(ACE) The PYRITE Team

Phoenix's barking guffaw was a welcome change in her demeanor compared to the past few hours. "Nah. Not when the only hills around are after several miles through open, scorching desert. Most of the critters around here that I haven't already hunted know that there is nowhere else to go that they would make it to without water." Oh. Well, that made sense. At least they would find something, then.

Asche followed her brightly colored tails, past the square toward the trash bridge that was somehow still sturdy. "And occasionally I get a newbie like you that I get to hunt and they get to keep their numbers." He tripped on one of the boards, his eyes widening a fair bit, his mouth agape. "WHAT?!" "Not that I'd ever eat you Blue," she added with a smile, her toothy grin making him relax a bit with a sigh. Of course it was a joke. Stretching herself out, the ninetales peered into the darkness before turning to him. "Ready whenever you are kitty cat." A small frown creased his mouth into a pout, confusion coloring his face.

"I'm not a cat..." Nonetheless, he took the invitation and slinked inside.


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The past few days had been a terrible, sand-colored blur. The birds had taken him, fought him, dropped him, grabbed him until blackness had taken him. Sand had surrounded him upon waking-- an endless ocean of it. The heat drained him quickly, his parched body somehow dragging itself across the heat, he had collapsed in darkness. Disoriented, only the rumbling beneath his exhausted, confused body had woken him in some form of urgency, causing his feet to move. Suddenly, he'd been airborne, then pain struck him again, then the sweet, loving darkness had taken him once more into its merciful embrace. Now, it was all he could do to realize that the hole he'd created in the roof of the building he was now in was not the light all dying people spoke of-- but daylight. Searing, hateful, unforgiving daylight staring him down through its one eye, glaring at his glazed, unresponding body. He had no strength to move from its terrible glare, none even to quench the dryness clawing at his mouth and throat with his own saliva. He was trapped...

Trapped...

    Silently, he began a descent towards another building, haphazardly perching at a windowsill as his talons scraped against the blood-stained glass. He winced at the sound, a small, but sharp screeching that soured his mind. Gritting his beak, he roughly pecked at the window, cracking it before finally smashing it and awkwardly maneuvering his large, steel body through the jagged entrance he had created. This home was, at least, in better shape than the last. Not as much furniture overturned, if not intact, but the large, dark smear of blood that painted the tiled floors gave him a sense of unease. It would be one this to encounter an undead, but to fight one in such an enclosed space--he frowned at the thought of his wings scraping against the walls with each attack.
    Gingerly he plucked through the mess, tossing away pieces of porcelain and ripped fabrics in an attempt to unearth any kind of item, treasure or not, that was still able to be used by either himself or the others. Rukh scowled when his current pile bore no fruit, and slowly dragged himself to another room to continue his search.
         At least, he would have, if the sound of a clamor and a loud thud didn't stop him.
    The sound had come from the building beside the home, the Colosseum. Tensing, he readied himself for a fight as he slowly fluttered out from the house and towards the massive building, rays of bright sunlight reflected off of the metal roof. Drawing closer to the hole created by who-knows-what, he could see a body, nearly skin and bones, a dull purple pelt accented with a lemon-y kind of yellow. He arched his neck for a better view, unsure if it was an undead.
    Feeling a little more courageous, he entered the Colosseum, approaching the body warily before he stopped, closer than before but with still some distance away. "Hey," he could smell a faint, foul scent, and he readied his wing for an attack. His gaze traveled up to the massive, gaping hole in the roof, before looking down to the feline. How in the world did it just drop through the roof...? "You alive?"

"This is a translator, it works both ways. You can understand me because of this piece, and I can understand you because of this piece," Dean motioned to the thing around his neck and in his ear. What a strange device, his Dean didn't have something like that, but if he did, the conversations they could have had. The Charizard mite have actually been able to say he was sorry for what he had done to him as a Charmeleon. "It was made by Cipher and I, uh, kind of stole it. They tried to kill me and stole all of my Pokemon from my ranch so I considered it a down-payment to what they took. Now I am trying to get the rest of my beautiful children back and keep them safe as best I can." Kothar was brought back from his thoughts from the human saying that he had stolen it after the people who made it stole his pokemon. Some trainers tried to take Kothar from his trainer many times, but none where able too. He truly hated humans like that and couldn't help but growl at the thought. If they where lucky all those kind of humans suffered painful deaths.
Kothar looked up once again to the flying metal bird in the sky as Dean pointing to it. "See the Skarmory? He's with us, and it looks like he isn't too far from where we are supposed to meet. Would like you like to join me and head there now?" He asked.

He stood there for a few moments and watched the flying steel type descend before disappearing, his gaze then shifting once again to the human before him. "Yes, that sounds like a good idea." Kothar replied. He opened his wings wide before gently folding them against his back. He had been flying for a long time and desperately needed a break, and walking would be good for him now. He could already feel the sore throbbing at his wings joints, and knew they would probably feel sore and stiff later. But even though they hurt, he was always prepared to fly away at any given sign of danger.
He was used to flying for a long time, but he had crossed seas and deserts without much rest and very much needed a break. He hadn't even noticed, but he was extremely tired. Standing at his full height he gazed in the direction they where most likely heading before speaking, "lead the way."

Phoenix chuckled as Asche huffed about being called a cat. If he didn't slink and crouch everywhere she probably wouldn't compare the two so easily but the blue Absol tended to be very cat-like in his approach on the world. Wary, aggressive, and timid all at the same time. A fun combination when you know what buttons to push. As they pushed their way into the ransacked dome Phoenix put herself on point, leading the way with practiced ease as she practically danced around the danger zones. So much of the place had been falling apart that there were a few pitfalls and even some sinkholes that had spread throughout the foundation. Not to mention the loose flooring that would send you hurling down into the Under. Not a place she wanted to be.

It didn't take long before she heard the tell-tale scurrying of rodent feet and her eyes began to glow with a hunter's passion, stalking the muffled sounds as she took to finding the hiding place of her prey. Phoenix was almost positive it was a Pachirisu, the tiny feet with a hint of static following after the footfalls. Stupid blue and white rodents never knew how to keep themselves quiet. Looking back to Asche she gave him a wink before turning back, ready to pounce, when a deafening silence reached her. Something was off. Losing her posture the Ninetales became reserved, tails curling inward as her ears flattened against her head.

Putting her nose to the air the yellow fox slowly made her way around the maze of rubble and overturned stands, benches and chairs littering the arena's borders as she made her way into the ring. There, amongst the dust and debris, a single beam of light shone down on the prone form of a purple feline, the color already getting her fur raised. If this was some kind of Undead trick she was going to be very pissed, no two ways about it. "Asche!" she hissed quietly, barely tilting her head back to address her companion. "Stay close. I don't know what that thing is but I am going to find out."

__________________________________

"Lead the way."

Dean smiled at the dragon as he tucked his wings and began to follow, the human walking at a steady pace so that he didn't outrun the large fire type but not keeping it so slow that they would be spotted should trouble arise. He navigated his way through the city streets one last time and finally made it to the large crater where his girl's home once stood. "This, uh..." Dean began, motioning one arm to the destruction. "This is kind of why we have to leave. The fight destroyed almost all of our supplies and lost us a couple of friends so we are grabbing what we can and moving on. Anywhere you have been in Orre so far or is this your first stop? Any insight could give us a better destination if there are places you know of that are already....lost."

((Sorry for the poor quality of Dean's post. Couldn't think of much for him to do at the moment until we verify Lulu's post.))

It was hard following Phoenix's dance across the rickety flooring; her paws were dainty and light, his were giant, clumsy and hard to place. More than once his feet skimmed the danger zones, creating small holes that gave him the feeling they were a bit deeper than he was willing to explore. Finally, she came to a halt, her tails fanning a bit, then turning and giving him a wink. Oh, thank Legends, she'd found something. Sighing in relief and watching the floor a little bit better now that she'd stopped moving, Asche carefully made his way to her side when he noticed her expression had already changed for the worst. Before he could ask a question, she darted ahead again, disappearing into the labyrinth of chairs, bleachers and other debris. Dammit, I can't keep up like this...!

Having no other choice but to slowly follow, his eyes stayed glued to the ground, really not wanting to fall into whatever abyss was under this place. "Asche!" The call was a quiet hiss, barely audible, and he rose his head to see he was about twenty feet from her. Fantastic. "Stay close. I don't know what that thing is but I am going to find out." His mouth formed a tight frown, fur bristling with frustration.

"Well, if you wouldn't dart everywhere like a friggen' ratata, I would be able to stay close!" he quipped back in an equally quiet whisper. He paused as her words actually sunk in, and he tried hurrying. "Wait, don't go alone!" he added in a slightly louder whisper.

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Virgil had initially thought that maybe the circle of light he was staring at was the portal to the after-life that everyone had kept gloating about. "Follow the light, follow the light" and all that bullshit. But any attempts to move rendered zero results, so... all he could do was stare. In and out of consciousness, reality and dreams, it took the dazed feline a moment to realize the circle now had a very peculiar silhouette eating a bit out of it. "Hey." Virgil's eye twitched; was the dark splotch in his death portal talking? "You alive?"

There were other whispers, more voices beginning to fill the void of silence around him. Others... The others.... His broken mind went back to humid Sinnoh-- his brother, Martha, little Eliana and Rhe--

Rhe...a...

The images of the bloodied, dead kangaskhan brought back a sharp pain in his chest, one he lacked the strength to soothe or rectify. She was probably still just outside of the city, her corpse decaying in the unforgiving sun, the same one that stared him down now, trying to decompose him as well. He closed his eyes, tears unable to flow from his dehydrated form, as he gave a few weak, pitiful sobs in her memory. She'd given them everything, the highest price for their safety and what had happened? Birds... Fucking... birds... Ripping their meager group apart, putting them Legends knew where... His eye opened once more as his senses began coming back, his melancholy keeping him from the brink. The warm scent of electricity was in the air, and it made him think of only one pokemon.

Hopeful that Martha was somehow with him, he struggled to lift his head, having to un-stick it from the dusty linoleum and dried blood that had surrounded some of his head. He paid no mind to it, though-- it didn't even register that it was his. "...Martha...?" he asked of the dark, cavernous building. "...Is... that you....?" As he blinked his eyes, it finally began dawning on him that he truly did not know where he was. Swallowing against his eternally dry throat, he tried standing only to find one of his shoulders would not obey. Dislocated? Who knew? His mind still dazed and hazy, the path to take care of himself was like a foggy road. He knew it was there, but the details wouldn't come to him. Unwilling to try and unravel the secrets, he only continued mewling from his spot, calling Martha's name. She'd know what to do. She'd know...

(( I'm sorry please skip. I tried to make a post but it's really just Kothar saying that this is the first town he's come upon since getting to Orre. ))

As Asche made it well known that he wasn't able to keep up with her nimble leaping Phoenix decided it was better to stop trying to slow down for him and instead used her tails to leave a sweeping trail in the dust for him. It was the best she could do because now their situation went from cautious to alarming as a familiar metallic shape descended into the arena to begin investigating the obvious trap.

Phoenix frowned as she saw Rukh carelessly approach the fallen creature and start talking to it, his words clearly bouncing off of the hollow chamber walls and alerting anything else that they were in the vicinity. So much for hunting. It was far more likely now that they would be the hunted. Quietly shushing Asche she motioned for him to wait for her as she came up behind the pair, peering around one of Rukh's wings to get a glimpse of the purple cat only to notice it was a Leipard. They usually came in that color, but that didn't mean he wasn't infected or a threat. The last thing she wanted was more interlopers on her turf. "...Martha...?" the cat's voice called quietly, weak but clearly spoken. "...Is... that you....?"

"Grrrreeeeaaaat," Phoenix groaned behind the Skarmory, slinking around him to actually get a better look at the intruder. "He's dying and all he can think about is some dame. There's priorities for ya." Giving the Liepard absolutely no personal space she began to sniff and inspect anywhere she could reach to try and see if he had any wounds or signs of infection that would give her reason to tear out his throat. He seemed clean, a little banged up from the fall but most wounds were fresh. Looking back she lifted her head and let out a shout. "Asche! Get your scrawny butt over here, he's clean. Er... Mostly." Turning her orange gaze back to Rukh she let out a huff before setting her face in a frown. "So did the stiff give you a name yet? Because I don't think I would have tried questioning something that was bright purple and looked dead, but that might just be me. What do you think?"

She was not happy. Not with her companion's carelessness and not with the fact that they likely now had a new, somewhat injured mouth to feed.

((Took a small liberty with Virgil Sil, lol, but it is definitely something Phoe would do. Let me know if you want me to change it XD))

"Grrrreeeeaaaat," Asche heard Phoe groan, "He's dying and all he can think about is some dame. There's priorities for ya." Managing to get atop some of the precariously placed broken bleachers, Asche could finally see what was happening down below him. Phoe was already closely investigating whatever it was that was in front of her, but by the sound of it, it really wasn't a threat. Good. "Asche! Get your scrawny butt over here, he's clean. Er... Mostly." Grinning, Asche nodded, happy for some good news. In his excitement, he tried making his trek to the ninetales a little quicker, but stopped dead when a loud -SNAP- cut through the air.

Carefully looking upward, Asche could only helplessly watch as the network of rafters that held the roof aloft began to shift and groan. Terrified, his gaze followed the movement above him, shifting fearfully as he tried to pinpoint where he could possibly go. Finally, the rafters gave way, and the entire frame began to collapse. "PHOENIX!"

The first piece smashed into the area just in front of the beam of light, ripping a hole through the concrete, making way for a surge of water to erupt out of the floor. The next few barraged the surrounding area around the yellow ninetales and her companions, ripping away more and more protection from the awaiting flood below. Asche looked on in horror, unable to move until a snap sounded a little too close to him.

Dodging the frame, he tried to run, but the debris all around made evading a tricky affair. Frantic, heart pumping, he scrambled with shaking paws to try and find his way back to the entrance. Once they got out of the death trap of a colosseum, they'd be ok. They just had to find the entrance. But Phoenix had been the one to lead him; he searched for another light source, but found none. He didn't know where he was other than up, and had no way of knowing how to get down without killing himself. Another crash scared him back, his mind getting more and more fuzzy with the sole thought of survival rather than rationing out how to obtain it.

His legs simply carried him clumsily away from the crashes, and soon, he found himself at the edge of one of the tiers of seats overlooking the arena. Somehow, he'd found himself higher than before, further decreasing the chances of jumping. Tears obscuring his vision, he only managed to see the floor beneath the stranger collapse, the dark water swallowing him whole, and the floor crumbling away, chasing Phoenix. He followed her line, and saw the twinkling, distant star that lead outside. He was far-- too far now.
He'd run the wrong direction.

He wasn't making it out.

The thought struck the absol like a hammer, his mind still for a moment as everything surrounding him went into motion. Even as the ground gave way, his mind and body remained still, in awe and shock of that realization. That twinkle-- that was the last bit of sunlight he would ever see. His friend, the last one he'd ever make, blended with the exit as she made her escape; he supposed it fitting. The phoenix flying into the sun, becoming one... And he... ash... already burnt and swallowed into the dark. Into the suffocating black.

The support for the seats gave way completely, opening into a deep, endless maw of steel, water and oblivion. And as the structure fell, he was swallowed whole, body, mind, and scream.


[[Permission given to collapse the Colosseum. Leaving post.

It's been fun guys, and it's awful to leave... but I have to. Until next time.]]

    "...Martha...? ...Is... that you....?" At least glad that the feline could speak, the Skarmory let out a sigh of relief. He looked to his side to see Phoenix and Asche approaching, the former peeking around his wing to get a better view of the foreigner.
    "Grrrreeeeaaaat. He's dying and all he can think about is some dame. There's priorities for ya." Rukh chuckled, taking a few steps back to give the fire-type more room to investigate. He gave an uneasy frown as the Ninetale's gaze settled on him. "So did the stiff give you a name yet? Because I don't think I would have tried questioning something that was bright purple and looked dead, but that might just be me. What do you think?" His reply was an awkward chuckle, opening his beak to speak but snapped shut when the Absol shouted.
    "PHOENIX!" whipping his head around, he spotted the dark pelt of the Absol, the rafters above them shifting and creaking before finally giving way. The bird's eyes widened, immediately jumping in attempts to fly as he narrowly dodged a slab of concrete. He squawked, trying to lift himself into the air while still evading the falling debris.
    "SHIT!" he screeched, a stray beam nicking the end of his beak as he finally managed to climb the air. He flapped violently, frantic to get out of the collapsing Colosseum. He looked around, searching for the others but found that the Absol's dark pelt swallowed by the breaking walls. Fearful, Rukh swooped down to where he last saw the dark-type. "Ashe--ASCHE!" he called, but a stray chunk of metal collided with one of his wings, denting the steel and effectively grounding the bird, his form tumbling and landing disgracefully onto a pile of rubble.

(( I don't really know what to have Kothar do at this time. So please skip. ))

Dean followed the Skarmory's glittering form all the way to the edge of town where the famed Pyrite Coliseum still stood. ...barely. He was confused when he saw the bird descend into an open space through the rooftop and paused for a moment to see if the dragon was still following. Seeing the ebony scales gave him a momentary relief and with a relieved sigh he entered the dilapidated entrance. For a moment the human remarked at how poorly it had held up with only a couple of years unmaintained but then he had to remember it was rather slapdash when it was put together the first time. He couldn't really blame the rusty scrap for aching and groaning when it received visitors since who knew how long ago.

As Dean made his way through the combatant tunnel into the arena itself he was relieved to see not only Rukh but Phoenix and Asche as well. They seemed to be surrounding something and as he began to make his way over to them to see what the commotion was about a loud 'snap' had him jerking his head upwards just as a large beam came loose from the canopied piers to descend right between him and the Pokemon. Crying out in alarm he did he best to avoid the crumbling earth as it gave way beneath his feet but the font that rose suddenly from the gaping maw of mother nature was not something he had expected. Dean was quickly swept up into the current and was left screaming for help.

Phoenix barely even had time to react. By the time the beam fell the other two scattered, the purple feline she had been about to question getting swallowed into the abyss leaving her to run from the gushing torrents that exploded from the underground reservoir. She called for Asche, thinking the Absol would follow her like before, and made a beeline for the exit. But when she heard Dean screaming for help the vulpine paused and scanned for her trainer only to see him clinging to a small piece of wood trying not to get dragged into the whirlpool forming from where the geyser had been only moments ago, the trapped water once again receding into the caverns below. She ignored the pain and plunged into the flowing pool, determined to reach the man before he was dragged under.

Dean kicked as hard as he could to fight the pull of the current, clasping onto Phoenix gratefully as she reached him and allowing her to swim him away from the swirling vortex and onto a small risers of bleachers placed above the entrance. She looked around and couldn't see any of the others which worried her. Where was Asche? She looked at Dean desperately, who only nodded and gave a sad smile, before hopping down to the exit to see if he already made it back. She would come back for Dean, she knew it. But as she blinded herself with the afternoon sun she realized the only blue out there was the sky. Asche wasn't there which meant he still had to be inside. Bolting back in she could only watch in horror as her eyes locked onto a blue pelt sinking into the unknown as the stands on the opposite side.

Asche........Asche was...."NOOOOOOOOO!" The female screamed, eyes burning with tears and body heating up with angry flames. Dean was still struggling to get down the wall to her when the archway she was under began to crack and give way, the fox completely unaware in her grief. It was Dean who saw it and used every bit of his strength to push himself off of the wall and into her, knocking her back just as the entry came down. On top of him. The Ninetales was in shock. It took her several minutes before she could even move, the disbelief that all of this could be happening to unreal to comprehend. But as reality sunk in the yellow Ninetales grew ferociously angry, jumping up and clawing at the fallen entrance.

Phoenix began scratching and biting to try and get through the meatal wood to her lost companions but it was to no avail. She tried burning through it but the collapse was three times thicker than her own body and damp from the water so it wouldn't even lite. Any flame she tried just hissed and sizzled on the useless support until her own choking sobs forced her to stop. She wasn't...she wasn't supposed to lose him. Not again. He had already come back from the dead once for her so the thought of losing him again....she couldn't stand it.

The defeated female banged her head into the wood over and over, repeating to herself that there had to be a way. Dean had to be alive in there. He couldn't have been crushed or she would smell it, right? Blood was heavier than water in its obvious stench. And Asche...he hadn't been taken by the water, but even if he had she would brave the painful sting it would bring to fish him out too, so there had to be some way underneath. Under the arena....under all... Suddenly her eyes snapped open and she jumped back, eyes wild with desperation as her mind clung to the one hope of where she might find Asche. The Under. It was right below her feet and if there was any way that her bad luck charm might still be alive then it was going to be there. She might even be able to find a way back up from the bottom of the arena to get Dean. "Don't worry you two!" she called frantically, desperation making her voice higher and crack slightly. "I'm gonna find a way to get you!"

With her mind firmly set the Ninetales began descending the steep cliffs surrounding the Arena in the vain belief that she would be able to rescue her friends.

Just hang on guys.
I'm coming for you.


I'm coming....

((Leaving post, Phoe is going to be switching to Under now and I haven't actually decided whether Dean is dead or not so for now he is just going inactive. Been fun! XD))