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

Start: The Gold Tribe is scattered, leaderless, and spread out all across Valkaria. The armies of the Alpha Alliance are spread out just as much as the Gold Tribe, many Pokemon in hiding, avoiding the tyranny and wickedness of the Silver Tribe as two of their three Generals are nowhere in sight, and therefore the armies' leadership is strained. Small encampments or towns are hidden with Gold Tribe members. One of those encampments is LibertyTown, where some of the Gold Tribe has retreated to. Here, the Gold Tribe RPers begin, waiting for the opportunity to regroup, gather their strength, and take back the Alpha Alliance. That time is almost at hand.

The 8 Sentinels have spread the will of Luphen "Auron" Augustus and the Silver Tribe all across the Alpha Alliance. They now return from the corners of the region to receive their next orders from Auron. The Silver Tribe RPers should post about heading to the throne room of Auron in SilverCity, from the location of their choice in the Alpha Alliance. You can also explain what you were doing and where, whether it be on a scouting mission, rounding up Gold Tribe prisoners, or doing some other fun stuff.


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

Zane awoke startled. He was in a rather vivid dream, where it seems words of those long past seemed to reach out to him, as if to tell him something. He dreamed of grandeur and pride, of magnificence and valor, of love and peace, of the Gold Tribe. He saw the ancient peacekeepers of the Tribe, his brothers and sisters long passed away as they smiled at him and gave the impression of happiness.

And then he returned to reality. A cot was where he slept. The cot was placed in the middle of the small tent. Other small supplies lay across the tent. Zane got upon his feet and made his way out of the tent. Outside was no better than the gloom of the inside of the tent. A sea of a couple dozen other tents polluted the dense forest, mostly inhabited by refugees of the Alpha Alliance, who escaped the brutality experienced in the now-Silver Tribe controlled cities in the Alpha Alliance. This place was now called Liberty Town.

Two different groups protect these people. One is a small portion of the Alpha Alliance army, a few dozen Pokemon soldiers, under the leadership of General Belas, one of the three Generals of the Alpha Alliance. The other two General's whereabouts are unknown. As far as Zane sees it, General Belas is as sensible and respected a leader as he has ever seen.

The other group that protects the refugees is the Gold Tribe. After the final battle in Gold City, where the Gold Tribe leader, Adam "Ray" Reed died and the Silver Tribe claimed the city, the Gold Tribe dispersed across the conquered Alpha Alliance. It was mayhem, many of them now in hiding, waiting for an opportunity to rise up again, and taken back the Alpha Alliance. Zane tried to gather what few members he could find and bring them to Liberty Town. In the end, he found three.

Sainan, known as "Calamity", hailed from a long line of Gold Tribe members. Zane didn't know him personally, though, before the attack. Gladius, known as "Sword and Shield", was a veteran of the Tribe. He is an enormous Snorlax, and from Zane heard has earned his title well in combat over and over again. Penance "Defender" Malum was as respectful as they come. Although Zane hears he is a new recruit in the Gold Tribe, he had earned a place among them through hard work at the H.A.S.

Those were the Gold Tribe members in Liberty Town. Out of the hundreds that were around before, this, for all they knew, could be all that remained of the honorable and legendary Gold Tribe. These were dark days indeed.

Zane walked through the encampment, which was bustling with soldier and refugee activity. He made his way to the center, where General Belas, a Metagross, stood. He greeted Zane with a nod, and Zane nodded back. Zane looked into Belas's eyes. Even though he tried to hide it, Zane could see his eyes were weary, and dark, as if they had seen much, too much.

"Any news from the scouts?" Zane asked the General. General Belas has been sending scouts on occasional trips across the conquered Alpha Alliance to report on the events happening, and to possibly find additional Gold Tribe members.

"Nothing yet, Vigil." The General replied, sternly.

The two of them looked around at the activity happening in the camp. It was early morning, and some refugees prepared food they found from the forest. Others conversed with each other. Some Alpha Alliance soldiers talked amongst themselves, looking over at Zane. It was something he had finally gotten used to. Gold Tribe members in the Alpha Alliance were always treated as some sort of celebrities. They were always seen with high standing and respect, but also with mystery. Many common soldiers did not know, or understand some of their customs.

Neither spoke for some time. Both were in deep thought. Eventually, their silence was interrupted as a Raticate came running through the camp at high speed, right to General Belas and Zane. It was one of the scouts who was sent out earlier. He seemed to be out of breathe as he approached. General Belas spoke to him.

"Something important to report?" The General asked.

"Yes, General." The Raticate said, trying to catch his breathe. The Raticate looked at Zane now. "This information should be heard by the other Gold Tribe members as well, sir Vigil."

Zane nodded. General Belas motioned some of his troops nearby to go get the other Gold Tribe members around Liberty Town. Something was happening, something big. Zane could only wait and wonder as he waited for the other Gold Tribe members to arrive.

Penance yawned as his internal alarm clock went off and roused him from his deep sleep. The golduck strectched his arms and back and proceeded to get off his cot and fall onto his hands and feet and began his daily morning routine of push-ups and crunches. He managed fifty of each before he rose and brushed the dirt off his body and exited his tent. Daylight shone through the small encampment of Liberty Town as refugees and Alpha Alliance soldiers roamed among the tents, either busy setting out food or heading to another part of the encampment to start their morning work. Penance headed to one of the food tables and along the way was greeted energetically by the various pokemon he crossed. He returned the greetings and finally managed to get his hands on a small breakfast plate. Thanking the cook he finally found a seat and eagerly downed his meal.

As he ate Penance's lucky bracelet jiggled against his wrist and the water type chuckled as he remembered the last battle he had been in before the retreat had been called. He had stood side by side with his brothers and sisters, many of his family members had already been slain and one mean looking electrabuzz seemed intent on killing him. Penance had a good idea how his opponent had missed hitting him with a devastating thunder attack at close range. Just like with all his battles his lucky bracelet had saved him once again from certain death. He had managed to defeat the electrabuzz with the help of his family but it was soon after that the reatreat was called. Penance didn't know how, but in the confusion of the retreat he had lost sight of his family. He had been about to head into the mountains to hide and attempt to find any gold tribe members he could, but he had felt his bracelet 'pull' him away from his destination and lead him along one of the roads. At first he had been skeptical and was about to turn off the path when he came upon Zane Tyrael, a Bisharp who had been gathering other gold tribe members to seek refuge in the forest. His lucky bracelet had saved him once again and he followed his brother whole-heartedly. Perhaps even better was that one of his friends, Gladius, also had been picked up by Zane and that just made Penance even more cheerful.

As he finished up his breakfast a luxray ran up to Penance and bowed his head formally, "Penance Malum, General Belas is requesting your presence. I am to lead you to the meeting place." Penance gulped down the last of his meal and wiped his hands off, "Okay then, lead the way soldier." The luxray got up and began to jog off to his destination with Penance right behind him.

Kirdir woke up with most of his body aching. Sitting up a little to look around his cell he realized he wasn't alone. Spotting a badly beaten Dragonite laying in the corner, Kirdir looked over the dragon with his one good eye. The dragon type was clearly sleeping so Kirdir decided against disturbing it since waking it would likely mean making it awake of his psychical pain once again. Looking up at the ceiling the Breloom thought over the series of events that had gotten him unto this situation.

He had been searching for what remained of the Golden Tribe in Silver Tribe territory, and everything was fine since the Silver Tribe members didn't know he was a member of the Gold Tribe. Most of the patrols he encountered thought him to be a peasant or some sort of strange crazy wanderer. His goal was to find the remaining members of The Gold Tribe, and join up with them to help fight off this enemy. However finding the Gold Tribe was proving very difficult. Out of frustration he made a poor decision to ask some locals about the whereabouts of the Gold Tribe. The Breloom had assumed they would want the Silver Tribe overthrown, and would be more than willing to do their part to help defeat the Silver Tribe. Sadly Kirdir had made a huge mistake by making this assumption and after he left the peasants told the local garrison about Kirdir.

Kirdir was attacked that night while he was setting up a modest camp. The attack was over quick and Kirdir never stood a chance, and he was quickly captured. After capturing him they dragged him to an undisclosed location where the torturing and questioning began. They seemed to think he knew the whereabouts of some of the Gold Tribe and was a messenger sent to rally survivors. Kirdir never had to lie about that, but he did lie that he wasn't a member of the Gold Tribe. His explanation for searching for the Gold Tribe was to meet the legendary members and to write some research papers on them so they would not fade from history once they were killed off. Kirdir knew his story was bad, and his capturers were not fooled by it.

They were unable to get the truth about him actually being a member, and they didn't seem to think he was a member. After some more time it seemed like his tormentor's thoughts of him changed from a messenger to a wannabe recruit. This did improve his situation a little because now they stopped the torture for the time being since they realized he didn't know anything. However what they planned to do with him now Kirdir did not know. They wouldn't take kindly to those trying to join their enemy, but perhaps they would try to change his mind instead of just executing him.

Kirdir's train of thought about his possible fate here was interrupted by the Dragonite, who started to move around. Looking over at his cell mate Kirdir asked in a calm voice, "Do you need any assistance? I don't have any of my supplies on me, but I know a little about tending wounds. I would have offered to help earlier but I did not want to disturb your rest."

Gladius woke up with a start. From somewhere in his dream, he heard a loud blast of a horn. From his experience in the war, horns usually means an invasion, an attack, or someone very important arriving. He heard it usually in the battleground. He hates how horns sound very urgent but it comes very surprisingly. No warning will be given. Once a horn sounds, he is expected to leave what he is doing and start to wage war. Gladius used to hate battling. His insides are always crawling with nervousness, he perspires a lot, and he does not like the idea of hurting other Pokemon. But he needs to do it. He is a soldier after all. During the battlefield, Gladius puts all thoughts of his self away. Only the Gold Tribe and its members are important. He needs to win. For the others and for the Tribe.

That was before.

Now, after being driven away the massive horde of Silver tribe members, the Ancients as they call themselves, Gladius let his primal instinct roar. He needs to survive another day, so he can strike the final blow against Auron and get the revenge he needed for his treachery.

But, things were looking bleak for the remaining Gold Tribe members. They were encamped in the once majestic Liberty Town. After the war, a certain member started looking for the remaining members. Zane Tyrael, also known as Vigil, was an acting leader for the remaining Gold Tribe. He was a differently colored Bisharp and had a knack for war and battling and such. He found Gladius wounded in an unnamed forest, and just barely alive. He took the weak Snorlax to Liberty City where the latter rested. Gladius soon discovered that Zane only manage to find two more, his friend Penance Malum, and Sainan. Zane was, according to rumors, still positive about the existence of the others.

Gladius felt his belly rumble. He stood up, stretched his tired muscles, and got out his tent. The sunlight momentarily blinded him. When his eyes adjusted to the sunlight, he saw a bustle of activity in the town. He knew that the Alpha Alliance, led by General Belas, had set up an encampment here also. He is not personally acquainted with the general but Gladius deduced that he is a pretty fair general, being the only one of the three general to stay. Gladius proceeded to the dining area and saw several long tables with a few soldiers eating. He looked around but saw no Gold Tribe member eating. He presumed they were out or finished eating. Gladius sat down, as an Aipom handed him his breakfast. He tucked in and started gobbling the breakfast. Snorlaxes were known to be hearty eaters, and Gladius is no exception. When he finished his third plate, a Monferno came up to him.

"Sword and Shield," the Monferno said, addressing Gladius by his title. "General Belas requests your presence. New information had arrived with the 2^nd Division Scouts." The 2nd Division Scouts were a pretty good scout team, as far as Gladius is concerned.

"Right now?" Gladius asked. He was hesitant, mainly because of his terrible hungriness. He ordered another plate but it seems he will not be available to finish it.

"Yes, Sir Clipeum," Monferno simply said. The monkey stood there, and Gladius stared at him, deciding. However, the same Aipom that delivered his food is back. aipom placed the plate in front of the Snorlax.

"I guess I'll just finish this up quickly," Gladius said to himself, as he held the plate high over his head, and let the contents slide down to his mouth. He burped. "All right. Lead me to him." Monferno bounded away, with Gladius slowly following his trail.

(I'm always late like this.)

"No! Please stop! I beg of you!" came a cry of despair from a place of despair. The torturehouse was a huge building built in the middle of Silver City, and only one of many. It was the largest torturehouse, and people from all over Valkyria said it was both impenetrable and inescapable. You went in there, you never came out. And there was no rescuing your buddies either.
The torturehouse was composed of a main room and a hall. For such a big place, it seemed impossible. But the torturehouse doubled as an inescapable prison. The cells were about as large as a broom cupboard, and the only smells you got from the place were the musty smells of death and Rattata droppings. You were placed there, you were expected to die. No resources, no company, no nothing. And if you did not, the workers would kill you at the monthly inspection. Either way, if you stepped beyond the barrier separating the entrance from the rest of the world, you were doomed.
The torturehouse was so large because the cells numbered in the thousands, and were often stacked up on each other. It wasn't a pretty sight. There weren't any houses around it because all you can hear coming from it, day and night, are screams of other Pokemon and smells of rotting corpses-no matter what those corpses may be made from. It is a scar on the face of the city.

Torturehouses are spread all over Valkyria. The main one was here in Silver City. It was the most fortified and largest of the torturehouses. In fact, each city had its own Torturehouse. By now, you are probably wondering what twisted sick minds came up with this idea. Well, there was only one mind that came up with it: That of Sade Frost.

Sade Frost was a Froslass, and one of the eight sentinels of the Silver Tribe. Of them all, she was known to be the one who induced the most fear. Not through brute force or sheer power, but simply through influence. Sade Frost was a twisted creature, she was evil and she loved it. She managed the main torturehouse in Silver City, where she happily tortured people day and night. Some Pokemon claim she never sleeps, never eats, never stops. That her mind was sickened by some unknown force.
It is, however, hard to believe that Frost was once a member of the Gold Tribe. But indeed that she was. She was a revered member of the Gold Tribe, she joined at a young age and managed to survive until evolution. Upon which sick thoughts started crossing her mind. Thoughts of control over the Gold Tribe. On her quest with Auron, these thoughts were realized, as the Ancients laid siege to everything Frost had once known. And the sickest thing was: She didn't care.

"AaaaAAAAAAAH!" A cry of pain came from the torturehouse. "Alright, bring in the general." a powerful yet feminine voice spoke: Sade Frost. Soon after her order, the General was literally dragged into the room. The captured general of the Alpha Alliance, that is. She was an absolutely beautiful Vespiquen, her colors greatly differed from the rest of her kind in that she was Red and black rather than Yellow and Black, and she was far more powerful than others her kind. That is, before she entered the torturehouse. Before, Auron had trested her to a kind dinner in order to be able to extract information from her. But when she had resisted with head held high, that is when she was brought in here.

The two Machoke placed the beaten-up Vespiquen onto a wooden table in the middle of the room. Frost floated over to the side of the table as she was placed down. She took a leather roll from a nearby table as the Machoke strapped the Vespiquen's wings and arms tight. Frost floated over to the Vespiquen's side once more and unrolled the leather to reveal a plethora of cutting knives. Of all different shapes and sizes, each designed to cause their own unique type of pain. Frost peeked at the various knives as the Machoke ran over to keep the bee's lower half in check. "Now...what to pick? Oh, this is such a hard choice." Frost laughed, playing around with the knives. "Aha. This one seem juuuuust perfect." she said, picking up a small knife with a little hook on it. She put it close to her face, examining it as if she'd never used it before. This general's wings were thin, and Frost knew exactly how to make the pain last long.
Without further ado, Frost slammed the hook onto the wood, and through the bee's wing. "AAAAAAH!" the Vespiquen screamed, piting her lip to keep in the rest. Tears were now apparent on her cheeks. "Tell me the plans of the Alpha Alliance." Frost's voice turned stern. She hovered over the Alpha Alliance general and mimicked her position in midair. "Tell me." she said with a smile on her face. "Never!" the Vespiquen attempted to spit on Frost's face, but the spittle just passed right through her.

Frost hovered back down, grabbed the little hook and pulled it from the table. Then she hammered it back down repeatedly on the Alliance General's paper-thin wing. until it was filled with holes. "Aah! Aaaah!" she screamed with each one. More tears rolling down her eyes. "Not so tough now, are we?" Frost mused as she punched the last hole in the wing. Frost then unstrapped the wing and started pulling at the hook. In the blink of an eye, Frost had totally ripped off the Alliance General's right wing. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Vespiquen screamed. "Teehee. Not satisfied are we?" Frost snickered. She placed the little knife back in the leather roll and took out a knife large enough to cut off her own arm in one stroke. She held it up menacingly at the General's face. "Tell me what you plan to do next, insect!" Frost screeched. The Vespiquen did nothing. Without a second thought, Frost dropped the large knife, and it landed right where she wanted it to: the General's arm. It cut it off in one stroke as predicted. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The General screamed as she took a glance at her disconnected arm. Frost was no fool, she knew the General still would never tell, so she went ahead and cut off the other arm too. And the other wing. Each resulted in great screams.

Finally, when the job was done, Frost returned to her side of the table and placed the large cutting knife back in its place with the others. "Take her to the oven." Frost said. This, of course, was a very weird thing to say. But it had terrible meaning behind it. The oven was a great metal box with installed heaters designed to torture those weak to fire. It was a slow and painful death. When Frost came back the next morning, often all she found was a puddle of blood.
When the Machoke carrying the Vespiquen caught up to Frost, they were so afraid they bolted. Why? There was still a melted skeleton of one of their own kind there. Frost giggled as she watched them run. "Seems I forgot to clean the oven." she mused. She turned her head back to the General, who was too weary to be afraid. With wings and arms cut off, all she could do was stand on her lower half. "In you go." Frost pushed the bowling pin of a general into the oven and closed the door. "Have fun." were the final words Frost said to the general before she pushed the on button. The heaters revved on, and it wasn't long before screams of agony could be heard. Frost floated away from the machine and out the door of the torturehouse. A crowd stood out, with a pair of Machamp keeping any who dared to try and enter from doing so. "You see..." Frost announced over the screams of the general heating up. All eyes turned to her as she lifted herself into the air.

"THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU OPPOSE ME!"​

There is beauty in power. Or that's what Krystal believed when she built her base in a volcano. Not an active volcano of course, but still a volcano, and still plenty hot. Krystal enjoyed watching her minions sweating uncomfortably in the heat, which got well over 250 degrees Fahrenheit in some areas of the volcano. The ancient cone made a perfect base, as magma had slowly melted its way through the rock creating both open caverns and winding tunnels connecting them. Hardly any digging was necessary when Krystal decided to move in, although she did install other commodities that she might need, as well as other important structures. The prison was one of these structures.

The prison was made of solid iron with walls two feet thick, taking up a good portion of the main cavern in the center of the volcano. The foundation was laid on solid rock, heated and cooled by magma centuries ago, making the stone nearly impossible to dig through. The only thing that the prison was missing was a moat filled with lava, but Krystal did not want the prisoners to try to commit suicide, and the lava might re-soften the stone on which the prison was set upon. But even without any moat, it was near impossible to escape the prison, and then to sneak all the way through the tunnels to the exit, then across the barren landscape that the volcano had left, lava burning away trees and turning the ground hard years ago. No, escape was impossible. Not that the prison had many prisoners. No, Krystal usually left handling prisoners to Sade Frost, one of the other 8 Sentinels. Although She did find Frost's methods....vulgar. So she kept a few prisoners for herself to do with as she pleased in her volcano.

"The prisoner is ready."

A voice shook Krystal from her meditating, and the Flareon looked up. A gengar stood before her, her second in command. The gengar had served under her for almost a year now, and went by the name of Shadow. Such an unoriginal name she thought to herself. Then she addressed him saying, "Alright, we don"t want to keep our prisoner waiting, do we?" She gave Shadow a deceptively sweet smile as she moved up the stairs to the prisoner's cell. "So, who are we torturing today?"

The gengar cleared his throat and replied, "An Absol, remember? The one we hunted down in the forest. Goes by the name of Dusk. He is a member of Gold Tribe, and managed to take out a good number of our hunting party before we knocked him out. He is known for fighting skills, although not very eloquent in his speech. Rather blunt if you ask me. Anyway, he took a lot of pain before he went down, so he will probably take a lot of pain before we break him. Sade might be able to get something out of him."

Krystal flinched and growled at the sound of Frost's name. Krystal despised Frost, quite openly too. She looked at her second in command and chastised him. "You doubt my abilities? I can break him just as easily as that coward could. But I have no stomach for pain, I prefer more...indirect approaches. Speaking of which, have you figured it out yet?"

Shadow avoided eye contact with his boss who was obviously angry at him. "Ah, so that's what you are planning with him. Yes, I think so. It depends on how much he resists."

"Are you sure? The last one's brain boiled in their head. That was nasty to clean up."

Shadow winced at the mention of his last failure. "Yes, I believe that I have perfected it...although I think that may have been too much exposure to heat..."

"Nonsense. I keep this area slightly cooler for the prisoners. But it is heartening to hear that you will succeed this time. I would hate to see if you failed again. I do not tolerate failure."

Shadow just walked on in silence, listening to their footsteps clanging on the hard metal floor. Finally, they came to an iron door with two guards standing outside. They immediately straightened up upon seeing their master, and silently opened the door, then closed it behind the pair, admitting them into the cell. Inside, there was only a single light, illuminating a badly scarred Absol chained to the floor by one leg. At first, Krystal thought the the pokemon was unconscious, but then the absol looked up and starred at Krystal straight in the eye.

"So," the absol spoke in a low voice, "I have the honor of meeting with the most vain Sentinel of the whole bunch."

Krystal smiled sweetly. "You know, you might want to show your host a little respect while your here, it may help you in the long run."

Dusk starred her in the eye and replied, "Great, so I show respect and locked up in this hell hole for the rest of my life. Excellent. At least in one of the ghost's prisons my ordeal would only last a month at most."

Krystal felt her temper rising as she heard the name of her rival once again. She quickly calmed herself, reminding herself that she had work to do. "Well Dusk, isn't life better than death? I could offer you life, in exchange for information perhaps? Of course, I would still keep you locked up in this prison, which is not much of a life at all. Possibly allegiance to me? Yes, then I would let you out and serve me, maybe as one of my guards, or some other job where you could use you fighting skills, hmm?

Dusk straightened up to his full height and looked Krystal in the eye. "I swear upon the name of my grandfather Vesica Argentum, a Gold Tribe member before me, that I will die a thousand deaths before I join you and Silver Tribe."

Krystal smiled evily. "Well, you may have just dishonored the name of you dear grandfather." She turned her head and nodded at Shadow." Dusk looked up, confused at what the Flareon was speaking about. Then a mental barrage hit him as the Gengar attacked the Absol with his mind. Dusk fell first to his knees in pain, then onto his side, as the attack continued. He had been unprepared for anything like this, and it made it all the easier for Shadow to work his way into the Absol's mind. Krystal stood by and watched the entire event unblinking. She watched Dusk;s face contort with pain and fear, and listened to him scream. After what seemed like ages, Shadow straightened up from where he had been standing in the corner and said, "It is done."

Krystal nodded. "It worked?"

Shadow nodded in reply. "Yes, I think so, its hard to tell, but he should only obey you now."

"Good." Krystal walked forward towards the absol laying on the iron floor, and knelt beside him. Dusk's eyes fluttered open and darted around in confusion. "W-What? W-Where am I?"

Krystal entered his field of view and smiled. "You fell and had a nasty concussion", she lied, "Are you feeling better? Does your head hurt? What do you remember?"

Dusk blinked and spoke as if struggling to remember what words to say, "I...I don't remember anything...my head does feel...fuzzy. Who are you? ...who am I?"

Krystal grinned like a school girl. "Your Dusk! Don't you remember? Your concussion must be worse than we thought. Hopefully your memories will return to you. Until then you are going to have to do what I say, okay?"

"...okay." Dust said uncertainly, then more forcefully. "Yes, I will do what you say."

"Excellent!" Krystal quickly unlocked the shackle on Dusk's leg, then whispered in his ear. The absol stood for a moment, at a loss of words, then slowly nodded, and quietly said, "I will do as you say." The he turned around and slew Shadow with a single stroke of the blade on his head. The gengar, completely unprepared, just stared down at his chest in disbelief, then toppled forward, his lips trying to form words that would never come out.

Krystal knelt beside his corpse and whispered in his ear. "Next time you want more power, don't plot against the one who gave it to you in the first place."

Then she motioned to Dusk, and both left the room silently, leaving the corpse of the gengar on the floor.

The walked in quiet for a moment, then Dusk spoke up. "What will you have me do next?"

"I have been summoned by my master, and I cannot deny his call", she said with a grimace. 'I need someone here to watch this place for me. Someone I can trust. Can you do that for me?"

"Of course. I will do as you say."

"Of course you will. Of course you will..."

Liberty Town

Zane waited with General Belas as the Alpha Alliance soldiers fetched the other Gold Tribe members. Eventually, Penance Malum came first. Zane greeted Penance with a polite bow of the head. Alpha Alliance soldiers watched eagerly at their interaction. Others didn't understand the bond every Gold Tribe member has with one another. They may have never met previously before, yet their duty and honor all binds them together to a common goal. Zane spoke to Penance.

"Greetings, Defender." Zane said as he greeted him. Interactions between Gold Tribe members never have them say each other's names. When Gold Tribe members typical spoke to one another, they used their titles instead of their names. Other Alpha Alliance soldiers started to adopt that recently, and refer to Zane as "Vigil", his title, but that trend began in the Gold Tribe.

The enormous figure of Gladius came soon after Zane greeted him in the same manner.

"Good morning, Sword and Shield." He said to him, smiling. Indeed, the Snorlax was enormous, larger than even normal Snorlax's were. His stature was quite imposing to other Alpha Alliance soldiers.

Sainan arrived soon after. Zane politely bowed to him, just as he did his other two brothers of the Gold Tribe. "Calamity." He said softly to him. Zane turned now to the General, who then began speaking.

"Great. You are all here. Thank you for coming. My scout has apparently found something of interest, and wished to share with you." They all now turned at the still out of breathe Raticate. He began speaking, a sense of nervousness in his voice. Like many others, he had probably never been in front of this many Gold Tribe members when they were so close.

"Yes....of course. Well, noble members of the Gold Tribe. I have news that will be very important for you to here. I was with the rest of the 2nd Division scouts, making our daily round of scouting in the south banks of the forest. We decided to go a bit further off into Silver Tribe territory. For the most part, we believe we were not followed. What we stumbled upon next, was horrendous."

The Raticate paused the story as to recall it, shaking a bit from the memory.

"We came upon one of the Silver Tribe's torturehouses. As you know, these torturehouses act as both prisons and places of torture primarily used for Alpha Alliance prisoners captured in the war. They are spread all across the Alpha Alliance now, many containing countless prisoners. Myself and the rest of the 2nd Division scouts decided to infiltrate the torturehouse, and gather some information, and apparently, we struck big. According to reports, not only are there Alpha Alliance soldiers there, but also it is said there are a few captured Gold Tribe members as well."

Zane instantly shot up, both surprised and somewhat hopeful. "There are others?!" He asked, his voice hinting with hope and excitement.

"Yes, sir Vigil. We don't know how many, but there are Gold Tribe members captured in the torturehouse."

Zane couldn't help but smile now. He looked over the other Gold Tribe members sitting next to him before looking back at the scout. The scout continued speaking.

"But that's not all. There are also reports that General Hazone, who has been missing for quite some time, is also there."

Zane looked surprised once more. General Belas also seemed surprised. "That's terrific!" The General said. However, the Raticate was not finished.

"Unfortunately, sire, that was the good news." Instantly, Zane and the General both sat back down, their expressions turning from excitement to concern. They listened carefully.

"We heard a report that the Silver Tribe will be moving the captured General Hazone and Gold Tribe members to the main torturehouse in Silver City."

Everyone was silent. They all knew the rumors. The torturehouses spread all across the Alpha Alliance were bad, but the main one in Silver City was the worst. To make matters worse, it is said to be imprenetrable and inescapable. Once you go in, you never go out. If the Silver Tribe successfully move General Hazone and the Gold Tribe members to the main torturehouse in Silver City, Zane and the others will never see them again. Zane knew, and the others most likely knew as well, they couldn't let that happen.

Zane looked at Sainan, Gladius, and Penance. It was a look that they would know all too well. They had to do something about this. They had to save them.

"...We should move out as soon as possible." Zane said to them. The Raticate began to protest.

"Sire? You plan to go out with only the four of you?! That's suicide! The torturehouse is enormous. There are dozens of Ancients that patrol outside of it, and hundreds of them inside! It would be a suicide mission!"

Zane merely placed an arm on the Raticade, and smiled. It was clear the Raticate had never seen a Gold Tribe member in action before. Their fights were often the stories of legend. "We'll be back." He said to him softly. Zane then turned back to the others, speaking to them.

"We should make preparations to leave. When you're ready, let's meet in the front of the encampment. We'll travel light and fast." With that, Zane went to prepare. If what the scout said was true, it was still going to be a tough fight, breaking into a fortified prison with only four Gold Tribe members.

But they were going to win. They had to.

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

Torturehouse cell

Hazone awoke from his cell, his body still aching from the constant torture he was put through. To his surprise, as he awoke, he found himself sharing a cell now with a Breloom, one much larger than normal ones. He was also a little bit darker. The Breloom spoke.

"Do you need any assistance? I don't have any of my supplies on me, but I know a little about tending wounds. I would have offered to help earlier but I did not want to disturb your rest."

The Dragonite replied, rather wearily, trying to put a brave face for this newcomer, as to not worry him, or break his spirit. He assumed he was a captured Alpha Alliance soldier.

"Ah, that won't be necessary. Thank you, though. These wounds are nothing. My will isn't broken." The Dragonite paused for a moment, before continuing to speak. "It is good to have someone to speak to...but it is also terrible that you were brought here. Were you captured? Are you by chance an Alpha Alliance soldier? Please, if you like, share your story."

Penance continued following his guide through the encampment and eventually was led to the center of the town where he recognized the forms of the "Vigil", Zane, and of General Belas. Zane approached him and bowed his head politely, "Greetings, Defender." He said. Penance, like wise, bowed his head in return, "And greetings to you as well, Vigil." He replied. When Peanace had first joined the gold tribe one of the most difficult habits he had to adopt had been addressing his brothers and sisters by their titles. It took a few days, and a couple of slip-ups, but he eventually became accustomed to just one of the many changes that the gold tribe presented him with, changes that helped him become part of a new family.

It was only a few seconds after Penance stepped off to the side when Galdius showed up. Penance smiled when he saw his old friend. Gladius was known for being very friendly with new recruits and was one of the first friends that Penance made within the gold tribe. Soon after Sainan, known as "Calamity", arrived as well. Penance knew very little about "Calamity", he had only seen the Absol a few times during his limited duration with the gold tribe, but since "Calamity" was his brother he wanted to at least have a conversation or two with him to know him better.

Soon all the gold tribe members had settled and General Belas informed them that one of his scouts had found something important enough to share with the gold tribe members. The scout, a raticate, looked rather nervous to be in front of the gold tribe and Penance couldn't help but feel worried that the raticate might just faint in front of them when the scout began to speak. The raticate informed them that it's division had actually stepped over into silver tribe territory where they found a torturehouse. At first Penance's heart sank, he had thought that the news might have been that gold tribe members had been founded, but his heart quickly rose again when the scout said that the torturehouse included some gold tribe members as well. Another high note was the fact that General Hazone was there as well. Of course, that was where the good news ended. The prisoners in that torturehouse were going to be shipped to Silver City's main torturehouse. Penance had heard the tales. That evil place was said to be unescapable. Once one went in, there was no way out.

Penance saw the look on Zane's face as the scout relayed his information. It was a look of determination and hope. They couldn't just let their brothers and sisters be sent to their ceratin doom, they had to get them out as fast as they could! "...We should move out as soon as possible." Zane said, which in turn caused the scout to squeak in protest. Penance sighed in annoyance, no one in the alpha alliance undestood the gold tribe or the bonds that held them together. If one of the own was in danger then they would risk life and limb to save them.

"...When you're ready, let's meet in the front of the encampment. We'll travel light and fast." Penance nodded his head eagerly as he watched Zane leave. Smiling Penance approached Gladius, "So then, Sword and Shield, you ready to face the impossible odds of having to take down a torturehouse full of guards that outnumber us one hundred to one and come out alive and victorious while looking good doing it?"

Replicus "Speculum" Decendas
Gold Tribe
Somewhere...

Replicus couldn't see anything. It was dark, cold. The metal chair underneath him made his whole body tingle. Even though it was cold, Replicus was breathing hard, sweating like crazy. It was probably the first time Replicus had felt fear, and utter hopelessness. He... almost sure he was about to die. Almost. Like 99%, but Replicus wasn't one to give up. He was definitely going to hold on to that 1%.

He didn't know where he was. It was really dark, but he could make out faint outlines of other chairs, and desks nearby. One more thing which he could see was some... rather disturbing tools on the desks. He didn't want to look at them, it made him want to puke. They were tools... of torture. He was pretty sure those Pokemon that had captured him had used them on other poor innocent Pokemon as well. Replicus wanted to fight back, but he knew he couldn't. They had tied him to the chair quite firmly, making it impossible for him to transform. He was in his Grovyle form, but yet it was impossible for him to cut through the ropes. He had been trying for quite some time now, but there was no chance.

Replicus closed his eyes. This wasn't like him at all. He wasn't the kind of guy who gave up. Everybody who knew him in the Gold Tribe knew that. He thought about everybody in the Gold Tribe. He thought about the golden Bisharp, Zane. Replicus wondered whether his friends might be worrying about him. He thought about his brother, and then it struck him, he might probably in the same kind of situation too. Thinking about that made him laugh hysterically.

"Heh... I think I'm going insane." He thought, and stopped laughing. The pressure and stress was getting to him. He had to stay calm. He couldn't let himself give up like that. He was going to escape, no matter what. He WAS going to help the Gold Tribe take control of their land again. He WAS going to find his brother again.

He thought back to how he had been captured, it was a painful memory, but it was still important to learn from his mistakes...

******

Replicus had just arrived at the edge of the forest... he was out for a leisurely stroll in the evening. The weather was really pleasant, the best day for a walk... and an ambush.

Suddenly, Pokemon jumped out of bushes around him, and caught Replicus completely off guard. He should have been more careful, more alert. He was attacked by the assailants, as Replicus quickly transformed into Excadrill. He recognized the Pokemon as really ancient Pokemon. It was a large group, he could never hold them off alone. But he had to try.

A Kabutops jumped on him, and Replicus managed to jab at him with his arms. The Kabutops landed quite some distance away, but that only made the others more agitated, as they jumped on him all at once.

"Come on... Come on..." Replicus muttered, as he fended off blows from the various Kabutops. He had to somehow give the Gold Tribe members a message to save him. He tried to slowly move towards their settlement in the forest, but he was getting tired too. It was not long before the Pokemon would overpower him, and take him to the torturehouse, lock him up in a cell. No way in hell was Replicus was gonna give up.

An Omastar appeared, and Replicus transformed into a Grovyle to get a speed boost. He managed to smack the Omastar away, but he was injured by another Kabutops who had managed to slash is leg. He was severely injured now. He dropped down to one knee, and the last thing he saw before being knocked unconscious was the blurry figure of a Kabutops bringing his hand down on his head.

******

Replicus opened his eyes as a Kabutops opened the door of his cell. He looked at him, and said, "Why, back to give me that crap you call 'food'?" Even though he was half injured, and had lost all hope, he wasn't going to give up on a taunt. The Kabutops looked at him with anger, then silently opened up his ropes, freeing him from the chair. Replicus was quite happy to see that, as he stretched his legs, feeling free again.

The Kabutops threw a few dirty berries on the floor, and Replicus hungrily picked them up
and wolfed them down. They were definitely dirty and unhygienic, but that was all he got. He silently watched the Kabutops as he was about to walk out, and he saw another one walk in. The two of them started to talk in low whispers, and Replicus tried his hardest to listen to their conversation.

"Move... Gold... tribe members... Silver city... Torturehouse..."

Hearing these few words, Replicus figured out what was going to happen. The Kabutops nodded, and Replicus yelled, "No... NO.... NOOOOOOOOOOO!" as he jumped on the two Kabutops, trying to break out of here. The two Pokemon easily knocked him away, and left the room, ready to initiate their plans.

"I need to get out of here, NOW." Replicus said to himself, as he started to formulate some kind of escape plans in his mind.

Kivir Sveenis
Torturehouse cell

Kivir looked at the Dragonite and shook his head then replied, "I'm not a soldier… just a wandering soul who wanted to meet someone from the Gold Tribe before they became nothing more than pages in a history book." Standing up painfully and acting like he was trying to stretch his legs he walked in a small circle before sitting back down. When he passed close by the Dragonite he whispered quickly, "We should be careful what we discuss, they are likely listening."

Once he sat down again he sighed heavily as pain shot through his body. Closing his eyes to clear his mind he added, "My life is not a very interesting one so I do not have much to tell. Most of my life was spent training, and after that I lived in isolation along the borders of this land. When news of the Silver Tribe's take over finally made its way to me I decided to see what was happening for myself. I had done some research on the Gold Tribe and their past exploits so when I saw the extent the Gold Tribe had diminished I set out to find the last of them. I planned to write about their last exploits so they would not be forgotten and the names of the last members could live on in history." After finishing his partly true story the Breloom asked the Dragonite, "I'm sure a Dragon has a much more interesting story to tell. Do you feel like telling your story?"

Before the Dragonite could respond the Breloom quickly bowed his head respectfully and added, "I apologize for my rudeness for not introducing myself. My name is Kivir Sveenis and what might your name be?"

Gladius Clipeum, Gold Tribe Member, Snorlax​

Gladius arrived at the meeting place. Monferno lead him towards Zane. The huge Snorlax lumbered towards the group. It seemed like he was not the first one to arrive. Penance Malum, the Golduck, was already there. He shook hands with his brother, considering Defender as one of his best comrades in the tribe.

"Good morning, Sword and Shield," Vigil said with a smile. Gladius shook the Bisharp's hand, careful not to crush it.

"Good morning, Vigil. It seemed to me you possess new information. Is it about the whereabouts of other Gold Tribe members? Are there more?" Gladius asked. After the war, he became impatient. He wanted to move and save whatever he can save. Before Vigil could even reply, Calamity appeared. She is one of the Gold Tribe members Gladius knew little of. It took a long time for Gladius remembering Sainan's title. He wasn't sure if it was Calamity or Hazard before. But he managed. He gave Calamity a polite nod.

"Great. You are all here. Thank you for coming. My scout has apparently found something of interest, and wished to share with you," Vigil said. Gladius looked at the scout. It was a Raticate, its whiskers bent at some places. It looked nervous, probably from the sheer intimidation he was feeling in front of four Gold Tribe members and a general. Gladius knew of the way the Alpha Alliance looked at them. The Alliance was fascinated and at the same time intimidated of these warriors.


"Yes....of course. Well, noble members of the Gold Tribe. I have news that will be very important for you to here. I was with the rest of the 2nd Division scouts, making our daily round of scouting in the south banks of the forest. We decided to go a bit further off into Silver Tribe territory. For the most part, we believe we were not followed. What we stumbled upon next, was horrendous." Gladius noted the fact that the scout was stuttering. He was not sure, however, if it is from their presence or the news. He hoped it was the former.

"We came upon one of the Silver Tribe's torturehouses. As you know, these torturehouses act as both prisons and places of torture primarily used for Alpha Alliance prisoners captured in the war. They are spread all across the Alpha Alliance now, many containing countless prisoners. Myself and the rest of the 2nd Division scouts decided to infiltrate the torturehouse, and gather some information, and apparently, we struck big. According to reports, not only are there Alpha Alliance soldiers there, but also it is said there are a few captured Gold Tribe members as well." Vigil became excitable. Gladius confirmed the fact that Zane is indeed optimistic of the other's fate. Raticate added that General Hazone can also be found there. Vigil's eyes practically shone up. However...

"We heard a report that the Silver Tribe will be moving the captured General Hazone and Gold Tribe members to the main torturehouse in Silver City," Raticate finished. Now he waited for the reaction of the members. Almost all members had the same look. The Silver Tribe torturehouse, whoever leads it, is an effective torturehouse. Gladius heard of some Alpha Alliance that was captured and brought there. They were never heard of again. Rescue seemed impossible. Instantly, Gladius knew what they are going to do.

Vigil looked at his group, a rather random choice of members. Gladius knew they had to make do.

"...We should move out as soon as possible," Vigil said. Raticate seemed to protest but Vigil put a reassuring hand over the scout. It was obvious that the Raticate never saw a member in action. Gladius nodded. It was the right thing to do. Zane turned to talk to his brothers.

"We should make preparations to leave. When you're ready, let's meet in the front of the encampment. We'll travel light and fast." He then left. Gladius looked at Penance and saw his friend practically smiling.

"So then, Sword and Shield, you ready to face the impossible odds of having to take down a torturehouse full of guards that outnumber us one hundred to one and come out alive and victorious while looking good doing it?" Gladius smiled back.

"I never looked bad at anything, you know that, Defender," Gladius voice boomed. "I'm ready for anything. And I will look good while doing it, my brother."

They are going to save Hazone and the others.

Torturehouse

"I'm not a soldier… just a wandering soul who wanted to meet someone from the Gold Tribe before they became nothing more than pages in a history book." The Breloom stood up for a moment to stretch, walked in a small circle, and stood back down. He whispered to the Dragonite now. "We should be careful what we discuss, they are likely listening."

The Dragonite nodded. "True. These days, the Silver Tribe are relentlessly pursuing any surviving Gold Tribe members. Alpha Alliance soldiers are captured, but I hear the Auron gave the order that anyone from the Gold Tribe be slain upon sight. These Ancient torture us for any information on their whereabouts."

"My life is not a very interesting one, so I do not have much to tell. Most of my life was spent training, and after that I lived in isolation along the borders of this land. When news of the Silver Tribe's take over finally made its way to me I decided to see what was happening for myself. I had done some research on the Gold Tribe and their past exploits so when I saw the extent the Gold Tribe had diminished I set out to find the last of them. I planned to write about their last exploits so they would not be forgotten and the names of the last members could live on in history."

The Dragonite listened eagerly, like interested in this strange Pokemon's tale.

"Ah, so you are like a chronicler? An interesting profession." The Breloom then asked the Dragonite his name, and told him his as well.

"I'm sure a Dragon has a much more interesting story to tell. Do you feel like telling your story? I apologize for my rudeness for not introducing myself. My name is Kivir Sveenis and what might your name be?"

The Dragonite eyed Kivir interestingly. He had the manners befitting one of the Gold Tribe, yet he was a simple traveler, it seemed. One who had some training, though. He smiled wearily, and spoke.

"It is a pleasure, Kivir. My name is Hazone. Before I was captured, I was one of the three Generals of the Alpha Alliance. Where the other two are, I do not know. I pray, though, they found safety somewhere." Hazone's eyes trailed off to the side of the cell as he spoke now. "I was taken prisoner in the final battle at Gold City. The Ancients...the Silver Tribe were ruthless, relentless..." He turned back to Kivir.

"If you ever get out of here, I wish you luck in finding the Gold Tribe, but I have to tell you, from what I witnessed in Gold City, I very much doubt they still exist. Many of the Gold Tribe held off the enemy while the Alpha Alliance escaped. I don't think I ever saw such valor before, and now, I'm afraid I may never see it ever again."

********************************************************************************************************************
Liberty Town

Zane went back to his tent to retrieve a few items. Primarily, he put on his emblem of the Gold Tribe, a small insignia worn by most members. It was a solid gold seal worn somewhere on their body, whether as a wristband, a necklace, an ornament on their head, or in Zane's case, a plate on his shoulder. The solid gold object shown brightly.

Next Zane went to sharpen his blades which were attached on his forearms, ones in which all Bisharp had. Satisfied and ready, Zane walked to the front of the encampment, ready to go. He was nervous, although he tried not to show it. There were so many ways this could go wrong. If they fail to rescue the Gold Tribe and the General, Zane would never forgive himself. If they died trying, it would leave Liberty Town without their protection, and if the Silver Tribe found their encampment, it would be destroyed. Zane wouldn't let it happen.

As he walked to the front of the encampment, an air of confidence and determination aired from him. Zane was ready to go.

Gladius Clipeum​

Gladius went back to the main area to prepare his things. Like all Snorlax, he always has a huge appetite. Even though he just ate a while ago, he still feel terribly hungry. He can control his hunger of course but, in a few hours, they could be in the battlefield already, and food will be scarce. Gladius decided to drop by the canteen again. People here is already familiar with Gladius since he is a frequent here. And they are used to his appetite. Gladius ordered four meals in one go. Aipom nodded and bounced away. It was only a minute before the food arrived. Gladius slowly ate his fill, savoring each taste. It might be a long time before I get to eat again. After finishing the meal, he thanked the Aipom addressing him as "young one." Gladius went back to his tent.

First thing he did, as any Gold Tribe member would, is get his emblem. His was in the form of an earring. He is not a virtuoso when it comes to fashion, but he prizes the arm band he possess. It signifies all the troubles he overcame before becoming a member, and all that will follow. He pierced his ear once again with the earring. Being a guy, he is not used wearing the earring, but it must be done. He groaned softly when the jewelry finally pierced the closed skin in his ear. He checked himself in the mirror. He looked like a bad boy, with a single earring dangling in his ear. Next he packed his bag. He has no worldly possession that he still possess. All his things were lost during the siege. He just took some apples he could eat during the journey and, if they survive, afterwards. He felt the gravity of the situation. They could either succeed and get back some members and General Hazone, or they could die, leaving the Liberty Town defenseless. He shrugged the thought out of his mind. They need to survive afterwards. Belas seemed too small to protect the entire town.

He left his tent and walked to the front of the encampment. He saw Vigil there, standing silently like a silent sentinel. "I'm ready Vigil. Is Defender and Calamity here already?" Gladius sat down. "We can do this, Vigil. I'm sure we'll come back alive."

Sade Frost
Grueling Work​

Well, that was grueling work, Frost thought, as she watched the Machoke carry the half-melted body of the Vespiquen General-has-been away into the streets. This would most certainly prove that the Silver Tribe was not to be messed with. Frost was most pleased with her grueling work, however, as the grueling ones were always the best ones. You see, Frost saw this torturing business as not a job, but a profession. The clear difference between the two being that a job was something you were paid to do, and a profession was something you were good at, and that you liked to do. She thought you were born with a special ability called 'Truth-finding' or not. She believed that her truth-finding powers excelled all the others, because she was so good at it. Whether she got truth or not, she still enjoyed her profession. She believed she was born to do it. While most, or rather everybody, in the realm would find this horrible, disgusting and barbaric, Frost found it beautiful, merciful and above all: Fun.

Now it was time to visit an old friend. Frost had been meaning to visit him for at least a year or two, and they came across each other very rarely. His name was Levin Gannon. Levin was another one of the eight sentinels, but he and Frost did not see each other often. Frost and Levin were once secret lovers, but Auron found out and forbade it, and so they broke up. Now they did not visit each other very often, each were dabbling in their own matters. Levin was currently assembling his troops, who were mainly sneaks and snakes like Frost's. The troops had recently learned that a bunch of surviving Gold Tribe members were hiding out in the Poseida ruins, and the Gengar and a group of seven other spies had been sent to find out what was going on. "Levin Gannon. The deceiver. Long time no see." Frost floated up to him. Gannon turned around, but she was gone. Then the next thing he knew she was behind him once more. "Teehee. Missed me?" she whispered in his ear, but when he turned she was gone again. Gannon sighed. "Enough of your mind tricks, Sade." he said. "Oh, what's the matter? The Deceiver lost his touch?" Frost giggled. "So what if I have?" Gannon gained a smile of his own. Before he knew it, an Ice Beam went towards him. It knocked him back a little, but he managed to absorb it and fire it back at Frost. Even though Frost was invisible at the time, Gannon knew her all too well to miss, and it hit her too. "Yowch! Still got your touch, I think, honey." she mused, as she reappeared. "It's good to see you again, wrench." Gannon said. Coming from anyone else, it might have sounded like an insult, but coming from him, it was a compliment. "Good to see you too, old man." she replied, obviously complimenting him as well. "Preparing your scumbag troops for spying, I see." Frost observed. "Yes, we are being sent to Poseida to investigate possible Gold Tribe survivors." Levin explained to Frost. "Poseida? I thought we destroyed the place." Frost argued, with a concerned look. "It is gone. They are hiding in the ruins." Levin said. "Ah. Stupid Pokemon, holding on to what has been destroyed." Frost mused, giggling. Levin said nothing, he just smiled.

"I've received a message." Gannon said, after a few minutes of silence. "We must report to the throne room immediately." he continued. "Quickly." he said, and with that, he was off, that is, teleported away to the throne room. Frost was about to do so as well, but some of the men were now staring at Frost. Frost shot one of them with an Ice Beam, and he was knocked over, dead. "What are you all looking at?! Get back to work, lazy scum!" she shouted, and with that, she was off to the throne room.

Since they were short on time already Penance only had a few minutes to give his short greeting to Gladius before he went on to his own tent to pack the few necessities he would need. His tent was very bare, only containing his cot and a few items he managed to take out of the city before it was lost. One of these items was his gold tribe emblem, a solid gold band that would clamp around his left bicep. He placed it on and wiggled it around until he found the right position where it wouldn't slide down his arm. Penance closed his tent flap and went back to his cot and sat on it, waiting a few seconds before he placed his hand on his bracelet and rubbed it. It was one of the golduck's odd habits to get the luck flowing through his bracelet whenever he knew he needed to the bracelet to be just a little luckier than it usually was; and this was one of those times, especially when he considered how steep the price of failure would be.

As Penance concentrated on his bracelet he couldn't help but feel all kinds of negative thoughts surface in his mind. If they failed there was no doubt that the silver tribe would transfer all the prisoners immediately to silver city just to be on the safe side. Their own group could very well be wiped out or even worse, be taken prisoner as well and tortured for information for who knows how long. If that happened all of the refugees would be left with only the Alpha Alliance soldiers left to defend them. It wasn't that Pennance looked down on the soldiers, it was just fact that the soldiers didn't have the training to face a huge fighting force like the silver tribe. Penance hadn't been on a mission this huge before and the golduck couldn't help but feel a degree of giddiness and fear. Sure he had fought against the Silver Tribe once before, but that had been when he was literally surrounded by other Gold Tribe members. Now there were only four of them and Penance couldn't help but fear that his inexperience at a mission of this magnitue could very well get them all killed.

Taking in a deep breath Penance got up and walked out into the camp once more. The brief walk helped clear up some of Penance's doubts, but not all, and soon enough he saw the front of the encampment where Vigil and Sword and Shield were already waiting. "I'm ready Vigil… to tell you the truth I am quite nervous, I have never been on this risky a mission before, but I will fight with you until I breathe my last."

Liberty Town

Zane stood at the entrance of the town, awaiting the others. It was soon that Sword and Shield made his way to him.

"I'm ready Vigil. Is Defender and Calamity here already?"

"You're the first, but they should be here momentarily." Zane said, as he eyed Gladius.

He said as he sat down. "We can do this, Vigil. I'm sure we'll come back alive."

Zane nodded to him. He admired the Snorlax's optimism. Soon afterward, Defender made his way to the two of them. Zane acknowledged him with a nod as he began to speak.

"I'm ready Vigil… to tell you the truth I am quite nervous, I have never been on this risky a mission before, but I will fight with you until I breathe my last."

Zane was the same, as probably were the other two brothers of the Gold Tribe, but Zane found it interesting, and quite refreshing to hear it out loud. Zane was nervous, but, like Penance, would fight to his last breath to see this mission through.

"Thank you, Defender." Zane said softly. The last of them, Calamity made his way to the group.

"I'm all set to go," he said. Vigil nodded. They were ready. The Raticate scout and General Belas made their way to the four Gold Tribe members one more time. The scout leaned over close to them and drew a crude map on the ground, illustrating the path to take.

"The torturehouse is on the southern borders of the forest, about 10 kilometers out of it." He said, as he drew it's location to them. "Once out of the forest, you'll probably be able to see it." The Raticate hesitated on the next part of the demographics. "...about 500 Ancients are guarding the outsides of the torturehouse, another 200 or so are on the inside. No Silver Tribe members were seen when we infiltrated earlier, but you should expect them nonetheless."

As the Raticate finished, he backed up so as to stand next to General Belas. General Belas spoke now to them.

"Good luck, noble Gold Tribe." He said, as he bowed to them in respect.

Zane nodded, and spoke once more. "We'll be back, General. I promise."

Zane look over his three companions. They were ready, as ready as one could possibly be. He knew the dangers, as did they, but it was comforting to see such courage and commitment resonate from them. Zane knew, if this was to be their end, he wouldn't have it any other way. Without another word, they took off into the forest thickets.

For a while, Zane was silent as he ran through the forest on the directed path to the torturehouse. For the most part, he was merely thinking of possible strategies they could inhibit to successfully infiltrate and escape the place, with the prisoners with them. In a usual Gold Tribe mission, there would usually be an appointed 'group leader', who would direct the majority of the mission. That member would have usually be chosen by the Gold Tribe Leader, Adam Reed, based on their ability to plan strategy and lead. However, since the Leader had been killed, no one had been chosen to take his place, as if anyone could. Between the four of them, though, Zane hoped one of them had a knack for strategy. He certainly probably wasn't the most qualified. If not, they'd all probably have to agree on a single strategy that seems to be the best one. Zane decided to go over his with them as they ran to the torturehouse.

"So I was thinking of possible ways we can go about doing this. If the Raticate was correct, most of the Ancient guards are patrolling the outside of the torturehouse. There are a lot less on the inside than the out. There is no way we'd be able to defeat all 500 on our own on the outside. That's too many, even between the four of us. But if we leave them there and go inside, they would simply surround us, afterward, and that torturehouse would be a slaughterhouse. What we need to do is somehow distract the outside Ancients, and take out the troops on the inside. Then we free the Gold Tribe and the General, and get the heck out of there."

Zane paused for a second, and continued, the next part of his plan was the hardest to say.

"I...think if one or two of us could attempt to hold off the army on the outside, and the rest of us could sneak in and save them, then we can all try to make it out together."

It was a diversion plan, not a great one, but the best one Zane could come up with. This would put two of them in a lot more risk than the other two, although the others wouldn't have an easy task either. Zane previously thought to try sneaking in, but he knew, and he knew the others did as well, that there was no way they'd be able to get in unnoticed with an oversized Snorlax with them.

"Also, maybe we can all just go straight in together, having all of us fight together might be a better strategy, as all of us could watch each others backs."

This idea also had it's drawbacks, but at this point, no idea was perfect.

"But...if any of you have any other ideas, I'd be glad to hear them." He said, wondering what the others thought of this. The group made it's way swiftly through the forest, as Zane waited for some responses.

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Silver City

This was once a place of indisputable beauty and creativity. It was said that when Gold City was created, it was blessed to be a place of peace and prosperity for all time. The once shining halls and streets were paved gold, they say. It was truly a place to behold, a place in which all Alpha Alliance citizens wanted to see at least once in their life.

Now, it is a shadow of it's former self. During the final battle between the Gold and Silver Tribes, many of the buildings and roads were destroyed, or very near to. The banners of gold that shone brightly in the sun were replaced with the insignias of the Silver Tribe and the Ancients. The once bustling city streets filled with happy Pokemon going about their business were largely empty, except for the mass amounts of Ancients that patrolled the streets. Many of the Alpha Alliance citizens are now too afraid to leave their homes, scared that they will be attacked, or killed.

Right in the middle of the city was the Citadel, a building of immense size and beauty, once the home to the Gold Tribe members. Decorations were all around it, and people claimed it as the jewel of Gold City. The Citadel still stands where it once was, but it was largely damaged, and wasn't bothered to be repaired. Instead, it now serves as the "Palace" for the Silver Tribe.

Deep within it's walls, where the throne room was now situated, was Luphen "Auron" Augustus, leader of the Silver Tribe, and self-proclaimed King of the Alpha Alliance. He is a shadow of his former self, his appearance and demeanor of a darker and yet somehow hollow nature of what he once was. Once, he was the second-in-command of the Gold Tribe, their prized fighter and beloved brother. Now, he is the most hated man alive, an oppressor of freedom and peace. What caused him to do this is a mystery, one that may never be solved.

As he sat on the throne, his 8 Sentinels, once Gold Tribe members themselves, began to gather from their individual missions across the Alpha Alliance. So far arrived were three of them: Alex "Beserker" Ares, Natalie "Noxious" Andole, and Drake "The Sentry" Nol. They waited in the great hall for the others to arrive to go in together to obtain their next orders from Auron. The three Sentinels present chatted amongst themselves about their exploits. Soon, Frostbite and the the Deceiver arrived together in the great hall. The five of them stood close-by now, idly chatting amongst themselves.

Just then, a sixth Sentinel arrived. Every Sentinel had a reputation of some sort. "Beserker" was the most physically strongest, Noxious was a poison expert, and Sentry was among the fastest of the Silver Tribe. Others like Levin "The Deciever" Gannon was the most trickiest, and Frostbite easily the most cruelest. Yet the one who has just entered, Allen "The Inferno" Fury, had a different reputation. He was, by far, the most destructive Sentinel, and perhaps the most destructive Pokemon in all of Valkaria. Even before, back when he was in the Gold Tribe, he was a Pokemon of intimidating raw power. When he returned as a member of the Silver Tribe, that raw power only "blossomed". In fact, many of the destroyed buildings in Silver City was his handiwork.

The other five Sentinels acknowledged Allen as the six of them waited for the arrival of the other two.

Gladius Clipeum​

"You're the first, but they should be here momentarily," Vigil said. And, true to his word, Defender came afterwards.

"I'm ready Vigil… to tell you the truth I am quite nervous, I have never been on this risky a mission before, but I will fight with you until I breathe my last," he said. It was a good thing Defender is in a fighting mood today. Gladius felt the same. He could fight of course. But he was not ready to leave the encampment unguarded. it would be reassuring if a single Gold Tribe member would be left here, just in case things happen.

Gladius was silent as the Raticate and General Belas approached them. The Raticate used his paw to describe the general area and some routes to take. Gladius was not speaking, patiently imagining the area in which soon they will fight the Ancients ad, if Arceus says so, some Silver Tribe members.

"The torturehouse is on the southern borders of the forest, about 10 kilometers out of it. Once out of the forest, you'll probably be able to see it." Gladius waited for the punchline.

"...about 500 Ancients are guarding the outsides of the torturehouse, another 200 or so are on the inside. No Silver Tribe members were seen when we infiltrated earlier, but you should expect them nonetheless." Raticate finished. 700 is a tad too many for the four of us. He backed up to let General Belas talk.

"Good luck, noble Gold Tribe," Belas said. Despite being a general, he humbly bowed in the presence of the four Gold Tribe members. Vigil said something in return. He nodded to the group and headed of to the forest. Gladius assumed that Vigil is to be the informal leader. He seemed fit enough. Gladius himself could not be a leader of a mission this big. Yes, he had led some missions before but he was not qualified he believe to be doing the big things. If Adam was just here.

"So I was thinking of possible ways we can go about doing this. If the Raticate was correct, most of the Ancient guards are patrolling the outside of the torturehouse. There are a lot less on the inside than the out. There is no way we'd be able to defeat all 500 on our own on the outside. That's too many, even between the four of us. But if we leave them there and go inside, they would simply surround us, afterward, and that torturehouse would be a slaughterhouse. What we need to do is somehow distract the outside Ancients, and take out the troops on the inside. Then we free the Gold Tribe and the General, and get the heck out of there," Vigil said. He managed to put a strategy together quickly, Gladius noted. He seemed able.

"I...think if one or two of us could attempt to hold off the army on the outside, and the rest of us could sneak in and save them, then we can all try to make it out together." The plan was not perfect yet. It seemed random and roguish. There are still some holes to patch up. Gladius was thinking.

"Also, maybe we can all just go straight in together, having all of us fight together might be a better strategy, as all of us could watch each others backs," Vigil said. This is no better. It left them doing a kamikaze in an unknown territory. It would work had they been familiar with the general feel of the area, but no. Only a crudely drawn map and their imagination supplied them with the info they needed.

"But...if any of you have any other ideas, I'd be glad to hear them," Vigil said. It was Gladius who first spoke up.

"I like the first idea better. Even though it is discouraged, we should split. Two outside to hold fort as then can, and the other two to sneak in and try to quickly liberate the Gold Tribe members," Gladius said.He emphasized the word quickly. "I'm no good sneaking, but I am a good battler. My Earthquke could be handy. So I guess, if this plan would be it, I will be outside, together with I guess one of you, or alone." He looked at Vigil intently. "That is my opinion. But it still has holes. If we were ever defeated, we would be captured. And that leaves us with another two member to save, if you ever have plans of saving us." He looked at the other two members. "We may commit suicide if ever such things happen. I am ready, but are you?"

Vigil turned to Penance, "Thank you Defender." Penance blinked in confusion and weakly nodded, he didn't know exactly why Vigil was thanking him. Vigil and his other two brothers probably had been on missions like this all the time, beating the odds a hundred to one and never taking a scratch. He had heard stories like that all the time when he was in the academy and while he was sure some of them were exagerated he was also pretty sure that at least some gold tribe members had to have been in similar situations.

Soon after Calamity arrived, "I'm all set to go." He announced. Penance was pretty sure that they would up and leave right there, but then the raticate scout and General Belas arrived. The scout drew a simple map showing them where to go and gave an estimate to the number of ancients they could expect, 700. When Penance did the math in his head he almost right then and there felt his hope get crushed. While he had expected the torturehouse to be heavily guarded he hadn't expected 700 enemies all in the same area! He was expecting 200, maybe even 300. They were just 4 gold tribe members, sure they could overcome odds, but the enemies' sheer numbers alone would overpower them.

As soon as General Belas and Vigil exchanged words the gold tribe members ran into the forest thickets. Penance wasn't the fastest pokemon around but he still managed to keep up and not lose his breath. For a few minutes the band of brothers was silent as they treked through the forest and then Vigil spoke. His idea was to split up the group in two and have two of them outside distracting the majority of the guards while the other two went inside to take care of the other guards and have them free the prisoners, or have all of them go in together and fight their way through.

Sword and Shield only worsened his fear when he came onto the subject of suicide. That brief statement just suggesting death made Penance shudder. Penance didn't know what it was, maybe it was the fear of death itself, but he suddenly remembered a conversation he had with his father a while back. "Um...," Penance gulped and forced himself to speak, "Well, I have an idea. My father worked with the Alpha Alliance. He talked about this one situation where some soldiers were cut off from reinforcement and were surrounded by bandits. Their attackers didnt' have any idea how big their force was so they used the forest to hide their numbers. They hid behind trees and rocks and would continuously move around and attack to make it seem that they were more soldiers than there were. They managed to bunch up all of bandits in one area and managed to run away."

Penace took another breath, "What I'm saying is that if we could have at least three of us outside we could use the forest to camoflauge ourselves and make it seem that we number maybe about 10, maybe 15. If we make a large enough distraction and keep ourselves hidden then some soldiers from inside will have to come outside to help the other soldiers. The one not fighting could slip in and with less guards inside can find the captured soldiers and free them and join us outside. No offense to you Vigil but if we just charge in there's also the possibility that we could get far enough to worry the guards. Maybe worry them enough that they could start executing prisoners to make sure we can't free them and bolster our ranks."

Penance paused and looked at Calamity, "I was kinda thinking you could be the stealthly one Calamity. Sword and Shield is too big, no offense to you Sword and Shield, Vigil is too... shiny. He wouldn't be able to hide in the darkness well enough. I have no experience with stealth whatsoever. You, however, could be silent enough to make it through without alerting the guards and probably have enough manpower to break apart any cell doors that the soldier are in... am I right?" Penance silently prayed that he hoped he was right.