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

[GastlyGibus]

Tavhir quickly climbed up onto the rooftops. He needed to move fast if he wanted to find Cassandra. He ran as fast as he could, jumping across the gaps between the buildings as he scanned the streets below. His frantic eyes scoured the roads, looking for any trace of Cassandra; a speck of green, a flower petal... anything.

His mind was racing as he ran, thinking back on the blast of the airship on the walls. It had blasted Pendro away with such velocity that he would have died if not for his fortunate circumstances. Even still, Pendro was a steel-type, and his body was harder to damage. As skilled in battle as Cassandra was, Tavhir knew that her battle strategy involved agility and evasion. The Lilligant was... frail, for lack of a better word. Not mentally, but physically. Could she even survive such a blast? What if she...

"No!" Tavhir mentally chastised himself for such thoughts. "She's alive... she has to be!"

As he searched, the Pawniard stopped in his tracks as another airship came crashing down onto the houses to his left, exploding and throwing shrapnel and debris everywhere.

"Damnit, Zack! That fool is going to kill us all!" he thought to himself, growing visibly angry. If that Electabuzz kept this up the whole city would be reduced to rubble in no time.

Continuing his sprint across the rooftops, Tavhir spotted something in the streets: a small trail of blood, leading to the alley just up ahead. He ran up to the alley quickly, peering down below. What he saw was both relieving and horrifying at once. Without a second thought, Tavhir jumped down onto the ground in the alley, landing right in front of Cassandra, the latter leaning against the wall. She was clutching her side, covered in cuts and scrapes from the blast that had sent her flying, but still breathing. Using Ingrain, she had managed to recover considerably from her wounds, but was still badly injured.

"Cassandra!" Tavhir shouted, looking over her wounds in a panic. "What happened? Are you okay?!"

Cassandra smiled weakly in an attempt to calm her frantic brother. "It's fine... I'm fine," she said, though she was only being partially honest. She was alive, yes, and she would recover with time, but she was in no condition to fight.

"We need to get out of here," Tavhir said, grabbing Cassandra's free hand in his own. "Are you able to stand?"

"Yes, just give me a moment," Cassandra said. She grasped Tavhir's hand to support herself as she stood up to her feet. "Where are the others?"

"They're off helping repel the invaders," Tavhir said, relieved that Cassandra appeared to be in good enough health to stand. "They're pouring in from all sides. We need to find them and retreat. This battle is lost...."

Tavhir's expression turned grim as the realization hit him. Alamanga, the Stygian capital city, was lost; destroyed by the very last people he expected to do such a thing. Cassandra noticed his expression, placing her hand on his shoulder reassuringly.

"A battle lost, but not the war," she said. "Don't worry. This isn't over. We will retake this city. I'm sure of it."

Tavhir looked at her, feeling comforted by her words. He was about to respond, when suddenly Zack burst through the communication network.

"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 looked at Cassandra with worry. As much as he wanted to ensure her safety, the thought of losing the general was equally terrible.

"Go help the General. I'll make it out of here." Cassandra said, her expression turning serious. Tavhir wanted to object; he wasn't sure if she would be able to make it out in her current state, but she was right. The General was the priority, and the had to protect him at all costs.

"Promise me you'll be safe," Tavhir asked his sister.

"I will, now go!" Cassandra said. As admirable as he was for caring for her, Cassandra knew that the General's safety was more important than her own.

Without wasting any more time, Tavhir took off full sprint towards the tower of nobles. His heart filled with rage; Stygian rebels destroying their own capital city, attacking the General, hurting Cassandra... his blood began to boil as he ran towards General Althalos' location. The streets of Alamanga were going to be flowing with the blood of the rebels tonight....

 

[Ray Maverick]

Skysaber
​

Aecron was fired off of Donna. The cannon blast shook the entire ship, making Zack drop his moo-moo milk drink and cuss loudly. He had taken two sips, though, so he was back on his feet now. He was in a numb state, trying to figure out how to deal with so many enemies before him. Although they had shot down some of the enemy airships, there were more remaining. It was strange, though: the Stygian fleet ignored the Storm's Fury, even after they had taken down their flagship. Through his spyglass, Zack had watched Sir Lucius sneak into one of the ships and slaughtering the Commander of the Fleet. Yet the enemy didn't seem to notice. Their guns were pointed downwards, and they were firing upon the city mercilessly. It seemed as if they were there to destroy as much as they could with no regard of their own life. Zack ground his teeth and stuck out his tongue, licking the sweat around his mouth as he stared at the airships with widened eyes. If only I could figure out what they want, one side of him thought, but the other thought, who cares, let them ignore us and we'll continue blasting them to bits.

But the fleet of airship wasn't the only enemy they had to deal with. That bulging flock of flying Pokemon was approaching the city threateningly. Looking at them, Zack found them to be lacking numbers... in the Mark, there were much more of them. Now the formation of their troops had changed: formerly, they were positioned as wall-like flying terrors, but now they were thin like spears. If his secret weapon had worked quite effectively the last time, it was bound to do wonders now.

I have a gum in my mouth, Zack remembered and started chewing it a bit, before realizing all taste had gone. He spat it out overboard, reached for his belt and struggled a bit, before pulling out another one from his pouch. He clapped his hands together, drawing his crew's attention, letting them know he had decided on a course of action. "Let's prepare a welcoming feast for these guys. Get the Magnemites out and feed them to Donna," Zack said.

Soon, Donna was fed with all the Magnemites of the ship's arsenal. The Electabuzz stuck his hand inside the cannon, reaching and grabbing one of them, then channeled a Thunder Wave that spread to every other Magnemite, binding them together. "Wouldn't call this a Magneton," Zack chuckled. "Alright, Franky. We're good to go." With one hand, he removed his goggles from his eyes, and with the other he gave thumbs up to the Kadabra. He took two steps away, then BOOM! Donna fired the Magnemites. The aim didn't have to be good, they just needed to be shot towards the general direction of the flying type Pokemon. They seemed to notice something was queer with that shot, but there was no time to react.

All the Magnemites had spread wide, but electricity still connected them - their own, and Zack's. The farther they went, the wider they spread, forming a net of electricity. Wider, and wider, until they could engulf a whole spear-troop of the Stygian Pokemon. Screams were heard when some of them realized their peril, and they stopped, but it was too late: the Magnemites engulfed most of them, zapping anything that touched the net; their combined power brought lightnings from the sky, striking the trapped mass of flying types. Those who hadn't been caught in the net stopped in their tracks, glancing to the trapped ones, screaming, then running to the opposite direction. Good thing they don't know we can't be using that net again, Zack thought, turning away from the sight. He didn't know why he turned away from the carnage. I guess you could say they're not flying anymore, they're frying... oh, Arceus, what the hell am I thinking?

"Wooow," Nik the Castform muttered, the destruction reflected upon his eyes. "It smells like roasted Swanna," Nik commented. Frank and Zack looked at him, horrified. "What...? I'm just saying."

Frank had seemingly forced himself to look. "Look at what ways we have to resort to keep them at bay," he said sadly. "War makes monsters of us all."

Zack was about to answer, but something stopped him. With the edge of his sight, he glimpsed a big shadow to the starboard. "What the--" he muttered, turning around. Time had stopped for two seconds, while Zack was analyzing what he was seeing. It was an airship that had appeared out of nowhere, same type as Storm's Fury, only it was completely black. Made of blackened wood, stained-black tristanite, black-colored balloons. There was no name on its side, only the figurehead of an Umbreon. Zack's eyes swept through the empty deck, searching for somebody, but it was empty, save for a man behind the wheel. It was a Pangoro in a black belt and a robe with the symbol of an eye on his chest, and another strange symbol on his right sleeve. There was something in the way his dark eyes had fixed the Storm's Fury that told Zack they were in big trouble.

The Pangoro raised his arm, pointing his open palm at their barriers. "Get down!" Zack screamed. A spear-like blast of dark energy was shot instantly, breaking right through their barrier and the hull of the ship. Zack was blasted away and almost fell overboard. The airship shook intensely and a few cords snapped; Zack had closed his eyes, but he couldn't close his ears, so he heard it. He started screaming mentally, as he was out breath and couldn't scream outwardly. Those were the wires and ducts that chained the balloons to the main body; with some of them cut, the airship lost balance and begun spiraling downwards, the engines still roaring belowdecks. Zack was clutching a loose chain, trying to keep himself from flying off and shrug off the pain the darkness had left in his chest. That was a damn powerful blast, he thought, squinting his eyes as the air grew fiercer around him, who was that? It wasn't the proper time for memory digging, but he had a feeling that he had seen that Pangoro's face before. A tough, cruel face and eyes that hated.

He glanced behind him, to the sky, expecting to see the black airship flying pretty high above them; he was taken aback by what he saw: the black airship was following them down to their doom! "WAAAH! FRANK! Get us out of here," he cried.

 

[CourageHound]

Naoh Endris ~ "The Flash", Jacob "Prankster" Marinos
Confronting the Steel Titan​

Althalos raised his arms and shut his eyes, bracing himself for the impact, but it never came. The Aggron slammed on a protective shield, grunting angrily as he backed off and jerked his head to the side to see who was responsible. "Prankster!" Althalos called out, "good to see you—" Brynjolf was gritting his steel teeth together, creating a sound that made him cringe. The Aggron lord was obviously furious, not so easily giving up on his assault and stubborn and dumb enough to attack the psychic barrier that surrounded Althalos again. He swirled around with quickness surprising for his size, smashing his tail into the barrier. It sounded like glass breaking. The remains of energy dispersed and the massive tail struck Althalos's raised arm. The jolt of the impact sent a quake of pain through his body, and he shook entirely for a second. He cried and backed off, trying feverishly to think of a way to counter the juggernaut not two feet away from him that was preparing the next heavy blow that could be fatal to a rock-type like a Gigalith.

In the meantime, after recovering from the broken barrier, Jacob had stopped a few yards away from Althalos. He threw out another barrier, a premature mixture of Protect and Reflect, which would theoretically take some oomph out of the Aggron's blow.

***

The streets were mad with both allied soldries and enemy stygians. Noah decided to split from Thrasher and deal with whatever opposition he could find along his route. Having little time to stay in one place, the Typhlosion had to launch consecutive blasts of fire as he raced down the ravaged streets. Once reaching an intersection, he noticed he had some breathing room, which was odd. Rearing up he could hear a mad roar not too far away. That...doesn't sound good.., he then picked up speed and dashed again towards the source of the cry. His instinct told him to take the high ground and he leaped from footing to footing onto one of the smaller buildings that were still intact. Looking down from his position, a giant Mega Aggron stood above Lord Athalos. The great difference in appearance that the Mega Pokemon had almost baffled him until he realized there was a mega stone hanging from his neck. Just fantastic. Before the Flash could even decide what to do, the giant steel type leaped at Athalos intending to crush the general with his massive body. Now there was only there was only one thing he could do.

At the same time, Jacob put out his arms and formed a more permanent Reflective LightScreen around General Althalos, then around himself. Another Protect so soon was more likely to fail and do little to nothing.

Out of reflex, the Typhlosion leaped off the building and fired off a powerful fire blast, stopping the Aggron mid-launch, but just barely. The blast toppled the beast but did less damage than expected. He could only assume it was due to his mega form granting him such endurance. He called to Athalos, "Sir, you must retreat now! This brute may be too much for you!"

Jacob took a deep breath and left the ground, floating a few feet into the air. A discoloration spread in a circle from the ground beneath him, gradually growing beneath the combatants' feet.

***

Althalos was about to reply to Noah, but Brynjolf spoke earlier. "NO," he roared, "the Stygians do not run. I'll make you stay if I have to." The fire blast he had blocked with his arms had left a small trail of flames, which quickly subsided the next time he charged at Althalos. He jumped off the air, and this time, Althalos managed to leap away, but when Lord Brynjolf landed, the hill itself shook and ground broke beneath his heavy feet; the mighty earthquake was immense and made Althalos lose his footing and fall to the trembling, cracked ground. The shockwave was painful, especially for a rock-type like him. "Har-har! Behold, my might! Even the Earthquakes of Romulus can't match the strength of mine."

The spreading discoloration paused as Jacob threw out his arms; both Althalos and Noah were surrounded by recharged Protects a second after the Earthquake had begun. Jacob winced as the shockwave from the ground below him pushed him back yards. He really could have acted sooner, prevent all damage rather than just part. The Meowstic shrugged off that thought and resumed his previous action.

The discoloration resumed spreading across the ground. A few seconds later, it stopped before moving upward, forming walls and eventually a ceiling. Within a minute, Jacob, Althalos, Brynjolf, and Noah were encased inside an artificial room. From their point of view, the colors of everything outside the room were inverted; anyone looking in from outside would see the same discoloration.

Jacob's fur crackled with static. Without warning, he sent out a Thunder Wave that hit Noah before bouncing back and hitting Jacob. They'd need the speed "impairment" for this fight. The artificial room echoed with a chant in Jacob's voice:

"Slow is fast, fast is slow,
No matter what you know.
Try to leave, you'll turn round,
Can't come in if inbound.
Welcome to my Trick Room."

Brynjolf took his eyes from the discolored ground to stare at Jacob, who had seemingly paralyzed his own teammates. At first, he seemed not to understand, but then he realized the Trick Room would make them all faster than him, because he had used Autotomize. "Har! Clever boy! I shouldn't have been expectin less from the Gold Tribe!" He was visibly preparing another Earthquake, bending his legs and leaping to the air, but the Trick Room had taken effect: his body was going literally in slow motion, so Althalos had a chance to react, using a move of his own that he just remembered he could use: Wide Guard. Shields like Jacob's, only much stronger. The Earthquake shook the earth, and it was mighty, but it did not break the shields.

Naoh nodded to his allies. "Good thinking!!" The Flash overtook the Aggron with speed influenced by the Trick Room. "If you guys don't mind, I'd prefer to try and end this quickly..." From a reasonable distance he reared his back and unleashed a moderately sized condensed flare from his mouth. After launching the fireball, the searing flames on the Typhlosion's back had burn out as if he had consumed a large amount of energy. Once the fireball had actually came into contact with Brynjolf, it exploded into a devastating Blast Burn that threatened to engulf the entire area in flames, friend and foe alike. However, standing guard in between his brothers and the flames, his body absorbs them with Flash Fire, protecting them from harm. After it all, Noah feel to his knees breathing heavily from the energy consumed.

 

[Karma Police]

Aidan "Silvertongue" Wyldfire​

"Silvertongue is right. We can't stay here, but we can't attack. So let's do both." Dauntless said. "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."

Hearing this, Aidan secretly let out a sigh. He was glad he wouldn't have to go charging through the mess up front and die just so that he could buy some time for the others to retreat. He was more important than that. He was born to lead.

As the others began to go about their plans Aidan took measure of the ranged attackers that were left with him. They were all brave warriors, but not particularly great ones. But they would have to do. "Alright, fellow warriors. You there," he pointed at a scrawly Kadabra in front of him, "You're in charge of placing the electrodes around the barrier. The rest of us will distract the horde while you do so."

Aidan then looked at the charging horde, slowly coming up with a strategy to tackle them. Punisher was barging in and bringing the fight to them, while Dauntless was scaling up the walls to lay an assault from above. This meant that Aidan would have to hold the lines and keep the horde distracted enough to let Punisher and his fighters slowly begin their retreat. He smiled. He could do that.

Looking back to his fighters, he noticed there were a lot of Pokemon that excelled in rock and steel types. He had had a lot of experience dealing with these types back home, and one particularly favorite tactic of his came to his mind. "Okay, this is how we're going to attack. All the rock and steel experts, tear up the road and pick up some huge chunks of rock..." He explained the rest of his plan to his comrades, then decided to give the psychic Pokemon of his defense team their role too. "You will make sure our attackers up front are well protected. Provide them with protective barriers. Whatever happens, even if you feel you're going to faint, do NOT let the barriers go down until I say so. Is that understood?" The Pokemon grimly nodded.

As the Pokemon set about their jobs, Aidan took out a flask and took a swig of milk. He let his mind clear. This was technically his first time actually defending in an attack. Strangely, he didn't feel nervous at all.

"Silvertongue, we are finished." Some Graveler muttered. Aidan couldn't recall his name, and preferred not to. There was a chance this Pokemon wasn't going to survive. Aidan didn't want to grieve for him. He looked at the size of the chunks of rock in front of him. "Perfect."

"Now, we begin!" Aidan yelled. The psychics took up safe positions at the back, and began to set up their barriers that covered the warriors that were attacking the horde up front. The rock and steel warriors picked up their rocks, ready to hurl them at the enemies that were being attack by Punisher. His special fire warriors also took up positions at the front, alongside Aidan himself, their lungs puffed up and ready to spew fire. "Ready yourself, 3, 2, 1... THROW!"

The rocks flew high up everybody's heads and in a very well aimed arc towards the group of attackers. As the rocks reached the highest point they could, the fire Pokemon let loose Flamethrowers aimed at the rocks. As the rocks heated up, they finally shattered into tons of sharp pieces. Tons of small hot rocks landed on their enemies, piercing the hides of those with soft armor, and floored a lot of Pokemon otherwise. Aidan really hoped the psychics' barriers were strong enough to protect his own people from the shrapnel.

 

[Turnip]

Pendro "Reaching Mind" Malis, Cassandra "Peacekeeper" Eldren and Matthew "the Punisher" Blaze
Alamagna – City Streets​

Cassandra looked over at Tavhir as he ran off to help the general. She knew he was a capable fighter, but he often let his anger get the best of him. She only hoped that he wouldn't do something foolish in a fit of rage.

As her brother left, Cassandra decided to retreat further into the alleys. It was safer than the main streets, and she didn't feel up to fighting through a horde of rebels to get to safety. Securing her satchel across her shoulder, she tried to run, but her injuries made such an action painful. She walked as fast as she could, leaning against the walls of the buildings for support.

*****​

"How you doing, kid?" The Golem spoke up. There'd been a while of silence between the Pokémon, though the battle outside the alleyway still raged as loud as ever. Pendro's eyes opened slowly.

"Not dead quite yet." He sighed.

The Golem chuckled, "Indeed you aren't. What's your name?"

"I'm, uh, Pendro."

"Gram. Well met, lad." The Golem sat and smiled warmly, "You know, I knew a Metagross a bit like you, once. Good man – a terror on the battlefield when he needed to be. He never wanted to be, of course, but oh, no, that didn't stop him."

Pendro glanced up at the laughing Rock-type. "Was his name Alamas Malis?"

"'Twas."

"That's my dad…"

Gram laughed again, "Aha, I thought as much. What's the old boy doing these days?"

"Retired."

"Ah, good for him. You're, ah… a little young to be ready for such a big battle, don't you think?"

Pendro glanced out of the alleyway, "I don't think anyone can really be ready for such a big battle…"

As if the world itself wanted to contradict him, Punisher chose that moment to cry "Alright, let's get them!" and charge ferociously and enthusiastically into the enemy ranks – even from as far away as he was, the Metang could still see his brother's grin widening with every punch.

"-Besides maybe Punisher." He corrected himself.

"Ah, very true. You're a smart kid, though, that much I can see. You just got a little unlucky with the whole, ah, massive explosion thing."

Pendro managed a laugh, "I can't argue with that. I wasn't even ready for a fight against one Greninja, let alone an entire exploding warship…"

"If that can't kill you, though, I don't know what can. I- you understand I didn't mean to say that you weren't ready for this, earlier, right?"

"Huh?"

"No, you just… deserved a little more peacetime. You know, now's the time to go exploring, adventuring - not getting stuck up in some bloody war. You know what, Pendro, if- no, when you get out of this, don't spend your time worrying about all these rebellions, all these conflicts and everything. Do what you want. I know you've got your Gold Tribe duties, and everything, but just, every now and then, take a little while to live how you want."

"… I want to do my part for the Gold Tribe, Gram… I'm doing what I want."

Gram paused, "… Damn." His face broke into a wide smile. "You really are like your father. Don't mind me, kid, I'm just some old Golem rambling on. I'm sure you'll stay safe and do the right thing. Even if you don't think it, you're ready for anything this world's going to throw at you."

Pendro was confused by the soldier's words. He wasn't even sure what he meant, let alone how to react. Maybe it wasn't meant to be really understood, or maybe it was that he'd just had a gigantic airship explode on top of him. Maybe a bit of both. Either way, Pendro sat in silence, closing his eyes again in rest.

Cassandra navigated through the alleyways, safe from the battle that raged on in the streets. She turned the corner, slightly shocked when she saw Pendro. She walked over to where he lay; he looked exhausted, no doubt still recovering from the explosion from earlier.

"Pendro!" she exclaimed, glad to see that he was at least still alive. "Are you okay?"

"GAAH!" Pendro flew up from the ground in shock, landing heavily on his rear soon afterward. "Ow, yes, hello...! Eheheh... ow, that really hurt, I really should stop being shocked at everything."

Gram nodded from his side of the alley, "He's a little shaken, but he'll live. I take it you're Gold Tribe as well, miss?"

Cassandra nodded towards Gram before turning back towards Pendro. "Listen, we need to help General Althalos."

"Can it wait until I'm alive?" Pendro asked, before checking himself, a claw on his forehead. "Sorry, no, I can help- it's... huhhh... that explosion wasn't too great. Are you doing alright?"

"I'll be fine," Cassandra said, reaching into her satchel, pulling out a small jar containing a few Sitrus berries. She popped the lid off, grabbing one of the fruits and handing it to Pendro. "Here, this should help."

The Metang took the yellow berry, munching it down in a somewhat undignified manner. He liked Sitrus berries, of course, but he was rarely one to outright forget his manners.

"Um, sorry about that. I-" He focused, trying to levitate for a little while. After a moment of difficulty, a Magnet Rise brought him back to regular height. "Thank you. Uh, are you sure you're ok? You don't look so goo- uh, I mean- uh, heheh- you still look- uh, not quite so- maybe-? Uh, you should probably- or not-! Or- if you want- uh..."

"Pendro is saying that you should look out for your own safety, miss."

"Yes! That's right- how did you-? Uh, anyway..." Pendro tapped his claws together in thought.

"I appreciate your concern, but my safety means nothing if Althalos dies," Cassandra said bluntly. "If you can't fight, then I understand, but I need to go help the General." As if fate were mocking her resolve, she clutched her side as pain began to flare up again from her injuries as she leaned against the wall for support.

"You're hurt, Cassandra. Look, we're- we can't help Athalos like this. At least not directly, there's-" Pendro turned to the Golem. "I'm sure there are other Gold Tribe helping Athalos, we're still needed here."

"Indeed." Gram nodded. "There is little use in abandoning the fight here."

"With..." Pendro's eyes closed, and he tapped his brow in thought. "Punisher is here, and most of the enemies will probably focus him. With him tankng damage, you can pick off enemies with Giga Drain..."

Cassandra closed her eyes, letting out of sigh of resignment. "I suppose you're right..." she said. While she had felt the need to aid the general, she was more concerned with what Tavhir might do in his enraged state. Still, Pendro and Gram had a point; as much as she hated to admit it, the blast, and the subsequent fall, left her in no condition to go running after the general, at least not yet. "I can only rely on Giga Drain so much though. As ironic as it is, it takes a lot of energy to perform the technique."

"... I can provide ranged support with Psychic and Flash Cannon, Gram can also tank and provide heavy offense, but needs to be wary of special elemental moves." Pendro opened his eyes once more, tapping himself on the side of the head. It ached like crazy, but at least he was still capable of thinking straight. He sighed. "I'm- I'm sorry, Cassandra, I'm sure Athalos will be fine."

Gram glanced towards the Tower of Nobles. "There are several of your brethren already aiding him. You are needed more here."

"Also, you're wrong. Your safety never means nothing. Let's... let's kick some Rebel arse. Did- did I just say that? I mean, uh... never mind, let's go..."

Meanwhile the two would hear the loud laughter of Punisher. Near the army he had grabbed a large wooden post that had broken off and was swinging it wildly against the incoming soldiers. Most were now some distance away from the Machamp as he held onto it, grinning wildly, "Come on! What? Afraid of a little wood!" He crackled with laughter and swung it again, managing to clip the shoulder of a Scizor that got too close.

As he swung it again a Scyther suddenly leaped out as the post passed by and sliced his scythes through it. Punisher blinked as his wooden beam was virtually useless by now and he chucked the remaining part he held to the side, "Right! Old fashion it is!" He began to barrel out his hands left and right as he smacked the combatants around, but for every punch he threw there were those that managed to sneak past and land an attack on his body.

"I suppose that's our cue," Cassandra said. She quickly sealed her jar of berries, securing it in her satchel. As Punisher was fighting off the enemy horde, she saw an enemy marowak approaching him from behind for a sneak attack. Seeing her chance, she reached outward, her focus greatly improved from earlier, snatching the marowak in another Giga Drain. The ground-type stopped dead in his tracks, collapsing to the ground as his energy was sapped from him, transferring back to Cassandra.

Cassandra took in a deep breath, feeling back to nearly full strength again. Her wounds were mostly healed, and she felt more ready than ever. Despite the attack's restorative properties, however, it took a lot of strength to fully use. She wasn't sure if she could pull off another giga drain any time soon. She would have to watch herself from now on.

Pendro took note of Punisher in the heat of battle - hardly a surprising place to find the Machamp. As the Scyther came flying past, the Metang took hold of the flying wooden debris in a Psychic grasp. He chucked the pieces at the Bug Pokémon, and as it hovered, dazed, Pendro took the chance to blast it to the floor with a Flash Cannon.

Punisher looked back and smirked at the reinforcements, "A bit late to the party aren't you two?" He asked as he grabbed a Pachirisu and a Pikachu in two hands and slammed them against each other violently before throwing them away. "Not that I need any help ya know!"

Pendro yelled back, "Yeah, well you didn't have an airship explode on-" Wait. He did. "Uh- you didn't... shut up!"

Punisher grinned and used another fist, slamming it down on a Croconaw's head. The skull split open and the water type fell as Punisher grunted, "So any bright ideas how to kill more of these guys faster?"

"We can't waste all our time fighting these guys," Cassandra responded, tossing a razor leaf attack towards the enemy. "There's too many of them. Our best option now would be to retreat back to the caves and help the civilians safely evacuate."

"Where's the fun in that!?" Punisher boomed out as he swatted away another soldier.

"I think- AH!" Pendro was forced to stop his part of the conversation for a while as a sneaky Diglett came up from below him in a Dig attack. Luckily for the Reaching Mind, his Magnet Rise allowed him to float out of harm's reach. He dealt the Ground Pokémon a swift Ice Punch to the top of its head, then turned his attention back to his allies. "I think a tactical retreat would be a good option for now - I have an idea, though! Who here has Earthquake or Magnitude? Or something like that?"

Gram raised a hand and nodded, and Pendro thought he could spot a few more hands coming up from allies. With any luck, they might be able to turn the tides of the battle - for now, though, they definitely still needed to retreat a little.

"What are you thinking, Pendro?" Cassandra asked, slightly confused.

The Metang turned to the Lilligant with a glint in his eye. "Magnet Rise."

Punisher paused in mid-punch and burst into laughter, "Let's have it metal boy!" He boomed as he resumed punching the Scyther he had managed to grab.

Confident in his own ideas, Pendro had found his voice. "We need a tactical retreat to give me time to set that up, but with that in place, we can use Earthquakes repetitively without fear of hurting eachother." At least until it wears off...

"It's a plan then," Cassandra said "We should get going, now!"

Punisher nodded, "Do it!"

Pendro nodded, slightly taken aback. "Uhh, ok, um... Retreat? Was that loud enough?"

It wasn't.

"Yes! Retreat!" Punisher boomed out as he punched a Nuzleaf right in the face, "Let's move and those rocks can help us. Get to the guys making artillery and protect them!"

With the order being given, Cassandra, Pendro, Punisher, and Gram all began their retreat, signalling the command to the other allied soldiers. They ran towards the psychic barriers cast by their allies, the falling rock shards scorching the enemies behind them as they advanced, slowing their assault considerably. Cassandra turned briefly, seeing an opportunity to further slow the enemy's pursuit, and quickly cast a magical leaf, blasting a barrage of razor-like leaves towards the rebels. Pendro couldn't help but stare up at the shards of burning rock as he floated away from the conflict.

"Who's idea was that?" He murmured. "Interesting. Psychic shields to protect allies. Very effective artillery..." The Metang soon found himself amongst those responsible for the aerial strike - that, along with the tactical retreat, had given the group a solid amount of distance to work with. He didn't like raising his voice at all, but he knew it had to be done, so he steeled himself and spoke to the soldiers around. "If anyone here has Magnet Rise or Telekinesis, or a Psychic or Electric type mastery to know of those moves, I'd like to, uh, request that you start using them on everyone, please! I'd also like anyone with Earthquake or Magnitude to ready themselves, um... you see where this is going, right?"

"I do, but..." Cassandra interjected, looking around at the city. "What about the collateral damage? Won't the earthquakes damage the city itself? All those homes..."

"Yes! They'll provide an extra source of damage from falling rubble, perfect for- oh, wait, that's... oh, that's bad, yes, um..." He glanced left to right - thankfully there wasn't too much attention on him. He sighed. "Homes are great and all, but... lives are better, right? It's... yeah, I'm sorry, I didn't think about the houses, or, uh, not in the right way. With the way the rebels are going, though, they're pretty much destroying them all anyway." He put on a weak smile to try to oppose the dreary tone. "I guess they can't destroy them if we destroy them first, right...?"

Punisher grunted, "They are going to destroy them anyways. If we leave then they will simply level the whole city and cheer happily. We can use the buildings to crush them. Hehe, instead of them destroying the buildings we use the buildings to destroy them, see how they like it." He nodded.

Cassandra sighed. It saddened her having to resort to such measures, though they did have a point. The battle had already caused untold damage, from the crashing airships to the assault on the ground. Even if they had left the city intact, it was clear the rebels did not care for their old values, and they most likely would have destroyed the city afterwards anyway. "I see your point. Very well."

"Okay," Pendro nodded, looking at his hands quizzically. "You, uh... Magnet Rise? Guys?"

Punisher nodded, "Get on it."

"Alright, um... that should do it. Is that OK?" With a wave of his hands, a magnetic force had Punisher levitate into the air.

Punisher tensed up at first, but as he floated there he shrugged, "Eh, not as bad as it could have been."

"Ok, that seems alright, uh... Cassandra? I, uh, apologise in advance."

Cassandra simply remained motionless as she hovered slightly over the ground. "It's fine. Is everybody ready?"

"Well, I'm ready for-" Pendro suddenly dropped to the ground with a bonk, quickly regaining his balance and rising to normal height again. "Uh, that appears to have drained me a little more than I expected. Excuse me a moment whilst I vomit." He blinked once. "Nope, still not going to happen. Still gets me every time. Um... let's hope the rest of the levitation goes, uh... well..."

 

[GastlyGibus]

Tavhir vs. Shayla
The Tower of Nobles​

Tavhir dashed uphill, coming face-to-face with a horde of enemy soldiers, with Thrasher in behind them as the Primeape kicked a rolling Golem into the crowd. Although he wanted nothing more than to slaughter each and every one of these rebels, he needed to get to the General above. Taking advantage of Thrasher's diversion, he quickly slipped past the enemies, making his way up towards Althalos, the rock-type cornered by an Aggron... except this was not an ordinary Aggron. Tavhir immediately noticed the mega-stone that Brynjolf carried, realizing just what he was facing. Thankfully, he wasn't alone, as Noah and Jacob were there as well.

"Oh? Another wretched member of the Gold Tribe!" Shayla screamed terribly, staring down upon the small Pawniard. "I can't let you interfere with my cousin's affairs..."

Tavhir turned abruptly to face the Steelix towering above him. He was too focused on the General that he didn't even notice her. The others seemed to have Brynjolf under control for the time being, so he decided to engage the Steelix himself. His anger was evident in his glare as he stared Shayla down.

"You're dead," he said bluntly. Normally he would have made some kind of clever insult or jab, but he was too angry at this point. Good judgement had left his mind as he lunged after the Steelix in an attacking stance. With a swift leap, he readied his blades and swung them violently forwards in a night slash. The attack grazed the steel, but did little else. Shayla looked down upon him and said, "stupid, little boy! How do you hope to slay me when you cannot even touch me?" She coiled her body, then sent her heavy tail flying towards Tavhir in an Iron Tail technique.

Tavhir, in his anger, had completely lost his focus and composure. The Iron Tail made full contact with his body, sending him sprawling away on the ground. Despite the pain that should have normally resulted from such a blow, Tavhir was pumped full of adrenaline, quickly bringing himself back to his feet before charging at the Steelix again. All rational thought had left him as he blindly attacked with no strategy or plan in mind, driven purely by rage. He ran forward at high speeds, drawing his hands back before throwing them forward, unleashing a powerful Payback attack.

Shayla was slow to react; the Payback blow pushed her back, the liquid darkness grinding against the steel. She'd turned her head away and flinched, the attack obviously having an effect, but by the end of it, she was still standing and, save for the dark dent in her steel body, there was nothing else to prove she wasn't alright. She bared her fangs on Tavhir and hissed, suddenly lunging towards him and locking him around her mouth. Sparks flew off her mouth, the Thunder Fang slipping into effect, with Tavhir in the middle. Tavhir winced in pain, but didn't falter, the pain only enraging him further. In an instant, he retaliated. He utilized his aggression and anger, channeling his emotions and using them to fuel a Dark Pulse, releasing a blast of pure dark energy on the Steelix. At that very moment, an Earthquake shook the hill, making the Steelix lose balance; the Dark Pulse hit her full in the face, the darkness blinding her momentarily. She fell on her head, grinding her stealth teeth and screeching, flinching from the stinging pain on her eyes.

Tavhir quickly regained his balance; he was still in pain fron the thuder fang, but it only served to strengthen his resolve. Seeing his opportunity to finish the fight, he leapt up over Shayla, blasting her full force with an assurance attack, aiming directly at her head. The combination attack of dark pulse and assurance worked, the two attacks building on each other and strengthening their power. After the blast, Shayla fell and lay still, knocked out cold from the force.

With the Steelix taken care of, Tavhir turned back towards the others, seeing his allies trapped in a distorted field with Brynjolf. He stood motionless for a moment; they appeared to have matters under control for the time being, but he remained at the ready, prepared to jump in the trick room and assist if necessary.

 

[Ray Maverick]

Cozette

She and her sister were staring outside the tower's window, where the unstoppable warriors of the three tribes-alliance made their way into the city, laying destruction upon civilian houses. The Marill cried quietly as she watched the defenders retreating further into the city and let out a small gasp when an airship fell upon them, exploding and effectively removing every life on the street. In another part of the city, defenders were blasted to bits by the combined power of fire and psychic. "Why are they fighting so fiercely...?" the Marill said out loud. She wanted to be strong at a time like this, pray for the defenders to be strong, since she wasn't allowed to help them in any other way. "Why must they die?"

"They're fighting for us, sister. They weren't born nobles like us," her older sister, also a Marill, told her. "How stupid of them. If they chose to be born nobles, they wouldn't have to be dying right now!"

Cozette smirked, but said nothing, being accustomed to her sister's narrow thinking. She turned her eyes away from the window of the Tower of Nobles, to look at a painting on the wall. It was Arceus in all of his glory, shining with a golden light, his thousand arms extended beyond the limits of the canvas. The colors around him were many and confusing to the eye... Cozette had counted them, once. There were at least sixteen colors, but the golden light seemed to be prevalent. She truly believed in him, so she started praying to his absoluteness. Give us strength, give us courage... give us wisdom, and guide us through the challenge, so we may overcome it.

The ruckus of the battle seemed to have gotten nearer. Her sister started panicking and informed her that General Althalos was on the hill below - which meant the battle was dangerously close to the Tower of Nobles. "Why haven't we evacuated yet?" their lord father was on the lobby, with some other lords, arguing with the soldiers. News had reached the upper floors of the tower that Stygian soldiers had blocked the entrance to the caves, but the defenders were working on re-claiming that part of the city and they would soon be out of there. The only option for the nobles was staying inside the tower. Cozette was sick of this imprisonment. She looked outside the window, at General Althalos. Light flashed as some of his allies moved around, and she recognized them to be from the Gold Tribe; together with the Stygian General, they fought an immense Mega Aggron inside a room of physically distorted space, where everything moved at a rather confusing speed. Attacks were fired, the tower shook from an earthquake the Aggron unleashed.

"They're so gallant," her sister said, "the Gold Tribe is admirable! Look at them. Such power... I will have father demand their protection when they drive off the scum from Alamagna. If the Emperor would grant us five or ten of them, we'll be invincible. They're like, the perfect weapon. What would the General do without them?"

"They're not just a weapon," Cozette argued, irritated by the remark, "they're brave and courageous people who've dedicated their lives to keeping us safe. I would give anything to join them."

"Don't be absurd. Why would you want to stoop as low as a commoner? Anyone can become a member of the Gold Tribe. Father says nobles have no business with that lot."

The Typhlosion let out a shimmering blast of fire that engulfed everything on the hill. The Mega Aggron was in the middle of it. He was still standing when the flames dispersed, though he fell heavily on one knee afterwards. That's a true Stygian fighter, Cozette thought. The stare he threw at his opponents was unyielding, though he seemed defeated. An explosion took place somewhere in the sky.

"Kill me if you must," he bellowed, his strong voice strangely painted with pain. It was still audible through the sounds of the battle. "But beware, you with the golden garments... and you, Althalos! Your days are coming to an end. The Crimson Dawn is near, Exathor will bleed, like the skies, but you'll only be seeing darkness before you..." He looked up to the sky, his steel body stained here and there from the flames, battered from the battle before.

A great shadow fell over the Tower of Nobles, darkening the room, as if the Aggron's words had triggered a magic effect. Cozette's little heart jumped in her chest when she looked at the sky; a great black thing was growing larger as it approached the tower. She realized it was a black airship that was piloted by a single person: a Pangoro in a robe. Her eyes widened for a second as she took a step back. Her sister started screaming and ran for the door of the room, but it was in vain. The last thing Cozette saw was the wall being shattered into pieces as the airship crashed into the tower and the floor leaving her feet, fire coming from below.
​

The Exalted

Garland grunted, waking in the steps of the Obsidian Citadel. Just in time to see the black airship crashing onto the Tower of Nobles. One explosion in the middle, two more later on its foundations. Fire rose from the base of the tower to engulf it all, shaking it for a moment, before it collapsed wholly onto the wall of the Obsidian Citadel. His heart leapt to his chest and he stood up rather abruptly, despite his back paining him and his head spinning. "No!" he yelled, having forgotten about his injuries. He took one step, then he fell to one knee.

"Mister Garland," a deep, soft voice sounded behind him. His sight was blurry, so he didn't recognize the figure standing next to him at once. He blinked a few times. "Don't push yourself," the burly Abomasnow said.

"The nobles," Garland said, glancing over to the broken tower, "they evacuated, didn't they? Tell me they evacuated." He didn't want to believe otherwise. The Abomasnow made a notion with only his mouth, as if saying, sadly, no... That gesture reminded Garland fully of who the Abomasnow was, as he had seen him do it many times in the past. That man was the royal executioner of the Council who also served under the one who passed the sentences: the Wise Master of Laws, Guardian of the Constitution and a powerful member of the Council. Him and this Abomasnow never truly separated, and him and Vektor were never separated either. The Wise Master of Laws and General Vektor had forged an unspoken alliance in the Council for years now.

"How did you get here?" Garland gasped. "What's going on?"

The Abomasnow glanced towards the northern part of the town. The battle had massed in the entrance of the caves. "You are cornered, mister Garland, so we thought, these guys need a helping hand. And... here we are."

"We?" Garland said wearily and warily. He was confused, dizzy from before. "Who's 'we'?"

"Me... the Wise Master of Laws... and General Vektor, and a good many thousand of his men," said the Abomasnow heavily, without joy, then looked over over to the battlements. From their spot, they could see beyond the walls of Alamagna. It was a sunny day, so Garland could easily see the banners: the Swellow of Hesperia, carried by the soldiers on the front lines of an army that was so big, it covered the entire extent of the wastelands. Garland smiled feebly, almost on the verge of tears, watching the Hesperians marching towards Alamagna.

"I... I thought they were battling Teneth in the south," Garland stuttered, still grieving. He thought this was a joke, some illusion the pain was causing. Maybe he'd hit his head a bit too hard on that wall when the airship blew him away.

The Abomasnow looked at him wearily, as if to say, I'm not being paid to explain things. "That's what the Stygians thought, mister Garland. As you already know, General Vektor is quite acute when it comes to destroying his enemies. He misdirected Teneth in the mountains, who's probably still looking for an army that is not there. General Vektor never intended to fight. He marched, instead, towards Alamagna, where he knew he would surprise and crush the opposition while lending you a hand."

"Glorious," Garland muttered. He couldn't help but admire General Vektor. He remembered looking up to him as a kid in the ECUL.

The Abomasnow bent, grabbed Garland's hand and raised him to his feet as easily as he would lift a feather. "Mister Garland, the battle is almost over. Stygians yet to enter Alamagna are retreating, scattering to the Wastelands. You should gather your forces and hold the intruders against General Vektor."

"I'll do just that," Garland said, limping towards the hill where Lord Brynjolf had kneeled. He noticed the job was done quite well by his brothers; General Althalos was still alive. "Garland!" the Gigalith said, "are you alright?"

"Yes, yes," Garland said, walking towards Flash, Tavhir and Jacob.

Together, from up there, they could see the marching army.

"Flash, that looks like your handiwork," he said, looking at the burned Aggron who had lost consciousness, "next time, when going up against a Lord or a Lady, be sure you don't fight to kill. Prankster, make sure these two are taken prisoners, they'll be useful. We should exchange them for our own brethren who were taken away," the Floatzel said, gesturing towards the Aggron and the Steelix. He clutched his bloodied chest and looked over the ravaged city. Was this all worth it? He glanced behind him, at the tower of nobles. Some Eshirian soldiers were dousing the fire, some others were helping a few nobles who had survived escape the ruins, and a Banette doll was sitting on the wall of the Obsidian Citadel, as if staring down at the city.

"Do you see the army approaching the city? They're our allies. Keep fighting, brothers and sisters. Do not retreat. Let our enemies be crushed between us and our allies!" Garland shouted in the psychic communications channel.
​

 

[Garet]

Sophia "Pyro" Marinos
Alamagna - It's Raining Airships
~~~~~

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

Was that all? Sophia shrugged and returned her attention back to the enemy fleet. The three airships she'd tried blasting all had the proper barriers for blocking even her attacks. Aside from her Stored Power, anyway, but something that powerful couldn't be used several times a minute. Sophia wasn't able to muster that much energy again yet. For now, she had to settle for chipping away at enemy barriers.

The Storm's Fury rocked with a cannon blast, throwing off Sophia's aim with an orb of fire. She grabbed onto the railing in front of her for the two seconds it lasted, then looked back at the airship she'd been aiming at. That airship now had a gaping hole in the hull. Must be where Cowboy went. Sophia moved to the other side of the deck; she didn't want to shoot down an airship with an ally aboard it.

Looking at the nearest ship on this side, Sophia realized she wouldn't need to break through its barriers by herself. The fact that falling airships helped destroy the city further was almost moot by now, in her mind. Sophia contacted the gunners below the deck on her side and said, "On my mark, fire at the nearest airship simultaneously." The Meowstic gave them a few seconds to make sure their cannons were loaded. "Three, two, one, now!" Sophia shot a fiery Psybeam at the enemy airship, hitting its barriers at the same time as the shots from at least three different cannons. Adding to their combined power was Sophia's Future Sight from earlier, breaking through the just-weakened barrier and striking the airship near its engine room.

The enemy airship exploded mid-deck, sending bits of flying debris in multiple directions as flames threatened to catch the Flogistron balloons. Sophia found herself staring at the sight. The Pokemon at the helm was trying to redirect the burning airship, before a second, smaller explosion blew him over the side. Others were simply hanging on to any part of the deck they could grab as the airship slowly began to descend toward the city below. Several Stygians aboard it were already on fire themselves. Strangely enough, it seemed, there was hardly anything like screaming.

Sophia was shaken out of it and to the deck when the Storm's Fury rocked again, Donna firing the electrified Magnemites at the flock of flying Pokemon. She shook her head, blinking several times, before getting back to her feet near the starboard side. Sophia cocked her head slightly as she saw the black airship at the same time that Zack looked at it. Empty deck, only a Pangoro at the wheel, I need to take it down! Sophia began gathering Stored Power within herself for the second time that day. There was a sense of urgency inside her; an airship that didn't require a crew was dangerous, even though Sophia couldn't tell why at the moment.

She wouldn't get a chance to fire at the black airship. "Get down!" Zack screamed, a moment before the dark blast speared into their ship.

Being lighter than virtually everyone else on deck, Sophia was blown back from the starboard railing, across the deck, and over the port railing. Sophia used her gathered energy to blindly grab for the Storm's Fury with a Psychic, tethering herself to its deck and stopping her outward momentum. "Ow..."

The white Meowstic stayed there for a few seconds, dazed. She then realized that their airship was spiraling downward, and her psychic grip on the deck was beginning to slip. Sophia began reeling herself in, gradually getting closer to the ship. During one of its turns, she looked up and saw the black airship following them down.

She was just a few yards away from getting back on board when Sophia felt her psychic grip slip even more. Uh oh.

~~~~~

Jacob "Prankster" Marinos
Alamagna - A Job Well Done
~~~~~

Jacob threw up a Protect around himself and Althalos as the Flash's Blast Burn struck Brynjolf, just in case the Typhlosion wasn't able to block the flames. Which he was.

"Kill me if you must," Brynjolf bellowed, his strong voice strangely painted with pain. It was still audible through the sounds of the battle. "But beware, you with the golden garments... and you, Althalos! Your days are coming to an end. The Crimson Dawn is near, Exathor will bleed, like the skies, but you'll only be seeing darkness before you..." He looked up to the sky, and despite himself, Jacob looked up as well.

The destruction caused by the black airship made Jacob feel sick for a moment, until he was able to block out his feelings with a completely stoic appearance. As the Aggron lost consciousness, Jacob let go of the Trick Room, which quickly dissolved into nothing. He quickly dug out a small box from his satchel and dispensed a couple Cheri Berries; Jacob stopped at Noah's side and gave one to him. "This'll cure the paralysis," he said in an emotionless tone.

The dark-blue Meowstic turned his head to look for the Steelix and found her unconscious as well, with the Pawniard standing at the ready. Impressive. Jacob popped his own berry into his mouth, chewing and swallowing to cure his paralysis.

Jacob formed an Imprisoning cage around Brynjolf seconds before Garland and an Abomasnow approached Althalos and the nearby Gold Tribe. When the Floatzel said to make sure the two Steel-types were taken prisoner, Jacob merely nodded in acknowledgement. He walked up to Brynjolf, stepping through his own bars and stopping at the Aggron's head. The Mega Stone still hung from his neck. Jacob formed a small blade of Psychic energy and cut the Mega Stone pendant away from Brynjolf, then dropped it in his satchel before leaving the cage.

It took about a minute for Jacob to put up an Imprisoning cage that encompassed the Steelix's entire length. Close to thirty feet long, after making sure that she was entirely aboveground. Turning back to Garland, Jacob stated, "I'll need to stay here and keep these cages up until we have a better place to put them, or until someone else can take custody."

~~~~~

Sophia "Pyro" Marinos
Alamagna - ...Oh, we're still alive.
~~~~~

Sophia cracked open one of her eyes. It took a moment to realize she was standing on solid ground, aching slightly from the dark blast but otherwise fine. She opened both eyes and immediately saw Zack, Frank, and Nik nearby. "...Oh. Thanks, Frank," Sophia said, turning in a circle. Did the Kadabra teleport any of the crew to safety at the same time?

 

[GastlyGibus]

Gold Tribe: The Aftermath​

Noah finally caught his breath after the recoil from the blast burn. Turning his head, he was glad to see that the flames failed to harm his brothers. He was also glad he was strong enough to protect them. However, looking at the destruction to his left and right, the Typhlosion was suddenly frustrated that he wasn't strong enough to protect everyone. Collecting himself and putting aside the anger, he struggled to his feet. He was surprised to finally feel the true effects of the paralysis just as the trick room faded away. Conveniently, Jacob stopped at Noah's side and gave some berries to him. "This'll cure the paralysis," he said in an emotionless tone.

The fire type nodded thankfully and chewed the berries heartily, feeling rejuvenated. "Thank you. Much appreciated." As the little psychic type attended to their new prisoners, he noticed Garland limping over to their location. He rushed over to the Floatzel, his face contorted with worry, but the weasel put up a hand for him to be at ease. "Sir, you are injured-"

"Flash, that looks like your handiwork," Garland said, looking at the burned Aggron who had lost consciousness, "next time, when going up against a Lord or a Lady, be sure you don't fight to kill. Prankster, make sure these two are taken prisoners, they'll be useful. We should exchange them for our own brethren who were taken away," the Floatzel said, gesturing towards the Aggron and the Steelix.

Noah solemnly nodded. "Yes sir... I'll be more careful next time." Looking down to ground level, he spotted the skirmish below. "I'm going to assist our brothers against the Stygians in the streets." In a rush, he almost forgot to offer Garland a sitrus berry of his own before bolting down the hill.

"... next time, when going up against a Lord or a Lady, be sure you don't fight to kill."

Tavhir cringed at those words from Garland. Under normal circumstances, he would have agreed. But these were far from normal circumstances. These... pretenders had effectively lost all rights to titles of Lord and Noble when they had decided to attack Alamanga in such a barbaric manner, at least in Tavhir's mind. To leave them alive was an insult to Stygians everywhere. They had abandoned their own codes of honor, destroying the city and attacking the General.

Regardless of his own personal feelings, Tavhir restrained himself. As much as he wanted to kill both Brynjolf and Shayla, doing so would make him no better than they. As angry as he felt, and as much as those two deserved to have their miserable existence ended, he would not stoop to their level by abandoning his own honor. Tavhir felt a bitterness swell inside of him, a result of his conflicted feelings.

"Hmph," was all he could manage, anger in his eyes, staring daggers at the unconscious forms of Shayla and Brynjolf. Spineless cowards, both of them. Tavhir walked over to look over the carnage in the city below. He saw the now-familiar banner of Hesperia, marching towards the city in numbers immeasurable.

"Good. Put these rebels down like the cowards they are."

Tavhir looked further down, inside the city walls. He took notice of the defenders near the center, successfully pushing back the rebels from within their psychic barriers. He tried to focus in, to see who was among them, looking for someone in particular, but he couldn't locate them from this distance. He turned once again to his allies, a mixture of anger and determination evident in his expression.

"I'm going down to the streets to slaughter these remaining rebels. Join me or not, I don't care." He quickly took off after Noah, racing down the hill to the streets.

*****
Combined Assault.

Pendro "Reaching Mind" Malis, Cassandra "Peacekeeper" Eldren, Matthew "the Punisher" Blaze, Noah "the Flash" Endris, Tavhir "the Restless" Eldren.​

Down in the streets, the remaining Gold Tribe, assisted by the Alamangan army, kept their position against the attacking rebels. The enemy was kept at bay with a barrage of ranged attacks and psychic barriers, as Pendro and others prepared their levitation on the group. One combined earthquake attack was all they needed, the levitation ensuring their own safety while neutralizing the remaining rebels, bringing the remaining architecture down on their heads.

"Keep 'em at bay! Just a little longer," a Raichu shouted out, using his Magnet Rise to prepare the rest of his allies for the impending earthquakes.

Punisher couldn't help but smirk all the while. He punched away soldier after soldier with little effort, though with his large swings there would be a few that could get past and slice a claw along his chest or try and stab him with a horn. He took it all in stride as he kept on punching out. "Well? Ya going to do it!?" He bellowed out as he grabbed two Nidoran and bashed their skulls together. "'Cause even though I'm awesome I am starting to run out of steam here!"

"Um, okay!" Pendro shouted, flustered by his plan's imminence. "Uh, ah, everyone! If we can try to keep the Earthquakes centered in the street to provide as little damage to homes as possible, that'd be, uh... good! Okay, are we doing this? I guess we're doing this!"

"Brace yourselves," Gram called out, gathering a large group of earthquake users. "Well, I guess ya already did, heh... CHARGE!"

Gram called out, running headfirst into the enemy's advance, several pokemon following suit behind him. Together, they engaged the enemy in melee range, clearing the space around them. After gaining sufficient ground, the golem raised a foot before slamming it back down into the earth. One by one, the other earthquake users joined in; a sandslash, a wooper, a trapinch... all joining their attacks together. The ground began to shake violently, cracking in several places and causing the rebels to lose their balance. Even whilst levitating, the rest could feel the earth tremble underneath them.

The quakes grew in magnitude. the buildings on the side beginning to tumble and shake, quickly losing their foundation. The rebels took off full sprint, running as fast as they could in the opposite direction, but as the shaking increased, escape was proving impossible as they fell one by one. Jagged rocks sprung up underneath them, buildings collapsed around them, the ground itself swallowed some of them whole, and still the quakes grew, and the carnage with it. It felt as though Exathor itself would split in half from the power.

Unable to provide an Earthquake attack himself, the Metang couldn't do much other than watch as the present Gold Tribe and Alamagnan soldiers advanced on the Stygian rebels. Occasionally he would pull a retreating enemy into the danger zone with a Psychic, but for the most part, he simply marveled at the massive destruction of the Pokémon's combined power. Both mesmerizing and, at the same time, horrifying. As the buildings collapsed one by one, he couldn't help but feel multiple twinges of guilt.

"Well... so much for centering the quakes protecting the houses, and all..."

Punisher just smirked, "Hey now, we're protecting the populace," he pointed out to the Metang. "Chill, they can always be rebuilt later. The important thing is to ensure no one else dies... at least on our side. Would you rather we have buildings but no one to live in them?" He asked Pendro. "Anyways, we still have to beat up the remaining bunch. Not only that but their armies are being depleted too! That means less guys to beat up as time goes on right? We take them all out now and we have less hassle later on!"

Cassandra looked on at the devastation in horror. "Still... all those homes... memories... gone...."

Pendro gave her a pained look, "They were... already mostly destroyed, anyway. I think...."

Noah sprinted to the battlefield just before the ground pokemon assembled for their synchronized assault. Before he could say anything, psychic allies recognized his gold tribe insignia and telekinetically lifted him into the air. The Typhlosion merely turned, averting his gaze from the destruction, albeit only for a moment. The massive eruption of multiple earthquakes at once engulfing so many pokemon, enemies or not, was a devestating sight. It almost worried him that the area would be impossible to repair, let alone the houses. However, he assured himself that the ground types of Alamagna could do something to fix the growing fissures that scarred the land benethe his levitating feet.

Dust clouded the area as the earthquakes began to die down. Even with their vision blocked, the crumbling buildings could still be heard; the implication was clear. As the dust settled, the defenders looked on at the destruction. Most of the houses and buildings had been destroyed beyond repair, the ground cracked and scarred. Gram looked through the streets. The bodies of several rebels, bloodied and broken, lay strewn around the field. In the distance, the few rebels who had managed to escape ran without a second thought, unaware of the Hesperian army that lay in wait for them just outside the gates.

The soldiers wanted to cheer their victory, but seeing the destruction of the city, of Alamanga, prevented them from feeling truly successful.

"Pansies!" Gram called out after the retreating enemies, before turning back towards his group of ground types. "The destruction couldn't be avoided. You did fine work, lads."

Punisher nodded at the words, "That much is true. In war there will always be loss, but we came out on top!" The Machamp happily punched a fist into the air, "We showed them and we saved as much of the city as we could! It was either that or letting them destroy every single building, and trust me that wouldn't be the best alternative. The citizens will be more than thankful for what we did save!" The Machamp crossed his arms, "So now it's heading to... where exactly? I'm pretty sure that, after our performance here, no rebels will be hiding in this city!"

Punisher's optimism didn't do much for Pendro. On a better day, perhaps, but today had been... rattling. Soul-draining. They'd come out victorious, and yet, it felt nothing like a victory at all. Whether the Gold Tribe had successfully defended Alamagna or not, the rebels had still dealt a crushing blow to... well, everything. The Metang sighed, turning back to look at the Obsidian Citadel and silently wondering what on Exathor he was supposed to do now.

Tavhir wasn't nearly as quick as Noah, having just made it to the bottom of the hill to the streets. No sooner had he arrived than the assault had ceased, the rebels effectively driven back by the combined attack of Gram and his men.

Punisher glanced over at the Pawniard, snorting as he came running over, "You're late." He said as he began to walk off, "I think we might have to gather for another meeting. Anyone seen Garland? Nah, I'll find him somewhere."

"I can see as much..." Tavhir muttered. He pointed his bladed hand up hill, "Garland is safe, at the top of the hill near where the Tower of Nobles used to be."

Punisher looked up and facepalmed, "We screwed up big time... didn't we?"

"Yes, we did," Tavhir said bitterly. "I'll be surprised if the Emperor doesn't completely disband the Gold Tribe after this embarrassment."

"Well... eh... I'll look for survivors then." He muttered as he began to make his way up. "And it ain't my fault that the tower got blasted!" He called back to the others.

"The Tower of Nobles got blasted?!" Pendro cried in shock.

Noah shook his head at such a grim revelation. "It's no one's fault but the Stygians", he said. "There was nothing that could have been done." He lowered his head to think about what to do now.

"Those weren't Stygians" Tavhir said angrily. "True Stygians wouldn't sack their capital city like barbarians."

"I wouldn't ransack my capital city." Pendro noted, before looking down at his claws in embarrassment. "Just saying..."

Tavhir surveyed the damage... the Emperor was not going to be pleased. The group stood in silence. The battle had been won, but at what cost?

 

[Greiger]

Thrasher - Operation: HOLY S**T THEY HIT INTO THE TOWER​

Thrasher hadn't been paying that much attention to the battle. He had seen that Trick Room being played on the occupants but for the most part he was focused on the guards. He quickly twisted his body to the right as a Rhydon attempted to tackle him and he was quick to move after. He jumped onto the Rhydon's head and up into the sky, angling himself so that the sun would appear behind his form. Sure enough the other guards were letting their eyes trail after the Primeape and many had to jerk their face away as they saw the bright light of the sun. Now was the time. Thrasher began to fall to the remaining guards and he pumped up his body as a Focus Energy ran along his form. As he landed amid the forms his fists glowed a bright white as his ultimate technique was channeled.

He threw out a punch and slammed it into a Sandslash's head. His right foot kicked up behind him to hit into a Nidoking's groin and he twirled about on his left foot as his still outreached hand slammed into a Croconaw's temple. As his right foot came back to rest on the ground and his left foot hit into the abdomen of a Kricketune. He lifted his other foot as he kicked off the Kricketune's body and flew right at the Rhydon he had avoided earlier, slamming his fist right in his throat.

The Primeape's Close Combat had been fine tuned to the point that time had seemingly slowed down for Thrasher and as his adrenaline died down he heard the simultaneous thudding of bodies against the ground with a certain Nidoking sobbing out in agony. Thrasher huffed a bit and figured that these unconscious soldiers might at least serve at the very least as captives. Though there were far larger things than dragging these mon to holding cells. The Tower of Nobles had fallen and who knows how many had died? Thrasher glanced at his captives and thought for a moment. He went over and grabbed some large pieces of rubble and set the stone gently over the limbs to keep the soldiers in place.

He then rushed over to the flames as he saw some other pokemon already scouring through the rubble. "You!" He pointed at the Sandslash. "Dig UNDER the earth! See if you can find anyone at the bottom of the pile! Remember lift from the top!" Thrasher made his way up a pile and gradually knocked away stone. The problem with such piles was that if the wrong piece was moved someone could lose a life. They had to work slow and carefully.

As he worked the rubble he saw more mon coming including one larger Machamp. Thrasher immediately began to make his way down the miniature mountain as he intercepted the other fighter, "Punisher. We're covered here. We have enough people working as is. Uh… we have some captives, can you get them into some holding cells?"

The Machamp crossed his arms, "Hey, there are some nobles down there. I can power through that rubble faster than anyone else!"

And that will cause a lot of death no doubt. Thrasher thought. "Uh… well if you're sure… I mean it'll take other soldiers hours to get those bodies to some cells, considering how large their forms are and how heavy they are. I guess you're right though, no one can really do that. It's far easier to sort through the rubble, at least you don't have to move that much of a time right?" He asked with a chuckle.

Punisher narrowed his eyes, "You saying I can't do it?"

Thrasher quickly put up his hands, "No of course not! Just that carrying bodies is tiring and-"

"I'll show you!" Punisher said as he made his way to the unconscious soldiers and began to pile them on his shoulders.

Thrasher quickly made his way to the top of the pile yet again as he joined other diggers in removing the debris. That would have to keep Punisher occupied for a while and after that he would get the Machamp to transport the two higher profiled enemies. Still, he had overheard Garland's and The Flash's conversation. Captured Gold Tribe members? From when? Before Deathbringer's Mark? He felt somewhat wary at that, but he presumed that once he was finished here then they could meet with Garland and discuss the situation at hand.

 

[Ray Maverick]

Skysaber
​

"Man."

Someone poked his shoulder, but he didn't dare open his eyes. The crash had boggled his mind and the uneven rock which he was laying onto made his back ache uncomfortably. "Man!" It was Frank who was nudging him. "Wake up!" Zack opened one eye reluctantly and raised his head just enough to see before him. Through clouds of the thick black smoke, as much as he could see of the city was destroyed, either by the fire that had ceased now, or the blitz of the rebellion. He was looking at the remains of a ravaged street, at collapsed houses that were smoking, at soldiers of both sides that were placed dead on the ground. Suddenly, he felt like crying, as he wasn't quite prepared for this.

Some months ago, him and Frank and Nik would tinker and test-run whatever piece of technology the Flogistron Co. would pass onto their hands, then they would have a moo-moo milk drink in their underground workshop or go sky racing with illegal airships and nerd-partying in the Engineering Carnival. It was a fine, peaceful life with all Union City had to offer. Sure, he liked action, and he was bored out of his mind. He thought of the war as an opportunity to test his skills and have fun, not really considering that so many lives were on the line, and that during this competition, real blood would be shed. The Magnemites, the Geodudes and the gun-powder and Flogistron were his toys just a few months ago, but they all suddenly became deadly weapons. The screams of the dying deeply reminded him of that, and he swore to take war more seriously after this.

Zack opened both his eyes and perked up his ears. It was quieter than it should have been. Pokemon weren't screaming or calling for their mother or Arceus. A few screams rose every now and then, and a few Pokemon were fleeing - perhaps they were the enemy, but the battle was over. The feet of hundreds, no, thousands of Pokemon shook the ground, making him stand to see what was going on. Pokemon were marching in perfect lines, categorized by species and types: Nidokings with Nidokings, Nidoqueens with Nidoqueens. They were so organized, synchronized and disciplined that Zack couldn't believe his eyes; he had only seen this orderly march in Union City, when the last day of the first month dawned: then the Emperor's Shield, the group of Pokemon dedicated to guarding the Emperor, would march across the main street to honor the Celebration of Liberty festival, right before the fireworks display.

The Hesperian soldiers in the front lines were bearing the glorified banners of their country, the Swellow leaving the clouds. Zack rubbed his eyes, fearful that he was dreaming.

"Is this heaven? Have we been granted Arceus's mercy?"

"No!" his Kadabra friend exclaimed, exasperated. Zack raised one arm, then the other.

"Arms, check." He wagged his legs. "Legs, check. Yes!" he shouted, tightening his fists and swinging his arms in a gesture of victory. "By all the laws of possibility, the head has to be in its place."

"It is in its place," Frank said, his impatience obvious in his tone. He nudged Zack again, urging him to get up. "You've been out cold for a while! We must get to the Obsidian Citadel, pronto. A war council is to be held there; Nik is going there in our accounts for the time being."

"Council? As in, Council with the Council?" When Zack turned his head, he realized his neck ached him dreadfully. "Ouch!" What he was seeing, though, made him forget the pain. The Obsidian Citadel stood tall, bathed in the golden light of the sunset. High up in the sky, in the Observation room where he joined the Gold Tribe just a few hours ago, there had docked a huge airship, at least twice the size of Storm's Fury; it wasn't a schooner, it was a thick bucentaure, much like a galley, made for luxury rather than speed. Its golden hull glinted dully in the sunset, its rigid balloons swayed gracefully in the wind, but the most noticeable trait of that particular airship was the two flags on its sides that flapped wildly as the wind struck them, colored gold by the sundown. The flag on the right had an Aggron's head and an S situated below it, and its orderly color was steel-grey. The flag on the left was normally a creamy white with light blue, with a Swellow's head and an H. An airship on Exathor would be either Stygian, or Hesperian, and fly only one of those flags by rule. There was no airship that would fly both, except the Emperor's. Zack's breath caught in his throat and his chest ached him suddenly; he had a bad feeling that, being part of the Gold Tribe, he would have to stand before the Emperor, and that unnerved him greatly. Zack hadn't seen Emperor Dareon many times, but he had heard that he was intense and overwhelming when irate, and that his wrath had started and ended wars. Nobody supposed the Emperor would be all smiles and laughs after a battle such as this.

Dark clouds had begun gathering about the sky, as if now that the battle was over, the natural Stygian weather had begun sliding back to its proper place. Zack was about to say that he sensed rain was coming, when a raindrop hit him right in the eye. "Ah!" he exclaimed, getting up from his rocky bed at last. It started raining lightly, and as the last light of the day disappeared, dusk settled down. Below them, the streets were lit by lamps the Hesperians carried along with their banners. The slight rain fell on the shattered city, but it was so thin that it would not wash away anything. Everything would be wet, soon, but still broken and also smelling of soil and blood. Zack glanced behind him, where he supposed the remains of his ship were. His tools were all scattered in the ground, just in front of a smoking hunk of disintegrated wood and steel. Only the tristanite hull remained intact of the Storm's Fury, standing like a blackened skeleton of nothing where the wood had all burned away. The site of the crash, no more than thirty feet away, was sad for an engineer to behold, especially for Zack, who suddenly felt incompetent and guilty. His first warship, and also flagship of the Emperor's fleet, ending up in disaster like that. Frank must have had noticed his worry, for he patted him on the shoulder.

"There was nothing we could do," the Kadabra muttered, looking down, away from the scraps and coals. Rain fell gently, easing the embers that still lingered about the Storm's Fury.

"You're wrong," Zack muttered back sadly, "there's always something you can do. We could've drank moo-moo milk, for example."

There was a brief silence between them. "That's NOT what I MEANT!" Frank snapped and Zack laughed bitterly at his reaction and patted him back.

"I forget myself. Come on, Franky. Let's get out of here." Frank's hands glowed with the power of the psychics briefly, and together, they vanished in the hole through time and space the teleport created.

The Exalted One
​

Now that Brynjolf and Shayla were taken to the dungeons of the Obsidian Citadel, Garland dragged himself to the elevator and took the lift up to the very top floor, to the room that was open for the wind to pass through. There was a black throne made of crystal-like Obsidian in the middle and the spear-like top of the citadel above it. The dark throne watched over the extent of the wastelands, when the sky was clear. In times old, the Stygian leaders would sit upon it and inspect their massive armies stationed in the wastelands below them, around the walls of Alamagna. The Obsidian Throne was created by the Prophet of the Dark Cult, the man responsible for the founding of Stygia and the union of all the secluded Stygian tribes into one vicious, bloodthirsty nation. A Stygian well-learned in history would say he did more good than bad for the nation as a dictator. He had ruled for generations, impervious to death, until the rise of the Third Threat and the complete destruction of the Dark Cult; after that, he disappeared from the world, but the Gold Tribe accounts of the time in the Vaults of Reflection hold a very interesting report of his death upon the hands of their allies. Four hundred years later, the Obsidian Throne remains an important heirloom of the Prophet's generation that the Stygians refused to have destroyed after the Cult's fall and Exathor's founding.

Garland took a good look around the now empty haven of Stygian leaders. Black spikes served as a fence around the "room". The flag of Stygia, the face of the Aggron, was roaming the sky behind the feared throne. The winds were free to ravage the place. In the Stygian mindset, if a guest could not withstand the winds, they did not deserve to be here, for they were weak and unfit to rule people like Stygians. The Floatzel touched his bandaged chest absent-minded as he walked to the edge of the tower, unmindful to the strong wind. The clouds sat dark upon the sky. Below him, the city was being saved by the charging Hesperians; part of the Stygian army that had yet to enter Alamagna was scattered in the wastelands, fleeing for their lives. The Stygian rebels remaining in the citadel were making a run for their lives and when they were caught, they were killed on the spot. Garland's face fell as he saw the cost for their defense, and the loss of so many lives on both sides. Their defense was valiant and he would say so to his brothers and sisters, but the joy of victory was not enough to compensate for the woes of war. Death was the victor of every war, the wise Otori used to say. The Hesperians often jokingly replied, as of late, that General Vektor was the victor of every war.

Just as he thought of him, the doors of the lift burst open and out walked a Drapion, followed by a Mienshao, an Abomasnow, a Medicham and a set of a dozen Nidoking guards that carried the banners of Hesperia. "Garland!" General Vektor, the Drapion, spat out, "a merry day for us, isn't it? It doesn't get any merrier when the Stygians give you reason to chop their heads off." There was no sign of joy in his voice, however. Just a glow in his black, yet pale eyes, which could only be hatred. His expression was tormented by the suppressed anger that frenzied the General in times of war. Garland didn't know, but he suspected General Vektor had a good cause to despise Stygians. But in his mind, vengeful feelings did not do justify mercilessness or absoluteness, although he have had his share of those.

The Floatzel's cold gaze fell directly into Vektor's face, who cocked his mighty brow. "I appreciate your help here, General, but be mindful of our commands. Keeping the Emperor's peace is what we all ought to be fighting for."

"A hard task, when you have to wage war to earn peace," the Mienshao said softly, the curve of his smile subtle and dangerous. He had a queer tricorne hat and a leather pouch on his person, and the mustachios of his face were so ridiculously long that they pooled on the floor as he stood. It was a miracle he didn't trip on them when walking.

The man's appearance was fine and clean. So fine and clean on the outside, but on the inside, he was dirtier than the worst criminals; Garland suspected him for years, but it was not his place to investigate.

That black book the Mienshao was holding gave away his identity from miles away: he the Wise Master of Laws, Rethlor Ravine, and that book was a cheap copy of the Constitution. There was always a strange, alien aura about him that Garland found somehow familiar, and that unsettled him greatly. It was as if the Mienshao was radiating some kind of unseen, dangerous power. If there was one man in the Council that Garland didn't trust, it was him - far more dangerous than any other, whose intentions were clear. As soon as Garland was present in every meeting of the Council, he immediately disliked Rethlor, for he did not know what he wanted. Rethlor, commanding no army, always stuck close to General Vektor. These two had formed an unspoken alliance every since the War of Succession, where they worked towards bringing Dareon Aurelius to power instead of his younger sibling. Garland didn't like it at all, but these two had always played decisive roles in the affairs of the Realm, which they claimed to serve loyally.

The air was always cold around Rethlor. Most likely because he was followed by the Royal Executioner, the burly and brooding Abomasnow that would behead and crush anyone with only a command; his name was Kristian Hietala, a loyal subject of the Realm, seemingly. Not a member of the Council, but still present in their meetings by the side of the Wise Master of Laws. Garland disapproved of his station completely, and had pledged with the Emperor to remove the station of the Executioner, yet the Abomasnow never held any grudge against him.

"It is one thing to start a war," Garland replied to Rethlor, sulking, "and another to defend yourself and your families from those who started it."

He was most impressed by Achilles Proudmoore, the Trade Prince, who was present among these Pokemon; the Floatzel's gaze fell upon him, who met his eyes with a blank face, free of any expression. The Medicham had big, clear and pale blue eyes, matching the sapphires woven into the leathery skin of his red legs. The small rock was hanging from his thin neck, as always, and his hand was clutching a very red and fresh looking apple that was bitten recently. It didn't appear that he had any intention of eating it right away.

For a moment, Garland thought Achilles was about to say something. But then he decided his exhaustion was only playing tricks to his mind. It was Rethlor Ravine who spoke, quite stately.

"Attacking or defending, we all bring war to ourselves," he countered, "peace is temporary, even under the aegis of our Emperor. Killing is all there is. Sadly."

"There is honor and loyalty," Garland argued, grinding his teeth lightly. He was feeling sick to the core. The feeling was well known to him by now. It haunted him at night, it made him think of resigning from his position as the leader of the Gold Tribe. He and his brothers and sisters were but a weapon for the strong to command, to obey and carry out commands and act as an important factor in war, instead of peace. To be used as such and die; these people on the Council of the Emperor made it seem that that was all there was.

There was a brief silence.

"Hmfh," General Vektor sounded, "and what does Achilles have to say about this?"

Achilles was staring at the ground, till he heard his name. He looked up at the Drapion, almost innocently, then glanced around him to the others who seemed to have their attention focused on him. Somehow, he looked way younger than he really was - as if he was some boy whose place wasn't in the Exathian Council, amongst the most powerful men of the Realm. He gave a thin and lipless smile that did not reach his cold blue eyes. "What do I have to say about this?" he repeated, "I have to say that this is a rather untimely and pointless debate."

General Vektor let out a raspy laugh. "You're opinion-less, as always." The Drapion turned away from all of them and begun pacing towards the Obsidian Throne.

The others followed him close behind. The wind blew strongly past all of them, but they all made an effort to appear unaffected.

"I did not think the Trade Prince would be with you," Garland said hoarsely. There was bad blood between Achilles and Rethlor; these two must have hated each other to death, so it was strange seeing them together.

"Why, he came running and urging us to hurry. Might be he's thirsty for blood," General Vektor said, settling down to the right of the Obsidian Throne. Garland was almost surprised. He didn't think that was the case. Perhaps it was the facilities Flogistron Co. had inside the city; it was possible that greed was enough to compel Achilles to do everything in his power to stop the wild Stygian invasion just to save his business.

Before any of them could respond, the doors of the lift opened again. General Althalos headed heavily towards the throne; by the way of his footing, Garland could tell he was hurt. It was good to see a friendly face, at last.

"Greetings to all," the Gigalith said somewhat curtly to them. "His Highness' airship has arrived, the city is saved, praise Arceus. I hear he will be joining us shortly."

"Take your seats, and we shall start," General Vektor said. "We shall," the Wise Master muttered, staying close to the Drapion. Garland stood close to Althalos. The gathered members of the Council stood next to the Obsidian Throne, watching the doors of the lift with anticipation. Several moments passed, with Garland glad that sweet silence had settled down. While others waited with anticipation, he closed his eyes for a moment to relieve the weariness.

***
​

The Emperor, as was his custom, had them all waiting for his arrival. When at last the doors of the elevator opened, phantom Pokemon appeared out of nowhere, lined up perfectly so they formed a path from the elevator to the Obsidian Throne. They were Doublades, the ghostly guard known as the Emperor's Shield. In front of Garland appeared their leader, an Aegislash, facing not them, but to the side. His deep, metallic voice was heard loud and clear despite the wind.





"The First Man of Union and Alliance, Ruler of All Exathian Nations, Emperor Zhaolong, of the Long Dynasty, will see you now."

The Mega Ampharos that exited the elevator was tall and fair; his face was ageless, neither old nor young, though in it one could see many things, both glad and sorrowful. His hair was a sea of golden cotton, billowing with the wind as he walked slowly between the Doublade guards, and upon it was set a silver crown. One golden lock of cotton fell across one of his eyes, which had irises round and white in pools of black, with fury burning inside them. From his sides protruded two sashimono, flags on wooden sticks that were deeply fastened on his mane; the two flags were that of Hesperia and Stygia, which the Emperor carried on his person at times formal like this, to signify and underline the union of the two nations. He looked venerable and regal, yet frightening, as besides the looks of the ultimate person upon Exathor, he was as hale as a warrior tried in the fulness of his strength. That was a proper, fit man to rule, mighty among both Stygians and Hesperians.

Bells were tied at the end of each wooden stick that held the flags; they lightly chimed, their sound faint over that of the wind's, as he walked to the Obsidian Throne. The Doublades performed a slashing gesture of obedience, producing a steel sound that rung across the room.

The Emperor stopped in front of them, watching them one by one. Garland didn't look him straight in the eye, but he didn't kneel either. The former Emperor forced his subjects to kneel in front of him, and it was outrageous. No matter how strong, physically or otherwise, a Pokemon, Exathor was a nation dedicated to freedom, and a man who kneeled in front of a ruler of such nation was a notion unthinkable. However, all could feel the raw power emanating from the Pokemon before them. When he spoke, his voice was clear and fair.

"You have coped with the rebellion successfully so far, Garland and Vektor. I cannot forbear to commend the former's courage, and the latter's wits. Or was it the Wise Master's idea for Vektor to aid the Gold Tribe?" He turned to the Mienshao.

"You are acute, as ever, your Highness," Vektor laughed with a light heart.

"Indeed, it was mine," Wise Master Rethlor agreed.

Althalos showed the Emperor the throne with a tense, strained smile. "Please, sit."

Emperor Dareon did so, his every movement graceful. When he was seated on the Obsidian Throne, he said, "your battalion is mighty, Vektor, but you are late. On my flight here, I looked upon this city, and what I saw has infuriated me greatly." His look was intense, then, even though he seemed calm. He turned to General Althalos, who stood solid, but Garland knew he was afraid. "I never truly liked the lords under your command, but I have come to despise them now that they are... not under your command. Every battle fought in this rebellion is a strike to my pride. This show of incompetence from your part must end - quickly. I want all the commanders of this farce brought in front of me, alive."

"A-alive, your Highness?"

"These are not Stygians," Wise Master Rethlor interrupted, "so they will not be treated as such."

"Indeed," Garland agreed, "and I am pleased to inform you that we of the Gold Tribe have captured one of them: Lord Brynjolf, of the Tocan."

Emperor Dareon simply nodded knowingly. "Bring him and your men. I wish to speak to them."

Garland bowed slightly. "As you command."

 

[Greiger]

Thrasher and Punisher - Promotion or Beheading?​

​

Thrasher huffed as he kept on moving the rubble along. He had been made weary thanks to that fight against the guards, but having to be careful amid the pile was just causing the teeniest bit of Paranoia. Every single time the pile shifted every single ecavation member stopped cold, hoping for Arceus' sake that the latest shift hadn't caused a large rock to squish a trapped mon's head. Every time a layer was removed there would be a pause as lights were shined down to see if anyone could be found. Unfortunately anytime they found a body part sticking out they would work down only to discover a corpse. It seemed that ony a few mon had managed to survive, and with each body found the exavation team's spirits sank.

Thrasher watched as some of the workers had to walk off as they threw up from the sheer amount of corpses found. He could feel his own stomach churning, but he kept on pushing on. There was still a chance someone could be found, who was waiting for rescue, and he couldn't let a weak psyche overcome him now. As he moved another piece of rubble he heard a cry echo around the disaster sight. "GOLD TRIBE! YOU ARE REQUESTED BY THE EMPEROR!"

Thrasher made his way to the bottom of the still large pile, "I'm busy here!" He shouted to the messenger.

"Not my fault if you disobey him!" Was the reply back and Thrasher sighed. He wiped some dirt from his hands as he made his way to the citadel. At least there were more workers on the pile, but at the same time guilt hit him. Hopefully those workers could handle it, but if the emperor wanted them so badly and didn't want them working on freeing the nobles then fine. He half wanted to march up to the Ampharos and let him know just what he had been pulled away from... but he coudln't. He didn't want to be beheaded after all.

~~~~

Punisher grunted as he threw the next body into the cell and slammed it shut. "Heh, well that's done, now-"

"GOLD TRIBE! YOU ARE REQUESTED BY THE EMPEROR!" Punisher felt a grin form over his face as he began to make his way up the stairs. Yes! This was the time! He bet the emperor was glad that they had saved the city! So glad that they might get some promotions! Sure some buildings were lost but it wasn't as if the whole city had been wiped clean of life or had been lost. Hell, if he played his cards right he might very well get to be in charge of some soldier's division or something!

Oh yes, this was going to be the greatest moment in his life! He could feel it!

~~~~

As Thrasher rose up the stairs he felt his heart sink a bit. They had failed... failed horribly and no doubt the Emperor would behead them all. If they were lucky they would be exiled from the land and the Gold Tribe would be disbanded. He shuddered at that possibiity but still, he had to think positive. At least he MIGHT not be killed.

He heard a thumping noise and turned to see Punisher ascending. Not good. Thrasher quickly stepped in his brother's path with a smile, "Hey Punisher. You got the summons too huh? Mind if you walk and talk with me?"

The Machamp blinked and then nodded, "Eh, sure I guess?" He asked.

Thrasher smiled as they walked together, "So how do you think the battle went? He inquired.

"It went AWESOME!" He said, having to flex his upper arms, "Did you see me out there? Man we kept those rebels back and we demolished their army! Heh, so much for camping out there! They coudln't even take the city!"

Thrasher frowned at his attitude, "Yes... but the city was destroyed."

"But everyone wasn't killed!" Thrasher countered. "We did our job, so waht if a few houses fell over? They can always be rebuilt!"

The Primeape had to sigh, "True... but they were historical pieces and meant much to the families living in them. We may have won the battle, but at what cost? And the nobles were largely killed off."

"Psssh. Sure there is that, but overall we did great!" The Machamp pressed.

"Punisher, I'm sorry but we aren't being called up there for good news. We're going to be punshed by the emperor I feel."

"Hey try to think positively!" The Machamp said with a cocky grin. "It'll be good. They can't kill us after all, we have defended the realm you know!"

By this point the two were outside the room and Thrasher went in, followed by Punisher. The Primeape bowed to give the Emperor his respect as did Punisher. "Hello your majesty." The Primape said softly. He made his way to stand near Garland as Punisher followed. He could feel the bundle of energy in the Machamp and he had to sigh. Please... PLEASE don't ruin this Punisher!

 

[Garet]

Sophia "Pyro" Marinos
Alamagna - The Emperor's here?
~~~~~

Sophia had left Zack, Frank, and Nik earlier, only a minute after checking that the four of them were still alive. The white Meowstic walked along a street that ended near the Tower of Nobles, trying not to look at the surrounding destruction. In the distance somewhere behind her, Sophia could hear the incoming army marching in. It was almost a miracle that their allies were able to show up in time to help crush the rebels.

It took some time at her pace before Sophia walked up the hill toward the Obsidian Citadel. From the looks of everything, the Tower of Nobles and its occupants were the worst loss of the day. After taking a couple minutes to climb the hill, Sophia saw Jacob several yards away, speaking to a Persian soldier. Relief filled her, now that she knew her brother was alive.

Sophia stopped beside Jacob as the Persian turned and began walking away. The dark-blue Meowstic turned around, a half-eaten apple in one hand, and smiled at the sight of his sister. "Hey, sis." They gave each other a tight hug, staying that way for a couple seconds before pulling away. Jacob took another bite of his apple as he checked on the two prisoners nearby.

"Busy?" Sophia asked, eyes on the Aggron. The Persian was standing before his psychic cage, directing four other soldiers who were getting ready to move Brynjolf.

Jacob shrugged, swallowing. "Just the usual." Glancing up at the Tower of Nobles, he grimaced. "Okay, maybe not so much. You?"

Sophia followed his eyes up to the Tower, where Pokemon had begun digging and looking for survivors. She followed its length to where it had slumped against the Obsidian Citadel. Though she wasn't sure from the distance, it looked like a doll was sitting on the wall there. Sophia's hand went to her mouth as she tried to dismiss the images in her head. So much destruction...

"I'll manage," she said tightly.

Jacob's face became stoic as he turned back to Brynjolf. "These two 'mon are going to the dungeons. You heading anywhere else?"

After a moment of consideration, Sophia shook her head. "I don't really have anything else to do at the moment." In a few minutes, the two Meowstic were pulling Shayla by the head with their psychic power, while the Persian and his four soldiers were carrying Brynjolf ahead of them. Someone had decided that the dungeons of the Obsidian Citadel was the best place to lock up the prisoners.

It was slow going, dragging the Steelix along. As they got to the Citadel itself, someone called out, "GOLD TRIBE! YOU ARE REQUESTED BY THE EMPEROR!"

"And I'm making sure Brynjolf and Shayla get to the dungeons!" Jacob shouted back. He took one last bite of his apple before turning to Sophia. In her mind, he said, Apple core.

"Heatmor~"

"Who's your friend?"

Karen, was the first name that came to mind.

Jacob spun and threw the apple core in his hand at Shayla's head. It bounced slightly after splattering a little, before Sophia grabbed it with her mind and threw it back at her brother. It hit him in the chest and fell to the ground. "See you later," Sophia said, walking away.

~~~~~

Minutes later, Sophia sat in the back corner, knees drawn to her chest as the near-empty elevator began carrying her toward the top of the Obsidian Citadel. Her red-pupiled eyes stared into space as Sophia relived the battle from the Storm's Fury. Especially the burning airships. Never in her life had she witnessed so much destruction, or caused so much. Defending Amoon Village from bandits nine years ago came nowhere close to this.

Standing at the door was a Hariyama. He'd looked over when the Meowstic got in the elevator and sat in the corner, then looked away. Presently, the elevator stopped and opened, letting the Hariyama out. Sophia looked up and out into the corridor, where one branch ran straight ahead and outside. On a whim, she stood up and hurried out before the elevator closed. It didn't take long for Sophia to get outside. Just yards away on the wall was the rubble of the collapsed Tower of Nobles; several Pokemon were hovering around it, working with others to get inside from this end.

Sophia's eyes roamed as she turned in a slow circle, taking in the details from this angle. She stopped when she spotted something on the edge of the wall, then walked over to it. It was the doll she'd seen, a Banette doll. From the way it was slumped, Sophia guessed it had somehow fallen out of the Tower. Bad enough that nobles had died. Now it looked like there had been children inside.

The Meowstic picked up the Banette doll. It felt like linen and was small enough for a Pokemon even smaller than Sophia. She shivered slightly, gently placing the doll inside her satchel. It felt wrong to leave it lying there like that. Remembering that she was summoned by the Emperor, Sophia hurried back to the elevator.

~~~~~

Sophia stepped out of the elevator and immediately braced her legs against the wind. Just ahead of her were Thrasher and Punisher. She followed them very closely, keeping her bow to Emperor Dareon brief before going to the side. When a gust of wind blew through the room, Sophia wrapped an arm around Punisher's leg to stay in place. The wind died down, and she let go, muttering, "Sorry."

 

[GastlyGibus]

The Moment of Truth
Emperor Dareon's invitation.​

Cassandra looked over the wreckage of the battle. Bodies strewn here and there, as soldiers picked through for survivors to be taken prisoner, though there were very few left alive, if any. She let out a sigh; could this battle have gone any worse? The destruction of the city was horrifying, and no doubt they would be called to answer for it. What answer did they have? The rebels were partaking in the destruction themselves, but what kind of excuse was that? They did it first, so we figured we'd do it as well? For now, it was the only reasoning they had.

"Cassandra!"

The Lilligant turned, seeing Tavhir rushing at her, concern evident in his eyes. The pawniard looked her over, seeing that her wounds from earlier had healed. This didn't relieve him though, somehow causing him to become more worried. "I thought you were going to help evacuate, away from the danger?!"

"Tavhir, please," she started, trying to reassure her over-protective brother. "I was needed more here."

"But you were hurt! You could have been killed!"

"Isn't that the risk we take during times like these? I am quite capable of handling myself, Tavhir."

"You can't rely on your drain technique all the time," Tavhir responded, beginning to relax slightly. "You know how taxing that ability is on your endurance."

Cassandra placed a hand on her brother's shoulder, flashing a sly grin with a wink. "I've been practicing."

"Gold Tribe! You're presence is requested by the Emperor!"

Cassandra gasped upon hearing those words, both her and Tavhir turning to face the messenger. The Emperor was here? She had expected some sort of council meeting afterwards, but not the Emperor. Her spirits sank. If the Emperor was here personally... Arceus knows what kind of punishment awaited them. She had never seen him personally, but she had heard stories of his flaming temper when angered. A sense of dread washed over her, hesitating before stammering out an answer.

"Y-yes, of course... we'll be right there."

Light rain began to pour; right on cue, it seemed. Tavhir looked his sister in the eye, sensing her worry and fear.

"Are you okay?"

"No... no I'm not..." she answered.

Now it was Tavhir's turn to reassure Cassandra. "Don't worry. I don't think the Emperor is aware of what exactly transpired here. We just need to explain ourselves... I hope."

The two looked up at the Obsidian Citadel, seeing the signature flagship of Dareon himself. The moment of truth was upon them, it seemed. For now, all they could do was calmly explain the situation... and pray to Arceus that the Emperor would be satisfied with their answer. They began walking towards the citadel, hoping that thing would go over smoothly, yet somehow they doubted that would happen.

 

[<Challenger>]

Kallet "Dauntless" Galliger​

"No! Wait! Don't do it!"

PHOOM!

Kallet woke up instantly. He sat up quickly, only to find a piece of rubble lying across his legs. Damn...What happened? One moment he had been climbing the building, the next he heard Sophie mention something about an airshi-...Dammit, Sophie... Kallet couldn't help but release some strained laughter when he realized what happened. The airship had struck the building he had been climbing.

Kallet lifted the rock off of him with his tails and propped himself up. He lifted himself clear of the rubble and strode out onto the streets to find the enemy retreating, "DAMN RIGHT!" He laughed cheerily. "Get the Hell outta here!" He cheered and shook his fists at them. "Teach YOUR asses to come around here!" He ran back to the barricade, side-stepping broken bodies and destroyed homes, to find Silvertongue and the ranged defenders. He gave them warm smiles and pumped his fist. "We did it! We WON!" There was a small victory cry among the ragtag group of defenders, but the party was cut short.

"Gold Tribe! You're presence is requested by the Emperor!"

Kallet gulped and looked to Silvertongue. "Two ways this can go..."

---

Kallet made his way towards the Obsidian Citadel, one side of his heart ecstatic, the other gloomy. There were very few times when the Emperor made requests to see them, and when he did it was a really good sign, or a terrible omen. And Kallet had a feeling that this wouldn't be a happy meeting. Hopefully...just hopefully the Emperor would be happy with him.

---

The Emperor seemed to be stoic, as ever, but Kallet's sense of whether or not someone was mad at him was acute, and the Emperor wasn't happy. "Your majesty." He bowed respectfully, eyes avoiding the Emperor directly. His eyes glanced over every other Gold Tribe member in the room...There seemed to be a few missing. We held the line...Was it worth it?

 

[SV]

Alonsus 'Shadowrend' Errias...but not really - Gerrick Errias - Outskirts of Alamagna

A long, deep whistle emerged from the mouth of the Krookodile who walked along the outskirts of Alamagna, where a great battle was fought, and apparently now won. He had a large sack slung over his shoulder, his collected loot off the casualties of war, as he walked among the bodies of the dead. However, his eyes were fixated solely on the docked ship in town, belonging to none other than the Emperor himself.

"Now there's bound to be lots of niceties on there," He thought to himself, stepping over, and occasionally on bodies that littered his path. He adjusted his sack, with the clanking of metal trinkets heard from the inside because of it. He groaned a bit after. The sack was becoming quite heavy at this point. Battles presented one of the best opportunities to loot. Dead soldiers didn't need their things anymore, and more often than not other soldiers would find the act too despicable to attempt.

Gerrick Errias didn't mind one bit. It just meant more for the taking for him, even if his back was beginning to get sore. His eyes trailed off to the distance, seeing the retreating forces run for their lives, and the Emperor's soldiers slaughtering anyone they caught up to. Indeed, this was a great battle, which meant plenty for the taking. Though perhaps now, Gerrick was beginning to think it might have been too big. He had contacts and fences where he could drop off or sell most goods in virtually every major city in the Empire. Normally, he would have dropped off his spoils and moved on, but as of yet, he didn't hear any word from his two major fences, nor his mule. It could be that they were simply in hiding and not wishing to make contact at the moment. But there was also the possibilty that they were dead or long gone from Alamagna, which meant that for the moment, Gerrick had nowhere to put his sack. Shame too, Mark Elebert was a decent Pokemon, as far as fences go. He even somewhat considered him a friend. Somewhat. Sort of.

Gerrick decided instead to hide the sack out in the outskirts of the city, and when all of the excitement died down, he would simply come back for it. He placed the sack down on the ground in front of him, with it dropping down with a loud THUD and a clanking of metallic objects. He looked around to the left and right, ensuring no one was in the immediate area. Satisfied that he was alone (except for the many bodies of the dead), he proceeded to lift up his large leg, and plant it firmly toward the ground. The ground instantly reacted, parting away and gaping to form large hole that went fairly deep inside the ground. He peered inside, satisfied with its depth, and dropped the sack inside. He then proceeded to fill up the hole once more. To ensure that he wouldn't forget the area, he decided to make a marking of sorts. However, he couldn't find anything on his person which would make the marking. He then saw the body of a nearby Sandslash, who had his arm severed during the conflict. Gerrick formed an idea, grabbing the arm of the dead Sandslash. He began to wipe the blood of the arm along the ground where he had buried his treasure, making a specific, unique symbol of an 'X' and then a circle going around it. The bodies would likely be rid of at one point or another, but blood doesn't come off so easily. He was confident he would be able to identify his marker by that.

He nodded and smirked, before getting another idea. Likely, some of the other Gold Tribe members would be looking for Alonsus, his twin brother who he was now impersonating. Or at the very least, they would have assumed he had died in his week of absence. He would have to come up with a fairly compelling story. Looking down at the arm of the Sandslash in his hand, he proceeded to smear the blood of the limb across portions of his body. His arm, his chest, the side of his face, and his leg, to show that he injuriedly strutted from the battlefield alone to the capital, narrowly escaping his death. Satisfied he had gotten his story straight, Gerrick smirked and proceeded toward the capital of Alamagna.

The capital was a mess. Dead from both sides were littered on the streets, and it didn't look like the clean up crew (as he put it) had quite begun to do their job. Gerrick saw multiple opportunities to...increase his wealth, but decided against it, as he knew the snobby, stuck up 'honorable' Gold Tribe members didn't behave in such a way. Come to think of it, he really didn't know how his twin behaved in life. In fact, he had no idea what his title was either, as he was sure every Gold Tribe member had one. He hoped he didn't run into any other Gold Tribe members who knew him personally, as that might be a problem. Now, how to get on that fancy Emperor ship...?

"Shadowrend?!" A voice called out from the left side of where Gerrick was standing. Gerrick was lost in his thoughts, trying to determine how best to go about his bold heist. "SHADOWREND!" The voice yelled louder. Gerrick turned to see what the commotion was about, seeing a young Raichu who was behind the shouting. To his surprise, the Raichu, who wore a Gold Tribe emblem along his tail was looking directly at Gerrick.

Sh*t. He had heard the name Shadowrend before. He knew the Exalted one was the Gold Tribe leader, and he was pretty sure Shadowrend was the name of his right hand man. Which meant, somehow Alonsus managed to become the 2nd leader of the Gold Tribe. Gerrick was beginning to think he was way in over his head.

The Raichu stopped right in front of him, beaming. "I can't believe it's you, brother! We all thought you had fell!"

Brother? Oh right, they call themselves that. Gerrick cleared his throat. "Uh...yes! I am Shadowrend! Your brother!" He responded, trying to raise his voice a bit to sound more...noble, however you do that. "I escape from my...er...I was able to fight off the fiends of the enemy that...uh...I was injured and ran here...no! No! I didn't run, I'm quite injured you see!" He fumbled a few times, trying to get his words right. "It took a while for me to get here...I missed the chance to...errr...protect the city from the enemy, but here I am now...to help!"

The Raichu cocked his head and stared at the Krookodile quizically. "Looks like you might have taken one too many blows in the head as well, sire. We'll have to get you checked out after our summons!"

"Summons...?"

"The Emperor has requested our presence!" The Raichu Gold Tribe member replied. "He'll likely want to speak to you as well."

Damn it...

"Err...right! We shall march there fore-hence...uh...posthence...posthaste! Immediately!" He shouted loudly. Another confused look came from the Raichu, who merely shrugged it off and proceeded to the Citadel. Gerrick followed reluctantly.

Might wanna tone it down a bit, I guess. Ahh, damn it, what have I gotten myself into?

 

[Ray Maverick]

Pendro, Punisher, Cassandra, Sophia


Pendro couldn't help but feel disconnected from the situation he now found himself in. He'd left in silence for the Obsidian Citadel, and shortly afterwards he'd spotted the Emperor's arrival. He didn't feel the rain. Usually, he would've hated it - despite being made of metal, and a Psychic type on top of that, making him virtually impervious to it - but the destruction that had fallen on Alamagna was a shock to the system, to say the least. And of course, now was the perfect time to be called to see the Emperor of all Exathor. Riddled with guilt, self-doubt and bitterness, rattled to the core by the horrors of war.

The Metang cursed his luck. He wanted nothing more at this point than to rest - he almost certainly deserved it, after that incident with the gigantic explosion. The logical side of his mind told him to give into those urges and seek medical attention, but he ignored them, obediently taking the elevator to the top floor. The doors opened, and he floated over. His eyes were open, and yet he wasn't really looking at anything - the Metang made his way next to Garland, Thrasher, Punisher and Sophia, (he'd vaguely made a note of their existence) then dropped closer to the floor, propping himself up on his claws.

Punisher of course was all smiles as he kept his arms crossed and stayed silent. He knew that they had done their job, so what was there to be fearful about? He could already see the Emperor rising in his mind and declaring them some high rank. He wasn't sure if higher ranks existed within the Gold Tribe, but if not then the Emperor could make some special ranks just for them! He glanced down as the chill sweapt across the room and smirked down at the little Meowstic. He was a bit surprised that the wind seemed to be such a hazard to her, but he supposed that it was no problem to be a sort of life raft against the wind. "Heh, no problem" He said to her.

Sophia shuffled away from the Reaching Mind a step, making room for the Metang to settle down. Aside from any chatting in the room, the relative silence gave Sophia some time to think over her part in the day's battle. To be honest, she was guilty of damaging the city, plain and simple. Yes, it was a side effect of shooting down two airships, and yes, the rebel Stygians were already destroying parts of the city themselves. Destroying the airships meant they would not have been able to cause further destruction. And in the Gold Tribe's defense, they hadn't known that was what the rebels would do in the first place.

...We're doomed. And the atmosphere was all wrong for Sophia to try getting one of the other Pokemon to talk with her. In the end, the white Meowstic opened the flap of her satchel and nudged the Banette doll aside in order to pull out a book. Might as well read while they wait, if there was time. Sophia was too nervous with the impending report to realize what reading a book might indicate to the Emperor.

Cassandra solemnly crept into the room, fearful of making any noise that would announce her arrival. She wanted this over with desperately, silently wishing the strong winds would just blow her right over the edge and end it already. As if the fate in store for them would be any better. Normally, the Lilligant was optimistic in situations like this, but after that catastrophe of a defense, she began to fear the worst. At this point, simply being stripped of Gold Tribe status would be merciful, in her mind. She made her way to where the others stood, keeping her head down, standing a small distance behind them to diminish her presence.

Cassandra noticed Sophia, just... casually reading? At a time like this? Here she was, a nervous wreck, expecting some terrible judgment to be passed down onto them, while Sophia sat and read as if it were nothing. She quickly nudged the meowstic slightly, shooting a glare her way. She said nothing; her stare silently expressing her thoughts. "What are you doing?! This is no time to be reading!"

Sophia didn't respond to the Lilligant, of course.

The Aegislash, captain of the Doublades, suddenly spoke curtly, "you who have arrived. The Emperor will speak with you." Emperor Dareon was leaning back on his chair comfortably all this time, measuring the gathered Gold Tribe with his dark eyes. His eyes seemed to be stuck at Sophia and her book for a long time. And now, he finally spoke, loud and clear.

"What book is so compelling, that you would read it in a place and time such as this?" he asked her, half critically, but calmly still.

Sophia jumped slightly at the Emperor's voice, looking up at the obsidian chair. "Um, a book that I found recently and that I...like..." The Meowstic opened her satchel and placed the fiction novel inside. "I figured that it was the wrong time to try talking to anyone, I mean before you said anything, Your Highness, and honestly... It helps me gather my thoughts when I'm nervous, and..."

Great, now he's gonna ask why I'm nervous.

Pendro caught a glance at the book as it slid into Sophia's satchel. It was odd, he figured, that it caught his attention more than the Emperor, but he brushed the thought aside.

"It's a good book..." He mumbled from his place below.

"Nervous?" the Emperor asked, his expression somewhat softening into slight confusion. "What cause have you to be nervous?"

"Right, um..." Sophia stopped and took a deep breath, then made herself look straight at the Emperor. "I'm nervous about our report of the battle, Your Highness. ...I'm not sure if I should go first, or..."

The Emperor leaned on his elbow at the Throne, looking at Sophia with quiet amusement. "Go on, then."

Right, so what first... The white Meowstic cleared her throat and began speaking in a clear voice. "When we held our meeting for discussing strategy, we ended up deciding to do two things. Preparing our defenses at the walls and behind them, and preparing an escape route against the inevitability that the rebel Stygian army would take Alamagna. As far as we knew, General Vektor's army was busy in the mountains with others of the rebels, and too far away to get here in time."

"I helped prepare the barriers for the Hyper Beam cannons on the walls before boarding the Storm's Fury, which was the last airship we had available to us. We were probably the only prominent aerial defense Alamagna had, once the rebels got past the walls."

Sophia hesitated, holding her upper arm. "Um...well...okay, since the rebels were Stygians, and due to past battles, we'd thought that the rebels wouldn't have attacked the city itself, just those defending it. But...well, I was in the air, so I didn't have a frontline view of it, but from what I could tell, the rebels were destroying the buildings in their path. After that I figured, personally, that if...if the rebels were already doing it, then shooting down an airship or two myself wouldn't matter as much...their airships weren't attacking the Storm's Fury..."

As a latent afterthought, Sophia added quietly, "I think the walls were breached because the enemy flagship was shot down onto it..."

"The walls suffered a minor breach," Garland spoke firmly, "but the enemy entered otherwise. They were allowed into the city - the gates were opened from the inside."

Emperor Dareon was listening carefully to Sophia, then turned his gaze to Garland. His expression didn't change. The Aegislash's eyes shone purple, and Garland knew he was whispering to the Emperor, who said, "I had known. There was no other way for all these rebels to have breached. Althalos will find the culprit... will you not?" he turned to the General, looking at him critically. The Gigalith slightly bowed.

"I have already issued a search, your Highness."

The Mega Ampharos nodded, his gaze now travelling to every one of his vassals, stopping at Vektor, who bowed, although not too deeply, with a serious expression. The Emperor then turned to the Gold Tribe. "Vektor commands such a large army," he pointed out. "He was a great help."

"He was, your Highness," Garland agreed and braced himself, knowing of what was coming.

"Then why is the city annihilated, the citizens massacred and frightened and so many soldiers slain?" Emperor Dareon's voice boomed like thunder, and his fury cracked like lightning. It was as if his fury was poured into the energy he radiated; Garland felt it, and cowered. He was speechless for a time, looking down. He hadn't felt as bad in years; he could say something like, 'they were too many' or 'we could not stop them', but the facts remained. There were so many dead, and Garland felt like he owed them to at least refrain from making excuses.

Silence had fallen in the Council. The Emperor took his eyes off of Garland and looked wildly through the small group of Gold Tribe. He pointed at the shiny Metang; the Aegislash whispered into his mind the name of the Pokemon. "Reaching Mind, explain yourself."

The mention of his title ripped Pendro from his semi-concious state, flinching, his right arm clanging against the ground as he forced himself to levitate a somewhat decent amount off of the ground.

"Who- what, um, exactly, uh... what, um, specific situation would you like me to explain, uh... sire?"

The Ampharos glared at him, glancing briefly to the Aegislash servant, as if wanting to say, how could he not understand my question? "What was your role in all of this?"

"Um, all of it?" The look Dareon was giving him gave him the idea that it was probably best to just keep talking. "I can, uh... confirm my sister's recount of the meeting before the battle, and the... wall defense, hyper... hyper beam cannons, wall defense. Um..." Pendro swayed a little to the right, but slowly righted himself. "The airship exploded on the walls, uh, and it... was bad. I- I... was out... I didn't action- out of action for a while, uh, then streets, and I got a berry... um," the Metang put a claw to his forehead and shut his eyes for a moment, "Then we used Magnet Rise and used ground attacks, then Vektor arrived, and then we got called, then Sophia was reading a book, a good book, I- I've gone too far, um..." Pendro swayed to the left, eventually righting himself again.

"Enough," the Emperor waved his hand, dissatisfied.

"Is there anyone who can offer a proper report?" the Aegislash inquired in his place.

Punisher all the while felt his hands curl up into fists. He was seeing his brothers and sisters essentially humilated in front of him. Reaching Mind looked about ready to faint, and everyone was clearly spooked out from the anger the Emperor was showing, so as the question was asked Punisher stepped on over. "I can." He said simply. He made sure to stare right at the Emperor, doing his best to show no signs of weakness. Simply looking at him Punisher could assume he didn't know what they went through. He was seated on a freaking throne while everyone below was doing their best to help out the city for crying out loud!

"As my sister said we started before the siege by laying out a plan of action. Some of us were going to head into the tunnels to make sure they could serve as an escape route out of the city and the rest of us were going to work on defending the city. Sophia did put up barriers and before the attack hit a more elite soldier got onto the walls and we fought him for a bit. As we did an airship crashed down and I'm glad that none of my brothers or sisters were killed by it. It created a gap and I began fighting off the soliders that started spilling in before I went to the other front being defended.

A mass of soldiers were coming in through some opened gates and I worked with my brothers to repel them. We had managed to shoot out some fiery rocks at those coming which aided us a lot. We even had to do a few earthquakes to get them away. Yeah, it made a building or two crumple, but we saved lives with that!" His fists tightened up a bit. "We all lost brothers and sisters out there, friends close to us. We lost those that could help us in this siege and despite having lower numbers we still did a DAMN good job in defending this city. You might not think it, but I know my brothers and sisters did everything within their power to defend this city, to defend the lives of the citizens here! I know Garland did the best job he could ever do and I believe that with all of my heart."

Punisher made his way back next to Garland and just stood there. He really didn't care if this oh so powerful emperor would punish him for that, but he wasn't just going to lie either.

"You will address the Emperor with more respect and less profanity," the Aegislash spoke. Emperor Dareon had stopped leaning on his elbow and was now staring intently at the Machamp.

"Let him speak his mind," he commanded, but the Machamp was done.

"They did their best, that is plain enough," the Trade Prince Achilles commented with a pleasant ease. Nobody had noticed, but he had been seated on the steps of the Throne, cross legged, the apple he was eating still on his hand. "If anything, we should be praising them for their valiant defense."

The Wise Master of Laws glared at Achilles in contempt. "Praise them? Praise them?" said the Mienshao, as if he could not believe his ears.

"Now, hold on a sec," General Althalos said, his voice loud and trembling, "I may have done badly, and I take responsibility for my troops, but we could never have done it without the golden ones. Blimey. If they hadn't held the invaders with those traps, or protected the cannons, or secured a safe escape route for us and the citizens, we would all have been overwhelmed long before Vektor arrived."

The Emperor stood motionless, looking off to the side, to no one in particular. Night had fallen; the room was lit by the lamps the Nidoking guards had fastened on the Hesperian banners. Zhaolong seemed to contemplate on everything, when finally, he said, "I recognize your bravery, and loyalty, and I am a just man, contrary to these Wurmples who defy me. The rebels are to be blamed for the destruction, not the defenders of this city. But I am interested in learning more about the escape plan you devised."

"Um, Emperor," Pendro raised a claw shakily, "I should mention, it- the rebels, were... uh, strange- oddly motivated, unpredictable- not- not, uh- abnormal. Something... not right, unnatural, um... also... I think, I, uh..."

The Metang's eyes glazed over for a second or two, as if paused in deep thought. Suddenly, his entire body dropped, clattering to the floor in a series of bangs and crashes before spinning and falling to rest.

Punisher sighed and shrugged, "No worries, he does that all the time." Still, he reached down and picked up the Metang. The Emperor shook his head and half the Council laughed; General Althalos let out a weary chuckle, too, but he looked at the Metang with pity. Garland walked quickly over to the tend to Pendro.

"I do hope the defenders weren't all as faulty as this machine," Rethlor said softly, and Garland bared his teeth at him in an sudden burst of anger that was contained in his face; the Mienshao quickly looked away.

"Reaching Mind is not faulty," Garland said, after having checked the Metang, "he was hurt defending the city, in the name of the Emperor. Does nobody here appreciate this?"

"Enough of this joke," Emperor Dareon shouted, and they all went silent. "They appreciate your efforts, if I do. Now, tell me about the escape plan before my patience runs out."

 

[Greiger]

Crazy Cotakitus Council Meeting! Part 2! Featuring: Tahvir, Thrasher, Flash, and Garland​

Thrasher knew it was better than to talk while in the Emperor's presence, especially if he hadn't been called to speak. He could see plainly enough that the Emperor himself was being worked into a frustration of sorts. If anything the only one with them was the Trade Prince. He had been around the block and had seen how Garland could get when the Trade Prince would be mentioned in conversation. It was subtle... but Thrasher could sense some animosity between the two.

If anything, Thrasher thought the Trade Prince would have eagerly sided with the Emperor, but he was glad that wasn't the case. Still, the Emperor was losing patience already and he had already pushed Punisher's and Garland's button and had probably helped to cause Reaching Mind's fainting act. He could sense the fear from the others and did his best to think positively. Anything said in this meeting could very well have an impact later on the Gold Tribe. Both good and bad things could come out of what would be said here, though hopefully the Emperor's head could be cooled off soon.

Tavhir walked in, quietly moving over to where Thrasher stood, placing himself at the primeape's side. The powerful gusts of wind threatened to topple his small form over, but he kept himself firmly planted on the ground, standing - almost defiantly - in front of the watchful eyes of the council. He didn't fear these men, nor did he expect them to understand exactly what had happened during the battle. What he did expect was a stern lecture; beratement, ironically, coming from pompous bureaucrats who had likely never been in a real battle themselves. Only the generals would know, and even then, Tavhir held no personal respect for them, save Althalos.

Yet, as much contempt as he harbored for these men, he held his tongue. Tavhir knew his place, and though he loathed to admit it, the council held jurisdiction over the affairs of Exathor. Any outburst on his part would not only ensure swift punishment on himself, but also serve to humiliate his comrades, and the entire Gold Tribe as well. He kept his feelings silent, standing with arms crossed as he awaited the probable lecture that was sure to come.

The Flash made his way towards the Emperor's throne room. The amount of prestige that radiated from the not only the Ampharos himself, but the 'mon that surrounded him, was inspiring. Noah could only be proud and honored to be where he was. The Typhlosion stood up on his hind legs straighter to look as dignified as he could. Well, that would be as long as they were not called upon as preperation for punishment. Still, he carried on, strong and tall as he made his way next to Tahvir, the difference in height all the more apparent as Noah towered over him. Turning his head slowly from left and right, he glanced at each seperate member of the council, one by one. He nagged to not know what they were thinking.

After several moments passing, Noah began to grow inpatient, clearly evident as he began silently tapping his foot out of habit. The impatience then slowly trickled into doubt and worry. The thought of not knowing what was ahead proved agonizing. Briefly shutting his eyes as tight as he could, he hoped he could keep his mouth shut and speak when spoken to. The last thing he would want to do was embarrass himself in front of the council, or even worse, inadvertantly disrespect them. It was nothing he would ever mean to do, but the Typhlosion often felt the need to speak his mind, somewhat oblivious to tact. He glanced to his left at Thrasher and Tahvir in hopes his brother would do most of the talking for him.

"I do hope the defenders weren't all as faulty as this machine," Rethlor, the Mienshao, said softly.

"Reaching Mind is not faulty," Garland said, after having checked the Metang, "he was hurt defending the city, in the name of the Emperor. Does nobody here appreciate this?"

"Enough of this joke," Emperor Dareon shouted, and they all went silent. "They appreciate your efforts, if I do. Now, tell me about the escape plan before my patience runs out."

Thrasher chose that moment to step forward, "If I may, your highness." He said as he gave a small bow of sorts. "My title is Thrasher and I do have some information I observed over the course of the escape." He straightened up from his bow. "Originally we believed that no aid would come for us... and many of us are optimistic, but we are not fools either. We knew that it was a great risk to keep all the civilians inside the city when we might very well easily lose the city simply due to the great numbers surrounding us. We Gold Tribe are great battlers... but not against such odds. We headed down to the tunnels connecting the city to Ascanfell. There were aquaducts that the civilans could use to cross into the neighboring city.

We went down and began to use trial and error to see which tunnels led to the city. I had been paired with my brother, Flash, for this task. Garland and The Restless went down another path apart from us. As we were looking down other tunnels we heard the sounds of battle and discovered Garland and The Restless locked in a battle against Stygians who had been placed down there to ambush any who went by. We managed to defeat them and take two temporary hostages. One of the hostages was the leader of the small group. As we made our way back up to regroup with our brothers and sisters Garland told us to head to where they were stationed and help to defend the area. We didn't."

He looked over at Garland, who was looking at Thrasher with a small frown, yet listening with interest. Thrasher then looked back at the Emperor. "Garland was locked in combat with a former Gold Tribe member who had joined the Stygians, Earthquake. We had our two prisoners... and past experiences of mine influenced me to decide that it was best to interrogate our prisoners quickly, especially as the army began to sweep in and destroy the city. I... am Stygian myself. I won't deny that fact, and I know from my culture that such acts are despicable. The Flash and myself took our prisoners into a side tunnel and interrogated them. The surprising information was that... well, they had no orders previously to raze the city. In fact... the two soldiers were horrified to find such a fate befalling the city.

That lead me to the conclusion that razing the city was a spontaneous command. If it had been planned before for the soldiers, surely those in the aqueducts would have likewise been told to attack from the bottom once they won against whomever had been sent down to the tunnels. Given that the whole army attacked and the soldiers immediately began to raze buidlings... it means that the command was also a widespread one, something that would have been shouted for all soldiers to hear or possibly sent into their mind with psychic communicators.

That struck me as odd, but regardless Flash and I allowed them to leave. There was no point in holding them if we had other duties to perform so my brother and I departed the tunnels. I left the Flash at that point and made my way to the general, allowing the others to aid him as I fought agianst the guards stationed there. There were some I managed to knock out and asked Punisher to place them down below in the cells for possible interrogation. I then helped with trying to clear the rubble from the Tower of Nobles, though it did strike me as odd that instead of using their sky ships to take prisoners, they instead elected to kill as many as possible. It is common duty with both sides to take nobles as prisoners."

He paused and thought for a moment, "If anything, I can say this... those rebels are not acting in part with their culture. Even during the earlier rebellion they didn't destroy cities or attack their own civilians. Something changed just before this battle, and that is true with the battle in Deathbringer's mark as well. I have to say... with the attitudes they showed in battle today, they are a wild card of sorts. If anything... you have to consider that these rebels are targetting those who do not willingly join their cause. It has been nine years of tension already... and those who haven't joined by now will most likely become targets to be killed as well."

He bowed his head, "That is all I can offer. I hope it is a suitable summary your highness."

The members of the Council all seemed ruffled and threw puzzled, worried glances at each other as Thrasher unfolded the adventure of the siege from his point of view. Obviously, the mysterious intruders in the tunnels had caught their attention.

General Vektor leaned towards Rethlor, to whisper something in his hear; the Mienshao stroked his furry chin thoughtfully, staring somewhere ahead, his little, grey eyes full of unsettlement. He nodded slightly. The Emperor and General Althalos were also speaking in private; Garland was staring at Achilles, who didn't appear too concerned with the matter. He was sitting on the steps of the throne, throwing his half-eaten apple in the air, smiling professionally at Thrasher.

"Good of you to come up with an interesting speculation, to go along with your report," the Medicham said. "But I disagree. The command was not spontaneous. On the contrary, it was planned all along - or at least that is what my informants would have us believe. You said they were startled when you mentioned the city's state. Instead of them simply being uninformed, I propose a different reason for the hostile group's ignorance regarding it: they did not belong to the same side."

"That's preposterous," the Ampharos on the Throne snapped. "Who else but Stygians would think to go there, and then attack members of the tribe?"

"A third party," Achilles said simply. He looked past the members of the Council. Silence had taken over them.

"A third party?" General Vektor retorted. The Drapion looked angry, more than puzzled. "What do you suggest a third party would seek?"

Achilles had lost his smile. He braided his hands together, looking at the ceiling rather thoughtfully. He was forcing the entire Council to look at him, it felt like. Then, a bright idea seemed to come to him, for his face was lit entirely. He looked at Thrasher. "Perhaps Thrasher will tell us. Describe our subjects. Did you immediately recognize them as Stygians? Were they carrying any sort of insignia, a garment, perhaps, to distinguish them from the normal Pokemon? Did you confirm they were rebels, before interrogating them?"

Thrasher closed his eyes as he had to think back. "No.. they didn't say that they were rebels. I don't remember either myself or The Flash asking them that question. We assumed and... we shouldn't have had. I do know, from what they specifically told us, that they had been sent down to the tunnels to stop whoever came along and wait there. He even said that... their next orders never came." Thrasher suddenly realized the importance of that. "Obviously they had no inkling of what the army itself was to do. They wore no specific uniform and the only reason I thought them of Stygians was that they were attempting to kill us at that moment. I saw no insignia... but I do know that Flash stayed back. He caught up with me later... but I remember something else the Klefki said."

He took in a deep breath, "He said... that we were pieces that the lords moved around... or at least they were pieces that were moved around. If they are told to kill, they kill. If they are told to destroy, they do that too. He even stated that they, who I presume to mean his fellow soldiers under the orders of this third party, never question orders and never know their next orders until they get them. In the army... they would at least have been told generally what to do. I think... I think whoever sent them down there either had one of three expectations. One, they would kill the Gold Tribe members who came down to investigate. Two, they were simply testing us in a way, perhaps whoever this third party is wanted to simply observe how we moved in battle up close... in which case I allowed them to go."

Thrasher bowed his head, "If that is the case, I accept full responsibilty for that mistake. Or, it could be a third option... they were set up to kill whoever came to that area, correct? There were no orders to only slay Gold Tribe specifically... they were there to protect something, or possibly guard something that lied down there. With the urgency of the war... we never thought to head deeper into the aquaducts and see what they might have been guarding..." Once more Thrasher bowed his head, "I fully accept any punishment because of my poor decision making your highness. If we... If we had kept them captive then we would have them here and now to interrogate and possibly find out what their motives were as well as what group they belonged to. I was the more senior member there, and so all punishment falls on my head, not Flash's." He looked on up, "I am sorry for my failure. I have no excuse to give for allowing them to go."

The Typhlosion gave a sideways glance to his brother and shook his head. "No, that is incorrect, we are both at fault. My apologies your highness but I had as much involvement and responsibility involving the interigation of the Stygians. However, all speculation aside, our brothers were ambushed by those men without warning. We felt that was enough for a call to action."

Thrasher glanced back at his brother, about to speak when he caught sight of something in the fire-type's pack. He knew that the Flash kept berries in there mostly, he had seen him handing them out at times during the battle at Deathbringer's Mark, but the paper seemed even more odd with that fact that there were no words on it... at least from what Thrasher saw. He did see a drawing of sorts on it. He took a step back and looked at Flash, "Mind if I see this?" He asked as he pulled out the paper. He looked at it for a moment, "I believe this is what Flash stopped to get in the tunnels." He said as he held out the paper to the Emperor. "With all the fighting in the city my brother must have forgotten about it."

The paper flew from Thrasher's hands, moved by an unseen force. The Aegislash handed it to the Emperor; the Council tried to get a glimpse of the symbol drawn on the paper. "An airship within a triangle," Dareon mused, somewhat in disbelief.

"Can't say I've seen it before," Rethlor said indifferently, shrugging it off.

"But I have," Achilles said, showing Rethlor his white teeth in a true smile. The two looked at each other strongly for just a moment. "It's the symbol of a nameless group of mercenaries. No - criminals is the best term, I believe. For the right price, they'll kill a newborn infant in front of the parents."

"What in the name of Arceus would their sort be doing in the tunnels beneath the city?" General Althalos said. "It's unlikely they were employed by the rebel army, I reckon. But by whom, then? And for what purpose?"

"You did send men underground, did you not, Althalos?" Zhaolong said, and the Gigalith nodded. "The truth will be discovered soon. When I am done dealing with this rebellion, Garland will see that those vermin who burden Exathor are brought to justice."

Garland bowed his head grimly.

 

[Necrum]

Lucius Noble, The Blue Baron

Lucius heard the call to report. There was still much to do but he could not ignore a summons from the Emperor. Lucius moved as fast as he could back to the walls of the city, though being a Jellicent, this was not very fast at all. Once again, he found himself waiting for the elevator. It didn't bother him though. He was used to waiting. Everything would happen when it happened. Even if what happened was...

The elevator opened up. As he entered, he could hear the sounds of battle as they continued. The doors shut. Lucius finally had a moment of privacy once again, even if it wouldn't last long. "Death..." The card weighed heavily on his mind. Surely it couldn't be the death of the Gold Tribe, could it? Would his prediction really yield something so broad? Was it he himself who was destined to die? It wouldn't have bothered him if it was, he had lived a fair and long life.

Ding. The elevator stopped, and opened to reveal that the meeting had already begun. "I apologize for the interruption. I'm afraid I am not as young as I used to be." Lucius entered, and knelt before the grand Ampharos. He was stuck in old traditions, even though the current emperor no longer demanded such an honor.

"The commander of the enemy fleet, a Braviary named Johnson, is dead." It was all he had to say about the current situation. He was sure the others probably had already began discussing how to proceed. Lucius arose, and listened to what followed. But the image of the Cofagrigus was burned into his mind, a constant reminder...

 

[Ray Maverick]

​

Jacob
​

He really, really wished this wasn't taking so much effort that he couldn't pay as much attention to his surroundings. Why did Steel Pokemon have to weigh so much, especially Steelix? Jacob stepped to the side of the stairs' bottom and concentrated, pulling Shayla's head down with his psychic power. Behind her slithered the rest of the Steelix's length, which threatened to pile up at the bottom of the stairs. Jacob kept pulling Shayla's head along down the corridor of the dungeons, following the lead of a Persian and a Dewott in front of him.

"Normally, we probably wouldn't bring her belowground," the Persian said over his shoulder, "but it turns out there's a cell made for Pokemon like a Steelix. We'll just have to hope she fits."

Jacob didn't reply, glancing behind him for a moment. It was probably one of the better times for the rebels to retaliate, when the resident Stygians and the Gold Tribe were not as alert as before, not expecting another attack so soon. Not a full-blown attack, though, but something to retrieve two of their leaders, Brynjolf and Shayla. Besides, as far as Jacob was concerned, there was still an insider somewhere. It could even be the Persian in front of him, for all the Meowstic knew.

Jacob passed by the cell where he'd left the Aggron, who had long since gone back to his normal form. Brynjolf was still unconscious, but that wouldn't last much longer, probably. Two Pokemon were in there with him, still working on Brynjolf's restraints. Good thing I have his Mega Stone, Jacob thought to himself.

A few cells past the Aggron, the two soldiers before Jacob stopped at a larger cell, fronted with the thickest tristanite grill that he'd ever seen. The Dewott soldier opened the door with a set of keys and pulled it open. "It'll take some coiling to fit all of her inside, but the point's to make it cramped for the prisoner."

Not once had these two Pokemon mentioned Shayla's name at all, or Brynjolf's. Jacob stopped beside the cell-door and pushed Shayla's head through. Ah, yes, coiling, he knew how to do that. Okay, he'd never had to stuff a Steelix inside a cell, but this shouldn't be too hard. The Meowstic's brow furrowed a little with the concentration; several seconds later, he was slowly pushing and pulling Shayla's head around in circles, coiling the rest of her length beneath her.

Suddenly, a psychic message came into his mind from somewhere in the Citadel: Jacob? Jacob, Frank said, it's you, right? Listen. The Emperor's come, and he's called the Gold Tribe... of course, that means I won't be going, but... oh, ow! he shouted, as if he'd just been struck. Alright already, I'll get to the point: bring Lord Brynjolf with you. Just as Frank had finished speaking, a great moan echoed from the direction of Brynjolf's cell, then a sound of ringing steel erupted in the dungeons. The Aggron was thrashing about on the ground. He moaned again, seemingly in pain.

Mind giving me a minute, Frank? Jacob asked. He pushed Shayla's head up one more time, getting the end of her tail inside the cell door. The Dewott pushed it closed and locked it up. So what's going on? Jacob asked Frank, walking back to Brynjolf's cell. He cocked his head slightly at the Aggron; the two guards inside had backed away a few steps. "This start just now?" Jacob asked them.

Council is what's going on, the Kadabra answered in his mind, they're probably going to hold court and such. No pressure, but I think you should hurry... The guards were just as puzzled as Jacob, looking inside the Aggron's cell. He didn't seem to be trying to escape; instead, he just thrashed on the floor, shaking.

"Uhh," one guard stammered. Soon, spasms overcame the Aggron's heavy body and he screamed.

"NO! No more!" there was a last violent spasm, before he fainted. His body continued to rock with every violent spasm that went through it, once every few seconds. The Dewott guard had arrived to see what was going on, and was now smirking his brows, puzzled.

"That doesn't look like results from an injury," he said reluctantly.

Someone else said, "is he... cursed? Best get him a doctor... he's no good to us dead."

Jacob, Frank spoke, are you coming?

Yes, I'm coming, Jacob answered, watching Brynjolf. Frank, please tell Zack that everyone needs to be on high alert. Turning to the Dewott, he said, "Turns out they need him elsewhere. The Emperor's in town." Jacob doubted that the Aggron was going through withdrawals from the absence of his Mega Stone. Something else was happening. "I'll find a doctor for him on the way."

The Dewott's eyes widened slightly. "The Emperor? Man, he's going to be so mad..." He picked out one of the keys on his ring and unlocked the cell door. The two guards inside were already unlocking Brynjolf's restraints; they didn't want to keep the Emperor waiting.