Gaines Arc

Gaines Arc is the first arc of the series. It spans from episode ___ to episode ____.

Summary
The arc begins with a discussion between Cato and Pax. Cato discusses the rapid improvement in power of the Alpha Team and announces he will begin training them to use Energy Form 1. Pax is impressed and agrees. He soon changes the subject to an important mission. He discusses the rising threat of The Association and how they are now being used by Serpentus and Leo. Cato agrees that this is a major issue and that they should deal with it before it becomes an even bigger issue. Pax also acknowledges the fact that The Association kidnapped Amanda's father and brought him to Serpentus.

Corvin soon walks in and joins the discussion. Corvin announces that he has found 3 locations that members of The Assocation seem to reside in. Pax is thrilled by this news and calls for Grace.

Grace enters the room and Pax tells her to bring Beta Team, Gamma Team, and Delta Team to the main headquarters. Grace leaves and begins contacting the other teams. Pax tells Corvin that he will instruct the other teams where to go. Corvin agrees. Corvin also brings up Gaines and his rebellion against Descendants as a possible problem. Pax agrees it is an issue but doesn't see Gaines as much of a problem and believes the local police will stop him.

Cato leaves and meets with Caesar and Cassandra. He lets them know that they are going to begin teaching Energy Form 1 to Alpha Team. After some initial surprise that the team is ready to learn in, they agree and go to gather the kids.

They all meet outside of the headquarters. Cato explains to the group that he is going to begin teaching them to use Energy Form 1.

First, Cato, Cassandra, and Caesar demonstrate the transformation which awes all of Alpha Team, including Xavier. Then they all begin meditating and attempting to unlock the transformation. After a few minutes of this, Cato leaves with Eli and talks to him separately. He tells Eli that he has massive potential and the largest energy reserves of all the Alpha Team members. He says that he is going to begin teaching him to use real techniques that will aid him in battle.

Cato begins by explaining to Eli that they are very similar in their abilities, and therefore, Cato will teach him the techniques he uses in battle. He explains that the prerequisite to all of his techniques is the use of Aether's Shroud. It is the technique that covers the body in released aura and enables all of the other techniques. They practice this for a while, until Eli has good control over Aether's Shroud. At this point, Eli has control over his powers officially and is ready to have his symbol power unlocked.

During a campfire at night, Cato announces that Eli has full control over his and is ready to have his symbol power unlocked. Cassandra begins to unlock his symbol while everyone watches eagerly. After a few moments Eli's power is unlocked: Jupiter. Everyone is in awe that he possesses the Jupiter symbol power, the most legendary of all the symbol powers. That night, before bed, Cato comes into Eli's room sits on his bed. He talks about how proud he is of Eli and all he has accomplished. He gives Eli the vial of Sacred Water and tell him that he has earned it. Eli drinks the water and nothing happens, but he goes to bed.

The next morning, Beta Team, Gamma Team, and Delta Team arrive at the main headquarters. Everyone introduces each other and the three teams soon split off and meet with Corvin and Pax. Pax explains that their missions are going to be invading and killing their own respective members of The Association, a deadly group of underground mercenaries. Corvin details the locations:

The Boss will likely stay at the main base of The Association located in ____.

The Impaler and The Reaper are paired together and located in _____. Beta Team is assigned to kill them.

The Detonator and The Illusionist are paired together and located in _____. Gamma Team is assigned to kill them.

The Enforcer and The Phantom are paired together and located in ____. Delta Team is assigned to kill them.

Each pair has one officer and one solider. Little is known of the abilities of each of the members. Once all of the officers and soldiers are killed, only The Boss will remain. Once you finish all of your missions, coordinate and form a pincir on the main base of The Association. Though he is the most powerful of any of the members of The Association, him alone shouldn't be able to defeat the collective of all three teams.

In addition to the missions of the three teams, Corvin will go the main headquarters from the start and keep an eye on The Boss, in order to ensure success of the mission.

After being informed of the mission, the three teams go inside to eat some food before they go on their missions. Meanwhile, Alpha Team continues to meditate in an effort to unlock Energy Form 1. In addition, Cato is continuing to train Eli.

Cato introduces Eli to the 5-Fingers of Aether. Cato goes through each of the fingers and demonstrates for Eli. This is what they work on for a bit of time.

Back with the rest of Alpha Team, Xavier is becoming frustrating with the meditation. He feels he is making no progress and doesn't believe that mediation will help him become stronger. Cassandra notices Xavier's displeasure with the meditation and talks to him separately. Xavier insists that meditation may work for some people, but not for him. He isn't spiritual and thinks that he never will be. Cassandra acknowledges his complaints, but she emphasizes the importance of meditation. Balance is essential to becoming more powerful.

In order to illustrate her point, Cassandra challenge Xavier to a fight. During the battle, they are somewhat evenly matched. Cassandra then transforms into Energy Form 1 and Xavier attempts to attack her again, but is far too slow and can't land a single hit. Cassandra then explains that it isn't only a speed boost. She then lets Xavier strike her directly in the face and is unfazed. She then strikes Xavier in the chest and knocks him back 30 feet. She reverts back to her base form and tells Xavier that this lesson demonstrated the importance of the Energy Form and therefore meditation as well. Xavier begrudgingly agrees as he picks himself back up.

Meanwhile, Plinio and Amanda are making progress, slowly getting closer to unlocking Energy Form 1. Caesar decides to break up the meditation with a little sparring. He believes the contrast in their fighting ability will be beneficial to both of them. As the two clash, it is apparent that Amanda cannot heal and fight simultaneously. This makes her symbol power useless if she wants to help in combat. Meanwhile, Plinio is dominating the fight because of his ability to use longer range attacks, while Amanda is limited to Shockwave Push and other physical attacks. After halting the fight, Caesar explains to Amanda that she needs to find a way to automate healing or at least multitask. In addition, he emphasizes that she must become more multi-dimensional and add some longer range attacks. As for Plinio, he needs to become more dynamic, as he has a habit of standing in one spot too long.

A bit later, Beta Team, Gamma Team, and Delta Team take off, along with Corvin towards their respective areas. After a bit of travel, the three teams split off while Corvin continues straight. Soon Beta Team reaches their destination. They carefully watch as The Impaler and The Reaper are inside of a small house talking. Beta Team quickly begins formulating their battle plan.

The plan is for Shield Guy to attract their attention and face them directly, while Fast Running Guy and Sniper Girl hide together. Once Shield Guy is engaged, he will use his shield to block incoming attacks and determine the fighting style and techniques of the enemy. During this ensuing fight, after gaining enough information about the enemies, Sniper Girl will line up and take a shot in order to take down one of the two enemies. Right as the enemy realizes where the shot came from, Sniper Girl will hide under cover and Fast Running Guy will run from that spot, over to the other side of the area, making it seems as if he was the one who shot the sniper in the first place. The enemies will target him and this will give Sniper Girl another oppurtunity on an incognito shot. If all goes well, the first shot will take out one of the two, and the second shot will finish the other. In the scenario that these shots don't work, they will need to reasses on the fly.

Beta Team waits in position until both The Impaler and The Reaper leave the house and are standing in the yard. Once they leave the house, Shield Guy steps out from the bushes and attracts their attention. After a brief exchange of words, Shield Guy takes out a sword and gets into a battle stance. The Impaler laughs off the intruder and commands The Reaper to take care of him. The Reaper then equips a large scythe. Shield Guy also notices that The Impaler has a red palm mark, meaning he is also a Blade.

Shield Guy makes the first move and the fight begins. The Reaper is faster than anticipated and is tough to manage using only a sword. Shield Guy attempts to attack The Impaler as well, in order to find out his abilities as well, but the Reaper blocks off the way. He can't even force The Impaler to change where he is facing--right towards where Sniper Girl is hiding. After a few attempts, it is clear that he cannot continue the fight without using his shield. Shield Guy leaps backward and equips his shield just in time to block a scythe swing from The Reaper. The two separate and catch their breath. Taking advantage of the stop in motion, and The Reaper facing the opposite direction of Sniper Girl, she takes the first shot and manages to hit The Reaper in the right shoulder. He moved just enough to avoid getting hit in the back of the head, though the damage does render that arm useless in the fight. Just like they planned, Fast Running Guy sprints from the spot to the other area of the yard.

The Reaper falls for the trick and changes his gaze from the spot where Sniper Girl shot him, to where Fast Running Guy is running. Sniper Girl immediately follows up with another shot, this time hitting The Reaper in the back of his neck. He crumples to the ground.

At this point, The Impaler is starting to make his move. He acknoledges the presence of all three members of Beta Team and goads them to come out of hiding. He reveals that he knew that Sniper Girl was there all along and was simply testing The Reaper. The fight shifts as The Impaler goes on the attack.He begins to shoot spikes from his palms toward Sniper Girl. She manages to dodge them, but  he then engages Shield Guy with large spikes that have emerged from his palms like blades. The Impaler is extremely quick and is leaving no opening for Shield Guy to actually attack. Fast Running Guy takes advantage of the fight by retreating and building up enough ground that he can build up sufficient speed to pack enough force to kill The Impaler. He begins his sprint and begins picking up speed rapidly, hurtling toward The Impaler while his back was turned, engaged with Sniper Girl and Shield Guy. As Fast Running Guy draws close to striking The Impaler, a giant spike emerges from his back and stabs Fast Running Guy in the chest as he smashes into him. He quickly pulls himself away from the spike but is left with a gaping wound in his chest. Sniper Girl takes a few shots at The Impaler but he easily dodges each to the side. She looks over to Shield Guy and they lock eyes and seem to reach an understanding. Sniper Girl fires a shot at The Impaler who easily dodges it, but Shield Guy had snuck behind The Impaler and reflects the shot into the back of The Impaler.

He falls to his knee momentarily but soon stands and retreats a bit, in order to survey his surroundings. He spots Shield Guy and Sniper Girl but can't find Fast Running Guy. He realizes just as it is too late that he had snuck off and attempted the same move as earlier while he was distracted. Fast Running Guy hurtles toward The Impaler and sticks his arm straight through the stomach of the Impaler who falls to the ground. Fast Running Guy falls to a knee as well, covering his gaping wound as blood gushes through his fingers. Shield Guy and Sniper Girl help him up and realize that he needs immediate medical attention. They decide that the smartest move would be to take him back to the main headquarters and then proceed to the The Association's main HQ to rendezvous with Corvin.

Meanwhile, Beta Team is closing in on their target. As they come close to the destination Eye Broadcasting Guy spawns his third eye in order to get a closer look. After looking around for a bit, he spots The Detonator and The Illusionist walking in town. The Illusionist is sharpening a blade. Eye Broadcasting Guy watches carefully as they begin walking back to the house that they stay in. Beta Team decides to surpise them on their way back.

As The Detonator and The Illusionist return, Eye Broadcasting Guy shoots a beam of energy toward them using his Eye from a great distance. The Illusionist shoots an energy blast that smacks into the beam, exploding in a heap of smoke. As the smoke clears, both The Illusionst and The Detonator are gone. Fire Dragon Guy quickly finds The Illusionist and engages him. The Illusionist shoots colorful blasts of energy that explode. While unseen, The Illusionist attempts to flank Fire Dragon Guy from the blind side. Though unnoticed by Fire Dragon Guy, Claw Guy does notice this and shoot a claw at Fire Dragon Guy and yanks him out of the way just in time before he stabbed with a hidden blade.

Meanwhile, The Detonator launches a giant energy ball into the air that hovers and stands still. Soon the ball splits into hundreds of smaller balls and shoot out in every direction. The balls all regain control and shoot toward Fire Dragon Guy. He attempts to dodge them, but they explode suddenly. He manages to block most of them, but his arms are singed by the heat.

Realizing they need to change their strategy, Claw Guy goes on the offensive, firing claws at The Detonator, who creates four energy balls that surround him. They launch themselves toward the claws and detonate, destroying the claws. The Detonator smirks as he believes he has the edge.

Fire Dragon Guy continues to battle with The Illusionist and is slowly catching onto his tricks. The Illusionist using colorful distractions and smoke in order to give himself opening to attack with a hidden blade. Realizing that Fire Dragon Guy's reactions were becoming faster, he changes up his approach. He creates a large energy ring around the two of them that cuts them off from the outside. Inside the ring, the walls and ceiling and floor are all composed of mirrors. It makes it extremely difficult to tell where The Illusionist actually is.

Meanwhile, The Detonator and Claw Guy are continuing their exchange. Suddenly, a huge energy beam is shot directly into the mirror ring of The Illusionist and pierces him. The ring collapses and he falls over, clutching the wound. Fire Dragon Guy then attacks The Detonator and they clash. The Detonator fights using floating disks of small energy explosives that are constantly detonating. During this clash, he avoids another energy beam from Eye Broadcasting Guy. Claw Guy attempts to grab The Detonator, but misses.

The battle rages on and eventually The Detonator is defeated.

Back with Delta Team, they finally track down The Enforcer but he is alone, to their surprise. After they scout around the area, they determine that The Phantom is not here. They engage The Enforcer in combat. The battle is hardfought. The Enforcer is an extremely powerful foe. Eventually, after a while, they are able to defeat him. In a 1-on-1 fight he would have easily beaten them, but he was not able to overcome the number disadvantage.

Changing scenery, Corvin is at the main base of The Association and is watching. The Boss is inside. All of a sudden, another man enters. It is The Phantom. Corvin is surprised to see another face. Then The Boss and The Phantom begin talking. The Boss demands to know why he has abandoned his post with The Enforcer and The Phantom reveals that it is because he has become bored and desires a good, challenging battle. He determined that The Boss would be a worthy opponent. Though he initially scoffs at the idea, The Boss realizes that The Phantom isn't joking and accepts the challenge. He goes to his chambers quickly in order to grab his gear. The Phantom allows it. The second The Boss enters his room, The Phantom suddenly vanishes. Corvin struggles to locate him, when his eyes suddenly buldge and he realizes that The Phantom had appeared behind him and put him in a headlock. Corvin is shocked by The Phantom's speed. With an evil smirk, The Phantom leans down and brings his mouth close to the ear of Corvin.

The Phantom whispers that Corvin is lucky that he is in a good mood. He warns Corvin to stay out of the fight. He says, he only planned on killing one person today, but he could make it two very easily. Corvin agrees to stay out of it.

The Phantom returns to the main room of the headquarters and is soon standing before The Boss. Both men are confident as they begin the fight. The Boss wields an enhanced staff, while The Phantom seemingly is weaponless. The Boss goes on the offensive and attacks The Phantom with a series of extremely fast swings of his staff. The Phantom is able to dodge all of these strikes, and has maintained his smile.

He comments that it is his turn to attack. In blazing speed he appears behind The Boss and swings his arm as if he is holding something. The Boss dodges his fist easily but is suddenly sliced in the side.

The Boss is no longer overconfident and determines that The Phantom has some sort of sword that is transparent. The Phantom's smile grows bigger as he goes in for another strike. This time, The Boss goes to block where the sword would be if he could see it. But to his surprise nothing hits his staff. He takes a few steps backward and assesses the situation. He is confused by the weapon did not make contact with his staff.

After a few stretches, The Phantom says that he is warmed up and ready to fight for real. He urges The Boss to do the same. In that moment, The Boss transforms into Energy Form 1 and The Phantom quickly does himself. The Phantom comments that he hasn't fought someone on this level in a long time.

They engage again. The Boss mixes in a combination of a few other weapons and manages to block a few of The Phantom's strikes. The fight is extremely fast and tense. Corvin watches in awe. He comments that they are lucky that The Phantom did not go along with The Enforcer, as he would be tough to fight against.

After a flurry of blows, both men separate and catch their breath. The Phantom announces that he is going to up the excitement by using more of his power. He releases a massive aura around him and attacks The Boss.

The Boss is starting to lose the battle, taking strikes and scrapes. Then The Boss goes for a downward strike in order to counter a strike from the right hand of The Phantom's "Invisible" sword. He passes right through and watches in horror as a sword appears in the left hand of The Phantom. There is nothing The Boss can do to defend himself as this sword plunges right into him.

The Phantom thanks The Boss for the fight and comments that it has been a while since he had to use any soul energy. Sadly, The Boss was far too weak to be called an actual challenge.

The Phantom then addresses Corvin and tells him that he has nothing to fear as he is far too weak to provide any fun for him. Corvin then leaves in order to go back to base. He needs to regroup and join up with the other teams.

Back at camp, Pax and Cato are talking about how Gaines has become a bigger problem than orginally thought, though he should still be able to be handled. They decide that they should Alpha Team in order to test their new abilities. Cato even approves Eli to go with them, as he has grown dramatically.

They gather Alpha Team and brief them on the situation: There has been an uprising in _____. Gaines has spearheaded a movement against all Descendants. The goal is to take out Gaines in order to stop the rebellion. Once he is eliminated, the rest will all relent.

Alpha Team agrees and goes off to start the mission. Once they have departed, Cato begins his training alongside Cassandra and Caesar.

Venturing into _____, Alpha Team notices severe devasation. Houses are destroyed and people are struggling to get by. They get some more information and find out about the devastation to the town/city. In addition, they find out about how the rebellion is against Descendants because they have killed many in the town/city in the crossfire of war. Amanda begins healing some of the people until they are attacked by a group of people in mechanical suits. Plinio blasts them aside in a torrent of water. They continue in the village in search of Gaines. They encounter a few more of these people in mech suits until they get to the center of the city.

In the center of the city, there is a mass of these people in mech suits. Xavier goes on a tear, slicing up people until a voice booms out to stop. He will not let the Descendants kill any more of his people. Another man in a mech suit steps to the front. His suit is much different. Xavier attacks but is repelled.

The man introduces himself as Gaines and explains his actions. Amanda and Plinio try to reason with him, but he doesn't take. They discuss The Protectors and Gaines rejects them as false gods somewhat hesitantly.

The fight continues and Xavier uses Triplex in an effort to gain an edge. In response, Gaines' suit changes its shape and continues to repel Xavier while landing many blows on him. Plinio attempts to attack with lightning but it is avoided.