The ILEX Team

The scene became more dire than Mint could have ever imagined.

In a flash of movement and some snarled words, suddenly Kyoya was smacked with a hardened Iron Tail and shoved roughly onto the Espeon. She cried out in shock, grunting as the larger Pokemon's weight overtook her and smashed her thin frame before he got up. As she was able to get back to her unsteady paws, Mint was shocked to realize that it suddenly felt hotter in the viperess' den. The sudden realization of her embaressment, the Espeon's skin only burned even more fiercly beneath her pink fur. The Ampharos was a good specemin to represent his own kind... But the Eeveelution immediately pushed the thoughts from her head- thinking that way in the time of a crisis was not appropriate in the least.

That was when the scene unfolding before her suddenly became real.

The newcomer, Scourge as he had said, was only pushing Plauge further and further away from them. The stress and mental melt down was clearly taking it's toll. The pain in his entire pose was so apparent that tears began to form on the edge of Mint's own eyes. "S-stop it!" The Espeon cried out, pleading as the tears began to run down her own cheeks. But Kyoyo responded not a second later, breaking the Espeon's heart further. "I've seen this before. He's pushed him too far...the only thing we can do now is let this play out." His tone was so cool and almost casual, taking Mint completely off gaurd. Her wide purple gaze regaurded him, uncomprehending. Play out? "Play out?" she repeated in a whisper.

Then the psychic cat's gaze flashed with emotion. "No! Your lying! I won't just let him deal with this cur by himself!" Without hesitation, the Espeon leaped to her paws, intending to intercept the fight forming before them. It did not matter to her that Plauge was acting different- all she saw was a friend in pain.

[ooc: Someone stop her please. lol]

The situation was quickly falling from "Bad" to "Worse", Plague and the intruder umbreon, Scourge, still arguing. The tension between them was building, and it seemed the former had had enough of the other's empty words. He shed his mask, revealing the ugly sight beneath it. Anaksa herself didn't flinch away from the sight, as she was far too used to the macabre, but it was still unsettling to see a skull like that still able to function.

Plague lunged for the other Umbreon, his Ampharos companion stating it was too dangerous to interfere. The arbok agreed, but wasn't sure how much fighting her den would be able to stand. Movement caught her eye, the injured espeon lunging to join the fight as well. Thankfully, Anaksa's coils were quicker than the cat's legs, and the snake caught her midair in her coils. Squeezing lightly, only to keep a hold on the frantic cat, it dawned on Anaksa of the type disadvantage between them. Ah, well. She'd figure something out.

"Do you want to die? If not, shut up and stay still. You'd get slaughtered in that, or worse, Infected with their disease." She gave a small squeeze once more, letting the espeon in her grasp know that she wasn't letting go anytime soon.

(OoC: I'm so sorry, but I gotta skip. ^^; I'm VERY packed for work. ;w;)

It was a minimally peaceful morning for the Zorombra, undead Pidgeys chirping at ear-piercing pitches and the sound of snapping jaws and snarling coming from who-knows-where. It was like every other morning, awoken by a half-rotten little shit trying to rip him apart as he slept high in the trees, only to have to shake the fatigue out as he crushed whatever miserable soul that came to kill him. Calling it annoying was an understatement, dark circles heavy under his blind eyes from countless sleepless nights.

So it wasn't much of a joy when he smelled an even stronger death-scent coming from someplace nearby. Along with distant words that perhaps was spoken by a living. Rience had only stumbled upon a few living in his travels, and had found no shock that he would find more. Tapping the end of his cane impatiently onto the ground, he carefully walked towards the entrance of the den, squinting carefully to make out dark figures of Pokemon. There were two beings that stood out most, an Ampharos and... an Espeon, at least, he was pretty sure it was one. There were two black forms beginning to brawl each other. 'Oh, this'll be good.'

A smirk grew on the Zorombra's face, illusioning his figure to blend in with the den walls. Rience slowly crept closer to the living, trying to keep his footsteps as quiet as possible. It was hard to make out everything that was going on, his eyes so blurry and dark, and soon found himself tripping on a stone and falling to the ground. For a few moments his illusion faltered, revealing his pathetic form before he got up and fixed it. It was too late though, he knew someone had seen him. "Well... fuck." he muttered.

Something changed in the other Umbreon, it was as though the infection was taking hold cause he had gone from being a scared of what he was saying, to something more.
Plague had taken off his bird mask, raveling a scared and hideous face, one that would have probably scared Scourge if he wasn't used to the gruesome ways, and if he hadn't inflicted similar wounds on other prey.
Scourge was no longer smiling as Plague started to talk. "You...are pathetic. A scheming...worthless...meat sack. Waiting for the slaughter." Plague said, before he started to move closer to Scourge. Scourge had a brow raised as he other Umbreon got close enough that scourge could smell the infection coming off him. "You disappoint me. You have no real power. You just....scheme."

Scourge said nothing, he only stared at Plague as he thought. Though suddenly, a smirk streaked his face and he raised his head as he started to laugh. He found it amusing. This Umbreon thought he was weak, how cute, Scourge wasn't weak, he was strong, he could take down any pokemon that got in his way.
"You think all I do is scheme?" He said when he was done laughing. "You are very wrong there Plague." He added as he walked past Plague and over to the other Umbreons mask. "Sure, I can scheme, but, you shouldn't underestimate me." Scourge growled as he looked over his shoulder. "You have chosen to fight rather then accept my offer to join my new Clan, so be it. You will just be another victim for my collection."

Scourge was so focused on Plague that he didn't even notice the new pokemon that had wondered into the den.
Scourge would make Plague regret not joining his Clan, and he would do this by killing the other Umbreon.
His claws digging into the earth as Scourge spun around and ran at Plague, his tail glowing in a metallic light as he got in close for another Iron Tail. His rings glowing in a purple light as he swung his tail at Plague.

((I'll leave it to you if the Iron Tail hit or not, and feel free to hit Scourge with a counter attack Ana.))

Blood! He's bleeding! He's weak! The mad raving raced through his mind as he leaped towards the Umbreon, his claws out in front of him, ready to slice the others' jugular open. But the hungry grin disappeared from his face as he saw the iron tail swiftly lashing around. He felt the impact knock the air out of him as the heavy tail collided with his ribcage, knocking him out of the den through the entrance, launched right past the black fox, narrowly missing his furred form.

Plague gasped, coughing up blood with a wheezing hack in the cold morning mist. His gaze shot back to the entrance of the den, where the other Umbreon stood. Plague started to laugh maniacally as he teetered to his feet in a crazed manner.
"HAHAHAHAAHA! You thought I would actually want to join your little 'therapy group!'" The scarred Umbreon couldn't hold back his laughter and ridicule. "Ohohohhh, you're just TOO EASY!"
Plague straightened up, his demeanor mocking as his voice mimicked Scourge. "Sure, I can scheme, but, you shouldn't underestimate me."
"Heeehehehehehe! REALLY?! THAT'S the BEST you could come up with?!" He cackled through his tears of laughter, pounding the ground lightly with his front paw.

"The best part of this...haha!-is that this 'clan' you speak so highly of seems to be only a clan of one...!" He taunted, his tone suddenly becoming serious as he looked about him to emphasize his point. "And now...we all know why!" Plague screeched victoriously, his eyes wide with madness. In his maw charged a shadow ball, growing abnormally large and aimed directly at the collared fox...who stood in the entrance of the den.

_________________________________________


"Do you want to die? If not, shut up and stay still. You'd get slaughtered in that, or worse, Infected with their disease." The Arbok hissed angrily at the Espeon, commanding obedience, as if the feline were a child getting scolded. Kyoya glanced back quickly ever so subtly at the reptile, his admiration completely disguised by a long-perfected poker face.

But his banded ears perked and he listened to Plagues' raving outside. That stupid fucking idiot! He's losing it completely! He growled quietly as he approached the entrance cautiously, the sphere on his tail sparking.

"The best part of this...haha!-is that this 'clan' you speak so highly of seems to be only a clan of one...! And now...we all know why!" The Umbreon outside howled in glee, the Ampharos catching a glimpse of dark energy building outside.
Kyoyas' eyes grew wide as his ears straightened to the sky. In a blur of yellow, he dashed back to where the others' were, calling out to the Arbok and grabbing the Espeon up in his fins effortlessly.
"Get back!"

(Feel free to let the shadow ball be released on whoevers' post. If the shadowball is released into the den, it could hurt them in there or collapse the hole, trapping them inside. Or someone (like Lulu, since her char is closest) could tackle Plague hard or toss something big at him, knocking him out/and out of crazy mode and making the shadow ball fly off-target...it'd be cool for it to tear open the den. Either way, I think we should get everyone in the fight, as Plague and Kyoya will probably be making their leaving post soon and moving to Ecruteak. Just ideas, m'dears!~)

''Urgh''.

That was the only thing Xander could articulate after being paralyzed by the Ampharos' special ability. His vision came back little by little, seeing a pink blurr first, then a larger purple one blocking it. He couldn't hear very well either, the only sound he hears resuming to muffled silence. He supposed the pink blurr to be Mint and the purple one to be the snake Pokémon. But... where was Plague? and the others?

Rubbing his forehead, the Haunter slowly lift himself into the airs, trying to understand what was happening. There was a fight, but he could see clearly who was fighting. He only saw that one of the combattant was thrown out of the den, and then... laughter? He shook his head, trying to clear the blank silence sound from his hears. His vision came back, at least enough to see a humongeous Shadow Ball in the making, just outside of the den.

''That sure can't be good'' whispered Xander to himself when he was interrupted by Kyoya, rushing back to them and urging them to get back. Suddenly, he realised why: Plague, in another of his madness access, created a huge Shadow Ball, too huge to be easely controlled, and thus it became unstable. Xander dunked into the ground as fast as he could to evade what would happens seconds ago.

As Xander guessed, the Shadow Ball suddenly went astray when Plague launched it, causing it to tears appart. Plague himself got caught into a backfire and was thrown into nearby bushes. Some bits of the Shadow ball went inside the den, but the biggest part of it hit the ceiling of the den, where an undergroud pipe was placed years ago to feed Azalea Town in gas. The pipe exploded, tearing the den's entrance appart and lit nearby trees on fire. Chunks of grass and ground flew everywhere in a striddent sound. Others explosions could be heard as everything connected to that pipe explode one after another, since there was no one to cut the gas.

[ooc: Skip. Mint is just flipping shit and I have no clue what to do. dfgvdf So hard top get into character. :c]

The Plague umbreon had lost himself, his maniacal speech tinted with hysteria and malice. While normal pokemon would be terrified, Anaksa found herself hynotized by his wide, red eyes and glimmering fangs. However, when she spotted the Shadow Ball, it was all she could do to curl herself up in her own coils before it was released, which released a hideous explosion.

The arbok awoke after a few minutes of unconsciousness a few meters away, cast out of her own den by the force of the explosion. Her ears rang, her body ached and burned, but as soon as she realized she was still alive, her eyes popped open, searching for the enemy. Who exactly the enemy was, she couldn't be sure, but at least one of the two umbreon were up for that title. Keeping her coils about her, she erected and hissed, keeping the foe in her sights. Hopefully, the others weren't lost to the blast...

Oh no. No no no no. This was the first large group that the Zorombra had discovered, and it would've lasted him at least a month, but the Arceus damned Umbreon just HAD to go zubatshit on everything. Sending the forming darkness of a Shadow Ball ring whizzed in the direction of the den, Rience leaped and rolled to the outside, the explosion behind him leaving the illusionist's ears ringing in pain. "I really don't need another disability right now," he snarls, protecting his body from the debris flung into the air by impact.

Concentrating hard on his psychic powers, Rience pin pointed where Plague was, grinning like a fox. "You aren't getting away with this, bitch, no way..." he sneers. The Zorombra rose his long, lanky arms above his head, clicking his claws as dark energy slowly gathered around him. Laughing, the illusionist brought down his hands and released a Night Daze. Waves of power decimated the environment around him, sending boulders flying and uprooting trees. Satisfied by the damage he had released, Rience scampered up a tree and hung from the branch, snickering. "Not worth my time. Sayonara, suckers!"

[OOC: leaving post, bringing in Faustus next round. c:]

The explosion was huge, and Scourge was caught in the blast, sending him flying out of the den and into a tree which knocked the wind out of him. His head was spinning, and his hearing had dimmed slightly, as though he was going to pass out.
Scourge shook his head as his vision and hearing started to come back to him, before looking at the devastation Plague had done. "You really are a plague. A Plague of destruction." Scourge said, a grin streaking across his face as he saw the fire burn, the explosions that seemed to extend all the way into town as the gas continued to ignite.
Scourge sat down and raised his front paws and began to clap them together, as though applauding the show. "Well done Plague, it seemed you have just taken down a city with a single attack. Bravo." He laughed, still clapping his paws together before placing them back on the ground.

He couldn't see what began of the other pokemon, perhaps they had become trapped within the walls of the collapsing den. Oh how fun it would be to dig up there corpses just to add there fangs to his collection, sadly his collar was filled only with the fangs of the pokemon he had personally killed.
Scourge hadn't noticed the attack the strange looking Zoroark had caused, only now did he notice the uprooted trees caused by its Night Daze. what a powerful attack. He wished he could learn that attack, though it was only for the Zoro family.
The small Umbreon slowly turned his gaze to Plague and slowly stood up and padded over to him. "I may be a Clan of one now, Plague, though I shall rebuild my Clan, and we will once again be great." He said, his head held high, though he was still smaller then the other Umbreon. "I am Scourge, my name once struck fear in the hearts of pokemon. Though now I'm unknown, as everyone fears the undead. What they should fear, is both."

((If you guys find enything wrong with this post, let me know so I can fix, as I'm not to proud with it myself, but it's all I could come up with.))

Plague growled angrily as he pulled himself out of the bushes, surveying the damage with a blood-thirsty grin. His vision was blurry and his legs were unsteady, but a maniacal smile was still plastered on his face. A figure before him was vibrating with dark energy.
"You aren't getting away with this, bitch, no way..."
Before Plague could leap to counter-attack, the energy was released in a swelling explosion, with Plague in its' wake. The tattered Umbreon was tossed back with the debris, colliding hard with a large tree and collapsing in an unmoving heap beneath it.
He whimpered quietly, his entire body screaming with pain, but he was unable to even get to his feet. He watched through a haze of darkness and agony as he looked upon the destruction that he had left in his madness. A familiar and rasping voice suddenly came from somewhere near him, accompanied by the sound of slow clapping.
"Well done Plague, it seemed you have just taken down a city with a single attack. Bravo." The Umbreons' chest rose and fell slowly, his ear twitching as he took in his words.
I did this...
I am a monster...
The frightening voice from within faded, leaving only his own to echo in the emptiness, to wallow in the aftermath.
Tears overflowed from his crimson eyes, his consciousness fading as his eyes closed upon the devastation that he had caused. As rain fell from the skies, a dark pool of blood began to spread from the fallen Umbreon, the crimson liquid mingling with the earthen tints of the mud.

__________________

"Gaaah...!" Kyoya emerged from the deep soil, gasping heavily as he freed his limbs and began to dig himself out of the constricting earth. With a final heave, he pulled himself out, falling to his knees. Pulling his soiled glasses off, he rubbed them in between his flippers and slowly put them back on. His calculating eyes moved over the wreckage with care, looking for any signs of the others. Shaking his fur free of any remaining soil, he caught sight of something small and white protruding from the earth. The Ampharos trudged to it and kneeled, using his flippers to unearth it.
Just as I thought...
Kyoya pulled from the loose soil the bloodied and stained skull mask that Plague wore everywhere he went. He stared at it, holding it in his paws carefully.
What can we do now?...
It is not wise to stay here anymore...
The others may be dead.
Plague may be permanently lost...
Fire is spreading to the forest...
Looking up from the mask in his paws, he stood up, his gaze turning to the growing blaze. Steadying himself, he closed his eyes and began to sway back and forth slowly and rhythmically. The Ampharos' majestic and exquisite body seemed to flow as if it were living water while he performed a Rain Dance. Deep peals of thunder began to rumble, followed by a sudden strong downpour. The yellow pokemons' form twisted and finally came to a stop as the light pokemon opened his slate-colored eyes and leveled his gaze once again, his fur soaking wet, accentuating his thin but masculine frame.
...That will keep the fire from burning long...
Now...to look for the others...
Moving quickly, he dashed to where the den once was, now nothing but upheaved soil, grass, trees and dying embers.
With a fierce determination, he shoved his fins into the dirt and began to dig.

(OoC- leaving next post, I think. Ecruteak is getting WAY ahead. *flails* I'll be bringing in Ilo in place of Kyoya/Plague too, so UNF.)

Even if he was hiding underground, Xander was still hit by the shock wave the explosion created, as well as the sound wave. Xander's ears were still ringing and he was still shaken up when he noticed that all seemed to have settled down. He proceeded to get out of the ground, to see that the den's ceiling had completely dissapeared above him. He could see the damages everywhere he looked, when he finally noticed Plague, unconscious on the groud.

"PLAGUE!!!!"

He was rushing to help Plague, or at least, check his status, when Kyoya performed a Rain Dance. Rain started to drop in a real downpour. The Haunter turned to face the Ampharos, who had immediately started to dig into the remainings of the den. Looking back and forth between the Umbreon and his counterpart, Xander grunted and decided to help Kyoya by digging beside him. Plague may be need help, but Xander was sure he would tell him to help the others first getting out of the rubbles.

There was a silence for a moment between the two, except the grunting sounds of them digging up, then Xander spoke a little. " What a day, huh? I hope everyone's all right under here....."

((Skip please))

Faustus had long given up in his efforts to retrieve his beloved, for all the ghost knew Odette could be on the other side of the world now. The Phanteon's head was hung with shame and disappointment, trudging reluctantly through the undergrowth. It was in seconds that he felt the pulses of an explosion tingle beneath his paws, and quickly faded so the flying debris would pass through him. An uneasy frown starting at his lips, he became tangible for a moment to see what was going on.

"What in the world...?" Almost immediately, the raw strength of a Night Daze flung him onto a dying tree, which was also uprooted and sent flying to a farther location. The Phanteon whimpered in pain, the collision and the attack making his head spin. Looking overhead, a Zoroark-like creature swiftly passed by, and Faustus rushed to the ruined clearing.

By the time he reached the collapsed den, rain was pounding onto his phantom form. The scene unfolding to him was a surprise, an unconscious and battered Umbreon lying upon the mud with a Ampharos over him. There was also a Haunter, and Faustus found a growing concern for these living appear inside of him. "Are you all alright?! Are any of the others trapped under the rubble? Here, I'll help dig them out!" body now tangible, Fustus worked his paws deep into the sinking earth as he shoveled pounds of the mud away, worried for whomever was trapped below.

The rain pelted Scourges fur as the sudden downpour came out of no where to stop the raging fire. Looking from the sky to the now smoking town.
He turned his gaze back to Plague, who still seemed to be lost on what he just did. Almost like he had two personalities. It wasn't uncommon for one two have split personalities, though for all he knew what happened before was a result of the infection.
The Umbreon seemed to have passed out though, which wasn't much fun for Scourge cause then he wouldn't be able to see the full power Plague had to offer. What a shame.

Cracking a smile he turned toward the forest. "As much as I would love to stay and see how far I can push you, I need to be going." Scourge said as he turned his gaze on the other Umbreon once again. "I hope we can meet again, Plague."
With that, Scourge darted into the forest, stopping only to take another glance at the charred city, and the pathetic pokemon he was leaving behind.
He hoped he would meet that Umbreon again. He had never had so much fun with one of his own kind before, he almost wanted it to last forever. Shame he had to leave so soon.
With one last glance behind him, he disappeared into the forest.

((Scourge is no longer floating here. It was fun.))

"What a day, huh? I hope everyone's all right under here....." The Haunter asked the Ampharos, his voice colored with exhaustion.
Kyoya shot a chilling look at the ghost type as he continued to shovel piles of mud away from where he thought the others to be.
"Keep digging, they won't have much oxygen under there."

His bright yellow fur quickly turned dark around his paws and arms as the mud stuck to his form. The rain still fell in torrents, making small puddles in the holes there were digging, but Kyoya didn't stop.
"Are you all alright?! Are any of the others trapped under the rubble? Here, I'll help dig them out!" A ghost fox suddenly dashed up to them from the forest, his one good eyes wide with concern, and his gaseous form unfettered by the rain. The Ampharos sparked in surprise, his eyes growing wide momentarily as he analyzed this newcomer. He regained his composure quickly, moving mud back once again with his fins.
"There's two down there- an Arbok and an Espeon." He said curtly, looking back to the rubble. After a few minutes of intense digging, Kyoya paused, gasping heavily. He had uncovered a large, decorated hood, and beneath the hood was the Espeon.
"It's them." He gasped quietly, looking them over quickly.
"They're both...alive." he said quietly, motioning for the others to uncover the rest of their bodies.
With a deep breath, the Ampharos stood back a few steps, giving the others and himself some room as he pondered.

His gaze fell on the tattered mask, half-buried underneath a pile of mud. He tentatively picked it up, and with a quick glance at the others, he trotted to the unconscious Umbreon across the way with the skull in hand. Kyoya kneeled before him, checking his pulse and inspecting his wounds before gently securing the skull mask back on his scarred face.

A dark expression came over the sheep pokemons' face as he gently picked up the Umbreon and draped him around his neck and over his shoulders, holding him in place by his black furred legs. He pulled himself to his feet and turned to the others, his gaze unreadable.

"I'm afraid we can't stay here anymore. Plague has been hurt pretty badly. And it would be unwise for any of you to accompany us." He peered at the Haunter as he continued. "Plagues' mental stability has been broken by that other Umbreon, and coupled with the viral effects of cerebral decay...well, if he were to see any of you once he wakes, it would either send him into a catatonic state or make him regress into his 'other self'." The Ampharos fell silent, seemingly deep in thought.
After a few moments, he spoke again.
"Plague is very unique. He can't be allowed to deteriorate any further. Nor can he be killed- he is perhaps the key to fixing all of this..." He murmured stoically, his eyes heavily lidded in a passive aggression. "I won't allow anything else to befall him until we can get what we need from his DNA." He finished, his last words fading into a quiet utterance.

And with that, he backed up from the others, and headed into the Ilex with the unconscious Umbreon atop his shoulders, fading into the gray rains.

(OoC- sorry if Mint and Anaksa weren't supposed to be found that way. I just figured Anaksa would try to protect her. I tried to leave it as open as possible for everyone to react however they want, I just had to make this my leaving post for Kyoya/Plague. Ilo is gonna take their place next turn)

The chilling tone in Kyoya's answer makes Xander shut up completely. He was right: They only have a little quantity of Oxygen down there, and they have to work fast. Plus, the rain doesn't makes things easier, since small puddles of water started to form into the holes they were digging. The situation was now serious, because now not only they could suffocate underground, but the can drown as well as the rain doesn't seem to stop.

They were both still digging when a voice offered its help to dig. Slowly turning his gaze upon the newcommer, he was shocked to see a Pokémon he never heard of. He looked like any other eeveelution, but... it was probably a Ghost type. But Xander will ask questions later, since there was more important things to do...

Finally, the Ampharos pulls an imposing hood from the debrits, and both Mint and Anaksa were there, apparently unharmed. As the Yellow Pokémon moved away, Xander took the Arbok and the Espeon with his claws and gently pull them outside of what remained of the den. Whil he was cheking them, Xander saw Kyoya putting Plague's mask back on his face, taking him up and putting him on his shoulders.

" How he is?" Simply asked the Haunter. Unfortunately, the news weren't good. Plague was badly hurt, and him and Kyoya have to quit. "Bu....But!" started Xander, but the look the Ampharos gave to him confirmed that it's was a final decision. Plus, as he explained, Plague's state could get worse if he was remaining with them, and for his sake, they have to move out. The Haunter naively raised his claw and open his mouth to protest, then simply remained silent as tears began to fall. The name "Ruby" rang once again in his head as he slowly look down as he fainlty nods to Kyoya's explaination. He looked away when the Ampharos started to walk away from them, back into the Ilex forest. Here he was, floating under an heavy rainfall as his comrad, his "team leader", slowly dissapear into the forest.

"Farewell.... Plague"

Everything happened so... fast.

Mint had known beforehand that things could spiral down this quickly, but why? Why now?

That Umbreon. That stupid, evil, sneering Umbreon. If Mint ever saw him again, she'd strangle him with his own collar.

The explosion... Mint had just been about to snap back at the Arbok for her harsh words; Plague was out there and dealing with this alone! Why didn't they help him!? But Plague's charging attack caught her eye, and with a spike of terror to her heart she realized what was going to happen when her friend released that Shadow Ball.

As soon as it hit her, Plague did just that. The ceiling collapsed and all she had time for was a frightened yelp as the ceiling came crashing down.

And all was dark and quiet...

I'm... going to die...? It was more of a question than a statement, the cruel irony of being killed indirectly by a friend making her hesitate to suggest that this really was the end. But as blackness closed around her, dragging her into the realms of unconsciousness as she struggled and failed to stay awake... Mint knew that it was over.

I never found Matt or the others... and I never found out why Plague makes me feel the way he does... did I really come this far to just fail?

Apparently someone had heard her thoughts. Just as the last bits of consciousness left her, there was suddenly light, air.

The cat gasped in lungfuls, trying to scramble out of the mud. She never thought she'd be so happy to be wet in her life.

Disoriented from the lack of air, she staggered a foot or so before sitting down and trying to get her bearings.

Holy mother of Arceus. The destruction. Had Plague really done this...?

Wait... Plague was badly hurt!? They were leaving!? And didn't want them to follow!? What!?

"W-wait! Wh-where are you going!?" She took a few steps forward, ears flat to her head as the yellow Pokemon disappeared with her friend.

Her first impulse was to chase after them anyway.

But as she stared after Kyoya's retreating form, she realized that she could not. By the time she could run properly, they would be long gone...

They're... gone...

It was easy to wriggle out of the debris once a clear path had been made, hissing in pain as she retreated from the hole that had once been the home that had sheltered her from the Undead for far too long. Oh, she knew the others seemed to care about her life -or possibly the damn espeon's life- to dig them out, but the wounds still stung and her ears still rung. No amount of apologies or well-wishing would get her home back the way it was, or even habitable. With angry eyes, she watched as the only pokemon with sense drug his burden into the dark void of the forest, not to be seen again.

Infuriating.

Eyes going to the other Infected umbreon, she hissed, remembering the ampharos' words about Plague's abilities. With Plague now gone, this thing would likely digress back to what normal Infected were. Glancing at her own wounds, she weighed whether or not staying in Azelea would actually be worth it-- she was not a part of this group. She was an onlooker, a hostess, but not a teammate. She was not a social pokemon and it certainly showed. Even the wispy newcomer was more a part of them than she. Keeping her back to a building, she waited for what was to come next, as it would decide her staying or going.

With the leaving of the Ampharos and odd-looking Umbreon, Faustus stared to the undergrowth the duo vanished into. His eyes softened, a quiet understanding in him. He would leave this place too, seeing all the destruction, but finding these survivors willed him to stay. He had to help these Pokemon, this is what Odette would want him to do, right? Glad that the Espeon and Arbok had been excavated from the ruins, the Phanteon analyzed the two.

The psychic seemed depressed that the duo left, whilst the snake seemed angry. The ghost raised a quick paw as high as he could, to get the group's attention. "Ah well... My name is Faustus, it's unfortunate I had met you all under these circumstances, however..." It may not be a time for introductions, but the Phanteon was willing to do anything to even remotely lighten up the mood of these living. He didn't like watching their frowns deepen, or their eyes narrow with sour expressions.

"Seeing as both of you are injured, I could gladly go and find some berries to heal the wounds," he regarded the Arbok and Espeon, trying to muster up a friendly smile. "Or would you like me to go find something else? I would be grateful to help you all."

The Riolu peered at the others through the bushes, his golden eyes dark behind his pale raccoon mask. His fur was unkempt and his body was covered with minor wounds. Not long before, he was caught in a sudden blast that destroyed a local human post he was using for shelter.

As he gazed at them all, their auras' emanated brightly, each one speaking volumes about them, and their situation.
The Ampharos...he was hostile towards the others...but talked to them calmly...I wonder what he meant by all of that...
His eyes shifted to the others as the sheep dashed into the forest.
The Arbok is clearly angry...but the others...they're really sad...
I wonder...he pondered on all of them and his own situation before standing up slowly.
Well...they at least have survived this long...and it looks like a few of them are hurt...maybe I can be of service...

Gathering up his courage, he walked out of the shadows, his paws up in the air, one of them holding a small red bag.
"I don't mean any harm...I-I saw that some of you are hurt, and...well..." He trailed off, his head nodding to the bag above his head.
"I can help."

(OoC- let me know if the text is too dark for anyone to read, I can change it~)

"W-wait! Wh-where are you going!?"

Xander turned around to see Mint running a little toward the Ampharos barely visible shadow before stopping completely. He could understand how she ferl right now, because his own heart was broken by the lost of Plague's friendship. He floated to Mint and, with an hesitant claw, pats her head, before speaking in a shaking voice: " It's not use, Mint... They had to go, and... I'm sure that's what Plague would do for our safety...*Sniffle*. Let's go, Mint.. we have a route to plan."

As he turned around and floated over the remains of the den, the odd-looking eeveelution raised a paw in the airs and introduced himself as Faustus, and almost excusing himself to have met them in the course of events. The Haunter took a quick glance at him. Faustus wasn't an ordinary Pokémon, nor was Plague. He never heard nor seen about an eeveelution looking like that. Yet again, was it infected? His bandage on his eye could reveal an open gash made by an infected. It could be very dangerous for them. On the other hand, he seems social and kind, and even helped them digging for Anaksa and Mint. He had to keep an eye on him, but Xander wasn't in the mood for questions and/or arguing. All help was welcome at the moment. He just raised a claw and said: "Thanks for the help earlier, Faustus, but our priority now should be to move the hell away from this area. Infected will surely be attracted by those explosions, and they will gather in here fast, very fast. We have to go, anywhere but here. " Glancing uneasely at the Arbok, he added:" Heum, I would like to thank you, Anaksa, for all the help you provided to us, even at the cost of your den... I guess you're free to come with us, if you want... The more we are against those undeads, the better are our chances to survive..."

He was about to told them if they had a particuliar place to go, when something came out of the bushes. It was looking like an odd-colored Riolu. Xander immediately formed a Shadow Ball in his hand, ready to launch at the Pokémon, his breathe harsh and his eyes locked on the target. When he realise the newcomer actually spoke and assured them he had no ill intention, which was a little obvious with his raised paws. He claimed he could help them. After a few moments of just staring at him, the Haunter just huffed and shook his claw as the dying Shadow Ball dissapeared. At this moment, the first rays of sun hit Xander's eyes, which make him develop a mild headache, reminding him that not only he hadn't sleep for almost 2 days, but he didn't eat as well. Xander wasn't clearly in the best of mood right now...

"M'kay. Just......Let's go elsewhere, okay?"

The Espeon was snapped out of her stupor by the feel of a clawed hand patting her head. Quaking as the departure of her friend began to sink in, she stared with devastated eyes at where Plague had vanished.

"It's no use, Mint... They had to go, and... I'm sure that's what Plague would do for our safety..." He paused to sniffle. Mint's heart twisted with further pain; Plague and Xander had been close, too. "Let's go, Mint.. we have a route to plan."

Right... survival... she didn't want to think about that right now; she wanted to sit there and cry... but that was stupid and she knew it...

"Ah well... My name is Faustus, it's unfortunate I had met you all under these circumstances, however... Seeing as both of you are injured, I could gladly go and find some berries to heal the wounds," What? A random stranger just offering to help like that...? "Or would you like me to go find something else? I would be grateful to help you all."

"Grateful to help you all?" That didn't even make any sense. Why would he be thankful? He would be helping them, not the other way around...

And then, to further force her exhausted, aching mind to think, another newcomer.

And she couldn't for the life of her tell what the hell he even was. I don't care right now... I need to but I don't WANT to...

Xander seemed to have taken over as leader in a sense, making a swift decision to leave and for very good reason. Looking at him again, Xander looked as physically and emotionally strained as she did. He didn't want to think as much as she did and he was still taking charge.

I need to be more like that... She straightened herself, trying to push away the pain, tuck it somewhere out of sight, as she turned to the Riolu with eyes that were struggling and miserably failing to let the smile adorning her face reach them. "Before you come with us... what is your name? I've never seen anything like you..."

Already, the newcomers rubbed Anaksa's marred scales wrong, each of their dialogue earning a quick, hostile turn of the head, her slitted eyes glaring at each in turn. Why were they so helpful, so congenial to complete strangers such as herself and the others? In Plague's and more importantly, the ampharos' absence, there was a lack of a leadership presence. Chaos. While she would have normally enjoyed such a display were she a simple onlooker, she was now in the middle of it, gored by its ruthless horns. Weakened, homeless, bereft of motive, she was simply stuck and again, the idea of slithering into the darkness after the duo echoed in her mind. However, when the riolu spoke, she couldn't help her harsh hiss.

"Why are you so charitable, either of you?!" She didn't care that the most poignant threat was now gone, she still felt vulnerable. "You offer us help-- for what? We could be just as dangerous as that filthy diseased-- why take the chance? I'm not some juvenile to just trust any pokemon weilding a friendly smile and bag of supplies; niether one of you are coming near me. Do you understand?" As if to put a point on her statement, she coiled herself up more, hiding and revealing more and more wounds as the coils shifted beneath her hood. But her eyes were focused, intent. She was not letting them near her, not if she was still capable of fending them off.