The SKY Team

No. Just... No. More infected. More blood and death. NO. She wasn't going to put up with this any more. If anyone died, she wouldn't care. It wouldn't be her responsibility. They would have died because of their actions. Not hers. She wasn't going to put up with this any more. She flew up the stairs and then darted off into the sky, in the direction of the mainland. "Hasta luego, chico! I never caught your name, but, whatever! You too, Tansis! No dying on me!" She did a few somersaults and was rolling around the sky as if she were a barrel down a hill. She was, momentarily, free as a bird, and it wasn't just because she was a bird.

(OoC: *brick'd for making another barrel roll joke* I'LL BE BACK!... Some time later! Got tired of posting as Blu for now, but I'll be sure to come back and stalk you guys later.)

The Delcatty responded to Crona's encouragement with dull violet eyes. They were tired, almost lifeless. It made the Cyndaquil worry, but as the Cat Pokemon heaved herself up, a small smile crawled up on his face. At least she still hung onto her life! As the Fire-type began to set-off, a low rumble began, causing the Johto Starter to look curiously behind him, was something going on? It was then did the unexpected happened, a Claydol bursting from the floor below. Its crimson red eyes gazing hungrily at the Delcatty. Oh no... It began to spun more rapidly, ready to attack her. As Crona stumbled up the stairs, she was able to dodge the attack by an inch, the universal saying giving him the signal to go for it; "R-RUN!" The Undead behind her crashed into the walls as it followed the trio, "T-to the roof, up the stairs! There's more room there!"

Crona nodded quickly, glancing frantically from what's up ahead and the Undead behind him. It was by then did the crazy Pidgey flew ahead like a bullet, as if leaving them to... die! "Hasta luego, chico! I never caught your name, but, whatever! You too, Tansis! No dying on me!" What the hell kind of proposal is that?! The Cyndaquil felt his jaw drop as he stared at the feathers the bird has left behind, fluttering down as if nothing was going on. That was up until a beam of yellow shot across the room, destroying a partial part of the stairs. Oh no! The Fire-type stumbled backwards, only to stare at the gap between stairs. His heart dropped. How were they going to go up the roof now? "W-we're going to die!" He sobbed.

When all hope was lost, the Johto Starter felt something hit against his leg. He glanced down only to see a potato - wait, a potato? Where did this come from? From that brown food to the Undead and back, Crona gulped down his fear. Though it's food, he didn't know any attacks that could help them against the Claydol! Clumsily did he grab the potato, flinging it at one of the crimson eyes of the Undead. Though the aim was quite poor, hitting the other eye instead of intended, the Pokemon flinched. The Cyndaquil could do something! He turned at the stairs, only to see that the partial part of it that was lost could be easily jumped over (If Ragnarok was around, he'd nag Crona on how stupid he was that he could have just jumped over it in the first place and saved that potato).

He jumped over the hole, barely making it to the other side of the stairs. It was a scary thought if he were to dangle around at the edge, with his nubby paws, it'd be impossible to get up! Crona took a glance behind him, checking if the Delcatty -- Tansis, according to the Pidgey -- was following the Fire-type. Stumbling, but yeah he's still looking hella fine. As he glanced from what's up ahead and at the Undead, Crona knitted his brows as more potatoes began to roll down the stairs. What the- "W-where are they all coming from?" He stuttered, the question directed at Tansis. She was here longer than him, and whatever the reason for the appearance of the potatoes... At least they won't go hungry if they needed food.

What kind of place is this?! A voice screamed in the back of Crona's head. Did Ragnarok come around? He was unsure, this voice was far different. Nonetheless, what kind of place is this? Middle of nowhere, Undead here and there, piles of corpses, and potatoes. A shudder went down his spine. This is definitely hell. HELL.

[DEAR LORD TK I CAN'T STOP LAUGHING LOL
Oh and also, finally, my first 25 posts after almost a year of being here. I'm fabulous.]

The tower seemed to shake from its very roots in the sandy ground as the pokémon rampaged within, drawn to the new panic. The Cyndaquil did as Tansis commanded, turning around and running tail towards the stairs -- until a beam from the Claydol shot past them, just missing Tansis by a grand difference of a few inches, hitting the crumbling stairs and destroying a section of it, creating a small gap. Tansis scrambled and kept running towards Crona and the stairs, adrenaline pumping through her excited veins; the gap wasn't so large that the Delcatty couldn't take a striding jump over it. If the Cyndaquil had trouble, she could carry him. However, she stumbled as a familiar, blue blur rushed past them with what was presumably a farewell.

What the hell? Blu? 'No dying on me'? Like hell! We're being attacked by a bunch of Undead and you just leave us?! Having been distracted by the Pidgey and missstepping, the Claydol loomed even closer, having caught up in the short distraction. Tansis stumbled and tried to crawl away, her paws slipping on the gravelly floor. Was this it? If it was going to kill her, she hoped it would at least be a quick death. That was, until, the Delcatty heard a low groan and a soft clonk-like sound. She opened one violet eye and -- what the fuck, a potato? If Tansis had enough time to question where the potato came from, she would've; but she focused her few seconds of time on regaining her footing. The Undead recovered, and immediately crushed the potato, leaving little, pale yellow bits on the ground. No potato for food. All are sad.

...Now's not the time for that! Shaking her head, Tansis turned tail and leapt over the gap without too much problem and.... more potatoes. "What the Arce.... I don't even..." Tansis stuttered with a shake of her head. A while ago, there were no potato. Now, there are many potato. Who bring many potato to Pillar? No, seriously. With a huff, she grabbed the Cyndaquil by the scruff, running up the stairs and dodging all the Arceus damned potatoes as she climbed up towards the roof with long, striding legs that were fueled by panic, though they had been so shaky earlier. The roof was strangely quiet, and the Delcatty let the Cyndaquil down on the ground, looking around down the stairs. Where'd they go? The Claydol and company seemed determined to kill them all a moment ago. Claydols couldn't smell, right? Perhaps they had their scent and sight?

The low rumble and loud crack told her something else. Near the Delcatty and Cyndaquil duo, a loud thud that shook the entire tower sounded, several cracks appearing in the thick, stone floor. Automatically, Tansis skittered over to the opposite side of the square, closing her eyes and using Calm Mind on herself and taking a deep breath. She had to keep a cool head and think right. She turned to Crona, flattening her ears and looking worried. She hoped the little kid could fight well.

[Had permission to carry Crona~]

Tansis's sudden action caused Crona to give a yelp as he felt his feet lift from the ground. Just like how he got here, up in the air, he attempts to leave this place in the air... No! He refuses to fly! He refuses to take that crazy Pidgey's advice upon how to leave this place! It was complete bullshit and how in the world could he do that without feathers or gills?! He felt sudden shudders go down his spine, first time he cussed. But even if it did take place in his mind, it wouldn't technically count right? He gave an awkward expression as remembered his constant harassment from his good ol' friend Ragnarok. Ragnarok is soooo going to kill him later... Nonetheless, he was quite amazed how quickly the Delcatty dodged the potatoes. Indiana Jones! Then again, the Cyndaquil is honestly not aware of the show much, other than dodging rocks and finding treasure.

Wind whipped against Crona's face as he felt the warm rays of sunlight hit against his fur. They were outside. He glanced around the area, it was strangely quiet, but at least the sounds of the waves crashing against the shore reassured him that he wasn't dreaming... Or at least that's what he things. Though he wished he was dreaming instead of getting chased by a giant Pokemon that wants to eat his flesh. For your information, he's tiny! He doesn't have that much meat on his bones you know! Honestly, the Fire-type wasn't worth eating... He felt relieved as he felt his feet touch the ground, he felt sick when it comes to heights, especially if he's being carried fifty feet above water -- his weakness. Crona immediately watched the Delcatty, Tansis looking worried as she stared down the stairs. Did they lose their pursuers?

Totally wrong, nope. The rooftop began to shake, the thick concrete floor began to crack. Are they seriously going to break it?! Crona began to glance around wildly, his surroundings were practically whirling around him. He felt faint, how was he going to fight? He barely had any fighting experience, and even if he did, how would he face a big Pokemon with his puny self?! The tower vibrated along with the humongous cracks. It's as if they were on top of a giant bell that's getting rung! His settings came to a pause, as if they finally decided to work with the Johto Starter's mind. By instinct, the Cyndaquil began to seek out for Tansis, spotting the purple cat with her ears flattened. She was staring right at Crona with worried eyes. Crona gulped, she must be wondering if he could fight. He wondered that too, how could he possibly protect her?

His thoughts were interrupted as the Claydol bursts through the ceiling, pieces of concrete flying everywhere (Crona even though he heard the distant splash from concrete landing in the ocean). He gulped as he stared at the Undead that towered over them, its hungry eyes possibly staring at both Tansis and Crona (Though they were at different places, it was hard to tell since their pupils are barely visible. But imagining a cross eyed Claydol is weird). Without warning, the Clay Pokemon's eyes glowed a mysterious purple, Crona feeling intense pain in his head. So this is what getting attacked feels like? Confusion... That was the move wasn't it? He remembered faintly how Maka fought valiantly against a Psychic-type, but her head hurt intensely afterward. If only the Fire-type had longer paws, he would be able to hold his head under the comfort and safety of his own arms!

The Claydol suddenly paused, however. Crona feeling the aftertaste of the move has his mind began playing tricks on him... Two Makas, three Souls, yet one Tansis... Why is there a bag of potatoes? Nevermind that, and... that crazy Pidgey?! There were several of that blue Pidgey surrounding him! He wanted to scream so badly, he didn't want to hear her rambles on how to escape from this hell! That was, until, Ragnarok appeared. The illusions disappearing upon Ragnarok's arrival. He looked similar to Crona, except like the shadows; black, as if veiled in complete darkness. The Johto Starter felt his jaw drop in horror, backing away slowly as Ragnarok loomed over him, anger in his eyes; "What the hell are you doing?!" He screamed. Crona said nothing, tears formed in his eyes as his lips quivered. The dark Cyndaquil sneered at him, slapping Crona across the face.

As soon as he felt the slap sting his cheek, everything came clear to him as daylight. The Claydol had rocks surrounding it, it was right in front of Tansis, what is that move? Rock Tomb? AncientPower? Crona had no idea, but the Delcatty was in danger, and here the Cyndaquil was acting like some sort of drunk! "Get your stupid head together!" Ragnarok's voice echoed in his mind. The Fire-type nodded, for the first time willing to listen to his shadow's orders. Smoke began to rise up his throat, he hated using this move honestly, it made him sick to the stomach afterwards, but Crona had no choice! It's a matter between life or death! He spat out the smoke, the dark hazy mist covering the Claydol's view. Now to hope that Tansis would take advantage...!

Tansis saw the Cyndaquil glance back at her, seemingly equally as worried. There was no time to dwell on it, however, as the crumbling stone gave way and the Claydol burst through with a loud crack, a distant splash following seconds after as one of the concrete shards fell into the deep ocean. The undead relic pokémon's body spun around with a whir, several of its eyes presumably looking at Tansis and Crona. A pause seemed to stretch on that square on top of the pillar in silence, the Delcatty watching with questioning eyes as the Claydol's eyes began to glow, shifting from a luminescent crimson to a pale violet, not very unlike her own.

The pain hit like a sledgehammer to the cat's head, feeling so real that she tripped over and stumbled across the floor, eyes squeezing shut. Her head pounded, images overflowing her mind, one after another and so many that her memories were confusing themselves. Who is she again? How did she get here? Who was that human that smiled at her? Why was her head pounding? Comprehension became a lost skill, Tansis's mental sanity draining even more when she had already reached an all-time low at witnessing the true power of an Undead for the real first time. In the name of Arceus, the cat had had enough! Why couldn't she just die and get it over with? The word pierced through the mess in her head. Die. Death would be a nice option; she'd stop fearing. She'd stop starving. She'd stop having to run away. And most of all, she'd be back with her team...

And suddenly, it was as if Tansis were jerked back to reality by a collar and leash around her neck. She found herself lying on the floor of the roof, staring down at eye level with the pebbles. Past that, surrounding her was a thick, dark-colored smoke that spread slowly like a thick gas. Most of it was concentrated near a certain spot, where the smoke bunched up like a stormy cloud. What was it that was there? Where'd all this smoke come from? Her memories in a mess, the Delcatty took a look around the area, her eyes landing on a Cyndaquil. Who was that? Tansis spent a long time staring at the Cyndaquil as her mind rearranged itself, and once it did, she came to the realization with a jerk. She shook her head violently and immediately stood up, her fur bristling in alarm. Idiot Tansis! Stop blanking out; you've got some little kid to protect!

Bracing her paws and digging the claws into the crooks, she focused on sending an attack towards the Claydol that would hopefully cause some good damage, and even better, kill it if it was weak enough. A dark ball of energy gathered in front of her, starting at the size of a pinpoint and slowly growing bigger to about a football's size. She took a deep breath to calm down her racing heart, before the shadow ball shot towards the Undead with great speed. It sort of bounced and exploded/dispersed on impact with the spinning doll, the Claydol looking around in confusion as its right arm was blown off entirely. It seemed Shadow Ball had been the right move; after all, Claydols were psychic type.

With a quick flick of her tail, copies of herself appeared in a straight line of six, the double team clones moving forward to mundanely attack and attempt to distract the Claydol while the real Delcatty prepared another Shadow Ball. After all, the smoke wouldn't last forever. Tansis shot a glance over at Crona to see how he was or what he was doing; he seemed to look sick. Afterwards, she'd have to properly introduce herself and ask for a name, she supposed, launching the second Shadow Ball with equal fervor towards the Undead.

Indeed, Tansis took advantage of the situation, a dark ball of energy began to form in front of her, growing as she finally shot it towards the Claydol when it reached a good size. The attack hit the Undead with incredible speed, Crona in awe despite being his head being a bit fuzzy. In the process, the Undead lost its right arm, looking around with utter confusion. The Fire Mouse Pokemon shook his head quickly, attempting to shake off this dizziness as he glanced back over to the Delcatty. Wait, the sh-? There were six Tansises now! Is Crona really insane, or is the confusion getting worse? Oh how much he wanted to curl up and cry, this is getting bad. Really bad. If this is how things were, how is he to live in this accursed world? He shook his head, he needs to stop being so down on himself!... Yet how could he? Its all true that he's utterly pathetic and weak.

Crona flickered his gaze from Tansis to the Claydol, then back to the Normal-type. His eyes widened upon realization, so he wasn't crazy! The real Tansis was currently making another Shadow Ball, the duplicates distracting the Undead. How... Cool! The Cyndaquil's eyes would have sparkled, but in this situation. Just no. The area was an obvious mess -- though it is better than fighting inside the tower [a collapse would have happened! Crona would have died without reuniting with Maka and Soul!] -- Crona honestly thought fighting in such a small space with a high chance of falling off the rooftop and into the ocean is not worth it! As he scanned the area, his eyes caught a glimpse of those bag of potatoes. Just... WHY? With a gulp [and hesitance, this is ridiculous...], the Fire Mouse Pokemon made a dash for it across the rooftop and towards the bag of potatoes, the Claydol still distracted by Tansis's copies. He had a firm grip on one of the potatoes, glancing at the Undead and the potato and back. He's going to regret this...

He screwed his eyes shut as he threw the potato at the Claydol, hitting an eye [the Cyndaquil is still surprised he could aim!]. The Undead with its left arm dangling turned at Crona, anger in its eyes as it stared down at the young Pokemon. The Fire-type whimpered, lower lip quivering as he stared back with fright in his eyes. What to do, what to do, what to do?! "Fight you stupid idiot, you're going to get hi-" Ragnarok's voice was cut off as the Johto Starter felt something hard slam into him. The impact caused Crona to slide across the rooftop, the rocks cutting deep into his skin, but helped him cease to a halt at the edge of the rooftop. Pain, he felt pain. This was nothing like Medusa's punishments, this was real pain. That was part of the real world. He winced, but found his lower legs dangling off the edge. Shit. SHIT. He's going to fall off if he doesn't get ahold of something! How could he hold onto the edge with his stubby paws?! Crona doesn't want to die, not yet-!

The Fire-type blinked, his paws caught ahold of something. He glanced up in surprise, eyes widening as he saw the bag of potatoes. The bag was helping him not fall off the edge. But how...? It probably got thrown along with him when the Claydol attacked him. The bag was being weighed down by a heavy boulder, the Cyndaquil thanking Arceus in quiet as he pulled himself up. Potatoes, he shall never underestimate them. But... As he pulled himself up, and over the edge, he felt something ablaze in him. What's it called? Anger? Frustration...? No, Determination. His eyes blazed with it as he stared up at the Claydol, which floated slowly toward him, as if savoring the victory. A frown curled at the edge of Crona's lips, no way! He's not letting an Undead get onto him! He'll be stronger than him, he'll be stronger than anyone! Maka and Soul won't be the ones protecting him, it'll be Crona, himself taking care of them!

Crona braced himself, jumping up on top of the boulder that weighed down the life saving, bag of potatoes. This would be his last stare down with this Undead, and this time, Crona will be the one winning! Flames began to form in his mouth, his determination being the fuel as he shot the flames from his mouth. So this is how Pokemon fight... The adrenaline pumping through their veins, heart thumping against the chest like mad, yet it was addicting. As tiring as it was, it was addicting. The Embers caused the Undead to flinch, backing away towards Tansis's girl band groupee. This is the Delcatty's chance! She should have a Shadow Ball ready now!

"Tansis now!" Crona yelled. Never had he yelled, but it felt... good. He widened his eyes as his paws began to glow, the Cyndaquil looking down. Wha-?! Is it because of the battle he's changing?! No! Don't let him change! Not yet! He doesn't know how to deal with this, what's going on?! Why is he glowing...? For some reason, as he glowed, the adrenaline from the battle continued to rush through his veins. As if he was growing stronger.

[Ooc: Crona lost his shit. He got rescued by potatoes, burned a motherfucking Claydol and began to glow like a pixie. In short, he's fucking evolving. Yay]

[Movin' the time to dusk, yo. Been Afternoon for QUITE a while, I realized. XD Also, inb4 shit post.]

The sun was already well in on its journey down where it should've been swallowed by the ocean, about half of the golden sphere showing and coloring the sky reddish. On any other day, this sight would've been pure beauty, a sunset with a clear sky from the top of Sky Pillar itself. Sadly, however, the water floated and lurked with corpses, dead and living, and the tower was already well on its way to rotting, holes and erosion carving away at the once-impressive stone walls. The odd, blackish purple light from the Shadow Ball lit up Tansis's front, giving her an odd, surreal look combined with the red from the sunset. The cat looked up, just about ready to launch the Shadow Ball and give that Undead Claydol a taste of what's for, right as it used another Rapid Spin to blast back most of her copies back, the shadows disappearing like mist with the slightest touch from that violent, spinning top. It was enough time already; Tansis was just about ready to let the Shadow Ball go, when.... more potatoes.

Arceus be damned if there were no potato at Sky Pillar. The Cyndaquil found another potato, it seemed, and once again, threw it at the Claydol. The gray doll, spinning in anger, slapped the little creature with its remaining arm, causing him to nearly fly right off the edge. In panic, Tansis haphazardly shot the Shadow Ball, only hitting the Undead and stunning it by luck, before running over to the edge. Her wide eyes found the Cyndaquil just barely hanging on to.... surprise. A bag of potatoes. Tansis not know whether thank potato or frustrated potato. Where in the name of holy Giratina did these potatoes come from anyway? The sky??? Either way, it just saved the kid's life, so that was at least a small amount of good. Tansis took a step back as the Cyndaquil hauled himself up [he looked like he could handle it] back onto the roof, immediately jumping up onto the boulder that sat on top of the potato [poor potato, is crushed, all are sad]. The Delcatty stared with blank eyes, a little taken by surprise at the sudden fire that blazed in the little fire-type's eyes, and jumped back at the little balls of fire he shot out at the red-eyed Undead.

"Tansis now!" the potato-saved Cyndaquil screeched, and immediately getting her senses straight, used her energy to form another softball-sized Shadow Ball as quick as possible. Blasting forward, it hit the Claydol straight on the head, a long crack appearing across its neck and head. The creature wobbled around, off-balance with his head nearly decapitated, the cracks slowly getting longer the more the creature flailed. It turned around rapidly, apparently trying to use another Gyro Spin or Rapid Spin as a last resort move; but the momentum caused it to lose its head, the force cracking the rest of it. The Claydol slumped and fell down, its levitation no longer working as its weight caused another hole in the Pillar's roof and for a couple more floors a way down until the sound didn't echo anymore. Tansis stood there, breathing a bit heavily, her heart pounding in her tan-furred chest and legs shaking so badly it was a wonder they still held her up.

"Are you... okay?" she breathed, suddenly remembering the Cyndaquil and looking around at him with concerned, wide eyes. But a Cyndaquil didn't stand on that rock anymore; it was a shiny Quilava. Woah. Evolution. Tansis blinked slowly at the kid, a little caught by surprise but shook her head, dismissing that thought. "Congratulations... Also, I never did introduce myself right earlier, I'm sorry about that... My name is Tansis." The introduction was nice and simple, and now that they were acquaintances and all, she hoped she could make up for her earlier unresponsiveness. As a good measure, she sat down to let her shaking legs rest as she looked at the newly evolved pokémon, waiting for an answer.

The glowing ebbed away, leaving Crona looking wildly at his new form; bigger paws, bigger vision of sight, taller, faster, and stronger! Even his flames blazed with fiery passion on this new form. He flushed in crimson as he stared at himself, he changed! Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear! What's he to do? Is his personality going to change? Is he going to lose an internal organ as the price for evolving?! What is the newly-evolved Quilava suppose to do?! From himself, he shifted his pink gaze towards his surroundings, only to find another hole in the tower which was accompanied by potatoes surrounding it. Wonderful! Those things saved his life! His gaze finally caught the familiar purple and tan cat, whom breathed heavily, her legs shaking. Crona blinked, but realization suddenly struck him as he immediately padded over to Tansis, looking at her with worry as she breathed, "Are you... okay?" It's as if she was taking in the details of everything that just happened. Well one thing is for sure; The Volcano Pokemon would never forget the deeds potatoes have done for him!

Nonetheless, he answered the Delcatty with a quick nod, watching her slowly blink at Crona and realizing his new-found form. Perhaps she knew what happens during evolution? Did he have to go through a certain process to be a full-fledged Quilava? Or did he have to pay a price for evolving? He honestly thought he didn't have to take the route of evolving so soon! He hoped that he could have evolved along Maka and Soul's side... Then again, they were taken by trainers before he was. The thought saddened him, but immediately pushed it away as his thoughts as he noticed Tansis ready to speak, "Congratulations... Also, I never did introduce myself right earlier, I'm sorry about that... My name is Tansis."

At first, Crona remained emotionless, staring at her blankly before blood began to rush back up to his face, "T-thank you," He began, shifting his gaze off to the side to avoid all eye contact, "T-that's the first time someone ever congratulated me..." He said rather shakily, honestly, he could just burst into happiness any moment now! The thought of someone- no, the very reality that someone congratulated him! It was a new experience he liked! Maybe it wasn't so bad afterall to change? Then again, he should ask about evolution soon, soon! Not now because he wanted the congratulations to sink into the atmosphere.

Silence began to slide in, the Quilava feeling uneasy as he didn't know what else to say. That was, until, realization struck him like a lightning bolt when he went over the Delcatty's earlier words, "Ah, but I already knew your name Miss Tansis!" He blurted out, feeling rather embarrassed. He did say her name earlier afterall... Crona suddenly remembered about the bag of potatoes. He held up a paw as a signal that he was going to pause this conversation, proceeding to do his job; picking up the potatoes and carry them around for food later. He was still a klutz, making the task rather time-consuming, but he was able to stuff most of them [the rest were either squashed or looked rotten...] in the bag. He threw the bag over his shoulders, the flames died out in order to not burn it. Potatoes may be his life saver, but they'll aid him and Tansis throughout their journey by acting as their food. Then again, potatoes are food, pft, it's not like they had emotions or anything...

The Quilava broke out from his train of thought, uneasily glancing down at the stairs that led down below and the hole the Claydol had created. His original plan was to go downstairs and swim their way out of this hell, and he shall follow it up until the very end! With a gulp, he padded down the stairs, occasionally checking if the Delcatty was following before explaining his reasons for knowing her name before introduction; "The Pidgey said it on her way out... By the way, I'm C-Crona." Crona had to admit; his introduction sucks. Ragnarok would probably say worse, but indeed, he was too shaky in here. The Fire-type wished he could be as outgoing as Soul and Maka, if they were here, they'd probably be close friends with Tansis already!

He paused in the middle of the stair-way, right in front of the hole the Claydol had made that gave Crona a rough time getting across. The potatoes felt heavy, but he didn't dare drop their only food supply as he looked over his shoulder and at the Prim Pokemon, "I-I'm not sure if you heard," Crona stammered, taking in the fact that earlier Tansis was so unresponsive he thought she was dead for a second there! He remembered talking about his plans with the Pidgey before she flew off, but he wondered if the Delcatty remembered or even caught drift of it, "But I thought we would go downstairs and hope to find a raft or some sort to help us get out of here..." He was still weary of this plan, however, being that the crazy Pidgey had pointed out how there was an Lapras that brought an elder here on this very hell of an island. What if that Lapras got bitten, or there were Undead awaiting them? He stood no chance against water, and hell, he was a hydrophobic himself! Ragnarok always called him pathetic for staying away from water, but the Quilava just couldn't help it! Something inside of him -- possibly his gut -- told him that it was a dangerous substance. Water puts out fire right? That's probably the reason why he rarely stood near it...

Tansis stared at the Quilava for a moment, who looked around wildly at his changed form with confusion and awe. She turned away and snorted a bit in laughter, her first laughter in what felt like forever, hiding herself behind her own shoulder. She probably shouldn't laugh as not to hurt the kid's feelings, but still. It was pretty amusing to see someone so confused over the concept of evolution. Tansis herself still remembered when she evolved into a Delcatty; she had immediately ran to a cliff overlooking the sea in happiness, feeling taller and more powerful than the entire world. That is, until she slipped and fell into the ocean and had to be rescued by a human swimmer. Whoops. It was still a good memory, though; one of the many she treasured and never wanted to forget.

The Quilava nodded as an answer to Tansis's previous question, and she allowed a small smile. That was good; it would be bad if he had tired himself out with all that SmokeScreen and Ember. To the congratulations that the Delcatty gave, the fire weasel suddenly appearing flushed and confused. "T-that's the first time someone ever congratulated me..." he mumbled, sounding shaky but also as if he was just barely containing some great emotion. Tansis blinked slowly as she stared down at the Quilava; he had never been congratulated before? And he was so timid most of the time. It made Tansis wonder about what kind of life the fire-type had led before his arrival at the Sky Pillar. The short silence that followed seemed to stretch on like the horizon that the two could see from the rooftop of the pillar, and the Delcatty was about to break it with her voice before the Quilava beat her to it.

"Ah, but I already knew your name Miss Tansis!" he suddenly said, as if he had just realized something and that was the response. Tansis stared at the fire weasel for a moment in confusion, wondering just what in the name of Palkia he was talking about, before the memory sank in. Right, she asked for names. Wow Tansis, you're so smart. But before he or she could respond to that sudden blurb, the Quilava held out one, little paw in a stop/pause sort of gesture, before running off and.... picking up potatoes. Really? Potatoes before proper introductions? The Prim Pokémon stood there for another long moment, just gaping at the Quilava [and those damned potatoes, where the holy fuck did they come from] before eventually snapping herself out of it by shaking her tan and purple-furred head. As if questioning things was going to get her anywhere anymore. Yeah, right. Instead, Tansis padded over with a soft sigh, pawing at the scarf around her neck until it unraveled and fluttered down to the stone floor/roof [?], helping in the task of picking up potatoes. Well, they were food. Might as well grab some.

Rolling a few into the scarf and then picking it up by the corners, she looked around to see the Quilava with a bagful of potatoes slung across his shoulder and already beginning to go down the stairs. With a light trot, the Delcatty followed him, taking care not to slip on the stone steps and cause unnecessary injury. "The Pidgey said it on her way out..." the Quilava suddenly spoke. Wait, what? Blu said what? Oh, right, her own name. She remembered Blu had told her not to die and then flew off. Friggin' blue chicken bird. "By the way, I'm C-Crona." Crona, huh. The name had a nice ring to it, and it somehow fit the little Quilava. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Crona," she answered, finally getting a proper greeting out.

And then Tansis almost ran into Crona when he suddenly stopped at the middle of the stairs. Woah boy. A little warning please. He looked over his shoulder at the Delcatty and mumbled around the bag, "I-I'm not sure if you heard..." Crona's voice had a slight stutter to it; was he always this nervous? "But I thought we would go downstairs and hope to find a raft or some sort to help us get out of here..." And then cue the best 'what' look Tansis's face could make, right at the Quilava. A... raft? In a place like this? Especially over miles of ocean festering with Undead? With a fire type?? A frown creased Tansis's forehead, her mouth's grip on her scarf of potatoes getting a little firmer. She hadn't seen a raft when she had gone down below too bury the Rattata, but then again, she hadn't checked all around. But even if they did, how would they operate it? And where would they go? How would they survive? To be completely honest, the chances of survival seemed minimal at best.

"But... er... That would mean traveling across water," she stated awkwardly, talking around the scarf she held in her teeth. "Would you be okay in water...? If we tried to get out of here by raft, it would take a long time..."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Crona," The Delcatty answered, the Quilava blinked in surprised. It was nice to meet him?! He must be dreaming, that or the Prim Pokemon was crazy! Him out of all Pokemon... The Volcano Pokemon flushed in crimson in embarrassment, up until Tansis brought up the point where going downstairs for a raft meant something devastating for Crona, "But... er... That would mean traveling across water," She pointed out, he felt himself more stiffer than usual. Water? Well he's evolved now, doesn't that mean he's stronger than water now? But then again... He mildly glanced at his back, his flames would have come from the holes just like back when he was a Cyndaquil. So he didn't grow stronger afterall? He thought this change would be good for once.. All it did was make him look different...

"Would you be okay in water...?" Crona abruptly snapped back to reality, his head facing directly at the Delcatty rather than his usual shifted gaze off to the side, "If we tried to get out of here by raft, it would take a long time..." With a slight nervous gulp, he hesitated, but answered nonetheless, "We would go by air, but our ride is long gone isn't it?" He was referring to the Blue Pidgey that suggested him to swim. Crazy bird, but she would have been useful if she stuck around and evolved. That way they could have gotten through this with no problem... "A-and I think it's better we do something now rather than wait around," Waiting for some some of random bird to pick them up, that would take a long time. What if the bird was Undead too? The Quilava remembered his ride towards this tower, he was still shaky about it too. Crona didn't want to see Tansis in that lifeless state either... When all she did was curl in the corner looking weak and had been starved for days. Thankfully, she looked in better shape, but that's probably because they were on a run for their lives! Trying to choke up the best confidence he had, he continued his motivational speech for the Delcatty, "It's not like we have an infinite amount of time, so let's use it to our best, yes?"

He shifted his magenta eyes towards the hole in the tower; possibly made by Undead when he wasn't around. It was growing dark, maybe now didn't seem like the best time to find a raft. How would they sleep? Especially in a tower of infected, there's no way they could sleep peacefully in one area. "W-we should get some sleep first..." The Fire-type suggested, half-hoping the purple cat would point out something wrong with it. Should they take watch if they do want to rest? Or should they risk getting down the stairs in the darkness as well as build a raft? They did have to look out for each other afterall, all he's got is Tansis, and Tansis only has Crona. Maybe together they could make an unstoppable team!

Patiently as he awaited his response, the Quilava continued his way downstairs as he jumped the gap. Surprisingly enough, it seemed shorter than back when he was a Cyndaquil, the perks of evolving must be also growing bigger. At least he wouldn't prove as useless anymore! Does he evolve more after this? How about Tansis, did she evolve yet? Crona knew nothing of how this evolution process worked, nor why it happens, but he feels like maybe it's the good part in life. Maybe it's the change that actually makes him feel good. Of course, being the timid Johto starter he is, maybe there's some things he's missing out. As a Cyndaquil, he was able to crawl through small holes, now that he's grown bigger, that wouldn't be much of a use anymore now would it? But then again, he's bigger, maybe stronger [still a bit iffy on that], and perhaps quicker? Being clumsy, it really didn't matter how quick he was anyways...

Crona's jaw dropped as he looked over his shoulder and past his bag of potatoes, only to see glowing crimson-red eyes behind Tansis. Out of instinct he backed away, looking flabbergasted as he stared, she'd probably find him weird at this point, but that's not it! It's an Undead! A Sandslash, the lower half of its body was covered with cuts and dried blood, claws dirtied with some left-over intestines of its last victim. Yet, what scared him the most was how the red bow wrapped around its tail seemed normal compared to the rest of its body. It gave a malicious grin, Crona cringed, immediately glancing over to Tansis. Oh no, oh no. He's not going to lose anymore of his friends! "TANSIS LOOK OUT!" He screeched, as the Undead Mouse Pokemon lunged towards the Prim Pokemon. However, unlike his usual running away, the Quilava braced himself, flinging himself towards Tansis to get her out of the way.

Being on the stairs, he could have honestly risked both of their lives by tumbling down, but thank Arceus they were nearly to the next floor. The Volcano Pokemon was able to push both of them down there. Immediately he got off of the Hoenn Pokemon [all the awkward between them as he was on top too!], allowing her to get up as he stared up at the stairs. It was too dark to see anything, yet he had the terrible feeling whatever he saw was still sticking around. But, did the Delcatty catch the image of the Undead? She would have thought of him as crazy if she didn't see the Ground-type that sat behind her with a sinister face. The image would not leave his head, he should probably explain things to her, but what is he to say? 'There was an Undead behind you, it could have been an illusion, but I risked both of our lives anyways by pushing the both of us down the stairs'. Wonderful, just wonderful. Unknowingly, he had three slashes on his back, not too deep, but not too light either. Crona felt a burning heat come from the wounds, yet he shrugged it off thinking it was just his insecurities pestering him.

[Crona pls, and Looma, hope you don't mind having Tansis pushed out of the way! If you don't want that, just tell me and I'll edit lol You weren't on when I tried to ask, but I need to catch up on my teams, forgive me asldkfsf]

Smile for me... Smile...

Emptiness, there was no hunger, there was no anger, no irritation, no sadness, no happiness. She felt absolutely emotionless as she dragged herself across the roof. How did Smile get here? She did not remember. All she remembered was the fiery hot desert, the sand whipping in her face as she gazed up only to see a faint figure of a bird grab her by the shoulders. The bird smiled for her, yes. She asked for the bird to smile, and it did. She was pleased of her good deed for the day. The Sandslash had her gaze fixed to the sky the whole entire time; hoping to see the smile of that bird once more. However, it was now dusk, it was now the time to sleep. But she didn't feel sleepy, Smile just wanted to see more smiles before she takes her final slumber. All the smiles, they all meant good things, good omens. They will make this world more beautiful than it is now.

Is the world beautiful now? Why yes, yes it is. The blood curling screams, the blood stains of used-to-be friends. It was wonderful, it was magnificent! Jacques and Sabi would have been proud of her, they would have been proud of Smile for doing such good deeds after living her life being pampered and spoiled with goodies. The world shall be filled with those red flowers she had always loved, the world shall be stained with blood of everyone so that it could be beautiful! Such dedication, she should be awarded for this no? A malicious smile came across her face, there's bound to be someone in this very tower, they're bound to smile for her. They must smile, they must. So that the world can be beautiful. Smile threw her head up towards the sky, an insane laughter filling the air as she knew what she was going to do. If she laughs, everyone will smile along. They will, and they must.

She gasped for air [not that she needed it], immediately throwing gaze over her shoulder. The rooftop was a mess, but she could easily make out the stairs, just a simple indent in the rooftop that made an easy passage around the area. Oh yes, there's others traveling here no? The Ground-type drunk the air, the heavy smell of smoke was obvious. A Fire-type perhaps? No matter what type, she shall make them smile the biggest smile ever~! And they'll happily agree with her to make the world beautiful by staining it with their blood! Yes! Yes! YES! Smile wagged her tail, slithering in the shadows as she paced down the stairs. Her red bow flimsily fluttered in the air, it was too worn to give off that bright happy red. Nonetheless, her prediction was correct; a Fire-type. A weasel-like Pokemon who had a bronze-like fur. He was rather shaky, surely he would smile right? The Sandslash paused, staying in the veil of the shadows.

The language the Quilava spoke, what was it? English? Pokemon? She couldn't understand, but he was talking to the other- the cat. It was weird, the two of them. They had sacks over their shoulders. Were they corpses? They didn't smell like it, yet, Smile could smell the heavy scent of blood. It was far below her, she shall go over there later and hopefully before it dries. The duo was interesting though, they seemed like close friends. Just like back when Smile was with her little family... Harley... Luzine... Who was she talking about again? Who exactly is Harley and Luzine? She - of course - remembered Jacques and Sabi, but who is Harley? And who is Luzine? The names gave a familiar vibe, yet Smile could not make out the reason why she knew them oh-so-well...

She put her thoughts on pause as she noticed the Fire-type's gaze was on her. Smile was noticed. She gave the most sweetest smile she could manage [wide and ready to kill, just like the usual!], would he smile back? Yet, the Volcano Pokemon cringed upon her action. Smile frowned, did she have something in her teeth? It must have been the leftovers she had yesterday... intestines were alright for a meal, but nonetheless, her frown began to turn into irritation. Why did he not smile back? Didn't Smile give a smile? It was the most common sense to smile back at someone who gave a smile right? Yet, why... Why, WHY? She shifted her crimson-red gaze over from the Fire-type to the Normal-type. Maybe that's why. The Delcatty, she didn't bother to turn around to see Smile, she wasn't aware, but the Quilava is. How rude these Pokemon were! But she'll make them smile... Smile always makes them smile in the end.

Without warning, she lunged forward for the purple cat, the Fire-type screaming out something as he protected the Delcatty and earned himself three slashes on his back. The duo stumbled down the stairs, but Smile didn't bother to chase after them, with a hiss she crawled back into the shadows. They didn't want to smile for her, but they will. They always will. She'll just leave them some space for now, watch their every move and she'll slowly- oh so slowly! take the chance to catch a hold on them and MAKE them smile!

Tansis nodded, listening to Crona's response. It was true that being stuck on an island with a pillar in the middle of the ocean would grant them no relief except to wait for death, and that was definitely not one of Tansis's options; not anymore, now that she's been snapped out of her reverie. But the bigger concern for her was how Crona would fare over miles of ocean travel on a raft; surely, the journey wouldn't be a smooth sail, and didn't Quilavas get weak or even die if exposed to too much water? Like, if their fire went out? Tansis wasn't a pokémon professor so she didn't know much, but that was the impression she had. Plus, she was sure that there would be wild pokémon, Undead, that would attack them on the way, and Tansis didn't think either of them could swim; so it would be a sure death to try to leave by raft. Surely, there must be another way... Even if it meant they'd have to wait a while.

"It's not like we have an infinite amount of time, so let's use it to our best, yes?" the Quilava said, earning himself a smile from the tired Delcatty. He may have been young, but he had a strong and good heart... Not that Tansis herself was old or anything. She was pretty young too, but it felt like she had aged a lot ever since... well, everything. She carefully watched the steps she took with the scarf of potatoes still held firmly in her mouth, making sure her paw wouldn't accidentally go into a hole in the stairs or something; an injury would do neither of them good at a time like this. Tansis was about to make a comment on that statement, but Crona had already began talking about the next topic, not very related to the first. "W-we should get some sleep first..." he mumbled, and Tansis frowned a little bit. However, the frown didn't last long, the Delcatty stopping for a moment. "Sounds good to me. After all, we can't stay awake forever. We can't both sleep, though... so one of us would have to stay awake. I could take first watch, if you'd like, and wake you up if anything comes around," she answered with a gentle smile.

The smile was wiped off of her face at the sudden expression of fear the Quilava showed, having turned around only to drop the potatoes and back away. A surprised look was pasted on his face, quickly replaced with fear. Tansis tilted her head, a frown growing again, wondering what was up. Crona gave the Delcatty a quick glance before turning back, and Tansis began to turn around to give a look at whatever the scared little weasel was looking at. "What, is something there, or --"

"TANSIS LOOK OUT!"

And then Tansis felt a push, saw a flash of rusty red and bronze, followed by pain. She tumbled down the stairs, the Quilava rolling down with her and she totally dropped the potatoes. No potato, all are sad again. It felt like a long time, and yet no time at all before the Delcatty found herself on her back on solid floor and she stared up at the ceiling with a spinning head. Woah, what just happened? Crona, who had landed on top of her after all the tumbling, scrambled off and stared up at the way the two had just fallen down at something the Delcatty could not see. Her shoulder hurting, Tansis got up off the floor and gave a glance at Crona, before following his gaze up the stairs -- and they were met with a pair of red and the white of sharp teeth. Before she could get a good look at the creature, though, it slunk back into the shadows without a word, in complete silence.

And then there was a quick silence, followed by a big sigh from Tansis. A big sigh of shocked relief. "What was that?" she breathed, shaking a little as she glanced over at Crona. Her eyes widened a bit, seeing three, long scratches newly decorating the Quilava's back. Oh shit. "Crona! Are you okay?" she gasped, taking a step and looming over the weasel and trying to inspect his back. "You got hurt!" The Delcatty hoped to dear Arceus, Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina that it would not turn to infection like she saw in the case of a certain Rattata earlier in the day. She wouldn't be able to handle seeing her new friend becoming Infected and dying -- she would never be able to kill Crona, even by mercy like the Eevee, Eon, had done for the Rattata.

"What was that?" The Delcatty gasped, getting up before looking at him wide-eyed. Did he have something on his face? Or did she really see the Undead...? "Crona! Are you okay? You got hurt!" The Quilava blinked, snapping from his thoughts, so the burns weren't his imagination... Figures, he looked over his shoulders, only to see the burns take the image of three deep slashes. Ouch. He expected Ragnarok messing with him again, but maybe he stopped due to the Epidemic... Of course, Crona had to be on his guard. But as Tansis began to loom over him, the Fire-type backed away, shaking his head, "I-I'm fine Miss Tansis!" Crona forcefully insisted, looking off to his side to check if Tansis had the same injury as him [which would be stupid considering he was the one protecting her] "What about you? Are you alright?" He inquired, before glancing around to see those pair of crimson eyes looking down on him before disappearing.

Crona shook his head, now was not the time for hallucinations! He cleared his throat before continuing, "Anyways, let's get a move on. There's an Undead on our tails. We can't head back upstairs [due to the Undead being up there], so let's just keep going down." He would wait patiently for Tansis to get a move on, but his selfish side was showing as he went ahead without waiting for a response -- He was that frightened of the idea of being chased by an unknown being. Undead it obviously was, but something was off about it that made the Quilava uneasy. How it smiled so unnaturally wide, it gave him the shudders. Yet, at the same time, he felt like if he didn't do something, it would have killed him at the instant, but why did it aim for the Delcatty? Crona would ponder upon this subject for who-knows-how-long, but sadly, time is to not be on their side for tonight.

He heaved a heavy sigh as he padded down the stairs, not even bothering to turn back to check if the purple cat had followed him. Of course, the Fire-type had the strong urge to immediately turn back, it's not like his feelings bested him -- just that he honestly doesn't know what to do if when he looks back there's that stupid Undead behind Tansis again, and they would have to repeat the process of getting hurt and so on and so forth. What made him fearful was whether the Delcatty would be safe the next time if he didn't see the Undead first. Nonetheless, he just focused himself to just head down the stairs, unaware that a dark figure was following him in the shadows.

Hi Miss Alice~
With your glass eyes, what kind of dream, can you see~?
Are you fascinated with~?

Smile diligently sang with her soft, distorted voice. The Sandslash hopped after the Quilava, her steps similar to ballet as she stayed within the shadows. The Delcatty was just a nuisance, but it's alright, Smile made sure the Normal-type wouldn't go after him. How so? Oh, it was quite a simple plan! All Smile did was simply have Sand Tomb cover the archway as soon as the Fire-type went up the stairs. Though the feline might have witnessed the Ground-type doing such actions, it doesn't matter~ Because now he will smile! What was his name again? Crona? Smile was forced to dig through her memories, but that was his name! He wasn't that silly Luzine or Harley~!

"Cronaaaaaaa~!" Smile happily chimed, her distorted voice making her child-like tone rather intimidating, "Do you smile? Cause I like smiling!" The Sandslash laughed madly, giggles and slurping sounds coming from her, she was unaware that she was going to eat his flesh rather than making him smile. The Mouse Pokemon paused, turning around to check if the Delcatty was following. There was no sign, but she shrugged it off, proceeding to laugh, "Cronaaaaaaa~! Let's play a game~! It'll be a fun game! Just a simple game of hide-n-seek~!" Her brother wouldn't mind if she played a quick game before making her offering to him and Sabi. Right? Afterall, Jacques accepts anything Smile does~ Sabi would play along, but she's not here! It's alright though! Cause the game is fun enough with just Smile and Crona~

Already, I spin my words~
Feverish tongue has turned cold~
The song to love, can't be sung either~

Yet, still you do not answer~

She threw her claws onto the cold stone walls, the screeching sound similar to chalk against the black board echoing throughout the floor. Smile giggled and giggled, her crimson red eyes shifting, she knew where Crona was already, but she would like to give him a chance to find a better spot to hide, maybe he might make a plot twist! Ohhh, the excitement bubbling in her! Smile could might as well just kill the Delcatty right after Crona~!

[I'm going to assume we're on the 4th floor right now. XD]

The Delcatty flinched slightly, taking a step back with an expression on her face that was reminiscent as a mixture of being offended, surprise, and a little hint of sadness. Well, Crona didn't have to be so abrupt! Tansis was just worried for the kid, and paranoia got her too well; too many things had happened since the morning had begun. "I'm fine, thanks," she answered to the Quilava's question about her state of health; she was a little bit battered, but what weighed more heavily on her mind was how Crona could easily brush off his own injuries just like that.

"Anyways, let's get a move on. There's an Undead on our tails. We can't head back upstairs, so let's just keep going down," she heard the other say. Tansis could do nothing but nod a little gravely, and she took a moment to shake herself free of the dust that clung to her fur after the fall. When she looked up, though, Crona was already well on his way down the stairs. He didn't even look back once at the cream-furred cat. Tansis couldn't help but to fluff up a bit in indignation; what was up with Crona's sudden attitude? Earlier that day, he was shy and a little clingy, and now he was already going off on his own like nobody's business.

I thought he wanted to live... and get out of this tower alive. He certainly wasn't going to manage that by wandering off on his own like that, especially with that Undead from earlier loose. Tansis looked down and away, out the holes in the wall out to the sea. The sky was colored a brilliant reddish violet, the sun just only barely visible over the horizon. It would've been a very pretty sight under normal circumstances. Somewhere, far off near the mainland, some birds fled out from the land to the sky; probably Murkrows. How long were they going to be stuck here? Were they really supposed to stay here and die, after all? That's unfair... I want to live. My trainer died so I could do that...

I deserve a chance, don't I?

The sound of tricking sand distracted Tansis from the view outside. The 'shhhhhh' sound whispered quietly in the silent room, and the Delcatty's head whipped around just as the whirling mass of sand blocked the way downstairs; the way Crona had gone. Just before it obscured the path, Tansis caught a glimpse of dark red eyes and a bright white grin, a shiver running down her back. What was that? Who was that? Was it the Undead from before? Tansis raced over to the blocked path, trying to see past the storm of sand that kept her from going past.

"Crona?" she called, unsure of exactly why. Could he even hear her? Maybe he was already far too down. Maybe the Undead already got to him. But Crona was the only friend Tansis had; she couldn't go back into that broken depression again. "Crona?!" she paced back and forth before the stairs, glancing every now and then back into the 4th floor room, looking for hints -- anything that could get her past the blockade. Would the floors give out somewhere? Perhaps she could drop down to the floor under by finding a weak spot? But she had no idea what laid down there, and certainly didn't want to get herself into an even tighter situation than she already was. "Crona! Where are you?!"

Please, Arceus, don't let him die.

The Quilava felt uneasy as he headed down the stairs, pausing for a slight moment as if anticipating the Delcatty's footsteps to be following; but it did not come. The Fire-type frowned, looking over his shoulder in case it was just his imagination playing jokes on him; but it wasn't. There truly was no Tansis following him. He felt his heart thump against his chest, he did leave her curtly, maybe she decided not to follow him anymore for his manners...? Crona tensed up, it was growing dark and being alone didn't seem like a good idea at this time... Tansis, is she safe? That was the bigger question that began to taunt him. He gulped, padding back up the stairs; "Tansis? Are you mad...?" He received no response, but the sound similar to a sandstorm was off in the distance. What's going on?

He hopped up the steps, the hairs on his fur beginning to stand. It was as if something was following him. Certainly Ragnarok is just bullying him right? Right... It was strange; especially how that little demon hasn't really appeared since his arrival to the Sky Tower other than giving Crona constant reminders of what he has to do. Unless... No that can't be right; it's impossible. He shook his head on that doubt, finally reaching the top of the stairs to feel his jaw drop; the path has been blocked by a storm of sand, constantly flying in that exact spot. Was it that Undead from earlier...?

"Cronaaaaaaa~!" A distorted voice rang through the stairway; it was close to his location and must be from that Sandslash earlier. Chills ran up his spine, it knew his name, he was going to die here. "Do you smile? Cause I like smiling!" Oh dear Arceus... It wasn't after Tansis at all; it was after him, "Cronaaaaaaa~! Let's play a game~! It'll be a fun game! Just a simple game of hide-n-seek~!" Quickly did he sped downstairs, the Sandslash was playing around with him. It wasn't a game of hide-n-seek, it was more like Cat and Mouse. In a short amount of time did he reach the third floor, but the Undead was nowhere in sight. The ear-splitting screeches from the halls made him realize where the Ground-type was: Right behind him.

But how-?! Now was no time for questions. Boulders were scattered across the floor, quickly did he hide behind one of them as the giggling Undead arrive. All he had to do was hide until Tansis can come in and hopefully rescue him, but if not... Then he's screwed.

Striker froze up. He definitely heard the insane laughter now, and the new Fire-type Pokemon that burst down the stairs talking about someone named Tansis told from his expression that Striker should probably leave. But something deep inside of him told him that he would not be a coward anymore. He quickly dug to the boulder that the Fire-type was hiding behind. He said quietly, "You could use some help I guess. My name's Striker, what's yours?" Striker peeked around the boulder again before waiting for a reply. He really didn't want to get infected or torn apart.

(OoC= Hi guys. Feels great to RP with you. Hope to have a good time!)

The Sandslash frowned as she perked up her ears and took in a deep breath; there was another. This was the plot twist? How... stupid. The Ground type snarled as she bashed her bloodied claws the ground, the pebbles surrounding her slightly shook along with the loud sound. She doesn't like this newcomer, it ruins the game! It was only suppose to be her and the Quilava. "WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU? She screeched, even though she knew exactly where Crona was, the newcomer must leave. He must leave. He must... Unless, he's willing to smile for Smile. Are you happy? Do you want to play with Smile? Does Smile need to make you smile? Play a game, let's play a game...

"Oh, so you want to play with Smile? You want to play hide-n-seek with Crona and Smile?" She perked up curiously with a grin so wide some might wonder if it went off her face. The question was directed at the newcomer, but at the same time it was as if she was talking to herself. The Ground-type cleared her throat, as if answering for him; "Oh yes certainly, I would love to play with Smile!" The tone was outrageously different and far distorted than her usual. She went back to her regular voice as if replying; "Then Smile will be glad to play with you, yes, just as long as you remember to smile~!" The Sandslash giggled in glee at her self-conversation. It didn't strike her that the Sand Tomb from earlier began to slowly fade, as her mind was no longer focused on creating it. She was filled with content as she has more playmates.

The shadow ball hit the wall of sand and scattered into fragments of darkness before disappearing into the air. That hardly made a dent! she thought with a grimace, staring at the apparently solid blockade. It wasn't fair. Surely there had to be some way around it. Tansis refused to sit and cope with the loss of yet another friend. "Arceus damn it!" she screeched, slamming against the barrier with her shoulder before slumping down to the stone floor, almost ready to start sobbing again. Why couldn't she save everyone? Why did she have to keep watching everyone die?

Why did she have to be so useless?

While she almost slid into her silent pit of despair, the sand wall suddenly gave way, small gravels showering down on the Delcatty's head. She sputtered, taken by absolute surprise and shock at the sudden collapse of the sand tomb wall and slid down a few steps before she managed to set her paws in a way so she would not slide. She stopped to stare in astonishment at the pale sand that began crumbling down the stairs in streams, almost as if it were trying to lead her to where Crona had gone. Soon, though, Tansis shook herself out of her short daydream of shock and stood up, regaining her footing. Shaking the sand out of her fur, she peered down into the darkness of the stairs, trying to keep the shiver from going down her spine. She had to keep going. She couldn't stop here.

"Crona!" she called, immediately beginning to pad down the stairs at a medium/fast pace. She had no idea where the Quilava was at the moment; he could have stopped on the third floor, or went further down. Tansis didn't know. She had to be careful. She couldn't upset or attract the attention of the other Undead in the tower. "Crona? Listen, I don't know when I said anything to offend you, or if I said anything to offend you, but don't go off on your own like that...! I thought we were going to stick together and survive!"

[whooooooo Kind of a lame post this cycle. X"D Sorry.]

[Ooc: lolskip, my apologies for taking up the time, I'm too tired at the moment and asdf]

As the undead had an...interesting self-conversation, Striker picked up another's voice. "Crona!" Striker couldn't tell if the Pokemon that said the Quilava's name was friendly or not, but considiring that there was already one off-her-rocker Pokemon, there were probably more coming. At the best, the owner of the voice was probably a friend, or a rescuer, or... Striker paused. He had become lost in thought again. Instead he focused on the situation. "So, Crona, if we make it out of this, can I travel with you?" Striker was hoping his nerves wouldn't get the best of him, but as he said his sentence, he knew it was full of fear. "Um, if it's ok with you, and we DO make it out of this..." He paused, trying to scope out where the bloody Undead was before muttering, "Damnit, Arceus help us all."

The cat came back. The fucking cat came back. Smile growled lowly, she had to work quickly, "Crona show yourself!" Loudly did she slam her claws against the floor, making some bits crumble, but did not give away. Crona, Crona, Crona, the game must end so soon, Smile must see your smile as soon as she finds you okay? The Sandslash wildly looked around, he must be behind the same rock, but what if he already ran for it? Oh no, Smile can't make haste. All she had on her mind was Smile Crona, smile for Smile Crona, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile.

The chant continued on as she broke rocks nearby, only to be disappointed by no one behind it. She continued, and continued to smash rocks, feeling an odd deja vu. Did something like this happen before? Hide-n-seek, with Sabi and Jacques? Was that it? No... Impossible. She panted as she smashed the final rock, only to turn her head back to the same rock where Crona should have been hiding behind of. Ha! So he was fooling Smile, he wanted to make this game longer. No Crona, we can't do that... Smile grinned, a grin so wide it could mind as well jump off her face.

She raced towards the Quilava's direction; smile, smile, smile Crona, smile for Smile. Quickly did she smash the rock and soon pin down the Fire-type and completely ignore the Nincada next to him; "Found you Crona!"

"Crona show yourself!"

The loud screech and hollow bang gave the location away -- they were closer than Tansis had expected. In panic, Tansis hurried down the stone steps, slipping on the loose gravel that laid chaotically here and there. By the words that were screamed by the one who the Delcatty assumed was trying to kill Crona, she knew that the Quilava was still alive -- for now. Time was ticking down. The cat felt her heart pound in her furred chest as she stumbled down the stairs. Where had her scarf gone? She must've left it on the staircase, two or three floors up, when Crona and she had just been coming back down from the roof with those damned potatoes. She made a vague mental note to get it back later. "Crona...!"

Turning the corner, she saw the bronze Quilava -- but he wasn't alone. The floor was oddly empty, the Delcatty having expected the lower floors to be swarming with Undead. Instead, Tansis only saw three figures in the room: Crona, some white buggy looking pokémon that she couldn't get a good look at, and a dark, bloody figure that hovered over Crona like a dark cloud. "Found you Crona!" she heard the Undead hiss, the tone unsettling while complimented by the giant grin on the Sandslash's face.

The Delcatty felt her heart drop to her stomach. Oh no no no no, she did not like Undead. Ever since she saw the poor Charmander and his other friend practically explode in front of her eyes, gouging themselves open while under massive psychic pressure, her fear of the power that Undead held increased by a lot. Sure, she had just managed to fight a big one on the roof, but it was Crona fighting beside her that helped to distract her from her broken fear. But now, Crona was not there to help her; now Tansis had to help Crona. Or she would be all alone again. "Leave him alone!" she screeched, bristling and taking a shaky step back, forming a Shadow Ball in front of her and launching it directly towards the Sandslash.

This headache was tearing his mind apart.

Ever since his last kill the powerful Harbinger had been plagued with a migraine from delving into the lesser mind of his victim. Every step, ever flux of power, it caused his headache to gradually worsen and it was seriously pissing him off. This has to stop...NOW! His head shouldn't be hurting to begin with, his Master had granted him eternal life and painless existence, but thanks to immense psychic powers being forced to be contained in a rotting body lesser beings often caused them to go wild. Wretched living...

His wandering of the region had led him to Sky Pillar which he thought to be perfect for resting from his migraine. Darkness and blissful silence, where he could meditate on his victims and conjure new ways to torture his prey. A sinister smile spread across his face as he made his way inside, only to be greeted with the terrified shouts of a female and the sounds of battle. "DAMN THEM!" he cried, sending a deadly pulse of energy that cracked and split the walls bracing the door he stood in.

Stalking up the stairs he made every intention of making them suffer for wrecking his sanctuary from his headache. As he made his way up the stairs he heard the shouts becoming louder and louder, and knew he was close to his new victims. Stepping up the last step he came into a room filled with living Pokemon being attacked by one of his own kind. "Why do living beings make such noise!?" he screeched, blasting a powerful Psychic to throw them all apart. But one voice cried out again even after his attack, a little Nincada.

Glaring daggers at the tiny insect the psychic fox stomped over to it and snatched it right off the ground, crushing it's feeble body in one hand. "Be. SILENT!" he shouted, throwing the body to the far wall. Infuriated at the cracking sound its shell made when it smashed into the stone he screamed, putting his hands to his head and sending Psycho Cut after Psycho Cut at this new victim. The world was starting to lose focus for the Alakazam, room distorting and mind fogging to the point of losing all concentration.

No...no... he begged and pleaded, wanting to watch his victim suffer at his hands. He didn't want to be forced to feel it die without seeing it! But then it clicked. He could have both! He could cause his victim endless suffering and alleviate his symptoms all at once! Once again plastering on his feral grin the Harbinger lifted the Nincada with his Psychic, dragging it up the wall and resting it eye level with the fox. "You...you will know...my...pain!" At once he sent all of his excess energy into the low-leveled being, proving its lesser worth by pumping all the energy causing him such distress into it. The Nincada's head felt like it was going to explode causing it to scream and writhe in agony, the intense migraine only worsened by the actions. But still the Alakazam continued.

He kept going until he watched his victim's eyes start to bleed, the intense pressure causing his inner eye capillaries to burst and make him cry. Blood ran down the bugs face in thin rivers, drops hitting the ground like sweet music, and finally the eyes ruptured all together. As some of the matter splattered onto his face a thin tongue came out and licked it from his muzzle, a low moan escaping him. "Delicious..." Knowing his victim was no longer living he casually dropped it like a broken toy and turned to face his spectators. "I feel better now," he said with a happy grin, headache gone and mind clear as day. Bowing slightly he made his way back towards the stairs to head down but made one last look towards the others. "Until next time!"

And then in a blink, he was gone.

[ooc: Just spit balling and assuming it is my turn. lol Well, please skip Crona this turn. I am almost done reading up, but not yet and I dont want a Warning.]