It seemed like they were getting closer to their destination as the castle turned into more of a construction zone. There was bound to be something out of place here but before they could investigate any further, their good luck ran out and they were confronted by guards. Atticus gasped and stopped in his tracks, only for them to be faced with two pokemon! By instinct, Atticus reached for his belt and grabbed one of his balls before aiming it in front of himself defensively. "Shelby, help me out here!" he proclaimed as he waited to see what Brother Kidd was going to do.

OOC: Shelby's going to use Withdraw until they're threatened, and then Ice Shard if they're attacked.

Brother Kidd gives a worried look at his pokéball, but still tosses out his Pawniard... far enough for him to appear on the far side of the Durant. As expected, the humanoid pokémon glances about, and jumps to attack the ant.

That leaves you to face the diglett. The very fast diglett, who sprays Shelby with mud, before slapping him about with metalic claws bursting out of the ground. You're worried for a moment, but it seems the attack barely scratches the shell. Unfortunately, it flips Shelby in the air, throwing off his aim.

While Brother Kidd and Pawniard were busy with the Durant, Atticus kept his attention in the Diglett. Shelby was resilient as ever but the blow knocked him into the air! He frowned and encouraged Shelby to get up using something he remembered from his days at the beach growing up! "Shelby, use Water Gun to shoot yourself up, then attack with it!"

OOC: Water Gun to try and straighten up and then to attack. Spending 5 Favor in encouragement to the attack.

Following your advice, Shelby uses his Water Gun to briefly hover, both avoiding the Diglett's attack and hitting him back.

But as you watch the battle, you suddenly feel someone grab you from behind. It seems the soldiers aren't satisfied with just waiting for your pokémons to finish their battle, and are trying to pin you and Brother Kidd down. You struggle a bit to free yourself, but with little success.

And then, he lets you go. Looking back, you see the soldier holding his arms up, a floating sword at his neck.

It looked like the strategy had worked in his favor, and he beamed brightly at the counterattack. But as he focused on the battle, he felt the soldier's arms grabbing him from behind. He tried to struggle but it was useless. But when he looked behind him after being let go, his eyes widened to see the floating sword that was holding him in place from acting any further. "That's spooky," he muttered under his breath but he wasn't afraid, watching the sword with curious interest instead.

Brother Kidd pauses when he notices the sword, and shouts "call back your pokémon!" Once his opponent has done so, he recalls his Pawniard.

"Quick! Here!" He gestures to you, moving pass the broken down wall and into the tunnel beyond.

When Brother Kidd told him to call Shelby back, he did exactly as he asked, letting the shelled Pokemon back into his ball. He then gestured down into the tunnel and Atticus followed closely behind, not sure what had happened but glad that they were getting a chance at escaping from the guards.

You stumble through the small tunnel. Even with your flashlight, the floor and walls are so rough that there are deep shadows everywhere you try to step, and you have to be careful not to trip.

"Well, that was unexpected... I cannot remember the last time a ghost saved my life." He runs his hand over the walls, looking closely at the stone. "This seems to be a hastily cut escape tunnel. An old one. Were the rebels planning to flee the castle?"

The tunnel seems to get darker and tougher to walk through as they go in deeper, but Atticus does not intend on stopping or going back now. When Brother Kidd mentioned the ghost, he laughed and shook his head. "My grandmom said spirits will help you if you're kind to them, but I never expected something like this," he admitted with a soft laugh, keeping his voice as low as he could in case they were being followed. "Do you think it just goes straight outside?"

Brother Kidd thinks it over for a moment, then shakes his head. "This castle was the last refuge for the leaders of the rebelion back then. After the King's assault, they were all either capture or dead. None were seen again. If they had an escape tunnel like this, they would have taken it. I can only assume that they failed to finish it in time..."

The tunnel continues for a while, and you realize you are not alone in the tunnel. At first, you dismissed it as echoes of your footsteps. But then you heard the sound of metal scraping against stone... Despite you best attempt, you can't see what caused that noise in the darkness. Before you can say anything, Brother Kidd says "I believe our saviour decided to follow us."

You're distracted from your follower when you notice something unusual. Someone bolted a battery on the wall, tied to a power cable with a few lights. Brother Kidd activates them, revealing a slightly larger section of the tunnel, that seems to have been cut recently. A few modern tools have been left against the walls, as well as a line of military cargo boxes, currently empty.
Ahead of you, the tunnel ends in a cave in. Looking at the rocks, it seems someone has started moving them, revealing an old bone. You also think you see something sparkle between two of the rocks...

"So, this probably just carves deeper into the cliff and towards a dead end..." Atticus pieced together with a furrow of his brow and a small frown. He did catch wind of someone, or something, following them but when Brother Kidd pointed it out as the spirit that had saved them, he smiled to himself in the darkness. It must have wanted them to see where they were going, it must have known or sensed that they were there to help out. Just as they both had predicted, there was construction work going on and they were presented with the interesting sight of an uncovered bone and something that seemed to shine in the darkness. "Brother Kidd, there! That must be what's causing this ruckus. That looks ancient..." he pointed out before running over to see the source of the sparkle and if he could pull it out or inspect it closer.

"Careful! Those rocks may fall if they are moved..." Despite your companion's warning, you manage to sneak your hand between the boulders, and pull out... a gold coin?

Brother Kidd looks surprised at that. "Wait... is that? No... it can't be..." He peers at it closely, deciphering the tiny text. "2912... Galarian... it... it has to be..." He drops on one of the crates. It's only when he notices you curious look that he offers an explanation. "The rebels, a hundred years ago... it is said they were sponsored by another region. After all, you cannot raise an army without funds. It was never confirmed, but there were legends that they held a treasure of gold that was never found..."

Raising his gaze, he addresses the wall behind you. "Is that why you are here? The final guardian of the Rebel's Trove?" Looking behind you, you see the sword once more. And at the same time, you see the Armori from earlier, as well as a few Duskull. Farther back in the tunnel, beyond the lights, more glowing eyes stares at you.

Atticus turned with Brother Kidd when he confronted the spirits about the treasure. He was curious about it too and amazed that something like that was hidden here. He thought about the story and wondered how they could help these spirits out and put them to rest. "What can we do to help? Maybe if we can cause a cave-in to prevent future access to this part, you can help us get out of here? You don't want them taking the treasure, right?" He looked at the Armori, and the sword, and the few Duskull that lingered with them. He also saw more glowing eyes in the distance and though it was eerie, he wasn't disturbed by their presence. Atticus was intrigued by the sword, though, wondering how it had known to save them.

OOC: Is the sword a Pokemon or just part of the Armori? He'll scan the room with his Pokedex if they don't see it as hostile.

"A cave-in... it would not stop them, but it may give us some time to seek assistance..." He pulls out a pokédex, something that doesn't seem to worry the pokémons. Seeing that, you do the same.

"Armori, the armor pokémon.
Armori are said to come from haunted castles, forgotten battlefields, or from the remains of destroyed church-bells. No one is sure.

Honedge, the sword pokémon.
Apparently this Pokémon is born when a departed spirit inhabits a sword. It attaches itself to people and drinks their life force.

Duskull, the requiem pokémon.
Duskull can pass through any wall no matter how thick it may be. Once this Pokémon chooses a target, it will doggedly pursue the intended victim until the break of dawn.

Ghowl, the watching pokémon.
Ghowls are more active at night and in the winter. Even though they are poor fliers, they are absolutely silent in the air.

At that last note, you get a better look at one of those eyes watching from the darkness.


Brother Kidd sighs. "It was too much to hope for a signal... We will need to get out to send a message. Not an easy prospect, considering the guards that are likely waiting for us outside. At the very least, we should be able to collapse the roof of this area."

Atticus listened to the descriptions of the new Pokemon attentively. The only one that he had familiarity with was Duskull; the others were foreign to him and he was thoroughly intrigued by them. He had always loved ghosts and this was something of a dream come true for him -- being stuck in an ancient castle having to help these spirits from the cruel hands of the living world. But it was clear that he was fascinated with their savior the most: the sword-shaped Honedge whose Dex entry should have frightened him more than it did. But right now, he had to focus on how they were going to get out of here and also help the spirits find their peace. "How much treasure do you think is here? Maybe we could hide it deeper in the caves? he turned his attention to the spirits again. He wondered what they would have preferred - were they just here to protect it? "Is there somewhere else we could move all this stuff?" he asked them indirectly while also checking out the cavern to see if caving in the roof was the only solution.

The Honedge shakes it's... well, everything. To further explain, it uses it's blade to carve a drawing on the wall.

Looking at the image, Brother Kidd says "I think it's saying the first cave-in crushed some, and trapped the rest. They were not able to dig deeper, so there is no where to take it deeper.

I believe the best alternative I can think of, would be to send the treasure to a museum, where the rebels could be remembered in some way."

The ghost gather together, seeming to discuss among themselves, before turning back to you and nodding. "Very well. I will do my best to arrange this. For now, I will figure out a way to collapse this section of the tunnel. From what I can tell, all the material here belongs to the Chairluire soldiers, so there is no reason to worry about it. In the mean time... try to think of a way to get out of here."

Atticus nodded as he listened to Brother Kidd explain the spirit's etchings, studying the drawing closely. It appeared that there was ultimately no way deeper, and so they had to back the way they came while also preserving the treasure. So the cave-in looked to be the best option for them and he was glad that the ghosts thought it was a good idea too. He then pondered how they could get out of there, and he then looked to the spirits again. "You all look really strong, would you be able to cause another distraction and lead the way out of here one last time? We promise to make sure only the right people come and find the treasure and take care of it." He then turned to the Honedge specifically and grinned brightly, showing him the Pokeballs on his hip. "I know you have friends here but you already popped out of the shadows to help me once. Want to come along with me as a partner on my team and help us all get stronger once we get out of here?"

The sword examines you for a long time, then turns to 'speak' with the other ghosts. After they seem to come to a consensus, it turns back to you, then move to your hip, using it's ribbon as a makeshift belt to hold it-self there. Meanwhile, the other ghosts bow to you, and fade back into the walls or in the darkness of the tunnels.

"Alright, that should do it..." Looking back at Brother Kidd, you see he used the tools left by the soldiers to widen a few cracks in the ceiling. Filling some of the crates with rocks, it looks like they'll serve as counter-weights to force apart the weakest area, hopefully causing a chain reaction to fully collapse the ceiling. All that's needed, is to pull the rope to bring all of it tumbling down.

Looking back at you, he says "I see the others have left. Are you ready to break out?"

OOC: Honedge's stats are coming soon.

Atticus beamed proudly when Honedge agreed to join his party and decided to hang onto his hip. He didn't mind that at all and he thought it made him look pretty cool, at that. "I think I'll call you Saint, for saving us," he beamed before he decided to go ahead with their plan. He looked around to inspect Brother Kidd's handiwork and was impressed that the older man had managed to do so much in such little time by himself. He nodded when he asked if Atticus was ready to go - he felt like they had accomplished much here now that the spirits had approved of their actions and one of them had joined him. "I'm ready. This treasure is going to go to people who can appreciate what it's worth.

Once you're far enough, Brother Kidd pulls the rope, and you hear the collapse at the far end. With an extra pull, your companion is pleasantly surprised to bring back his rope. "We are in luck. I feared it would get stucked under the rocks. Perhaps we will not have to leave by the front door."

You reach the end of the tunnel, and find yourselves in a battleground. The soldiers awaiting your exit (including the two you fought before) are battling the ghost you've met, and not managing too well. You slip out before they can intercept you, and quickly backtracking toward your entry point.

Reaching the roof, you see another group of guard waiting outside the front door, with floodlights pointed at the exit. Brother Kidd peers into the darkness around the castle, trying to pick a good place to head down. That's when you notice a sharp whistling noise coming from above. Looking in the darkness, you suddenly see it. The glint of moonlight on metallic wings.

Atticus was glad that their plan seemed to work out much like expected. Brother Kidd proved to be an incredibly useful adult who could get things done and he never would have been able to get this far without him. He beamed when he noticed the ghosts were doing the favor they asked and they didn't even notice them getting away from the scene. Once they're on the roof, he gulped and looked around below them at the reinforcements that stopped them from getting away easily. His eyes widened in awe at the shining winged Pokemon and he wondered if it was attacking them or if he could win its favor and use it to get away from here. "Brother Kidd, look! It's amazing..." he proclaimed and was distracted for a moment before he snapped back to reality and tried to figure out what to do next. "Could we use them to get out of here somehow...?

Brother Kidd follows your gaze... and despite the darkness, you see him turn white. "I don't think it's here to help..." He's forced to dive to the side as the bird makes a low pass above him. You briefly hear the sound of breaking wood as it passes, and soon realize it took your rope in passing. "It must be one of the Colonel's pokémon... she expected us to escape this way..."

While Atticus was enchanted by the appearance of the metal bird, he noticed Brother Kidd's expression and his enthusiasm waned when he mentioned that it belonged to the Colonel. He immediately realized that there was even more trouble afoot now, and his frowned deepened. "Didn't you meet with the Colonel? She'll know it was us, right? We need to get out of here..."

"She will know, yes. But she may have wanted to keep the treasure, hence why she wanted me to wait before dealing with the ghosts. I doubt she will appreciate turning the treasure over to a museum, or that we tried to further bury it."

He looks off the side of the building. "Unless you have a way to fly, there is no way to go down without the rope this Skarmory grabbed. Do you have any way to attack at range? If you can get it to drop the rope, Shadow could grab it for us. Though... we may have to force it away to get down safely..."

Atticus thought about what Brother Kidd said for a moment and it made sense the the Colonel wanted to keep using the treasure. But they would be in huge trouble if they were caught up here before they could contact the museum. "I can either shoot at it with one of my other Pokemon, like Shelby, or I can just send Shadow after it...but if we fight it, the Colonel might notice, right?" He reached for his side and remembered about Saint who was hanging there. "What about you, Saint, any ideas on how to get down from here?" he asked before sending out Shadow onto the roof out of his ball.