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

Sovereign
"I'm fine," Sovereign said to the nurse, despite the giant crack on the right side of his torso. "See to her first," he said motioning to Vera. Sovereign waited silently outside. Is it my fault she got injured so badly? Sovereign wondered. It was true that while he was basking in the gory pleasure of tearing apart an army, Vera was fighting the strongest member of their force. His father died because of his carelessness, would Vera meet the same fate? And so he sulked, his head facing the floor. Don't get so down on yourself Sovereign! I'll make it all better...

Golden Catacombs

As the Swift sped quickly inside, Zane's first reaction was to stop him from going in so fast. The entire scene in front of him looked like it was a place not often disturbed, and every step they made meant something significant. He felt they had to go in carefully. But he realized they had to go inside. As the Swift gave the all clear, the others started proceeding inside with him. Defender spoke to the first time in what seemed like a long while to the rest of them.

"Everyone, keep your eyes sharp. Look out for traps, wires on the ground, holes in the wall, slabs sticking up from the ground, doors that once opened could alert a foe to our presence. Just because we don't see anyone now doesn't mean that our enemies haven't already infiltrated the area."

Zane nodded and followed in after them. Everyone began proceeding into the catacombs. The Prince of Light also decided to help out, provided an increase to their senses in the darkness.

The Gold Tribe walked deeper in the catacombs. The first area inside, even in the dark Zane could make out the statues of Pokemon. They all wore some Gold Tribe insignia upon their bodies. The specific way and area where they were held often revealed who they were. In fact, most of these statues would have been known to most of them, many of them being famous Gold Tribe members from long back written in their history books. Some were heroes. Some were legends. Others were myths, with history not knowing for certain if they or their tales even existed. Zane passed by the statue of a Groudon, one of the first Gold Tribe members thousands of years ago, who was said to have caused the creation of the Korhal Mountains when his Earthquake attack collided with an equally monstrous attack of his enemy. He then saw the statue of an Entei, who Zane recognized as "Firestorm", who was said to have ended an entire battle with a single breath of his flames. There was also "Hydra", the Blastoise warrior who was responsible for countless heroics in her time. Many other statues were present here, making the catacombs their home. In fact, it is said that some of the remains of the ancient Gold Tribe members were still buried deep in the catacombs, before the Golden Cemetery in Gold City was created.

The Gold Tribe passed through this room before they approached a narrow corridor which led to a larger room. At first, it was too dark to see anything, only that the room was large, simply by the shadows of what could be seen. Zane remembered what Defender said before about the trap. He kept his guard up, just in case enemies could be lurking in the dark. But for now, none came. Instead, Zane's eyes began adjusting to the dark, and he noticed for the first time what was inside.

"Woah..." Guardia said in a low voice out loud, the echo of the room carrying her voice a bit.

It appeared to be a giant library, books and scrolls and all other manner of records. They must have been in the grand library of the Gold Tribe, where the history and text of their tribe was written. It was said that the leader of the Gold Tribe would every few years pay a visit here to add in more details about the Gold Tribe to the archives. But Zane never actually believed that this was done. He assumed it was something reserved for the history books. He wondered if anything recently was put in...

Zane suddenly stopped dead in his tracks at the sound of some rustling behind him. He turned quickly, to see a figure in the shadows. Zane went on his highest guard again instantly and faced the figure, as did the others.

Zane couldn't make out who it was at the moment, but he did notice something on him. He wore around his neck a sort of medallion. The thing was, it looked awfully familiar to Zane, as if he had seen it somewhere before. He recalled a similar medallion worn by Kivir, who he remember got it from his master, who was a Gold Tribe member from a while ago. This looked like a similar ancient Gold Tribe medallion.

"Welcome." He said softly to them, greeting them with what Zane believed to be a short bow. "I've been expecting you."


Silver City

Scar was alone next to the city gates, observing the lines of Ancient soldiers lined up in perfect symmetry. They were perfect soldiers, strong individual, and as a collective not ever questioning the authority of their superiors. Although, Scar doubted that these beings had the capability of doing so anyways. Nevertheless, as he awaited the arrival of the other Sentinels, it gave him something to do.

From a distance, Scar could already see Sentry traveling alone to the west. Auron typically gave Sentinels assignments to do by pairs or maybe as a group, but Sentry was always an exception. He wondered where he was always going in the first place...

"Where are the others?" A demanding voice asked Scar from behind him. It was the Inferno, the same look of jaded contempt on his face, as if nothing would ever please him. Scar had only a few times seen him lose this countenance, and be replaced with one of malevolent vice. It seemed the Typhlosion lived only for the destruction of others. It was a somewhat narrow-minded view in Scar's opinion, as so much more could be enjoyed from life besides this, but it was one Scar was willing to accepted. He had his own higher ambitions, though.

"They will be along. I understand Genevieve is to travel alone for now, and we are to depart without her. Not quite sure why."

"It doesn't matter." The Inferno replied quickly. "We will depart in five minutes. Sovereign and his lackey can catch up with us later if he isn't here by then."

"...Why the rush?" Scar asked the fellow Sentinel. "We've got plenty of time. The thieves aren't going anywhere."

"They aren't, but the Gold Tribe is. Just how long do you think before they decide to attack another major city? I don't know about you, but I'm not intent on letting those rabble grab another one of our strongholds. If I were Auron, I would go on the attack. And yet he simply waits, and allows them to strike at his cities instead...." The Inferno trailed off, his eyes now scouring the Ancients behind Scar. He then left. "Five minutes." He said again as he walked away.

"TrueStriker, I want you to practice this exercise while we explore. Picture a white room, with nothing in it. No color, no furniture, no people, nothing. Just a white room. It can be big or small, but it must be empty. It will take some time to perfect the image since your mind will naturally want to populate it with various images, but fight that instinct. It took me close to two months to get the exercise down, but as you get better with it you'll find yourself occupying the room with less and less images until it is completely empty and you will not only be able to focus on a empty room, but also on doing other tasks while you keep your defenses up."

Hanso merely nodded at Penance's words, keeping them in mind as he kept track of their surroundings. It was a mild surprise when his senses became sharper, but the Zoroark explained that. Hanso moved on, going over what Penance said. An empty white room... He tried it out, bringing up a white room in his mind. As the Golduck said, it was naturally populated with several images, some of which came from what Hanso saw as the Gold Tribe walked deeper into the Catacombs. He tried shoving the images out, but some stayed, while others were replaced by thoughts of Gardevoirs. What? Hanso immediately got rid of those, but other thoughts came, now of Roswell and Dark Lightning.

Seems like my worries multiplied when the Silver Tribe came, Hanso thought, replacing all images with views of the surrounding catacombs. He could confront those other problems later.

With time, the Gold Tribe came to another room, larger than the one before, and Hanso's white room disappeared. "Woah..." Guardia said in a low voice out loud, the echo of the room carrying her voice a bit. No kidding. This was a new sight even for Hanso, who'd never felt a need before to come here. Books, scrolls, and other records filled his view as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. So much information...where do we st--

Hanso whirled around, his right arm-blade springing out, as his ears caught rustling. Another Pokemon, so he assumed, whose features were hidden by shadows for the moment. Hanso's eyes narrowed as he saw the medallion. His thoughts went back to Eternity City, when he'd seen a different medallion being handed to Vigil. His eyes went back up to where he thought the figure's face was. "Welcome." The figure said softly to them. "I've been expecting you."

The doors outside had shown no sign of passing before they'd come here today. "You seem to have been down here a long time," Hanso said, just loud enough for all present to hear.

Penance 'Defender' Malum​

The Golduck nodded at the Zoroark as his senses felt more tuned into the environment. It was a good ability to have, especially in as unfamiliar a place such as this. Penance knew that very few, and he meant very few, Gold Tribe member ever journeyed in here. From what he learned in his classes he knew that only those that lead the Gold Tribe would be allowed inside and would even write down the history of what was happening in the Gold Tribe. As they proceeded in further and further they passed various statues of older Gold Tribe member. Once they got to the library Penance was still on edge. They hadn't encountered anyone in here yet and he just KNEW that someone had to be in here. Maybe a single ancient that the Silver Tribe had left behind.... or perhaps a Silver Tribe member who was waiting for them. Yet, everything was intact here. The library didn't look touched at all, and he would have thought that the Silver Tribe would have at least burned or destroyed parts of the history of the Gold Tribe.

With the help of the extrasensory Penance managed to feel another presence. He quickly whirled around to see a figure in there with them. How the figure managed to get into the tomb as well was quickly answered when Penance noticed the medallion that was hanging from his neck. A Gold Tribe emblem that seemed rather old. That meant either it was passed down like Kivir's was, or it had been stolen. But... if it had been stolen then this pokemon must have gotten in here to steal it from a grave which would be impossible without a symbol in the first place.

Everyone, keep your eyes sharp. He wears a emblem, but that doesn't mean he is a brother. He could be someone in disguise.

He waited a bit before speaking. "What is your affiliation and why are you here?" He asked sternly as he readied two Water Pulses. "So much as move and I won't hesitate to take you down."

Ignus, Prince of Light. Golden Catacombs.

The party continued into another room, this time a large library. Ignus took in the sights from the entrance, not proceeding into the room yet. Scrolls lined the walls on all sides, reaching towards the ceiling. Most of the others where staring mouth agate at the years of knowledge displayed before them. Another, unknown pokemon joined them.

"Welcome." He said softly to them, greeting them with a bow, "I've been expecting you."

Creepy as hell...

Several others jumped to defenses rather quickly. Ignus just kept his distance and watched the scene unfold.

Everyone, keep your eyes sharp. He wears a emblem, but that doesn't mean he is a brother. He could be someone in disguise.

Penance. Out loud he said, "What is your affiliation and why are you here?" He asked sternly as he readied two Water Pulses. "So much as move and I won't hesitate to take you down."

Golden Catacombs

"Affiliation…?" The figure said, as if pondering the question. By a whiff of the mystery Pokemon's arm, light was suddenly poured through the room, revealing the large library in full. It was stack with books and scrolls of all kind. Shelves lay across with all manner of records in them. The room seemed to extend for at least a kilometer. This was truly a library, if Zane had ever seen one. But more importantly, the sudden brightness of light revealed the identity of the Pokemon who greeted them. As Zane's eyes adjusted to the light, he saw an Alakazam, and old one by the looks of it. His medallion was indeed the same one that Kivir had, he was sure of it now. He had his hand on his chin, apparently still pondering Defender's last question. "Affilliation…no, I'm sorry. I'm afraid I just don't know how to answer that question. Affiliation would apply association, and I couldn't say I've been associated with any individual for so long…" His eyes carried over to the scrolls "…ah! The books! I am affiliated with the books. Yes, that is my allegiance."

Zane looked over some of the others, wondering their reaction to this, before speaking. "Who exactly are you?"

"Who? Who I am…who am I? It's been so long…so long since I've had to say…you know, I can't quite remember by name…" The old Alakazam placed an arm again to his chin, as if to contemplate the supposedly simple question of his identity. After pacing a few steps back, he turned his attention back to the group, as if almost forgetting that they were there, and only suddenly remembering. "If you must, you may simply call me the Guardian, the Architect, the Keeper. Pick your title. I am all of these…I am all of these…and yet…in a way I am none of them…Once, a long time ago, longer than I can comprehend, I was one of you, a member of the…tribe…but I digress, you have not come here to ask who, have you? No, no…it has been many years since anyone has come to ask 'who'…no you've come to ask 'what' and 'why' and 'how', have you not? What…the initial question. More specifically: what has happened? What occurred? This is often followed by why. Why did this occur? Why did this happen? And in the conclusion of such questioning, one is posed the most central one: How? How can this be stopped? How can we reverse this? How can we win?"

Zane stared at the Alakazam curiously. He seemed to be lost a bit, and because of that, Zane wasn't sure if he should take him seriously. But he did appear to be familiar with the situation they had. Did this old, perhaps senile Pokemon have any idea what he was talking about?

"Do you know why we are here, then?"

"Mmm…no, no. I wouldn't say that. At least, I wouldn't know your specific circumstance. I simply know the usual agenda of those who pass by here. They either put something in, or they seek to take something out. Knowledge. Since those who recently came here last had put something in, I assume that you have come to take something out. At least…I think…it was recent? Forgive me, time seems to pass by here quite quickly sometimes…or is it slowly? Hmm, something I should ponder on later…Nevertheless, that is usually the process. One comes to give knowledge…the next comes to seek it...Ah…but I cannot say I have the answers to all of these questions. In fact, I cannot say I know any of the answers that apply to your situation specifically. Many have come with their circumstances, and I have shown them the direction to their answers. But this place…" He said, extending his arms across the grand hall slowly being visible by light now shining through it. "…this place has your answer. The Grand Library."

The Alakazam looked back over to the Gold Tribe, scanning them over before his eyes landed on Guardia. "You…you have his face. Strong and proud he was, like many before him. An air of charisma and loyalty he commanded. Yet his thoughts were muddled with the concerns of the outside. He feared what was to come. But he wanted to do something about it. Here he stood where I stand now. He was the last to come."

Zane and Guardia exchanged looks. They had a good idea who he was talking about. It had to be Rey.

"My father?" Guardia asked. "Rey? He was here? When?"

"Mmm…apologies, time evades me here sometimes. I think it was yesterday. No! Wait, a week ago. Perhaps….a month? Maybe a year…" The Alakazam turned away from them, and began to pace back and forth. "I must meditate on this answer…" He looked back at them, as if remembering they were there. "Oh! The scrolls of the recent times will be on the latter side of the room. Good luck, noble ones…" The Alakazam began walking away, mumbling something under his breath, thought Zane could distinctly make some of it out as counting dates in his head. Zane shook his head, then looked back at the group.

"He was here! Rey was here. I think we're on to something here…we'd better split up and see what we can find on that side of the library. Look for dates of things that were in the last few years." Zane suddenly remember his dreams. "Actually, anything from the last 100 years could be useful. Anything related to the Order of Neoverse too. Also, any mentions of…small objects or things like that, that could be useful too. Let us know if you find anything. Anything at all that might be useful."

"What is your affiliation and why are you here?" Penance asked sternly as he readied two Water Pulses. "So much as move and I won't hesitate to take you down."

Don't do anything stupid, kid, Hanso thought in his own head. He wasn't about to actually say that, though.

"Affiliation…?" The figure said, as if pondering the question. By a whiff of the mystery Pokemon's arm, light was suddenly poured through the room, revealing the large library in full. It was stack with books and scrolls of all kind. Shelves lay across with all manner of records in them. The room seemed to extend for at least a kilometer. At least, that was what Hanso saw before turning his attention back to the figure - an old Alakazam. He had his hand on his chin, apparently still pondering Defender's last question. "Affilliation…no, I'm sorry. I'm afraid I just don't know how to answer that question. Affiliation would apply association, and I couldn't say I've been associated with any individual for so long…" His eyes carried over to the scrolls "…ah! The books! I am affiliated with the books. Yes, that is my allegiance."

Definitely been down here for a long time, Hanso thought. His arm-blade was still unsheathed, but he relaxed a little. A cursory mental scan showed that the Alakazam wasn't an illusion. So far as Hanso could tell, anyways. As the Alakazam continued talking, Hanso sighed, sheathing his arm-blade. Long enough to forget a few things, it seems. Still, considering what I know of Alakazams, he's a good choice for being a...Guardian or Keeper.

"Mmm…apologies, time evades me here sometimes. I think it was yesterday. No! Wait, a week ago. Perhaps….a month? Maybe a year…" The Alakazam turned away from them, and began to pace back and forth. "I must meditate on this answer…" He looked back at them, as if remembering they were there. "Oh! The scrolls of the recent times will be on the latter side of the room. Good luck, noble ones…" The Alakazam began walking away, mumbling something under his breath.

Is it possible that he's been down here too long? Hanso thought, watching the librarian go. Then again, how would one replace a Pokemon that could reputedly remember everything in its lifetime? Besides, there was no real indication that the Guardian was close to death, if he'd already been old for a long time.

"He was here! Rey was here. I think we're on to something here…we'd better split up and see what we can find on that side of the library. Look for dates of things that were in the last few years." Zane suddenly remember his dreams. "Actually, anything from the last 100 years could be useful. Anything related to the Order of Neoverse too. Also, any mentions of…small objects or things like that, that could be useful too. Let us know if you find anything. Anything at all that might be useful."

Hanso turned to the side of the library they'd be looking through. That many books and scrolls...We better find something. The Gallade shook his head slightly as he walked over and began searching.


It seemed like a while, though there wasn't much of an indication how much time passed, before Hanso picked up that one book. As he paged through it, one page caught his eye:

July 21st, Year 2347 AFV (After the Founding of Valkaria)

After Galleon fell, I had hope to learn how he was able to manipulate the powers of somebody with that "chaos form" ability, but no such luck came. The power had the drastic affects of increasing a Pokemon's power, but their personality and appearance altered. Their eyes grew dark as the night sky. Their facial expressions all seemed to just vanish. They almost seemed as if they no longer were sentient. I have no knowledge how Galleon came to this power, and now that he is dead, I suppose I will never know.

-Alex "Burstborn" Dusklore of the Gold Tribe


Hanso set the book down, thinking. Certain words, like "chaos form" and "sentient" had caught his eye at first, and now... His thoughts went back to something Lyn had told him in Albia during the battle: Ignitus did some sort of transformation. I don't even know how to begin to describe it to you. It was as if her whole persona changed, and her appearance.

If what Lyn said is connected to this "chaos form", then... Hanso didn't think he'd heard all the details of the fight with Ignitus, actually. But if this chaos form is back, then we're in trouble. Hanso felt he'd found enough, at least for now. The Gallade closed the book and tucked it under his arm as he left his section to find Zane.

Penance could only frown as the being revealed himself. An Alakazam. Great. Just what they needed now was a brainy pokemon more than happy to tell them what to do with a smug smile. However... this one was different. It seemed that he had been here for some time, long enough that it seemed he had lost a part of his mind. Apparently time no lnoger passed for him like it did for them, most likely because he hadn't seen the sun in such a long time and down here one couldn't see when it was day or night. It was rather strange to see an actual being down here, but it just mean that Auron and the others hadn't come in here yet, if they had, they would have found this 'keepers' corpse on the ground. If he told the truth and was affiliated with the books, then that must have meant he had a lot of time to read these scrolls by himself. That meant he was a wealth of information.

As the old one left, muttering to himself they all fanned out. Vigil told them to look for mentions of small spheres. Hm... Vigil knew something. Something that he didn't bother to share. Penance would make sure to ask him about that later. It was actually quite clever on Vigil's part to have kept quiet about it for this long. The Golduck walked around the area, not really going where the others were going. Why would he? It would just mean they would end up finidng redundant information. He used his psychic powers to pull off three scrolls off of a nearby shelve and browsed them quickly. He put them back and took off another three and gazed over them. Most of it was random words or about events that happened some years before the war.

None of them seemed to talk about the expedition or the mysterious land, just everyday events really. As he opened up another scroll something caught his eyes.

Penance put the other scrolls away and grabbed the scroll with the information and made his way back to Vigil. "Well, seems Rey had much more hidden than we thought. We can thank him for this little disaster." He answered coldly as he read the page to everyone.

"August 16, Year 2445 AFV (After the Founding of Valkaria)

Rey believes there to be something serious going on in the unknown lands to the north. He wouldn't tell me what exactly it was, only that it was from a secret carried down for a hundred years. He said something had awoken that should not have been. He has sent myself and a few of my brothers and sisters on a mission there to secure the area and find the source of the problem. I am uncertain why Rey believes this to be so dangerous, but he wouldn't send me on a mission like this if it wasn't. I will fulfill my duty and return as quickly as I can.

-Luphen "Auron" Augustus of the Gold Tribe."

Penance looked at Vigil with anger in his eyes. "Whatever he sent Auron and the others to find... it corrupted them or something like that. Rey knew about it this whole f**king time!" He snapped as he crumbled up the paper and tossed it to the ground. "This whole thing was because Rey knew something! He f**king knew and he didn't do anything about it!" He turned away from the others and began to walk away and threw his hands up into the air. "I give up! If our own leader hadn't even bothered with telling us all what would happen then let's just let Albia go to s**t! He certainly didn't care!"

Penance paused suddenly and grabbed his emblem on his arm and glared at the others. "Everything I thought I knew was a lie. I see it all now! Auron used them like-like tools! Animals to the slaughter! He didn't want to deal with it, so why not just send some Gold Tribe instead!? This... THIS IS JUST TRASH NOW!" With that he threw the emblem to the ground wihtout a care, causing it to crack and walked out, muttering to himself.

"Affiliation?" replied the pokemon to Penance's question. He raised his arms, and light illuminated the room. Ignus winced at the brightness, and lowere the extrasensory a little. Much better. Then he could see the pokemon fully. An Alakazam, old as hell. Probably older.

"Affilliation…no, I'm sorry. I'm afraid I just don't know how to answer that question. Affiliation would apply association, and I couldn't say I've been associated with any individual for so long…" He looked at the shelves of knowledge, "…ah! The books! I am affiliated with the books. Yes, that is my allegiance."

What a weirdo.

Zane spoke up. "Who exactly are you?"

"Who? Who I am…who am I? It's been so long…so long since I've had to say…you know, I can't quite remember by name…" The old bastard placed an arm again to his chin, as if to contemplate the supposedly simple question of his identity. After pacing a few steps back, he turned his attention back to the group, as if almost forgetting that they were there, and only suddenly remembering. "If you must, you may simply call me the Guardian, the Architect, the Keeper. Pick your title. I am all of these…I am all of these…and yet…in a way I am none of them…Once, a long time ago, longer than I can comprehend, I was one of you, a member of the…tribe…but I digress, you have not come here to ask who, have you? No, no…it has been many years since anyone has come to ask 'who'…no you've come to ask 'what' and 'why' and 'how', have you not? What…the initial question. More specifically: what has happened? What occurred? This is often followed by why. Why did this occur? Why did this happen? And in the conclusion of such questioning, one is posed the most central one: How? How can this be stopped? How can we reverse this? How can we win?"

"Do you know why we are here, then?" Zane again.

"Mmm…no, no. I wouldn't say that. At least, I wouldn't know your specific circumstance. I simply know the usual agenda of those who pass by here. They either put something in, or they seek to take something out. Knowledge. Since those who recently came here last had put something in, I assume that you have come to take something out. At least…I think…it was recent? Forgive me, time seems to pass by here quite quickly sometimes…or is it slowly? Hmm, something I should ponder on later…Nevertheless, that is usually the process. One comes to give knowledge…the next comes to seek it...Ah…but I cannot say I have the answers to all of these questions. In fact, I cannot say I know any of the answers that apply to your situation specifically. Many have come with their circumstances, and I have shown them the direction to their answers. But this place…" He said, extending his arms across the grand hall slowly being visible by light now shining through it. "…this place has your answer. The Grand Library."

Ignus slipped off on his own after this.

I've heard enough.

Ignus scanned the shelves, looking for anything particularly old. He read a few scrolls, mainly about stupid stuff like what town had what berries and so forth. Finally, he came across something relevant...


June 18th, Year 2347 AFV (After the Founding of Valkaria)

With the death of Emperor Galleon Gamble, the Order of Neoverse has been defeated. Now, we can finally be at peace, and start to rebuild Valkaria. It won't be easy, but the Alpha Alliance and the Gold Tribe together can restore the prosperity we once had.

I remember that Galleon wore a strange crystal. I don't know what it was, and I never really got a chance to find out. When we searched later for it, the crystal was gone. Whether someone had taken it in the confusion, or it was simply misplaced, I don't know. What I do know is that if Galleon was carrying it, it must have been important. I do recall him mentioning it before our fight began…

-Jonah "Stormseeker" Defre of the Gold Tribe

Okay. Strange crystal. Thats not too weird. Disapearing? No, someone must have taken it. Something like that just doesn't get lost under the bed. A crystal is fairly noticeable, so whoever took it must have been crafty. So Stormseeker talked to Galleon before the showdown? Well, thats not too weird either. Actually, this story doesn't seem all that relevant...but its relevant enough if it had to do with the OotN.

"Hey. Guys! I found something!" Ignus called out. He caught a glimpse of Penance throwing his emblem down. "Looks like a bad time,"he muttered. He rolled up the scroll and followed after Hanso. At least he had some sense about him still.

"Hey! Hey Hanso! I found something you might want to hear," called Ignus as he hurried to catch up, "but first, let me hear what you've found," he added, nodding towards the book under Hanso's arm.

Golden Catacombs

As everyone split up to find clues, Zane began digging through any documents he could. Most were records of important events that had happened, most of which he was aware of on some level, although the amount of detail explained in certain aspects was a bit extraordinary to Zane. If they ever got through all of this, he would love to look through most of these to see what has happened that he didn't know about in the history of the Gold Tribe. But for now, he had to find the missing links. Guardia was close to Zane looking through adjacent documents. He noticed TrueStriker on approach, a book in hand ready to share, but Defender reached Zane first, and showed him a note left by Auron. The note spoke of the mission he was about to partake in the unknown lands. Its secretive nature got Defender visibly upset, even causing him to explode in anger and throw his emblem.

"Defender! Calm down, brother." Zane said, trying to soothe the Golduck. He looked at Guardia, expecting her to snap at him for talking about her father like that, but she did not move her head from a certain book she had in her hand. She was reading it intently, her hands shaking.

"Guardia?" Zane called to her, but getting no response back. "…Lyn?" Zane called again, this time Guardia slowly moving away from her corner and approaching the others. Her eyes were still glued to the book, but after a moment longer, she handed it over to Zane, who took in confusedly. Her eyes never left the book, even when she passed it over to Zane. Zane opened it to the first page, seeing that it was a set of different documents and notes attached together in a binder. There was a small note in front of the binder.



Zane noted the date on the note from Rey. It was more recent, a little under two years ago. In fact, this was dated the same date as the invasion of the Ancients. The note was scribbled and messy, it being clear that the note was written with some desperation or rush. Zane flipped the page, and on it, older documents were attached.





Zane read over the parchment, confused. He knew part of this story well. It was the tale of the founding of the Alpha Alliance, Valkaria, and the Gold Tribe but it didn't seem right. There was a constant reference to something they were calling the "Dark One", which is something Zane wasn't familiar with. The traditional story of the founding of Valkaria was the same as written, 17 separate tribes, feuding with each other. But the story he was told was that the reason that the tribes united was a terrible natural disaster that swept the land and affected all sides. Never was there a reference to this…dark being they referred to. It didn't make sense to Zane, but more documents were attached, and so he flipped the page and read on.



Zane read with wide eyes and a heavy heart. Things were starting to become clearer and clearer. The source of all of these happenings was being illuminated before his very eyes. This most certainly must have been what Rey feared was going on in the unknown lands. There was some connection. His dreams, or visions he had were beginning to become clearer and clearer. But some questions still flooded his mind. He read on, his hands shaking as he did.





There it was. The connecting answers. It was strange that events 100 years ago would illuminate so much. Everything seemed to make sense. It was an unfortunate twist of fate, the fact that the original founders of Valkaria chose to protect this secret from many, and as a result it came to haunt them years later. Of course, no one could have predicted this. That which happened to the Gold Tribe one hundred years ago in Argos, during the Dark Tournament, must be the exact same situation that happened now. Now, Auron was the possessor of the Silver Crystal. He went to the unknown lands, and sought the Silver Crystal to ensure its security. Auron must have touched it accidentally and the result was this. He now had this…dark being inside him, and the other 'Sentinels' were simply the byproduct, the unfortunate ones who were nearby, who suffered the fate of indoctrination of the Silver Crystal. They came back with his power, and the Ancients, serving the Auron/the Dark God, are waging war and creating chaos so that the Dark One could return to this world. It was almost too mystical of an idea to believe, but what other possibility could there be? Rey once told him that when all rational possibilities were eliminated, that which remains, however irrational it may sound, must be true. It also seemed that with the Order of Neoverse, they played a much more bigger role with this dark being. Further proof existed ahead.



A note by Galleon, looking like it had been teared from some sort of journal, perhaps one that Galleon himself had on his person. It was a final justification for Zane to make final sense of his visions, his dreams. Galleon was under the control of the Silver Crystal, slowly beckoned by it to do his will. It must have been why the Order of Neoverse invaded in the first place. On the outside, it seemed like a simple grab for power, like Auron's invasion, but in reality, it seemed to be a way to try to revive the being in the crystal. Zane sighed deeply, and flipped to the last page, which apparently had a last note from Rey, judging by the handwriting.




As Zane passed the documents from Gold Tribe member to Gold Tribe member, each ones expressions to these revelations could be seen and felt. Even the quirky Hoodhide seemed speechless at the moment. It was so much information to take in at once, that Zane really didn't know where to begin. He was speechless. He couldn't bring himself to get out any words. Things have gotten a lot bigger than he thought.

"So was that it?" Zane asked out loud. "Had Auron really touched the crystal by accident, or was it that survivor of the Order of Neoverse?" He wasn't really asking as much. He wasn't sure any of them had the answer. Was this entire ordeal pure accident, or was it orchestrated by a successor of Galleon Gamble? Zane looked at them, wondering if any had an answer. When his eyes met with Guardia's, something was wrong. It was as if a light bulb went off in her brain, as she walked around quickly, looking over the other Gold Tribe members.

"No…it…it can't be…I mean…no, it can't be…can it?" She said, wandering around all of them one more time, as if looking for one among them. Zane eyed her suspiciously.

"What's the matter?" He asked her. She stopped, facing Zane, he could see tears forcefully being held back in her eyes, her face more worried than he had ever seen her.

"He's…he's not here. He must have left sometime before. I don't remember when. Could it be…I mean…" She said to him.

"Who?"

The words seemed hard for her to utter out of her mouth, as if they were stuck in her throat.

"Noctus...Noctus Gamble."

Penance continued to walk, that is, until Zane called after him. He turned and glared angrily at the Bisharp. Just why should he calm down!? Their leader had been keeping some secret that in essence destroyed their entire society. It wasn't fair! Not fair at all! What really caught Penance's attention however was Guardia. The Zangoose looked to be in some kind of daze. She had a book in her hands. Hm... she had obviously found something that had either blown her mind with knowledge... or had just further solidified what Penance had said. For a few minutes Zane just read whatever was written and Penance had to admit he was rather curious. Then he began to pass the notes around. Penance read over the notes quickly, his eyes flashing over key words. However instead of becoming angrier he actually began to smile. He soon began to chuckle and then he was laughing rather loudly. He dropped the paper he had been reading and his back pressed against a book shelf as he practically screamed with laughter, so much so that tears began to leak out of his eyes. He got it now!

Lyn just spoke out loud his suspicions as the Golduck continued to laugh. "Oh! That is rich! He got us!" He laughed a bit more before his mirth died down to mere giggles. "He traveled with us all around just to spite us! He KNEW we would find this information! He was in the joke the entire time! Genius!" He burst into more laughter, enough so that his ribe began to hurt from the force of his laughter, but it was just too hilarious! The guy that started this all... and he had been with them! Hell! He had ordered him to be saved at the ambush site! Pure genius!

Penance, after a while, just pressed his back on the shelf for support as he wheezed for a bit. "Oh... that is too good! It's just like a plot from a book!" He wiped the tears from his cheeks once more. "Oh... my ribs..." A few chuckles escaped his bill but he pulled himself together. "Oh... first Rey... and now this. I think a few Legendaries are pulling us around eh?" He chuckled a bit more at his comment. "This is just too rich. Probably been in planning for who knows how long? Oh, I have to give props to him, that is a genius plan! Never suspected him!"

"Hey! Hey Hanso! I found something you might want to hear," called Ignus as he hurried to catch up, "but first, let me hear what you've found," he added, nodding towards the book under Hanso's arm.

Hanso glanced over, noting the scroll Ignus had. "Once everyone's back together," he replied, looking back at Vigil...who was listening to an upset Penance. Hanso himself heard what the Golduck had found, followed by--

"Whatever he sent Auron and the others to find... it corrupted them or something like that. Rey knew about it this whole f**king time!" Penance snapped as he crumbled up the paper and tossed it to the ground. "This whole thing was because Rey knew something! He f**king knew and he didn't do anything about it!" He turned away from the others and began to walk away and threw his hands up into the air. "I give up! If our own leader hadn't even bothered with telling us all what would happen then let's just let Albia go to s**t! He certainly didn't care!"
Penance paused suddenly and grabbed his emblem on his arm and glared at the others. "Everything I thought I knew was a lie. I see it all now! Auron used them like-like tools! Animals to the slaughter! He didn't want to deal with it, so why not just send some Gold Tribe instead!? This... THIS IS JUST TRASH NOW!"

Hanso walked over and crouched down to pick up the emblem Penance had just thrown down, noting the crack. So Rey knew what he was sending Auron and the others to find... Hanso straightened, looking back at the Golduck's back. Yes, Rey knew about it, but the Gallade wasn't about to let Penance abandon the whole cause! He began to follow the Golduck, then stopped short as he realized that Lyn was silent to Zane's inquiries. She brought a book over to Zane, who began reading...and got just as speechless. Thankfully, Penance had turned back as well. As Zane began passing the documents around, Hanso did the same with the book he'd found, eventually getting the book Lyn had found.

He had to put it down on a table after the first few pieces of information, his hands were shaking. It all made sense now. All of it. Somehow, this crystal's prisoner had taken ahold of Auron and influenced his comrades, turning them into the Sentinels and bringing back the armies of Ancients. After taking some deep breaths to calm himself, Hanso passed on the book, thinking. The Silver Crystal is the cause of this...so why don't we remove it? The danger there was that it might end up possessing one of them. Unless we have a cloth or something covering it...not to mention we'd need to remove it first, and having the Gold Crystal would help...

Then Penance began laughing. Hanso took a step forward, then hesitated. Which Penance was this? Then it got worse as Lyn put voice to something: Noctus Gamble. Hanso found himself leaning an arm on the table for support. Noctus Gamble. Galleon Gamble. It couldn't be a coincidence...could it? And the Cacturne hadn't left Albia with them.

"Oh! That is rich! He got us!" Penance laughed a bit more before his mirth died down to mere giggles. "He traveled with us all around just to spite us! He KNEW we would find this information! He was in the joke the entire time! Genius!" He burst into more laughter, enough so that his ribe began to hurt from the force of his laughter, but it was just too hilarious! The guy that started this all... and he had been with them! Hell! He had ordered him to be saved at the ambush site! Pure genius!

Penance, after a while, just pressed his back on the shelf for support as he wheezed for a bit. "Oh... that is too good! It's just like a plot from a book!" He wiped the tears from his cheeks once more. "Oh... my ribs..." A few chuckles escaped his bill but he pulled himself together. "Oh... first Rey... and now this. I think a few Legendaries are pulling us around eh?" He chuckled a bit more at his comment. "This is just too rich. Probably been in planning for who knows how long? Oh, I have to give props to him, that is a genius plan! Never suspected him!"

Hanso sighed, rubbing his forehead with one hand. The other was still on the table, Penance's emblem beside it. The implication was that Noctus had a part in starting this whole mess with the Silver Tribe...but did he? "Well, the way I see it," Hanso began, "we have two problems, more if anyone else thinks of any. First, we know that Auron's possessed by the crystal's prisoner, or something. The book I found described a 'chaos form', which I suspect is what happened with Ignitus. Lyn, you and whoever else was fighting with you would know better if you read what I found."

Hanso paused, straightening as he kept his face neutral. "The other problem is Noctus. Personally, I'd say we get proof first. Whether he started this mess or not, we need to find and confront him, find out for sure." Glancing at Penance, he added to himself, Third problem: what's that kid gonna do now?

Sovereign & Vera

Sovereign walked down the corridors, towards the gathering Sentinels, Vera at his side, completely unaware of the bizarre events that had just transpired. He had heard of Gold City from his father, many years before the start of the rebellion. He had expected so much more. But perhaps its current state was an extension of its new found residents.

Sovereign was glad to see that his only friend was in perfect health. One thing this place didn't lack was a good medical staff. Vera wasn't sure what to think. Upon exiting the infirmary, she had found Sovereign and Genevieve together alone. And yet... Sovereign was so quick to leave. Genevieve seemed quite outside her usually cool demeanor, as if something had rattled her. But now there was work to be done. There was no time to ponder the business of a manipulative harlot.

Upon arriving at the meeting place, they were surprised to find that the Sentinels had already departed without them. The two of them remained silent. It seemed there was nothing to discuss. And so the followed after the others, keeping pace to try and meet up before reaching their final destination...

---

"She didn't seem too willing to help you Erratt," said the figure in the darkness.

"Shut up Varren," said Erratt, as he looked through Sovereign's eyes, watching his progression, and keeping an eye on his biggest obstacle. "You should have let me have my fun Erratt. I can't remember the last time I had a good woman." His wicked smile pierced through the darkness. "She'd never help me if I had let you proceed you disgusting little whelp!"

"She will come around. You'll see..."

Plains of Valkaria

Much distance was crossed in little time. The Ancients were efficient, Scar would give them that. They do not sleep. They hardly tire. They were the perfect soldiers with little to no downside. He assumed they would be slowed down by the army, but in the end they didn't have any trouble keeping up. By the end of the second day of travel, the army had marched to the rendezvous location, about a mile outside of the forest. As they approached, Scar signaled for the army to halt with a raise of his arm. One of the Kabutops in front screeched out loud, and the echo of the screech resonated through the army, and the ancients came to an abrupt halt. It was quiet, no one spoke among the Sentinels as they seemed to just wait. Eventually, a figure emerged across the plains, approaching the Sentinels. It was one who was familiar to Scar, in fact, to all of the Sentinels, except perhaps Sovereign, who wasn't technically one of "them". The figure had been allied with the Sentinels since the very beginning, as long back as Scar could remember. He never knew the Pokemon's name, nor did he ask, as Auron consistently said it wasn't important. Sometimes he wore a cloak when he traveled to meet the Sentinels and other times he was in the open. Again, none of the Sentinels asked of him such questions or reasons. They simply knew that he was one of them, despite gaining the allegiance of the other side. In this particular case, he was in a cloak, traveling to the front of the army towards the Sentinels. He stopped a meter from them, eyed them.

"Right, you're here." He said, turning and beginning to walk towards the forest. "Come on. We're going inside."

Scar did not move. "Wait, why don't we just burn out the forest from the outside? It would be much easier."

"Burning it won't work. Many have tried before to get rid of it that way, and not just the Silver Tribe, but the Gold Tribe before that. We have to destroy them from their source, the Thieves Village. Besides, we have to ensure that Roswell dies. Have the bulk of your army patrol the edges of the forest in case any try to run. We'll come at them with a smaller force of stronger Ancients, including you Sentinels. I'll lead you inside."

As he continued to walk, Scar still remained skeptical of the plan, and stayed still for a moment longer. He looked back and saw that Scar did not move, and spoke once more. "This order comes from Auron. You don't want to disobey him, do you?"

At those words, Scar began to follow the cloaked Pokemon into the forest. The Inferno and a smaller battalion of Ancients followed suit, while the others began to enclose the forest's edge from the outside.

"Any particular plan once we reach the village?" Scar asked.

"I am only taking you there. You can decide among yourselves how to approach the objective from there. As long as they die, it won't matter."

Golden Catacombs

No one was in a particularly talkative mood as the newest revelation hit them. Noctus Gamble. Galleon Gamble. It was too fitting to be a coincidence. Zane clenched his fists, but said nothing, in fact nothing was heard momentarily among the Gold Tribe except the slight giggling and laughter of Defender. And although his deteriorating condition wasn't in the best moment, Zane found himself momentarily not thinking too much on it. He looked at Guardia, who hung her head low. She had known Noctus the best and longest out of the group, so to her it must have been the hardest. Eventually, TrueStriker broke the silence in between Defender's episode and the silence.

"Well, the way I see it," Hanso began, "we have two problems, more if anyone else thinks of any. First, we know that Auron's possessed by the crystal's prisoner, or something. The book I found described a 'chaos form', which I suspect is what happened with Ignitus. Lyn, you and whoever else was fighting with you would know better if you read what I found."

Guardia's head shot up at the realization. "Yea! It makes sense. That 'chaos form' ability must have been what I say. So its another power he can do."

Zane nodded in agreement. It seemed safe to assume that the Order of Neoverse chaos form ability of 100 years ago was part of the being in the Silver Crystal's power. In other words, a possible problem if he could do it to the other Sentinels as well.

Hanso paused, straightening as he kept his face neutral. "The other problem is Noctus. Personally, I'd say we get proof first. Whether he started this mess or not, we need to find and confront him, find out for sure."

"Mmm...I think I agree." Gallant began. "I don't know the guy myself since I wasn't in your group, but from what I've seen on the battlefield, I can't say if he's behind it for sure. We'll need some proof to be 100% sure."

Zane agreed with this as well with a nod, and he honestly hope in reality that it weren't true, but too many things were pointing to this at the moment. For now, he could only hope that it wasn't true. He assumed time will tell for sure. But the main problem was another think now. Zane stepped forward and read aloud another part of the documents just to reiterate a point.

"As for the Gold Crystal, I had it hidden myself. I have vowed to never tell another soul of its location, except my successor as leader. They are to vow to only tell their successor, and so the cycle will go on. The knowledge of the Gold Crystal and Silver Crystal will pass from Gold Tribe leader to Gold Tribe leader, just in case the worst will come to pass." He finished reading the part and looked up at them.

"The main problem here is that we have no idea where the Gold Crystal is. Auron was supposed to be the heir...and now-"

"Not quite." Guardia interrupted. "I'm not completely sure, but...I think I may know where the Gold Crystal is." Zane looked at her, waiting for her to elaborate. "Back when I was a girl, dad took me on a trip to Cape City. Said he had something important to show me. He showed me all around Cape City, as well as Ancient City below it. During that whole trip, he showed me a few specific cool object, but one specifically he seemed to put a lot more time in showing was a...gem or jewel of some kind. I didn't really understand it then, but I think that was the Gold Crystal."

Zane nodded, connected the dots. Back when she was a little girl, Rey must have thought that Guardia would grow up to take over the Gold Tribe, as the Reed family had been leaders for over 200 years. He couldn't have known that Guardia would grow up and turn out to be the best candidate. Back then, he must have been going by tradition. Either way, it was a stroke of luck, and it gave the Gold Tribe a location.

"Actually, it was the same day dad introduced me to you and your family." She recalled. Zane smiled in recollection as well. He must have only been about 9 or ten when she was 6 or 7. Zane's grandfather was an old friend of the Gold Tribe and Rey must have been checking in on him since he had recently retired. That day, he met Lyn and Rey. He remembered being so nervous meeting the leader of the Gold Tribe.

Zane suddenly snapped back into reality, wiping away his smile on his face at the recollections. He became serious once more.

"So, what's the plan now?" Speculum asked.

"Well..." Zane began, looking over everything in his hands once more to make sure he had gotten the story straight. "...the new plan seems to be in correlation with the old one. Our job is still to free Valkaria through the liberation of its main cities. We need to free Cape City. In the process, we can retrieve the Gold Crystal as well. After that...it's Gold City, and Auron. And then maybe this madness will all be put to an end."

The way he said it made it seem much easier than it was going to be. Zane knew for a fact that these would be the two toughest battles they face. Still, it was comforting to know that in reality, only two main steps remained.

"We'll also be on the lookout for Noctus during this time. If we find him, we'll find out the truth with certainty. But something tells me that we won't likely find him as he finds us..." He said, clenching his fists once more. He composed himself, and continued. "I think its best that we go to Cape City without the army. We'll be able to scout out the situation in Cape City, and report back information to the army, while also being able to secure the Gold Crystal more easily without drawing too much attention to ourselves. I say now, we go back to Albia, pack up our necessities quickly, and be on the move to Cape. There's much to be done, and I think we've learned all we can here."

"HOLD!" A voice said from behind them. Zane turned to see the Alakazam from before standing there, his had extended outward to them. Zane had partially forgotten about the Pokemon in all of this discovery. "Hold." He said again, still keeping his arm up.

"Yes?" Zane asked.

"I did not realize you were apart of THAT group." He said, beginning to pace back and forth. "I should have forseen it probably, but so many come through here with their problems. I did not know that your problem happened to be that problem...allow me to accompany you outside. You will most likely need my counsel. And quite honestly, I haven't been outside in....well, let us just say it has been a while...I think..." He murmured to himself, as Zane, once more looked over the documents and checked on something. He remembered that mentions of an Alakazam actually did happen in the records. In fact, in both mentions, they were detailed quite a long time ago. 100 years ago was the first mention. That might be the case that this Pokemon was the same one, but Zane wasn't sure. The other mention was...Year 34 AFV...over 2000 years ago. There was no way this could have been the same Pokemon, could it? Either way, Zane could see the benefit of having someone like the Alakazam, a potential wealth of knowledge, with them. Despite his age (whatever that was...) he seemed healthy enough to be able to move on his own.

The others did not seem to have much problem with it, so Zane nodded, and the Alakazam began to follow them out of the Catacombs, though he walked a bit further back than the others. As they passed through the front doors again, the more recent and urgent problems seemed to make their presence known in Zane's mind. Zane knew he would need all of the Gold Tribe for this colossal undertaking. The question was, were all of them up for the task, both physically and mentally? Zane looked over them as they prepared to make their way back to Albia. Most held heavy or thoughtful looks on their face, except Defender, who Zane was a bit more worried about.

"Once everyone's back together," replied Hanso. He seemed distracted...

Speaking of distracted, Ignus was being distracted by Zane and Lyn. Both of them were steadfast in their reading. Ignus meandered over, and eventually everyone had gathered as well. They began switching pieces of information, each getting a turn to read all of the gathered info. Once Ignus was finished, it seemed to all fit. So the crystal Galleon had was called the Silver Crystal...and it unlocked some sort of chaos form, like what happened in Albia. And also...that Noctus guy that left was...Galleon's great great grandson? Or whatever. It seems he left to avoid being attacked after his identity was found out. But...he doesn't seem like a bad guy at all. Kinda quiet...but he had helped them for a reason? Besides, its not like it his fault his ancestor was a traiter.

"Oh! That is rich! He got us!" Penance laughed a bit more before his mirth died down to mere giggles.

"He traveled with us all around just to spite us! He KNEW we would find this information! He was in the joke the entire time! Genius!"

Shut the f*** up...

He burst into more laughter. Penance, after a while, just pressed his back on the shelf for support as he wheezed for a bit. "Oh... that is too good! It's just like a plot from a book!" He wiped the tears from his cheeks once more. "Oh... my ribs..." A few chuckles escaped his bill but he pulled himself together. "Oh... first Rey... and now this. I think a few Legendaries are pulling us around eh?" He chuckled a bit more at his comment. "This is just too rich. Probably been in planning for who knows how long? Oh, I have to give props to him, that is a genius plan! Never suspected him!"

Hanso sighed, rubbing his forehead with one hand. "Well, the way I see it," Hanso began, "we have two problems, more if anyone else thinks of any. First, we know that Auron's possessed by the crystal's prisoner, or something. The book I found described a 'chaos form', which I suspect is what happened with Ignitus. Lyn, you and whoever else was fighting with you would know better if you read what I found."Hanso paused.

"The other problem is Noctus. Personally, I'd say we get proof first. Whether he started this mess or not, we need to find and confront him, find out for sure."

Murmurs of agreement spread throughout the tribe, only to be hushed as Zane stepped forward.

He read out loud from another paper.

 "As for the Gold Crystal, I had it hidden myself. I have vowed to never tell another soul of its location, except my successor as leader. They are to vow to only tell their successor, and so the cycle will go on. The knowledge of the Gold Crystal and Silver Crystal will pass from Gold Tribe leader to Gold Tribe leader, just in case the worst will come to pass." He finished reading the part and looked up at them.

"The main problem here is that we have no idea where the Gold Crystal is. Auron was supposed to be the heir...and now-"

"Not quite." Guardia interrupted. "I'm not completely sure, but...I think I may know where the Gold Crystal is. Back when I was a girl, dad took me on a trip to Cape City. Said he had something important to show me. He showed me all around Cape City, as well as Ancient City below it. During that whole trip, he showed me a few specific cool object, but one specifically he seemed to put a lot more time in showing was a...gem or jewel of some kind. I didn't really understand it then, but I think that was the Gold Crystal."

"That's pretty damn convenient, don't you think?" Ignus said, "This is going to be fun."

So, what's the plan now?" Speculum asked. 

"Well..." Zane began, "...the new plan seems to be in correlation with the old one. Our job is still to free Valkaria through the liberation of its main cities. We need to free Cape City. In the process, we can retrieve the Gold Crystal as well. After that...it's Gold City, and Auron. And then maybe this madness will all be put to an end."

"We'll also be on the lookout for Noctus during this time. If we find him, we'll find out the truth with certainty. But something tells me that we won't likely find him as he finds us..." He said, clenching his fists once more. He composed himself, and continued. "I think its best that we go to Cape City without the army. We'll be able to scout out the situation in Cape City, and report back information to the army, while also being able to secure the Gold Crystal more easily without drawing too much attention to ourselves. I say now, we go back to Albia, pack up our necessities quickly, and be on the move to Cape. There's much to be done, and I think we've learned all we can here."

"HOLD!" A voice said from behind them. The Librarian dude. "Hold." He said again.

"Yes?" Zane asked. 

"I did not realize you were apart of THAT group." He said, beginning to pace back and forth. "I should have foreseen it probably, but so many come through here with their problems. I did not know that your problem happened to be that problem...allow me to accompany you outside. You will most likely need my counsel. And quite honestly, I haven't been outside in....well, let us just say it has been a while...I think..."

This guy really must be ancient. Who ever heard of an Alakazam getting alzheimer's?

The party headed outside the catacombs, with Ignus slowly dropping the extrasensory. Once outside, Ignus stopped to let the sun warm him. It felt nice...

Penance 'Defender' Malum​

Crystals. All everyone was talking about was crystals! Silver crystal this! Gold crystal that! Who cared about stupid crystals!? Well, a Sableye might, hell all their talk of crystals was sure to drive on a Sableye's hunger through the roof, but none of them were Sableyes were they now? Nope! Well, the ditto could be one, maybe his hunger would be driven up? Though he doubted the others tried crystals before, he certainly hadn't! The Golduck crossed his arms, his good mood out of the cave now. They all talked some more about evidence and junk like that. He didn't care about evi anything. In fact, why talk and talk when it wasn't doing anything? There wasn't a bit of lick of sense that could come from talking, instead they should have been wabbering out plans. Talk about the future to help with what was to come instead of smacking about the now and then.

That Alakazam continued to speak to them, but Penance shut off his ears. He could do that when he really wanted to ya know! It was a cool trick, not everyone could do it apparently. Just another skill he had that made him even more unique! It was fun to be unique.

What had really gotten him thinking though was everyone speaking about their next destination. Penance smirked as his mind began to whirl. It had been some time since it had happened. It would be fun actually. He had a good idea in his head that could help them all out. Though, he would have to be rather.... unique when he would start this off. Like he told himself, it would be fun! Penance chuckled to himself as he started following the others out of the cave. He just had to mark the right time to do it.

Plains of Valkaria

It was nice to be outside again. Zane's eyes had adjusted to the darkness of the catacombs from the few hours that they had spent there. Now, as they exited, the bright light of the sun shone to his eyes immensely, causing him to cover up a bit to adjust back to it. But when he did finally adjust, he took in the surroundings as a reminder of the great and beautiful country he fought for, from the plains across Valkaria, to its cities, large and small. Indeed, the discoveries he made in that place did not weigh as heavily on his heart as they did moments before in the darkness. In the sun, he almost felt more confident. Perhaps it was the illumination, finally being able to piece together mostly everything and understand why this was happening in the first place. Zane didn't doubt that they had challenges up ahead. But he was hopeful now. He didn't know if they would succeed, that much he still accepted, but the wealth of information gathered improved their chances in his eyes. They now at least had a way to stop it. The key lied in Cape City. The Gold Crystal.

The Gold Tribe journeyed back to Albia, where they would rest, pack what necessities they could, and then prepare to leave to Cape City. During that time, Zane would speak with Generals Belas and Hazone, informing them of their intent and catching up with them. As they headed back, Zane wondered if their newly added member, the Alakazam whose name they did not yet know, and even whose title was a bit unknown, would be accompanying them the entire way. It certainly seemed that he would, but Zane wondered if the older Pokemon would be able to keep up. He wanted to ask him during their walk back, but the Pokemon walked alone a bit to the side of the group, clearly not wishing to speak to them at the moment. At least, that's what Zane believed. He was certain he would get a chance later.

It was a few hours later that they managed to get to Albia. The sun still high in the sky, the time maybe being around mid-afternoon. Already, Pokemon were hard at work rebuilding homes and other damaged parts of the city. In the days since the battle, Albia was looking better every day, although it still was severely damaged nonetheless, and likely wouldn't be completely rebuilt until after the war ends, if it ever did.

"Right." Zane began to speak, turning around to face the Gold Tribe. He had almost forgotten how many of them there still were with them. There were over a dozen now. Even though they had lost a few along the way, they had begun with only four in Liberty Town. War truly did bring them to their cause. He put the thought aside for now, recollecting what he was going to say. "We should pack whatever we'll need. Bring enough supplies for a week. There's no telling how long this might take, detours and all. I'll meet you all at the gates in three hours, and then we'll head out."

The Gold Tribe departed after that, heading their own ways to prepare for their journey. Sword and Shield, before he went off to get ready, approached Zane and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Vigil, take a look." He said to him, pointing off to something in the east. Zane didn't immediately see what he was pointing to, but eventually it became plainly obvious. It was smoke, quite a large portion of it, rising from somewhere in the Thieves Forest. Zane couldn't tell for sure, given the extraordinary size of the forest to begin with, but it seemed to be coming from the general location of the Thieves Village. A few other Pokemon in Albia took notice as well, looking on at the forest, though quite a distance away, and worried what was the cause. Zane wondered too. What was happening in the Thieves Forest?


Thieves Forest

With the cloaked Pokemon gone, Scar looked ahead at the village. He could hear chatter and noise from the thieves who were probably going about their 'merry' business as usual, completely unaware of the impending danger they were in. And Scar made sure of their non-awareness, commanding the Ancients to kill any scouts they would have found along the outer areas of the forest. Now, the forest was littered with Ancients patrolling and preparing to invade and decimate the village, thereby ending the a huge thorn in the side of the Silver Tribe. But the plan was a bit more intricate. In this extermination, they had to make sure to kill Roswell, the King of Thieves. He was the mastermind behind the entire operations of the thieves, and killing him would most certainly end the reign of the thieves, and also most likely prevent them from ever coming back. The Sentinels would enter the village as emissaries from Auron, requesting to speak with Roswell. Roswell would invite them in, believing the Sentinels wouldn't be stupid to try doing something on their own, completely unaware that the forest was crawling with Ancients. When the Sentinels were close enough...they strike, and the Ancients invade.

Scar began to walk towards the forest, the other Sentinels following behind. He noticed that Genevieve was nowhere to be seen, him assuming she had not yet reached them. Scar shrugged it off, decided ultimately that she was missing out on the fun. A lone Ledian approached the Sentinels. He was trembling, but he did a fairly good job of hiding it. Scar just had a knack for telling these things.

"Silver Tribe, what're you doing here? We had did our part of the deal. Wasn't that suppose to mean you wouldn't be bothering us anymore?" He said, keeping his guard up, what little good it would do.

"Ah, yes. But Auron wished us to speak with Roswell. It is of the utmost importance." Scar lied. The Ledian thought about it, then replied.

"Alright, give me the message, and then I'll deliver it to Roswell."

"I'm afraid we can't do that. Lord Auron's instructions was to deliver it to Roswell and only Roswell. You wouldn't want us to have to come back here under different terms, would you? I assure you we'll make this as painless as possible."

The Ledian thought for a moment, before a cooing sound was heard through the forest. Scar assumed this was a code the thieves used to communicate with each other. After a few back and forth sounds that sounded like gibberish to him, the Ledian nodded, and began leading them into the village. As they got closer, the sounds of the partying and chattering actually started to lower than increase, Scar assuming that Roswell had put them all under alert of what was happening. Scar smiled a bit, praising the Lucario's quick thinking and decisiveness, what little good it would do him here.

After passing through the village, they eventually reached the Decreement, the main treehouse building in the village, where Roswell usually held meetings and council with others. The Sentinels walked inside, finding Roswell seating casually (though Scar noted that he appeared to almost be forcing the casual display as an act to make this all seem normal). Hundreds of Pokemon were watching through the holes of the top of the building, many wondering what would happen next.

"Sentinels." Roswell acknowledged them as they entered. "Mind telling me what the hell you're doing here? We had an agreement. This message better be good."

"Ah, yes, the message. Let me see here...." Scar looked over his person, apparently making an attempt to appear as if he indeed had a message to deliver. "...hmm, strange. I can't seem to be able to find it. No matter! I can recall most of it with good accuracy."

Roswell leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms as he awaited the delivery of the message. The thieves above watched worriedly, wondering what would happen next.

"Lord Auron says....and, I am just paraphrasing here...that it is time for your end." He said, with a smile. Just as Scar finished the sentence, Roswell's eyes grew large, and the Inferno stepped forward, mustering as much energy he could in one stroke, and unleash a hellstorm of fire not only towards Roswell, but at the entire building and Pokemon in it with a Fire Spin. Flames spread everywhere and the screams and shrieks of all manner of Pokemon could be heard. Smoke and ash began to cover the area. Scar squinted his eyes as he tried to see through the flames and tried to see if they had killed their target, the King, only to find an empty chair. He then noticed the Lucario jumping up through the cracked holes of the Decreement.

"Thieves, run! Get out of the village! Get out and hide!" He yelled, and they soon began to disperse out of the building, trying to flee out of the village.

"Ha! What good that will do for you, Roswell!" Scar yelled after him. "Our Ancients are already surrounding your village as we speak. Unfortunately, there is no escape!" Roswell gave a worried look, before jumping through the roof of the building.

"Hmph," Scar said. "They always run....come! We must not lose him. Kill the King of Thieves!"

The Sentinels exited the building and separated, searching for Roswell, just as Ancients began pouring into the village, slaughtering every thief they saw.

Hanso SharpEye and Genevieve L'esprit

Genevieve paced to herself, her steps rustling softly in the mild air of Silver City's courtyard. Her mind was racing, not really unusual for her, but these thoughts, she couldn't escape them. Like echoes of the past, but impossible to recall in their entirety. Her encounter with Sovereign and whatever it was inside of him. This troubled Genevieve, almost as if her mind was betraying itself under its own fragility and her body's recovery from its weakened state.

This wasn't the first time such a thing has happened. Her mind playing tricks on itself, strange, garbled images of the past. Locations, feelings, Pokemon. Each time, Genevieve swallowed that pain, the suffering, and a feeling that she rarely felt, shame. Not for what she has been, or is doing, but because of her weakness. She had to get stronger, to overcome her worst enemy, herself.

She began to punish herself, her fist pounding against the lithe form of her upper thigh. Pain served as a distraction, but it wasn't enough. Thoughts continued to rage through her head, from battle plans, to arithmetic, to her job. It had been a while since her real job had been performed, too many battles, not enough behind the scenes work. When Auron gave orders however, it's best to follow through.

Then it came to her, Truestriker. The one whom Sovereign engaged on the battlefield, his presence still fresh in her mind. He was still alive, she was sure of it. What a valuable asset he would be to the Silver Tribe, to her. There were far too many brutes running around in her midst, they needed a few more...cerebral beings. What if they could speak across this distance between them? She wasn't sure if it would work, but it was worth a try.

Genevieve glided her way through the barren streets, her mind at ease as she made her way to the city limits. She could here the soft sound of a family of bird Pokemon in the distance. It would be difficult to initiate the first bit of communication, a one way signal was typically harder to receive than a cooperative one.

"The one they call Truestriker...." She closed her eyes, the strain causing her to wince inwardly. "Hello, my dear. Can you hear me? I hope you haven't forgotten little old me? It hasn't been too long I hope?"

...

Hanso had remained quiet after he'd spoken his piece, keeping an eye on Penance the whole time. The Golduck really worried him. Aside from Penance's thought process, he had a side that had come up at least once already, and lying to him had already set him apart. Hanso held the Golduck's emblem in one hand as the Gold Tribe left the Catacombs, with the Keeper walking alone to one side.

It seemed almost inevitable that Hanso would end up with more time to think about...well, everything. Going by what they'd just learned in the Library, it seemed that the Sentinels hadn't really had a choice once Auron and his group had acquired the Silver Crystal. Whether they'd chosen it or not, though, they were here in Valkaria now, with their armies of Ancients. That wouldn't be changed by anything of the past, even if the Gold Tribe's entire system and set of beliefs was a lie, like Penance had said.

Not to mention that Noctus Gamble might actually be a spy for the Silver Tribe. Or Sovereign's split personalities, one of which was an especially dangerous battle mode. Or Hanso's own thoughts that he was severely underpowered once he lost the use of an arm, even for just a short time. And I'm not sure how much training it might take before any one of us could possibly take on a Sentinel solo. He felt he had to learn some sort of attack that didn't depend on his arm-blades...and it wouldn't hurt if he could learn how to shut down Sovereign's battle-mode personality. Penance probably wouldn't consider teaching him anything about getting into another's mind, though.

Invading another's mind, after all, would always be a matter of privacy, and the invaded Pokemon wouldn't appreciate--

"He--o, -- -ear." What the... "--- yo- h--- m-? I ho-- -o- hav--- --rgot--- li--le old --? -- has--- b-e- to- lo-- I h-pe?"

Hanso's eyes closed as he turned his attention to the message. Telepathy, perhaps over a long distance. It was too garbled to identify the voice at the moment. Hanso replied with his own message, though it strained him to send it out so far. "You're gonna have to do better than that to make it clear who you are."

...

Success. His reply was slightly garbled on the return message, but it was definitely received. How should she play this? Aloof, playful, bored, ahh...definitely bored. Maybe with a hint of playfulness. She chuckled to herself. Finally something to do that was interesting.

Genevieve focused her thoughts inwardly, she tried her best to establish a mental shield from the signal. When sharing unspoken thoughts with another, you always had to be careful not to let stray thoughts or emotions sneak by your watch. It was typically easier said than done, especially if the person on the other end was a telepath too. After awhile, it was a skill the Genevieve considered herself to be talented at. She had no intention of trying to pry the poor dear's thoughts at this time, not worth the risk of his noticing. She wasn't so sure if he was as content to sit by however.

She wondered if he was as lonely or as bored as she was. He was more of a warrior than her however; maybe he needed battle? Genevieve hoped that wasn't the case. She had orders to go to a battlefield now as a matter of fact, and she didn't eagerly wait for its arrival. Battle had its place, but it certainly didn't provide the stimulation she yearned for. People who's lives were consumed with battle and moving from one fight to the next were usually insipid and painfully obtuse.

"You pain me, my dear. You mean you don't recognize me? Let's see....ahh, I know! Let's make it a game, I am so dreadfully bored after all. I'll give you three guesses to figure out who I am. I certainly hope it won't take that many, but who knows." She flooded the connection with boredom and sense of whimsy at her game proposal.

...

The only sign that all was not well within Hanso was the frown that edged its way onto his face. The reply was not so garbled anymore, and Hanso now recognized the mental voice of the other telepath. There was also a sense of boredom and whimsy, not difficult for any telepath to communicate.

Is she truly bored, though? Hanso scanned through the message and feelings for a feeling of falseness or something held back. Her boredom seemed true enough. Not real surprising that she's good at this sort of thing. The question now was whether he should cut off the conversation. She was a Sentinel, after all, and she was probably the most powerful psychic of the Sentinels. Hanso built up his own mental shields as a defensive measure, even attempting to apply Penance's white-room-principle, but... Most powerful psychic. It'd be crazy, but... He left the channel open.

"You should know how messages can be garbled into nonsense over a distance, Genevieve," Hanso replied. He kept his own emotions under check, trying not to let any suspicion show. "That first one could have been anyone. ...Any strong telepath, anyways."

...

"Ah! Good boy, you guessed correctly on the first try. You win a conversation with me for your prize! I know, I know, I'm far too generous," Genevieve laughed to herself as she continued along. It was so fun to tease and prod others, it would be curious to see his response to her incessant badgering. Then again, the connection was still open so he hadn't immediately played good little soldier boy and ceased contact with the enemy. He had also given in and came looking for her in the previous battle. Most assuredly, he was a curious one.

"Don't worry about messages being garbled. I knew the initial one might not be quite so clear just like you said. Now that it's a two way conversation, you should be hearing me much better, as I am you. I do deal with this kind of stuff for a living you know? I would consider myself quite talented, if I do say so myself." Her tone was mild, as if she was having a conversation with a normal bystander.

"I do take that as a compliment too, even if it wasn't intended as one. Any strong telepath...guilty as charged. But, it's nice to hear other people say such things," she continued, purposefully twisting his initial meaning. "So...hmm, can you believe I'm at a loss for words? Don't worry, it won't last long. What shall we chat about, the weather? Boring. War? Slightly less boring. I assume your arm is healing? I do apologize about that you know."

"Ah! I've got it!" Genevieve exclaimed and flooded the channel with bubbling excitement. "Tell me your name. Your real name. Not any of this 'Truestriker' ridiculousness. I mean, I didn't tell you my ridiculous title when we met. So please, who is the masked Pokemon known as Truestriker?"

...

What? Hanso slowly shook his head, pushing off a lot of the excitement that had flooded the channel. Here, he thought he'd left behind most of the teasing and prodding of his childhood, except for his sister. "For one thing, yes, my arm is healing," Hanso replied, though his left arm began to itch. "Not sure I want to accept that apology, since you'd left Sovereign to fight me." Even as a Sentinel, Genevieve was still as chatty as any other female Pokemon Hanso had met. For the moment, anyways.

"No compliment there, by the way," Hanso added with a hint of annoyance. "I've heard others say things like that." In his childhood and early training, anyways. Was there any harm in telling her his real name? Not really...unless you considered giving out personal information to the enemy as harmful. His thoughts went back to all that Penance had said, along with other events and doubts. Why did the Gold Tribe have titles? "Hanso. Not telling you my last name unless you give me yours, if you have one. You have nothing else to do? No prisoners to torture, no minds to attack, no armies to--" Hanso cut off that thought. He'd been about to say, No armies to spy on. If the Silver Tribe did have a spy working for them, it wouldn't do to let them know that the Gold Tribe suspected it.

...

Oh, he was fun to talk to indeed. A little bit feisty, a little bit gruff; just what she needed for a distraction on her way to the thieves forest. "Hey, I just left you and Sovereign to your own devices, I didn't tell you to lose. I do mean it however, sorry," she lied. The annoyance in his voice was perceivable through their mental relay, he didn't quite care for her comments on the compliment. Genevieve decided to just brush it aside and continue moving forward, no use crying over spilled moo-moo milk.

"Hanso? Hmm, I was thinking more of like a Gaston or maybe even a Brett," she teased him again. "But, Hanso is nice. A good strong name, fit for a warrior. Of course, is that really all you are, a warrior? It would be disappointing for all of us to be boiled down into one such descriptive noun. Warrior, summarized as a person who serves and fights for a belief or purpose, typically one's homeland....Excuse my musing." Now was not the best time to dive into a philosophical debate, there would be time for such things later.

"And yes, I do have a last name. It's probably not even a secret anymore, I do think most people know of me. Of course, you didn't ask nicely for it." Genevieve considered her next words very carefully, she had to do her best to dance with the beat and go with the flow of conversation. "I always have things to do; some of those things you've mentioned included, however, there are very few things I 'want' to do. Although I missed the last one about armies, might have been the connection. I could say the same to you, chatting up the enemy when you could be off doing who knows what rebels do."

"I am most curious about that actually. Why are you still talking to me?"

...

Hanso didn't immediately reply, but he didn't cut off the channel, either. He did keep his thoughts to himself. If she's sorry, I'm a bald Murkrow that hides in the Korhal Mountains. If Genevieve, or any of the Sentinels, were ever "sorry" for their actions, then they wouldn't have gone to the extent they had in conquering Valkaria.

'Of course, is that really all you are, a warrior?' Just another question to edge its way into Hanso's list of self-doubts and ponderings. He blinked. Here we go again, he thought, almost angry. Conversing with this Gardevoir, even through telepathy, was trying to throw him off-track. With words alone!

And...did he already know her last name? Hanso grabbed ahold of that thought as a distraction, going back through his list of the known Sentinels. The distraction didn't last long: Genevieve L'esprit. Back to the last question: Why was he still talking to her? It didn't help that this came up so soon after everything in the Grand Library. "Let's just say," Hanso started, then paused. "...let's just say that I have a few doubts. And the time for such a conversation as this. What's your reason for contacting me in the first place? Trying to drag out information about the enemy?"

Information. Hanso paused after finishing his reply, then started grinning. Reckless, wonderful, stupid, brilliant idea, he thought to himself, behind his shields.

...

Genevieve's eyes took in her surroundings, Silver city behind her, its form dwindling with each step she took toward her destination. The Korhal mountains loomed in the foreground, not far away from the forest themselves. Most Pokemon would fear bandits when traveling alone, Genevieve was not most Pokemon.

"Do you think me but a farmer going to prime a well?" Genevieve responded with a hint of disappointment. "I don't want you for information at all, I'm just bored..." She lied again. "These other Pokemon around me, so simple, almost like troglodytes. I'm sure you can relate, Psychics aren't like most Pokemon. Who do you think I'm going to talk to, Sovereign? Oh heavens no." Genevieve shuddered at her recent encounter with the brute. "I just, you know, want to talk and get to know you better. If you wanted to give me information, I surely wouldn't stop you of course."

...

Huh. Genevieve mentioned Sovereign, just when Hanso had thought about him a couple minutes ago. He'd forced his grin off his face, but the idea wouldn't leave his head. "Funny that you mentioned Sovereign," Hanso replied, diverting some of his attention to running through scenarios in his head. "You happened to name the one Sentinel who...isn't like the rest of you, in more than one way." He paused, thoughts running. If he could gain something from some sort of deception, here was his chance. But how to go about it?...

"...but, you're all Sentinels," Hanso added, with an almost dismissive tone, "surely there wouldn't be any secrets between you, would there? Talk, you say?...It might be possible, actually."

...

Genevieve frowned at his most recent comments. She didn't really want to go on about Sovereign right now, she wanted to erase him from her current thoughts. Just what kind of game was Hanso countering her with? "I'm afraid you've lost me, my dear." Genevieve glanced to the sky, her vision catching sight of a Pidove or two. Things were going in a way she had hoped, but that's the thing. It almost seemed too easy. She weighed her options, but shook the nagging thoughts from the back of her mind. That bridge would have to be crossed when she got to it.

Genevieve knew about one of Sovereign's secrets now. It only troubled her due to the danger and unpredictable element it added to the mix. She liked things to be controllable and his multiple personalities were certainly not controllable. Others had secrets, she knew that. Most of them petty. Normal Pokemon dealt with such things as, who's egg was sired by whom? Things like that meant nothing to her. "Please go on, I'm curious as to what you're getting at."

...

Which was it? Did she want to know what Hanso meant about Sovereign, or about talking to each other? Well, he hadn't been clear about Sovereign. He wondered how much it might matter or affect things if any of the Sentinels knew about the Tyranitar's split personalities, if that's what they were. It wouldn't be an advantage against the Gold Tribe, would it? "I'm guessing it doesn't come out often," Hanso began, "but Sovereign has a...split personality."

Then again, why would such a thing matter to the Sentinels anyways? Hanso shook his head once; Sovereign wasn't the main point here. "Never mind. I don't see a whole lot of reason for us to get to know each other beyond being enemies. Wouldn't matter if it came to a fight to the death, would it?" Idea of deception: great. My skill at it...probably not so great.

...

How did he know about Sovereign's personalities? This was most displeasing. Had the tyrannitar regressed into these alternate forms in front of others? Maybe she shouldn't have left them alone on that battlefield after all? She had to feel him out, figure out what he knew. Maybe, however remote the possibility, he knew more about this than her. Genevieve tapped her finger against her chin deep in thought. She hesitated before answering. This conversation had not gone as planned.

"Well...I thought you were just adorable when we first met. Not like the other Gold Tribe members I've seen. They all bore and exasperate me. I just thought you and I could have fun is all. I surely must be more enjoyable than talking with those insipid creatures on your side, yes?" She paused before asking her next question. "What do you mean by these split personalities of Sovereign?" She tried playing it dumb.

...

Fun? What kind of fun did she mean? Hanso abruptly shoved the thought out of his mind. That's not the subject, either. This Gardevoir had a way with words, that was certain. It was a dangerous game Hanso had in mind, and not just for that reason. The act of conversing with a Sentinel, in this manner, wouldn't be sanctioned by the Gold Tribe. Gold Tribe. Tools. Penance had said that the solution was to send Auron and others out of Valkaria to find...something. Animals to the slaughter. Not sure I want to believe that, but...

"It's...true, sort of," Hanso admitted reluctantly, "that we haven't had all that much time to just enjoy things. Then again, considering everything that's happened in the last one and a half years, I'm not surprised." What should he say about Sovereign? Beyond the existence of the split personalities, the Tyranitar had let slip certain facts in the middle of his battle with Hanso. Even if it didn't reveal anything about the Gold Tribe, he wasn't about to give away all the information in one conversation. "Remember that we're technically on enemy sides, so it's generally considered a bad idea to give information to the enemy." He put a slight emphasis on 'technically' as his words traveled through the channel.

Hanso paused, considering his options. Whatever information might pass between the two of them, he wondered... I'm going crazy if I'm considering it... "I did say, though, that I have a few doubts about some things. What with Sovereign and you wanting us to talk and all..." Where'd this roundabout manner of speaking come from? "...you know any two Pokemon who got to know each other without meeting?"

...

This pokemon was just full of surprises wasn't he? Was he really suggesting that they meet? That was her goal in the beginning, but here he was the one suggesting it. This was most unexpected and at the same time, troubling. She had everything to gain by meeting with him, at least, in her mind. Her goal was to plant the seeds of doubt that would one day, hopefully, bloom into betrayal against his tribe. What was his angle?

"Enemies, is technically suggestive when you think about it," she countered. "I would say our governments are enemies, we are just two pokemon having a conversation. I see no problem with talking, as long as we both get something out of it. I get to enjoy the conversation of an intelligent, handsome pokemon," she tried to lay the charm on a little thick. "You get, well, whatever it is you get from us talking. I do consider myself quite the catch after all." She giggled into the channel.

The most curious comment from him yet was about these 'doubts' he had. That could be leverage for her when the time came. "Are you suggesting you want to meet with me, my dear?" She looked up at the mountains again, they continued to draw nearer and nearer. Did the fake charm work on him, or was he different from the other men she had manipulated in the past? She guessed she would know soon enough.

...

Hanso stiffened slightly as he sensed the charm and giggles that came through the channel. It wasn't a whole lot, and part of it was just words, but it was still disconcerting. Something like what he'd felt back in Albia before Genevieve had left him and Sovereign. Be very careful, Hanso. There's so many ways this farfetched idea of yours could go wrong. Don't let your guard down...and don't let the others find out in the wrong way... Just what would the others think? Penance, especially. That's what explanations are for.

"But we chose which side we would be on," Hanso replied flatly, hoping his shields kept his discomfort and slightly confused feelings under control. "Well, at least the Gold Tribe and Alpha Alliance did." Here goes... "And...yes. Yes, I am suggesting that we meet and talk, if nothing else. Assuming you still have the time."

...

"So forward...I like that in a man," Genevieve teased. "For you, I suppose I could spare a few moments." She tried to give off the feeling of aloofness. Even thought this was exactly what she had been angling for, she couldn't let any signs of anxiousness seep its way into the channel. That would be the first clue to him that something was amiss.

"It would have to be somewhere secluded of course. Somewhere that we would not be interrupted by the troglodytic behavior of others and their prying eyes." Sparing another quick glance at the mountains laid bare in front of her, a place came to mind rather quickly. "How about the Korhal Mountains? I happen to know a rather pleasant spot on the eastern side. Of course, I'm open to suggestion."

...

A few moments, on the eastern side of the Korhal Mountains. It couldn't be too long, of course, or else the others would wonder where he was, and he'd already teleported across Valkaria before. The Mountains, though? Hanso felt she wouldn't be stupid enough to suggest a place that was too cold for them, so... "Sounds as good a place as any," he replied slowly, thinking of other places. "I do wonder if Liberty Town is secluded enough..." The ruins, anyways. "...then again, it's a little too close to a torturehouse for my taste. Would now be a good time?"

...

Oh, Genevieve did love when a plan came together. She was glad he agreed to the mountains and not Liberty Town. That was a bit far for her current mission and what she was actually supposed to be doing. Maybe the others wouldn't notice her absence? Not likely, but it was of no concern to her.

"Now would be perfect, my dear," she responded cheerfully. "I can't wait."

...

"Then I'll see you there," Hanso relayed, effectively ending his end of the conversation. After a few moments, he shook his head. With all that could happen...what did he just get himself into? As they arrived in Albia, Zane informed them that they'd have three hours to pack before they left. Hanso looked down at the emblem Penance had thrown down, tracing the crack with his eyes.

As he turned to leave the group, one thought pushed itself into his mind: Is there really a part of all this that's false?