Roleplay:Natural Enemies

'''This Roleplay is not a freejoin. If you want to be in the Roleplay, you must ask on the talkpage first.'''

Rules

 * 1) Zero tolerence for god-modding (excluding plot-specific exceptions).
 * 2) Do not troll or harass other users.
 * 3) Sexual content is prohibited. Kissing, flirting, etc. is an exception.
 * 4) Keep swearing to a minimum. Excessive swearing will be censored.
 * 5) Stick to the plot. This Roleplay has a beginning, middle and end, and they will be followed in a logical order.
 * 6) Introduce your characters in a sensical manner. For example, do not have them fall out of a tree for no reason at a random time and say "Hey, what's up". Bring them in at a believable time in a believable way.
 * 7) Surround out of character talk in ((double parentheses)) to distinguish it from dialogue and actions.

Invited Users
Smash the Echidna

Numbuh712

Banzai123

NoraKouba

Characters
These are the main characters of the story who will appear several times throughout it.

Heroes
Ichiro Keiken the Komodo (E-113:Xi)

The Masters of the Orochi Clan (E-113:Xi)
 * Homura the Crocodile
 * Eiji the Dragonfly
 * Shogai the Cobra
 * Mutoh the Komodo
 * Yamori the Gecko
 * Hebi the Python

Burst Pyrite (E-113:Xi)

Paroi the Guardian (Banzai123)

Mia the Magician (NoraKouba)

Smash The Echidna (STE)

Splice The Hedgehog (STE)

Kyle Tyris The Hedgehog (STE)

Keela Tyris The Hedgehog (STE)

Crystal The Fox (STE)

Gizmo The Cat (STE)

Kitty The Cat Chao (STE)

Thunder The Hedgehog (STE)

Zap The Hedgehog (STE)

Pyra "Inferna" Fireheart (Numbuh)

Shade "Tendril" Nightwing (Numbuh)

Terron "Quake" Subrock (Numbuh)

Aero "Cyclone" Atmos (Numbuh)

Lumina "Flare" Lightbeam (Numbuh)

Vine "Growth" Oakwillow (Numbuh)

Pyro Oceania (Numbuh)

Luna the Hedgehog (ProtectTheShadows)

Static the Hedgehog (ProtectTheShadows)

Statyx the Hedgehog (Kagi)

Fou the Phoenix (Kagi)

Neutral
Thetis the Wolf (Banzai123)

Savant the Goetian - Ryu

Aquella "Tsunami" Oceania (Numbuh)

Aqua the Hedgehog (ProtectTheShadows)

Summer the Hedgehog (ProtectTheShadows)

Villains
Demon Yamato the Wolf (E-113:Xi)

The Followers of the Void (E-113:Xi)

Elemental Alignments
Repeat your characters' names in the appropriate sections if they have an elemental proficiency. Also add to the appropriate category any characters who will only appear during large battle scenes.

Fire
Burst Pyrite

Gabriel Aungel (E-113:Xi)

Splice The Hedgehog (STE)

Pyra "Inferna" Fireheart

Pyro Oceania

Fou the Phoenix (Kagi)

Summer the Hedgehog (PTS)

Earth
Homura the Crocodile

Terron "Quake" Subrock

Poison
Hebi the Python

Light
Ichiro Keiken

Mutoh the Komodo

Lumina "Flare" Lightbeam

Lightning
Shogai the Cobra

Statyx the Hedgehog (Kagi)

Thunder The Hedgehog (STE)

Zap The Hedgehog (STE)

Static the Hedgehog (PTS)

Water
Aquella "Tsunami" Oceania

Splice The Hedgehog (STE)

Aqua the Hedgehog (PTS)

Wind
Eiji the Dragonfly

Rad the Falcon (E-113:Xi)

Mia the Magician (NoraKouba)

Aero "Cyclone" Atmos

Shadow
Yamori the Gecko

Demon Yamato

Shade "Tendril" Nightwing

Savant the Goetian

Plot Overview
For years the members of the Orochi Clan have worshiped Yamata no Orochi, an ancient spirit who is said to bring unity to the world upon its revival. However, all is not well as Demon Yamato, an emeny of the clan, plans to prematurely revive Orochi for his own chaotic needs. Demon will spread war and anarchy to the world of Mobius as he pits the wielders of the elements against eachother in an all out battle of the forces of nature. It is up to the remnants of the Orochi Clan and a select group of heroes to put an end to his heinous scheme.

Prologue
In a far corner of the Dragon Kingdom, two Mobians waited in the underground cellars of Poppy Village. One paced madly while the other attempted to keep him calm. "Would you please sit still for five minutes, Homura. All this moving about is starting to make me nervous."

Yamori the Gecko, one of the Masters of Poppy Village's Orochi Clan, stood propped up against a stack of wooden crates while Homura the Crocodile, another of the Masters, quickly walked back and forth staring at the door. "I have every right to be impatient. Whatever news Hebi returns to us, good or bad, shall be significant to the clan's survival," Homura replied. Growing impatient as well, Yamori walked over to Homura and placed a hand on his shoulded, haulting his pacing. "We have suffered through worse," he assured, "Even if Hebi tells us that... that the Followers are planning an attack, we will be fine."

Following the sound of a door flying open, Hebi slithered down the steps of the cellar with intense urgency. "What have you found?" Homura asked. Hidden by panting, Hebi corrected, "Not what I have found... What Eiji has found." Yamori had suddenly found himself just as worried as Homura was. "Spit it out, then," he demanded. As if somebody had been listening in on them, Hebi gasped, "The Followers are planning an attack!"

Meanwhile, high atop Mount Stormtop, Eiji the Dragonfly was spying on a seemingly private meeting. It was a meeting of the Followers of the Void, a group dedicated to the destruction of the Chaos Force via Vortex Magic, its equal and oppposite. Their discussion was confusing but their intentions seemed clear. Many of the Followers were enemies of the Orochi Clan, and there was talk of an ambush on the recovering Poppy Village. "So it is agreed. We will make our journey in three cycles," one whisped. "The High One should be given enough time," added another. As the group dispersed, Eiji fled back to his home as quickly and quietly as possible. The Masters would need to be together to prepare for what was to come. ..

Part One: Opposing Intentions
It was evening across the western continent of Northamer. It seem like a peaceful time, but that was only its apparent state. A national news broadcast said otherwise.

"This is Channel 6 Evening News, I'm Cecelia Tyrran. Today's top story - a rivalry the way nature intended it. Several aquakinetics have banded together over the last couple of days in Seaside City, home of the ancient Ocean Palace, and have declared some sort of war on pyrokinetics and fire users of any sort. The homes of many pyrokinetics in the area have been attacked as well. Notes were left on the scene with threats of further damage unless the resident pyrokinetics agreed to the terms of the battle. They have called out all fire users to meet them on the Grounds of the Ancients at Mount Mobius in three days to prove who is truely the strongest. More on that story tonight. In other news..."

A lone brown wolf was watching the news through a shop window. "Such unnecessary conflict. No doubt more people are going to get involved for no good reason. Makes me wonder why I came to Seaside City anyway." He turned away from the TV, unable to stand the stupidity of it all, and continued walking down the street.

The same report was broadcasted throughout Station Square and Green Flower City. A blue echidna watched the news from the comfort of his home. "what." He flatly said aloud. "are you serious..." He shook his head in disgust. "What the heck is WRONG with people these days!? First there was the Jelly Donut Protest, and now THIS!?"

"I dunno, Smash." His sister shrugged, watching from behind the couch he was sitting on. "It seems like the world just keeps getting crazier every other month."

"I mean, How do you go and declare a war against any person who uses fire? Pyrokinesis is one thing, but are you going to attack anyone who just so happens to have a Fire Elemental Ring, or a lighter for that matter!? What if you were trying to camp out, or just put on the fireplace in the freaking winter time? This isn't even racism. Heck, it's not even stupid. It's beyond stupid."

"Maybe they have some sort of reason for doing this?"

"What on earth would they possibly declare a war against fire users for if they had any sort of common sense?"

"Beats me. I'm just kinda throwing ideas out there." Pearl shrugged. Smash sighed and turned off the TV.

"Well, Whatever the case, they're causing unnecessary trouble." Smash said. "If innocent people are losing their HOMES because of this foolishness, it's serious."

"Are you going to do something about it?" Pearl asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Heck, I WOULD if I knew where Seaside City was." He stood up. "And I will in a minute." He walked out of the room, heading upstairs into his bedroom.

Meanwhile, in Seaside City, more trouble was brewing than anyone could have predicted. The aquakinetics walked the streets with a strange sense of pride, but that would soon end. Two pyrokinetics blocked their path, looking quite angry. "Three days? What, you're too chicken to fight now?" one protested, "Ya, we'll take you on any day," added the other. They two groups brawled for a mere few moments before they were stopped. A mysterious figure jumped down from the rooftops. He wore a black robe with a conical straw hat. "Please, please, save the fighting," he said in a sinister way, mainly directed to the aquakinetics, "We don't want them dead before the big day. But, if they're so eager..." In a swift motion the figure threw his hand from within his cloak. It was rapped tightly in bandages and now pointed at the pyrokinetics. Before anyone could react, he had shot a bolt of violet energy at the two, leaving them alive yet lifeless. They collapsed simultaneously as the figure concealed his hand once again. He turned to the aquakinetics and ordered, "Go. Cause no more unnecessary trouble," to which they silently obeyed. Hoping back up to the rooftops, he disappeared from sight.

Back in the Poppy Village, the Masters of the Orochi Clan watch the news report with mutual disgust. "If Sato were still alive, he'd have a fit," Hebi commented. Homura left the room with several reasons to be outraged. Outside, he met with Ichiro Keiken. "What is it, Master Homura?" Ichiro calmly asked. With a brief hesitation Homura answered, "Go to the west. Some sort of balance is upset there, and I need you to at least find the reason behind it. Take this warp ring and return as soon as possible. We will need all the help we can get to defend against the followers." Ichiro silently accepted the task, took the ring and left. He, too, was aware that trouble was brewing, but the truth was something more than he could even imagine.

Rather far away, an odd-looking being wearing a tattered traveling cloak and hood had witnessed the destruction of many homes belonging to Pyrokinetics and Pyromancers. He did not bother himself to stop the carnage; he merely watched, his lip curling in disdain.

"Barbarians," he muttered, his red eyes surveying the damage laid out before him. He then turned and left, towards Station Square, which would be quite a walk for him.

Back in Seaside City, a cream colored hedgehog surveyed the movements of several pyrokinetics. "Pity. They could be out doing something useful." she said to herself, her voice wistfully light. She pulled her navy blue cape up into a cowl and dropped down from the roof she was sitting on, heading back home.

One of the pyrokinetics spotted her. "HEY! That girl looks like, eh, she's with them aquakinetics!" he said. The others agreed and advanced on her. She turned around; they were quite loud. "Hello," she said pleasantly. "What brings you here?" One of the pyrokinetics snickered. "Look at her, acting all clueless. Let's get her!" The hedgehog raised an eyebrow. "Are you absolutely sure?" When they didn't stop, she shrugged. "Your choice." She thrust her hand out and one of the pyros went flying. With a clutch of her fist, another grabbed at their throat for air until they fell unconscious. She made a gripping motion and one began to float in the air. A jerk of her arm and he went soaring into space. The last one attempted to run, and the hedgehog made a waving motion. The last one's eyes turned glassy. "Tell whoever is your leader to leave Luna Astrid alone." The hedgehog commanded, and the pyro ran off into the distance. Luna tsked and turned heel to leave.

As Luna turned, she was stopped by a figure cloaked in black suddenly standing right behind her. "Luna, is it? I'll be sure to remember that," he began, "It joys me to see that even the most insignificant pawns in our plan can... fire them up. A word to the wise... we want them alive for the big day." In a flash of blacklight, he disappeared as if here were never even standing there.

Luna bit the inside of her cheek, considering what the cloaked figure said. "Hmm... something dark is happening, and I don't like it, I have a feeling I'll meet him again soon."

Back at Smash's house, Smash was sitting on the couch, packing some bags. Pearl came back into the room, holding the house phone. "Thunder said he'd gladly take you." She said.

"Great. I'll be ready to leave soon then." He said. They then heard a knock on the door. "Could you get that, please?"

Pearl walked past the couch and looked through the peek hole. She opened the door seconds afterwards. "Hey, Splice." She greeted.

"Hey Pearl. Did you hear the news?" The multicolored hedgehog asked.

"Yeah. Smash was pretty steamed." She said, looking over her shoulder towards her brother.

"I have every right to be steamed!" He called back.

"Heh, Who doesn't?" Splice added. Pearl stepped aside and let him in. "So what do you think? Is it just some random squabble between a buncha fools or is there or is there more to it?"

"That's what I'm going to find out." Smash said as he stood up, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "The people back there are in a lot of trouble if they're losing their homes and even lives because of this nonsense."

Splice's eyebrows shot up momentarily. "I should have known you were going to step in. In that case, I'm coming with you."

Smash nodded. "Great. Meet me at the docks in an hour." He said. "I've still got a couple more preparations to make.

"Got it. Leaves me some time to prepare as well." Splice headed out the door with a wave. "See ya later."

When Splice turned back outside, he noticed a familiar face coming down the street. It was a terrakinetic who live a few blocks over. "Hey Splice, good to see ya. Would you mind helping me spread the word?" he asked politely.

"Oh hey, man." Splice waved. "What's the word? Is it about Seaside City?"

"Kind of," he replied, "Some buds of mine heard that the toxikinetics and gaiakinetics were getting ideas from the whole mess up there, so we want to get together all the terrakinetics we can to teach them some manners. You and Smash seem to get around a lot, so I was hoping you could help spread the word to any other earth users you might see."

Splice nodded. "I'm gonna be outta town in a little while, but if I see one I'll let em know." He said.

Deep in the candle lit, stone halls of a known villain's hideout, a blue hedgehog with cyan streaks is seen, looking to be in her late teens. As she passes one room, the white snake within notices her and asks, "Where are you going, Aquella?" Without stopping or turning, she replies, "To train alone. I'll be back when I feel like it." Since he's been training her for over a year now, the snake understands that it's futile to try to change her mind about anything, and goes back to sparring with his assistant.

The hedgehog jumps up and out of the hole in the ground marking the entrance to the lair, deep in a forest not too far from Station Square. She walks off in the direction of the city. Soon she has arrived and finds herself walking alone down the streets of Station Square, a blank look on her face.

Hands extended from the shadows of an alley and pulled the hedgehog in. "Shh!" Luna whispered urgently. "I need your help with something."

"Why should I help you?" she replies.

"Let me explain, then you can decide. There's an ongoing conflict between aquakinetics and pyrokinetics." Luna explained. "They seem to want to have a huge battle on Mount Mobius in three days. I want to pacify as many as I can before then to minimize casualties. Will you help me?"

The hedgehog remains silent for a moment as she ponders the offer. She decides that this would at least give her the chance to test her skills. "Fine," she anwers, "I am called Tsunami."

Luna nodded. "Thank you, Tsunami. I'm Luna. Let's go." Luna grabbed Tsunami's wrist and teleported then to Seaside City.

Tsunami looks around silently, her expressionless face never leaving her.

Early Morning - The Next Day

Ichiro Keiken walked the streets of Seaside City. The sky was still dark and lit with stars; it was only around three in the morning. Traffic was next to nonexistant, so he stepped out into an intersection to shorten his trip, if only slightly. In the middle of the street he was stop, but not by oncoming vehicles. Four figures in violet cloaks jumped out from the shadows, and made it clear they wanted trouble. Ichiro summoned his staff Moonriser, and took a battle stance. All at once, the four figures attacked him with blasts of water. He turned in place and twirled his staff with blinding speed, blocking each and every shot. When their bombardment had ended, Ichiro faded into nothingness, only to reappear behind one of the figures and knock it to the ground with the blunt end of his staff.

Though it appeared Ichiro was indeed fighting these attackers, it was merely a complex illusion. The real Ichiro stood at a safe distance, invisible to the naked eye thanks to his photokinesis. As he scanned the situation he became trouble. He saw only three figures when there was once four. One of his foes was smarter than the rest. It saw through the mask of his powers and attack him from behind, pinning him to the ground with shackles of water. He struggled to get free, but these powers of water were uncommonly powerful, stronger than most he had seen. Ichiro calmed down and waited, praying that his life's mission would not end this day.

But then a large gust of wind attacked the foe freeing Ichiro from its grip. Then a young human girl came to Ichiro's side and helped him. "Long time no see Ichiro! Seems you got yourself some trouble," said Mia.

"Mia?!" Ichiro said in shock, "What are you doing out of Hayashi?" Back on his feet, he took another fighting stance while his illusion was still in battle.

"Well, long story short, I was given a vacation and went to see what a city looked like!" explained Mia as she also took a stance.

The rest of the figures finally caught on and began to circle the two heroes. "Well catch up later," Ichiro decided, "Right now, I think we have a problem to solve."

As one of the figures advanced, a burst of psychic energy pushed him back, making him skid a few feet. Luna landed next to Ichiro and Mia. "Hello there. It seems like you need help."

"Much appreciated," Ichiro replied. The cloaked figures stopped circling and made their move. Each attacked one of the heroes, while Ichiro's illusion held one back to make things even.

Mia used wind magic and created a powerful vortex blowing one of the cloaked figures away.

Luna doesn't need to defend herself, because right as one of the figures attacks, Tsunami appears between them, blocking the attack easily and looking just as bored as before.

Luna, who had her hand raised to counter, gave an amused look at Tsunami. "Really? That one was mine."

"If you say so," Tsunami replies. She vanishes, reappearing in a crouching position in front of one of the other attackers. She brings one leg up, slamming it into his chin and launching him high in the air.

Ichiro fought back his opponent, unsure of how to feel. "All of this is so unexpected," he said. Luckily he was able to get behind the cloaked figure and pulled it to the ground. It's hood flew off revealing a female face with strange, glowing mark on her forehead (空隙). "No!" Ichiro gasped, "It can't be!"

Mia turned around, "Ichiro! What is it?" she said, but then her opponent got back up and kicked her in the face knocking her down. Mia got up, and then blasted her opponent with another vortex causing him to smash into the wall.

Tsunami and her opponent are still nowhere to be seen.

Ichiro backed away from the downed girl, with a distinct look of fear on his face. "It's... it's the mark of the Void. We have to flee, now!" Using his photokinesis he created a blinding flash, affecting only the cloaked figures, and giving the heroes a chance to escape.

Mia quickly makes a gap using space magic, "Hurry everyone in!" said Mia as she jumped into the scarlet hole.

Luna aims another psychic push towards her opponent and follows Mia.

A loud crash is heard, kicking up a cloud of dust nearby. When it clears, Tsunami has reappeared with her opponent unconcious, having just been slammed into the ground headfirst. Tsunami strides casually toward the heroes

Seeing Mia and Luna safe inside the rift, Ichiro was about to follow them, but stopped when he noticed Tsunami, "I'm not sure what your intentions are, but if you want to come with us then I suggest you hurry," he said with urgency. He stepped through to the other side as the figure Tsunami attack stood up once more. His hood had fallen backwards to reveal another identicle mark.

Tsunami ignores the figure and follows the heroes through the rift.

Mia holds up the gap till everyone made it through, and then with a clap of her hands it vanished. "Space magic, handy when in a jam," said Mia, but then she looked around, and walked towards Ichiro "I don't know how far you needed to get away so I just teleported us to the other side of town, if we need to go somewhere else I can do that," said Mia, but then she notices Tsunami but doesn't say anything.

"Getting far away wasn't the concern," Ichiro replied, "It was getting away at all." He stopped for a moment to think, muttering some things to himself. It was mostly incoherent, but the word 'void' came up at least a couple more times. "Those people attacked us with water," he said, "I had a feeling that the fiasco with the aquakinetics was more than it seemed, and now it appears my suspicions have been proven. We should lay low for now, but later today I would appreciate all of your help again with investigation."

"Aquakinetics..." said Mia, but then she trailed into deep thought.

Luna thought for a moment. "Hmm... To think I never thought a challenge coming from nowhere was suspisious... Yes, I will help you."

"Excelent," he replied, "I trust you will accompany me as well Mia. As for you... Tsunami, is it... Hmm, I'll let you make that decision on your own. Hopefully we will be able to find others who are willing to help. We will need all we can get."

Luna scribbled something down. "This is the radio frequency I use to communicate. Find a radio and call me when you need me to come back." In a flash of light, Luna was gone.

Mia just blinked, "Where did Luna go?" She scratched her blonde hair, "Oh well, I'll accompany you of course! Ichiro!" said Mia as she straightened the bow on her chest.

Tsunami remains silent for a moment, then replies, "Fine. I suppose it would be more beneficial for me to test my abilities against a greater number of opponents. Seeing as your team seems to be vastly outnumbered, I will assist you."

Ichiro was unsure of how to reply to Tsunami for a moment. "As blunt as that was... you're absolutelty right. We are outnumbered and outclassed, but hopefully not out of luck."

Later that day

((It's around this time that other characters who are heading for Seaside City can start to head out and maybe even arrive. My function is not my purpose.  My purpose is to complete my function.   ~Xi  14:19, August 3, 2011 (UTC))

It was just an hour after sunrise before a white ship appeared on the horizon. At the edge of the ship, Smash stood watching the island come into view. "So..That's the Ocean Palace..." He said softly.

"Woww! Look at that place! It's really beautiful!" A young silver haired fox said from a few steps over. Smash turned around, slightly taken by surprise.

"Well, good morning Crystal." He greeted. He then saw Splice come out of the cabin, yawning and stretching. "Mornin', Splice."

"Morning." He mumbled as he rubbed his eyes. "I fell asleep too late."

"Heh, well, Don't say I didn't warn ya." Smash grinned.

"Yeah, yeah..Say, is that where we're going?" Splice asked, pointing off to the Ocean Palace on the horizon.

"Yep. We should be there soon enough." A voice said from behind. A yellow hedgehog wearing a sailors outfit stood just outside the cabin door. "Nice to see you all up bright and early!"

"Good morning, Thunder." Crystal greeted.

Thunder smiled at the girl. "Good morning." He looked up at everyone. "Zap's currently in there making sandwiches for everyone. By the time we're finished eating, we should be ready to dock."

Meanwhile, near the docks in the city, the fire users in the area were up bright and early. A rally had begun not to long before to discuss how they would go about the battle. Many people showed up, some of them were not even fire users. They were just there to observe. "We have two days left to build our numbers and gather our strength," the rally leader called out, "Those of us here are indeed powerful, but our true pontential shines as a whole." The fire users in the crowd were mutually in agreement over the matter. They hung on the rally leader's every word, cheering their support.

From atop a high building, the brown wolf from earlier was observing the rally. Thetis was listening intently to the rally leader's words. Although he was neither aquakinnetic nor pyrokinetic, he was curious to hear their reasons for this conflict.

Luna was sitting cross-legged on a nearby building. "While separate, chaotic, and when together, admirable." she murmured. "Fire users are quite interesting."

Tsunami is standing beside her, her eyes fixed on a single member of the crowd, a blue hedgehog with orange streaks who appears to be lost in thought.

Another black-cloaked figure was scanning his surroundings from atop the tallest building of the Ocean Palace. His gaze was fixed on the rally in the city, but it slowly turned to the vessel approaching on the water. A second figure appeared behind him, who wore a robe checkered in black white with a tailed hood. "You have everything under control, yes?" the first figure asked. "You worry too much," replied the second, "My abilities are not to be doubted. Know that patience is the key. The high one's plan will succeed, regardless of how long it takes or who may stand in his way." As the white ship carrying Smash and his comrads approached the docks, it was slowly greeted by several citizens who strayed from the rally. They watched silently, wondering what else could possibly go wrong in the city.

Deep in the crowd, Tsunami's target finds himself lost in thought. ''Man, how is this going to play out for me? he asks himself, How will it work, with me being a user of fire AND water? A single burst of flame and all the water users will be after me. Showing the slightest control of water will bring all the fire users to me. Not to mention the fact that the entire Water Realm military is already hunting me down. I don't think I can afford this many new enemies. In any case, I should probably listen to what they're planning. If I can manage to stay out of the way of their plans, I might not have to worry. ''He snaps out of his daze and immediately senses the four beings on rooftops. He slowly turns his head in Tsunami and Luna's direction. Oh no. Don't tell me that's....

Luna narrowed her eyes and did the universal 'I'm watching you' sign to the pyrokinetic. Then she turned towards the docks to see Smash and company's boat. "Oh boy, this really isn't the time for a vacation..."

Tsunami silently nods her agreement, glancing over at the ship.

Thetis had noticed the ship slowly dock, and immediately recognized some of the faces. ''What are they doing here? It's illogical to get involved in this conflict without reason''. He scratchet his head, thinking hard. "If trouble does brew up, should I risk getting involved and help them? Or do I stay up here and remain anonymous?"

The ship stopped, and lowered it's ramp to let the passengers off. Smash and Splice stepped down together from the ramp, soon followed by Gizmo. "Look, guys. All the fire users have gathered up here and are banding together." Gizmo said, looking at the group.

"Yep, it's serious alright.." Smash said, looking at the group as well. Thunder began to walk down the ramp behind them. "Do you really think it's just some war that sprung up?" He asked. Crystal and Zap followed behind him.

Something soon caught Smash's attention at the corner of his eye. His eyes cut to the side towards the rooftop where Tsunami and Luna were sitting. "...No. There's definitely more to it than that." He said, somewhat quietly. "Something else is going on here..."

One of the figures who was approaching the dock was a familiar face. Upon seeing Smash and his companions step out of the boat, he broke into a jog and called out, "Hey Smash! What brings you here?" It was Burst Pyrite, who had fought along side Smash on a couple previous adventures.

"Heyy, Burst!" Smash waved. "I didn't know you lived up here."

"'Sup, Burst?" Splice greeted with a grin, which lasted only momentarily. "We're here 'cause of the whole feud between the Fire and Water users."

"I know, can you believe it," Burst replied, "I can't believe they have the nerve to think they're better than us. Just two more days, then we can show 'em a thing or two!" It was clear now they he didn't exactly share Smash and Splice's opinion of the matter. "But anyways, yeah, I live around here. Nitro City's only about half an hour away. Did you guys come up here to help?"

Luna didn't notice Smash noticing her, and she had turned her attention back to the speech.

"Something like that." Smash said, shifting his weight to the side. He glanced over to the group behind him, attending to the speech, and then looked back at Burst. "We're really here to look into this matter a little more closely." He said, lowering his voice a bit.

Burst grew a bit confused as he began to head back to the crowd, gesturing for Smash and his friends to follow. "Look in to it? I don't follow," he said. He seemed to only be paying half his attention now, listening to the rally leader's words once again.

Smash walked with him. "Something about this doesn't seem right to me." He began. "At first I was just too outraged to even think it through properly, but while I was coming here, I realized that something about this seems off." He glanced over at the speech, and then back towards Burst. "For starters, Why on earth would the aquakinetics just randomly start something like this? They seemingly had no reason. What is there to gain? What is there to lose otherwise? Doing this just out of spite doesn't cut it for me. I know there has to be something else going on here..." At the corner of his eye, he glanced quickly over at Tsunami before looking back at Burst. The others in his group were walking behind him. "I'm not sure where I'm going to start investigating, but I suppose we should listen to the rest of this guy's speech."

The words of the speaker continued, and they seemed to grow more biased as time went on. "For too long have we been subjected to such ridicules as these wielders of water give to us now. For too long it has been 'water douses fire', but no more!" he proclaimed, "Though dormant, Mount Mobius is a volcano, and it's terrain will provide us a significant advantage should we use it properly." He went on with more battle strategies and talk of honour for some time. Up on the Ocean Palace, the two figures still watched. Eventually the one in the checkered robe said to the other, "We've let them talk long enough. What do you say we put on a show?" Back at the rally, things turned to chaos. The nearby sewer grates erupted with water, and the purple-cloaked figures from the night before reappeared surrounding the fire users, now in greater numbers. "Of all the dirty tricks... It's an ambush!" the rally leader called out. The many fire users in the crowd shielded themselves from the water spouts and prepared themselves for battle. "Ha ha, what fun!" the figure in the checkered cloak said to himself.

"What the heck!?" Splice jumped back, startled at the sudden attack. Crystal cried out in fear, and Thunder and Zap stood in front of her to shield her.

"I knew something like this would happen," Thetis said to himself. "Jumping in without observing first would be foolish. The others should be able to handle themselves. Afterall, they go through things like this almost on a weekly basis."

One look at the cloaked figures, and Smash felt a pang of worry. "Are these guys really the aquakinetics that are causing this war..?" He said quietly to himself. They seemed much more sinister than he had imagined. He grunted, shoving the thoughts out of his mind as he readied himself for battle.

Near the center of the crowd, Pyro stood, fearful of what was happening. Oh no! he though in dismay, ''This is exactly what I was afraid of! I'll have to fight back, but the best way to defend myself from water would be to use my aquakinesis. But if I do that, it'll tip of the pyrokinetics that I'm an aquakinetic too.''

A brawl quickly began between the fire users and water users. Though they were currently outnumber, the water users seemed to have the upperhand in both strength and agility. Atop the nearby building, Ichiro appeared behind Tsunami and Luna. "Now would be a good time to help if you're going to," he suggested. Leaving them little time to answer, he jumped down from the rooftop and joined the fight, assisting the fire users at the moment.

Smash took advantage of being in the sidelines and began attacking the aquakinetics from behind. Splice charged in head first, completely covering himself in flames as he barrelled through the Aquakinetics. Gizmo stayed back, pulling out a small, compact gun. He aimed carefully, and sniped the aquakinetics with small, electrified needles which could paralyze a normal person. Thunder and Zap stood by, standing in front of Crystal to protect her. Though Thunder wanted to protect both of them.

Tsunami immediately appeared between the two sides, fighting of water users, while defending herself from the fire users behind her.

Mia jumped in to help Ichiro, she created a vortex that started to pick up debrise that not just blew away the aquakinetics, but cutting their skin in different places on impact.

One aquakinetic turned to find Luna's boot in his face. As he fell, she grabbed him and used him as an aquakinetic-shield to protect her from the collective blasts from both sides. Luna tossed the unconsious water user down and sent a psychic blade at the aquakinetics.

Ichiro was pleased to see so many people helping, but if they were to help successfully, they would need instruction. "These aquakinetics are being controlled!" he explained, trying to talk over the roar of the battle, "Fight back as much as you need to, but don't hurt them!" Still watching from above, the figure in the black cloak said to his companion, "It's Keiken and his friends from before. Now would be a good time to get serious." The second figurew was silent for a moment then replied, "I suppose giving them a taste of what they are truly up against wouldn't hurt."

Back at the battle, the aquakinetics all became surrounded in strange barriers (excluding Tsunami and Pyro, of course). Though the fire users continued to try and fight, they had no success. "What the heck is this?" one of them cried out in frustration. Now with no distractions, the aquakinetics removed their hoods to reveal the glowing marks on their foreheads. They each raised a hand into the air and called out in unison, "Vicious Gale: Soul of the Void!" Ichiro barely had any time to shout, "Everyone get back!" before a powerful wind began to stir. Those who were in its direct path became encased in a strange purple ice, uneffected by common flames. Those who were not in it's directed path, yet still within it's reach, felt the cold air slashing against their flesh.

Mia quickly clapped her hands and created spacial hole in which she took Ichiro and herself in for safety. She created two more to protect Tsunami and Luna.

Tsunami fell back into her rift. Pyro burst into flames that consumed him. In another burst of flame, he reappeared out of range of the attack.

Smash and Splice retreated the moment they heard the attack starting. They stopped by the rest of their group, and Smash began to feel sudden slashes all over him. Splice felt the coldness as well, but he remained unphased. Suddenly, a large barrier surrounded their group. Somewhat confused, they each looked around, wondering what had happened, until they noticed Crystal was the one powering it. The young fox held her hand at her chest, and her body was glowing softly. The barrier protected them from the attack.

"How long does this attack last?!" said Mia as she stared through a small gap far from the attack,

"To be completely honest, I'm not sure," Ichiro replied, staring as well at all the poor fire users who didn't make it away, "These aquakinetics are getting this power from the Follower who's controlling them. I've seen some hold onto a spell for hours. This doesn't seem like something they would take too seriously, though, so it shoudn't be much longer." He was tempted to go back through the space gap and help, but he knew that he could do little more against the attack than the others could. Instead he waited with Mia, hoping that no one would suffer fatal injury.

Smash watched as the fire users struggled against the attack. "We gotta do something." He said.

"But what?" Splice asked. "That barrier is preventing anything from reaching them, just like ours."

The wind did subside after merely another minute of blowing. Once it did, however, the aquakinetics were gone completely, along with the two cloaked figures from atop the Ocean Palace. Many of the fire users were either frozen, shivering, or unconscious. Those who could ran for shelter while some stayed to help their fallen comrades. Ichiro stepped back through the space gap and surveyed the damages. "Smash?" he said upon noticing the familiar blue echidna, "It's certainly been a while. I must say I'm somewhat relieved to see you here helping." He then directed his attention to a frozen Burst, and struck the ice with hammer of his staff. It shattered, and Burst was freed. "Mind lending a hand with these folks?" he asked to anyone within earshot.

Pyro summoned a staff and began trying to free some of the other frozen fire users.

As Crystal let the barrier down, the group hurried to help anyone in need. Smash looked over at Ichiro, and was rather surprised to hear him say his name. He looked closely at him, trying to recognize him. "Wait..Hey, I know you. You're Ichiro, we fought in the World Hero Tournament." He said. "I'll be more than glad to help you guys out."

Splice helped the fire users by lending them the heat from his own fire abilities. He unfroze some by absorbing the ice, while at the same time trying to warm them up. Thunder and Zap helped by using the same tactics Ichiro did--Breaking the ice and freeing them. Crystal went across each fire user and began tending to their wounds. Her body glowed as she used her power to heal them.

Mia let every out including herself. She looked around with a sad expression. "I take visit to the world outside the forest and I encounter something like this... I guess one way or another I gotta do my job!" moaned Mia as she brushed back her bangs. But then she spotted Ichiro talking to Smash, "Hey isn't that?" Mia went up to the two.

Once the fire users were freed they fled like the other, save for Burst who stayed behind to help. Ichiro turned to see Mia approaching, and quickly deduced that she had met Smash in the past. "While we have a free moment, I suppose you'd like to know more about what's going on," he sighed.

While they spoke, Tsunami strided over to Pyro, who had stayed behind. Sensing her approach, Pyro turned to face her, only to find her on her hands, the bottoms of her feet connected with his chin, sending him high up into the air. She then performed a midair combo, finishing with an axe kick to his stomach just as he hit the ground.

Smash nodded. "Yes, I would." He said. He rose an eyebrow when he saw Mia approaching them. "Hey wait a minute. Aren't you Mia?" He asked, rather surprised to see her.

Splice ran over to Tsunami and Pyro. "Hey, What're ya doing!?" He exclaimed. "He's not one of them!"

Ichiro looked over to the sudden comotion, and decided it would be best not to intervene. "I'll explain once everybody's calmed down," he said, letting out another sigh.

Smash glanced over at the sudden commotion as well. He nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that would be best." He said.

Pyro looked up at Tsunami, clutching his stomach from the force of the hit. "Tsunami....we meet once again...." he said. Tsunami stared down at him with a blank look on her face and replied, "And again you fall before my power....brother."

Splice stopped, his eyes widening. "Uh..." He took a few steps back. Maaybe I shouldn't interfere. He thought.

"Hello Smash, yeah it's me. I know its weird finding me in a place like this, but I'm taking a vacation... well, at least I thought I was..." said Mia, and she also turned her head towards the commotion.

Smash nodded. "Shame to hear your vacation's being held up like this." He said, frowning.

Thunder walked over to the group. "You must be friends of Smash, correct?" He asked. "My name is Thunder, Captain of the Thunderbolt. If you need a quieter place to discuss this matter, let's talk on my ship."

"Sure," said Mia as she followed Thunder.

"That would be excelent, thank you. It's a pleasure to meet you Thunder," Ichiro replied, "Anyone who wants to learn more of the matter, follow. Tsunami, I suggest you settle your own matter out here first."

"The pleasure is all mine." Thunder said, smiling politely as he lead the group onto the ship.

"Come on, guys." Smash called out to the few people in his group who weren't paying attention. Splice and Crystal soon hurried over to catch up. Once they boarded his ship, Thunder lead them to the other side, where a table with a few chairs and a parasol were positioned. It looked like it was meant for relaxing outside with a drink, rather than having any kind of real meals. "Okay, so I understand you have some information to share?" Smash asked, looking at Ichiro.

Ichiro sat down and took a deep breath. It seemed as if he didn't want to share this information, but he did anyway. "All of this is the cause of an organization known as the Followers of the Void. They work to repair an evil essence with the potential to destroy this entire universe. They are still far from their goal but that does not mean they aren't dangerous. The aquakinetics you saw back their were under their influence, and I fear the same can be said for the rest of them. I don't know what they are planning, but I believe it has something to do with the battle in two days. I would appreciate all of your future help in these matters. The Followers are identified by their black cloaks. If you see them, do not engage them." After the explaination he remained silent, giving the others time to let the information sink in.

Smash was silent. ''I KNEW there was more to it. I just KNEW it.'' He thought. ''Just what is it that they're trying to do...? We don't have too much time. Two days may seem like a lot, but...time flies.''

"This is serious..." Thunder said, in an unusually serious tone. "I had a feeling Smash was right about coming here, but I never imagined that such a plot was underfoot."

"So," Gizmo started. "If we see them, we can't engage them." He said. "Why is that? And what do we do instead?"

"If you engage them," Ichiro began, "They will kill you, no questions. They won't just get it over with either. They will toy with you and torture you. The Void grants them a dangerous ability known as Vortex Magic. The ice spell you saw earlier was a smaller scale of it. When you see them, you run. They won't give chase unless you give them a reason too." He paused again, giving much thought to the potential consequences of the Followers' actions. "Oh Smash, I was wondering something," he continued, "You live in Green Flower City, right?"

Gizmo held his chest, somewhat frightened by the thought. "S-scary..."

"Yeah, We all do." Smash said. "Why do you ask?"

"If you live there, then why come all the way up here?" Ichiro asked, "You do know that the battle is taking place at Mount Mobius, don't you? If we are to carry out a more thorough investigation, we will need to go back there."

"That's a good question." Smash said. "I came out here because I figured some of the water users were still here, and I could catch a glimspe of their intentions." He said. "I didn't think that anyone would be at Mount Mobius yet, seeing how the battle starts two days from now. Also, I wanted to see how the fire users were doing."

"We were right to come here anyway." Splice said. "After all, we did find you guys and a lot of information."

"As before, if we do come across aquakinetics, I can use my magic to escape, unfortunately it uses up alot of my energy depending the usage..." said Mia as was going into thought,

"Well, your thoughts are all in the right place," Ichiro said, "I thank you all for what you've done so far, and for what you may do in the future." A certain thought crossed his mind just then, and his newfound calmness was virutally erased. "Unfortunately, come the time of the battle, I cannot be here to help. One of my masters heard word of an attack on our village planned for that very night. I must be there to help. I will be with you until then to provide any necessary information or reinforcement. I hope that is enough."

And so the day went on. The fire users quickly recovered from any injuries they had sustained in the brawl. The cloaked auqakinetics did not reappear, and no more trouble was caused. Late in the day, several fire users and water users alike began their journeys to Mount Mobius, ready to defend their honour at any cost. The following day was rather quiet. Ichiro remained in Seaside City to patrol for his last few hours in the west, as the others returned to the south. The day of the battle finally came, and it was definitely a sight to behold. Fire and water users from as many as four continents gathered in the Mount Mobius area to aid their own kind. Though their paths did often cross, they saved their strength for the battle in the evening. It now looked as if this fight would indeed be taken to the next level, but it's outcome would be left up to fate.

((Again I leave you all to do what you please. Though the day of the battle has come, I'd like to draw it out for at least a little more time. Banzai is still away, and I'm sure he would appreciate it if we didn't leave him too far behind. My function is not my purpose.  My purpose is to complete my function.   ~Xi  18:41, August 26, 2011 (UTC))

Luna stood on a ledge, her navy blue cloak replaced with a faded purple one. She now had something that looked like a card holder strapped to her waist, and she was shuffling the cards. "Remind me to thank Dusk..." she said to no one in particular.

Elsewhere, mother and son argued. "Summer. I want you to stay out of this." A blue hedgehog said to a different hedgehog, an ashen color. "No! I traveled through a couple different worlds to get here, and I'm not going to leave just because you say so!" Summer said, his voice rising slightly. Aqua, the blue one, crossed her arms. "You do realize we're on different sides. I'm going to give it my all." Summer huffed and turned the other way. "Consider it payback." Aqua sighed. "Your choice." The two turned to go to their respective groups.

A safe distance from the actual battlefield, Smash stood watching the opposing armies arrive. "This is it..." He said to the rest of the group with him. Splice, Gizmo, Thunder, Zap, Crystal, and two other people had come. Two cyan hedgehogs who appeared to be twins had joined the group. "The battle is about to begin."

"Are we really going to just sit here and watch...?" Splice asked, sounding worried.

"Though we may be on the fire users side, we still have nothing to do with this. This is their problem." Smash reminded him. "After all, the reason we're here in the first place, is because we know that something else is going on." He folded his arms and looked forward towards the battlefield.

"I guess..." Splice sighed.

Thetis watched the armies gather a safe distance from the battlefield. A familiar blue figure dressed in green and red appeared next to him. "So you came to find out what's going on too huh?" Thetis asked Paroi. "Yes," he replied. "I have a feeling something bigger is afoot. This is all to big and public for random gang violence." Paroi then turned to face Thetis. "And I thought you never got involved in conflict unless you had a reason," he said to him. Thetis shrugged, then sighed. "This is all so pointless. I was hoping I cold find a logical reason for all this, then ignore it, but now some people I know are involved. I'm not sure if I should help them or remain neutral." Paroi made what souned like a soft chuckle. "Well, it's up to you to decide."

Up above all the commotion, the two figures who always seemed to be watching stood at the peak of Mount Mobius, looking down upon the Grounds of the Ancients. The one in the black and white robe was awfully calm, compared to the one in the black cloak who seemed to be ill at ease. "My apologies, Minister, but I'm absolutely sick of waiting," he complained to his companion, "There are enough of them here already." Minister hesitated for a moment before responding, "No. We cannot take any chances. If this is to fail the high one will be furious. They all need to be in one place."

From behind, a male figure in a purple cloak approached them. "What do you want?" Minister asked without even the slightest turn of his head. The third figure removed his hood, revealing himself to be the rally leaded from two days before. Like the aquakinetics, he had the very same mark on his forehead. "The fire users are growing impatient," he said, "Should I do something to calm them down?" Minister chuckled to himself and replied, "No. Let the get... fired up. Your opponents are far more numerous, and the fear we struck the other day should be more than enough to keep them in check." Their gaze remained fixed on the world below, as the clouds kept them hidden from any wandering eye.

Tsunami was standing out of the way, watching the two groups prepare. Her mind was racing with thoughts and questions: ''Should I try it? Should I try and face both sides at once? I do have quite a bit of power, even without the Curse Mark. I may be able to take them. On the other hand.... ''She continues to ponder her options, trying to come up with an answer before the fighting begins. Standing beside her was Pyro, also thinking about the battle, though he had a much different question: ''Fire or Water? Fire or Water? Who do I join? Do I just stand here with Tsunami and risk another hit like before? Or do I go out there and join one side? And if I join them, which side should it be?''

Mia views the mountain from the skies watching the pyrokinetics and aquakinetics gather. "I have a bad feeling about this, but something is hidden in this plot, and like always, nothing can stay hidden from me..." said Mia as she was speaking her thoughts. But then she flew back down to the rest of the gang.

Luna caught Smash's group out of the corner of her eye and teleported over to them. "Hello. I don't think we've been introduced yet." She thrust her hand out. "My name's Luna. Luna Astrid."

The first one to notice was Splice. He turned to her, somewhat surprised at her sudden appearance, but shook her hand anyway. "Nice to meetcha. I'm Splice." He said.

Smash turned around to see the two shaking hands, and his eyebrows rose. "You...I saw you two days ago at Seaside's docks." He said. He was going to ask what she was doing here, but he realized that would be a stupid question.

Luna raised an eyebrow. "Really? Man, maybe I have to lose the cloaks."

"Hm. Well anyway, My name is Smash. Smash The Echidna." He introduced. "These guys here are all my friends. Thunder, Zap, Gizmo, Crystal, Kyle, and Keela." He said, motioning his hand towards each one as he spoke their names. "What's your name?"

Luna blinked. "Didn't I...? Hm. I'm Luna."

Smash's eyebrows rose. "Luna, huh?" He said. "...That's interesting...Anyway, nice to meet you." He held out his hand to shake hers.

Kyle smiled politely at Luna, then turned his gaze towards the battlefield.

Meanwhile, Burst sat and waited at the train station. Like Pyro, he was beginning to have second thoughts about his place in this ordeal. Being a fire user, he had a strong sense of pride and would defend it at any cost... but morals were standing in his was. He repeatedly snapped his fingers, lighting and extinguishing a flame as if here were playing with a lighter. ''Should I fight, and try to stop whatever's behind those crazed aquakinetics... or should I wait with the others, and get to the bottom of things first?''

Thetis spotted Smash's group in the distance. Paroi followed Thetis's line of sight and saw them too. "Friends of yours?" he asked. "Sort of," Thetis replied, "Helped to defeat Nusquam a while ago." A transluscent white glow enveloped Paroi's body. "Why don't we stop by?" he asked. "Sure. We were probably going to cross paths eventually." With a snap of his fingers, Paroi transported himself and Thetis to the other heroes' location.

Luna sat on a nearby rock as the rest as the pyro/aquakinetics got ready. "Any idea when they'll start? I'm looking forward to training."

"I have no idea." Keela said, in response to Luna's question.

"It's troubling me." Kyle said, frowning. "The Followers of the Void...they have been waiting for this moment. I fear something terrible is going to happen..."

Smash whirled around to face the new group of people teleporting next to him, his body tensing up from being startled. He calmed down when he saw who it was. "Hey, I know you." He said. "You're...Thetis, right? Been a while."

"Hello," Paroi interrupted, "my name is Paroi."

"Yeah," Thetis said unenthusiastically, "so, I'm guessing you're here about all this." He gestured with his hand to the future battlefield. "I'm assuming something bigger is afoot."

Smash nodded. "You assume correctly." He said. "Something much bigger, and far more dangerous. I don't know what all these guys are capable of, but they're dangerous, and they cannot be underestimated at all costs. As far as I know, they're called "The Followers of the Void"..."

"I suspected as much," Thetis replied. "So, are the pyro and aqua kinetics being manipulated by these guys?"

Smash nodded. "Yes." He turned to look at the battlefield. Both sides appeared to be growing impatient with waiting. "The Followers of the Void are secretly trying to repair some essence with the potential power to destroy the universe. Though they're far from their goal, this is quite possibly one of their steps towards it." He folded his arms. "The thing I don't understand though is, what can they gain by doing this?"

Thetis nodded. Now he had a reason to get involved in the conflict. "I don't know. Then again, with these kind of things, you never know what they're trying until they succeed. So, what's you're plan?"

Smash closed his eyes. "...I don't know." He said. "Ichiro told me that we can't encounter these guys head on. They have this strange "Vortex Magic" that we've already witnessed a portion of back on the docks of Seaside City, and that was bad enough. Right now I'm just trying to keep an eye out and see what happens..but I know I'll regret it."

"So, let me get this straight," Paroi started, "there's this evil organization that's trying to destroy the universe by getting to different groups of people to kill eachother, and we can't do anything to stop them?"

"Hey, man. This is all I can tell ya." Smash said, shrugging. "Ichiro's the brains in this outfit, since he's the one who filled me in. And I haven't seen him all day..."

((Thank you for that excelent set-up, Smash. I'd appreciate it if you guys could hold off on edits for a couple minutes, I'm going to advance the plot. My function is not my purpose.  My purpose is to complete my function.   ~Xi  01:45, September 5, 2011 (UTC))

In the Dragon Kingdom, the members of the Orochi Clan prepared for the attack they heard word of days ago. Ichiro was with them, being one of the most powerful members of the clan. As the hours passed, it was shortly after midnight when trouble began to stirr. A black-cloaked figure walked the streets of Poppy Village in an obviously stealthy manner. Upon reaching an intersection he was stopped by a wall of stone followed by a blinding flash, several percise slashes and mild shocks, and a sudden loss of air. The next thing he knew, his head was surrounded by an idle cloud of toxic gas, and six figures were surrounding him.

"Only one of you? How uncharacteristic for the Void to try and distract us," the tallest one said. The intersection was suddenly illuminated to reveal the figures as the six Masters of the Orochi Clan. Shogai and Hebi were loosely wrapped around the cloaked figure, while the others stood circling him. Yamori lifted the figure's hood to reveal the face of a pitbull. "Ceres," Eiji began with disappointment, "Of all of the Followers to send alone, why would Minister possibly think of it as a good idea to send you?" Ceres only laughed and replied, "You fool, Minister is no longer the high one. He doesn't call the shots." Homura stepped forward and sternly explained, "Hebi can release this gas and any moment and kill you, so I suggest you do not lie. Tell us what's going on!" With much more laughing, Ceres answered, "The new high one has indeed sent me as a distraction, but not from what you think. There is a much bigger plot at hand, and there is nothing you can do to stop it. The world as you know it will soon be gone!"

Back on the western continent it was now early evening. The fire and water users were gathering at the Grounds of the Ancients on Mount Mobius, and several news helicopters hovered overhead to get live coverage. Several large screens on the buildings of Station Square were set to broadcast it, and people gathered in the streets to watch. The battle was about to begin, and it would be something that everyone would want to see.

"Just sitting here waiting for the bloodshed is painful," Paroi complained. He was sitting atop a small rock, elbow on knee, chin resting on his palm with a stern look on his face. "I'm sensing a large amount of negative energy coming from both groups." And a little of something else. "They're all pretty riled up aren't they?"

Luna was now dozing on the same rock. She opened up an eye and asked, "They done with the preparations yet?"

"Looks like they're going to start soon," Thetis said. "Are you sure we can't do anything?"

"Ichiro said we must not fight them.... This is their battle... But..." said Mia, she started to get tense as she stared at the the top of the mountain.

Smash glanced over at Mia, and then up at the mountain peak. He couldn't quite make out to top, due to the many clouds surrounding it. But seeing her tense up made him feel uneasy. "What is it?" He asked.

"I'm sensing something, from that mountain... I can't tell what, but it's not good..." explained Mia as she brushed her bangs back.

"I can fell it as well," Paroi said, "although I'm not sure what it is. It may be worth checking."

Meanwhile, the cloaked being from earlier had finally approached Station Square, less than half a mile from where the heroes were gathered, his keen hearing allowed him to detect their faint voices.

"Hmm...I wonder what's going on here," he muttered to himself, starting to approach.

The crowds in the streets were now awfully thick. People from all around were now in one single place, silent yet lively. The fire and water users were almost completely gathered at the Grounds of the Ancients, forming two enormous groups standing opposite each other. Down in the city streets, Burst approached Smash and his friends and called out, "Hey guys, I think it's about to start."

He stopped and watched near the back of the crowd, towering a good foot-and-a-half over almost everyone else, his sharp eyes surveying both opposing teams.

"Is this how these Mobians settle their differences?" he said to himself. "Through petty scuffles? Sad...I pray they're not all like that..."

Smash's gaze left the mountain as his attention was drawn to Burst. "Hm, alright." He said.

"Are we really going to do nothing?" Thunder asked, sounding unsure.

"Got any better ideas?" Smash asked, raising an eyebrow at him. At that moment both of his eyebrows rose. "Then again, the mountain..." He glanced back up at the mountain. "Mia and Paroi sensed something from up there...I'm not sure if we have the time to check it out, though."

Tendril and Inferna, who had followed Burst through the crowd, followed Smash's gaze to the mountain. Tendril turned to Inferna and asked, "Cera picking anything up?" Inferna paused for a moment, then replied, "She doesn't seem to be picking up anything specific, but she does sense something out of the ordinary."

Taking everyone's attention, like flies to a bug zapper, the screens on the surrounding buildings cut to a close up of the battlefield; it was finally ready to begin. High above, unseen from the vantage point of the news-copters, Minister and his black-cloaked companion still watched. "And now the fun begins," Minister muttered to himself. Back at the battlefield, both sides were silent, waiting for their elected leaders to call the attack. The water leader, one of the cloaked aquakinetics stepped forward. The fire leader, the speaker from the rally, did the same. They met eachother face to face, paused, and passed eachother. They waited again, now facing their opponents, and gave a simultaneous nod.

As one, they waved their arms, and all hell broke loose. The water side was engulfed in and immense flame, and the fire side erupted in a torrent of water. The two elements wrapped around eachother in a spiral of opposing powers, stretching into the sky and causing the newsfeeds to fuzz with their radiating energy. The civilians down below watched in shock an aw, waiting to see what the outcome of this mess would be. The cloaked being with the large ears raised an eyebrow in mild interest, continuing to watch. He had no intention to stop the fight, or even help his fellow Pyrokinetics, since he had the ability to manipulate fire himself.

"W-What the HECK!?" Smash exclaimed. "D-Did they just..."

"They didn't even give any warnings!" Splice exclaimed. "They just attacked! What's going on here!?"

Mia grew tense as she saw the fight, but then she sliced the air horizontally with her finger creating a gap, in it held a airborne view of the whole fight, but from a safe distance. "Things are looking nasty...." said Mia, she clutched her fist hard for her inner desire to stop this madness, but she wasn't going to let it get the better of her.

Closer to the battlefield, Tsunami watched silently, still trying to decide whether or not to charge in and test her abilities on the fighters. Pyro, however, had decided against fighting them. He could tell that even Tsunami might not survive a war like this, and that meant that he would most likely be obliterated soon after he started.

Smash soon noticed the cloaked aquakinetic, "Wait a minute...Is that guy one of the Followers?" He wondered aloud. "If that's the case, then...this is not good."

From the top of the pillar came mounds of smoke and mist, darkening the clouds that had already shrouded the sky. The newsfeed had finally cut out completely, leaving only static on the screens. Out in the middle of the street, a warp ring appeared for Ichiro to urgently arrive through. He frantically searched for his comrades, happy to find them in generally one place. In a mad dash to the other heroes he called over, "This is bad... very bad!"

The cloaked creature crossed his arms and gazed up at the towering pillar of fire and water. "Impressive..."

"Ichiro!" Splice exclaimed as the rest of the group turned to look at him. "What the heck just happened here!?"

"I'm not overly sure," Ichiro replied, "But it appears as if they've harnessed the elemental energies of both groups." The dark clouds above began to flash with purple lightning, showing that things were only getting worse. "I'm having trouble myself imagining what this might accomplish."

"I'm scared..." Crystal whimpered. "All those people are getting hurt. T-they might even die!"

"I believe this whole thing was a trap." Smash said. "Not just for the fire users, but the water ones as well. Both armies got together to fight, but whatever's happening now was what they were really brought here for."

"But..why?" Kyle asked.

"Who cares why or how they were brought here!" Splice exclaimed. "I wanna know what's gonna happen if we don't stop this thing! And HOW we're gonna do it!"

Ichiro sighed and said, "Everybody calm down, adding more panic to this will only make things worse." He was referring to the surrounding crowds, most of whom were scrambling to get to shelter. "I've seen them do things like this before, but never on such a large scale," he continued, "Those fire and water users are in a lot of pain, but they will be fine. And Kyle is right to question their means. Clearly this is something big, but we can do nothing to stop it if we don't know what it is."

By now nearly all of the crowd had dispersed, leaving behind Smash and his friends, as well as that strange, tall, cloaked being, who continued to gaze up at the pillar with an intense, piercing glare that would make lesser men cower.

"Something is seriously wrong here." Smash said, his eyes still on the battlefield ahead of them. "If I'm not mistaken...I THINK that the leader of the water users' groups, is one of the Followers." He said, furrowing his eyebrows. "Even if he's not, Going over the facts, I have reason to believe that both leaders are in cahoots."

Mia shut the gap closed when a flash of purple lighting hit nearby. She grew even more tense, she looked up at the cloak being as well, she grew upset but she made sure she wouldn't fly after him or her. He didn't seem to notice Mia, however.

Luna whipped a card from one of her decks. "Light Type: Reflective Haven!" A shield of light enveloped the heroes, protecting them from a stray flash of lightning hit it. When the shield faded, so did the card. Luna stared at the clouds. "That was going to hurt."

"Ichiro," Thetis said, "you know a lot more about this than we do. What course of action do you suggest, because I do not want to be some bystander in all this."

((I don't overly mind it, but in the future I'd prefer it if you guys didn't roleplay the weather. My function is not my purpose.  My purpose is to complete my function.   ~Xi  23:18, September 10, 2011 (UTC))

"At the moment, I don't think there is anything we can do to stop them directly," Ichiro responded, "For know, work on getting the rest of the civilians to a safe--" He was cut off by something frightening, something awful, something he knew all to well. A maniacal laughter, almost a cackle, rang through the ears of everyone around. It was deafening and sinister, and it brought with it a feeling of pure evil.

Luna glanced around. "That can't be good."

The laugh made quite a few people jump. Zap's first response was to grab onto Thunder's arm and hide behind his back, as was Crystal's. Splice and Gizmo's eyes widened, and Smash just looked highly disturbed. "Oh lord." He said, flatly.

The cloaked being's head shot quickly to the side, his ears perking up.

Tendril and Inferna froze. Tendril slowly scanned the area, trying to find the source of the sound. Down near the battlefield, Tsunami almost lost her emotionless expression from the shock, but managed to regain her composure before anybody noticed. Pyro jumped and looked around, almost frantic. The whites of his eyes changed to cyan and the pupils to dark blue.

Mia stood fast, she had no clue who this person was but she wasn't getting a good vibe...

The static on the screens slowly faded to reveal a menacing face, masked by a white bandana and black hood; it was the source of the laughter. "Citizens of Mobius," he began with a sinister yet playful tone, "Allow me to first assure you that you are not slipping into madness. I have indeed gained a manipulation of every network satellite in orbit." Ichiro stood below with a mixture of shock and rage on his face. He muttered the being's name under his breath, "Minister..."

Luna took a step back. "Maybe we aren't slipping into madness, but you seem to have a few screws loose..." she mumbled.

Splice, and all the rest of the group looked up at the announcement. "I knew this was bad, but..."

Smash overheard Ichiro muttering the name. "Minister?" He asked. "Ichiro, who the heck is this guy?"

Taking Minister's chuckle-break as a chance to speak, Ichiro explained, "This is the high-one of the Void... or at least, he was. As far as we know, somebody else has taken charge." Regaining his concentration Minister continued, "As much as it pains me to say this, your way of life is in peril. Nature has been thrown into anarchy and the various elements can no longer coexist... that includes their weilders."

Smash was just about to make a snarky comment about Minister's "pun", but the following statements caused him to stop. Now seeing worlds being destroyed and dimensions getting screwed up was bad enough to him. But fatally screwing up Nature Itself? "...What." Smash was so taken back in surprise and completely baffled by the statement, that was only word that his mouth could produce.

"And I suppose you're the cause of this?" said the cloaked being as he approached the screen, leering up at Minister.

On the other hand, everyone else in Smash's group were nearly frozen with shock. "W-Wh-WHAT!?" Splice cried out.

"No longer Coexist!?" Thunder exclaimed.

"Including their wielders!?" Zap yelled, surprisingly out of character. "B-But that means..W-what does that mean? What's gonna happen to us!?"

As any television program would, Minister paid no mind to the cloaked figure and instead continued his speech. "To those of you in the western hemisphere, this battle was only the beginning. I am officially declaring the beginning of an all out war, spanning far and wide. The great will stand tall as the masses band together... and destroy their natural enemies! The elements of lightning, water and wind. Fire, shadow and light akin. Earth, poison, one and all. Now is the time that nature falls!" Upon the end of his rhyme, the pillar of fire and water faded, leaving the fire and water users either unconscious or very weak. With another burst of laughter, his face faded from the screen, once again leaving behind static.

Splice clutched his chest, seemingly in shock from the whole thing. His pupils shrank, and his heart was beating rapidly.

"I...I'm at a loss for words..." Kyle said, blankly.

"You're not the only one." Smash said, giving a very disturbed look towards the fire and water users on the ground.

"This is...not good," Thetis said.

"What shall we do?" Paroi said, turning to Ichiro. "I doubt we can simply go and confront this Minister, but there must be some way we can hinder his plans."

Ichiro was lost in thought. "I... I just can't put it together. What could they possibly be doing?" he said to himself. Suddenly picture returned to the screen, showing a very frantic newsroom. "The outcome of the highly anticipated battle between the fire and water users has left many in shock," the news anchor began, "The effects have even been felt as far as Seaside City, the origin of this even. We now go live to our roaming reporter to give us the inside scoop."

The image switched over to a very rainy Seaside City, and a very disgruntled male reporter. "The storm which apparently originated over Mount Mobius has spread all the way here, and has brought with it a torrential downpour." Without any warning whatsoever, the reporter was cut of by a deep roar in the backround. He turned with a jerk as the camera panned to the left, focusing on a strange mass snaking in and out of the clouds above the Ocean Palace. With the rain and fog obscuring the view, it was impossible to make out what the mass actually was. The roaring continued as an equally unusual phenomenon occured. The bolts of purple lightning centred on a single building of the palace, then redirected towards the mass. After a bright, violet flash and an even louder roar, the mass was gone.

The camera cut back to the newsroom, which was now haulted with ah. The streets below shared the same silence. Unfortunately, that silence was cut short by another roar, this one from the skies above Station Square.

"This has officially been the worst day of my life." Luna proclaimed. "Even worse than when Summer cooked."

The cloaked being looked at the monitor for a few seconds, then looked away.

"Madness," he muttered to himself. "Nature is no fragile thing. He would have to be a deity..no, a god to pull off such a stunt..."

"Unfortunately...This is what we're up against." Smash said, his eye twitching from the insanity. "The whole world is in chaos, in less than a few hours."

((Ryu-Wait, was Smash talking to my character?))

Zap was visibly shaking with fear, his eyes welled up with tears. He couldn't even bring himself to say anything, but he was most definitely frightened. Crystal stood beside him, completely stunned. Thunder looked as if he wanted to say something, but he couldn't find the right words. "I don't understand..What do you gain from something like this?" Keela asked.

Smash shook his head. "I don't know, but for something like this I can't see anything to gain out of it." He said. "Some people just aren't looking for anything logical, like money or power. People like this, they can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some people just want to watch the world burn."

"I can't believe such people, I know there were corrupt beings from where I came from, but none that would bring such a chaos upon the world..." said Mia, she then out of pure anger tossed a wind arrow at a nearby tree slicing it down.

Ichiro stared up at the sky. All of the pieces were falling together. With another roar, a strange sight emerged from high above. Like on the news report of Seaside City, a strange mass began snaking in and out of the clouds. This one however was firey and brought with it an orange glow alongside the purple lightning. The only word that Ichiro could bring himself to say was "No," and he said it several times over. "No no no no NO!" The look on his face was uncharacteristic, because for the first time in his life, he was absolutely terrified.

"What...is that thing!?" Thetis said with fear and confusion in his voice. Paroi stood with his ars folded, a look of shock on his face, but he kept his composure. "I've never seen something like that before," he said. He then saw Ichiro's fear, and he realized just how bad things were.

Inferna took a step back, staring up at the mass. Tsunami stared as well, and for the first time since she joined Orochimaru, she found herself unable to hide her fear. Tendril glanced over at Ichiro. Seeing that he was also afraid, he asked, "Do you know what that thing is?"

"What the HECK is THAT!?" Smash exclaimed, staring at the mass with wide eyes.

Burst put his arms around Inferna in a protective way, whispering to her "Don't worry... it... it's gonna be ok."

Ichiro was still stunned, but he managed to get out another word. "K...K-Ka... Ka," he stuttered.

"Ka-What?" Thunder asked, desperate to get an answer.

"What...on earth..." Kyle said, quietly. "...can we do...?"

"...I don't feel so good." Splice said, faintly. He keeled over and flopped onto his back. He stared blankly into the sky, feeling completely overwhelmed with shock.

"H-hey! Splice!" Smash exclaimed. Splice didn't even glance at him.

"S-Smash..." Ichiro began, "D-Do you recall my dragon illusions... from the World Hero Tournament?" he asked. Everyone glanced at him, immediately. Smash began to actually look frightened, now. Without waiting for an answer he continued, "You are about to witness... My inspiration."

Part Two: Beginning of the End
The sky was dark, filled with a purple glow from the lightning, and an orange glow from the fiery beast above. It's roars shook the earth, and struck fear into the hearts of all who witnessed it. "Ka..." Ichiro muttered, "The Flame of Orochi."

"...Hoooly crap." Smash's face looked pale, now. "A-Are we gonna have to FIGHT that thing!?"

Thunder's face went blue from shock, and lack of oxygen. He was so shocked that he ended up holding his breath with his mouth gaping wide open. Zap and Crystal hid behind him, too terrified to even look. Gizmo, who hadn't said anything in a while, just broke his silence by letting out a loud scream. "WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THAT!?!?" He cried out.

((Ryu-Well crap. I have a character called Ka too :I))

The cloaked figure stared up at the Flame of Orochi as well, looking uncharacteristically shocked. Not since the Harbinger that had devoured his home planet had he seen such a monstrosity. He growled and shook his head like a dog, trying to regain composure.

Mia stared at the thing, "Oh my gosh... What is... this...?" gasped Mia as she looked at the creature in the sky.

Luna just stared. "I'd say to run, but civilians don't seem very cabable of saving themselves..." She was shivering as bad as the others. "So, ah... basically, we're fighting the embodiment of fire?"

"In a way, yes," Ichiro answered, forcing himself to calm down, "Ka is one part of Yamata no Orochi, a spirit of nature. Legends tell of him being defeated long ago, and his soul being split into eight parts. Those parts were sealed within the warriors who fought along side him, and passed down to their decendants." He hesitated, fearing the mostly likely reasoning behind this cataclysm. "The fire and water users were used to summon Ka and Mizu, the souls of fire and water. The Followers must be trying to revive Orochi."

"Revive Orochi?" Smash repeated. "Does that mean that Orochi...is that evil essence they're trying to repair!?"