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

Status
Not open for further replies.
Lucian Tromp​

The remainder of the journey through the rainforest was rather harsh, especially for Lucian's brothers. At first, the rain was rather refreshing to Lucian. Having lived in a rainforest for a while, he had grown attached to the rain. All the while, he was thinking about the terror that lay ahead: the wastelands. He had also been calculating the various trees they passed. Noting which ones were better to take cover under. When they stopped for a rest, Lucian instructed Vigil to take cover under the large tree to the right, it had so many leaves that either the rain would drop to the sides or just get soaked up by a leaf before reaching them. This meant they were almost totally safe from rain, and had a lot of cover space since the tree was close to huge. As Lucian sat down under the tree, he remembered how thankful he was to the forest Pokemon for teaching him these things, these were invaluable survival skills that only the forest people knew. They taught Lucian how to use simple maths to calculate the density, age, and amount of leaves a tree had. Inevitably, he wondered how they would fare without him. After all, in the few months he'd been with them, he'd already prevented many disasters. Of course, the village had its own warriors, but none could match up to the skills of Lucian. On the up side, he was with fellow Gold Tribe members. Despite the fact that it had only been a few months, Lucian felt like it had been forever since he'd seen another Gold Tribe warrior. He felt at home being with others who wore the emblem. Despite a rough start, Lucian was already warming up to everyone in the group.

By the time Lucian had stopped thinking, it was time to set back off. Before long, Lucian noticed a giant Oak tree in the middle of a small, circular clearing. He knew what this meant. The tree was called the 'Sivinan no kol' by the forest Pokemon, which was their language for 'Tree that isn't supposed to be there'. See, oak trees don't grow in rainforests. Everyone knows that. The oak tree had been planted by someone to signify the start of the 'humid section'. The 'humid section' was a polluted part of the rainforest, the climate was twisted by global warming, and made far more humid. Hence the name, 'humid section'. The forest people dreaded the humid section, and even Lucian had only been there once. Lucian walked up to Vigil. "Be careful, the followingpart of the forest is the humidsection, it's, well, humid." he said. He popped his finger into his mouth and then plopped it back out, then pointed it to the sky. "The temperature is alreadymore humid, we must becareful." Lucian said hastily.

The next part of the journey was relatively hard. The humid section was just as Hoodhide remembered it. At first, he could endure it easily, but after a while the humidity started getting to him. Before long, it started to rain again, and, once again, they took shelter. Unfortunately for them, the humid section had a terrible selection of trees, and they had to shelter under a young and thin tree, with a measly amount of leaves, by rainforest standards. Although compared to any other tree, it might be huge. One of the only things that could beat the rainforest trees would be the mighty redwood, which Lucian had yet to see.
It was hard keeping up front with the humidity throwing things in Lucian's face, but before long, the forest started thinning out. The humidity started disappearing, and everyone looked much more pleased. "Humidity's disappearing, we're reaching theend." Lucian said. As they reached the very end, Lucian was the first to run ahead and peek at the wasteland. There was: nothing. Absolutely nothing but a little sand and ground. It looked terrible. The others arrived, and none of them seemed happy. Most of them probably thought the humidity was the worst part, but it didn't even come close.

Lucian knew little about this place. It was the only thing separating the rainforest from Poseida Ruins. Separating tales from fact, Lucian determined all he knew of the place into words. "Vigil," he started. "This place is very dangerous for those who do not know of it. I know little about theplace, what I do know is that the heat will be intense after a strong while, and more importantly, we must steer clear of the factories we will encounter. They are under control of the Silvertribe." Lucian explained. His face scrunched up when he mentioned Silver Tribe quite hastily, he hated the people. Nothing but traitors and deserters. But ... he was a deserter too, in a way. At least that was how he felt. Either way, he spat after mentioning them, which seemed to be some sort of tradition back in the village after they appeared. Something told Lucian that Vigil already knew this, though. A hunch. As he seemed to grin upon seeing the place. Perhaps he had gone to that school that had the terrible final exam of surviving this place. The Wastes of Will, it was called. Luckily, in the Gold Tribe Academy, the final exam was having to stay out of sight of a dozen guards during a pitch black night in a maze until daybreak. It may have seemed hard enough already, but the guards had night vision goggles, and they flew. Plus the rules said you couldn't stay in one hiding place for more than ten minutes. Harsh, but Lucian's dark typing helped him overcome it. (Dark typing grants increased night vision)

He stared into the great desert, worried for what lay ahead.
 
It wasn't long at all before Hanso's grin disappeared as a Scrafty jumped out and attacked Vigil. His arm-blades sprung out as he stepped forward to fight. On his right leg, which promptly gave out underneath him. Hanso fell to one knee, grunting with pain. Reaction time: a couple seconds, maybe three. Not fast enough, Hanso thought, pushing himself back up onto both legs. It didn't matter much anyways; Vigil and the Scrafty were already fighting.

Hanso shook his head as the Scrafty, who identified himself as Lucian "Hoodhide" Tromp, realized his mistake. He's half-blind to ignore our emblems, the Gallade thought, sheathing his arm-blades. Hoodhide then briefly explained about a village he'd been protecting from the Ancients. During the time that the Scrafty was gone, Hanso found a dismembered branch, about four-and-a-half feet in length and some inches thick. Leaning on it, he nodded. It would work.

Soon after Hoodhide returned to the group, it began to rain. Hanso enjoyed the falling drops for a second before he sought the refuge of the large tree that Hoodhide pointed out to Vigil. Hanso eased himself down onto the ground, then started rubbing his right leg. "This better get better," he grumbled quietly. He'd be down and out if his leg gave out again during a fight. Of course, none of the Gold Tribe members had exactly had enough healing capability for tortured legs.
Hanso looked up as the Bisharp walked over to him and handed over a spare Berry. The Gallade nodded thanks as he took it, taking in Vigil's smile. Kind of a natural leader, Hanso thought.

"All right, everyone. The rain has subsided. We should move on."

Hanso stood up again, relying a little on the stick he'd picked up earlier. Looking at it, he shook his head. Either he would have to get rid of his limp or turn the stick into an actual staff.
A while later, Hanso was relying more on his staff. His leg was constantly aching from the thick humidity. He had noticed the oak tree that they'd passed by earlier; whatever significance that held was currently lost as Hanso griped, in his mind, about the humid air, his leg, and how the rain made it all worse. He later occupied himself with thinking through what he could do to the next group of Ancients they would come across, especially whoever had ordered up the torturehouse.

Hanso breathed a sigh of relief as the humidity lightened, then seemed to disappear...only to stare across the emptiness he recognized: the Wastes of Will, also known as the Final Exam of the Heroes Alliance School. Hanso shook his head. At least, it had been the Final Exam before all this trouble. Now it was a wasteland through which their group would have to travel. Hanso muffled a sneeze, also recognizing the reek of factories.

"Vigil," Hoodhide started. "This place is very dangerous for those who do not know of it. I know little about theplace, what I do know is that the heat will be intense after a strong while, and more importantly, we must steer clear of the factories we will encounter. They are under control of the Silvertribe."

"Too true," Hanso said, to no one in general. This would be interesting.
 
Replicus "Speculum" Decendas
Gold Tribe

Replicus didn't remember much of the ruins of Liberty Town. The high amount of exertion that he had caused to his body after that teleportation made him lose consciousness for a brief while. When the group had reached the destroyed Liberty Town, he had managed to open his eyes for a little while and see the blurry outlines of the ruins, but only for a few brief moments. He passed out right after that, though.

When he woke up, his wounds were being tended to by the golden Bisharp, who was known as Vigil, which was his title. After Vigil was done with Replicus's wounds, he moved to the other injured, as Replicus made an effort to get back on his feet. He groaned as he got up, his body still ached in the places where the Shadow Balls had hit him. He took a moment to take a look at the damage, and saw that his whole upper body was covered in bandages. He huffed, and heard Vigil cry, "Brothers, now, we set out!" as he walked out into the field. He traveled in his Grovyle form, and with his bandages it wasn't going to be easy to transform.

Replicus dragged himself along with the group through the field. The only Pokemon they encountered were Buneary and Lopunny, and one of them asked Vigil to be a part of their group, but was denied. Hearing the request made Replicus laugh out loud, and he was promptly kicked on the chest by the angered Pokemon. Before the Ditto could react the Pokemon was gone.

Soon, they reached the rainforest. Being a Grovyle right now, he pretty much liked the wet state of the forest. It was cool, just how he liked. They were all leisurely cruising through the forest, when suddenly some Scrafty jumped outta the trees, and ambushed the group. He managed to land a few blows to some Gold Tribe members, but he mainly targeted Vigil, the leader of the group. They both were locked in a fight, and all that Replicus did was stand back, whistling. He was pretty sure Zane could handle the Pokemon. He only got alert when Vigil was knocked back into a tree, but that's when the two started to talk.

Replicus absorbed every word of the conversation. So, the Scrafty was actually a former member of the Gold Tribe, living out here in the forest? Also, how the hell did he fail to see their emblems? This guy was as dim as a 100 year old Slowpoke, in his opinion. Zane allowed the Pokemon to join their group, and they set off on their path once again.

After the rain had subsided, they continued. Replicus could feel the heat rising, and he was sweating like hell as they moved on. The rain made it even worse, and Replicus had never hated rain as much as he did right now. Eventually, it started becoming cool again, and the number of trees reduced incredibly. Soon, they were out of the rainforest, and in front of them lay the huge wasteland, also known as the Wastes of Will. Replicus remembered the place pretty well, because of the torturous test he had to go through in the H.A.S.

The first time he had taken his test he had been with his brother. As he was still young, he had been in no way mentally prepared to take on the strain of surviving in such a harsh environment. His brother had tried his best to take care of him during the test, but Replicus and another young member had ended up fainting, failing the test in one day. His brother survived though, and he had graduated, becoming a member of the Gold Tribe. The second time it had been easier for him, as Replicus had known what he had to expect. He managed to survive, and became a member of the Gold Tribe himself. All these memories made him miss his brother more than ever.

"Sigh... Xavier... where are you, brother?" He thought. He immediately shook his head, forgetting about his brother. For now, all his companions were his brothers. He had to trust them now. He took out the note that General Belas had written for the members, reading it.

Gold Tribe, by the time you read this, the Silver Tribe will have already taken Liberty Town. I'm alright. Quite a bit of us managed to escape. Myself and the others who did escape decided on something. If you manage to free General Hazone and the other Gold Tribe members, and if you manage to return here, then it is time. I have sent scouts to all corners of the Alpha Alliance with a simple message: it is time. We have idly watched as our nation succumbed to the tyrannical rule of the Silver Tribe, but no more. With you Gold Tribe at our helm, we of the Alpha Alliance will gather up all of our soldiers in hiding, and regroup. This news will spread like wildfire. With more Gold Tribe members with you now, hope returns. Meet us in one weeks time at the ruins of Poseida Village. From there, we shall gather our full strength, and make our first counter attack. See you on the fields of battle.

General Belas

They were going to attack the Silver Tribe head on, and take their land back, once and for all. Replicus felt a bit gloomy, he didn't know how to react to this. They were going to start a full on war. He felt like lightening the mood, so he walked over to the Snorlax known as Sword and Shield. He spoke, "Man, I really wish I could sleep. I guess that comes really easily to your kind, doesn't it, fatty?" He punched Sword and Shield playfully on his stomach.
 
Gladius Clipeum​


Vigil led the way towards Poseida Village. After stocking up, Gladius and the others proceeded to the rainforest, the first of the several challenges they still need to overcome before reaching the rendezvous. Gladius could endure all that, already rested and recovered from his injuries, but his main thoughts were on the Alpha Alliance members with them. Gladius faced a lot worse challenges before, ranging from high pressures to deadly Silver Tribe members, and here is him, still alive. But the Alpha Alliance were not Gold Tribe members. They are not fit for long and ardous journeys. Gladius worried that they could not take the pressure.

While the group were walking through the dense forest, a Scrafty suddenly appeared from the bushes and attacked them mindlessly. Gladius prepared a Return, but hesitated. Gladius first though was a Silver Tribe Member, but no. There seemed to be something different from this Scrafty, aside from his blood-red sheen. No, it's his eyes. There is something that is alive behind those eyes, something absent from the Silver Tribe members while they were battling. This Scrafty seemed... driven by passion and not only by orders. Suddenly, a word resonated inside his head.

Gold Tribe.

And he was right. As Vigil was pushed backwards by the Scrafty, he revealed that he was a Gold Tribe member also. A survivor! Vigil invited him to join the group but Vigil hesitated. It was revealed that he has a village under his protection.

"You know which path we will take if you wish to join us," Vigil said as the Scrafty, known as Hoodhide, ran off. Gladius had the oddest feeling that he will see Hoodhide again. And he did. Hoodhide caught up to them, with a bunch of berries. Gladius eyed them curiously. He knew it was for the other Alpha Alliance but he still could not help imagining himself eating it. Hey, he is a Snorlax through and through.

It rained quite a few times during their travel in the rainforest, with Hoodhide leading the way. His expertise with the area is remarkable, employing various methods regarding everything, from trees to camping and such. Gladius love listening to him. He seemed like a fountain of knowledge. They reached the "humid area" as Hoodhide referred to it without much difficulty. Here, the group slowed down because of the heat. Soon enough, they reached the great desert. Nothing but sand stretched in front of them and to their sides. He knew this from his H.A.S time. The Final exam as many called it. It was two days of torture for their batch. Gladius assumed the role of a leader during that time, but it was still hard for them. Gladly, no one perished, and all graduated with flying colors.

As the group gazed upon the vast wasteland, Gladius could see their reactions. Yes, he knew there are several ways to Poseida Village, but it would take them four to five days to traverse it. And Ancients are patrolling along those areas as well. Better take the risk here, and withdraw from battling before the great comeback. Gladius decided to sit down for a moment, under the shade of the last trees of the forest. Speculum sat beside him and playfully poked him in the stomach. The others were resting as well.

"Man, I really wish I could sleep. I guess that comes really easily to your kind, doesn't it, fatty?" he said.

"Stop with the lame puns, Speculum," Gladius irritably snorted. "I am a Snorlax, you know that." Gladius lied down for a while, before standing up and stretching his tired bones and muscles. And fat. "Alright, I am ready to go again!" Gladius stared at the desert. "Vigil, how much time do you expect for us to traverse this wasteland? Do you have, you know, any general plan in min, or you want us to use brute force and cover as much mileage in a day?" Gladius stretched again, his bones creaking. "Belas should have a banquet for me when I get there."
 
Wastes of Will

As Zane proceeded into the desert, Defender, who was close by, asked him a question.

"Vigil, where's all the grass?" He asked. Zane turned to the Golduck, and noticed a look of discomfort on his face. That was only natural. He was a Water-type Golduck, and this was not a particular climate he liked, or was used to.

Zane decided to retell a story his grandfather told to him, partly for information, but also partly for the sake of interest. As he walked deeper into the hot area, he spoke.

"Let me tell you a story, one that was told to me by my grandfather when I was a child. A little under a hundred years ago, this place was quite different. The rainforest's water extended into this part of the land. There was even a river closeby that connected Poseida Village with the nearby industrial city of Eternity. However, a great battle took place between members of the Gold Tribe and a Regigigas, a powerful Pokemon bent on destroying all of Valkaria. The final Earthquake caused the surrounding climate to collapse and crumble, and the environment was permanently destroyed. Ever since, nothing has grown, and the place became known as the Wastes of Will."

When Zane finished, the group walked on for a while before Hoodhide spoke up.

"Vigil," he said. "This place is very dangerous for those who do not know of it. I know little about the place, what I do know is that the heat will be intense after a strong while, and more importantly, we must steer clear of the factories we will encounter. They are under control of the Silver Tribe."

Zane nodded, replying. "Yes, but most of the factories are located around the other paths that go around the wasteland, the shorter paths. If we go straight through the wastes, we should pass unnoticed, and unspoiled."

Sword and Shield and Speculum had a conversation a bit to the back of the group, while Hazone approached Zane as they walked through the treacherous terrain.

"It seems you have been doing well, Vigil." Hazone said to him, offering smile. Zane nodded returning the smile, and a joke.

"You've looked better." Zane said, to which Hazone responded with a laugh.

"Ha! That I have..." He trailed off for a moment, before becoming serious again. "I don't suppose you've had any word of General Catria's whereabouts, have you? Word rarely reached the ears of those in the torturehouse."

Zane gave Hazone a concerned look. He shook his head, to which Hazone frowned. They both knew what it most likely meant. The two of them walked silently for a while longer, the temperature slowly picking up as the group proceeded deeper and deeper into the Wastes. Zane took a look behind them. The forest was almost completely out of view now. In fact, nothing could be seen on any side, only more nothingness. If Zane's grandfather's story was true, the battle must have indeed been immense. In between what used to be the luscious village of Poseida and a great natural rainforest lay nothing but an empty scar on Valkaria. It was a scar of war, and if the current conflict persists, there may be many more.

Gladius proceeded to the front of the group, next to Zane and spoke.

"Vigil, how much time do you expect for us to traverse this wasteland? Do you have, you know, any general plan in mind, or you want us to use brute force and cover as much mileage in a day?"

Zane thought for a moment how to approach the wastes. He recalled his past experiences of the wastes to help his judgment.

"Belas requested us as soon as possible. However, if we simply walk for hours on end with little break, we will all be tired before we make it to Poseida, and I wager we shall need our energy." Zane paused to look at the sun, which was slowly setting in the horizon now, and continued to speak.

"The worst times to be out in the open is midday and midnight, around then. The climate is too hot during midday, and far too cold during the night. We proceed ever morning a bit before sunrise and cover as much distance as we can before the sun hits the top of the sky. When that happens, he rest in whatever shade we can find until the sun is at this point, closer to setting, and much more cooler. When it is deep in the night once more, we shall rest. We continue this cycle, and we should have enough energy, and enough food to last us through the wastes. We should be in Poseida in...two days from now."

It was going to be harsh, yes. But Zane and the others knew of the risks coming in. They would have to make the most of it.

"Belas should have a banquet for me when I get there." He heard Sword and Shield say. Zane couldn't help but smile as he proceeded. It was nice to see the others in high spirits besides the obvious situation they are in.

The group continued to travel through the Wastes of Will for a while as the air began to get cooler and cooler. Night had come, and visibility had become less easier. The Alpha Alliance troops had a much harder time, not being conditioned for such things in the way Gold Tribe members have. The others of the Gold Tribe, Zane included, would give extra food rations for them, just so they would keep up. When Zane looked up to examine the moon and star's positioning, he was able to determine it was around midnight.

The group stopped for the night. A fire was started by a Charmeleon Alpha Alliance soldier using what wood they could carry from the forest. The company of 20 or so Pokemon sat together next to the fire in a large circle. Some talked amongst themselves, but for the most part, the Gold Tribe and the Alpha Alliance didn't talk to each other much from a few words here and there. It wasn't so much that they didn't like each other as much as it was that they didn't know what to say. There was a cultural difference between the way a soldier of the Alpha Alliance acts to that of a member of the Gold Tribe. General Hazone was a bit different, freely speaking with the Gold Tribe, but for the most part, the Alpha Alliance soldier could never understand the honor and dignity the Gold Tribe members exhibit, and the Gold Tribe members could not hope to explain it to them. Nevertheless, there was a silent respect that resided there between the two sides, both of which risk their lives to protect the Alpha Alliance.

The sky was beginning to brighten, and the air grew warmer. It was time to move on again. One more day lay ahead of them, and if they made good time, by this time tomorrow, they would be in Poseida.
 
Sade Frost​

After that orders from Auron were issued, Frost was truly unhappy. She was honestly perfectly alright being with that brutal buffoon, Beserker, but her other partner was the one who bothered her most: Ignitus.

Ignitus was one of the eight sentinels of the Silver Tribe, of course, and by far Frost's least favorite. Being a Fire-type, she'd never really gotten along with the Ice-type Frost. That wasn't the only reason, of course, since Frost and Inferno got along just fine. But Ignitus was just plain annoying. Frost underestimated and looked down upon Ignitus in absolutely every single fashion. In Frost's opinion, Ignitus was stuck-up, and unworthy to be a great sentinel of the Silver Tribe. 'A commoner' were the words Frost used to describe Ignitus, the Flareon. Frost felt completely superior over Ignitus, and Ignitus obviously did not appreciate this. The two were locked in an ever-present hatred.

Frost decided to try and ignore Ignitus, despite that pungent smell of ash and filth coming from her. (Probably from Ignitus' volcano lair) And focused on whatever else she could find as she floated by, head high in the air. The main thing she could hear was Beserker from behind them.

"I wonder why Auron is sending us to Eternity. Well, whatever. I'm sure Noxious and Sentry will brief us once we're there anyways...GRR it doesn't make sense!! WHY AREN'T WE PURSUING THE GOLD TRIBE?!!" he screamed. Frost turned her head to him, and rolled her eyes. "Oh, shut up, Beserker, you're making a nuisance of yourself." she said, calmly. "Well, whatever." he said, calming down ever so slightly. "But this time don't run so fast!" he said, as he ran to catch up with Ignitus and Frostbite, who were already far ahead of the slow juggernaut. Honestly, he was very, very strong, but he was also quite ridiculous in all other matters. He was stupid, he had a terrible temper, and he always managed to look or act positively ridiculous somehow. Still, his great power and supreme sturdiness granted him a position among the eight sentinels, and despite his cons, Frost thought rather highly of him, depending on the occasion. However, right now, he was making a fool of himself, and was playing on his stupidity and his anger.

Unlike Beserker, though, Frost had absolute confidence in Auron, she knew he was sending them to Eternity for a perfectly good reason, and she was relying on Noxious and Sentry to give them a briefing once there.

"So, Ignitus," Frost started after a while. "How are you managing in that," Frost blew her hand like a fan in front of her face, signifying that she didn't like Ignitus' smell. "volcano of yours?" Frost teased.

-----------------​

Lucian Tromp​

The journey through the Wastes was even more agonizing than that of the humid area. Lucian hated this place. The most horrible thing was, living in the rainforest all those months, he'd become used to the wet surroundings. This place was as hot as a furnace, and it had a horrible effect on Lucian. Within minutes of the start of the journey, the poor Scrafty broke into a sweat. By midday, he'd already consumed his two bottles of water, and was still sweating like crazy. Zane and the others seemed to take it better, especially Zane, who would probably be the group's guide through this part of the journey. Right now, the sun was quite low in the sky, and Lucian was trotting through the hot ground of the wastes, still sweating. He was sure that if the heat didn't dry it up within a matter of seconds, his sweat trail could be traced back all the way to the forest. Luckily Hansel and Gretel's bread crumbs were being eaten up by the heat.

Soon, the time came to bunk down. Zane went and calculated the position of the stars to determine the time, Lucian joined in, and estimated it was close to midnight. He thought Zane might have found the same estimation in the stars. "Time to bunkdown." he said to Zane. But Zane had already gotten the message, of course, as the Pokemon began setting up camp.

Lucian sat close to a Snorlax when they were all around the camp fire. The Snorlax had been near the front of the group when he'd attacked Zane. Sword and Shield, his name was? Of all people, Lucian thought Sword and Shield would be the hungriest, being a Snorlax. So he handed him a berry he'd been saving. "Here." he said, as he held the berry up to the huge Snorlax. Doing so, he noticed the Snorlax was quite a bit bigger than the last one he'd seen. Clearly adequate for the Gold Tribe. "It's a little singed, but you can have it, brother." he said.

Lucian then turned to the other Pokemon around the camp fire. A huddle of Alpha Alliance soldiers and Gold Tribe members. Honestly, Lucian wasn't too fond of the Alpha Alliance militia, unlike the Gold Tribe, they relied purely on strategy and power. They had no understanding whatsoever of the honor and dignity the Gold Tribe brothers shared. When one of their comrades died in battle, a Gold Tribe member would take his brother to bury them honorably, in remembrance. An Alpha Alliance soldier would leave them to rot in the sun. And most of the stronger militia, while powerful combatants by common soldier standards, were bullies on the inside. They were vain, mean, and they had no understanding of honor. Still, the Gold Tribe and the militia fought for one same cause: The Alpha Alliance, and Lucian appreciated that.
 
Gladius Clipeum​

Walking through the wasteland was like walking on top of a burning pile of wood with wet feet. You feel the heat, but not the pain. Well, to Gladius, that is what it seemed. He is having not that hard of a time, but he still feels exhausted. He glanced around the group. Vigil looks like the one having the least problem, while Hoodhide, the new guy, was sweating waterfall. Maybe because he was used to the low temperature and high amount of rainfall in the forests. Gladius thinks that living in the rainforest, somehow, softened Hoodhide up. The scarfty constantly take swigs from his water bottle and before the first day even ended, his water ratio was gone. Gladius noted to share his. The other Alpha Alliance soldiers were keeping up, but Gladius could also see that they were tiring. Even General Hazone, despite making remarkable distance with them, could be seen panting.

Night came, and the party made camp. They all huddled around the campfire made by an Alpha Alliance soldier. The desert night was colder than how the day was hot. All of them tried to get closer to the fire. Gladius just let them be. His thick fat is a great help minimizing the cold and heat the others were feeling. It felt more like an itch to him. Hoodhide sat beside him. He handed him a berry. It was one of those common Aspear Berries, commonly used to cure freeze.

It's a little singed, but you can have it, brother," Hoodhide gave the berry to Gladius, before standing up and moving away. Gladius does not need it. He had some stored food inside his belly,and he will use that until midday tomorrow. Instead, he looked around and he saw a shivering Machoke. Gladius went up to him and smiled. Machoke looked intimidated by him.

"Worry not, my friend," the Snorlax deeply said. He handed the Aspear Berry. "These berry emits a little heat. This may help you," he placed the Aspear berry next to the figure. "We'll survive through this."

Gladius retired to his position, and slept. He awoke to the sound of activity. It was time to moved on again.
 
Penance Malum​

It didn't help Pennace to learn that nothing was growing in the Wastes of Will. Sure back at their temporary refugee in the forest there had been no rivers or lakes near their camp, but still the air had been moist and every now and then there would be a down pour of rain. Penance had the feeling that he wouldn't be seeing any sign of water anywhere in this place. Any bare patches of dirt he had seen in his travels had been small and had been surrounded on all sides by grass. He couldn't even see any color differention, there was only the same brown color everywhere he looked. While they walked Penance caught some conversations here and there. Hoodhide informed them that there was a silver tribe prescence here in the form of factories but it was really Zane that eased his worries. He said it was only two days to their destination. Penance could handle that, besides how bad could this place be? It wasn't like there was an abundance of humidity like in the rainforest, so it couldn't be that bad.

An hour later Penance decided that if the opportunity arose he was going to trade every single possession on him (besides his bracelet) to be in that rainforest rather than out here in this wretched land. At first Penance had made sure to keep his spirits high by thinking of just what was waiting for them at the ruins. As the time progressed however, his spirits began to sink. Every single step he took burned the bottom of his feet. The sun, oh the sun. They had no cover anywhere, there weren't any trees and there were no clouds anywhere in the sky! Penance didn't voice his complaints out loud. He was a Gold Tribe member after all, he could take a few days of discomfort easily.

Penance remembered that Vigil had told them that during the night the temperature would fall and so Penance silently wished for night to come quickly. It did so and Penance wanted to take back his wish. They stopped for the night and made a small fire. Their group was bunched up tightly around the fire. The air was freezing and Penance was sure he could hear a few of the Alpha Alliance Soldiers chittering their teeth. Unsuprisingly it was silent around the fire. Penance knew that the Alliance Soldiers had an entirely different culture from the Gold Tribe, not only that but they probably didn't want to bother them with asking silly questions and what not. Eventually Penance's thoughts turned to his father. Back at Liberty Town he had asked all of the civilians and all he knew was that no one had seen another Golduck anywhere. Penance idly rubbed his bracelet, Please let my dad be at those ruins, he thought. Sighing Penance let his head slip forward and he fell into a light sleep.

Penance was awakened by the sounds of movement. Opening his eyes he saw everyone was rousing so he got up and made sure his pack was on before he headed out behind his brothers.
 
Wastes of Will

The group of Pokemon began to move again at a time when the sky was still dark from the night's passing, yet not quite dawn yet. The sun had yet to rise and shine its brilliance on the land, but light was slowly beginning to arrive nonetheless. It was the perfect time to move on. Zane wouldn't admit it outright to the others, but he was rather tired. The heat had definitely taken it's tole, and the cold night air didn't help either. Still, for the sake of the Alpha Alliance soldiers, and his Gold Tribe brothers, he had to put on a strong face.

The morning passed with nothing much happening. The journey continued with minimum stops for eating and resting. The sun was beginning to slowly rise into the top of the sky. Eventually, they would need to rest once more before making the last leg of the journey. Zane walked silently in the front of the group. It wasn't as much as he didn't want to talk as much as he felt if he did, it would greatly reduce his energy. Yes, it was that hot. Even simple tasks as talking could be difficult. The terrain, however, was slowly beginning to change. Instead of complete nothingness like before, many rocks were now appearing in the landscape. The change was subtle at first, but then grew. Eventually, the landscape was not just sand and dirt, but comprised of large rocks as well, reaching quite large sizes. It was a welcoming sight, actually. The change, if Zane recalled, meant that they were nearing Poseida Ruins. Less than a day was ahead of them.

The sun had reached high enough in the sky, and in good timing too. Up ahead was a small oasis complete with a small pond and even a palm tree or two. Zane smiled to the group as he spoke.

"The sun is getting pretty high. We'll rest here for the day until the sun begins to set."

The group began unpacking around. Many went straight for the pond, including Zane, who leaned down to splash the water upon his face. The group automatically seemed to appear less tense at the sight and sound of the water. Hazone took a drink and let out a deep, satisfying sigh, giving a smile to Zane. Everyone now rested around. Many were a bit more talkative now than before. Apparently, they just needed a bit of time to warm up to each other and start talking. The Alpha Alliance soldiers were much more talkative, even towards the Gold Tribe.

Suddenly, Zane thought he heard a sound in the distance. At first he ignored it as nothing but the wind. Just then, he heard it again. This caused Zane to sit up. Turning to the direction of the noise, he saw figures moving towards their position. Hazone noticed him looking there as well, and spoke in a hissing whisper.

"Scouts heading this way!" Hazone said.

"There appears to only be half a dozen of them. Shouldn't we just take them out?" An Aipom Alpha Alliance soldier asked.

"We shouldn't risk confrontation. We have no idea who they are. Hide behind the rocks!" Zane said. Quickly, everyone began hiding behind the terrain, spread out. Zane chose a rock formation rather close to where the oasis was. Hopefully not too close, but Zane wanted to see who it was.

The group of scouts' forms were now visible slowly to Zane. They were Ancients, alright. Two Bastiodon along with Two Kabutops, along with an Omastar. Then there was one more Pokemon. A Scizor. Zane's heart began to beat when he realized who it was. The Scizor was Drake Nol, also known as "The Sentry", one of the 8 Sentinels. It was a good thing they decided to hide. Sentry, of the 8 Sentinels, was by far the best tracker. He often went on scouting assignments or other missions involving locating people. He had become even more invaluable after Gold City fell, and the Gold Tribe went into hiding. Zane heard Sentry was responsible for the finding and killing of dozens of the Gold Tribe. Zane gritted his teeth as he thought of the amount of damage and harm the Sentinel had done to him. It took a lot of composure for Zane not to go out and attack the Sentinel. However, he knew if the Sentinel escape, which he very well might because of his effective speed and cunning, he would alert all the Silver Tribe about them. Zane reluctantly stayed in place.

Sentry, in the mean time, began observing around the oasis. He began looking at the area, and the dirt around. Appearing to look at something on the ground, Sentry picked up some dirt, and then looked around at the rock formations around. Zane hid behind the rock once more, holding his breath, hoping he wasn't caught. He looked to his left and right. The Gold Tribe and Alpha Alliance soldiers were spread out across the rocks. Sword and Shield was hidden behind a rather larger rock formation.

"Someone's been here." Sentry said chillingly out loud.

"Shall we scout the area for Pokemon?" One of the Kabutops asked him. Sentry thought for a moment, then spoke.

"No. I imagine they were just refugees fleeing. If they traveled into the Wastes of Will, they're nothing but corpses now, and I have no time nor use for dead citizens. Let's go."

With that, the Sentinel and the companions took off towards the east. After waiting for them to be gone, Zane slowly got out of his hiding spot. The others soon followed. Hazone walked up to Zane and spoke so everyone could hear.

"That was Sentry. By my count, he's heading east, most likely to Eternity City, but I'm not sure. We should continue south to Poseida."

Zane nodded, looking up into the sky. The sun was far from the top anymore, now closer to the mid-bottom position of the sky, the time to move again. Zane spoke. "Right. Come on, everyone. We should get going. Less than a day ahead of us."

It was a close call with a Sentinel just now, but luckily, they passed unnoticed. Poseida Village was not far now.
 
Penance Malum​


As the day progressed the air became dryer and the temperature rose to the unbearable degree that it was yesterday. Still, no matter how hard it got he had to put on a good face, straigthen his back, and lift his head up. If the alpha alliance soldiers saw him or his brothers start dragging their feet or even complain then they would find the excuse to do so as well and their pace would surely be slowed. They only took a few stops to nourish themselves and most of their supplies went to the soldiers, a Gold Tribe member could survive on less if they really needed to. It was one of the things that had been drilled into them from the academies. As they walked the scenery changed. Instead of just walking through sand they started seeing rocks scattered along the ground. Penance had no idea if they were nearing the ruins or if they were still a long way off but just seeing a change helped Penance realize how much ground they had covered.

It seemed to be too good when the group came upon a small pond complete with a few trees surrounding the water. Vigil called a stop and Penance fell in along the crowd of pokemon eagerly seeking the water. Penance gratefully splashed the water upon his face and while it was warm he really wasn't in a mood to complain. He also took the time to fill up his water bottles, there was no telling how long it would be before they found another water source again. All the soldier seemed to relax and then the talking began. Penance was busy with his water bottles and barely noticed the female Roserade come beside him and stick her hands in the water. He was aware of her when she let out a sigh. Turning he saw her 'hands' become a brighter color until the flowers were blooming. She took them and out and sighed, "It's lovely, coming across this little bit of life, isn't it?"

Penance nodded, "Yes, luck I would call it."

The Roserade smiled, "I guest you can call it both. It's a symbol that no matter how rough life can get around you there's always hope somewhere, even in a dessert."

"That's a very metaphorical meaning you just came up with." Penance replied.

"I suppose. I have a question for you. Why all the myster with your Tribe? You have so many different customs, like having titles and not names, and you all are so close knit. I would have thought that you all had spent years together. Why is that?"

Penance blinked in suprise, "Well, it's not all that complicated. It's a..."

"Scouts heading this way!" Hazone said.

Penance glanced up. Scouts all the way out here?

"There appears to only be half a dozen of them. Shouldn't we just take them out?" An Aipom Alpha Alliance soldier asked.

"We shouldn't risk confrontation. We have no idea who they are. Hide behind the rocks!" He heard Vigil say. Wasting no time Penance grabbed the roserade and dove behind a rock formation. Putting up a finger to his lips all Penance did was stay where he was, breathing as softly as he could. He could feel the Roserade next to him doing her best to stay quiet as well. Penance didn't know how much had passed but then he heard a voice.

"Someone's been here."

"Shall we scout the area for Pokemon?"

"No. I imagine they were just refugees fleeing. If they traveled into the Wastes of Will, they're nothing but corpses now, and I have no time nor use for dead citizens. Let's go."

Penance continued to hide until he no longer heard their footsteps. He waited just a bit longer before he got up and walked over to where the rest of the pokemon were gathering.

"That was Sentry. By my count, he's heading east, most likely to Eternity City, but I'm not sure. We should continue south to Poseida." Hazone said.

"Right. Come on, everyone. We should get going. Less than a day ahead of us." Vigil said. Penance turned to the Roserade but saw that she was already joining up with the rest of the Soldiers. Making sure to adjust his pack Penance went back to the front of the group and realized that in all the commotion he hadn't asked for her name.
 
Lucian Tromp​

Lucian had woken up to a start earlier, finding that they had to get moving. And it wasn't even first light yet! At first, Lucian was rather bothered that he did not get as many hours sleep as he could have, but after a moment of thinking, he realized the strategical advantage of moving out really early. With the sun rising, the temperatures were starting to increase, but only starting. With a mix of warm and cold just before dawn, Lucian felt renewed. Regular temperature was a relief in this wasteland.
But afterwards, the heat came back. The air was grimy with pollution, and once again, Lucian broke into a sweat. This time, he was more prepared. A group of Alpha Alliance soldiers had agreed to share some rations with him, so he had something to hold out. Luckily, the water he was given was enough to keep him from fainting, like many others did. A Gold Tribe member could hold out for longer with less water, or food for that matter. But, truth be told, Hoodhide knew his time in the forest had put a blunt edge on his fighting skills. Their boring, laid-back lifestyle had really gotten to the Scrafty. But after this ordeal, he was convinced he'd be back to his old fighting self soon enough.

After having consumed one bottle of water, (managing to hold out far better than the day before) the group came upon an oasis. Lucian couldn't believe it! It even had palm trees! And the pond was about three times his length and width! Like so many others, the Scrafty ran over to the pond. He pushed his way through the great thick crowd that had been created around the pond, jumping over a few smaller individuals such as a Snivy. "Hey!" he shouted at Lucian, when he jumped over him. Lucian didn't stop to apologize, and soon, he was at the pond. However, he was not quick enough to stop! While he looked back at the Snivy, he hadn't realized he was already at the edge of the pool, and just when it was too late, he fell in. He sunk to the bottom, inanimate. He was really drinking and drinking and drinking as he fell to the bottom. When he needed air, he quickly starting swimming up. When he re-emerged at the top, he took a huge gasp for air and looked around at everyone who was drinking from the pond. He started laughing. "Hahahaha! Water!" he shouted, as he splashed water in the faces of some of the drinkers, happy. They didn't seem bothered, just happy to come upon this gift.

For the next few minutes, Hoodhide spent his time drinking from the great pond and swimming around in it. Suddenly, something broke his happiness.

"Scouts heading this way!" someone said. Hoodhide looked to his right to find General Hazone saying it to Vigil. "There appears to only be half a dozen of them. Shouldn't we just take them out?" An Aipom Alpha Alliance soldier asked.

"We shouldn't risk confrontation. We have no idea who they are. Hide behind the rocks!" Lucian heard Vigil say. He was directing it to everybody. Of course, the Scrafty knew exactly what to do.

Now here was a clever little maneuver any Scraggy of Scrafty, or any other Pokemon with pants (Lucian doubted there were any others) could perform. grabbing his pants, Lucian pulled them up all the way over his head and gripped the top tight with his hands. Then, he sunk to the bottom of the pond. The pants had created a spare air socket for Lucian to breathe in while he hid from the people above. He'd neglected to see who they might be, but one of their voices sounded familiar, even through the muffled sound coming through the pants.
"Someone's... n here." he heard. Immediately, Lucian recognized the voice. He would never forget it. That was the voice of Drake Nol, Sentry. A Sentinel of the Silver Tribe. He was the one that led the group of Silver Tribe members who had pursued Lucian. He'd tracked Lucian across half of Valkaria, metaphorically speaking. Lucian recognized his voice, from when he gave the order to his troops. "Kill him." pointing to Lucian. If it wasn't for the forest Pokemon, he would have certainly killed him. He just hoped that Nol didn't get a second chance today.

Luckily he did not. "... into the Wastes of Will, they're nothing but corpses now, and I have no time nor use for dead citizens. Let's go." Nol said. And soon, he could hear their booming footsteps (Mainly those of the huge Bastodion) trot off. He put his pant back down, allowing the water to go to him, and could see everyone emerging from their hiding places. He, too, did so, swimming up from his place.
He climbed out of the water, his wet skin would serve well during the rest of the journey. "That was Sentry. By my count, he's heading east, most likely to Eternity City, but I'm not sure. We should continue south to Poseida." Hazone said, as Lucian walked up to him and Zane. Lucian wished he could follow the bastard and see what he was up to, but Poseida was a more important matter. "Right. Come on, everyone. We should get going. Less than a day ahead of us." Zane said. Less than a day! Brilliant!

So, the group ventured further and further into the Wastes of Will. The rock formations were getting bigger. Suddenly, Lucian spotted something in the distance. "Look, something overthere!" Lucian said to Zane. He rushed over to it in a hurry.

At first, it looked like a big rock formation, but soon Lucian and the others came to realize it was... a house. Or at least what was left of a house. The huge thing was in ruins, it looked like it was at least three stories high before. "A house! We must be getting close!" Lucian shouted to the others, who were still a distance away.
 
Poseida Ruins

"Look, something overthere!" he heard Lucian say. Zane looked at the direction Lucian was pointing. It was a house, or it used to be. It was ruined and torn now. But it was a sign. It mean Poseida was close. This house must have been on the outskirts of the village. Zane ran up a close by summit, where he hoped to see the city below. He couldn't help but smile a little as he went up. He really didn't know what to expect. Last he heard, Poseida Village was destroyed in the beginning of the war. He had never actually been able to get a look at it once it started, but he had visited it many times before the Silver Tribe attacked.

Poseida Village was in view now, or what was left of it. It once consisted mostly of small house spread out over an area. In the center, a large tower that overlooked the countryside. Beside the town once stood the statue of an Empoleon the town defender and Gold Tribe member from the past by the title of Tidechanger. Many years ago, he gave his life to defend Valkaria. Now they say that his spirit still protects Poseida. But that was once upon a time, long ago. Now, houses were either destroyed or empty. The tower was broken in a few points. The river that ran through the city was almost dry. The statue still stood there, but was damaged in many areas. Not a single Pokemon was in sight. It wasn't a welcoming view, mainly because Zane expected an army here. Zane turned to the others and sighed, not giving up just yet.

"Come on. Let's get a better look from inside the village."

The group headed to the front entrance of the city. Zane looked around as he tried looking for something, anything as to the whereabouts of really, anyone. Hazone spoke.

"It doesn't seem like anyone is here. Perhaps Belas was captured." He said. Other Alpha Alliance soldiers chimed in.

"Maybe Belas never wrote the letter. Maybe it was a Silver Tribe member."

"Which means we just walked into a trap!" Another said.

"Calm down." Zane said. "We're still not certain of anything ye-" Zane was interrupted by a figure approaching them from the rubble. Zane put up his guard as the Pokemon approached.

"Gold Tribe!" The Pokemon exclaimed as the Pokemon stepped out of the shadows. It was a Raticate. In fact, it was the same Raticate scout in Liberty Town.

"You've arrived! General Belas has been expecting you."

Zane smiled, giving the scout a curt nod of respect. "Where is everyone?" He asked

"I'll show you. You can't expect us to be out in the open do you? There's talk of Silver Tribe about...but that's for later. Come on! I'll show you the way!"

The group followed the Raticate as he frantically and excitedly showed them through the ruins of Poseida. Still, Zane saw no one. Suddenly, the Raticate stopped. Zane found himself right in front of the tower of Poseida. The Raticate walked in. Confused, Zane followed him inside, followed by Hazone, and then the others. Zane didn't understand. You couldn't keep an army in the tower. There would simply not be enough room.

Just then, the Raticate pushed a lever on the wall with his paw, and the base of the tower started going down. The light of the opening of the tower slowly faded as they went deeper into the group. Eventually, the base stopped. A large tunnel lay before them.

"Amazing." Hazone said under his breath. What is all this?"

"When Poseida was destroyed, the citizens who remained built these tunnels to escape the Ancient and the Silver Tribe. When Belas arrived, we increased it's size."

"By how much?" Hazone asked, intrigued. The Raticate didn't answer. He just smiled as he led them through the first part of the tunnel. Zane soon started to hear voiced, lots of them in the distance. The voices grew louder with each passing step, until the group reached an opening that led into an extremely large cavern room, one which extended for miles. Inside, hundreds, if not thousands, of Pokemon were around, preparing, chatting, performing duties. Zane looked in disbelief. It was true. Belas had gathered an army.

"Belas really did outdo himself." Hazone said in awe. The Raticate smiled brightly at them. General Belas, who was discussion something with a subordinate, caught sight of the group, and ran to them, a smile on his face.

"Hazone!" He yelled in joy as he embraced his fellow General.

"It is good to see you, General Belas." Hazone said, returning the hug. Belas looked over the Gold Tribe members.

"You did it. I never doubted you for a minute, noble Gold Tribe." He said, bowing his head in delight and respect. "Welcome...to the Caves of Poseida. MEN!" he shouted, getting their attention. Many of the Pokemon turned to the General. "Today, we welcome to our camp, members of the Gold Tribe, as well as our General Hazone!"

As he said this, the soldiers of the Alpha Alliance erupted in roars of delight and applause. Zane was stunned. Not by the welcoming as much as by the number and tenacity of the soldiers. They could fight back. They had a chance again. But another issue plagued Zane's mind.

"Belas." He said as the roars died down and the Pokemon returned to their duties of preparing for war.

"What of the other Gold Tribe members? How many have arrived?" Zane asked. Belas gave Zane a frown.

"None have come yet, Vigil." Zane stood there without a word. He turned to face the other Gold Tribe members with him. They all knew it in their mind. Most likely, they were the last of the Gold Tribe. General Belas spoke in attempt to cheer them up.

"Fear not! More Pokemon pour in every from all corners of Valkaria. Do not give up hope!" He said. "Come! You must be tired. And hungry." He said as he smiled brightly to Gladius. "My soldiers shall prepare a banquet in your honor. Tonight, we dine!"

Zane tried to shake off the feeling of pain he felt at the reality of the situation, but it lingered in him. Still he had to put on a strong face for the others as everyone began to eat and rest from the long journey. Zane faked smiled as he sat and dug into the food, but the thoughts lingered in the back of his mind. Words came to his head. The words of a harsh reality. With so few of them, it would come to pass.

The war would bring the end of the Gold Tribe.
 
Gladius Clipeum​

Gladius was glad he took a sleep before setting out to journey once again. When they started their walk, Gladius could feel the large temperature difference from the day before. These part of day they called "desert dusk" is a good kind of thing. Not too hot, not too cold. Just right, and that is saying much when you are walking barefooted on the sand. The other Pokemon in the group were managing quite well, becoming acquainted to the hardships on the Wastes of Will. Hoodhide himself just consumed a bottle of water.

During the middle part of the day, Gladius could notice some jutting rocks on the sand, and some plant life, like the cactus. As they continued there walking, more rocks appeared. Some quite large that Gladius could practically hide himself behind them. And then, the gift of Arceus showed itself. An oasis, its water sparkling beautifully, appeared just on the horizon!

"It is a water hole!" A Donphan Alpha Alliance shouted. It ran towards the water with the other people. Hoodhide jumped over the smaller Pokemon and swam in the water, drinking as much water as he could. Gladius cupped his hand and drank deeply. It refreshed his very sore throat. He looked around and saw the others smiling for the first time since their departure from Liberty Ruins. Gladius also smiled. Seeing them happy makes him happy also. He refilled his water bottle, and drank deeply again. He drank until his stomach felt it would burst. However, the happiness was short-lived.

"Scouts heading this way!" Hazone shouted. Gladius raised his head and saw several Ancients coming this way. He crouched behind a very large rock, and prayed to Arceus he would not be noticed. This is not yet the right time to launch an attack. As the Ancients went closer, he saw another Pokemon. Drake Nol, the Silver Tribe's Sentry. The group paused for a moment, on a spot very dangerously close to Gladius. He could literally hear Sentry's silent breathing.

"Someone's been here." Sentry said out loud.

"Shall we scout the area for Pokemon?"

"No. I imagine they were just refugees fleeing. If they traveled into the Wastes of Will, they're nothing but corpses now, and I have no time nor use for dead citizens<" Sentry said. He beckoned to his small group of warriors. "Let's go."

One by one, the Gold Tribe members and the Alpha Alliance appeared from their hiding placed.

"I cannot believe we actually survived that," Gladius said to no one in particular. The group started moving again, not risking the chance that Sentry might come back and inspect the surrounding area. Vigil said that it was less than a day before they arrive at Poseida. Gladius was worked up. Soon.

True to his word, the group caught sight of civilization after a few hours of traveling. At first, they thought what they saw were just an odd formation of huge rocks, but what they saw actually, as they come near, are old houses, long gone due to the Silver Tribe attacks.

"Civilization! We are getting near, my brothers!" Gladius said, a huge smile etched on his face. And true, they reache dthe point where the could see the Poseida ruins. It looked empty.

"Where are Belas and the others?" The Pokemon were conversing. This cannot be... Suddenly, the Raticate from the second division scouts came up to them.

"You've arrived! General Belas has been expecting you," Raticate led the way towards Belas and the others. They stopped outside a tower. A weird place to gather an army. Raticate entered and, surprising the arrivals, pushed a lever on the wall. A huge tunnel appeared. They followed the Raticate inside. Gladius could sense the presence of a lot of Pokemon beyond the walls. The walls vibrated with each step they take. Suddenly, they found themselves standing in front of hundreds, no, thousands of soldiers milling about. This is what Belas meant by army. Gladius let a whistle slip out his pursed lips. Belas found his way to them, and hugged Hazone.

Belas turned to his soldiers and said, "Today, we welcome to our camp, members of the Gold Tribe, as well as our General Hazone!" the army cheered. Gladius knew something is wrong. Why is there no Gold Tribe members presented to us? The answer came quite soon. Belas answered that no Gold Tribe member had arrived yet. He was still hopeful. Gladius feels otherwise. Even the banquet prepared by the general could not cheer him up. Well, it did cheer him up, but not as much. as he liked. He was thinking of something.

Gladius, along with Vigil, Calamity, Defender, Speculum, TrueStriker, and Hoodhide, were the last Gold Tribe members. The bitter truth: No more Gold Tribe member will arrive. They are the last.
 
Last edited:
Penance Malum​

They had soon arrived at their destination and Penance couldn't help but grimace. He had heard about Poseida long before he had become a Gold Tribe member. His father had taken a different route into the city but none the less he had been told about the city. He hadn't paid much attention in his younger days to the stories his father would tell and really the only details he knew about the village was what little bit he had been taught in his geography classes as well as news about what went on over there. It had been a fair sized city and even had a statue of a empoleon as the city's good luck charm.

Still it was a depressing site to see only little houses and just a tower be all that was remaining of the city. Even worse, there seemed to be no sign of an army. Penance thought that there would be at least a few soldiers that would have come out to greet them but it was silent. They followed Vigil further in, trying to find some sign or perhaps a note left behind. When it became apparent that they were indeed alone different theories were thrown out. As the soldiers started pushing out all kinds of ideas when a lone pokemon approached them.

It was a raticate who said he would lead them to the General. They were lead to the tower and with a pull of a lever the bottom opened up into a huge tunnel. Once they descended Penance saw thousands of pokemon milling about. Hope rose in his heart, his father surely must be here! They soon met with General Belas who welcomed them with open arms as well as with friendly cheers form the crowd of pokemon. Vigil was all too eager to ask the General where their brothers and sisters were.

"None have come yet, Vigil." It was a simple sentence that held so much context. As Vigil turned to them Penance saw in Vigil's eye a distress. Penance felt it too. They were possibily the last of their kind. These were the only brothers he had now. The others were dead. Belas quickly invited them to eat and to refresh themselves but if Penance could have had a choice in the matter he would have wanted to sit out. He instead followed Vigil's example and sat among his brothers and ate. His thoughts drifted, trying to find something that would take his mind off of the harsh reality.

"Belas, have you seen a male golduck anywhere? He goes by the name of Matthius Malum." Penance knew the answer would probably be no, but still, he needed to know if there was just a little hope that his father was alive.
 
Lucian Tromp​

Lucian stood in disbelief as he stared down at Poseida Village. Last time he was here, he'd seen the place as a laid-back, cute kind of village. Of course, he'd heard of its destruction, he was not unaware. But it still came as a shock. The poor inhabitants of the village... All the houses were crushed, burnt, or blown away. The statue of the great Tidechanger had been vandalized here and there. His trident had been chipped off, and there was a gaping whole in his stomach. The tower was also ruined. It wasn't as bad as the rest of the village, but it still looked on edge. Hoodhide remembered the last time he'd gone there. He was with a group of Alpha Alliance soldiers, but let's just say most of the kids were asking for his autograph. Anyway, the group approached the ruins. They were still deserted. "Maybe... this was atrap..." Lucian muttered. Suddenly, a Raticate appeared from the tower. A Silver Tribe spy! Lucian stood on guard, ready to attack, but as he started to run, he saw that the rest of the group had backed down. Not wanting to cause any trouble, he did the same. "Gold Tribe!" the large rat exclaimed. "General Belas has been expecting you!" he said. General Belas! This Raticate was on their side, it seemed. Now Lucian felt a little stupid for starting a charge at him. Luckily nothing overly stupid had happened, like their first encounter.

"Where is everyone?" Zane asked. "I'll show you. You can't expect us to be out in the open do you? There's talk of Silver Tribe about...but that's for later. Come on! I'll show you the way!" Silver Tribe ... suspicious. But Hoodhide went and followed him anyway. The group was led into the ruined tower. What was there to gain here? Suddenly, the Raticate pushed a lever with his paw, and Lucian could feel himself going down. Down ... down ... down. The base of the tower was sinking... like a giant elevator. Lucian was impressed by the handiwork.

Next thing in front of the group was a tunnel. "...What?" Lucian muttered. He certainly didn't expect to find that here. Then again, an elevator going the whole way down to the base with the lever in plain sight wasn't the best way to hide an army either, Lucian thought. It seemed Hazone was also as impressed. He asked what it was, and Lucian listened keenly to the Raticate's explanation. "When Poseida was destroyed, the citizens who remained built these tunnels to escape the Ancients and the Silver Tribe. When Belas arrived, we increased it's size." the Raticate said. Interesting. So, the group started going through the tunnel, with Raticate lighting the way. Soon, they arrived at a Cavern Room. But not any cavern room... it was huge! It must have been the area of the entire village, and more. But the truly amazing thing was its contents. An army.... a huge army! Belas had done it, he'd created an army to combat the Silver Tribe, they finally had a chance!

"Holy Arceus!" Lucian gawked. He looked around as the others were talking. Alliance soldiers were performing duties all around the base. "MEN!" Belas shouted, snapping Lucian out of his trance of amazement. "Today, we welcome to our camp, members of the Gold Tribe, as well as our General Hazone!" he shouted, so at least half the camp could hear. Right afterwards, all the Scrafty could hear were roars of delight, and applause of appreciation. Lucian was filled with pride as he stuck his pants up high, a sign of dominance among Scrafty. When the roars stopped, Lucian tuned in to listen to Zane and Belas, lowering his pants. "What of the other Gold Tribe members? How many have arrived?" Zane asked the general. "None have come yet, Vigil." Belas said. Zane turned to face Lucian and the others with a frown. Lucian lowered his head, they all knew what it meant. They were, probably, the only part of the Gold Tribe left. Each individual with their own histories, and futures, they all took a moment of silence to divulge this news. Lucian was thinking about how lucky he was to have encountered others of the Gold Tribe. The only others. But ... he tried to get his hopes up, if he was still in hiding, others might be too.

"Fear not! More Pokemon pour in every from all corners of Valkaria. Do not give up hope!" Belas said, interrupting Lucian's train of thought. "Come! You must be tired. And hungry."

-------------​

Food!! Proper food!! Despite the bad news, the fact remained that Lucina hadn't had any proper food for months! Just the foods that the forest people prepared, which weren't all that tasty. The banquet was huge. Everyone sat at a long table, there were all sorts of pleasantries on the table to choose from. The choices seemed endless! On his plate, Lucian took a whole bunch of meats, vegetables, and other pleasantries along with some wine on the side. He gobbled it up almost instantly and went on to the other pleasantries. By the time he was done, he felt like he could throw up. He figured the only one enjoying this more than he was Sword and Shield.
 
Poseida Caverns

The feast was indeed glorious, and Zane tried to enjoy it as much as he could. He filled up on quite a lot during it. It was the most he ate in quite a while, and was quite happy with it. He was sure the others had their fill as well. As the others finished their meals, the tables were cleared, and Pokemon began speaking now, of battles soon to be fought, and plans soon to be made. It wasn't exactly strategy planning as much as it was after dinner speak, something Pokemon of the Alpha Alliance do quite often, although the topics usually concern more brighter details, of course that would be in times of peace. Zane overheard Belas conversing with Penance.

"Belas, have you seen a male Golduck anywhere? He goes by the name of Matthius Malum."

Belas eyed Penance, and then spoke.

"I have not, I'm afraid, Defender. But that doesn't mean he isn't here. I can't be expected to remember the names and faces of all of my troops, after all." He said, with a laugh. He continued. "You can looked for him among the camp, if you wish."

Other conversations erupted around as well. General Belas filled in Hazone on the events of the past few months, as he had not been aware because of captivity. Other people spoke of different matters, but eventually, every conversation trailed to the upcoming war, and Pokemon left the table to make some preparations, including sleep. As everyone departed for the night, General Belas caught up with the Gold Tribe members.

"Noble Gold Tribe members, I invite you to sleep and perform any other preparations you need for the time being. Tomorrow, we go over the war plan, and then we ride to war."

"Where will we be riding, General?" Zane asked, wondering where their campaign would start.

"Eternity City. Like the battles of past had began and concluded there, so shall ours. We will begin our revolution in Eternity."

Belas walked closer to them speaking almost in whisper. "I will not lie. By day's end, I will need you, every one of you, to make this happen. My soldiers are strong, but if we want our homeland back, we need your help. As the great Generals of the past rode side by side with Gold Tribe members in war before, so shall I ask the same of you now."

Zane nodded. The General nodded back, and bowed to them all. He departed, off to bed. Zane looked at the others. He was at a loss for words. He wanted to tell them how much the Alpha Alliance was depending on all of them, or how much it meant to Zane that they were all still here, despite so many other Gold Tribe members being gone, or even how he was glad to have the chance to fight and die by their sides, no words of such came out. He wasn't the one to give those sorts of speeches. But Zane had the feeling, or at least he hoped, that they already all understood that.

"We should go to sleep as well. See you at the war meeting tomorrow morning." Zane said, before leaving them to go to sleep. A cot was prepared for him among the sea of sleeping soldiers. Zane was weary and sleepy. He fell onto the mat, and drifted to sleep, a final thought lingering in his head.

Tomorrow, it all begins.
 
Last edited:
As they began their trek across the Wastes, the intense heat and stretches of sand brought back memories of the Final Exam to Hanso. The Gallade had fared somewhat better than his comrades during those few days, but it didn't mean he didn't go through the same hardships. Hanso was able to conserve some of the water he had on him as the day wore on. He even gave some of his rations to some of the Alpha Alliance soldiers, who were not as used to harsh conditions as the Gold Tribe. Hanso soon found himself wishing that Brynn was with them. Well, more so than at other times.

The night did not prove to be much better. As the fire was built and the group settled down, Hanso left his spot near the warm flames to sit on a relatively low rock out of the firelight. There he spent some time meditating on his life and recent events. The torturehouse was undoubtedly the worst thing that had happened to him. And the worst part of that time was his leg, which now reacted more spasmatically to the day's searing heat and the night's near-freezing cold. Brynn would have been able to help Hanso deal with it.
Hanso sighed. It was probably the stark possibility of what could have happened to his sister that had urged him, was urging him now, to find out what had happened.

The next day in the desert did not begin much better than the previous day. Hanso found himself hanging back a little behind most of the other Gold Tribe members. Checking his water canteens, he wondered how much longer they could all move on without fatalities when the group became excited. Looking back up, Hanso could feel himself cheering up. An oasis!
At his turn beside the water, Hanso happily refilled his own water-containers, even offering to help a few others with theirs. Afterwards, Hanso found his way to one of the trees, sitting down to enjoy the cool shade. For a few minutes.

"Scouts heading this way!"

Hanso instinctively teleported himself to a spot behind one of the piles of rocks. Looking into the distance, he could pick out the forms of the approaching Pokemon. From the looks of it, there were at least two bigger forms, both very similar. Hanso didn't hesitate to hide behind the rocks when the others did so. It was some time before the Ancients and Sentry left, and the group could come out of hiding and move on.

Hanso did not like the look of the ruins they found. It reminded him of the ruins they'd left just the day before. Luckily, a Raticate found them and led them to the tower, where they all descended to a large tunnel. Hanso was glad when they discovered that there were thousands of soldiers in the caves. Listening to Vigil and Belas, Hanso heard, "None have come yet, Vigil."

No. Hanso shook his head. No. He understood the implication that they were the last remaining members of the Gold Tribe, but he didn't want to believe it. The feast was mostly a blur for the Gallade, as was much of the time afterwards. He heard that there would be a war meeting.
Hanso balled his hands into fists. The Silver Tribe would pay.
 
Krystal ignored Frost for the most part. She responded to important questions, but usually just did not respond. Krystal found herself slowing down a bit to run with Beserker as they went along. He may be a bit stupid and slow, but at least he was better than Frost. They ran in silence for a while, then Krystal dropped back out of hearing range of Frost. Even just being near her made Krystal irritable.

Beserker panted trying to catch his breath as Krystal slowed her pace to allow him to rest a bit. The plains stretched forth in front of them, and a wind blew in their faces, weak but cold. Beserker spoke after a moment, "So why dont you two like each other?"

Krystal sighed and though a moment before answering. "She is too direct, her methods crude. Especially with torture. She insists on inflicting pain upon another pokemon even if she knows that they dont have any information, or wont give it up. Completely wasteful. i have nothing against torture itself, in fact I am fine with the concept and am fine with doing it myself, but I would like to think that my methods are a bit more...elegant. Why just kill them when you can at least try to bend them to your will. You dont even have to read minds to do it, anybody can put a small seed of doubt into someone. Once they doubt what they believe in, it can be easier to influence them into doing what you want. For some reason, Frost seems to enjoy the pain more than the information the prisoner may have locked away in their mind."

Beserker just shook his head, "Seems a bit too complicated for me..."

Krystal just smiled, "Well, torture never has been your strong point, has it? Maybe you should just stick with bashing heads together, although I am sure that you could scare information out of most prisoners with just your size."

The three pokemon came to a small hill, and came down on the other side to see a large expanse of water stretching before them. The three observed for a moment, then Beserker said, "Welcom to the Lake of Lull."

They stood for a moment, the cold breeze off the lake cooling them down. After the run it was nice, but after a bit, a chill started to develope in Krystal. She pushed her internal temperature up a little bit to ward off the chill. It seemed like the lake stretched on forever, but by squinting, Krystal could just make out the opposite bank, a faint fuzzy line on the horizon. They would have to travel around it to reach Eternity. It would be much faster if they had a boat, or could swim, but Beserker would sink like a rock, and Krystal had an obvious aversion to water, so swiming was out of the question. Still, Krystal expected a comment about it from Frost. Before Frost could say anything, Krystal spoke up, "We better move out. We're wasting time."
 
Last edited:
Penance Malum​

Penance couldn't help but feel his anxiety rise as Belas turned to him, "I have not, I'm afraid, Defender." Penance felt his smile slowly fall. "But that doesn't mean he isn't here. I can't be expected to remember the names and faces of all of my troops, after all." He said, with a laugh and that caused Penance's smile to return, albeit weakly. What Belas said was true. There were probably thousands of pokemon scattered throughout the cave, each having a different name. Belas continued. "You can looked for him among the camp, if you wish." Penance nodded, "Thank you Belas."

While Penance ate he couldn't help but feel the same thought rise up in his mind. His father could be here. He was grateful for the food and he hadn't realized just how hungry he could get. He managed to down two whole plates of spectacular food that for the first time in days actually made his stomach content. The conversations around the table eventually turned to the one subject that had everyone on edge, the war. The soldiers left one by one to perform their various duties until only a few were left at the table. As Penance joined his brothers Belas approached them. The plan was to wake up the next morning ready to talk about the war plans and to start a revolution in Eternity City. Belas left them and Vigil departed as well. For a brief second Penance felt an urge to ask his brothers for a little help but he quickly pushed the feeling away. He needed to find the answers on his own.

Penance looked around and sighed, the entire place was crowded with pokemon. As Penance wandered around the area he garnered a lot of attention from the surrounding civilans. It had been a long time since many of them had seen a Gold Tribe member and most were eager to answer his questions. At the beginning of his search Penance felt nothing but disappointment. Those he asked hadn't seen any golduck's around and hadn't heard the name Matthius Malum. Still, he didn't give up. As he progressed through the crowd he began to find people who had seen some golduck in the cavern. None were named Matthius however and a good hour had passed before he finally found some useful information.

"Yeah, I know Matthius. His group usually come in at the morning and evening shifts." The tyrogue behind the food counter replied. Penance sighed in relief, "Do you know where they are staying?" His informant nodded, "Just head down that way and you'll find some cots." Penance thanked the fighter and manuvered his way through the crowd. It took some time but he found his way easily enough and soon he stood outside the tents. He walked forward and opened the tent. A Raichu was hunched over a desk and seemed to be studying something intently. Penance cleared his throat, "Excuse me..."

"How many times must you people be told we're backed up. There's only a few geniuses here so just wait right on that exact spot for a week and I'll be more than happy to listen to your request." Penance smirked, "Hey there Demas." The electric mouse stopped and slowly looked up,"Penance... Penance!" The Raichu ran up and hugged him. "Oh Arcues, you're alive! Matthius will be.... oh Matthius! Wait right there!" Demas ran out the back of the tent and returned a few seconds later practically dragging the confused Golduck. "Right there Matthius! I told you!" The Golduck's eys fell on Penance and for a brief second there was silent, and then he ran forward and embraced his son.

It took a while before the two began to converse. Demas relocated to another tent as Penance told his father all about his travels. Soon enough his father was relaying his tale. Basically Eternity City as shutdown. The populace faced the fate of death if they so much as stepped outside. "How did you escape?"

Matthius sighed, "A distraction. Two Gold Tribe members somehow managed to get inside the city and began fighting one of the sentinels. We had been waiting for a sign. In the previous weeks we had started conducting midnight runs, collecting any supplies that could help us fight off the ancients. Our plan worked for two minutes. The sentinel killed those two Gold Tibe members and began slaugthering all of the civilians. Everyone began running back to their homes. The ancients had left their posts to help the sentinel so I took advantage of a prime opportunity and ran out of the city. There were only five of us with that common sense and we wandered around, hiding here and there. Just a week ago we came across some Alliance soldiers. We were led back here and here we stay."

"So the city is lost?"

Matthius chuckled, "Far from it! We didn't even use half of our supplies and there's no doubt that more supplies have been gathered. We're talking about boiling water, poisons, and weapons to fight off the ancients!"

"Does the General know?"

Matthius sighed, "No. At least I don't think so. We just went to work when we got here and no one's asked for information. Besides, the General's far too busy to listen to us."

"Dad, there's going to be a meeting tomorrow morning, we're going to Eternity City. Come to the meeting, let the General know about this, it could help."

The elder golduck rubbed his eyes, "I'll think about it, but for now you should head off to bed. You got a big day tomorrow." Penance smiled, "Of course, see you tomorrow." "We'll see."

Penance found his way back and found the cot that had been set aside for him and found that he was actually able to fall asleep far easier than he had for the past week.
 
Last edited:
Gladius Clipeum​

Gladius finished his food with much gusto. It's been a long time since he ate proper food, living only with the rubbery strips of meat he found still hidden among the Liberty Ruins. The thought of the lost gold Tribe members still lingered on his mind, but he pushed it away to the back of his mind. He need energy to survive another day, and deal the final blow to the Silver Tribe and all its heinous crimes.

He chatted with the Alpha Alliance members beside him after he stopped eating. From them, he knew how Belas managed to summon all of them from hiding and gather on this point. For another instance, Gladius felt admiration for the General's wits and leadership. A true General, Belas is.

"Noble Gold Tribe members, I invite you to sleep and perform any other preparations you need for the time being. Tomorrow, we go over the war plan, and then we ride to war," Belas said. Gladius felt his inside stir. He knew war was upon them, but the day after their arrival? He clearly didn't expect it. But a Gold Tribe member's life is full of surprises. He always needs to be prepared. He stood up, his belly very full from the lavish feast Belas prepared for the members. He saw Vigil and Belas conversing. The golden Bisharp seemed to take on the role of a leader, but Gladius is not against it. He knew Vigil have the makings to revive the tribe. He knew it. He left them in search of a spare cot. He found himself lying between an already sleeping Ninjask, and a snoring Hitmonchan. Gladius could not still sleep. Tomorrow, if all goes well, they will regain their former glory. He needs to do well tomorrow. Gladius rested, and closed his eyes.

In his dream, all he saw is chaos.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top