The RAGE Team

[Skip, no time ouo;; Nahele is probably feeling a heavy chestload of feelings, but nonetheless, turned to others about the decision of leaving Maggy]

(OoC-I'm really sorry, please skip me...I'm not feeling good)

Cairo had flown, his wings scraping the edges of the cavern as he flapped against the stagnant chilled air within the cave. His eyes were set firmly on the little ivysaur that ran ahead of him, as well as Mags and the little treeko. The grass starters led the way, and eventually, little Olle found a warm, bright portal to the outside world. Freedom!

With a happy trill escaping him, he somersaulted and barrel-rolled out, the warm winds embracing his near frozen limbs. A sigh of relief escaped him, when he heard the others speak. Quickly making his way back to the others, he landed nearby and watched the debate for himself. "Everyone, go! Just run ahead, I'll catch up later." Cairo's antennae rose in shock and dread-- no! She couldn't take on whatever was chasing them all by herself! "My trainer used to tell me I was amazing bait, heh!"

Cairo shook his head. "'Bait'?!" he cried, waddling closer to her. "There's no need-- we could collapse the entrance! Make it so they can't get out!"

Poseidon ran behind the group, he could easily slide out, but with the others in front of him, that would be hard to acomplish.
He was never a fast runner because of his short legs, but he managed to keep pace with the others till he felt the warn light of the sun hit his face.
The warmth was plesent, but he would have liked to stay in the cave awhile longer. He enjoyed the cold, but because of his comanions, he knew that they couldn't stay in there much longer.
"I guess your glade to finally be out of there." He said as he looked to the others. He would smile, but his beak wouldn't alow for that, but its shap could still look like one though.

He turned when he heard someone mention being bait, and that word was something he hated hearing.
"Cairo is right, I could even freeze the entrance over with my Ice Beam." He stated, as he looked at the Meganium. "At least we can then get far away before the sun melts it, or whatever is after us brakes through." He looked to everyone in turn, wondering if they had a better idea.

Olle couldn’t believe his ears, Magnolia wanted to act as bait so the rest could get away, it was either the most foolish thing he had ever heard, or the most selfless thought he had ever heard. This grass pokemon who they had barely meet in the ice cave was willing to risk her life for pokemon she had barely meet. And although it was such a generous act, Olle would not have it.

They were currently a team right now, and those in teams did not leave others out to dry when things look bad, they are supposed to come together and help each other, one of the few things he learned while being a trainer’s pokemon. And it made him a bit bitter towards her trainer who she said was the one who said she made excellent bait. He may not have been the favorite, or the best on the team, but his trainer would never make any of his pokemon bait, so the thought of another human doing that to Magnolia made his stomach churn.

Luckily he didn’t have to speak up about it, almost everyone else was in agreement about her decision, she would not have to sacrifice herself for them. Instead they threw up the idea to block the exit. “Oh, you have ice attacks?! That would be perfect to block the exit!” Poseidon looked like a water type, so Olle figured all the pokemon knew was water type moves, but he was also slightly ashamed that he thought the water starter would be perfect for subduing Locke if he went on a rampage again, ice being one of the few weaknesses of dragons.

“Hurry and ice the exit, before they get any closer and it becomes too late.” Yeah, Olle had basically commanded Poseidon, but in his defense, he was down right near panicking at that moment.

((Anyone know what route number it is they're on?))

Magnolia was admittedly a bit disappointed with everyone's refusal to her plan, after all, she wanted to prove her worth. The Meganium never felt at ease when she only knew defensive and healing moves, it was like she was worthless! Then again... She was worth more alive than dead. A thin smile spread across her lips. "Collapse the entrance and ice beam over it, it would make the barrier stronger." she murmured, looking back out to where they arrived.

Ruined, barely-standing houses littered the area, the Pokemon Center in shambles with some sand covering the dirty ground. "Blackthorne. We're in Blackthorne." Magnolia said in amazement, surprised they were even able to get out of that labyrinth. The sun made her feel much, much better and she closed her eyes to bask in the golden rays for a moment, tired.

Nahele had to admit that her mind went blank between the points of escaping the Ice Caves and out toward a city, all she knew was that Maggy -- whom she now considers a friend -- was alive and well (thank Arceus that she was not bait), and that the caves were blocked off with more ice and now collapsed. How the Treecko did not react much to these slight turn in events was something she could never figure out. The sun was out shining above the sky like a normal day, sure the sky seemed the same, but the ground was entirely different. In front of the group laid several broken wood planks that scattered the city, houses barely standing...

"Blackthorne. We're in Blackthorne." The Meganium murmured, Nahele blinked, her grip on the spear loosened, but not loose enough to drop it. The Hoenn Starter sat on a nearby rock and putting all her weight on the spear that stood pointed down toward the dirt. The mask on Nahele started to feel weird, but never did she take it off, even if she wanted more air. She let out a breath of relief before giggling, then finally laughing, "We actually got out of that frozen hell-hole. Sun's nice." She faced her attention toward the group, unsure if the big-ass Penguin or the Dragon with the little guy ever heard her name. Nahele shrugged it off, they would hear it later on, she fixed her gaze at the houses, "I guess we should look for food?"

Despite being a tribe member, Nahele had to admit that the job of looking for food is not her responsibility, rather a certain Flygon friend of her's. Homesickness began to settle in her stomach, the Treecko wondering whether Belladona had survived the outbreak. It would be nice to see her trusted partner as well as a considered older sister.

"Blackthorne. We're in Blackthorne." the Meganium breathlessly.

Locke looked up into the sky as he stepped out of the caverns, his eyes bright as he raised his claws up to soak up as much sun as he could.
"Ye-heah! We made it!" the Teasel exclaimed, bouncing off of the dragons' shoulder and pranced about, shaking himself and rolling on the warm dirt as he giggled.

"We actually got out of that frozen hell-hole. Sun's nice." the little plant type said, almost surprised as she laughed. "I guess we should look for food?"

Lockes' toothy grin appeared once more, his large teeth glinting in the sunlight.
"Oh! Cairo! Can we!? Can we get some food?! Come on!~ I'm starved!"
He exclaimed as he flailed about the Flygon in excitement.

Crusher looked at the barricaded cave entrance, then to the whole group. The smile disappeared from his maw as he realized that it meant.
I can't...go back home...

(OoC- I'm sorry for skipping so much, things have settled down a bit now.)

Cairo heaved a heavy sigh of relief when the mouth of the cave was sealed, separating them from the mysterious pursuers that Crusher had warned them about. His antennae relaxed, his wings drooped with slight exhaustion and his shoulder dropped a bit. They were free of the caves, free of the cold, free of the icy prison the cave had proved. Even better, they'd gotten out without blood being spilled.

"Oh! Cairo! Can we!? Can we get some food?! Come on!~ I'm starved!" Locke exclaimed, flailing happily. Locke's excitable mood was contagious, and soon, Cairo found himself flailing happily as well, the overwhelming delirium of the fact that they were still together and alive more than he could fathom.

"Of course we can! I'm so hungry too!" He turned to the others, antennae twitching and eyes bright with excitement, his expression mimicking Locke's. "We can go into town and see if there's any food left!" He paused, his expression becoming a little more sober and embarrassed. "Of course... after we see if the coast is clear..."

After the cave was sealed everyone seemed to start talking about food, and at the mention of it, Poseidon was reminded of his own hunger.
Lock was the one to mention it, and Cairo decided that they should check the city to make sure it was safe.
"I think you would be best for seeing if the area is clear, since you the only one of us that can fly." Poseidon said as he looked at Cairo. "You could fly over the city and spot the undead, then we could avoid them when he enter." He added.
He didn't know if this plan was great, or if they would even go through with it.

The cave was properly sealed up by their group’s own Ice-Lover Poseidon and they were safe for the time being. No longer running and sliding for their lives as they were able to take a moment to enjoy the warmth. Just about all of them where basking in the sun, which he didn’t know dragons did.

As for the other two grass starters, it seemed like the perfectly natural thing to do. Their individual shades of green almost seemed to glow in the sun’s graceful glow, and almost immediately Olle was struck with the same emotion he felt when first seeing Magnolia. Getting lost and running for your life can make you forget your shyness….

Except for himself, all of the grass pokemon where female, made him wonder if he would be able to protect them when the time came. Nahele didn’t really look like she needed protecting, but he had only just meet her, so who knows. But Magnolia apparently had no offensive attacks, if the time came he wondered if his own moves would be enough to keep her safe.

Olle brushed those thoughts away; there were others to help also, so it wasn’t likely that he would have to protect them all by himself. It just kind of felt that way since he shared a common type with them.

“Yeah, if we just walked into town without checking it out we could walk into an undead gathering and be surrounded in a town we don’t know.” He tried to use reason and logic to hide his fearfulness, they had just gotten out of one sticky situation, he definitely didn’t want to walk blindly into another one.

Plus, he doubt that he had enough energy to sprint that fast again so soon. Besides, the cut and the bizarre pain on his side where still there, the pain was showing no signs of letting up, and he didn’t want to have the cut reopen mid flight had have to deal with a fight on both sides….

((Skip please, still workiing on getting caught up. >.<))

(Damn, I thought I'd have time to post today, but I don't. Please skip me. Just say they're both following the group happily)

Cairo's antennae perked when Poseidon addressed him, suggesting he fly the city over to check for undead. The flygon hesitated a bit; him flying could easily attract other undead with wings and then he'd be caught in an aerial battle with no one to help. Still, it was better than leading the others into a death trap... and now that the Ice cave was sealed shut, there was no turning back. It was the city or bust.

His conclusion made, Cairo gave a firm nod and launched himself into the sky. It was refreshing to feel warm air beneath his wings, despite the growing anxiety building in his gut. Once at an appropriate height, he dashed over the city, and couldn't help a gasp escape him.

He should be used to cities being destroyed. He should be used to pokemon corpses littering their streets, dried blood painting the buildings and roads. What he didn't expect was what had happened to the gym. Blackthorne had been rampaged by something, sand covering the area in a fine layer of tan. The Center was torn open by some sort of attack, a Hyper Beam or some other powerful attack. The gym sported a pile of dead dragons, as if a warning to all that entered. The gym's roof was torn off, and Cairo could see the still active lava within. The cave that lay beyond the gym was dark and quiet, and Cairo was unsure if it was to be trusted.

He turned back and landed in front of the group, taking a steadying breath. "...The town's destroyed, like they all are. There's not a whole bunch of dead, nothing we couldn't handle. They might be inside the buildings, since I didn't see much from above. If me move quietly, we might not be disturbed..." He glanced back, then added, "There's another cave a ways from the gym, past a bad-looking pond. I don't know if it's safe."

((Sorry guys, for being so late on this, but please skip me. Can't post today cause I'm to busy.))

((Bleh, didn't want to skip, but been busy lately >.<))

As Cairo returned from his flight and told everyone what he had seen, the Meganium carefully listened while neatly seated on the dusty ground. As the dragon finished, the grass-type replied. "Why don't we spend the day gathering any food, materials, and whatnot, rest for the night, then start travel again early morning? We don't know how long or dangerous that cave is, so we might as well be prepared for it."

"We just escaped the Ice Path, so continuing to travel might not be the best idea in the shape we're in. Oh, and that reminds me..." Magnolia smiled, her petals glowing a spectrum of colors before releasing an Aromatherapy. "Hopefully that'll get rid of some tiredness."

[OOC: Short post is short ;A;]

They had just made it out of that frozen hell-hole, and they wanted to explore another fucking cave? Nahele couldn't help but groan softly under her breath. A sudden sweet scent caught her attention, before she could complain aloud, however. Warmth flowed through her body, and she couldn't help but stretch backwards on the rock she sat on, still gripping the spear at her side. Nahele didn't really want to look for food. She no longer felt tired, but she felt a different sense of laziness. Regardless, it wasn't safe ito stay in one place for long. Groaning, she sat back up, stretching her back straight.

The cave was out of the question. "Are there any houses safe enough for us to take shelter in?" That would be easier to defend than staying out in the open all day...


((Hoping everything's okay. First post on the team and as Nahele. >.<))

“Yeah, if we just walked into town without checking it out we could walk into an undead gathering and be surrounded in a town we don’t know.” Lockes' happy grin faded as the others began talking about undead and being surrounded by monsters.
He looked to the Flygon uncertainly, his face suddenly crunched up with worry.
"...More monsters?..." He asked timidly, but either Cairo didn't hear or he didn't want to answer, and Locke didn't like either thought.
...I thought...things would be better once we got out of the cave...
The dragons' posture sagged a bit as he watched Cairo fly over the city like a giant Murkrow against the sky.

Locke looked down to the little Teasel, whose face was betrayed by his inner emotions.
"Hmm?...What's wrong?" Locke asked bluntly, plopping down next to him with a loud thud. "You look sad." He said matter-of-factly, tilting his head in curiosity.

Crusher curled into himself even more, hesitantly gazing up at the dragon. "I dunno...I guess..." He mumbled, making a disappointed sound with his teeth. "I mean...it's good I got out of that cave, right? Nobody is there anymore...all of my clan is gone...so why do I feel sad when I think I'll never come back?..." The Teasel asked, tears starting to brim in his eyes as his gaze turned to the barricaded entrance.

Lockes' brows furrowed as he watched the small creature, recognizing his obvious pain. The Gabite scooted closer and put his large finned talon behind Crusher clumsily. "...My clan is all gone too...but I always think about Mama and Papa. I feel sad when I think about them too..." Lockes' head lowered a bit as he continued. "But- at least we found some friends, right? We're not alone!" He finished, his toothy smile warm and optimistic. Crusher looked up to him, catching the dragons' contagious and goofy grin.

"Heheh! I guess you're right! Mom wouldn't want me to be sad. And she always said I should make more friends!"

Cairo quickly returned, sand blowing into the air as he landed. They started talking together, discussing their future plans. Locke cringed when Cairo mentioned the cave, and apparently wasn't the only one who disagreed. The little green masked thing groaned and suggested the town for shelter. Locke waved his claw in the air above him, as if he were a student in a classroom. "Yeah! Let's do that! No more caves, Cairo!" He whimpered loudly, still flailing.

(OoC-yay! Finally a good post~)

Cairo listened quietly as the others voiced their opinions, and he quickly got the jist that the cave ominously looming in the distance was out of the question. While grateful that the cave was now out, the other buildings made him uncomfortable still. He frowned as Nahele suggested them, and Locke enthusiastically agreed. "I don't know..." he muttered quietly to himself as he thought of going through the town. The thought of those monsters ambushing them from a dark building was not appealing.

"...We could scout them out, I guess? I mean, I don't think it's a safe idea for all of us to go through a place we don't know... though... I can only see so much from the sky... There might be more in the buildings..." His voice trailed as his mind wandered. Of course there were going to be more in the buildings. They were everywhere. There was no shelter, only temporary peace. He looked to the others, unsure of what to do. He wasn't the leader, so he couldn't made decisions. "...But we should stay away from the gym, no matter what."

((I don't have time to post. Wish I did, but I don't. Poseidon will do something next go. Skip.))

Olle was an idiot for previously thinking he should just ditch them once getting out of the ice cave. He was still freaked out that the dragon could at any moment make him its next meal, but the alternative was to be alone again, stuck in a land he did not know. He would have never been able to survey the area before hand from above and would have surely have walked right into his death. He needed them right now, that was apparent, especially since he was still hurting, the pain not going away even with sudden introduction of sunlight. He needed to bask a bit more…

Going from one cave to the next also didn’t sound like a good idea, but he was slightly against the idea of completely avoiding the Gym in this town. “What kind of gym is it anyways? Maybe if we’re lucky there will be a useful TM left in there.” He wasn’t so familiar with the customs of Johto, but in Kanto they gave out TMs when you win, so chances where it’d be the same for here.

“And if some go out to scout, the others will be left right here out in the open…I’d rather us stick together, the whole strength in numbers bit you know?”

((Sorry for the delay, had a bit of a busy day >.<))

((and no dragon wants to get themselves a dragon claw from the cave? D:))

Nahele sighed. She didn't like having to babysit all these pokemon, let alone the ones bigger than her. And yet, obviously she was the only one who seemed to know anything about tactic, even if it wasn't much. Grunting, she called the others attention to her, waving her spear above her. Pointing the butt of the spear into the dirt, she began to draw a rectangular shape. "Let's call this the Gym." She said, looking at the Ivysaur. Moving the spear in straight lines with 90 degree corners, she showed a practical path through the maze. "Even if we were to continue moving, in a building this big, it'd be very difficult to defend. However..." Next to the gym, she drew another, smaller square. "If we can find a house, there's less danger of being confronted from inside the building. However, there's still danger." Next to the smaller square, she drew arrows pointing in. This little lesson was giving her some deeper thought into the matter as well.

"If anything attacks from outside a house, it can destroy the walls rather easily. So we need something stronger than wood. Something with a relatively small entrance, small interior, and strong outside. Any suggestions?" The tiny Teasel gave her the idea of the classroom setting, and yet, it helped her to think aloud. Perhaps the flier could help them find an area they could use. However, Nahele knew that the best solution was, unfortunately, a small cave.



((HOORAY FOR DIALOGUE))

Locke and Crusher huddled around the small masked plant pokemon, their eyes both wide and curious as she drew in the dirt. As she explained their plan, Crusher began to frown.
"I don't know...I heard that there was some pretty strong dragons in this town before the epidemic. And now that things are...well, the way they are..." He turned his head to the others, hoping they'd catch his train of thought. "...Do you think that those dragons escaped this place, or are they still there?..."
Locke scratched his head with the side of his talon, his face expressive of confusion and impatience.
"I dunno, but we should eat. I'm hungry!" He whined, his eyes darting to the town.
Crusher shook his head in reply. "And we can't forget the problem of food if we head to the caves. I don't think all of us can find food there." He reasoned out, his large dark eyes calculating but warm.
Locke growled impatiently, his attention turning to the abandoned town as he half-listened to what the others were saying.
I bet I can find some food and be back here before they decide! He thought with a grin on his face, thinking back on how quickly his new-found speed got him across the forest.
Maybe there will be beans, like in that other place!
Casually stepping back from the group, he inched away from them with a large, toothy grin and a sneaky look in his eyes. Once he felt he was far enough away, he dashed towards the city, his arms out like wings and his head low with just one thought in mind.
BEEEEEEEEEEAAAAANS!

Cairo listened intently as everyone gave their own opinions of what should happen. Olle thought splitting up was a bad idea-- which Cairo couldn't help but agree. “What kind of gym is it anyways? Maybe if we’re lucky there will be a useful TM left in there,” Olle asked, and Cairo frowned. From the small glances he got, and the bodies of the pokemon in front of the gym, he could only assume one thing...

"...Dragon. There are a bunch of dead dragons outside of the gym..." he replied meekly, his eyes averting to the ground. It was one thing to see dead pokemon, but dead pokemon, all sharing your type? It just gave him goosebumps.

Nehele then took charge, drawing a small map of the city in the dirt before them. He followed her explanation, but then added a few more squares, making it resemble the town more. "...This is what the city looks like. This is a mart, this is a center, and this is the gym. The cave is over here, past a small pond and the gym." He drew a small circle to indicate it. He frowned at her description of a more suitable refuge, and her words led back to the caves...

Locke reminded them of the dragons, and Cairo tilted his head in the other dragon's direction. With his querie on the wherabouts of the others, the flygon frowned. "...They're probably all dead... or still in the gym. I didn't see anything in there other than lava."

Still, Locke's question of food in the caves was a good one, and they'd still have to cross the gym and water to get to the cave in the first place. The cave was sounding more and more like a death trap, and his heart fluttered in fear at the thought of going past that gym. He swallowed, looking to the others. "Maybe... we should go the other way? There's a route leading out of the city, down a rocky, forest mountain path..."