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

In the heat, or cold, of battle, Hanso acted on instinct as he saw an Ice Beam come his way. He raised both of his arms to deflect some of the ice. He growled in pain. Stupid! Now his broken arm was hurting even more...except... Hanso glanced down at his left forearm, which had just been encased in a slightly thick film of ice. Ah, snap. Sure, the pain was now dulled by the cold ice, but if it stayed on for too long...

Hanso shook that thought away and looked back up. Frost was launching another Blizzard at everyone. He teleported to a place inside a nearby house, but the shelter didn't block much of the Blizzard, if it blocked anything at all. At this rate, we might all be frozen to death. Hanso teleported back outside, quickly looking for the others. He saw Defender standing and teleported to the Golduck's side, creating a brief Heal Pulse for him before teleporting to Zane's side and doing the same for him.

Hanso then teleported back inside the ruins of a nearby house, where he could look out at Frost. As he formed another ball of energy with his good hand, he thought. She dodges well, blocked a few attacks. Even blocked my Future Sight, but that left her open to other attacks. Hanso sent off a Future Sight, imagining it hit Frost. It could be possible to bring her down if we all keep doing what we're doing, but... What did Penance have in mind?

Hanso teleported in front of Frost and threw a Night Slash at her before dodge-stepping to her left and swinging again, and again. His frozen arm was just deadweight at the moment, but Hanso swung several more Night Slashes at Frost before teleporting several yards away again. Any weak points?... There were the places where purple skin could be seen, including Frost's eyes. Another detail that, strangely, jumped out at the moment was the short, yellow ribbon around her torso.

Focus! His arm was aching, more from the ice now. Hanso swung it at a nearby stone, without holding back, and growled again. Shards had broken off, but now it felt as if he might have broken his arm a little more. There was no way he would use it now, at least for the moment.

His arm...Frost had been using her own arms. How would she be affected by a broken arm? "Listen up!" Hanso relayed his message to the Gold Tribe. "Everyone that's still targeting Frost, try breaking her arms if you can. If you can think of something better, go for it, but a broken arm doesn't help anyone."

Hanso created more illusions of himself in a circle around Frost and sent them at her. He narrowed his eyes as he looked up at the sky above the Froslass. Don't always have to attack from the ground... Hanso formed another circle of illusions that also charged Frost, preparing another Night Slash afterwards.
A second before the illusions "hit", Hanso concentrated and teleported to a spot several feet above Frost. Surprise. Hanso swung his Night Slash down at the Froslass as he fell.

Penance 'Defender' Malum​

No matter what they threw at her, she always seemed to be much faster. She easily blocked all the attacks that hit her, and if she didn't block all of them, it would only be one or two that would get through at a time. All the while she was laying devastating attacks on them! The blizzard hit Penance hard and he could feel his entire body shaking from the unnatural cold air. If they didn't open the ground soon, then it would just get worse!

Penance felt better suddenly and he only got a brief glance of TrueStriker near him before the psychic teleported once more. "Keep at it! Don't let up!" He shouted as he formed some Water Pulses and fired them at her. It was going bad, very bad. At this rate Penance wouldn't be surprised if they lost another warrior. Still, it was a part of the plan then. He once more grabbed rubble, but instead of throwing it at her and just having her block it yet again he threw it against the ground repeatedly. He grabbed some more pieces and had them act as large hammer, constantly hitting the ground around Frost. He didn't let up, but they had to break the ground open and get her into the sewers.

Best case scenario, they got her into the water and from there Penance had many, many ideas, mostly there was the fact that she would be more receptive to her own ice attacks and would also feel the ice cold conditions more easily... or at least he hoped. He had a big finale planned, but they had to break open the ground first! Penance reached toward his colorful bracelet and rubbed it. They would need a whole lot of luck to pull this off.

As the Sentinels set out for Silver City, Sovereign and Vera moved a little more slowly, allowing a fair distance to grow between them and the group so they could speak more privately.

"What happened back there Sovereign? You've been able to control it so well lately." Sovereign had wanted to ignore the question, but knew that was not possible. Vera would never let it go. "I..." He was hesitant. "...heard Varen's voice. Right around the time that giant black flame appeared." Vera stopped dead in her tracks. "That's impossible. He's been dead for over ten years!" She was panicking. This news was unsettling.

"It wasn't the first time," said Sovereign. "What do you mean?" asked Vera, now quite distressed. "Over the last couple of days, I've been talking to my father, whose been dead for almost as long." The two of them picked up the pace, as to not attract the others' attention.

"This is really bad Sovereign. I was doing some research right before I met up with you at the ambush site. I could only find a couple of instances of Tyranitar with your condition."

"Condition?" Sovereign sounded a little aggravated by this. "My heritage is not some disease. It is something to be proud of." Vera knew she had miss-spoken, but continued. "Either way, I only found a couple of Tyranitar whose descriptions confirm them having dragon heritage. The first died quite early in his life, but apparantly managed to cause quite a bit of destruction before doing so, going completely berserk. The other went on to become a great military leader in the Alpha Alliance. But as time went by, he became more and more paranoid until he eventually went completely mad and killed all his subordinates, under the belief that they were planning to kill him." This was a lot to take in at once. Sovereign mulled it over in his head as they walked. "So what you're saying," Sovereign said, "is that the same thing could be happening to me? Why?"

"No one really knows why it happens, but my guess is that the power you inherited is in conflict with your natural strength." Sovereign was not the type to give in so easily. "I will make it work, somehow. Those who came before me couldn't control it because they were weak. I will conquer this power, and I will become the strongest Tyranitar ever to live!"

Albia

Zane's head still spun as he picked himself off the ground. The confusion had not wore off yet, and the entire battlefield seemed to pass by him in a fast blur, over and over again. He felt momentarily better as a wave of...something seemed to hit him, making his wounds feel a bit better, but the confusion was still strong, if not wearing off slowly. Zane could see in front of him as his allies attacked Frost, while some continued to aim for the ground below. It was all very blurry to him. The city. The battle. His brothers and sisters. Even Frost. All of them were so unclear. He tried to stand straight and shake off the confusion. He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them, hoping it would be enough to shake off the effects of Frost's confuse ray. But it caused another effect. When Zane opened his eyes, he saw a figure on the far side of the city, the distance and the shadows of the buildings covering his view on who it was. The figure seemed so familiar, as if he had seen him before, in a dream, or something like that. He didn't know who it was, but the gleam of gold was one of the few things he did catch. An emblem.

Sounds of battle caused Zane's attention to focus back. He took one more look at the area, to see the figure gone. He assumed he was seeing things. His focus turned back to the battle at hand. Speculum as an Excadrill and Sword and Shield continued to aim for that, as well as Defender getting into the mix. Bloodthirster met Frost's ice with his own set of steam and flames. He momentarily seemed to cover the area, just enough for TrueStriker and Guardia to get into the mix. At the behest of TrueStriker, both of them attacked her with a flurry of Night Slashes. Because of the steam around the area, Frost didn't have enough time to dodge all of them. She put up her arms in defense, trying to form a Protect, but failing to do it fast enough, causing much pain to her arms. After much hits, she was finally able to put up the barrier, but not before a crack came from one of her arms. She put it down to her side, holding the barrier with one arm as the rest of the Night Slashes were negated.

"Filthy little-" She began to say, but was interrupted by the sudden collapsing of the ground beneath. "What the-" She tried to say again, but was cut off as the ground collapsed below her, sending the entire area one level lower, to the sewers below the city. Zane smiled, figuring whatever Defender was planning to do was finally coming into focus.


Plains of Valkaria

The Inferno listened to Sovereign speak, but chose not to speak to him. He never liked talking to the Tyranitar. Sure, he had proven his worth in battle countless time. He respected him as a warrior. But in The Inferno's eyes, he was still an outsider. Someone that didn't share the same tie that the others had. He was a Sentinel out of choice, not out of-

"I'm going ahead." Sentry said to them. "I'll scout the area and see what we're up against." He said not another word, nor did anyone bother to say anything to him. Although the Inferno did catch Scar about to attempt something, but decided against it. Sentry was never one for long conversations with the others. In fact, many of the Sentinels that were the talkers were all either not present or dead. Frost, Beserker, Noxious. Was that a coincidence, The Inferno wondered? Well, Scar wasn't dead, however. Neither was Genevieve. Yet.

As the Sentinels walked, with the army of the Ancients not too far behind them, the familiar sight of the pass between the Thieves Forest and the Korhal Mountains was in sight in front of them. Scar shook his head.

"Ugh, I've always hated that forest. Such an inconvenience. Even if we were temporarily allied with their...inhabitants. I say, first chance we get, we burn their whole forest down."

"Don't you think we would have tried that long ago?" The Inferno said. "No, that's not how we defeat the thieves. Pokemon have been trying to burn that forest down for decades."

Scar cocked his head at the Typhlosion. "And how do you suggest we take care of them, then?"

The Inferno coldly glanced at him. "The Forest is like a giant body. The trees are the skin, and the thieves are the cells that protect them. But every body is vulnerable to infection of an outside source. Perhaps say, in the form of a virus..."

Scar looked at the Inferno suspiciously. He had spent the most time around Auron during the occupation. He wondered if he knew something. He would have to wait, however, as Sentry sped quickly back to them.

"Just like the scouts reported. Alpha Alliance army at the far side of the forest, waiting for an ambush. Or so it seems..."

"So it seems?" Scar asked.

"I've got a hunch on something. It seems a little suspicious on how this army is arranged. They seem far too out in the open to be an ambush army. You'd think they would hide themselves better. But they make not much of an attempt. It's as if they are purposefully trying to show themselves in the open....I'm not buying it. I say we take a closer look."

"What are you suggesting?" Scar asked again.

"...Let's pay our friends in the Thieves Forest a visit."

Penance 'Defender' Malum​

There was a resounding crack Penance heard over the winds, hopefully it didn't come from one of the others he thought nervously. At this stage even a small injury would be enough to give Frost the advantage and due to him working his magic on the ground he wasn't able to check how the others were doing but Frost wasn't attacking him and he could hear the others still working on the ground so that mean they were still doing the plan correctly. Once that floor cracked....

Almost like magic he heard a loud rumbling and Frost's surprised cry. Yes! They had the advantage now! He threw away the rock and quickly formed a Water Bomb in his hands. The winds were getting pretty loud at this point so none of the others would be able to hear him, but he had something else he could use. Everyone! If you know electric attacks throw them at her now! Everyone else, use water attacks and if you don't know either then use the strongest ranged attacks you can! All ranged, no exceptions! We're going to hit her on my signal and do not get in the water! Don't worry, you all will know the signal.

He ran to the hole and peered down at Frost. "It comes to this Frost. You know... you know what many calls this? A CALAMITY!" He shouted his obvious signal as he threw the Bomb right at her to keep her down and followed up with Water Pulses. He wasn't stopping until she lay still down there. He learned his lesson from Ignitus and would not let her survive.

The next few moments were something of a blur for Hanso. The crack that came from one of Frost's arms was audible to him; within seconds of that, the ground below Frost collapsed and sent her falling down to the sewers-level. If he looked back after a long period of time, Hanso wouldn't be sure if his falling Night Slash hit Frost before or after the ground collapsed.

Hanso teleported back to ground level to stand beside the hole as Penance relayed his message. "Everyone! If you know electric attacks throw them at her now! Everyone else, use water attacks and if you don't know either then use the strongest ranged attacks you can! All ranged, no exceptions! We're going to hit her on my signal and do not get in the water! Don't worry, you all will know the signal."

Standing next to the hole, looking down at Frost, Hanso's anger was dulled by a new thought. Is this what bullies and their kind feel like?

Penance appeared next to him and called down to Frost. "It comes to this Frost. You know... you know what many calls this? A CALAMITY!" After his signal, he threw down his Water Bomb and followed it with Water Pulses.

An aside part of Hanso's mind wondered where his latest Future Sight was. It probably didn't matter now. He was preoccupied by other thoughts, watching Frost but not acting. Preying on the weak and helpless...standing in a position of power...that was what I'd hated about others as a kid. Is this different? The Gold Tribe was standing above the Froslass, who probably had a broken arm now. They were about to rain down attacks, were doing it now.

Motive. Attitude. Those were perhaps one of the main differences between this and what Hanso had experienced as a young Ralts. Plus, as he was thinking now, Frost had tortured Pokemon who'd been helpless prisoners, whatever her reasons. She hadn't been alone, either, since she couldn't have been the only torturer. Hanso's anger rekindled as he began throwing Night Slashes, weaker at range, at Frost with his good arm-blade. This may be wrong, but it may be right.

Jirmonji was extatic when the ground collapsed beneath the accursed Sentinel, but was shocked when a thought rang out through his head. Everyone! If you know electric attacks throw them at her now! Everyone else, use water attacks and if you don't know either then use the strongest ranged attacks you can! All ranged, no exceptions! We're going to hit her on my signal and do not get in the water! Don't worry, you all will know the signal. He also heard the Golduck, who had sent the message, cry out. "It comes to this Frost. You know... you know what many calls this? A CALAMITY!"

The Swift was ready to do some damage! He took a running start and took off and flew over the hole. Frost was just laying down in the sewers. He had heard an audible crack earlier and realized that must've been her arms. He knew she was helpless, which made him hesitate for a minute. Aren't we supposed to defend the helpless? He asked himself. It just didn't seem very "Gold Tribe like". He finally came to the decision to fight her. "This is for the Gold City," He launched one volley. "This is for Rey," He launched yet another volley. "And this is for my own temper!" He began to launch endless volleys of Silver Winds.

A stifled yawn escaped between Genevieve's lips. Her mind continued to wander, thoughts ushering her from one corner of her brain to the next. Each a microscopic trip into the realm of her own perceptions. She would have gladly spent the whole trip this way, just her and her thoughts. What else would be more perfect?

Cringing inwardly as Sentry's voice broke her train of thoughts, his proclamation about scouting the area up ahead. None of the others seemed to care, everyone else remaining silent as he quickly departed from the area. The slight flutter of his wings audible in the late afternoon air. At this rate, it would be evening soon. Passing through the pass on the verge of darkness, at least in her calculations.

The conversation quickly took a turn towards burning down the forest. A topic she felt most qualified for, but refrained herself from speaking on. Normally, Genevieve wouldn't hesitate to join in or even attempt to dominate the conversation, but for reasons beyond her explanation, she just did not feel like sharing her opinions on the matter. Even with fire's all consuming power, it had failed to swallow this forsaken forest like intended. It was most curious indeed.

The little insect returned, again his voice broke her thoughts. She was truly getting tired of his interruptions, first with the Sawk she was toying with and had on the verge of death. Now, he was continually interrupting her thoughts, which she valued much more than any of the others' mindless dribble. He did mention something of mild interest. Genevieve being more of a tactician herself than a warrior, it was always a bad idea to have your army out in the open, especially if it was supposed to be an ambush. No, an ambush they would be hidden to the best of their ability, but a front, a deception or bait, you would just about parade them in front of your enemies noses. A grand gesture of "look at me, look at me and my army." Something wasn't right here, they almost begged to be noticed according to Sentry. They wanted to be seen, but why? What was there to gain by being noticed...to make it seem like the sentinels would be flanked if they didn't leave Albia.

Genevieve's eyes narrowed, her ire rising in her heart. If there was one thing Genevieve abhorred above all else, it was being deceived. That was her job. If they did indeed pull off a deception, they would pay, dearly.

"If I may be so bold," she cleared her throat. Some of the first words she uttered since leaving Albia. "If they want us to see them, then they are hoping for us to bypass them in our attempts of avoidance. What if we give them exactly what they want?" Her eyes went skyward again, darkness was never an enemy, but an ally, at least in her book. "Let's go past them, lure them into a sense of false security, then when they are celebrating their 'victory', we double back and gut them where they stand. Not only do we exterminate the vermin, but any who escape would be crushed, mentally I mean. Their spirits going from exultation to bone crushing dismay. Oh it's beautiful." Her voice trailed off into thought once again. Her attention firmly fixed on the path ahead.

Albia

Frost took a tumble into the sewers, landing hard on her side. With the pain of her arm and the wear of the attacks, she felt for a second that the Gold Tribe might have been getting the better of her. No, she wouldn't let that happen. She couldn't. She got up off the ground, the sewer water soaking her body. Zane peered down below, ready to initiate Defender's next part of his plan.

"Everyone! If you know electric attacks throw them at her now! Everyone else, use water attacks and if you don't know either then use the strongest ranged attacks you can! All ranged, no exceptions! We're going to hit her on my signal and do not get in the water! Don't worry, you all will know the signal."

"It comes to this Frost. You know... you know what many calls this? A CALAMITY!" With the yell as the obvious signal, the others prepared their attacks. Zane found comfort in the last thing Frost might hear to be the name of his brother, Calamity. A fitting end to a tyrant Sentinel, he thought.

Guardia and Zane exchanged looks with each other. He nodded to her, and she did the same to him. Together, they prepared. Zane decided to launch his own Thunder Wave on her to keep her down. Guardia powered up her Thunder attack, and positioned it to aim at her. Defender began launching shots, beginning with a Water Bomb and then going into a set of Water Pulses. TrueStriker began striking at her with Night Slashes, and Sword and Shield sent a wave at her with his Surf, and Speculum, as a Grovyle, unleashed a Solar Beam. The Swift launched a set of Silver Winds on Frost as well. All of the attacks almost seemed to mix together, and were flung at Frost. With the added water, all of the lightning attacks were much more deadlier. Frost put up her arm and formed a weak-looking Protect, which blocked the initial wave of attacks. However, after a resounding hit from TrueStriker's then-appeared Future Sight, the Protect shattered, causing all of the following attacks to hit their marks one after another. None of the Gold Tribe let up. For after all, of all of the Sentinels, none stood out to them quite as Frost did over the war. The torturehouses, the pain, all of it was flung back at the mastermind behind it all. Frost tried on a few attempts to block the attacks by summoning a Blizzard, but wasn't able to concentrate enough to do so. None of the Gold Tribe faltered, making sure she was brought down.

Dust and rubble filled the area, and nothing was heard for a moment. No sound of resistance, no screams, nothing. It was silent. As the dust settled, Zane could see the silhouette of Frost on the ground. Then, she saw her, wounded badly. Her body was broken and bloody. She looked like she was in no state to move. It was plainly obvious just by this appearance that she was in extreme pain. Every breath she tried to take was short and broken, as if her lungs had stopped working properly. Zane knew what a monster she had become, but deep down, he still felt a bit sorry for the friend she once had.

Zane went down below into the sewers, intent on delivering the finishing blow to her. He jumped down, landing right next to Frost, whose eyes diverted to him. She cackled, blood spilling from her mouth. "You think...this means...anything?" She managed to get out, struggling to speak. "Nothing...all for nothing...Auron can't....be stopped. He will find you...and make you suffer. And you....*cough*....will look back, and wish you died by my hand....ha...hahah..."

Zane bent down, placing an arm on her shoulder, whispering to her below his breath. "Goodbye, Hailstorm." He said to her, using her original Gold Tribe title, before she changed it to her Silver Tribe one. "May your spirit find peace in the halls of immortality..." He reached back with one hand, preparing to deliver a last strike, when he looked back at Frost one more time. Her eyes...they changed. Their color seemed to morph all at once, causing Zane to stop dead in his tracks. He assumed it was the same thing that happened to Ignitus earlier. But something else happened. Instead of going pitch black like with the other Sentinel, Frost's eyes seemed to brighten, as if a gleam returned that hasn't been there in a long time. She was trying to speak, but so much blood had gathered at her throat that the words were hard to be produced. Zane leaned in, hoping to catch what she tried to say.

"The Catacombs....go to the Golden Catacombs...." She said, before she dropped her head on the sewer ground. Sade Frostbite had passed on. A look of perplexity covered the face of Zane. Her final words repeated in his mind, Zane trying to decipher what had just happened.

Sovereign

Sovereign listened as Genevieve described a wonderful scenario of death and destruction. He particularly liked the part about "bone crushing," though he couldn't quite figure out why. Vera on the other hand found the whole thing just a little bit melodramatic. Then again, she had just burned down her home town, so maybe she wasn't one to talk. "I agree," said Sovereign. "I could use a little fun. That last fight was just a little too serious, and I could use a good stretch. Let's go kill something." Vera felt this was lacking in the way of couth, but that's pretty much how things went with the Sentinels. They were all very exaggerated personalities in one direction or another.

Sovereign was in a great mood. He destroyed a city, got a kiss from Genevieve, wasn't hearing voices, and there was a good chance he would never see his least favorite Sentinel ever again. It was a good day.

Penance 'Defender' Malum​

Penance didn't let up, in fact everyone was laying waste to the broken Sentinel. Something was going right for once and once the barrage had ended and a near death Froslass lay on the ground Penance felt some pride. They had done it, one of the more powerful Sentinels was about dead. Now, they just had to make sure she was killed before whatever happened to Ignitus happened to her as well. The battle with the crazed Flareon was still a blur in Penance's head and that was something he needed under lock and key quickly. If he was lucky he could explain his 'fits' as just stress. Hopefully once he got control again none of the others would notice the difference and he could just continue like he had been. He prepared an over sized Water Pulse to finish Frost off when Vigil jumped down. Penance let the pulse drop to the ground and walked away from the hole. Vigil would finish her off and no doubt get some closure. For now, they had to quickly figure out what to do next.

He looked around quickly, most of the area was in shambles and they didn't have the time to start rebuilding now. If they rebuilt then some Ancients would just come back and destroy it easily. No, they needed to put up a guard and then continue on. The Generals had to be around here somewhere, he needed more information on what forces had survived. There also had to be information that the Sentinels left behind. Perhaps a house or a certain area they had stayed at? Was always worth a shot.

For now he had to play it cool, not get enraged or anything like that, and how could he? Sure there was Calamity, but he would get over it if he took it step by step. He looked around some more and frowned. He walked over to Guardia with a curious look in his eyes, "Hey, where's Dark Lightning? Didn't you say that he was meeting up with us later?" He asked her with a frown. Something wasn't right here. His brother would have joined them when they had battled Frost. He was too involved in the battle to even think of the Zebstrika. He narrowed his eyes, "Guardia... where is Dark Lightning? He asked curiously.

It seemed sudden when the Gold Tribe ended their waves of attacks and all was silent. Hanso just stood there, shaking a little as he peered down through the hole and dust. As the dust settled, it was plain to see that Frost was beaten, but alive. Zane hopped down into the hole, presumably to end the Froslass' life. Hanso sighed, shaking his head as he looked up at the surrounding city. Sure, we got Albia back and ended Frost's life...but at what cost? Parts of the city have been damaged, if not demolished, we lost another Gold Tribe member, and we had to gang up on Frost just to get her down.

Hanso idly watched Penance as he continued thinking. What else had gone wrong in the last few weeks? Betrayed by the King of Thieves...lost Dark Lightning in that ambush...today's events... He himself had gone a little astray with leaving the main battle. And gotten a broken arm for his troubles.

"Hey, where's Dark Lightning? Didn't you say that he was meeting up with us later?" Hanso's attention focused; Penance had just asked Guardia a question. That's another thing that went wrong. "Guardia... where is Dark Lightning?" Penance asked curiously.

We lied to him.

Hanso made his way over to Penance and Guardia, his mind set. "He's dead," he stated bluntly, but quietly. Better the blunt truth than their previous lie. Hanso kept his voice calm and quiet; he didn't need to reveal to all within a half-mile what he was about to say. "Don't say a word, either of you, until I'm done. Penance, after your...fit, which came after the ambush outside the forest, it seemed you'd forgotten what happened. The ambush went great. Up until we discovered that the prisoners were illusions of some sort." Hanso paused before continuing. "There were three or four Sentinels and an army of Ancients lying in wait for us. One of them revealed that they'd made a deal with the King of Thieves. How Roswell benefited, I'm not entirely sure. To make this short, we all got out of there. Except Dark Lightning. He stayed back to fight. Most of the others here were closer to him than I was."

Hanso took a deep breath, looking between Guardia and Penance. "After our escape, you, Penance...had your first fit or whatever it was. Granted, you had a point when you mentioned, at least twice, that there may have been a spy in Eternity City. But, whatever it is with you..." Hanso sighed. "...I'm letting it go this time." When did I talk this much before? "We got to Hoodhide's village, where we planned our part in Albia. Before that, though, you had another fit. Right after that fit, you came back to...normal, let's say. You should remember everything after that, though I do wonder about your behavior just earlier today. I'm not calling you crazy now 'cause of something you'd said." Not crazy! See different, yes!

Hanso shook his head slowly, turning a bit away from the Golduck. This whole thing was hard. "My reason for not asking about your fits is 'cause we lied about Dark Lightning. Guardia spoke the words, but the rest of us were guilty by silence."

There. The truth, from Hanso's viewpoint. Whatever came next...came next.

Plains of Valkaria

"If I may be so bold," Genevieve said as she cleared her throat. Scar and Sentry turned to face her. "If they want us to see them, then they are hoping for us to bypass them in our attempts of avoidance. What if we give them exactly what they want?" Scar tilted his head, curiously looking at the Gardevoir as she laid out her plan. "Let's go past them, lure them into a sense of false security, then when they are celebrating their 'victory', we double back and gut them where they stand. Not only do we exterminate the vermin, but any who escape would be crushed, mentally I mean. Their spirits going from exultation to bone crushing dismay. Oh it's beautiful."

"I agree," said Sovereign. "I could use a little fun. That last fight was just a little too serious, and I could use a good stretch. Let's go kill something."

"Hmm..." Scar began, thinking about the scenario. "This could definitely work. Never much wanted to see those thieves in the forest anyways. Then it is decided. I will go tell the army." He said, going back a few steps and began announcing the orders. The rest of the Sentinels proceeded forward, nearing the end of the pass, out into the open field. To the right of the forest, they began to see the gathered 'army' of the Alpha Alliance, waiting to see what the Silver Tribe did next.

As the Inferno walked passed, he could feel their intimidation. The army of Ancients marched in uniform, their legs hitting the ground at a similar motion to produced the loud stomping echo. The army itself was already a scary factor, but when it is headed by five Sentinels, it bodes ill for those who have the displeasure of engaging such a force.

The two forces seemed locked in gaze for a moment. In front of the Alpha Alliance dummy army was Kivir Sveenis, recently promoted to Commander and one of the stronger and more capable Pokemon in the Alpha Alliance army. He was apart of the original Gold Tribe group that departed Liberty Forest and help take back Eternity City. He was also paramount in the Alpha Alliance taking back Shine and Gravel City. But even with his leadership, there would be no way for him and his small band of soldiers to deal with the Silver Tribe's superior force. A group of Zoruas and Zoroarks maintained the illusion that a large force of Pokemon was accompanying the Alpha Alliance, and hopefully, this would be enough to send them on their way. By Kivir's estimation, the army had just been in a major battle, and looking to jump right in another one wasn't their most ideal situation. At least, that was what he was hoping their thinking was.

Luckily, it looked like their luck would be holding. The Silver Tribe army began to pass their location, onwards back to one of their controlled cities, most likely Silver City. The Pokemon around Kivir gave sighs of relief and wore large smiles on their faces. All was going according to plan.

Scar walked close to Genevieve. He spoke to her. "Since this was your idea, would you like to issue the order?"


Albia

The Golden Catacombs? Why there? Zane thought to himself, wondering what Frost intended for him to do. She couldn't seriously expect them to go there, could she? It obviously would be a trap. Maybe another army of Ancients would be waiting at the doorstep. Or maybe Frost had built another torturehouse there. Whatever it was, Zane couldn't risk his brothers and sisters and go there, right? As he gave this more thought, he began climbing up the rubble back into the city from the sewers. He took a look at Albia. Half of the city was in ruins, fire, smoke, and debris littered everywhere. The Generals were already working on putting out any fires and any other immediate issues that would be a threat to others' safety. The rebuilding of Albia would be slow, especially in these times. It would most likely not be rebuilt in its entirety until after this war is finished. If that day ever comes. From afar, General Belas and Hazone waved at Zane, pleased at the way things turned out. He waved back at them, marveling at their ability to remain optimistic and put a strong face for their soldiers, even with the amount of damage done. Zane supposed he could look at the bright side of things too. Because they destroyed the watchtowers prior to the battle, many more lives were saved. Because they evacuated most of the civilian population, even more survived. Zane remembered a quote Rey once said to him a few years ago.

"A home can be rebuilt. A life doesn't have that luxury."

Zane knew the Generals were busy now, but he made a note to go speak with them later when he gets the chance. Zane looked back to where Gallant fell. Running to the area, he already saw the Healer working on him.

"How is he?" Zane asked worriedly.

"He may make it, but it's too early to tell. I'll begin work on it immediately and keep you informed on his condition."

Zane nodded. He eyes glanced over to her Gold Tribe emblem. "Thank you, sister." he said with a smile.

"No problem. After all, it is the Gold Tribe's job to help others. Sometimes, that involves combat. But sometimes, it doesn't."

Zane nodded again, and left, leaving her to her work. He wouldn't be of much help anyways. He went back to the rest of the Gold Tribe, who were gathered reasonably close. The others looked in reasonable shape. He remembered what Frost said earlier about Calamity. Being that he didn't see him there, it confirmed her story. He was gone. That was two of his brothers lost already, Calamity and...

"...where's Dark Lightning? Didn't you say that he was meeting up with us later?" Penance asked with a frown on his face. Zane paused a bit behind the others. He remembered that they never told him what happened. Guardia purposefully lied to her to avoid having to deal with his...other personality.

"Guardia... where is Dark Lightning? He asked curiously. No one spoke for a moment. They didn't know what to say. Some bowed their heads while others looked away in shame. Eventually, Guardia began to speak.

"Well, uh...the thing is..."

"He's dead," TrueStriker suddenly said bluntly. He then explained the entire situation, not leaving out anything. His 'fits', the ambush, Hoodhide's village. Nothing was left out. Zane didn't know how Defender would immediately react to hearing all of this. He only hoped that the way TrueStriker explained it would have been satisfactory.

"I'm sorry I lied to you." Guardia said, rubbing her shoulder. "We just...we needed you normal for the battle, OK? It was bigger than anyone of us..."

Zane stepped forward to the others. "We should give our fallen brothers a moment of silence. They died doing their duty. It may not honor them enough, but if...when this war is over, we will honor them properly."

The Gold Tribe was silent. Zane bowed his head and remembered the two they had lost. He was with Calamity since the very beginning of this war. They had both been through a lot together, escaping Gold City, establishing Liberty Town, rescuing Hazone from the torturehouse, retaking Eternity, going through the Thieves Forest, all of it. He was always there, giving staunch support. And Dark Lightning was a major factor in the Eternity City was as well. Without him as well, the Gold Tribe may never have left that ambush site. Zane wouldn't soon forget the risks they took, the amount they sacrificed to make sure the Gold Tribe would continue on. But how much longer could they continue on for? Every new location resulted in more death. What if the war resulted in all of their deaths? He knew back in the Poseida Caverns that this would be a big possibility, and if it proved true, could the Alpha Alliance achieve victory without them? He didn't think so. They needed every advantage, every chance they could to win. No matter the risk involved.

"I want us to go to the Golden Catacombs." Zane suddenly blurted out in the midst of the silence. "Frost...she told me right before she died to go there."

"Vigil." Guardia began to say. "Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, this IS Frost, after all. She's...well, she's a Sentinel."

"I know, and I know this is asking a lot. But...something was different before she died. She seemed...different. I won't ask anyone to go who's too injured. But...I don't know I feel like we need to go there. Something's...how do I say it, calling me there."

The Golden Catacombs. Before the construction of the Golden Cemetary in Gold City, the Catacombs were where the ancient Gold Tribe members buried their dead. Located at the root of the Korhal Mountains just up north of Albia, the catacombs is considered a sacred place to the Gold Tribe now, many records and archives being hidden away there. The entire history of the Gold Tribe is said to be there. No non-Gold Tribe are ever given access there, and few Gold Tribe members other than the leaders and second-in-command ever get to go inside.

Sovereign & Vera

This is ridiculous, thought Vera to herself as they approached the Alliance army. We should be heading for Silver City, not getting involved in unnecessary fights. But she knew that her word against five Sentinels would be useless. Sovereign certainly wouldn't listen, he was too absorbed in the idea of fighting more enemies. She watched in disgust as Genevieve continued to play Sovereign. Though she had to admit, the sandstorm would be useful. By the time they were out of view of the army, Vera darted off towards the rear flank of the Alliance.

Sovereign was ready for this. The pain of his previous battle had withered away, and he wanted to fight. Genevieve wanted a sandstorm. Sovereign, wishing to impress, decided to turn it into a masterpiece, for lack of a better term. He focused as he grinded his feet into the soil. Granules of dust began to take shape, and lifted off the ground. He started slow, a mere wave of light dust flowed through the enemy forces. But as the moments passed, the wind began to pick up. The dust turned to sand and began to whip about the battlefield, at first a minor nuisance, then quickly becoming a hazard! Soon there was enough to blind the enemy quite thoroughly. Sovereign then let forth the most frightening roar he could muster, before charging into the field, ready to tear apart the first thing he could get his hands on.

Penance 'Defender' Malum​

The words his Penance as he realized that not only Guardia lied to him.... EVERYONE had lied to him. For a brief second he felt very small compared to the others. They had lied to him... just so they could have him for battle. He thought that rather selfish. His hands balled up a bit as TrueStriker continued to speak. Before he could really say how he felt about this Vigil stepped in and commanded them to have a moment of silence but Penance really knew what was happening. It was an extremely convenient way of preventing him from shouting at them about how he mattered too, although the moment did give him some time to wrap his mind around the issue. He knew that the battle was important, but how important was it to these.... 'brothers' he had? Enough so that he could never again know about when one of them died? He knew why he had blacked out, it was because the plan had gone awry. Something had happened that wasn't supposed to happen. That always stressed him out.

As the moment ended Vigil called for them to head to the Catacombs. Penance closed his eyes as he laid down his idea to them. Quick calculations on his part were all that he needed before slowly nodding his head, "Well, we can go. It isn't that far but who here has been in them lately? Hm? Do they even exist anymore or are the catacombs wiped out? More importantly, since Auron himself knows of their location it could very well be a place that he's been using to attract Gold Tribe members. It IS the catacombs after all, could have served as a meeting place for a few brothers so odds of meeting some Ancients there is rather high. Have a plan to deal with them if we get there and stumble into a room where there are a hundred Ancients hanging out?" Penance drolly asked the Bisharp.

It wasn't hard to see that he was upset as he crossed his arms and glanced at the others quickly. He saw the shame and embarrassment on their faces, good enough for him. Still, he now had to wonder, what else were they keeping from him? He closed his eyes, at least he was truthful to them. He had answered their questions whenever they asked him and luckily no one asked lots of questions about him. If they did, he would make sure they knew whether he spoke the truth or not.

"I'm sorry I lied to you." Guardia said, rubbing her shoulder. "We just...we needed you normal for the battle, OK? It was bigger than anyone of us..."

Zane stepped forward to the others. "We should give our fallen brothers a moment of silence. They died doing their duty. It may not honor them enough, but if...when this war is over, we will honor them properly."

Honor. It always came back to that, didn't it? How, then, did Lyn, Hanso, Zane...all of them, really, uphold honor if they couldn't tell one simple truth? Strangely, there had also been a comment that Sovereign had made before their fight: "Do you have more honor than your disgraceful brothers?" Ragnaros had reported, during the battle, that Genevieve and Sovereign were around; did the Salamence do something that Sovereign considered disgraceful?
Then there was the matter of Hanso's own actions. He might have been able to save Dark Lightning, but Hanso wasn't sure. More recently, he had ignored one of Penance's orders and left the others to fight Ignitus while he found the telepathic intruder.

"I want us to go to the Golden Catacombs." Zane suddenly blurted out in the midst of the silence. "Frost...she told me right before she died to go there."

"Vigil." Guardia began to say. "Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, this IS Frost, after all. She's...well, she's a Sentinel."

"I know, and I know this is asking a lot. But...something was different before she died. She seemed...different. I won't ask anyone to go who's too injured. But...I don't know I feel like we need to go there. Something's...who do I say it, calling me there."

A different kind of different than Ignitus, whatever happened with her. Or so I assume.

"Well, we can go," Penance began. "It isn't that far but who here has been in them lately? Hm? Do they even exist anymore or are the catacombs wiped out? More importantly, since Auron himself knows of their location it could very well be a place that he's been using to attract Gold Tribe members. It IS the catacombs after all, could have served as a meeting place for a few brothers so odds of meeting some Ancients there is rather high. Have a plan to deal with them if we get there and stumble into a room where there are a hundred Ancients hanging out?"

The Golden Catacombs. "We'd need someone to act as scout," Hanso replied, his voice neutral. "Someone who cou-- Ah!" He fell onto his knees as his left arm viciously reminded him that it was broken. His battle-mind was gone now, leaving Hanso to deal with all the pain and exhaustion of the day's battles. The area was still cold from Frost's Hail and Blizzards, which didn't help his mood one bit. "Stupid me," Hanso mumbled. He felt ready to pass out, cold or not.

Albia

As Defender spoke, Zane could feel that he was upset with them. And that was put mildly. Zane did feel partly as if he did betray his brother, hiding the truth from him like that. Guardia's conscious seemed more cleared, holding firm to her belief that it had to be done. Zane was conflicted. On one hand, there was the deception of one of his own, one he called brother, who fought for the same morals and ideals as him. On the other hand, there was the duty of the Gold Tribe, that had to be valued beyond anything else as their most important function, even at the cost of the lives and well-being of themselves, and even each other. But to do, to Zane, almost made it feel like he was abandoning that which made him alive, and nothing more than a-

You are tools. The familiar voice of the dream filled his mind.

"You...you have a point, Defender, but remember, only a Gold Tribe member could have passage into the Catacombs, so I'm unsure if the Ancient would have been able to get in without one of the Sentinels' assistance, which would mean that they would have to go with them, and I don't think they would waste their time with that. At least, that's what I believe. I think the most we can except is Ancients on the outside, and those can be taken care of, or passed by if necessary."

"We'd need someone to act as scout," Hanso replied, his voice neutral. "Someone who cou-- Ah!" Hanso suddenly fell to his knees, from the pain of his left arm. In the wake of the battle, Zane had forgotten about injuries and weariness of the others, including himself. He was so much more worried about getting to the Catacombs. The Gold Tribe were the elites of Valkaria and the Alpha Alliance, but even they needed rest. Zane noted in his head that the line between their duty and their safety shouldn't be crossed. As their leader, even an interim one, he had to look out for them, like Rey would have.

Zane walked over and helped TrueStriker up, supporting his nonbroken arm over his shoulder so that he could walk. "We need to get you looked at. Actually, we all should get looked at, and get some rest. We'll talk more about what we'll do tomorrow."

The Gold Tribe gathered where Gallant was being treated by Healer, which had also become a location where other Alpha Alliance medics began treating patients who had been injured. Alpha Alliance soldiers would often give the Gold Tribe members glances, not used to seeing so many in one place. Their status to them seems not to have diminished in the slightest. Zane looked silently down at Gallant, who was still being treated extensively. He wondered if his former teacher would make it. He was among the most wise and experienced of the group there, and one that Zane knew the longest. The other Gold Tribe members were being treated for their wounds too. TrueStriker had his arm looked at, while Guardia was being treated for a few burns she got against Ignitus.

Zane looked around the group. Some were gone, Calamity and Dark Lightning. Many still were around, including Defender, Guardia, TrueStriker, Sword and Shield, Hoodhide Wildfire, Bloodthirster, Dryad, and Speculum. Then there were new members who they just met on the battle, including The Swift, Healer, and a strange Zoroark who referred to himself as the "Prince of Light". He was certainly interesting. Also still lurking around the group was Noctus, which Zane found particularly strange. He would have expected the thief to have left a long time ago, perhaps right when the battle started. He wondered what was it that still kept him around.

"So, what do we do now?" Speculum asked warily.

"Now...we rest. We've been on the move for too long. Our duty calls for us to protect and serve, but as leader, interim or not, I can't risk you all getting injured until I'm sure you'll get better. We need our recovery as much as the next Pokemon. Let's relax for the next three days. After that, we'll figure out what we'll do."


Plains of Valkaria

Things seemed to be going too well for Kivir, and it caused him to get a bit suspicious. It was unlikely for the Silver Tribe to ever let enemies go, even if they were supplemented by a larger force, at least in appearance. As Kivir recalled in the first Invasion of Albia over a year ago, the Silver Tibe sacrificed thousands of Ancients against the might of the Hyper Beam Cannons before they broke through the city. They tossed those mindless soldiers away as though they had plenty more to spare, which apparently they did. The whole scene in front of him just seemed strange when compared to pat actions.

When a sandstorm began to be whipped up, though, Kivir's suspicions were affirmed. The Pokemon around him began to panic, as they heard the shouts of the Silver Tribe filling the air. They were also getting flanked. Kivir shook his head. He knew the trip here might have been one way, but he felt for those who volunteered to come with him. Many were young, fresh soldiers with much life still in them. Perhaps that was just the way things needed to go. A sacrifice in one area for a larger victory overall. If that truly was how it was meant to go, damn those who invented war.

"Steady, men! Use the trees as cover. Hit them before they have a chance to hit you, and then take cover from retaliation! Focus on the Ancients, but try to stay away from the Sentinels!" Even as he said it he knew it was folly. There were five of them, and many of them had reputations for destruction and pain. Ancients began to engage the Alpha Alliance force through the sandstorm. Kivir hit a Kabutops back onto the ground with a Brick Break, hearing the crunching of bones as he must have shattered his rib cage. He retreated into the cover of the forest's edge.

"Use longer ranged attacks!" He shouted again at his force.

"Ah, using the forest as cover." Scar said as he watch the battle unfold from afar. "I wonder what certain fire-using Sentinel has something to say about that..." He said, expecting the Inferno to answer him, but as he turned to look at where he believed the Typhlosion was standing, he was already gone. Scar looked for him among the Sandstorm, no spotting him immediately. The Alpha Alliance were about to taste true fear and power, and not just from the Inferno, but from all of the Sentinels.

Penance 'Defender' Malum​

Penance just sighed as Vigil and the others headed off to get treated. He followed after them, making sure to keep his distance as various priorities rattled off in his head. He wasn't harmed that badly, sure a little chilled from the cold attacks, but he needed to do something. It was much more important than getting treated himself. First, he had to find something. Penance glanced over at the others rather briefly, then down at TrueStriker where he was being treated and then at Noctus who was keeping his distance. Without another word Penance walked off into the city. His first task was rather difficult and he did spend some time just wandering around as the Soldiers secured the town and the townsfolk began to emerge from their houses.

There was luckily an abandoned shop in one part of the city. Judging from the blood splatter on the walls, he doubted the owner was still alive. Most of the place seemed to have been destroyed by the Ancients but there was still a intact shovel that he grabbed. He went around again, this time on the lookout for a flower shop. The roses were pretty much dead as were the other flowers, and while he detested having to use them, he knew he had to. He grabbed a few of them and headed off once more.

He didn't want to waste any more time trying to find some soft ground in the city so he headed out to where he knew he could set up the site without it being disturbed. It wasn't that far away from the city where he set down the shovel and flowers. He gripped the shovel in his hands and began to dig out a hole. Time passed rather quickly as he finished up the rather big hole and then started up on the next one. The second hole wasn't as big as the first one and that was the point. Now with the holes dug out he began to fill them with the dirt he had just taken out. It was a lengthy process but he had done this whole thing before. Sometimes with bodies, sometimes without them. Once the empty graves had been filled he grabbed the roses and gently began to lay them on the disturbed soil. He distributed them equally and stepped back to look down upon the graves. One was big enough for a Zebstrika and the other for an Absol.

He looked down for a few more minutes before he set the shovel in the ground and sat down on his back, staring up at the sky. A small smile formed on his bill as he began to really think. It was too crowded in the city to properly think and this was a great place to just relax.