The ALPH Team

Scrap, scrap, scrap.
The sound was eerie, but that didn’t bother the infected Haxorus as he sharpened his tusks on a good-sized rock. It was a routine of his that he had even done when he was alive, and even in death it stuck with him.
Once he believed they where sharp enough he resumed his hunt for his prey. No mater how far they ran, or how much they hid, he would find them, for he will always be on the prowl, watching, waiting.

Movement caught his eye and he wiped his head around fast as he saw a Flareon run out from behind a tree, trying to make it to the forest before being noticed, but it was to late.
Geo let out a growl and charged the fire pokemon, ramming it with his newly sharpened tusks. It screamed out in pain as its body was lifted from the ground and flung into the air. Using a Dual Chop, he finished it off by cutting it into 3 meagre peaces.
Its blood showered him, and he grinned with satisfaction. The warmth he had wanted, he now had. He picked up the head of the Flareon and began his feast, its blood dripping from his mouth as he picked the bones clean. He still wanted more though.
He snapped one of the bones in half with his jaw as he turned away from his now finished meal. He wanted more. He must have more. He charged the rock he had just used to sharpen his blades and broke it in two with a quick Dual Chop. More! The simple word came out as no more then an agitated roar as he raised his head in frustration.

He once again began his hunt, following the trail that humans once used to not get lost on their travels between towns; it was his best bet at finding something.
Then something caught his senses, something in the distance. He raised his head and started to sniff, catching a faint scent. Letting out a growl he began to follow the smell, and as it got stronger, he started to move a little faster.
He looked off into the distance, seeing a silver figure standing on the outskirts of a large city, and with it an even smaller greenish one. Both smelt of life and warmth. This day must be lucky for him, three meals before the sun was even high in the sky, how fortunate. For him.
“You are going to die,” he said through a grin. He lowered his head, his tail sweeping the dirt road, as he prepared to charge. His back claws dug into the ground, as he sprung forth, to his new target.

(Skip my turn. I'm going to put Big D in a different team)

Lalita glowed brilliantly in the morning sun as she stepped in front of Max and turned to face him.

"I know this city like the back of my paw," she said sadly. "You'll have no better guide than me. The place you want to go is the Goldenrod Tunnel, with only two entrances on opposite sides of the city. It will be very dangerous, the chances alone of us even making it there are slim to none. And once we are underground, there will be no place to hide. It will be fight or die. Are you sure you still want to do this?"
"I don't have a choice" replied Max grimly.

The psychic-type spun on the spot as he felt the earth beneath his paws begin to tremble and shake. Charging out of the forest was the most terrifying infected he'd ever seen. It was big, armored, had massive teeth, claws and tusks and was head right for them. Channeling sunlight, Max used Psychic to wrench the massive boulder they had used for shelter from the ground. With a grunt he sent they blurring towards the charging dragon.
"How tough can it be." thought the shiny aloud as the boulders came crashing down right in the path of the gigantic beast.

The Espeon watched as the rocks were planted firmly in the ground and before exploding in a massive cloud of dust and granite as the beast charged straight through them.
"OK, new plan," Shouted the shocked cat. "RUN!"
Giving a Lalita a firm push towards the city, he took off at a break-neck pace, the strong muscles in his legs pumping and shifting beneath his fur.
"If we can get to those buildings we might be able to hold it off from a higher floor!"

Mentally uprooting trees and rocks and launching them behind them as they ran, Max heard the enraged roars of the dragon-type as it plowed straight through them like living battering ram. He frantically tried to think of a solution as they practically flew towards the city.
"Ok, it's bigger and stronger than us, but all that armor makes it heavy, It won't be able to keep up for long. He thought as he leapt a rotten log. "Seriously, where do these thing keep coming from!?"

Max put on a burst of speed as packed earth gave way to pavement. Mentally lobbing rubble behind them,the sun pokemon veered sharply right towards the partially blocked doorway of a large building. Once they were inside, Max tore out the support beam of the door, bringing half the roof down blocking it completely.

((Ooc:and cue cartoony chase music))

"I don't have a choice" Max replied, he didn't sound very enthusiastic about his choice but Lalita was determined to help him through it. Suddenly, the entire ground beneath her was rumbling and she turned to look just as Max hurled part of their hiding spot at a massive creature charging out of the forest. her jaw dropped as it rushed through the boulder like it wasn't even there, the rock shattering into pebbles and dust. "OK, new plan,RUN!" Lalita wholeheartedly agreed.

They bolted for the city, Max constantly trying to slow the offending creature down by launching objects in its path, none of which seemed to affect it. The blood was pounding in her ears, she didn't even hear what Max was saying to her but he was pushing towards a large building. "No! No, no no!" she cried. Not there! Not yet! But it was too late, she had followed Max right through the door, which he promptly crashed the roof down onto. If they were lucky the great beast didn't see them go inside and would keep charging past this place, but even then, Lalita knew they weren't safe. She looked around to the foyer of the building Max had chosen as their safe haven. She turned to face...home.

The foyer gave entry to a grand hall with two winding staircases leading up to the upper levels. As though in a trance, she began heading up the left staircase, not even paying Max a glance. She gently lifted herself onto the upper ledge because the stairway had become separated from the second floor, probably during the attacks. She made her way quietly down the hall, stopping at a white door on the right near the end. Pushing it open, she stepped inside, and felt her heart break. Little Miss' room was completely untouched, like nothing ever happened. The rest of the house was trashed, but not this room. Why? she wondered.

Looking down out of the window she saw that the Garden Party Massacre was still splayed out for her viewing. The bodies left to rot where they lie of humans and pokemon alike. Over by the gates, from where they were trying to get everyone out, was Master and Missus, limbs missing and organs hanging out to dry in the sun, grass stained red with their blood. She tried, but couldn't bring herself to look where she knew the body of Little Miss would still be lying, though she didn't need to look at it to know what she would see. She had watched as that Meowth had torn open the frail girl's throat, how it laughed as the girl's screamed became gurgled before they fell silent. Little Miss' eyes never left Lalita's the whole time, even after the light faded from them and the Monsters began feeding from her they stared, pleading, accusing Lalita of not saving her life. She knelt down from the window and wept openly, grieving in the way she wasn't able when the nightmare first started. The only thing marring the perfection of the room she broke down in was the sound of her sorrow echoing down the halls.

He kept charging, regardless of what the little creatures threw in his path, he would just crash right threw them like they weren’t even there to begin with. There resistance was futile, for in the end he would have them, their blood, there flesh, their bones, everything.
They run into a nearby building, bringing down the entrance as to stop him from following. He stopped his charge and slowly walked over to the rubble. He let out an agitated growl. He started to try and dig out the rubble, but his efforts where wasted, cause every time he would move a piece a new larger piece would take its place.
He began to recklessly slash at the rubble with his tusks, irritated that that did nothing as well. “You are going to die,” he growled. Die by my claws and fangs! The last part was mixed in with the growl, but the first part was as clear as a bell.

He began to circle around to the side of the building, that when he got the subtle scent of decay. It seemed to be coming from the back, but he didn’t catch a single smell of life coming from there, just death. So he didn’t care for it, all he wanted was that living flesh that was hiding out inside.
He tapped the building with his tusk, testing to see how thick the wall was by its vibration. Though he was almost completely brain dead, his old habits didn’t die with him, and they came in handy when he needed them to.
He turned and began to ruthlessly slam the side of the building with his tail, using a powerful Earthquake. He could feel it shake under his power, but he kept it up. If the front entrance was blocked, make your own.

(OoC: Or you could use the back door.)

The smeargle was laughing, tears of joy rolling down her cheeks as Clyde looked on, his grin stretching across his face. They were in Mauville – Clyde’s birthplace, racing the humans that used the bicycle route above their heads as the summer sun beat down on their forms. The land was bustling with nature and an air of joy resided over the city. Clarice was there too. Clyde’s foster mother was running alongside her adopted son, tongue lolling out of her mouth as the wind swept through her thick, black fur. Everything was perfect. They seemed to running for hours on end, relishing in one another’s company as the sun slowly set. Darkness loomed ever threateningly over the peaceful town, and Clyde looked to his left to see Clarice had disappeared. To his left, Bonnie, the smeargle was also gone. Skidding to a halt, he looked behind him, alarmed to witness Clarice lying motionless and Bonnie crouched over the figure. Running towards the pokémon, the world seemed to slow and dissolve away to leave nothing but the bloody corpse of his mother and Bonnie. She snapped her head round to meet his eyes – her face bloodstained, eyes wild and fangs bared. He tried to scream as Bonnie leapt towards him, time taking a dramatic acceleration as a bright light suddenly engulfed the images.

Clyde woke with a start, breathing heavily. Bloodshot eyes grew wide as he looked around the room in which he’d found refuge, gradually familiarising himself with reality as the nightmare slipped from his memory. Slowing his panting, he momentarily closed his heavy eyelids, only for them to snap open at the sound of frenzied crashes from downstairs. The mansion in Goldenrod had been a perfect resting place for the past week – allowing the vigoroth a chance to sleep without the risk of those monsters looking to tear out his throat, and raid the kitchen for any abandoned food. Alerted at this foreign sound, the vigoroth pushed himself to his feet and prepared to face the worst as he descended stairs from the house’s attic. Moving slowly, cautiously, Clyde was disappointed that his haven was now brutally interrupted by the monsters of this new world. He cursed himself for using the word ‘monster’ – Bonnie would never be a monster, she was just... different.

Sighing heavily as the crashing sounds became louder and traceable to the home’s entrance, Clyde was about to clamber out one of the nearest windows when he caught the scent of a much closer creature. Freezing, thinking the intruder to be another of the infected, Clyde turned his head towards a room to his right. The door was only partially open, but he could see that within, a silver canine was sitting by the window, crying. His heart convulsing at the sounds of pure sorrow, the vigoroth was suddenly reminded of Bonnie and struggled to keep a calm, collected demeanour as memories of the past flooded before his eyes. Holding back the tears, he shook his head in defiance before slowly approaching the room’s entrance. Nudging the door slightly as he entered, he made sure to keep a good distance from the canine before slowing to a halt. He now recognised the survivor as a ninetales with a stunning coat of silver, a huge contrast to the scene that had evoked the pained emotions in her. He looked past her form to witness the massacre in the garden and lowered his head in respect to the deceased.
“A-Are you okay?” Clyde asked softly. He didn’t want to startle the ninetales or give her any reason to consider him an enemy, but comforting a fellow survivor was the least he could do. He hadn’t come across any other living pokémon in the last month and whilst he’d become adapted to life on his own, it was a breath of fresh air to know that he wasn’t the only one suffering such pain with the arrival of the epidemic. “I know your pain,” He added in a voice above a whisper, a flicker of emotional distress from his own experiences momentarily flashing across his features.

((OOC: C: Hiya guys.))

Oh trainer, where are you?

Alice swears she's searched her hometown a million times. He had to be somewhere in the city. What she was told couldn't be true. Could it? No. She had to hope.


He wasn't in this building. And Alice smelled other Pokemon. The scent of death didn't linger. Curious, the female Gardevoir traced for the scent, and finally found the Pokemon. Careful not to startle them, she watched them. Survivors. She happily thought. Could they know where her precious trainer could be? Possibly. One of the Pokemon was crying. Alice frowned. What was wrong?

The Gardevoir spoke.

Are you ok?

Max watched quietly from the corner of the room as Lalita wept uncontrolabley before the carnage that was arrayed before the window. He didn't need telepathy to know this was her home, she'd knwon these people, somewhere among the mwas the Little Miss she spoke of and he'd brought her back here. Suddenly rhe Espeon dropped into a low hunting stance with fangs and claws bared as a large pokemon entered the room, but relxed when he realized it wasn't infected. "Vigoroth"

“A-Are you okay?” it asked softly. It seemed empathic to the ninetails's grief. “I know your pain.”
Examining it's mind for signs of dark intent, Max's search brushed against something just outside the door, something that seemed to actually register his presence. "Another Psychic," He realized with a jolt. "Not infected either!"
Then with a graceful sweep of skirts a Gardevoir swept into the room. Seeing the weeping fox, a small frown crossed her face.
"Are you ok?" She asked, which only caused Lalita to weep harder. Emerging from his place in the shadows, Max padded soundlessly passed the vigoroth who tensed at his presence. It obviously hadn't known he was there, the Gardevoir didn't seem surprised though. Moving beside his grieving friend, the Sun pokemon rested is head over her shoulder in the way that non bipedal creatures hugged. Sending a wave of calm outward, quieting the sobs that still shook her body somewhat.
"It'll be ok." He whispered too low for the other two to hear. "Everything is going to be just fine." Seeing the soothing effect this had on her, the cat continued to murmur sweet things in her ear.
"It'll all be over soon," he murmurred. "Soon we'll find my sister, then we'll find some place free of infection and we'll live a happy quite life. I can teach you to hunt better and you could teach me that song you hummed while I slept and everything will be perfect. No epidemic, no monsters. Just us. Everything will be fine, I promise.

As they sat there Max sent out a quick message to their new companions. "I am Max, this is Lalita. It is good to see uninfected, but please remain silent until I've calmed her."

((Ooc: Hey Lia. :D ))

Lalita's sorrow consumed her. She didn't hear Max come in, or the two new strangers who seemed so concerned for her. All she could hear was the screams and cries of terror that for her still echoed from the gory sight beneath. They were sounds that would be forever imprinted on her soul. She tensed slightly when Max lay beside her, but felt herself curling into his warmth as he hugged her. A calming sensation broke through her dark thoughts and she felt herself becoming more aware of her surroundings, or more accurately, that they weren't alone.

It didn't seem to bother her, though, as Max whispered in her ear. "Soon we'll find my sister, then we'll find some place free of infection and we'll live a happy quite life. I can teach you to hunt better and you could teach me that song you hummed while I slept and everything will be perfect. No epidemic, no monsters. Just us. Everything will be fine, I promise." Oh how she wanted to believe him, that there was truly someplace free of this nightmare that had stolen this life from her. She curled her tails around her dear friend and nuzzled the Espeon affectionately. She didn't want anything to steal the hope that those promises gave her.

Her sobs coming less and less, the tears finally leaving her eyes, she glanced up at the two other creatures standing in Little Miss' room with her. "Who..who are you?" she choked out, her voice hoarse and cracking from strain. She looked back and forth from the big furry thing and the Gardevoir. "Why are you in my home?" It was then that she felt the floor vibrating and loud, repetitive THUDs coming from outside. "Max the Monster!" she cried, burrowing her head into his neck. "It followed us!"

((OOC: Yay Lia! Good to see you again so soon!))

The undead dragon type was beginning to get agitated with the mansions walls. He could see them cracking under his constant Earthquakes, but they had yet to cave in.
He began to growl in frustration, but he continued to keep up the assault on its walls, he would not give up till his jaws where digging into those pokemons intestines.
His mouth began to water with the thought of it, blood mixed in with it, turning his drool into a thick red. He didn’t even notice the new scents that where also emanating from the house, oblivious to nothing but the pounding of his tail agonised brick.

The brick wall finally gave way and he was free to enter the building. Grinning that emotionless grin of his, Geo looked around for his prey.
They where no where to be seen, so they had to be in one of the many rooms, but there scent was all over the place finding the right room was going to take time. He only hoped they wouldn’t try to run again, if they did he wasn’t going to be nice and give them a painless death, no, if they ran when he finally catches them he is going to make it slow and as painful as possible.

He began to ascend the stairs, each step making a loud thud. But he didn’t care much for stealth, as long as they had no where else to run or hide, who cared how laud he was.
He slowly began to make his way to the room where he could hear the voices, the voices of the silver and green prey, and of the new soon to be prey.

Clyde hadn’t noticed the espeon lurking in the corner of the room and jumped slightly when it revealed itself, paying little attention to his presence and going over to comfort the ninetales instead. When the other psychic pokémon appeared, Clyde had regained his calm stature and offered the gardevoir a weak smile as she too entered the room. He was about to open his large jaws to speak before a peculiar sensation suddenly ran over his body.

"I am Max, this is Lalita. It is good to see uninfected, but please remain silent until I've calmed her.”

Clyde frowned as the words met his ears. He looked to the gardevoir in confusion, wondering whether he was hearing things or perhaps that she may be responsible for the mental communication. No he thought, the voice was clearly male. Looking back to the canine and feline by the window, the vigoroth presumed that the voice in his head belonged to the green creature. Content that he had worked out one mystery, his attentions were once again drawn to the ninetales. His heart ached at the sight of theses survivors; she was so distressed by the garden massacre, yet the espeon was already calming her with his kind words. He smiled painfully; images of his beloved Bonnie flashing before moist eyes. He’d hardly realized the canine had begun speaking to him and only snapped out of his trance at the sounds of the thuds intensifying.

"Max the Monster! It followed us!"

Monster, he involuntarily cringed at the use of the word. He would never be prepared to accept Bonnie was a monster, never. Turning to face the room’s entrance, the vigoroth’s fur began to bristle in apprehension, until he noted that the sounds had momentarily stopped following a particularly loud crash. Eyes widening in realization, he looked to the other survivors, slightly panicked. Whatever this ‘monster’ was, it was now in the building.
“We need to go,” Clyde stated bluntly, eyes transfixed on the entrance to the room as the thudding sounds commenced once more – slower, yet far closer. He stood on all fours – his slightly longer hind legs meaning he struggled to move like most of his species, but permitting him a simpler method of attack; launching himself at an enemy from this position was far easier. He couldn’t judge exactly how close the creature was, but he guessed they would have no more than a few minutes before he would discover exactly how ‘monstrous’ this pokémon truly was.

A white, sloth-like Pokemon greeted her with a weak smile, and Alice the Gardevoir smiled back.

I am Max, this is Lalita. It is good to see uninfected, but please remain silent until I've calmed her. The Vigoroth had looked to her, and Alice shook her head silently. A green Espeon had stepped out, yet Alice the Gardevoir wasn't surprised. She had sensed another living presence, and she was right. Max the Espeon and Lalita the Ninetales. What nice names. Deciding to introduce herself, she set out a message as well. My name is Alice. I used to live here. Suddenly, the Ninetales cried out.

Max, the Monster! It followed us!

Monster? She blinked. She had thought the dead presence she felt was simply a dead body. We need to go. The Vigoroth said. Alice nodded. Oh, if only she knew Teleport. Things would be so much easier. But her trainer wanted Shadow Ball, and she was forced to forget the move Teleport and learn Shadow Ball.

Yes, we must go before we get hurt. She floated after the Vigoroth, and looked back at the other Pokemon, hoping they would follow.

Finally calm, Lalita turned to the newcomers
"Why are you in my home?" She demanded.
Max felt the Gardevoir's response echo through his mind, My name is Alice. I used to live here. when suddenly a series of loud, repetitive THUD's coming from outside. "Max the Monster!" she cried, burrowing her head into his neck. "It followed us!"
This was confirmed by a massive echoing crash from downstairs. It was inside.

"We need to go." stated helpfully as Max scanned downstairs for their enemy. "Yup inside and headed this way."
"Yes, we must go before we get hurt," Agreed Alice aloud as she floated after the leaving Vigoroth.
Looking down at Lalita who was still huddled against him, The Espeon gently placed a paw on her neck.
"We need to move." He whispered kindly. "We should stick together. we'll be safer in a group."

Rising to face the Gardevoir who was waiting for them, The Sun pokemon sent a quick series of images to her and the Virgoroth. He showed them the Dragon and what he'd seen it do. How nothing had slowed it down and how it was fast and ridiculously powerful, but not very agile.
"Unless, you two have an ace-in-the-hole, we should definitely avoid fighting that thing."

"We need to go," said the fuzzy thing after a loud crash echoed up the stairs. Lalita just stared blankly, as though caught in some kind of trance, her eyes looking but not really seeing the two new pokemon as they prepared to leave. She felt Max gently steering her up and out of the room to follow with the others, and could only meekly nod as she allowed herself to be led away from the room she had called her home nearly all of her life. She could hear the thudding steps of the Monster Dragon as it pounded up the stairs and it brought her back to attention.

She drifted away from Max for a moment and came to a small sliding doorway, not nearly big enough for a human adult, and nudged it open revealing a dark hole. Turning back to the others, she offered a sad smile and dove into the empty space. She probably should have mentioned to them that there was an indoor slide leading down to the gardens that the Master had put in when Little Miss got over one of her more terrible illnesses. For a while it was the only way she and Lalita would go downstairs because it was so much more fun than the banister, and less dangerous. When she got to the bottom she took a quick glance around and decided the coast was clear.

"Come on down if you don't want it to see you!" she shouted up the tube. "You should all fit if you go one at a time! Only Fuzzy might have to duck on the way in." She waited at the bottom for Max and the two new creatures. It was strange though...that Gardevoir looked so familiar...Lalita shrugged. If she did recognize her from somewhere surely she would remember eventually. The best thing to do right now would be to make sure that no infected attacked while they were escaping from the building. She was in no shape to fight a demon like that but she could handle the smaller ones in the Garden.

Geo could hear his prey moving; it must hear him coming, oh how foolish of them to think they can escape his grasp.
He advanced faster now, going into what seemed like a jog that shacked the entire second floor. He wasn’t going to let them get away, not again.
He turned a corner and saw them, they where escaping down some kind of tube, he let out a low loud roar, “You are going to die!”

He charged just as the last of them went down. He tried to follow but he was just too big for just a narrow space. He began to slam his tail on the ground, mindlessly using and another Earthquake.
The entire estate shook and he continued to slam his tail on the ground. Rubble started to fall from the roof, and before he knew it, the whole building came crashing down on top of him.
He let out one last roar before he was buried alive under the building.

His prey had escaped him this time, but it wouldn’t be the last time they saw him, he would make sure of that.

Clyde had only left the room to momentarily keep an eye on the staircase before the others arrived, eager to find an escape. Before he had chance to trot after them, a series of gruesome images blinded him. Emitting a grunt in confusion as mental images of the infected haxorus flashed before his eyes, the vigoroth shook his head in irritation, before hearing the espeon’s words.

"Unless, you two have an ace-in-the-hole, we should definitely avoid fighting that thing."

“Bloody psychics,” Clyde muttered under his breath. He’d never had much experience around creatures with telepathic capabilities, but he could tell already that he was going to despise it. Grumbling to himself, he set off after the group just in time to see the ninetales disappear down what appeared to be a slide. It wasn’t an appropriate time to ask, but Clyde was rather bewildered at the idea of having a slide fitted into a house – must’ve been a family, he thought sadly.

"Come on down if you don't want it to see you! You should all fit if you go one at a time! Only Fuzzy might have to duck on the way in."

“Fuzzy?” Clyde asked aloud, strangely attracted to the insult. A smirk temporarily hit his face, however the sounds of the infected’s thuds growing in volume was enough to wipe any emotion from his features. Looking down the slide then back to his own form, he persuaded himself that the ninetales was only exaggerating, but decided the others should go first to avoid any potentially problematic events.
“I’ll go last,” The vigoroth stated. These strangers didn’t deserve to die because he was slightly podgy and he was pleased to see that they agreed. Once he was alone in front of the tube’s entrance, he was unfortunate enough to meet the undead stare of the home’s intruder. It was a great, savage creature – discolored that accursed shade of purple and coated in bloody wounds. Then, it charged. Eyes widening, Clyde wasted no time in launching himself down the slide headfirst in momentary panic; hearing the creature’s warped voice booming from behind.

When he emerged on the outside, he was relieved to find the other survivors in the vicinity and flashed an appreciative smile – he liked to presume that they’d be waiting for him, however the fact he’d only recently met them made it very unlikely. Moving over to catch up with the pokémon, Clyde began to feel the ground shudder and tremble beneath his paws, causing him to instinctively skid around to watch the demolition unfold. The infected hadn’t pursued them further but from the sight of the collapsing roof, the vigoroth could only guess that the haxorus was not pleased with the turn of events. He watched in silent awe as the creature brought the ninetale’s home crashing to the ground, relieved that all those living had been successfully evacuated.

Alice chuckled slightly at the nickname 'Fuzzy' for the Vigoroth. Then, she blinked when she saw the tube. She shrugged, leaned down, and slid down the slide. Once she was down, she got up and smiled at the Ninetales, trying to be friendly.

Once the Vigoroth, who was the last Pokemon to slide down, came down, Alice smiled at him as well. She had been waiting for him, she sensed a nice energy within him. She turned to the building, and as soon as she did, the roof collapsed. The beautiful building was pratically destroyed. Alice frowned deeply. She looked back to the other Pokemon. Where do we go now? Should we head for the National Park?

Goldenrod City|Morning

At their words, Lalita drifted over to a small hole in the wall nearby. With a sad smile, she dove forward through the hole.
"Come on down if you don't want it to see you!" her voice echoed from the bottom of what appeared to be a slide. "You should all fit if you go one at a time! Only Fuzzy might have to duck on the way in."
Max smirked at the Vigoroth as it repeated it's nickname with a strange mix of outrage and amusement.
"I'll go last," he finally stated with a nod towards the chute.
"Your choice friend." shrugged the Espeon as he dove into the hatch, after the Gardevoir. If he wanted to take the risk that was his own choice, the Sun Pokemon's only concerns at the moment were Lalita's and his own safety.

Max shot out the of the slide as massive thumps began to rock the mansion. No sooner had he skidded to a halt next to his companions, then the Vigoroth exited the hole after him, sliding to a halt on his belly. Helping the sloth to it's feet, he saw the roof and upper walls of the massive house come crashing down. Collapsed by the frustrated attacks of the dragon.
Where do we go now? Should we head for the National Park? Asked the other psychic aloud.
Not knowing the layout of the city, Max immediately turned to the Ninetails for advice. If it was on the way to one of the underground entrances, they would go. But he simply did not have the time to take any detours.

"We were headed for the underground," he explained to the others. "We're looking for someone."

((Ooc: Lalita's the guide so it's her call))

Lalita almost cried again when she saw her home crumble to the ground. Everything she had ever know, ever loved, was now gone in the blink of an eye. Where do we go now? Should we head for the National Park? the Gardevoir's voice filled her mind. Lalita shook her head at the same time Max answered. "We were headed for the underground. We're looking for someone." She walked over to Max and nuzzled the Espeon's neck softly, a silent thank you for helping her.

"I was taking him to Goldenrod Tunnel, where I last saw the Bad Men, Team Rocket. Even though they were driven out so long ago a few of them liked to still hang around there. I think they liked the easy targets," Lalita clarified, her voice soft with a hint of sorrow. "You don't have to come with us if you are looking to get out of the city. National Park is north, but we are closer to the south entrance to the Tunnel. The north exit of the Tunnel is close to the north exit of the city though, if you want to join us..." She wasn't sure how Max would feel about her inviting the other two with them, but she would feel better about their chances of making back out if there were other experienced fighters in their group besides the Espeon himself.

Lalita got distracted for a moment as she looked out around the Garden and quietly she padded over to a small body partially hidden beneath a fallen table. Gently pulling the furniture away she finally took in the grotesque appearance of her Little Miss. It had been a while since the attack it seemed, for the body was starting to sag and the open flesh of her throat was rotting away. The smell was putrid, but Lalita didn't care, still lowering her head to slip off her collar and tear off a small tag, placing the glittering ID gently in the girl's hand. "It was here I died," she whispered mournfully. "Watching you go killed a part of me I can never get back. So I leave this with you, Little Miss. So that your dear pet Lalita can rest with you always. But now there are those who need me, so it is time for me to finally move on, and for the first time in my life...be wild."

A small tear ran down her cheek as she slipped the collar back on and turned back to the others. But, something was different this time. Unlike before, Lalita's head was held up high, her stride filled with purpose as she went back to Max's side. A smile was ghosting itself across her face as raised a paw to her collar. "Now it can just be a memento, rather than a brand. I do not have to carry the weight of her death around my neck any longer, for now it will just be the memory of her embrace."

Lalita gave one final look at the young girl who had so lovingly raised her, and smiled. "Let's go." She said, her voice sounding as though the weight of the world had been lifted from her shoulders. Giving Max a bright smile she nodded her head in the direction they should go before starting out that way. She had never felt this kind of freedom before, and hopefully, with Max and everyone else's help, she could finally learn to be a true, wild, Ninetales.

((OOC: *sniffle* I actually started to cry when I wrote Lalita's closure with Little Miss. But from now on the only thing that will be haunting this lovely Ninetales will be her own pretty tails constantly tripping her ^_^))

(Please skip me, Geo is just buried under the rubble of the house.)

Clyde flashed an appreciative smile at the espeon who had kindly helped him to his feet. Brushing away any dust that had lodged itself in his white fur, he soon turned his attention to the other psychic’s question to which she was quickly offered an answer. The underground? the vigoroth thought uneasily. He’d been foolish enough to search the area for any morsels of food a few weeks ago and had only narrowly escaped a pair of infected mightyena lurking within the shadows. Instead of voicing his concerns, Clyde kept his mouth shut. He understood the pain of trying to find somebody, and any lead or idea is worth pursuing, regardless of the danger that may accompany it. He was brought back to reality as the ninetales’ words began to register in his mind.

"You don't have to come with us if you are looking to get out of the city. National Park is north, but we are closer to the south entrance to the Tunnel. The north exit of the Tunnel is close to the north exit of the city though, if you want to join us..."

Clyde wasn’t sure about the offer of joining Max and Lalita. Of course, without them that horrendous creature would’ve slaughtered him as he slept, but he sensed such a strong bond between the pair that part of him refused to disturb whatever happiness they’d found in this dismal world. Before he had chance to reply, he watched as the ninetales moved into the garden and approached what appeared to be a decaying human corpse. Looking down out of respect, he guessed that the ninetales had some strong connection to the girl and felt a desperate need to avoid intruding or inspecting an emotional moment. Instead, he spent the moment viewing the ground beneath his long, albeit blunt claws, trying to block memories of his own losses from his head. This wasn’t a time for mourning. He should move on and embrace these new pokémon rather than go back to sobbing over an infected whilst trying to get a moment’s peace in this damn epidemic. With a sigh, he looked back up as the ninetales returned. He’d made up his mind.
“I-If it’s okay with you, I’d be honored to join you,” Clyde answered softly with a smile. He felt somewhat awkward asking permission to join these two friends, but guessed that the gardevoir was in the same situation. “Oh, it’s Clyde by the way,” He quickly added, remembering that the espeon had sent the names of both himself and the ninetales telepathically when they’d been back in the building. With a crooked smile, he got to his feet – all fours, as usual; ”Although, I could get used to Fuzzy.”

I was taking him to Goldenrod Tunnel, where I last saw the Bad Men, Team Rocket. Even though they were driven out so long ago a few of them liked to still hang around there. I think they liked the easy targets.You don't have to come with us if you are looking to get out of the city. National Park is north, but we are closer to the south entrance to the Tunnel. The north exit of the Tunnel is close to the north exit of the city though, if you want to join us... The Ninetales answered Alice. I would like to join you this group, if I am allowed to. The Gardevoir nodded. Maybe, as she traveled with these Pokemon, she could find her beloved trainer.

The Ninetales, Lalita, was by a human. Alice didn't dare bother her, Alice knew when not to get involved. The Ninetales returned, looking pleased, and started off to the underground. Alice was impressed. You are strong, Lalita the Ninetales... The Gardevoir floated after Lalita.

"I was taking him to Goldenrod Tunnel, where I last saw the Bad Men, Team Rocket. Even though they were driven out so long ago a few of them liked to still hang around there. I think they liked the easy targets," Lalita clarified, softly. "You don't have to come with us if you are looking to get out of the city. National Park is north, but we are closer to the south entrance to the Tunnel. The north exit of the Tunnel is close to the north exit of the city though, if you want to join us..."
She quietly padded over to the prone body of a small human girl."Her trainer." Max's heart lurched as she removed the glittering ID that had hung around her neck and whispered a few soft words to the corpse before walking back to them, with her head held high.
"Let's go." said the Ninetails, giving Max a bright smile.
“I-If it’s okay with you, I’d be honored to join you,” declared the Vigoroth with a crooked smile. “Oh, it’s Clyde by the way, although, I could get used to Fuzzy.”
"I would like to join you this group, if I am allowed to." Chimed in Alice mentally. It felt strange actually receiving these messages instead of just sending them.

With a crooked grin of his own, the Sun Pokemon took in their odd group.
"Of course you're both welcome," He grinned. "All that muscle and psychic power can only help." So with a final smile the shining emerald cat loped forward to walk beside the other shiny.

((Ooc: naw shucks))

“I-If it’s okay with you, I’d be honored to join you. Oh, it’s Clyde by the way, although, I could get used to Fuzzy.”

"I would like to join you this group, if I am allowed to."

Lalita gave Clyde a sheepish smile. She remembered the silly name she had used when calling them down the slide and felt bad she hadn't realized if it might have bothered him. "I'm so sorry Mr. Clyde," she said sweetly. "I didn't mean to offend, if I did. I just honestly have no idea what you are. All I can tell is that you are big and furry, so I figured everyone would know who I meant if I said Fuzzy." she blushed with embarrassment. She knew she would probably still be calling him Fuzzy even though he did tell her his name, so she was happy that he was okay with it. Lalita turned to the Gardevoir who spoke and nodded her head, smiling.

She was glad when Max gave the affirmative that they could come along. She liked the feeling of being part of a big group. He bounded up beside her and together she led the way to the South entrance of Goldenrod Tunnel. Taking a quick glance around she crept up to the opening and peeked inside. It was dark inside, really dark. Who knew how long it had been since the light worked down there. With a heavy sigh she turned back to Max and gave a small frown. "I'm not really sure how we are going to be able to see down there. It looks like the power has been out for some time."

((Long time no see~ Skip me, death is near!))