(ACE) The STARK Team

((Skip, Vale's sleeping))

“For a minute, I thought you were making a run for it,” Sahara snorted, she wouldn't bother trying to run. Even if circumstances changed, he would probably hunt her down and kill her anyway. Yep, she was pretty sure he would. He stepped evercloser to her, until they were face to face. Sahara's mouth curved into an arrogant smirk as she met his gaze with her own. “What is it?”
Where should she begin... She pondered for a moment, afterwards deciding with the little Grass-Type's skepticism.
"Our Bayleef friend appears to have doubts on my claim.", much poison in the word 'friend', "They had a conversation they were careful I did not hear, I believe it was something regarding your 'death'."

With that said, she moved on to a bigger topic. Literally. "However, the Aggron appears to be blindly trusting. He has done favors for us beginning from the time we met." Despite her distaste for speaking, she couldn't help the need to ask one question with a renewed bloodlust, "When shall we make our move?"

"Our Bayleef friend appears to have doubts on my claim. They had a conversation they were careful I did not hear, I believe it was something regarding your 'death'."

Gaear huffed, a glimmer of a smile emerging on his hardened features at the thought of the Bayleef attempting to outsmart them. The cowardly creature had been smarter than he’d given him credit, an extent of respect forming alongside the desire to decapitate his clever, little head. Of course, Carl remained blind to the obvious but his paranoia, no doubt, would lead to his own questioning of Sahara’s ‘good’ intentions. Frowning at this turn of events, Gaear had never expected one of his playthings to become suspicious and was already altering his plan accordingly. Vale would have to go first.

"However, the Aggron appears to be blindly trusting. He has done favors for us beginning from the time we met. When shall we make our move?"

Pondering this new information, Gaear found his initial intentions becoming increasingly useless. Although strong, this Aggron creature had been described as particularly dim-witted. Keep him in the dark and he might escape this mess without another scar to his collection, murder may not be necessary after all. The Bayleef however – the Haxorus was unwilling to wait much longer whilst the creature’s words continued to taint the group’s judgement.
“Soon,” He responded quietly, still engrossed in his own thoughts. “You need to get the Bayleef alone. Kill him first. If the Aggron is as oblivious as you say, he can wait,” Content with the updated plot, the Haxorus flashed a brief, sinister smile at his protégé. Adding almost dangerously as he turned to make his leave, “I take it you won’t fail me, Sahara…”

(( Skipping Carl again, sorry. He'll be up and about on my next turn. :3 ))

[[Skip-- sound asleep]]

“Soon, You need to get the Bayleef alone. Kill him first. If the Aggron is as oblivious as you say, he can wait,” Good. That was exactly what she wanted to hear. Gaear shot a smile before turning away, “I take it you won’t fail me, Sahara…” She didn't have anything to add as Gaear went off on his own. She was not going to fail.
Alone, she sat and wondered how she would be able to get that pesky Vale alone. With his apparent distrust of her, it wasn't going to be an easy task. But she'd figure something out...

Speaking of which, she needed to be getting back. If they were awake, she would have some excuses to make, and they likely would doubt her even more. But she had a plan, so it was all good...
The wooded area was glowing brightly with the morning sun, but Sahara paid no attention to the semi-nice day beginning. She was sniffing around for something important. Finally, her nose led her to precisely what she needed. A Undead Pidgeotto's corpse laid against a tree, for what reason it was already dead was beyond her. She examined it before she picked it up, careful she didn't get any of it's blood in her mouth. The Fire-Type whirled around and headed back to the cave with the others, carrying the dead-undead bird with her.

Carl, having found a blissful tranquillity within his dreams, found himself disturbed by a thin ray of sunlight penetrating the gloom of the cave. It had been nice for a couple of minutes, a pleasant warmth accompanying the light but the novelty had quickly worn off. Despite attempting to shuffle out of the beam’s path, the Meowth, upon succeeding in his efforts, was now thoroughly awake.
“Urgh…” He gave a defeated groan, lying sprawled out of his side as his wide eyes, fixed open, stared tiredly at the cave wall. A few minutes of stretching his limbs, not satisfied until each joint gave a unpleasant pop, Carl eventually found the energy to shift into a sitting position.

Yawning, his features still drowsed, Carl had slept pleasantly. Concerns of his current predicament had been washed away by flights of wild fantasy, leaving the feline refreshed and surprisingly upbeat. Smiling to himself as his gaze wandered across the lightening cave, absorbing each resting figure in turn, it wasn’t until he noticed a certain someone’s absence that the previous’ day’s demons came creeping back to the forefront of his mind.
“Sahara?” He asked aloud, his volume inconsiderate for his slumbering companions. The cat’s rejuvenation abruptly marred at the canine’s disappearance, Vale’s words echoed within his twitching ears. Frowning as he rose to his feet, he trotted lazily towards the cave’s entrance, squinting against the sunlight. It was quiet, deserted. The place was practically a ghost town.

Heaving a sigh, the Meowth returned to the depths of the cave, unsure of what to think. Half of him wanted to believe the canine had run off, simply abandoned them – but with the Bayleef’s suspicions, Carl’s paranoia was flourishing. There were perfectly logical reasons for her absence, hunting trip, getting some water, whatever. But, something just seemed… off.

Vale's own sleep had been dreamless, a void of nothingness accmopanying his body's rest. He hadn't dreamed since his trainer had abandoned him in the gloom of Ilex forest, the fleeting pleasures of sleep seemingly gone forever from his nights. Warmth and light soothed his plant body, gently rousing him from his slumber as a mother would her young. He eyes slowly opened to its call, the grand leaf atop his head and the rolled leaves around his neck yearning for the sun's touch. He raised his head a little, if only to give the leaves what they wished and yawned, his sleepy mind catching up with what he'd missed.

At first, the cave's mouth seemed foreign, but the bushel of berries and the waking meowth beside him quickly reminded him of last night's happenings. What a long night that had been... He offered a soft, "Morning," to Carl, but didn't recieve a reply. Instead, the cat seemed a bit more distracted by something else.

“Sahara?" he called, which sent Vale's leaves on edge, immediately erasing any remnants of sleep. He swiveled his head around to where she'd been sleeping, and turned back to Carl, frightened she was no longer there.

"Sh-She's gone?" he asked in a terrified, hushed whisper. The fear was already evident in his voice, his legs beginning to tremble as he stood upon them.

Just as he'd suspected, both Vale and Carl tried their best to pretend that there was nothing wrong and that their previous expressions of doubt and worry had been a trick of the light or something. Smith huffed, placing his hands on his belly as he trudged outside. "Whatever. Yer better get some rest. I'll do the night watch." However, after an hour of sitting outside, staring at the moon's reflection on the water and musing over the day's events - including how miraculously quickly Sahara's wound had healed - Smith finally dozed off.

"Sahara?"
"Sh-She's gone?"

"Urgh ... wha'?" Groaning himself awake, Smith shielded his eyes from the bright sunlight as he hauled himself up off the ground. "Wha's goin' on?" Rubbing the dust from his eyes, he took a look around. Vale and Carl were there, but indeed there was no sign of Sahara. "Hmph." Marching straight past the smaller Pokemon, Smith grunted as his aching bones creaked at the effort to move so soon after waking up. "I'll check out the surrounding area. Yer better stay 'ere in case she comes back."

Dang. As she neared the entrance of the cave, she could hear the others talking, and her name spoken. She had arrived too late, and the case called for the exact reason she brought the bird. It was time for her to put on her best poker face and tell another lie.
She walked to the front of the cave and dropped the dead bird, "Undead was lurking too close." Hopefully they would again believe her. After all, she did have 'the' body to prove it. "Chased it down while you all were sleeping."

Aaaand straight for the false heroism she went. She didn't expect anyone to fully believe her, but that wasn't really a big deal as long as they couldn't prove she had went to see Gaear.
Sahara turned away and headed to the stream just a little ways away, determined to rinse away the foul taste of the Undead. After doing so, she stepped back into the cave and sat down casually, "What shall we do today?"

His concern only heightening with Vale’s equally as fearful reaction to the canine’s disappearance, the Meowth subconsciously moved closer to the grass-type. He wanted to think Sahara had made a run for it and had no intention of returning, but Carl’s mind was plagued by all manner of worst case scenarios with the Bayleef’s suspicions at the centre. Paranoia of her true intentions was eating away at his rationality, the thought of Gaear constantly seeping in to torture his aching head. To think he’d actually thought he was going to be okay! To think that the bastard was truly dead! Idiot!

"I'll check out the surrounding area. Yer better stay 'ere in case she comes back."

Carl was appreciative of Smith’s appearance, smiling weakly past the worry contorting his features, confident that the steel-type would do them no harm. He’d given them food, shelter, water and safety – the cat drilled in the idea that Smith was a good guy and not, as his wandering thoughts suggested, in league with Sahara. Hell, Sahara might be innocent too! Yet, he found himself struggling to think of her in a good light with so much newfound suspicion trailing her form. Speak of the devil, as she slipped onto the scene – a dead bird dropped before her.

”Undead was lurking too close. Chased it down while you all were sleeping."

Carl was speechless. He had nothing to say, all his frantic ideas shot dead with the female’s return. It was normal an excuse enough, right? The cat looked across to Vale, his expression a curious combination of confusion and relief – searching for guidance from the intelligent, observant grass-type. He had come to trust Vale, knowing he possessed a logic and attentiveness far beyond his own which now, he was becoming obsessively reliant on. In the time Carl had concocted a potential response, Sahara had left to clean off and had now returned to the group, completely at home.

"What shall we do today?”

“Erm…” So much for that logical response. Suddenly doubting his suspicions, the canine’s nonchalant demeanour easing his frenzied mind, Carl simply fell back into a sitting position. He wasn’t about to go slinging accusations at the female – she was a good battler and not bad to look at, after all – but was still struggling to dispel the new feelings of distrust. Turning to Smith for leadership, he managed a weak smile. “… A-Any ideas there, big guy?”

There was no real reply to his inquiry, which really only succeeded in making Vale even more frightened. Just what was she doing away from them? Plotting? Hunting? Both-- for Carl and him? His thoughts ran rampant as the fear quickly took hold of his mind, paranoia and imagination blending into one hideous creature that distinctly resembled both an arcanine and dragon. His heart thumped heavy in his chest as another sound greeted his senses-- Smith waking.

"I'll check out the surrounding area. Yer better stay 'ere in case she comes back," he concluded valiantly, but Vale's eyes widened in terror. No, he couldn't leave them alone! Sahara had not only level, but a hideous type advantage on him, and was likely much faster than he. Even if he managed to gain a head start in running, she would catch up. No matter what.

"NO--!" he cried, far more forceful and terrified than he would have liked to let on. He paused, clearing his throat; panicking would only make things worse. Maybe he could even warn Smith against her-- tell him what he thought was happening. After all, he was a stranger to Gaear, right? If they were in league, they would have died in the night. He glanced to Carl, unsure if speaking out was the right course of action. "I-I mean... I don't think that's such a good idea... Smith, I need to tell you somethin--" But as he spoke, he caught a sight of orange and black and immediately shut his trap.

She emerged from the brush, a bird firm in her jaws, which, upon bridging the gap to them, was dropped promptly at their feet. Vale swallowed, the sight a bit too gruesome for his liking. ”Undead was lurking too close. Chased it down while you all were sleeping."

A likely story... "Th-Thank you, Sahara..." He caught eyes once more with Carl, uncertainty writted over the bayleef's face. The meowth sported one of surprise and shock, but Vale felt that weight in his gut still. Giving the cat the slightest of a shake of the head, he turned back to Sahara, attempting to mask his fear. He took an inward breath and returned to the conversation at hand, as the arcanine asked the events for the day.

"What shall we do today?”

“Erm…” It looked like Carl was about as ready for an answer as Vale was. “… A-Any ideas there, big guy?” he passed the question to Smith, to whom Vale looked as well. He had absolutely no idea; he just wanted to see tomorrow.

(OoC - Sorry, I gotta skip. No computer at the moment, using my phone. ^^; Plus, Sahara doesn't really have anything to say lolz. Anybody have some destination ideas? I have, like, nothin' lol. I'll try to have something next round.)

(( I’m going to have to skip too. I need Nightfall’s response before I can write anything much. ^^; ))

[[Skip me, too. lol, maybe the team should go on hold at this point D|]]

Smith had to say that he felt relieved when he saw Sahara return safely, but couldn't help but think that her disappearance had been odd. After Carl and Vale's little panic during the night, he started to think that their anxiety had been something to do with her; they seemed less than overjoyed by her return. Vale had ran after him as he had started to trudge away, nattering something about wanting to talk to him. Smith made a mental note to get back to him on that later. One piece of the puzzle at a time, old lad.

"Undead was lurking too close," said Sahara, dropping a dead bird at their feet; Smith sniffed in distaste at the sight of it, and promptly kicked it away. "Chased it down while you all were sleeping." The Aggron grunted as he watched the mangled body of the bird hit a nearby tree and land in a bloodied heap. "Just be more careful, lass," he said, hauling his massive body round to observe his surroundings now that they were bathed in sunlight.

"What shall we do today?"
"Erm...A-Any ideas there, big guy?"

Smith was just observing a very tasty-looking rock when he turned to see that all three of them were staring at him. "Hmph. Well, we can try not to get ourselves killed, for starters. Why the fuck is it my decision to make? I've only been here for six fuckin' hours." He sighed, placing his hands on his large belly as he looked down at the ground, observing their footprints from the night before. "Suppose we could head back to the town and see if there's anythin' worth using. Can't exactly go east because that route is blocked by the sea, and the mountain's not exactly in a good way." Casting a sorrowful look up at his mountain, Smith gave his back a quick scratch as he stomped off back the way they'd come the night before. "Yer comin' or what?"

"Hmph. Well, we can try not to get ourselves killed, for starters. Why the fuck is it my decision to make? I've only been here for six fuckin' hours. Suppose we could head back to the town and see if there's anythin' worth using. Can't exactly go east because that route is blocked by the sea, and the mountain's not exactly in a good way." The Steel-Type said. At least it was some sort of plan, and it involved then staying together somewhat. Sahara hated being stuck there due to the sea, water sucked. She would definitely traverse Stark Mountain before trying to take on the wretched sea.

"Yer comin' or what?" Sahara cut a chilling gaze over the others before rising to her paws and trotting past Smith without a word.
She pushed open the door to a little shack and ducked slightly to fit into the doorframe, looking inside for anything worth grabbing. Even Sahara's eyes widened a little at the indoors of the house. The walls had holes punched in them, the furniture was flipped over, and most disturbingly, blood was smeared on every inch of the wall along with limbs of Pokémon lying on the floor in puddles of crimson.

What... happened here? she wondered silently. While weird things were to be expected, it looked like someone had been put in a blender, and the result was splashed on the walls.
Sahara's footfalls thumped against the wooden floor as she exited the scene, appreciating the (semi) fresh air VS. the overwhelming scent of death inside the house. Onward the canine went, continuing her scavenge for supplies...

Smith watched Sahara as she silently padded past him, his mind trying to fit together the pieces of this very complicated puzzle. Maybe it was just Carl and Vale being paranoid pussies, maybe it wasn't. The Aggron tried to think of a way that he could possibly find an answer to that as he followed the eerily silent canine over to an abandoned shack. Then, he remembered the wound she had come out of the 'fight' with and how quickly it had apparently healed, and got an idea.

"Be careful, lass," Smith warned the Fire-type as she entered the shack. Smith barely managed to squeeze himself through the door. "Yer never know what little beasts might be hidin' in places like this." He paused for a few moments to examine some of the leftovers of the Pokemon that had once been in there; the sight and smell of the blood did not phase him whatsoever. He was more than used to it, and most of the time he had been the one to punch it out of the mouths and noses of his opponents in the arena back at Galactic HQ.

When he was sure that he had feigned a genuine interest in the place, he turned to Sahara with a quiet "Oh" and controlled his voice so that it sounded concerned rather than suspicious. "How's that wound of yers feeling, lass? Mind if I take a look to see if it's healed some?"

Now, this was going to be interesting. There was either a wound there, or there wasn't. If there was then surely she would let him have a look at it. If she didn't allow him to look, then he was prepared to calmly ask her why not. And her response was going to be most intriguing.

Well, safe to say the last thing she expected on this trip was an inquiry about her "injury". "How's that wound of yers feeling, lass? Mind if I take a look to see if it's healed some?" Sahara grimaced, facing away from the Aggron. She hadn't thought of a solution for that particular question. Arceus was probably laughing at her as she thought quickly and carefully on what to say. She couldn't afford to get Smith suspicious of her too, but how could she go about showing him a wound that didn't exist? "... Alright. Just give me one moment to check this house," she said, walking on towards the next house, "Feels as if the wound opened back up."

Entering the house, she half expected to find a room full of plushies and pillows - The exact opposite of what she needed. That was just her crappy luck. She pulled the door closed behind her with the aid of her tail, eyes scanning the room for something... Living room was pretty much useless, the same as the last house, though with less carnage. The kitchen however...
A rusty piece of metal stuck out of the wall, the edge sharp as a blade. Perfect. If I get tetanus, someone is going to pay... She sighed, looking over herself for the general area the wound was supposedly located.

Sahara pressed her body against the sharp metal, giving a flinch as the blade-like metal cut into her soft flesh. She dragged herself across it, giving her a fairly deep, horizontal wound. Her fur around the wound dyed red, running down to drip on the floor.
She still bled red like everyone else, whether or not it was a comfort to the twisted canine, she wasn't sure. But it didn't mean much since even the worst of humans still had crimson blood, when the likes of them should've had black. Especially him. That human...

Sufficiently injured, the Fire-Type picked up Super Potion from under the table she casually flipped over (As if the room wasn't already screwed enough), and headed out the door to meet back up with Smith.

(OoC - Oh Sahara, you're so devious, flippin' tables and stuff lolz.)

"Hmph. Well, we can try not to get ourselves killed, for starters. Why the fuck is it my decision to make? I've only been here for six fuckin' hours."

Smith was notoriously blunt with his response, averse to making the group’s decision but clearly the best candidate to do so. Carl himself knew as much about this region as he did brain surgery, Vale’s mind was tainted by paranoia and it was unlikely they could even trust Sahara. Smith, although unwilling, was their best shot at a leader. The Meowth listened to him intently, nodding along with his words and making an effort to stop himself from staring at the suspicious fire-type. The glance he did steal were met with a look that chilled him to the very bone. Biting his tongue, fur bristling in concern, Carl allowed the powerhouses to lead the way.

The Meowth, far more comfortable in the presence of the docile grass-type chose to hang back accordingly. The other two were wandering in and out of a number of abandoned houses in the close distance, but the feline wanted no such part in scavenging. The berries had sufficiently satisfied his appetite and although his appearance was battered, scratches decorating his scruffy form, he felt no pain. In fact, weren’t it for the vicious paranoia gradually flourishing in the back of his mind, Carl would be quite happy.

(( Blargh, short. Dx ))

Smith, though initially intimidating at first, had generously offered to go and fetch some supplies and such from the houses nearby. Vale was an adept scavenger, having to fend for himself in forests not unlike these, and found much enjoyment out of it. It was one of the few things he prided himself in. However, as they were about to leave the small cave, the chilling glare Sahara tossed at them was enough to stay Vale's feet. Surely... surely, she wouldn't do something with Smith there...? But his fear stayed him, keeping him firmly beside Carl.

Once they were out of earshot, Vale's mind went immediately to the forest just beyond them. What if Gaear was still alive, or even watching them now? They were alone, their only protection gone with a traitor. He swallowed hard, his fear already bubbling on his face. "...Carl," he whispered softly, trying not to let the fear into his voice, "Carl, we should get to Smith..."

Smith silently nodded to himself as Sahara turned away from him, hesitating in her response. He had the right mind the slam the Arcanine against the wall by her throat and threaten the information out of her, but what would that do? Not only would it be a wicked thing to do to a female, but it would only reveal his suspicions in one move. He needed to be more discreet about this; move his way in slowly; to fool Sahara into thinking that he was falling for all of this. Don't jump to conclusions, old lad, he thought to himself. See what she has to say for herself before yer go makin' accusations.

"... Alright. Just give me one moment to check this house," Sahara finally replied, padding outside and over to the next house. "Feels as if the wound opened back up." No, yer'll fuckin' show me now, Smith's head growled, but he managed to keep quiet. He considered following Sahara into the settlement, but instead decided to see what would happen when she came back out ... if she came out. It crossed Smith's mind that she might find a window and escape around the back and he kept an eye out just in case, but within a couple of minutes she was back.

"Done, lass?" Smith feigned his best smile as he trudged over to join her. "Let's 'ave a look then." He gently moved aside some of her long fur and saw that, indeed, there was a wound. A very, very fresh one. Smith had seen enough injuries in his time to know how old they were, and this one was only about a minute old. Before the thought of slamming his fist into Sahara's spine and stunning her came into reality, he stopped himself. Yer don't know everythin'. Yer might be completely wrong. Just go along with it fer now.

"Well you were right about that," he quietly mumbled, examining the wound closely. "We'll see if we can find yer some dressing from the Pokemon Cen-- oh shit, it's destroyed ain't it?" Sighing, the Aggron raised himself back up to full height and idly scratched his back as he looked around. "Where did the two lads get to?"

Sahara cursed herself for about every hair on her tail; Ridiculous. She spat in her mind, At this rate, I'll probably be hung. It was a bitter taste in the canine's mouth. Did she simply radiate 'evil'? If she had really prevailed against the Dragon, would they still believe her to be a menace?
These things threatened to weigh her mind down. She didn't need that now, her thinking needed to be sharper than before, ready to make the next call without hesitating.

"Done, lass?" Sahara dropped her Super Potion on the ground with a quick nod. "Let's 'ave a look then." She couldn't stop her fur from bristling at his touch, and she had to stifle the low growl threatening to be heard. Just leave me alone...
"Well you were right about that, we'll see if we can find yer some dressing from the Pokemon Cen-- oh shit, it's destroyed ain't it?" Was Smith's quiet response. Yep, she enjoyed leveling that place. She needed to knock over a building more often. Sahara picked up the Super Potion and spoke a bit muffled, "T'is fine." She sunk her fangs into the plastic container and medicine spurted from the punctures. The medicine dulled the aching wound, admittedly it was only for show.

"Where did the two lads get to?" Sahara shrugged. Keeping tabs on the dynamic duo wasn't her top priority at that moment. Confound you, Undead! If only a decent Undead would've shown it's face, 'valiant' Sahara could've sparred against it 'for' the group. Or something touching like that.

"...Carl. Carl, we should get to Smith..."

The Meowth offered the nervous grass-type a weak smile, lightly shaking his head at the suggestion. Carl had been thinking of their predicament, trying to piece together a rational means to escape the potential threat of Sahara as well as discover the truth of her fight with Gaear. In the whole five minutes dedicated to such ideas, Carl had salvaged only one plan – run. To get the hell away from this area; out of the region altogether! It had worked throughout his life and it seemed his best bet now.

“Why don’t we just go?” Carl asked, turning to face the Bayleef with a newfound optimism. “Leave psycho Sahara and hightail it outta here, yeah? Smith’ll be a’right, he’s a strong guy – might take offense to us running off but who the fuck cares?! Something’s up and I ain’t gonna hang around to see what it is,” The Meowth looked over his shoulder, fearing the return of the duo before he could disappear. But still, he waited. Vale had saved his ass once; it was only fair he offer the guy an escape route too.

“We’ll just grab some supplies and go, eh? Won’t take a sec,” Without waiting for an answer, the feline had trotted towards one of the first buildings, hovering by the doorway. Grinning, presuming that Vale would be in agreement with his suggestion, Carl turned to investigate – his mind failing to register the glint of metal against the morning sun.

Strangely, instead of agreeing with him, the meowth gave a kindly shake of the head to Vale's suggestion. The bayleef, confused and more than a little worried as to what was wrong, sat in silence, waiting for the cat to explain himself. “Why don’t we just go?” The simple question came as a surprise to Vale, especially with how optimistic the usually paranoid cat spoke it. “Leave psycho Sahara and hightail it outta here, yeah? Smith’ll be a’right, he’s a strong guy – might take offense to us running off but who the fuck cares?! Something’s up and I ain’t gonna hang around to see what it is.”

"But--" Vale began to protest, but soon found himself speechless. Leaving the two behind to forge a new path and life with a new partner... The more he turned it over in his mind, the better it sounded. They could get away quickly enough from the terrifying arcanine and, if Gaear was still out there, from him, too. They could make it. They just had to leave... “We’ll just grab some supplies and go, eh? Won’t take a sec.” Carl soon began to leave, heading out and away toward another building. Vale swallowed and nodded, catching up to the meowth quickly.

"Y-Yeah, I... I like this plan," he said softly, giving Carl a small smile in return. "We can get away from them and start over someplace else, right?"

(OoC - Skip. D: I be talking to Snitch about plot stuff, and I don't know if I'll have time to post afterwards.)