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

[Ray Maverick]

Aecron, Pyro & Skysaber

"What! Don't look at me. I came up with the thing, now somebody has to help it get home. Well, I handle the machines and Flogistron. Everybody's got a role in here. Pyro! What's yours gonna be?"

Sophia turned away from staring out in the enemy's direction, looking back at the Electabuzz. "Oh. Yeah, I'm usually a ranged fighter," she said, standing on the ship's rail. "I also just took the time to reinforce the shielding around this ship." The white Meowstic took another look at the spear that Zack had showcased. "Mm...I do better with using my own attacks, but I have good aim regardless. And fire to blow up enemy ships." A small orb of fire appeared beside Sophia for a moment before being snuffed out.

Aecron headed to the front of the ship looking off into the enemy fleet. Today would be a good day to die which greatly dissapointed Aecron as he didnt want to give his foes such a pleasure. They deserved a rotten day to die on.

After a moment, Sophia remembered something and added, "Oh, I'm also what might be called an Infiltrator. I can penetrate enemy shielding better than most."

"Captain," Nik said suddenly, "look! They're moving in!"

Frank handed Zack the spyglass, who used it to peek into the sky. The Castform was right, the airships of the Stygians were beginning to move. Fear rose to grasp his throat like an iron hand, making him lose all the nerve he had before. He was the captain of the airship now, responsible for all the lives aboard, and also a member of the Gold Tribe now. If there was ever a time he shouldn't be afraid, it was now. "Alright," he muttered, swallowing his fear, "men (and woman), let's move out. Frank!"

"In position!" the Kadabra shouted from belowdecks. The steam screamed, running through the pipes, and the machines roared, now fully started up with Frank's psychic energy. The dyna-cores pulsed with power, compressing the flogistron inside the airship's rigid balloons. The Storm's Fury begun elevating from the docking ground and Zack waddled over to the rudder to steer her towards the Dock Rock's exit bay.

Sophia hopped off the rail and sat down near the bow of the airship, near Aecron. She closed her eyes and began calming her mind, storing up power for when she'd need it. It wouldn't be long before they'd be close enough to the enemies for Sophia to use it.

Aecron looked down at the meowstic chuckling shortly. Her calm look was the last thing he expected during a suicide mission like this. He stood like a statue at the bow gazing out at the battleships sailing through the sky. They were marauders and murderers at best. Soon they would ash and corpses. Holding both his hands before him Aecron summoned a blade of pure aura.

"I hope for their sake they said goodbye before they left camp," Aecron muttered as a cruel grin came to his face, "The chance will not be given to them again."

"Time to shine," Zack hummed. "Nik, how's Donna doing? That cannon's better be working when we reach those guys. Frank! Put up the shields, man, what're you waiting for? Go!"
The Electabuzz took a black rag from his belt and tied it around his head like a bandana. Now he was almost ready. Looking through the spyglass again, he confirmed the enemy movement.

"Donna's ready, sir," Nik the Castform returned. He was floating right in front of Zack's eyes.
"Get out of my face, I can't see!" Zack waved him away wildly. He then noticed the enemy airships in the sky, how close they had gotten to the walls. "Damn, we're left behind," he said, "they're gonna start firing on the walls. Nik, grab the wheel, I'm gonna get us there, pronto." As he let go of the rudder, a pink, round barrier was set around the airship; a spell cast by Frank and powered by the dyna-cores so it would last longer. Sophia took a few moments to renew her own barrier around the airship, adding to Frank's spell.

Zack rushed to the engines belowdecks to see the dyna-cores pulsing pink with power, the steam hissing and whistling in the pipes. Alright, he thought quickly, his mind racing, an increase to the pressure of flogistron should get us higher, and this… he smashed a button on the control panel of the engine and pulled a lever all the way that made the machine scream. He almost fell back as the ship increased its speed drastically.

"Woo!" he heard Nik shout from above.

"Ha ha! Have none of you lot ever flown with an overdrive before?" Aecron laughed still poised firm at the bow.

The white Meowstic let out a small yelp of surprise as the airship's speed suddenly rose, sending Sophia tumbling a few yards across the deck before she stopped. She had never spent much time on airships in the first place. Ow... Sophia pushed herself back up and returned to the bow. Seeing the distance gradually lessen between them and the enemy fleet, Sophia formed a ball of light-blue energy between her hands. She encased it with a dose of her Fire Hidden Power before sending off the Future Sight attack, which disappeared until it would strike a minute or so later.

With a great deep laugh Aecron swung his blade send spheres of aura out infront on the ship. They hovered there a moment until gravitating towards the twisted red auras of the stygian airship crews. The spheres would collide with the shields and embed themselves into them until finally piercing. They were like savage animals hunting prey. Each sphere crashing into its target causing pain to them and their aura. The more wicked the target the more the attack burned.

"Uh-oh," Frank said from somewhere belowdecks. He was looking through one of the opened lids that allowed the gunners to take aim and fire the Geodude guns. True enough, there was a crate packed with unconscious Geodudes that were ready to be fired.

"Uh-oh?" Zack asked, "I feel like this is the sound I want to be hearing the least right now."

"Eh, Zack? We're flying above the city right now, and we need to hurry up if we're to reach the walls before—"

Shots were fired at Alamagna's walls, Zack could see and hear. That was an airship's work, he was sure of it. Zack clenched his teeth, removing his gloves and tossing them aside, sparks flying from his electrified fingers. He grabbed the an iron strut of a machine different than the engines, and electricity flew through it. The propellers on the back of the airship started moving, and soon, they were spinning around fast enough to shoot the ship forward. So far, the ship was moving by the pressure that was applied sideways and upwards to the Flogistron trapped in the balloons by the machines, which pushed it forward and up, dragging the balloons and the ship behind it. The propellers where Zack's innovation: through his power to create electricity, he was able to boost the ship's speed with an additional source of power. Naturally, he couldn't keep up with this for long, so when Nik gave the signal that they were in range of the walls, Zack grunted with relief and released the iron handle of the propellers, his tongue out and sweating with his heavy breathing.

Sophia had thought they couldn't go any faster. She had to grab the rail in front of her in order to avoid tumbling again when the propellers added even more speed. When they reached the walls and slowed down, Sophia let go and peeked through a space in the rail. Sometimes it was irksome to be two feet tall. She took a deep breath and reached inside her, pulling her Stored Power into a purple sphere between her hands, infused again with some of Sophia's fire. The Meowstic kept it there, letting it slowly build as she waited for an enemy ship to come into range.

Zack grabbed one of the iron spears with the Magnemites and the chain and armed it to a gun. Nik, steer Fury so I have a target and get us within firing range, he said to the psychic network Frank had created. Indeed, the ship steered and Zack was able to see their fleet, protected by the pink barriers, flying closer and closer to the walls. They were raining fire upon the walls, explosions sending people flying. They didn't care who they hit – whether it was enemy, or their own. Some of the Hyper Beam Cannons were directed their shields, but the barriers were too strong and the beam was dissolved by the time it reached the ship, doing minimal damage. And then the ships answered with a barrage of Geodudes that exploded on impact once shot, shaking the walls with explosions that were threatening to rip the cannons apart.

Zack took aim at their flagship, Pestilence; he recognized her from the red hull and the blue barriers that surrounded her. "Heh-heh, they're not prepared for this." Aiming was easy. The harpoon was shot when he pressed the trigger, the chain following it through the sky. It pierced right through the blue barriers, just like Zack had thought, and stuck on the red hull. Zack smirked, grabbing the chain and pumping electricity through it. Almost instantly, the Magnemites at the tip of the harpoon exploded, shaking Pestilence terribly. The airship had gotten on fire and it started falling down, towards the walls, where the fighting was. "Oh crap," Zack shouted, "what have I done?" He let go of the chain to fall out of the Storm's Fury. It was like time had stopped; he watched as the enemy vessel's barriers went out and it crushed on the walls, exploding into a million pieces. Flaming debris was sent everywhere, two Hyper Beam Cannons lost their barriers and were destroyed and fighting people were crushed underneath the flaming monstrosity.

As the airship began falling, Sophia mentally panicked. "Jake! Watch out for the falling airship!" Another enemy ship came into range, and she got a clear look at the Pokemon at its bow. Sophia boosted herself back onto the rail and fired off her Stored Power, which shot through the enemy ship's barriers and struck her targets, sending them flying back. Turning her eyes to the Pokemon steering the other ship, Sophia brought an arm up and shot a Psybeam at him. Sure, the barriers lowered the power of her attacks, but she was still an Infiltrator.
​

 

[Turnip]

Pendro "Reaching Mind" Malis, Cassandra "The Peacekeeper" Eldren and Matthew "The Punisher" Blaze
Alamagna – Obsidian Citadel Walls – Fighting Asaito​

If I die here, and an afterlife exists, I'll have to find everyone and tell them I told them so…

Pendro, finished with his Magnet Rising of the cannons, had taken to a more solitary spot on the walls. He just hoped to all the gods above that he was wrong about this whole thing, and the enemy weren't planning something more. There they were: the Stygian rebellion. Why did they have to rebel? Why couldn't they just… not? Pendro would have whined for days on end about it, had his logical side not reminded him of how futile that would be. They looked like they were almost ready to mobilise, and that'd be- wait, were they-? Panic nearly overcame Reaching Mind in that instant, the marching soldiers approaching finally thrusting reality upon the Metang. Pendro composed himself quickly; he needed to prepare for the battle ahead, that much he knew.

Right. Push ladders off with Psychic. Make use of Iron Head or elemental punches for enemies who do make it to the top. Flash Cannon for those below when the opportunity arises. Defend cannons. Keep a watchful eye for flying 'mon and the airships if anything does happen to them.

As the soldiers below the walls rushed to meet them, the Hyper Beam Cannons begun charging up. Soon, the sky was filled with the sudden flash of energy unleashed. Cries of victory turned into screams of pain, mingled with the steady, turbulent noise of the Hyper Beams. They spread wide destruction below, their white light engulfing many Pokemon and shooting through them. However, for one rebel that fell, two took his place, and soon, they clashed against the walls. Ladders were raised and Pokemon jumped over.

Cassandra kept her eyes on the field below, watching as the rebel soldiers fell to the Hyper Beam cannons. Despite their best efforts though, it seemed as if the rebels were infinite in number. As the enemy made their way to the walls inbetween cannon blasts, ladders were thrown against the walls, as eager soldiers began to climb in an attempt to breach. With a few well-place Razor Leaf attacks, Cassandra managed to send a few of the ladders tumbling down to the ground.

The battlements, where the Hyper Beam Cannons were, soon filled with attackers that had climbed or jumped over; soldiers struggled to keep them off. The first one to have arrived was a Greninja with a scar across his chest. Sharp water had appeared in his hands in the form of dripping Shurikens. He used them to slice right through the base of an unprotected Hyper Beam Cannon, which cracked, collapsed and fell. "Too easy!" He turned his head, noticing the shiny Metang with the golden bands upon the walls. "The Gold Tribe," he mused out loud, "you're a shiny one, but not all that glitters is gold... I wonder, can you live up to the name the Gold Tribe has worked hard to preserve?"

Things were getting more difficult up here. Another ladder approached, carrying a nasty-looking Nidorino. Luckily the ladder was a far less intimidating enemy, and a quick Psychic rendered the offensive useless. That wasn't the only assault, though, and with a quick check of his surroundings Pendro found that the walls had been breached in several places. A few enemy 'mon were finding their way up ladders elsewhere. He turned again, and his eyes widened immediately in distress.

"B-breach! Greninja on the walls...! Breach...!"

Amidst the fighting, Cassandra's attention was diverted when her comrade, Pendro, suddenly cried out. Turning her gaze, she saw a fierce-looking Greninja eyeing the Metang. She reacted quickly, tossing a razor leaf towards the water-type like a throwing star, grazing the Greninja's arm.

"Hey! Pick on someone your own size!" she called out to the Greninja in defiance. She readied herself for combat. This Greninja didn't look like some two-bit merc, especially considering his apparent ease in breaching the walls.

The Greninja bounced off the ground with incredible swiftness, leaping out of the razor leaf's way; the Water Shurikens left his hands, aimed at the Metang, and soon, liquid darkness covered his right hand. As he came down from the sky, he brought the darkness down at Pendro in a vicious strike. The shurikens were fast - Reaching Mind raised his hands in an Iron Defense as quickly as he could, but the first slipped through. He flinched in pain with the impact, but was luckily largely unaffected; in fact, he barely felt the second one.

Hmm, that wasn't so bad. Maybe I can do this after a-aaaaaahhhhh!

Pendro recoiled as the Night Slash sent him spinning, closing his eyes as his right fist instinctively glowed with power. He felt the Meteor Mash connect with something, and he slowed to a halt before opening his eyes. Asaito was thrown back from the blow, he tumbled and regained his balance.

It... worked. Pendro realised, feeling a renewed strength coursing through him. Huh. You know, I feel a little better about this whole fighting thing.

Around that same time a piece of rubble was thrown to try and hit the frog. "Hey! Fight a real warrior!" Punisher boomed out as he stood on the wall.

"Yeah! W-wait-"

"Standing by a cannon is WAY too boring, but you seem to be quite the fighter." The Machamp chuckled, "Just don't die too early frog face."

Asaito bust a mocking smile. "I don't plan to. Nice guns you got there..." he gestured at the Machamp's arms. The next moment he was gone; jumped high up, unleashing a torrent of water that came crushing down the walls.

Punisher held up his hands, using his upper pair to shield his face while his lower arms tried to also block the water, "Heh, no one told me I was going swimming! Is this how you battle? If so, I'm going to be extremely dissapointed!" He took in a deep breath, waiting for the water to die down and once it did he let the focus he had been building up dissipate along his muscles. He smirked and flexed his lower pair, "Heh, these guns will rip you apart froggy."

Seeing Punisher battle against the Greninja, Cassandra rushed over to help. She turned her attention to Punisher, seeing him full of vigor, as expected. She concentrated a moment, holding her arms out and casting Helping Hand on the Machamp.

"Whenever you're ready," she said to Punisher, readying her own defenses against the Greninja.

"Okay, guys. I'm, uh... spinning." Pendro informed his comrades, slowly but surely advancing on the rebel in a Gyro Ball attack. He was glad to have some supportive back-up. Three-on-one was perhaps a little mean of a battle tactic, but frankly he wasn't going to argue with it. The Greninja shot himself down towards Pendro's Gyro Ball, but faded at the last moment; the Feint Attack was executed from behind, like a backstab, with zero chance of failure. The next moment, the image of Asaito split into many Greninjas who started running around and pretending to attack the defenders. They all begun throwing Water Shurikens, and it seemed like they hit everyone, while only some of them did.

Punisher smirked at the illusions as he looked upon them and cried out. "Foresight!" He boomed out as his gaze swept across the various Greninja. "Nice trick, but I have better." He chuckled as he held up his arms to block some of the Shurikens. He felt one embed into his thick muscles, but the illusionary shurikens just faded away.

Cassandra dodged the shuriken being thrown her way. Some of them managed to graze her, but did little damage to her grass-typing. She focused, trying to discern which of the illusory copies was the real Asaito, when an idea struck her. She threw her hands out, several multi-colored leaves appearing seemingly out of thin air: Magical Leaf. With a flick of her wrist, the leaves went flying in multiple directions, aimed at the multitude of copies from Asaito's Double Team. Some of the copies started fading one by one, after being hit by the Magical Leaf, but more just kept popping up.

"Hey, I know I'm made of metal and all, but I'm kind of taking a beating here..." The Metang called out weakly to his fellow Gold Tribe members. He tried to focus, taking a moment to raise his Iron Defenses again. "Does anyone know where the real one is?"

"Let's find out!" Cassandra called out to Pendro. She extended her arms to her sides, a look of determination etched on her face. "Brace yourselves!"

With that said, she began to concentrate, a powerful wind beginning to blow as small leaf-like flower petals began to materialize around her form. She spun around quickly, as the petals flew like razor blades, attacking everyone in the area.

Punisher had to quickly raise his arms to protect himself as the leaves cut along his arms and legs, "Hey watch it!" He shouted out.

Pendro was curious at first, then alarmed. "What are you plann- OH ARCEUS ABOVE!" He, too, had to cover his body with his arms. At least those Iron Defense techniques were doing their work, he supposed.The images of the Double Team were hit by the Petal Blizzard and started fading. After a while of mass destruction, they couldn't be replaced anymore as the original Greninja was hit by a storm of leaves that cut through his skin like blades. Once the attack settled down, visibility was restored; Asaito was standing on one foot, his eyes shut, as if he was meditating. "It is not yet time to die," he muttered. That moment, a big shadow covered the walls. He raised his head slowly, to look at the airship on fire that was coming straight at them.

"CASSANDRA!?" Pendro yelled in shock. "WHAT DID YOU DO!?"

The airship crushed onto the walls in a fiery explosion that parted it to bits, destroying the upper part of the walls.

 

[Ray Maverick]

Earthquake
​

Time had stopped. Romulus's eyes widened, seeing the projectile shot at to the ship he had boarded, Pestilence. As if by some instinct, he knew it was going to go through the barriers. The harpoon with the chain behind it stuck on the airship's hull, shaking the whole airship violently. The Haxorus hissed a nasty curse when he saw electricity pumping through the chain, taking one step back, a second before the explosion. His scales were licked by flames and the sound wave knocked many crew members overboard, but not him. Flying wood, steel, blood and screams, all around him; his senses dulled for a brief moment, before he noticed the Captain of the fleet, Johnson the Braviary, shouting a command and flying away as quickly as possible. Romulus grasped the rail strongly, the flames blackening the wooden deck below his feet, spreading quickly. He watched sparks shoot to the chain that held one of the two rigid balloons; it instantly caught on fire and begun melting.

Romulus realized at the very last moment that the airship would drop sideways without one of its balloons, so he chose the course of action that guaranteed the best possibility of survival. He bent his legs, gathering strength, feeling the deck sink feebly beneath him, then he jumped. The chain snapped behind him, one of the balloons was set free and the flaming airship dropped sideways, falling quickly to the walls. Romulus was about seventy feet off the ground when that happened; mid-air, he flew across the mighty walls of Alamagna, right towards the houses. The city unfolded before him, just like his life that flashed before his eyes. Multiple images ran past his sight, memories old, locked away in his mind that chose this moment to emerge. He saw a little girl Axew, digging happily in a cave, he saw her crying after he had bullied her, he saw a house made of stone with a roof made of hay, then he saw it catch on fire and Pokemon trying to run away. They were killed by others before they could go far, but he was fighting, and he killed as well. He saw the bloodied banner of Stygia, the one with Aggron casting Thunder from the skies upon itself. A mirror passed in front of him, his father was standing behind him there, a strong Tyrantrum who had taught him how to rip the earth in two, same one who had recruited him to the Gold Tribe. It all faded when the ground came rushing to meet him. Earthquake shook the whole city when he landed.

Garland

Garland limped, rushing through the tangled routes the merchant districts of the city. The wound on his chest was still bleeding. He clutched it, feeling his blood drench his fur and the pain cloud his mind. His hearing was boggled with the distant sounds of war. Glancing behind him, he made sure to remember the faces of his comrades who ran alongside him towards the walls, where the fighting was. This could very well be the last time he was seeing any of them, as soon enough, they would engage the enemy in combat, where it was likely they'd die. Garland didn't believe in salvation. They could run to their retreat, of course, but the Stygians could run too... He recalled what the former leader of the Gold Tribe had once told him. Don't run, you'll only die tired if you do. And they were planning to do just that with their retreat...

Flames burst in the sky from an explosion near the walls, then more explosions were set off. Upon reaching a square, Garland momentarily saw something landed from the sky; it fell like a meteor, shaking the earth terribly. The shock wave threw the Floatzel on his knees, clenching his teeth in pain. He raised his head to look. The cloud of dust was settling down on cracked cobblestone, and a shadow emerged. Garland's first thought was to protect his comrades, so he extended his arm past his side to stop them. But, he realized the kind of figure was familiar. The dust settled down entirely. A Haxorus was kneeling on the ground, his sharp fangs bared and bloodied, his eyes brimming with ferocity, once he spotted Garland, who suddenly felt a numb calmness overcome his body.

Earthquake looked to be hurt from his fall; a few fractured bones, perhaps, but he was standing, and he looked powerful enough to break any of them into bits if he hesitated for one moment. That Pokemon was indeed dangerous, even when hurt. Especially when hurt. The Haxorus had served under Lord Chantalai of the Vanir for years, so none of them had seen him fight, except Garland. Romulus's Earthquakes would set them all bleeding; and there was no stopping him from preying on his target. If the others stayed here, they would provide easy targets for him and his earthquakes. Garland was no easy target. He knew how Romulus fought, and he could counter him. He slipped into his battle stance, readying himself for what was about to come.

Just then, Zack's voice permeated their minds through the telepathetic network Frank had created. This is Zack Skysaber reporting from Fury; the gates have been breached. I repeat, the gates have been breached. His tone was monotonous and oddly professional, as if all fear had drained from the Electabuzz. Garland clenched his jaw, glancing to the walls, towards the main road. Roofs blocked his view, but he could hear them: Stygians were rushing into the city, the Pokemon on the walls started to retreat after the annihilation the enemy airships were laying upon them. Garland's gaze travelled upwards, to the Storm's Fury, which was still intact and firing at the enemy fleet. Just like he had thought, Zack's airship wasn't enough to hold them all back... It's a Charlie Foxtrot, Zack muttered in their minds, probably without realizing it. The Floatzel jerked to the others behind him. "Leave this one to me." Garland ordered, pointing at the Haxorus, who seemed to be waiting for them to make a move. "Go help the others in the main road, I'll handle this. And I want no objections."​

Althalos

They had retreated to the Obsidian Citadel, just below the Tower of Nobles. Hell had been brought down onto the walls, and it was a miracle Althalos was alive from the destruction that fallen airship had caused. Their enemies were jumping over the walls and their troops retreating further into the city, as ordered. It was a matter of time, now... Skysaber spread the message, the southern gates had been breached. Hostile Pokemon came rushing right into the city, falling into the traps the defenders had set, other running different paths that let them pass unscathed. Althalos was sure the city would be spared the destruction, up until that moment. He panicked with what he was seeing: the attackers were laying waste on civilian houses. For the first time in history, Stygians were sacking their capital city. A roar of anger and anguish rose to the Gigalith's throat, but he choked it down. The citizens had been locked up in safehouses the whole time, promised to be safe, but now that that promise was broken, they would panic and break out in a hurry for the escape routes, as not to be slaughtered like Mareep in the chopping block.

Why, Chantalai? What kind of sick mind commanded his troops to murder their own blood in their homes? Inside the capital, which was sacred to all Stygians? Or was it Teneth? The Windseers were always treacherous and without compassion... or was it Brynjolf? He looked around to see them - thousands, rushing through the paths and the main road.

He was stumbling to the end of his post. Skysaber! He shouted in his mind, the enemy is breaking the Stygian code in front of our eyes - can you see? They're destroying the houses. The civilians...

General, despite all this highly disturbing situation we find ourselves in, I can't help but question the supposed guaranteed security of the gates. The breach was easy. Too easy. It must have occurred from the inside. Do you happen to be aware of any... rats? Zack spoke to his mind, and Althalos smirked at his tone; he'd never heard the Electabuzz speak like that to him. Usually, he was awkward and timid. Maybe the battle had given him a nerve he didn't have before.

What does it matter how they got in? Althalos said, exasperated. They're in, and that's it. If we're alive by the end of this madness, we'll figure it out then. Don't you have more pressing matters to deal with, Skysaber?

I do, as a matter of fact.

Good, then let me worry about what's going on in the ground, soldier.
The Gigalith turned to his own troops. He had hoped to be an inspiration to them, but the words wouldn't come out. He was weak... only a General with peaceful intentions, not fit for war. He always let Garland, Dareon and General Vektor take active responsibility for solving every conflict as it appeared. Perhaps that was why the rebellion had started, because he was too weak for a Stygian General... but now it was no time to be weak. At last, the time had come to fight, for real. "Our families are rushing to our retreat route," he said, trying to maintain his hard expression. "We must hold them back enough for our brethren to escape. We're Stygians!" He nodded towards the destruction that was spreading on the city below. "They're not true Stygians! These are monsters. Only monsters would slay their own!"​

Garland's grim voice permeated his mind. Remember what it means to be Gold Tribe, brothers and sisters... it means to die defending the innocents, to secure their future with no regard of our own. The citizens are of priority here. Let us grant them a safe exit.

Hey, leader, Zack's worried, awkward tone filled the communications channel. No need to be so pessimistic, he chuckled nervously, I'll, uhh, I'll, tell you what, I'll come pick you all up with the Fury-- there was a sound of an explosion from the sky; the pink shields of the Storm's Fury flickered and faded for a second, then they were restored. Wow, Frank, get us the hell outta here! Uhh, you get my point, right? Can't serve the realm if we're dead, heheh...



OOC: the enemy has breached the southern gate (somehow)! They're pouring all over the main road. You who've set traps, it's your turn. You who've returned from the caves, you can help them out!

 

[<Challenger>]

Kallet "Dauntless" Galliger

Kallet watched as the Stygian troops poured through the now-open gate. Dammit! I was expecting the gates to hold up a bit longer! The first soldier to come running in was a fearsome-looking Tyranitar. He paused under the threshold of the gate and roared in challenge, "I AM THOR, CHAMPION O-" PHOOM! Before the man could finish his monologue, a Voltorb came down on top of him, blowing three of his companions, as well as himself, to pieces.

Kallet grinned at the destruction. Good job, Ajax. He looked over at one of his personal Electrodes. There were dozens hidden throughout the upper parts of the buildings for his own personal use, but he had piles of rocks and stones as well, and he intended on making good use of them. Seeing as he was in command of the troops on this street, it was his job to spring the ambush.

Dozens of Stygian troops, now moving slowly, began to advance again. They met no traps in the first few feet, their confidence returning. They rushed forward with their battle cries sounding out, only to turn to pain-filled howls. It was obvious they discovered the Stealth Rocks and various spikes. There were a few dozen Stygian troops within the spikefield. Enough to narrow them down. Maybe we can push them out of the walls again... "FLAMETHROWERS, FIRE!" Heh. Pun. From down below, dozens of flames flooded into the street, completely engulfing many of the poor souls who were trapped by the spikes. Soon enough the horrible screams and curses died down, the soldiers now dead.

But that wasn't the end of it.

Dozens of troops poured through the walls, this time a wave of steel types. They managed to bear through the pain of the spikes, and a few even made it through the Flamethrowers. Doors were kicked in and soldiers were killed. The enemy pressed on. The first thing Kallet did was pick up the biggest stone he had stored, about the size of Graveler, and chucked it as hard as he possibly could. The stone struck an Aggron across the head, leaving it either dead or unconscious. Bam! A second rock struck a Medicham in the gut, crumpling it over. WOOHOO! "TROOPS..." Dauntless called out throughout the street, "ATTACK!" Several different ranged-fighters, ranging from a Magmortar to a Grumpig, leapt out from alleyways and began to fire attacks into the growing crowds. Several of the more limber troops hurled rocks down from above like Kallet. As many troops as they brought down, more replaced them.

Eventually the enemy began to press forward, slowly but surely. Kallet had exhausted his stone pile. Time to set some things off. He picked up his Electrode and looked to the first 'mine' he had placed earlier. Time to wreak some havoc. The Electrode left his hand. Seconds later, a blinding explosion went off, devastating an entire building and the street it resided on. If their taking the city, they can have the husk I leave them. Broken bodies lay everywhere. Ha! Many of the defending troops took the cue and began to set off mines in every which location.

After a few moments the explosions ceased. The Stygians, now aware of the threat on the roofs, sent their most limber soldiers scrambling up the walls. Dauntless was met with a Toxicroak with an evil sneer on his face. "You're gonna die, monkey." His fist began to glow purple as he lunged forwards.

Dauntless, ever the acrobat, easily avoided the attack and smirked. "You don't know who you're dealing with." His fist began to glow a bright white.

The Toxicroak, now angry, began to lash out randomly, paying no heed to strategy anymore. "WHY. WON'T. YOU. DIE?!" Brick Breaks were flying everywhere.

Kallet couldn't help but smirk as the Stygian tried to slay him. Cute. His right fist shot forward in a Focus Punch, catching the opponent square in the jaw. The poison type flew off of the roof into the troop-flooded streets below. Kallet began to look for his fellow ambushers to find that most were being overtaken in single combat. Dammit...We're getting picked off. He called out to his fellow soldiers, "FALL BACK TO THE SECONDARY POSITION!" He began to leap between buildings. "FALL BACK! FALL BACK!" He could only count a dozen soldiers leaving out of the fifty or so that had staged the ambush. We're losing men fast...

The troops moved quickly to the secondary position, an ad hoc barrier that had been thrown up across the entire street, sort of like a sandbag wall composed of barrels and crates. Dauntless and the other survivors leaped behind the small wall to find a few more dozen soldiers, all raring to fight. As he tried to catch his breath he filled them in on the situation. "They've broken our first line of defense. We're all that's left, I believe. They still have yet to hit some mines though."

Brawler, the Diggersby from before, approached Kallet and nodded. "We can hold them here for a good while. We can buy more time, but nothing beyond that."

Kallet nodded. "We need some more damn reinforcements bad. They'll overwhelm us before we can put a dent in them." He paced back and forth as he heard more explosions in the distance. "They're closing in. EVERYONE, GET READY!" Battle cries could be heard now. The horde was coming.
​

 

[CourageHound]

Noah Endris ~ The Flash & Thrasher
A Vital Decision...​

Thrasher had been following along, though a nagging thought entered his mind. How did these soldiers figure out they were going to use the aqueducts? The answer seemed simple enough, basically they had gold tribe that had rebelled and joined the rebellion. Now the next question was.. how much preparation had the army done? The aqueducts DID lead into a Stygian city, meaning there would be many Stygians up there. Simply put, they could come out and be blasted or worse, have a new bomb thrown in that would collapse the tunnel upon them and kill most of them. With that in mind he couldn't help but wonder if they should use another exit out of the tunnels.

They did have many ways out into the gray wastes, and if they all rushed out into the city then they would be grouped up as well as seen by rebels informants. All that needed to be done was let the army know what species had come up, and they could search through the city or monitor anyone leaving. It was a fool proof plan in fact, so much so that Thrasher had to face Flash, "Brother, I must confess, it would no doubt be better for us to split the forces, to take a different route from the others." He glanced around the tunnels as they ran along. "If there are informants up there, then they can monitor the inside of the city as well as follow us around once we leave the aqueducts."

The Flash turned to Thrasher with a puzzled expression but nodded soon enough. "Which route are you deciding to take? I'm not sure where I would be most effective..." Glancing behind him at the explosions he quickly added, "I'll take a vacant route by myself if that's quite alright."

Thrasher nodded, then his voice dropped, "Listen... " He paused for a bit as screams filled the air, "They're dying." He said softly, "The Stygians are killing their own." He murmured. "Why would they betray their culture in such a way?" He mused. "There is something wrong with that army... and we aren't going to figure it out by standing here and fighting them." He looked at the limp soldier he still held, "We need to figure this out soon. We need to get these soldiers we captured out of here as quickly as possible, we can't risk losing them. They have answers. They were ready to bomb their own aqueducts under their own city for crying out loud!" He hissed. "You get what I'm saying... correct?" It was no small feat, to disobey the leader's commands... but at the same time it made sense to the Primeape's mind.

The situation seemed to be getting tenser as time dragged on. The Typhlosion eyed the prisoners that they carried. "I...well if you feel strongly about this, then I suppose..." He then shook his head more convincingly. "Alright, we need to reach a safe location where we can interrogate them. Swiftly enough to where we can return to directly supporting allies. The Grey wastes sound suitable?"

Thrasher thought a bit more and looked on at the battle that the Haxorus and Floatzel were undergoing, "Flash... you must realize this." He looked at him, "If we do this... if we do abandon to do a greater good... we will face the consequences. Understand?" He said with a firm stare, "I will not hold you accountable if you do decide to run out with me or if you wish to stay and help the others... but if we can figure out why the army is doing this willingly... then it will help. It is ultimately up to you."

"Yes I do realize the consequences and several things are unfolding at once. I do admittedly prefer to stay here and support the others. However I do understand your concerns. No matter which option we take there will be a consequence of some kind." He grew more calm yet maintained a serious expression. "Answer me this. Do you think you will be able to handle venturing out into the wastes alone? If you feel as though you need assistance, i'd gladly accompany you."

Thrasher nodded, "I will need help. The civilians are already pouring into the tunnels, we can use that time to block off other tunnels to the wastes and ensure their protection as well. Get as many up through the aqueducts. Why would the Stygians bother going after civilians" He paused, "We're heading into the caves. Remember that one cave that was a dead end? We go there, make sure no one snakes up on us, and find out what they know." He looked at Flash, "We can do this."

The Flash doused the flames on his shoulders seeing as Thrasher's plan caused for stealth. "Alright I'm with you. You lead us to which tunnels need to go down." He took of his golden armband and placed it securely into his berry pouch in his waist.

Thrasher likewise slid the gold band off of his arm and pushed it into the thick fur covering his abdomen. Garland wouldn't like this at all, but they had to take initiative as well. He did remember one time... a long time ago. Sometimes, it was better to disregard orders in some situations. He ran back to the tunnels and grunted as he moved among the civilians. He pushed through and tumbled out into the empty tunnel, "This way Flash! We get them awake and force them to talk!" He cried out.

Upon entering the tunnel to the cavern, he launches a fireball at the entrance causing a minor cave in. "That way were won't receive any possible interference and they have no escape route." He positioned the captives along the stone wall then fed them each an oran berry from his sac. A minor sacrifice, as it wasn't the best fruit he carried with him. He braced himself for a possible resistance. Whatever the case, there was nowhere for them to run, and answers were needed badly.

Thrasher looked on at the Klefki and curled his hands into fists. "No running you two. You're prisoners of war." He muttered. "Now... tell us... why?"

 

[Greiger]

Punisher - Breaking up fights is NOT cool​

​

Oh, he had him. Yeah, the frog was fast, but he was stronger. He just needed to grab-need-ne-WHY WAS HE SO FAST!? This frog was cheating, that was it! He was so seriously cheating! Whenever he tried to grab the real Greninja he would just pass by and that was making Punisher so mad! "Oh come on!" He shouted out angrily. That's when he heard Pendro cry out. He looked up, "DAMMIT CASSANDRA!" Punisher shouted out as he began to run. He looked up and began to run as fast as he could as it tipped lower and lower. He wasn't the fastest, but he was able to finally crouch and raise his arms to shield his body as flames and a loud boom sounded out. The ship landed down and he clutched to the wall to help keep him stationed, but soon soldiers began to stream in. On the one hand, it was bad, on the other he saw something he could jump on now. Why use ladders when you can just have a cushy bed of soldiers to land on? He was just a bit burned, but he was big enough to not have been blown off the walls thankfully.

The machamp cried out as he jumped down, landing on an unfortunate Glaceon and Sentret. He rose up and his adrenaline kicked into high gear as he grabbed two nearby startled soldiers. They were small enough and he began to fling them about, using their bodies as weapons as he whacked and smacked them into other forms. "Heh, and they say I'm not creative!" He chuckled out. He swung his mini weapons about, but the soldiers were still flooding out and soon they would overwhelm him. That wasn't good, time for a plan B. "Hey ya go!" He cried out as he threw the soldiers he had out on the advancing crowd and spied a large piece of rubble from the crashed ship. The metal was hot as he touched it, but he only held it for a bit as he flung it out and crushed a few soldiers under the weight of it, but more importantly it served as a temporary barrier they would have to climb over. It was still hot so most would end up succumbing to the pain and not bothering to climb.

Punisher ran along between the buildings until he saw another scene. There was a brother there, an Ambipom and he rushed to the voice that had shout out. "Heh, Punisher on the scene!" He cried out. He had to flinch as he saw the numbers rushing at them, but his fear was quickly overwhelmed by his adrenaline. "Hm… rubble around." He picked up a stray piece of a broken building and threw it into the crowd of soldiers, "Heh, trim them out." He said eagerly.

He looked at the Ambipom and smirked, "Heh, we can take them." He said as he looked back up at the rushing soldiers and cracked his knuckles. "Just let them come to their demise." He said with a chuckle. "Also, the wall is breached, so we may have some soldiers heading to us from the other way. Thus." He looked behind the group, "We'll need to divide our attention."

 

[GastlyGibus]

"Cassandra!? What did you do!?"

Cassandra, confused, looked up, seeing a huge airship about to crash into the walls. She turned in a panic, seeing that Punisher had already dashed a ways off. She had been too caught up in her Petal Blizzard she hadn't noticed the wreckage flying towards them. Her eyes widened in horror; there was no way she could escape in time.

In a panic, Cassandra turned, leaping away from the blast, but it was too late. The explosion rocked her vision, sending her flying off the walls towards the ground below in the city streets. She fell to the ground, violently crashing and rolling some distance away before coming to a complete stop. Intense pain wracked her limp form as she struggled to hold onto consciousness. Cassandra lay still in the aftermath of her landing, unable to move.

Her vision went black for a few seconds, but to her it felt like a lifetime. The blast deafened her, the only audible noises being a high-pitched ringing and her own breathing. For a moment, she was oblivious to the world around her, too wracked with pain to comprehend what was going on. Slowly, her hearing began to come back. The sounds of battle could be heard, Stygian rebels pouring in through the hole created in the crash. Everything sounded so distant, as if she were miles away, but it was all right in front of her. She brought her head up; her vision was blurred, but she could make out the shapes of the rebels as they took advantage of the crash, infiltrating the city.

The rebels began to siege the city, clashing with the defenders in a vicious struggle. The rebels ignored her, assuming her to be dead. With the pain she was in, they were almost right. Suddenly, one of the rebels, a Rhydon, walked over to her, looking at her with a sadistic grin. As her hearing became clearer, she heard his gloating.

"Still alive?" he jeered, readying his fist for an attack. "Don't worry, I'll fix that for ya!"

Pained as she was, she needed to do something. She was not going to die here, helpless before a common soldier. She raised her hand, ignoring the pain it caused her; she just needed this one attack…

"Oh, still got some fight left in ya?" the Rhydon laughed. "Not for-- gah!"

The Rhydon froze in place, an unseen force grabbing his form and sucking the life out of him. In her wounded state, Cassandra managed to get out a single Giga Drain attack. The Rhydon vitality drained from him quickly, filling Cassandra with a surge of energy. She slowly rose to her knees, keeping the attack held on the Rhydon as he began to fall. Her wounds began to heal slightly, and soon enough, the Rhydon was no more. His lifeless form fell limp, collapsing on the ground. Cassandra rose to her feet, though not without some difficulty. The Giga Drain managed to provide a temporary relief, but she was still in no condition to fight.

She frantically searched the area, limping over to an empty alleyway. Here, far from the fighting in the main streets, the Lilligant leaned against the wall, sliding down onto the ground with her back against the wall. Cassandra slammed her hand to the ground, using Ingrain to provide further healing for her wounds. She just needed a few minutes to recuperate…

Cassandra only hoped that she had that kind of time….

*****​

"Go help the others in the main road, I'll handle this. And I want no objections."

Tavhir looked at Garland with aggravation. The Floatzel was suicidal, thinking he could take the Haxorus alone in his weakened state. Regardless of his own opinions, he heard the last part of Garland's order. No objections.

Tavhir simply nodded his acceptance. If "The Exalted" wanted to die a fool's death, then so be it. The Pawniard turned towards the south gate, seeing his fellow Gold Tribe brethren defending that entrance. Turning to the site of the crash, he saw no such defense, and the incoming horde from the south-east needed to be repelled.

Tavhir took off towards the wreckage in a full sprint, rushing to meet the enemy head on. These Stygians… no, these weren't Stygians. True Stygians would respect the traditions of their people, even in times of war. These rebels - these barbarians - had taken to ransacking the city itself. Tavhir's blood boiled over, filling him with rage. These primitive beasts would soon feel his wrath. He passed by an alley, filled with Alamangan troops setting traps. Tavhir pointed his bladed hand at them, shooting them a cold glare.

"You," he said, addressing the group. "Follow me. We need to cover the civilian's escape."

The soldiers, seeing Tavhir's scarf and Gold Tribe insignia, simply nodded, abandoning their devices and following the young Pawniard into battle. They charged headfirst towards the invaders, as Tavhir shouted a battlecry to invigorate the soldiers behind him.

"Let's show these fools how true Stygians fight! For Althalos! For Alamanga!"

Spoiler:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hj2vU2nr5Jw

 

[Garet]

Jacob "Prankster" Marinos
Alamagna - Falling Back
~~~~~

"Jake! Watch out for the falling airship!"

Jacob formed a Protect around himself, allowing himself the time to look up at where the airship would land. Not on top of the south-southeastern gate he stood at, but the ship's impact was sure to change the tide of battle. "Hey." Jacob turned briefly to the Watchog at the Hyper Beam cannon, moments before the ship would land. "I think we're gonna need to fall back."

~~~~~

Okay, even considering the damage that the one airship had done with crashing onto a section of the walls, Jacob did not see how any Pokemon could have gotten from that hole to this gate so soon to open it. No, he was even more sure now that the Stygians had an insider.

It had been a few minutes since Jacob and others had fallen back from the south-southeastern gate, which had been opened sooner than expected. The traps they'd laid - Toxic Spikes, Sticky Web, Stealth Rocks, to name a few - had done their job in slowing the advance of the enemy. Jacob and the soldiers that had been lying in wait had struck with long-range attacks while enemy troops were distracted with trying to break through the trapped area.

It was inevitable. Enough troops that Jacob and others were now falling back gradually through their section of the city, fighting for every yard. In their street, Jacob and two other Pokemon threw up a large Protect in front of their group of soldiers, blocking a SolarBeam and two Fire Blasts for the next two seconds before the barrier dissipated. As a few Pokemon tried rushing straight at them, Jacob's fur briefly crackled as he dished out a Thunder Wave, slowing the closest enemies and allowing them to be shot down.

"Monsters!"

Jacob looked up sharply, seeing what an ally had meant. The enemies were actually attacking the houses! This was not the way of a true Stygian. At the same time, though, the battle was such that, with the gate open wide, enough enemy Pokemon were pouring through that the defenders were losing ground no matter what. As his previous Reflective wall fell, Jacob raised his arms and formed another Reflect and renewed the Light Screen as well, lessening the damage of the enemy's attacks.

A second pair of Pokemon formed another Protect in front of the street's defenders, but the next Hyper Beam broke it. They fell back again, this time to a physical barrier of crates and other objects. Jacob stepped up long enough to fire a Psychic wave that swept down the street in front of him, pushing back the enemy soldiers for a couple seconds.

As he came back to the cover of a crate, a Haunter appeared at Jacob's side. "What now?" she asked, watching as Jacob peeked out and fired a Psybeam into an approaching Rapidash, which fell to the ground.

"Hide for now," Jacob answered quietly, ignoring the looks that a few soldiers gave him. He jumped up into the air, clapping his hands together. The red barrier of a Quick Guard formed in front of them, stopping the Quick Attacks of a Doduo and a Blitzle in their tracks. Returning to the ground, Jacob added to the Haunter, "Sonia, assume that your place will be found. Stay hidden, be careful. If after this battle, your place isn't compromised, gather the essentials and get outta there. I'll contact you twenty-ten-four hours from now."

"Of course." The Haunter faded from view, leaving the defenders.

Once again, more and more enemy troops got close enough for personal combat that the call came to fall back again. Jacob knew that with the breaches formed by the crashed airship and the opened gate, the battle for Alamagna was only being drawn out now before the invaders' eventual victory.

 

[Karma Police]

Aidan "Silvertongue" Wyldfire​

Aidan thrust his claws into the soft belly of the Grumpig in front of him, deep into him, and heard the Grumpig splutter and groan. He felt the warmth of his body escape, and the cold envelop his hand as he finally pulled his hand out and wiped the blood off it. Looking at the bloodied main road in front of him, Aidan let out a long sigh.

"War," He thought, "Always so very interesting..."

The Charmeleon was one of the few left from the first line of defense. He was usually not one who stood in the frontlines but this time, considering the violent attack that had taken place, he had felt it was necessary. Most of his fellow soldiers were dead, dying, or fleeing back though, and he had watched it all take place while he picked off enemies one by one. He liked getting close when he slaughtered his enemies. He felt it was his duty to feel their last moments of life slip out from within them.

The enemies had just charged through their defenses despite the Electrode mines and their various traps. They were fighting a losing battle here. Aidan retreated to where his fellow Gold Tribe members were. The command for the defense of the gate had been given to Dauntless, who even Aidan agreed was suited for the job. Aidan spotted the barriers and jumped behind them quickly, and waited for Dauntless to issue them their next command.

"They're closing in. EVERYONE, GET READY!", he heard him yell, and that was followed by a deafening war cry from all the members huddled behind the barrier. Aidan peeked up and spotted a huge amount of Pokemon still charging towards them. Some hit the leftover mines and went down on the spot screaming, but the main force was still charging.

"Holding our position in such a hopeless situation... heh. I would have done the same." Aidna smiled. His black eye twitched, reminding him that he probably would have retreated and not stayed behind, but Aidan ignored the feeling. He was a changed Pokemon now. He was a member of the Gold Tribe.

Aidan walked towards Dauntless, who had now been joined by Punisher who had just pointed that the gate was blown. Scoping out the enemy once more, Aidan turned his head back towards Dauntless and did what he did best - advice.

"The enemy obviously have a great advantage over us, in numbers and tactically too, but I still believe we can beat them." He started, because taking a long breath. "But, this barrier cannot be held. Somebody will have to cushion the blow..." Aidan pointed at the force of Pokemon that were charging towards them. "We will have to bring the attack to them, rather than them bringing the attack to us. But looking at their numbers, it seems like a suicide run. I can hold this position along with a strong frontline and some ranged attackers, but we have to strike back. We can't hold here forever. But for the time we have, we have to take down as many as we can."

 

[Ray Maverick]

Earthquake

They circled around each other, keeping their distance. A cloud of dust blew across the ravaged square, between the dragon and the otter. The tension made the air stiff and numbed the screams from the outside. They were alone, now, none would dare interrupt them. Romulus begun wondering how best to handle the situation. Garland had seen him fight before, he knew how to counter him, and he could feel broken bones inside his chest, although the pain was only minor. He hissed a curse, baring his fangs with hostility. Garland was calm, on the other hand, his expression showing absolutely nothing. It wasn't hateful, it wasn't sad, it wasn't disappointed. It was Garland's stone face. Romulus doubted if his expression would be any different if he was watching his son sparring with his peers; the truth was, he hadn't smiled in a long time...

"So, what bargain did you forsake our vows for?" Garland asked him calmly, as if making casual talk.

"I am to cut off your head and bring it to Chantalai," Romulus immediately answered, cracking his knuckles, which caught on dragonfire - the fire of the dragons, the element which differentiated a Dragon Claw from a mere Slash. Following his words, the ground thumped with every step of his charge forward. Garland's icy blue eyes reflected the red and blue dragonfire, and from his fur emerged water that dripped on the ground. The two rushed to meet each other, joining hands to battle each other with their strength. Dragonfire fought against water, and although it was obvious Romulus was at an advantage, the water on Garland's hands was not extinguished. They let go, then clashed again. The Floatzel appeared to have a wound on his chest, but he didn't appear to falter under Romulus for one moment.

The dragon glanced to the right, then suddenly let go and slashed at his opponent, dragonfire trailing behind his hand; he was expecting Garland to use Ice Punch - that would really serve to counter him at that moment. But he was disappointed. Instead of ice, a sudden torrent of water merely pushed him back, without hurting him.

"My head, in return for his trust? I'm afraid not. My head will remain on my shoulders for now," Garland told him. "A pity, though... all those brothers and sisters, fallen on the Mark..." Garland's shadow appeared behind the rising water; he dealt the Haxorus one, two quick hits to the neck, which almost made him stagger.

"Hit me," Romulus roared angrily, "come on! Show me you're angry for what has been done! Show me how your blood boils with fury, how your head pounds with the thought of the next death I bring to the tribe! Whose head shall I take next?"

Garland's mouth tightened, but his face gave no emotion, it was only collected in concentration. They joined hands again, dragonfire against water, locked in a battle of strength. Romulus bent his legs, jumping backwards a few feet up; when he landed, the earthquake he caused shook down the surrounding houses to rabble, cracked the square terribly, but the Floatzel seemed unharmed. Somehow, he had managed to avoid the shock-wave. A stream of water came rushing out of his mouth to hit Romulus. Suddenly, the stream froze middle air - literally. The ice travelled quickly to Romulus's leg, freezing him to the ground; he watched Garland propelling himself above the frozen water in an Aqua Jet technique which hit him right in the chest. Romulus only grunted, his dragonfire extinguished from his hands, which were spread wide to his sides. He'd almost made a mistake.

"A few fractured bones?" Garland asked him, keeping his distance. Romulus had already broken himself free from the ice. He nodded curtly. Suddenly, the memory of Vendra came to his mind, and how she had said that she loved the ice. He didn't know why she'd told him that; perhaps the witch wished to get him to her side with small talk.

He glanced behind him, to the gates, where the shouts of the rushing warriors were coming from.

"You're out of luck," Romulus stated solidly. "Brynjolf's made it his goal to kill Althalos. Thinks he'll be the General if he's the one who did the dirty job. Althalos's death will be cruel and savage. Not as cruel and savage as the torture the Gold Tribe who were captured alive will go through..." He saw surprise taking over the Floatzel's face. Now he knew that not all the members of the squad that was sent to negotiate peace with Chantalai had been killed. Indeed, Vendra had commanded that they keep some of them alive. For what purpose, Romulus did not know, but he had assumed it was torture. He'd never seen them again.

Romulus put these thoughts aside and charged forward again, bringing down his claws in a slashing attack, which grazed Garland to his side. The Floatzel answered with his own watery slash, but he barely managed to hurt Romulus's arm. They kept their distance after that.

"Were those men underground Chantalai's? Teneth's, perhaps? I am not too sure on Brynjolf's perceptiveness..." Garland said, jumping high up in the air just as Romulus launched another earthquake; he smirked mid-way through his attack. That question had caught him off guard.

"I know nothing of the sort." He finally said; that was when Garland summoned his power to its full extent. Water flooded the ravaged square, to freeze almost immediately after Garland's fangs had turned to ice. That was the trademark technique of Garland, who developed it himself. No common Pokemon with water mastery could pull this off.

Romulus froze up to the waist, and this time, he couldn't move no matter how hard he tried. He felt the cold sapping his strength, but he'd felt much worse. Dragonfire burst in his hands; the ice started melting, but too slowly. At least he could not freeze entirely with his hands on fire.

Then, the Floatzel leaped backwards, once, twice.

"You're running away?" Romulus asked him, taken aback.

"This is a tactical retreat. This part of the city will soon be flooded with enemies."

"Don't run. You'll only die tired if you do."

The Floatzel glanced back to him. That was always what Colossus, their former leader, was telling them before a battle. "I may die today," Garland said, "but hopefully, it won't be you who does the deed."

​

 

[Turnip]

Pendro "Reaching Mind" Malis and Tahvir "The Restless" Eldren
Alamagna – Obsidian Citadel​

Tavhir charged forward towards the now-ruined south-eastern wall, determination etched on his face. Behind him he had the support of the Alamangan soldiers. They had no intention of winning this fight - the sheer number of enemies they faced made such victory impossible. Their objective was to hold them off, long enough for the civilians to escape from the city.

Tavhir let out a primal roar, infuriated by the barbarians they faced. Such arrogant disregard for their people's customs - it was insulting, and it made him sick. Together, Tavhir and his small band of soldiers met with their enemy's head-on. Despite their lacking in numbers, they fought with confidence. Tavhir used his small size to his advantage, sliding in-between foes with ease before brutally cutting through with his Metal Claw. Out of the corner of his eye, the Pawniard saw a Lairon charging forward at them. He quickly lept out of the way, the Lairon coming face-to-face with a Hitmonlee's Low Kick, slamming the steel-type down into the ground as Tavhir finished him off with Assurance.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the air... Pendro Malis was barely conscious. Reality seemed detached from him as his metal form twirled in the sky with the grace of a... Gastrodon. It wasn't very graceful - but still, it was a somewhat peaceful experience for the Metang. At least, until he began to plummet to the ground.

Pendro had been pretty unlucky in his taking of the ship's explosive crash. The initial impact and the first explosion had knocked him backwards. From there, he had bounced on the tristanite back walls of the battlements, ricocheting back towards the ship again, where a second explosive blast had flung him skywards. He'd been in the air for what had seemed like minutes, though he knew that couldn't possibly be the case - frankly, he was fairly surprised he wasn't dead already. Perhaps he was stronger than he thought he was. Or perhaps the Iron Defense technique was just really, really good. Either way, even if it wouldn't kill him, he was pretty sure that when the floor hit him, it would hurt like anything.

The Metang supposed that he could hardly stop it, though. He could float magnetically, but not this far up. He began to fall, more and more rapidly now, his panic increasing with with his speed. He muttered prayers to every deity he knew, then prepared one final Iron Defense in the hopes it might somehow save him. Pendro could feel the ground coming ever closer. The rush of wind blowing past him. Woosh... woosh, and then... SQUELCH.

Wait a minute, a Metang wouldn't squelch... that'd be more of a clang or a crash, or something. Why would I squelch? I mean, there might be a bit of a splat somewhere, I guess, but a squelch really isn't the right kind of noise. Unless...

Pendro opened his eyes. He was alive. He was ALIVE. How in all of Exathor had he survived the fa- oh, Arceus, no.

The Metang could see, now. What lay before him - no, under him - wasn't anything anyone should have to see, let alone poor Pendro. He lay on a mushy bed of... gore. Just... gore. Layers of fat marbled with blood, and some things to the left and right that looked to be paws - blue, with five short, stubby claws... a Snorlax. Pendro, despite being on the verge of vomiting - of course, Metangs couldn't, but he was starting to believe he could find a way - couldn't help but think that it kind of figured that a Snorlax would be capable of breaking his fall. Not without consequence though. Bloody consequence.

Pendro's eyes widened, then shut entirely. He was covered in blood and... other things. He screamed, shaking wildly, Psychic blasting his body clean. The Metang flew forwards, still screaming, finally coming to a stop as exhaustion caught up with him. Pendro fell to the ground, unconscious.

Tavhir cut through enemy after enemy. The ultimate goal wasn't victory, yet he relished the opportunity to put down these heretics. He swung his arm with precision, making a clean cut through the Sneasel before him, the ice-type collapsing, lifeless, to the ground.

Tavhir was lost in himself, nearly consumed with rage and bloodlust. In the distance, he saw a Snorlax charing forwards, only for the large rebel to be completely pulverized by falling debris. Except, that wasn't normal debris. Normally, chunks of metal didn't get up and start screaming in horror. Tavhir looked closer, realizing it was one of the Gold Tribe, Pendro!

"You there," Tavhir shouted, turning to face an allied Golem soldier. "We need to get that Metang to safety!"

The Golem nodded, quickly tucking in his limbs and rolling towards their collapsed comrade. With his strength, the pokemon easily lifted the Metang, making a quick dash towards an nearby alley, using his hard exterior to shield Pendro from harm. Tavhir quickly rushed over to the alley as well. The megaton pokemon lowered Pendro down gently as Tavhir caught up with him, giving the rock-type a nod of approval.

Tavhir focused his attention on the now-unconscious Metang on the ground in front of him. He shook Pendro slightly. "Brother, wake up!" Pendro jolted awake, though he soon collapsed in a heap again. His eyes were open, though, if a little dazey.

"I... what happened? I- I remember this- landing on a big trampoline, or-"

"A trampoline?" The Golem spoke up in a deep voice. "You landed right on top of--"

"Shh," Tavhir interrupted. The last thing they needed was for Pendro to faint again. "That's not important." He turned his attention back to the Metang. "Are you okay? I'm assuming the defense of the walls didn't work out as planned?"

"I'm..." As a means of testing, he tried to raise his arm, which flopped down almost immediately. "Not too great... I- the walls... everything just exploded - you had to have seen it, right?"

"Don't exert yourself," Tavhir cautioned. He was surprised that Pendro was still alive, even with his unfortunate cushion. "I saw the crash as soon as we left the tunnels." Suddenly, Tavhir remembered... Cassandra went to the walls! "The others, what happened to them?"

"I... I just landed, I don't know where- oh, stupid, stupid! I should have looked around in the air, I'm sorry... wasted opportunity."

Worry crossed Tavhir's face. He knew Punisher had went to the walls, and he saw the Machamp out on the field, so he obviously made it out okay. However, Cassandra was nowhere to be seen. He turned back to Pendro. "Stay put. We're almost done here. We'll come get you once we leave."

"You look worried."

"I..." he was about to respond, but he figured he shouldn't drag Pendro into his own problems. "It's fine. Just stay here. We'll come back for you soon."

"I... okay..." The Reaching mind gave in, closing his eyes in exhaustion. If only he had learned recover. Could he learn recover? He didn't even know. He didn't want to be useless, but in this state, he wouldn't be any use on the battlefield anyway...

Tavhir turned back towards the Golem. "You stay here and protect him. There's someone out there I need to find." With that, the Pawniard rushed back onto the field. The fact that Pendro was blown away by the explosion was bearing heavily on his mind. If Cassandra was there too, he could only imagine what fate had befallen her. He needed to find out, and time was running short.

 

[<Challenger>]

Kallet "Dauntless" Galliger​

Kallet felt as if those at the South-Eastern gate had been abandoned. No aid was coming. They would have to do as much damage as they possibly could before they went down.

A smirk came across his face as he heard a familiar voice. "Heh, Punisher on the scene!" The Machamp cried out. There was a pause in his action as he looked around. "Hm… rubble around." He picked up a stray piece of a broken building and threw it into the crowd of soldiers, "Heh, trim them out." He said eagerly. A smirk came across his face as he looked to Kallet. "Heh, we can take them. Just let them come to their demise." He said with a chuckle. "Also, the wall is breached, so we may have some soldiers heading to us from the other way. Thus, we'll need to divide our attention."

Another slightly-less comforting voice appeared, but it was comfort all the same. "The enemy obviously have a great advantage over us, in numbers and tactically too, but I still believe we can beat them." Silvertongue. The Charmeleon, although better than what he once was, was still a bit vicious. Even Kallet could see that. "But, this barrier cannot be held. Somebody will have to cushion the blow..." Silvertongue pointed to the charging horde. "We will have to bring the attack to them, rather than them bringing the attack to us. But looking at their numbers, it seems like a suicide run. I can hold this position along with a strong frontline and some ranged attackers, but we have to strike back. We can't hold here forever. But for the time we have, we have to take down as many as we can." The Charmeleon had a good mind for tactics.

Kallet began to think quickly. It was at times like this when he would think the best. He looked at the gathered soldiers and nodded. "Silvertongue is right. We can't stay here, but we can't attack. So let's do both." He pointed at the Charmeleon. "All of the ranged fighters will stay with Silvertongue here. See if you can fortify the barricade even more. I have a sack of Electrodes somewhere around here if you want to set them under it. Set 'em off as you retreat." He looked to Punisher. "If that's alright with you, you can lead the stronger fighters into the thick of it, for the time being of course." He looked to a few of the gathered soldiers, all bulky fighters. "I'll be giving you support from above with some Electrodes of my own, as well as some rocks. That's the best options for now." Dauntless looked out of the corner of his eye to see a group of Stygian soldiers break into a house. There was a brief sound of resisting and the screaming families. Those sons of ♥♥♥♥♥es... "Let's go f*ck these guys up." With that, he turned to the nearest building and began to scale it rapidly. There were a few surprises he needed to unleash.

 

[Greiger]

Flash and Thrasher: A Torture Interrogation Event​

​

"Now... tell us... why?"

"Why? Why what?" the Klefki answered half-heartedly.

At that Thrasher's fist flew out and punched the Klefki right in his head, "Wrong answer." He sneered. "Why give up your traditions? Even I'm Stygian and I can see what you soldiers are doing is wrong. I'll ask again... why?"

The Flash's eyes narrowed at the Kleffki after the question was repeated. "Specifically, what is your purpose here in this seige as well as your allies'. We don't like to play games. Especially when numerous innocents are dying as we speak."

The Klefki recovered from the blow Thrasher had dealt him in the head. "You call yourselves Gold Tribe?" he said, scornfully, "I never knew you'd stoop as low as this..."

At the last remark the Typhlosion's flames errupted from his back infuriated and the area around him instantly became unbearably hot. He takes three steps toward the Klefki and stared into it marble black eyes. Despite his rage, he managed to speak in a calm and controlled tone. "You speak as though you embrace honnor. Filth like you are worth smacking around to find answers. Now I will await a solid answer once more. Or may I remind you that mon' are dying and I lack the patience to endure stupidity?"

Thrasher frowned and placed his own hand against the wall and tsked, "Well, rules are being broken everyday now Klefki. I mean look at you all, going around and killing your own family members. Now, I could understand easily if say you went into Hesperian territory and slaughtered everyone there and wiped them off the face of the continent... but here you are, going into a Stygian city, a city that probably is the living center for hundreds of families whose sons, daughters, and parents are in the army... and yet you destroy it."

He leaned in closer and then his eyes seemed to glimmer with some humor, "On the one hand, you can tell us... but at the same time I'm a collector of sorts. You have quite a number of keys on that chain of yours... and some of them I have never seen before. You wouldn't mind if... I pulled off a few, right?"

Klefkis had no expression, so there was no way to tell how this one felt at the moment, but his psychic voice revealed doubt and worry. "The city... what's going on? Tell me what's going on! They're destroying the city?"

Thrasher stepped back and then nodded, "Yes... the army is destroying all of the buildings. Hear that in the tunnels?" He paused as he let the screams of the civilians flooding the tunnels reach their location. "The citizens are being killed, slaughtered in the streets. The whole city is being essentially razed. Obviously you must have had orders, if you managed to beat whoever entered the aqueducts, to also come out and join in killing off all the people entering the aqueducts. In fact... that's probably why they were placed there." He said turning to Flash now, "Wait for citizens to come at them, then kill them as they ran on... it would have been a massacre in that case."

Although he was starting to believe the Klefki had no idea what was going on he was playing a straight face. Hopefully that would get some more information from the Klefki and he passed as subtle wink to Flash, hoping he would catch on to his idea.

His eye catching the Primeape's signal he then formulates a Will-o-Wisp composed of three purple-blue ghostly flames. They then levitate above the steel types head and circle above in an eerie fashion. "So what exactly were you aiming to acheive if you so happened to avoid running into us?"

"We were ordered to wait and eradicate anyone who showed up," The Klefki cried, seemingly yielding, "our next order never came, so we just waited..."

Thrasher leaned down and patted the Klefki lightly, "Let me ask... during the rebellions has anything like this ever happened? Do you know why the army would start massacring the city?" He asked. "If you can think of anything... we might be able to save the lives of countless civillians. What would cause the whole army to suddenly start doing this?"

"You really thought I would know that? We are just pieces the lords reach, grab and move. We are told to kill, we kill... we are told to destroy, we destroy. Same as you, you're pieces; the Emperor decreed that the defense of Alamagna be solid at all costs, and you'll die in it trying to protect a lost city. The only difference between you and us is, we don't question orders, we never know our purpose until the next order. We're just pieces."

Thrasher shook his head, "Yet... I had orders to go and help on the main road, but I refused them, because unlike you, I am not a simple piece." He stood back up, "And I suppose if you two had any family or friends in the city... they are long since dead. Simply because you choose not to think."

"... I don't suppose you'll let us go?" the Klefki asked.

The Flash sighed and turned, the ghostly flames disapearng and the bonfire on his back simmering down. "...I'm generally adverse to killing when unnecessary. You complied without much trouble, though you are still scum. I don't really care what you do now as long as you stay out of the way." He gave a slow glance to Thrasher. "What do you suggest? Either way, we must make haste. Our comrades are waiting."

Thrasher nodded, "I agree too." He looked at the two, "I am sorry if you have lost loved ones in the city... but I am also not one to kill a defenseless opponent. Remember this day... and maybe you'll start thinking with your own mind." Wiht that Thrasher began to move back out to the main tunnel, "Flash, we'll need to find where our brothers are and get to them."

"Bone, get us outta here," the Klefki ordered the other prisoner, the Chandelure; they grabbed each other and became transparent, passing through the wall. In their hurry to leave, one of the two seemed to have dropped a piece of paper on the floor. It had a symbol drawn onto it: a zeppelin within a triangle.

The Typhlosion ever perceptive, picks up the peice of paper that the captives dropped. Scrutinizing the illustration he isn't initially able to figure out its meaning. With a huff, he stuffs it in his pack and dashes after Thrasher who was already headed back to the core of the fighting.

 

[Ray Maverick]

Althalos

"General! General! The nobles are requesting that we let them run to the escape routes!" One of his soldiers shouted to him. The Gigalith stood on a rock, keeping a vigilant watch on the progress of the battle that unfolded on the streets below. It was madness down there. Many good soldiers had fallen already, even if they were retreating. Staying here was suicide - especially for the nobles, who were defenseless. Althalos almost gave the signal, but Zack's voice permeated his mind again.

General Althalos, your position is compromised. The enemy troops have spread wide in the streets and are progressing towards the first district, to the north. If they are allowed to reach there, they will block your escape and surround you.

Explosions were set off in the main road, cobblestone and ground and enemies were flying everywhere. Screams rose to the air. But with every fallen attacker, two more showed up, taking their place in the charge. The defenders were forced back, fighting desperately to hold the ground. But in the meantime, other groups of their enemies moved through the city - Althalos would glimpse them momentarily, before they were lost from sight, behind the houses. Zack was right, if their enemies reached the caves, they would be waiting for them with their fangs bared and they would die between scum. Althalos cussed slightly, then turned to his soldier. "Letting them out will just make them easy targets on the streets," he said, glancing behind him to the Tower of Nobles. It was like a black spear emerging from the ground, next to the bigger building, the Obsidian Citadel.

"B-but, sir," the Nidorina soldier stammered, "they will die if they stay here..."

"They'll retreat once we retreat," the Gigalith decided. "That scum down there is spreading on the streets of the city. We must stop them, else we'll be surrounded and made corpses before we know what's going on." He turned to his troops, several dozens of good men, all of them Eshir, who were standing on the road that led to the top of the hill, where he was standing, awaiting for his orders. "Men! You heard me. Waste not a minute! Go, all of you. Form five groups and spread to the streets. Stop them from reaching the caves!"

"I have to object, sir, again," the Nidorina shouted desperately, "sending all of us is unwise... at least keep a few to protect you."

"Letting our rear uncovered is unwise," Althalos replied, "go, all of you. My life will mean nothing if we are overwhelmed by a force we cannot hope to match. I can manage well on my own."

His troops left him, marching quickly to the streets and separating into groups that would hunt down the attackers moving to the north. He felt fear now that he was alone and vulnerable; he didn't think himself as much of a fighter, but he'd already promised to himself that he would die bravely for Alamagna if need be. At this moment, he raised his head to the cloudless, sunny sky and prayed to Arceus for salvation - not for him, but for his family, who would be waiting for him. They were safe, back in Union City, but he couldn't bear the thought of them living their life without him.

His old heart beat faster when he saw what was happening in the main road. The attackers were pushing through the street. Now that they were well within the city, many groups spread to nearby streets that could not have been rigged with traps and were headed straight towards the Obsidian Citadel, where the hill Althalos was standing on was. That moment, Zack spoke to his mind again. Beware, General, the heat is onto you. I see Lord Brynjolf from up here, and he looks really wild... in the front line of a certain group, Althalos could see him too: the Aggron was rushing in the street, a big group of soldiers following close behind him, making sure not to outrun him. That big bully would get mad if his soldiers proved to be faster than him. Shall I call for help? Althalos asked himself, making sure not to be heard in the communications channel. Zack must've understood how he was feeling, though.

Be advised, fellas, Zack spoke, the General is under attack. We'll do what we can to keep the airships at bay. Any ground units, move towards the Tower of Nobles, A.S.A.P.!

The warning was a bit late, though, because the furious Aggron was already scaling the hill with his soldiers. Althalos wouldn't give him the pleasure of running away.

"Althalooos," Lord Brynjolf shouted as he ran up the hill, "you big rock, when I'm done with you, I'll make sure you join your cousins in the mountains! Har-har-har!" A Solrock soldier of his spat out a Fire Blast, but Althalos was much too far away to give an easy target; the seething flames blasted past him, missing for several feet. "No attacking, fool," Brynjolf roared, smacking the Solrock full in the face with a vicious backhand blow, sending him flying aside. "Halt, men. I'll deal with this nobody who calls himself General." The Aggron raised his arms in the air, letting out a mighty roar that shook the earth, while he stomped his feet on the ground. Something was brimming blindingly on his chest: a stone that hung from a pendant. It was a Mega Stone; the light soon spread to the rest of the Aggron's body, and he begun to change. His troops looked at him in awe.

"Go, Lord Brynjolf!" they shouted, and he roared. Althalos decided he wouldn't waste any time looking. He stomped his own feet on the ground, causing a rock slide. The rocks came crushing down the hill, striking the soldiers who were there, but Brynjolf seemed unharmed. In his new form, his defense was increased significantly, so he would just let the rocks bounce off his steel body, which was still shining from the Mega evolution... and from another technique, Autotomize. He bent his legs and leaped off the air as if he was light as a feather and quick like a Jolteon. Althalos was taken aback from the speed granted from the Autotomize. He reared back, barely able to ready an Iron Defense just in time for the collision; the Heavy Slam was way too powerful though and he staggered under the immense power of the Aggron. He took a few steps back, trying to think of a way to counter the monstrosity loose upon him.

The ground suddenly erupted next to him, a giant Steelix rushing out. "Althalos," she hissed, "you're mine!"

"NO, Shayla, down!" Brynjolf shouted as if he was ten years old, talking to his unruly pet, "he's mine!"

Althalos backed off from the two. He recognized the Steelix as one of the many cousins of Brynjolf's, who was denied the position of the Lady of the Tocan by Emperor Dareon; Brynjolf had a better claim. Those two seemed to fight often, but there was no denying their closeness. He would end up dead all the same whoever it was that took him on. Then the worst thing happened:

"Ya, sure, cos. Go ahead, I'll take great pleasure in watching you destroy this imbecile, and I'll make sure he's dead when you're done." She made a scary face to Althalos; she was really, really ugly. He couldn't believe he was once going to make that abomination his bride. It seemed he had dodged a bullet... "Are you all alone?" she said nastily, "have your troops abandoned you? Har-har."

Oh, Arceus, they sound they same when they laugh, was all Althalos could think of.

"Look at me, Althalos! It's me versus you, now! You're gonna die like a true Stygian!" The Aggron placed his massive hands on his legs, bending them for a second, before launching himself at Althalos in another Heavy Slam.

​

 

[Garet]

Sophia "Pyro" Marinos
Storm's Fury - Outnumbered
~~~~~

After the explosion that rocked the Storm's Fury, Sophia pushed herself back up from the deck and hurriedly put her part of the airship's barrier back up. Thankfully, the entire barrier was back online within seconds, but if they stayed, they'd probably be shot down. Speaking through the communications channel to the other Pokemon on board, Sophia said, "Okay, shooting down their flagship was a bad idea considering where it landed, but unless we shoot down more, we're not doing much good up here."

The white Meowstic went back to the rail and pulled herself back up again, looking back at the enemy fleet. Looking down, it was easy to tell that the city itself was not being spared. So much for Stygian courtesy. Sophia's eyes darted around, looking for an airship that was above any of the major fights. Marking one that was within range, she took a deep breath and Calmed her Mind again. Sophia fired a multicolored Psybeam at one of the enemy ship's balloons, which crashed into the barrier around it. Okay, that one actually has a good barrier up.

Would it be strong enough to resist her attacks, though? Sophia hopped back down and closed her eyes, focusing her mind even more. The Stored Power inside her grew even more with every moment of her Calm Mind, until the Meowstic's arms began leaking a little of the brimming power. Jumping up in order to see over the rail, Sophia pointed her arms and released her Stored Power at the airship she'd marked.

The result was explosive, to say the least. The Stored Power struck the barrier, broke it, and ripped through both of the enemy ship's balloons. The airship immediately began plummeting to the ground. Speaking to all the Gold Tribe on the ground, Sophia said, "You better watch out for the airship."

Several in the attacking horde had stopped to look up at the thunderous crash of power. They were the only ones to turn and try to escape before the attacking airship crashed into the city, just yards away from where Dauntless, Silvertongue, and Punisher stood.



Jacob "Prankster" Marinos
Alamagna - En Route
~~~~~

Nice going, Fi. Jacob was in a different area, taking a couple seconds to watch the enemy airship fall into another part of the city.

Beware, General, the heat is onto you. I see Lord Brynjolf from up here, and he looks really wild...

Zack's warning in the communications channel was enough for Jacob. "Who here can teleport?" Jacob called out to the other soldiers in his group, calling up another Protect to block a couple Thunderbolts.

"Here!" a nearby Claydol replied.

"I need to get to the General, ASAP!" To the soldiers in general, Jacob added, "Take cover, NOW!"

The city was being demolished anyway, so why not? Jacob darted out from cover and faced the oncoming Pokemon, covering himself with a brief Protect. As it faded, Jacob simply opened his ears, full-blast. According to hearsay and research, the organs inside a Meowstic's ears emitted psychic energy powerful enough to grind a 10-ton boulder to dust. Such power was, in most known cases, uncontrollable, hence Meowstic and Espurrs were taught control and to keep their ears closed.

Jacob had enough control to at least direct this power in the enemies' direction. Upon opening his ears, a Psychic wave swept down the street, Jacob's most powerful yet, stopping the enemy soldiers and even shoving them back several yards. After two seconds, Jacob closed his ears again and bent over, panting with the effort. He didn't want to see if the bit about grinding victims to dust was true.

It took a couple seconds for Jacob to realize that Zack had warned them about General Althalos being under attack. "The General's near the Tower of Nobles," the Claydol stated.

"Take me there," Jacob replied, turning and walking back to the defensive position. Despite his attack just now, there would still be more Pokemon to attack. The General needed to be defended, though. Jacob and the Claydol were outlined in blue light before they disappeared from sight.

A few seconds later, Jacob found himself on the side of a hill, looking up at Althalos and the Aggron he faced. "Hurry back, those soldiers could use a teleporter," Jacob said to the Claydol. The Meowstic hurried up the hill toward Althalos. Out of the corner of his eye, Jacob saw the Aggron bending his legs in preparation.

As the Aggron launched himself forward, Jacob threw a hand forward, and Althalos was surrounded by a Protective barrier.

 

[Necrum]

Lucius Noble, the Blue Baron

The earth quaked as an air ship collided with the city wall. Lucius watched the events unfold from the top of the wall, aghast at the sheer effort of the opposing army. To drive a falling ship into a wall seemed like an act of desperation. But from the ship, he spotted an escaping Braviary. "Hmph! If you're going to commit to such a rash action at least follow through with it..." No one was there to listen, though. Without another word, he began to follow behind the Braviary, though much slower.

The Braviary flew into another air ship, securing itself inside. Floating so far was not an easy task for the old Jellicent, but he managed to get a hand against the hull of the ship just in time. Having some sort of solid surface to tether to made it much easier to stay afloat. He made his way to the top of the ship, where he found himself surrounded. "Gold tribe on board! Kill him!"

"Hmm, all hostiles," Lucius mused to himself.

"Yeah, means you're gonna die!"

"No, it means no witnesses." A circular symbol with a triangle inside appeared on each of his hands. A shadow ball formed in one of them as he raised it, and fired upon the heckler. The rest began to attack, but The Blue Baron's left symbol turned a bright blue, and he strafed an Ice beam across half of them. A barrage of Shadow Balls cut through the attacks of his enemies, taking some damage through it all.

Bringing his hands together, Lucius began to amass energy in the form of a blue and violet sphere. "Icy Death!" Throwing his arms to the side, a blue pulse cut through the remaining forces.

The Ship was silent. "I know you're here, Braviary. Show yourself!" From a hatch in the deck, the Braviary burst forth. It flapped in place above, looking at the trespasser.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"It matters not who I or you are, because after this you will have no one to tell." Lucius shot an Ice Beam at the Braviary, but he dodged it, and began to fly around the ship. Lucius continued to use his Ice Beam, but he couldn't quite keep up with the swiftness of the Braviary. Then, he swooped in, and effortlessly struck Lucius with an Aerial Ace!

"You may not care, but I have pride! My name is Johnson, Captain of the Stygian Fleet!" Doing a quick turn around, Johnson fired a flurry of Air Slashes at the old Jellicent, all landing. It was wearing him down, slowly. He couldn't keep up with this kind of speed.

"Fine then, I am Lucius Noble, also known as-"

"The Blue Baron, yes, I know who you are. I also know you're old and slow. You don't stand a chance against me." The Braviary was right, he didn't stand a chance as he was now.

"Alright then, I suppose this means I don't have to hold back any more. Your demise comes now!" Throwing his arms out, Lucius began to whisper an incantation to himself, forming another symbol like the one on his hands, on the deck below him. The symbol was that of a circle with a pair of triangles inverted on each other, and a series of smaller circles at each point. A small, deep purple pillar of light emitted from each point as the circle spun in place. Black lines formed behind Lucius, creating a wall. When the lines ended, they started in different directions, until the outline of a box could be seen. The walls of the box, surrounding both Lucius and Johnson, began to fill in with black, engulfing the both of them. As the box came to a close, Lucius' eyes began to glow crimson. "Welcome to my Trick Room..."

The box was completely black on the outside, and if any had been observing it, it would have seemed completely opaque. Several moments passed with the Trick Room maintaining its presence on the Air Ship, before it began to fade away. When it had cleared, only Lucius was still standing. In fact, he was the only one still present. The time in the Trick Room seemed to have made Johnson completely disappear.

Using his Ice Beam, Lucius traced a circle on the air balloon, freezing the area. "Quickly shifting temperatures should do the trick!" The symbol on Lucius' right hand turned orange, and a small ball of flame with a deathly face ignited above it. "Hm, this should create enough heat." Jumping off the edge of the ship, Lucius threw the Will-O-Wisp at the circle of ice. The temperature difference burst a hole in the balloon, and ignited the gas inside. The ship's lift was lost and began to plummet to the ground ablaze in the wake of Lucius' presence. "Never taunt an old man about his age."

 

[GastlyGibus]

April 1st post. Not canon (duh).

Spoiler:

Tavhir jumped on the rooftops, when suddenly he heard Zack over the psychic link.

"Be advised, fellas, the General is under attack. We'll do what we can to keep the airships at bay. Any ground units, move towards the Tower of Nobles, A.S.A.P.!"

Tavhir, upon hearing this, reached into his pocket that he didn't know he had, pulling out a pair of pointy and impractical orange sunglasses. He donned the glasses on his face as he looked towards the ground, seeing a Throh on the ground fighting off the enemy.

"You there!" Tavhir shouted, pointing dramatically. "Throw me to Tower of Nobles!"

Without even waiting for confirmation, Tavhir leapt off the building, the Throh catching him just in time and tossing him with all of his might towards the Tower of Nobles. Tavhir straightened out his body like some kind of bad-ass spear and started spinning rapidly through sheer force of will. The more he spun, the faster he flew, drilling through the air at impossible speeds. He body began to glow, casting a brilliant light on the city below.

Brynjolf turned, mid-battle, seeing a small glowing spear-like object flying towards him. He gasped, before realizing just what it was.

"By the gods… where are you drawing all of this power from!?" The Aggron shouted at Tavhir, who kept spinning and building up more speed.

"We evolve… beyond the person we were a minute before! Little by little, we advance a bit further with each turn! That's how a drill works!"

"That is the path that leads to extinction! Why can't you see the pathetic limitations of the spiral race?!" The Aggron shouted back. As soon as the words left his mouth, the orange glasses-wearing Pawniard made contact with the steel type, ramming into him at full speed.

"EAT THIS!!!!" Tavhir shouted at the top of his lungs, long and drawn out like some kind of cheesy anime cartoon.

Brynjolf was knocked back by the force, rolling over to the edge of the cliff, just barely avoiding falling off. He got to his feet, looking over to where the Pawniard stood. He gave an indignant roar… he wasn't about to be beat by some punk kid with stupid glasses!

"And now… young Luke… you will die!"Tavhir taunted, his glasses shining with the sun's reflection.

"My name isn't even Luke!" Brynjolf yelled. "This is madness!"

"Madness?" Tavhir said calmly. He walked up slowly to the Aggron, determination in his eyes. "THIS! IS! SPARTAAA!"

Tavhir kicked the Aggron with all of his might, sending the steel-type toppling over the egde of the cliff to his doom. The rest of the Stygians, at such a display, began to retreat immediately. Althalos looked at the Pawniard with amazement. With his work done, Tavhir began to walk away, until Althalos raised his voice.

"Hey Tavhir," he began. Tavhir turned to face the Stygian general, the Gigalith looking at him intently. "Jesus, man!"

Tavhir nodded, and walked off into the sunset. The day had been saved, the rebellion destroyed forever. The end.

Spoiler:

Happy April 1st y'all! XDDD

 

[Ray Maverick]

The Exalted

The streets were full of terrified, helpless civilians who were stumbling upon each other in their hurry to escape. Garland briefly glanced behind him, before joining a few citizens who were running in the street. The Stygian onslaught pushed further into the city, reducing the buildings into dust and blasting everything they came across to bits.

He stumbled upon something on the road and almost fell. Clutching his chest, squinting his eyes from the pain, and dizzyness, he looked down; it seemed he had stepped onto an elderly Loudred, who grunted, looking back. His ugly face was awash with pain and sorrow, Garland could tell from the way he winced. Blood stained his side, coming from a large wound on the ribcage. "You're... Garland, the Exalted?" The Loudred said breathlessly. The Floatzel nodded wordlessly, offered him a hand, helping him up and stand.

"It's terrible," the elderly Loudred uttered wearily, limping as they walked slowly. Garland had to support his weight by circling the Loudred's body with his arm; it was sapping his strength and time. "Terrible..." he whispered, "my house! I've worked myself bloody to be able to afford a house in this district... now it's gone, my family is gone, my dear son..." Garland felt one of the Loudred's tears fall onto his hand, but he didn't want to look, else his heart would break.

"I'm sorry," Garland said, though he was barely heard, as an explosion cracked in the sky above their heads. What could I ever say? There's nothing to say... nothing. He heard something hissing from above, the sound of wild flames and wood cracking. Garland, as if by some instinct, pushed the Loudred to the side of the road and ducked, sticking close to the ground. The very next second, something huge crashed into the road, an explosion bursting; wood and shrapnel were sent flying towards any direction. Garland was blown away from the sound wave, and after a brief moment of a senseless, mad flight, he went right through the wall of a house about twenty feet away. Darkness before him.

When he came to his senses, the sound of war was still raging. He grunted, pushing away the debris of the wall and rubbing his head in pain. Dizziness claimed his senses, blurring his vision and spinning his head. "Must... not... fall behind," he muttered, his mind crazed with worry, one thought on his mind: the enemies were approaching. If they found him, he would die quickly and laying on the ground, as if he was some critter waiting to be killed. Garland had always pictured his death to find him on his feet, while fighting a strong opponent.

Trying to get up was hopeless; he laid back, accepting the darkness that numbed his senses. Then, miraculously, he was lifted up in the air. Strong arms, strong claws, tough skin. He raised his head slightly, to look at the shadow of the Pokemon that had lifted him up. But the sun was behind that Pokemon's head, blinding him, and his vision was already blurred. Somebody... somebody is carrying me, he thought before passing away.

Skysaber
​

The harpoon struck one of the airships onto the hull, electricity ran through it and it exploded. It was almost like watching the fireworks on the annual Celebration of Liberty festival. Zack tried to steer the ship away from the houses, but there was nowhere safe to make it fall. As he watched the airship fall upon civilian houses, he realized his new weapon was faulty and incomplete yet. But something else caught his attention quickly. At first, he thought it was a dark cloud; then, he realized it was a fleet of flying Pokemon coming towards the city. "AAAH!" he screamed, falling back on his butt. He pulled on the two antennas on top of his head, staring at the incoming flock of terror. "Nik... what are the chances they simply want to drink tea, play some chess and discuss physics?"

"I'm afraid there are no chances for any of that, sir," the Castform said worriedly.

Those Pokemon would raid Alamagna from the sky. As if the the raiders on the ground weren't enough!

"They're... they're too many! Waah! I've been shot!" Zack fell down on the deck and curled up in a fetal position.
​

"Zack, quit whining, they're two miles away and our barriers are fine!" Frank pointed out sharply, having just arrived on the deck.

Zack opened one eye to glance up, realized his facade wasn't working, then shut it again and clutched his belly. "I'm sick! Frank, please! Bring... ambulance... and a pen. I want to write my will, and also my memoir. Let the world know that the heroic captain of the Storm's Fury was struck down in battle not by his enemies, but by a deadly disease..."

Nik the Castform floated worriedly above the fallen Electabuzz, who had covered his forehead with the back of his arm and was crying rivers.

"Zaaack, get uuup!"

"It's no use, brave comrade, I can't move," Zack whined.

Frank crossed his arms, rolling his eyes. "It's the 'I'm too young to die' disease, isn't it?"

Zack blinked, taken by surprise. "How did you know?"

"Nik! Get him his moo-moo milk!'

 

[Jason Wolf]

Aecron walked over to Zack. Steady and ready as ever. He knew the captain was young and this was probably the first time he was in this kind of scenario. That first time you stare down impossible odds if you don't show fear you're clearly mad. The captain just needed something to go off of, so Aecron decided it was best to move ahead with the heavy artillery.

"Then we don't die." He said looking to the captain with a wink, "Alright sailors today we are carrying a payload that must be delivered. It is justice and vengeance for our fallen brothers and sister. We will show them the bonds of the gold tribe are strong than steel! Full ahead! Prep the cannons! Raider Tunnel Pig ready Big Bertha!"

The bisharp and swinub vanished below deck to go work on the cannon. Some sailors just sort of stopped and looked at Aecron knowing he wasn't the captain to which he replied,
"Did I say stand there! Get to your duties before I fire you out Big Bertha!"

The stragglers quickly got to work. Aecron went to bow and used detect to take a mental snapshot of the fleet ahead. He shouted coordinates to aim the cannons for to make the best shots. Finally he gave the coordinates for Big Bertha before going below.

"She's all set brother." Raider said opening the breach.

"Good. Make sure to keep in touch. You know the signals." Aecron nodded.

"Of course. Draco Meteor's will be ready."

"I used to think you were stupid for training only to use one move, but look at you now." Tunnelpig joked.

They all laughed shortly before resuming their duties. Aecron crawled into the cannon, and head it closed behind him. It was almost silent in there all curled up. Time seemed almost slower as Aecron lost sight on everything in the barrel of the cannon. Then KA-BOOM. The whole ship rocked as Aecron was blasted out towards the enemy fleet. He was soaring like flying type, but faster than anything else in the sky. He crashed into the hull of an enemy ship and found himself standing up surrounded by gunners.

"Hello. Nice ship you have here. I'll take it." Aecron laughed creating his spiky shield and sacred sword.

The crew began to rush him, but only a few were able to fully abandon their posts. A mighty cleave dealt with the first few who threw their lives away. The rest weren't stupid enough to just go right for him. A Parasect, a scyther, and a magmar provided the main threats at the moment. The parasect scuttled around behind Aecron and the scyther stood on the other side. The three pokemon made a triangle with Aecron in the center. They all unleashed attacks together, and aecron only barely reacted in time. He dropped his sword and another shield grew. The attacks were deflected, but the pokemon kept up the barrage as to lock Aecron down.

 

[Greiger]

Punisher - Breaking heads and taking names/Thrasher - Strategy in mind​

​

Punisher grinned all the while as other brothers began to join up. They could do this, they could punch out everyone here! Already his adrenaline was pumping frantically and his muscles tightened up. Now… now was the time to have his fun. He grinned and flexed as he pumped out another Focus Energy. He needed to be ready for anything! He was so in-tuned that he didn't even notice the cries coming up about the general being attacked. Of course as he was JUST about to enjoy the battle he heard the cries coming up and he couldn't help but let out a loud groan.

He shook his head and glanced back at where the others were. "Look, I'll stay here. I'm slow anyways, I'll keep these guys off." He said to his brothers. "Go help the general and leave this to me." He readied his four hands and grinned, "This is going to be a bloodbath." He murmured to himself. Although Gold Tribe were supposed to be protecters and the like he still enjoyed going in head first and punching the problem right in the fact.

Sort of how childhood was like. Someone gave you a problem you just tripped them up and made sure they wouldn't bother you again. It was the same principle here, but only far more dangerous. Could he die? Sure, but he knew it wouldn't be easy. He was a powerhouse and had managed to escape death from a freaking airship, if that couldn't kill him then he doubted a few weak soldiers would do so.

His eyes glanced about as several of the soldiers were also looking quite nervous. Of course they were nervous, they weren't Machamps! Still, it was time to show just how powerful he was and cause his enemies to run in fear of his might. He held up some rubble and flung out into the approaching soldiers. "Alright, we smash and retreat every so often. We'll killing them and that's that."

He wasn't the best at speeches so it wasn't that hard to believe that none of the soldiers were particularly inspired by the words. Machamps weren't known for being smart after all. His grin widened as the enemy got closer and then he jabbed a hand up, "Alright, let's get them!" He cried out. The Machamp flexed and began to send out attack after attack. He huffed and puffed as he fought, every so often having to get back to avoid the flow of soldiers, but they could do this! They could win!

***

Meanwhile Thrasher was also going along, frowning as he no longer saw his brother behind him. "Of course, go straight in." He muttered to himself. He made his way to a building angling a jump to land on a Golem's head and land up to the top of the building. He gazed out and groaned loudly. He could see the billowing fire of Flash... but he couldn't jump over there. Unlike other mon his legs weren't really built for long jumps. If he got there he would have to go on foot and through the masses of soldiers lined up around the area.

Considering they weren't attacking the Aggron or protecting the general it was easy enough to figure out they were the enemy. Question was, how could he approach without having every single one suddenly leaping on him and stabbing him till he was swiss cheese?

He felt the building shake and groaned as he saw the Golem he had jumped off of pounding his fist against the foundation. A small idea began to form as the Primeape jumped down, his arm quickly japping out to punch a Raichu in the face. He glanced back and readied himself as the Golem chuckled. The rock type pulled his limbs in and began to roll toward the Primeape. Thrasher turned and began to run, glancing back every so often to see how close the Golem was. Every so often he would jump to the side, but the Golem kept on turning about and following.

Thrasher was fast approaching the place he needed to be and he slowed his pace, waiting for the right moment and jumping over the Golem. The rock type spun past and quickly turned, coming yet again at him.

Thrasher smirked as he moved just a bit to the right. "Know what's better than charging a problem head on?" As the Golem got closer Thrasher moved to the side and struck out with his foot. It collided with the rock and Thrasher felt his leg spasm with pain. Being Gold Tribe he had been dealt much worse and he soldiered on, letting the power in his leg cause the Golem to roll quickly in the opposite direction, right at the soldiers. "Find a way around it!" Thrasher called out to the departing Golem.

Most of the soliders had been staring on at the battle that they were quick to be hit into by the Golem. Still, as cries of pain echoed out more soldiers realized what was happening and quickly moved out of the spinning ball's way. All in all about two-thirds had been dazed by the Golem and Thrasher looked down at his bloodied foot, glancing back up at the obviously angry soldiers. "Well, who's first!?" He spat out as he cracked his knuckles.