanso wouldn't admit it to anyone except Varren, since the ghost could read his thoughts anyway, but Morgan looked too much like her sister for his liking. It also irritated him that she seemed to assume that Hanso would allow any more appearances like this, and that she was trying to get his attention. He had Sal to raise, a network to build...Hanso had even gotten Vera's agreement in helping write a biography of Sovereign Chronos. The Tyranitar deserved that much.

So what, no interest in keeping the SharpEye legacy alive, hero boy? If I were you, I wouldn't be so cold to Morgan next time she comes.

"Who was that?" Hanso looked down at Sal, who had walked up to him. "Who was she?"

Hanso shook his head. Despite himself, Varren had a point. "Someone who is going to show up again. I think...she will be coming here a lot." ...No, Varren, I'm not gonna do that. Not outside of marriage.

-you afraid?...are tools- -as you are expendab- -ecessary you will broken- -at's not Bellator anymore, Silver. He's long go- -your guard. Stay close to the Gold Cryst- -orce that will attack Eternity City is twi- -crifice is par- -of possible attacks by the Order- -ey do together, well, that's none of your concern, gent- -for such a small thing...

The question is, Zane: are you?

A thousand voices spoke to him in chaotic unison, and then abruptly, a thousand voices were permanently silenced. He felt a weight lift off his shoulders, a burden he felt like he was carrying for as long as he could remember. The burden was heavy, but as time went on, he didn't realize just how heavy it was until it was gone. Now, he felt the calmness of a peaceful disposition. He felt the comfort of relaxation and tranquility. With those pleasant thoughts roaming his mind, Zane Tyrael opened his eyes.

The brightness first took him by surprise, and he placed his arms in front of his eyes to slowly adjust to the light. They slowly began to become accustom to the brightness, which he realized was the sun directly above him. Taking in more of his surroundings, Zane could see that he was laying upon the grass of some plains. He rose himself from the ground and sat up. He expected his body to be met with the resistance of a thousand different injuries, but oddly, he didn't feel much in terms of pain. Perhaps a bit of soreness, though. Taking a quick look around, Zane noticed two crystals beside him. He recognized the shapes to be those of the Gold and Silver Crystals, but the colors that he had grown accustom to seeing on them was gone. Instead, a plain, colorless hue was present. What was more odd than the lack of agonizing discomfort in his body or the presence of the two crystals he thought were destroyed was the lack of something else. Looking upon his body, Zane noticed that his once gold-colored form was now the red, natural color of a Bisharp.

"Fascinating," A voice remarked to his right side. At the turn of his head, he saw the Keeper sitting upon the grass close beside him.

"Keeper?" Zane asked, slightly bewildered at the current situation.

"Yes, yes, young one. It is me," He replied with his light smile Zane had grown used to seeing over the last few months.

"Are we...?"

"Dead?" The Keeper interjected, finishing what he believed to be his eventual question. "I expected we would be. But no, no we are not dead."

"But...how did we escape? How did we end up...wherever we are?"

"On this, I suppose I can only speculate. I did notice in the Dark One's realm, at the pinnacle of his power, there was not just one, but quite a few different openings forming throughout the world. As Darkrai loosened the shackles of his realm, his realm began to merge with ours. Likely, he was feeling out other parts of the world with more potential for chaos, malice and violence. This may be one of those areas, and we have somehow been brought to it as his realm collapsed around us. Needless to say, there's probably quite a bit going on here."

The Keeper crossed his arms as he continued to explain his theory to Zane. "The Dark One was always quite clever. I highly doubt the plan with the Wielder was his only one for escape. Perhaps it was his best one, yes, but I doubt he didn't have other ways."

"What about the crystals?" Zane asked, looking at the two crystals in his hands. "How are they still even here? And me? Why am I...red?"

"Now that is quite interesting." The Keeper stated, examining the crystals, and then Zane. "If I were to guess, I would say that, that which we knew as the Silver and Gold Crystals are gone forever, as is all of their power. Now, it seems they are back to their original state, perhaps for their original purpose, whatever that may be. As such, it may be conceivable that they cannot be simply destroyed by stepping on them, or crushing them as the agents of Darkrai had done. Or perhaps, they cannot be destroyed at all. Of course, this is all simple speculation."

The Keeper closed his eyes for a moment. "But we are...quite far away. Very far from our home, you and I."

"How far exactly?" Zane quickly asked, slowly picking himself off the ground and dusting off any loose pieces of grass along his red form. He was still getting used to that.

"Far enough that I cannot sense or make contact with any of the others in Valkaria."

"Then...can we tell what happened to the others?! Guardia, Penance, TrueStriker...all the others? How do we know they succeeded?"

"Ah, I suppose we do not." The Keeper responded, to which Zane immediately sunk his head in dismay. He closed his eyes and inhaled sharply, before quickly tried to occupy his thoughts away from his friends by asking other questions.

Zane sighed, taking in his environment around. He proceeded to walk up toward the grassy plains, examining that they stood close to the top of a hill. He marched toward the top of this hill as he contemplated the Keeper's words. So much of what he said was speculation and his own theories, and so little was actual facts. This only left Zane with more questions, and those questions which he already asked were left insufficiently answered. The worst of all was that he absolutely no idea what had become of his brothers and sisters, his friends. Had they succeeded? Had they stopped Darkrai and saved Valkaria?

The Keeper, perhaps feeling what Zane was going through, or perhaps sensing it from his mind, walked up behind him and place a hand on his shoulder. Zane turned and faced the Keeper. "Our part in the tale of Valkaria is over, Vigil. That is the hard truth that we must deal with," Together, the two silently marched up to the top of the hill. They were quiet for what Zane felt to be longer than it probably was, before the Keeper eventually spoke again. "It is a cruel and relentless world we inhabit. Perhaps the worst of all its offenses is that it seeks to rob us of knowledge when it is most needed to us." The two Pokemon reached the top of the hill, finding that they were upon a high slope with much of the view of the land below them. "But the world can never take away one thing from us," The Keeper turned his head to look at Zane just as Zane did the same. "Belief."

"We do not know what happened to them. But what do you believe happened to them? What does your heart tell you, Vigil?"

"My heart..." Zane's voice trailed off. He placed a hand to his chest, and closed his eyes. Instantly, he began picturing the faces of his friends in his mind. A warmth originated from the center of his body, washing up in the feeling of satisfaction and comfort. In his heart, he believed that his friends were alive. And despite not having any proof or confirmation, he seemed to accept this belief. Zane Tyrael finally felt at peace.

He opened his eyes and gazed along with the Keeper from their hilltop at the vast and boundless country before them. A mammoth of infinite potential, the sea of green countryside before them extending to the very edges of their sight, before touching the deep blue sky.

"Think of this not as the end, but as the beginning. A new beginning."



Valkaria

"And that, dear ones, was the story of the Gold Tribe, and their fight with Darkrai," An older Dragonite explained to a group of young, Pokemon children. Instantly they murmured and talked among themselves, throwing out sets of 'oohs' and 'ahs'. They were excited to hear the stories of the heroes who saved the Alpha Alliance, who brought Valkaria back from the brink of destruction.

One of the Pokemon, a young Mankey, raised his paw into the air. "Yes, little one?" The old Dragonite asked gently.

"But...Mr. Hazone. What about Darkrai? What happened to him?"

"Well, the Gold Tribe pushed him back in the very end, but no one truly knows what became of him after the final battle. Some say he died of his injuries. Some say he's given up his legendary vows and took up permanent isolation. I think perhaps he's out there. Waiting. However, if he ever does decide to come back, we'll be ready for him with our greatest advantage."

"Do you mean the Gold Tribe?" Another Bellsprout asked the Dragonite eagerly.

"In a matter of speaking," The Dragonite remarked. Before he could explain his reasoning more, another Pokemon interrupted him.

"But Mr. Hazone," A Houndour asked the elderly Pokemon. "Didn't most of the Gold Tribe die in the war? Aren't most of them gone now?"

"Perhaps yes. But our greatest weapon against Darkrai isn't necessarily the Gold Tribe itself, but rather what the Gold Tribe stood for. What they preached at the very end of the war against the Silver Tribe. Freedom, love, and peace. Brotherhood, sisterhood, and comradery. Family, friendships, and eternal bonds. Selflessness, loyalty, and devotion. These weren't just the traits of the Gold Tribe. These were the Gold Tribe. These are the Gold Tribe. So as long as these ideals live on through us, we will always have our advantage. So long as these ideals live on through us, so too shall the Gold Tribe."

Many of the children huddled around him were down following his statement. Some groaned and wore frowns on their faces. He chuckled in response. He knew why that was. Many of these had grown up hearing the tales of the powerful warriors of the Gold Tribe, the ones that fought on while so many others turned back. They wanted the heroes in the stories. They wanted the continuations of their legacies. They wanted to grown up and be like the role models they grew up hearing about. They wanted to be like the Swift, Paladin, Vigil, TrueStriker, Guardia Blitzkrieg, Wildfire, Bloodthirster, Defender, and all the rest. And they couldn't do that if they didn't have a Gold Tribe to join.

He put a finger on his chin, as if contemplating, and then pointed his finger up as if he remembered something important. "You know, I recall something," He began to say to the children. The children stopped their murmuring and instantly focused on Hazone again. "A saying. An old, Gold Tribe saying passed down through the generations. Words of guidance:"

"For the Gold Tribe is a lot like a phoenix. It may be on the brink of death, and maybe even die. But from its ashes it will reborn and rise over and over again."