[PKMN FULL] Crimson Dawn: A Tale of Conquest (IC)

[Kikpanther]

Aria Windseer​

"Dinner Guests"​

​

"Faster! Faster!" Aria barked at the scurrying 'mon. A Sandslash and his children worked vigorously to clean and move the furniture of the small home. They cleaned frantically, their eyes wide with the panic and fear Aria knew they were wise to possess. It was a quarter of an hour ago when Aria commandeered the used-to-be quiet home in Union City. When they had first entered the home the family had been quietly enjoying each other's company, but that had ended quickly when Aria made an example out of their Butterfree pet. Aria commanded the family to clean the obscene splatter marks on the wall.

They should have been pleased to work like this for her. Aria was noblewoman! A being too high in existence to settle for such low, poorly standards like this home. It was ugly! Filthy! An insult to her eyes, to her person, and... Aria's eyes fell on one of the children, a little Oshawott girl with more freckles than could be contained. She scrubbed at the floor around the table and a disgusted look came upon Aria's face; the inhabitants were as bad as their home. There was no force greater than Aria's hate for the common rabble. Just being around them made her feel filthy and her new servants weren't cleaning fast enough.

"Finish this quickly! I don't want you or your rubbish to be seen!" One of the children, the eldest looking one, a Sandslash with small, beady eyes and too big ears let out a distressed squeak and scrubbed harder at the green blood that stained their wall. Her rushed attempt at cleaning caused the water, now a washed out green, to run down her arm or land on her face and mix with the still-fresh tears on her cheeks. Whimpers rose from the young Sandshrew's throat and Aria could already hear the sniveling that would come about once more. "Be quiet!" Aria commanded, a look of disgust and anger on her face. "What did I tell you all about having to hear what comes from your mouths!?" The Sandslash stopped her whimpering, but it only triggered a 'bout of sobs she struggled to keep down. Aria lashed her tail in annoyance, displeased with having to tell these 'mon to stay quiet not once, but twice. Aria's eyes glowed, ready to fulfill her promise of splitting any disobeyers of her rules skulls. It would be a quick, bloody mess that the family would need to clean up as well. However, they were spared the extra work when the father, carrying an infant Oshawott in his arms, came to his daughter's side to quiet her finally. Aria had the mind to punish him for not being quicker, but she let the psychic energy rest within her and be merciful this time. She looked away as the father sent his daughter off to clean another part of the home while he tended to the remains of their pet.

"Creatures like this tire me," Aria said to no one, placing a psychic shell which she'd use to contact her uncle onto the table. It had been moved from the small kitchen and into the living room, being the largest room in the house. Aria required space and for her space she required all the other slovenly furniture and "decorations" be moved out of the room. Furniture, beds, and extra chairs had been stuffed without grace into the small kitchen, the only room in the one story house that Aria would accept being separate from the one she stood in now. She would have had them take it all outside otherwise--an arrangement that would have made it easier for the mother, not that Aria cared. The Dewott struggled in the kitchen to cook a meal that would live up to Aria's tastes, all the while climbing over and weaving through the furniture stuffed back there.

Aria climbed onto her chair--scrubbed to shining--and sat in front of the table she would have her meal. In contrast to the slovenly setting she was forced in, Aria looked like a true goddess, which she was aware of. Her disguise gone, she was once more adorned with the beautiful golden necklace, golden headpiece, golden earrings, golden bands, and--most importantly of all--golden jewel which looked as though it had a worth beyond measure. The Windseer crest hung proudly on her necklace and the symbol embedded into her hip was itself gorgeous. She refused to have a look any less regal than a true Windseer when Teneth saw her. It she could help it, it would be done. Last minute or not.

The psychic shell opened when it found a transmission. A psychic image was projected into the room: that of Sage Teneth, and that of Sage Kagemusha. The Umbreon was seated upon a velvet chair which glimmered pink through the psychic image; the fire from the firehouse between the two Pokemon also shone through the vision. "Oh, my god," Teneth said, his voice hinting at disgust as he looked around in the room where Aria was in, "Aria?" he asked, concerned as if. His tone was facetious, though.

The Pangoro with the stiff expression laughed gruffly, touching the top of his big belly as he sagged into his cushion like one of the evil, fat kings in fairytales. "Looks like we're in a fancier place than her."

The embarrassment of being seen in such a deplorable place as this scurried under Aria's fur like annoying fleas. Something she was sure she would get if she stayed in a place like this for far too long. The peasants didn't have the lifespan to toil for the years it would take to make this home look like anything that would do her name justice. It was hardly and excuse and it would take perfection as sharp as herself from here on out if she was going to live it down. Aria ignored Kagemusha and kept her visage unaffected.

"This was the best of our options at the time," Aria said in way of answering Teneth. "Things are better than they seem." As she finished, Aria checked with her eyes the family just out of the range of the hologram. The father, the youngest daughter, the baby, and the two boys that had been polishing the ugly wood all stood as they were told behind the hologram, backs pressed to the wall. It was the dopey looking Oshawott that had been out of place, of course. Over by the fireplace, she gawked at the hologram and the images coming from it, stupidly mesmerized by something she would have otherwise never been able to imagine.

They had been fearful, but not awed by Aria's presence as this one was for the hologram. If the Oshawott had been smart enough to look her way, Aria could have given her the benefit of the doubt, but... She had warned them what would happen if they disobeyed her, and this time, the father couldn't grab his daughter's attention. It took little effort on Aria's part to twist the young girl's neck. It was silent save for the thud that came when she hit the floor and the gasps that came from the family which they failed to muffle. Aria had to grip her chair under the table to keep herself from snapping at the family for breaking her rules once again. She psychically pushed the daughter's body back against the wall with the rest of her family who attempted to cry silently. Aria ignored them.

"You were forced out of the fortress?" Teneth asked mildly, his eyes drawn to the family Aria had subdued.

"What's the status on the city?" Kagemusha interrupted with a more objective, stern tone.

"No," Aria answered Teneth first. "The security in The White Citadel had been raised with advent of Emperor Cyrus. We had spent a few days in the Gardens already, but after eliminating Lord Pontus and Lady Rhea to ensure Lord Ares' appointment to Stygian General, it would have been unwise to stay. As for the status," Aria began, her attention still on Teneth. "Lord Ares was made Stygian General as expected. However, so were Lord Kymotonian and Lord Brynjolf." The father gasped slightly at the name and Aria's eyes narrowed but slightly. "Lord Halford was revealed as a traitor to the crown and executed before the nobles in the Roost before Lord Vennson and Lord Rhoy were made the Hesperian Generals."

Lord Teneth remained dispassionate about the news, but Kagemusha was a bit upset. He sighed, shook his head and gave out a raspy laugh. "Not everything can go according to plan, I suppose. We have Brynjolf there, I should point out."

"Nothing can be done about or with him," Lord Teneth argued, "he won't be coming back, oh no."

The vision of the Pangoro clad in the robes flickered. He got up from his chair and crouched near the fire, picking up a spike with skewered meat. He didn't eat it, he only fiddled with it using his black claw. "Was it Cyrus who came up with this brilliant plan to make everyone General?" he asked, his voice not mocking, although there was dark in his eyes.

"He is capable," Lord Teneth admitted, "and much unlike his father, he is tactful." His green gaze fell onto Aria, and a sardonic grin spread on his snout at the sight of her. "What do you think of Cyrus, sweetling? Is he a man worthy of our caution?"

"Cyrus?" Aria gave an amused laugh as though Teneth had told her a tale about foolish children. "No, but his informants? Yes. The new emperor may be tactful, but he's spineless. I doubt he would have tried these little tricks he pulled during the ceremony if not for someone guiding him down that path. That bear has none of his father's fervor and, left alone with his own suspicions, he would have gladly let Lords Halford and Ares take their positions without challenge. He would have waited for more evidence by then," Aria shrugged carelessly, "it would have been too late." From behind her, the Dewott mother emerged from the kitchen, food in hand. She wordlessly served Aria her food, glancing fearfully towards the hologram for just a moment before going behind it to stand with her family. "The Gold Tribe has the Dark Star," Aria continued. "It was used to reveal Halford's plans during the ceremony and not by Cyrus's hands. It was by a member of the Gold Tribe as I understand it, but I doubt it was through Cyrus's planning that this could have happened. How could he know that the Star would so conveniently reveal Halford's plans to him if he, as far as I can tell, has never wielded it? Halford would still be alive if Cyrus didn't have these clever eyes and ears whispering these plans to him."

Lord Teneth glanced at Kagemusha, who was still crouching next to the fire, fingering his beard thoughtfully, with his teeth gritted into his usual stiff expression. He seemed unconvinced, and the news about the crystal bothered him. He drew in a breath, his wide shoulders rising and falling when he exhaled, looking off to the side, past Teneth. It took him a while before he spoke. "It should not matter in this instance, who the Emperor is, what kind of advisers he has and what crystals they possess," the Pangoro said deeply, "I am sure you have... caught wind of what is happening to Exathor," he continued with a small smirk. He placed the skewer back into the fire, without touching the meat, and stood up; his face, although dark and tightened as always, menacing under the little light the dancing fire behind him gave out, seemed laughing wholeheartedly; the Pangoro was happy, and there was never a more disturbing thing.

"Do you like pretty things, Aria? You should look outside your window in a few hours. We shall all see it: the magnificent lights of the northern aurora, falling like curtains over the night sky. The likes of which are only spoken in legends." He glanced to Teneth beside him. "Your uncle says your mission in Union City has been completed... that you ought to return to us, before everything goes haywire. I beg to differ. Stay where you are. Stay close to the Tribe... monitor their movement. And should you find chance, strike down Garland Fordring."

Aria made a look as if she were, for a moment, considering Kagemusha's proposal. In truth she didn't care at all what he thought. What right did he have to command her? To command anything like her? Did she look like a soldier? A slave? One of those common things standing against the wall just across from her? True, his suggestion wasn't without thought, Kagemusha was not as lacking as Aria liked to say, but she would not go where he told her. Aria followed only one voice. She turned her head to Teneth. "What do you think, Uncle?"

The Umbreon regarded her stoically, without losing his grin from before; his eyes became mock-wounded. "It was my thought to remove Garland, dear," he said to her sweetly, as if stating something very obvious that she should have understood earlier. He glanced to Kagemusha briefly, shooting him his grin, probably thinking his niece would work harder if the order came from him. "You should do it, dear, but not before Garland leaves the safety of his little fortress... do it smartly, and should you succeed, you can expect a generous reward from your loving uncle." He spoke the last few words politely, with the sweet, kind smile with which he spoke to the Shukahen; the one that seemed genuine, and fooled everyone.

Aria's grin was a mix between a sweet smile and one filled with excitement for the maliciousness that would follow in the near future. A reward for her efforts? Just her uncle's pride was enough in truth. She would revel in the moment.

"This will be the last time Garland takes a visit to The White Citadel."

"It will be, of that I am sure," Teneth agreed with her... his eyes slipped to the back of the room. The family trembled on their feet.

"Lord Teneth..." The mother Dewott begged, moving to standing in front of her family, arm outstretched to protect them.

"Get rid of them," the Umbreon said. Kagemusha's hand extended, becoming bigger in the vision, until it covered it entirely. He'd grabbed the shell from the table on their end and turned it off, and the vision faded.

"My pleasure," Aria answered, her eyes glowing a violent red.

"Ple--" The Dewott's words were cut short by the scream that escaped her throat. The Dewott gripped her head and fell to her knees, eyes shut tight as another scream escaped her. Her family watched in horror behind her, eyes wide, the baby crying, the children panicking. The Sandshrew, her husband, reached out for her but never touched the screaming 'mon, wanting to help but too afraid to do so.

"Wh-What are you doing to her!?" He cried, tears welling in his eyes as blood rushed from hers. The Dewott's screaming rose, her pain so great that she ripped at her fur, and then her skin, to ease the pain. Aria didn't answer, not that he voice would have been heard over the suffering 'mon. The Sandslash looked away from his wife and, his claws glowing a brilliant white, pierced through the Dewott's neck. Her screaming stopped and he tried to pull his claws from her neck, only succeeding in slicing her further before her body finally dropped to the floor. The glow faded from Aria's eyes as the Dewott lay choking on the ground from her husband's botched attempt at saving her. The room was silent, save for the mother's gurgling, the father's heaving, and the children's ugly crying. From her chair, Aria looked disappointed, but as a whole unaffected. Her eyes went to the remaining members of the family.

"A noble attempt, but..." Her eyes glowed red once more. "Your deaths won't be as pleasant as hers."

 

[SV]

Gerrick and Romulus - One more 'mon off the list

The Haxorus sat on one of the chairs of the table in the middle of the only room of the house and gestured for Gerrick to do the same. "You'll meet with him inside the windmill," he said directly, "I'll be near, listening. Don't make a move; don't be stupid; you don't know I'm there. You say something stupid, you're dead. He tries to pull something, you're both dead. Understand?"

"Yeah, yeah," Gerrick responded, as he closed the door to the small home behind them and joined Romulus at the table. The cold, harsh weather was taking its toll on the Krookodile, who would rather be buried in warm sand under the blazing sun than freezing his tail off in some shabby shack. He rubbed his arms to gather some heat, and moved his feet below the table. "We got this far, didn't we? Why would I pull somethin' now when we're so close? Maybe I wanna see how this whole thing turns out too, brother."

"Maybe you don't," Romulus snorted, "it's gonna be ugly for everyone." He grabbed an Oran Berry from the bowl in the middle of the table, leaned back on his chair and shoved it in his mouth. He chewed loudly, staring at the Krookodile. "Shouldn't be long till he's here," he mused out loud, "you've met him before in person?"

"Oh yeah, ol' Taker and me go waaay back," The mischievous Krookodile replied, as he mimicked the actions of his dragon brother, and grabbed a handful of Oran Berries. A few of them were crushed under the weight of his paw, and the liquid dripped from his arm to the table as he greedily stuffed himself. Gerrick then proceeded to lick off the remaining juices from his fingers. "But really, only a few times in person. He's a pretty secret-like 'mon, as ya know. Hey, ya think ya can get a fire goin' in here? I'm freezin' here!"

Romulus lit wood on fire with his Dragon Mastery and threw it in the fireplace. The wood was wet, but it immediately burned hotly with a blue and red flame. The Haxorus grabbed as many berries his one palm could take from the bowl and he tossed them in his mouth like pop-corn. Chewing with his mouth open, he questioned, "what species is he?"

"Iono," Gerrick replied with a full mouth. He turned to the roaring fire and extended his arms as he let the warmth flow across his body. The Krookodile swallowed and continued. "He kept his face in the dark and changed his voice. I never got a good look at him," Gerrick suddenly turned to his brother and grinned.

"Hey, that's a good game we could play to pass the time in this sh*thole!" He exclaimed roughly and spit to his side to get and residue berry out of his mouth. "Guess the Caretaker's identity."

"Guess?" Romulus growled, almost sure that was one of Gerrick's jokes. He wasn't much for guessing. "Then you go first, since you've met him." A suspicion crawled into his mind, and he gave his brother an apprehensive sideways look; Gerrick had to know more than he let on.

Gerrick snorted and shrugged, but agreed. "Fine," He responded and put a paw to his chin to think. He tapped his foot lightly along the wooden floor, while he still kept one hand extended outward to the fire to continuously receive its warmth. "I'm gonna say... Malamar. They're creepy and... slimy enough to be the Caretaker."

Romulus closed his mouth, showing his teeth, looking doubtful. It was possible, he supposed. "Mienshao," he said, then he remembered: the Wise Master had died in the Battle for Amoon, slain by Brynjolf. "For the longest of time I thought it was him."

"You're not the only one," Gerrick replied and grabbed another handful of berries with his free hand, and stuffed them into his mouth, while his other kept in close contact with the fire. He chewed and sat thoughtfully. He tried to come up with another species that might fit, when one popped into his mind. "Beartic," He suggested with a grin. "What? Don't think it can be?"

"Hmph," Romulus let out scornfully, "Cyrus? No, no. Not that kind of person." Although the news of what had happened in the Citadel the day before had traveled through the city like lightning. It was the headline on the newspapers; Crown Prince, no longer little, stands up for himself and executes traitors by himself with concise procedures. Cyrus wasn't what Romulus thought he was any longer. He was Emperor now... and the war had worked very well for him so far. Dareon would have lived for another hundred years as Emperor. People thought he was never going to step down. But he was forced to.

It was a far-fetched thought for Romulus, who dismissed it quickly. He threw his brother one of those looks when he acutely examined him. "He's paid you a bunch, hasn't he. He's rich, then." He rapped his curled claws on the table sharply. "Medicham." The Trade Prince. "He's influential, important, and he's in the city." Romulus wasn't as certain as he made it out to be, though. He knew Achilles well, or at least as much as his observation as a Gold Tribe allowed him to know somebody important.

As far as he was concerned, Achilles was a positive force in the universe, what with the charities he ran, the quick growth in transport and communication that low Flogistron prices, which during the rule of other Trade Princes were exorbitant, brought, and the crime reduction after he earned his title. Romulus thought of kindly Cyrus, and how his manner reminded him of Achilles, in a way. The studious, intellectual Medicham who had a smile for everyone, albeit strained, and a quick advice for everyone; Romulus could not think of how someone like him, devoted to Exathor and its people, could manage to bring such destruction to it.

"Not a bad choice," Gerrick concurred as he thought on the latest prospect his brother presented before him. He grinned, as he realized that he was actually enjoying this little game they were playing. It was one of the few times his brother wasn't acting completely stuck up to him. The other time was in the cavern in the cold. "But a Medicham? Really? Not at all what I pictured the Caretaker to look like. I always thought he'd look more like a Floatzel, don'tcha think?"

Romulus suddenly stood up, his chair flung backwards, breaking on the stone floor. "Don't be a fool, brother," he snarled, "Garland's honor will never budge." He glanced outside the window, his face kept expressionless. He had gotten up for a purpose. "It's nearly time we did this." He walked towards the door. "And remember, I can't be tricked. Not such a wise thing to even try."

Gerrick rolled his eyes and leaned back in his seat. "Calm yourself, brother," He stated. "Who said anythin' about Gerland, or whatever his name is? Is he the only Floatzel in the world? I never said the species fit a certain 'mon yah know. For example," He continued, scooting his chair back up to the fire. "What if I said... Krookodile? Would yah think I'm takin' you all this way to meet myself?" He asked with a snicker.

The Haxorus stopped with his hand on the handle of the door; he shot his brother a mocking look. "You can only make elaborate plans when it comes to saving your hide," he said scornfully.

"Is there ever another time you need to make 'em?" Gerrick asked while laughing. He stood up from the chair and tasted the fire with his fingertips one more time before he sighed deeply. "Alright, once more into the wild we go."


***


A strange calm had befallen the park. It snowed steadily, but the winds had settled down, although not for long and not entirely. Romulus was on the roof of the short windmill, crouching low so his black fur cloak merged with the dark tiles. He had a clear view of Gerrick, below him, standing at the entrance to the windmill, waiting. The Krookodile was certain, he had assured his brother, that the Caretaker would show up. So, wait they did, patiently as snow piled on their shoulders. The cold had become almost unbearable; it was torture for their species to stay in the open like that, but they would bear it for now. Maybe they had gone out of the small house too early... it seemed like they were hours out there.

Romulus found himself often scanning the snow-covered park for a figure, anyone; his eyes darted from the huge stone wall that separated the windmill and the small house, searching for a Pokemon except Gerrick. Gerrick meanwhile did his best to maintain his composure despite the freezing temperatures. If there was one thing he absolutely hated, it was the blistering cold. He'd relinquish a sack filled with treasure if it meant not having to endure the winter ever again. Yet for the sake of not appearing whiny to either his brother or the Caretaker who was expected to show himself, he maintained his cool and waited patiently.

Romulus saw nothing, but he heard a voice. Metallic and distorted, alien almost; the Haxorus took a quick glance around the snow; there were no footsteps, no sign that a Pokemon was there. Just the swirling snowflakes and the trees, swaying with the wind.

"You managed to survive," it said steely, with no emotion but a hint of mild diversion, "I did warn you I was not about to assist you... there are no hard feelings, are there?" Romulus smirked his eyebrows, detecting a slightly saturnine tone. His heart raced; there was a good chance that was actually him. The Caretaker. He began staring around wildly, his eyes taking him from place to place in his field of vision, furiously trying to locate where the voice was coming from, but there was no one.

As soon as Gerrick heard the voice and the direction that it came from, he leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. He made it seem ambiguous as to where the voice was originating from if Romulus were to be watching, while knowing the location itself.

"You were expectin' somethin' different?" Gerrick questioned with a mischievous grin. He observed the surroundings and simultaneously warmed his arms with his paws due to the cold weather. "Nah, I ain't here to complain about any of that. I'm just checkin' in since it's been a while."

There was a prolonged silence. The bitter cold and the teeth of the wind almost made Romulus shiver; but his heart was pounding as the moments passed, with him perking his ears to hear the voice again. What was going on? Why was the Caretaker not speaking?

"... checking in alone, yes?" Romulus smirked at the sound of this voice, a voice with an accent so disturbingly familiar... "I assumed there would be hard feelings. The conditions of our last meeting were rather... tense, regretfully. In the start of our contract, I promised you clear and straightforward interaction. An understanding, as is the word among your kind. Therefore, I shall not pretend that in our last meeting, I was not angry at you for taking one of my own down. Chantalai. He was a valuable piece. It was Rethlor who hired you, yes? As I said the last time, I do hope your reward was worth it..." His stoic tone was frightening, the words soft despite the distortion. Romulus was aghast. The Caretaker did not give one fig for the Lord of the Vanir, even if he was important to the rebellion. Or so he made it seem.

He did not seem angry for Chantalai's fall, and he was not going to punish Gerrick for breaking their contract, by the looks of it. Something was definitely off here, and Romulus could feel it; the ghastly feeling hovering in the back of his neck, tightening his throat. There was trickery going on here. Did the Caretaker know Romulus was there? How?

"Well ya coulda warned me!" Gerrick stated with a frown and a shudder. "I knew the money was too good when ya signed me up for this! I'm just tryin' ta make it out here and everyone's tryin' to kill everyone! And what's worse, is your keepin' me in the dark 'bout all of your plans, like I'm some pawn!"

Romulus held his breath, anticipating. He wasn't hopeful that the Caretaker would share anything with a lowlife like Gerrick, but on the other hand, the Krookodile was somehow special. Of all the important people the Caretaker should have been interacting with, he chose Gerrick.

"... I apologize," the metallic voice said, the tone switching into alarmingly soft, but not gentle. "It is in our nature to desire control over our lives, and I forget, sometimes, that that is what you, too, pursue. Given the terms of your contract, and the kind of trust I choose to place in you for your loyalty, despite a few missteps and misgivings... and, considering what time it is..." darkly, his voice slipped into silence for only a moment. "You shall serve as God's assistant, since you are the least likely to be suspected of it. You are aware of what that constitutes, of course: wealth, security, a quality of life matched only by your peers. But take care to resume to deliver... uselessness will not be tolerated."

Romulus tore his eyes from Gerrick, jerking upwards, to the north. Gerrick moved from his casual spot on the wall and also looked around at the wondrous sight he was beholding with eyes wide with wonderment.The legendary aurorean lights veiled the sky, vibrant blue and green, and the stars above and beyond were little dots of light. The snowstorm was clearing, as if Arceus let fall his hand on Union City. Exathor was passing below the aurora, and the city was bathed in the magical light. Romulus blinked. He thought he heard the sound of the waves and the piece of land that shot above them; the island was losing height.

"Look skywards," the voice of the Caretaker broke the silence, "the end is near, or the start, I should say. A new world, you would call it, if Thrace prevails. But perhaps it is not my wish to change the world, as much as it is Thrace's... the Gold Tribe will dictate the fate of their homeland. And then, I will dictate theirs... or, perhaps they will join me." Romulus thought he was joking, and indeed the Caretaker sounded amused by the notion. "Isn't that right, Errias?"

Romulus froze on the rooftop.

"Right ya are, Caretaker," Gerrick replied as he stared across the sky and the city around. Romulus settled; he thought he had been addressed. "At least, ya best be hopin' so. There's some stubborn ones among them. They're blinded by... loyalty, honor, and sometimes even themselves. What will ya do about that?"

There was no response for a few moments. "Nothing."

"Cryptic as ever, huh?" Gerrick questioned with a slight chuckle.

"I am most serious. I shall do nothing should they decide to oppose me. Arceus gave us the freedom of choice for a reason."

"And don't we all love him for it," Gerrick replied. "So, what happens now?"

"What happens now is, I thank you for your visit... you came at a fortunate time. I have an assignment for you."

Gerrick snorted. "And here I was lookin' forward to a lil' vacation. What ya got in mind? Am I goin' somewhere sunny?"

"No, no..." the voice answered, nearly whispering. "You are to remove someone, quietly."

"... Remove?" Gerrick questioned as he shot a quick glance behind him at the approximate area his brother was hiding. He chuckled again. "You mean like, remove something off of them."

"Remove them from the face of the earth," the Caretaker replied without humor, "that is not above the skillset you offer, is it?"

"..." The Krookodile fell silent for a moment and crossed his arms. His smile vanished from his face. For a few more seconds, there was only silence from Gerrick, before he finally spoke up. "... target?" He asked coldly.

Romulus thought he heard a small, distorted sigh coming from the wall. The Caretaker paused, but only for a second. "Achilles Proudmoore."

 

[Ray Maverick]

In a place not very far from Exathor...
​

...

...

...

The snowstorm had abated for the morning. The land of ice was still, dead. The light was distant and moody, pale in its wrestle with the clouds. A cold breeze rushed across the frozen wastelands, herald of the island that had shown itself in the horizon beyond the icy shores.

And beneath the solid glacier, the shadow of a ten feet giant shook to break free. The golden light was poured into the fine lines of his body: it formed the symbols on his hands, on his arms, across his chest, and finally his two eyes. His rest was over. The ice above him was ruptured as he turned his head to look up in the sky. It cracked loudly, and he flew out of his prison.

A Golurk, taller than most Pokemon, an ardent protector; on his chest were carved three words in an ancient, forgotten language, which shone with the golden light running through his body. All his memory was erased with the beginning of a new century, but the meaning of those words was carved not only on his physical body, but his soul. Other memories, no matter how vivid, would faint, become dust, and then be replaced, overwritten by new ones - that was how his body was wired - but the three words were what his core composed of.

Obey, Protect, Serve.

He stood motionless as the last remaining chunks of ice fell from his body, and gazed at the soaring island. It grew larger, the closer it was to the icy shores, and gradually lost height, as if a massive hand had grasped it, pulling it down. Within minutes, the giant could see the mountains on top of it, and the trees, and a feeling strange to him, that of longing and nostalgia, run its course through his body. He felt as if he had seen the shores of the sky island before, its pine tree-covered mountains, its wastelands beaten dry by the wind, the sea of grass surrounded by protective, tall and rocky mountains.

The island crashed on the shores of the unmeasured land of ice. It rocked violently, its front punching through the ice, its rear sinking into the sea. A huge tide rose suddenly, taking off for the open sea. The gale of air its force brought blew strongly against the giant on the wasteland, without affecting him.

The Golurk saw a city with white walls, dropping into the same level as the ice. Everything settled down in a few minutes. Then, slowly, he turned his head behind him, to look at the gloomy black castle that floated beyond the wastelands, further into the land of ice. It was far away, yet it seemed so close... the Last Nexus.

 

[Ray Maverick]

Emperor
​

All the new land was a vast expanse of white. They would not tread on rocks, should they leave Exathor; they would tread on snow and ice. From the window of the Commander's Room, they could see a valley of ice opening to them, a good distance away from the shores. The valley was a round, open field, with little mountains of snow, the footing with an incline rougher on the edges. That basin was situated between two icebergs that merged into one, far off in the distance; it almost looked like a giant fist had come crashing down from the sky, bashing the ice in an oval shape and sending off several cracks into the icebergs around it.

Emperor Cyrus had his arms crossed and his eyes glued on the window for some time. His commanders had gone quiet, for perhaps they had learned better than to disturb their new leader when he was thinking.

Several of those narrow cracks reached the shores where Exathor had crashed. The Beartic's eyes darted to the one that was the closest to Union City, then up to the north... or rather, to what was once the north of Exathor. Another one of the paths through the iceberg was very close to Telmor, where the Enemy was amassed. The valley of ice beckoned to all inhabitants of Exathor.

The snows were falling over it, drifting down in silence from a windless sky. The shadow that hung over the grey was all that could be seen from the gloomy castle that floated above the valley, the castle that was the Last Nexus...

"That is where we fight," Cyrus said, pointing at the valley.

"Lenora's vision has come true," Garland commented.

"Which one?" the Trade Prince mused, "there were two visions, no?"

General Kymotonian the Trevenant stepped forward from his place against the wall. "That Exathor would land, which it did, amazingly so, and that a battle will be fought in a valley of ice..."

"That is correct," Garland said, staring off the window along with the Emperor. "It looks as though a battle in that area is inevitable..."

"Was the outcome revealed?" Emperor Cyrus asked, and the Floatzel shook his head sadly. "I was hoping we could change our fate or stick with it if we must."

"If the outcome was revealed and you chose not to act according to it, then you would wind up undoing what the vision depicted altogether," Achilles observed shrewdly.

"Don't think about it too much!" General Brynjolf butted in, jolly and loud as always; the Aggron was unfazed by Exathor's landing, or that they would soon have to brave the harsh cold to give an all out battle against Thrace. "Prophecies are bogus, total waste of time; look what's before us, what's real and what's threatenin' to kill us. You gotta fight, no doubt 'bout it. You wanna protect the Nexus from the death bird, so that's what you're gonna have to do, Your Highness. 'Way I see it, tis a race. You let them reach it, and it's destroyed. I say we go there and give it our all, no turning back, and if our next meal's waiting for us in hell, then so be it!"

Emperor Cyrus wasn't so quick to make a decision. He wanted to explore every other option, but he was running out of ideas. They hadn't much choice here. Lenora's vision would come true one way or another. Still, he wanted to hear what others had to say, so he turned to the lithe Medicham with the curly eyebrows. At that moment, the tall mon was looking off to the side, fiddling with his rock-necklace, his grey-blue eyes behind the Wise Glasses hazy. He noticed the Emperor was looking, so he raised his gaze and let a calm, confident smile show.

"What say you, Achilles? I know you have a mind gifted for strategy. I welcome your input." Contrary to my father, who always scorned him, Cyrus thought bitterly. He had waited years to take the Thunder Crown to his head, so he could make better use of people like the Trade Prince who were underestimated under Dareon's rule.

"I shall always be at your service," the Trade Prince bowed. His smart face had something saturnine about it, an air that he always had. The Trade Prince said, "the imperial forces rank higher than the crusade's, now that Fargal Keep's host is left leaderless. Your Highness could send in all your troops to the valley... or you could make it seem like you did so. You can afford splitting your forces into two - I am certain the path among the ice before the city does not only lead to the valley."

"What are you getting at?" Garland demanded to know.

"What I'm getting at is quite simple," Achilles responded in an easy manner, "if the enemy takes a path to the valley, and half of your host follows the path that leads to that same valley, and the other half follows the path that leads to their path, then you shall have them surrounded."

"That sounds like a poor tactic to me," General Kymotonian objected, "what if the enemy has left behind troops on the path? Hell! What if they attempt to do the same to us?!"

Brynjolf and Garland muttered that they agreed with the Trevenant. "We do not know if there is a path that leads there," Garland said in a low voice.

But Emperor Cyrus had been inspired. He eyed them all, suddenly eager to put his idea into motion. "We do as Achilles suggests. General Kymotonian, take your Otori out on the ice; General Ares will lead the vanguard with what Eshir he can muster in the city; send word to General Vennson to command the Hesperians as we march to the east. Garland, cease the Tribe's efforts to help with the citizens and lead them with me out of the island; Achilles has given us funds for protecting the city and its people; furthermore, Garland, contact Gryan Darkmantle, tell him if the People's Militia wants our last light not to fade, they have to fight with us. We march as soon as possible."

"What do you intend to do?" Garland asked.

"I intend to do something instead of just talk," Cyrus retorted. "Thrace will set off soon, and we have to be ahead of her, to block her path."

Achilles shrugged, grinning. "Luck loves the quick and the spontaneous," he commented.

"That's insane!" Brynjolf shouted, "it's my kinda stuff. Luck knows where the goods are. Let's go!" The Aggron headed for the door hastily, raising his thick arms in the air. "I'm gonna reclaim my tribe!" he roared, kicking the door open and leaving eagerly.

The other commanders weren't so quick to leave, but Cyrus said, "off with you all, and have faith in me, or I'll strip you of your titles!" he half-joked.

He saw them leave one by one... yet Achilles remained. Cyrus had gone over to the window, to look outside and ponder, once he noticed him.

"Your Highness," Achilles spoke, somewhat gleefully, yet in a reserved manner that wasn't unusual to him. "If I may inquire... how is your lord father faring? Well, I hope?"

Cyrus drew breath, his huge shoulders rising and falling as he exhaled. In his expression, there should have been sorrow, but he did not feel it. It was as if he had drunk sitrus juice to dull the pain. "Not well," he disagreed, "he is pierced all day long, his blood is being cleansed, but his fever does not relent. He does not recognize me anymore; he has to be put to sleep to avoid his delirium."

Achilles slightly bit his lower lip, his eyebrows twisted like waves, but there wasn't sadness in his cold, blue eyes. "The fever shall pass," he said, "give it time."

"If he wakes up, it will be too late..." Cyrus reflected, "we all might have died out there."

"Then all that's left is doing our best not to," Achilles said lightly.

Cyrus tore his eyes from the window, casting them on the stone floor. He started pacing around the Commander's Room. A large cloud loomed over his thoughts.

Achilles saw it immediately. "You are overthinking," he observed knowingly and Cyrus sighed.

"Yes, perhaps I am. But I can't help but think. Exathor led us to the far north... what is the Last nexus doing in a place like this?" he asked, and looked at the Medicham. "Do you have any ideas?"

Achilles brought a hand on his chin and the other on his elbow; he suddenly looked as if he was enjoying an intellectual challenge. "I can only theorize," he said, "most of my ideas, I share with the Keeper. He shed some very clear insight when a few of the Gold Tribe and I attempted to contact him again. You have been told of all this, of course. It was said that the Great Sundering tore the island in two, ridding it of one Nexus."

"I do not see the rest of the island around here," Cyrus said, but still he checked outside the window, his glance swiping icy shore to icy shore, lest he had missed it earlier. "All there is to be found here is ice, and it seems to be snowing perpetually."

"Ah... exactly," Achilles mused, his sharp, acute smile genuine, "it is snowing. Did you expect to find the two thousand years old remnants of the Great Sundering lying around, Your Highness?" He chuckled lightly at his own wit.

"They have been buried in snow."

"Quite true. Except the Nexus, which is built in such a way to allow its beam to reach the barrier. Perhaps that one was designed so that it could also float, or perhaps float is what it did from the very start."

"How do you suppose it floats?" Cyrus mused, his eyes drawn once again to the window. The shadow of the Nexus was ever-present.

"A number of things. As the owner of a company of a fuel that lets vessels float, I am inclined to say by flogistron, but flogistron runs out, and there is a more apparent reason as to why it should not be flogistron that keeps it in the sky... so my next guess is psychic energy."

"That matter aside, how will we reach it?" Cyrus asked, concerned.

"My airships appear to be out of commission," Achilles said disdainfully, and it really did seem like something that bothered him. "I've yet to figure out what that unexpected problem is; the air seems to be too thin for flogistron to expand as it normally does."

The Emperor drew his mouth in a sulk. "More unjust misfortune... Will we fly on bird-back there, then? The conditions make that sort of trip hazardous."

"The Shield could fly some of your best men there," Achilles suggested easily, "Thrace will make it there no matter how harsh the weather is; you must place resistance there, make it your last stand, or else she will tear the Nexus's crystal in a matter of minutes like she did in Stoneyard. And you should go as well."

"Me?" Cyrus asked, somewhat confused, "what business do I have there?" His fight should have been down in the valley, with the troops. His presence would give them courage, strengthen their resolve. "I should be leading the army."

Achilles's face froze for a few moments. He appeared to be thinking on his feet. "Ah," he let out coldly, "of course. But be very wary, wherever you choose to go. Guard yourself, and take care that you don't die. I implore you, let the others do the fighting for you, if you must, just this once. If you fall, the Crown falls, and even if the imperial forces are victorious, the leadership of Exathor shall fall into the hands of your sick father, who hangs betwen life and death; and if he is not fit to rule then, Exathor shall plunge into chaos. Brynjolf and many others will seek to become Emperor."

Emperor Cyrus had not considered that; his thoughts had not trodden as far as Achilles's. He nodded. "Then I shall hold back from fighting, since it is prudent to do so."

The Medicham turned to the side, staring absently off to his yonder somewhere. "I must take my leave; Gryan Darkmantle has requested that I meet him for discussing the fund distribution to the people."

"I thank you for that," Cyrus said gratefully.

"But before I go, there is one last matter that has been on my mind, which I'd like to discuss with Your Highness," the Trade Prince said.

"And what is that?"

"I do not know if any of the others saw it, but when that Glaceon from the Tribe..."

"Vanguard?"

"Vanguard, yes. When she tapped upon the Dark Star, to show proof for Halford's betrayal, winds rushed in the Roost and shadows danced from the crystal... not only shadows, though. I glimpsed of one hooded man, standing next to the Glaceon, only for a few seconds; I reckon he told her something."

Cyrus blinked, his attention suddenly piqued. "I saw no such man," he said truthfully. "I do not think any of us did, actually... could that be the man she is speaking to, though? I had two members of the Shield keep a close watch on her, she talks while she is sleeping. I know she is talking to one man who is helping her."

Achilles scratched his chin thoughtfully, the edge of his mouth curling into a half-smile. "He has helped quite a lot, has he not? That certainly seems to be the case, wouldn't you agree?"

"Indeed."

"And the way Vanguard tapped on the Dark Star... it looks as if she commands a great power. It would make for a fine weapon for combatting Thrace, Your Highness; you should not neglect to use it against her. In fact, I suggest you make use of all the crystals in the Gold Tribe's possession. Once I tapped onto the Keeper's crystal's powers, I realized I could do all sorts of tricks with the kind of energy that is stored within them - perhaps, the combined power of the crystals shall give your best soldiers the edge they need to slay her."

"You are right," Cyrus reflected, "I should have thought of this sooner. I do not care if it is forbidden to tap upon the energies of those crystals, in a time of direst need I shall allow it..."

Achilles nodded, "you speak like a true Emperor. I am proud of you. If you would allow it, I would be glad to lend a hand to bringing out the power of the Keeper's crystal; I will not lie, the thought of deconstructing the system of those tools and reconstructing it in my image has been far more enticing than it is acceptable in our country."

"I understand where you are coming from. I would also like to know how they work, it has just not been my main concern. So, with that said, you are free to help Keeper out of his prison, before we set out."

"As you command," Achilles said.

Cyrus smiled, and he continued, "as for the other crystals, I have to press Garland to reveal where the Tribe has their two crystals hidden."

"Should you?" Achilles wondered, doubtful. "Perhaps that is not the wisest thing to do. Dareon has pressed him in this particular matter in the past, and he did not take it well - you see how they have grown to be with each other. You should avoid risking looking power-hungry and make do with what you have currently: Vanguard's Dark Star and the Keeper's crystal."

The Beartic smirked his bushy eyebrows, staring at Achilles. He had a faint feel he was being jerked around. This mixed advice did not make sense. At one time, Achilles told him to use the combined power of all the crystals in their possession, thus taking the matter by the neck as an Emperor; then, he told him not to, as to not look badly as an Emperor. Cyrus suddenly remembered what his father had told him, when he still had clarity of the mind, a lesson which Dareon himself let define him: trust no one. He was caught up in his thoughts of saving his homeland and the idea that Achilles, as his old mentor in politics, was nothing more than a friendly figure of his childhood, and not the Trade Prince, a person who might have an agenda entirely on his own, one which of course he would not have to share with any of his political opponents... including Cyrus. Still... the Trade Prince's counsel was never without wisdom.

Yet, the Emperor's face grew cold like the snows outside. He did not let his emotions show.

"I thank you for your kindness," the Beartic said stiffly, "and I appreciate your counsel. You may go now."

Achilles's mouth became a thin line that resembled the start of a smile. The air of arrogance had returned about him. "Then I shall depart." He bowed slightly, elegantly and turned to leave with a graceful step.

Once he was at the door, Cyrus told him to wait. The Medicham looked at him with clear eyes, absently placing a hand upon the stone hanging from his neck.

Cyrus had removed the Thunder Crown from his head. He examined the fine metal with which it was forged, turning the crown slowly on his hands. It shone brilliantly under the light. "What would you do, if you had this?" the Beartic asked of him.

The Medicham almost seemed surprised he asked. He glanced to the Crown quickly, then back onto him. "What use do I have for crowns?" he asked pleasantly.

"Say you had the rights to wear it. What would you do with this crown?"

Achilles exhaled from his nostrils in a light chuckle, giving the Emperor an enigmatic smile. "Why, I would melt it down. Gold is sorely needed these days." And with that, he left.

 

[KajiVenator]

9000 Miles Of Stairs
Beryl Ibha, Isak Mategu, Luthor Cromm, Garland Fordring, Emperor Cyrus​

"DAMMIT BERYL, LET GO OF ME!"

The panicked voice of Isak Mategu rang throughout the cold, silent halls of the White Citadel, his small body struggling to break free from the tightly bound trunk of a familiar Donphan.

"If I do, you'll just run off, trying to find a place to hide. It's not the time for that, Isak."

"YES IT IS. DID YOU NOT NOTICE THE EARTHQUAKE JUST NOW?"

"I noticed it, but my mind is elsewhere. There are more important matters to attend to than running off to hide."

"And what would that be?"

"What of Emperor Cyrus? Former Emperor Dareon? We are not even sure of the statuses of our brothers and sisters, yet you want to run off and hide?"

"...Dammit, Beryl. Alright fine." She was right. It was their duty as members of the Gold Tribe to ensure the safety of the Emperor, even when one had a very strong, foreboding feeling from the latest events.

Beryl could tell Isak reluctantly agreed, and, as his body relaxed, she loosened her grip on him, gently placing him back down onto the carpeted stone floor. She had been keeping a close eye on him recently, and she was lucky enough to grab him before he sprinted off to Arceus knows where. Ever since they got back to Union City, he had been more nervous than a gang of Sentret when a Braviary is flying overhead...

"We should start with the our brothers and sisters. We are closer to them than we are the Emperor, and Garland has been with him for quite some time now."

"R-right..."

Beryl sighed as she turned around and began to walk in the direction that would take them back towards the sleeping quarters for the Tribe, Isak tepidly following behind. It was a brisk walk, as the pair had left to patrol the halls of the Citadel not long before the massive quake shook the floors. The section of the Citadel dedicated to sleeping quarters for the Tribe was rather significant, but it would not take a check of each room to get a general idea of the extent of the damages on a floor, and, given the commotion that Beryl heard, it would probably be a quick check.

Indeed, the halls were echoing with the chatter of dozens of their brothers and sisters of the Gold Tribe. It seemed those who had been in their quarters had left their rooms as quickly as possible, fearing the shaking. It did not take long to ascertain the injuries; several of them had been bruised by small objects falling onto them, but there were no serious injuries. It was a relief, but there were still other floors to check. Turning toward the stairs, Beryl could not help but notice an oddly familiar Feraligatr already making his way up them. Beryl blinked her eyes, before hastening her pace. It couldn't be...

Luthor was slowly making his way up the stairs, disregarding the commotion going on below him.... He was more preoccupied with the force that had shook the Citadel, his thoughts filled with his current concerns. With a disgruntled bellow, Luthor quickened his pace up the stairs to the Commander's Room.

Beryl tried calling up to him from the base of the stairway. "..Luthor? Luthor Cromm?"But, Beryl could tell his thoughts were elsewhere than a mere staircase. Though she hated climbing stairs, she tried to hustle up them, to catch up to the Feraligatr, his tail dragging behind him.

After several steps, Luthor began to take notice of footsteps behind his own. Stopping with his foot on the next step, he craned his neck and looked back, his sharpened, yellow eyes falling upon a battle-worn Donphan. Having seen his follower, he was aware that this Donphan was an older member of the Gold Tribe. And yet, he could not place a name. "You... you must be an older member of the Gold Tribe. What is your name?" He asked as his eyes surveyed the Donphan.

He... had finally stopped. All the steps she climbed had taken the breath from Beryls lungs, so she struggled to reply. Panting, she replied "My name is... Beryl. Beryl Ibha... You are... Luthor Cromm... are you not?"

He nodded, and replied with, "Yes. Yes I am." Luthor suddenly spotted Beryl's missing right tusk. His eyes sharpened, and asked coldly, "You lost that at the Deathbringer's Mark, didn't you, sister?"

"Indeed... the same place you nearly lost your eye, yes?"

Luthor nodded slowly; remembering all of what happened at the second Deathbringer's Mark... made his blood boil again. However, he once again bellowed, and replied with, "Yes... and where I nearly lost my life to that filthy traitor, Romulus." His voice grew colder, but he withheld his anger.

"It is not a pleasant topic for any of us, brother. But, yet, I must ask... where have you been? I do not remember seeing you in Amoon, or on the march to Union City, or..." She trailed off, recalling her own ordeals returning home. Did Luthor also fight his way back to the rest of the Tribe?

"I was tending to my own wounds, sister," Luthor said, as he pulled back his right arm sleeve, revealing multiple scars across his forearm. Looking down at his scars, he continued explaining, "I've had to nurse myself to stable health, before I could return. And also... to learn of a move to slay Romulus. Dragon Claw." Luthor pulled the sleeve back over his arm.

"When the time comes, I will join you in that fight, brother."

"Yes... but until then, I must meet with Garland. To discuss the circumstances we're facing now." Luthor reached the next floor, and looked out the window. He became silent, looking out with great thought. "With the current state of Exathor, I'm sure Garland must have an idea as to what our next move should be," he said slowly, his eyes still transfixed upon the sight before him.

Luthors words reminded Beryl that she too was planning to meet with Garland. That she had temporarily forgotten her duties to chase a fellow Tribesmon down embarrassed her, but it did not matter in the end. Climbing up the stairs behind Luthor, she replied. "I shall accompany you to meet him, then. The recent shaking has disturbed me quite a bit, and I am concerned with what it means and any effects it may have had... Shall we depart, brother?"

"Before we do, take a look through here. You need to see what happened to Exathor." He stepped aside, leaving room for Beryl to see Exathor, and the reason for the quake that occurred.

Beryl climbed the few stairs between them, and lifted herself up enough to see through the window. Beyond the aerial view of Union City, a vast and unfamiliar expanse of icy wasteland stretched. "...What has happened to Exathor, brother?"

"Exathor has landed, sister. This is why meeting with Garland is of the utmost importance as of now. Something of this magnitude... it must mean something." Luthor bellowed softly, then faced the stairs. "We must continue forth. Time doesn't appear to be on our side," he said grimly.

Beryl quickly placed her forelegs back onto the staircase and followed suit. "Let us climb these blasted stairs in a hurry, then. Lead the way, brother."

* * *​

After a long climb, both Luthor and Beryl had reached the Commander's Room. Knocking at the door three times, Luthor waited for a reply. Footsteps were heard and a second later, Garland opened the door and eyed the Gold Tribe outside. "Come in," he said, waving. Obliged, they entered.

Cyrus had his back turned to them and his arms crossed, staring outside the window, where the snow fell gently across the land of ice. He had been looking at it for quite some time, and he seemed so absorbed that he didn't notice the new arrivals. Garland said to the two, "any news?"

"Yes, brother, although I'm sure you and His Highness are aware," Luthor replied. "Exathor has landed, and we wanted to discuss our next course of action."

"I was not as astute as my brother, but the situation concerns me greatly," Beryl awkwardly replied. "I felt it necessary to ensure the safety of Emperor Cyrus and yourself before contemplating further."

"We are safe," Garland assured her, "and you should be concerned, as we are. Exathor has been in the air for thousands of years - it landing now can only be a bad omen."

"The landing shook the city," Cyrus said, "buildings came down, and snow is slowly but surely burying us. What do you think we ought to do?"

"Well, your Highness... I would propose an evacuation." Luthor had no better ideas, but he was unsure about the landscape Exathor landed upon. Moreso, he was thinking if anyone or anything resided in the unknown tundra.

Evacuate? The idea was appealing, but Beryl could not help but voice her concerns. "Where would the evacuated go? With terrain as unfamiliar as this, and as unsavory as the conditions outside are, there are few places that would suffice."

"Evacuate?" Garland said flustered, "and go where? Our enemies are out there, I bet they will be glad if we step one foot outside our city's walls. And they've no qualms with killing civilians, either."

"I am more concerned about the long-term," Cyrus said, "this cannot go on. We must find a way to reverse this; life on Exathor will soon be extinguished under these conditions."

The Emperor was sadly correct. With the frigid temperatures of this new land, not even the most enduring of life adapted to Exathian climate would survive. And yet... the situation bugged Beryl considerably. Why had the continent flown to such a desolate place in the first place? There must be a reason for the flight, should there not? If something had brought Exathor to this Arceus-forsaken land, then it should be possible to return it to its former location... right? It was worth a try...

"Given the weather, can anything be seen in the frozen wastes? I doubt that the entirety of Exathor would fly to such a place as this without reason, sirs. Perhaps we should strive to find that reason."

"Keeper suggested that Exathor might have flown here because of the Last Nexus," Cyrus said, making a wide gesture towards the shadow of the black castle in the sky. "It is interesting to compare our island to an animal. It seems as if it sensed the failing barrier and sought to travel closer to the Nexus keeping it alive, perhaps to increase the barrier's life. And that's a plausible theory," the Emperor said, fingering his icy beard, "I could very well see how it serves our foes, who are seeking the crystals. Perhaps they already knew Exathor would react in this way."

"How is it possible that a piece of land is hard-wired to protect a 'mon-made invention such as the barrier?" Garland questioned.

"A valid question," the Emperor said, "there is only one thing for me to suggest here: that for Exathor's flight, a system is responsible. A computer, like the one we found in the Obelisk."

The cold air was starting to chill Beryl's very core, so she spoke up. "Whatever the reason for its flight, I feel we should act instead of question, sirs. I know I would prefer to get out of this cold land as quickly as possible, and if that castle is, indeed, the Last Nexus, then that is where I believe we should go. And if it is the Last Nexus, we can expect Thrace and her reprehensible followers to also seek it."

"That is what most of us will be doing," Cyrus pointed out, "I am not about to leave the Last Nexus unchecked, we are to march there as soon as possible, in fact. But I do not want to neglect the future, either. Garland and I have discussed it; we asked ourselves, what would Keeper do, to make the island fly again? And we thought, we ought to find the system responsible for the decision to travel all the way to the Last Nexus. We did rule out some places, like the Alamagnan aqueducts or the Ascanfell underground, and we came up with one possible location where such a system might exist: the Sky Pinnacle, in Skyhaven, a sacred place, once. You might not know about it, but it once stood tall over the city, a massive edifice that could be seen from dozens of miles away - now it is buried, in that mountain that makes up the northern part of the city, and the entrance has been sealed for as long anyone can remember. We know it's still there, but the experts have accepted that it is inaccessible. If there is hope of moving Exathor away from this frigid place, it must be confined in there."

Luthor didn't think twice about his decision. He already had a his own agenda to fulfill... There would be no point for himself to go, as other Tribe members were able to proceed. He knelt before Cyrus, and stated, "Your Highness, I will have to stay for the time being. At present, I have a warrant for the execution of Romulus "Earthquake" Errias."

Emperor Cyrus inhaled loudly, staring at the Feraligatr with confidence. "As you wish," he granted.

"Ah.. well. I would have preferred a chance to reminisce with you more, Luthor, it seems Isak and myself will have to make do without you for the moment. We shall prepare to depart immediately, right Isak?" A moment passed before Beryl slowly realized that Isak was not in the room with her. "Oh, no... where has that blasted Buneary gotten off to?"

"Beryl, find Isak, get to the Vaults Emergency Teleporters and request you be ported to the Sky Pinnacle," Garland commanded, then he remembered that a person from the Tribe with a bit of intel on the place would be useful on the mission. "And take Restless and Peacekeeper with you, if they agree. You all had best be back tomorrow, before we march. Good luck."

 

[GastlyGibus]

Desperate Times
|The Imperatorium|​

"... but if there is a system that sends the island flying to the Last Nexus, how is it that we have never even theorized its existence? Blueprints of the original Nexuses can be found, yet no connection to a wider system was ever suggested by them," Teneth mused to himself quietly, his voice echoing softly in the vast, icy hall of the Crystal Palace.

Lord Teneth and Emperor Cyrus were having the same thoughts. Teneth, like the Emperor, wished to preserve his lands and his people, even after this madness was done. He did not mean to spend the rest of his life in this miserable land of ice, where nothing interesting ever happened. He had to learn of a way to save Exathor; he'd thought of suggesting the notion to the Family, that they shouldn't wholly destroy the population which they could easily rule, but he knew that that's where this was headed. And Lord Teneth didn't sign up for this.

He'd heard of Kagemusha's studies in a place which he had taken a keen interest upon: the Sky Pinnacle of Skyhaven - or the rumor of a buried castle in the Old City of Skyhaven, a bunch of ruins with some importance to the people who lived nearby. Teneth, like Cyrus, theorized that if Exathor was driven as a whole, it would have to be done from there. He needed to gain access to the Sky Pinnacle.

So, he cast his gaze upon the approaching leaders of the Imperatorium: Rax, a Toxicroak, and Atris, a Braixen. They'd just entered the hall, after he had summoned them and their tattered little mercenary company. It had taken them a while to get here; Lord Teneth had sent for them with his offer a few days back, when Exathor changed its course.

"Welcome to the Crystal Palace, friends," Lord Teneth greeted them openly.

Rax eyed the Umbreon with no small amount of displeasure. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have considered even the idea of talking to one of the Stygians. However, his survival instincts outweighed his racial prejudices, and it was clear, even to him, that these were not normal circumstances. Even still, the Toxicroak crossed his arms, almost pouting as he looked towards Teneth. "Right. You're lucky the whole of Exathor has gone to sh*t, else I'd not even consider this."

Atris nudged the Toxicroak harshly, earning a small groan in response. "Must I do all the talking?" she whispered. She knew why he would be unhappy, given they were allying themselves with those they considered their sworn enemies, but it was clear they were in no state to rely on old rivalries, at least for the moment. "What he means to say is that we're only here because the present circumstances outweigh our differences. I trust you have a good reason for calling us here?"

"Tough times, eh?" Lord Teneth snickered, "of course, I do have a reason. I shall make you an offer you can't refuse. I am sure you can look past our differences to the shine of gold, Rax? You see, my shady friends, you cannot refuse my offer because the reward is not only a pile of gold, but also the the salvation of your nation, and we all know very well how the Imperatorium adores Hesperia. Exathor has fallen in this foreign and barren land and, judging by how wretched things have become, snow will bury us all before we see the next summer; I do not intend to let that happen, and I presume neither do you." The Umbreon let a gleeful, toothy smile present itself against his guests; he liked to see them having no choice.

The Toxicroak groaned. As much as he hated to admit it, Teneth was absolutely correct. Not to mention, his meager mercenary force was in no shape to take on an army. As much as he hated Stygians, he'd have to look past that if any of them were to make it out of this alive. "So then, your high-and-mightiness," he began, "what would you have us lot do?"

"Have you ever heard of the Sky Pinnacle?" Lord Teneth asked rhetorically, "is there anything you can tell me about it?"

Atris had a hand under her chin. "The Sky Pinnacle..." she mused to herself. "An ancient Skyhaven construction from many years past. I know about as much as anyone else in Hesperia, that it was once considered sacred, and now lies underneath the earth, completely sealed." The Braixen's gaze fell to Teneth inquisitively. "What about it?"

"I ask that you go there," Lord Teneth, "and find your way in. I suspect it holds secrets that we, who hope to stir Exathor away from the far north, must learn as soon as possible."

"Very well," Atris said, giving a small, forced bow. "We'll have our men on it shortly."

"Just remember," Rax interrupted. "As soon as this is all over, we go right back to hatin' each other. We ain't all lovey-dovey now because a' this, you hear?"

Teneth slowly lost his grin, and fixed his green gaze upon the subject. "Of course," he said softly, as if granting them a favor, "but do be careful about where you direct your hating. My enemies are famous for their suffering." He paused, his cold, ageless eyes darting to the doors of the hall, bidding the two farewell. "Now go. Use my teleporters and bring a conch with you; we'll keep in touch throughout your mission."

"As you wish," Atris replied, as she and Rax both turned to leave. As soon as they left the doors of the palace, Rax spoke again.

"I don't like this, dove," he said sternly, his voice turning serious for once. "Not one bit."

"I don't either, Rax," she replied, "but we don't have much choice in the matter. And regardless, this can still work to our advantage." She looked at Rax sternly, slowing her steps. "Remember what I told you earlier?"

Rax scratched his head, almost as if thinking too much caused him pain. "I... I think so? Somethin' about the world seein' the Stygians for who they really are, eh?"

Atris nodded. "Yes, and it would do us no good if there's nobody around to see it, now would it?" She spoke proudly, her usual conviction taking hold again. "Right now, we have to decide who the bigger enemy is here. Our goals will only come to fruition if we live to see tomorrow."

"But..." Rax whined, "but I hate them rotten Stygians! Just talkin' with them tossers makes my skin crawl!"

"Aww, poor baby," Atris said mockingly. "Would you rather die?"

"I... er, maybe?" Rax replied, causing Atris to shoot an irritated glare at him. Rax rolled his eyes, before relenting. "No..."

"That's better," she replied, leaning over and giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "Trust me, I don't like it either. It's important to see the bigger picture here. When this is all over, no Hesperian worth their salt would see the Stygians as anything other than filthy savages."

"You mean if we survive this," Rax added.

"When we survive this," Atris said sharply. "Thrace is not going to win."

"Are you sure about that?" Rax asked.

"Positive," she replied. "Thrace will lose, because I want her to lose. It's as simple as that."

 

[Turnip]

... A few hours ago, before the crash ...

Epic Quest
White Citadel
Gold Tribe Quarters
Featuring Zack 'Skysaber' Dawson and Pendro 'Reaching Mind' Malis
​

Zack snapped his eyes open. The Electabuzz jumped out of the bed mumbling, scratched his butt and jerked the curtains to the side. It was pitch black outside, snow still falling in the middle of the night. The Electabuzz cursed; he'd thought he had heard somebody. He rubbed the sleep off his eyes and turned, then stopped in his tracks. There was a small package on his desk, beside his wrench, his belt which he had thrown carelessly when he went to sleep and his fingerless gloves.

The package had a note on it, which the Electabuzz promptly ignored, throwing it to the side and opening the package hurriedly. In it was a transparent glass box... the room was filled with a purple glow. "Woah," Zack exclaimed, "what the heck is this?"

It was a round, egg-shaped gem unlike anything he had seen. Well, not unlike anything he had seen. It looked like one of those dragon eggs, sparkling brilliantly in audacious colors like evolution stones. This one was sparkling magenta, with an entrancing depth to it and a golden stripe running through it. It looked like an evolution stone, but... well, what are you standing there for, Zack, pick up the note.

The note read:

This is called the Teleportation Egg. It bestows a truly special, truly different version of Teleport if held by whomever, even those who cannot learn it by default; by touching it, you bind your soul to it, and you can never remove it afterwards.

The enhanced move Teleport that it grants is the secret for entering the Sky Pinnacle, the infamous unexplored place shrouded in mystery that once stood above the surface of Exathor, breaching the sky itself. Those times, the grandeur of Exathor had yet to fade, its miracles of architecture yet to be lost in time and disaster. Xerneas and Yveltal still served as the Guardians, moderating all life upon the island. Knowledge of that era has been lost, but so has the Sky Pinnacle, the World Castle as the Exathians of old called it, the largest library during the Age of Heroes and afterwards. If there is anything yet to be learned for the dark times of the past, it may be learned there.

Use it well. Both this gem and the knowledge you will find through it.


Zack remained staring suspiciously at the note. Under the gentle sparkle of the gem in the glass, he read the note again. It wasn't signed, although the writing was faintly familiar. Whoever it was, they were offering a chance for him to find knowledge lost... a peek into the past. If they had that, they could find Xerneas, the counterpart of Thrace. He could help them fight her off.

Marching out in the cold to fight and die in a place with ice all around them, under their feet, and falling on their heads? That wasn't something Zack was ready to do yet. But earning a more practical way to prevail against Thrace than tackling her head on? Zack rubbed his hands. This was what he had been looking for, Xerneas to come and help them. Do some of Zack's fighting, essentially. He had no time to wonder who this mysterious benefactor was.

The Electabuzz grabbed and wore his belt, the Electirizer dangling wildly around from a chain. He slipped on his black gloves and he bailed from his room.


***


There was sharp, tense knocking on the door of Pendro's room. The Metang shook himself awake, floating up quickly and cautiously making his way over to the door. He looked at it suspiciously, placing a hand tentatively on the doorframe as he spoke through the crack.

"Erm, w-who, what- hello?"

"It's Zack!" the Electabuzz said loudly, "open up! It's important!"

"Wh-how, what, how important? Why? This isn't going- what?"

Zack grunted and slid the note under the door. He showed Pendro the glass box with the gem and said, "look at what it says! Found this in my room."

Pendro sighed as he floated down to the floor and picked up the note, "Is this really something to wake me up about? I'm not sure why I'm the person you choose to come to, if you just feel like annoying me or- oh..." Pendro stopped speaking, reading over the rest of the letter quickly. "O-oh, this, erm... this is a thing. Yes, erm... right- did someone give this to you? I- I should probably open the door or something,"

Reaching mind hastily opened the door, staring at the note as if trying to discern some kind of hidden secret in its words. Zack stepped inside and handed him the box with the egg in it.

"You know the Sky Pinnacle?" Zack asked, "of course you do, it's like a tourist attraction in Skyhaven. Bet you always wanted to go there; but there's no entrance to the place... except this egg, apparently, can take you there."

"Well, I- well, yes," Pendro admitted, though he frowned nervously, "But, erm- do you, erm... are you sure? I mean, did someone give you the egg- do you know what, erm... just... how?"

"Just woke up and found it on my desk with the note," Zack shrugged, "what does it matter?!"

"Well, I- it matters- it's very important! It could be a bomb for all we know! If there isn't even a name then how can we know to trust any of this? What if there's a trap waiting for us in the Sky Pinnacle?" The Metang's eyes widened, and he grabbed the sides of his head with his arms. "What if there's a trap waiting for us here?"

"Who would want to trap me, dude? I'm just a guy. If they'd wanna trap anyone, they'd send it to Garland." He looked at the glass box, sucking his mouth and tilting his head in a troubled expression. "It doesn't look like a bomb, though. Looks like an evolution stone, but, granted, it could be a trap psychic in nature. If that's the case, you should have a look at it; you're the expert in psychic stuff, if there's malice in it you'll find it without even touching it."

"Well I-! Erm... yes, I suppose you're right, actually. Sorry, I think I must be a bit cranky around- what is the time again? N-never mind, forget about it-" Pendro turned his attention from the note to the egg, peering at it with scrutiny.

Zack swept aside the books and papers on Pendro's desk. The Metang screamed, running over to the pile that had accumulated on the floor.

"NO!" He cried, "Why on Exathor would you do that? That was my world!"

The Electabuzz promptly ignored him as he eased the glass box onto the desk slowly, as if it really was a bomb. He zapped the lock and flicked the top glass open so the magenta-colored egg was exposed.

Pendro looked up from his relief effort for a moment to check what Zack was doing in the meantime. "No remorse! None at all! Not even a smidgen! I- I can't- comes into my room, brings in a bomb, throws away my research, didn't even bring snacks..." The Metang managed to recover the papers and books into some semblance of organisation, before turning to first glare at Zack, then take a look at the egg. He focused for a moment, eyes glowing briefly with psychic energy before shrugging. "Hm. Doesn't seem to be anything malicious on the egg itself," He said.

Zack put his hands on the table, leaning forward, staring at the egg. "That means it really does what the note says it does: grant teleportation powers, with the cost of binding it to your soul... really? I haven't heard of anything like that before."

"Well, I have," Pendro murmured, "In books much like the ones you so carelessly demolished, no less..." He leaned in further towards the egg. "There are quite a few myths telling of objects not dissimilar to this, one in particular makes reference to an heirloom of Skyhaven. If this supposedly grants entrance to the Sky Pinnacle, then I suppose this is the object some of the myths are referring to. Who on Exathor would be in possession of such an object, and why would they anonymously deliver it to you?"

Zack let out an awkward sigh, staring at the wall. "I'm not sure..." he muttered, but then said quickly, "but I said it doesn't matter. Probably some scholar or something... I don't know. What do you wanna do with it? Should we just take it and explore the place on our own? We'll leave a note behind and port to that Pinnacle A.S.A.P."

"Well, I- well, I feel we should probably tell someone, at the very least. If it is indeed what it is, which it seems to be, this could well be the catalyst for turning the tides of the crusade- which is why, really, it seems so odd that it would be given anonymously by someone in our midst. I'm telling you it really does matter who gave this to you- who knows what else they could know?"

Zack scratched his head now, considering it. "But I don't know anybody who could've given it to me. Frank? No, no way... he's miles away, if he's even alive. Can't think of anybody else. You know what, let's tell Petrina, and then let's bail."

"But I-" Pendro stopped himself. It was an odd situation; he'd erred on the side of caution as often as he could, perhaps sometimes overzealously. Perhaps with the time they had left, risks were worth taking. The Metang shifted uncomfortably. "I'm not sure, to be honest, but I suppose we might as well. On the off-chance a miracle has been handed to us."

Zack scratched a few words on a clean paper, folded it and left the room for a few minutes; he was back soon, and he said, "Petrina's got it, slipped it under her door. Now..." he clapped his hands once and rubbed them, looking thoughtfully at the egg. "You know we don't have time for travelling with an airship at the moment, right? And if we had, no airship is operational so far north. We have to use this egg to go port to Skyhaven. I figure we can port halfway across Exathor now that the Nexuses are no longer active. So..." Zack stared at the egg inside the open glass box. He went ahead to touch it, but he stopped on his second thought.

He looked back at Pendro, pursing his eyebrows and swallowing. "As I understand it, isn't this some sort of important item for people from Skyhaven?" he asked rhetorically. "I'd be mad to rob you of the honor of touching it. You can make better use of Teleport than I can, anyway. I... I can't bind that to myself forever. I won't be dying any time soon, and I don't wanna be stuck with it forever."

Pendro coughed, flustered, "W-well, it's quite a responsibility, I wouldn't dream of taking the powers of the egg for myself, that would be-" He stopped for a moment, looking from Zack, then to the egg, then back to Zack. "Er, on second thoughts, I suppose it's probably for the best if it's, erm... me. For the good of, erm, the universe and all that."

The Metang carefully approached the egg, taking the mystical artefact gingerly in his metal fingers. He shut his eyes as his hands made contact with the egg, but when nothing catastrophic happened, he opened them again and sighed in relief.

"There, you did it," Zack cheered him on. "You feel anything?"

Pendro blinked, "Nope."

"Nothing?" Zack asked reluctantly, "try using Teleport. According to this note, you should be able to--"

Before the Electabuzz's eyes, Pendro vanished in a flash of purple light.

"Oh shit!" Zack exclaimed, stepping to the spot where Pendro was standing just one moment ago and glancing around the room for any signs of the Metang. "Pendro!? I guess that thing really does teach you Teleport..."

In a similar flash of purple light, Reaching Mind appeared and immediately dropped to the ground with a shriek. "Arceus above!" He said, "It works. No question about it- that is definitely a working teleport, I- I- oh, no I dropped the egg! Everything's-! Oh, wait."

The Metang glanced down at his hand, where the Teleport Egg appeared stuck to the side of his right arm. He floated back to a reasonable height, though the egg didn't budge. Pendro picked the egg off of his arm, moving it closer to and further away from his body, turning it upside down and releasing his grip on it. Whatever he seemed to do, the egg was stubborn enough to remain adhered to the Metang.

"Well, this is somewhat awkward." Pendro murmured.

The Electabuzz chuckled, "it's stuck on you." He was glad to see Pendro back so soon; he thought he would have to go looking for him, and if he went missing, he would have to tell a very unbelievable story... "Let's get going," Zack prodded, "you can take us to the Sky Pinnacle with this?"

"I- well," Pendro blinked, "I can definitely take me to the Sky Pinnacle with this. I'm not, erm, exactly experienced in teleporting, but I suppose I can give it a shot."

Zack reached for the wrench on his belt and held it out, placing its tip reluctantly on Pendro's hand, eyeing him warily as if a demon had possessed him. "I don't wanna get my soul bound to that thing too!" he said.

"Well, erm... thanks for the vote of confidence. Here goes..."

It felt like they were lifted from Pendro's room; the world vanished for a split second, the light faded. Now they were outside, in the cold and in the dark. Zack perked his ears, listening to the wind fondle the tall grass; he raised his head to the night sky to see the curtains of the aurora greet them. Before them was a mountain's peak, rising like a small hill covered in snow. They were high up the mountain already; behind them was a cliff, lit with all the lights of New Skyhaven.

Zack ran to the edge of the cliff and tripped once as he trod blindly through a layer of snow that hid uneven ground. He picked himself up quickly and looked beyond the cliff. The ground where Skyhaven was built was arched in the air, so the city was basically another cliff away from the sea. It was snowing gently, but Zack could clearly see the waves of the northern sea, their white turned green by the aurora in the sky. A thousand feet below him were the remnants of the Old City, prestigious ruins of times long past, from grey to green under the luminous sky. "Awesome..." a captivated Zack muttered. He hadn't been in Skyhaven for years.

He turned to see where Pendro had brought them. They were at a small plateau in the face of the mountain. Two stone pillars each stood to Zack and Pendro's sides, grass overgrown in their bases and between the rocks, piles of snow on their tops. Beyond them, a wall made from the same, immortal stone presented itself before them. "That's cursed rock," Zack said, "same stuff the Obelisk and the Nexus at Stoneyard were made of. Always wanted to build an aircraft with this kind of stuff, it's nearly indestructible. Just look at it!"

The stone depicted a painting; on one side of the wall, the sea, on the other, the land. The sea was furious, rising in a tidal wave, and the land was erupting in an explosion; amidst each calamity were the two figures of mythology infamous for clashing with each other: Kyogre and Groudon. Clouds were carved into the cursed rock, above the Behemoth and the Leviathan, and a serpent's body could be discerned among them; scholars theorized that it was Rayquaza, master of the skies. Its tail was pointing upwards, Zack noticed. "Hey, Pendro," he shouted, still fixated on the ancient mural. "Ever been in here?"

Pendro, having been captivated for the moment by the view of his home down below, shook himself to attention. "Have I-? What? No- nobody has been in the Sky Pinnacle for years. It's- oh... oh my. We- the Sky Pinnacle... rather daunting. We're actually... whew."

Zack pursed his eyebrows. "We're not actually in the place, are we?" he asked, "I mean, we're at the top of the mountain, big deal. Flying-types come here all the time, I bet, nothing much too hard about reaching here." He rushed to the mural; it hadn't been touched by snow, as the rock formed a convenient awning above it. Weeds grew at its base, where Zack looked for the small gap that would let him know that the mural was in fact a door, an entrance of some sort. He placed his ear on it and struck it with his fist, wanting to see if the other side was hollow. It wasn't.

"Well, yes," Pendro agreed. "Though I assume we should be going inside at, uh... some point..."

"Now what?"

 

[KajiVenator]

Pinnacle Prelude
Tavhir and Cassandra Eldren, Beryl Ibha, Isak Mategu, and Matthew Blaze​

It wasn't long before Beryl found Isak. Or, rather, he found her, as she slowly crawled down the stairs leading up to the Commanders' Room.

"There you are, Beryl! Did you catch up to that 'Luthor' guy?"

"Yes, I did, and I've got our next assignment... I was beginning to think you had ran off to hide..."

"I was tempted, but I thought better of it. One of us had to do their duties, after all..."

"...What are you implying?"

"Oh, please, Beryl. While you were chasing off after that Feraligatr, I checked out the rest of the floors and did the thing you said we were going to do."

"Well... um..."

"Now... you said something about an assignment?"

"...Yes, Garland has directed us to travel to Skyhaven and enter the place known as the 'Sky Pinnacle'."

"That sounds interesting... when do we leave?"

"Shortly after we find 'Restless' and 'Peacekeeper' and relay these orders to them as well."

"Oh, Tavhir and his sister? I just saw them a bit ago in a hall downstairs. Let's go get them and get going."

With Beryl following slowly behind, Isak happily hopped down the stairs, in a much better mood than just an hour before.

* * *​

Tavhir simply stared out the window at the huge expanse of ice. Cassandra stood behind him, the two of them at a loss for words. Even with the icy winds blowing in through the window, neither of them could drag their gaze from the sight.

A million thoughts rushed through both Restless and Peacekeeper's minds. Was this the plan of the Crusaders all along? Was there any way to restore the Nexus', to bring Exathor back to the skies? Could they survive the increasing snow they found themselves under? The call to action was now, and they knew that something had to be done and done. Garland was most likely scrambling to draft a plan, and though the siblings knew that they would be needed, neither of them could move from the window, as if their minds and bodies were unable to process their circumstances.

"... where are we...?" Tavhir muttered finally.

"I don't know," Cassandra replied quietly. In all of her days, she had never known of land outside of Exathor. Only in her wildest fantasy novels could such places exist, or so she had thought.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a rapping at the door to their room.

"Hey Tahvir, open up! We've got orders to move out!" The knocking didn't stop even after the voice called out.

The knocking had finally managed to break Tavhir from his near-trance at the window, the Pawniard shaking his head to clear his thoughts before going to the door. He slowly pulled the door open, seeing Beryl and Isak standing expectantly. "I assume it has to do with what just happened, doesn't it?"

Beryl spoke. "Most likely. We are to depart for Skyhaven immediately. Best make haste to the teleporters."

"Right..." Tavhir said. He was too shaken up to ask any questions. Cassandra heard their message, raising an eyebrow at Beryl's words.

"Skyhaven? What are we going there for?" she asked.

"We're---" Isak began to speak but was cut off by Beryl.

"I will explain along the way. The more time we spend here, the more time Exathor is trapped in these frozen wastes."

"Then let's go," Cassandra stated plainly. She secured the strap of her satchel across her shoulders, hurrying over to the door. "Who else will be accompanying us?"

"For now, it is the four of us..." Beryl sighed. "Let us move."

The sound of running footsteps echoed out, accompanied by a loud voice, "CASS!? CASS!?" The Machamp shouted out, "WHERE ARE YOU!?"

Isak noticed the oncoming Machamp in time to jump off to the side before Beryl was knocked on to her side by him. Cassandra rushed over to Beryl's aid, helping the Donphan back to her feet.

"I'm right here, Punisher, I'm fine," Cassandra replied. Tavhir just rolled his eyes at the Machamp's carelessness.

"Come on, we have to go," the Pawniard said.

A low grumbling could be heard from Beryl as she was helped up. Isak took the opportunity to speak. "Well, off to the Vaults, then. Skyhaven awaits!"

"Woah woah!" Punisher said as he crossed his four arms, "Cassandra ain't going anywhere without me there to help." He said rather firmly. "We just crash landed on this... ice... thingie majig! Who knows what could be out there?"

Beryl was indignant at this newcomer. "...Given your disregard for the safety of everyone else, why would I even consider letting you join us?" She glared at him.

"It's fine, Beryl," Cassandra stated. "We can use the help. He was just worried, is all... though you could be more careful in the future." She looked up at Punisher, giving a weak smile.

Punisher smiled back and rubbed the back of his neck, "Um... sorry." He said, "I didn't meant to. I was just worrying about Cass, that was all."

Beryl just shook her head and walked past the oafish Machamp. "Fine. Follow behind... slowly. Let's get moving already."

 

[GastlyGibus]

The Hurt That Finds You First
Isak Mategu, Zack Dawson, Pendro Malis, Matthew Blaze, Tavhir and Cassandra Eldren, and Beryl Ibha​

Scaling the mountain outside of Skyhaven reminded Isak of the times he spent in Amoon. Though the weather was far colder here, it felt the same. Rushing wind, cold snow, rocky ground. He lost track of time, and, before he knew it, he had arrived at the two stone pillars near its peak. He glanced around... tons of snow around. It was obscuring much of the plateau, but even the snow could not blot out the massive stone mural nearby. Even in the darkness of a cave, several impressive figures could be discerned: one red, one blue, and one green. The gods of weather, Kyogre, Groudon, and Rayquaza... fitting, considering the weather recently.

There were a couple Pokemon standing in front of it. Isak had offered to scout ahead of the group, but he hadn't expected to find anything. One would have to be insane to scale a mountain in this weather... insane, or motivated. He shrugged, stepping out of the snow to confront them.

"Who are you two, and what are you doing here?" His small voice echoed a bit off of the stone.

The short but well-built figure jerked to face Isak, pointing a wrench at him. "Back off! I'm armed and dangerous!" he shouted, then, "oh! Look who it is!"

The other figure, who had let out a shriek as he somersaulted in surprise, whispered quizzically at his companion, "Who? Erm... who?"

"I already asked that. Who are you two, and what are you doing to the Sky Pinnacle?" Isak had the funniest feeling he had seen at least one of these Pokemon before...

"We're Gold Tribe," Zack said, circling his fingers around the golden coin on his belt, the emblem that signified that he was a brother. "On a special mission."

"Uh," Pendro began, bringing his hands to the ready. "...Yeah."

"What are you two doing here, though? I thought Garland gave that mission to us... Doesn't matter. I better go tell the others you're here." Isak turned to leave, but noticed some movement just off the cliff face. That movement was a rather muscular Machamp that was climbing up the mountain. He was using his lower two hands to climb while his upper arms took the time to wave over, "Yo!" He called over. "We were going to wait, but we just decided to come up!" He blinked and smiled over at Pendro, "Hey Pendro! How did you get up here before us? Weren't you back at the citadel?"

"Wh- I- Hi!" Pendro said, a mix of surprise and relief at the familiar face. "I- er... well, there was, erm... maybe... some kind of mysterious historical artefact granting teleportation powers? It's, erm... a little odd to explain."

"Found this in my room tonight," Zack showed them the sign that was left in his room with the glass box and the egg:

Spoiler:

This is called the Teleportation Egg. It bestows a truly special, truly different version of Teleport if held by whomever, even those who cannot learn it by default; by touching it, you bind your soul to it, and you can never remove it afterwards.

The enhanced move Teleport that it grants is the secret for entering the Sky Pinnacle, the infamous unexplored place shrouded in mystery that once stood above the surface of Exathor, breaching the sky itself. Those times, the grandeur of Exathor had yet to fade, its miracles of architecture yet to be lost in time and disaster. Xerneas and Yveltal still served as the Guardians, moderating all life upon the island. Knowledge of that era has been lost, but so has the Sky Pinnacle, the World Castle as the Exathians of old called it, the largest library during the Age of Heroes and afterwards. If there is anything yet to be learned for the dark times of the past, it may be learned there.

Use it well. Both this gem and the knowledge you will find through it.

He tapped Pendro on the head with his wrench. "That's how we're here. He knows how to 'port now!"

"Gah!" Pendro cried, dropping to the ground and covering his head before slowly floating back up. "Stop... doing things."

"And we're here lookin' for some facts," Zack said, "allegedly, this here place holds some information that we may wanna know, before dealing with Thrace; gotta go prepared!"

"My word..." Cassandra said, following close behind Punisher. She looked up in awe at the imposing mural. "It's always more impressive in person..." She walked closer, her gaze traveling up to the top of the structures.

"Neat," Tavhir said, slightly sarcastic. "Is this the Sky Pinnacle, then?"

Punisher looked about, whistling a bit, "I guess it is. So um, what are we supposed to do again?" He asked Cass. "Just check it out?"

"I suppose we'll have to... wait..." As if distracted by the history, Cassandra just now realized what Zack and Pendro were saying. She turned her eyes to Pendro, looking curiously at the egg he was carrying. "What did you say that was, again?"

"The Teleportation Egg," Zack said proudly, as if he was a parent presenting his own kid, "show it to them, Pendro. Purple thing, yeah, that's right."

"Where did you get this?" Cassandra said. "May I look at it, please?"

"I told ya, found it in my room with that note," Zack said defensively. "Thought I should give it to Pendro, I ain't good with that sorta stuff."

The Metang appeared slightly worried, his eyes shifting from the egg, to Zack, to the others and back again. "Erm, yeah- it's, uh... purple, yes. Not a, uh... not a problem. Might- er, good. Purple."

"A teleportation egg? How strange... You'll have to show that to Beryl later... Speaking of which... where is she?"

A gradually growing rumbling noise off the cliff face caught his attention. Running past the rest of the group, Isak peered over the edge and dodged backwards just in time for a dark grey streak to whiz by his face. Flustered, he scrambled to his feet and jumped out of the way of the falling Donphan, who landed on the plateau with an appropriately loud thud.

"Jeez!" Zack let out, "you scared me shitless!"

"Scared? I was almost killed!" Isak's heart was racing.

Slightly stumbling from the fall, Beryl replied. "How else is a Donphan supposed to get up the mountain? Teleport?" She then noticed the unfamiliar Electabuzz. "...How did you get here?"

"Yep, teleport," Zack confirmed.

"Arceus-dammit."

Zack repeated his and Pendro's story to the Donphan, showing her the note. "We're just trying to get in, 'cause I think we just found the key to entering this place."

"You just... found it?" Cassandra asked, clearly skeptical. "I'm supposed to believe you just happened upon the Stone of the Aether, then?"

"Uh- w- y- er- uh, no! No, no- not at all!" Pendro burbled out, flustered, "We- erm, it was, er, provided to us, through, erm- very reasonable, deliberate and clear means, without reckless action, which, erm... which Zack will now describe. Go on, Zack!"

"Uhh," the Electabuzz awkwardly blurted, "I ain't sure either, okay? I dunno... somebody left it in my room with the note, that's all I know, I swear it on my honor. Stone of Aether, you said?" he said, suddenly skeptical, "'ey... I've heard of that before, Frank was looking into it. Pendro, didn't ya say it was some kinda heirloom of your city or something?"

"Well, it was, until it was stolen some decades ago," Cassandra chimed in, giving the egg a thorough once over. "The myths say it's the key to opening the Sky Pinnacle... how coincidental..." she said to herself, her voice bearing a trace of concern. "I don't like this..."

"I don't like it either," Zack said, "but it's an opportunity. Who the hell would wanna trap us this way? That's why I got my pal here with me to investigate real quick, without having to involve anybody else, but you showed up - what does that mean? Garland sent you, you said?"

"Don't listen to Zack," Pendro squeaked, gazing down at his claws. "He's a madman."

"You're not much better, Pendro." Beryl said with a sigh. "You really should have reported this to Garland first, and not recklessly teleported here. It could have been a trap, and you floated right into it... Well, I guess it does not matter now." Walking under the stone awning to get out of the snow, she continued. "We are here under orders from Garland and Emperor Cyrus to investigate the Sky Pinnacle for any means of returning Exathor to its rightful location in the skies."

At this point Cassandra began to wander underneath the structures herself, muttering under her breath and searching the ground. "I wonder..." After a moment of searching, she found herself standing directly inbetween the two pillars, looking down at her feet. She crouched down, brushing away the snow, although by this point it was very thick, and she found it difficult to brush it away. "Punisher, can you come help me with this?"

Punisher gave a nod and made his way over. He kneeled down and began to brush at the snow with his four hands, "What's under here?" He asked her. "Some sort of hidden spot?" The snow managed to easily crumble under his fingers.

"Here," Cassandra said, looking down at the cleared ground. Underneath the snow was a circle carved into the stone floor, engraved with a series of runic symbols. "This might help us."

"How did you find these?" Punisher asked, "Does everyone know to look here? Am I out of the loop already?"

Cassandra let out a small sigh of reluctance. "Believe it or not, I've actually been here before, when I was younger. We found this circle here, but at the time we didn't know what to do with it. Perhaps it can help us get inside the Pinnacle?"

"Happy someone knows what they're doing..." Pendro murmured under his breath.

"Since when have you ever been here?" Tavhir asked Cassandra incredulously.

"I used to be part of a small group of kids before you came to our family," she answered. "Long story short, we went to a lot of places we shouldn't have gone, explored every corner and crevice of Skyhaven, for fun. This was one of those places. Now then," she turned to the group. "Does anybody have any ideas on what to do with this?"

"Pendro," Zack said, helping Punisher brush the snow aside with his foot, "why don't you take a look! These are old runes! Can you read any of it?"

"Wh- I- what?" The Metang shook his head, looking up from his claws and sighing lightly. "Sorry, I... yeah, I can take a look," Pendro wandered over, floating slightly lower down to take a peek at where the snow had been parted. "Looks like the old old language, but, erm... even older, if you can believe it. Must be ancient, though that hardly surprises me. Easily a few millennia old; three or four or so..."

The Electabuzz stared at him intensely as he crouched over the circle of runes. The snow that remained hinged in the indents the runes carved on the floor was quickly melting. Before them, the runes formed solidly as the white faded away. "Can you read it?!" he asked, trying to hide his impatience.

"I- give me a minute! It's strange... not as close to what I know as I'd like it to be..." Reaching Mind studied the text for a few moments, a frown etched on his features, until he finally let out a sigh of resignation. "It's... a stretch. Difficult to tell with so little time, looks to be a few recognisable words in there. Stone, er... wielder. Travel and up. They aren't necessarily in that order really, though - they certainly aren't paired up in that way... it's not much to go on, I'm sorry."

"Stone, wielder, travel, up," Zack repeated, his eyes darting to the runes he thought Pendro could translate. "Is that all? Damn! It makes no sense!"

"Stone wielder..." Cassandra mused.

"Hey, Pendro," Tavhir said. "What's that egg made of, anyways?"

"Well, it... it could refer to the egg. It is important to note that stone and wielder do seem to be in order, so a 'stone wielder' definitely holds some kind of relevance. But then, it could refer to a whole number of things. Anybody with a Rock type mastery, perhaps. Or eve-"

"I asked what the egg was made of," Tavhir reiterated, slightly annoyed. "Does it feel like a rock? Metal? What?"

"I- well... rock, I suppose. Smooth gemstone. A bit like opal..."

"Pendro's the Stone Wielder," Zack said with certainty, "who else? In't that the Stone of Aether or some such? I bet that's what the runes are referring to, and according to the legend, that stone's the key to entering the place."

"Most likely, yes, but it isn't the only possibility..." Pendro argued, still unsure. "Isn't Petrina considered the wielder of the Dark Star? It's still just... uncertain."

Tavhir stood still, looking over the runes and thinking. He wasn't much of a planner, but he felt like he should at least try. "Well, Pendro, you have the Aether Stone thing, so obviously if there's a 'Stone wielder', it must be you." He pointed at the center of the circle. "Just... stand in the circle and do something. I don't know."

"A-and if I do the wrong thing?" Pendro questioned, "If I do the wrong thing and destroy the egg somehow? If there's a strict procedure I'm not adhering to? I've been reckless enough as it is-"

"Do nothing and we all sit here and freeze to death," Tavhir stated curtly. "Pick your poison."

"But both of us are immune to poison, why-?"

"Just stand in the damn circle!"

Cassandra put a hand on Tavhir's shoulder to calm him. She looked at Pendro with a bit of concern. "He's right, though. If there is a 'stone wielder' it must be you. The note said it was bound to you, yes? You must be the wielder then, so it must have something to do with you."

Zack scratched the side of his mouth thoughtfully as he crouched over the circle. "Why the hell is it called "the Stone of Aether"?" he questioned in a low voice, not paying attention to the current conversation.

"Aether usually refers to clear skies," Cassandra chimed in. "Perhaps it's related to the 'travel up' part of the message."

"The 'travel' and 'up' are separate words, so they aren't part of the same phrase," Pendro noted, staring at the egg he clutched in his hands, shaking lightly. "Although I suppose travel could potentially mean 'fly' under a certain context. That could make a difference."

Zack looked up to the floating Metang with clear, dark eyes. He seemed to have an idea. "Could flying and teleporting be connected, somehow? How different is flying and teleporting?"

"In essence, they're very different. Flying manipulates air flow and resistance to maintain aloft, whereas teleportation is instant transmission through psychic means," Pendro paused to sigh, "In terms of ancient interpretation, however, not really much at all..."

"And if you consider that 'travel' is synonymous to 'teleport'," Zack mused, "then it should be a no-brainer that it means we should use teleport."

"Well, would you mind hurrying up and teleporting, Pendro? I'm getting far too cold waiting around here for someone to do something." The cold was making Beryl very impatient.

"Indeed," Tavhir added. Even as a part steel type, the cold was beginning to get to him as well.

"Teleport, where?" Zack questioned, raising his head up in the sky. The aurora greeted him. "Up? Upwards? Upwards it is, then, right in the middle of nowhere."

"You're the one who brought up the teleporting," Tavhir replied. "Got any better ideas?"

"No," Zack admitted, "that's all I got. Maybe it's worth a try? What's the worst thing that can happen?"

"Um... Pendro ports up, has nothing to stand on, and falls down from that height and dies upon impact on the ground?" Punisher asked with a shrug.

"We'll be there to catch him," Zack joked.

"Can you lift a Metang?" Tavhir asked. "No offense, Pendro, but you aren't exactly the lightest one here." He thought again for a moment. "Could you use Magnet Rise to ease your fall or something?"

"Wait," Zack raised his arm, smirking in disturbance. He perked up his ears, taking in this new distraction. He was hearing feet, punching into the snow and out, scaling the mountain. "Do you hear that?"

He glanced to the side, where the second group of Gold Tribe had come from earlier. The footsteps soon increased, both in volume and number, and soon enough, the forms of several pokemon could be seen arriving over the edge of the plateau. At the head of the group was a Toxicroak, angry and menacing, pointing towards the tribe.

"Kill them," he said curtly. "Biggest prize to the scrob who delivers the finishing blow."

The instant the words left his mouth, the group behind him began to ready themselves for combat, looking prepared to charge.

"Who the hell are these guys?" Zack muttered, bending his legs, ready to fight. They looked like mercenaries; not fine material to go to war against members of the Gold Tribe, but it it seemed like they had numbers on their side. Zack saw he and his allies were quickly surrounded, and the small plateau atop the mountain was full of hostile Pokemon before they saw the end of the opposing group. The Gold Tribe were back-to-back against them. There were more of them, just out of their sight; if the Gold Tribe fought now, it could be their end.

As he stood on the circle, the Electabuzz turned his head slightly with his back against Pendro, whispering to him, "teleport us outta here!"

"Wh- what?" Pendro whispered back, shaking his head. "Sorry, I was meditating. Where?"

Zack placed his wrench on the Metang's arm, so the Teleport would not leave him behind. "Anywhere but here!"

The Metang shut his eyes, sighing in exasperation and dreading the coming moments. "I hate everything," He muttered, before extending an arm behind him and shouting, "Everyone grab on! Now! ... P-please."

Punisher grabbed on with one hand, "Yeah yeah. Just don't go too fast." He said. Pendro took a deep breath and waited for as long as he could. With a sign and a groan, the Metang teleported to the one place he could think of going: up.

 

[Ray Maverick]

... ... ...


... ... ...


"Ungh."

The place was dark and damp, the stone floor frigid beneath the downed Electabuzz. His eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness. Now he could see why it was called the World Castle once; they were in a dungeon, an ancient one with chains on the walls, which were made of heavy, bronze-colored cursed stone. It was frowsty, the air thick and dusty. No one had been in here for a long, long while, and sunlight hadn't touched these walls forever.

As he helped himself up, Zack glanced behind him, and let out a sigh of relief to see none of his allies were missing.

"We did it... we're inside," Zack said with a bit of wonderment, and a bit of fear. There was a creepy sound rushing through the corridor, coming from very far away. It was like the roar of a great engine, but not constant, coming and going in tremors.

They could see a faint blue glow, coming from above; the aurora's touch reached the floor of the corridor. The ceiling was broken, and the beam was coming from the upper floors; Zack remembered he glimpsed briefly what had happened before they teleported: the circular runic floor gave out under them, opening the entrance to the Sky Pinnacle. Pendro must have made a mistake when teleporting, so they ended up in a different place. Zack supposed the Metang would need some time to get used to his new-found power.

Zack's heart was pounding with the rush of being so close to death earlier and his throat was stiff, as if a giant hand was tightened around it. But if Zack had to take a guess, the worst hadn't passed. He could hear voices from across the corridor, resonating from the stairs that led deeper into the dungeon. "Th-they must've followed us in," he said, and a chill climbed up his spine.

He quickly checked in on Pendro. "You okay, brother?" he asked, as he looked into the dark stairs. A sense of dread overtook him and he shook. He was too afraid to step there alone.

THE SKY PINNACLE


​

 

[GastlyGibus]

Beneath
|Isak Mategu, Zack Dawson, Pendro Malis, Matthew Blaze, Tavhir and Cassandra Eldren, and Beryl Ibha|​

"So, who invited them?" Tavhir asked, referring to the mercenaries they encountered before.

Zack shrugged. "Judging by the fact that they wanted to off us, I'd say they're hired by the Crusaders. No way mercenaries are as smart as to come here on their own."

"Brilliant..." Tavhir complained. "It just gets better and better, doesn't it?"

Punisher also rose up, dusting himself off as he looked about in wonder, "So... um, what now?" He asked as he looked over at Pendro, "Are we supposed to go somewhere? Or something?"

"Note said info about Xerneas can be found down here," Zack whispered, "so, searching the place thoroughly is what we'll do. It was good luck that brought you with us," he said to the others, "otherwise we'd have ran into these criminals alone."

"We'll need a lot more than luck," Tavhir replied grimly. "How many do you think there were? I saw at least a few dozen."

Punisher snorted, "I could throw those dozen against the wall. But where do we find that stuff then on Xermas? This place looks so huge! It could take hours for us to find it!"

"Better start now, then," Tavhir said, being the first to step forward, away from the group. He motioned to the others to follow him. "Come on, let's start moving before trouble finds us."

"Isak and Tavhir, you could try using the dark to scout ahead," Zack suggested, "otherwise we'll be moving blindly. But don't get too far ahead, we don't wanna lose you."

"Fine," the Pawniard replied. "Stay close, don't slow down."

The Gold Tribe followed the two smaller tribesmen down the stairs, always alert, eyes and ears sharp and ready for combat. The Buneary and the Pawniard, who followed close behind, slid into the shadows ahead almost soundlessly. They were out of sight, but the Tribe following them could hear the faint clanging of metal on stone just ahead. Zack made sure to walk close to the walls, where the dark was thicker, on his toes and barely breathing, lest he was heard; the company descended the stairs and crept across the dungeon very silently, like poachers hunting on a lord's privy wood.

Tavhir kept silent as he walked, making sure not to stray too far. He'd often forget that his comrades were not gifted with dark sight as he was, feeling the urge to simply scout as far as he could. The Pawniard made sure to look behind him every few moments, keeping check on his allies lest they fell behind.

"Keep an ear out," Tavhir whispered to Isak as the Buneary walked beside him. "You be the ears, I'll be the eyes."

Isak nodded in the darkness, knowing that Tavhir would notice the gesture. Whispering in these hallways was akin to shouting outside. Every noise stood out against the backdrop of quiet. Water dropping, quiet breathing... deprived of his eyesight, he could only listen to the stone hallways around him.

A noise around a corner caught his attention. Footsteps. Slow, soft footsteps. Holding up a paw to signal a stop, Isak then began to motion towards the noises before dashing off around the corner, his paw beginning to glow with the awesome power of a Power-Up Punch. Swiftly moving, he threw his punch at where he expected the opponent to be, only to hit the air.

Tavhir followed as well, seeing Isak swing and miss, though he could see the Linoone attacker dodge out of the way. The Pawniard leapt forward, bringing his blades down in a Metal Claw, giving one clean swipe and ending the Pokémon quickly. The Linoone fell with a thud, letting out a final breath before dying.

Zack cursed quietly from the back when he was near enough to see; blood had been spilled on the stone floor.

"Be careful," Tavhir whispered to his comrades following. He straightened himself out, shaking the blood from his blades. "They're waiting in the shadows for us."

Isak put his paw to his mouth, gesturing the rest to be quiet, before quickly turning around and jogging ahead. There would be time for chatter when they weren't being hunted in the darkness of the Sky Pinnacle.

The company reached a point where the corridors met in junction, from their right and their left. Ahead of them were stairs leading down, someplace where it wasn't as dark as where they were now. The wane, flickering light looked like it was coming from a fire, and the silence was broken by hushed voices chatting with each other. Zack looked to the left of their junction; a gap at the end of that corridor, and the remains of a door the blocked it there. "There's a room there, I'll go check," he said, his voice a whisper, barely audible.

He ran to the room and found it empty. In fact, all the cells they had come across were empty. Nothing but rubble where the rock wasn't cursed, unbreakable; no signs of life or any other kind of objects that would let them know this place was in use, sometime in the past. Zack stood on the doorstep among the ruins of the door. "I know what this place looks like, it looks like it was never used for what it was designed," he said out loud, "kind of like that Gold Tribe refuge near Lakeshire, where no one ever causes trouble." The town was so peaceful that the refuge was emptied and abandoned, as Garland had better places to send his brothers and sisters to.

At the end of the corridor to their right, a heavy door made of a bronze-colored rock was blocking the way. It looked immovable, but judging from the architecture of the place so far, Zack thought the room behind it was identical to the one he just checked out. "One way: forward," he whispered to the others, showing the stairs. He quickly glanced behind them, to the thick dark, but he couldn't see the corpse. "It's the right way, though."

Quietly and aware of their surroundings, the Gold Tribe sneaked down the stairs. Zack realized the distant sound of tremors was growing louder. Was that a dragon's roar he could hear, coming from the bowels of the Sky Pinnacle, deep under the surface of Exathor?

The air in the corridor they reached was fresher; Zack felt a breeze run through his fur and shake his belt, and he touched the Electirizer he'd fastened onto it, to make sure it hadn't fallen off. Ahead of them, they could see two sources of light, where the voices were coming from. The weak light of a fire across the corner, and the blue and green glimmer of the aurora, coming down from above. The floor ended at a point up ahead; it looked like a great hole, a cliff, with the hole the rune circle they had blown off had left at its top. They couldn't see it, but that was where the wind sneaked in from.

Taking point back from Zack, Isak leaned against the wall and glanced around the corner, making sure to tuck in his ears as low as they would go. What he saw did not excite him: a dozen plus Pokémon were loitering in the vicinity of a rather large bonfire. Some were sitting, chatting, and others weren't. Some were actively keeping watch, so he pulled his head back as quick as he had poked it out, raising a paw to show the rest of the Tribe. He spread his digits as far as they would go, and motioned a count of twelve to them, before taking a moment to contemplate how to best tackle them.

A plan in mind, he used both arms to motion that everyone should attack, before a dull white glow overtook his body and he rushed around the corner, his Quick Attack allowing him to run fast enough to create after-images. As one of the Pokémon keeping guard noticed the brown and white blur, Isak ran towards another mercenary at the back, a Sawk, and propelled himself upwards as he got very close, his paw glowing white and quickly impacting with the Sawk's jaw with his Sky Uppercut. The plan had worked: Isak had their full attention and it was time he started focusing on dodging their counterattacks.

Zack was about to object attacking them, but it was too late, and he saw no other option. With a curse, he drew a breath and lunged forward, not very gracefully. The punch he shot packed lightning that zapped the Mightyena it struck, sending her rolling into the fire. Zack didn't stop there. Raising his gloved fists like a boxer and jumping from foot to foot, the next punch he threw was a flaming hot one that struck a Smeargle's face like a Conkeldurr's stone pillar, knocking his teeth off and setting his face on fire; he finished him off with a roundhouse kick aimed at the throat. "Heh," he let out, the thrill of danger and battle making his blood run hot.

With fire on one glove and lightning on the other, he turned his raised fists to the hurt Mightyena who had yelped from the punishment of the ambush. She leaped into a Sucker Punch, expecting Zack to attack again; but the Electabuzz, knowing the tricks of dark-types well from the College, crossed his arms, generating a blue Barrier that blocked off the darkness completely with a sharp sound. Zack charged his next punch for one second, and it was the big one: DynamicPunch. It shot through his own barrier, shredding it, striking the vulnerable Mightyena and crushing her skull. "You shouldn't have crossed us," Zack spat.

Punisher smirked and flexed his upper arms, "Now this is what I'm talking about!" He shouted out eagerly. He charged down the hall, letting out a loud cry as his first fist shot out to smack right into the abdomen of a Croconaw. He let his second hand grip the water type's head and he began to swing the mercenary around once before releasing him and throwing his body at another threat. "Haha! Come on! Let me pound you down!"

Beryl took the opportunities made by Zack and Matthew to initiate her Rollout and ram into and launch a Vigoroth off of the cliff, stopping just short of it herself. Still spinning, nearby rubble began to float towards her, shaping itself into pointed spears, the Stone Edge then launching itself into an unfortunate Watchog before Beryl resumed her steamrolling over a flimsy Sableye.

Pendro took a moment to prepare himself before engaging the mercenaries. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath in, feeling himself float with magnetic force, and then out, his body tensing with Iron Defense. Though he knew he couldn't dawdle; he breathed in and out once again to clear his mind, then opened his eyes and rounded the corner, arms at the ready. To his immediate left was a Gabite, summoning energy to bring forth a great Sandstorm into the dungeon. Preoccupied, and the sandstorm wouldn't trouble the Metang much. Reaching Mind turned his attention to his right, where a Luxio charged itself with electricity, ready to leap at him.

The Metang didn't try to dodge, instead building psychic energy into a Zen Headbutt that clashed with the Luxio's Spark attack. With his defences bolstered, Pendro took the hit with a wince, and upon seeing the Luxio flinch, slammed on the top of the 'mon's head with an Ice Punch. From behind, the Gabite had finished summoning his sandstorm, Dragon Rushing towards Pendro - but the attack was sloppy, expecting the Metang to be busy with the Luxio - Reaching Mind ducked, spinning under and around the bulk of the attack and retaliating with fists still charged with freezing energy.

"C-come on guys!" a Palpitoad cried out, readying himself for defense. "We can take th-"

The Palpitoad found himself suddenly in immense pain, losing vitality quickly as Cassandra extended her hand in a Mega Drain. With a violent spasm and a low groan, the Palpitoad collapsed, dead. Cassandra took a moment to absorb the energy, taking in a deep breath and preparing an Energy Ball.

To her left, a Kirlia began to charge at her, intent on stopping the attack, but unable to reach the Lilligant in time. Cassandra threw the energy ball at the psychic, the Kirlia reeling back, disoriented. Before she could even recover, Restless swooped down in a Night Slash, swiping his claws vertically, imbued with dark energy. The Kirlia was equally quick to fall, letting out a gasp before slumping to the ground. Tavhir turned to Cassandra, nodding in gratitude at the opening provided.

"Whew," Zack let out, clutching his knees. The mercenaries were done within seconds. The Electabuzz jumped over the twelve bodies laying upon the Pinnacle's floor, avoiding to look at them. They had to die, he kept telling himself. He was quickly distracted from that thought by something else; the view beyond the cliff.

Nearing the edge carefully, Zack peeked below. He couldn't see the end of it. He turned his head up, to see the beams of the aurora sneaking through a hole in the ceiling, somewhere so far away that he could hardly see it. The hole before them was very wide in diameter, a mile long, if Zack could guess with the naked eye. But its walls were peculiar. Zack and the others weren't looking at stones or any other material used to build edifices; and it certainly wasn't cursed rock. The walls were moving. Dark and blue, shifting with currents. It took Zack a while to realize.

"Is this water? Holy smack," the Electabuzz said in wonderment, "that's what the water's depths look like! I've seen a documentary on the lake of Rainfall, in Hesperia; scientists say light does not reach its bottom, so it's always dark like this. This must be the bottom of the ocean!" There were dark shapes, swimming, moving with the currents that carried what seemed to be dust. "Sea Pokemon," he reflected. As for the dust, he had no idea what it was.

"But..." this was not possible; he needn't say that. The water was on the walls, and judging by where they were now, on a cliff somewhere in this hole, Zack concluded they must have been flooded with water already. He looked to the sides and instantly saw it: this was an illusion. It was as if an eye could see the bottom of the ocean and transport the image here, in this hole, for those in the Sky Pinnacle to see.

Punisher looked about, "How'd all of this water get in here?" He asked out loud. He looked out, "So, should we ask one of those water types?" He asked Zack, "They've probably been in here for some time. I bet they know where we should go next." As he leaned out to try and ask the Machamp's footing slipped and fell forward... right into some water? Punisher rubbed at his head and stood up on the well camouflauged step, "Huh..." He muttered, "Woah, guys look here! There are steps!" He pointed out and off to the side, "I think they go up and down."

"I guess there ain't any way but down," Zack said. "I wanna see what the bottom of the hole looks like."

With that, they took the steps down. They were made of dark blue stone, same as the dungeon they'd been in before them, and they blended perfectly with the dark depths of the ocean. The stairs circled the walls of the hole, hidden behind the illusion of the water. The company of Gold Tribe walked hundreds and hundreds of steps, for a very long time that seemed like hours. It was quiet, and they did not encounter nor hear any of the mercenary company.

They finally saw a bridge, crossing from one side of the hole to the other above the dark gap below. The bottom could not be seen, and the bridge seemed to lead to nowhere. It was freezing, as if they were truly swimming in the northern ocean. Zack's teeth were chattering, but not only from the cold. The dark was scaring him, and he thought he had seen the shadow of a massive, scary Pokemon swimming around. "Uh, Punisher!" the Electabuzz said, "you can go ahead," he showed the way to the bridge with a curtsy like a doorman.

Punisher smiled and began to make his way forward, shivering just a bit himself, "Uh, thanks, Zack!" he said as he began to make his way over the bridge, "We haven't heard anything in quite a bit. You think they may all be down here?" He asked the group as he made it about half way. "The bridge seems sturdy enough at the least."

Zack stepped carefully on the bridge, in the middle of it, because he had seen people fall off bridges, even with rails protecting them. The farther he went, the more the sense of dread grew. He regretted coming here. At the center of this great, bottomless hole, there was an alien presence that could almost be felt in the air. It was the same, blood-boiling feeling that was found in the Eye of the Obelisk of Stars.

In the middle of the bridge, there was what seemed to be a machine, with two buttons, green and red. Zack exclaimed. "It's a supercomputer! Like the one in the Obelisk!"





When they all walked in front of the simple-looking machine, a machine hardly impressive, the green button was lit and a ball of light was shot above their heads. The waters on the walls reflected its light, but weakly.

"Welcome to the Bridge, Stone Wielder," a voice of indistinct gender spoke. "Survival protocol has successfully been applied. The Ark is safe, after direction." The voice ceased to speak, and silence was restored. Only Zack could be heard, muttering unintelligible things, chewing on his hand and pointing at the ball of light with his knees shaking. "I-it's-s a-a gh-gh-ghost!"

"Relax, Zack," Tavhir said, looking above at the light. "It looks like some kind of... well, it's definitely something."

"It looks like the device in the Obelisk at Stoneyard," Cassandra said. "The one guarding the Dark Star. Who do you suppose put this here?"

"That would be the Maker," the voice answered, "The Original One."

"Arceus?" Zack whispered, having regained some composure. "How can we even understand you?"

"I speak the language of the mind, not the tongue."

"And you spoke of an Ark?"

The voice was silent. When Zack realized it wasn't going to answer, he said, "I want to access your memory. Is that possible?"

The dark waters around them shifted. The illusion had become a blinding light... then it formed images.

 

[Ray Maverick]

Vision​

*This post ties all of my RPs together, so you'd best pay attention and read it carefully and patiently. I'd like everyone on the team to have a clear understanding of what will be revealed here*


They were in a hazy cave where grass grew on the floor. A waterfall crushed down in an underground river. There was a giant of a Pokemon in front of them, bigger than any they had seen except perhaps Thrace; they could see him, but he could not. The great Arcanine's eyes were yellow, unseeing, and his fur had greyed from white to silver. He looked old, millenia old, yet there was something ageless about him, and unsurpassed wisdom showed on his face.

Even though it wasn't said, the vision let their minds know: that was Tsulong, the Seraph King, ruler of Exathor thousands of years in the past, before the founding of Hesperia and Stygia. As there was no record, no memory of him in the minds of its users, the supercomputer saw fit to fill them in. And so did Tsulong.

"This vision is the first of many visions I will create, in preparation for the worst possible outcome to my war with Thrace," King Tsulong spoke, "in case for an end so catastrophic and devastating, where oblivion claims all knowledge for our island's purpose, and has wiped all memory of the Ancient World before Altica soared the skies. I shall recall to the best of my own memory, what I have been taught for the times before I was born, about what the world was like at the start, during and after the Making. I shall therefore start at the forgotten beginning, the very beginning of the world as we know it, for everyone's convenience, and towards the end of my tale move on to the end of the Age of Heroes."

The Arcanine's face was impassive, and he didn't speak with much passion. It was as if misery had drawn any color his voice might have had when he recited his tale.

"There may be many versions of the Myth of Creation, but this one is the one I grew up to believe true, and to this day I have seen no evidence to disprove it, instead, in fact, I have seen proof for its validity," he spoke. "Arceus created the universe from nothing, shaping it with his infinite arms. He filled our world with water, raised lands and mountains, he planted flowers and trees and let grass rise on stone. It was the ideal world for him to rest upon. But it quickly grew lonely. So he crafted statues made of stone, and gave them the living fire, so that they may walk the world he called heaven beside him. Us, Pokemon. He swore an oath to never harm us, but instead empower us, and to let us do as we will. He granted us a gift, the fury of the elements, so that we may become mighty. But the elements themselves turned against us, fiercely ravaging the world that our God had created. Thus, Sixteen Plates rose from each of the elements of the world, to circle around the Original One, allowing him control over the elements.

Order came at last, and the world was at peace, but the elements required further guarding. He chose a few Pokemon and named them Paragons; having been assigned with the task of keeping the ferocity of their respective element in check, they grew to be wise and brilliant, moreso than other Pokemon, and their appearance changed upon the taking of their duties. The enormous task they bore made them into entities far more powerful than the common Pokemon. As our numbers grew and civilization spread, these Pokemon retreated to their own havens, rarely speaking with any one but their closest followers. Now that the world was stable, Arceus and the Paragons of his Plates and Elements could rest at ease. He, like the Paragons, retreated to his own place, marking the end of the era which came to be known as the Making.

In the first of societies, we lived in the wild, with our instincts as guides. Arceus stirred from his place to lay his eyes on our world once again. That is when the Ancient World truly flourished, for he granted us a gift almost equal to that of life: civilization. Wonders were raised, high as the mountains, cities sprouted acrosss the land and sea, and we ourselves progressed and evolved, gaining new powers, as well as knowledge and technology. The first of us built Arceus the Sanctum of the Original One, a place where Pokemon would show their faith in his divinity, pledge of his protection and beseech his blessing. Seeing that his work had a decent outcome, he saw fit to bestow a part of his own power to the world. The power of Arceus, from which everyone and everything originates; the alpha, but not the omega; the power called the Primal Iasis, the power that invigorates the world and everything in it, with which wonders may be crafted from nothing and death be cheated indefinitely, if a formidable amount of it is sacrificed.

The Pokemon after the Making basked in the blessing of that godly power, but with it, corruption was born. The cost for the evolution of civilization, for our sentience and intellect, and the power we were given, was made apparent. The balance was disturbed, as Pokemon grew too strong or too weak - the superior could vastly overwhelm the inferior. Civilizations had been sustained without it, but now hierarchy was established, and the entire world became one Kingdom that was ruled by one Pokemon, the one chosen by Arceus to set the world in order. But the first few of those Kings fooled Arceus, who unknowingly believed their rule was fair and just, and their Kingdom ideal for the well-being of all Pokemon. They became tyrants who fought over the divine title of the King, and the Pokemon suffered from their wars. Arceus had been blinded by their conniving ways and flattery and did not cast his eyes upon the world to see the truth.

Until one day, when the living sighed in despair and the dead lay in the ground by the thousands, the Paragons awoke. United, they would put an end to this - they came upon the decision that the Primal Iasis was far too dangerous and corrupting the ambitious, to be given so freely to those who would reach out for it. They were going to Seal it, away from the reach of mortals, but Arceus was convinced by the King at the time, who was protecting his interests, to disapprove; Arceus would not so simply let his vassals dictate his actions. A cataclysmic battle between the Paragons and Arceus was imminent. Both sides prepared for thousands of years, and Arceus, in a moment of clarity and insight, chose a mortal, a man with whom I share my name, Tsulong, and he bid him to build the Ark, the vessel which would carry two of each species, male and female, and one kind of Pokemon of those genderless or artificially made, for when the cataclysm arrived. Tsulong's Ark would act as a failsafe for all life in our world, should something happen, should the Paragons take their fight to the very end.

Tsulong chose to build his Ark in the area which would become my homeland, Altica. The worst never came, though. The Paragons won their arduous fight one against Arceus one moment sooner than total catastrophy, for Arceus saw his mistake during it. After the entire might of all the elements was summoned in the world by the Paragons, calamities did occur, but the event was far from the absolute apocalypse. Tsulong's Ark was never active, and its builder passed away without ever completing his mission; after the Seal, the Ark was buried underneath Altica after magma had erupted from the depths of the earth.

After this cataclysmic battle with the Paragons, the Original One withdrew to the heavens, above his Sanctum, and a Seal was placed on Primal Iasis, using the power of the Plates that were all kept within the Sanctum. Furthermore, with the Seal complete, eight of his sixteen Plates were taken from the Paragons and scattered throughout Altica, to make the Seal harder to break. But that proved to be a great mistake. The elements slowly begun to wane, without the driving force of the world to run them. Our planet's nature fell into a decline that was slow enough not to be obvious by mortal Pokemon, whose lives were too meager, too short to notice any changes. My mentor, though, Durand the Elder, noticed. Our world was being brought to ruin, our planet led to total destruction, without the Primal Iasis to heal it, to direct it anew. Remnants of that power, found in the Plates for example, still remained in our world, but they were not enough.

So, Durand reflected that the Seal must be broken; that Primal Iasis must be set free upon the world once again. At the time, I was a young student of his, and I willingly agreed to take on that quest. We summoned help from the strongest heroes of Altica and we formed one group that would take this secret duty upon their shoulders and save the world from its imminent death. In our group, it was I, Tsulong the Exemplar of Fire, Guardian the Giant of Vigilance, Reginard the Chronicler of Tales, Roscoe the Leech, Telmund the Learned, Vincent the Wanderer, Faolan the Wicked and Pierce the Cunning Shadow, and together, we gathered the eight missing Plates, scattered across Altica, and we did, indeed, break the Seal once we returned the Plates to their respective altars in the Sanctum of the Original One.

We thought we were too late, for Altica was seized by earthquakes, floods and fires, only the start of what was to come, according to my mentor. The fate of the world had already been decided, though. The Cataclysm was there to destroy Altica and us; we did not think we would make it, so I saw that the Ark of Tsulong that was buried was put to use. As we returned the Plates to the Sanctum, Primal Iasis descended upon the place from the heavens, like a pillar of holy light shooting from the skies, and we could do little but let it consume us. We became immortal; or ageless, I should say, for we could only not die of natural causes... some of us heroes embraced the gift, others resented and rejected it, and I sought to make the best use of it, but that is a story for another time... The release of the Primal Iasis ended very quickly, in fact it lasted only a few seconds, and the sanctum was destroyed and the Cataclysm arrived with it - as nature's reaction to the energy that arrived, I theorized. And, I found four crystals in my possession, when it was all over, which also held their portion of Primal Iasis, each.

But the Ark, although buried underneath Altica, took off in the air as it was designed to do, taking the ground with it. So that, which looked like a flying island, was in fact a vessel, designed to preserve life of all species no matter what happened below it. And, the two opposite entities that would initially work with the Builder Tsulong, Naestor and Thrace, or more simply Xerneas and Yveltal, were tasked by me instead to preserve the balance of life upon what became known as the sky island. Overpopulation could not be let become a problem upon the sky island, so the aspect of death kept it in control, and extinction needed be avoided, so the aspect of life preserved each species. And for that balance to be protected further, I raised the barrier with the four crystals I found in my possession and attempted to stir the Ark toward calmer skies from its Bridge, inside the Sky Pinnacle, the castle that serves as the tower of the aircraft.

The lasting destruction left me wondering, had I succeeded in my quest of healing the world with Primal Iasis? Was every place on the planet under such duress as the skies Altica was flying in - had we failed to prevent ruin, or worse, had we wrought it upon the world somehow? What exactly had we accomplished with the seven seconds of Primal Iasis that we summoned into the world, other than making ourselves immortal? If so, why is Primal Iasis still not widely accessible, as the legends of a generous time in the Making tell? Had we saved the world from its fate? What... exactly did we accomplish? Those are questions that torment me after all these long, tiresome years, and I fear that I will not find the answers I seek whilst I still live..."

 

[KajiVenator]

The Fountain of Memories
Zack Dawson, Tavhir and Cassandra Eldren, Matthew Blaze, Beryl Ibha, Isak Mategu, and Pendro Malis​

Zack was heard swallowing in the silence that followed after the vision faded. "Exathor... an aircraft? 'Ark'... made to save Pokemon. With the aspect of life regulating things, making sure every species exists on a place as isolated as it. Fascinating."

"Okay..." Tavhir started, rubbing his head slightly. It was far too much information for him to take in at once. "So... what, Exathor is just a fail safe for some war? A war over... eeyay... ism... osmosis?" the Pawniard shut his eyes, seeming to struggle with the message. "I'm confused..."

"I... wow..." Cassandra managed, at a loss for words. "So then, this place we've landed... is this... Altica...?"

"The rest of it, what fell off, I suppose," Zack commented.

Punisher turned his eyes back to the others. "Uh... what were we talking about? Sorry, I guess I sort of stopped listening. It got reaaaaaally boring." He looked over at the computer, "You think this thing has any better stories on it?"

Beryl shot a glance at the Machamp. "Matthew, watch your tone. This is extremely important information that we best keep remember for when we return to the Citadel."

"No, Beryl," Isak chimed up. "I agree with Punisher. It was a boring story, and, quite frankly, it didn't answer any of the questions we set out to answer. Instead, we got to listen to the recorded words of some long-dead and forgotten king while Exathor and all its inhabitants are succumbing to a drastic change in climate. Remember the story if you like..." he said, crossing his arms. "We can't forget why we're here in the first place, though."

Punisher chuckled, "Um, well, no one's called me that in a long time. But still, shouldn't we try to find something else? Like, how to kill Thrace?" He asked. "That's important, right?"

"To kill Thrace, we need Naestor," Pendro murmured. He was floating low, gazing into the deep purple of the Teleport Egg he held in his claws. "Supposedly, at least. And this 'long-dead and forgotten king' seems to be our best chance yet of finding the aspect of life, and still would be even if he was dead..." The Metang sighed and lifted the egg up sightly, light glinting off of its surface. "As Tsulong said, supposedly the Primal Iasis made him and his companions immortal, which certainly begs more than a few questions..."

"Tsulong said he'd make other visions, didn't he?" Zack suddenly remembered. He raised his head to the sphere of light that hovered above their heads. "Could we access those other visions? You know, the ones Tsulong mentioned?"

The sphere remained silent. Zack figured, when the computer did not fully compute with what they were saying, it said nothing instead. So, he tried to command it otherwise. "Anything else we could see?" And then, whispering, he added, "that can't possibly be all of it, can it?"

"Nothing," the robotic voice replied, "except... this."

 

[Greiger]

Zack Dawson, Tavhir and Cassandra Eldren, Matthew Blaze, Beryl Ibha, Isak Mategu, and Pendro Malis : The start of a test!!​

Before the group the computer monitor began to glow quite a bit. Soon enough, a projection began to appear before them. The image was full of static, but it began to clear slowly until it formed into the shape of an older looking Alakazam with tattoos on his body. "Greetings potential candidates." The figure spoke. "I am Reginard, Chronicler of Tales. To successfully be given access to the many tales I have stored upon this computer, I do ask that you undergo my test. If you are alone, then there will be no problems. Just await for the first question to be asked. If you are in a group, however, then the one that wishes to undergo my test must step forth. All others must give adequate room so that my questions can only be focused upon the applicant. If any other Pokémon step too close to area where the computer is, or to the applicant, then the questions will be reset and all progress will be lost."

The Alakazam's image smiled weakly, "To that effect, please step forward, applicant. Once you are before me, do not move. I must scan you before I can properly begin the test. The rules are simple. I will relay a hypothetical situation to you. You are to answer the question as best as you can. Once you have successfully answered, simply stay silent so that the answer is processed. When enough time passes, I will give the next question. Up to five questions will be answered, and once that is complete I shall let you know whether or not you will be allowed access to my library of knowledge."

"Not me," Tavhir said bluntly. "Anybody else here think they're smart enough to pass the quiz?"

"Doesn't sound like an ordinary quiz," Cassandra mused out loud. "It seems like these question will be judging our character, and not our intelligence." She turned around to the rest of her group. "Well, does anybody feel like giving it a go? I'll volunteer if nobody else is willing."

"Oh, hell no," Zack shouted, stepping away from the monitor, "I don't wanna be analyzed by that thing!" He stared at the image of Reginard with hostility, before he realized, "hey, ain't that one of the hero guys? Niiice! He must be immortal or something, maybe he's still around here!" He glanced around, as if the real Alakazam with the tattoos was hiding and would come out just now.

Punisher smirked and stepped on up, proudly puffing out his chest, "Heh, I can do it! Besides, I bu**sh**ted my whole way through school after all! I'll just take it and get it done with. The answer is always the most confusing choice."

As soon as he stepped up, Cassandra held out her hand, grabbing Punisher by an arm. "Hold on," she said, hoping to stop him. "This is more important than some school homework assignment. We need to think hard about our choices, here."

Punisher stopped and looked down at Cass with a frown, "Aw, but I really wanted to do it!" He huffed and crossed his arms, "Fine fine. But who will do it? I mean, hyptastical questions don't seem to sound too hard."

"But still, we have no idea what kind of questions they are, or what the consequence is for an incorrect answer," Cassandra continued. "I admire your confidence, but let's discuss this for a bit, alright?"

"Can we make it quick, then?" Tavhir added, keeping a lookout behind them. "I think those mercenary idiots are still here."

"Always in a rush," Pendro sighed.

"Well, it's for good reason," Tavhir retorted. "We don't exactly have the time to waste debating over who is the smartest."

"If there are no objections, then perhaps I should do it," Cassandra added. "Well?"

Reaching Mind glanced up from his egg. "Tav- no, sorry- the problem isn't that we choose to rush, it's that we're left with no choice but to rush. I'm not angry at anyone here, just..." Pendro sighed again, "The situation. Unfortunately, we don't even really have a basis to judge who'd be best for this. 'Hypothetical' is hardly much to go on. Judging from the nature of who poses us the question, I doubt it's specifically out to get us, but still..." The Metang floated up to his regular height, twisting the egg in hand and giving a meek smile. "I... I think I'd trust you to do this, Cassandra, but even then, I'm... well, it seems I'm already rather thoroughly invested... w-with the egg and all. So I'm willing, but if you want to go ahead, then I won't stop you."

"Yeah!" Punisher said with a wide smile, "You're like, super smart, you know! You could easily pass through this all!"

"Yes, Pendro is smart, but I am not sure that these questions will rely on intelligence alone. Other factors may come into play, and Pendro might have difficulty answering questions that require something other than intellectualism." This situation probably required something more of a delicate touch, Beryl thought to herself.

From beside her, Isak chimed up. "Why don't you give it a shot, Beryl?"

"No, Isak, I believe it would be better for myself to wait, in case a back-up is necessary." She turned towards the Lilligant who was trying to wait patiently. "Cassandra, do you believe you can answer these questions, whatever they may be?"

"If they're hypotheticals," Cassandra said with a shrug. "I only said I'll go if nobody else is willing."

Isak spoke up again, loud enough for everyone in the chamber to hear him. "Okay, so... Is everyone okay with Cassandra answering these questions, then?"

"Well, I'm fine with it," Pendro murmured. "Good luck, Cassandra."

"Very well then," Cassandra said meekly. She stepped up to the computer, waiting for the machine to activate.

 

[GastlyGibus]

Enigma Machine
|The Gold Tribe|​

The image fell silent, waiting as the discussion went on. Cass only had to stand there for a few seconds before a beam of light shot out of the image and briefly ran up and down her body. "Ah, Cassandra. You are the newest applicant to my test. Your test will be uniquely matched to your knowledge and skills. Remember this, every question I shall give to you... you have the answer within your mind. It might have been years since you used such knowledge, but you still have access to it. Let's begin. As a reminder, if you are in a group no one in that group must approach either you or the computer, else this test shall be reset and you will have to begin again."

The image seemed to think for a moment, before once again speaking. "Question number one. You have just finished training for a very important position. Your duty is to man the gate of a trade city. Your daily routine involves checking any Pokémon's entry documents and ensuring that they will mean no harm to any of the populace inside. It is your duty to decide who is allowed to leave, and who is to enter. During one particular day, you find that not many Pokémon are entering or leaving the city. As you keep your eyes peeled for any caravans outside of the gates you suddenly hear a loud explosion within the city itself."

The image's eyes narrow just a bit as his voice gains just a bit of menace in it, "Judging from what you can see, it seems that someone has detonated a bomb deep within the city and a panic is spreading among the citizens. Soon afterwards, you see that a figure is racing toward the gate. You can easily recognize the Pokémon itself. It is... your sister. On her trail are many guards who are doing whatever they can to halt her progress to the gate. As she gets closer to the gate she cries out to you to open it, or else she will surely be killed. One of the guards shouts at you to keep it closed."

The image closed his eyes, his words once more coming out with a calm demeanor, "If you keep the gate closed, then your sister will be captured. You have had personal tours of the dungeons and interrogation rooms. You know if she is caught, she will be punished most severely, and your family will blame you for her capture. You will never be able to live with the guilt. If you allow her to go, she will be free, but you will pay the price for your actions. Your family will be glad that she was able to depart, but you will be punished in her place, and eventually executed. What do you do?"

Cassandra seemed to falter for a moment. Only the first question, and it seemed as if this 'Reginard' was not intent on holding back. The Lilligant mused for a moment, before bowing her head slightly. "Family or no, if she's done wrong, she..." Cassandra paused slightly, unsure. "I would keep the gate closed."

Reginard was silent for a bit, almost as if processing her answer. "You keep the gate closed. Your sister ends up running into it, expecting you to have opened it and she is captured by the guards. She endures four long months of torture, to the point where her mind breaks and she is rendered a gibbering fool. Yet... the guards find out from her interrogation that there were many more planned attacks. One such attack was centered on the school where your brother would have been killed. Another would have been near your own mother's work place. Thanks to your stern stance, and dedication to your job, you have saved not only other members of your family, but thousands of other lives."

He nodded slowly, "Question number two. You and a group of your friends hike out to a nearby camping site. The camp has had a clean safety record for the past fifty years, and you and your friends believe that a good vacation is in order. The second night camping, however, you soon start hearing growls in the night. Upon waking up you discover that several feral Ursaring have wandered into your camp, smelling food that was not properly sealed away. They begin to attack the camp in search for this food. Your other friends are fearful for their lives and you know that if you try to attack the bears, that their numbers will overwhelm you and you would end up deceased. From your own tent, you have a clear get away from the camping spot. There is a ranger's cabin further up the trail as well. What do you do?"

Cassandra put a hand to her chin, before coming up with an answer. "Getting away and getting help is a much better alternative to dying," she said. "I would take my friends and leave."

Reginard nodded slowly, "Much is true, young one. Dying against those bears would aid no one's cause in the end. Then an addendum to such a question. Upon trying to get to your friends to have them leave you find that one of them is in a tent that an Ursaring is attempting to get into. What would you do then? Leave him? Find a way to retrieve him?"

"I would attempt to help him, if I could," Cassandra answered.

"Even... if it costs you your life?" The image asked.

Cassandra paused. "I..." she lacked confidence this time. "...yes," she finally answered.

Reginard smiled weakly, "You rush into help your friend, managing to tear open the tent for him to exit. In the aftermath, you are killed by the Ursaring. With your sacrifice, all of your friends manage to escape. You are posthumous declared a hero for your heroic actions."

"Congratulations," Tavhir quipped. "Hope that was worth it."

"Quiet," Cassandra replied.

"Now... question number three. You are part of an expedition to uncover an ancient city thought to be only a myth. Several months into the excavation the team you are a part of manages to find this lost city. It seems to be buried under a more modern city, and the team is ecstatic. As you look through the ancient relics you come upon a interesting find. You find ancient tomes that Pokémon of days past used for entertainment purposes, but among those tomes you find an odd sphere. After performing some research with the rest of the team, you all realize that this sphere is known as Dante's Destruction, a powerful weapon that could easily decimate any civilization on the face of the planet.

You all begin to talk among yourselves as to whether such a find should be allowed to leave the site. Unlike other tales, Dante's Destruction is a well known event that is recorded in many historical textbooks. You know that taking such a dangerous item back up to the surface would most likely spell cataclysm for the modern world if the wrong hands were to get a hold on it. You do your best to talk the rest of the expedition team out of bringing it to the museum, but none listen to your requests. They claim that by bringing back such a valuable item they could become quite wealthy Pokémon."

He narrowed his eyes yet again, "You were specifically hired on by the group leader to serve as a bodyguard for the group. You have many years of military training and know that you could easily overpower everyone else. Possibly kill if need be. It is the day to head back up to the surface, and the group is taking the sphere with them. Do you stand idly by and allow them to take it up, knowing of the potential consequences, or do you fight against them and try to hide the sphere in the ruins? At this point, diplomacy has all but failed. If you want to hide the sphere once more... you will have to incapacitate or kill every other member of the excavation team, and most likely bury the ruins once more to prevent any other soul from stumbling upon the weapon. What do you do?"

Takes lives to potentially save more lives, Cassandra thought. But no guarantee if you'll actually save lives, or if it's all for naught.

"Let them... take it back," Cassandra said hesitantly. "Perhaps we can guard it and prevent others from taking it, and if not..." she stood silent, before shaking her head. "Even still, there's no guarantee that it will save lives if I hide it again, and no promise that it will destroy lives if we bring it back."

Reginard stared silently for a moment, before a weak smile formed upon his face, "Darkness cannot be hidden for long... by returning the item to the museum, not only will it be well kept, but many become interested in the item as well. There are those who LEARN about it. Those who learn of not only its strengths, but also its weaknesses. There are those who try to steal it, of course, but the museum has many security measures to keep it from being stolen. By returning it, you have not only prevented other malicious souls from trying to enter the ruins and taking the item for their own nefarious purposes, but have allowed a new generation to learn from the mistakes of the past. If the sphere is ever used again, the populace now has the knowledge necessary to properly defend themselves against the weapon."

Reginard smirked a bit, "That was the trick question of the day, by the way." He coughed lightly. "In any case, question number four. You are on a mission with the Gold Tribe. Even your brother is there as you are set to explore a newly opened area underneath the earth. The group descends, lower and lower, until you come upon a hidden civilization. These natives are not friendly and begin to immediately attack the group. At first, they are easy to repel, but their numbers begin to swell. Soon, your group is split in two. Your side is doing fine as you slowly begin to make your way back up the tunnel. The other side of the group isn't doing too well. Only one last member remains... that of your brother. He is fighting viciously for his life, but it is evident that if he does not get help soon, he will perish. You can see the situation clear enough. If your group goes to try and save him, you all will end up perishing. If you keep backing up through the tunnel, you and your surviving group members will make it to the surface and be able to survive. You are the leader of this group by the way. What do you do?"

Cassandra thought for a moment. "Is there no way to quickly retrieve him and escape?"

Reginard spoke softly, "There are many enemies around. If you simply try to fight through them all, you will become rather fatigued. As a team leader, what do you do?"

"And who is on my team?" Cassandra asked again.

"You have that of a Kadabra, a Bellsprout, and an Arcanine. Currently, the Kadabra is using his psychic abilities to throw any mon that get to close further down the cave. The Arcanine is blowing out many Flamethrowers. The Bellsprout is using her leafs to attack." He replied calmly.

"Perhaps the Bellsprout can use her vines to grab our stranded friend and we make our escape?" Cassandra answered, wondering if that would be a sufficient answer.

He nodded slowly, "The Bellsprout starts using her vines and grabs him, but as she drags him back over she does endure some injuries. She is unable to keep up walking and by the time he is dragged back she is bleeding heavily. Bleeding because of an order you gave. What do you do then?"

Cassandra seemed pleased that her answer worked, at least partially. Continuing on this train of thought, she added more. "Have the Arcanine carry our wounded comrade while we all make our escape."

He nods, "As the Arcanine does as you ask you all manage to escape the tunnel. It is worth noting that you are never alone, applicant. There are others always around you. The last question will either be your simplest... or your hardest. Depending on your point of view. Question number five. You are with your small group of friends when you all decide to venture outside of the city to find fun things to do. You have been cooped on for far too long, and you all agree that you can explore the area outside of the city. As your group travels around, you all see many interesting things. The one that catches the eye of the group leader, and many other members of the group, is that of a wagon that has been parked in the lush green hills. As your group gets closer you all discover that there are more wagons there. It seems you have come upon a merchants caravan."

The image thinks for but a moment. "The leader of this group decides to have some fun with this caravan, and elects to torch one of the wagons. Just for a bit of fun of course. The others agree to such a fun game. They figure that the fire will be put out by the merchants easily enough and no one will be hurt. Do you agree with them?"

The Lilligant suddenly went from pleased to uncomfortable in an instant, shaking her head vigorously in denial. "N-no! Absolutely not!" she replied sternly.

"You decide to voice your concerns then?" He asks with a raised brow.

"Yes," Cassandra said with conviction. "This is not my idea of a 'fun' game."

"When you tell these friends of yours what you think, they elect to keep going with it, demanding that you join them. They are already this far in the planning process and simply want some fun." He leaned forward, eyes narrowing a bit, "Why are you such a fun sucker? One of your friends asks."

"I am not!" Cassandra said angrily. "There is no fun in damaging the property of innocents!"

"Whoa, Cass, calm down," Tavhir said from behind. "It's just a hypothetical question."

She turned around, realizing how worked up she had gotten. "S-sorry..." she said. Cassandra looked back at the image of Reginard, taking in a deep breath. "It isn't fun to harm innocents," she replied calmly.

Reginard stared, "Your friends think you are sucking the fun out of it. To that end, they decide to light two caravans up. A Braixen and a Scyther eagerly head out while your other friends remain with you, ensuring you won't ruin their fun. How do you react?"

Cassandra looked troubled, struggling with the turn of events in this hypothetical. "Friends or no friends, I'm going to stop them," she said, her tone carrying a certain vindication. "I'll attack my friends if I have to."

Reginard gave but a meek nod, "To break free you will have to attack. A Buizel and a Aipom are currently holding your arms, but you manage to break free with a surprise tug. As that happens, a Toxicroak and a Ivysaur notice the commotion. They begin rushing over, trying to stop you as well. What is your next course of action?"

"I already told you," Cassandra said stubbornly. "I'm going to stop them."

"Yes, but what if that course of action is being attacked by them in turn?" He asked, a small smile forming along his lips, "Poison flies from the frog's mouth. The Ivysaur whips out vines to hit at you. The Buizel begins spraying out water, and the Aimpom is moving to try and punch at your legs. What do you do?"

"Fight them," she said curtly. "They're not going to get away with it, not if I have something to say about it!"

"You move to send out various grass type moves. In the aftermath the Buizel falls. The others aren't so easy to take down. Already you can see fire from the caravans. Smoke is rising into the sky and it is clear that the fire is spreading far too quickly. The remaining friends panic and begin running off, back to the city. You can see a few merchants trying to put the fires out. One particular caravan is right there, the closes to you. Inside you can hear a young one's cry. What do you do?"

Cassandra clenched her fists, trying to keep her composure. "I-I don't like this question anymore," she said suddenly.

"The caravan continues to burn as you simply lay there. You can hear the cry becoming louder as more of the flammable frabric continues to ignite. What." He leaned in closer. "Do. You. Do?" by that point, the image's head was just a few inches from Cassandra's.

"I'm rushing in to save that child," Cassandrs replied, suddenly looking up and staring down the image with malice. "That's my answer. Happy?"

"As you rush in you see but a small child. The child that you have dreams about. The child that haunts you. ... Do you rush in to save him? Even if it would mean your own death?"

"Yes," she replied with certainty.

Reginard nodded, "You two make it out of the fire." He pulled back, "And that is what brings us to today." He said softly. He closed his eyes, "You have changed much, Cassandra. I see that much. These questions were formulated not by random chance, but by scanning your internal thoughts and memories. It is how I can best test any who take this test. You are worthy. Your application to become the next Chronicler of Tales has been accepted. You have shown critical thinking, a rigorous discipline to your own ideas and morals, and have even shown that the lives around you are just as important as yours."

He bowed just a bit, "The internal library shall open for you. If at any point you return, the computer will recognize your form and personality. It will remain open to you as long as you keep your office."

He stepped back as the image faded away. The computer beeped as it shot out a light to scan Cassandra, "Greetings, Chronicler of Tales." It beeped out. "What do you wish to search for?"

Cassandra let out of sigh of relief, thankful that the test was over. Even though she had only been standing there, she almost appeared physically fatigued by the questions.

"Cass, are you okay?" Tavhir asked, seeing her state.

"Y-yes..." she managed, holding her hand up. "I'm fine. Really." She cleared her throat, doing her best to stand upright. It took a moment to think, almost forgetting why they had come down here in the first place. "Look up any and all information you have on Xerneas," she said finally.

 

[Greiger]

Voices from the past​

Sky surrounded the Bridge. The eye that was fixed on the Bridge of the vessel saw beyond rock into what was below: creamy white clouds and the calm sea, shining in the morning sun. For the ones who stood on the Bridge, the walls of the round chasm had transformed into the open sky, sea beneath them. The common Pokemon who ran the Sky Pinnacle after King Tsulong's command had given him and his friend privacy; currently, the two were on the Bridge. It felt like they were flying; like they had become Exathor, and were now soaring as one with their island.

An Arcanine, much younger than in the previous vision and with red color in his significantly smaller fur, was standing on his rear feet, with his paws on the railing; he was large enough not to fit on the bridge any other way. He wasn't always that big; but the effect of the Primal Iasis had worked towards his size, much like a Mega Evolution would. Unlike most heroes, Tsulong was bloating beyond his normal size, his muscles underneath his shining fur growing and heaving. It was as if he was still the size of a cub as a normal Arcanine and now he had to grow in size all over again.

Next to him was an Alakazam, old and wise beyond his years, a smart face with a crooked nose. Tattoos glowing with power covered his entire body, from his head to his feet. That 'mon had more stories to tell than anyone else in Altica: Reginard, the Chronicler of Tales, one of the heroes who returned the eight missing Plates to the Sanctum, joining them up with the eight that were already there.

The two had almost grown up together in the same place, so naturally, it was Reginard that Tsulong shared a certain connection with. They were on the Bridge for quite a while, enjoying a few moments of peace they could get; running Altica wasn't an easy task.

"Faolan is teaching the children," King Tsulong said, his eyes half shut against the sun before him and his gentle, happy smile greeting the sky with teeth. "I never thought he had the patience for it. Might be it was Primal Iasis that made him less severe of a person. Not so Wicked anymore," Tsulong gave one of his loud laughs that sounded like a bark.

Reginard himself was just silent. He had remained silent for most of this day, and for now just had that of a neutral tone on his face. He silently stared out to the clouds, "... I have seen what I need to see." He said finally. "I didn't want to tell you, but I saw it. There are two mon you must know about. The first can be a great enemy of ours. The second can be a greater ally. I have my notes written fully in my room. Xerneas and Yveltal. They are here, you just have to secure their whereabouts."

"Xerneas and Yveltal; the Aspects of Life and Death," Tsulong said, thinking. He remembered of the mercenary company that opposed them all throughout their quest, the Crimson Company, and how the heroes found out that they secretly served Yveltal, unbeknownst to her - they were death dealers, plaguing the Kingdom, but they were all put to death when Tsulong was chosen by the people to rule. "I know of Yveltal. Remember what the leaders of the Crimson Company had stored in their vault? A script, describing how she wraps herself in a giant cocoon when she dies... I reckon we met something like that in Ishtero, in those mesas, did we not? Thank Arceus she was never awake, I suppose. She mustn't be a very pleasant person. But I digress; how do you think the Aspects of Life and Death should help Altica?" Tsulong asked the Alakazam, assuming a rather confused look.

Reginard said, "I have seen visions. They are dark ones, but I am able to see that a powerful mon will lash out at the world. In this future, you will struggle to battle against this mon, and I have a feeling it will be a very specific one you will go against. You have to find both, and ensure their cooperation. Barring that... ensure they cannot cause this island to fall." He looked away as his eyes stared down at the floor, "I have my notes in my bag in my room of course. That room may be considered an extension of yours now. You will easily be able to understand the thoughts I have placed down on my pages. In summation, Yveltal is indeed in her cocoon. I have read many tales of such a cocoon, and I have written the coordinates down for you. It will be easy enough to find."

Tsulong nodded eagerly.

He sighed, "Xerneas... is another matter. At the moment, Yveltal is rigid. Can't move much. Xerneas moved around quite a bit however. Though there is one clue you need. There is a silver tree around here. Somewhere. That is Xerneas. He's dead."

"A silver tree..." Tsulong said. "Understood. I'll have the Hussars looking for it; it must be on Altica, most probably in the forests of the Uplands. Xerneas, if I recall correctly from the scripts, sprouts trees and invigorates their growth after his death, so when he becomes the silver tree, he will be surrounded by a great forest for the next thousand years." He looked at Reginard for approval, still not sure if he'd gotten it right.

Reginard nodded, "That is true. There are many legends surrounding his traits. Some state that he can bring back the dead, others state he can gift immortality. The one true trait I know, without a doubt, that he possess is the opposite of that of Thrace's." Reginard gestured over to a book, "Thrace is able to kill any that stand in her way. That is her reason for being a legendary. If she is not properly controlled in the years ahead, she might unknowingly wipe away all life on this island."

"I must go to Ishtero and find her cocoon, I will make an ally out of her, when she wakes up from her slumber. That seems to be the wisest way to deal with her power. What else is she able to do?"

"She absorbs the souls of those she kills. The earthly substance of a soul is the body, correct? She feeds on the flesh the soul is trapped into, closing her wounds within seconds."

Tsulong was thrilled. It was like Reginard was telling a scary tale. "And what happens to the souls she absorbs?"

"The souls do not go to waste. In fact, since they are the most important components of our bodies, once absorbed, they empower her in a way the flesh cannot. They build up inside her until she brings them back to the physical world, but... when they come back they are different," He turned to Tsulong, his eyes narrowing, "... You could say, changed. It is the tales of nightmares, Tsulong. It requires some effort on her part to bring these souls back, so it is said that spell of hers is one of her last resorts. But even if you see a once dead relative, a friend perhaps, you will not be truly seeing those who died. These souls are, for lack of a better term, brainwashed into servitude. They cannot properly remember their past, and only have one objective in mind. Protect their unholy mother at any cost."

Tsulong contemplated what a Pokemon with that kind of power could do. If she had killed any people I had known, could I ask her to bring them back? But that was such a silly thing to think of.

The Alakazam rubbed his spoons together as he thought for a moment longer. "These souls are mainly used to shield her from great harm. Try to throw a leaf at her and she shrugs. Now, try to blast her with twenty Hyper Beams, and you can bet she'll summon these slaves of hers to defend against the attack. Other times she might use them to keep powerful enemies from fleeing from her Oblivion Wing, or even luring them to her so she can feast. And... that is far from the worst of what she can do. Doing battle with her is a death sentence; for when she finally dies, she takes the lives of all who are near her so she can transform into her cocoon once again." He fell silent, "She... she is a nightmare to all mon."

"Then she is best kept contained," Tsulong said decisively. "That shall be done with the help of Xerneas; those two have lived since the first days of the Making, so he must know how to handle her. Do the scripts speak of Xerneas and his abilities?"

He nodded, "It does. Xerneas, else known as Naestor, is the life giver. He is a very compassionate being by himself. Again, the vision I had was clouded. If he indeed turns and Thrace in the future... then Arceus have mercy on all souls. But at the moment, at least from my research, he is that of a helpful, benevolent legendary. Able to cleanse disease, able to make forests bloom on barren wastelands. The spells he can cast counter Thrace's, while he is resistant to hers; it would be her greatest challenge to battle Naestor." He chuckled, "Even her life-snatching spell that occurs once she perishes can be undone by his Naestor's death. For when Xerneas dies, life blooms around him and the dead rise from the ground. If anyone is to face Thrace in battle, it is Naestor. That is exactly why I am telling you this now. Form an alliance with Naestor, and Thrace shall think twice before attacking."

Tsulong looked onto the walls, where the sky was shown. It seemed he had to make his peace with legendary Pokemon yet again. Perhaps that is what Arceus willed - that is why he placed the Aspects of Life and Death in Altica, having known beforehand that it will fly with the ark. The Arcanine smiled, knowing that the God was wise, even if he did not always watch over them. An optimist by nature, Tsulong knew that this quest that was set before him required no more strength than the strength he could yet gain.

"Thank you for your insight," the Arcanine said amiably.


***


The Bridge was dark, lit only by the computer that operated next to them. From the morning up until now, the two heroes had stayed on the Bridge. They were enjoying some time off of their duties, yet Reginard wasn't so merry at all, and Tsulong could sense that he had something on his mind.

Reginard himself was sitting quietly in the corner, silently browsing through a book. "Tsulong." He spoke up, "I need a moment of your time."

"Yes?" Tsulong said sleepily, drowning a yawn.

"It's to be private." He said, making sure to enunciate the very last word. He rose and gathered his books. "It will be a short meeting, in any case."

"I'm listening."

He frowned a moment, "... I have been working on a secret project." He started out, "It's a computer I have built with help from Telmund. It's a simple question test, just to test any future generations to see if they are capable of, well, being Chroniclers of Tales." He gave a weak smile, "I do have some pride in it. I hold it to your paws that you will be able to find a place to put it so it can be used. All of my knowledge is stored on there. Such stories must be preserved, after all. There always needs to be a Chronicler of Tales, my friend."

King Tsulong nodded, smiling and looking forward to the stars. "That goes without saying," he agreed firmly, but slowly, his smile froze, drooped and fell. He looked over to the old Alakazam, and his face was suddenly distraught; he looked like a child who didn't know why he was being punished. "You are the Chronicler of Tales... you don't need a machine to choose a new one..." the Arcanine said with uncertainty, although he was beginning to understand.

Reginard smiled weakly, "It is said... that absolute power corrupts absolutely." He closed his eyes, "Eventually... we all become villains. We just don't live long enough to get to that route. I trust you'll find a suitable replacement."

The vision was filled with a burning sensation that must have been Tsulong's feelings. His eyes became watery and his voice was close to breaking. "But... what about you? What about you... Reginard?"

He chuckled softly, "My story is over. I would rather die a hero, than live long enough to be seen as a monster." He shook his head, "Immortality has its price on all of us. I am powerful, and yet... seeing friends and family dying around me? Having to experience the horrors of waking up every day, and wondering who will die around me this day while I remain in perfect health?" He sighed, "I can't risk that. Such would surely drive me mad. It is why I have already prepared that computer." His eyes peered over at Tsulong, "It is your job to elect someone capable of keeping those stories safe. Of being able to spread those tales so that they may never perish." He looked away, "Now, do not look at me like that. I have traveled the world, young one. All the same tales continuously pop up left and right. I would rather end my life before I do something drastic. Besides," He let out a soft chuckle, "You don't need an old bag of bones bossing you around. This... this will be your story. Not mine."

Tsulong's mouth trembled and he let out a howl like a wounded dog; he pounced at the Alakazam, hugging him with both his feet. As he was murmuring and crying on the old man's shoulder, the details of the Bridge's sky fell apart. The clouds fell into the black twister of oblivion, and the vision faded. Tsulong's sorrow couldn't be felt any more, and Reginard's rumply form among the fur of the Arcanine dissipated into nothingness.

 

[Ray Maverick]

"Gold Tribe!"


​

"... is that all?" Tavhir asked suddenly, as the vision they had witnessed began to fade. "There's got to be more to it than that!" He seemed almost disappointed by what was revealed. "Did we miss something?"

"What'd you mean, 'is that all'," Zack shouted, "this is good news! Xerneas is a good guy, he'll help us out if we find him!"

"But where is Xernas?" Punisher asked as he mispronounced the legendaries' name. "I mean... I've seen no silver trees around. Are trees even SUPPOSED to be colored silver? That just sounds stupid to me." He said as he crossed his arms.

"He has a point," Tavhir replied. "So what if we know Xerneas is a good guy? That doesn't help us at all if we can't actually find the man."

Zack blinked, confused, "what concerns me is, when exactly did this vision take place? If it took place before the Great Sundering... then the tree-turned Xerneas might have fallen to the sea."

Punisher groaned, "Great!" He cried out, "So Xerneas is out in the sea? Wait!" He held a finger up, "We just landed, right? We'll just take a boat out and find Xerneas!" He proudly puffed his chest out as a smirk formed along his face, "Problem solved."

"Yeah, we'll just search the entire ocean," Tavhir said with a roll of his eyes. "Look, we don't have very much time. We need to get out of here, now, and tell the others before those mercs arrive and kill us all."

"Hah, they'll have to get past me!" Punisher declared, uncrossing his arms and setting his lower hands on his hips, "Honestly, how bad could they be?"

Just as Punisher spoke, they heard the growing sound of footsteps coming from behind them. Louder, and louder still, before the Gold Tribe found themselves staring at the rest of the Imperatorium as they began to surround the bridge from both sides.

From the center of the group, a Toxicroak stood out, clapping slowly, mockingly, as he stared at them. "Thanks for doing the work for us," he said smugly. "Now then, take a seat and I'll not have to show you how 'bad' we can be."

Zack cursed, swirling around and raising his fists. He'd backed away from the computer, so he was now the first in line against the mercenaries on his side of the bridge. He felt his guts rise to his chest, but he didn't lose his cool as he was usually prone to. "I thought you all gave up and went home," he said in a provoking tone, "you do know who you're messing with, after all."

"I know exactly who I'm messing with," Rax said with confidence. "A bunch'a sorry no-hopers who've been a thorn in our side for too long. The Gold Tribe." He spoke their name with such disdain, as if its mere utterance caused him pain. "Hope you all said your prayers and wrote your wills, 'cause you ain't leaving here alive."

"Hilarious. I was just thinking the same thing about you, Toxicroak," Beryl snapped back, aiming her body towards the arrogant Toxicroak on the other side of the bridge. "Withdraw your men, lest you enjoy exploring of the bottom of this chasm."

"Yeah! What she said!" Punisher said as he got into his own battle position, "If you don't then... um... we'll throw Pendro at you! And he's really heavy! And it'll hurt a lot!"

"I think simply allowing me to do battle would be the better idea, here," Pendro murmured from behind the Machamp. "What with massive chasm, and throwing others generally not being sound strategy..."

Punisher frowned, "Then... um... I'll throw a giant rock and it'll hurt more!" He declared. "Yeah, how about THEM apples!?"

"You could try throwing me." Isak shrugged. "Just not directly at them or too hard. I could use the boost to cause confusion..."

Punisher though about it for a moment, then grabbed Isak, lifting him up high. His motions were quick enough that Isak barely realized that the Machamp had grabbed him before he threw the Buneary out. "GO LONG!" Punisher shouted out.

As Isak flew through the air, he screamed "I wasn't ready!" back at the Machamp, before tucking himself into a ball. Within moments, he felt himself impact and start rolling on the stone floor and quickly recovered into a Quick Attack, which he used to propel himself, ears-first into a Boldore, whom was promptly knocked back by a Rock Smash, cancelling out Isak's momentum. Narrowly dodging the retaliatory punch of a nearby Hitmonchan, Isak began to dart around and between the legs of the mercenaries as he dodged, hoping to ensure that further attacks caused friendly fire among the mercenaries.

Zack stepped forward, closer to the first mercenary on his side of the bridge, a Lombre who shot him a Water Pulse which he could not dodge, as there wasn't much space on the bridge for him to move. He instead chose to blast through it with a DynamicPunch. "Gold Tribe!" Zack shouted, the water washing over him; his tightened fist made contact with something that ought to have been the Lombre's head, and that something was pushed back by the impact.

As soon as he threw Isak, Punisher began to run. He crossed his four arms over his chest as he built up speed and ran at the group of mercs. Of course a few attacks were quickly shot out at him, but that didn't truly halt his run. His arms flung out as two Cross Chops went off, throwing a Ledyba and Magmar back. One of his arms then reached out to grab a Ivysaur's vine as he pulled him up and swung him around like a whip to strike a few closer mercs. "COME ON! GIVE ME A CHALLENGE!"

Pendro blinked, and said cautiously, "Erm... alright. Good luck everyone..." He quickly shook himself and flexed his arms in his familiar Iron Defense technique as his eyes scanned the situation before him. The back line of mercenaries seemed overconfident in the safety of their positioning; perhaps a ranged attack would catch them off-guard. The Metang nodded to himself, then took a deep breath and used Magnet Rise to float up onto the railing to get a better vantage point before firing a blast of light over the heads of his allies and into the midst of the crowd of mercenaries.

As the mercenaries began to fight back, Rax wisely slipped into the crowd, keeping hidden and waiting for the moment to strike. Though he had hoped for his men to overpower the Gold Tribe, he suspected that wouldn't be the case. He'd stay behind, conserve his energy, and strike when the Tribe was weakened from the battle.

Cassandra immediately dropped into a combat-ready position, preparing a barrage of Razor Leaves against the enemy from afar as she stood on the bridge. Tavhir had rushed forward, joining aside Punisher and meeting the mercenaries hand-to-hand, delivering slash after slash of a Metal Claw, incapacitating the foes that made it past Punisher's makeshift flail.

Cassandra watched from behind, noticing a Sableye darting towards her brother with a Shadow Sneak. "Tavhir! Behind you!" She called, reaching out and ensnaring the foe's legs in a Grass Knot, the ghost-type falling flat on its face. Tavhir quickly took notice, spinning around and slashing, finishing the Sableye off. Cassandra and Tavhir exchanged a quick nod of appreciation, before returning to the battle at hand.

Flinging pointed Rock Tomb after Rock Tomb, Beryl protected the two tribesmen on the bridge, to ensure that no Pokemon would dare approach from in front. But dare they did, as the mercenaries began to rush the bridge. It wasn't long before the Stealth Rock which she had set up not long before was activated by a careless mercenary, and not much longer before she found herself panting after Head Smashing into a Heracross that had gotten too close. She needed some breathing room.

Soon, massive boulders began to fall from the sky, summoned by her Rock Slide. By her count, she had probably taken out a good twelve mercenaries already, but more were coming. The Pokemon leading their charge was none other than the Toxicroak. With a silent curse, she began rush at the group, her body glowing silver with an Iron Defense, before she jumped into her familiar Rollout. Rolling as ferociously as she could, she felt two impacts on her spinning body, and was beginning to turn around for another run when an attack rammed her side.

"Not so fast!" a Diggersby shouted, slamming Beryl with a Rock Smash.

Beryl fell onto her side, and scrambled to her feet as quickly as she could muster. The Diggersby seemed ecstatic at his minor victory, but he would soon come to regret it as the air around Beryl began to cool as her Ice Shard formed. Each ice crystal pelted the Diggersby in rapid succession, before the Donphan rammed him with her head and threw him backwards.

Zack had punched the Lombre and the one behind him, a Luxio who tried to bite him, off the bridge. The mercenaries seemed to be pushed back closer to the stairs and the Electabuzz let out a bellow, thinking victory would be easy. But he noticed the mercenaries suddenly fell back, ceasing to advance, and the battle came to a halt. They had amassed their numbers just beyond the bridge, and some of them were ready to throw ranged attacks in case any of the Gold Tribe decided to charge in. Now it was dangerous to attack, Zack felt; at the end of the bridge he would have to deal with three enemies at once.

From the middle of the crowd, a familiar Toxicroak appeared, his ever-present signature smirk wide on his face as he laughed.

"Kukuku..." he chuckled, pointing at the railings of the bridge. In the midst of combat, the Gold Tribe had failed to notice the ropes, tied to the rails and hanging over the outside edges. That had been done when the mercenaries had advanced on the bridge.

Before Zack could react, a Skarmory slammed into the ground in front of him, at the end of the bridge. With a flap of his metal winds he whipped up a whirlwind, knocking back the Gold Tribe away from the stairs; a Pidgeotto did the same from Punisher's side of the bridge. Rax raised his hands, mouthing a command inaudible to those on the bridge.

The instant he did, the purpose of the ropes became obvious. A series of explosions rocked the Pinnacle, shaking the fighters to their feet. Geodude, tied to the ends of the ropes, began detonating one by one, wrecking the structure of the bridge and collapsing it.

The bridge was fractured on its bases, its metal moaning with the force of the explosions. Zack fought the whirlwind, thinking his only way out was forward, but instead he was being pushed back into his brothers. The bridge rocked one last time.

"Have fun, kukuku..." Rax mocked, giving a small wave as they collapsed into the dark depths below. "I'll be sure to scrounge up your pieces on my way down."

The pattering of small feet echoed loudly in the silent seconds that followed. With a hop, the Buneary who had been sowing confusion in the ranks of the mercenaries lunged at the Toxicroak with his fist frozen with an Ice Punch. The Toxicroak turned just to face the noise when Isak's punch impacted his face. Stumbling backwards into two of his fellow mercenaries, the Toxicroak fell into the chasm alongside them, Isak following behind.

"Hope your 'friends' will do the same for you, bastard."

 

[KajiVenator]

Thrown for a Loop
Pendro Malis, Zack Dawson, Beryl Ibha, Matthew Blaze, Tavhir and Cassandra Eldren Isak Mategu, and Rax​

Pendro's ranged attacks were abruptly halted as several explosions racked the bridge. He recoiled, reaching a hand down to grasp the railing for support, before gasping as he noticed that the entire bridge's structure had been compromised. All of them would fall.

The Metang's descent was controllable, thanks to the power of Magnet Rise, but his brothers and sisters wouldn't have that privilege. He would have to intentionally quicken his descent to keep up with them. His eyes darted out to his sides, pinpointing their positions. He wouldn't have the time or energy to use Magnet Rise on every single one of them, though perhaps some could fit on his back or the backs of others. With magnetism controlling the descent, spreading the load shouldn't matter too much, if his calculations were correct. It could lead to a bit of a bump, potentially, but there were worse things to worry about than small bruises at a time like this. Taking a deep breath, Pendro tried to project his voice as much as he could.

"Everyone!" He called, "Try to do everything you can to adjust your descent in my direction! Come to me! Please..."

"SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT," Zack was shouting as he fell in the dark chasm, wind blasting through his fur and ears. He panicked for only a second, until he heard Pendro calling. Then, he remembered he used to go parachuting every day in the ECUL instead of studying. It was the same feeling here, only instead of the grassy plains and the tall mountains of Hesperia, he was diving into the dark bottom of the ocean. He adjusted his flight, like Pendro suggested, by tucking his arms close to his body like he'd seen divebombing birds do, and he shot like a spear, head-first, towards the Metang.

He landed on Pendro's head and hugged it, pulling himself to stand on the grey metal body. He saw the Electirizer on his belt flash, but in the heat of the moment, he didn't think on it much. He drew one of his own inventions from his belt, which he'd titled Quilava's Flame, a sparkler with a touch of techmaturgical wit. He flash-rubbed its fuse off the tip of his finger once, setting it off in his hand. Sparks burst from its top above them, creating a flare that lit some of the darkness around them. He held it up so they could see the others.

The illumination was much appreciated. The wind rushing past her, Beryl took the opportunity to check on her fellows. Pendro and Zack were already accounted for, but what of the rest? "Cassandra, Tavhir, Matthew, and Isak, did you hear Pendro? Manipulate your bodies to glide as best you can."

Punisher was actually not that fearful as he fell down, instead he sported a grin as he kept on falling, "NO WORRIES!" He shouted out, having to raise his voice so he could be heard over the wind that whipped past them, "WHEN I HIT THE GROUND, I'LL JUST PUNCH IT BEFORE IT CAN PUNCH ME!"

Zack's eyes found Cassandra falling and he tapped on Pendro's head, "there!" he screamed. Being as light as she was, Cassandra found herself falling slower than her peers. She narrowed her body, diving head-first and doing her best to navigate towards Pendro, the grass type latching onto his arm. Zack looked wildly around, then glimpsed the small, dark figure of Tavhir further down. "Muk," the Electabuzz cursed, watching the Pawniard fall farther and farther away from them to the opposite side, before he fell beyond their sight. Pendro's mind was racing as he spoke, rattling off words at a pace that would seem unreasonable considering that normal conversation led him to stutter to no end.

"Hello, try to stay on my upper side, you two- why can't I fall faster? Tavhir! Where are the others? A few of them may well need the help of Magnet Rise to survive the fall. How many people can fit on my back here? Can Tavhir reach the side of the wall to slow his descent? Does Punisher think he can punch the ground to survive?!"

"Don't touch me, you bloody Stygian mongrel!"

With the echoing voice of that Toxicroak, the small Isak flew through the air, passing through the illuminated air with ease before disappearing into the darkness on the other side. Within moments, though, an audible cracking noise was heard and he flew past them again, going much faster in the opposite direction. With an impacting thump, and a groan from the Toxicroak, Isak responded.

"Oh, I thought you were some rubble from that bridge you blew up. Now I know you're just trash."

Another impact was heard, the sound of Poison Jab on Ice Punch, and then another and another, but, with a squeak, Isak flew through the light again, this time at a much steeper angle. Away from the rest of the Gold Tribe, he fell into the darkness, and all that could be heard over the rushing wind was an impact on the wall.

"Isak!" Without hesitating, Beryl caused a Rock Slide to fall in the direction Isak came from. Rax took advantage of the falling rocks, deftly grabbing onto them and using them to control his descent.

"See you at the bottom, duckies!" he jeered, hopping from stone to stone away from the group. The rest of the Gold Tribe could only fall, hoping that they could ease their landing and reach the ground safely.

 

[GastlyGibus]

Glints Collide
|Tavhir "Restless" Eldren|​

Tavhir fell for what seemed like hours, when in reality it wasn't more than a few seconds. Seeing as he was too far from the others to rely on their help, he had to think fast. He navigated closer to the wall, gently pressing himself against it to slow his fall, hoping that he wouldn't severely hurt himself in the process.

"Come on, just let this work!" he murmured, placing his bladed hands against the wall, his efforts rewarded with a volley of sparks. The walls were surprisingly smooth, made of... metal? He had expected stone, but was grateful for the change in expectations. With a renewed faith, he stuck his hands out again, only barely managing to slow himself, showering the wall in sparks and the screeching sound of grating metal.

After a few more seconds, he finally reached the ground, clumsily rolling across the floor as he landed. He lay still for but a moment, pained from the fall, but not dead, thankfully. He slowly rose to his feet, groaning from the effort and dusting himself off. Looking around, it seemed this was no ordinary pit. All around, the walls were made of steel, and he could hear the slow churning of pistons as part of machinery, as well as a much more eminent, grander sound in the background. The quakes deep underground that were reported the days past weren't coming from this room, but they could be felt and heard more easily here, as the steel walls rang to the beat.

Tavhir took a step, recoiling in shock as he feet touched a pool of liquid.

"Water...? Down here?" Tavhir looked around curiously, attempting to gain his bearings on the situation. He couldn't see his comrades, leaving him stranded here alone, for the time being.





All around him was steel machinery, units as tall as buildings, with no ceiling in sight. This was the dimly lit engine room of the Sky Pinnacle; that's where his fall had taken him. It appeared that the entrance of the top connected the castle with its engine room at the very bottom through one long aqueduct that was at least a mile long in height. These machines were actually running, since they were first created - to maintain the illusion on the walls of the chasm, to show the ones on the Bridge where Exathor was headed. And that was the purpose of the Sky Pinnacle.

"Hello?" Tavhir called out, hoping to find his allies, but received naught but silence in response. He stepped cautiously, keeping an eye and an ear out for anything unusual. It wasn't until a moment later that he heard footsteps, splashing in puddles in the distance. He spun around, searching for the source of the noise, when a figure walked into view. That of a Braixen, walking towards Tavhir.

"Oh, so you are still alive," she said simply. "Came down here to check. Looks like I get to finish you off."

Tavhir raised his hands, readying himself for battle. "You again," he stated simply. "Why do you keep interfering?"

"None of your business," the Braixen replied, reaching behind her and grabbing her stick, lighting the end of it ablaze. "Lucky for you, I'm not here to talk. Just lie down, Stygian, and I'll make your death quick."

Tavhir stared, not threatened by her attempts to intimidate him. "I'm stronger than I was at Stoneyard." Tavhir replied.

"I've gotten better myself," Atris replied. "Enough talk. Let us end this." As soon as she finished, she lashed her wand forward, sending a fireball directly at the Pawniard.

Tavhir jumped quickly to the side, the flames skirting just across his body before crashing against the walls behind him, rocking the room in an explosion of fire. He kept his footing, charging quickly at the Braixen.

Atris reacted in turn. Her psychic abilities would have no effect on the Pawniard, prompting her to switch tactics. With a flick of her wrist, flames shot out again from her wand. This time, however, she aimed not at Tavhir, but at the ground, targeting a large pool of water. A loud hiss, and the two of them were engulfed in a cloud of steam. Tavhir kept running, swinging at where he imagined the Braixen to be, yet he found nothing but air. He whirled around frantically, steam impeding his vision.

Tavhir took in a breath, keeping himself calm. He would need to be calm in order to win this fight. Closing his eyes, he kept his hearing alert. A falling rock, a drip of water, a stray footstep...

Shining blades pierced the steam, the Pawniard spinning rapidly and swiping in the direction of the sound. Darkness penetrated the cloud in a wave, spreading outward, before Atris raised her hands in a Protect, blocking the attack and immediately retaliating with a Flamethrower.

Tavhir threw out another Dark Pulse, the negative energy colliding with the flames and extinguishing them. As soon as the flames died down, Atris began to rush forward, closing the distance with a Flame Charge.

There was no time for Tavhir to react, save for bringing his arm up to defend himself. Atris leapt forward, fire wrapped around her fists, the two finally meeting hand-to-hand. Tavhir lashed out, swiping over and over with a Fury Cutter, the Braixen deftly adjusting her body to avoid each in turn. Every swing that Restless threw out, Atris dodged, retaliating with her own fire-charged melee strikes.

Both Pawniard and Braixen exchanged blow for blow, illuminating the room in an awing display of fire and ferocity. Metal and heat danced together, each attempting to overpower and outdo the other. Each swing of Tavhir's blades seemed to slice the very air, emboldened by a desire to prove himself here and now.

Atris was surprised at the boy's tenacity. After the fall he had taken, it was a wonder he could fight at all in her eyes. Regardless, it was irrelevant; she had the advantage, both in type and experience. She narrowly dodged every swipe of the blade the Pawniard threw out. She could see his form beginning to grow clumsy, smirking to herself. She would wear him out quickly, before finishing him off.

Tavhir's breathing quickened; at this rate, he'd be too tired to finish the fight, and he had hardly landed a single blow.

"Just as I would expect..." Atris managed, avoiding another Fury Cutter. "Reckless and foolhardy... typical Eshirian!"

Tavhir growled, but kept his composure. He wouldn't let the Braixen's taunts get to him again.

"...we all have that kind of steel in us. The steel that doesn't bend, nor break."

His mind went back to his meeting with Cyrus, in Amoon. He was an Eshirian... unbreakable, as Cyrus had told him. He wouldn't succumb to Atris this time. If she wanted to see the might of the Eshir, he would gladly show it to her!

Tavhir let out a yell, charging the air with negative energy, unleashing it in a Snarl. Atris took a step back, recoiling in pain as Tavhir readied another Dark Pulse.

The Pawniard gathered his energy, his anger culminating in one final attack, ready to strike at Atris and end this. The Braixen quickly reacted, throwing up a Protect as Tavhir launched a wave of darkness.

The Protect subsided, and Atris took advantage of the Pawniard's expended energy. With a flick of her wand, she retaliated with a Fire Blast, the star-shaped flames throwing themselves directly at Tavhir.

The attack was fast - too fast for Tavhir to dodge. The flames rushed forward, evaporating the water nearby with their intense heat and engulfing his form, blasting him back towards the wall. With a slam, the Pawniard's body made contact with the wall, kicking up a cloud of steam, dust, and smoke.

Atris let out a sigh, breathing heavily from fatigue. She calmly stepped forward, though kept her wand at the ready, scanning the smoke for any sign of movement. A direct-hit from a Fire Blast would have been enough to knock nearly any steel-type out of commission, even one of the Gold Tribe, yet she would make sure this time that her opponent was truly dead.

 

[KajiVenator]

No Request for the Corrupted
Isak Mategu, Tavhir Eldren.​

Pain wracked Isak's body after he bounced off of the wall of the seemingly never-ending chasm and back into free-fall. That damn Toxicroak... right as Isak threw an Ice Punch, Ross or Rax or whatever his name was had retaliated with a Sucker Punch, sending him flying. He knew he was in serious trouble now - he was falling away from everyone else and his tiny body was screaming in pain, especially his back. He had to act quickly, before he ended up splattered on the ground of this place. Sticking his arms out to make his body as wide as he could manage, he caught just enough air resistance to help maneuver himself into a more favorable angle: ears down, ready to Bounce.

He could see below him, now. There were flashing lights, glowing the darkness, just barely illuminating the floor of this chasm. He did not have much time, so he tucked his ears in as his heart raced and his perception of time slowed a bit. Using his ears to counteract his falling momentum, his Bounce left a dent in the floor and just barely neutralized his terminal velocity. At a much slower speed, he bounced up a couple meters and landed on his rear.

Momentarily dazed, he realized that the pain was worse now. Just like back in Amoon, he had recklessly overextended his ears and he would have to deal with another monstrous headache when... if he got out of here. Great. At least he still had his bag with him - reaching inside it, he felt around for a berry that hadn't been badly crushed by the fall. It took a moment, but he found one, a half-crushed Sitrus, and took a bite out of it before putting it back. The well-balanced flavor and the healing properties of the fruit dulled his pain enough to allow him to focus. Where was he now? All around him, he heard the dull buzz of machinery at work, machines with blinking lights that made it easier to see the floor.

A noise stood out amongst the buzzing, however. Voices caught his attention, then the distinctive fiery shape of a Fire Blast lit up the room, followed by the sound of metal hitting metal. Someone had beaten him down here, and that impact sound gave him an inkling who.

Getting to his feet, he began to run in the direction of the Fire Blast. He had to get there before Tav was killed... if he wasn't already.

* * *​

Atris cautiously approached the cloud of steam, keeping her wand ready. She had to make sure that all of the Gold Tribe was dead this time; no loose ends at a time like this.

Before she could verify anything, she felt the tip of her tail twitch lightly. She whirled around almost immediately, the end of her wand ablaze. Was someone else down here? The Eshirian boy could wait a moment. He wasn't a threat to her in his state.

There was a noise from behind her then. She whirled around again, only to find the cloud of steam and dust again. Whoever was messing with her would pay dearly.

"Show yourself!" she called out.

In the distance, several loud impacts could be heard. As they echoed through the chasm, Atris felt something brush up against her hand. Soon thereafter, the sound of a fire being extinguished immediately caught her attention and she turned again to finally glare upon the small Buneary that had been harassing her.

"Found you!" she exclaimed, flicking her wrist to attack with her... Oran berry? She looked at her hand in shock, seeing that her wand was gone, replaced with a piece of badly bruised fruit.

With a devilish grin, Isak proudly produced her now-extinguished stick of a wand. "Looking for this?" With deft movement, he snapped the stick in two and tossed the pieces to the ground.

Atris angrily threw the fruit at the ground, causing fire to surround her hands. "You think I need that wand, bunny-boy?" she said in a rage, immediately dashing forward at Isak with a Flame Charge.

Dodging that was child's play. Isak propelled himself backwards, easily evading the Braixen's charge. When he landed, he ran at her as his paw curled into a fist as green energy radiated from it. The Drain Punch soundly smacked the Braixen roundly in her snout, before Isak's momentum caused him to hit the floor less than gracefully. As he scrambled up, the Braixen had just enough time to recover from the rather weak punch and retaliate. She threw up her hands, enveloping the Buneary in a Psychic grip. Though much less powerful without her wand, she managed to shove him back several feet, knocking him on his back on the ground.

He didn't have time to be slowed down. Before she could toss him again, Isak rolled onto his feet and sprinted towards her with his Quick Attack, dodging another psychic attack before seguing into a Sky Uppercut that hit Atris squarely in the jaw. In the seconds he spent airborne, however, the familiar feeling of psychic energy enveloped him again and sent him flying back towards the wall of the room. With a dull, metallic thump, Isak collided with it and fell to the ground, landing next to Tavhir. He winced in pain from the impact, but was able to notice that the Pawniard... was gone?

Atris approached the Buneary cautiously, smirking with her hands raised and flaming. "Even without my wand, you're no match for me. You Gold Tribe are truly pathetic."

A glimmer of metal in the darkness caught Isaks eye. With his own smirk, he responded."Not nearly as pathetic as you, I'm afraid."

From behind the Braixen came footsteps; quick, heavy, accompanied with a loud cry as Atris whipped around to see a Bisharp, charging straight for her, hands circled with dark energy!

The Bisharp swung forward in a Night Slash. Atris dodged the attack, but the steel-type retaliated just as quickly as before, a barrage of attacks swiping at the fox. As the Bisharp readied another Fury Cutter, Atris responded with Double Team, creating several illusions in a circle around the Bisharp. He swung at the Braixen in front of him, only to hit a decoy, as Atris was now behind him.

"Well, well," Atris said, panting slightly. "Look who's all grown up now. Is that you, little Tavhir?" she said mockingly. "It's a shame you won't get to experience your new form for very long."

Tavhir glared at the Braixen, before turning back to Isak, making sure the Buneary was okay. He stood close to the Deft, now much taller than his fellow Tribesman, nodding a thank-you for the Sitrus Berry he slipped him earlier. He briefly glanced down at his body; He was now several feet taller, with silver hands and bladed wrists which reflected the room's lights brightly. His feet were now razor sharp, fashioned into powerful blades as his hands were before. He had no time to revel in his new form, instead turning back to Atris, malice evident in his gaze.

"Two against one?" Atris said mockingly. "Two, ten, a hundred, a thousand - it doesn't matter! I'll kill all of you myself!"

There was no vocal response from either Tribesman to her taunt. Isak just got back onto his feet, and ran at her again. Behind, he heard the Bisharp follow suit, preparing a Night Slash.

Atris enveloped her arms in fire again, facing down the two without a hint of fear. She threw a Flamethrower at the both of them, hoping to impede their charge. The spiraling flame was too slow to hit Isak's Quick Attack, however. Within seconds, he was behind Atris, taking advantage of the her concentration to prepare his most powerful attack, Focus Punch.

Seeing her Flamethrower easily circumvented, Atris had to think quickly. If she tried to face them both, she'd die for sure. She spread her arms wide, throwing copies of herself around the room in a Double Team.

Tavhir swung at where Atris stood, only to hit nothing but air where an illusion stood. Dropping his focus, Isak sprinted around the room, the after images of his Quick Attack blending with those of the Braixen. In a battle of speed, he refused to lose to such an opponent. Using the full force of his tiny body, the Buneary slammed his ears into the Braixen, knocking her off-balance and dispersing her clones.

Atris nearly tripped over from the attack, catching herself in mid-fall and turning to her opponent. With another Psychic she targeted the Buneary, holding him back before throwing down a Fire Spin at her feet. In the cloak of flames, she disappeared once more, leaving an angry Tavhir and Isak alone.

"Come back, coward!" Tavhir called out, clenching his fists.

"I'm a mercenary, but I'm not stupid," Atris replied, her voice sounding distant, a small laugh echoing through the room. It was a trick, however - using her psychic abilities, Atris darted from the shadow, and the faintest crackle of fire caught Isak's attention.

"Tav, behind you!"

The Bisharp whirled around, only to be met with a Flame Charge slamming his chest. Tavhir reeled back in pain, as Atris turned readied her hands in fire, aiming a flamethrower to finish the Tribesman off.

Isak took off like a rocket, another Quick Attack propelling him face-to-face with the Braixen, and hit her in the chest with another Drain Punch. The Braixen gasped in pain, surrounding herself again in a Fire Spin to shake her attacker off.

With the distraction from Isak, Tavhir steeled himself for one final charge, building up dark energy into his hands and running recklessly at Atris. In the corner of her eye, the mercenary saw Tavhir charging, blasting another flamethrower straight at him. Tavhir ignored the attack, pushing through the searing heat, continuing his charge as he drew his fist back, then threw it forward in a Payback, breaking through the Flamethrower and knocking Atris back.

The Braixen cried out in pain, falling down to the ground, limp. She groaned, attempting to get to her feet, before finally slumping down in defeat.

Tavhir likewise fell to his knees; the flames had left him burned all over, his hands grasping weakly at his forearms to alleviate the pain. He glanced at Atris, seeing the fox lying still, breathing, but unmoving. At the very least, the battle was over. Restless sighed, both in pain and relief, before turning to Isak.

"Th-thanks..." he managed, gripping his arms together tightly in pain.

Just barely standing up from the recovery factor of his last Drain Punch, Isak nodded in response, before grasping his head, eyes watering, as focus diverted to his new-found headache.

Tavhir looked over again at Atris. Seeing as she was still alive, he managed to stand up, fighting past his burns and eyeing the fox angrily. He slowly walked over to where she lay, her eyes glancing at his when he approached.

The Bisharp glared at her. "Still alive? Good. There's something you're going to tell me before you die."