(ELITE) The PYRITE Team

He looks confused.  Why is he so confused?  Can he really not know that the undead are attracted to noise?  And he was practically yelling a minute before!  

Oh well, at least he's conversing in a normal speaking volume now.  "Y-Yes, actually; I couldn't fend off the Undead by myself and I was looking for others to help me reclaim it. Phenac is on top of one of the few known aquifers for quite a ways. As well as being the best stocked and built and etc."  He gives a little laugh, and while it's not condescending, Diantha finds herself feeling wary.

"And I didn't mean any offense by your ensemble; the people that lived here in Pyrite were, well, trash. Gangs, druggies, prostitutes, you name it, it was here. Pyrite was the seedy underbelly to Orre, and beneath it, an even seedier underbelly known as the 'Under'."

Patience.  Find your patience.  She needs to be diplomatic, not aggressive.

"You look far too healthy to be from Pyrite, is all. I didn't mean to insult."  His hand is still held out, and Diantha ignores it, staring him straight in the eyes.  "But... I don't think I caught either of your names in all that, Ms...?"

"Diane, and this is my lifelong friend, Cosette" she says, opting to hand out her alias, keeping her voice calm and even.  "I've met people from Pyrite.  I don't know what stories you've heard to make you believe such things, and maybe I should give you the benefit of the doubt, but you're not making me very inclined to help you right now by insulting a large swathe of people whose lives were awful before the world collapsed."

"Are there any survivors in Phenac?" The Gardevoir.  "Is there anyone else we could be helping."

"Yes, that's a concern.  If there are others in dire need there's more important things to do than discuss this."  Calling someone out on gross behavior is not more important than saving lives.  "Is Phenac overrun, or is there a food shortage?  What exactly do you need help with?"

"And for future reference, kid," Cosette adds, "You might want to start keeping your options to yourself.  You're gonna piss a lot of people off if you go around insulting huge groups of people like that.  And that could end very badly for you."

She felt another stab of guilt hit her when Asche mentioned his poor vision, once again reminded that she hadn't tried hard enough to find him in the darkness of the Under. Well she wasn't going to let anything happen to him again, especially if the giant and his cow(?) proved to be a threat against them. The same giant who was currently shouting and waving frantically. Wait....

The words in their voices were lost in the strong winds that blew through Pyrite, winds that had once made the windmill so important to the town now practically burying it in sand. Phoenix was struggling to make out whether the sounds were words or angry grunts when she saw the dino charging right for her and Asche. His teeth were bared as he charged and the Ninetales reacted on pure instinct, jumping in front of Blue and flaring her tails dangerously. The dino kept charging. Worried for her companion she quickly sent out a jet of flame to arc in front of both her and Asche setting a good boundary between them and the giant.

"Back off!" She snarled, lowering her head and shoulders to glare dangerously. "One more step and we are having barbecue dinosaur for dinner!"

___________________________

"...the people that lived here ... trash. ...druggies, prostitutes...here. Pyrite was...underbelly...seedier...the 'Under'."

The wind was picking up again, and much of their conversation got lost, but Dean was able to pick up enough from the idiot to send his blood boiling. Trash? Trash?! The ones who lived in this town had it rough, sure, but they were still people. Many of them had been born here and didn't know anything but hardship from day one, and this asshole would judge them for that? His fists clenched so tightly in his anger that he didn't even feel when his nails cut through his palm, leaving small, crescent shaped cuts that slowly began seeping blood. But Cira did.

His Volcarona buzzed angrily in reaction to Dean, her wings beating heavily in the small room and blowing things over. Finally fed up the pair decided to leave Duking's house and make their way over to the chatty pair to toss them out before they made things worse.

"And for future reference, kid," They heard the female scold on their way over to the pair. "You might want to start keeping your options to yourself. You're gonna piss a lot of people off if you go around insulting huge groups of people like that. And that could end very badly for you."

"Too late," Dean said curtly from just behind the purple loudmouth. "And in the five minutes since you two have been here you have made enough racket to attract anything we worked so hard to scare off these last few weeks. So do us a favor and get out. Now." To emphasize his point Cira rose up behind Dean, wings spread and eyes glowing intimidatingly. The woman Dean might have allowed to stay, if it wasn't for the idiot, because she seemed to be a reasonable sort. But the idiot had shot both of their chances to Hell when he not only came crashing in like he owned the place but then proceeded to insult everyone who had ever lived there. Basically spitting on their graves which, since entire town was a mass burial site, he was.

[[Skipping Asche; he's just cowering behind Phoe]]

----------------


"Diane, and this is my lifelong friend, Cosette" the woman answered, motioning to the Gardevoir at the other name. He nodded at them both, still being polite in his own mind, completely unaware he was trying their last nerves. "I've met people from Pyrite. I don't know what stories you've heard to make you believe such things, and maybe I should give you the benefit of the doubt, but you're not making me very inclined to help you right now by insulting a large swathe of people whose lives were awful before the world collapsed." Justy frowned; he doubted she really knew these people before if she was so quick to defend them. But he kept quiet as Cosette furthered the questioning.

"Are there any survivors in Phenac?" Justy turned to her, face falling with genuine sadness. He certainly hoped so, but... he didn't actually know. "Is there anyone else we could be helping."

"Yes, that's a concern. If there are others in dire need there's more important things to do than discuss this." Justy nodded, waiting for his turn to speak. "Is Phenac overrun, or is there a food shortage? What exactly do you need help with?"

"And for future reference, kid," Cosette added sternly, "You might want to start keeping your options to yourself. You're gonna piss a lot of people off if you go around insulting huge groups of people like that. And that could end very badly for you."

"Too late," a voice snapped from behind the purple-haired trainer, causing him to flinch. He whirled at the voice, Trunks snorting with disapproval. "And in the five minutes since you two have been here you have made enough racket to attract anything we worked so hard to scare off these last few weeks. So do us a favor and get out. Now." In a moment, a very angry Volcarona appeared next to her trainer, eyes glowing and narrowed in disdain.

"Hey, hey!" Justy objected, holding his hands in the air as a sign of surrender, "I just met her-- there's no need to throw her out too. I was the one making the racket after all." He shook his head, completely disapproving of the power display. But out of respect for Diane, Justy kept his voice down. "Besides, if there WAS anything attracted by the noise, then it would have shown up already. Right? And everyone here is obviously a capable trainer. Any horde would have moved on from here a long time ago, and we'd be able to handle any stragglers. Jeez, calm down."

Pyths' hooves clattered loudly as he trotted through the dusty streets. His cautious gaze moved from building to building, the sad windows revealing a gaping emptiness behind them. Graffiti populated the walls, and many buildings shared the scarring of past infernos. As he passed by  the black skeleton of a car, he flinched at the sight of the charred and melted remains of what appeared to be human children in the backseats, forever sealed in agony in this arid desert. Pyth sighed as he moved on. After all these years, he still couldn't numb himself to the countless dead, strewn about everywhere he went. He couldn't help but feel like the last of his kind in a world that's eating itself alive. Shaking the glum thoughts from his head, his hooves carried him faster across the shattered roads.

Thud thud thud Thud Thud THUD THUD!

Pyth grinned as he felt the vibrations getting louder. Rounding a corner, the bull finally finds it.
A giant lizard, twice his size, heavily scaled and armored, with a giant barbed collar...the challenge was too good to pass up. The dinosaur already seemed to have found itself in a fight, as flames roared in front of it.

Nu-uh, this ones' mine! The bulls' tails whipped in the air, slamming themselves onto his back wildly. With a mighty bellow, the bull charged with horns lowered, a large dust cloud kicking up behind him.

Basile audibly gasped at the sudden twister of flames licking down on the ground in front of him, the flames crouching and waiting to lash out at him. He could feel the heat blow by his scales, and it slightly dried the wetness in his eyes.

"Back off! One more step and we are having barbecue dinosaur for dinner!"
The words sliced him deeply, much deeper than he thought they would, even if they weren't so personal. Basile's mouth slipped open, agape enough to show his pearly lower teeth, his eyebrows slanting up and inward to form visible mountainous ridges on his rocky eyebrows. His pupils shrink to points, staring at the huffing, angry Ninetales in front of him through the distortion from the flames. It wasn't even the fire that scathed him so badly, however. The T-rex finally moves, his shoulders turning to the side to cower back from the flames, tail following suit. He looked again to the Ninetales again, slumping over in defeat while taking a shuffling step or two back.

"H-Hi, I... um... I'm sorry I scared you.... I just haven't seen other Pokemon for so long--"
The growing sound of galloping cut his thoughts, his head flinging to the right and behind him as he stood straight. Sunshine, already running after the boulder-y hulk of a lizard, yelled at him through the howling wind.
"Basile! Get back 'ere this moment! Tarnation, are y' okay?!" Finally, the noise amplified through and beyond her own clopping footsteps, and she looked to it's origin. A Tauros, too locked into his own target to notice her, was running through the buildings of the street parallel to hers - only strokes of brown blur through the alleys - but she noticed him clear as day. So did Basile, giving a yelp very unfitting of a species crowned 'king of the dinosaurs' and promptly turning on his heel to run the other way. It was obvious the Tauros was after him, his head turning to lock onto him as he ran directly from him. Sunny had definitely noticed him specifically targeting Basile. Seeing her adopted son's fear, her eyebrows furrowed from her patience immediately growing thin.

"Oh! Naw y' dont!" the heifer raises in octaves along with volume, tossing her body weight forward into a roll. After spinning in her ball shape three times, the energy of Rollout finally breaks out and sends her into a dash fast enough to stir dust from under her. She swiftly cuts around a few moments after the Tauros rounds the corner to run directly at Basile, his tails whipping himself violently and making audible lashing noises. Popping out of her spherical form, she lands on the ground in front of the bull with her hoof-hands in small fists, her udder-stomach and teats bouncing from the vigor of her step forward to leverage herself into a fighting stance. Her nose bridge curled with skin, eyebrows cresting her forhead with a deep v-shape. He had it coming to him, now he went and pissed off mama bear. ... Mama cow.

"Back it up, Jack! Don't you dare be tryna come after mah boy!" she seethed as menacingly as a small, adorable cow can, bowing herself forward to ready a Body Slam. Meanwhile, Basile had scuttled away to one of the buildings across the street from where the fighting was going on, back in the initial direction he and Sunshine came from. He had been sitting on his haunches, cowering down to look at the Ninetales and... Absol thing. "Gee.... I found other Pokemon, and they're already scared of me.... I thought I said hello to them nicely enough...." He looked up as Sunshine shouted, seeing her standing against the Tauros, only a short distance away from the two canines, but he somehow managed to miss it. His rocky body was startled with adrenaline, wondering how he could have missed such a dangerous situation. The dinosaur leaps to his feet, quicker than a huge reptile should be able to, calling out desperately to her.

"Sunshine!"

"Too late,"  Diantha blinks in shock, glancing over to the new voice, only to find Cosette already staring.  Ah.  So she must have sensed more emotion nearby; she already looks much more tense. "And in the five minutes since you two have been here you have made enough racket to attract anything we worked so hard to scare off these last few weeks. So do us a favor and get out. Now."

The Volcarona with him spreads their wings.  The Champion eyes the fire moth warily.  Definitely a strong, healthy Pokemon; they could probably win, but...  I'd rather not test that.  Not like this.

"Hey, hey! I just met her-- there's no need to throw her out too. I was the one making the racket after all."  He looks disapproving-- not that his opinion counts for much here.  Diantha feels disdain well up inside her, but pushes it down.  They're sheltered, that's what she has to remind herself every time she comes across the privileged.  These people are sheltered; they don't know any better, most of the time.  Perhaps patience would win him over.

Provided he didn't prove himself so stupid that he'd get them killed.  But then, is it really possible to be alive after four years of this and be stupid?  Maybe, if the Pokemon were smart enough...  "Besides, if there WAS anything attracted by the noise, then it would have shown up already. Right? And everyone here is obviously a capable trainer. Any horde would have moved on from here a long time ago, and we'd be able to handle any stragglers. Jeez, calm down."

"No, he doesn't have to calm down.  We're in his territory, and you've made a lot of noise; there's no telling what that could draw out, and we all have Pokemon's lives on the line.  As well as our own."  

"And... you've also just insulted an entire swathe of people.  Within earshot." The fairy rubs a temple with a sigh.  Good going, kid.  

Diantha turns to the blonde man, giving him a polite nod.  "I apologize for intruding; it was an accident.  I'd be happy to assist you with anything you may need, but if you'd prefer I leave, I'll comply."

(Diantha hasn't been shouting, nor has Cosette; I apologize if my writing made anyone think so.)

Head lowered, poised to strike, flames roaring before her like a final stand between them and certain death, and yet what was the response? A pout. A slumping, toe the ground, honest to Arceus pout. "H-Hi, I... um... I'm sorry I scared you.... I just haven't seen other Pokemon for so long--" And stammering? Confused broke the female's intimidating posture and she raised her head to get a better look at the behemoth on the other side of her wall of fire. He was shy, scared, and near tears by the look of him. It made that guilty ball in the pit of Phoenix's stomach grow heavier, dropping lower and making her cringe in shame. But as she opened her mouth the call out to the large dino the sound of galloping hooves drew her attention, and a raging Tauros came straight into view.

Terrified the large dino fled, racing back the way he came and hiding behind a building while the cow (yes, it was definitely a cow) from before rolled herself straight into the path of the Tauros and blocked him defiantly. Somewhat impressed by the set of balls on the cow Phoenix eyed the scene for a moment before using the distraction to try and get Asche out of harm's way. "Come on," she whispered, nudging him gently with her nose. "Get inside and wait for me, I need to see what the hell all the strangers are suddenly doing, popping up out of nowhere." She ushered Asche inside before trying to find a way around the bovine pairing to check on the dinosaur, moving carefully across the field to see where he had wandered off to.

She found him cowering behind a small structure, watching the cow fearfully as she stood before the Tauros. "Gee.... I found other Pokemon, and they're already scared of me.... I thought I said hello to them nicely enough...." he wondered aloud, making that nagging guilt come back. She hadn't quite heard what he said over the strong winds that picked up right before he charged, all she knew was that something big and possible dangerous was heading straight for her and Asche, but that didn't make it any better. He seemed like a scared little, er...big kid. She was going to tell him she was behind him when he jumped up suddenly and screamed, guessing that 'Sunshine' was the cow. Stumbling back to avoid his large tail Phoenix soon found herself gracelessly falling on her ass and hissing in pain. "Ow! Careful with that tail big guy!" she hollered up at him, standing back up and shaking the dirt out of her tails. "You're libel to crack a skull swinging it like that."

_______________________________

"Hey, hey!"Dean's already annoyed expression grew as the purple haired idiot started rambling in his defense, mockingly holding his hands up like he was a victim. "I just met her-- there's no need to throw her out too. I was the one making the racket after all." The blonde crossed his arms and scowled at the false modesty the flamboyant moron tried to express, tapping his foot impatiently. "Besides, if there WAS anything attracted by the noise, then it would have shown up already. Right? And everyone here is obviously a capable trainer. Any horde would have moved on from here a long time ago, and we'd be able to handle any stragglers. Jeez, calm down."

Dean was about to snap back at him but the woman beat him to it, her own bite added to the reply. "No, he doesn't have to calm down. We're in his territory, and you've made a lot of noise; there's no telling what that could draw out, and we all have Pokemon's lives on the line. As well as our own." Her Gardevoir added her own scolding and the Breeder couldn't help but feel a small smile tug at the corners of his mouth as the elegant female expressed her own frustrations. It seemed they had been having as much trouble with this guy's mouth as Dean had been having, and he wasn't even the one that the purple haired moron had been spewing it to.

"I apologize for intruding; it was an accident. I'd be happy to assist you with anything you may need, but if you'd prefer I leave, I'll comply." The lady acknowledged, Dean loosening his posture and raising a hand politely to pause her. "Your apology isn't necessary, Miss," he began, offering her a polite smile. "After all, I likely would never have noticed you and your Pokemon's presence if it hadn't been for this loudmouth announcing you to the world. Apparently grace and any semblance of couth are social skills he is sorely lacking in."

Turning back to said loudmouth Dean gave him a level glare, polite small falling immediately into a disapproving frown as he took a deep breath to try and keep his response calm and even. "You, however, need not only to apologize to me but to the young lady. You could have gotten her killed, and still might, because the hoards have not 'moved on'. We simply drove out what we could and keep watch for the rest. They actually return quite frequently. To make it perfectly clear to you: until you, there has been nothing else but myself and my Pokemon alive in Pyrite in months."


((Dean knows Diantha wasn't the problem lol, his warning was supposed to mean Justy was the one making the racket but his anger didn't let him specify at the time XD))

Asche had curled into a tight ball, hoping to be able to defend against any stray attack that managed to get past Phoe. The roar of her fire and fury only made the curl tighter, his eyes shut firmly against his own body. But there was soon another voice, one that sounded super weird against the pounding footsteps it created. "H-Hi, I... um... I'm sorry I scared you.... I just haven't seen other Pokemon for so long--" There was more noise, more footsteps and even another voice? But Asche couldn't discern all the weird, loud noises from each other; it was all just giving him a huge headache.

Soon, Phoe was at his side, whispering in his ear. "Come on," she began, nudging him carefully with her nose. He resisted at first, but quickly followed her gentle urging, his eyes still tightly shut against the bright world. "Get inside and wait for me, I need to see what the hell all the strangers are suddenly doing, popping up out of nowhere." He nodded, a small smile gracing his furry face as he was reminded of the stern hatred the bright ninetales had for strangers in her town. It was refreshing to have something so familiar... like nostalgia. Could he be nostalgic about it? He wasn't sure.

His small, taloned paws soon felt hardwood instead of ground and it was easy to assume she'd led him into a building. Feeling the wall with his long horns, he found a corner and curled into it, keeping his lethal tail out before him as Phoe's footsteps faded away. Hopefully, no one would come in while she was gone...

---------------------

These people certainly were really, really weird. Justy could only blink in helpless confusion as the woman even turned on him. Why was everyone so upset?! "No, he doesn't have to calm down. We're in his territory, and you've made a lot of noise; there's no telling what that could draw out, and we all have Pokemon's lives on the line. As well as our own."

"And... you've also just insulted an entire swathe of people. Within earshot." Even the Gardevoir? Justy couldn't help but feel grossly misunderstood, looking to each of them in turn in utter bewilderment. "But--"

"I apologize for intruding; it was an accident. I'd be happy to assist you with anything you may need, but if you'd prefer I leave, I'll comply," the woman seamlessly continued on to the stranger, Justy apparently forgotten or worse, ignored.

"Your apology isn't necessary, Miss," the stranger replied sweetly, quickly changing gears. "After all, I likely would never have noticed you and your Pokemon's presence if it hadn't been for this loudmouth announcing you to the world. Apparently grace and any semblance of couth are social skills he is sorely lacking in."

Then didn't that mean that the shouting was a good thing? He'd already apologized for it, too. But no, the stranger turned to Justy and all niceness was completely gone. In a moment, Justy came to a conclusion: maybe he was being this ornery because he was a Pyrite snake as well, and not just taking shelter in the dumpster of a town? It certainly made sense. "You, however, need not only to apologize to me but to the young lady. You could have gotten her killed, and still might, because the hoards have not 'moved on'. We simply drove out what we could and keep watch for the rest. They actually return quite frequently. To make it perfectly clear to you: until you, there has been nothing else but myself and my Pokemon alive in Pyrite in months."

Though he was from Pyrite, Justy had little choice in the matter. He still needed help for Phenac, even if that help was some druggie scum. The guy himself looked healthy enough, so, maybe a new resident? His hands still up, Justy sighed. "I meant no harm to you or to your pokemon, I promise, to both of you." It was a sincere statement; he really hadn't. "I'm sorry. But can we move to a better spot to discuss things? The wind might pick up again."

The giant lizard turned to the thundering sound of his hooves, but to Pyths' confusion, the red creature did not confront him with an array of teeth the size of knives, and instead decided to dash into the maze of buildings. Pyth bellowed as he rounded a corner, his tails whipping wildly. It didn't matter what it wanted or not, Pyth was going to get a fight out of them. His zeroed-in vision on the reptiles tail suddenly got interrupted by a bovine, breaking out of a rollout right in front of him and facing his horns with a fierce resolve. "Back it up, Jack! Don't you dare be tryna come after mah boy!"
Her face was wrinkled in anger, her front hooves curled up and ready to fight him. Pyths' eyes grew wide as he winced and dug his hooves into the ground as hard as he could, the two ton bull shattering the stone pavement underneath him as he came to a shuddering halt inches from her.

The dust he had thrown up into the air from his stampede began to settle down. The bull stood stone still as he stared with a doe in the headlights gaze. Right before him, after all these years, was a Miltank.
A Miltank!
"...Erugh...your...boy...?" Pyth garbled, slowly backing himself up, looking from the giant lizard to the cow in front of him. Pyth was confused, but her cute face, her round but muscular body and those...those...
"Erm, uh..." He began blurbing, trying his best to keep his eyes from falling to her underbelly as he turned his head away abruptly. It had been literally years since he's even seen one of his kind, let alone a female. And goddammit, he already pissed her off.

"Uhhhhhh....You ah....I didn't...Miss, I'm sorry..." Words just flew out of his mouth, his cheeks the slightest tinge of red as he stared intently at a suddenly very interesting wall. Embarrassment flooded his face as he backed away further, his long horns lowering as his gaze shot to the ground and his lips tightened into a straight line. It's a girl, it's a girl, shit, what do I say what do I say oh gods what do I say! 'Sorry about almost goring you and your kid, the names' Pyth????'
He cringed at his thoughts, but they were quickly interrupted by the lizards' deep and reverberating voice, crying out loudly.

"Sunshine!"

Pyth blinked, his eyes narrowing.

What...about it?...

"Your apology isn't necessary, Miss.  After all, I likely would never have noticed you and your Pokemon's presence if it hadn't been for this loudmouth announcing you to the world."  Thank goodness.  As willing as she would have been to leave, it's nice to know she now has a potential ally. "Apparently grace and any semblance of couth are social skills he is sorely lacking in."

Apparently.  Still, despite her dislike of Justy, an argument may not be what's best right now.

So of course immediately following that thought, the blonde turns on Justy with all the iciness of a blizzard.  "You, however, need not only to apologize to me but to the young lady. You could have gotten her killed, and still might, because the hoards have not 'moved on'. We simply drove out what we could and keep watch for the rest. They actually return quite frequently. To make it perfectly clear to you: until you, there has been nothing else but myself and my Pokemon alive in Pyrite in months."

Despite the harshness, Justy doesn't seem phased.  If anything, he appears... annoyed?  Cosette is watching closely, at any case; no doubt she'll have something interesting to report later when they're alone.  "I meant no harm to you or to your pokemon, I promise, to both of you."

He's not lying.  

"I'm sorry. But can we move to a better spot to discuss things? The wind might pick up again."

"I believe him when he says he meant no harm," Diantha looks to the blonde.  "I'm good at that sort of thing, and had he been lying, Cosette would have picked up a discrepancy between his words and emotions and reacted accordingly."  Her eyes move to glance at Justy before she addresses Dean again.  "And he does have a fair point; it'd be better to discuss this in some kind of shelter.  If you don't want to lead us back to yours that's understood; we can just find someplace nearby.  

"I'm good at that.  Undead have emotion too, so I can detect when they get too close."

Diantha nods appreciatively towards Cosette, then looks back to Justy.  "Personally, I'm not completely opposed to helping you on your quest, for the sake of anyone whose life could be saved, but I wouldn't count on his help.  Besides the fact that you offended him, it seems as if he lives here.  Once a base has been established, a person would be hard pressed to leave it."  After all, who wants to leave the familiar?  Especially in these times.  There's a sort of mental comfort in keeping to areas that are well known, and besides that, such areas are easier to protect.  "If he says you must leave, I'd be willing to come with you back to Phenac; if there's a chance I can save people then it's my duty to try."

(Okay.  ^^  Just wanted to be sure I hadn't been accidentally misleading anyone with my writing; I hate when I do that.  DX)

"I meant no harm to you or to your pokemon, I promise, to both of you." Dean felt his eye twitch in annoyance, raising a hand to pinch at the bridge of his nose as a headache started brewing. "All," he muttered, keeping his head down and eyes closed in an attempt to not look at the object of his ire. "All of us. How naive are you that you assume that what you see is all there is?" But either the loudmouth couldn't hear him or didn't care, the latter seeming more likely, because he kept going. Even if his 'both' was meant for him and the woman that still excluded all the Pokemon. Pokemon mattered too. "I'm sorry. But can we move to a better spot to discuss things? The wind might pick up again." The young woman piped in with her response about the moron's intentions, which had Dean's headache pressing further in despite previously finding the female acceptable. Her intentions were likely good, but she started to sound like a martyr when she went on about duty, leaving Dean feeling very nervous.

These two were going to get him killed.

Sighing in defeat Dean released the pinch on his nose and reached behind him, snagging a small pokeball and enlarging it. "Storm," he called out gently, tossing the pokeball a short distance from him and summoning a sturdy Zebstrika. "Be a dear and go find our wild one, hm? She should be near the ONBS building." The monochromatic female nickered gently before bumping her head affectionately against Dean's chest, the blonde chuckling warmly and giving her cheeks a gentle rub. "Go on then," he laughed, patting her shoulder as she brushed past him. Storm paused at Justy for a moment, eyeing him up and down before huffing loudly in his face and walking away. Diantha also got a decent stare down before the protective zebra acknowledged her trainer's safety, though she didn't get the same wet puff of air the male had. Trusting Cira to take care of Dean the Zebstrika's slow walk erupted into a burst of speed, pushing her off into the distance to track down Phoenix and bring her back to take care of Dean's 'problem'.

"There," Dean began, turning back to Diantha and Justy. "With that taken care of why don't you and yours come back inside with me to wait? I'm sure when Storm comes back there will be someone dying to meet you." Dean could almost hear Phoenix's angry shouts upon her encounter of Justy, bringing his hand up to his face to cover his mouth as he stifled a chuckle. Clearing his throat he offered both of them a small smile, though once his eyes fell on Justy it dropped a few centimeters, and swept one arm to the side in a motion for them to follow him. He made his way back to Duking's house, where the Ninetales would know to find him, but paused as he reached the door.

His hand hovered over the handle for a second as he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, a familiar sensation during the last few weeks when he knew the eyes of undead were watching him. Pushing open the door he motioned quickly for the others to follow. "Get inside! Hurry!" he whispered harshly, crouched behind the door in preparation to shut it the moment the others were inside. The Gardevoir might be able to sense the emotion of an Undead but her range might not be as good when the enemy was a hundred feet over your head. But Dean could guarantee the bird pokemon's would be.

((I would have quoted Diantha too but then my post would have been even longer lol. It was easier to condense it this way since Dean wasn't going to actually reply to her. He's being a little passive aggressive atm))

[[Skipping Asche]]


For a while there, Justy feared that he'd somehow lost these people, that they actually wouldn't like him. It hadn't really happened to him before, someone simply not liking him. At least, people who weren't from this dirt town. But his spirits lifted when Diane spoke, relief flooding him. "I believe him when he says he meant no harm," She turned to the angry, bitter blonde and Justy nearly felt like hugging her. "I'm good at that sort of thing, and had he been lying, Cosette would have picked up a discrepancy between his words and emotions and reacted accordingly." Justy's face turns to nothing but gracious and relieved as Diane glances at him a moment. He knew it was just a misunderstanding-- at least her Gardevoir and she could set things straight. "And he does have a fair point; it'd be better to discuss this in some kind of shelter. If you don't want to lead us back to yours that's understood; we can just find someplace nearby.

"I'm good at that. Undead have emotion too, so I can detect when they get too close." Justy turned to the Gardevoir at the latter statement, genuinely curious. They did? But... if they had emotion, then... did that make killing them bad?

But Justy's inner turmoil was brought to an abrupt halt as Diane addressed him directly. "Personally, I'm not completely opposed to helping you on your quest, for the sake of anyone whose life could be saved, but I wouldn't count on his help. Besides the fact that you offended him, it seems as if he lives here. Once a base has been established, a person would be hard pressed to leave it." Justy looked to Dean's direction, his face fraught with hurt and sadness. What sort of person could preach like Dean did and not want to help other people in danger? But Diane's voice brought him back to her. "If he says you must leave, I'd be willing to come with you back to Phenac; if there's a chance I can save people then it's my duty to try."

"Thank you," Justy replied, bowing slightly to the older female. "I... really do appreciate it. Anything you can do to help, anything at all, will mean absolutely everything to me."

"Storm," Dean called gently, a hardy Zebstrika appeared out of the red light of a ball. "Be a dear and go find our wild one, hm? She should be near the ONBS building." There was a small moment between Pokemon and trainer, causing Justy to smile despite himself. One of the reasons he'd hated Pyrite so much was that most of the filth here treated their pokemon as cash cows, tossing them into that horrible Colosseum every chance they got to gamble away their money. It was just... nice to see something different here. "Go on then," the other trainer laughed and for a moment, the Zebstrika regarded Justy and Diane for a moment. Justy waved amicably and got a snort in reply. Well that was nice, wasn't it? His grin remained as she rode off quickly, disappearing in the labyrinth of ruin and debris.

"There," Dean began, turning back to Diane and Justy. "With that taken care of why don't you and yours come back inside with me to wait? I'm sure when Storm comes back there will be someone dying to meet you." Justy nodded, completely ignoring the ominous foreshadowing, too eager to get back indoors after staying so long in the sun. It wasn't as though his skin suffered for it; he was already a much richer tan. But the sand was getting everywhere again, as it always did, and it would be nice to get it out of his nose and mouth as soon as possible.

Dean led them to a rundown shack that tickled Justy's gag reflex; again, he was unsure if it looked like this because of the Epidemic or... if it just always looked like that. The uncertainty was revolting, but he bit his tongue, instead just grimacing visibly as he stared at the outside of the building. Almost immediately, however, Dean's voice brought him out of his daze and back to reality, the other male's face white with fear. "Get inside! Hurry!" Without hesitation, Justy obeyed, running inside as quickly as he could after returning Trunks back to his ball.

"What's wrong, what's happening?" Justy asked in a slight panic, searching Dean's face for an early answer.

(shit sorry guys, i wouldve skipped earlier if i i wasnt a dumb. lol this whole time i was wondering why i couldnt think of much for him to do when i realized he couldnt interact more with miles gone XD.)

The huge hulk of a bull came comically skidding to a stop, merely two feet of space between them. Sunshine didn't even flinch, but kept her eyes locked with his in a death glare. She only started to lift up, confused, when the Tauros seemed to be somewhat in shock at her display.

"...Erugh...your...boy...?"
Sunshine's face was still glowered, but slightly less now, glancing off to the side for just a quick moment to monitor the rest of what was going on. ... And to possibly break the now building, awkward tension without lowering her guard. But... this guy seemed genuinely confused. She watched his eyes dart around frantically as if he were... flustered?
"Erm, uh..."
Sunshine's face was slowly coming out of her threatening look to more of a look of confused caution. She took a step back, body and teats jiggling with her as she looked him up and down. He seemed to be blushing, even. My, my, miss Sunshine, you got this fella under yuh hoof.

"Go on nah, what's the story, bucko? Chasin' and pickin' fights with someone three tahms ya size!"
"Uhhhhhh....You ah....I didn't...Miss, I'm sorry..."
"Ya bettuh be!" her threatening demeanor was slowly fading, her eyebrows raising back up slightly and her fists unconsciously start to slip down by gravity.
When Basile calls at her, she looks over to him a little less stiffly than before, and then back at Pyth. She studies him again, and the poor brute seems completely lost by this charge-in. Huh. Guess it goes ta show how gungho he was. Reckless an' without uh plan. The Miltank takes another gentler step to shift her weight less menacingly, not wanting to completely terrify the balls of this bull, but she'll have her fun interrogating him while she has the time....

"... M'kay cowboy, heas how it is. Don't go after mah dino, an' I won't go after you. Promise me and ah'll let you off th' hook.... Fuh now.

----------------------------------------------------------------

"Ow! Careful with that tail big guy! You're libel to crack a skull swinging it like that."

Basile nearly swung around again at the sound of the new, but recognized voice. With as much flexibility as his body allowed, he looked back to see the yellowy orange Ninetales fallen over by his feet. Within moments, his eyes grew to the size of dinner plates.

"Oh!-- OH!-- Oh, I'm so sorry!" he yelped, gingerly stepping around to not slam the building with his tail as he leaps to her aid. "I didn't see you there, did I hurt you?" he leans down to her level, tail and head almost completely horizontally parallel.

Panic. How had she ended up alone again? "Dumb sand," the Vibrava muttered unhappily, despite the airborne particles doing nothing to injure her thick, resistant body. Kylie fluttered forward, using the boost from her quad wings to move across the open area quickly. She had been lucky, at least. The small dragon type had never actually ended up leaving Pyrite-- or at least she could not ever get far. The wilderness was far more intimidating than the town seemingly made from only garbage and rusted metal. "Phoenix.." Chocolate eyes flicked upwards, studying the pale sky as she shivered behind a tin cylinder. The trash can at least provided shelter, though the area still had all her nerves on fire. Why did she have to be so dumb, get separated from the only one she had felt comfortable around in years? The Ninetales had been intense, not to mention feisty, but she had a good heart. Maybe she found her son by now, Kylie hoped optimistically, the shot of hope out of character for her.

Hearing something in the distance, she gave a soft squeak of fear, scuttling further behind the trash can. Heart pounding through her thin body, the Vibrava watched from the shadows as memories of the golden Ninetales vanished. Oh no. Praying that it wasn't an undead, Kylie hardly breathed as she waited. There was nothing for several seconds, when-- Wha- wha--?! The scuff she heard had been boots. Shoes. And the Vibrava trembled more as a person came into view- a real like human. Images of being shoved forcefully into a small ball and forced to evolve shot through her like ice, burning and making it harder to see. But then a second human appeared, and a third. And a two Pokemon she had never seen before. It's a whole pack of them! Somehow, by pure miracle, the small dragon had kept alive, generally unharmed, and now it was all going to come crashing down.

She watched the blonde, the brunette, and the purple haired guy, unwilling to move lest it cause a sound. Already Kylie's wings were buzzing from the stress overtaking her body, leaving a soft humming sound through the air. The yellow headed one suddenly stiffened, though, and she held her breath. "Get inside! Hurry!" Had he seen her? No... I don't like this. The feeling of dread was sky rocketing. Were there walkers nearby?! "What's wrong, what's happening?" The other guy was also panicking and in a split second that made her flaring anxiety justified in her mind. Oh gosh I am going to die. Taking the chance, fear bright in her eyes, Kylie sprung out from the shadows before the last human had entered the house. "Can I hide in there too? I- I- I-" But the Vibrava's stutter came back full force as the terror of the undead also grew into fear of being captured. "Please don't capture me, I'll b- be goo- good."

The young blonde man tosses a Zebstrika out.  Diantha smiles at the beauty of a horse.  Fond memories...  

She stares Diantha and Justy down, the Champion allowing herself to feel a touch of smugness for Storm's obvious dislike of the other man.  That one has good instincts.  He must be a good trainer.  The warmth with which Dean had spoken to Storm was unmistakable, and it seemed to Diantha that those with kind dispositions always had Pokemon that not only possessed sharp instincts, but would make those instincts obvious as they protected their human.

"There.  With that taken care of why don't you and yours come back inside with me to wait? I'm sure when Storm comes back there will be someone dying to meet you."  He smiles at both of them, and her heart drops a bit as she turns pale blue eyes to Cosette.  The Gardevoir likewise meets her own eyes and blinks, slowly.

Well.  Cosette can't figure out if the private joke Dean just shared with himself was some sort of threat, or something else.  That's not good.

In the time it takes to actually get to the house, Diantha watches the tenseness ease from Cosette's shoulders.  Whatever the fairy is sensing from Dean, it must not be threatening.  It still doesn't tell the woman what he meant, but... maybe it really was nonthreatening?  After all, if he were a serial killer or a robber, he wouldn't have dropped so obvious a hint.  Maybe he recognizes Justy from somewhere and the words were for him?  He seems to like her so far...  hmmm...

As they approach the dwelling she glances at Justy, but he doesn't see, too busy staring at the house.

Cosette brings her out of her musings with a tiny noise of alarm just as Dean hesitates in opening the door.  The Champion glances in shock from Dean to her Gardevoir to find that Cosette is staring upwards, her features pinched with fear.

"Get inside! Hurry!"

"What's wrong, what's happening?"

"Someone's here," hisses Cosette as she whips around.  Diantha half turns, and sure enough, there's a little, oddly colored Vibrara.

"Can I hide in there too? I- I- I-"  She seems to egret asking.  "Please don't capture me, I'll b- be goo- good."

Both human and fairy make a split second decision.  

"Yes."
"Inside now; I'll look after you."  Diantha hurries inside, Cosette close behind; the two turn to watch the door once in, waiting for the little dragon to follow.

(Okay.  ^^  Just wanted to be sure I hadn't been accidentally misleading anyone with my writing; I hate when I do that.  DX)

"Oh!-- OH!-- Oh, I'm so sorry!" The yellow Ninetales jumped back a second as the large dino whirled around, nearly flopping on the ground to lay at eye level with her. "I didn't see you there, did I hurt you?" Her fur bristled a bit at the sudden movement and she had to force herself to not snap at him again. That was, after all, what started this nonsense. "I'm fine," she ground out through gritted teeth, trying hard to smile and not look as threatening as her irritation level wanted her to. But seeing him lay so straight, tail and back perfectly linear, Phoenix couldn't help but relate him to a puppy and half expected his tail to start wagging any moment.

The amusing mental image helped make her smile more genuine and she began to relax around the big bruiser. She leaned around him to get a peak at the cow and bull still squaring off and couldn't help but wonder how a cow and a dino ended up buddying up together. Maybe they were under the same trainer? She shrugged to herself and brought her gaze back to the large critter in front of her. "So who are you guys anyway?" she blurted out, sitting down casually and letting her tails lay wherever they fell. "And how did you get here?"



Dean held the door open for his two guests as he rushed them inside, Justy bolting in first with a remarkable lack of cynicism to the blonde's sudden demand. Maybe he wasn't as stupid as Dean originally thought he was. Definitely arrogant though. He kept his arm out as an offer to Diantha as she too still needed to come in, along with her Gardevoir, but a surprise voice sounded from above as well. "Can I hide in there too? I- I- I-" The voice was incredibly familiar. "Please don't capture me, I'll b- be goo- good."

Diantha and her pokemon didn't even hesitate to invite the feminine voice inside and when Dean saw who it was he couldn't believe his eyes. It was the little Vibrava who went missing after the Mandibuzz attacked. "Kylie!" he cried out in disbelief, waving his arm quickly for her to come. "Kylie get in here!" As soon as everyone was inside the young male shut and bolted the door, thankful he had set up barricades on the windows after he first cleared the house with Phoenix. He pushed his back against the door and waited, listening intently through the wood as the sounds of feathered flapping got louder and louder. Thankfully, though, after a moment the sounds began to fade again, flying away after passing overhead. The flock hadn't noticed them, then. They were simply passing over the area in search of food.

Breathing out a heavy sigh of relief the blonde slid down the door into a sitting position, chin tucked to his chest as he mentally recovered from the near incident. If they hadn't gotten inside a moment sooner... Shaking his head free of the thought Dean instead lifted his head to eye everyone in the room, making sure they were all inside, and when his eyes fell on the little Vibrava his face split into a bright smile. "Kylie..." he sighed happily. "We've been so worried about you. Are you okay little one? Where did you go?" Dean held out his arms to offer the little dragon a hug, remembering that the last time he saw her she had been asleep next to him nestled on Phoenix's pile of pillows that served as a bed in her former shelter. But that night the Mandibuzz had come, and the little Shuppet had been taken. They hadn't seen Kylie since and Phoenix refused to believe the worst. And now he knew she was right. Knowing Kylie was here and safe would make the Ninetales happier than she had been in a long time.

Now if only they could find Asche as easily.



Storm raced through the city like lightning but as she rounded a corner a dark shadow in the distance caused her worry. Coming from behind was a flock of birds and while she knew she could handle a horde with her attacks she didn't want to attract anything else by starting a fight in the middle of town. Deciding hiding would be best the Zebstrika ducked into a nearby building and waited for the birds to pass.

Patiently she watched as what she could now see was a group of Fletchling and Fletchinder, led by one rather large Talonflame, passed overhead. The leader had half a face and was dripping a black ooze so it was obvious that his flock had to be undead as well. Relieved she hadn't picked a fight with that many birds at once she decided to see if she could find a different exit to the building, intending on exiting outside of the flock's sight range to resume her hunt for Phoenix. It was then that she caught the scent of something strange in the building with her. Immediately her senses were on alert as she moved slowly through the decrepit building, the only sounds noticeable being her her hooves as the tapped the floor. She couldn't say for sure that the scent was dead, but she didn't recognize it so there was no guarantee they were friendly either.



((Just a heads up guys that flock is heading straight for Phoenix and Basile, and anyone near them, so next round I'm going to have them attack so our group of headstrong individuals will be forced to work together))

Asche stiffened as he heard something with hooves explode into the building he had curled into, his hackles raising in tandem with his anxiety. He backed himself further against the wall, his sharp teeth soon bared as whatever had come in stayed completely still. Daring to open his eyes to see his would-be assailant, he could only decipher nothing but a large mess of black and white. What even was that thing? Where was its head? He could tell where the legs were, but--

--oh. It turned around. So that giant thing was its ass.

Asche stood and twitched his long, lethal tail as the thing turned, facing him. Or at least, it looked like it was facing him. "Who are you," he began evenly, his voice a low, dangerous snarl, "and how did you find me?"

_________________________________________________


There was a small moment of chaos as the group came alive, the woman's Gardevoir almost hissing at the sky itself. Instead of gleaning an answer from Dean, the fairy answered Justy instead. "Someone's here." But apparently, those two weren't the only ones alarmed by whatever was coming their way. Almost immediately, there was another pokemon-- a vibrava.

"Can I hide in there too? I- I- I-" Justy's heart went out to the poor thing as she struggled to stutter through her question. "Please don't capture me, I'll b- be goo- good."

Both the Gardevoir and her human share a quick glance before agreeing. "Yes." "Inside now; I'll look after you." Justy's face brightened into a relieved smile. For a moment, he was worried the poor thing would be trapped outside.

"Kylie!" Dean cried out, holding out a hand to the small dragon. It seemed he knew her? Maybe one of his own pokemon that had gotten lost-- but she just said that she was scared of getting captured-- oh, whatever. Justy was just happy she was welcomed. "Kylie get in here!"

Justy stood just inside the door, out of the way of anyone coming in, but was able to watch and see what happened outside the shelter. He gently waved the others in before Dean bolted inside, shutting and barricading the door behind him. For a tense moment, they waited inside as the sound of dozens of large wings flapped overhead, the noise swallowing everything else. But as soon as they'd come, the sounds faded and Justy found himself exhaling a long breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Dean slid down the door, sharing the relief as he addressed the cute little Vibrava. "Kylie..." he sighed happily. "We've been so worried about you. Are you okay little one? Where did you go?" Justy took a seat himself, not far from Dean, momentarily forgetting the animosity the man had for him.

(just ahh...Pyth gonna stutter and do nervous movements. No sensical stuff coming outa his mouth. but he'll explain later. maybe hell look like hes slowly backing away to leave?)

[OoC: Skip please. I'm sorry.]

The lady and her Gardevoir stared at one another for a mere split second before Kylie had her answer--
"Yes." "Inside now; I'll look after you."
"Oh gosh, thank you," the Vibrava breathed out in relief, her little wings shaking. Rushing forward with a burst of speed from said appendages, the tiny dragon darted in as another, strangely familiar voice called out--"Kylie!" "D-Dean?!" She stared in disbelief. Had he stayed in the area the entire time?! How did he survive? Was Phoenix okay??

But that was not the time to ask any of the burning questions within her. The purple haired guy was the only one she could not read, but he had a dorky smile on, so he couldn't have been too bad, right? Jumping behind an overturned chair, Kylie merely continued trembling in fear as the caws and screeches of a flock passed too close to them for comfort. I don't want to die.

But, as soon as they came, they were gone. The Vibrava continued hiding behind the little chair until the silence was broken by Dean's sigh-- Dean? It really was him? "Kylie..." She poked her head around the edge of the chair, brown eyes dark with fear, but they softened as they caught the human's. "We've been so worried about you. Are you okay little one? Where did you go?"

Embarrassment shot through her, buzzing her wings with shame as her gaze dropped. "I-- I... I got lost," she admitted. "A Skarmory helped me-- he kept me safe!" she quickly added, her demeanor perking up before horror shot through her again. "Oh no-- he was out there--" Without warning, Kylie shot through the room, past all three humans, and out a cracked window.
"Please be okay please be okay please be okay--" Her voice trailed off, the shrillness lost to the town as she inevitably got lost, again, and separated from the group.

Well, this place was a bust.
And a shithole, too.
Another brilliant idea. Great job you, gold star.

As if Rose would come here to this (probably STD-infested) shantytown, instead of taking one look and turning the other direction. Matt knew her better than that. No, his sister might have been in a "beggars can't be choosers, blah blah blah" situation apocalypse does that to you, but this place was likely shitty even before the world imploded on itself. What did he know about Orre other than "desert", anyways? Isn't there supposed to be some sort of "mmmm yes, I'm rich and important" city? Goddamn it, he's already missing the tropics again, with the clear salt breeze, ocean waves, and perfectly warm temperatures...not this bipolar, burning-or-freezing crap and the endless grit that somehow got into his boots. None of the buildings here so far were of any use, already picked clean forever ago. Matt was all too eager to get the hell out of here and find a nicer place to search, preferably somewhere that had actual water (good luck with that, Matt, his mind scoffs). Athena, however, was having a far easier time of it; the fairy barely seemed bothered by the heat or the fact they were walking around the region's dumpster. Lucky her, not having to deal with sweat or sunburn or anything more than a pretty-princess dress.
"Well, at least one of us is having a fun time," Matt grumbled, and though his Gardevoir's expression did not change, he could still picture a smug grin in his head. It looked exactly like the one she'd had after making him trip over a dumbbell during a training session; Mei had gotten quite the kick out of that one. Wherever the Mienshao was, he was confident that she was getting a kick out of beating undead to a pulp. Heh. He could already hear Chris' immediate "My God, no" and see Rose's look of pure judgment.
"Ah, stop your bitching," Athena gave a quick glance to their surroundings before turning back towards him, "It's not so bad."
"I'm allowed to bitch when we're standing in a literal garbage dump," Matt retorted; hey, it wasn't as if his so-called complaining was for nothing, seeing as they'd traveled from an entirely different region to get here. "And not so bad? When I get tetanus, I'm blaming you." Of course, it didn't even take three minutes for the comment to pass before Matt was the one grinning, which earned him an eyeroll from the Gardevoir. Classic Athena.

The smile faded as silence set in again, but that wasn't a bad thing. If Matt wanted an extensive conversation, he would have let Jules out of her ball. The Galvantula was just as energized as her typing ("Matt I swear to God-") and would have made for some very chatterbox-y company, but Athena would have been annoyed all to hell. The Gardevoir was so easily...wait. What the hell was that? Those dark splotches in the sky, getting closer by the second...
"Matt," Athena said in warning, her voice tense, red eyes locked onto the birds in the sky.
"I know." Without wasting a moment, he took cover in the shadows, hidden from sight by one of the town's numerous buildings; the flock should not be able to spot them there. Well, hopefully they wouldn't...now Matt was seeing a real reason to let Jules out of her ball. Erasa couldn't be recovered from the long flight yet, and while Athena was incredibly capable in battle, there was no way he was going to let her fight alone. That would be beyond stupid. Jules' Pokeball in hand, Matt waited for the flock to pass by so he could return more into the open; now that the flapping of wings was closer, he could see clearly that this was a flock lead by a Talonflame, of all things. Just what other surprises did Orre contain other than undead Kalos native Pokemon? Chris had always wanted a Fletchling, but these ones were definitely undead...and of course Matt does not have Mei with him, and that meant no Rock Slide. If a fight started, he'd have the advantage of Electric attacks, but if too many got close, well, that'd be pretty bad. Really bad.
Yeah. I'm definitely missing Hoenn.

(BSed this post lololol)

"Kylie!"

"D-Dean?!"

Dean knows the little dragon?  Diantha's head moves back in surprise, but the feeling is gone quickly-- it's entirely conceivable that Dean has been here long enough to know whatever living locals that decided not to leave.  At least the child is safe now.

The Champion tenses as the sound of wings flapping reaches them, Cosette beside her staring at the door with a look that could burn holes in it.  The fairy is gritting her teeth, but she doesn't tense any further, however; if the emotions aren't growing stronger and easier for her to sense, then... the flock must be just passing through.  Hopefully.

And that hope, thankfully, happens for them.  The sounds fade.  Diantha sighs a soft breath of relief, and Cosette takes her hand, giving her a little smile.  Thank goodness.

"Kylie... We've been so worried about you. Are you okay little one? Where did you go?"

"I-- I... I got lost."  The poor child looks so embarrassed. "A Skarmory helped me-- he kept me safe!"

Then she pauses.  Horror dawns on her features.

"Oh no-- he was out there--" Before anyone can even so much as move, she darts across the room and out a window; Diantha has barely taken a step by the time the dragon's tail disappears out the window.  Although she and Cosette are there in seconds, they're too late.  Kylie is gone.

"Ffffffffffffuck," hisses Cosette, leaning out the window for a moment to look all around. "She's already gone."

"We can look for her."  Diantha glances to Dean.  "Do you want to stay here to look after your home?"

Storm didn't make it a scant few steps before a creature emerged from the darkness whipping a strange and rather sharp looking tail at her menacingly. It kept it's body low as an angry growl threatened to rise and a snarling tone spilled forth to question her. "Who are you, and how did you find me?" The Zebstrika was alarmed at the hostility of this foreign creature and at once her fur began to spark and crackle with electricity as she prepared herself for the worst. "Back demon!" she cried out in alarm, taking a few steps back to test its willingness to chase her. "I only came in here to hide from the flock of undead!"

Frantically she began to try and see if she could fight her way out of the decrepit house in hopes of finding Phoenix and dispatching this monstrosity. She had never seen anything like it and the thought of it being some mutant born from the virus was not a happy notion she wanted floating around in her brain. "Just let me leave and I won't have to hurt you..." she stammered, sounding a lot less brave than her words implied. While she was normally very confidant in her power she had no idea what kind of creature this was, what its typing could be, or especially how strong it was. And given that it had survived these years in the hell of the Epidemic it was likely not a weakling.



Hearing Kylie call his name flooded the blonde breeder with relief, his face full of relief and joy at finding the little dragon alive. She still seemed a bit wary but it looked like finding someone she knew helped ease her tension as she moved out from behind her hiding place. "I-- I... I got lost," she admitted quietly to his question about her disappearance, the human's eyes softening in response. "A Skarmory helped me-- he kept me safe!" She seemed proud of her friend's ability to protect her and for a moment Dean wondered if it was Rukh she was talking about. The Skarmory had been missing too, ever since Dean fell with the collapsed arena. He was about to ask her as much when she suddenly cried out in alarm. "Oh no-- he was out there--"

She bolted past Dean's outstretched arms and made for the window, the blonde jumping to his feet quickly and rushing off to stop her. But the thin crack was enough for her to push enough of herself through and escape back into the wilderness of Orre much to Dean's disbelief. "Kylie!" he cried out desperately, rushing to the door and ripping off the board blockading it, yanking the door open and rushing outside after her. He didn't care one whit about possibly attracting the flock to himself if they were still in the area. Kylie couldn't leave again after being so soon reunited with them, and Phoenix's heart would break when she found out how quickly he found and lost the Vibrava again.

"Kylie!" he cried out in vain to the empty street. "Come back! Please....come back...."




The big guy didn't really answer, to which Phoenix just shrugged, but as she once again glanced over him to get a peek at the two bovine still standing there doing Arceus knew what a shadow caught her eye in the air just behind them. She watched the strange shape for a moment, the way it shifted and altered direction confusing her for just a moment before realization dawned on her. A shifting mass in the sky could only be one thing, a flock. And flocks didn't fly together anymore unless they weren't the friendly kind. The Ninetales chastised herself for not being more aware of the their rather open surroundings and tried to reorient herself to remember which building she stashed Asche in, but there wasn't time.

A large Talonflame at the head of the flock let out a gargled screech, pausing mid air to allow his flock to descend rapidly on the pair still squabbling in the square. "Get the hell out of the way!" Phoenix screamed at them, jumping around the fallen structure she and the dino were behind to try and distract at least a few of the mindless birds. Her tails danced behind her wildly to entice them with the bright colors and movement all while the burn of a Flamethrower began its familiar rise up her throat. If she could take care of this problem while Asche was inside she wouldn't have to worry about his poor eyesight getting him killed, even though his ice sure would come in handy. The fire type could only hope that the others had some handy moves in their arsenal or they were all screwed.


((Edited in Phoenix's portion, so the rest of the team has something to work with))

"Back demon!" the other person in the house cried, the clattering of hooves causing him to flinch a little. The voice was feminine and there was a charge of electricity in the air; was this blob an electric type? "I only came in here to hide from the flock of undead!"

There was more frantic clattering, the sound only making Asche's lethal tail twitch more and more as he anticipated an attack from the trespasser. "Just let me leave and I won't have to hurt you..."

Asche hissed at the large thing, his stomach growling again. Holy shit, he was super hungry. Still, the words struck a bad chord with him as he fought with the urge to pounce and eat the shit out of that giant thing. "'Have' to attack me?" he growled, tail still twitching. "Did you 'have' to attack anything else out there? What did you do to Phoe!?"

____________________________________

"I-- I... I got lost." Justy's face softened at the small dragon's confession, his heart swelling with sympathy. Poor thing, getting lost in the debris. "A Skarmory helped me-- he kept me safe!" Though Justy was eager to hear the rest of her story, but his curiosity was quickly replaced with worry as horror dawned on her tiny face.

"Oh no-- he was out there--" She made no delay in rushing back out the door, everyone readying themselves as she dashed away.

"Ffffffffffffuck," the Gardevoir cursed. "She's already gone."

"We can look for her." Diantha spoke evenly, but it did nothing to quell the blonde's panic. "Do you want to stay here to look after your home?"

"Kylie!" he cried, darting out the shelter and after the Vibrava's trail. Justy, without hesitation, followed, not wanting Dean to be caught out in the dangerous Pyrite streets alone. But as he caught up to Dean, the small dragon was already gone. "Come back! Please....come back...."

Justy, forgetting a moment that his heartbroken companion was Pyrite, placed a delicate hand on Dean's shoulder. "I'm sorry, but... we should get back inside."