[PKMN FULL] The Age of Heroes [IC]

[Ray Maverick]

Durand

"Oh, goodness," Durand said, seeing Reginald fight and get hurt. He had faith in his apprentice, so he hung back and watched him idly.

The ruins around him shook with power as the Alakazam blew the Houndoom back with a psychic technique that looked like it fried his brain out right. The dark type rolled on the ground, where he stayed. Durand was about to face Reginald, but then his eye caught something on top of a high, broken column. He slowly raised his head, his eyes focusing on the tall, dark figure. Black robes concealed its feline body features, while a hood hid its head in darkness. Only a single left eye, a shining emerald jewel, stared back at him as it balanced its body on the tip of the broken column.

An eerie feeling engulfed Durand, who felt the pulsing, dark power of the Pokemon from where he was standing. He stood stunned, trying to comprehend what he was seeing. This power... is unfathomable, he concluded. In two seconds, the tall figure melted away into shadows: Murkrows that flew away into the sky.

The Xatu Elder took two steps towards the broken column. "Did you see that, Reginald?" he asked, his voice shaking.

Ser Mantarys, the Crimson Captain
​

Looking up, he saw Mount Aegis piercing through the clouds. The gates of the Sanctum of the Original One were at the very foot of the mountain, at the end of the bridge they were just crossing. His boot crushed a rock beneath his immense weight as he walked, the mercenaries of the Crimson Company following behind him faithfully. All of them were wearing the black band with the red heart, the symbol of the mercenary group. On some of them, the name Crimson Company was carved as tattoos on various parts of their bodies.

Ser Mantarys took his dark eyes from the clouds to look beneath the bridge. Black abyss was the trench that circled the mountain; he could see the bottom through the dark, a pile of useless rocks. This trench was once filled with the holy water that was falling down from the Sanctum, before the Seal. Before the Water Plate was bloody removed, Ser Mantarys reflected. He now fixed his gaze upon the immense gates of the Sanctum. They were made of stone and they had drawings carved over them; all the Paragons were adorned there in convincing stone figures, with the Arceus in the middle. Looking at Him, Ser Mantarys's face broke in a wide, mean grin, thinking that they all believed in a unicorn of sorts with sixteen magical rocks floating about Him.

"Ser Rys," somebody called him from the group, "the gates are sealed. There's no way in."

Ser Mantarys thundered the one who spoke with a death stare, forcing him to look down quickly. "Bugger the gates. I decide if they are truly sealed or not." He turned to look at the massive, stony gates. He was an extremely tall Pokemon for a Krookodile, at least six feet tall, much taller than any of his own kind, but the gates of the Sanctum were thrice his size. And he was proud of his size. He owed his promotion to his size; King Aion managed to see him in the crowd of the Crimson Company and pick him as a candidate for a tourney of his. Oh, Ser Mantarys had fought with such ferocity that he was promoted to a Crimson Captain after a series of victories, while he earned his knighthood and the title 'Ser' that went along with it. He had sworn to protect the innocent, but the very thought made him crackle with laughter at how hypocritical the knight's vows were.

The gates were surely sealed, he judged. "Open the gates," he ordered, as if that was a simple task. Two Rhydons of the mercenaries' vanguard walked through the marble path. They looked up to the stony gates of the Sanctum, then started pushing, but they remained unyielding.

"They won't budge, Ser Rys," one of the Rhydons complained.

"The mountain is bound with spells, I swear," somebody else behind him said. Ser Mantarys didn't care enough to look who it was. If he ever did, that somebody would be dead.

"No wonder we can't teleport to the peak--"

"All of you, shut the bloody holes you call mouths and push the gates open," Ser Mantarys rasped, feeling his temper rise. Every time he was angry, the blood pumped in his head brought him headaches, which made him twice as violent. His subordinates knew better than to disobey an order when he was in this state.

Almost all the Pokemon that belonged in the vanguard of the Crimson Company headed to the gates and started pushing and tackling. A vain attempt. Saliva was slowly dripping from the edge of Ser Mantarys's underjaw as he watched them. He could not abide standing idle when Elder Durand and the power of Area 52 was on their trail, and these gates were blocking their way. If they did not push past them soon, they would be forced to fight... he did not want it to come to that so soon. Not before they infiltrated the Sanctum.

He suddenly jerked around, sensing a dark presence. It was standing behind him, cloaked from head to toe in a black robe, concealing his everything, almost as tall as him. A Murkrow with perfectly round red eyes was sitting on his shoulder. Under the hood, only a bright left green eye was showing. As always, there was an ominous aura about his person, as if there was something horribly wrong with him. Oh, he was no normal Pokemon, Ser Mantarys could figure as much. But they were both serving the King, so he had to bear him.

"Look here, mates. The Stranger," Ser Mantarys announced out loud, turning to the hooded Pokemon, who was truly a stranger, "you're late, Stranger. Were you getting your kicks off of slowing that fool of an Elder?" the Krookodile slapped his knee and held his gut, breaking in a rough laughter that echoed in the walls of the trench. Some of his men found it appropriate to laugh as well, though their laughter was biased. None of them seemed to be in a laughing mood when the Stranger was around. After they challenged him to mess with the two rangers from Area 52 that had appeared in the ruins last night, they had seen how he dealt with his prey. The rangers got eaten by Murkrows. A whole flock of them, popping out of nowhere and devouring the two small Pokemon with such ferocity that even Ser Mantarys was impressed. The Stranger's hysterical laughter convinced him, too. He was truly serving the King, despite the mercenaries doubts.

The Stranger stared at him in silence, until the Crimson Captain's raspy laughter quelled down. Then, he turned at the gates. The mercenaries were still trying to push them open with no luck.

"Blow them up," the Stranger told Ser Mantarys quietly, disturbingly casually. The Murkrow on his shoulder screeched the same three words for all to hear. "Blow them up, blow them up, blow them up." The Krookodile blinked at his suggestion, then turned at his men.

"You all heard the bird, didn't you?" he shouted, his voice echoing in the abyss below the bridge. "Bring the Electrodes and bugger these bloody gates to bloody pieces!"

One of the Pokemon stepped towards him in protest; it was a Quagsire, with the black band of the Crimson Company fastened around his fat neck. "Ser! You cannot mean this! This is the resting place of Arceus... it would be disrespect. I will not do it."

Ser Mantarys always moved quicker than anyone anticipated. He grabbed the Quagsire's head with a hand and pressed it in. Before the Pokemon could scream or wail, his head was smashed in by the Krookodile's immense claws. Blood in hand, he kicked the lifeless body away and stared down at his men, who looked at him in distressful silence.

"COME ON! Question me again! I will have your heart carved out and eaten in front of you," Ser Mantarys screamed at them, his saliva flying in every direction. His head was pounding with rage. He turned behind him, at the Pokemon who guarded their rear. "Bring the Electrodes, I said, and damn Arceus."

The Pokemon moved quickly, deftly rolling a dozen Electrodes towards the gates, careful to move around the blood pool the Quagsire had left. The explosive Pokemon were asleep - the healers of the mercenary group were giving them potions that induced light narcosis, as not to explode within their ranks. They weren't trained; they were wild Electrodes. No sane Pokemon would use the technique explosion for the sake of anyone. These were slaves, though, and wild as they were, they exploded on provocation. Slavery was forbidden in the Kingdom, even of the wild Pokemon, but King Aion turned a blind eye for his beloved Crimson Company.

The others backed off to the bridge as a Magmar was about to lit the fuse, figuratively. He shot two trails of fire at the round Pokemon, who woke up from the pain. Ser Mantarys watched unsmiling as they started shining in a blinding white light, which indicated they were gathering energy. He suddenly glanced at the Stranger, curious to see how he would react. All he saw was his dark, unmoving and eerie figure, and his single left eye fixed on the gates without blinking.

The gates exploded, rubble flying everywhere.

Tsulong

"Yield! I yield," the Luxray shouted after having tried to maneuver Tsulong around.

"Indeed, you do," the Arcanine replied without pity and with a vicious pounce, he stomped his foe, locking him onto the ground. His flaming fangs were dug into his throat, igniting his fur. The Luxray howled from pain at first, his black fur on fire, until his throat was torn off and he could howl no more. Only Tsulong's heavy breathing was heard in the lonely ruins for a few moments. He was leaning over the Luxray's dead body, his jaw and fur bloodied. He ran. But not very fast. Tsulong had gone after him into the ruins, and he had lost Vince behind him.

A sharp sound from far away made him perk up his ears in alert and look in the sky, his pupils dilated. He saw light and smoke from the direction of Mount Aegis, rubble flying high into the sky, leaving trails of smoke. The Sanctum, he thought, starting to panic. Heart thumping in his chest, he jumped to his feet again in an extremespeed dash that would take him to the Sanctum's gates as fast as possible. He sped through the streets, the ruins a blur around him, leaving a cloud of dust behind him as he ran.

Tsulong was standing on the edge of the bridge soon enough, watching the smoke and dust settle down. The explosion had left nothing of the gates and the drawings carved on them; the Paragons had shattered into a thousand pieces. Some had fallen in front of the gates, a miserable sight of more ruins. The Arcanine smirked his eyebrows, disturbed, as he tried to look through the subsiding smoke for possible enemies, but he saw nobody. The gate to the Sanctum is open, the realization hit him. Arceus waits for us at the top, and who knows what the King's dogs intend to do up there. But... I can't go on alone.

Durand popped up next to him in a teleport. He seemed in distress, his eyes shining from the loose power his tears brought. Tsulong looked at him with pity in his own black eyes. "Let's wait for the others," Tsulong suggested to the quiet Elder, who was obviously stricken. Durand did not speak, but Tsulong knew him well enough to know what he was thinking. If the others hadn't slowed him down with questions, we would be the first ones here.
​

​

 

[Xilfer]

Toa the Blackhearted Duke
Fenju Ruins

"So, Hurihen, we meet again," Toa snarled, a malicious grin on his face. The Spiritomb, Hurihen, only stared at him with a blank face. "Toa. You are wanted by the king, alive. We must take you," he said flatly. Toa chuckled as he said this. "No. You will not survive this long enough to take me, Hurihen. Make no mistake about that." Without waiting any longer, Toa charged at Hurihen. The Zoroark ran on all fours at him, readying a Night Slash. Hurihen tried to dodge to the side at the last minute, but Toa predicted this. He knew of Squadron B and their tactics. They always travelled in pairs: one Brute and one Preserver. Shurin was obviously the Brute, with his constant charging and attacking, whereas Hurihen was the Preserver, always trying to defend and preserve himself through strong defences and dodging. Therefore, in mid-charge, Toa began running with two legs, and extended his arms as far as he could to both sides, each arm's claws equipped with a deadly Night Slash. Hurihen, who had drifted to the right, was hit by the outstretched Night Slash and fell to the ground.

For a moment, it seemed as if Hurihen was dead, but Toa knew better than that. He came to a halt and approached the fallen Spiritomb, who got up as quickly as he had fallen when Toa was near, then attacked with an Ominous Wind. The attack didn't do too much damage to Toa, who merely marched on towards the increasingly worried Spiritomb as the attack hit him. The wind disappeared, revealing a snarling Toa ready to lunge at his foe. The Spiritomb drifted backwards, avoiding Toa's attack just in time. Toa landed on the ground with a loud thump, unconscious. Hurihen was confused by this, not expecting the Zoroark to faint so easily. He cautiously approached the fallen hero, inspecting him to see if he was truly unconscious. Indeed, he was. "Now, you shall come with me."

"I don't think so," said a voice behind Hurihen. He quickly turned to find Toa standing there, and before he could react, he was hit with another Night Slash. He fell to the ground in the exact same spot where the unconscious 'Toa' had fallen, to find nothing there. He quickly realized what had happened. "You and your mind tricks, Zoroark! Arceus damn you!" Hurihen shouted, too battered to get up. "That's a dangerous thing to be saying around here, Hurihen," Toa mocked, as he finished the Spiritomb off with one last Night Slash.

Just as he finished the fight, a loud boom resonated throughout. Toa raised his head and sniffed the air in hopes of finding the source. He looked further, in the direction of the mountain, to find smoke rising in the air. He'd seen this kind of explosion before; this was the result of several Electrode using Explosion. But what Pokemon in their right mind would be crazy enough to use such a move...unless...

Then, it all clicked. No Electrode was crazy enough to use Explosion, even a wild one. Therefore, the only possible way that might have happened was if someone had forced them to explode. However, using Electrodes to blow something up was illegal because it was a form of slavery. There was only one band of Pokemon who were actually allowed to conduct such atrocities, and that was only because they were in the king's favour. This band of mercenaries were far more powerful than any of the king's Squadrons, or any other branches of the King's Guard. They were among his favourites, which was why he allowed them to use any methods necessary to achieve their goals. And they were called...

"Pierce!" Toa shouted at his companion. "Kill him quickly, we have bigger problems!" As much as Toa hated to admit it, the Crimson Company were among the strongest Pokemon under the king's command, and a real challenge even for him. They had probably used their Electrode bombs to blow up the gates leading to the Sanctum. His suspicions were affirmed when he arrived at the gates, not having waited for Pierce to follow. There stood the Arcanine, Tsulong, and the Elder, Durand. He approached them slowly, his gaze drifting from them to the ruins of the gate before him. he stopped a few paces ahead of the two. "The Crimson Company..." he muttered simply. He then spoke louder. "I take it you've already met some of the Crimson Company?" He began. "There's more. Squadron B of the King's Guard scours these ruins, and I wouldn't be surprised if we found Squadron A and C too. Stay on your guards."

Toa proceeded into the ruins without another word. He did not care about the others enough to wait for them, nor did he care about Arceus and his damned Sanctum. He wanted to find a member of the Crimson Company and get a real challenge.

 

[Garet]

Faolan the Wicked
Roscoe the Leech
Fenju

~~~~~


Faolan was utterly still as he observed the world differently. It was easier like this, surrounded by artificial buildings. They lacked the life of the forest, the living energy of plants and the residue of other Pokemon. Here there was only stone and the faint echoes of death. It made it much simpler to pick out the pulsing blue auras of living beings. His companions were all easy enough to spot, even if it was difficult to pick out their individual auras when they were close to another.

There was the Arcanine, the Alakazam... But he needed to look away from them. They could handle them-

The sudden appearance of an aura made his tail flicker. The sudden appearance of life in an area previously devoid of such was like a bright glow in the middle of the night to Faolan as he observed the world through aura. He could see only one, incapable of picking out the smaller Pokemon's aura when a much larger, more vibrant one blazed so close nearby. Hmm.

Was this the manner in which the King was transporting his troops, though teleportation? It made sense. It was quick, but taxing to send large groups. It was more likely that the King was sending his more powerful soldiers first and foremost, acting as a vanguard to clear the path. If it was one of the stronger ones, surely it was Faolan's duty to annihilate him.

Luckily, he was fairly close to the Mianshao. A running leap, five seconds of sprinting and other jump across a wide street let him gaze down upon his newfound prey. A Sceptile. Faolan frowned slightly. Sceptile. Unfortunate. Grass, which he had two superpowered moves against, but Sceptile were fast and strong and deadly. Not quite as deadly as he, luckily. Most likely knew Leaf Blade, Giga Drain, and one particularly powerful move- Frenzy Plant if he was unlucky, Solarbeam if he was. Leech Seed if he was cursed by Arceus.

No sign of the teleporter- either this was a very interesting Sceptile, or his teleporter was gone. In which case, it was clearly best to end this as quickly as possible.

Faolan's lithe, limber body moved and shifted, tensing and relaxing his muscles in a Swords Dance before he leaped high into the air, aiming to come down straight on top of the Sceptile in a powerful Acrobatics.

"Well," Roscoe muttered, stretching one last time, "time to--" He paused, his eye twinkling as it Detected something. So soon? The Sceptile stepped to one side, his arm-leaves glowing green as he swung a Leaf Blade at the moment he anticipated his attacker to hit the ground.

Hmm. He was quick, Faolan gave him that. Observant, too. But he moved too swiftly, allowing Faolan to hit the ground and crouch down with that same movement, letting the Leaf Blade pass over his head. At that close range, smaller than his opponent, Faolan held an advantage he didn't want to give up yet. He attempted a U-Turn, aiming to lash his whiplike fur against the Sceptile's torso before executing a neat backspring to put some distance between the Mienshao and the Sceptile.

Not a dummy-head, this one. Roscoe felt his Leaf Blade miss and spun with the momentum, his tail presented to the enemy instead of his torso. He then pushed off with his legs and jumped away, feeling the other Pokemon's whiplike U-turn sting his tail. After a second of dashing, Roscoe skidded to a halt and turned back to face...a Mienshao. Not a slow one, either. Weren't the Fenju ruins supposed to be devoid of life?

His whip connected with the tail, his back handspring putting distance between them. Faolan hardly paused in his movements, wrapping one whip around a flaking, heavy stone that had once been part of a wall and spinning to fling it at the Sceptile, grabbing another and doing the same with the other whip.

The Mienshao kept moving, something Roscoe would need to keep up with. The first stone wasn't exactly fast as light, so he had a few moments to dodge to one side. Close behind it was another stone, though. The Sceptile struck outward at it with both Leaf Blades, reducing the stone to less-harmful pieces of rubble. Need to get on th' offensive, soon.

Hm. The Sceptile was fast, Faolan gave him that. Admiration didn't prevent him from strengthening his muscles further with a Swords Dance, taking the minor break in the action to add more strength to his powerful limbs. The Sceptile's counterattack could provide the breakthrough he needed. With his strength augmented beyond its average extraordinary power and his supereffective attacks, a single strike could turn the battle in his favour.

And, he's lettin' me take it. Trouble, if I can't get close enough t' drain him. The Mienshao would likely see a SolarBeam coming...or would he? Roscoe stood up straight and faced his foe, the six seeds upon his back gathering sunlight. As they did so, the Sceptile began edging closer to the Mienshao, both Leaf Blades up and ready to strike or block.

Faolan watched. This was where he excelled. A Psychic might be a capable thinker or a fortuneteller. A Water type could breathe underwater or swim faster than any land-walker. A Grass-type might be at one with nature, or have the ability to drain health, poison or paralyse. But here... The battlefield was where a Fighting-type truly shone.

Which was why Faolan had a split-second of warning before he leaped to one side, a sizable Machamp landing precisely where the Mienshao had been standing a moment before. The ground shook from the force of his drop, all four fists slamming into the stone where Faolan had stood.

Faolan was much more agile than the Machamp, though, and was quick to leap to a second-story window and gaze down at the Sceptile's reinforcement.

"Only a single soldier to reinforce for the Sceptile? I'm insulted. The king must not think as highly of me as he should." Faolan's mouth turned downwards in mild dissatisfaction, keeping the Sceptile in his peripheral vision.

Roscoe leapt back, somewhat surprised at the Machamp's entrance. Friend or foe? It seemed like the Machamp had been trying to hit the Mienshao, yet at the same time, Roscoe didn't recognize him either.

When the Mienshao spoke, Roscoe cocked his head. "The king?" His yellow eyes blinked, keeping both Fighting-types in his vision. "What're you talkin' about?"

The Machamp, after a second of recuperation, pushed himself back up, smirking. "This is rich," he rumbled. "Sure kept you both occupied, your fight did." The Sceptile was much closer, so the Machamp dashed at him, fists raised. Unfortunately, he didn't account for the fact that Roscoe's seeds had been charging. Moments before the Machamp could reach him, Roscoe opened his mouth and fired a SolarBeam point-blank. On impulse, the Sceptile jumped to one side without waiting, whether anyone had been about to hit him or not.

Interesting indeed. Faolan kept watch on both Pokemon from his high vantage point, paying special attention to the Sceptile and noting the green light that glowed faintly from the seeds on his back. A Solarbeam, eh?

Hmm. Judging from the Machamp's words, as well as the manner in which he was struck at point-blank range by the Solarbeam, it seemed unlikely that the pair were on the same side. Which meant...

"It would seem as though the enemy of my enemy is my friend," Faolan stated laconically. "You are one of we... "heroes," yes?"

Okay, there wasn't another attack incoming, and the Machamp was...briefly out of commission, to put it one way. Roscoe brightened as the Mienshao spoke again. "With Durand? Yeah. I was kinda...late."

The Sceptile's ears caught another sound, and he spun around to face the opposite direction. He caught a glimpse of another Pokemon, in a second-story window across the street from the Mienshao. "Talk later, though, 'kay? Someone's out t' get us, y'know."

Now that the Sceptile was no longer seen as an enemy- not quite, anyway- Faolan relaxed. Slightly. Meaning that instead of keeping his eyes on the Grass-type, the Sceptile was instead kept in his peripheral vision. Late. Really.

Talk later. Of course. Faolan gathered aura in his hands and flung an Aura Sphere at the opposite building. He hadn't expected the responding attack- a Dark Pulse, if he wasn't mistaken, one with enough force behind it to dissipate the Aura Sphere.

Huh.

The world turned blue-black as Faolan read the aura of the surrounding area. A Weavile in the building opposite him. And behind the Sceptile, crouching behind a crumbling wall... A Kabutops.

"Behind you!" he shouted to the Sceptile, not waiting to see if his advice was followed before he leaped through the air, aiming to strike the Weavile.

The Mienshao's warning was well-timed. As the Kabutops leapt out at him, Roscoe spun around to meet the Kabutops' Slash with one Leaf Blade, the other only a second behind in striking the Kabutops' torso. As his foe stumbled back slightly, Roscoe took the moment to get inside its guard and grabbed his shoulders.

"Bad choice," the Sceptile hissed, eyes glinting as his arms glowed green. The Kabutops began struggling fiercely as Roscoe Drained his energy, then tried to "hug" him with his sickles to do some damage. Roscoe let go and pushed the Kabutops away to avoid the worst, ignoring the cuts in his sides as he grinned in delight. "Bad for you, anyway," Roscoe added, tongue flicking out as his cuts faded almost as quickly. The remainder of the energy was directed to the seed that seemed to hang from his neck.

The Kabutops' eyes narrowed - whether in fear or something else, Roscoe wasn't sure - and he turned to escape, his movements sluggish. I'd almost think these aren't th' king's men, if it weren't for th' disadvantage here. Roscoe was almost casual in his movements as he stepped forward in order to strike down the Kabutops with one last Leaf Blade. He wasn't in the mood for another taste of this Pokemon's energy.

Lacing his claws together, Roscoe cracked his knuckles and turned away from the broken body. Unfortunately, in his confidence and easy manner, he hadn't accounted for the fact that the Machamp had recuperated. Only a quick twinkle and a Detect kept Roscoe from receiving the full force of the Machamp's Fire and Ice Punches. Instead, they clipped the Sceptile's side and arm. He retaliated with a Leaf Blade to the chest, upper-left arm's Fire Punch, right arms' Ice Punches, face, face again. Roscoe then brought the full power of his Giga Drain to bear, leaving the Machamp to fall to one knee.

"When you meet the others after this life," Roscoe hissed in an unusually sinister tone, signs of his different burns fading, "tell them the Leech sent you." A Leaf Blade to the neck, and the Machamp showed no further sign of life.

Roscoe's attention was diverted when a sharp boom resonated throughout the area. Wait, that's Mount Aegis, isn't it? Considering the rubble and smoke in the distance, he decided it was more important than finding the Mienshao again. Besides, if the Fighter was at least as good as him, then he'd show up again soon enough.

A short while later, Roscoe slowed to a walk as the bridge to the mountain came into view. Already at the scene of the crime were a Xatu and Arcanine. Roscoe thought he saw the back of a Zoroark before the Dark-type disappeared inside. His gaze returned to the duo; he grinned as his memory clicked. "Durand! Tsulong!" Roscoe called in greeting, approaching the two Pokemon. "Long time, no see?"

Of course, a glance at the destruction of the gates left Roscoe serious and unsmiling. "Should we worry 'bout any more Cyalans out here?"

 

[CourageHound]

Pierce the Cunning Shadow ~ Fenju Ruins

Pierce took a moment to observe his new adversary, however it wasn't long before Shurin the Yanmega fired off a powerful air slash from a distance. Pierce simply outstretched a hand and used psychic to disperse the blade of wind, simply staring at the giant dragonfly. At this the Yanmega charged, its speed seemed to have doubled, lands a solid bug bite upon the ghost. However Peirce, merely shakes the ineffective attack off and takes the opportunity to brutally bash the giant bug with shadow ball from close range. Shurin staggers midair seeming to have taken quite the toll from the attack. The battered bug then decided to shift tactics and used ancient power, craftily using the fallen stones of the ruins, to attack the Gengar from all directions. Pierce then swiftly went about evading the ridiculous amount boulders being hurled at him, some he skillfully drifted by, others he demolished with Focus Blast. "Your a bothersome one", Pierce said closing in, and slams the Yanmega down to the earth below with psychic energy.

"Why don't you juzzzzt give up, and I'll spare your life? This doezzznt even involve you!", uttered the quavering voice of the Yanmega; obviously in an act of desperation. Shurin's compounded frantic eyes scanned for some kind of esccape route.

"Honestly, you're in no position to bargain with me.", Pierce said bluntly. Just then, the Gengar turned his head to hear a frantic call from his partner; "Pierce!" Toa shouted at his companion. "Kill him quickly, we have bigger problems!"

Upon seeing Pierce turn away, the Yanmega struggled with pain and charged again with night slash, aiming to finish him. Not to be taken by surprise again, the bug didn't make it far before Pierce had struck him back down with a jagged thunderbolt, the electricity sizzling his wings beyond repair. Pierce then quickly finished him off with a shadow ball. Pierce then quickly caught with Toa who had failed to wait for him and hastily ran off to the Sanctum. However Pierce was the faster of the two and was able to regroup with Toa in no time. The Zoroark then filled him in on what the Zoroark interpreted from the explosion of electrodes on their way to the Sanctum. "The Crimson Company...", Pierce repeated to himself. Doesn't sound like a friendly bunch of Pokemon. Upon reach the entrance, they were met by Tsulong and Durand. Toa was the first to speak.

He approached them slowly, his gaze drifting from them to the ruins of the gate before him. he stopped a few paces ahead of the two. "The Crimson Company..." he muttered simply. He then spoke louder. "I take it you've already met some of the Crimson Company?" He began. "There's more. Squadron B of the King's Guard scours these ruins, and I wouldn't be surprised if we found Squadron A and C too. Stay on your guards."

Toa then proceeded hastily within the structure, not intending to wait on anyone...as usual. Pierce look worriedly at Durand and Tsulong then glanced back at the old Sanctum. "...I'm going in with him to make sure he doesn't get himself killed.", Pierce said finally and flew into the temple after his impatient companion, not waiting for a response from either the Arcanine or Xatu.

 

[Ray Maverick]

Tsulong

Tsulong observed as the one called the Blackhearted Duke walked slowly towards them. It was clear he had just been through a fight; probably every hero had some trouble in the ruins. Tsulong hoped everyone was alright. He had a feeling they would need everyone from their group of heroes up ahead.

"The Crimson Company..." the Zoroark muttered, and Tsulong nodded in agreement, before Toa spoke louder. "I take it you've already met some of the Crimson Company?" He said. "There's more. Squadron B of the King's Guard scours these ruins, and I wouldn't be surprised if we found Squadron A and C too. Stay on your guards."

"The main force of the Crimson Company ought to have progressed further to the inner ruins," Tsulong assumed, but Toa did not wait for the others.

The Gengar Tsulong recognized as Pierce arrived. He seemed rather concerned. "...I'm going in with him to make sure he doesn't get himself killed." Good call, brother, Tsulong thought to himself. If not for the situation, he would be hiding a faint smile in his fur.

Pierce followed Toa past the gates into the inner circle of ruins that was the perimeter of Mount Aegis. This ring of inner ruins was surrounded by the trench, which was so big it was impossible for any Pokemon who could not fly to cross. Only flying Pokemon had ever gotten inside those ruins. Durand had once told him that the gates, which could not be climbed or violated, held those who did not believe in Arceus from going into the inner ruins around the Sanctum. The most faithful of Fenju were granted the privilege of progressing further; these ruins were the temples they built to earn His favor. The gates were probably the only stones that were left untouched after the Seal; now they lay in ruins, allowing any heretic to walk right through.

Thinking of this, he turned at Durand, feeling his uneasiness. "Grandpa, it'll be alright," he said in a mild tone, "I like to think the heroes will truly prove to be heroes."

The Elder simply nodded, staring at the cloud that concealed the peak of Mount Aegis all the time.

Looking at the ruins beyond the gates, Tsulong realized the broken temples provided little coverage from the plain eye; the Crimson Company was not up ahead. He could see Pokemon far away, the King's men, scaling the steps of Mount Aegis all the way up to the top of the mountain - where the Sanctum of the Original One was, above the clouds. The massive stair disappeared in the clouds after a point, but Tsulong knew they led straight to the entrance of the Sanctum. The tale had it that those steps were infinite to those who did not believe in Arceus, and those going up would be forever trapped. Tsulong wasn't the kind of person who'd believe in superstitions, though the people of Area 52 seemed to entertain this rumor.

"Durand! Tsulong!" a voice made him turn around, to see Roscoe approaching them. He was a Sceptile with the attitude of a folk person, which quite surprised Tsulong. You'd think a hero would be born in a city and receive the best education and such, but nature didn't seem to have such standards.

"Hi," the Arcanine greeted him back.

"Long time, no see?"

"Long time indeed," Durand muttered. He was staring at the Sanctum the whole time, making Tsulong wonder what kind of thoughts crossed his mind. The Xatu had visibly calmed down, though his apprentice could not tell why.

"Should we worry 'bout any more Cyalans out here?"

"Yeah, we should," Tsulong said, now looking at the steps. "The Crimson Company's vanguard's just up ahead, Roscoe. Best we get on the move and confront them openly. Who knows what they may be up to."

Durand nodded quietly, still staring broodingly at the clouds that concealed the Sanctum. "These are no natural clouds," he said solemnly, "somebody does not want us to see what is going on... that is quite bothersome. We will have to see for ourselves."

And with that, he walked past the broken gate. Tsulong glanced at Roscoe one last time before he went after his Elder. His eyes drifted on the two shadowy figures that had gone up ahead, Pierce and Toa. Might be they'll know how to approach this. Toa seemed pretty determined to start a fight. He ran past the Xatu to meet up with them.

"These Pokemon gave you trouble, didn't they?" Tsulong asked them, knowingly. "You think it's wise if we run up and just confront them, or should we wait for the others?"

Mantarys

​

I ought to ask the King to double my pay, Ser Mantarys thought as he walked up the steps, sweat trickling from his neck to his chest. It wasn't the sun that made him sweat, it was all the damn climbing. The steps seemed to have no end, and when his gaze went up in hopes of finding the Sanctum, all he saw was the clouds, which seemed to be getting darker by the moment. He couldn't see the top, or how long before they reached it. The Krookodile jerked to his side, sweaty, to stare dreadfully at the Stranger, who seemed not a bit weary even after all this climbing. His sustain disturbed Ser Mantarys, who knew that even the men with the most stamina in the Crimson Company were now put to test.

"Aren't you sick of all these steps, Stranger?" he asked him abruptly, hoping for a straight answer out of his mouth or whatever he was speaking with. The hooded, slender silhouette turned slightly to face him.

"The steps were meant to test your faith, Ser Mantarys," the Stranger replied easily in his quiet, collected tone. "The stronger your faith to Him is, the less weary you become."

"There's a god," Ser Mantarys blurted out, "I believe in that, that not enough?"

"No."

The Krookodile looked up in the clouds that were darkening by the second. "Do me a favor and bugger that spell of yours, I can't see a damn thing in that fog." He didn't know how the Stranger did it, or what kind of Pokemon had the ability to summon clouds but not rain, and that made him all the more suspicious of him. His left, emerald eye was fixed on him in a manner that Ser Mantarys couldn't decipher.

"The clouds are within the best interests of my mission."

Ser Mantarys let out a rough, raspy chuckle. "Your mission?The King pays us both the same, it's our mission, or have you forgotten? But you're like to forget you're even working for him," he let the implication hang for a second; King Aion could believe whatever he wanted to believe of the Stranger, but Ser Mantarys had his own suspicions, and they had gotten him to think on whose side the Stranger was on. He had heard him apologize to the rangers while his bloody flock of Murkrows devoured them, after all.

The Murkrow that usually followed him was flying above their heads, scouting as if.

Looking at the dark figure next to him, he wondered if there was any shred of kindness or evil in him. Whenever a Lord of the court displeased King Aion, he was stripped of his titles and lands and the Stranger paid him a visit. All that was left behind was bones, always - bones which hung from the ceiling of the throne room, as to warn any who would dare oppose the King. Ser Mantarys had once asked the assassin if he felt bad for what he was doing. The perfect killer has no conscience; only objectives, that was his reply. The Stranger's loyalty to the King had been proven after all the tasks that were set before him and accomplished ruthlessly, easily, swiftly. Indeed, Ser Mantarys was walking next to the perfect killer.

He was a killer himself, only in another way. While the Stranger worked in the impending, impenetrable and engulfing dark that signified his approach, Ser Mantarys attacked people in open combat. It meant riches for him, so, why not? The King paid him to bloody his hands, and he would. Gold meant women, meat and mead.

Starting to miss those, Ser Mantarys thought as he sweated by the gallons. His feet were now dripping. After all this, I'll have a feast to make up for it. I'll be so rich, I'll be eating golden berries and I'll be ****ting gold.

Suddenly, they were at the top. A thin layer of cloud covered the area. Another gate loomed up in front of them, in the end of a small circular plateau amongst the clouds. Above, the spear-like peak of Mount Aegis pierced the fog. Stupid gates. Ser Mantarys cussed. These were the real gates, the gates to the Sanctum. Past those, Arceus lay in his chamber. Nobody had been past these gates the last century, the Krookodile reflected as he examined their structure. He could not be sure where exactly the resting place of Arceus was beyond these doors. They had no drawings or carvings in them, nor were there any statues or columns, only the brown stones of the mountains and a marble floor path that led up to the doors.

"Ser Rys," one of his men reported, "we used up all our supply of Electrodes. We can't blow up these gates."

"We ought to find another way around, then," Ser Mantarys decided. "Send the--" the Stranger cut him off.

"Stand where you are. We will await the arrival of the heroes. Only they may proceed into the Sanctum." His Murkrow screeched after him. "Only they, only they, only they."

"They'll never get past the gates with us in front of them, you fool," Ser Mantarys put in abruptly, then spat on the ground.

The Stranger looked at him, with his green eye sparkling and reflecting the clouds so clearly that for a moment Ser Mantarys thought it was magical. "They will never see us. We will not be here." The tone in which he said it made something in the Krookodile's mind click. He knew.

The men and women of the Crimson Company stood silently in the area for long moments. Dark crept down from the thickening clouds, and they all sunk into the Stranger's dark embrace. They were not there, Ser Mantarys knew then. Between reality and illusion, it was hard to tell which was which.
​

 

[Sir Bastian]

*bulbagarden.net image removed*Vincent 'Vince' The Wanderer - Fenju Ruins

Vincent's breath was controlled and calm, compared to the staggered, wheezy gasps from the Houndoom. It had managed to bite down on Vincent's arm during the fight, but he'd hit it at least four times in return, cuts all over his sides and his back now, a small trickle of blood gliding through the dog's fur as he glared at Vincent angrily.

"You… you little ****. The king will have your head for this! Give up and I'll give you a… painless death." The Houndoom breathed out heavily, his paws dug firmly into the ground. Vincent was unphased and kept his shells at the ready, his legs bent ever so slightly. "I've heard that at least a dozen times before, I don't think you're going to convince me otherwise."

The Houndoom grit his teeth and growled out deeply, his mind racing as he tried to find some way of getting rid of the Dewott once and for all. The annoyingly calm, collected and surprisingly fast Dewott. Vincent had spent majority of his life training his body, both in fighting, and in using his advantages. He was by far, one of the smallest warriors traversing the lands, but that only meant he was quicker and had an easier time dodging the larger Pokémon, which he had made great use of in the fight. Finally, the Houndoom couldn't wait any longer and took a deep breath of air, shooting a massive tounge of flames forwards, crackling angrily.

Vincent responded by thrusting his right hand and the shell within it forwards, another jet of water shooting out of the ground and hitting the flames between the two square on, the colliding of the water and flames causing steam to burst from the midst of it all, both the fire and water vaporizing, replaced by a thick fog. The Houndoom's eyes widened as he spun around himself, trying to both hear and see the Dewott, now hidden from sight. He heard faint steps to his left, then his right, behind him and in front of him and fear started gripping him.

"W-wait, wait! If you kill me, I… I won't be able to give you information on the king! I can tell you things nobody else can! Just don't k-"

A sudden movement shifted the fog, and a figure shot out of it, the Houndoom barely having time to widen his eyes as the shell sliced across his throat, causing him to gasp and gurgle for air, toppling over. Vincent wiped the blood off of his shells and then wiped his fingers in the clean parts of the Houndoom's fur, 'sheathing' the shells again. "Not interested."

As he exited the fog, he frowned softly. He'd lost sight of Tsulong. He wasn't worried about his safety, he knew that he could handle himself, but he was at a bit of a loss as to where to go now. Just then, a loud explosion erupted from over at the mountain, causing Vincent to turn his head, his ears twitching slightly. "The sanctum? Mrph, leave it to the king to desecrate something as sacred as a god's shrine."

He looked around himself again before dashing down the broken pavement, heading straight towards the entrance to the sanctum… or at least, to where he had heard the explosion, his scarf billowing in the air behind him as he ran. Not long after, he arrived outside at the entrance of the sanctum, the rubble of the former gate laying everywhere. He took a moment to contemplate whether to stay behind and wait for the others, or try to stop whatever of the king's men were inside.

Figuring it was only a matter of time before they got what they wanted, he unhooked one of his shells and quickly scratched a message into the wall next to the gate. It was rather superficial, but whoever came by should be able to read it. 'Gone inside –Heroes'. He didn't exactly think of himself as a hero, but that was the quickest way to get the others' attention. With that done, he dashed on through the gates, and only ran for a few minutes before catching up with Durand and the others, among them a Sceptile he hadn't noticed before. A feeling of relief overcame him at the sight of Tsulong being alright, a light smile tinging his lips as he moved up besides Tsulong, walking along while taking a breath of air after having run that far, glancing from the Arcanine, to the two in front.

"Nice to see I'm not the last one here." He paused a moment, taking on a more serious expression, looking somewhat thoughtful. "If you ask me, we don't really have the time to wait around. King's thugs might already be trying to do… whatever they're here to do. Can't let them get a foothold."

​

 

[Xilfer]

Toa the Blackhearted Duke
Mount Aegis

Toa believed in Arceus. There was certainly no doubt that he existed, especially after what had happened after the Seal. All of creation had been created by this godly being...but there had to be more than that. The legend that Toa had grown up with said that at the very beginning, there was but an egg, which hatched into Arceus, who proceeded to mould all of creation with his infinite arms. Still...where had the egg come from? What had created it, and what, in turn, had created the thing that created it? Perhaps the legend wasn't true...the events it dictated were incomprehensible, and therefore, could be dismissed as false. However, the existence of Arceus, corporeal or not, was obvious. That much he knew. However, Arceus wasn't the only legendary being. The Paragons, whom he had entrusted with his divine power, would also become all-powerful, so logic dictated. That meant that there were multiple beings controlling the destiny of this world...but, in the end, who got to choose the path it would head in?

These thoughts raced Toa's mind as he climbed the steps of Mount Aegis. During his time at Area 52, he'd heard silly rumours that the faithfulness of a Pokemon determined how many steps the Pokemon would have to climb, and how tired he would be. The more faithful, the less steps. He didn't believe in this petty talk, but he did believe in Arceus, so that should have been enough to get him to the top with ease if the rumours were true. He was soon joined by a mysterious shadowy figure: Pierce the Cunning Shadow. "Are you going to keep following me around?" He asked abruptly, without even looking at the Gengar. He'd proven himself in battle, but he could have been quicker killing Shurin. Still, having a sidekick made Toa feel somewhat more at ease. The Crimson Company was strong, and he'd definitely need some kind of distraction if he was going to take them all on. This was what his prideful mind was telling him, of course. Deep down, he knew he'd need help, as much as he hated to admit it, even to himself.

Then, another figure popped up beside Toa, which surprised him, quite frankly. He hadn't expected anyone else to follow him up this soon. The other heroes seemed determined to stick together, anyway. "These Pokemon gave you trouble, didn't they?" Tsulong asked them. "You think it's wise if we run up and just confront them, or should we wait for the others?" Toa could tell his message was that they should wait. Normally, Toa would have said he didn't need anyone's help with taking care of them, but he was too deep in thought to make any snappy remarks. "I've met the Crimson Company before, Tsulong. They may be strong, but their lower-ranking members are easier to trick. All I need to do is create a couple of scary illusions and they'll be gone, leaving me with whoever's in charge," he explained calmly, for once, "now that should be a challenge."

 

[Greiger]

Reginard Asphos
​

Reginard huffed as he looked about, yet no other soldiers came out. After killing those two the others must have not wanted to try their luck and fled instead. It would make sense. He slowly let out his tense breath. "Did you see that Reginard?" He heard Durand ask. Reginard turned to regard the pillar he was staring at... and saw nothing. "Durand, I do not see anything there. Relax, I have dispatched our enemies." He stated. Why had Durand glanced at the pillar? Did he spot another dark type that just fled at that moment? Well, if it was an ordinary dark type why did he seem freaked out? Strange... he would have to ask his mentor later though. The other heroes quickly began to gather around after an explosion sounded off.

It was near the ruins... that couldn't be good at all! The ruins were sacred to Arceus! Already though the more jumpy heroes headed out... which was primarily the Zoroark. The Gengar followed after and Reginard knew that he had to stop them at all costs! Reginard's eyes narrowed his eyes as the two ran off, but he decided to let it go. They wanted to die? Fine!

As for the others, they were all gathered here. At least the others weren't as suicidal as those two were. At the best solution, they get caught and thrown in a dungeon and starve to death.

"We must plan carefully our next move, the Crimson Company is not a laughing matter, if they so wished... they could simply come down here and slay us all. WE must stick together and take the time to scout the situation, to understand or try to understand what they may have waiting for us. No one else runs up there without a plan." He said as calmly as he could. Inside he was sweating. Crimson Company was never good. They had to be as careful as they could be, else everything would be ruined.

 

[Ray Maverick]

Tsulong
​

"Nice to see I'm not the last one here." Vince said behind him, and he turned to see him well and good. He was kind of relieved to see the Dewott still intact. "If you ask me, we don't really have the time to wait around. King's thugs might already be trying to do… whatever they're here to do. Can't let them get a foothold." He nodded in agreement, about to speak, but Toa cut him off.

"I've met the Crimson Company before, Tsulong. They may be strong, but their lower-ranking members are easier to trick. All I need to do is create a couple of scary illusions and they'll be gone, leaving me with whoever's in charge," he explained calmly, for once, "now that should be a challenge."

Tsulong smirked his eyebrows, looking down where he set his foots on the steps. "I don't think their vanguard will be as easy to fool," he said, then glanced behind him as he sensed Reginard arriving, seeing him sweating. The steps could have taken their toll on the Alakazam, and it wasn't because of their infinite length or whatever superstitions other Pokemon believed.

"We must plan carefully our next move, the Crimson Company is not a laughing matter, if they so wished... they could simply come down here and slay us all. WE must stick together and take the time to scout the situation, to understand or try to understand what they may have waiting for us. No one else runs up there without a plan."

"Stick together we will, then," Tsulong conceded, "they sure are a tricky bunch, I know them well." He thought of his time in the Crimson Company, and how quick they were to suggest to the King to burn an entire forest to reveal their Indrasilian enemies during their rebellion. "The others are missing, though. Guess we'll have to go ahead without them. They might be dead for all we know. Besides, what's the worst thing that can happen ahead?" He let out a barking laughter.

They reached the eerie top, a circular plateau that looked as if it bathed in clouds. They were in the clouds, Tsulong realized as he looked around in the fog, half shutting his eyes to increase his vision. He glanced behind him, downwards. Even though he could not see the foot of Mount Aegis, he sensed they had come a long way.

Tsulong wondered where the Crimson Company could have gone. Surely not beyond the gates? He hadn't seen any more explosions. Looking at the gates of the Sanctum in the far end of the plateau distracted him from his concerns. They were built inside the rock, the entrance to the cave; unlike the previous gates, they had no carvings on them, nothing of note... or did they?

He paced to the middle of the plateau, his mane billowing behind him with the wind, his eyes fixed on the seemingly simple gates. They look like two big rocks blocking our way, he thought, smirking his eyebrows in wonder. That seems... too simple. He expected the gates to the very Sanctum of the Original One would be beautiful, or at least formal, yet they were two rocks. But as he walked towards them, they changed. The rocks started melding with each other - quietly, yet drastically. A hole appeared in the center of the gates, black inside as if there was no end to it.

Tsulong remained staring at the gates, until a voice behind him brought him to reality. "You must touch the gates." He jerked to see Elder Durand, accompanied by Guardian. The Xatu had just arrived at the top, and he didn't seem the least bit weary; the Golurk's side was all bloodied, but Tsulong knew Guardian had no blood to shed - that was the blood of whatever enemies he came across.

Tsulong turned to the stone in front of him, without putting much thought into it. He got on his rear feet, leaning against the gates. Upon touching them, the gates flashed bright, blinding him for a second. The gap was filled with a shining red light, the pure essence of fire. Looking at it, Tsulong figured it was a product of his - he could feel his own power burning in front of him. Soon, it changed color. It became purple, then Tsulong knew it was not his power in front of him, but Pierce's. Before he could glance back to see if the ghost had done anything, purple darkened to black. Then to light pink, and then to green, brown, blue... where do all these colors come from? Tsulong wondered as he watched the gates change color so fast that he had to back off from the immense power that he felt. In the end, only a white, golden-like light was emanating from the gap alone.

"The Masters of the Elements have duties beyond these gates," he heard Elder Durand's voice echo behind him. "To protect the Plates. To protect the world. Yet how can the world be safe, when the Plates are scattered?" The gates of the Sanctum retreated upwards into the rock. Faint lights were coming from inside.

Guardian stepped inside.

Guardian

Although it wasn't his right to question the Elder, he wondered why exactly they had opened the gates. If the Crimson Company was unable to do it, why help them out? But, there was a higher purpose inside the Sanctum, as the Xatu would often say. His Elder had instructed him to be the first one inside the Sanctum, to uncover and disarm any possible traps. As he walked into the corridor, his senses scanned the walls and the floor for any suspicious openings or hollow spaces. There is nothing dangerous here, he thought, his heavy feet echoing in the corridor.

The walls were covered with runes. He knew how to read them, he had just forgotten, so they became something that wasn't quite interesting. What interested him was the dim lights coming from the end of the corridor. He quickened his pace, to come across another circular plateau. Guardian realized he was standing in the sacred chamber where the Faithful of the Fenju spoke to Arceus, the very place he rested. This was where they came to seek his guidance, plead him for knowledge and wisdom, and earn his favor with prayers.

From the ceiling came a white beam of light, to hit an altar that stood in the middle of the cavernous chamber. All around it, other beams of light shot downwards into other, eight in numbers, illuminating lesser altars. Eight lesser altars were luminous, and eight were not. When his eyes fixed on those with light coming from above them, he saw the objects they bore: the Plates, Guardian reflected. These rectangular stone Plates each had a different color, the color of their element. A fade memory was shot into his mind. He had stood here, in this very chamber before, but he could not remember why or what had happened. Elder Durand was saying his memories reset every hundred years, but he knew that all his memories, since the day of his creation, were locked in a corner of his mind. Stepping towards the altar of Arceus, he wished he could reach out to that part of his mind and remember his life. What do we seek here? he wondered. His eyes examined the Ghost Plate, his circuit feeling its power. The Ground Plate was also there, he felt. His kind had been created from these two Plates, to defend the Metropolis, he knew.

"We must bring the other Plates here," the Xatu's voice echoed in the chamber of the Original One. "We must unite them with the others, before King Aion does."


[OOC: you're free to rage at him for being secretive and manipulative. xD The Plates present in the chamber are: Ghost, Ground, Bug, Fighting, Electric, Psychic, Rock, Poison]
​

 

[Garet]

Roscoe the Leech
Mount Aegis
~~~~~

There wasn't much to say at the moment, or so Roscoe felt. After Durand's comment on the clouds, the Sceptile looked up at them, tongue flicking out. Normally, there should be clouds scattered throughout th' sky an' not gathered like that. Don't see anything else unnatural about them, though. While Tsulong opted to run ahead and catch up with the Zoroark and Gengar, Roscoe stayed behind to walk with Durand. He saw a Dewott and Alakazam show up, but by then, part of his attention was focused on climbing up the steps a little ahead of Durand. There was also a moment where Roscoe vaguely realized that Guardian had appeared somewhere behind him.

Roscoe had heard about these stairs, but he wasn't sure whether to fully believe in these rumors. After all, he'd heard a few ridiculous things about himself and others in his travels. If those were never completely true, then what were the chances that these words about the stairs were? Comparin' rumors about any ol' Pokemon to rumors about a sacred place. Both rumors, but about entirely different things. Maybe I should just leave th' topic alone.

All the same, Roscoe had lived the first half of his life in a forest village, not a city with fancy folk who often talked politics or religion as if they were either the centerpiece of the Pokemon's lives, or mere topics that had little or nothing to do with life. Himself, Roscoe believed in Arceus; history had not been diluted or shuffled like cards when the elders taught the children in Vivardia. They even spoke a few times of Celebi's seat, as if it were all real. The thing was, Roscoe had never been allowed much time for such abstract areas under Phillip's tutelage. He wasn't sure himself how faithful he was.

Somewhere on the way up, Roscoe paused to look back at Durand and saw little but the clouds he climbed in. Ah, where is he? Maybe the Xatu had fallen behind, or been attacked? Roscoe half-turned to go back, then hesitated. Surely he would've heard something...and Guardian was with the Elder. Shrugging, the Sceptile returned to climbing, which didn't last much longer.

Roscoe's skin began to creep when he reached the circular plateau and saw other figures among the clouds, before he realized that they were Tsulong and the other heroes. The uneasy feeling would not leave, though. Taking a moment to rest, Roscoe waved a claw at the others in greeting but didn't speak.

"You must touch them."

Spinning in surprise, Roscoe saw Durand and Guardian, noting the Golurk's rather dirty side and the Xatu's seeming unweariness. That's not it, though. The seed around his neck itched slightly, but that had begun back when the Mienshao attacked. What was it?

Turning to observe the plateau, Roscoe's back was to the gates when they lit up brightly for a second. He turned back to see Tsulong before the gates, with a gap in the middle that was filled with shining red-- no, purple, light. The sequence of lights demanded Roscoe's attention, especially when his own power resonated with the green light before it flashed to another color.

If nothing else, remember this, kid. One does not need anything much beside himself to find the power he needs. That seed there, it's the kind of thing that few would seek to replicate for its power, but you should not need anything else. I tell you this, that you should not seek to become better through an object, that you should not become dependent on something that can be taken away.

Roscoe shook his head, blinking. Odd time to space out, he thought to himself. His eyes focused as the gates retreated into the surrounding rock and Guardian entered. The Sceptile was hesitant to enter; this was supposed to be a sacred place, and they still hadn't seen--

Oh, snap. He turned to face outward, away from the gates and inner chamber; it was highly unlikely that the Crimson Company had already gone inside. Roscoe said over his shoulder, "Anyone else seen th' Company yet?" He didn't pay much attention to who or how many of the heroes had already gone inside. The Sceptile was going to stand guard in the gateway for the time being.

 

[Xilfer]

Toa the Blackhearted Duke
Sanctum of the Original One

Toa grinned at Tsulong's words. The Vanguard, though much stronger than the Company's grunts, would be just as easy to fool with Toa's power. It seemed as if everyone here underestimated Toa, which he decided he would no longer put up with. Toa's illusions were some of the best in the land; he used to entertain King Aion when he was young by putting on an entire show with just the power of his illusions. The only Pokemon he knew who could outmatch his deviousness was his own father, who was now, who was now dead, thankfully. "Believe me, they're just as easy to trick as any of you," Toa retorted, and heard no further response from the Arcanine. He would have listened to what the other heroes had to say, but he couldn't help feeling rather strange as they progressed up the steps. It was a feeling that was awfully unsettling...and familiar. It seemed as if something unseen was causing some disturbance in the air. It just kept increasing as they kept on walking, the higher they got, the more he could feel it.

Toa was about to mention the strange feeling he had to the others, but then, through the clouds, he could see the gates to the Sanctum of the Original One. Realizing that the feeling was probably just the immense energy radiating from the Sanctum, he shrugged it off and continued on. When he reached the 'gate' he was certainly surprised to see only two boulders on the circular plateau at the top of the mountain. The main thought going through his head at this time was: "We came all this was for nothing!" He was about to leave, when the old elder Durand said something. "You must touch the gates." Toa looked back to see that the two rocks had melded somehow, revealing a large, black hole, and that Tsulong approached them. He did as the Elder instructed, touching them with his paws. The hole, to Toa's great surprise, and apparently everyone else's, began to glow. Toa shielded his eyes, turning away from the glowing gap. He hated light. When Toa turned back, he noticed that the hole was actually glowing a luminescent red, before shifting to other colours which seemed to represent the elements of the various heroes hereabout. When the hole's light shifted to black, Toa could, for a slight moment, feel his own immense emotions of anger and disdain emanating from the rock, before it switched again. It bothered him, sensing these things; as if the rock had peered into his heart and seen the blackness inside.

After the rock had finished glowing, the entrance was revealed. The massive Golurk, Guardian, was the first one to step inside. Toa noticed that a Sceptile, whom he had not noticed before, was hesitant to enter. Pathetic, he thought, as he followed after the Golurk. Silly superstitions would not stop him from completing this mission.

Toa stood in a dimly lit hallway, though he could make out various ancient runes engraved on the walls to either side of him. He was intrigued by these runes, as they were a language that he'd never seen before. As he continued on, he noticed a light at the end of the corridor, and proceeded to go after it. Although he liked the darkness of the hallway, whatever the light was shining on was likely the reason they were here.

When he reached the end of the corridor, he found himself in a circular room, and before him stood nine illuminated altars. The one at the center of the room was illuminated by a large beam of light that shone down upon it, breaking up into eight other beams of light to illuminate lesser pillars. What Toa saw on those pillars, he was stunned to see. He saw Plates, eight of them for eight illuminated pillars. Looking around the rest of the room, he noticed that there were in fact eight more pillars, but these were shrouded in shadow for they bore no Plates on them. Toa, even though none of the Plates in the room reflected his type, could still sense their immense strength. He was amazed that the power of an entire element could be contained in such a small, stone object. Amazing, he thought.

But then, his mind returned to the situation at hand. Why had Durand brought him here? Did he only need Toa to open the Sanctum? In that case, he could go. And what did they intend to do with these Plates now that they'd found them? Wouldn't it just have been more intelligent to leave them be, instead of opening the Sanctum to trespassers? These questions and many more flooded the Zoroark's mind as he heard the old Xatu's words. "We must bring the other Plates here," his voice resonated throughout the room. "We must unite them with the others, before King Aion does."

That did it. Toa spun around with anger in his step, and approached the old Xatu. "Enough of your demands and your ridiculous ramblings, old man! I'm not doing anything for you until I get some answers!" He snarled. "How do I know you won't kill us all after you've obtained all the Plates?"

 

[Greiger]

Reginard Asphos
​

Reginard didn't realize just how many steps there were. He thought the journey up would be rather easy, his knowledge of Arceus and faith in him were tightly bound to his character. He was actually feeling rather weary as they traveled up after Tsulong and Durand. The elder on the other hand was actually looking very fresh and in good condition. Was his faith truly so... weak? It had to be something else, perhaps it was his lack of exercise? That had to be it! The only other concern on his mind as they walked up was the fact that they were heading right into the company itself. If they were lucky, IF, then they could possible have a few survivors, but even being the heroes... they could be outnumbered still, they could still be captured even!

He couldn't help but shudder at that possibility. Still, they all had to remain vigilant. They could not show fear, for if they did then the company would be easily able to take them all. Reginard knew the legends surrounding the area and watched as Tsulong placed his paws on the rocks. He smiled as the entrance opened and stepped aside as the guardian went on ahead. Reginard waited for a bit and proceeded inside. Truth be told... he expected this holy place to be more... formal. He had always imagined sparkling floors and walls, crystals all over. Though now that he thought about it, it did seem too much. There were runes, most he wasn't able to read but he saw the plates shining in the room. Yes... this was it, what they had to do, their destinies lied in this room... with the plates. What did catch him off guard though was Durand's statement. Unit the plates... to save the king? Wasn't their objective to... well, to make sure the king did not get the plates? Was this some sort of test then? Or was the elder talking about something else?

His faith though lied with Durand and so when the Zoroark made his threat Reginard wasted no time in using a Miracle Eye on the dark type and readied his battle for combat. "The very second you make any move dark one, I will not hesitate to grab hold of that neck of yours and snap it like a toothpick. Your dark type immunity is vacant with my Miracle Eye, so I suggest you do as the elder asks before your life ends prematurely, are we clear?" He asked with a tense tone.

Reginard truly did not wish to harm the Zoroark... but if his hands were pressed he would make absolutely sure that there would be no way he would harm the elder. If the loss of life was needed... then he would take that course of action.

 

[CourageHound]

Pierce the Cunning Shadow

The stairway of this structure was intriguing. Pierce had read from the inscriptions on the ancient walls that their trek up the staircase will be all the easier the more faith one has. The Gengar although, suffering no physical fatigue, as he could easily levitate up the spiraling steps without letting his feet touch the floor. However something else was ailing him. Pierce knew of and believed in Arceus. In the reality of the situation, no one had a reason not to. However, as the ghost drifted on and on, his body seemed to grow heavier as if it became an effort to continuously proceed with his ascent. Something was amiss within him.

Pierce started to examine himself. What Pierce truly had doubt in was the course of this mission, and himself. He questioned himself if he deserved to be a hero. The ghost then wondered why he had even come this far. To stay in Area 52, ally with the other heroes, and intercept the the Crimson Company to the extent that they had. Pierce told himself that it was purely to stop the mad King, but he didn't think that was all. The Shadow Pokemon used to travel alone and content without any conceivable troubles. No bit of treasure was beyond his reach and he takes great pride in his talents as a versatile businessman. However, now the Gengar felt as if he was a part of something more. The ghost was adamant on what it meant to be a hero and what destiny awaits them at the top and thinking of how to stop the Crimson Company and entering the sanctum of Arceus. Holding fast to his resolve, he now ascended up the steps swiftly. Soon Pierce even caught up to Toa the Blackhearted Duke. He mentally commended the Zoroark for noticing him so quickly.

"Are you going to keep following me around?" He asked abruptly, without even looking at the Gengar.

"Well all of us have to stick together for the time being. That's that for now it seems.", Pierce answered back. At this point he'd had gotten used to Toa's remarks. He just wondered if he Dark type truly believed that this mission was a feat he could conquer solely by himself.

As they reached the pinnacle of their climb, they finally set foot upon a circular plateau. Just beyond them was the Gate to the Original One. Setting his feet on the ground below him, he realizes how far they had come, as they were practically resting in the clouds themselves. Looking around he sees a few other heroes already here, as well as more coming. He walked forward to see Tsulong examine the gate himself. There wasn't really much to look at however; just two giant boulders with a minuscule gap in between. Just then, Elder Durand and reached the plateau with Guardian. The Xatu prompted Tsulong to touch the gate. Tsulong did so and a spectacle of oscillating lights flashed from between them. The Shadow Pokemon squinted at its luminescence.

The first color was red. Pierce imagined that it originated from Tsulong's presence. Suddenly his heart skipped a beat as it changed to a deep purple, seemingly flowing with the eerie power of the Gengar. It felt empowering and refreshing to bask in his own ominous light; that of which only ghost and dark types wouldn't shiver uncomfortably at. After that, the lights started to change to many different colors, apparently the different elements. Once the light show came to a close, the gate slowly quavered open.

"The Masters of the Elements have duties beyond these gates," he heard Elder Durand's voice echo behind them. "To protect the Plates. To protect the world. Yet how can the world be safe, when the Plates are scattered?". Pierce glanced back at the Elder. Something about the prophecy or whatever the Xatu was reciting made him feel uneasy for some reason. Which was strange because nothing almost ever did that.

The massive Golurk was the first to enter the illuminated hall, then the Zoroark, and finally the Alakazam. The Sceptile stood outside the entrance as if standing guard. Pierce himself followed right after the others. It was interesting to see the most peculiar runes scattered along the walls. The Gengar took a mental note of them. He smiled as the lights started to fade from where they were in the corridor as his shadow like body melted into the darkness. However it didn't last for long before the reached the end of the path to a circular room of which several pillars stood perfectly illuminated. Pierce could even feel the power of the Ghost and Poison plates among them. It was shocking to be within the vicinity of such condensed energy.

"We must bring the other Plates here," the Xatu's voice echoed in the chamber of the Original One. "We must unite them with the others, before King Aion does." Again Pierce heard the Xatu call to them. However, Pierce couldn't help but wonder...why? Their mission was to protect the plates from King Aion and return the others to the Sanctum was it not? Why was the bird urging them to retrieve the plates from the resting place? Was it even right to remove the plates from this sacred place? These thoughts unsettled him even more than the thought of the Crimson Company. Just then Toa sudenaly exploded, seemingly due to similar thoughts of their situation.

Toa spun around with anger in his step, and approached the old Xatu. "Enough of your demands and your ridiculous ramblings, old man! I'm not doing anything for you until I get some answers!" He snarled. "How do I know you won't kill us all after you've obtained all the Plates?"

The Alakazam responded in turn. "The very second you make any move dark one, I will not hesitate to grab hold of that neck of yours and snap it like a toothpick. Your dark type immunity is vacant with my Miracle Eye, so I suggest you do as the elder asks before your life ends prematurely, are we clear?" He asked with a tense tone.

A red flag went off in Pierce's head. The Alakazam's threat would not sit well with the Zoroark. Not by a long shot. The intensity of the situation could possibly tear them apart. The Gengar decided to immediately take action. "Alright enough. All of you.", Pierce announced with a frown. "Fighting here of all places would be catastrophic given our location and situation; The Crimson Company still eludes us and fighting between ourselves would be incredibly stupid... Now, Elder," Pierce turned to the Xatu. "With all due respect, exactly why cant we leave the plates safely in this location. I cant imagine the Crimson Company being able to access the inner Sanctum without us."

 

[Ray Maverick]

Durand

Toa stepped towards him with his anger flaring. "Enough of your demands and your ridiculous ramblings, old man! I'm not doing anything for you until I get some answers!" He snarled. "How do I know you won't kill us all after you've obtained all the Plates?"

Durand blinked in surprise. Is that what they truly think? he thought wearily, feeling his heart ache. If these Pokemon lost faith, the very world's future was in danger, for the quest ahead of these heroes was long and hazardous. I have no choice. I will have to make them see the future, he conceded, his eyes drifting to a spot where a dark energy was burning; all around them, he could feel the presence of the Crimson Company. The Stranger could not hide the prints of his dark powers by a psychic like Durand. He was seeing the mercenaries, who had surrounded them. And seeing them in the shadows, he devised a plan.

Thinking of his decision and the plan cost him time. Tsulong and Guardian stepped forward to defend him from Toa if need be, as did Reginard, who spoke for him. "The very second you make any move dark one, I will not hesitate to grab hold of that neck of yours and snap it like a toothpick. Your dark type immunity is vacant with my Miracle Eye, so I suggest you do as the elder asks before your life ends prematurely, are we clear?" He asked with a tense tone.

"That won't be necessary..." the Xatu started saying, but the Gengar stepped up.

"Alright enough. All of you", Pierce frowned. "Fighting here of all places would be catastrophic given our location and situation; The Crimson Company still eludes us and fighting between ourselves would be incredibly stupid... " Durand looked at him long and well. I am confident that this one will always be the voice of reason.

"Now, Elder," Pierce turned to the Xatu. "With all due respect, exactly why can't we leave the plates safely in this location. I cant imagine the Crimson Company being able to access the inner Sanctum without us."

"The Plates stay here, we just bring in the others," Tsulong answered for him, glancing at his elder, "that's the plan right?"

Durand nodded. He slowly walked towards the altar of the God, basking in its simple brilliance. Thousands of years of history came to mind, while visions from the past and the future pecked him like angry Murkrows. Once, it would be hard to concentrate, but he had gotten used to this, after so many years of watching the sunset. The sun bore visions of the past and the future, because the sun had seen everything in this world with his agents, the rays of light. Like the sun, this altar had seen things as well, which were no secret to Durand. He could sense the very face of God in this bright light. Strangely calm, even though he waited for this moment ever since he could properly know the future, he stood in front of the altar of the Original One.

His wings spread open, tossing his robes on the floor, and his eyes started glowing white. He fixed them on the invisible figure of Stranger, who backed off further into the shadows, perhaps from fear or hesitation, too late, too late. A thin beam of light similar to the white one that fell on the altar was shot from Durand to the Stranger, connecting the two Pokemon. He felt his own spirit next to the the one of the menace that was born in the dark. Their powers were melded in an instant, without the Stranger resisting or denying him.

I can finally be free of my visions.

Do what you have to do, a voice inside him said. The Stranger's voice, if Durand was not mistaken. Glowing blue and pink with power, the Xatu turned to face the heroes. He could now fully see the men of the Crimson Company spread all around them, skulking in the shadows of the chamber of the Original One, at least fifty of them, defiling it with their ill intentions. Watching their Krookodile leader Ser Mantarys grinning like a bemused fool in a mummer's show, he felt disgust rising in his throat and was on the verge of killing them all right there and then.

How do you consort with such people? he directed his thoughts to the Stranger through the beam of light connecting them.

We all have to play our part. Play yours, for now. The chamber started to change, the altars faded. An image was born in place: the universe, the so-many stars around it.

"Arceus created our world, shaped it with his infinite arms," Durand's voice echoed in the minds around him, powerful. The stars zoomed in, and they dove towards them. In the middle of the universe, Arceus stood. From the light, a glorious world was born - Durand saw its birth from above, as if he was flying. The world was grey, though. "It grew stable. Lonely. Timeless. The elements were born with the purpose of resuming its flow," tidal waves rose from the vast sea, earthquakes torn apart whole mountains, volcanoes erupted violently, all in front of their eyes as if they were there. But from the energy of the elements fusing together, Pokemon were born. Visions of species unknown, even to Durand, flashed across the room. "The elements fulfill every existence - us, and everything you see around you, is a combination of the sixteen elements. We are mere apparitions of those." The visions shifted, the light blinding. "We required guarding, control, and order. The Plates were created, to control all of the elements, all of existence," Durand continued, watching the sixteen Plates circling around the Original One in the middle of the Universe. "And the Paragons with them, to protect them if need be."

"The Original One gifted his power to common mortals to bask into." Various Pokemon, the Faithful in their mysterious white cowls, Kings and leaders appeared in front of the very altar all of them were standing a minute ago, to be granted the God's power. Soon, the vision changed to a violent clash between two armies. "Power corrupted. The Paragons stirred in sight of the results of the evil," in the remains of a battlefield, blood and corpses basked under the crimson grey light of the smoky skies, fires burning far away. "They decided to seal the God's power, by separating him from his prized Plates." Durand and the heroes were suddenly flying above the Fenju citadels, only there were no ruins. Full in their glory, the ancient buildings stood proud and seemingly eternal, with Mount Aegis standing out, the trench around it full of the water that fell from its peak. The mountain suddenly shook with power, the circle of Arceus's Plates broken. In a flash of light, everything lay in destruction, black clouds blocking the sunlight. In the vision, time went by quickly as if in fast forward, yet the citadel remained in darkness of the clouds for months, so it seemed.

"Arceus is powerless in this world, without his Plates," Durand continued solemnly, "and without the Plates to check the elements, our world was greatly damaged. Our world is dying, slowly, and only Arceus can heal it. Why, you ask, must we bring the Plates together? Because it is the only way of restoring His power, so that he may restore, in turn, our world. Have you seen the future, should you fail to act? I have." The vision now changed. Durand saw King Aion sitting on the throne room in Cyala, the bones of his enemies hanging from the ceiling, the energy of eight Plates burning bright as they circled around him. He was but a huge Emboar with a crystal crown adorning his head, his fiery beard billowing high above him. The image was so real that Durand almost allowed his anger to get the best of him. The crowned King stood and extended his massive arm towards his subordinates, as if to issue a command.

Colors changed again. They were flying again, not above a lush world, but a dark one. As an old Xatu, he had forgotten what it meant to fly, and he was sure he could relate with the heroes who could not - this was a breathtaking view of the world that was to come. A world ravaged by war, anguish and agony taking over the living while King Aion himself made a throne of the altar of the God himself, sitting high above the clouds to watch his immense but destroyed Kingdom from Mount Aegis with a lusty expression stuck on his narrowed face.

Durand frowned in sight of the disturbing Emboar basking in the white light that shot down to the altar.

"King Aion desires war," Durand finally said, "and war he will have, should he gather the Plates and use them further. Meanwhile, the world will be dying, the natural growth of the elements will cease to exist. Evolution itself will cease to exist," visions of dying Pokemon in fields of fire flashed, "this abuse of the Plates will mean our extinction. A fatal blow, before our extinction." The skies flashed in a blinding light, and everything became nothing. Durand's heart leaped when he saw for himself, the end for each different individual in the chamber of the God.

Tsulong

Tsulong saw an Arcanine, fighting valiantly on the border of Area 52, against a mighty horde of Pokemon that escalated the mountains. He saw himself fall, dying, with his snout and mane bloodied, watching the patriots of Area 52 being overwhelmed, the village destroyed and everyone put to the fire. Nothing was standing when the horde ran over the village. Nothing. Not even a single blade of grass. King Aion, with eight Plates circling around him, ordered for the remains of the village, along with the bones of the fallen ones, to be lifted and carried all the way to the sea, to be tossed, literally erasing Area 52 from existence.

That wasn't the end of it - long after Tsulong saw himself die, King Aion stormed the Fenju ruins, something which he hadn't dared to do all these years. No ghost could withstand his vast armies. And with his captains, he escalated Mount Aegis and touched the gates of the Sanctum. Tsulong was stunned to see the same fiery ball of suppressed energy he himself had created, only with a firm dark sphere in the center. The gates swung open for the Emboar to burst in and reclaim the rest of the eight Plates. The floating Plates were all placed in the altars around him, the white light flashing as King Aion sat on the altar as if it was a throne.

Flames engulfed his vision, the flames of a burning forest.

Guardian

He roared in anguish, seeing King Aion pummel Elder Durand to the ground, to bloody pieces. Guardian himself ran, but it was too late. The Fenju ruins around him were overrun by the armies who attacked the stones, wanting to extinguish every bit of the ancient civilization to forge a new one upon the ashes. What was there to forge, though? Guardian kneeled on the floor of the chamber of the Original One, grasping his head with his massive hands. If he had feelings, he would have exploded. But he had a purpose, instead. If King Aion managed to gather the Plates, this would happen. If the King started gathering Plates, Guardian would, too.


[OOC: These visions were transmitted to every living form in the citadel, so the heroes missing from the Sanctum should have received them as well. In essence, everyone saw their dramatic demise. Whether it really was dramatic or not, that's for Durand to answer for. ;)]
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[Sir Bastian]

*bulbagarden.net image removed*Vincent 'Vince' The Wanderer - Fenju Ruins

Vincent quietly listened in to the others as they spoke, although sparsely, while they were walking up the stairs. Due to the stairs being made for larger Pokémon, he was forced to take somewhat larger steps, but that didn't seem to wear him down. However, after a while, he did start feeling somewhat weary, but he knew he had more stamina than that. It had to have been as Durand had said; That the steps were created to test your fate. Vincent hadn't been much of a believer in gods, really. He believed they existed, that there was, at some point, gods, and that there might still be some around. He didn't, however, believe in them in the faith-sort of sense. He didn't allow himself to, after everything he'd seen and experienced.

He pushed away the thought as they arrived at the very top of the stairs, the thick clouds rolling across the top of the mountain, surrounding the group. They moved into the middle of the nearly circular plateau, Vincent's head tilting a little as he looked over the 'gates'. Not quite as… flashy, as he'd expected, but he supposed they did their job. His brows raised in surprise as they morphed into an actual pair of gates, with a… black opening.

Watching as Tsulong stepped closer to the gate and placed his paws on them, he looked on in quiet interest, and… slight awe, as the gates shone in the brightest of colours, symbolizing each gathered 'hero's powers. As the group began making their way into the sanctum, Vincent couldn't help but frown and feel like majority of them had forgotten the Crimson Company. This was emphasized as the Sceptile had turned around at the entrance of the gate and looked over the plateau with the words "Anyone else seen th' Company yet?".

"No, and it's unlikely they just up and jumped off the side of the mountain after blowing their way here."

He turned from the entrance, his eyes moving across the thick, rolling clouds around himself and the Sceptile, barely registering the noises coming from inside of the sanctum. He stepped over to the other side of the entrance and sat himself down, crossing his legs, his arms moving up behind his head as he glanced over at the large lizard… plant.

"So. I'm guessing you're Roscoe. I'm going by rumors and… well, people all over like to talk, and you kind of get interested in what different people has to say about different rumors and legends. Yours isn't the most well-known or glorious one, but you don't have to be well-known to be interesting, you know?"

He paused, looking ahead, into the clouds again.

"Figure this might not be the best place to have a chat, but it's better than sitting quietly and brooding like that Zoroark would've done, right? It migh-"

Everything around Vincent suddenly became black for just a splitsecond before he blinked and suddenly saw… a swamp. He knew this place, it was where he'd grown up. Looking around himself, he saw most of the trees cut down, and surprisingly dark clouds rolling by in the sky above, the waters of the swamp having all but dried out. He then spotted a Dewott, bloodied, beaten and weary, heaving for air while standing across from a Scizor. The Scizor suddenly attacked, and the Dewott groggily managed to deflect several of the attacks with his shells before one of them was knocked out of his hand and he was slammed into a flat, vertical rock by the side of the Scizor's claw.

The Dewott coughed and fell down, just before the Scizor stepped up to him and clamped his claw around his neck and torso, lifting him up. Vincent's eyes widened as he saw the tattered trails of the scarf he himself was wearing, as the beaten Dewott stared defiantly down at the Scizor, who raised his other claw, preparing to end the Dewott's life with a hyper beam. Vincent glanced over and noticed that the rock he had thrown him against hadn't just been a rock. Despite the cracks and ripples that the impact of the Dewott had caused, almost breaking it, Vincent recognized the rock. Recognized the grave.

Suddenly, it was as if everything zoomed out and then in again, Vincent taking in a gasp of air as he jumped slightly, finding himself back on top of the plateau. He shook his head softly and glanced up at Roscoe with slightly widened eyes.

"… Did you…?"

He didn't have to finish the question. The look on the Sceptile's face said it all. Something just like what had happened to Vincent, happened to him. He paused and looked over his shoulder, into the sanctum where a bright light was shining, and a voice was speaking. He glanced back up at Roscoe for a moment before pushing himself to a stand.

"Better go make sure everyone's okay. C'mon. If the company's up here somewhere, they've gotta be in here."

He stepped inside of the sanctum, watching Durand having shed his robe and was glowing with powerful, psychic energies, Vincent slowly stepping up besides the others gathered, his hands lightly resting on the shells at his hips as he waited to hear what the hell was going on.

​

 

[CourageHound]

Pierce the Cunning Shadow

Pierce took a step back in awe, as he saw the space around him warp and contort around him and the others followed by vivid images of a dark future. Just what powers did this Xatu have??, he thought. Then without warning the Ghost's vision started to fail, then reshape into a clearer and clearer image. It started to unfold itself a nightmare, yet all too real:

Pierce saw himself locked in combat with Drapion, clanging his pincers in venomous delight. Somehow, the bug managed to ensnare the Gengar in his claws while attacking with Night Slash. Pierce struggled and struggled but try as he might, the ghost type could not phase through the hold of the darkness infused claws. The Scorpion thus intended to crush him in its dark claws, not releases its vice like grip until the ghost looked defeated. Even so, Pierce smirked in the face of his assaulter. He knew there was little the Drapion could actually do to him, as he was a ghost; he had no real death to fear. However, his grin faded instantly when two massive hands gripped the Gengar from behind. To Pierce's horror it was the grip of a Dusknoir.

The Drapion handed him off to the Dusknoir which then began to drag Pierce to the nearest wall. The antennae on the gray ghost's head started to glow, and the mouth on its stomach opened wide to blast a dark sphere at the wall which materialized into an ominous portal, with an equally eerie sound emanating from it. Pierce, to weak from his thrashing to even struggle looked at the passing stone beneath him as he was being slowly dragged to the dark gate. All at one, the Dusknoir flung him into the portal and the vision faded into nothingness only leaving Pierce gasping and a feeling of dread.

 

[Garet]

Roscoe
~~~~~

It was nice to know that Roscoe wasn't the only one who remembered. The Dewott opted to remain outside, on the other side of the gate, while all the others more or less filed inside. Roscoe tried to stand at ease, arms folded across his chest as he waited for...well, something to happen. The Crimson Company had to go through the Sceptile and Dewott if they wanted to get inside the Sanctum. Assuming they didn't have some supernatural means.

"So. I'm guessing you're Roscoe. I'm going by rumors and… well, people all over like to talk, and you kind of get interested in what different people has to say about different rumors and legends. Yours isn't the most well-known or glorious one, but you don't have to be well-known to be interesting, you know?"

Roscoe grinned as he looked over at the Dewott for a moment. "Ya could say that," he replied lightly. "Nice to see you didn't bring up my other name right away, ehh, Vincent." That was the Wanderer's name, wasn't it? The Sceptile had heard a few things about the Dewott, for his part. Of course, if he wouldn't bring up Roscoe's supposed thirst, then Roscoe would do likewise concerning what he'd heard of the Wanderer.

Any conversation they might've had was interrupted in an unexpected manner. The plateau faded from view as images began to play before Roscoe's eyes, of the universe and the world's progression. Of the plates and the Cyalan king, and everything in between. It was startling for Roscoe, who wasn't real used to such things, but the last part of the vision was unsettling, to say the least.

Everything blinked into darkness, then, before lighting up in flames. Fire everywhere, burning down the forest and the village and unlucky Pokemon that he saw in the distance. He saw a Sceptile being thrown against a tree before he crumpled to the ground, breathing shallowly and coughing from the smoke in the air. When he got up, Roscoe saw the seed at his neck and recognized himself. As he tried to deflect the blows of an Infernape, he could almost feel the seed working overtime to heal with what little energy it had left.

The Sceptile finally fell to the ground, half-rolled onto one side as he glared up at the Flame Pokemon. "Finish it," he hissed, then coughed again.

Smirking, the Infernape crouched. "No, I don't think I will." He reached down and ripped the seed from the Sceptile's neck, giving little notice to the damage he'd done. "You'll burn slowly, painfully, with the time to consider what we'll do next. Ta." The Infernape stood, stepping back as the Sceptile writhed in pain, flames filling his vision.

Roscoe gasped for air, eyes staring at nothing as he found himself on his hands and knees, coughing. It took a few seconds for him to realize that he wasn't on fire, that he was on the plateau outside the gate. A moment later before Roscoe registered that the Dewott had spoken. "Wha-?" Roscoe coughed one last time before his breathing came easy again.

"Better go make sure everyone's okay. C'mon. If the company's up here somewhere, they've gotta be in here."

Pushing himself up, Roscoe looked between the empty plateau and the back of the Dewott as he stepped inside the sanctum. What...what was all that? It seemed more of a good idea now to stick with the other heroes, so the Sceptile followed the Dewott inside, trying to shake off the feeling of burning. Have to concentrate, focus on keepin' the Company away, wherever they are. Besides, I'll understand better what just happened if I'm with th' others.

 

[Xilfer]

Toa the Blackhearted Duke
Sanctum of the Original One

Toa immediately turned his attention to a certain disrespectful Alakazam, after he felt the distinct touch of a Miracle Eye affect him. Please, Toa rolled his eyes, then extended his arm, claws sharp as ever, and pointed at the Psychic. "Immunity or no, I will rip you to-" he started bewildered, his fur bristling, before he was cut off by his partner Pierce. Despite his fiery anger for the Alakazam, and even more anger at most people in this sacred room for the disrespect they showed one of his calibre, he lowered his arm, realizing that the Xatu was the only one who currently deserved his attention. And that was only for one sole reason: he wanted his answers. He glared at the old elder sharply as he explained. For the most part, Toa wasn't interested. Rather than trying to save the land from King Aion's rule, it would be better to just sit aside while it does happen, so that he would be safe from his former ruler. Then, of course, Elder Durand began his vision.

Scenes of both beauty and destruction were laid out before Toa, and he marvelled at both. The magnificence of what was once the city of heretics, Fenju, was a sight to behold, whereas the destruction of the world was horrifying. Visions of the Universe and of Arceus himself were displayed. The Original One was truly a sight to behold. For a moment, Toa wondered if he was truly seeing into the past, if he was beholding the great Arceus in his first moments of glory, shaping the Universe, or if he was looking at the illusions created by the old Xatu. Still, if it was an illusion, he of all people would be the one to detect it, yet he detected nothing. There was a distinct difference between an illusion and a vision; this was the latter. For a moment, all his anger drained out of him as he gazed upon these scenes, but then it returned the next one.

Toa saw a Zoroark with the exact same colouration as him...could it have been his father? No, this Zoroark was too young to be him. This was Toa the Blackhearted Duke, gazing at himself. The other Toa was not gazing back, however. He seemed entirely oblivious of Toa's existence, for the other Toa was too busy running for his life. The Zoroark ran as fast as he could, which was very fast, with various Pokemon pursuing him: the vanguard of the Crimson Company. Why were they chasing him? Why wasn't he fighting? The other Toa's body was riddled with burn marks and cuts, and one of his eyes had apparently been removed because there was an eye-patch over it. Toa looked on, horrified, as the other Toa stopped running and turned to face his attackers, a strong-looking bunch of Fighting types. The other Toa began the fight with an illusion of several Zoroark circling the vanguard, but it seemed as if the Pokemon saw right through the attack. One of them, a Gallade, instantly used his arm blade to stab the right Zoroark through the heart. All that could be heard from the other Toa was a deafening scream, before he finally faded away.

Then, total black. Toa knew exactly what had happened: he had died, and then the universe had collapsed, all because he'd decided to leave this specific group of Pokemon, and they'd failed in their quest to retrieve the Plates before King Aion. Until now, he hadn't realized the gravity of this situation...suddenly, petty things like disrespect and anger seemed like nothing, not when his life was in danger.

"Stop," Toa said as the vision switched repeatedly between his dead form and the eternal black of the collapsed reality. "Stop!" He screamed, and then, as if nothing had ever happened, he was back in the Sanctum of the Original One.

Something felt odd there...it was as if there were multiple presences in the room, but Toa figured it was the simple shock of seeing himself...die.

He turned towards Elder Durand, and did something he'd never have done in any other situation...he knelt. "I will do whatever is necessary..." He uttered quietly, still in partial shock, "to prevent this...from happening..."

 

[Greiger]

Reginard Asphos
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As he held his hand up toward the Zoroark, the dark one did the same to him. "Immunity or no, I will rip you to-" The Zoroark stopped speaking as the Gengar laid in his own opinions. Now that Reginard thought about it... he did feel a bit of shame and lowered his hand. What had he considered doing? Shedding blood in a holy place because he let his anger get the better of him? He had almost defiled his reputation with such callous actions. His stomach squirmed a bit as he could only imagine what thoughts were going through the elder's head due to his performance. However, it seemed the elder wasn't voicing his complaints now. No, they needed more than ever to unite.

Instead, the elder began to recite a tale Reginard knew quite well. The story of the creation of the world and detailing the plates Arceus possessed, the plates that gave him powers from each and every type, how they had become greedy and thus had locked away Arceus as a result. It was something Reginard came upon in his travels, though some places would tell the tale just a bit differently here and there, the same narration was always there, how a God had been betrayed by the very beings he had gifted life onto. It was a tragic tale, but of course the images were something new.

Reginard had to do his best to keep himself calm. In his travels he had heard much more gruesome tales, but the images of death that flew across his eyes did cause a bit of fear to rise in his soul. Then.. it changed. He saw himself standing on a battlefield. He didn't see the other heroes, but it was on some sort of plains. There were many dead pokemon around, but he could see his opponent was a Weavile. He was injured, bleeding from many cuts and he could see the Weavile licking the tips of his bloodied claws as Reginard struggled for breath.

"Hehe, mastery of psychic huh? Well, can't use your Miracle Eye while it's disabled, right? Hehe, give that old bird of yours a greeting when you meet him in the afterlife!" He sneered as he raised a claw and sliced it along Reginard's throat. As much as he wanted to look away from the scene, he also knew the elder wanted to let this lesson sink in, why else show them this? The lesson of cooperation. If they stood alone... no doubt this would be the result.

As the vision faded away, Reginard had to take a deep breath to calm himself down. Already the Zoroark had taken the lesson to heart, and it was his own demise that he would help them. The Gengar too had been deeply affected. Reginard locked away his emotions for now, they needed to show strength now, not anger or hate or sadness. About this time the Dewott and a Sceptile made their way inside and Reginard took a while to compose himself.

"If you truly desire not for this to happen, then we must work together. We have been selected as heroes because of the mastery of our elements. It is up to us to bring the plates together and save this world. We should gather ourselves and the necessary supplies and head out. Due to my travels I have a few ideas as to where the plates could be hidden... rumors here and there, but that is the best we have to go on now."

He closed his eyes, "First we must seal this place up yet again. What use would it be to go and search for the plates only to return and find the others missing or in the wrong hands? If we do not seal up this area, then we are only doomed to fail."

 

[Ray Maverick]

Ser Mantarys

The Crimson Captain leaned against the wall of the chamber, well hidden under the Stranger's cloak of shadows. Is the wall sacred, too? he wondered with a sarcastic grin that spread on his long snout, mocking the respect everyone showed to the altar of the God. Despite his cheeky mood, he was beginning to get nervous, watching Durand warily with his black eyes zoomed on him. What's that Xatu think he's doing? Elder Durand had tossed his robes, exposing his vulnerable body by spreading his wings. His powerful jaws would clamp the bird right through, but the Stranger seemed reluctant to commence with the trap. The slender, hooded figure was just standing besides the Krookodile, doing nothing but observe Durand's glowing powers and provoking Ser Mantarys's anger.

He was not going to have his authority challenged by a hooded coward. They had come here for a reason, to let these fools open the gates to the Sanctum for them, slip inside to collect the Plates and leave like gentlemen. Now that they were inside, the heroes were useless to them - Ser Mantarys would have gladly attacked and killed all of them the moment that fool of an Arcanine stepped on the gates and opened them. But no, the Stranger had other plans. He was curious to see what would happen inside was Ser Mantarys's guess, but suspicions rose when he saw Elder Durand shooting a thin beam of light towards him. Startled, the Krookodile almost charged in to start the bloody rampage he was so looking forward to all this time.

He cannot see me, came the Stranger's restrained, cold voice inside their minds. The men of the Vanguard stayed put, although many had slipped into battling stances, ready to ambush the heroes. Hold your posts, he commanded, still under the beam of light, but Ser Mantarys had different plans.

Piss on that, he thought back defiantly. He took two steps towards Elder Durand, still cloaked in the shadows of invisibility, intending to bite his head off. Just then, the Xatu vanished - everything became an image around him, and the Elder's voice started echoing. He said weird things as the room around them changed into different images which confused him, forcing him to step back. It all went by too fast, and Ser Mantarys paid little attention to the words as the colorful, bright images hurt his eyes, which were made to see in the dark, not the light. He brought the back of his hand in front of them, as to protect them.

Then the world went black. He did not sense any of the presences in the Sanctum, nor the power of the Plates radiating from nearby. Perking up his head, he looked around in this impenetrable darkness, only to see nothing moving. Usually, his eyes would quickly adjust, but not now. Seven bloody hells, what is this place? It was ahead of his usual self, but he started to panic. In the dream, he saw himself move through the darkness, trying to find a way out of it but sinking even deeper.

Durand
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The walls of the chamber were changing colors between blue and pink along with his radiating power that made his body glow. The visions he had sent to the heroes were long subsided, but he was still keeping his psychic powers active and at ease.

With the corner of his flashing eyes, he saw the missing heroes enter: Faolan, Vincent and Roscoe. They slipped past the burning shadow essences of the mercenaries, towards the other heroes. It took him a while to realize Toa was kneeling in front of him.

"I will do whatever is necessary..." Toa said quietly, "to prevent this...from happening..."

Reginard stepped forward and Durand glanced at him, unsmiling, still brimming with power. "If you truly desire not for this to happen, then we must work together," the Alakazam said. " We have been selected as heroes because of the mastery of our elements. It is up to us to bring the plates together and save this world. We should gather ourselves and the necessary supplies and head out. Due to my travels I have a few ideas as to where the plates could be hidden... rumors here and there, but that is the best we have to go on now."

Reginard shut his eyes, suggesting they should seal the Sanctum. Durand nodded solemnly, the start of a smile forming on his beak. "And seal we will." He looked around the chamber, to the mercenaries, who thought they were hidden from his insightful gaze. Then, he turned his attention to the Zoroark, looking down upon him and steeling himself for what he was about to do. "You said you were willing to do what is necessary. You can start by disposing these heretics who dare defile the resting place of our God."

In a flash of white light, the shadows that engulfed the mercenaries were dissolved. The spell Stranger cast upon them was lifted. Fifty of the Pokemon were standing all around them, not having fully realized that they were visible once again... He fixed his brimming gaze on the slender figure of the Stranger, standing next to the Crimson Captain: Ser Mantarys, that tall Krookodile. The next moment, sharp metallic sounds cracked, as if sheets of iron were bending and breaking, and Durand unleashed explosive psychic power at the heretics. Those around Ser Mantarys were caught, bent and broken, their bodies lifted off the ground - dead before they even touched the ground. The Krookodile was able to withstand the attack, due to his dark type, but he flinched altogether. The Stranger was nowhere to be seen.

With another flash of energy, the Xatu strangled a Gliscor with his own black band of the Crimson Company. The mercenaries started screaming as they fought back, one of the Rhydons trying to reach Durand, only to be fended off by a punch Guardian shot. His entire body shook and despite his weight, he was sent flying. Guardian continued to defend his Elder from his assailants, while the Xatu continued to bombard them with explosions.

Tsulong

Tsulong's fierce roar echoed on the chamber in the God's hearing. He charged forward, taking a deep breath and razing the black bands with fire. Most of them caught on fire, the others he pounced at, hacked and sliced through them with his fangs as if they were made of paper. His avenging, righteous fury - a holy sort of one - was fueling his breath to become even more fire to burn down the King's men.

"The Crimson Vanguard dies here," he roared as he ran down an Ambipom tried to counter him with a close combat technique, braving his flaming mane. They will pay, he thought as he flinched under his foe's attack. Instead of stepping up and minding his defenses, he pounced at the Ambipom, overpowering him with his size. His flaming fangs bit harshly right through the black band of the mercenaries. For serving King Aion, they will pay - I will make it up to every single Indrasilian that died because of me. A Glalie stood in his way, but a swift figure took him out in the blink of an eye - it was Faolan. The mercenary fell on the floor, his icy armor broken by the immense blow the Mienshao had dealt him.

Tsulong hadn't time to nod to him. He found himself locked in combat with the Crimson Captain, who was screaming his fury back at him. Their eyes met - red ones against black ones, and they both snarled. He knew Ser Mantarys and despised him; he was one of the men King Aion had picked for slaughtering the Indrasilian forces while Tsulong and the other fire types burned the forest. The Krookodile knew his thoughts then. The next moment they clashed: Tsulong with an iron tail, Ser Mantarys with a vicious slash... or what seemed to be a slash. In fact, the Crimson Captain deflected the Arcanine's tail and dealt a foul strike to his side.

Tsulong winced, but his retaliation to the trick was equally vicious. His entire fur caught on fire and he charged at Ser Mantarys, who was too close to move aside and took the full brunt of the attack in his chest. "Bloody bastard," the Krookodile screamed, taking a step back. With a roar as an answer, Tsulong let out the remainder of his breath in flames, but to his surprise, the Krookodile replied with a slash of his arm that was coated in dark energy; it pierced through the flames and almost hit the Arcanine, who leaped out from his reach the last second.

The momentum halted. Tsulong snarled and Ser Mantarys grit his teeth, holding his wounded, burned chest. "You won't survive this," Tsulong snarled in anger, "you must be disappointed." But at the same time, he winced at the wound the Krookodile's claws had left on his side, which was now stinging and throbbing. It was a deep gash that made his mane drip with blood, staining the floor. At least the blood was shed for Arceus.

The Crimson Captain's jaws were dripping as well, not from blood but from saliva, his face screwed up in his fury. "'least I'll die happy, after I piss on your corpse," he rasped, spitting.

Tsulong was about to answer with another stream of flames, but his breath failed him, and Ser Mantarys, as a seasoned fighter, immediately knew it - and he grabbed the opportunity to charge in and finish him. ​