Ransei…

A region of Pokemon unlike any other.

Divided into seventeen different kingdoms, this region has long since forgotten most of its feudal heritage. While the kingdoms remain intact, most of the people have given up their warring status for trade and commerce, although some warlords still vie for competition and power amongst themselves. Those warlords that do instigate wars that most do not wish to be a part of are considered despots and they are, by nature, despotic rulers. As a result, the region has suffered a huge technological boom that brought advancement to each of its kingdoms.

Each kingdom went through a transformation from an area of merely small villages and hamlets with a castle into either a large urbanized area or a mix between pastures and cities. The castles remained intact for several centuries, but through the growth of the kingdom some either vanished and had to be rebuilt or fell into disrepair and had to be rebuilt from the ground up. By the time the region opened its borders to trade with the other regions, only three castles remained intact: Aurora, Ignis, and Greenleaf.

Thanks to the hard work of historians and archaeologists over the next few decades though, most castles have been rebuilt and modernized for better longevity. But there was another advancement that led to the growth of the region. In terms of arms, Ransei's natives only possessed simple swords and their Pokemon. Yet trade brought with them an arm that they readily adapted to and refined into more lethal formats: the gun.

After thirty years, the Ransei warlords possessed enough arms to equip their forces as they continued to wage war against one another. The battles fought spurred more advances, leading to newer and better guns, along with the development of the car. Refinement of the airship also led to newer versions, culminating in the creation of the speediest aircraft the world had ever seen: the fighter plane.

Even ships were not immune to this type of advancement. Whereas sailing ships have been used for centuries in Ransei, with the coming of trade and new technologies, sailing ships have been phased out for more modern and more efficient methods of transportation. Steam engines replaced sail, and when steam became too polluting, diesel was adopted. Armored warships also came into existence, carrying bigger and heavier armaments. Most did not really last into the modern era, but some have, allowing those who possessed them to have immense firepower on their sides.

Most now possess some form of an army, navy, and/or air force. But not all kingdoms like this.

In fact, one kingdom, the kingdom of Aurora, has been known to rely not on arms alone, but on well-built defensive lines that keep any invaders out. Such feats are commended by the other lands within Ransei as being either the acts of a coward, or a smart, wise ruler. Of course, it was for good reason, as well.

Being surrounded on all three sides by other kingdoms, it was necessary.

But it really showed itself the day everything went to hell.

The day Ho-oh declared war on humankind.

Now, one young man must step up to the plate and unite Ransei amidst war, chaos, and depression that threatens to sap any chance of hope left. Fighting against other kingdoms, bandits, wild Pokemon, and the darkest hearts of Ransei, the man, along with the allies he makes, will become a beacon in the world's darkest hour, and turn Ransei into a force to be reckoned with.

This is his tale.

The story of Steven "Spray" Krane.

This is…

The Ransei Chronicles

Book One: What I've Done

(The scene opens with the region of Ransei shown on an old parchment map. The paper is old and faded, with some tears here and there as well as some mold beginning to rot the parchment. The map is engulfed in smoke before it fades to reveal fires burning in a major city, people and Pokemon alike running.)

In this farewell

There's no blood

There's no alibi

(The fire reaches up and swirls around on the screen before it is removed to reveal a Fire Punch attack, the wielder being a Blaziken and beside the Pokemon stands a young man with long black hair tied back at the nape of his neck, aviator goggles on his forehead. He waves a hand and the Pokemon leaps up, firing off the attack and hitting a Grass type. The Pokemon is thrown back, landing behind a hedge. The camera moves up to reveal the Kingdom of Greenleaf, its cities now transformed back into large acres of farmland.)

'Cause I've drawn regret

From the truth

Of a thousand lies

(The Warlord of Greenleaf is shown beside her men and she holds out a hand, the warlord of Aurora grasping it. The scene shows both banners fluttering before parting and the two kingdoms are seen, their armies in front. Each army possesses both Pokemon warriors and the mechanical arms of war in equal numbers. At the front of the allied kingdoms are the two warlords, standing beside their Pokemon. Above them is a new flag, a black banner with an image of a world with a four pointed golden star and two futuristic wings behind the world.)

So let mercy come

And wash away

What I've done

(The two kingdoms are shown on the same parchment map, their armies advancing towards Fontaine. The kingdom is under attack by Gyrados, as shown on the map as draconic images. A wave suddenly washes up against the camera before falling away and the kingdom is revealed under attack. Hyper Beams lance through the air and several warships are on fire. Some fight back, but are unable to really penetrate their hides.)

I'll face myself

To cross out what I've become

Erase myself

And let go of what I've done

(A barrage of shells suddenly hits a Gyrados as it attempts to make landfall and the people look back as Allied tanks begin to pour through the devastated city, Pokémon and war machines alike assisting the defenders. Fighter jets streak overhead, using their missiles to drive back any Fearow or Wingulls that attempt to attack from above. The warlord of Fontaine is in shock.)

Put to rest

What you thought of me

While I clean this slate

With the hands of uncertainty

(The other two warlords are shown meeting with him and he is unsure. His eyes flick to the group and after some consideration, he agrees and clasps their hands. The kingdom is then admitted to the alliance, as shown by a third star appearing on the left point of the golden star. The banner then flutters away as it shows Fontatine assisting with their fishing industry, and their navy.)

So let mercy come

And wash away

What I've done

(A sudden blast of fire cuts across the scene and the Kingdom of Ignis is shown, burning even brighter than before due to the Pokemon rampaging within its walls. The power generating stations are under heavy assault, several ground types attempting to breach the thick walls. The warlord is standing in front, trying to defend them with his warriors by his side. He waves his hand and another blast of fire cuts across the screen before fading to reveal the three kingdoms attacking from the rear.)

I'll face myself

To cross out what I've become

Erase myself

And let go of what I've done

For what I've done

(The warlord is surprised by the triple attack, but doesn't hesitate to assist as he orders his troops to fire with everything they have. The attacking sides are shown on the map from before, only now it has more of a modern look to it. The images of Pokemon are shown falling back to several other kingdoms, and some are joining the new kingdom formed in the aftermath of the Battle of Ignis: Lumina.)

I start again

And whatever pain may come

Today this ends

I'm forgiving what I've done!

(The four kingdoms are shown on a monitor map, the symbol of Lumina above it, and below the map are seven silhouettes, their Pokemon in shadow as well. Behind the map is a single black stone. A light then passes in front and it fades to show Steven Krane and Kyou Kagita standing side by side, Blaze in between them. Behind them is a black draconic shape, two eyes flashing.)

I'll face myself

To cross out what I've become

Erase myself

And let go of what I've done

(The image's eyes flash and overcome the screen, showing Lumina's new army, navy, and air force preparing for war. A few new weapons are being tested, and one of them is fired at a Muk as it tries to kill a nearby civilian. The weapon fires a beam of high-pressure liquid nitrogen, freezing the screen. The ice falls away and a new, sleek missile is revealed. But unlike others, it is much larger and can carry a heavier payload: The Draco Meteor Intercontinental Ballistic Missile.)

What I've done

Forgiving what I've done

(The missile is shown launching and descending, exploding and the entire screen is engulfed in the light before it fades to reveal the series name.)

Chapter 3: First Days

Urathos, Aurora – 19 August

Spray woke to the faint smell of charred flesh permeating the air of the house and he gagged, feeling his stomach lurch. He got out of his temporary bed and groaned as he got to his feet, rubbing his eyes and stretching.

He staggered to the window and looked out, only to see the bodies of several dead Fearow being cooked on fires that now spawned up in the darkened street. He could see a few people working to check on their new food source and some were gathering water from busted pipes that stuck up from a nearby construction site. It reminded him briefly of the old days when people were wandering the land, trying to find places to establish communities, and he grimaced, tearing his eyes away from the sight.

He headed for the front door and exited onto the porch, running a hand through his black hair and adjusting his aviator's visor. He hadn't even really changed his clothes because of all the events happening so far. He shot a glance down at his bandaged hands, flexing them. He still couldn't believe that he had even accepted the proposal to be warlord. It made him sick to his stomach thinking about it.

He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, looking away from his bandaged hands.

First things first. They needed to get the community back together, and then they could worry about Aurora.

The pilot looked back up and his friends ran over at seeing him emerge from the house. Wingma was the first one to reach him, her grey-blue eyes filled with relief.

"Spray!" she called.

Spray blinked his eyes and smiled in relief at seeing her as well. "Wingma!"

The others arrived shortly after, and Radar was the first one to speak directly to him. "About time, Spray," he said.

"What's going on?" the pilot asked.

Radar looked back at the smoke still curling skyward, his dark blue eyes hard as he narrowed them. "Long story short, we got trouble coming," he said.

"What kind of trouble?" Spray wondered.

The big man merely handed him his smartphone. "See for yourself."

Spray took it and noticed that the screen displayed a map of Aurora, and over the speakers he heard the voice of the announcer. "…incoming hordes of Pokemon from other areas of the region. We're unsure as to whether or not we can even hold them off at this point in time, but the first priority is to reestablish and maintain the defensive lines until further notice. As to whether or not they are threatening other human lives directly, so far there have been no further reports coming in from other kingdoms in the region. Further updates will be reported as more information comes in."

The screen switched off and Spray handed the phone back to Radar.

"We're talking a massive invasion. And after the attack two days ago, the defensive lines won't hold for much longer," Radar said grimly.

Spray pursed his lips. "Any other contact from the rest of the kingdom?" he asked.

Wingma shook her head. "No. All landlines have been cut and satellite communications are still spotty at best." She sighed heavily. "We're on our own here."

Spray finally looked around, his eyes widening as he realized the truth. Right now, Aurora was in a bad situation, and with no one to effectively lead them, even if he was warlord, the whole kingdom was falling apart. In effect, the attack had cut off the kingdom's communities, and with only spotty satellite communications, they were almost isolated from one another.

This was the worst case scenario anyone could have imagined.

Radar sensed the panic beginning to form in the air as the words started to resonate out, the situation becoming more and more terrible with each person that said they were doomed. His teeth gritted and he looked up, his dark blue eyes hard. He grabbed a nearby megaphone someone had dumped in the initial panic and held it up to his mouth.

"ENOUGH!" he barked, his amplified voice booming out over the crowds.

People looked at him like he was nuts as he stood up and walked over to a nearby car, standing on top of it with the megaphone held in his hands.

"Just shut the fuck up, will you?!" he shouted. "There is no way we're going to let this stop us, are we?!"

"How can we do anything?!" a man yelled. "We have no way of getting in contact with the rest of Aurora or Ransei! There's nothing we can do! This is the end, and you know it!"

"Who said anything about this being the end?!" Radar cried. "Look, if there's anything that Warlord Hansen said is that we're not going to allow the Apocalypse to rule our lives! Think about what our children will inherit if we let this go on! Do you want that!? How many of you want your children to die in this Arceus-forsaken wasteland?!"

People began to look at one another, murmurs whispering through the crowd, but no one really wanted to step forward. The atmosphere was still tense, and Radar could see that. He gritted his teeth a bit more, his mind racing. He raised the megaphone again and spoke once more.

"I know that things don't look good, but if you think about it, have we ever let things like this stop us before? Historically Ransei has always been at war, and Aurora has been able to come out on top of things not because of our defensive lines or even our warlord, but because we had something that kept us going in dark times: hope and the ability to endure and adapt! We have to adapt to this new world, but not let it engulf us in fear and terror! Rather, we should do as our former warlord said: stand up to this and become a beacon of hope! We will make this nation better, and we will show the one who did this a thing or two about humanity's resilience and determination!"

His chest was heaving a bit as he panted. He had no idea if he was getting through to them, but he had to keep trying. He was not a good speaker or orator, but that wasn't the issue here. The real issue was trying to convince people that they could see the light in this dark world.

"Look. I don't expect you to follow Spray as your warlord, and in fact, I highly doubt that we'll be able to make Aurora a place that even remotely resembles how it was just a few days ago," he continued. "But that's not the point. The point is we have to adapt, move on, and become something better than this wasteland's creator would expect. We have to evolve in a sense, and we have to learn from this. We have to make our region a stronger nation than it was before this whole thing began. We have to unite Ransei and become one."

"Yeah? And how do you expect to do that?!" a man from Almia shouted. His distinct Almian accent stood out in his anger and his reddish-brown hair seemed to be black in the dim light of the neighborhood. "Just travel the region, preaching about unity and standing up to this shit?" He waved a hand as if to emphasize his point. "Just forget it! The world is –"

He was suddenly cut off as someone else got involved, holding up a pipe and slamming it on the car Radar stood on. The person who slammed the pipe was none other than Spray.

"I can't believe you guys!" he shouted. "I… As much as I hate to admit it, this is not a dream, and this is indeed real! We have no choice in the matter! We have to adapt if we're gonna even stand a chance at surviving this hellhole!"

"Like you'd even understand, Warlord!" the Almia native snarled.

"You think I don't understand?!" Spray roared. "Look around you! This is what the one who did this wants! That person or whatever wants us to become this way! They want us to struggle, to become divided, and to suffer! They want us to be nothing more than scavengers and savages! And I don't want that! I hate this world! I hate it just like all of you! But I say that we should stand up to this darkness! I don't want us to live like that! I want to make a better world than that! And if I have to learn to live in this hellhole, then I will!"

His eyes were hard as he got up beside Radar, holding the pipe in his hand still. "Look! I may not like this world, but it's all we've got now! We're not doomed! None of us are! We have a chance! We just have to take that chance and keep fighting for it! We have a chance to do some good by showing that humans and Pokemon can still live in harmony! We have the opportunity to make a nation that will last even longer than the Age of Tanaka did three thousand years ago!" he cried. "And I'm not going to let this apocalyptic wasteland take that from me! I'm not sure about all of you, but me and my friends… we're gonna fight and try to show the world that we are better than this! Aurora is better than this! Ransei is better than this! We are not savages or barbarians! So, if you want to live like that, then fine! But anyone else with half a brain would stand up and say no to this new way of life! If we're to prove the bastard who did this to us wrong, then we have to retain our way of life as a civilized kingdom, as a region of civilization! We have to become a nation to prove them wrong!"

His words were starting to have an effect on people. The only question was how much of an effect…

A few communities over, people were starting to gather, their eyes looking for any sign of hope or rescue. The entire community was devastated, being one of those that had borne the brunt of the attack. Due to its close proximity to the defensive walls, the town had initially survived the first few minutes before debris and rubble crushed many of the people and the buildings. So now they were not only mourning the loss of their loved ones, they were trying to comfort and console those that were trapped there with no way to reach their homes outside of Ransei.

The first message reached Urathos within two hours, around the same time Spray and Radar were trying to appeal to the populace of the community. Their efforts were cut off as someone looked up, his eyes wide.

"Holy…!" the man breathed. He got to his feet and grabbed a sheet of paper, rolling it into a makeshift megaphone and getting up beside the two men.

"Everyone, just for God's sake listen! We're all squabbling and arguing like pointless children when there are people who are dying and suffering a lot worse than us all over Aurora and the world! Is that what you want? Do you want it to be survival of the fittest?!" the man yelled, his eyes hard.

"But, isn't that how it was before?!" the Almia native snarled back.

"NO! IT WASN'T LIKE THAT TO BEGIN WITH!" the man roared, his powerful voice booming out over the gathered crowd. While not like Radar's voice in terms of loudness, the way he spoke was what caught their attention. "So what?! Look! The world wasn't perfect, but it was sure as hell less dangerous than this! But did that make the world before peaceful? NO! We all had stuff to deal with, and in fact, it was just as dangerous! The only difference? Our Pokemon were not attacking us!"

He looked at each of the other two men, and nodded at them to continue speaking.

Radar seized his chance and looked back at the crowd who was now looking at them with attention.

"He's right!" Radar continued. "Our main priorities should not be survival of the fittest! In fact, that's the last thing that should be on our minds! We have to focus on getting Aurora back on its feet and then helping others! Our founder's words are never truer than now: We must become the light in the world's darkest hours! We have to make a stand against the darkness!"

"And forget about that shit that the world is fucked over!" Spray added, his brown eyes hard. "Face it! We're all in this together, not just as a town, but as a kingdom and as a nation! We are not fighting against one another for what scraps are left! There's still much that we can do, and much that is left behind! We are still in business! We can still live like civilized human beings! And that is what we should do! Help others get back on their feet and make sure that we can stand up to whatever is thrown our way in this new world order!" His grip tightened on the pipe as he looked at them. "So, if you feel that it should be survival of the fittest, then get the hell out of Aurora and go live in the wild! If you feel that we should take a stand and rebuild, then raise a hand and say so!"

For a long while, no one made a move. Some people looked at one another before standing up and heading off. Spray growled a bit. He could see that some of them just wouldn't listen.

He half expected the others to do the same, but much to his surprise, many didn't even budge. No one else did. Instead, a good two thirds of those remaining raised their hands and stood up before lowering them.

He stared in shock before he turned to face the man beside him.

"Who are you?" he asked.

The man was in his late thirties and had messy red hair with green eyes which contrasted his lighter skin, a sign he was from the northern regions of Ransei. He wore a blue headband with a Poké Ball symbol on it and his shirt was black with a white vest and grey shorts. He wore mud stained sneakers on his feet and on his back was a hiker's backpack. He turned to face Spray and smirked.

"The name's Harold. Harold Warson," he said, holding out a hand.

Spray took it. "Spray Krane."

Radar nodded. "The name's Radar Harrison," he said, grasping their clasped hands.

"You need any help?" Harold asked.

Spray nodded. "Sure do. Is your kingdom safe?" he asked.

Harold shook his head. "No. Sorry. I lost contact with them when all Hell broke loose. But that's beside the point. The point is I'm willing to assist you any way I can," he said.

"What are you good at?" Radar asked.

"You'll see soon," Harold said with a wink. "Right now, we got a kingdom to rebuild!"

Spray smiled, feeling like maybe for once they did have a chance in this new world. He turned to face the crowd, his confidence returning. "All right, people! Let's get what we can and start trying to rebuild our community! Then we'll spread out and give others the help they need!"

Everyone nodded and slowly, but surely, the process of rebuilding the kingdom began.

Day turned into night and slowly, people began to wander the streets, seeking shelter or looking for help as thunderclouds began to roll in, the rain soaking them to the bone and making them shiver against their will. Thunder rumbled overhead and lightning flashed, throwing the area into luminescence and people gaped at just how bad the destruction really was.

The rain eased the fires in many of the communities and allowed people to get precious water. Some people began to scavenge up buckets and some even tried to make water catchers. Their efforts were in vain though as there wasn't enough to go around. Children began to wail as finally the dampness of their clothing turned to cold and their mothers sought to comfort them as best they could.

Men and women alike began to try and clear the roads with their bare hands, but to no avail. The rubble was just too thick. They began to wonder if this was the Fate that Arceus had assigned them. Some even began to wonder if the rest of the world had been destroyed. If so, what had they done wrong to cause such a Fate to befall them? Was there any hope of redemption, and if so, what could they do to redeem themselves? Go back to a simpler time? One where man was just a scavenger and a savage?

Some men and women thought so and slowly they began planning to start their lives anew as primitive hunters. They sought sharpened objects and began to strip themselves to bare flesh, hoping to seek human prey to clothe their now naked bodies.

Evening turned out to be a time of hell for those still wanting to hold on in the face of certain defeat.

Those that returned to a life of hunters fled, setting up a tribe just outside the community of Herios to start their new lives. They stopped referring to the town as their home and started calling themselves the Tribe of the Phoenix God. The town became a war zone in just one night, forced to fight off these new tribesmen and tribeswomen to defend their home and loved ones. Men and women alike took up arms and a few Pokémon from the nearby woods offered to assist them, some of the combatants forming Links and becoming partnered to them.

Bullets and attacks were exchanged with arrows and spears, fired and thrown from the new Tribe next door to them. But a good majority of the Pokémon that lived in the woods were now fighting against both sides of humans, leading to the town getting decimated even further as their attacks wiped out several remaining buildings.

The next day was a time of recuperation for all three sides.

As the sun poked through the remains of the devastated town, some people began to gather and assess the damage. The destruction was immense, and some people were left without their homes or even anything. Others were more than willing to open their homes or whatever they had left to those with nothing, and the community started to band together.

The morning hours were devoted to recovering the bodies of the dead and trying to arm the town against the Tribe that sought them for clothing and sustenance. But as they day wore on, it became clear that their efforts were not going to be enough. They needed help, and they knew it.

Thankfully, help was on its way.

Some people were still able to receive messages from friends and family across the kingdom and the region, so they were the ones to turn to for information. And one of those people happened to have a relative in Urathos who was one of those new charged with clearing the roads.

The message came through within minutes of having been sent.

It was short, but the meaning was clear.

We're coming. Help is on the way.

The words were enough to rally people to stand ready. A few others started to modify their trucks or cars for hauling debris aside. Those that were able to started making makeshift cranes to drop it onto flatbeds made out of concrete or slabs of wood tied together and mounted on wheels. Those with heavy-duty trucks were hooked up to each slab in groups of two or three, and slowly the back-breaking labor began.

It was taking them a long time to clear the main street, but at least progress was being made.

As the sun set, work halted and people retreated to the safety of the town's ruins to set up defenses against the Tribe of the Phoenix God and the wild Pokémon who deemed them to be a threat. People who had guns took up positions near the borders of the town and those with Pokémon set up positions long range for sniping or just covering fire.

The moon poked through the tattered clouds overhead and the first of the Tribesmen and Tribeswomen lunged forth from the shadows, attacking the defenders of the town with a ferocity unheard of in modern man. The stress of the last few days, coupled with the overwhelming realization that they were now on their own had caused those who now made up the Tribe of the Phoenix God to slowly go insane, and now they were living it.

The defenders fought with a determination unlike them, which surprised all of them, including those who weren't actively participating.

The children and elderly and injured huddled behind their shelters of debris and rubble, watching in awe, shock, and horror at the bullets and attacks meeting with arrows and thrown spears. The ruins offered the defenders a much better position from which to fight, keeping the attackers at bay. Both human and Pokemon alike began to die from their wounds.

The battle lasted for a few hours before the Tribe and the wild Pokemon were forced to withdraw once more to reconsolidate and enhance their positions. But thankfully, it was not to be much longer they held out.

Help was just a few hours away.

The first few hours had been chaotic as people scrambled to get any and all possible earthmovers and construction vehicles up and running for use. Dump trucks and garbage trucks were also pressed into service to remove the debris and rubble that covered the roads in some spots.

Pokémon and people alike volunteered to assist in the task of marking the path ahead. Kyou was one of those who ventured on ahead, leaving behind bright red marks with paint so as to leave a trail for the others to follow. He and Blaze stopped to mark debris piles before skirting around them and moving on ahead, using Spray's bike to make progress.

Spray had given the two a few extra gallons of gas to fill up the bike with, so they were good to go as they weaved and skirted around debris and marked other piles for clearance. Kyou eventually had to stop and set up a camp with Blaze for the evening, only to resume early in the morning the task he had been assigned.

They came across one other town which had cleared a path to the road as well, using a large earthmover and several trucks equipped with plows, along with a train that ran right to Auroros, again, equipped with a plow for clearing dirt and debris off the tracks. The train driver and the engineer agreed to make a run to Auroros and possibly any other towns or cities along the tracks, clearing them out so as to allow their train lines to get back up and running.

That was one of the biggest advantages so far, and another town they came across had managed to get their docks up and running for transporting and hauling debris and rubble to a nearby island on the river for dumping. They agreed to assist, and with their help, the progress increased. Now, the last few days had seen enormous progress on clearing the main roads to the town of Herios.

Spray stood on top of the bulldozer as the crews worked to remove the debris and rubble while filling in what spots they could with soil and/or other rock piles. His brown eyes were hard as he looked ahead, his visor shielding his eyes from the dust and fine powder that stung at the eyes of the others.

Kyou grunted as he looked down at several other Pokémon and their Warrior partners working to move aside some debris. He shot a glance back at the way they had come and he smiled a bit.

The road in back of them wasn't fully cleared, but at least a path had been made to allow supply trucks and others to pass through the rubble to any other communities they encountered along the way. The biggest need was for medical supplies and food and water. The lighter trucks were to carry the wounded as well back to makeshift hospitals for treatment until the main ones could be up and running.

Other vehicles were instructed to stay in the convoy until further notice.

As they made their way to the town, Spray's eyes widened as he heard the distinct cries of battle echoing in the distance.

"Dammit!" he swore.

"What's happening?" one of the other drivers said as she peeked out the window of her truck.

Spray opened his mouth to speak, only for his phone to beep and he grabbed it, checking the caller ID. It was Kyou. He pressed the talk button and at once Kyou's voice came over the speakers.

"Spray, it's Kyou!" he said.

"What's the situation?" Spray asked.

"It's the town at the end of this road! It's under attack by Pokémon and a bunch of people who have apparently lost it!" the man said. The drone of the bike's engine came over the phone, followed by a loud sound that was no doubt an explosion, backed up by several swears. "They call themselves the Tribe of the Phoenix God!"

"Shit!"

"We need backup! Get down here stat!" With that the line went dead and Spray turned to face one of the other drivers.

"Hey! I need a lift!" he cried.

The entire city was a mess as Kyou swerved the bike through the outskirts of the ruins. His blue eyes hardened as he gritted his teeth and hunched over, the wind whipping at his hair and blowing it out behind him. His white jacket was dirty from having been knocked off a few moments prior to contacting Spray, and his partner was just as tense; he could feel the nervousness and anticipation through the Link.

"Okay, Blaze! Jump!" Kyou ordered.

The Blaziken nodded and leapt off the bike, landing on top of a half-destroyed store and leaping to the next rooftop. He jumped onto an apartment complex that was missing half its southern wall and several holes in the roof, taking care to avoid falling inside.

The Pokémon was worried as he finally inched closer to one of the roof edges and peered over, his mind racing.

His eyes widened as he gaped in shock at the large number of humans huddling behind some overturned cars and a half-destroyed school bus, wild Pokémon unleashing their attacks on the crowd. But what really shocked him to his core was the group of men and women clad in nothing but their bare flesh, attacking from the shadows to strike at the weak and helpless among the defending humans.

His eyes narrowed as he gritted his teeth and leapt off, landing on the ground and powering up a Fire Punch attack. Blaze let loose, punching the closest Pokémon that leapt out of the shadows, claws seething with dark power. The punch connected squarely with the attacker's face, burning it to nothing more than a mere mess of charred and melted flesh. The Pokémon fell down, dead from the shock and pain of the blow to the face.

Blaze looked back at the other humans with no clothing on and glared at them, his eyes as hard as ice. The humans backed off, but a few launched into an offensive pattern, forcing him to grab a slab of metal and hold it like a shield, charging and ramming into them with the full force of a battering ram. The impact jarred them and forced them to drop their spears and arrows and bows, but not to back off without a fight.

The humans of the Tribe started to chant and dance like savages, the burning fires of the town behind them adding to the mood. Even Blaze felt a chill of fear slither down his spine.

His eyes hardened as he clenched both fists. 'All right! No holding back!' he thought. But as he looked back at the huddled humans, and at how close they were, he realized that he would have to hold back, otherwise he could kill them. And that he didn't want.

"C'mon… C'mon!" he muttered, although to human ears his words sounded like his species name. And even then the Link only allowed emotions to be felt, along with vague images of the feeling.

A loud screech from above caught his attention and his gaze shot skyward, only to have his heart leap into his throat at the sight of a small flock of Pidgeot attacking from the air. Blaze growled as he crouched and leapt up to the roof of a hotel before firing off a barrage of Fire Punches. A good majority of the punches missed, but some did hit the bird Pokémon and sent them crashing to the ground below, forcing some people to withdraw into their damaged homes to escape the falling bodies.

The damaged houses weren't able to withstand much more he could see. So he had to make sure to avoid hitting them and harming the people inside. Blaze landed on the ground and spun around, grabbing another Pidgeot by the neck and with one quick snap, broke the Pokémon's neck before dumping the body on the ground. "Okay… One down… who knows how many more to go!" he muttered to himself.

Spray yelped as the four-wheeler jerked over a log and he grumbled as he rubbed his sore backside. "Dammit!"

"Hey! This was the fastest thing I could get at such short notice!" the driver snapped as she looked back. "So stop complaining!"

"It's not that! Can't you at least be more careful?" he shot back.

The driver snorted, but complied and eased up on the throttle, but still maintained a fast rate of travel. She peeked back out of the corner of her eye. "You sure about this though? We're going right into a hellhole."

"Can't be any worse than the hellhole we're in right now," Spray remarked dryly as he grabbed the rifle he had been issued. He checked the ammo and nodded once he was sure it was loaded.

"Well, you do have a point on that," the driver said grimly with a bit of a smirk as she swerved around some collapsed rubble from a nearby food market.

Spray's eyes picked out the fires raging along with some fireballs streaking skyward, and he knew at once that it had to be Blaze. And where Blaze was, Kyou wasn't far behind; such was the nature of the Link.

He tapped the driver and pointed in the direction of the fireballs and she nodded, pouring on the speed once they came to a relatively clear street. Ahead he could see the burning fires along with some people huddling behind debris and at once they knew they had reached the town.

The man leapt off the ATV and landed on his feet. At once he noticed the pavement was buckled and torn here and there by the battle, and some pipes were broken, steam and water gushing out of them as he worked his way through the debris. But that was nothing compared to the battlefield located in the center of town. The entire square was a mess of debris and destroyed buildings looming on either side of it, some cars still visible amidst the rubble of the Apocalypse.

Spray shuddered as he inched through the debris field, only to come face-to-face with one of the Tribe of the Phoenix God.

The man was clad in nothing but bare skin and he had tribal markings adorning his body, a large feather from a Fearow perched on his head, held in place by a headband. His eyes were wild and he held in his hands a spear. He said nothing, but let out a battle cry as he charged at Spray.

The new warlord leapt to the side and swung his rifle about, trying to hit the man in the head with the butt. He didn't want to kill, but he felt that sooner or later he'd have to make a choice. The Tribesman dodged the blow and swung his spear, trying to impale Spray through the chest. But the man growled and ducked the blow, his hair getting ruffled by the breeze. Spray whipped his foot about and connected solidly with the man's sternum, knocking him back a few feet before he looked up, screaming in fury.

Spray's eyes hardened as he hefted his rifle. "Okay. You want to fight, then I'll fight!"

The Tribesman attacked again, running and thrusting his spear towards Spray's neck. But Spray twisted his body to the side and his shoulder got grazed by the tip of the spear, drawing blood. He looked at it with a hard gaze before he shot his glare back to the Tribesman. The pilot's mind was on overdrive as he spun around, his fist clenching and firing off a punch that hit the Tribesman right in the face and sent him staggering back, rubbing at his jaw. A bit of blood dribbled down the side of his mouth, but he didn't care as he ran towards the pilot with his spear above his head.

A sudden blast of fire and wind caught his attention and he spun his body to the side as the attack connected with his opponent, burning him to a crisp. Spray looked back and he felt his stomach lurch.

Blaze was the first to emerge from the smoke of the nearby fires.

"Spray? You okay, dude?" Kyou's voice asked.

Spray's head snapped towards one of the ruins as Kyou emerged from behind it, holding a pipe in one hand and a battered plank in the other. "Kyou!" he cried.

As the young man approached, he nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine. I just wasn't expecting this," he said, looking back at the naked Tribespeople mixed in with the fighting of the wild Pokémon and humans.

"Yeah. Sorry I forgot to warn you. But some people honestly might lose it in this world," Kyou said grimly. "Those people… are just some of them. We may encounter more, but these are the worst I feel we'll face."

"I sure hope we don't run into more people like them…" Spray murmured as he spotted a Tribesman slinking off with an armful of skins. His skin crawled and the man hissed as he spied Steven eyeing him.

"Well, forget it. We'll deal with them as the time comes. For now, we gotta get these people out of here and linked up with the rest of us," Kyou said as he tossed the two makeshift weapons aside and headed over to where the woman sat on her ATV. "The bike's yours, anyway."

Spray nodded as he approached and mounted the bike.

Herios, Aurora – August 22

The battle ended as the sun peeked over the horizon, the start to a new day. The Tribesmen and Tribeswomen had retreated during the night, as did the wild Pokémon once more forces arrived. The general in charge informed Spray that it would take a few weeks to a few years to round up the Tribe, and while he agreed to doing that, he gave strict orders to not kill unless attacked relentlessly.

The caravan had with them a few food trucks, so they were able to get some food to the people of the devastated town. As breakfast was dished out, Spray sat near his bike which was propped against the destroyed remains of one of the hotels there. The food truck closest to him was practically overwhelmed, so he had to make do with a few provisions someone had thoughtfully handed out to him.

He studied the plate in front of him, trying to figure out what to do next.

"Stumped, Spray?"

The pilot looked up, his eyes locking onto Kyou's. "Oh, hey, Kyou," he murmured. "Yeah. I am stumped. I mean, I know we have to get Aurora back on its feet, but… how can we?"

The other man sat down beside him, studying the horizon. "Well, for one thing, we gotta try and keep on getting the kingdom back on track. Reopening roads, clearing them of debris and rubble, getting food and supplies back to the towns… It's a lot of work. But someone has to do it," he said.

Spray nodded. "I know. But… how can we? It just seems impossible now…"

Kyou pursed his lips. "Spray, it may seem like it, but nothing is impossible. Lord Ryuubi didn't give up when he united Ransei, didn't he?"

His companion's eyes went wide. "What's that got to do with this?" he asked, sweeping an arm around at the destroyed town and out to the devastated kingdom. "I mean, back then, the whole world wasn't in the embrace of the Apocalypse, right?"

The other man sighed. "Look. It may not have been the same, but the idea was sound. Unite Ransei and forge a nation that was the envy of the world. Not in a bad way though," he explained. "And that's what we gotta do here. It may take time, time we surely don't have, but we have to try. The whole world is counting on us, and Warlord Hansen ordered us to do just that before he died. And you said it yourself. You're willing to try and end this. So why give up now?"

"I'm not giving up!" Spray snapped as he got to his feet. "I just need to know what to do next!"

Kyou snorted. "Yeah, right. Looks like you're giving up to me."

Spray snarled, but said nothing.

The other man looked back at him. "But… since you asked, the next logical step would be to get more people working on clearing out debris and rubble. Fixing roads and buildings can wait. Reopening them is top priority. And second, we have to work on getting some sense of order back into things. We need a functioning government. And not just a warlord. I don't know if the Council survived, or if any of the advisors did. So we need to forge a new government," he explained.

The pilot's eyes widened in confusion. "You serious?" he blurted.

Kyou nodded. "Yes. I am. A government that will embody what our warlords have striven for all these years. A government that will also stand for what we're fighting for. A government people can trust in. We need that, Spray. It'll be hard, but we will get it done."

Spray nodded, feeling unsure about this still. After what he had seen, he wasn't sure if he was ready for this kind of responsibility. Still, he had to try.

He had to.

For the sake of everyone in Ransei.