[PKMN OPEN] Pokémon Odyssey: Search For Cresselia (IC)

[SV]

Cal, Thunder, Prime, Terram, Pyre and Firebird - The Feral Gold tribe

"Six of 'em total," Prime continued to explain as the group of Gold Tribe members stood in front of the pile of rocks blocking the western path. "Giga, Anzu, Barrage, Angel, Sword-dancer, and Triad. Roserade, Medicham, Machamp, Altaria, Scizor, and Dodrio. That's what we're up against," He concluded. "They're not far beyond there, and each one of them has the skills to take any of us down. We all know how we feel about them. But we have to put that aside. If we don't bring them down, they sure as hell will kill us."

Thunder looked down the path ahead of them where their infected siblings awaited them. His normal grin was gone now which was unusual for the Heliolisk even before a fight.

"You know we've done this for months now, but... I don't know if I can do it this time. I knew I had to come out here, but it doesn't feel right. I can handle fighting them, but finishing the job...?"

"I'm not leaving them out there like this," Prime replied sternly. "Mindless, oathless... they deserved to be at peace. Mind and body."

Cal stared at the ground while he listened to Prime and Thunder voice their reluctant drives, and a huge whoosh of air announced the sigh accompanying his decision. "If there's one thing that I'm certain of it's that nobody should have to do what we're about to do. But you guys have done it plenty already. So, I want to ask before we move forward, who is it you think you guys as a group would have the most difficult time finishing off?...Either physically, or emotionally, I'll take care of it for you, it's the least I can do."

"Well..." Terram pondered. "They're all tough in their ways," He chuckled a bit. "Sword-dancer is tough and fast. Triad keeps you moving. Angel... she's a sweatheart... Barrage won practically every arm-wrestling contest... I dunno if I can do him in. Giga is pretty forceful, and hard to take down. She relies on healing a lot. But if you're talking about the toughest of that group...?" He looked around at the others present.

"It's Anzu," Pyre answered.

"Anzu," Firebird confirmed with a nod.

"Definitely her," Terram confirmed.

"Then I'm going after Anzu." The oversized Dragonite answered firmly. "If any of you finish off your opponents before me, don't watch me, it'll make it easier. Now, are we all ready to move out?"

The other Gold Tribe members looked around at each other, with each of them nodding to each other. "I believe we are," Pyre stated in her soft voice. "We should be able to clear the rocks out of the way, though it may take some time depending on how we wanna do it. If we moved them out, we might attract less noise, especially from the army to the sou-"

"Out of the way!" Prime interjected from behind Pyre. His left fist, which was encased in gold, was balled up in a fist. He clenched it tighter, then drove forward at the rocks. He thrust his fist forward with all of his might, and landed a Focus Punch directly in the center of the large pile of rubble. The impact caused a large eruption of rocks in all directions, but mostly forward down the canyon. Rubble and pieces of rocks were scattered and torn apart by the attack, and dirt picked up off the ground from the shockwave of the hit. The Hawlucha Gold Tribe leader of the North was small, but there was no denying his strength, or his tenacity.

"I could have carried us over the rocks one at a time so we still had a wall." Cal pointed out matter-of-factly, though he still couldn't help admiring Prime's energy.

"I like this way way better," Thunder said as he followed behind Prime, some of his old energy returned to him after Prime's display of strength and Cal's offer. Though his mind was still occupied by the question of who he could bring himself to fight, part of his smile had returned. "Do you guys think any more ferals joined them?"

"I hope not," Pyre commented as she proceeded through the clear. "Fighting our brothers and sisters would be hard en-"

Pyre was suddenly cut off by a serious of roars and screams. She and the others looked back at the origin, the southern wall, to see the thousands of 'mon behind it acting up and attacking it furiously. They were probably attracted by the sudden burst on energy from Prime. As the group observed the wall briefly, cracks could be seen forming at the edges of the walls. The wear and strain put on it was extreme, to the point that it was now slowly beginning to falter.

"Well, damn," Terram cursed. "No telling how long that's been forming. Or how long the bloody wall will hold. We'd better not stick around to find out!"

"Shit! We find them fast, and we meet up with the others at Warrington!" Prime ordered. "Firebird, go scout ahead, see if you can track them! But fly low, or your wings will freeze up. Let's move!" He yelled and burst forward to the canyon paths. The Talonflame Gold Tribe member nodded and flew forward to scout for their fallen Gold Tribe brethren.

Callimer didn't need any more confirmation to fly right over the Beatrucian's heads and through the gap Prime had made in the rubble, more than ready to get the painful errand over with. The rest of the Gold Tribe followed. The path began to zigzag and turn through the corridors. The group encountered little resistance beyond a few straggler ferals, which they dispatched of relatively easily. But they could hear behind them in the distance the roars and yells of the wall ferals. They were getting less audible, but it was a threat that couldn't be ignored later. As they pushed onward, it became more clear that something else was happening. They encountered fewer foes, but it wasn't because there were none. Rather, it was because many of them seemed to have already been dead along the pathway.

"Casualties from our previous tour here," Terram pointed out to Cal. A screech sounded from above as Firebird flew in at a relatively low level through the canyon.

"They're coming!" He exclaimed to the others. "Three of them this way, where the others are I know not!"

"How close?" Prime asked.

"Close," Firebird answered immediately. "Narrowly got away. Better get ready."

"Well," Terram began as he cracked his neck. "Here's a good a place as an-"

Terram never had a chance to finish his sentence. He was suddenly collided with by a Machamp feral. The Machamp was nearly twice as large as normal Machamp, and wore a golden emblem along his waist. The Machamp brought down two of his arms down across his face in a powerful Slam, which crushed him and forced him on the ground below. The force behind it caused Terram to bleed out of his mouth. The Excradrill quickly forced the large Machamp off of him, though it required much effort to do so. The Machamp landed on his feet. Beside him, three other 'mon appeared: a Scizor, Roserade and Altaria. From behind the group of Gold Tribes'mon, the remaining two Gold Tribe members appeared. Anzu the Medicham, and Triad the Dodrio.

A green blur slammed into the Machamp and knocked him off balance before he could try to attack Terram again, then darted a short distance away. When the Extreemespeed's effects wore off Cal began walking towards Anzu with purposeful steps. "Be careful guys! This is an important task...but any death we suffer here will be a needless loss, we can't afford any more of those. Cover each other if you can, and don't get cornered or separated!"

"We oughta separate them instead!" Terram spat out blood onto the floor as he squared off with the large, Machamp Gold Tribe member. Come on, old friend. Let me put ya to rest!" He cried as he charged the 'mon. The Machamp angrily roared back. The Excadrill's eyes were saddened seeing his friend like this. He was more beast than anything now. Both collided in the middle with powerful attack, the Machamp electing for a Take Down while Terram decided to go for a Double Edge.

Pyre tried to get the type advantage and charged for the Scizor Gold Tribe member Sword-dancer. She unleashed an ember from her mouth toward the flying bug. The Scizor instantly moved, screaming loudly as it dove forward through the flames, seeming not to care for its own body anymore. They surely were no longer sentient. Damaged but still going, the Scizor ripped through the flames eventually and struck the Ninetales with a Crush Claw. The two began to entangle in the canyon. From above, Firebird and the feral Angel began a sky duel, with each one trying to out-maneuver the other.

"I hate to do this you ya, Triad," Prime stated with a frown to the feral Dodrio. All three of its heads were acting up, chopping at the air with its beak in all directions. Prime hated seeing his people like this. He tensed up, and prepared himself.

Anzu was somewhat more collected than the others, or so it would have seemed. The Medicham had all the conditions of being a feral: the darkened eyes, the cracks along the body, the heightened natural pulse and breathing. But she was standing in place, glaring at the Dragonite. It was only apparent after a few more seconds of this that she was Bulking Up, preparing to unleash her fury upon the giant green 'mon.

The Roserade Gold Tribes'mon on the other hand didn't hesitate to attack the Heliolisk. It screeched loudly before firing off a storm of leaves through a Razor Leaf. Once the battling had started, Thunder kicked into high gear. His glowing tail had already whipped into the air as the Razor Leaf came towards him. The seemingly gentle rush of air continued to gain momentum until it was sharp as blades and cut between the leaves coming towards him.

"I'm sorry Anzu, if we had been here sooner, we might have saved you..." He continued to walk towards her, and let out a powerful snort. His scales took on a more reddish tint and began to radiate steam and his steps began to lightly crack the ground beneath him. "Luckily having to see you all like this has made me plenty mad already, so I don't have to worry about holding back!" The instant he finished speaking he dashed forward slammed and slammed an Ice Punch into the ground before sliding on the small path of frost he made to try and slam his tail into the Medicham.

The Medicham reacted quickly, as if from the muscle memory of her lifetime. She sprinted first toward the incoming Dragonite, but as Cal proceeded to slam the ground and then send his tail at her, she jolted swiftly out of the way and continued her running across the canyon wall. The Medicham was surprisingly agile. She then forced herself off the canyon wall and darted at Cal's right, aiming for a precision Hi Jump Kick on his shoulder and wing area.

Terram and Barrage broke apart long enough to see Pyre struggling with fending off the Scizor. She had always been a more ranged fighter while Sword-dancer preferred to entangle in close-combat. Firebird above, while he broke of his beak from his Altaria opponent, notice the same struggle. He and Terram both nodded to each other, with Terram stomping on the canyon floor, causing a small Earthquake to be sent the Scizor's way. The Gold Tribe Scizor was fast, though, and managed to leap out of the way to avoid it. As he was gliding through the air, however, Firebird shot at him on the side with a flamethrower, catching him along his wing and forcing him back from Pyre. Seeing her opportunity, Pyre unleashed a fury of flames upon the Scizor, who crashed along the canyon wall, his body in agony from the roaring ember struck around him.

Unfortunately, Terram and Firebird's breaks also came at a consequence. Barrage exploded toward the Excadrill and landed a direct Cross Chop along the Gold Tribes'mon. Terram grunted in pain and the force of the Machamp's blows force him down onto the ground momentarily. Firebird was put in the same position, as a swift Aerial Ace met him from Angel. The Talonflame lost his balance momentarily, and flew out of the sky, crashing to the side of the canyon. Angel relentlessly pursued her downed opponent, preparing to fire a Dragon Pulse on the defenseless Firebird. The dragonic flames were intercepted at the last moment, thankfully, by a fast-acting Prime, who soared to the Firebird's side and took the attack directly. The flames rushed his body and surrounded him. Prime held his ground, taking the attack without losing his balance until Firebird managed to recover enough to fly again. Sending a quick nod of appreciation to Prime, he took flight again and charged the Altaria in the air. Prime's breakaway unfortunately came with another consequence, as his opponent Triad took the opportunity to strike the Hawlucha Gold Tribe Leader with a Tri Attack from behind. Prime felt the sensation of the trio of elements scorch, freeze, and stun his back, but the Hawlucha kept his ground.

"Not good enough!" He yelled furiously. "Come on!" He cried, and rushed the Dodrio. The Hawlucha jumped through the air and used a series of acrobatic moves to close the gap between the two, before he struck at the his former brother of the tribe with an Aerial Ace along of one his three heads.

The Roserade's dark purple eyes seemed to momentarily react as the sharp wind cut through his leaves and was sent straight at him. The air blades cut across his body and forced him a bit back, but he remained upright despite the damage. Seemingly unconcerned by the damage, Giga relentlessly attacked his opponent again, firing a Giga Drain on the Heliolisk as his Razor Leaf concluded. Thunder prepared another Razor Wind to throw at his former brother, but the Giga Drain came much too quickly.

Thunder cried out from the impact of the attack. He could feel his energy draining quickly from his body. Giga was not named such for no reason. His Giga Drain was reliable enough to heal him in a pinch. He had seen the Roserade down an enemy with that attack just to continue fighting with what seemed like limitless energy. Now Thunder was on the wrong side of that attack.

"Shit!" Thunder said under his breath when it finally ended. His legs felt weak under him. He couldn't take much more of it and that Giga Drain wasn't easy to escape either. It wouldn't make dodging any easier, but between the Razor Leaf and the Giga Drain, he didn't think he could win this battle from this distance. Thunder built up his energy and ran towards the Roserade, zigzagging from left to right and using his Agility to close in on the 'mon. He could feel his tail burning all of the while and, once he was in range, spun around to send a powerful Dragon Tail to the Roserade.

Anzu was far too quick for Cal to avoid, but at the very least he could make sure she didn't snap one of his wings in two. He twisted at the last second so his opponent's kick hit a patch of pure skin on the side of his leathery belly - it still hurt like hell but at least nothing broke - and used the opportunity to grab her leg. and slam her into the ground. With the Medicham's acrobatic skills however the attack amounted to nothing more then a bruised hand when she caught herself and flipped away. Cal heard whispers in the back of his mind as he watched her, but he ignored the urge to look at his bag and fired off a Draco Meteor that scattered in an erratic pattern so that reflexes hopefully wouldn't be enough to dodge it.

Giga was knocked directly in the chest by the burning Dragon Tail. The feral Roserade Gold Tribe member was thrown back by the force of Thunder's attack, colliding directly into the side of the canyon wall. The 'mon was clearly injured, but any receptors in the body that could possibly tell them of pain had seemingly long been shut off when they had turned under the plague. Instead, he forced his body up and once more charged at Thunder, this time using the ends of his arms as sharp daggers for a Leaf Blade.

Prime observed Thunder and Giga's bout briefly in a pause of his own action. But the relentless feral Dodrio was on the Hawlucha soon enough again. It mustered up a powerful Drill Peck that continuously went after the Beatrucian Gold Tribe leader. Prime raised his golden armor to block most of the hit, all the while backing up closer to his Heliolisk companion. "Thunder! Switch!" He cried out as he stepped closed to him. He utilized part of Cal's wide-expanding Draco Meteor to make the final push away from the Dodrio to try and make the switch. Thunder took a step back and pivoted around towards Triad, sending a ball of electricity he had created in his hand straight towards the attacking Dodrio.

The canyon soon erupted with meteors from Callimer's attack. Maneuverability became scarce for the Medicham. However, she seemed not to be too concerned about dodging once she realize she wouldn't be able to. Instead, she went on the offensive, she used her full concentration, and dove forward through the powerful attack. The first few powered rocks struck at her directly, causing some significant damage. After that, Anzu began to relentlessly smash the rocks as they dove forward with a continuous Close Combat. The Gold Tribe feral unwavered as she destroyed everything in front of her, all the while taking hits in the process. Eventually, she cut a path through, and attempted to continue her Close Combat on her green opponent.

Cal wished it could go any other way, but clearly the ferals no longer had any concept of pain whatsoever, the only way for him to end this would be to break Anzu as mercilessly as he could, otherwise it would all get drawn out way too long. The Dragonite's scales reddened even more and he let out a snort of steam before he rebounded Anzu's first punch with a Superpowered one of his own and began to battler her up close as best he could. She was faster than him and got more hits in, but his hits were stronger, and she was reckless, but that didn't stop it all from starting to wear him out.

The Gold Tribe Dodrio was struck directly by the electricity. All three of its heads screeched in unison from the pain. But a Gold Tribes'mon could take an enormous amount of punishment, even under a type disadvantage. Being a near-mindless feral seemed to make pain register even slower. It confronted its new opponent, the Heliolisk Thunder, with another Tri Attack.

Prime used the momentum of his push to collide directly with Giga. The Roserade sent forth a powerful Giga Drain directly at the Hawlucha, who seemed to take the attack directly to his chest as he crashed recklessly forward. However, he still kept going, and struck the leaf Pokemon with an Aerial Ace from above. The momentum, along with the type advantage and Prime's already strong base power sent the feral 'mon hurling toward the canyon wall.

Anzu and Callimer continued to exchange blows, she with an array of Close Combat punches, and he with his Superpowered ones. Anzu landed multiple hits across Cal's reddening form, from his arms and shoulders to his chest, and even a few stark ones across the face. Each hit Cal landed produced more force compared to Anzu's punches, even sending the Medicham a bit back at some points. However, she didn't relent, and as time went on, they were decreasing in their ferocity. A large crack was heard at one point, causing her to double back for a moment, possibly a broken or fracture bone. But she hardly seemed to react beyond a mere wince.

The Emerald Sentinel's antennae twitched at the sound of something breaking in Anzu's body and he caught her next punch . "I'm sorry Anzu, but this has to end, I will let you rest soon." He then threw her as hard as he could, knowing that she wouldn't get hurt but needing the delay. Before she could get back to him he took a deep breath and inhaled all the steam venting fron his body before all at once all the red vanished from his scales and he had a look of complete serenity on his face. All his anger at the cruelty of the plague had been directed inward into a tranquil outrage, and the next steps he took towards Anzu cracked the ground and slightly shook the earth around him

Thunder lifted his arms in front of him to block some of the blows being sent at him from Triad. The three blows hit him hard at such a close range, especially the fire attack, and pushed Thunder back. He retaliated immediately, though, whipping around to hit Triad with a Dragon Tail and send him away from the group. Thunder checked his surroundings to see if any of his comrades would be in the area. Hoping they wouldn't suddenly get in the way, Thunder charged up his electric attack, feeling the ground shake beneath him as he did.

Anzu didn't react much to Cal's distinguished look. If there was any fear, it was buried deep beneath the mindlesness of the plague she was infected by. Instead, she matched Callimer's boost by using another Bulk Up. Her muscles tensed and her fists clenched tightly. The feral stormed forward.

As the Dodrio Gold Tribe member began to recover from the Dragon Tail, Triad attempted to charge forward before the entire area was engulfed with lightning from Thunder's attack. Shocks bounced across the canyon before it settled on the three heads of the bird Pokemon. Triad screeched from the pain. As the attack died down, the Gold Tribes'mon stumbled forward, resiliently trying to continue forward. An incoming Drill Peck came from the three heads, trying to salvage a type disavantage with brute force.

The Medicham and the Dragonite once again met in a hail of blows, each time they clashed it felt as if the air itself were shaking for a few feet around them. Before long another crack was heard, with Cal being the one who flinched this time. It was clear if he really wanted to stand any chance against Anzu he had to use what few advantages he had over her, and the best he could think of were his reach, and his un-addled mind. The two clashed once again, but this time Cal pushed forward again, grabbing Anzu's hand as quickly as he could and immediately soaring straight up into the air with her.

Triad's persistence impressed and saddened Thunder. Triad was a strong and powerful part of their team, but now he was a mindless assailant. Not calculating, not cautious, just a 'mon who attacked wildly without care. The heartbreaking sight took Thunder out of his focus. The Drill Peck hit him head on. Even with his last attack hitting, Triad's blows were as strong as ever. Thunder couldn't let this fight continue, both because keeping up this fight with Triad would wear him down and because he didn't want to have to continue watching his former brother in this state. Thunder reached out to grab his brother and hold him close. At this point the attacks would be devasating. Closing his eyes he charged up for another Thunder. The screams from the three-headed 'mon were loud. It tried in some form of angry desparation to strike another Tri-Attack along the Heliolisk, but soon after, found itself succumbing to its vast injuries and falling toward the ground.

"Argh!" Terram cried out as the Machamp slammed him into the ground. While Thunder, Cal and Prime's fights were progressing steadily, Terram's and Firebird's went horribly. The plague had increased the strength of the already-powerful 'mon, causing the two Gold Tribes'mon to be outmatched and falter. Firebird fell from the sky, taking its last breath. As Terram collided to the ground, he soon joined his comrade.

"Firebird! Terram!" Prime cried as he traveled over to the fallen 'mon. He checked their pulses quickly, and frowned, before he clenched his fists. His opponents didn't give him the luxury of mourning his brothers' loses. Barrage, Angel, and Giga all prepared to attack their former leader. The three soon engaged him, but the Beatrucian Gold Tribe leader's strength was impressive, as he matched the three of them blow for blow. He would occasionally get struck by a powerful hit from one of them, but as a true Beatrucian, would endure and fight on. He eventually managed to take down Giga with an Aerial Ace, the Roserade finally faltered to its injuries and crashed onto the canyon wall. Barrage used this opportunity to strike at the Hawlucha with a Cross Chop. Prime took the attack, and turned to strike at him with a retaliatory Acrobatics. The Machamp fell to the ground at Prime last hit, with his neck snapped. As Prime finished the large Machamp off, the Altaria engaged him from above, dealing a devastating Sky Attack on the Hawlucha. Prime fell forward and crashed onto the canyon wall. He groaned heavily. Something definitely snapped along his back from the impact. But Prime pushed himself up and fought through the pain.

Pyre on the other hand seemed to be handling herself, barely. Sword-dancer had a major type disadvantage, which seemed to balance out his exponentially greater strength. It was a back-and-forth affair, with one of them seeming ready to give way at anytime. Eventually, that time came as a final, powerful Fire Blast struck the Scizor Gold Tribe member, and the feral 'mon fell back, the dark in his eyes withering away. Pyre collapsed onto the ground, barely managing to keep herself up from her injuries.

Anzu seemed only barely surprised that Cal had grabbed onto her in that way. The Medicham attempted to release herself by punishing the Dragonite with various Brick Breaks toward his body.

Cal ascended as fast as possible, gritting his teeth through Anzu's repeated strikes, but he was dedicated to his reprisal of how he'd finished off that tribal leader back in the forests on the way to Tollen. When he heard several crashes that put all the others that had grated at his antennae that day to shame, he craned his head around to see Prime's predicament. "No!" His previous plans were forgotten in an instant and he dived down at a breakneck speed, shooting straight for Angel and flinging Anzu at her with all his might and the momentum of the dive combined before he righted his trajectory and swooped to land in front of Prime. He gave the Hawlucha a friendly pat on the shoulder before he turned back to their enemies and prepared another outrage, trying to tap into the same strength he'd used when he battled Gabriel. "I will not let anymore of our brothers or sisters die today! Here and now, my friends, you must be put to rest, I only hope wherever you are now, you can forgive me...for everything."

The feral Medicham's body crashed directly into Angel, sending both soaring toward the canyon wall. They collapsed under a pile of rocks. Prime took this time to take in a few moments to rest. He panted heavily, and returned Cal's pat to his side. "Appreciate the assist," He forced a grin, but the Hawlucha was clearly hurting on the inside. From the rubble, Angel, Anzu, and Giga all began to climb and re-emerge. All looked as if they too were about to collapse. It didn't appear that they would likely have stood up again had it not been for the plague effects coursing through them. The three ferals dashed forward at the three remaining Gold Tribe members still standing.

The Emerald Sentinel smirked at Prime and readied himself while he watched the rubble shift and their old comrades climb back out of it. He seemed like he was about to say something, but was interrupted by a spluttering cough, adding a bit more blood to the battlefield. "No problem, it's the least I could do."

"Looks like they don't have much more in them!" Prime yelled as the ferals were approaching. "It's them or us! Sentinel! Thunder! We take 'em now!"

"Right!" Cal made a short hop and suspended himself in the air, then reared back. His wings took on a bright silvery glow and seemed to have air violently beginning to circulate around them, then in one single heaving flap of his wings Cal sent a rapidly growing torrent of ripping, tearing wind at the charging ferals. The three ferals were barraged by the force of the wind coming at them from Cal's attack. Each one began to be slowed in the fast-moving hurricane. Yet they continued forward, even as parts of them were ripped apart by the wind. Prime, not wishing to see his brothers and sisters in arms be subjected to anymore of this torment, acted by propelling himself within the scope of Cal's torrent of wind. He began to ride the gust forward, combining its speed with his own, along with preparing to own attack. The Hawlucha Beatrucian stormed forward directly at the feral Giga, and struck at him with a powered-up Aerial Ace. The attack struck well and true, and its added boost thanks to Cal struck fiercely along the Roserade's neck, sending the feral backward and seemingly finally laying him to rest.

Now that Giga was out of the picture, Thunder set his sights on Angel. He felt that it was his personal mission to end this battle quickly for her. "Cal!" The Heliolisk called to the dragon-type. "I need a lift!"

Cal dropped to the ground with an audible thump and lifted Thunder int othe air. "You got it!" He primed himself with a Superpower and then flung the Heliolisk at Angel as hard as he possibly could.Thunder zoomed through the air after Cal's throw, propelled by the force of the Sentinel's strength and the power of his wind. The Gold Tribe member had to react quickly, bringing out the dragon's strength within him, Thunder whipped around before dealing a devastating Dragon Tail onto Angel. Angel soon joined her comrade on the ground, leaving the lone Anzu pushing her broken body through any pain toward her opponents. The instant Angel went down Cal used Extremespeed and flew in a blur, slamming into Anzu and carrying her out of the raging wind. The Hurricane finally died out and Cal could be seen holding onto the Medicham. At first it looked like he was hugging her, then he whispered "I'm sorry." And squeezed. A loud crack was heard, and Anzu crumpled to the ground to finally rest in peace.

The trio landed on the hard canyon floor as their enemies fell before them. Prime huffed and panted heavily, as he looked over the bodies of his broken enemies, then toward the bodies of his allies whose lives were also claimed in the struggle. There was no joy in this victory.

 

[Megaman765]

The Priest- Raz and Snype

The hallway broke off to the left and right, though the path left ended with a few painting and statues displayed. The path right continued for a while, curving left again and then continuing forward, until a door was present in front of the pair of 'mon.

Snype didn't hesitate to attempt kicking the door open. The door swung forcefully open, revealing a large room with a similar design as on the outside. It was circular, concluding with a balcony, and a view of the city outside. Smoke from Abel and Able's distraction was still visible, but what was more visible was the Drapion standing in the middle of the room, looking out toward the city.

"Come een, come een," The Drapion stated in his heavy, tribal accent.

"Very welcoming for someone who kept hiding behind their goons." Snype stated as he stepped inside cautiously. He eyed the trail of smoke within the city and quickly began to think of what Abel and Able were currently up to. They wouldn't exactly be able to make it inside of the tower as easily with all of the Drapion's minions roaming around and there was the matter of the gas. "I don't even know where to start with you." Snype simply said, clutching his fist. Razathiel followed in behind the Sableye, launching a bolt of psychic energy at the doorframe as he entered to collapse it behind him.

"Sorry about the decor," The Dreadmage said dryly. "Though I can't say your underlings were any more concerned about it than I was. Uncoordinated and rude, too - really doesn't say much for your taste in minions. Then again, this whole endeavour has been somewhat lacking in villainous sophistication, so I may as well just give up on educating you sorry lot."

"Perhaps wit eentroducshawns," The Drapion answered Snype's statement. "I am called Bastille. Of course da ones who defeated Tyren and Roxanna are known to me, but feel free to eentroduce yoselves."

"Snype." He simply stated. He wasn't really in the mood to have a conversation. The Sableye was already a battle stance, holding up his claws toward Bastille.

"The King of Tieves, of course," Bastille nodded to the Sableye. "A bit eaga, aren't we?"

"Oh, so now here comes the courtesy," Raz drawled, crossing his arms. "This doesn't mean much for your villainous status, you know. You can't just suddenly turn your back on being such a cowardly, degenerate wretch and expect all to be forgotten," The wizard huffed. "Still, it's at least a hint of something proper- you've one-upped that Zoroark cur, at any rate."

"Come now, you expect me to make tings easia for everywan who storm my cassal?" Bastille asked the Ralts. "Why waste my time on every 'mon who tinks dey ah wort mine?"

Snype didn't respond but instead he seemed to just...chuckle for a second and keep a big grin on his face. "K-kehehe... yeah guess you got a point there" Snype lied. He just wanted to hear him talk more.

"Pfft, the argument of an amateur," The mage let out with obvious disdain. "Look at what you've got now! It's unlikely you'll have to worry about it, given you're about to be dead, but say you have a situation where someone is worthy to face you. They storm this tower and you defeat them - you're still left with your castle supremely ****ed even in victory. Honestly, it isn't all that difficult to make a more intuitive system for filtering out weaklings, give me a break. With all that fog - both as a filter for morons and a sensory enhancement - it should be dead-easy to judge an assailant with barely any effort on your part. Honestly, do you ever think properly about how to use what resources you have available to you? I don't doubt people think less of you for it, and not in the preferable villainous fashion."

"On the contrary, little wan," Bastille began to retort as his mysterious eyes descended to the Ralts. "You seem to have forgotten that you bowt are shielded from my fog. So a more... pheeseecall eenteracshawn was needed. Besides... this eesn't necessarily my castle. I won't be here for much longa. But let's not get ahead of ourselves and say it's because I weel die."

Snype seemed to be struggling to keep a straight face. He whispered to Raz "Hey... If you're gonna do banter you should point out the obvious. Kehe He..."

"I'm getting ahead of myself by saying that!?" Razathiel gasped, too caught up in the conversation to acknowledge Snype's comment properly. "Sweet hells below, it's a customary greeting to assume an opponent's death! An important staple of pre-battle banter! Learn some ****ing manners. Shielding from the fog became irrelevant once you noticed our presence anyway - and it was only the obvious solution, I'll have you know. Give me a day and I'd give you a list of spectacular alternatives - not to say that the fog doesn't already do a decent job at deterring the very stupid. It's hardly a common ability, as I'm sure you appreciate- regardless, the fact that this isn't even your castle is entirely-! Erm... actually a pretty fair point." The Ralts waved a hand as he turned to his companion, "**** the place. What was it you were saying again, Snype?"

"Kehe. Ah nevermind just..." Snype looked at Bastille again "So uh... What do you hope to gain filling this place with poisonous gas? Besides the obvious chaos."

"Curious," Bastille replied as he glanced at Snype with his mysterious golden eyes. "Do you ask every enemy of their intenshawns befo you plan to keel dem?"

"Kehehe nah I already know the whole grand scheme. Your voice just sounds funny. Kehe" Snype taunted.

"Indeed," Bastille murmured as he examined the Sableye further, but said nothing more beyond that.

"Keheh, What do I got somethin on me or do ya got somethin to share with us?" Snype said jokingly.

"I am merely examining my opponent," The Drapion commented. "I assume you ah my opponent. Dat is why you have come, ees eet not? To put an end to the plague? You weel not find eet an easy task."

"Keh, nah I just came to say hi and throw eggs at you. Course I'm your opponent. What, you want me to pose dramatically while we're at it? Kehe." Snype said in a confident tone.

"It wouldn't go amiss," Raz commented. He'd turned his back to Bastille momentarily, discreetly retrieving some objects from his Magic Room. "Though surely it'd pale in comparison to my endless magnificence- say, Bastille, are any of your allies properly trained in the art of villainy? The others have been quite depressingly lackluster, and although you're an improvement, it's still not quite up to standard. I could probably even work you into shape if I wasn't obliged to kill you."

"The aht of veelanee," Bastille repeated in his strange accent as he examined the small Ralts. "I am not so surhtahn I am wan. Veelanee ees een dee eye of da beholda, I believe. As for you," Bastille continued toward the Sableye. "I believe you already posed dramateecally earlieah when you entered here."

"Psh, yeah hope I didn't break any hinges." Snype said sarcastically. Bastille knew how to keep his cool. Using Petty insults would only get Snype so far. Razathiel let out a loud 'pfffffft' and turned around again.

"Villainy isn't black and white, sure, but it's not hard to have a little bit of ****ing intuition," The wizard retorted. "Ugh, villains in denial are the worst. At least have a smidgen of self-respect. I don't mean anything particularly untoward with the question, I'd just rather know now if everyone I'm going to be facing is some inept prat so I know not to get my hopes up."

"I would say I believe you weel find the otha 'veelans' sateesfactory, but I don't believe you weel be around to meet dem, trutfully," The Priest responded plainly and calmly. "No matter how dees battle goes, you weel not leave heah weet a veectory."

Snype readied his claws and have off a glimmer in his eye. "Kay. We'll see. The king of thieves doesn't die easily. I've got more than a few reasons to rip you apart."

"Aha!" Raz exclaimed, clapping his hands together excitedly. "Now here come the death threats! That's more like it! You're learning!" He paused. "Well, death threats, defeat threats, maiming threats- something of that regard. I still haven't introduced myself, have I? I'll get right to that- do watch out, these may bounce a bit-" The Dreadmage grinned, suddenly pulling two fireworks from behind him and igniting their fuses with hidden power brimming from the tip of his staff. He gathered smoke from the sparks in front of him, and with a cackle flung Psychic energy outward from him. Smoke obscured the Ralts as the fireworks flew off into the ceiling and bounced off, crackling around the room before finally exploding into a shower of multicolour sparks. As they detonated, Razathiel flung the smoke off of him with a wave of his hand before twirling his staff and slamming it decisively against the floor. "I am Razathiel, the Dreadmage. Psychic. Wizard. Sorcerer. And your doom." The Ralts glanced up momentarily and said, "Those fireworks worked rather well."

"... Eendeed," Bastille commented without much of a change in his demeanor. "Quite a spectacal," He stated, after which he proceeded to stare silently at them, as if waiting.

"Well that's quite an introduction. Now then..." Snype turned back to Bastille and stared him down, waiting for someone to make the first move.

"Seems we're all quite ready," Raz noted, sighing in satisfaction before readying himself and smirking. "Nice talk. If you run away again, I'll be ****ing livid."

The Drapion Priest inhaled deeply through his nose. Slowly, the room darkened as a steady flow of purple mist began to noticeably pour through every opening. "I have no obligashawn to run, Dreadmage," He answered plainly. "I noticed you have some eemunity to my creashawn. We shall see how long dat lasts."

Snype watched as the gas began to surround the room. It didn't seem to bother him yet... Just more reason to end this quick. Snype would vanish within the most and reappear behind the Priest with shadow sneak in an attempt to strike.

Immediately, a veil formed from the surrounding purple mist covered up the Drapion Priest, as if he had created a custom Protect from it. "Too bold, King," Bastille stated, and right after, shot the purple venomous cloud directly at Snype. It surrounded him, and attempted to penetrate him. The enormity of the force behind the plague acted as both as an offensive move and an attempt to affect Snype. Though the effects of the plague did not settle, the force of the attack sent the Sableye backward away from the Priest. "I weel break you yet, both you and your eemunity."

"Argh!" Snype grunted as he was sent flying back. That was the extent of the attack though. Snype was still immune to the plague. "Keheheh... try me! Yel fiend dat esh wont be eshesh." Snype said, attempting to mock the Priest's accent.

"You'll break nothing, Priest!" Razathiel exclaimed. With the protective fog gone for the moment, he launched a bolt of brilliant magic at the Drapion's back.

The Drapion swiftly turned as the Ralts fired off a shot. He seemed to have reacted with an almost psychic precision, as if he saw the attack coming before he had a chance to turn. The Drapion sidestepped the blast, and quickly extended an arm to fire off a barrage of Pin Missiles upon Razathiel. The Pin Missiles seemed larger and thicker than normal, and had a strange dark color, similar to the plague color, as if they had been fused with its power. "Do not assume a surprise attack weel be successfol!"

Snype noticed the drapion's movements. Just as he predicted. "Keh... The mist is like your sixth sense and you got some of it in us already. You'll just keep reading our minds till we lose..." Snype said. There had to be a way to deceive him... Snype attempted to fool with the Priest's thoughts as a test. In his mind he was planning to strike with shadow sneak from behind... Instead however he focused on using foul play. He wouldn't expect this kind of tactic to work easily. He probably already read Snype's little scheme.

The Drapion observed Snype with his mysterious, golden eyes. As the Sableye moved to use his foul play, Bastille began to move as well, countering the incoming Foul Play with a swift movement out of the way to the right. He seemed to be partially propelled by the thicker, dark fog across him, as if used as a booster. He continued to the right, before he closed in the distance between himself and the Sableye, and fired a darker, discolored Venoshock on him.

"H..hnagghh!" Snype cried out in pain as he was drenched in the discolored liquid. Snype had to find a means to hit this guy... his own tactic didn't even seem to work. Snype prepared to use Detect for the next incoming move. He'd at least be able to gain some distance this way.

Razathiel frowned. Luckily, the room they were in was quite spacious, which allowed him the ease of movement he found comfortable - whereas he usually took his opportunity at the beginning of a fight to behave more cautiously and get a read on an opponent, doing so when he wasn't the only target seemed to be a little harsh on anyone accompanying him. He'd have to keep that in mind for later. The large room with a decent amount of obstacles in it, thanks to the columns, made dodging Pin Missiles only require the slightest amount of psychic assistance. Brimming with energy, Razathiel prepared to attack - with the way the Drapion was fighting, the Ralts was fairly sure he'd developed something of a decent strategy.

Bastille briefly glanced at the Ralts to his side, noting his arm movements and his position in the room. He then moved his attention back to the Sableye and proceeded forward. "I'm deesappointad, Snype," The Priest commented. The darker fog formed around him, mostly around his back and arms, and thrust him forward across the room like a cannonball. He struck at the Sableye with a Bug Bite. "I expected moah from da so-called Keeng of Tieves."

Snype always hated being called "So-called". Starting now, he was begining to get sick of it. Snype used Detect to avoid the incoming Bug Bite and attempt to counter attack with Foul Play right on the back of the Drapion's head. He didn't respond back to the Drapion. From behind Bastille rocketed in Razathiel, crashing into the Priest with a Dazzling Gleam and flipping away again from the force of the resulting blast.

Bastille observed the incoming blast from Raz, just as he chomped at Snype. Bastille called forth the dark fog around him as a veil, and used it as a Protect against the Dazzling Gleam, though it didn't come fast enough before the attack struck. The beam collided across his strong hide, with the priest grunting from the impact. At its conclusion, Bastille remained upright, giving the smaller Ralts a quick stare, before he concentrated on Snype. Snype struck at Bastille's face. The Foul Play attacked true on his forehead, cutting it. However, his type advantage caused far less damage than the Dazzling Gleam would have. Bastille glanced at the Sableye in front of him, glaring at him with his odd eyes, and before the King could reteat, crunched at him with a Thunder Fang.

Snype's arm with bit by the sudden Thunder Fang, causing Snype to shout out in pain once more. "G--gaah!" Snype used his spare arm to attempt swiping at the Drapion once more. With the Priest attacking Snype again - and the Dreadmage being even closer this time - Razathiel came in once more with another Dazzling Gleam.

Bastille moved slightly back to avoid the swipe from Snype. He seemed to prepared to fire back again, but once more he was struck with the Dazzling Gleam just as he targeted the Sableye. Once more, the powerful hit struck at him, more focused and precise than the first. Bastille exerted a loud grunt once more. He seemed to prepare another Thunder Fang for Snype in front of him again, but then, his darker fog suddenly surrounded his back and side again. He propelled himself to the much-closer Raz, flying toward him through the unnatural boost of speed, and crunched at him with his powerful electric jaw. The wizard hurled another reserve of magic at his legs, pushing him away from the Drapion's Crunch.

Snype fell to the floor as he was finally released. "Gah..." Snype held onto his arm and watched as Bastille moved toward Raz. The Sableye reached into his bag to find some kind of berry to heal up his own wounds.

Bastille would not relent. As Raz moved away, Bastille moved forward, this time releasing a Night Slash on the retreating Razathiel. "We ah not feeneeshed, yet."

"I can keep this up all day," Razathiel retorted, countering the attack with another Dazzling Gleam against the Drapion's arm and retreating further.

Snype chomped on the berry and managed to get a bit of energy back into his system... He had to make sure not to get caught in the crossfire of those Dazling Gleams more importantly. Snype needed to come up with a plan while Raz had him distracted. "comon think think Snype..." Snype looked around the room to see if there was any way he could gain an advantage.

"No, you cannot," Bastille replied to the Ralts, as he summoned forth his dark plague behind Raz as he retreated. His armor prevented the fog from penetrating or damaging him, but the fog helped to slow down his retreat, effectively creating a wall behind him. Meanwhile, Bastille charged forward, propelled again by more of his plague to rocket him forward. He extended both of his massive arms and slashed at Raz with a Cross Poison. Leaving a cloud of dust behind him, Razathiel flew up into the air on a quick burst of psychic energy before blasting himself away again.

"Not with that attitude," the wizard mocked.

Snype attempted to approach once more from behind Bastille to cling right onto his back and try to keep him still. Just so Raz could at the very least keep blasting him. "Keheh! Comon Raz! Keep up the Assault!"

Before the Sableye could strike at him, however, Bastille swiflty struck behind him, utilizing the remains of his Cross Poison on the Sableye instead. "As I said earliah, do not assume a surprise attack weel work!" He exclaimed as he struck toward him.

Snype used Detect just before the Cross Poison could strike at him. "keheh, gotcha!" Snype shouted. From there the Sableye landed on the ground and used Low Sweep in an attempt to throw the Drapion off balance. Raz kept his distance, launching a Magical Leaf at the Drapion's segmented body.

Instead of dodging Snype's low kick, the Drapion took the attack from the Sableye. He grunted from the kick, though maintained his balance. However, as he did so, the dark fog once more gathered around. Instead of around Bastille, however, it suddenly surrounded Snype, and thrusted him up in front of the Drapion, just as Raz's Magic Leaf attack began to descend. Bastille was minimally hit from behind the Sableye.

The Sableye was suddenly launched straight upward by the gas. Snype held out his claws to try and cling onto the ceiling. The impact of the landing caused Snype to flinch a moment. "M...mnggh... b-blast it." Snype decided to try keeping his distance this time around. Snype held out his arm toward the Drapion and attempted to use Will-o-wisp on him next. They were making progress somewhat! His combo with Detect could at least get a good attack in on the Drapion. With Snype airborne, Razathiel launched his Hidden Power at Bastille to magnify Snype's ghostly flames.

Bastille was quick to respond, however, gesturing his fog back down toward him and surrounding him to Protect against the incoming hits. His natural Protect worked its way against the Will-O-Wisp, while the fog helped alleviate the Hidden Power. In the conclusion, Bastille came out minimally damaged. He eyes moved from one opponent to the other, and he shook his head. "Decent effot, but eenconsequenshal."

Snype gritted his teeth as his attempted kept failing. "Keheh... you can't keep protecting yourself forever!" Snype said, attempting to throw more flames to the Drapion. The Priest responded by storming forward once again, enclosing the distance while allowing the flames from Snype's attack to fall on his dark fog. The Drapion was shielded from the burn move again, and was close enough to the Sableye to strike once more with a Cross Poison. "On da contrary... you weel find I can maintain mah shields for quite a while."

Snype grunted from the attack and fell down from the ceiling and down to the floor. He was already starting to show signs of exhaust. He was running out of tricks... "Keh... Kehe... Shoot..." Snype muttered as he held into his arm. With his robe lessening the friction on the marble floor, Razathiel slid closer, positioning himself.

Bastille began to approach toward Snype, but as he walked, he began to approach at him from a certain angle. The Priest seemed ever-aware of the Dreadmage's presence despite not looking toward him. "Ees dees all I can expect fram da keeng of tieves, den?" He questioned as he prepared another Cross Poison for the Sableye.

Snype held out his claws in an attempt to block the blow but inevitably was struck and was pushed back. "Gyah!" He cried out in pain. Was he just that strong? The Sableye hoped he would have found a source or exploit to his abilities but it seemed all for naught. "Nghh... If... Only my stone would work... I'd have him outmatched by a longshot... But..." Snype paused and stuggled to stay on his feet. Raz approached yet closer, readying his staff threateningly. Seeing the Ralts approach close enough, the Drapion turned toward the other opponent, aware that he was inching closer to him. The Priest extended his arm and fired off his dark Pin Missiles at the approaching Razathiel.

Snype attempted to use Detect once more but seemed to struggle activating it. He never abused the move this much in one battle so the effectiveness only for worse over time. Raz, meanwhile, took momentary cover behind a column, making use of his speed and small stature to dodge the Pin Missiles coming his way. He glid back out as soon as he could, however, determined to remain close to the Priest while the situation demanded it - a couple of the missiles clinked against his armour as he returned to the fray. Whether they'd done anything, the wizard couldn't tell; adrenaline tended to make it difficult to register nuisances such as those.

Seeing Snype struggling, Bastille opted to push past the Sableye and charge forward at the Ralts as he hid from his attack. As the Ralts elected to remain closer, Bastille was able to use his previous tactic of enclosing the distance with his fog, boosting him forward from a push from behind and simultaneously striking the Ralts with a Cross Poison. With less distance between them, there was also less time to react and move away.

Snype reached into his bag and desperately clung into the mega stone secured inside. "Mngg... Please... I need this power..." He pleaded, gripping tightly and attempting to concentrate on the stone and what wished to achieve. The stone briefly sparked, but did nothing more beyond that.

Seeing the Drapion coming, Razathiel smirked. He let out a burst of energy behind him, dodging into the Priest instead of away from him. The wizard dropped quickly, armour intermittently screeching against the floor as he slid, even lower than his already diminutive height. Wth a cry of elation, the Ralts passed underneath Bastille's legs and fired directly upwards at the Ogre Scorpion Pokémon.

"Agh, ****!" Raz let out in frustration as he passed through the other side. There wasn't that much room under there. That tail could give a nasty bop on the head.

The Drapion tried to adjust his attack to strike further underneath, with his claws reaching something solid eventually. However, he was traveling too fast to tell whether he had struck the floor or the little Pokemon. He was surprised by the sudden blast from the speedy Razathiel, as the Dazzling Gleam struck directly under him and pushed him upwards. Bastille grunted from the impact of the powerful hit, but recovered thanks to the fog helping keep him from propelling out of control.

Snype kept a stern expression, trying to keep calm as he concentrated "... I know what you want me to do... but..." The Sableye attempted to focus his power on the stone once more. If things started to take a turn for the worst...

"Snype," Razathiel called. Shaking his head quickly, he slid his way over to Snype and popped something out of his helmet. "Eat it if you need to. Use Shadow Sneak. Stay evasive," the wizard advised, handing the pecha berry behind him to the Sableye and readying himself for Bastille's next move.

Snype chomped down on the Pecha Berry and grinned at Raz. "Right. Hang in there Raz." Snype said as he gazed over to Bastille.

Bastille slowly made his way down from his floating position thanks to his fog. He set down gently on the slightly damaged floor. "Now I see why Tyren and Roxanna were beaten," The Priest commented in his heavy accent. "But eef you believe me to be as easy an opponent, dees weel not end well." The Drapion began gathering more of the fog that was stretched out across the room toward him. More of the fog that had been outside of the room slowly began seeping in as well. Bastille did not attack yet, however. He apparently was waiting.

"Alright Raz we need to plan our approach... with all this fog he's definitely gonna try something funny..." Snype said, just catching his breath. "He seems pretty good at predicting alot of our moves and can sense sneak attacks... we need to something really out there." Snype said, glancing at his Mega Stone once more as if debating an option. "..." Snype looked around the room and attempted to make a plan... but he couldn't think of any surefire way to get out of this battle alive... except for one. Razathiel threw out a Magical Leaf, testing the waters - or rather, the fog. He too seemed to be formulating some kind of plan, his luminous eyes darting about the room rapidly. Bastille quickly put up a barrier with the extra fog around, stopping Raz's attack while stepping forward a few steps.

"Gah... we're really lacking in options here Raz..." Snype said, seeming to realize the odds were severely against them.

"If you can focus on evading him, we should be able to wear him down, at least a little," The Dreadmage grunted. "I'd like to think his use of the fog in this way involves a fair deal of exertion..." Raz did a small double-take, glancing at what the Sableye was holding. "So we can roll with that if you're up for it, unless you have other plans."

"I...I..." Snype seemed to pause and looked down at his stone. Something about it was clearly bothering him.

Bastille stayed in his position, as more of the dark fog gathered through the openings in the room.

"Well, either use it, or don't and get to evading," Razathiel hissed. "I don't mean to be pushy, but this isn't exactly the time to be moping over a bloody pebble."

"..." Snype just simply nodded and got up, anticipating Bastille's next move. The next move, however, didn't come from the Drapion, as he merely continued to gaze at the two of them, while fog steadily poured into the room. It was slowly but surely becoming apparent that the sheer amount of fog coming in started making it harder to see the entire floor. Razathiel continued to slide aimlessly across the floor in anticipation, firing out another Magical Leaf to disrupt the Drapion. The Drapion this time countered by firing off a set of dark Pin Missiles to intercept the Magic Leaves. The type advantage Bastille had allowed the tiny needles to shred through the leaves as they came, with few managing to reach the Priest.

Snype used shadow sneak and remained on the defensive. He didn't dare approach the priest right away. Instead he remained at a distance and used will-o-wisp while Raz had his focus. "I could Mega Evolve... I know I can... but..." Snype thought to himself in conflict.

Once more, the Drapion utilized the fog around him to protect against the incoming attack from the Sableye. Bastille seemed determined to not allow himself to succumb to any of the effects of the burning. Fog continued to pour in through the room, as the density increased to make it even harder to see much of the room. Seeing from one side of the room to the other became nearly impossible, soon Raz and Snype viewing Bastille himself began to blur, even though he was close to them. "Admiraball," The Drapion stated, as the fog pressed forward through the openings of the floor, and now shrouded the room in mystery. "Bettah den most have dahn. But..." With a final push of the fog through the room, the Drapion's form was completely shielded from Raz and Snype's eyes. "Eet ees ovah."

 

[Greiger]

Stuck in the Fort : News from the Homefront
​

So many new mon were piling into the fort these days. So many were scared, and the worst part was that there was barely anything Obsidian could do for them. If he had more Seekers, maybe. But most were on guard duty, and not enough were inside the Fort to help with sorting refugees or the like. That responsibility lay on the Gold Tribe for now. And there was the fact that they were all so scared. In truth, he was scared as well. He could see all the signs building up of how they would eventually end up dead by Darkrai's forces. But he couldn't say that, not to the few who remained. He had to put on a brave face and lie to all of their faces as he said that they could still fight back. Every time he opened his mouth he felt his stomach twist about in pain at the truths he kept hidden from any he talked to. It waas a cancer that would eventually reap its karma upon his soul.

He had taken the time to read some more, and that was why he was still here. He had peered deep into the tomes they had been gifted and he had taken careful notes out of each of them. Perhaps it wasn't so hopeless after all. Well, if things turned out a certain way that was. He didn't know what this 'Ancian' was, but it sounded very important. Whatever he was searching for or waiting for, it had to deal with something within these tomes. Time was already out, he knew that much. Darkrai had a clear idea on what he wanted, but all they could do was guess. It reminded him of those horrible depressing novels he had read as a kid. The ones where heroes would go out to stop someone, only to find that the villain had a different plan all along. It was more of a subversion of classical heroic tales from ages long ago, but he couldn't help but feel as if he were living within one of the novels at this moment.

"Sir?"

Obsidian looked up from his desk, "Go ahead and bring him in." He replied quietly. The Weavile had taken to wearing a long cloth jacket now. He made sure to pull the sleeves down to his claw tips as the Alakazam was brought in.

"Hello, Ben." He stated calmly. "Please, have a seat."

The Alakazam eyed the Weavile warily as he sat on the other side of the desk. "And what does this concern?" He asked.

Obsidian sighed, "We're in a war, Ben. One that we'll lose." He pushed back his seat and stood up, not able to help himself as he began to pace back and forth. "It's like playing chess... except we're blindfolded. The other side knows excactly what to do, and how to do it. Our priority is to stop it. And we can't do that if we have no idea as to what they have planned." He glanced out of a window, "There are a lot of frightened people out there, Ben. If we don't figure out their ultimate plan, what they desire to truly do..." He sighed, "Then it doesn't matter. We'll all die."

Ben raised a brow, "You really think they would want to kill you all?"

"Maybe not, but if we lose, then everything changes." He walked back and took a seat, "I have a demonstration that will go on later this week. One that will revitalize our populace. It's not something I want to do, trust me when I say that. But it's something that must be done, because time is running out."

"... And that is?" Ben asked.

Obsidian sighed, "I cannot say now, but it's going to be a show of sorts. Until then, I need to know something." He looked down at his notes, "What is the Ancian?" He looked back up at the Alakazam, "Is that what Darkrai seeks?"

Ben was silent for a moment, "I cannot answer th-"

Obsidian's claws went right through the wooden desk as he simmered there. The Alakazam flinched a bit at the sudden outburst as the Weavile slowly pulled his hand out of the desk, "... As you were saying?" He spoke softly.

"... I do not know what the Ancian is. Truthfully, I do not." Ben stated. "But it is one of three things."

"Three?" Obsidian kept his gaze on the psychic, "And the other two?"

Ben sighed, "Obsidian... he didn't share mu-" In an instant the Weavile had moved in front of the Alakazam. He hadn't made much noise as the claw tips pressed against his throat.

"Do you know how many friends have died?" He murmured out as he pressed forward. "How many have probably been brainwashed to their side?" He watched as a small stream of blood slowly tricked out from a small nick he made, "I'll ask one last time." His eyes flashed, "What. Is. The. Ancian?"

Ben began to sweat, "... Obsidian... I promised to help your side."

"I know." Obsidian stated in a level-headed tone. "And I want that help now. You' were with him. You talked to him. You and Roxanna. I'm not in the mood to play games. We're no closer to beating them. And you know what? It doesn't matter if I kill you here. Because if I don't find out what he's searching for, I lose anyways. What's to stop me from just slicing this neck of yours and taking you with us all? Unable to enjoy your little 'paradise' after this?"

"It is not my paradise." Ben said softly as he gulped nervously, "But I see that the war is taking a toll on your health."

"Answer the question." Obsidian said, "You're a commander. You should know these things."

"That is Revoll's and Grett's specialty." The psychic answered. "Gabriel was always closer to them. He chose them first, after all. They would know the answers you seek. And if you kill me, you have Roxanna to deal with. She wouldn't be happy to hear I was slain helplessly."

Obsidian kept his claws there, "So, the answer?" He pressed.

Ben let out a weary sigh, "I have no way of answering that. You know this!" He snapped out. "Do you wish for me to lie instead? Because I can do that if you desire."

"How about Roxanna?" He asked next, "She has to know something."

"All she knows is that Darkrai approached her, and we got paired up, and that's that." The Alakazam closed his eyes, "Obsidian, there is no way to know truly what the Ancian is. I could guess at it. I could say that my guess is that it's some mental state mon can enter. But again, that's a guess. I could be right, or I could be wrong."

"... If Darkrai is trying to find it, then he must be getting help." Obsidian said. "Grett and Revoll, sure, but there has to be others that they have to get information from too. Those who work under them and are given orders, right?"

"I suppose." Ben replied. "It's been a week since I saw Revoll, but it wasn't my place to inquire about who he worked with. Or who he delegated duities to."

"Would any of Darkrai's camp know? Anyone you can think of?" Obsidian pressed his claws against the flesh, "I NEED something. Give me something, anything!"

"You're looking for a simple solution." Ben stated, "You are trying to instantly finish this, to kill the bad guy and save the day." He narrowed his eyes, "It's not that easy, child. This has been going on since either of our births. You operated in the light and allowed all to see. He operated in the dark and now it's paid off for him. The sad truth, Obsidian, is that your side may very well be the losers in this conflict. Or it could be the winners. But you will not win by threatening those who ally with you. Now, if you would kindly remove your claws from my throat."

Obsidian shuddered as he kept his position, but he slowly lowered his hands, then balled his hands into fists. "Get him out of here!" He shouted back to the outside.

The door swung open as the few Seekers came in to help escort the psychic out., but not before he had one last word, "Obsidian. If you keep going this way... then they will win."

The door swung shut as Obsidian whipped his sleeve up his arm again. He carefully removed the badnages from his forearm and dug a claw tip into his forearm, trembling a bit as the pain helped to soothe his mind. "Stupid psychics." He muttered to himself.

~~~

Obsidian slowly pulled his sleeves down a bit more, his bandages fully hidden, "Open the link, please." He told the psychic team.

The Network Machine slowly began to project a psychic image from the other side. As the image formed, the familiar face of Scar was seen on screen. "Obsidian," The old Mienshao greeted with a curt nod. "Glad to see you well."

He gave a curt nod back, "Our status is growing worrisome over here. There has been a greater percentage of influx of refugees. I am not sure how long we'll be able to support this increased population, but we'll be holding on over here. Your status?"

Scar lowered his head a bit. "I wish I had better news. We can officially confirm to you that Eternity City is under the enemy's control. As is Poseida Village and Gravel City. Shine City is feeling pressure as well. We're holding mostly everywhere else thus far," He explained. "But that is not the main reason I am contacting. As you can imagine, this was expected to be the situation."

"Then what is left?" He asked. "We're losing this war, Scar. That much is evident. What could possibly be even worse than losing more cities?"

"It's not the severity of this that I bring it to mind to you," Scar began to answer. "More of the fact that it applies to one of you quite significantly. We've heard reports. Things stirring. Big plans being pushed in motion. Our spies have figured out that a large assault is happening. And it's happening soon. It's sight is set on the middle territory of Valkaria. Spefically, Albia. The reason I tell you this is because, according to our reports, this will be one of the largest offensives Darkrai's army is making. And it seems also in its sights will be the Thieves Forest... I figure you'd want to let Snype know."

"What could he even do?" Obsidian spat out. "He's in Beautruce. What do you expect? Him to immediately port over to consult his thieves before they all die? We're stretched thin already. You know this, I know this. All that we can do at this point is shrug and carry on." He rubbed at his forehead, "Unless you expect something different."

"I expect you to have some decency," Scar retorted in a mild voice, but with a harsh undertone. "That is his home, just like other 'mon have homes in other places. This attack isn't set to happen right this second, per our reports. If Snype shall return to Fort Ferrol before it happens, I only ask that you pass it on, and let him do with the information as he chooses. After all, there is another bit of troubling news regarding this attack..."

"... What else?" Obsidian asked glumly, "What more could happen?"

"Darkrai himself is reported to be leading it," Scar replied grimly.

"So... he's either in Valkaria now, or he will be." Obsdian sighed, "Wait..." His head snapped up, "He's... coming to Valkaria again? As in, going to this specific spot?"

"So the reports say," Scar answered with a nod.

Obsidian frowned, "... Have you heard anything with the spies? Ancian? Watcher?" He asked. "Anything at all?"

"Ancian..." Scar put a claw to his chin and thought for a moment. "I don't recall that, but Watcher? It sounds like something I've heard before. From our spies to the far north. In Tollen. They spoke of an enemy who was seeking that, I believe."

A smile slowly began to form on Obsidian's face, ".. Tollen." He squeaked out. "Yes... YES!" He threw a hand up in the air, "Oh, Scar, you don't know what that means!" He cried out, "Okay, first off, Darkrai is searching for something called an Ancian. Not sure if it's something physical, but keep an eye on that. Also, there is a being known as the Watcher who watches over forests. If you or your spies ever hear of it, or see it, protect it at all costs! Darkrai is seeking to kill it. Where exactly did they hear of it? Just general north?" He asked as he gestured for a Seeker to bring him a pad.

"Not sure if its physical? Well that certainly narrows it down," Scar commented sarcastically. "Let's see... I believe I've heard of a few reports. They are somewhat troubling. Strong enemies across searching for a Watcher of sorts. Tollen reported an incident with a strong foe... we... we believe he may have once been of the Gold Tribe. This wasn't the only report I've seen of that. One or two others. One in Karn, and another here to the west, beyond Poseida Village near the Sovereign Rainforests."

Obsidian frowned, "... What do you mean? That Gold Tribe warriors are joining the enemy? That can't be. I know Guardia. That would be the last thing any of them do. Are you certain? One hundred percent certain?"

"These reports appear to be accurate," Scar said grimly. "And I do not believe it entirely too. If I were to guess, it's likely Darkrai's power at work. Like with... well, you know." He stated, not wanting to refer to the Silver Tribe and his own experiences.

Obsidian sighed, "So... he's kidnapping Gold Tribe... and brainwashing them." He muttered. "Can you tell me who was spotted in Tollen then? That can be a place to start."

"He was once known as 'Breaker', a Hariyama veteran," Scar answered somewhat lowly. "He was a good 'mon. Strong and brave."

Obsidian jotted it down, "Alright. I'll get on it then. I was planning on heading to Tollen soon anyways." He glanced back at Scar, "I'll see what else I can find out. Scar... if this attack is coming. Listen... we had a place there too, you know. There is a room on the second floor, cupboards and all are in there. Plenty of potions. If you all fall, better to die then serve them, right?"

Scar glanced over Obsidian through the projection and closed his eyes as he shook his head. "The Gold Tribe and the Seekers will always have their disconnect..." He muttered. "Please pass along the message to Snype. And take care of yourself, Obsidian."

Obsidan nodded, "I will. You as well." He gave a nod to the psychics to close the connected, He had a lot to think about. If the Watcher was truly around Tollen, then that meant they at least had an easy way in there. Given the Tollen situation was already cleared up, it would cut out two birds with one stone! Head over, find the Watcher, do some diplomacy with the council, and they could really get out of this! It was a long shot, and there was a chance that the Watcher talk was a red herring thrown their way, but it was better than being stuck here and just organizing pointless guard duities. None of it mattered if they couldn't get out there and at least set up some sort of block against Darkrai's advancement.

 

[SV]

Raz and Snype - The Fury of Bastille

"Agh..." Snype did his best to see through the mist that had been cloaking Bastille. He could barely even see Raz from where he was. He was running out of options. If he didn't Mega Evolve now, then he'd end up dead anyways. There wasn't another option to go for... but first he had to find Raz. He could see through a bit of the fog thanks to his enhanced vision. Enough to track down Raz's location. The wizard had decided to slide over towards the balcony. The fog was less thick there, and would leave the area directly surrounding the Ralts in relative clarity.

Besides the fog's plague effects, the fusion with Gabriel's powers seemed to add on additional Dark Type elements into it, which cause Psychic abilities in general to diminish. Out from the shadows of the direction Raz was sliding, Bastille's arms struck down through the dense fog, seeming to gather energies from it as it did, and delivered a devastating Cross-Dark Poison toward Raz's armor.

"Raz!" Snype shouted out.

The Ralts flinched in anticipation of the attack, but the Drapion was fast - unnaturally so. He had no time to dodge, instead flinging fairy magic up from his staff in front of him out of reflex. The Dark powers faultered against the Dazzling Gleam but the poison struck through undeterred, slashing against the Dreadmage's breastplate and flinging the small 'mon across the room. Razathiel crashed against the marble wall with a clang. His head rang, his shoulder ached and his chest burned, but he forced himself to one knee and sucked in a pecha berry that had bounced up against his cheek inside the helmet. He had to get to the balcony as soon as possible...

"Dere ees no escape," Bastille's voice was heard through the fog. Along approach toward Raz was Bastille again, this time striking at the Ralts with his large, dark Pin Missiles. Raz started, bringing fire across his front and shooting it out to his right side, sliding left and hopefully burning any of the projectiles that he couldn't outright avoid. Another attack from Bastille wasn't exactly a nice surprise, especially after taking a hit like that, but at least it helped the wizard to get his bearings.

Snype meanwhile attempted to catch up with Raz and get into a better position. He was concerned about that blow to his armor. If that thing broke then Raz wouldn't have long until the fog got ahold of him. He wasn't in a position to attack right now. Snype didn't get far before he was intercepted. From the fog, Bastille emerged again and fired off a Venoshock at the Sableye. "Hngh!" Snype grunted as he was pushed back from the blow. "G-gyah!" Snype shook his head and held into his side. He had to keep moving. Snype remained on the defensive by mixing in shadow sneak.

Razathiel flung out a Psychic blast behind him, but the impact was minimal, only pushing him a meagre amount. Something to do with Darkrai's impact on the fog, most likely... that left Psychic attacks out of the equation. At least he was finding out sooner rather than later. The wizard flung himself forwards by shooting fire backwards instead, heading for the balcony. He could barely see as it was, so Raz closed his eyes and listened out for the telltale signs of Bastille's approach.

If Snype was attempting to target anyone with the Shadow Sneak, it feel across empty floors as Bastille once more disappeared into the shadows of the fog. However, the Drapion didn't hide his presence for long. As Raz was heading for the balcony, the Priest charged in from his side, and attempted to strike a Cross Poison on him. Even with his senses trained, the Priest's attacks were too quick to avoid entirely. The Dreadmage lifted off the ground on a cloud of fire once he heard Bastille approaching - the heat stung, but the wizard figured it might even cauterize any wounds he'd recieved, which he supposed was helpful. In the midst of his thoughts, one of the Drapion's claws caught a large portion of his robe and sent the Ralts' momentum off-course. Razathiel spun out and ricocheted off a nearby column.

Snype quickly rushed over to Raz once he finally caught up to him. None of Snype's attacks were affecting Bastille in the slightest... All he would do is exhaust himself at this rate. And escape was not an option. "Raz... Comon hang in there." Snype said as he activated Detect, along Snype's wrist, a noticeable crack was heard from his bracelet. The shining golden trinket began to show signs of wear.

"Hang in dere," Bastille's voice called out from the fog. "Quite a deeferent strategy dan da wan you entered wit." From the fog, both of the 'mon were struck by another series of Dark Pin Missiles. Razathiel turned around with an angry shout, sending a gout of flame outwards to combat the projectiles.

"I am perfectly fine, Snype," the wizard snapped, his heavy breathing betraying him somewhat. Noting that he could actually see the Sableye now, the Dreadmage couldn't help but feel a pang of relief. His surroundings were clear, which was nice, but relief could be saved for when the battle was done and Bastille lay dead. He composed himself, eyes sharp as he continued towards the ever-closer balcony, senses fueled by the adrenaline coursing through the small 'mon.

Snype looked down at his bracelet and over to Raz. He didn't have much time to think about it now. Before he could even continue speaking to Raz he already rushed on off. "Raz! Hold up! We aren't getting anywhere just throwing attacks out like this!"

A few moments had passed without an attack, but before Raz could reach the balcony right away, Bastille came in once again, utilizing the fog as both a cover and a boost of speed to strike at the moving Raz with a Crunch. The Ralts raised his staff, both arms flinging up a wave of dazzling light to combat the Drapion's attack. As the Crunch met Razathiel's staff, one of the wizard's arms faultered and he lost footing, flung back further. His lower half twisted as he brought himself back to his feet with a furious snarl. Snype crawled up to the Balcony, making sure to keep close to Raz incase they were seperated within the fog. The Sableye activated Detect once more and moved in to strike Bastille with his claws.

The Drapion was forced back slightly by Raz's dazzling attacks. Bastille grunted, but did not end his pursuit. Even as the Sableye struck at him on the side, Bastille attempted to force Snype away with his arm and pursued Razathiel forward again with a Venoshock. The noxious liquid struck the wizard in the chest, sending his back slamming against the balcony's railings. Raz let out a grunt, followed by a heavy chuckle. The pain in the Ralts' chest burned fiercely, but his seething hatred burned all the stronger. He felt it coiling around him, around the fibre of his very being, writhing in his head and in his arms and waiting eagerly to be let loose. It would wait. He would make it wait until he needed it.

The Sableye swiftly avoided the attack from Bastille and clenched his fist to strike Bastille with Foul Play now that he was close enough. Snype's Foul Play struck across Bastille's body fiercely, the Drapion reacting by grunting from the pain. But the Priest was relentless, seemingly enduring everything the two threw at him. He took his attention off the Ralts and back to the Sableye. Following his attack, the Drapion called his fog toward him, and used it to propel himself toward Snype and strike him with a Cross Poison.

Snype was far to close in to avoid the attack and was sent flying next to Raz. "Hngh!" Snype grunted out in pain. Foul Play was his strongest move and yet the priest seemed to endure... "D-damn it! He just won't go down!" The Sableye looked over to Raz, as if debating.

The Drapion chuckled lowly as he observed the two 'mon at the edge of the balcony. "An admiraball fight we had," He commented. "But my patiance wit you boat has run eets coawse," Bastille walked forward, seemingly to end the pair of fighters. Razathiel glared at the Drapion, his left arm twitched and shook, and suddenly lashed out - the wizard grasped at Snype to his side, taking the Sableye's arm and jumping off of the edge of the balcony, leaving Bastille alone on it. With a deep breath, the wizard turned in the air and released his pent-up fury; his Hidden Power fanned out into orbs of flame, striking at the balcony where it connected to the tower and the entryway above it, exploding in a shower of fire, dust and rubble. Bastille made a quick jerk back to return toward the balcony, but the entrace to the tower seemed to have been blocked off. The balcony itself began to crumble and collapse slowly as pieces of rock fell from underneath the damaged portions.

"Keheh! Nice move there Raz! " Snype shouted out as they fell from the Balcony. Snype looked down at his Golden Bracelet to check its condition. It appeared to be dimming, and cracked, in much worse shape than when Snype initially brought it.

"Won't be a nice move if we don't figure out how to land properly," The Ralts replied.

"Tsk... right..." Snype chcecked around the find a good spot to land at. "You wouldn't happen to have any firepower left in you to soften our fall?"

"Of course I do," Raz snapped, trying to hide his doubt. "Though if you've got an alternative, it'd be great if you started pulling your weight."

Snype looked around once more. "I got it. I'm going to claw onto the tower. At least then we won't land in the middle of those monsters. I need you to slow down our fall though so I don't lose my arm trying!" Snype shouted out.

"I don't..." The wizard stared back at the King of Thieves with wide, panicked eyes, but after seemingly thinking of no better solution he nodded decisively and closed his eyes, focusing. "Very well... grip tightly."

"Will do!" Snype looked toward the wall and quickly jammed his claws into the nearby wall as hard as he could, relying on Raz to slow down their descent from there. The Ralts glowed with purple energy and gradually, their fall slowed. "Hnnggh...!" Snype grunted as he clung onto the wall as hard as he can, feeling a sharp pain in his arms. Thankfully he was able to keep his grip on the wall. "Hah...hahah... well... guess we should plan our next move from here huh?"

Right beside them, the balcony had concluded its collapse above and soared down toward the ground below in pieces. It quickly came to a crash on the ground below. However, no sign of Bastille was seen from their view. Instead, pieces of rubble and rock from the tower began falling in from above them, as the Drapion seemed to have the same idea as the pair, using his claws to attempt to slow down his descent from the tower. His slide was much faster and sloppy than the pairs, and although he was slowing down somewhat, he was on a fast collision course toward the two. All around, the fog from the tower slowly began racing down below them.

"Gah! Why won't you just die!" He shouted out at him. His arms were full unfortunately leaving Raz their only means of counter attacking. Unless... "Raz, trust me on this. Stay completely still." Snype said as his eyes gave off a sharp glimmer. "Let him fall. Keheheh..." The Dreadmage only gave a ragged cackle in response. Bastille released on claw briefly as just as he was about to crash into the two, swiped at them with a Cross Poison, both as a way to stall his fall and further his opponents'. Thanks to Detect, Snype managed to see the attack coming a mile away. Snype held Raz closely to him and used his grip to swing himself away from the attack just barely. "Kehehe! See ya on floor one!" Bastille's attack failed due to the Detect, and the Drapion began his fall toward the ground below. He desperately tried once more to cling to the side of the tower multiple times, but he only barely slowed down because of it. He was going at too fast a speed to stop all at once. Bastille continued to fall down the tower, falling floor after floor.

A peculiar sight was developing near the bottom of the tower, however. The fog which had surrounded the tower in its entirety was gathering downward, as if concentrating at one spot. It whirled past Bastille and gathered in that area, as if magnetized by it. That wasn't all. Just below the fog, feral 'mon began to gather. Different 'mon were running to the spot just below where the fog was gathering. Bastille was on a crash course for both of them. He first zoomed through the fog. The thickness wasn't quite as much as it had been inside of the tower, but it did wonders to suddenly brake his fall. The Drapion was still going at a fast speed once he had pushed through all of the fog, but his speed had exponentially lowered. Next came the crash. Instead of crashing along the hard ground of Mercurion, however, Bastille suddenly found himself in a cushion of mindless ferals, who seemed to offer their bodies up. The crash as still large and powerful. Cries of feral 'mon was heard and the dust and rubble of the balcony joined Bastille's crash on the bottom. Smoke lifted from the ground to the air, making the sight hard for Snype and Raz to see.

Snype just stared down silently at the pile of smoke, panting heavily. He looked around to check on the condition of the fog. If Bastille was truly dead, then the fog would be vanishing by now. He held onto Raz around his side to make sure he didn't lose his grip from the last stunt he pulled. "...Raz do you have something heavy in that magic room of yours? Gotta make sure he's dead."

Razathiel cackled again, focusing to bring up his Magic Room. "Take a cello," He rasped. Slowly, the entrance to his personal pocket plane widened. "Sharpen the top of it. Drop it on him. For some reason I have more than enough cellos... not even that fond of cellos."

Snype was quick to give the top of it a nice chomp to sharpen it up nicely. "Kehe, sharp enough for you?"

"Fucking end him."

Snype dropped the Cello below him, aiming to make it land right on Bastille. The cello fell through the smoke where Bastille had previously landed, accompanied by the sound of it hitting something and a thud soon after followed. It took a few more moments for the smoke around the area of impact to clear, but soon enough, it began to. A pile of feral bodies lay there, all of them seemingly broken and bloodied, many probably from when the impact occurred. They had offered their lives as if they were mindless dolls. Standing bloodied on top of the pile was the enduring Bastille, who had below his body the broken cello. Bastille looked worn and injured, with bruises and cuts covering his body. His left arm sagged more than his right. But the Priest still did not fall. Instead, he glared menacingly with his golden eyes at the two, awaiting their descent to the ground level.

"Gah! Damnit! I've had it with him!" Snype shouted out. "In here!" Snype shouted as he quickly climbed into one of the nearby windows. He needed some time to catch his breath if he was going to pull off his plan. The Sableye quickly pulled out his Mega Stone and looked over to Raz. "I don't have a choice. I have to Mega Evolve or we aren't getting out of this alive." Snype said, clenching it in his fist and attempting to focus. "But... I can't Mega Evolve. There's one thing that's been holding me back from pulling it off. And if I don't fix that now, then we're both going to get ourselves killed."

"Do whatever you need to," Raz coughed, groggily bringing his magic room about again and fishing around for his pot of important berries.

"Raz you don't understand. The thing holding back is something that I've... well... been holding back for a long time now." Snype looked hesitant. "...I hate breaking a promise like this... but I can't keep my other one if I end up dead. Raz, I need you to swear that you won't tell anyone about what I'm about to tell you. It would jepordize our whole mission." Snype explained, his arm shaking a bit anxiously.

"I said, do whatever you need to," The wizard repeated himself, his serious tone and ragged voice offset by the large mouthfull of leppa and sitrus berries he was consuming. Outside, Bastille could already be heard charging toward the tower, and picking apart the series of rubble Raz had laid out on the first floor previously. Snype meanwhile explained his case to Raz, focusing all of his energy onto the Mega Stone in his hand.

"Ok, whatever," Raz waved the explanation off. "Now go fucking kill Bastille."

Following what Snype had stated, the Mega Stone clutched between his hand suddenly began to light up. It sparked in the same way that Callimers and James' had done earlier. With the last secret no longer burdening him at that moment, Snype had unlocked his Mega Stone.

"Keheheheh...! About time." Snype said confidently as he held his stone up to the air and focused his energy toward it. Momentarily invigorated by the berries, at least slightly, Razathiel stood to Snype's side, ready to follow in his wake, and began peeking into his Magic Room again. The stone in Snype's grasp gave off a bridge glow and consumed the Sableye in a dark glowing orb. Snype felt his whole body begin to transform, however at the same time his physical appearence didn't seem to change all that drasticly. His ears and elbows grew spikeyr and the Sableye's gems on his eyes gave off a red glow. Along with that, his teath became sharper and turned into a dark yellowish color. When the transformation was complete, the orb around the Sableye would fade... that would be it, but he suddenly felt the red gem embued into his chest rip right out and expand to the same size as Snype. "G-g-gyaahh!" Snype cried out as the large red gem landed onto the floor. "Hah...hah... w...wow...t...this..." Snype could feel the power surging through his body. It was just as James explained to him.

Soon after the Sableye finally awakened his Mega Evolution, Bastille stormed through the doors, injured, but angry. "Ah have finally fo-" The Drapion examined the Sableye, his golden eyes growing wide. "Eet ees eempossiball..."

"Cello there, Bastille," Raz welcomed the Drapion by launching the instrument at the intruding priest. The Drapion moved to the side to attempt to dodge the incoming instrument, though his injured and shocked state caused him to be struck on the shoulder.

Snype showed off his wide toothy grin toward Bastille. "Kehehe.. cellicious? Thanks for saving me the trip to the first floor. Guess I didn't keep my promise there huh?" Snype said as he peeked behind the large red gem. He decided to basically use it a a large shield. It would be a different fighting style entirely, but he felt like he could get away with it.

Still in disbelief, Bastille charged forward, seemingly insistent on putting an end to the fight. He charged and fired a Venoshock, aimed at both of the 'mon in front of him. From the wall next to him, Razathiel procured a painting of a croconaw holding a cello. He forced it forwards and against Bastille's attack. The painting was struck by the Venoshock, sending it partially off course, but a bit of residue still was sent toward the walls. Snype held onto the rather heavy gem and jammed it onto the floor, using it to block the incoming attack. The gem reflected the Sableye's toothy grin from all directions. From there, the Sableye formed a shadow ball within his hand and threw it toward Bastille. Bastille's eyes opened wide as the powerful Shadow Ball struck at him. Even with a type advantage on it, the ball propelled at him and flung him back across the room. The Drapion crashed on the ground and slowly made his way to his feet.

"How ees dees poseeball?" He asked in disbelief.

"Kehehe, a bit of determination can take you a long way. Kehehe! And I guess throwing out a small secret or two... either way... I have you outmatched. Keheh..." Snype said as he prepared another Shadow Ball. Before the second Shadow Ball could be prepared, Bastille, realizing his position, called forth his fog from across the tower, toward this area in a last ditch effort, he attempted to infiltrate the two of their defenses one last time, before they could bring him down.

Snype's large gem however, seemed to act as a reflective shield. Any of the fog moving toward Snype was bounced straight back at Bastille, leaving the both of them unaffected. "Keheheh...here Raz, doubt the fog is gonna get anywhere close. Want this?" Snype said as he took off his gold bracelet and tossed it over to Raz. The wizard caught it on his staff. The Sableye meanwhile finished off his attack, throwing a second Shadow Ball straight at Bastille. The fog bombarded them, though the combination of the armor from Raz and the golden bracelet together began reflecting the fog across the room. Bastille pushed forward relentlessly, trying to break through, but the combination of the two held on. If, for a moment longer. The bracelet began to crack and wither, and just as Bastille believed he was getting through, he was struck by the second Shadow Ball, and flung across the room again. This time around, the Drapion was unable to immediately stand up. He panted heavily, as the fog across the room slowly began to wither. Unable to maintain his ability, the fog slowly began to vanish.

"I... I admire your capabilities... I deed not tink one could Mega-Evolve like James and Grett... not among da Valkarians..." Bastille murmured from the floor. "It seems I am at the end... but den, I wondah... if your loyalties trump yo desire to end me," The Priest commented as he coughed up some blood.

Snype glared toward Bastille. "My Loyalties?" Snype smirked at him. "Explain yourself. Really. I'm curious what you're going to spew out next." Snype replied.

"Only da trut," Bastille answered as more coughs accompanied. "Most of mah fog is heah wit us now... what ees left of eet. Dah rest..." He shakily pointed to another part of the city of Mercurion through the window. "Ees binding two 'mon who were making a mess of tings earliah... so end me now, and een dah process, end dem as well... or let me go, and I weel release dem."

"...Able..." Snype muttered to himself. "You're bluffing. Nobody could possibly catch her. She could outpace your fog easily." Snype stated.

"Eef you believe dat, den strike me down, and eet ees the last breath da Medicham and Ninjask weel evah take," The Priest answered with another cough. He glared intensely at the Sableye, as if daring him to do it.

Snype gritted his teeth. Not exactly how he intended to make use of his first Mega Evolution... he could easily kill Bastille and the fog would be gone. He figured Abel would be pleased either way but everyone else would definitely react negatively toward the Sableye. And then there was Able... "....ha...haha....hahahaha! You really are a coward. Using your fog to do all of your dirty work... and when finally met with one stronger than you, going onto your knees and resorting toward petty bluffs..." The Sableye stepped closer to the Drapion. "In reality... you're terrified aren't you?" Snype said as he gave off that large toothy grin of his, as his eyes gave off a piercing demonic glimmer. "You're confident that I'll kill you... but I can see it in your eyes. Mega Evolution not only gives me power, but immense knowledge beyond what you could comprehend... you're afraid of me. Keheheh..."

Bastille did not alter his gaze, as he continued to stare intensely at the Sableye with his golden eyes. "Call eet as you weel. Een da end, eet does not mattah. Make yo choice. End me, or release me. But eef you end me, yo comrades die too."

Snype stared the Drapion down intensely, clenching his fist. "Well look like you live me with little choice then..." Snype said with a sigh. "Gotta say though, not a bad poker face you got there." Snype said as he continued to glare into the Drapion's eyes as his own red gem eyes gave off a red glow. Mostly similar to how he used Detect anyways. "Psh... damnit... I can't let them die over me." Snype simply stated.

"Den you agree to let me go?" Bastille clarified.

"Confirm that my friends are okay. And I'll let you go." Snype stated.

"I cannot," The Priest answered plainly. "You eithah take me at my woad, or do not. When I am suffeeciently safe, I shall release dem and divulge dere locashawns."

"Maybe if you kill him," Razathiel suggested dryly. "But just really go to town and mutilate his dead body, it'll be worth the grief."

"..." Snype stared silently. "Keh...fine then." The Sableye said with a stern look on his face. "As you said, I'll let you go." Snype said.

Bastille nodded and rose slowly. "Very well. You chose wisely. Yo comrades ah being held in two different locashawns," He proceeded toward the stairs. "We weel go to da Netwok point, When I am dere, I weel give you dere locashawns. Let us go."

Snype nodded to Basille. It was unlike the Sableye to give up like this... no doubt Abel would kill him for letting someone like this out of their grasp. "Kehehe, alright then. No funny business along the way." Snype stated, as he looked over to Raz, giving him a small subtle smirk. The wizard caught his glance, shaking his head.

"Hm? Snype, what's going on? Are we killing him now? I've been waiting for fucking ages..."

Snype just simply signaled Raz to follow the two. "I'm letting him go. And I'm a man of my word. Comon Raz, lets get out of here." Snype said as he started to follow Bastille.

"Pfft, what? You can't be serious. Honestly, we're killing him now, right? Don't joke about with me when killing's afoot, you know what I'm like."

Snype held up his hand toward Raz and kept between the two. He decided to simply not respond to Raz and continued on out with Bastille. He didn't have time to argue while his two friends were trapped in his grasp.

Bastille examined the two, before he moved up and began to walk forward. "I trust you weel not do anyting reckless," He stated as they began their descent down the stairs. "After all, a queeck look around would show you why dat ees a bad decision." He stated as they began taking the stairs down the tower.

"Snype?" Razathiel pestered the Sableye. "Come on, it's getting worrying now. You... oh, hell, you're actually doing it aren't you? Fuck, Snype. You're weak! Can't you see how stupid a decision this is?"

"I do." Snype stated. The wizard visibly bristled with anger and disbelief, clenching the staff in his right hand with such ferocity it might break. His breathing became sharp and heavy, but Raz said nothing, instead simply shuffling forwards with his eyes boring holes in the back of Snype's head. He knew how the Sableye could be, and the Ralts knew that he simply wouldn't have the energy to oppose him now, certainly not in this new form of his. Rest assured that when he next got the chance, this and Snype's 'secret' would be brought to surface again, and the two would have a long and very angry chat about it.

The three 'mon descended down the tower, with each level showing what remained inside. Feral 'mon glanced and glared at them as they strolled down, but did not attack. It was as if they were waiting for something. As they proceeded outside of the tower, the same was seen there. Feral 'mon were all across their sights, all glaring at the two 'mon with their master Bastille. They passed by the spot on the ground where Bastille crashed, and then continued toward the city gates. Soon after, they exited, and proceeded to where the Network Point that the group came through earlier was. Waiting by it were three Psychic 'mon, probably beckoned there by Bastille at one point. They weren't feral, rather they wore the clothing of the insignia of both Darkrai and the Drapion Priest, his followers. "And heah we ah," Bastille finally stated as they began approaching the Network Point. "You chose wisely. I feah yo friends would not have sohvived if you had not."

"You're fucking ugly," Raz snapped.

"...Just tell me where they are and our deal is complete." Snype said looking hesitant.

Bastille looked to the two and then to his Psychics, who already began to prepare the Network Machine for his departure. Bastille lightly coughed, his injuries still taking their toll on him. "Yo friends are held in two places," He explained. Dah first ees where da cloud of smoke ees. Dah second... I'm shoah yo first friend can share dat wit you when you get to her."

"Your face is stupid," The wizard snapped again.

"Keheheh... Fair enough." Snype said. "As I said, your free to go." Snype said with a wide grin. Though just as Snype said this, as if on command, Bastille's shadow would rise up and quickly impale the Drapion with it's tail and claws. He knew the fog would sense any other approach... But his own shadow? The speed was just like his shadow sneak attack. "Though I never said anything about letting you live. Keheheh." Bastile's eyes quickly grew wide from the sudden, powerful strike. His three psychics collectively gasped in shock. The Drapion began to fall to his death. "... well done," He managed to say, before he crashed. The Priest was dead the moment he hit the ground. The three psychics quickly attacked the two of them in shocked responses. The two Grumpigs tried to ram into them with Take Downs, while the Espeon targeted them with a Psychic.

"Oh, thank the torn world!" Razathiel cried with elation, forming a fireball at the end of his staff, sidestepping and ramming it into the Grumpig's snout with a meaty crack. After fighting Bastille, the Psychics felt like insects. The Espeon's attack grazed past his shoulder, a hint of pain threatening to rear its head before the Dreadmage's bloodlust pushed it down and forced the wizard towards the offending 'mon. The Espeon backed away slowly, attempting to run away from the menacing Ralts.

Snype focused his energy on the rest of the nearby ferals to finish them off with their own shadows as well. Snypes eyes have off the same menacing red glow and soon, each of the ferals shadows would strike from below. The Espeon's shadow however held it in place, leaving Raz to his own devices. The wizard cackled, giving himself a minor boost forward before turning the flames to the Espeon, creating an explosive ball of fire that sent Raz back to where he'd started. Upon landing, his attention was drastically diverted by Bastille's corpse. The Dreadmage sped over to it, grinning manically as he repeatedly drove the hilt of his staff against the Drapion's vacant head.

From behind the two on the outside of the city gates, a sudden, loud, collective roar of Pokemon could be heard within the city of Mercurion, as if something had just awoken. The shrills and yells and roars spread across the entire city, and the sounds of crashing, breaking and burning soon began right after. Soon after this loud eruption of noise, the familiar Donphan the two had run into earlier in their trip to Mercurion had spun toward them. "I can't believe you actually..." His voice trailed off as he wide-eyedly examined the new form of the Sableye. He recovered momentarily from his distract to continue. "Now that the Priest is dead, all the ferals have gone crazy! He was keeping them under control, but now they're targeting everything. Including each other! Some thieves told me to tell you a Ninjask and a Medicham were being held by ferals earlier. You should go find them, quick!"

"If they're going crazy that makes them easier to slay. Without the fog protecting them, you could just swing at them wildly and be fine." Snype explained. "We'll go after them. If you can, lure the ferals toward me. Me and Raz will purge whatever gets close." Snype said. "Spread the word. Bring them toward me. I'm sure you can handle a couple more kills right Raz?"

"I- what?" Razathiel turned to face the Sableye. It was fairly clear he hadn't been listening.

Snypes group would continue to move through the city from there, killing any feral in sight and decimating any that were lured toward Snype's direction until eventually reaching the location Bastille pointed out before. "Able!" Snype called out. He quickly caught sight of the ninjask and the ferals around her. "Raagghhh!" Snype cried out as he plastered each of the ferals with powerful shadow ball attacks. Able was laying on the floor, heavily injured from the fighting earlier.

"Ah...b...boss....? W...what's with the... Oh arceus you actually did it... But that means-" Snype shook his head.

"We can talk about it later. Where's Abel? I don't know how long I can stay like this." Snype said.

"Ahh...I... Overheard them mention the central courtyard... Hurry though boss... He was in worse shape than me..." The ninjask said as she slowlf started flying up. "Ngh... I... I can still fly a bit... I'll keep close to you Snype... No way am I splitting up again."

"We could just leave," Raz suggested, his voice strained. "Nobody cares about that prick anyway. Or at least, nobody who matters. I don't care about him, is what I'm saying."

"Guardia does." Snype stated. "...That's enough for me." Snype said as he quickly made a dash for the courtyard. As they proceeded once more through the streets of Mercurion, ferals continuously piled around, attacking anyone and anything in sight, including each other. The group breezed through most of the ferals, supported by the power of Snype's new evolution. Eventually, they arrived to where Able described Abel was being held. The courtyard opened up to a rather peculiar sight. Ferals were there indeed. In fact, hundreds were there. But they were, all of them, dead, piled around the courtyard by the dozens.

In the center of it all stood a shaky and weakened Abel, who seemed barely able to support himself. Right beside him, however, was another 'mon. A familiar Greninja stood right beside the Medicham. As the group approached, the Greninja looked back, confirming to them who it was. Gabriel.

"Agh, for fuck's sake," Razathiel muttered. "Did it have to be now?"

Snype gritted his teeth and was just about to attack the frog right then and there. But he quickly remembered who he was dealing with here. "You again." Snype stated plainly. "Bastille is dead. I've beaten you again Gabe."

The Greninja glanced at Snype. Under his scarf-tongue from his facial expression, it appeared as if he was grinning. Without saying a word, Gabriel merely lifted his hand, gave the three 'mon a small salute, and vanished within a smokescreen he unleashed, leaving Abel standing there motionless alone.

"Wha-..." Snype just stared in surprise and shook his head, rushing on over to Abel. "Abel comon, you better not be dying on me yet." Snype said as he checked on his condition.

"... I'm fine," The Medicham responded to Snype in his usual demeanor.

Snype gave a sigh of relief. "Ah... well guess I shouldn't expect anything less from ya." Snype said. "Keheh, sorry I couldn't give you a chance to take a shot at Bastille. Had my arms tied over there. Either way he's dead..." Snype said. "...comon we need to get out of here...wait...Abel what the heck was Gabe doing here...?"

"This," Abel gestured to the dozens upon dozens of surrounding dead ferals around him. "He just appeared and killed them all as soon as they all started screaming and yelling."

Snype blinked at that. Gabe showed up to assist Abel? "As soon as they started screaming... So he was here before I killed Bastille..." The sableye shook his head.

"Oh. Well, that's oddly suspicious," The Dreadmage managed to comment. "Though seeing as the bastard doesn't appear to be staying for tea and biscuits, I suggest we make ourselves scarce while we still can."

Abel nodded and began to proceed forward. He seemed capable of walking on his own without any assistance. However, before he got far, he stopped. "Did you two really barter for my life with the Priest?"

"...Did Gabe tell you that?" Snype said. "...I didn't barter, I just cheated the deal and won both sides. Besides I doubt you would forgive me if I just let him go." Snype said. He began to wonder how Gabe knew of the barter... What else did he know then...?

"I didn't barter with shit; I'd have killed him on the spot. Still wanted to. Not like I'm going to argue with that, though," The wizard shrugged and gestured to the Mega Sableye with his staff before turning and beginning to waddle off.

Abel glanced at Snype, taking in his new form briefly. If he were impressed by it or not, he didn't show. Rather, he kept his usual expressionless face. "If it's any consolation, I probably would have done the same to you... let's get out of here. Surina will want to know the Priest is dead."

"Right..." Snype said. He wanted to ask more. Why was Gabe there? What else did he tell Abel? More importantly... How much did Gabe listen to from that whole battle? They were all wounded and exhausted from the battle. Snype felt like he could bring down a few more ferals however. His mega form left plenty of energy left in reserve.

"...Did Gabe tell you anything? Seems odd of him to just appear here of all places Just to kill some ferals." Snype said.

"He told me..." Abel began, before he paused. "... nothing."

"Sure," Razathiel drawled disbelievingly. "And that's why you asked about bartering with the Priest? Imbecile. Let's away, before you blurt out something suspiciously stupid and we're caught fighting to the death in enemy territory. I grow impatient of this place."

Snype nodded in agreement with Raz. "He clearly told you something if you knew what happened with Bastille..." Snype said. This wasn't the best place to start throwing suspicions but with his Mega form, Snype was feeling extremely confident. "Let's get out of here. If you got anything to share however then that'd be nice... this is darkrai we're talking about." Snype said.

"Like I said, nothing much to share," Abel repeated coldly as he stared at the Sableye. "What? Don't believe me? He wasn't here for long. All that happened was him appearing, killing all of the ferals, and then telling me what you two were doing. Anything else he said was nothing of consequence."

"...Alright alright Abel. Look whatever the case, we need to get out of here. You guy's aren't in a condition to fight... or argue anyways." Snype said with a sigh. The Sableye swiftly finished off another approaching feral with his Shadow Manipulation technique. "Let's go."

 

[Sephear]

The Beatrucian GT Remnants and Callimer Vian - A Grave Gambit

Prime silently walked over to the fallen bodies of his brothers, Firebird and Terram. He seemed to have a moment to himself, perhaps a prayer or just a respectful silence as he merely gazed at them, before he began reaching down for them. "Thunder, help Pyre up. Sentinel, help me take Terram and Firebird. We're not leaving them here," He stated firmly.

Callimer silently lifted up Terram and helped Prime get a good grip on Firebird, then stood stock still and waited for his next orders. Gone was his usualy positivity, he felt so cold and empty at that moment that all he could do was go through the motions. Thunder stood silently by Angel's body for the moment. He had always expected her death to be noble, not warped from infection and the brutality they were forced to use. He was able to tear himself away and help Pyre up by the time Terram and Firebird were lifted from the ground.

"How bad is it?" Thunder asked the Ninetales once he was able to get her to her feet.

Pyre gritted her teeth but managed to nod to the Heliolisk. "I'll be alright..." She replied as bravely as she could, though her eyes trailed to her fallen brothers.

Having secued Firebird on his back, Prime spoke up again. "We finished what we came here to do. Let's go back to the others. I've had enough of this hell." He spat as he began to walk down the canyon pathway back.

The oversized green Dragonite trailed at the end of the procession, tail dragging limply across the ground and antennae drooping down on his head. Nobody could say if the sacrifice they'd made was worth it, but at that moment he couldn't even say he was able to be thankful it was over. He just felt hollow. Needless to say, they all held similar feelings, but Thunder felt even less at ease by this situation. This ending didn't sit right with him.

"We can't leave without burying them, Prime."

At that mention, Prime stopped in his tracks. He knew they were tight on time, but he also knew he couldn't leave his comrades like this. "You're right. Let's take care of it. They deserve that much."

Cal stopped in his tracks, dread replacing the emptiness and sorrow. He had thought of burying those who were already feral, but they just didn't have time. He remembered the way the sea of ferals outside of the fort had begun to thrash against the wall anew before they loft, possibly because of Lia leaving with the others. If they spent too long here they might get caught in a hopeless spot between an inumerable army of those lost to the plague and a wall that probably had even more on the other side. "I feel the same guys, but what about our exit point? We've already spent more time than we expected to, and if we die here this will all have been for nothing!"

"Then we just don't die!" Thunder answered Cal. "Or-or...something, but we can't just leave them out here like this! They're more than just some ferals we ran into."

"Thunder's right," Prime added with a nod. "We bury them, then we go. I ain't leaving them here like this. No chance in hell."

"Alright then, if that's how it has to be..." Cal's face was set in grim determination as he gently set Terram down next to Prime and Thunder, then stepped away. "Be as quick as you can." He stepped over to the hole Prime had shattered in the tumbled wall of rocks earlier and tensed his muscles. "Not a single one of them will get past me to interrupt." I'm sorry Guardia, I may not be able to help you as long as Scar did, but the Beatrucians will not lose their leader, I promise.

Prime nodded and proceeded to make the holes for the graves for his fallen comrades. He worked quickly, realizing that the longer they waited, the harder it would be to leave. As Prime had gone into the digging process quite a bit, ferals from the canyon began making their way toward the area. There were a few Shinx and Gligar at first, probably attracted by the sound of the battling. Prime left it to Callimer, determined to finish the graves. Thunder focused on digging Angel's grave with as little crudeness as possible with the haste they had to keep up.

Cal was in no mood for stalling, or for mercy. As soon as the first feral Shinx reached him he grabbed it by the neck with one hand, then slammed an Ice Punch into the ground with the other, and finally flung the electric cat across the ice to skid into all those following it and start a mess of slipping and sliding. When a Gligar and a Vibrava easily flew over the ice he snatched them both out of the air, slammed their heads into each other with a sickening crunch and sent them down the impromptu slide he'd made as well. After fighting plague-boosted members of his own tribe these other ferals felt like nothing, but Callimer was exhausted and his breathing grew more labored with each feral he fought away from the hole in the wall. Prime and Thunder even began to clearly hear his strength ebbing as he struggled on.

A few more ferals popped through and quickly dashed toward the Dragonite. From his side, a flamethrower quickly subdued one Venonat feral. The injured Pyre stood beside Callimer, ready and willing to assist, despite her own numerous injuries and exhausted condition. Prime and Thunder had finished digging up the holes and placed their fallen comrades inside. They then quickly covered it up with the dirt they had dug up. "We'll see you in the next life, brothers," Prime muttered. "OK, we're done here! Let's roll out!" He yelled.

---

The group scurried through the canyon back toward the direction of the Northern Vantage base. They ran into only minimal ferals, as most had been cleared out during the first time. Eventually, they reached the northern vantage. Pyre nearly collapsed, having strained herself quite a bit during the fighting. Prime walked over to check on her.

"I'll... I'll be alright, brother," The Ninetales commented. Prime nodded.

"I know it's hard but... we don't have time to take a breather," The Hawlucha explained. "We gotta get going so-" Prime's attention was suddenly drawn to the main gate of the vantage, where hundreds upon hundreds of feral 'mon were pounding. The gate was cracked all across, and it seemed like it was about to drop at any moment. "Shit! If they bust it down soon, we're not gonna be able to catch up with the others before they catch up with us! Not with our injuries..."

Next to them a slight flow of air was coming off of Cal, when they looked they saw him glowing faintly and when he stopped most of his bruises and scratches were gone, and those that weren't had shrunk considerably. "Roost." He said proudly. "Probably the most useful skill for a flyer to have in drawn-out battles. We need to hurry, I'd rather not use my trump card."

Prime nodded in agreement. "Yeah, let's meet back up wi-" Before the Beatrucian could finish his sentence, a loud crack was heard from the southern wall. It cut diagonally across the entire complex, and was followed by another, loud, resounding crack. This was followed by more and more. Eventually, the entire wall was filled with cracks, and the sturdy protection finally gave way. It collapsed into pieces on the ground, and the 'mon from the other side began pouring through. "Fuck! Let's MOVE!" Prime yelled as he darted down the northern path. Pyre fired off a flamethrower down the path and then followed. Thunder followed suit without hesitation. He looked behind himself to see the approaching mass of ferals and planned his moves in case he had to slow them down.

The group proceeded into the canyon, with the large force of ferals closing in behind them. The path through the canyon was more narrow, giving them a slight advantage in that the ferals couldn't cut them off or surround and overwhelm them, but with their relentless pursuit, it wouldn't be long before they would eventually catch up to the more weakened group. "Fuck! We can't keep this up forever!" Prime yelled as he glanced back briefly at the advancing army. To his side, Pyre tripped up and collapsed along the canyon road. "Shit, Pyre!" He yelled and attempted to help her up. Pyre pushed him away.

"Leave me, brother," She stated softly.

"WHAT? Shut the fuck up, and get up, we're not leaving anyone!" Prime shouted at the Ninetales.

"I'm too injured to make the entire trip. And at least this way, I can hold them off long enough for the rest of you to put some distance between you!" Pyre argued.

"No!" Prime yelled at her, gesturing her to get up. "I'm not leaving anyone behind! Get up and follow me! That's an order!"

Pyre smiled. "I'm overwriting your order, brother. For the good of Beatruce. Now go!" She yelled as she turned and unleashed a flurry of flames along the incoming feral horde.

"Well you're not overwriting mine!" A shiny green blur shot over Pyre's head and launched a huge gust of wind that turned into a swirling gale moving down the path they'd come through and sending Feral's flying in every direction. Callimer turned and lifted Pyre as gently as he could, ignoring her protests and setting her on the small of his back so she could grip each of his wings to stay upright. As soon as Pyre was settled he knelt down and stared at Prime and Thunder with a look that left little room for argument. "Get on, NOW! We're getting out of here. All of us!"

"You heard the 'mon!" Prime yelled as he climbed aboard Cal's back. "Sentinel, no matter how tired ya get, I'm ordin' you not to fall over!"

"I won't!" Cal yelled back, waiting for Thunder.

"Now we're talkin'!" Thunder yelled out as he climbed onto the Dragonite's back, his usual grin returned to his face. "You fly and we cover!"

"Pyre!" Cal shouted, reaching into his bag and offering the Ninetails the last Sitrus Berry he'd snagged from Raz before everyone separated. "Rocket boost!" Without waiting for an answer he launched off of the ground and flew, starting off with Extremespeed to get their momentum going and skimming so close to the earth that clouds of dust scattered, blinding their pursuers. Seeing what Cal was attempting to do, Pyre quickly adapted and fired off the most powerful flamethrowers she could must at the moment to help boost their speed. Prime shouted wildly as they began their push through the canyon. But the Hawlucha immediately saw a problem with the navigation, mostly, in how Cal would be able to navigate without being able to control his turning that much. Examining his smaller wings, Prime seemed to pick up on how Cal planned to do that. "Crazy green bastard, I love it!" He roared as the path forward began to turn, and Prime used his smaller wings to turn the group on the back of the giant green Dragonite. Prime turned around, already they were beginning to create a distance between the charging army of ferals and themselves.

"Woo hoo!" Thunder shouted as they raced away. "If the Network Point's finished we might just make it out of here, eh?"

"No more of our brothers and sisters die today!" Cal cheered, continuing on optimistically and blasting away from the ferals at top speed, despite how clearly he could feel the sinew in his wings straining. He took a deep breath despite how much he was already exerting himself and bellowed louder than he had since the attack on Gold City.

 

[Megaman765]

Snype- Finishing the Rest

Throughout the City, sounds of heavy impacts, destruction, and ferals could be heard. Snype still head plenty of power in his Mega Evolution to go around the town and purge it of any remaining ferals. The Sableye plastered any remaining ferals in his path with Shadow Balls, and took full advantage of his shadow trick to strike any unsuspecting foes from behind. The Sableye made sure he was loud as possible to attract more of them toward his general direction and was on the lookout for other mon in danger. The Sableye found himself surrounded by a rather large group of Ferals after passing through a small allyway. "Keheh... grouped up just like I want them..." Snype said confidently as he slammed his gemstone into the floor and used Dazzling Gleam to obliterate everything in his way.

"Keheheh... I should have used this stone sooner! Bastille would be sucking his thumb the moment I walked in the door!!" Snype shouted confidently. From within their homes, civilians who witnessed this destructive force from the Sableye were in awe. Many hid inside, watching with wonder, while others whispered to each other. Some who were confident enough to shout out from there did so as well.

"Yeah! Kill those suckers!" A mankey civilian yelled.

"What the heck kinda 'mon IS that?" Another could be heard asking.

"It's a Sableye! Kinda, it's different... is it a legendary?" Another asked. All across the civilians were chattering about the Mega Evolution Sableye.

The Sableye continued to storm through the city and destroy everything in its path.The population of ferals had already dropped considerably as he was on the verge of wiping out another city of ferals. "Kyehehehehe! Anyone else want to try attacking our city?!" Snype said as he started to pant a bit heavily, looking around for any other sign of Ferals. "The King of Thieves has more where that came from!" Snype said as he finished off another stray feral with Shadow Manipulate. A few more ferals obliged him, appearing right after his shouting. However, these ones weren't ordinary ferals he had been fighting. They were two Twin Staraptors, a Lombre, Purloin, and a Cubone. They were the same members of the thieves that had helped Snype in the tower earlier in the day. The fog must have taken them and changed them. Snype stated the group down. "Tssk.. I warned them and everything..." Snype muttered aloud. The group of ferals recklessly charged toward the Sableye. "Keh. .. I wont let your sacrifices end like this." Snype said as he prepared another Dazzling Gleam to wipe out the now ex thieves. Without their leader, the ferals were child's play compared to the sableye. He still has a ways to go before the whole city was wiped. All Snype could do was make as much noise as he could while he plowed through the entire city. As he MOVED in deeper, he would continue to save various civilians, kill more large groups of ferals. With each attack though, Snype would slowly feel the mega evolution take a toll on his body. "Keh... Just a couple more...I've never felt so alive before!" Snype shouted out.

Civilians began openly cheering him on as his onslaught continued. With more and more of the ferals being annihilated, more 'mon began to make their way out of their homes, which for so long were like their own prisons, and onto the streets.

"The city is yours again! If you see any stray ferals don't be afraid to fight! Bastille is dead! They're mindless zombies!" Snype ensured as he blasted another approaching group of ferals. The sableye continued to storm forward as his red eyes have off a bright glow. Many of the citizens, seemingly entranced by the words of the Sableye, cheered him on. Some even took up to helping in the fighting as he did. In time, the city began to be completely rid of ferals, and the torment Bastille had laid into them was becoming nothing more than a nightmare from the past. Relief sat in for many, while many were still wearing off the shock of everything that happened. But time could cure those wounds. Eventually.

"Thank you so much for everything you've done for us," One citizen, a Pinsir, came up to the Sableye. He seemed older, but still had bright eyes from his awe of the Sableye's form. "We Beatrucians knew as long as he endured, we could survive."

The Sableye smiled at the Pinsir, leaning up against his gem. "Keheh.. Its the least I can do for my home." Snype said. "I'm sorry I couldn't have arrived sooner... This power wasn't easy to gain. But hey, guess now it's a matter of rebuilding eh? Kehehe! Once my other friends heal up, I'll make sure they help get this place good as new. Count on it." Snype said cheerfully.

The Pinsir grinned gleefully. "You're much too kind... who are you exactly? You can't be Gold Tribe. I know most of them by reputation. Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"Guess you don't recognize me through the new form." Snype began "My name is Snype, better known as the king of thieves. I'm working with the gold tribe to take down Darkrai." Snype explained.

"The King of Thieves?" The Pinsir asked incredulously. "Yes, yes, I've heard of you! You've got quite a reputation here in these parts, especially before the plague. Why do you look so differently... what is that?"

Snype looked down at himself and then back to the pinser. "Something more threatening then Bastille will ever be." Snype said bluntly. "This is called Mega Evolution. A power that in the wrong hands could cause a serious problem. I feel like I could take on a legendary in this form... or even stand up to a menace such as Darkrai..." Snype shuddered at the thought. "However... this kind of thing is limited. Soon this form will expire and... well I don't know what will happen to me when I change back."

"It is truly an amazing power... and you were able to beat Bastille with it!" The Pinsir exclaimed. "That just shows how powerful you are... if you are truly after Darkrai, I think... maybe you do have a chance. Well heck! I'd better help out anyway I can then! I can't fight much now, but I do have some info you might think is relevant."

Snype smiled at the Pinser. "Kehehe, I thrive on info practicly! Kehehe! If you know something let me know, I'll... er... well maybe you should write it down somewhere while your at it." Snype said, remembering what James mentioned after the Mega Evoluitions wore off. "If not... if you see the leader of the Gold Tribe, Guardia, pass it on to her. Just in case."

"Gold Tribe leader?" The Pinsir questioned. "Isn't the leader of the Gold Tribe's title Prime?"

Snype raised a brow. "Prime...? Oh! Silly me, The Valkarian Gold Tribe. But either or, the information will get around if you tell one of them. I'll be out of commision for awhile once this wears off... I guarantee that..."

"Ah, right right, Valkarians," The Pinsir muttered. "That's where you're from. Anyway, Bastille, the Priest was the main tormentor here for quite a while. He was the cause of all of our pain and a terrible, terrible 'mon. An absolute villain. But... I do not believe he was here alone. His entire conquest of Beatruce, I saw another with him. About a week ago. Maybe a bit less than that. The way they talked. I do believe they were equals. He is not in charge of the plague or anything but... I do believe Bastille is not the only one who works with Darkrai. There are others."

"Agents of Darkrai..." Snype corrected him. "Darkrai has several mon working for him but if Bastille isn't alone then that is valuble info. Perhaps the others have encountered Bastille's partner... still, I'd say the bigger overal threat was dealt with in terms of Beatruce...do you know what this other agent looked like?"

"He was hooded but... " The Pinsir pondered a bit. "I got pieces of him from a distance. He was a flame-wielder, definitely. Red skin, possibly some yellow too. Came about... hmm... as I said came through about a week ago or so, maybe less."

"A flame wieldier..." Snype paused to narrow down which species that could possibly be... it almost sounded like a Blaziken but there were several other Pokemon that matched that description. "Anything else?"

"Hmm... not that I can recall," The Pinsir shrugged. "Fire 'mon, red and yellow... hmm, taller than the Priest, I'd say. Beyond that, can't really recall much about him. He was covering himself." The Sableye crossed his arms and nodded to the Pinsir. "I'll keep that in mind... if anyone can let the Gold Tribe know of this then that'd help me out too if I can't make it back on time..." The Sableye panted heavily, despite the time lapse between his fighting.

"Roger that!" The Pinsir stated with a grin, he placed his hand upon his head and then to his heart, the traditional way Beatrucians greet and depart. "Thank you again for everything. Forever endure."

"Right. Take care." Snype said with a grin as he looked around town. "..I need to head back and regroup with the others...I don't know what'll happen when this wears off but I'd rather be near someone I trust..." Snype said as he quickly headed off.

 

[SV]

Mountain, Guardia, Rattles, Thomas, Anna and James - Warrington

"That's quite a story," Mountain stated with a loud and heavy sigh. Guardia had just spent the past hour explaining the entire situation to Mountain, from Valkaria all the way until the present. The Torterra Gold Tribe member glanced at Lia, who was floating beside Rattles, and shook his head. "And to think little Lia holds such a power inside of her..."

"She is the spirit of Cresselia," Thomas confirmed.

"And then you also need the vessel in Tollen and...?"

"The soul," Guardia replied. "Though we're not sure where that is, yet."

"Two out of three isn't bad," Mountain stated. "It's a lot more than we had a few years ago, even months... any leads on that?"

"We think that there are temples in Karn which might hold the answer," Guardia answered. "After helping you out here, we'll be going there next."

"Karn, huh?" Mountain chuckled. "I wish you luck with that. Karnians aren't easy to get along with... put mildly."

Guardia nodded and continued forward. They had pressed on through the labyrinth of canyons, until eventually, they had begun exiting the canyons altogether. There was grass around, encompassing the remains of the canyons. And still, no sign of ferals, beyond only a few. Guardia thought that perhaps Cal was right. Waiting a bit for them to go first maybe relieved the pressure. But Guardia had the feeling there was more to it. She glanced around, ever-weary of what might pop up. As she did, she caught sight of something along the last of the canyon wall. A marking. The same marking she and James had seen before. "The hell...?"

"What is it?" Thomas asked.

"Nothing... nothing I guess," Guardia muttered. "Not the first time I saw that marking," She stated, pointing to the LE215 inscription on the wall. "James saw it before too."

"I see... does it mean anything to you?" The Hypno asked.

"Not a damn thing," The Zangoose replied with a shrug.

Anna inspected the marking on the wall. LE215? It had to mean something if this had popped up more than once.

"It has to mean something to someone..." Anna said almost to herself. And then looking at the group, "And I don't want to walk into them if it does. Where else have you seen these markings, James?"

"Anatellia, just before we left," The Blaziken replied plainly. "Also here, a few times."

"Here?" Anna looked back to the markings and furrowed her brows. She didn't like the sound of that. Here? It couldn't be good. "If you've seen it here then I don't think it's unreasonable to believe we might be meeting the ones who are responsible for these marks soon enough. If any of us can remember what they might point to then we'll need to know quick. Fixing the Network Point won't be easy if we have something in our way."

"Anna's right," Guardia agreed with a nod. "We'd better stay sharp. How much longer until Warrington?"

"Not long, we're nearly there," Mountain replied. "Just a few more minutes and over the ledge there."

The group proceeded to walk the remainder of the path. They moved up along a hill of grass, and upon reaching the top, spotted the town of Warrington below. It wasn't large by any means, perhaps as large as any village in Valkaria. The homes in Beatruce are usually arranged to be spread out rather than clustered by height together, but even so, Warrington's entire set of buildings were within view. They were mostly made of wood, though a few also seemed to be constructed of rock. But from what Guardia could see, it was mostly abandoned. Likely, all had been evacuated a long time ago. Hopefully ferals weren't stalking around.

"Nobody's here," Thomas commented. "I expected to see at least some 'mon but... there's nothing..."

"A trap, maybe?" Mountain asked.

"I don't know if ferals could make a trap, can they?" Guardia wondered.

"They don't have to." Anna peered down at the town below, its emptiness making her nervous. "Someone else could turn them into a trap." It was smart. A good defense to keep anyone away from... The Network Point? She didn't know why they would make a trap for that. It was so unlikely someone would come around to fix it? Maybe something else was here? But she couldn't imagine there would be something so important in a place so volatile. "I don't like the looks of this place..."

"Nor do I," Thomas agreed as he looked below at the abandoned town. "We best keep the Musharna close... and perhaps we ought to stay quiet ourselves as we go through." Rattles began to spin slowly in anticipation. Guardia nodded in agreement, ushering gently for Lia to come near her. The Musharna obliged. She was relatively easy to control, almost like a child with a wondrous imagination.

The group began to proceed down. Guardia was a bit nervous about the quietness of the town. It was eerie, out of place. One expected some kinds of sounds to be heard, but here deep in the north of Beatruce, the only sounds that came were the ones the group made, which weren't much. She stepped along the dead grass, each sound emitting from the cracks of the leaves. She cursed in silence and tried to step along more carefully. As they arrived to the front, Guardia got a better view of Warrington. It was spaceous, with villages spread across it. Fountains decorated the area in what used to be a courtyard, but the fountain, she assumed it was once that, was obliterated, and any garden which was around had been burnt away by the plague. She imagined this place was quite beautiful once. "This is sad," She muttered.

"This was a great town once," Mountain mumbled. "Believe it or not, this was the site of an old story. Warrington was only recently named from a departed Senator, who served us well. Before that, it was called Eredun. Tales were told of a great demi-god who threw rambunctious parties with wine and dance. He had a talent for the creation of fire wine out of thin air. Quite amusing. The folk here held strong to that. Now... it is as dead as the grass we walk on."

"Maybe not that dead," James murmured as he pointed within one of the houses. There, Guardia saw a clear sight of 'mon inside. But not normal 'mon. Ferals, and quite a bit of them. They seemed to be sleeping, if such a thing were possible. She tensed up and widened her eyes. Annabelle tensed as well. She felt herself take a step back. Ferals. Here? And sleeping at that.

"Is it possible... To sneak past them?" If they could maybe they had a chance. If just one of them woke it'd be a horrible chain reaction. They didn't even know if there were anymore out here.

"What choice do we have?" Thomas whispered. He shook his head. "There's no way to fight them all off. I only worry what will happen once the rest of the Gold Tribe come through..."

"We'll have to try," Guardia stated in a lowered voice. "Anna still needs time to fix the Network Machine. Will it cause a lot of noise, Anna?"

Annabelle shook her head. "It shouldn't, not if I'm careful about it and not if we don't have to dig deep in the machine." Which she hoped not. They barely had the tools for that. Sure brute strength could open it but that was not ideal in this situation. "I'll also need your help, Thomas, and possibly Lia if she doesn't mind. We'll need as much psychic power as we can get to transport who we have here, but it will be a one way trip. Without any psychics to fuel the machine there will be no way we could teleport back here."

Thomas nodded. "Understood," He stated. "I doubt we'd want to return to this particular spot anway."

Guardia nodded as well, looking down at Lia. She smiled at her. "Looks like you'll be helping us out sooner than we thought." Lia simply looked up at Guardia, tilted her head and smiled again. Guardia glanced at her briefly, somewhat in disbelief. She still couldn't believe that this was one of the three pieces of Cresselia they were looking for. She believed it, of course, but rather she was not quite comprehending the magnitude of it.

The group tiptoed through the town. Guardia made her best effort to be as quiet as possible as she began to navigate through. Mountain led the way, presumably to where he thought the Network Point would be. Every house they passed caused the Zangoose to slightly hold her breath. Every one they passed, every single one, had ferals inside, collectively sleeping. It was odd that very few were around the streets though. Perhaps they still felt... something deep inside them? A residual feeling for home? Or for sleep? Or warmth at night? Guardia couldn't quite decide what it was. Either way, she felt sadness for them. They didn't deserve such a fate. None of them did.

They crossed the central courtyard, a destroyed statue stood in the middle. Guardia couldn't quite tell the species, but it appeared to have a robe on it, perhaps a staff or walking stick too. It was far too damaged to tell. It was supposed to be surrounded by a moat or small pond, apparently. However, that appeared to be dried up. Nothing here had much life anymore.

"Across there," Mountain said in a low voice, ever aware of the presence of the ferals around. He gestured to his head onto the other side of the pond and statue, to the machine present. It wasn't in the best spot, directly in the middle of town, and fairly out in the open. Guardia didn't like it, but moving it may prove too noisy. She looked at Anna to see if she had any opinions on the situation. Was she able to operate in these conditions? She understood she was a high SEC employee and was around a lot of violence and in tough spots, but this was a huge thing she was asking.

Annabelle looked from the ferals to the Network Point in the center of the town. The thought of being so vulnerable in the middle... The others would be there, but if all those ferals woke up? Anna had to force herself not to think about it. She didn't have a choice in the matter.

"Alright, I'll see what I can do."

As Anna got to work, Guardia and the others set up a defensive position around her. Mostly, things were quiet. But she knew better than to assume they were safe. One false movement, one loud noise, and the entire town's ferals would converge upon them. Guardia paced quietly, trying not to think about it. As she did, her eye caught another one of those inscriptions on the wall, 'LE215'. LE215, she thought to herself. What the hell could it mean? They were seeing it pop up quite a bit now. There had to be something to it.

Guardia set up in a defensive position around Anna as she began to go to work. James, Mountain, and Rattles seemed to be around as well. Lia was mostly floating around Anna and Thomas, nearby the machine. Thomas continuously urged Lia to move away from Anna. "I can move her somewhat if she's bothering you," The Hypno stated to Anna.

The little mareep continued to tinker with the large machine. There was damage around it, most likely from the attack of the sentinels. Damage from attacks, damage from fleeing 'mon. Nothing that couldn't be repaired, thankfully. The Network Points were sturdy, it could get by without a few things. Especially if she continued to work on it. Using her Hidden Power, she was able to work on pieces of the machine under the metal where it was hard to reach. It took her a while to look back towards Thomas.

"Hm? N-No, she's fine," Anna answered finally. "It'll be easier to get her when we need her if she's interested." She finished before giving Lia a smile. Lia looked down at the Mareep from her floating position and smiled back, while doing a few rolls in the air.

"I see," Thomas stated with a nod. He sat down close to the network machine and pondered for a moment. He then had a thought in his head and decided to speak up. "I was wondering, what should we do with the army from Beatruce should we acquire it?" The Hypno asked around. Guardia looked over to the 'mon and cocked an eyebrow. "Obviously, we could send them to assist in Valkaria, but I was thinking that perhaps saving all of our forces for a more prominent strike may also be advantageous. Besides, Tollen still needs assistance on their end before they could commit their armies. If we split up Beatruce's force to help them, we'd finally be collecting on two armies. Plus... there is the issue of the Anatellians and the Karnians should we ever acquire both of their help... Beatruce and Anatellia do not have the best relationship with Karn, after all. All these are things we ought to consider."

---

The pair talked for a while about the possibilities of what could be employed. There was logic in multiple paths that could be taken, but they both agreed the conversation was one best to be continued at some point in the future with the rest of the group. They continued to wait as Anna steadily operated on the Network Machine. As time rolled by, the point had nearly been repaired. Soon, Thomas expected that both the machine would be funcitonal and the rest of the group would be ready to go.

Things were relatively quiet during the interlude. That is, until a sudden, unexpected scream began from one of the ferals inside. This was followed by another, and another. A collective sounding and roaring began to occur within the town of Warrington, as if something had awoken them all at once. Guardia cursed. What could it have been? It wasn't anything they had done, was it?

"Shit! Guard Anna, protect Lia!" Guardia ordered. James and Mountain quickly got into position beside her. Thomas and Rattles formed a stance beside Lia and Anna, determined not to let anything through. Ferals began pouring onto the streets, rampaging across. Oddly enough, they seemed not to have any target in mind. They even began attacking each other. But some were now in pursuit toward the group, with bloodlust in their eyes.

Anna had nearly jumped out of her wool when the screams started. The ferals attacking happened much too fast. They were everywhere in what seemed like seconds. Attacking each other, running wild, and now attacking them!? How long before too many of them took notice of their little group and over took them? And Cal was still separated from them. The image of the quickly approaching carnage flashed in the mareep's eyes and she couldn't take her eyes off of the unfolding scene.

"Anna!" Guardia yelled as she turned to the Mareep. "Concentrate on the Network Machine! We'll protect you, don't worry! How close is it to fixed?" She asked as a feral approached close to her. The Zangoose quickly struck the Wooper across the face with a Crush Claw, knocking it down instantly.

Anna's eyes snapped from the scene to Guardia. "I... It..." The little mareep was nearly almost had to struggle for her breath. Her eyes went between Guardia, the scene, and the Network Point before finally stopping at the machine. "It-It'll turn on, but... it doesn't have the power to get us anywhere. Not yet."

Guardia nodded, as two more Butterfree ferals approach her.

"Let us know the second we have power!" Thomas, who was beside her, spoke up. He held the Musharna Lia close to him as he fired a Psychic at one of the Butterfree. The other was shot down by a powerful burst of flames by James. "Lia is far too important to delay and keep her in this kind of atmosphere!" Off to the side, Rattles fired Pin Missiles at approaching ferals, smashing any that came too close into the ground with a Power Whip.

"What about Prime, Cal and the others?" Mountain asked as he crashed into a Graveler feral. "We can't just leave them here."

"If they get here in time, then good!" Thomas commented. "If not, I imagine they'd agree with me that she is far more important than any individual life!"

For just an instant the violence seemed to pause as a deep, rumbling roar echoed off of the canyons and valleys of much of the Great Divide. At first it sounded like it belonged to a much larger creature, and even some of the ferals pricked their ears and listened to it, but to anyone who'd fought at the gates of Gold City before their journey began it was unmistakably familiar.

"What in tribe's name is that?" Mountain asked as he glanced around at the others. However instead of confusion on Guardia's face, she was beaming.

"I knew they'd make it!" The Zangoose cried out. "Anna, if there was ever a time to get that thing powered up, it's now!"

"O-Okay! Okay!" Anna tore her eyes from the direction of the roar and back on her duties. She continued to work on the machine for a few more moments. After a few jolts of controlled electricity, the machine started to vibrate under them. A calm hum, totally contradictory to the battle they were in now, began. "Thomas! I'll need your and Lia's help. The machine needs to synchronize with the psychics that will use it. All you need to do is connect to the machine psychically. When it's registered your signature you'll be able to search for other Network Points immediately."

"Understood!" Thomas exclaimed as he approach the Network Machine with Lia beside him. The Musharna seemed confused and oblivious more than anything on what was going on around her. "Come now, dear, we need to help out." He commented as he closed his eyes and began to tap into the Network Machine. Lia looked up at the Hypno with curious eyes, then down at the Network Machine. She smiled a bit, and then mimicked the Hypno's actions of closing his eyes.

The concentration of the SEC agent and the psychics assiting her was momentarily broken when a a mass of splayed limbs, fire, feathers, and lightning came whizzing into the town like some horrible franken-mon that was an amalgum of their allies. Then it hit the ground and skidded at a ridiculous speed, coming to a stop when it's green head tapped the Network point and the Beatrucian tribesman all tumbled off of Cal's back in an exhausted heap. The Emerald Sentinel could barely manage to do more than lift his head and hand in a clumsy attempt at a salute and say. "Reporting for duty Guardia." Before his head conked back onto the NP and he was quiet, one of his wings bent at an awkward angle.

"Sentinel!" Guardia beamed happily, obviously jubilant to see her second-in-command again. "Prime! Thunder! Pyre!" She greeted the others.

"How that for an entrance!?" Prime yelled with a huge grin. Guardia grinned back, before looking around.

"... Where are the rest?" She asked him. Prime's grin vanished, and he lowered his head.

"We found time to bury them," Thunder informed Guardia, "but no one will be here to bury us if this Network Point isn't finished."

James nodded. "That one is right. You can mourn later. Right now, let's leave. Or did you not notice all the ferals coming at us?"

"Right!" Guardia shouted. "We're all here. Machine's ready. Thomas, all set?!"

The Hypno opened his eyes and the Network Machine began to turn on a shine a bright blue light. "A moment, I am not used to using this... Network connection being established...connection... made... one moment please... " He concentrated on the network machine some more. He felt as if he were about to pop a vein from the strain.

"Take your friggen time," James muttered as he knocked down another feral. From above the hill where Cal and the others shot out from, more ferals seemed to be coming. "Arceus, what the hell, were you dragging them with you?"

"Connection established!" Thomas shouted. "Sending us back to Surina!"

"You try fighting some of the Gold Tribe's best while they have a huge power boost and then escaping from a horde like that." Cal muttered mutinously, reaching up with one arm and pulling himself into an upright-sitting position. As soon as he was able to lean his back against the nearest object, which happened to be James' leg he began to breathe heavily, but he stayed awake. "I need a nap."

 

[Megaman765]

Return to Surina

The group from the Great Vantage arrived back into the bustling capital city of Surina first. The sight of the city was welcome to Guardia, who had seen just about all she could of the wilds of feral country. The sense of civility that was Surina once more gave her a sense of security she hadn't felt in quite a while. Now that they were back, and with Lia in check, everything seemed alright again. Better than alright, even. The search for Cresselia was now two-thirds of the way complete, with only one final piece missing: the soul. The journey didn't come without its sacrifices, but Guardia would make sure that they were worth it in the end.

Almost as if planned, the group that went to Mercurion appeared in the same Network Point not too long after the Great Vantage group. Finally, they were all together again. "You guys made it!" Guardia commented as she saw the Priest group return as well. "How di- what the hell?" She stated as she examined Snype, or what looked like Snype, in his new form.

Cal brightened up immediately at the sight of Snype and scrambled to stand up. "Good work! I'm so impressed that yo-" He did manage to stand up but as soon as Cal took one step towards the Sableye his legs gave out and he crashed to the floor in a heap, groaning.

"Alright there, Cal?" Guardia asked the giant green Dragonite. The only answer she recieved was more groaning.

"K...k...keheh.... y...yeah... I pulled it off... killed Bastille.... wiped a whole city worth of ferals... k...keheh... how...how do ya like th...." Snype kneeled onto the floor suddenly groaning in an intense pain. His transformation to the Mega Evolution seemed to have finally worn off, as he was surrounded by a bright white glow, and then he reverted back to his normal form once more.

"Snype?!" Guardia shouted worriedly as she approached the 'mon.

"He'll be alright," James stated as he walked over to the King of Thieves. "Just needs to rest. The Evolution takes a lot out of you, especially the first time around. He probably won't be moving much for the next couple weeks, might be as much as three until he's fully healed."

While he spoke, Rattles walked over to her fallen comrades and lifted their faces off the ground one after the other to take a good look at them before rolling away, apparently satisfied. Guardia found the act quite amusing.

Able quickly flew over to Snype's side to confirm James' words. The Ninjask gave a sigh of relief. "Yeah well who here's gonna carry him? Our group's been through hell twice and back."

"Nonsense," Razathiel rasped, falling rather sluggishly down to one knee to check that the Sableye was still breathing. "Child's play."

"I might as well," James answered as he grabbed the Sableye by the back of the neck and picked him off the ground. "He's paying the bills for me anyway. I'll keep him here with you for now, he should still be awake, usually."

Snype would slowly regain conciousness after returning to his previous form. "Ugh...w..." Snype attempted to move his arm but was only met with a sharp pain at any form of attempt to move his body.

"Easy there, little guy," James gestured him to remain still. "You're gonna be feeling like this for a while. Don't try to move, you'll make it worse."

"Best listen to James here, I'd say, Snype," Guardia stated to the Sableye with a grin. She also examined Raz, Cal, and a few of the others, all of which also appeared to be worn. "Looks like we can all use a break in fact. Seems we've earned it. Oh, and before I forget..." She motioned to the floating Musharna beside Thomas. "Everyone, this is Lia. She doesn't talk much but... she's what we've been looking for. The Spirit of Cresselia."

Snype remained still and spoke in a whisper. Just moving his lips was casuing strain for the Sableye. "K...keh... fine I'll sit still. But I expect some company every so often or I'm gonna start getting bored and do something stupid." Snype joked. Even in his condition, he could still keep his cheery personality going. He looked over to Lia and grinned at her. "Keheh...pleasure to meet you Lia. Guess that gives us an edge against Darkrai now huh...? Mngh... we'll have to exchange stories later... ack..." Snype winced a bit in pain. Even talking was starting to hurt.

"Do we even have anywhere to break?" Raz wheezed, "I don't recall booking a hotel room."

"You can crash at our place," Prime chimed in somewhat wearily, but still full of energy. "Any friends of Guardia's is friends of ours!"

Guardia nodded and grinned. "Oh, yeah! Everyone, this is Prime, leader of the Beatrucian Gold Tribe. And here's Mountain, Thunder, and Pyre, also members of the Beatrucian Gold Tribe."

"Sup, folks!" Prime greeted loudly.

"The Beatrucian Gold Tribe?" The voice of Abel called out from the back of the pack that came from the Mercurion Network Point.

Prime's eyes grew wide. As did the others from Beatruce. "Well I'll be a son of a *****, Atrox!" Prime ran over and hugged the Medicham tightly. Pyre, despite her injuries, and Mountain walked toward Abel as well. "Long time no see, brother!" The Hawlucha stated happily. The rest also looked quite happy to see them. Abel didn't hug them back, he merely looked at them somewhat stonewalled.

"... Prime," Abel began, as he somewhat pushed the Hawlucha off him. "Where are the others?" Abel asked sternly.

Prime's expression immediately turned into a frown. Abel looked at him expectantly, awaiting an answer. His eyes turned from him, to Pyre, to Mountain, to Thunder. Pyre averted her gaze from the Medicham. Mountain frowned at him as well. "Prime..." Abel repeated. "Where are they?"

"We're it," Prime finally answered grimly. "We're the last of them... the rest... the plague got them."

"..." Abel didn't say anything at first. "...Anzu?" He finally managed to croak out. Guardia stared at the Medicham intently. The stoneface facade seemed to steadily be cracking.

"I'm sorry, brother," Prime muttered sadly. "I'm so, s-" Before the Hawlucha could finish, Abel violently charged the Hawlucha, grabbing him by the neck and dragging him to the nearby wall.

"Atrox!" Mountain cried, trying to calm him down. "Atrox, calm down!"

Almost as soon as Abel gripped Prime a surprisingly strong grip pulled his arm away, and then Prime was shoved roughly away from the Medicham. Cal stared straight into his eyes, more sorrow and guilt than he could ever put into words brimming in their depths. "It was me Abel, it's my fault she's gone. I should have pushed for us to come to Beatruce sooner, and besides that...I'm the one who finally killed her in the end."

Abel glared at Cal, eyes filled with rage unlike any Guardia had ever seen from the Medicham before. She was afraid for a moment, because at that moment, it appeared as though the Medicham was legitimately contemplating killing Callimer. Abel clenched his fists, and gritted his teeth. "You should have," He spat out, enraged. He glanced around at the others, as his eyes watered. "You all should have," Abel closed his eyes tightly, and turned away. When he opened them, he looked angrier than he ever was. "In Beatruce, we have a saying: every debt will be repaid," He turned to the group, looking at each one of them with hateful eyes, before he turned to Callimer last. "I promise you this debt will be repaid." Then, he turned and stormed away.

The big green Dragonite watched the Beatrucian's second-in-command stomp off and tried to blink away the tears they shared. "I know..." He muttered. Without any warning he slammed his fist down into the ground with what little strength he had left, then looked at his hand and the awkwardly bent fingers. "Good, the shaking stopped...maybe I can sleep now."

Snype seemed to have a guilty expression across his face as well, despite not being too involved, he often ended up as the deciding factor for most of these trips during the previous votes. At the same time, if they did go earlier without his Mega Evolution, he felt Bastille would have gotten away, even if the entire group was victorious. He of course kept silent on that thought though. That wasn't the only thing driving his guilt though. "..."

Rattles took a few steps in the direction Abel had gone before stopping, seeming to reconsider. She turned to the others and wrote, "What was that?" For all her curiosity as to his emotional state, she felt that Abel was a potential threat and knew it would be best to stay away.

"His sister, his biological sister," Prime explained to Rattles. "Abel's always been a stone-faced guy but... she was one of the only people I ever saw made him smile. She was his world. **** I can't even imagine..."

"Well, now that that's settled..." Cal said before waddling over to Guardia and collapsing on her shoulder. "Help me get somewhere with a bed would you?" He asked, faintly waving his broken right wing through the air. Guardia watched with sadness as Abel left, before she turned to Callimer and nodded. "Yeah, we'll go to Prime's spot. All get healed up... I'll go check on Abel later..."

"As if we didn't already have reason to distrust the Medicham..." Razathiel sighed. "He... he was keeping something from us, before we left. Gabriel told him... something. He said he hadn't... which was a lie though, obviously, because, er... he knew details about... our, egh... conflict with Bastille. Figured you should probably know."

"Gabriel?" Guardia repeated to Raz, as she turned to him. "Gabriel was there?!" She gritted her teeth, looking around the group. "Well... we'll figure this out later. Let's all go rest now, we'll talk more after."

 

[SV]

Abel "Atrox" Onderon - Everything

Abel sat along the riverbank in deep silence. His near-lifeless eyes gazed upon some fixed spot on the water as if in a trance. They were dull, weary, dark. His entire body displayed a feeling of complete dismay. He shoulders slouched and his legs were parched on the grass as if they were broken and to remain there. Nothing else mattered anymore to him. His country survived, but the most precious thing he had fought for was taken from him. To the Medicham, there remained nothing else.

Time passed. Minutes. Hours. Abel couldn't tell. Abel didn't care. Time didn't mean anything to him anymore. For all he cared, the entire world could pass before him, and he would continue to sit there. He was a Gold Tribe warrior, a notoriously cold and calculating 'mon who fought for the pride of the badge, and for the security of his nation. But when the one person he loved most was taken, it seemed as if his passion for anything else had drifted away. And so he sat.

"I personally never appreciated just how relaxing sitting by a riverbank like this could be," A voice to his side stated. Abel began turning slowly to tell the 'mon to piss off, until he saw who it was. His eyes shot open as seated beside him was the familiar form of a Greninja. Of Gabriel. "Back then, waaay back when I was jus-"

As Gabriel tried to continue to talk, Abel suddenly charged toward the Greninja and brought his hand toward his neck. Gabriel opened his eyes wide as the Medicham brought him up off the ground and pushed him forward to a nearby home, still clutching his neck.

"Wha, wait! Wait! I'm not here to fight!" Gabriel exclaimed as Abel held onto his neck.

"You murderous bastard," Abel hissed through his gritting teeth. "I'll kill you here where you stand."

Gabriel held his hands up, seemingly in defeat or pacifism, and spoke. "As much as I know you'd like to see that, I'm pretty sure we both know you wouldn't be able to do that!" He exclaimed in a seemingly somewhat frightened tone. Yet Abel knew deep down it wasn't. It was like an act. He looked over the Greninja's features. Abel was usually so good at reading 'mon. But Gabriel infuriated him. He spoke with a demeanor so calm and lowly, yet his body language secretly seemed to exuberate command and ferocity, without him even trying. He could say and react one way, and yet still bring lesser 'mon to their knees. Even now, as Abel gripped his tongue-scarf, his hand shook. Partially it was out of anger, but partially too it was out of fear. Deep down, he knew who this 'mon was.

"... I can bring our entire forces here against you, you'd be surrounded in minutes," Abel commented. "Even you couldn't fight everyone off."

"Can't I though?" Gabriel asked. Abel's grip somewhat loosened from him. For a serious few second, he actually pondered that question, before Gabriel seemed to shrug it off. "I joke of course, I'm sure I wouldn't be able to! And I have no intention of trying! I'm not here to fight!"

Abel let the Greninja go and backed away. "I don't care what you are doing here, just leave me be."

"Oh, but I'm sure you do care," Gabriel replied back. He placed a hand around his neck and rubbed it gently for a moment. "Or, at least you should."

"I doubt that, Darkrai," Abel hissed back. "Leave me. What more do you want to take from me?"

"Take?" The Greninja tilted his head as he inquired. "Take from you? Why, nothing! Nothing at all. Did I actually take anything to begin with?"

"YOU TOOK EVERYTHING!" The Medicham shouted angrily, in one of the few outbursts he had. His veins pulsed and he clenched his fists. "Everything," Abel repeated, as he slumped down to the ground. "Just do it already."

"Do it? Do what exactly?" Gabriel inquired.

"Kill me. Finish it."

Gabriel replied with a light chuckle. "Kill you… kill you. Why in the world would I do that? Why would you want to die? You have so much to offer still. To Beatruce, to the Gold Tribe. To this group… to me."

Abel looked up at the Greninja. "I'm not doing anything for you. Leave me. Or I'll go now to the Gold Tribe."

"Mmm… I don't think you will," The Lord of Chaos replied back with a shrug of his shoulders.

"... What? What game are you playing at? What game do you think I'm playing at?" Abel spat.

"None! None!" Gabriel shrugged his shoulders again. He casually stepped closer to the Medicham and continued. "But I know if you had any real intention of going to any of those guys back at your fort, you would have done so already. That's the type of 'mon you are, Abel. Loyal, calculating, no-nonsense, sensible. They must have all reaaallly ticked you off if you don't wanna go to them when there's this credible threat in front of you. Me, of all 'mon in fact!" Gabriel held two fingers up. "If I had to wager, it's because of two reasons. Either one, you're so down on yourself and them that you've practically given up on life," He explained, with his voice lowering and saddening a bit to reflect Abel's mood. "Which is great!" He exclaimed suddenly. "OR… you're curious as to why I'm here, because of said first reason… which is also great!"

Abel glared coldly at the Greninja for the longest time, who simply stared silently back at him. Neither said anything, with Abel guessing the Greninja was presumably waiting for the Medicham to speak. Soon after, Abel turned back toward the lake and muttered, "I don't want to talk with you."

"Then just listen," Gabriel stated quickly after. He propped down onto the grass beside Abel and continued. "Now, you're pretty familiar with my people now. I also know you're pretty familiar with those people, the ones you've been traveling with. Someone like that could be pretty useful to have on my side."

Abel snorted. "If you think I'm switching sides, you're a fool. I'm no traitor."

"Who ever said anything about being a traitor?" Gabriel asked, as he looked around. He pointed to himself. "Who me? No! Never said that. No, no, Abel. I'm not asking you to betray anyone. Know why? Because there's no one for you to betray. Those… guys, those people over there? They're not on your side. They haven't been the moment they decided to go and play adventure in other places while your country burned."

"Burned from a plague you wrought," Abel spat coldly.

"Details!" Gabriel retorted. "And if we have to get technical, it was actually Bastille, and I basically gave them free reign to do as they please. Never said how they had to go about their… well never mind. That's not the point. The point is, that had they decided to go to Beatruce in the beginning, your country would have been in much better shape. And many more 'mon would be alive. Even your tribe would be. Isn't that right?"

Abel said nothing, he just sat there in silence. Gabriel continued. "It is true. They never cared for you. Hell, they played with your life in Mercurion when the Priest said he was holding you! What do you think would have happened if I hadn't stepped in? Their selfishness extends to them and their own. They're Valkarians, first and foremost. You're not in with them! You must know this. No, no, for what they did, they're not your allies, or your friends. They're against you, as they should be. And any action you should take would be justified against them."

"And you want me to take that action," Abel commented. "What makes you think I'll do anything you ask?"

Gabriel stared intently at the Medicham, before he replied. "You said that you lost everything. I'm willing to offer you everything."

 

[Greiger]

He Ain't No Penance​

"... Why can't I have been like you?" He sighed as he looked at the picture of the duck that hung on the wall. He had spent a good hour simply staring at that which was more successful, that which had won loyalty and hearts. Him? He heard the whispers.

'He ain't no Penance'

It was seemingly the same with everyone. With Scar, Penance would have done something amazing like cracking a joke to make the mood better, or he would have gone with the others and been back in less than a day. He had honestly been too frightened to go with them. Here he was, hiding in a room while they fought Darkria's legions. Obsidian had a lot of time to think, and with that came two revelations. The first was that he could quit. He could pack his bags, hide it somewhere, claim he was going out for a walk, and just flee. The other was that he was needed and he had to man up. But he had no idea how. Despite how often he loathed Penance's life lessons and teachings, he still couldn't help but feel like he needed to talk to him. Penance could help organize his thoughts in his weird way, help him with calming down too. On his own he was nothing.

He curled up and closed his eyes, letting out a weak sigh as he figured that he could sort this dilemna all out once he would wake up later.

~~~

He wasn't sure when he woke up, but he had found his way to the bar in the fort. Given the influx of refugees into the fort it was natural that the bar was overwhelmed by all sorts of mon. Warriors who had fled, citizens, merchants, all sorts of mon could be found here. As he settled inside several of the mon gave him nods of awknowledgement. There were a few mon serving that varous diners and one Aipom bounced up toward him. "What'll it be, sir?" He asked.

"Um... something with oran spice." Obsidian muttered out.

"That's not your usual special."

The Weavile slowly looked up to see a rather familiar Beheeyem floating there.

"... What do you want?" He sighed, "Let me guess, someone told you." He lowered his head, "Can you please leave my dreams? Because this is the only respite I have."

The Beheeyem slowly floated over and into the same table that Obsidian sat at, "That may be a bit true, but you need some friendly advice." He sipped on a glass that hadn't been there before, "You are shutting yourself off more and more from everyone. That is no good. I heard of the speech you gave at Anatellia. What happened to that spark you had?" He set his glass down, "Well, we both know. Penance was with us then, and now he's not." He closed his eyes and interlocked his fingers while resting his elbows on the table, "And that has bothered you greatly. He's your first and only mentor, and to see him turn traitor... that deeply shook up your own faith in the cause."

Obsidian fell silent at that, "... Maybe." He looked around for his waiter, "Maybe not. How would you know?"

"Because you're a dedicated lad." The Beheeyem replied, his eyes opening to rest on Obsidian again, "We've known each other for a long time. I know you, Obsidian. You know me. And I know that you know that I know that you're feeling the pressure. You feel as if you have to be prefect. Sadly, things can't be perfect. And you can't blame yourself for what happens. That is what the enemy is trying to do. Do not make their job any easier."

Obsidian turned away, "You don't know what it's like."

"I don't?" The Beheeyem scoffed, "So, someone who has his own team, who has to balance every single activity we do, who has to know that every time you do something dangerous that your teammates could die." He tapped his fingers against the table, "It is hard task to take on."

"Obsidian, don't let us die." A Minccino turned to face him from another table.

"You are the only one keeping us alive." A Chansey stated.

One by one the chants grew up. The patrons spoke louder and louder.

"Save us."

"Don't let us die."

They got louder and louder. Obsidian pressed his hands against his head and screamed out, "SHUT UP!"

He doubled over and pressed his face against the table, "SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" He sobbed out. "... shut up..." His body shook with some sobbing as he pressed his head against the table.

"Every leader goes through this." The psychic replied softly, "You feel the weight of the world on your shoulders." Obsidian could feel a hand patting his back, "What you need to focus on though is not making anyone happy. Not on how great you'll be in the end. What you have to focus on what you believe is the right course of action. You can't focus on feeling depressed whenever things don't go perfectly to plan. We'll probalby have a million failed plans by the end of this war. But.... those are plans that you tried."

Obsidian wiped at an eye, looking up to see the room was now dark around him, "Like in Anatellia... doing things my way."

"Exactly."

"But... what if-"

"Don't think about it. First, let's start with you. How have you been?"

Obsidian snorted at that, "This is the worst time of my life. I mean, I got handed an organization just cause I'm treated like his family, and then more than half of the freaking people leave."

The Beheeyem nodded, "I didn't ask about that. I asked how you have been."

"Angry."

"And this anger... it carries on through everything else." The psychic nodded. "And with that anger also comes fear. Fear of failure, which in turn makes you more angry."

"Can you..." Obsidian let out a deep breath, "Can you just stop analyzing me for one second?"

"I am sorry. So, you are angry. How about you talk about that? Tell me in your own words why you feel that way."

"Well, for starters, Penance left and threw this whole organization at me. I know most of the guys, but I'm not... I never tried to be their boss. I try to be now, but it's just so awkward. I don't want to be mean or anything, but I have to be stern, and I just piss people off, and half the time I have no idea what I want to do!" He sighed and leaned back in his chair, "I just think it'll be better if I left. If I just packed my bags and left it to someone else."

"And yet you've come this far." The psychic pointed out, "You remember that one time when you were in school? You had that project that was going on, and it was a pain in the a**. You swore that you were done with it even though you were half way finished with it. Remember what I said?"

"To come so far and quit would be folly." Obsidian rolled his eyes, "So stick it out. No matter what happens."

"You're already marked for death. I say give it your all still. Do your best to fight back and give them one hell of a battle." The Beheeyem smirked at him, "And you can give them a fine battle indeed. You might not be as crazy as Penance, but you have your own strengths. You know the shadows well. Penance operated in the light, but what if you were to operate differently?"

Obsidian slowly leaned over, "I'm listening.."

"You always were someone who was capable of sneaking around, of knowing when to strike and when to stay silent. Perhaps the reason you're floundering about is because you're trying to stay true to the old system. That of truth and organization. Perhaps you need to innovate a bit. You just have to find your balance. It'll be awkward at first, but surely it is better to adapt now than later?" He sipped at his drink.

Obsidian slowly nodded, "Yeah, I guess so. But it's so hard. There are so many pieces here. And so much keeps on happening."

"Take it one step at a time. Go after one goal and pursue that goal. You finish with that, then go after something else. Trust me, if you try to go after too much at one time then your attention is divided. Go after what you consider important and take it step by step."

"I just need help."

The Beheeyem smiled, "That's why I'm here, my friend."

~~~

Obsidian's eyes slowly opened. He was aware that it was night now, meaning he must have slept for the rest of the day. Despite that alarming realization he couldn't help but feel... better? No, more along at ease. He stood up from his bed and stretched his arms. He made his way out of the room and down to where some Seekers were resting. He walked on past and outside, soon making his way across the quiet streets that were currently under curfew. He made his way to another building and made his way inside, "Rise and shine." He said as he rattled his claws against the jail bars, "I have an offer for you two."

Roxanna sat at the very back of the cell, with her face shadowed by the bars. Though it was difficult to discern entirely, she appeared rugged and worn. Her hair was somewhat unkept, and her clothing a bit tattered. However, it was apparent that she was displeased with Obsidian's sight. "Leave me, worm. I have no wish to speak with you."

Obsidian instead sat down at the door, "No. I won't." He shook his head, "I know you haven't had the best of times here. That has been my fault. I'm sorry for that." He stared on at Roxanna's eyes just as Ben began to rouse himself. "I've been doing things wrong so far. I know that. And I want to change things around. Ben joined us, and he should be treated as an ally for such. However, here you are, a friend of his." He gave a nod, "I know you didn't ask to come here, but I want to try and change things. I want to give you an invitation to join Ben. To be able to call the Fort your home. You may not have as large a position as you did with Darkrai, but it can be a position of power still. At the moment I am currently changing things with those under my command. You are a formidable fighter, and it would be folly not to ask for any aid you could lend."

Roxanna blinked a few times in the darkness, then began to giggle. Her giggling turned into laughter. Loud, disturbing laughter. "That might be the most hilariously idiotic thing I've heard in a while. What makes you think I have any inclination to join the likes of you?"

He looked over at the Alakazam, "Because... Ben is here." He looked back at Roxanna, "And you two want to survive this war. You care for him, I see that much. He'll be out in the fort, he'll be helping us out. Eventually the enemy will come for us here. And you'll be out there, protecting Ben's back while the enemy tries to kill him. That is what friends do, right?"

Roxanna giggled again. "Ben is only on your side because of his stupid urge to follow his cards. When I am free, I can simply have him wagered back to our side, and be done with it. Besides, Ben knows fully well where my loyalties lie. Friends as we are, there is no amount of his convincing or his position that will switch my loyalty from the Destruction Saint." Roxanna giggled again. "The best part about your silly statement is..." She laughed again. "That you think your side offers the chance to survive this war. By WHAT logic did you come up with that statement? Don't you know? You are losing. You've always been losing, and you'll continue to be losing. And when I am free, trust me, I shall ensure that everyone of you will die. Painfully. I shall hang your carcasses by your entrails and watch the Murkrow feast."

"... I guess you didn't hear that we found something." He shrugged, "If that is what you think. But... I have hope now." He chuckled softly, "I have hope that we'll win in the end. That we'll save this world. I mean, you can't get much eviler than 'destruction saint', if you think about it. So, I think it'll be a good thing if we win. So I'll be letting Ben out now, and we'll be winning this war. And when all is said and done, Gabriel will be dead. Because we have hope on our side, and our hope continues to grow everyday. So, think what you want. In the end, you'll be on the losing side."

"Do as you wish, I care not," Roxanna muttered as she turned away from the Weavile toward the wall of her cell.

Obsidian smiled a bit, "Roxanna... I know there is still some good within you. Everyone has two sides, Darkrai has taught us that much." He unlocked the cell as Ben walked out. "You show that toward Ben, and I hope that you think about what I've said. All you need is some hope."

Ben sighed, "She is a stubborn one." He looked into the cell, "Anything you want me to get you while I'm out?"

Roxanna glared at the Alakazam. "You know what I want... rather, who I want."

Obsidian looked at Ben, "Aaaand, that would be?"

Ben sighed, "A friend who can bust her out, that's what." He sighed, "We'll see. Just... try to keep sane while I'm gone. You don't have anyone to talk to really."

Obsidian sighed, "Roxanna, again, I am sorry about this. But, you need hope as well. Gabe's way isn't the only way. Soon, Cresselia will be awake. So, keep an eye out for that." Roxanna did not respond.

He got up and led Ben out, "Now... Ben." He said, "I need your help. Eventually the enemy will attack here. Can you look among our defenses and figure out our weak points? See how you can stregnthen them. Also... in regards to Darkrai's arsenal, what else can you tell me about what he has?"

Ben nodded, "I can do that. First off, securing this fort. Is that priority?"

Obsidian nodded, "Hop to it. Oh, and some Seekers are going to be sent your way. They'll be your subordinates for now. Treat them well." He made his way from the Alakazam and glanced about the still streets, "One step at a time."

 

[Megaman765]

Snype and Cal- A Slow Recovery

Snype was already getting fidgety while he was stuck in bed. Three weeks doing absolutely nothing... The Sableye wanted to check on the other thieves. He wanted to attempt walking but his body always froze up in response. "Ugh... These three weeks are gonna suck."

"You're telling me." Croaked a big green lump in the bed across from Snype's. "At least some of your fatigue is from mega evolving...mine's all directly from doing too much and getting beat up...I'm not sure I have any ribs left, and my right wing looks so much like a Bonemerang we'll be lucky if no Marowak comes in and beats us to death with it." Cal couldn't even turn over when he tried. He'd been able to limp to their destination with Guardia's support, but the instant his body was somewhere he could rest it stopped pumping adrenaline and completely gave up on him.

"Oh hey Cal... keheh, forgot you were there... guess we'll be stuck together for awhile eh?" Snype said with a small laugh. "Mngh... seriously though Cal... that evolution hurt alot more then you think. I'm actually thankful you didn't blow yours yet... Keheh..." The Sablye didn't budge from his spot. Any attempt was greeted with a sharp pain. "...Still, I never imagined the scale of the Mega Stone's power... I'm still wrapping it around my head that I was able to wipe out an entire city of ferals, let alone kill Bastille with ease..."

There was a moment of contemplative silence before Cal answered. "...I know... It's unreal. Not just the power either...the wisdom, the voices. It's like every member of your species who came before you all adding their power into a single vessle: you, and then whispering the secrets of the universe into your ears..." His antennae twitched painfully when he realized he'd said too much, though Snype wouldn't be able to see it without turning. "Err...Don't tell James or Guardia that I've been practicing staying in the form for a few seconds at a time."

"Keheh, don't worry I won't. But uh... I didn't really hear many voices in my evolution. It felt almost instant oddly enough... As for knowledge though I learned a completely new attack... Learned of an ability I never imagined pulling off. Somehow I killed Bastille using his own shadow, turning it into a physical manifestation. Never saw it coming. None of the ferals did anyway. Keheh... It... Felt good..."

"I haven't really done it for long enough to analyze it too much, but either way it's amazing. And yet I hope I don't have to use it any time soon... It's a terrifying thought to be the center of something like that." Cal said solemnly.

"Keh... yeah... unfortunately my stunt made this whole Mega Evolution thing a popular topic.. or at least, I became a popular topic now. Citizens are talking about the Sableye who destroyed the plague... keheh... I should be flattered but... hm..."

"Hmm...well that's something at least. I doubt most of the people talking about the Dragonite who fought Gabriel have much in the way of nice things to say, he was a hero to a lot of them." Cal stared at the wall while he spoke.

"Well if it isn't the crippled boys," Guardia greeted as she walked in on the pair of Cal and Snype in their beds. She grinned at the two of them and leaned against the wall. "How're you guys feeling?"

Snype blinked. "Crippled boys? Keheh. I'll give you that one. I still can't move an inch myself. Seriously maybe I just need a massage or something like that to loosen up everything. Kehe, ah but pretty sure all the available hands would crush me further if they tried it. Kehe" Snype said jokingly.

"All I want to do is sleep." Cal grumbled, his bandaged wing twitching. "But then I move or have a spasm and the pain keeps me awake. Ugh, fighting sucks."

"It sure does," Guardia concurred with Cal's opinion. She walked to the center of the room in between the two's beds. "That's the life we chose though," She stated with a chuckle. "Don't worry, brother, you'll be alright in a few days. You always are!" She grinned as she referred to Cal. She then turned to Snype. "You... you'd better get comfortable there from what I hear." She chuckled. "If its any consolation, Thomas is sharing a bed a few doors down with ya. That Network jump took a lot out of him. Usually a whole team of psychics have to do it for a reason."

Cal really couldn't stand being stuck in one place, the inactivity was a thousand times worse than the pain for him. He reached for a stack of books on a table near him, but at the last second his arm spasmed and knocked the pile over. "Aw, man."

"Keheh, hey at least you'll be out of bed before me. I can't even budge...ugh Its soooooo boring!... Well at least I have company. If I couldn't talk with someone then I'd really lose it." Snype said with a snicker as he glanced over to Guardia. "So thanks for checking up on me. Kehe he. The extra company is appreciated. How's things with you?"

"They're OK," Guardia answered Snype as she glanced over at Cal and smirked a bit as he knocked over the books. She walked over and grabbed the stack, placing it onto the table beside Callimer and handing him the one on top. "Just trying to make sense of everything... finding Lia, the situation with Abel... and then there's Gabriel, who was in Mercurion you say? I want to hear more about that."

"Ah right..." Snype began. "While fighting Bastille he attempted to pull a trump card on us and attempt killing Able and Abel by using his mist to kill both as soon as he died. I let him go at first but he made the mistake of trusting a thief. Kehe... I'm telling you all of that because somehow, Abel knew what happened as well. Gabe was next to Abel and hundreds of dead ferals when we found him and well, I can't help but find it suspicious. Especially after what happened recently? That kind of stuff can make a 'mon snap something fierce. Take it from someone who's experienced that kind of breakdown personally." Snype said.

"...I don't want to make accusations but that's just how it was."

Cal slammed his book shut when Snype finished and tried - and failed - to sit up. "What about Gabriel?!?"

"Easy Cal. Gabriel..." Guardia's hand went into a fist. "I don't know what he's playing at but... you think Abel's somehow involved?" Guardia asked the Sableye. She shook her head firmly. "No. No way. Atrox wouldn't do that. Not ever."

"Gabriel...I'd like to have another crack at that asshole now that I've got my mega stone." Cal muttered angrily, refusing to acknowledge how incapable he was of doing anything about it right now. "I can only vaguely comprehend how Abel is feeling right now...but I think I understand. It's how I would feel if..." An image of a certain Floatzel shot through his mind and he paused, his words almost choking him. "If she was taken away from me, and one of the reasons I couldn't stop it was because the group didn't vote for us to do it sooner...Actually...I wish somebody could find Abel right about now. I couldn't say enough when we got back, and there's something I need to give him." Cal's left wing waved slowly and the cast on his right wing twitched as the appendage attempted to mirror its twin. He just stared sadly at the book in his lap.

Snype just remained silent for a moment. "...Like I said I'm just saying it how it is. Gabe was there with Abel, and Abel knew what happened in the tower. If Gabe told him that much then who knows what other ways he could use his words to manipulate him in this state. It'd be easy to make him crack now. I'm just saying keep an eye on him. I don't really have a place in his mess. He hates me to death anyway. Literally." Snype said.

"You don't have to worry about Abel in that sense," Guardia commented. "He's not a traitor. And he's not tight with Gabriel. I can vouch for that."

"I'll take your word for it then." Snype simply said.

"I don't think it's a matter of if Abel would ever betray of us. Think about just how charismatic, intelligent, and knowledgeable Gabe is, and he's got all the experience to back it up. Not everyone who gets manipulated realizes they're betraying anyone..." After he finished Cal was silent for a minute, then his antennae straightened up. "I am serious though Guardia, when you can, see if you can send Abel up here. I have something I really need to tell him."

"Abel's Gold Tribe true and true," Guardia answered. "That won't ever change... and I know Cal, but I don't know where he is. I couldn't find him after he stormed out. No one could. He probably just wants to be alone right now. I doubt he wants to see anyone."

"I think he'll want to hear what I have to say." Cal said quietly. "But it can't be helped if we can't find him."

Guardia nodded. "If I find him and if he listens, I'll send him up. If not, I'm sure we'll see him eventually around," Guardia shook her head and sighed, and decided to switch topics. "On the lighter side of things, we got another piece of Cresselia! Just one more to go."

Snype gave off a wide grin. "Kehehe... so I heard... one more piece and we'll probably be good to go huh...keheh." Snype said. "Well, at least we have the edge now... keheh..." Snype gave off a sigh and looked over to Guardia. He quickly started to remember what happened the last time they chatted. Snype was somewhat curious of what she was thinking too but obviously didn't speak up about it.

Guardia shrugged. "I don't know if we have the edge now but... it's definitely a start. If Beatruce gives us their armies, that'll be good but..." Guardia sighed and closed her eyes. "We still need more help. Arceus, I just want to go back to Valkaria and help out already! I can't believe I have to be doing this, me of all 'mon!" She stated angrily. She looked briefly at Snype and Cal. She had a feeling both of them understood, Cal moreso than Snype. He was a warrior too. Though Snype called Valkaria home too.

"Guardia..." Snype began. "...Believe me I want to go back to the forest and help my own thieves out as well. If Darkrai decides to target them well... I don't know. Guess we'll just have to cheat whatever Darkrai sends out like I did with Bastille eh? Kehe!" Snype said, trying to keep a cheery attitude.

Cal rolled his shoulders, wincing at the pain. "Sadly, being out here is the best thing we can do for Valkaria. And even if it wasn't...Well what happened here in Beatruce reminds me more than ever that we owe it to the world not to just worry about our own home and let the rest burn."

"Something tells me we won't be able to cheat our way through everything," Guardia commented to Snype, before she sighed and nodded in agreement with Callimer. "I know, I know," She snorted a bit. "Kinda funny to say that considering Karn is the next place we'd be heading to, though."

"Keheh... well I can certaintly try to cheat my way. Its saved our butts countless times so far right?" Snype said with a wide grin. "I'm sure theres a couple mon in our group who have taken my example. It works if you know what you're doing."

"I wouldn't call trying to think of an indirect route cheating. There has to be rules for anyone to cheat." Cal said matter-of-factly.

"Keh pretty sure we've been in countless situations where we have to choose choice a or b. C is my favorite. C for cheat. Kehe." Snype replied.

"No kidding," Guardia stated as she rolled her eyes. "Sometimes, we don't get that option though. But... " She smirked at the Sableye. "If cheating means taking out an entire city of ferals, I'll take the cheat."

Snype smiled at Guardia. "Kehehe! She gets it! High five! You know, If I could move my arm. I dunno improvise. Kehe"

Cal grumbled. "I refuse to call it cheating, that implies we're doing something dishonorable. Finding the hidden path is just us being extra skillfull."

"Keh same thing different word." Snype commented.

"The differences are about as big as the size difference between me and you." Cal disagreed.

"At this point, I don't really care what we call it," Guardia muttered. "If it helps us win, and it doesn't turn us into what we're fighting against, then I wanna use it."

"Keheh, and she stilll gets it!" Snype smiled brightly at Guardia. "Maybe I should give you a crash course on fighting dirty eh? Kehehe. First lesson is knowing the right time to kick your opponent in the knads!" Snype began.

"I think I'm set on fighting," Guardia rolled her eyes. "I am leader of the Gold Tribe for a reason, Snype."

"Kehehe, right, You did hang out with us a few times. Just try not to kick me anywhere like that whenever we spar again! I don't think I'd survive." Snype said with another laugh.

"Good to see going super-powered hasn't changed you much," The Zangoose murmured. She looked over to Cal. "Gives me hope you'll have a smooth transition too, Cal."

"kehehe... yeah..." Snype said a bit bashfully. He kept silent for a moment just lost in his thoughts... "...Ah! I almost forgo- o-ow!" Snype grunted in pain when he suddenly shouted out.

"Hey, easy, easy, big guy," Guardia motioned for him to calm down. "What's the problem?"

"I just remembered! While I was killing those ferals one of the citizens told me something pretty dang important... Bastille didn't come here alone." Snype stated. "The pinsir said he came through about a week ago... wearing a hood. It was definitely a Fire Pokemon, red skin and a bit of yellow... sounds like a Magmar or something like that... or one of its evolutions. We should probobly ask if anyone around the area noticed somebody like that passing through the city... gah sorry for being so late with the info."

Cal lazily scratched an itch on his belly. "Yeah that might be something we want to check out."

"Red and yellow?" Guardia repeated as she thought for a bit. "Could be a Magmar yeah... or... " She thought in silence for a moment. "Snype... didn't you send James to scout ahead in Beatruce about a week ago?"

Snype raised his eyes. "Ah! James!" Snype shouted out. "Argh! Stupid stupid! How did I not see it! Where is he at now?! I-...Argh! D-damnit! Blasted Mega Evolution..." Snype grunted.

"What, you don't know?" Guardia asked. "Damn it, he's probably around somewhere in here! I'm gonna go find the guy!" Guardia began storming out toward the door.

"G-guardia-..." Snype still couldn't budge. Incase he was bought out he didn't want to see Guardia charging into danger by herself. "...Keh... same old same old..."

---

"Why can't you just tell me what this is about?" James demanded as he walked into the room with Cal and Snype still laying in. "Snype better have been the one who called me in or else you'll be wasting my time," The Blaziken warned the Zangoose Guardia, as she followed in behind him. "What?" He demanded from the Sableye.

"A little birdie told me you were chatting with Bastille while you were scouting around. Care to share a bit of info on that? You must have left it out earlier." Snype asked with a stern expression on his face.

"Never happened," James answered calmly and plainly, as he crossed his arms. "Any other stupid questions?"

Snype raised his brow. "I was told that a tall fellow wearing a hood that happened to be a fire wielder was passing by with Bastille about a week ago. Same time that you were sent to scout. Unless Bastille has any other tall friends hanging around here then you'll have to forgive me for being a bit curious about that."

"I hardly knew that freak," James answered as plainly as the first time. "And know how many fire types there are around the world? It was someone else."

Snype didn't seem convinced. "...Then who else? The two were clearly aqquainted..." Snype began to contemplate on this. James wouldn't break his contract like that... he valued the pay over all else. "Do you know any other agents or allies of the agents that fit the description?"

"No," James replied plainly. "But they always could have gotten another Agent. Wouldn't be the first time a new one was hired."

"Hrm..." Snype rubbed his chin trying to run down the options. "Well... Magmars aren't exactly tall... Magmortar is a tad... er... chubby..." Snype looked up to James. "You might be right. Doubt you'd go off and break your contract for a slimeball like him... but can't be too careful." Snype thought about it deeper from there... "Hrm..."

"Good, stop being an idiot," James stated plainly. "Anything you want me to do while you're out? You're still going to be paying me for these three weeks even if you're out of commission."

"Stand by for now. We're supposed to talk with the overseer soon and get updates from Valkaria. I'll give ya something to do once we get the info." Snype said.

There was a small knock on the door before Annabelle entered the room. She looked between the 'mon already there before smiling shyly. "I came to check on Snype. I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"I was just leaving," James commented as he dashed out the door, giving Anna a quick glance as he did so. "I'll be around if you have something for me."

Snype perked up a little when he heard the familiar voice. "Hm? Can't see from here... Anna?" Snype asked. He certaintly welcomed any sort of company though, he never imagined Anna would be concerned about Snype alone. The most they had chatted was in their time in Anatellia and escaping Gold City. Nonetheless, he felt a bit flattered.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Anna walked quickly (though making sure not to run into James) from the door and to Snype's side. "Yes, I'm here. How are you, Snype?"

The Sableye was layed out on the bed, not moving an inch. He could at the very least move his head and mouth though. He gave off a big ol grin toward Anna. "Kehehe... well, I can't really move but with all the company dropping by, I'd say I'm feeling pretty darn good right now!" Snype replied with a small laugh.

"We're just trying to make sure your head's still on, that's all," Guardia snapped. She gave Anna an affirmative nod. "You doing alright?"

"I am, thank you." Anna answered Guardia with a smile, though what she said was half a lie. While she was functional at the moment, her close encounter with the ferals had made it hard for her to sleep. "I'm more worried about Snype than myself. You feel good now, Snype, but do you really think you can sit still for three weeks?" The mareep said with a small laugh.

Snype chuckled. "Believe me its only been about a day and I feel like I may lose it! But hey as long as I get company like you every so often I think I'll survive. Kehehe... would really hate not being able to chat with someone every so often..." Snype said, throwing a tiny grin toward Anna. "Kehe, glad someone here is worried about me though."

"Yeah well, we still need ya to finish the job," Guardia retorted as she got off her seat and stretched. "Well, I'm gonna go now. Been sitting here long enough. Gotta get back to it. Cal, Snype, Anna. I'll see you later."

"Goodbye, Guardia." Anna waved goodbye to Guardia before turning her attention back on Snype. "I'll visit you while I can Snype. I'm sure we have time until the next mission."

Snype chuckled up at her. "Kehehe, I'd appreciate it! Just curious though... " Snype paused, giving off small smirk. "Why me in particular? Keheh, I mean, not that I mind of course! Just wondering." Snype asked her.

Anna smiles shyly at this. "We might not speak so much, but we do travel together Snype. I couldn't make myself ignore a teammate out of commission. That and I couldn't go three weeks without hearing that infamous laugh of yours!"

Snype in response gave off his famous cackle. "Kehehehe! Like that? Or should I got for a more 'yeah I totally just cheated you out' Kinda laugh? Kehehehehe!" Snype said in a proud tone. "Keheh, well hey I appreciate it nonetheless. You're still the luckiest gal I know! After that stunt you pull in Anatellia and all? Kehehe..."

Annabelle laughed along with Snype while he demonstrated his trademark laugh. It was contagious at times. "I'm hoping my luck stays the same! So far I'm doing okay, but I can't help but worry about our next mission." Or the one after that... Or the one after that...

"Keheh... well... its like I say to everyone else. If you can't rely on luck, then just cheat! Keheh! I did it to Bastille and it managed to work. The sucker didn't even see it coming... I'll spare ya the details. Kehe... well... if the rest of them can't cheat their way out then that's why you have me hanging around right? To sneak into the problem and take it out." Snype said as he was begining to act rather proud. "Kehe, though you seem like you're on a streak with your luck! Maybe I passed on some of my own luck to you after the gambler incident. Kehe." Snype said, remembering just how he reacted after Anna pulled them out.

Anna laughed with Snype, though with a little more embarrassment than before when she remembered the celebration they had afterwards. "Then it's time for me to give you that luck back. You'll need a lot more of it if you want to heal fast, Snype."

"Kehehe! So basicly you just want to kiss me again? Pretty sure that's how you got my luck in the first place!" Snype teased, followed by a playful laugh. "I guess I am gonna need it back sooner or later though..."

There was the sound of a sudden commotion in the next room over, as if a door had just been slammed open, followed by the sound of a surprised scream. 'Dammit, wrong room. Sorry," said a loud, familiar voice before the sound of stomping paws stopped outside the room the three Valkarians were in. The door was flung open with little care for the safety of the wood and it crashed into the wall and it sagged on its groaning hinges in protest of the violent treatment, and in came a rather furious and worried Floatzel. The look on her face might have been frightening, but the cute little picnic basket tucked under one arm offset her expression rather adorably.

"CAL!" Kaveri quite nearly screamed her brother's name from the top of her lungs as she lunged dropped the basket and flung her arms around the Dragonite in a hug so tight that it would've crushed a frailer Pokemon. As it was, it probably wasn't doing much to speed up Callimer's healing process. Dark violet eyes turned up to glare at him, a frustrated pout on the older sister's muzzle, her twin tails twitching furiously behind her. She'd only just heard the news of what had happened to her younger brother that day, and had immediately passed her duties in Fort Ferrol off to another 'mon and had argued her way through the Network Point, despite not having any previous clearance. "Who did it? Where are they? I'll turn them into an ice sculpture and shatter them to little bits!"

Cal's eyes widened in a pained grimace at Kaveri's embrace, but he wasted no time returning it. "Hey there Kav, nice to - hrk! - see you. It's about time somebody around here noticed this room has more than one patient." Cal said with extreme salt. "Sorry to say though that the somebody - a LOT of somebodies - that did this aren't around anymore for you to punish. Good news though, I learned how to make a frankenmon! You just duct tape a Dragonite, a Heliolisk, a Hawlucha, and a Ninetails together! Did I mention it's rocket-powered?"

Kaveri sat up on the Dragonite's rotund stomach, her paws still holding his shoulders in a death grip though her expression had lightened somewhat after hearing that the culprit had already been taken care of. "You couldn't have at least left me a small piece?" She whined with a small pout. "For that, I think I'll just eat the cake I brought you."

"What?! NO! NOT MY CAKE!" Cal shouted preparing to get up and run for his precious delicacy, only to be reminded that he wasn't in any state to move much. After struggling with his sheets for a minute he floundered back and grumbled. "Please anything but the cake..."

"Bro, calm down, I'm kidding," Kaveri giggled as she finally released her grip on his shoulders and patted the giant's belly. "Do you really think I'd do something so cruel to my little brother?" She reached down and picked up the basket she'd dropped on her way in (the contents of which thankfully hadn't been upset by the fall) and pulled the cloth back to reveal the Pecha berry cake within.

"Kehe! Guess you don't plan on sharing that eh? Oh and hey Kav." Snype said.

"Get your own cake." Cal muttered. "You've already got your fanclub visiting you."

Kaveri's head snapped around at the Sableye's voice. She hadn't even noticed him until now. "Snype, you're here too?" Had someone mentioned that to her? Probably, but she'd been too hyper-focused on reaching her brother to register anything else. "If I'd known I would'be brought you a cake of your own. Or whatever crystals were readily on-hand."

"Kehehe! Crystals would be great but the company is appreciated enough!" Snype said happily. "Hear that Anna? Fanclub! I'm absolutely flattered. Kehe" He teased. The group would continue to chatter on and on, exchanging stories back to back. Needless to say, it made being stuck in bed for three weeks far less boring for the Sableye.

 

[Geras]

Snype, Cal, Guardia, and Cythera - The Egotistical Healer

Cythera Hallas stood outside the home of the Beatrucian Gold Tribe's leader Prime, specifically behind it, thinking of how to approach. After some asking around, she'd managed to track the King of Thieves' location to this place and tried to gain entry, but the 'mon who answered insisted Snype needed to rest and that she should come back tomorrow. This was unacceptable, but she wasn't willing to challenge them lest she be viewed in a bad light. Being disliked by the Gold Tribe didn't exactly seem very appealing.

Fortunately, the Floette had other ways of doing things. She floated up to the wall and with a wave of her flower began to change. The white and green coloring her body faded to match the wall behind her, and once her Camouflage was complete she began peeking through the house's windows to find the room Snype was in. She found him without much effort, his small form resting in a short distance from a much larger one. It wouldn't do to have Snype wake the big guy in a panic.

Opening the window as quietly as she could with her Psychic, she silently floated inside and moved up next to the Sableye. She then lifted her flower, and it began emanating a green light. A pink mist flowed out of it and enveloped the area around him with its soothing, floral scent. Her Aromatherapy was capable of stirring 'mon from their sleep among other things, and would wake the King of Thieves in the most relaxed state he'd probably ever been, hopefully keeping any panic from seeing a stranger in his room at bay. And as long as she kept the mist contained, she should be able to accomplish this without waking the nearby Dragonite. Cythera took a moment to congratulate herself for being such a genius.

"M....mnn...mngghhh..." Snype seemed to mutter as he felt himself suddenly feeling the urge to wake from his deep sleep... the floral scent around him at least made his sudden awakening more pleasent. As his vision slowly came back to him, Snype glanced over to the unfamiliar figure next to him. At this point he'd have jumped in surprise but he was far too strained for something overdramatic like that. "...Uh... Hiya? Keheh... So gonna go by three guesses. You're a doctor, one of the gossipers outside, or your just a really big fan of mine. Kehe." Snype said in a joking tone. "But really though, who are ya? Someone floating by my bed and creeping on me while I'm paralyzed from head to toe gets a guy concerned you know?" Snype said as he blinked once more. "Or you're just flirting with me. Kehehe."

Cythera cheered internally, phase one of her plan seemingly a success. She was caught off guard by that last bit and briefly wondered if he thought that of every girl who was nice to him, but she was able to keep her composure easily enough. She gave Snype a soft, kind smile and waved her flower again, this time creating a green circle of energy around the Sableye. Ethereal blades of grass sprouted from the ground that, combined with the Aromatherapy left the two in a dreamlike meadow. Energy pulsed from the grass, trickling into Snype and soothing his wounds. She spoke quietly and reassuringly. "The former, though I will admit that you are rather impressive." She tacked on a little giggle. "I'd never seen a power like that. It makes a 'mon wonder how one even acquires such a thing." She began to gather healing energy at the tip of her flower in the form of Wish, hoping that the relief from her magic would keep him from noticing what she really wanted.

She looked down, a hint of sadness in her eyes. "If I had that sort of power, maybe I could have actually done something about this awful plague…" She couldn't help but show a bit of anger as well at that truthful sentiment.

Snype gave off a deep sigh as her healing power began to do its job. While he certaintly felt more relaxed, the strain was still keeping him from budging. On the bright side, he felt much better then he did beforehand. Snype could at least turn his head and move his hands a bit. "Ah... so... you saw what happened back there. Guess I'm not surprised. I did leave a pretty big bang back in the city. Keheh..." Snype said in a quiet tone as he let his head rest against the meadow. It was a refreshing change of scenery. "...Killing Bastille may have been the most satisfying thing I've done. I'm not much for killer instinct but it was... well... different. Keh..." Snype said with another sigh. He seemed to have a good idea of what this girl was looking to obtain from him but kept silent on the matter.

"I see..." It looked like phase two of Cythera's plan would be a bit more difficult, though she supposed she might not have been direct enough. Unfortunately, she doubted she could be any more direct without blatantly asking for it. She decided it might be best to change the subject for now and simply return to the matter later. Her flower released a fully charged Wish upon Snype's body, and as she charged another one she thought about what exactly she was going to change the subject to.

As her healing magics acted on Snype's injured body, Cythera noticed how little it seemed to be doing. An alarm blared in the back of her mind. This didn't make any sense. She was incredibly powerful, and could pluck a half-dead soldier right off the battlefield and have him better than new within minutes! And yet here was this Sableye, who was under the full effects of her magic but still looked like a walking corpse.

A look of concern enveloped Cythera's face. "Just what kind of a creature was Bastille for him to do this kind of damage to you? I've never seen anything like it…"

Snype looked down at his body and back up to Cythera. "Oh... this? Bastille definitely knocked me around quite a bit. Heck I'm pretty sure you at least healed that much off... the pain thats keeping me from even moving from my bed? Well... that's just the aftermath of Mega Evolving... or well, what you saw back in the city. That intense power you were asking about." Snype said, suddenly getting more direct. "If this were easy to heal then I'd be up and walking around in no time. Kehe. Was kinda hoping your stuff would do the trick because honestly? This feels great. Kehe. Its kinda like a massage except you aren't pounding at my back." Snype complimented with another joking laugh. "Say, what's your name anyway? I'm sure you know mine easily enough but I'll introduce myself anyway. I'm Snype. Juuustt Snype. I'd handshake with you but well... you know how it is. Keheh"

Cythera's expression turned serious as Snype explained his condition. This was what she had to look forward to if she got her way… She did her best to quickly scoop up her sweet persona to respond to Snype's introduction, sending out her smile and her bright eyes, but it was a little lacking compared to before.

"I'm Cythera. Cythera Hallas." She wasn't sure what to say next, still hung up on his words from a moment ago. The flower loosed another wave of healing energy, and she silently readied another. At this point, even she realized that her facade was probably unsalvageable. Starting the conversation on the subject of Mega Evolution and becoming despondent when faced with its horrors… She also caught the way Snype explicitly brought up the fact that she'd asked about it.

In the end, she decided it was probably too much work to try and keep this up. "I guess you can't really hide things from the King of Thieves, can you." This time her voice was firm and proud, maybe even a little conceited. "So, Mega Evolution. Will you tell me about where you got it?" Even though her true intentions were out in the open, she didn't cease her healing, and released another wave of restorative energy.

"Keheh. You weren't exactly subtle about it before when you wondered what you would do with that kind of power." Snype said with a small grin. "But... on the topic of Mega Evolving..." The Sableye paused and just stared up to the ceiling. "...Well uh... I can't really say where I got it. For two reasons. One is that you require a very specific object for it. Something that could be in any corner if this world. And the second..." The Sableye turned his head toward Cythera. "Well... I don't really like the idea of this power being accessed by any average joe. That kind of power came from me. A tiny little Sableye leveled an entire city of ferals. Imagine if someone born with more destructive power then mine Mega Evolved? Or a group of them? Or a whole city wanting this power? A-agh!..." Snype grunted in pain. He got too frantic at the thought of more Mega Evolving mon...

"Though... perhaps I'm overreacting. I understand why you want this kind of power. After experiencing it myself, I wish that I could use it once more... hypocritical as that may sound after my rant... its difficult to resist. But Mega Evolving in its own right does a serious toll on your body. If I were to change into that thing again then I could be out of commision longer than that even... and after a third time? Well..." The Sableye paused. "To put it simply, you'll die on the spot after the transformation wears off. I hate to crush any hopes you had but that's just the reality of Mega Evolution. You can pass that info to whoever you want. Maybe it'll scare the other civillians away from even attempting it."

"As for where I got it? Keheh. I obtained it in a gamble. Dead serious. Okay it was deep in an ancient tomb against one of Darkrai's men but thats beside the point!" Snype stated.

Cythera's eye began to twitch. "Average...joe? I sincerely hope you aren't implying that I, Cythera Hallas, the greatest healer the world has ever known am anything close to average." She continued to rant, her voice raising until it was just shy of shouting. "Hell if I were any more powerful I'd be bringing the dead back to life! Though I guess that comment was in bad taste with the ferals and the plague and all but you know what I mean."

She released another healing wave. "I'm sure if I had Mega Evolution I'd be able to find a way around this nasty little side effect of yours in no time. Keeping 'mon alive is my specialty, after all. But even so, it wasn't like I was ever going to overly rely on something like that like a crutch anyway. My normal power is sufficient for most things this world is capable of throwing at me. Even so, I need to have the tools at my disposal to deal with bull**** like this plague that defies all reason."

Realizing she'd forgotten to control her volume, Cythera quickly covered her mouth with a hand. "Whoops!" She cleared her throat and started again, once more in a quiet voice. "But thanks for worrying about me, sweetheart. Although…" She paused, rubbing her chin in thought. "You guys spend a lot of time butting heads with Darkrai's lackeys, right? Those dangerous 'mon are sure to do a number on you and your allies, so why don't you bring me along? You'll benefit a lot from having a healer as good as I am. Whaddya say?"

If Snype got the object he needed for his Mega Evolution from one of these men, it would seem that Cythera's best chance of finding one was to seek out others. However, looking for them herself seemed like a spectacularly bad idea. And she'd heard about the Gold Tribe taking in refugees from their war against Darkrai, so maybe she could scrounge up a few of them to be her new assistants. Cythera mentally congragulated herself again on another perfect plan.

Snype was rather surprised by the sudden shift in tone. He kind of liked her spunk. At the same time though, he thought of the possibilities of bringing along somebody skilled at healing... their group was indeed lacking in that department. "Kehehe... honestly if I were in charge I'd say you should. You demonstrated your abilities well enough. Though... you'd have to talk with Guardia, or chat with the big guy over there about it." Snype said, pointing over to Cal. "I'm sure you realize the kind of dangers you'd face if you stuck with our little group? And not just from Darkrai's minions mind you."

Cythera grinned. "Well, I'm sure you'll all do a fine job of keeping me safe. Now…" Wasting no time, she raised her flower and with a bright green glow expanded both her Aromatherapy and her Grassy Terrain to encompass the entire room. Leaving Snype's side, she floated over to the Dragonite and waited for him to stir from his sleep. "What can I expect from this one?" She asked Snype while she waited for her magic to take hold.

"He's like a big cuddly teddiursa. He's in better condition then me though so you would have better luck healing him up I'm sure. Kehehe. Maybe give him a belly rub or something. That'll get him up for sure." Snype said with a snicker. He honestly just wanted to see if she'd actually listen to his "advice".

"I think I'll do fine without your help from here, thank you very much." Cythera muttered in annoyance. "You can go on back to sleep now." Despite her words, she kept her magic around him in case she needed him to help her deal with the Dragonite.

The Dragonite's antennae twitched once more, in fact, they'd been twitching for a few minutes now. Without any warning Callimer sat up rather quickly and let out a gargantuan yawn that sounded like a quieter and less violent version of his roar. "Who disturbs my slumber!" He shouted all of a sudden, glaring harshly at the Floette floating by his bed.

"Kehe, so much for cuddly!" Snype commented.

Cythera looked up at the Dragonite with wide eyes, her own antennae pressing against her head in fear. It didn't make any sense to her. Her magic should have left him completely serene, though lately nothing had been making much sense. He was a high-ranking Gold Tribe member, so she figured it wasn't impossible that he was so uptight that it countered her magic. No, she was too powerful for that to be possible.

As her mind raced to find answers, she realized she had to do something at least to buy time. "Uh, just someone who's here to make you feel better!" She said with a smile, though anyone could tell that she was incredibly nervous. "Yeah, my good friend Snype can vouch for me, right?" She took a moment to curse the Sableye behind her. In a panic, she inched closer and put her hand on the dragon's belly to rub it, hoping that maybe somehow Snype wasn't completely full of it.

Snype tried to keep himself from laughing as she actually went for the belly rubs. Who knows? Maybe Cal did enjoy them. "Keheh.. uh... yeah! Actually healed me up pretty nicely~!" Snype said in his own innocent tone.

Cal's eyes widened and before he knew it he was sinking back into his bed with a deep sigh of contentment. After another moment he couldn't hold it in anymore and started to laugh before he stopped himself. "Ok, ok that's alright." He gently lifted the Floette's hand away from him and smiled at her. "I'm sorry about that, I woke up a while ago and decided to listen to some of all that, your appearance here was a bit suspicious after all. A 'mon of my station has to be on the lookout for things like civilians sneaking into the rooms of injured warriors to ask about mega evolution. I thought a fitting punishment for not going through the proper channels would be a little scare." He finished with a big goofy grin.

The little Floette stared in silence for a moment as she took in what was going on. She then gave a strained laugh. "Ha… haha...ha…haah, I'm gonna need a drink after this..." She honestly thought she might die. "So you heard all that, right? Am I in?" She sounded drained, though her magic still held strong.

"Let me go with you and I can have you good as new before you know it." She added, in case he wasn't completely convinced yet.

"Hmmm, well it's not really my place to say, we have to consult the others. This isn't just a Gold Tribe endeavor. But I'm all for it, I'd never stop someone from fighting for their home." He added, smiling even bigger.

"Kehe, yeah and having a healer would be nice too! Kehehe... That magic really did the trick! Besides a small itch on the back of my neck anyway... Kehe" Snype said.

Cythera turned to Snype and scowled at him. "Just chat with the big guy about it, he said." She sighed before turning to Cal, her mood somewhat improved. "Well, I guess it doesn't hurt to have another 'mon vouching for me."

Cythera thought for a moment before coming to a decision. "I don't exactly want to try talking to anyone else here without backup, in case any of them are anything like you two, so Dragonite, how about I fix you up now and just bring you with me?" She figured that if she brought one of their important fighters to them mostly healed, her chances of getting in would be greatly improved. Hopefully. She couldn't be too sure about anything with these 'mon.

Cal readjusted the way he was sitting and chuckled. "Oh I think my vote will count for something. I'm second-in-command of the Valkarian Gold Tribe now. And Guardia is very reasonable, don't worry too much about your odds."

"Keheh, yeah! Just show her how useful you are and you'll get in easily! I mean you've shown you're a good listener already! Kehe. I'll vouch for ya too... Well if you get this itch on my neck first" Snype said in a bit of a joking tone. If she was going to stick around she would have to deal with Snype.

"Well if my odds are so good I should probably get this resolved sooner rather than later," Cythera stated. "As for that itch of yours, Snype, you can just scratch it against that grass. It's solid enough to do you some form of good." She waved him off and began floating towards the door. The door suddenly swung wildly open as Guardia stepped through to check once more on the two recuperating 'mon.

"Hey Snype, Ca- what?" Guardia began as she felt something hit the door.

Snype quickly burst into laughter. "Haha- ow ow! Right don't laugh too hard. Kehe"

"Oh my." Cal muttered, feeling bad about his joke earlier now that the Floette was having other problems to deal with. "Hey Guardia! We've got a sneaky visitor, and one who wants to join us no less!"

The hit knocked Cythera onto the ground, landing on her oversized backpack. "Just kill me now please…" she muttered under her breath, staying there for a bit before finally mustering up the will to float back up and face Guardia. She donned a half-hearted smile as she spoke, sounding clearly exasperated. "Cythera Hallas, healer extraordinaire at your service. Soon, hopefully."

"Oh, ****, sorry about that," Guardia stated as she took in the Floette she knocked over, as well as giving a quick glance to Snype because of the energy around him. "Healer, you say? Where're you from?"

"Valkaria. Gold City. That old city. Did I mention I'm a good healer?" Cythera was clearly ready to get this over with.

"Kehe, yeah having one of those with us would be pretty nice." Snype commented.

"Really? From Gold City you say?" Guardia inquired. She raised an eyebrow at the Floette. "What the hell are you doing all the way out here? We could sure use you back there right about now."

Cal raised his eyebrow at the new information. "Yes that's a good question, how exactly did you end up here in Beatruce? And what did you say your name was again?"

"I've been wandering the world helping people in need for a few years now. Beatruce looked like it was in need. You know, with the plague and all? I came. I failed. Hallas. Cythera Hallas." Cythera sighed as she remembered her defeat.

"Well... good of you to try," Guardia stated with a nod. "Takes a lot of guts. The name's Lyn. Lyn Reed. But everyone calls me Guardia. What can I do for you, Cythera?"

"Hm?" asked Cythera, still a little out of it. It only took a moment for her to realize that Guardia had gotten straight to the point. She was surprised the Gold Tribe leader hadn't pressed the issue of Gold City, but she wasn't complaining. It was becoming clear that this one was different from Snype or Cal.

"Oh! Sorry." Cythera cleared her throat before continuing, her voice reclaiming its old, proud tone. "Yes, I heard your group had been fighting against the agents of Darkrai, and I wanted to offer my help." She took a second to glance at Snype and Cal. "It really looks like you need it. Maybe I can't take down dangerous 'mon like Bastille, but you people can. And if I can be a part of that, I'll be satisfied." She gave a proud smile, mostly from being impressed at her own words.

Guardia examined the Floette and cocked an eyebrow. "Got anyone to vouch for you or anything? I don't really know you."

Cythera turned to the two injured warriors expectantly.

Snype turned to Cythera. "Kehehe, yeah she's pretty darn good so far. The blows I've taken from Bastille are healing up pretty nicely. Guess if she's willing to look after us the next three weeks and get us healed a bit quicker then that'd be perfect. Kehe! As much as I appreciate her company, I don't think Guardia has the time to always check on us 24/7. Wouldn't want her to be worried about us the whole time right?" Snype said as he threw a sly wink over to Guardia.

"I have more important things to do than constantly check on your lame ass," Guardia snapped at the Sableye. She rolled her eyes and turned to Cythera. "OK, you might be a good healer, but I want to know more about where you come from and who you are. Like I said, I don't really know who you are, and recent... things have made me a bit more on edge about company."

"Aw but she's great company! She came in asking to lend a hand and from there we had a nice little chat. Innocent enough at least! Keheh, I mean, not just at healing but she can pull off a mean massage too! She made Cal feel right and fine in a matter of moments! Comon you should demonstrate to make a point! Kehe! Ah, she's nice too. Honestly, very insightful! Keheh." Snype said, attempting to not only help her case but try to have fun with the situation.

The Floette ignored Snype and held in a sigh. It would seem a quick resolution was too much to hope for. She'd intended on doing this through her own merits, but it seemed ability on its own wasn't going to be enough for Guardia. "Your Gold Tribe's Paros 'Midnight Crusher' Hallas, as well as instructor Agatha Hallas of Gold City's elite academy of medicine and magical mending can both testify as to my character. I'm sure my former patients would speak on my behalf as well, should I ask it of them. Do you need more?"

"Midnight Crusher?" Guardia repeated, somewhat surprised. "No kidding," She crossed her arms. "Well, alright. I'll need to check that out to make sure they know you but if you do, I can bring you along."

Though her face showed confidence, internally Cythera began to worry. She was sure her father would have nothing but good things to say about her, the way he always said he liked her headstrong nature and good heart, but she wasn't completely sure how her mother felt. All Cythera knew was that, according to her father, Agatha was proud of her daughter. Although, last time they spoke, however long ago that was, Cythera's mother had called her a self-absorbed fool among other things. Hopefully Guardia would only bother speaking to the one she knew personally, and if not, hopefully her mother had gotten a little calmer with age.

"So," she began. "What does this mean for me as of now? Should I leave until then, or...?"

"Well, this ain't exactly my house, it's Prime's," Guardia explained as she looked around. "Leader of the Beatrucian Gold Tribe. I wouldn't wanna make any decisions for him but... he's pretty lax about who can hang around here. You can stay around for now until I make the call. Then I'll let you know what happens."

"Keheh, we'll keep her company!" Snype said with a small laugh. "Or other way around. We're the crippled ones and all. Kehe"

"Right, as much as I'd love to chat some more, I think I need to rest for a bit," Cythera said, glad she was finally done with this. "It's been a long, long day." She psychically pulled a tiny tent out of her bag and set it up on a table with minimal effort. "Don't worry, I make it a point not to leave my patient's side if I can help it," she said as she crawled inside. "Call me if you need something, otherwise I'll pop back out in a bit."

A leppa berry slowly made its way out of the bag and into the tent. Suddenly, the refreshing scent of the Aromatherapy dissipated, though the Grassy Terrain remained. "I'll do my best to keep the restorative field up, so don't worry about that." Cythera wasn't completely sure she whether or not she'd made the right decision in joining this group, but she figured she could worry about that another time. For now, she closed her eyes and tried to keep her ears on Cal and Snype's breathing. Annoying as they may be, a patient was a patient, and she wasn't going to sully her reputation with sub-par treatment.

"Kehehe, sure thing. Gotta say, for the most part you're doing a good job dealing with my antics." Snype said with a small laugh. "That's good. We need more patient folks in the group." The Sableye threw a wink over to Guardia.

Guardia rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. I'll be back. Take it easy, guys."

 

[Greiger]

Fort Ferrol - Meeting Old Friends​

As night drifted across the Fort Obsidian stood up from his chair and gathered a briefcase. He opened it up and peered inside, just making sure that he had everything that he needed. It was important that he appeared professional at the first meeting. He was in control here. A time when he was in control of very little else. He had to make this work. He closed the case and made his way down to the first floor of the Enforcer outpost. He didn't make eye contact with anyone as he opened another door that led to more stairs. He walked on down to the only door that laid down here. The Furret stationed next to it quickly reared up and saluted the Weavile. Obsidian gave him a nod and waited as the Furret used a key to unlock the door for him. The interior of the room looked very much like the stone hallway he had walked through to arrive here, though with some differences.

It was far more spacious, that was for sure. It didn't have much in height, but it's width and length allowed for a variety of instruments to be placed in it. There were two long table that had restraints that would bind a mon's wrist and ankles. There were several shackles hung along the walls that had many bolts that kept them attached to the stone walls. These shackles were so well maintenanced that even a Machoke would have to pull against them for a few hours before they would release from the walls. A mon would have to be rather energetic to break free, and the mon currently kept in here were not. Well... some of them weren't.

A Scizor was strapped to one of the tables, bearing a rather bruised carapace. He looked to be drifting out of conscioussness, given the unintelligable groaning that the Weavile heard coming from him. An Aggron was actually shackled to the wall, but didn't look so intimidating. Tears streamed down his silver cheeks. Water streamed down his body thanks to a Vaporeon who was squirting water all over his metallic hide, earning a few more sobs from the weakened rock-type. And on the last table was a bound up Raichu who looked to be holding up better than the others. He had several cuts along his body and his tail tip had been servered, his new tip now just a small stub that had been cauterized.

Obsidian set his case down and opened it up, glancing over at the Beheeyem, "So... are they ready yet?"

The psychic lightly chuckled, "Two are." He looked over at the third, "I was about ready to break Merry here. Care to join me?"

"Of course." The Weavile walked over with the psychic as the Sandslash who had been keeping watch over the rodent made his way to the Scizor.

"Of course, thanks to his background with our organization, it is apparant that his mind is thick." The Beheeyem clicked his fingers together, "At that same time, I know his fears. His mind has been through quite an ordeal already." He leered down at the electric rodent, "And with my special touch today, he shall crack. Like an Exeggcute." A smirk formed on the floating mon's lips, "Unless... either he, or his allies, break." He looked back at the weaping Aggron, "These two were not Seekers. They did not have our training. They cracked since we knew what to push for." He looked back at Merry, "And so comes the time for the last trial. I'm sure we could find out all we want with the other two, but Merry was leading it all. I'm sure Obsidian here would like to hear why you've been a naughty boy, Merry."

Obsidian frowned at the rat, "I know you... yeah, Beautruce. When we went there for winter. You always told the lamest jokes. So... we can do this the easy way, or hard way. Which will it be, Merry?"

"Fuck you." The Raichu spat back.

Obsidian and the Beheeyem exchanged a glance. "Very well."

The psychic looked down at the 'chu and his eyes glowed blue. The Raichu grit his teeth as he squirmed on the table, "You're illusions won't work against me!" He cried out.

"Who said they were illusions?" The Beheeyem asked. He nodded at Obsidian and the Weavile went over to his case to retrieve a sharpened blade. He walked back as the Beheeyem pointed at the Raichu's foot. Obsidian sliced it along the flesh, causing the Raichu to let out a shocked cry. "N-No!"

The psychic tsked, "You would be happy today if you just accepted and gave in. Noooow, tell us. Let those walls down."

The Raichu scrunched his eyes tightly as he screamed out. The Beheeyem gestured again and Obsidian sliced at the Raichu's side, just enough to cause a bit of blood to spill, but not enough for the injure to be serious. "Talk, Merry. Don't make me have to ask nicely again."

"B-BASTARD!" Merry screamed.

The psychic leaned in, "Close those eyes all you want. They will feast on you still. They will cut you up... because I am telling them to."

He gesutred at an arm and Obsidian obliged once more, the bicep's flesh soon splitting open.

Merry screamed and thrashed on the table, "STOP!"

"Again."

With another gesture the Raichu's other side was cut. Another scream resonated as tears welled up in his eyes, "W-WON'T!"

The Beheeyem's eyes glowed brighter and this time the Raichu screamed without Obsidian needing to slice him. "See? They are eating you."

Merry's eyes slowly creaked open, and the Raichu let out a horrifed screech of despair. He thrashed wildly and screamed even louder than before.

"Tsk tsk, there is no escape, Merry." The Beheeyem leaned on back, a smug grin on his face, "How long shall we go on? Five minutes? Thirty? An hour? ... A day? Could you really last a day? Oh, I think I saw one crawl into your chest."

"STOP STOP STOP!" Merry sobbed out. "DON'T!"

"Weeeell? Give me something to work with, Merry. You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours."

Merry trembled wildly, "... O-Okay. I-I can give something." He panted out. "J-Just get them off of me!"

The Beheeyem raised a single hand, watching the squirming rat for a bit, then snapped his fingers. "There we go. Nice and free of those creepy crawlies."

Obsidian leaned down, "Now then, Merry, how about you tell us a few things. Just a nice friendly chat. No insects, no slithering, just nice feelings."

Merry coughed a bit and weakly nodded his head, "F-Fine. You know, you're a bastard for using that!"

Obsidian chuckled at that, "Well, that hasn't stopped your side from using every advatange they have, right? I think this is a sound compromise for our side. Besides, war is never pretty." He tapped one clawed hand along the table, "So then... how about we start off simple? What sort of attack is going to be launched against the thieves' forest?"

Merry shuddered a bit, "I-I heard a bit about that. The main part of attack is going for the big chunk in Albia. Look, you guys have been killing our agents left and right, or that's the story. Lots of guys are getting together and going to just hit it hard. It's to show you up for trying to kill our leaders. That city is going to fall, and fall hard. We'll burn it up, collpase it, do whatever we need to do. Consider it payback for everything you've done. And along the way we're taking down that forest of yours. We'll plow right through it and tear it asunder." He chuckled a bit, "Even if you can act now, you don't have any troops! What's the best you can do?"

Obsidian frowned down, "So, eager to tell us off, are you? Then how about this query, where is the Watcher located?"

"What?" Merry snorted, "What is a Watcher?"

The Beheeyem and Obsidian exchanged a glance, "Hm, I don't want to push you too hard today.." Obsidian stroked at his chin, "So let's go with this, what plans does your side have for Valkaria? Anything more than what is currently happening?"

The Raichu sighed, "Okay, we have the invasion going on. But there's... something else. Look, it's just rumor, but I heard from a guy who heard from another guy who's friend with a guy that there were these two agents talking. They said something big was coming to Valkaria."

"Big?" Obsidian raised his brow, "What sort of big?"

The electric type sighed, "I dunno."

Obsidian thought for a moment, "... Hm, I could ask when they get back." He murmured to himself. He went back to his case and brought out a pen and paper. "James might know. Or even Ben. They should." He looked back at Merry, "Thank you. And now the torture continues." He packed his stuff up as Merry squirmed, "H-Hey!" He cried out. "What gives!? I gave you what you wanted! The Seekers don't do this kind of crap!"

Obsidian's eyes glimmered, "You know, many people have been saying the same thing. I'm NOT Penance. Good bye, Merry."

The door was shut and Obsidian had to get used to the silence of the hallway once more. He couldn't hear the screams anymore, but he knew they were still going on. With a weak sigh he made his way back up the stairs.

 

[SV]

The Overseer Meeting - Surina, Beatruce

"Thank you all for coming," The Overseer Julian Oriah commented in his dreary voice. Guardia observed the Tangrowth, who seemed as deadpan as ever. She expected a bit more happiness from the 'mon after the success of their Beatruce stop, but as the rumors held, he was all calculation. Guardia shrugged it off and listened. "I trust you have all begun recuperating well in the past few days. Obviously I don't want to take up much of your time, but I do have a few items of news to bring to you," He explained.

Guardia nodded and quickly looked around before Julian spoke anymore. Everyone had gathered into Surina's Dome, to the same smaller enclosed building they had been in before. Even Snype was there, having been carried in by bed. Even after three full days he still seemed to be recovering from the effects of the Mega Stone. Obsidian was present too, after Guardia told him to arrive the day prior. The remains of the Beatrucian Gold Tribe had also gathered for the meeting. The only one noticeably absent from their group was Abel, who had refused to attend despite Guardia trying to get him to come. He was still in mourning over his sister.

"First of all, we appreciate your efforts in stopping Bastille," Julian said more as a statement than an empathetic show of gratitude. "His death officially brought the end of the plague here. Our forces are pushing through the contagion, destroying the ferals who remain. After he perished, they were more mindless than ever. No direction, no commands, no particular targets. We're purging them. Our troubles are officially on the mend." He stated with a nod. "I also appreciate you rescuing our own Beatrucian Gold Tribe up in the Great Vantage. Obviously, they've taken great hits, but they continue to survive."

"You know it!" Prime chimed in happily with a grin and a thumbs up.

"As such, you have fulfilled your end of the bargain, and thus, we shall fulfill ours. Every debt is repaid," The Overseer continued. "I've spoken to the other Senators, and I speak with their authority. Besides the necessary peacekeeping forces, and contagion relief teams, consider the Beatrucian Army yours to command. They can be deployed at any time, to any place, divided however you like, for whatever purpose. If you need them to help in evacuations, they can facilitate. If you need them deployed to Tollen to assist there, they will obey. If you need them to assist in Valkaria, they will do so. If you'd like them on hold until you've gained a full invasion force, that will also be arranged."

"We'll need them in Valkaria." Obsidian said, "We... have some news. First off, not only does the enemy have enough troops to attack every single country at once, but they have enough left over troops to send a second massive force into Valkaria to attack Albia and the Thieves' Forest. And there's more." He sighed, "We interrogated some prisoners. Something big is coming to Valkaria. I can already forsee that it's very dangerous, whatever it is. Also, in Tollen we've heard reports of mon from the other side trying to find the Watcher. I figure we can send a group of Enforcers up there, along with myself, to find him or her and get some answers. Those asking around... well..." He frowned, "I don't know how to phrase this, Guardia, but Scar has been hearing reports of new warriors among Darkrai's elite. Former Gold Tribe, now working for him. Apparently they have been tasked with trying to find the Watcher around Tollen." He sighed, "I know I should phrase it better, but we're running out of time. If those guys find the Watcher before us, we might as well jump off a cliff. Cresselia will never be revived then, so it's imperative that I at least head out to track that guy down."

Snype pondered in thought about the situation. "The Thieves forest..." Snype contemplated silently on the situation. He seemed to have a worried expression on his face. "Perfect time to be crippled that's for sure..."

"Snype," Obsidian spoke to the ghost, "How does one get into the thieves' forest? I have some Enforcers still in Valkaria. We need to get into that forest and convince the thieves to join to defend the forest and Albia. I get you want it to be secret, but right now we don't have that luxury."

"The forest itself is still something I've been researching. If the enforcers truly want to protect the forest then they will be allowed access. All others will remain trapped. My thieves won't sit idly while our home is attacked but it's a matter of if the enemy can even get through." Snype explained.

"From what's been implied by our prisoners, the sheer numbers coming there to tear it down will be enough to destroy it." He stated. "Albia will be overrun by so many mon. And that's the other factor at play here. The enemy must have thousands of troops not even fighting anywhere, who can easily come to Valkaria to just strike at us again. How can we dwindle those numbers down? Because if we can't, even if I send all the Enforcers I have in Valkaria, and all the thieves are sent in, I'm not sure if our ranks could stand against such a surge. I would recommend that we evacuate Albia, but that won't work either. The enemy forces already laying siege are surrounding the cities. Trying to evacuate would be a sure death as well. What secondary plans can we put up in case things get too hectic?"

"Mega Evolution." Snype stated simply. "I wiped out an entire city of ferals in a few hours with my form alone. What's to say we can't leave a dent with someone elses?"

Obsidian thought on that. "... It could be a trap on our side. At the moment, the enemy doesn't know that we know they are planning an attack. Right now these are soldiers who are possibly not fighting at any other place at the moment. Unlike the ones assigned to attack Karn or such, these could just be extra soldiers standing around. If we are capable of surprising them with a mega evolution that absolutely wrecks up their ranks... and we could hit two birds with one stone!" He grinned at Snype, "Think about it, we wait for a lot of troops to head to one single place, Valkaria. They'll have the majority of their army there. You can easily go mega, wipe out not only the sideliners they send in, but also the main forces attacking Valkaria!"

James snorted. "Don't be idiots. Save your mega evolutions for when you actually need them," He stated as he crossed his arms. "Not for something petty like this."

"Petty? We're losing a war here." Obsidian stated, "It's very apparent to everyone that Darkrai's army is dwarfing ours if they can easily send in thousands of side troops to further attack another country. If we can wipe out these reinforcements and diminish the army, especially when they are all in one place, then I don't see how it's a petty idea." He crossed his own arms, "I think it could give us the advantage we need, and be good press for our side once everyone hears how tons of soldiers were slain in Valkaria. It'll make our allies more certain of our ability to win this war. It'll spread just a bit more hope."

The Blaziken rolled his eyes at Obsidian's words. "Arceus, do I have to hold this boy's hand the entire time?" He asked rhetorically. He glared at the Weavile with his one eye and spoke. "You've got four stones on you. Only three that work because the little one has one," He said gesturing to Raz.

"I've a name, you pile of barely-sentient garbage," the wizard snapped.

James waved dismissively at Raz and continued. "King already used it once. And look at him. Do you think it's a joke what happened to you when you tempt that kinda power? You think it's bad on the outside, wonder how it looks inside? Wonder how bad it's gonna get the next time? He won't be down for three weeks, his body will adapt to using it. But his life will shorten because of it. And you wanna use it on something like this?" He asked as he looked at Obsidian, then across the room.

"So, what? We never use it?" Obsidian asked, "We just let the army kill all of our people, kill our troops, while we just sit with our fingers up our ass? Doesn't sound like that much of a great plan either. If we wait to help Valkaria then there won't BE a Valkaria to save! We took a hell of a chance with Beatruce."

James rolled his eyes again and sighed. "No, just use your fucking head," He snapped. "Snype using it on Bastille made sense. Because there's shit you can do against someone like that. But you think he's the only one like that on Gabriel's side?" He asked again as he held up his hand. "There's Eidragon, there's Boyscout, there's the Juggernaut... there's me. And there's Gabriel. Do the math."

"Keheh... Boyscout? Really?" Snype commented with a small laugh.

"That's what I call him. Alai," James answered. "The Boyscout. Xander Eidragon. Grett the Juggernaut."

"Okay, so we have three super powered mon to still go through." Obsidian rubbed at his temples, "This just gets better every single second."

"Not so bad," Raz said, placing a hand on his chest. "Bastille was practically a cakewalk."

"So, basically, wait until you find those guys and kill them with the stones, and just let their armies trample all over ours. Yeah... that's superb." Obsidian muttered.

"Is this guy for real?" James asked as he pointed to the Weavile. He glanced at him. "Do I have to spell everything out for you? Alright, let's try it. No, just get a fucking army. Say you don't have one? You just got one here in Beatruce. Say that's not enough? Get them to help out in Tollen a bit, and now you got two. Say that's not enough? You're looking at a Grand General of Karn who controls one-fifth of the entire fucking army in Karn I can call on anytime, and if we go to Karn, I'm sure you can convince them to lend the rest of it to you. You're doing an alright job of it so far. I swear, I feel like you guys would be dead by now without me."

"Well, since you're just so great, lead on with the rest of the meeting. It's becoming very apparent I'm not wanted." Obsidian turned and made his way out, mumbling a bit under his breath as he walked out of the building.

"Nice," Razathiel grinned. "He's out of here. High five, Snype!" The wizard placed his staff in the crook of one arm and raised the other to the Sableye, barely holding in his laughter.

Snype just stared at Raz a moment before giving off a small laugh himself. "Kehehe, nice." Snype simply said. He turned toward James. Snype was a bit struck to see his sudden shift in behavior. It was almost as if he cared about everyone's well being... Snype didn't press him. This wasn't the time to go off picking at his pride. "On the topic of mega evolution, James is right. We need to be conservative. I mean just look at me. You wanna end up like this in a warzone? We'd have better chances with Karn."

"I know exactly what I'm saving mine for..." Cal muttered, clenching his fist and wishing he could smash it into Gabriel's face.

"I think we can all agree we should be careful when to use those Mega Stones," Guardia stated with a nod, as she glanced at Obsidian briefly as he left. She contemplated briefly going after him, but decided it was probably best for him to be alone for now. "But I think Snype is right. Our plans shouldn't change. As much as I'd like to go and help fight the battles in Valkaria, this group has to finish what it started. In Karn."

"Very well then," Julian Oriah stated with a bit of a sour look on his face at the mention of Karn. "What would you like our forces to do in the meantime?"

"Well..." Guardia began as she looked around. "Anyone have suggestions?"

Thomas cleared his throat. "If I may, I believe at least a part of it should go to Tollen. Recall that they asked for some relief from the armies they're facing before. And they vowed if they got that relief, they would offer their full army in support. Giving us two forces: Tollen's and Beatruce's. Do you all agree?"

"Sure, whatever," Razathiel said dismissively. "Not the worst idea Cretin McBignose has had."

"Sounds good. My thieves can assist however they can. If the Beatruce army needs to communicate then I have ninjasks stationed there. Just call them out or whistle out. They'll know." Snype said. "I'm sure the folks in Beatruce are familiar enough with the system though. Kehe."

"SEC's Network Points are more than sufficient for communication. It is much faster and organized," The Overseer commented somewhat coldly, whether intentional or not. "Though your offer is appreciated."

Able could feel her pride being stabbed at. "But what about in the field? We can't just run back to a network point in a such a tight spot! Darkrai's agents have used these points several times in the past as well! What if they're listening in?" Able said shakily. "A-ask anyone in Beatruce they can vouch for my work!"

"Who's this dreary fucker supposed to be, anyway?" Raz wondered aloud, gesturing vaguely to the Overseer. Prime tried to contain a laugh with his hands. "Someone important? I should bloody hope not."

"Raz!" Snype shouted.

"He's the Overseer, you idiot!" Guardia hissed at the Ralts. "In charge of the entire Beatrucian Senate. Who basically runs Beatruce!"

"Pfft, really?" The wizard let out. "In that case, not sure why we bothered to help, frankly. I fear for the state of this place if it's run by someone who can so blatantly talk out of his own arse."

"Rants!" Guardia hissed again to get him to shut up.

"It's quite alright, Guardia," The Tangrowth Overseer stated. "If I had to worry about the words of every infinitesimal Pokemon who had something negative to say to me, I would not be the Overseer for long," The Overseer looked over Able and spoke to her. "I would rather utilize the Network Points for communication. We will be transporting them with us during our march. Talking can easily be established between Psychics through the Network zone, so flying between the Ninjask network becomes irrelevant. Plus I find leaving any trail dangerous, especially if they can be intercepted. To which I would say I have had no experiences of the Network Points ever being 'listened in' on, as you put it."

"Infinitesimal, eh? Certainly the most eloquent pass at my size I've heard, if not the most creative, or warranted," Razathiel commented dryly. "Network points are reliable, there's no denying that - which means Gabriel knows the same. Be prepared to lose them. Sorry, was I supposed to stop talking?"

"I think that may have been the idea," Anna replied as she walked into room. "I apologize for being late, everyone, I had some business to attend to." She climbed into the closest chair before continuing on. "I overheard the conversation about the Network Points as I arrived and I understand the concern about using the Network Points, but they are more secure than you think. A Network Point can't be compromised from the outside without directly affecting the psychics of the Network Machines themselves. If someone is listening in to our communications it will be because we were betrayed by one of our Psychics, not because the psychic link of intercepted. There is also the chance that our enemy may have their own Pyschics trained to connect to the Network. They could possibly intercept our messages. The SEC has taken steps to prevent that as well. When we train our Psychics for the Network Point Program they are assigned to teams they stick with permanently. The longer Psychics stay in connection with each other, the more they become attune to each other's Psychic energy. If one of our Psychics receives a signal they aren't familiar with they can cut that connection off and warn the rest of the Network. As long as we give each team of Psychics time to familiarize with each other it will be a lot harder for the enemy to infiltrate our communication lines. Our security can't lie solely on our Psychics either. There are ways to encrypt the messages we send to each other through code. The Psychics don't need to know what the codes mean, they just need to relay the information. I believe our biggest threat in using the Network Points is our enemies taking control of our Psychics or cutting off our communication completely by eliminating them."

"I should point out." Snype interrupted. "Before I killed Bastille he attempted to escape through the network point. He had a group of psychics with him. They're dead now of course and the city was basically enemy territory but just thought I'd throw that out there." Snype said. Able just remained silent. She felt humiliated. The word "irrelevant" hit her hard.

"As long as our Psychics don't comply, no one should be able to use our Network Points but us."

"Gabe used a network point to escape back in Tollen," Snype stated back.

"Yes, but that was after scaring the Network Psychics and threatening them with death," Thomas pointed out. "Presumably we can expect an enemy not be be near enough to make those sort of threats in the future."

"That," Anna added in, "and the Psychics in Tollen weren't trained to handle a situation like that. If we'll be using these Network Points and we know there is a chance our Psychics might encounter enemy forces then we'll need to prepare them for that moment."

Snype couldn't exactly move to make any subtle gestures and all the talking was putting some strain on him. Able then suddenly shot up. "You think you have the time to prepare them? We aren't even prepared for Gabe! He could poof in this room and kill all of us if he honestly wanted to!" Able shouted out. "I'm willing to admit the Ninjask network has a good amount of flaws. Its nowhere near as convenient and it relies on the individual to deliver the message! But don't act like your system isn't full of holes either! At least the Ninjask won't cower in a corner when we're intercepted! Have you even checked with SEC lately? We just lost half of the seekers to Darkrai earlier! Through mind control or by some form of manipulation! That's a problem for both networks as is!" Able panted heavily. She almost felt like tearing up a bit. "W...we aren't irrelevant!"

The Overseer examined the Ninjask intently, his tentacles fluttering slight every few seconds. He then turned to Guardia. "Your companion is very excitable," The Overseer said dispassionately. He turned back to her. "Your passion is commendable, but I see no way that this 'Gabe' can suddenly poof here, as the Network Points specifically prevent just that from happening anymore. That is why they are so effective. And while I admit that threat of attack can make the Network Points somewhat flawed, they far surpass any other system of transportation, including yours," He stated. Guardia gritted her teeth a bit. She knew that Julian meant no offense with his words. He was practical more than purposefully offensive, but he may come off like that. "However, I do understand the necessity for back-ups, so we will consider using your network as an alternative, if only as a back-up in case the worst should happen. I believe that is sufficient, and I do believe we ought to move on from the topic. I find it highly irrelevant," He stated as he looked over the group. "Now, is there anything else which I might be able to assist you with?"

"One thing." Cal cut in. "I'm sorry to say anything else on the previous matter when we should be moving on, but don't ever discount Gabriel. None of the rules as we know them apply to him. We may have a fighting chance now, but earlier the only reason we even made it this far was because he wanted to have some fun when we weren't a genuine threat, so he let us put up our resistance. If Bastille could wreak such havoc without much actual support don't presume stopping his boss would be so simple."

"I'm sure none of us are discounting Gabriel," Anna replied, "it's very hard to do so. I'm sure he had enough tricks that if we had years of preparation we wouldn't be ready for him, but we do the best we can. We don't know how our best will stand up to him, but it's going to give us our greatest chance of victory. And we have contingencies we can plan for as well."

"I agree with both Callimer and Anna," Thomas chimed in. "It is a difficult thing, to plan for a legendary. But we must do the best we can."

"I will take the Gabriel situation under advisement," Julian stated with a nod. "For now though, I believe my business with you is concluded. If you have any other comments or advice, please do not hesitate to contact one of my aides, and they will bring the messages to me. I must be going now. Feel free to use the room for any other business you may have. Good day," The Tangrowth stated as he left the room. Razathiel blew a raspberry at him.

 

[Megaman765]

Able and Guardia- More Secrets

Able seemed to be buzzing about a bit aimlessly around the building. After the meeting, her emotions had been spiraling all over the place. Just hearing the word "insignificant" struck a cord in her. If the network points really were that useful... what did the others think of the Ninjask network? "t-t-that overseer dosn't know what he's talking about... w-w-when an agent hijacks one of their points again I'll be flying their laughing when they want my help!...n...no I can't do that... gah..." Able seemed to be stuttering her words. She felt on the verge of tearing up but didn't want to let it out. Her buzzing was getting more audible as well. A sign that she was extremely frustrated.

Guardia had just come from her own room within Prime's place, having just picked up a stack of documents from there. She seemed to be on her way somewhere else, when she suddenly spotted the tense Able in front of her. "You alright there?" Guardia asked the Ninjask.

Able shook her head. "No! S-stupid overseer..." Able said shakily. "...G-guardia w-we aren't that insignificant are we?"

"What?" Guardia asked with a raised eyebrow. "You're not taking Julian's words to heart, are ya? Of course you guys are useful!"

Able was still shooken up nonetheless. "I...I know I shouldn't b-but... gah... the way he said it though with the network points and moving them around and all... I mean... they talk about preparing for this threat but these network points are the very reason Darkrai has advanced this invasion as far as he did! I'll bet you Darkrai's troops are using them to go to Valkaria as we speak! But not even that, messaging? Really now? What if its a personal message? Your going to tell a PSYCHIC your personal secrets and trust him to send it over? There's so many flaws I don't know where to start!" Able yelled out. "...s...sorry... I shouldn't talk like this in the hallway like that..."

Guardia patted the Ninjask on the shoulder. "Hey no worries. I totally get where you're coming from. And for the record, I agree with you. But I also understand what the Overseer is saying. He's looking at it from a purely battle sense, without taking personal feelings into it. Which he should. But at least we convinced him to use the network as a back-up. Honestly, don't worry about it," Guardia grinned. "Valkaria and the Gold Tribe will probably run you guys all around anyway to keep you busy!"

Able felt a small tear fall from her eye, which made the Ninjask blush a bit. "I... well..." Able still seemed distraught. "T-t-thanks Guardia... I-I'm sorry for acting like this, when it comes to the Ninjask Network, well, its my pride and joy. I pretty much live for it. Even before the thieves, back when we were simple couriers in Beatruce."

"You made this thing yourself?" Guardia asked as she crossed her arms. "I always thought it was Snype's idea."

Able shook his head. "Yeah I started it back when I was just a young ninjask... I had a very sizable family of Ninjask and naturally, we couldn't possibly make funds all on our lonesome to support eah other. So using our speed, we ended up forming our own little network. We would deliver messages together, small packages, and acted as a network to alert any authorities of suspicious behavior. I'm a bit insulted the overseer didn't even mention it... "She said.

"Well, I figure someone in that sort of position of power might not even have known about it," Guardia replied with a shrug. "Lots of times the big guys up top work through secondary 'mon and such, he probably gets everything secondhand. That or he's too big-headed to acknowledge it, I'd say."

"I suppose... I mean we didn't exactly go all over the city. Occasionally we did though! But the network allowed us to make a pretty good living for a good long time! Then Snype dropped by and wanted to use our services to notify his other thieves and stay connected... its how he was able to expand so easily. He had eyes and ears all over town." Able explained. "Haha... look at me explaining this to Guardia! Pretty Snype could care less though... hes probably told you already I bet." Able said with a small laugh. "I know he usually goes out of his way to chat with you all the time when we're taking a break."

"Well, no," Guardia commented with a bit of a look of disappointment. "He hasn't told me, that's why I asked you. Kinda makes me wonder on what other stuff he's been quiet on..." She muttered to herself, before looking back at Able and shaking her head. "But hey, it's pretty cool you established this. You took something small and made it your own. Expanded it more than anyone could have ever predicted! You should be proud of that. And no one can take that from you."

Able gave a cheerful chirp and flew closer to Guardia, just giving her a small nudge on the shoulder. "Thank's Guardia... those are just the words I wanted to hear... I'm glad you at least appreciate what we do! It's not as fast or automated as the network but you can always expect satisfaction guarenteed!" Able said cheerily. "Hehe... if your not busy we should chat a bit more. We're both leaders of our own groups and all... we could talk about it together! Trade stories!"

"Yeah, I know I can count on you," Guardia agreed with a nod. She then shrugged her shoulder. "I've got a bit of time on my hands, sure."

"Oh yay! " The Ninjask cheered. "Don't worry I won't tell Snype about it. Whatever we talk about doesn't leave the room. Just a girl to girl chat! I'm starting to see why Snype Li..." Able froze a moment. "Li...like's talking to you so much! Hehe!" Able cheered once more.

Guardia raised an eyebrow and then continued. "Well I don't really care if you tell him one way or another. I have nothing to hide. Can't say the same about him."

"Well hey he Mega Evolved didn't he? He must have got it off his chest earlier and saved it for Bastille! Would explain why he wanted to take on Bastille with such a small crew." Able explained.

Guardia put a paw to her chin. "Hmmm, he did didn't he?" She reiterated. "Means he did get off his chest something, yeah... but to who? Not me, obviously. Maybe Abel or Raz?" She wondered and chuckled. "Talk about unlikely 'mon there."

"Heh... yeah... whatever he said must have been pretty crazy! Hehe! And... well... maybe they aren't the only ones either!" Able said with a small giggle.

"Oh?" Guardia asked curiously. "Did he say something to you too?"

"Well of course! I am in league with the thieves and all! He talks to me all the time about these sort of things... though I dunno if I should be telling you such a secret. Who knows how you would react!" Able said with a laugh.

Guardia crossed her arms. "You know, generally I try to be completely open about anything going on on my end. The fact that you and Snype have secrets you're keeping from us really ticks me off. And makes me wonder whose side you're really on."

The Ninjask chirped cheerfully. "Oh we like to stay on the neutral side naturally! We just mix ourselves around the other sides to try to get benefits out of it... you know, beisdes now. We've basically established being on your side and I don't even know what Snype's going to do when this is all over... the adventure has got him thinking alot." She explained.

Guardia's mood was slowly deteriorating by this point. What started off as a nice conversation to cheer up the Ninjask was devolving for her to a touchy subject she was avoiding, but had once again come to light. "Able... at this point there isn't a neutral side anymore. You're either with us, or against us. That's the ultimatum that Darkrai created. And if you keep secrets from us... well, it makes me start wondering."

Able slowed down the pace of her wings a bit. "...I...I'm sorry Guardia... I know I shouldn't do that sort of thing to you... I mean after cheering me up and all. I really want to be friends with you! Even after we stop Darkrai and all... well...I dunno...well... I don't think Snype has a need to keep secrets from you either...I guess I could tell you at this point. Chances are if he told Raz or Able then word would spread sooner or later right?" Able said with a cheery expression.

Guardia shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so. Still prefer to hear it from the Ponyta's mouth."

"Well... alright... here it goes..." Able said, her face quickly turning into a blush. The Ninjask looked around cautiously and buzzed over to Guardia's ear. "Look don't tell Snype I told you this... he'd flip out if he knew I said anything... its a delicate topic for him..." Able whispered to her before giving off small pause. "...Well... you might find this stupid... being the thing that held Snype back and all but I hope you at least understand why he doesn't want to tell you himself... especially during a time like this..." Able continued whispered.

"All and all...well... Snype... likes you."

Guardia glanced at Able in silence. She seemed at a loss for words for a moment. "... you're not serious. That's it? R-really?"

"Yup! Comon Snype wasn't just gonna tell you that! And the others probobly don't even care enough to tell you either!... uh..." Able stared at Guardia a moment, wondering how she was taking the news.

Guardia stared blankly at Able for a few more moments, silently processing the news. Then she rolled her eyes and started to turn away. "I'm gonna kill him. He's such an ass. All that over this? How can someone be so selfish?!"

"S-selfish? W-what are you talking about? He told you all of the important stuff! I didn't think you'd be all worked up over a confession... unless...." Able quickly stopped herself. "Well... yeah! Comon it can't be that big of a deal!"

Guardia glanced back at Able and shook her head. "We're not kids anymore, Able. I stopped being one a long time ago. I'm the leader of the Gold Tribe. I've been the leader the past thirty years. Any chance of..." Her voice trailed off for a moment. "I've stopped worrying about my personal life like this anymore! And I figured Snype would have grown up by now to do the same! But here you are telling me this is the reason he's been holding things back? I've got thousands of lives depending on me back in Gold City! Not to mention the thousands, millions more across the other nations!" She fumed. Guardia closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. "Think of how much better we could have been if Snype would have learned to go Mega sooner. So that he and I and everyone else would have worked better together because we're all on the same page, working as a team, instead of keeping all these high school bull in the open!"

"Guardia..." Able said with a frown. She really screwed this one up. "This is exactly why he didn't bother telling you. You'd probly react this way anyways. If Snype learned to go Mega Sooner and used that power earlier, then Bastille would have escaped! He simply chose to undo the lock at the right time... stupid of a secret as it may sound to you, it didn't go to waste." Able said to her. "I never would have imagined you'd get so worked up over a love confession of all things...what's that got to do with anything? Snype's still dedicated to taking down Darkrai. You know how optimistic he always is. Even while a good majority seems to lose hope on our fight, Snype always said "Yeah! We can do this!" Even in our criminal life, Snype acted the same, even on our toughest jobs... He never gave up... but even with all that, he never lost sight of what made him... well... Snype! At least... after the incident in the silver tribe so I'm told." Able paused and looked to the side. She never found herself good with these sort of arguments but she would be damned before her boss was talked about in such a manner. "What's so wrong with worrying about personal life? All work and no play makes... well you know."

Guardia listened to the Ninjask speak and sighed when she was done. "I know, I know. Sorry, I was just ranting a bit. I know he means well, I just... everything's catching up to us. And we're part of different worlds. Snype and you, you even said you consider yourselves neutral. But you are helping with this fight. But for me? It's not just something I volunteer for. It's my job. It's my obligation. I don't have time to have a personal life. Never have... never will. That's the life the Gold Tribe leads."

"Guardia..." Able said with an upset expression. "...I understand but... something just seems off about all that... I didn't have time to spare for my personal life, to say hi to family and friends, spend time to think on my own... well.... I think an important part of myself would die along with it." Able stated. "Maybe that's what Snype thinks too. For what you feel is childish, he just wants to feel alive through it all. Its what motivates him to keep going." Able explained. "I'd say he talks to you as often as he does because he knows he can make you smile even in the worst spots. But... ah... what do I know. I'm not Snype. Heh."

Guardia nodded. "I understand. And trust me, he gets on my nerves sometimes, but he's also helped me out of some tough spots before, especially with his mood," She stated with a bit of a grin. However, it soon vanished. "But if he were really looking for something else besides my friendship, I don't know if I can give him that. I've got too much responsibility on my shoulders. I don't expect it to be something you'd understand. As I said, you and I, and he, we live different lives. Completely opposite in fact."

"No no I get it. Thieves and Gold Tribe aren't exactly neighbors or anything like that... but... well..." Able blinked. "Well... if lets say things died down a bit and you could make time..." Able asked. "What would you do then?"

The Zangoose stared at the Ninjask for a moment and the shrugged helplessly. "I dunno, Able. What do you think the Gold Tribe leader would do to the King of Thieves?" She asked with a slight frown.

"You tell me..." Able said with a saddened expression. "A better question is what would Guardia do to the King of Thieves?"

Guardia shrugged again. "The answer's in the question, Able. Guardia. What everyone knows me by. My Gold Tribe title. No one ever uses my name anymore, and for good reason: the 'mon and the title are the same now. So you ask me what would Guardia do to the King of Thieves when this is all done?" She asked her. "Bring him to justice."

Able didn't even know Guardia's real name so she had her there. Snype more then likely knew though... "...I suppose that makes sense. The Gold Tribe leader would do that sort of thing." Able simply stated. "...You'd honestly do that to him though...?"

"Arrest him?" Guardia nodded. "If it came down to it, yeah. In the end, I am the law, and he's the criminal. It's my job to keep the peace. If he were still the King of Thieves, then that's what I have to do, even if he is my friend. Even if I don't want to."

"You certaintly are dedicated to your work... but... I guess arressting him wouldn't be so bad in comparison to... well...you know..." Able shuddered at the thought.

"To what? Kill him?" She asked incredulously. She scoffed. "Why the hell would I do that? I'm Gold Tribe, I don't do that! Come on! Give me some credit, Able!"

"I-I-I know! J-jus..." She stuttered her words again. "Sorry the conversation just got dark and I just thought of it... if Snype..." Able shook her head. "Agh... why did that thought pop in my head..."

Guardia walked over to the Ninjask and patted her. "Hey, no matter how bad things get, I won't abandon who I am. I'll never kill him. I mean, I say that as a joke, but... you know I'm not serious. Snype's not dying, don't worry. Not by me, not in this war, ain't happening. Heh."

Able moved up a bit closer to her. "T...that's good... its just... you know its odd, the thought of not having the boss around. I dunno why I suddenly thought about that sort of thing... the thieves back home worry about him all the time when he's out and about. Heck even I do. I was sure Bastille would have been the end of him. But he still kept that big grin of his and pushed forward. Flying through the city knowing my boss was in that hellhole of a tower scared me more then anything."

"He's a trooper, that one," Guardia stated with a grin. "I think... I genuinely believe he'll be one of the survivors of this thing. No matter how it goes, Able. Trust me on that. He's one of those types."

"Yeah... I guess I can believe you on that... uh... I should probobly go check on Snype and the rest of the thieves hanging in town. Sorry for getting onto such a touchy subject Guardia I didn't mean to go off like that. Was hoping to have a more cheery chat you know? Say! Maybe when we have some downtime again we could hang out or something!" Able said with a cheerful buzzing noise from her wings.

Guardia grinned and nodded. "Sure thing, and don't worry about it! Anytime when we have some free time, just come buzzing to me."

"Sure!" Able said, playfully bumping into her shoulder. "Don't overwork yourself!" Able said as she quickly flew away.

 

[Greiger]

Crummy Feels​

Obsidian was close to fuming. He honestly was. To be... laughed out of that place? On the one hand, he honestly wanted to cry. He was doing everything he could to keep the tears at bay as he walked along the streets, not bothering to turn his attention to anything else. His sadness turned to anger as he realized that he, the leader of the Enforcers, had been kicked out. He should... he should march back over there and just tell them what for! In fact, he did stop and turn to look back at the building the meeting took place in. But... after he acted? He couldn't. He honestly couldn't face any of them now. He had acted like a petulant child, and that only caused his irritation at himself to rise.

He turned back and made his way out to a rock that lay near an outcropping of weeds and sat down with a huff. He honestly didn't know what to do. He had thought it was a good plan, what with surprising the enemy and managing to decimate their numbers. It would show their allies they had the power that they needed to win the war. He had been laughed out of there though. He wasn't a part of the cool kids club, he knew that much. He wasn't anywhere near a level of naivety to think that he could be accepted among the Gold Tribe. He was no warrior, he hadn't even done anything important so far in his life. Guardia... she had taken down Darkrai once before and was a war hero. Snype was a war hero. The others were Gold Tribe. What was he? A guy who just happened to be picked up by a war hero and just happened to be be in charge of just a few mon.

That information still stung him deep down. The idea that most of the troops he SHOULD be commanding were long since in the enemies' grasp now. That one of the few people who even made him laugh or gave him anytime of the day to talk to was now gone. He had done his hardest to know dwell upon it, but he couldn't really hold it back anymore. He could feel his lower lip trembling as the weeks of keeping in his sadness suddenly caved. He lowered his head, mostly to hide his tears as they came streaming down his cheeks. The idea of Penance leaving had angered him at first, and the everyday busy lifestyle of making sure the Enforcers didn't collapse had also helped to keep his mind away from thinking about what had happened. Now he was here. Now he had nothing to think about except that.

Well, he was unique now! Two fathers of his were now dead to him.

He wiped a bit at his eyes and let out a weak sigh, feeling a bit more relieved now that was out of his system.

"So, finally feeling a bit better?"

"You could say." Obsidian wiped a bit more at his eyes as the Beheeyem lowered himself to float beside him. "Yeah, as you can imagine, it didn't go too well." Obsidian muttered. "No one there respects me."

"Why would they?" The psychic tilted his head, "Just because you inherited a position does not make you a leader worthy of their time."

"Gee, thanks for that. I feel so much better now." Obsidian muttered crossly.

"What I am saying." The psychic persisted, "Is to show them you are worthy of respect. You have that plan you've been fashioning up, right? Perhaps it's best to start there. Go ahead and use your brain power and think of several good plans to implement. Our organization is crumbled, yes, but it can be rebuilt. You just need to have..." The Beheeyem held out his hand expectedly,

"Hope." Obsidian sighed, "Some days I have a lot of hope, and other days I don't."

"Well, it's natural. There are ups and downs for everyone. To say that anyone is cheery all the time and filled with hope every second of the day... well, mon just can't do that." He gave a shrug, "They would be flat out liars if they said they had no fears whatsoever in their lives. Those that are our allies? They are much older than you. They may not cry out in the open, but they instead cry in the privacy of their own solitude. It is something one has to learn. That will come with time, and now you must get up and do what we came here to do." He put a hand on the Weavile's shoulder, "At least talk to Guardia about it. She can help. She has a lot of wisdom with all her years. But there is something else you could help with, for I think you know the same pain he does."

"What's that?" Obsidian asked, his cheeks now free of the tears, but still sporting some stains.

The Beheeyem lowered his eyes, "It is one called Abel. I hear he lost his sister in the fight. He wasn't at the meeting."

"Yeah... I noticed that. But I didn't hear anything about his sister. I thought he was just doing a patrol or something."

The psychic shook his head, "If you want to try and get everyone's good side, perhaps seeing him would be a start? I know how you felt when your own father passed. Maybe it would help if he has someone there?"

Obsidian looked down for a moment, "Being alone was nice... but it also sucked."

"Indeed. Even if it doesn't work out in your favor, you can at least try. Trying never hurt anyone."

The Beheeyem floated up and away from the dark type. Obsidian got off of his rock and dusted himself off. It was one step at a time, he supposed.

~~~

Obsidian had picked some various colors, not quite sure which colors were appropriate. He wasn't a Beautrucean, but he assumed any colors would be alright. As rumor had it, the burial site was close by what he had been told was the Gold Tribe's own headquarters. It wasn't that far away, thankfully, so Obsidian wasn't confused by the directions too much. As he made his way into the back he winced a bit. He knew that the last time he had been in Beautruce this particular spot had been used for a Gold Tribe burial ground. Back then there had only been one or two spots filled, mainly due to how new the Tribe was to these parts. Now it looked as if the tribe had been around for much longer. There were many graves now dug here. Most looked freshly dug, others were still open. He walked across the burial site, uncertain of if he should follow some etiquette his father had taught him. Yeah, hold in one's breath to respect the dead, but that was more for passing by a plot, not when it was your destination.

Still, amid one of the filled graves he found her. "Jessie..." Obsidian murmured to himself as he read the plaque, "Not that bad of a name." He knelt down and put the flowers down upon her grave. "... If he's gone from the meeting, he must have really loved you. I can relate to that. I know I'll try from my end, it's all I can do. Maybe it'll work, maybe it won't. And I know you can hear me from beyond the grave. That's something I didn't have early on." He stood back up and wiped his knees as best as he could. "Take care up there."

~~~

There was the crunching of dried leaves as Obsidian walked along the empty path. So far he had checked around the city and no one knew where Abel was. Or it could be that no one was telling. So, Obsidian made a quick check of not the most populated places to be, but that of the most empty. He had a good idea of what would be going through Abel's head at the moment, and one such thing would be a want to be alone. Even then he found little in terms of the Medicham's presence. He figured he wouldn't even be home, given that would be a primary place that anyone would check. If he wasn't in the city, then he would surely be outside of it then. Obsidian took to traveling around the capital, keeping an eye out for the Medicham. As he made his way about the lands close to the capital he caught sight of something in the distance.

Pink.

Which meant it was a path of pink flowers, a herd of wild Clefairy all stacked together, or perhaps a Medicham. If Abel wasn't a part of the meeting, then it meant he was at least feeling something. From the times that Obsidian had observed him he knew that the Medicham was far from an emotional person. It either meant that he was feeling just a bit sad, and still sporting an unemotional mindset... or he was beyond pissed angry at what had happened and couldn't trust himself to be in the meeting. Obsidian took in a deep breath to calm his nerves and began to make his way to the psychic. Just slow easy movements and to let him know he was there. He knew from personal experience that being snuck upon while in such a state would make anyone angry.

"Um... hey there, Abel." He started off as he kept his distance, "I... I heard about what happened."

"Leave," Abel responded quickly after Obsidian spoke. He observed the lake with his usual cold stare, and said nothing else beyond the single word.

"... I left some flowers on her grave." Obsidian said, "And... I can't. I'm sorry, but... I know from experience. You want everyone to stay away, but in the end... you end up regretting that no one was there. And that makes you even angrier."

Abel again didn't look at the Weavile, but spoke in his familiar cold tone. "If you don't want me to rip your head from your shoulders, leave. There's a reason I'm all the way out here instead of with you all at your meeting."

Obsidian just stared back, "If it'll make you feel better... then fine. In case you haven't noticed, I'm not there either." He sat down on his spot. "... I do have a question though. If you could, would you want to be able to talk to her again? And I don't mean that as a threat. I mean it in a genuine way. So, if you want to kill me, fine. But you won't know what I mean by that."

"Obsidian..." Abel began again, looking away from the river and toward the Weavile with his usual cold, deathly stare. "I don't think I can make myself any clearer, but for you I will. You, and I literally mean you. Are probably one of the last people I want to see right now. Or hear from. Or talk to. I am here, alone, because I want to be, not with your stupid group where you decide where you'll adventure to next... as if I need another reminder of how you all screwed me over. Specifically you. Or do you not remember being the first stone cast to go to Tollen? Which caused everyone else to suddenly agree to it? Or do you also not remember Penance being the one to suggest and bring up Anatellia, and caused everyone to also agree to that? Only one of you agreed with Beatruce both times with me. The rest of you..." Abel shut his eyes and breathed in deeply. He seemed about ready to explode. He calmed himself and looked back down toward the river. "... leave." He repeated again.

Obsidian looked away, "I'm sorry for messing that up. Apologies don't matter in this case... but if you're interested, there's a Dusknoir at the fort. Wraith. Go find him." He stood on up, "... I'm sorry, Abel. I fu**ed up." With that the Weavile walked away, feeling even more crummy than before.

 

[Megaman765]

Snype- Your adoring fans

Snype was still stuck in as per usual. Today was unfortunately pretty darn quiet for the Sableye. Nobody had come to visit today so the Sableye spend most of his time sleeping and dreaming of what he'd do when he finally got out.

"Psst! Psst!" A sound could be heard from the nearby window in Snype's room. There, a Sandshrew Snype would know as Ferak was peaking in. He was a thief from Beatruce, one of the many who operate out of the capital here.

Snype slowly turned his head toward the source of the noise and observed the Sandshrew a moment before finally recognizing him. "Ferak? Kehehe. Been a while! How have things been holding up since I sent Bastille packing?" Snype asked.

Ferak quickly glanced around nervously and jumped in. "Sorry, King. Was makin' sure you were alone here. For Beatruce? Damn good. Bastille was a pain in the ass. You did us all proud, boss!" He beamed, but then slowly his face formed into a frown. "For the thieves... not as good. We've got problems."

The sableye simply stared. "Problems eh? I'm afraid I'm stuck in bed a little longer but lemme know what's going down. If you needed to see me alone it must be sensitive info."

"It is, yeah," Ferak replied. He brought out a paper from his backpack and looked over it. "Things haven't been the best for us with the plague boss, not gonna lie. It's great that it's over but... well, we took a hit. Bodies wise is obvious... but also money-wise. The ones here that survived are asking for more security money-wise to keep going on heists, fences are stocking up prices, bribes ain't low anymore either. And now we're hearing about a big attack going down in Albia? That's gonna kill business. We been managing but... with the war in Valkaria, we're going broke, boss. And there's one big thing killing us on our expenses... and I think ya know what I'm talking about."

"I do... and honestly at the rate we're going I may have to break the contract with him... the complicated thing is that he's also a general of Karn... that kind of support is valuble to us... though... hrm..." Snype lost himself in thought for a moment. "I plan to look for ways to keep Jame's services without losing the rest of our cash... I don't want the thieves to collapse. I've worked too hard on this, but having Darkrai destroy us wouldn't do any good either. Ahhh shit..." Snype said with a sigh. The entire situation was complicated.

"I know, boss, but..." Ferak sighed and shook his head. "I looked over the numbers. Even with the help we're getting from setting up shop in Tollen, if we keep in on, in exactly one month, we're bankrupt. We're out of cash. Meaning after these two and a half weeks you have here to recover, you've got maybe two more tops before that's it."

"...damn... I should have kpt closer track... I knew this kinda thing would happen when I hired him but.... argh..." Snype gave off a sigh. "Sorry Ferak... I've been throwing our money around alot on this adventure toward resources to stop Darkrai in his tracks. I was hoping that by keeping James on our side, it'd be one less agent to deal with. On top of that, being a general of Karn is a pretty big deal... but... our thieves..." Snype gave off a sigh. "...There has to be some way I can fix this."

"I know one," Ferak muttered as he nervously looked around, before bursting with excitement. "Drop James from the payroll, and beat him up! If you beat him, you get his position as Grand General, right? That's how Karn works. We all know what you did in Mercurion. You could do it!"

"It's not that simple. I can only use this Mega Stone a few times... the second could very well cut my lifespan in half. And if use it a third time... well..." Snype shuddered at the thought. "But...me? Grand General? Ferak I think that's reaching up a bit too high don't you think? I mean... being the King of Thieves is one thing but... a General of Karn? Me? Keheh"

"I hear they say in Karn, anyone could be a General," Ferak said with a shrug. "So I don't see why not! Besides, what are your other options? He's bankrupting us, boss!"

"I know I know... I can't have that happen. But... even if I did face James, he's about as strong as Bastille. The only way I'd defeat him is if I Mega Evolved again. I'm in no state to use the stone twice and I'd rather save it for when the big man Darkrai himself pops by. Though..." Snype pondered a bit. "...James has been changing a bit I've noticed. Last meeting he's started showing signs of actually caring about our cause. Hell he offered the idea of gathering a fifth of Karn's army right of the bat. Perhaps... well... maybe I can convince him to quite working off my funds. To fight alongside us as a true ally. Though I may need help. If all else fails, I'll put him off the payroll... I'm not going to ruin all of your lives like this... but I don't want Darkrai to ruin our lives either."

Ferak nodded. "Give it a try, boss. Whatever works for you. I just wanted to let you know about the situation. For now, what do you plan to do with him for the next three weeks while you recover?"

"I'm not sure. Getting rid of him here and now wouldnt be a smart move on my part thats for sure... well damn I cant have him sit around here for the next three weeks. I'll make sure to figure something out." Snype said.

Ferak nodded. "Alrighty, boss! You make the rules. Need anything, by the way? We got some letters for you from down south in Valkaria by the way."

"Letters? Ah sure thing... throw them over... and uh... as for anything I need? Well let the thieves know I"m going to be alright. Kehehe. I'll figure something out one way or another." Snype said.

"Here they are... uh, are you able to move your hands yet or anything?" Ferak asked. "I could read them to you, but one of them says for your eyes only, so, not sure I can. And sure, I'll let them know!"

"My eyes only eh? Well... I can move just really slowly... But you can read the other letters." Snype said.

"Righto!" Ferak chimed as he unwrapped one of the letters and began to read. Ferak cleared his throat and began.

"Snype, all's well here in Tollen. Well, as well as could be. First bit of good news we hear in a while is that Beatruce regulars are touchin' down here. But you knew that already, didn't ya? Set the whole thing up yourself! We heard what you did in Mercurion, word's spread all the way here already. The boys are talkin', heck the whole city's talkin'. Talkin' about you and power we ain't never seen, about you even takin' on Darkrai if you have to! Anyway, just wanted to check in with you and let you know things are progressin'. Fences are in line and we'll have some cash flowin' in soon. Not as much as we'd like, but it'll build. If... when, this war is done, you'll have one more steady stream of coins headin' your way, that's for sure!

Don't forget us, we aren't forgettin' you,

-Roran

PS: Stretch, Joseph, Max, and the rest of the boys send their hellos. We're all rootin' for ya." Ferak placed the letter down and glanced at Snype, wondering what his reply was.

"Kehehe... ah those guys... damn I can't let them down like that. If the thieves break up then what'll be left for them? I'm glad they're trying to pull through, even in our financial state. They're true thieves to the end. Kehehe..." Snype said with a wide grin. "What other letters do ya got?"

Ferak nodded and looked through the other letters. "Uh, let's see... most of the rest is fan mail... oh! Got one for you, your eyes only... uh..." He walked over and placed the letter in his hand. "Give it a shot and read it? I could just... turn away or... I dunno, walk to the edge of the room or somethin', boss."

"Kehehe, sure thing. Lets see..." The Sableye opened up the letter and began to read through it... at the first, the letter put a smile on the Sableye's face but as he went further in, the Sableye's expression grew more and more grim... far more grim then anyone would possibly expect from him. "...Well...certaintly must have went through alot to send this to me..." The Sableye placed the letter back in the envelope so that he could keep it hidden. The Sableye shook his head to get his composire back. "Uh... just a personal letter from a friend of mine. Wanted to make sure I was well. Keheh. Not much of a writer so guess they were kinda shy to let others see it?" Snype said with a small laugh. "Kehe, so uh, how much fan mail are we talking here?"

"Huh... never heard of private shy letters... is it a girlfriend, boss?" Ferak teased. "Oh, just the usual admirations... well, actually not just that. Some are uh... well, some are a bit more than that. I'll spare ya from it, hehe."

Snype blushed at the mention of a girlfriend. "U-uh... n-none of your buisness Ferak! Kehehe" Snype said with a playful laugh. "A bit more? Oh geez... part of me dosn't wanna know but hey, maybe if I read them all three weeks will pass sooner eh? It'll at least inspire me! How bad could it possibly be?"

"Hey, hey! I'm not judging! Even a King has to have a little side action to keep him going, right boss?" Ferak teased. "Hey, I could read you a few if ya really want. Let's open one up!"

"Aw sure! It's been a quiet day anyways! Lets see if we can't get some entertainment out of these! Kehehe! I'm flattered to even have fan letters in the first place!" Snype said with a wide grin.

Ferak nodded and opened up one brightly colored letter. "Dear King of my Heart, I love you with all my soul," Ferak snickered for a second. "You are the greatest, and a personal treasure. Will you marry me? Here is some artwork I made of you out of crushed berries." Ferak looked inside, pulling out a very poorly-made artwork of the Sableye in his new Mega Evolution apparently grinning. It looked nothing like Snype, which made it all the more funnier.

"Kehehehe! That's adoreable! Even fit in the big grin too!" Snype said happily. "Oh oh! Read that one!" Snype said, attempting to point to a random letter.

Ferak snickered and nodded again, picking up the letter Snype pointed to. "Dear Snype," It began. "Did you really kill all those feral 'mon in Mercurion? You must be the strongest 'mon in the world! You're the best! Consider me your number one fan! Here's my dad's necklace I used to carry around for luck. Hope it reaches you, and hope you like it! -Albert."

Snype looked down at the necklace and smiled. He'd make sure to put it on him once he could move his arms better. He could use all the luck he could get at this point. "Kehehe, next on the list!"

"Haha, you're just getting all the luck, ain't ya?" Ferak laughed as he picked up another letter. He began to read it. "Dear Snype," It started. Ferak quickly read over the contents, as he did so, his eyes went somewhat wide, and his smile faded. He cleared his throat a bit and nervously put down the letter. "Err... maybe we should pick another one."

"Huh? What's wrong with that letter? Kehehe! Comon show me!" Snype said with a cheery laugh.

"Uh... nah, nah, let's just go on to another one, there's plenty more!" Ferak chuckled somewhat nervously.

The Sableye pouted at Ferak. "Geez if its hate mail or something then I can totally take it! Wouldn't be the first time I've been yelled at for doing something dumb! Kehe!"

"It's not exactly... well, I'll just read it," Ferak replied as he cleared his throat again.

"Dear Snype,

My family was my everything to me. My dad was the bravest 'mon I ever knew. My mom was the kindest. My big brother always got on my nerves, but he had the biggest heart. I say them in past tense because three weeks ago, Darkrai's forces came to my hometown and tried to recruit everyone. But we were just farmers and workers. We didn't know anything about the war, we didn't care. We just wanted to live our lives. My dad refused the head Darkrai 'mon. He was killed right in front of my eyes," Ferak stopped for a second and wiped his forehead, before he continued. "My mom was next, a Scyther's claw was sent straight through her abdomen. Then my brother charged in anger. They were all killed right before my eyes. I implored the rest of the village to help me bring the fight to Darkrai, but no one wants to oppose the Destruction Saint. No one has the power. Then I heard about what you did in Mercurion. So I ask you, because I have no one else to turn to. Help me, Snype. Bring my family justice. Bring me peace. Avenge them. Beat Darkrai.

-Andrew of Erigh Village."

"...keh... see? No need to hold back on that one." Snype said with a wide grin. "This is exactly what I mean. Letters like this are what motivate me to stay optimistic even in the most dire situations. Can't say I'm used to reciving praise from so many people... I mean, I'm the king of an expanding criminal organization you know? Its kinda weird being in the limelight like this. Keheheh..." Snype said with a bit of a bashful grin. "The thieves won't give up hope on me, and if folks outside of town believe in us, then that's enough to keep me going. Keheh... if I try hard enough, maybe I'll be out in two weeks! So keep those letters coming! Let's read em all!"

Ferak nervously chuckled and then picked up another. "Well, a-alright then!" He grinned and read. "Let's see... Dear Snype... I am... oh this is gold.... haha, Dear Snype, I'm your biggest fan. I made Snype shirts with your picture, Snype socks, Snype underwear which I'm wearing now.... I have attached to you some pictures I have drew too. I love you, Snype!" Ferak began digging through the large box beside the letter, and began bursting out laughing, as he pulled out materials with various pictures of Snype on them. "Oh Arceus, this is gold!"

Snype looked at the various pictures of him... the Sableye quickly shifted from purple to a complete shade of red. The pictures were interesting enough in their content anyways... "K..keheheh... shirts? Socks? Underwear? The heck do you even use that stuff for anyways? Just seems needlessly constrictive!" Snype commented with a nervous laugh. "I sure hope they didn't package samples in there..."

"You know it!" Ferak laughed as he began pulling out assortments of the stuff from the box and displayed them in front of Snype.

Snype blushed even more after witnessing everything being shown in front of him. "S-seriously! Why? I hope you dont' expect me to try those on! I can't exactly move so your out of luck!"

"It's OK, I'll leave them hear for the nurses to put them on ya," Ferak snickered as he placed them right beside his bed.

Snype pouted at him. "Well better them then you I guess. Keheh. I don't need any nurses or my friends walking in seeing me wearing that stuff.
"Oh, I'll be sure to call in all the boys when they're putting it on ya, trust me on that, boss!" Ferak hollered.

"You are so lucky I can't move right now." Snype said, attempting to reach out toward Ferak. "I swear I'll-" Just as Snype was about to finish his sentence, one of the audino nurses entered through the door, seemingly oblivious of the visitor inside. "Oh Snype I didn't know you were having visitors... is there anything you need?"

"I was just leaving anyway," Ferak giggled. "Oh nurse, mister Snype requests those clothes be put on him, if you can. He asked for you specifically! Hehehe..."

"F-Ferak!" Snype shouted out. The audino looked over to Snype and the pile of clothes placed there. "Oh he did? Me in particular? Oh...." She gave off a small red blush. "W-w-well if the King of Thieves wants my assistance then... well I'll be careful..." The Audino said before walking closer to the Sableye and picking up some of the clothing placed there.

"A-ah! W-why would I need to wear that s-stuff anyways? What's t-the point?!" Snype shouted out nervously, almost expecting an answer.

"To support your adoring fans!" Ferak continued to laugh as he began climbing through the window to the outside. "You enjoy the support they give ya boss, you're a fan favorite now!" He exclaimed as he climbed out, laughing the entire time.

"H-hey!" Snype shouted out as the Audino already seemed to grab a hold of his leg and put on of the socks on. "H-hey! Careful! Someone might get the wrong idea!" Snype attempted to flail about but knew that it'd just cause more pain.

"Relax mister king. It was to support your fans right? I know it hurts to move but like I said, I'll be careful!" She said while slipping on one of the fans socks on his foot, even if it was a pretty awful fit. He was begining to think this nurse was doing this on purpose now. Unfortunately Snype was in no position to argue. He made a mental note to get back at Ferak later.

 

[Greiger]

Picking up some pieces​

He wasn't really sure on what to say. He knew that he should definitely feel a bit of embarrassment and humiliation, but at the same time he was so numb that he couldn't feel anything. It was like he was being punched again and again. Well, he supposed he asked for it. He had made mistake after mistake, and it was right for everyone to laugh at him. Maybe if it had been during peace time, maybe if he had spent a year or two leading before Gabe came... no, he couldn't focus on 'what-ifs'. He just had to go and do it. "Guardia?" He called out into the house, "Can I have a moment?"

Guardia was in the middle of glancing over some plans Scar had submitted over from Valkaria. Her eyes had been glued to it for the past few hours. Ever since news had come via Obsidian about the large-scale attack coming, she had been trying to do everything she could to help Albia prepare for it from here in Beatruce. As Obsidian called out to her, she moved her eyes away from the documents and map and over to the Weavile. "Hmm? Obsidian? Yeah, what's up?"

He stepped into the room, letting out a weak sigh, "... I'm no Penance, am I?"

Guardia glanced over the Weavile and then snorted. "No, thank Arceus not."

"Sometimes...." He frowned, "Sometimes I hear them though. And they say I should be like him."

The Zangoose furrowed her brows then approached Obsidian. "Be like a crazy duck who abandoned us to the other side?" She asked rhetorically. "Obsidian... Penance is a lot of things. He's a decent leader, a good planner, a calculated tactician. But he's also something else... a madman. And no matter how much good or bad or anything he could do, he'll never live up to all he could have been in his life. Because he always had that crutch," Guardia placed her paw on the Weavile's shoulder. "Don't be like him. Be better than him."

"I hear them though." He let out a shaky laugh as he squeezed his eyes tightly, "Sometimes, in the dead of night, you know?" He chuckled again, "I don't know. Maybe I'm just going crazy myself. How do you get them to stop though?" He looked up at her, "I mean... everyone goes through that, right?"

"Those voices aren't others' voices, they're usually just your own doubt," Guardia answered with a shrug. "Leaders always fight that doubt. I did a lot earlier on. But experience eventually makes you get past it. Knowing mistakes happen early on and getting through them is what drives us on later, and knowing that 'mon depend on you make you focused more on pushing through the doubt. Everyone goes through it. Not everyone gets past it. Those that do are the ones that really are good leaders."

"But... all of this?" He gestured out with one hand. "How can you stand it? How the enemy has so many troops to attack every single country yet even have enough left over to send a massive attack against Albia? How no matter what we do they never budge in terms of morale? I have no idea..." He shook his head, "I don't... I don't think I should be here. The only reason I am is because Penance selected me. And that was because his friend died. That's it. I'm not a warrior, and I'll never be one."

Guardia shook her head. "I think you're looking at things the wrong way," She stated with a shrug of her shoulders. "We never focus on the negatives as leaders. We acknowledge them, but we both wouldn't be fighting if this wasn't a winnable fight. Sure, they have a large army, but we just tripled our own forces. Much more than we had a few days ago. And they didn't budge in their morale? Guess what, we just did. I've talked to a few soldiers. We're only going up. We're closer to Cresselia, they might not all know about that, but they know Beatruce, Valkaria and Tollen all just made an alliance. We're stronger than we've ever been before. So..." She shook her head and continued. "You decide for yourself if this is enough to make you wanna push on, Obsidian. I'm not convincing you of anything. Wanna know why? Because a good leader shouldn't have to be. They should be able to convince themselves. If you don't think you should be here, then don't be here. But if you plan on stepping up... then now is that time. Not just for the ones depending on you... but for yourself."

Obsidian sighed, "I mean... it's alright when others push me... but I mean, what if I mess up? What if I make some sort of mistake and I ruin everything? I already did that with Abel. We could have come here first, but I made everyone change their minds! It... it's my fault his sister is dead."

"Your fault?" Guardia asked doubtfully. "Why the hell do you think it's your fault?"

"I.. I was talking to Abel." He sighed, "And he was right. I cast my vote for Tollen and everyone followed suit. And the same thing happened in Beautruce too. Penance voted for it and everyone agreed with him. I just... I just feel like I really screwed him over."

Guardia shook her head. "We all made our choices. You didn't contribute any more than anyone else. And in the end, there's only two 'mon responsible for Anzu's death. Bastille and Gabriel. Not you, or me, or anyone else here. Abel's just upset."

"But..." Obsidian shook his head, "I don't know. I just... I just feel like crud. Like, he was depending on us and we made the worst decision possible. Have you even talked to him?"

"Yeah I tried earlier when I was inviting him to the meeting," Guardia answered. "He just wants to be left alone. Give him time."

"Why was Gabriel even here though? That's one thing I heard. That he was talking to Abel or something. At this point we're a threat. How high in a position does Gabe have to be to still snort at us, and not even try to kill us even with as much progress as we've made? I get he's after chaos... but surely he has enough by now. And that just makes me even more paranoid."

"I don't know why he was there," Guardia shook her head as she crossed her arms. "But... what are you thinking?"

Obsidian frowned, "Well... he was here for a reason, that much is clear, right? If he was here to watch over Bastille and help him out, then he would have known. Bastille had his power helping him, and Gabriel would have known he was in trouble and would have come to help. Bastille was helping his side plenty, so that means two things right there. Number one, he was okay with losing Bastille. Whatever else he was here for it was of a higher priority. It meant Bastille no longer mattered. He had done his part and probably Gabe had been waiting for us to kill him. The second is that even with the others being beat up he let them live still. It means... he still needs us for something. He could have killed Abel, Snype, and Raz, but he didn't. You don't kill assets."

Obsidian closed his eyes, "... I think... he's after something else. He could have also captured them or broken them. That's what Penance talked about when they came back from that gamble. That the destruction saint was to break them. Think about it.." He looked at Guardia, "Out of the blue a powerful megad up Sableye and another warrior come to free a friend. They have no idea Gabriel is there. Why didn't he capture Snype at least and use his powers to turn him to his side? He lost James, yes, but would have the king of thieves under his control. He's powerful, very powerful. Powerful enough that he could have easily captured Snype. If the other legendaries are running in fear of him you know he can easily take out a mega evolved pokemon. So whatever he was here for didn't relate to any of us..." He tapped his chin, "Is anyone missing? Like, important mon? Anyone from Beautruce?"

"Not that I know of," Guardia answered with a shake of her head. "But, I think you might be right. He was definitely here for something. I think he could have killed them there, yeah. But he didn't. And he did it for a reason. Before Beatruce, he didn't know about Cresselia. Now, he probably does. Which means if his strategy changed, he either hasn't show it, or it didn't affect him yet much. Maybe... maybe that's an advantage we can keep pushing. Him underestimating us."

"I don't think that's it. He's been trying to hunt down the Watcher to probably kill him. It would mean no Cresselia, which means no way for him to lose. If he were so confident in himself, he wouldn't even bother hunting the Watcher down. He would be putting his efforts into other things than by finding one lone mon and killing them. Not only that, but from the prisoners I interrogated none of them knew about the Watcher. Which means he's keeping it secret among his own troops. Making sure none of them know about it except for a select few. I think that's a bit of caution on his part there. Maybe that's it? Maybe he was trying to search here as well for the Watcher?"

"Yeah, that could be it," Guardia agreed. "If there's no Watcher, there's no Cresselia, which means what we're doing would be pointless... I really wish we knew where the Watcher was... or who... damn it."

"Here's a better question... given Darkrai was released, why didn't this Watcher come to us? Why didn't her or she come to Valkaria or some other place and tell us about Gabriel, or even give us a bit of a heads up? I mean, I doubt the Watcher's epic plan for life is 'get killed by Darkrai and ensure the Guardians die out forever'. It just... it doesn't make sense to me. I think that could be what Gabriel is after. This Watcher HAS to have told someone about what he or she is doing, or at least has friends. That's where we start. Find out whoever are friends with them."

Guardia shrugged. "Gabriel is looking for the Watcher, so that means he doesn't know where he is, right?" Guardia asked rhetorically. "Do you really think he or she would come out of hiding and risk getting found? At least, that's my thinking. I personally don't think they have any friends. Makes it easier to be found, right?"

"Then how do we find them? Gabe has to have some knowledge about them. After all, this Watcher selected him. We know that the Watcher isn't like other Guardians and can't be reborn, so this is the same one. Gabe knows who the Watcher is, but doesn't know WHERE he is. Probably he has a good description of a species or of other traits for those who are hunting him down. Instead of friends... we intercept his guys. No one would expect us to go after the hunters. That's how we find the Watcher. Go after those who have the information on what they want to find."

"That might work, actually," Guardia agreed as she tapped her chin. "Yeah, go after his. But where? Here in Beatruce? Or somewhere else?"

"Beatruce... no. He was here personally looking for them. I thought of this. I heard from Scar about some mon looking around in Tollen. One was one of those prior gold tribe members. What we do is find him, and get the info from him. You all are too tired, but I need to lead this now. If we don't find anything in Tollen, then we go to Anatellia, and other places. The plus is that it doesn't matter if this info gets out. Gabe already has this info on his side. What we have to be careful about is the location itself. If we can find one of the hunters and get the info, then we'll be in the clear. That's where I ask for your help. Where SHOULD I go?"

"Hmm..." Guardia pondered for a moment. "Well that book said the Watcher was the Guardian of nature and forests right? So Tollen IS forests. Maybe somewhere there...?"

"But that's the problem. Gabe knows who the mon is. That's the mind game I can't get over. If Gabe knows him, and knows where he's usually found, then wouldn't he want to avoid his usual spots? I can assume that Gabe knows the basics about him. So... wouldn't he go to someplace where he wouldn't be found as easily?"

"Maybe," Guardia agreed. "But there are forests everywhere in the world. Can Gabriel really be able to search through EVERY single one?" She shook her head. "I doubt it. But either way, I'd say go wherever the enemy is looking. Try to see what we can find out from them, and go from there. That's what we should do."

"The base place to start would be Tollen then. We know they went through there at least, so that can be a good start. And we have a description of the mon who's looking around. So that helps more. I want to get on this as fast as possible. You all can take three weeks to rest, but if we take three weeks to wait to take action with this... well... it might be too late by then. Gabe will certainly have a full month of not only knowing where to look, but also being able to scale down his search radius." Obsidian sighed, "We can't rest with this, Guardia. Cause even if we find Cress' soul, what then if the Watcher is killed?"

Guardia ponded again for a moment, before she sighed. "Well, we're in no position to move right now, not with Snype like this but... if you want to try this, on your own, you might be able to. Are you up for it?"

Obsidian slowly nodded, "Yeah. You all go in heavy and loud. We'll go in quiet. How do you track prey? Make sure the prey doesn't know you're there. We need to contact Tollen, but make sure that only a few know we are there. We have no idea if spies are still in the cities, or among the soldiers. The very least, they shouldn't know the real reason we are there. Cause once the prey finds out, that's it. Given they are former Gold Tribe, they would no doubt know how to hide or cover their tracks from us."

"Not to mention the fact that if they are Gold Tribe, they're gonna be tough," Guardia added with a hint of sadness in her voice. She brushed it off and continued. "You have to be careful."

"Our strength will be our stealth, in hiding in the shadows." He said with a nod, "They could kill us easily, that I know. That's why we have to stealth it from the very beginning. Still... I don't want to come back unless I find something, anything. I want at least one shred of information that can point us in the right direction." He smiled weakly, "So yeah... that's it. Someone will take over for now in the fort, but I need to do something at least."

Guardia nodded. "My Gold Tribe will handle the fort in the meantime, don't worry. Good luck, Obsidian."

"Oh, um, one other thing." Obsidian frowned, "There is that attack coming onto Albia, right? The prisoner said that it was originally stated by an Agent. We have an Agent here now. Would James know anything about it? If it's something big, then it's not something that would be made in a week or so. It would be something that would be planned for a long time, right?"

"Hmm, about the attack?" Guardia asked. "Maybe, might be worth asking him about, if you wanted to. Since he works for Snype, he should spill anything he knows."

Obsidian gave a nod, "I'll go ask then. If it's anything serious I'll make sure to let you know. Um... thanks and all."

~~~

Finding the Blaziken wasn't all that hard, thankfully. He stuck out like a sore thumb and most of the city folk had seen him walking about. He was actually practicing some kicks on a few tree trunks when Obsidian made his way over, "Hello, James." He said, "I had a question for you, if you have the time to answer."

"Shoot," James muttered as he knocked at the tree trunk with large force, cracking it apart with each fresh kick he placed.

"First... I wanted to apologize for how I acted. And I'm wanting to do better, which is why I'm going to be going away for a bit on a mission. But before I go... you heard about that attack on Albia as well as the news that something big is coming to Valkaria. Judging by how the prisoner worded it, this big thing seems very big. Something that wasn't hobbled together in a week or a month or so. I'm wondering, do you know anything about that? Given an agent was talking about it to another agent, it would appear as if the agents themselves know about it."

James stopped kicking at the tree and glanced over to Obsidian with his good eye. "That's not specific enough for me to know what they could have been talking about. But if I had to guess, I think I know what it means."

"Aaaand, it means?" Obsidian asked.

"When Gabriel first recruited me, first recruited any of the Agents I'm guessing, he told me something very specific," James explained. "It begins in Valkaria, he said. He told me he was looking for something, or someone, and when he got it, he'd bring it to Valkaria. Then he said: the New World begins there. You're probably wondering where he's been all this time. My guess is, he's been looking for a few things, the Watcher being one of them. As well as this. And my guess is, he's found that thing he was looking for. Now that he has, my guess is, he's bringing it to your home."

Obsidian was silent for a bit, "... So what? It's over?" He finally asked. "He's been trying to birth this new world. Does that mean we've lost now? Once he births the new world, that's it, isn't it?"

"Nah, I wouldn't say so. If it were over, you'd know," James answered. "But he's close now. You think all this chaos, all this that's he's doing is random?" He asked rhetorically. "No, my guess always was that he was building up for something. And he almost has it now. Now there's just a few loose ends. Once he gets those out of the way, he'll be ready. You're all running out of time."

"Well it would help to know what he's after!" Obsidian snapped. "But we can't even have that!" He gripped at his forehead, "What's even the point of this? Even if he makes a blasted perfect world it's going to have its problems! For crying out loud, nothing is perfect! Everyone's going to find something to fight about. It always happens! It's just in our nature! What's the f**king point!?" He rubbed at his temples, "... I don't know what to do. I thought to go after the Watcher, but what's the point if it won't help? What's the point if he already births his world?"

"Go whine somewhere else, will you?" James asked as he turned back to the tree. "He can't bring his new world in until he gets the Watcher. Even if he does bring in his 'big thing'."

Obsidian stared at him, "... If this new world is born. Everything you know, everyone know know and love, every friend, every thing that you've known will be gone. That everything you've done doesn't matter anymore? That all of the time you spent becoming who you are never mattered? Because all of it is reset? That this whole life was meaningless? ... Aren't you at least a bit scared of that?"

"No," James answered simply as he kicked the tree again. "I'm already a dead 'mon."

Obsidian sighed, "You don't have to be. This world... this world is ours. It's everyone's. It's far from perfect, but we made it that way over time. Resets are nice, but in the end, the same mistakes will happen. The reason why we haven't repeated as many is because we look back on history and correct our mistakes from our experiences. With those experiences gone we have nothing to learn from. And if we have nothing to learn form then how many years pass before everyone is back at this spot?"

"And why should I care about any of that?" James asked as he hit the trunk of the tree again.

"Because... this is your world too. And you have that inner fire that all fire types have. I've seen it before. You actually cared back there in that meeting! I saw it before I left. Deep down you want this world to continue on. You've been here so long and it's home to you. You have so many accomplishments on your shoulder, James. And you did that without the need of a reset. You did that because this world shaped you to be the best you could be."

James snorted. "You really have no idea what you're talking about, do you kid?" He asked as he stopped kicking the tree trunk and looked over to him. "Tell me about my accomplishments." He demanded of the Weavile as he crossed his arms.

Obsidian took in a deep breath, "Well... from what I've heard about Karn, only the toughest mon in their country can become generals, and here you are a general over one of their armies still. Just by leaving the country for a bit it tells me that you're so powerful than everyone else in Karn won't replace you. It tells me that you're a very strong mon and anyone who challenges you, save probably the other generals, would be creamed by you. I have also heard of the squaler conditions at Karn, so simply surviving up to your current age also says that you're resilient. Disease and even other mon trying to attack you wasn't enough to kill you. Since you were selected as an Agent, it also means you were stronger than the other generals, enough so that Gabriel chose you to join his army. And since you can even use a Mega Stone, something that very few can even hope to achieve, it means that you have a strong sense of willpower. You won't bend over backwards simply because someone tells you that you aren't able to do something. You prove them wrong. And since you're still alive despite already using your mega stone a few times, it means you have some fight left in your bones. So, your achievements are as follows. General of Karn, managing to actually survive to adulthood in Karn, Prior Agent within Darkrai's army, One of the very few Mega Stone users on the face of the planet, resilient in refusing to die despite multiple mega stone uses and having practically everything in your country probably trying to kill you at one point or another, and also being a tactician who knows through years of experience how to properly lead an army. There are probably even more things about your background I don't know. Things like maybe your parents dying and you having to survive all on your own, or probably contracting a disease that killed every single mon who was touched by it but you managing to survive despite it all. I can't say that I know your whole history, because that would be
lying, but I know just a bit just by hearing you speak. I know just a bit by seeing how you carry yourself. You're one mon who won't back down from any challenge. And I can learn plenty more about the current you. Would you really want to throw all of that away for a chance at a reset? Or would you rather want to stand tall with everything life has thrown at you and live a few more years on this imperfect place we call home?"

James quietly observed the Weavile in front of him as he spoke. When Obsidian concluded, James stared a few more seconds at the 'mon, before he smirked. "Heh... you're alright, kid. You're not right, but that was a good speech," The Blaziken turned from the Weavile and back toward the tree. "If you would have said that speech to a 'mon that fit the bill, they probably would have been sold... the fact of the matter is," He explained as he knocked the tree a few more times, crunching and blasting it apart with each ferocious kick. "I have an addiction."

"To what?" Obsidian asked.

"Power," James replied as he struck once more on the tree, the hit causing the bark to rip apart from its base and finally topple over. James glanced at the destroyed log and relaxed. "See, I hate Darkrai. But I also love him. He's given me what I crave, to the highest extent a 'mon can have it. A Mega Stone, and the ability to not use it once or twice like most 'mon can, but continuously. Snype just got a taste for it, but he'll want to do it again. But unlike me, he can only maybe use it three times before he bites the bucket. Me? I'm at fifteen now. And I can keep going. This isn't because I'm somehow more stronger than anyone else. It's because Gabriel did it for me. He showed me it," James snorted. "Course, he didn't tell me about the fine print till after," He looked up and down his arm, clenching it slightly as he continued to explain.

"Every day, I wake up and cough up a gallon of blood. Every day, I sit up to the most extreme pains possible. My body is constantly in pain. My insides are in the shape a terminal patient would be in. Every step I take sends the same level of pain flooding through me as someone freshly breaking a bone. I would wish this pain upon no one, even my worst enemies. And in the end.." He reached into a pouch lying on the ground, where his Mega Stone resided. He lifted it up. "This all makes it worth it. This power. I love Darkrai for giving this to me. But I also hate Darkrai for giving this to me. Why I fight, why I go on, is so I can continue to use this power, test it on the strongest foes possible. You think the money means anything to me? It's an excuse, a way to justify me using it. No, I didn't join your side because I cared, Weavile. I did it because I saw potential. When Gabriel approached me, he told me he would give me what I want. Power, and those to use it on. He's given me the first, but I found myself lacking in the second. Until I saw that you and yours had that potential to grow more powerful. So I left his side to help yours. So that you can reach that level. So that you can become powerful."

"That reminds me of the Aipom's Paw." Obsidian chuckled a bit, "Sorry... it just sound so much like it. It's a book we have in Valkaria. Basically five short stories about these various mon who find this tied up rope resembling an Aipom's Paw. It has the power to grant wishes, but twists them about. Like, one of the stories is about this father who was poor. He found the paw and wished for one million coins to provide for his family. No one thought about where that money came from. While he and his family are sleeping in their new house the slavers that money was taken from arrive and capture his daughters. They kill his wife, cut off his flesh, and light him on fire along with all his possessions. Another was about a sister wishing for her dead sister to be brought back to life. She came back to life, but still bore her dead body. She screamed every day in pain for the next year before the living sibling finally suicided, not able to stand the screaming or the sight of her sister anymore."

He sighed, "That's going to happen to everyone his side, isn't it? He promised every soldier something. And when he comes to power... just think about it. With the Watcher dead NO ONE will be able to so much as hurt him. He'll be king. He can do whatever he wants, and when he grants those promises it doesn't matter if he makes the granted promises end up less than favorably than what everyone was expecting. And when people complain... well, that's all they will be capable of doing. Complaining. And unlike the world now where unliked mon can be killed and someone can be brought to power in their place there won't be that luxury." He sat down on one of the stumps with a sigh, "They want to think that he'll be nice to them and all, but why should he? It's like they say, absolute power corrupts absolutely."

James shrugged. "Hell if I know. Hell if I care," He concluded.

Obsidian chuckled a bit, "I guess..." He looked at the Blaziken, "So... can I ask for you help with this? Do you know anything about who the Watcher is? Because right now the most powerful guy on the planet is Darkrai, and that's another achievement you can put down. Taking down a god who was in his prime."

James shook his head. "I'm not strong enough to beat Darkrai. And I never will be. As for the Watcher, I don't know who he is or where he is. But if I were you, I wouldn't look for him."

"Then... what should I do?" Obsidian asked. "You've been on this planet and through crazier shit than I have. So I think it's alright to trust your judgement."

"Kill the 'mon that are looking for him," James replied.

Obsidian blinked at that, "... I never would have thought of that." Obsidian murmured, "Hey, thanks for that idea. It'll be far simpler than trying to get the information and everything. Let me ask one more thing before I go. Do... Do you think I have chance to become better? You know, with the whole leading thing."

"Don't know, don't care," James answered. "You're young, most 'mon get better with experience. Hey, if you do end up going through with this, ask Snype if I could go help kill them. I don't want to end up sitting around here for three weeks, and these 'mon actually sound like they could be tough."

"They are. They are former Gold Tribe according to reports." Obsidian stated, "And yeah, I can ask him. As long as you don't mind traveling with a bunch of Enforcers. Thanks again."

 

[SV]

Building the Counter-strike

"... and that basically sums it up," Guardia concluded as she talked through the Network Point to the holographic images of Queen Aleena, Lord Marrow, and Lord Durania, as Lia floated by her side. She had spent the better part of the evening explaining all of the events that happened to them in Beatruce. She figured it would be good of them to learn that the plague that affected them in Tollen had permanently been put away. Also, she figured it would be a good opportunity for Lia and the Queen to meet.

"I see," Lord Marrow commented, as he glanced at the giggling, floating Lia beside Guardia. "It is good the plague is once and for all destroyed… I am a bit surprised that this… one is another source of Cresselia's power, however. Are you certain of this?"

"One-hundred percent," Guardia replied. "She's got some amazing abilities. I know she seems a bit carefree but… trust me, Lia's the next part we've been looking for."

"Well, I will take your word for it," Lord Marrow shrugged, still appearing not completely satisfied. Guardia glanced from the Slowking lord over to the Queen, who silently observed Lia.

"Your Highness, what do you think?" Guardia asked the Florges curiously. Both Lord Durania and Lord Marrow's eyes turned to the Queen, awaiting her replied. But the young ruler fell silent. She seemed deep in thought.

"Your Excellency?" Lord Marrow asked after a few moments, breaking the silence.

"I would like to talk to Lady Guardia alone for a moment," Queen Aleena stated.

"Your Highness?" Lord Marrow asked, somewhat confused.

"Now, please," She stated a bit more firmly. Guardia was somewhat surprised. Aleena had always seemed quite timid and shy back then in Tollen. She was seeming to get more and more confident, and sure of herself, as time went on. It was good to see. Durania and Marrow exchanged glances and left the holographic projection, leaving just Queen Aleena there.

"Lady Guardia…" Queen Aleena began.

"It's just Guardia, Your Highness," Guardia replied with a smile.

"Guardia… I do not know about all of this."

"All of… what do you mean?" Guardia asked. "About you being Cresselia? I thought we alre-"

"No, no," The Queen answered. "I know of what I am. I have accepted that. I have even accepted that this one may be a piece of that. What I cannot fathom is how I, am to rise and accomplish all of this. Me! It seems… it just seems so ludicrous that you are all depending on me for such a tremendous task, and yet I cannot for the life of me explain how I am to accomplish it."

Guardia listened silently, as the Florges frowned and lowered her head. "Hey, don't worry. We're all here with you. We'll help guide your way. No one is asking you to do this alone."

"To be fair, no one is asking me to do this at all, more like expecting," The Queen joked lightly, a small smile returning to her face. Guardia giggled with her.

"Well… yeah I guess you're right," Guardia answered with a sigh. "Not many want to be in a position like this. A position of power. A position where so many depend on you, where you hold lives in your hands. But so many will die someone who's in that position doesn't act. It's the burden of leadership."

"Is… is this something you have dealt with as well?" The Queen asked curiously.

Guardia nodded. "I don't always like making the tough calls, the bold decisions, but someone has to. It comes with the duty of power. In many ways, that power is more restricting than those under it. It's tough."

"Have you… ever regretted a decision you've made?"

Guardia nodded again. "I have. But I can't look back at them. I can only live with it and keep moving forward. The world doesn't have time to reflect on everything that happened in the past now."

"I… I see…"

Guardia glanced over the Queen as she contemplated. "So, been having any… uh, dreams lately? You know, the voices?"

The Queen looked back up to the Zangoose. "... there have been incidents. Voices… strange visions… I cannot quite describe them. The message continues to repeat… I find it somewhat disturbing sometimes."

"Eh, best not let it get to you," Guardia said dismissively, in an attempt to lighten the situation. "You'll get to understand all this eventually."

The Queen glanced over Guardia and smiled. "I hope so… thank you for everything, La-... Guardia. Thank you for helping me through this. I hope to take the strength you show me and use it when the time comes."

"Hey, no problem, my Queen!" Guardia pipped. "I think when the time does come, you're going to see just how strong you actually are."

Queen Aleena smiled, both to Guardia and to the floating Lia beside her. "The Lords wanted to talk with you as well, Guardia. I will… contemplate on what you've spoken about with me. Farewell!"

"Bye!" Guardia waved as the Queen disappeared from the hologram. The Tollenian Lords soon reappeared on them.

"I trust you had a productive chat," Lord Durania commented to the Zangoose, who nodded. "Well, then allow me to say a few things. First, as you mentioned before, your Watcher business here is fine, go ahead and send your 'mon through. We have informed no one else of the situation, so his presence will go unnoticed. Second, we have received word from the Overseer Julian Oriah from there in Beatruce. Beatrucian Troops have begun to arrive in Argime and across the forests. They will be a huge boost in helping secure out borders from Darkrai's forces."

Lord Marrow concurred. "As such, in honor of our promise, Tollen's regular army is at your disposal, whenever you will need it. When the time comes, Tollen's full might will be behind yours, Guardia." He stated with a nod and smile.

Guardia sighed in relief. "Thank you," She stated to the two of them. "This'll be big for us."

Lord Durania huffed. "Practically, even with the full might of Beatruce and Tollen behind you, your odds against Darkrai's forces with Revoll in the head aren't great. You'll do much better now, but I believe you understand that given Anatellia's current situation, there's only one best option for how to proceed forward."

Guardia nodded and replied. "Karn."

---

"You know, yours is a face I never thought I'd be happy to see," Gaiyo Nyys stated to Guardia through the Network Point projection. He seemed weary, tired. There was a few bruises across his face. But there was something else different about him too to Guardia. A certain sense of maturity and character he didn't have before.

"Good to see you, Gaiyo," Guardia smirked. "How is everything?"

"Not bad considering," He stated. "It was hard in the beginning, fighting a damn war is new to us but… as soon as we got in the thick of things, a lot of 'mon did a lot of growing up. We never knew how inexperienced we were until we had to go through this looks like… heh." He shook his head as he thought of something. "Guess we have your group to thank for that."

Guardia nodded. "How's the war going there?"

"Actually pretty well, as far as wars go," Gaiyo answered. "Well, this is the only one I've been in so far but… anyway, we're using everything we can to throw at the Reverse Kings and Dark Moons. The under-race you won gave us a bunch of support from smaller sects across Anatellia. That definitely gave us a boost in numbers. The Gambler out of the picture also stopped the decline in our numbers, which was good in keeping us with that advantage. Saving that big section in the capital from that Earth Dweller bomb made sure to keep our numbers going too," He explained. His eyes lowered a bit as he thought on.

"If your Weavile and Absol friends before could have recruited Just Root, we would have had even more support though. A bit upset that didn't work out. Having an old, knowledgeable sect like that on our side could have gained us a lot of respectability, maybe some more smaller sects could have seen us in a better light and jumped aboard. I'm also upset that we lost our allied sect Shaymin's Riders. Having them defect and then be taken out... not a good thing. It'll hurt our chances. Having Francis die in the trial was a huge blow too. He was well liked, and a good leader. Could be a blow to morale. But... in the end, we did take Roxanna out of the picture too, which was a big win. Having her at the head of the Dark Moons could have proved disastrous. Overall… we've been winning," He grinned. "The Reverse Kings are getting punished left and right. And without Roxanna leading them, the Dark Moons are getting pushed back. We're not going to come out without bruises, but we're going to win this thing. And when we do, we'll come and bail you guys out too. That's a promise."

Guardia grinned and nodded. "Looking forward to it."

 

[Megaman765]

Snype and Obsidian- Wasted Cash
​

Obsidian made his way down the hallway, thinking a lot on what his speech should consist of. For help he brought along some cue cards with the major points lined out, just in case he forgot something. Given his last meeting with Snype back at the town hall, he wanted to get in, and get out quick. He took in a deep breath and knocked on the door, "Snype, I request a meeting." Obsidian called out with a formal tone.

"Yeah sure come on in. Shoot away." Snype simply said, He was still in his bed but he could at least move more or less.

Obsidian pushed the door open and kept his head leveled. He made his way to the ghost's bed, "As the head of the Enforcers, I am here to request that James travels with us to Tollen starting this week. I am unsure how long we will be gone, but the mission we are preparing for is to hunt down those from Darkrai's side who seek the mon known as the Watcher. He's expressed interest in doing something these next few weeks, so he and I figure it wouldn't hurt if he accompanied my group."

"...A week? I guess I will still be sitting around bed and I sure don't want the money to go to waste with him sitting here. At least... what money I have left anyways." Snype said with a sigh. "I not gonna beat around the bush, but I only got a few more week until I'm dead broke. That also means the thieves are going to collapse without funds. I can spare James for this week but..." Snype crossed his arms. "We gotta figure something out. I'm pretty sure James dosn't even use our money. Hell he threw it all in a lake or probly threw it in a crowd at arceus knows where." Snype said.

"Um..." Obsidian squirmed a bit there, "I... sort of had a conversation with him about that. Well, a lot of things, really."

"Really? Hell tell me what went down. If theres a way I can avoid losing more money that would be the greatest news I'd hear in the past weeks." Snype replied.

Obsidian thought at that, "I will tell you... if you promise me two things." He took in a deep breath, "I know your thieves are down on your luck right now, and I'm sorry to hold this over you, but I need your promise Snype. I need to know with full certainty that if I tell you what James told me, that you'll agree to what I ask."

Snype stared Obsidian down a moment. "...A week you said right? Well I guess he'll have to come back and fetch his cash somehow. Keh. But sure. I'm alright with this. I'll still have time to figure out what to do with him." Snype said.

Obsidian's hands slowly curled into fists as he stared back at the Sableye, "I said this week we would be going, but as to how long we remain out... I don't know. The thing is, if the Watcher is found, we all lose. I will say this much as to what James told me. Darkrai needs two things to win. He needs the Watcher, and he needs something else. And judging by what I found out from the prisoners we interrogated, he found the second item on the list. If these mon are still looking for the Watcher, they'll find him. And we all lose. So, it's up to you, king of thieves. Do you want to hear what else James told me, which will help with your money troubles, or will you rather the Watcher be found? It's up to you here now."

Snype seemed deep in thought about to approach the situation. "...ugh, if he's away and I can't get in contact with him, then the thieves are finished. I can't have that. But I can't have Darkrai winning either. If I just had a way to convince him to stop blowing my cash then this wouldn't be so difficult. No thieves means no ninjask network and no support from underground channels. I'd basicly just be another Sableye." Snype said before shaking his head. "So Darkrai thinks the Watcher is in Tollen huh? I wonder just how sure he really is... I mean, what kind of mon is the watcher anyways?"

Obsidian silently stared at the Sableye for a bit, "... Well? Do you accept my offer? Or do you want your thieves to disintegrate?" Obsidian asked.

"Tsk, well the knowledge is more valuble to me then anything. I'd still have time to chat with him. At the very least I can sorta move my legs. In that case, yeah. You can send him. But I need to discuss the funds issue with him sometime before you all go on your hunt." Snype layed his head back. He knew this was a stupid idea blowing more of his cash like this. If they were gone for another four weeks then his entire organization would be finished.

"... Snype, you can solve this here and now. I'll put this in perspective, since you're so stubborn. Give me your word and I'll give you a handy solution with how to deal with him. One last chance, and if you want me to go find him... then fine. And you'll miss out."

"Fine. You have my word. This better be darn good though. I'm taking a huge gamble on you and right now and I really don't feel like going on tilt while I'm stuck in bed." Snype stated.

Obsidian took in a deep breath, "I'll hold you to that. ... He doesn't care about the money. Never has. Darkrai's messed with his body, and he can go mega as many times as he wants to. He only cares about power, and that's why he joined our side. He saw potential for us to become powerful. He never cared about your money, but he used that aspect to assert power over you. Now, for my demands. I have a plan baking right now. I'm not sure if it'll work, but if it does I'll need every body loyal to you to help me out with it. Secondly, I'll be heading to Valkaria after I'm done in Tollen, if everything goes well. I'm going to be defending Albia as best as I can. I won't be of any help in Karn, I know that much, but I'll need the full cooperation of the thieves guild in Valkaria to protect it. Understood?"

"Hold on, first of all, yeah yeah the thieves will help and all but never cared about money?" Snype said as he sloooowwwlllyyyy sat up and leaned in closer to Obsidian. "Obsidian. Words cannot express the feelings going through my head right now. Here I thought he was just tossing it all to hide it but I've been losing the power of my thieves just because he wanted to feel justified it was worth it or something?" The Sableye gave off a tiny laugh. "OOhhhhhhhhhh! I'm gonna kill him, or do whatever a boss does to his employees. All that gold! Wasted! Okay maybe not entirely wasted but you know!" Snype panted a bit heavily after his rant. "...Sorry uh... yeah defending Albia? The thieves got you there. But if now the matter with James. If he still intends to take my money and just throw it away then I will seriously have a problem."

The Sableye slowly got out of his bed and stoof on his two feet. He was still weakened, but he wasn't about to lay in bed while he got this off his chest. "Tsk... he wants Power right? If he joined us because he saw potential in us then maybe we should prove ourselves to him. Or something, I dunno, whatever keeps him from ripping the thieves apart!"

Obsidian stared at the Sableye with a raised brow, "And what are you going to do? Fight him? At this point he's looking to use his power on those he considers worthy opponents. The people we're hunting down are Gold Tribe who turned to Darkrai's side. Who are powerful opponents. What you need to do is keep him entertained, and that starts with not letting him lounge around for three weeks doing nothing at all."

"Well of course I"m not gonna have him sit around and do nothing? If he wants entertainment? Then I'll give him entertainment. If I have to make freakin Cal fight him on a daily basis then I will. Hell, I'll outright have our group challenge him! That's how it works in Karn right? He's a Karn General, he'd be all over that!" Snype shouted.

Obsidian flinched a bit at the yelling, "... I see that you're not in a great mood after that, so I'll take my leave." He gave a small nod, "Pleasure doing business and all." Obsidian was quick to make his way to the door and depart, glad that he wasn't the cause of the Sablye's yelling, at least, not primary cause.

"Wha? No! Hey I'm serious here!" Snype shouted out to him before he ended up leaving. "Geez... I wasn't lying. If I have to fight to gain his companionship for free then I will. I won't have him assert power over me." Snype said to himself before crawling on back to bed.