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 godmodding (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) Arc Aungel the Hedgehog (E-113:Xi)
 * Homura the Crocodile
 * Eiji the Dragonfly
 * Shogai the Cobra
 * Mutoh the Komodo
 * Yamori the Gecko
 * Hebi the Python

Burst Pyrite the Hedgehog (E-113:Xi)

Banzai the Monkey (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)

Statyx the Hedgehog (Kagi)

Fou the Phoenix (Kagi)

Neutral
Thetis the Wolf (Banzai123)

Savant the Goetian - Ryu

Aquella "Tsunami" Oceania (Numbuh)

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)

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)

Water
Aquella "Tsunami" Oceania

Splice The Hedgehog (STE)

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 Seaside City, 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.

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's cloak was checkered in 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.

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."