(ACE) The HEARTHOME Team

"The name's Ullr," the Banette replied, curtsying to him. Rocket barely hid a smirk - goody-goodies amused him, especially in these times when killing was becoming a daily chore. Still, she seemed nice enough, and perhaps she could be useful - he still had his eye on the strange object in her hands, and wondered if it had any added benefits. He remembered the smart-ass Larvitar he had clashed with back in Blackthorn and the item that he claimed would help him evolve quicker. Rocket wondered if Ullr's talisman did anything similar...

"Cool, good to know ya," the Gabite held out one of his claws for Ullr to shake. "The name's Rocket, and this lovely lady here is Francesca."

"I don't know about you, but I reckon we ought to ... do ... something," he added, taking a vacant look around the empty city. "Like, anything. I don't know my way around this city for shit. How long have you been here?" he asked Ullr. "Do you know your way around?"

Ullr nods at Rocket and Francesca happily. "Nice to meet you to." She speaks happily, smiling.

"Do you know your way around?"

"Er- well, I've been here before as a shuppet but... I kinda know a few places..." Ullr replies, looking around the ruined city. "It's been a while though. I just left the mountain, and before that... I was living further north." She recalls before carefully placing her ocarina back in her bag. She notes the few berries she had stored from what felt like forever ago as she closes her bag. Hunger had begun to gnaw at her, but she wanted to save the berries for later.

"I remember there being a lot of shops... And we performed outside of a pokemon fanclub..." She says quietly, trying to recall the short visit her family had made.

"Er- well, I've been here before as a shuppet but... I kinda know a few places..." Rocket nodded, prompting her to continue. "It's been a while though. I just left the mountain, and before that... I was living further north." Another nod, and a brief, circular wave of his claw for her to get to the point. "I remember there being a lot of shops... And we performed outside of a pokemon fanclub..."

Nope, not good enough - there was no mention of food, a comfy bed and a place to find things to kill. "Nah, nah, that's not what I meant," Rocket said, strolling towards her and impatiently waving a claw. First off, I meant do you know where things are? If I asked you where the Pokemon Centre was, for example, would you know where it is? Second, I was referring to ... useful stuff, like a place to rest or find food?"

Honestly ... some of these city folk were a slow bunch.

"Y-yeah, I know... J-just what I said are kinda l-like reference points?" She speaks quietly and nervously, intimidated by the gabite. She looks around them nervously, trying to remember the city, but failing a bit under pressure. After a moment she was thankful to spot the orange roof of the city's pokemon center.

"Over there seems to be the pokemon center... and I remember eating near the pokemon fan club..." She speaks a bit calmer now that she didn't feel like she might be left behind by the two at that moment.

((srry >.< havin trouble writing atm))

"Y-yeah, I know... J-just what I said are kinda l-like reference points?" Rocket, as usual, had a counter argument, but decided to keep his mouth closed for a bit - the poor ghost looked nervous as hell. He simply nodded, prompting her to go on. "Over there seems to be the pokemon center... and I remember eating near the pokemon fan club..."

The mention of food perked the Gabite's interests, and he swung his arms to limber up for the walk. "Cool. Best thing to do is see where the grub is, and guard it so no one else gets their dirty mits on it. Am I right?" Without waiting for an answer, he strolled off in the direction Ullr had pointed, looking around at the tall buildings around him with interest.

"So, Ullr, where you from?" he asked, before glancing behind him at Francesca. "You doing all right there, baby?"

After Ullr finished her nervous explanation she listens for an answer, honestly rather afraid of the two lizards. She seems rather relieved once Rocket replies more positively however.

"Cool. Best thing to do is see where the grub is, and guard it so no one else gets their dirty mits on it. Am I right?"

She nods, the bell on her ribbon sounding shortly in response to the action. As He began to walk off she hesitates to follow for a moment before making her decision to stick with them for now. She hurriedly catches up, though she stuck closer to the back of the small group, not wanting to attract too much attention. She was checking behind them before Rocket's voice brought her attention back on him.

"So, Ullr, where you from?"

"Oh, um, by Snowpoint I guess... We used to live in a cabin in the woods around that area." She replies, recalling the quaint place. The warm wooden house with her old friends and family... The warm fire kept in the fireplace, and the music practiced and played... She drifted off a little, recalling the nicer memories.

    Francesca has watched quietly as the Banette, named Ullr, introduced themself. The Krookodile's gaze was sharp, quietly looking over the small puppet for any signs of infection or wounds. The ghost-type herself didn't seem to be at all undead, and still retaining sanity. Although the crocodile wasn't quite sure why she had so many ribbons, or that bell--which she assumed might cause problems from it's noise.
    "Cool, good to know ya. The name's Rocket, and this lovely lady here is Francesca." She perked up, managing a friendly smile and a small wave to the puppet. She listened to their conversation silently, her gaze drifting around the city around them. It was a large city, she knew that much. "You doing all right there, baby?"
    She was almost caught off-guard by the dragon's question. "Huh? Oh, I'm good." the Krookodile replied, coupled with a sheepish grin. "Just trying to remember what I can about this city. Only ever visited twice, but I think there was uh...poffin place? Probably near the fan club like Ullr said, wherever that is." she shrugged. "We could probably check that place out for any leftover grub."
    "Oh, um, by Snowpoint I guess... We used to live in a cabin in the woods around that area." the ground-type perked up at the familiar name. "Snowpoint? Man that's pretty far north." she commented. "How'd you make it all the way down here?"

[ooc: it's good to be back!]

Artemis strode with heavy, angry steps. Her ear fins twitched with contempt as they had to listen to the canine walking happily in front of her. "I close my eyes, only for a moment and the moments gone." At this point she swore she could recount the entire song simply from how long Phantom had been singing it. "All my dreams, pass before my eyes, a curiosity." Then the chorus.. "Dust in the wind~ All they are is dust in the wind~" As the Growlithe took in another breath to continue the song she beat her tail against the ground, effectively stopping the next stanza at least for a moment. "How long are you going to sing that freakin song?" She hissed with irritation clear in her voice. He looked back at her, orangeish eyes shining bright, "Oh dont be like that, its a good song." Artemis tilted her head downward but kept her dark gaze locked on the canine. "Four repeats ago maybe.."

Hurrying up her pace the Vaporeon moved closer to the Growlithe while her cyan eyes drifted about the buildings. "You don't even know where we are, do you." Goldenrod had big buildings like these but she knew this sure as hell wasn't the Jhoto city. "I think so," He lied smoothly, still humming the tune to himself, "I may be a town over from where I think we are.." Turning to the water type again he could see the burning look to her eyes. "Would you like to stop and ask for directions then?" Immediately she flared, fins fanning out wide and tail trashing. "Hell no! You said you could do it we don't need others." Phantom chuckled to himself. "Geez, I thought guys were the ones who hated asking for directions, not girls." The Vaporeon only growled, slinking low to the ground as she followed along.

Phantom picked up where he left off, "Same old song, just a drop of water in an endless sea." Honestly he'd love to ask for directions if he could find anyone. Someone he and Artemis had.. warped, and the little sense of direction he had kept was utterly lost. We are in a city now at least, thats probably a good sign. The grin wouldn't leave his half masked face, even the thought of being lost couldn't bring him down today. "All we do, crumbles to the ground though we refuse to see." Artemis' growling seemed to be getting louder. Why did she hate this song so much? Feeling a bit devious the canine rose his voice to be even louder. "Dust in the wind! All they are is-" "Dust in the freakin wind okay. I get it." The Vaporeon interrupted, marching ahead of him with blazing eyes. "Temper temper, I'll pick something else then."

But the Growlithe didn't continue. His one good ear perked high as it heard something awfully close by. "-all the way down here?" Other Pokemon! Without even waiting for the Vaporeons reply he rounded the next street corner, already humming a new tune and grinned at what he saw. "Oh hello!" He called out to the Pokemon. "Would any of you mind giving a couple lost pups some directions?" He couldn't help but laugh at himself, admitting to being lost, "Or, at least tell us where we are."

"Huh? Oh, I'm good." Francesca snapped out of whatever trance she was in with a sexy grin. God damn. "Just trying to remember what I can about this city. Only ever visited twice, but I think there was uh...poffin place? Rocket turned to look over his shoulder at her, perking an eyebrow at the word 'poffin'. Just what the hell was a poffin? "Probably near the fan club like Ullr said, wherever that is." She shrugged. "We could probably check that place out for any leftover grub."

'Grub' told Rocket enough of what he needed to know. He was none the wiser, but it sounded as though these 'poffin' things were edible, so it was good enough for him. "So these poffin things ... what are the made of? Did the humans make them?" he asked the gator.

"Oh, um, by Snowpoint I guess..." Ullr then replied as she began to follow. "We used to live in a cabin in the woods around that area."
"Snowpoint? Man that's pretty far north. How'd you make it all the way down here?"

Rocket's mind drifted off as he let the two ladies converse. So here he was ... Sinnoh, the place of his birth. He'd finally made it here, in the weirdest way possible. Looking down at the paved streets below his feet and then up at the clear, afternoon sky, he craved to know just what this region had in store for him.

And more importantly, was his father still here?

"Oh hello!" Rocket nearly jumped out of his scales at the sudden voice, raising his claws to counterattack, but it turned out it was just a Growlithe; a Growlithe with a weird ... mask thing covering half of his face? The hell? "Would any of you mind giving a couple lost pups some directions?" He chuckled slightly, looking embarrassed. "Or, at least tell us where we are."

Rocket smirked, folding his arms and gesturing behind him with a nod of his head. "I'm not the one to ask. Only just got here myself," he replied offhandedly, keeping a stern eye on the Growlithe. That mask sure was suspicious...

Ullr was about to answer the krookidile before being cut off by an unfamiliar voice. She halts, jumping slightly and looking over at the orange dog that had revealed itself. She was glad to not be the only one that seemed rather surprised by it's appearance however, noticing Rocket raise his claws.

"Oh hello! Would any of you mind giving a couple lost pups some directions? Or, at least tell us where we are."

Letting out a revealed breath, Ullr shifts, hands holding the strap of her bag.
"Um, we're in Hearthome city, between the contest hall and the pokemon center." She answers kindly, calming down a little.

((apologies for the short post >.<))

    "So these poffin things ... what are the made of? Did the humans make them?" Francesca glanced over to Rocket, considering his question as she fumbled for a good answer.
    "Yeah, they were human-made, they're kinda like uh..." she paused in thought. "They're kinda like buns? Or soft cookies. They're made with a bunch of different berries; kinda like Pokeblocks if you know what those are." the Krookodile explained. "They taste pretty okay, depending on how well they were cooked. Come in all different flavors, too."
    "Oh hello!" the ground-type nearly jumped at the sudden voice, looking around to catch sight of a Growlithe and Vaporeon dual. "Would any of you mind giving a couple lost pups some directions?" She squinted at the canine, wondering why exactly he was wearing a mask--one that only covered half his face. "Or, at least tell us where we are."
    The Banette replied first, and Francesca nodded. "Yup. Hearthome City in Sinnoh." she confirmed, crossing her arms and looking the two strangers over. "Who're you two?"

Phantom squashed down his natural shyness as all eyes turned to him with a wary gloss. Smiling genuinely at the Pokemon before him the Growlithe tried his best not to appear as nervous as he felt. Though some looked a bit beaten none smelled or appeared to be of the diseased type, at least not to the point that he could tell. It was just his luck, had any of them been infected he knew that Artemis' stare that burrowed into his neck would of been much worse. The Gabite was the first to speak up, perhaps he was like the leader of the group? "I'm not the one to ask. Only just got here myself," Well.. guess not. However, curiosity perked Phantom's good ear up. Were they traveling as well?

"Um, we're in Hearthome City, between the contest hall and the pokemon center." Hearthome City? The name was nearly foreign to the canine and the sharp hiss from the Vaporeon beside him could only mean bad things. He could vaguely recall hearing it maybe once or twice and, for what he could remember, it no where near where he was trying to go. "Hearthome City?" He repeated, hoping there had been some mistake. The Krookodile spoke next with a knowledgeable air, maybe she was the lead. "Yup. Hearthome City in Sinnoh." Sinnoh. Oh dear that was not good. The Growlithe knew next to nothing about the region except that it was oceans away from his home and more then likely his destination. "Oh, I see.." He replied, failing to hide the disappointment and discontent in his voice.

"Who're you two?" She continued though the Growlithe's thoughts were far away on mental map with many holes. How had they popped off course like this? They had been going in nearly a straight line until the incident! "My name is Phantom, and this is Artemis." He glanced down at the scowling Vaporeon who was obviously not pleased. She stared straight into his eyes, rage boiling in her cyan eyes. Confidence waning, he was at a loss for words. "We are from Orre and we were on our way to Goldenrod City.. but it seems we've gotten a bit.. off track."
His gaze drifted upward with an awkward smile, examining the mighty buildings in a desperate need to change topics. "I've never seen a buildings so large before.." Artemis only growled, standing up tall with fins flared, claws scoring marks in the hard ground as they curled. "Well I have, and they were in Goldenrod. How did you get us lost in Sinnoh?" He flinched at her angry, feeling hot under his fur as the other Pokemon watched. "Hey, you know as well as I do that something brought us here. I had kept us on track."

Artemis thrashed her tail, bright gaze flicking between the other Pokemon. There was something about them that she just did not like. Maybe it was because of the last group she had been stuck with, or the fact that these guys were just standing idly in the middle of a city. She didn't care- she just did not like them. Keeping her back straight the Vaporeon refused to be intimidated. Phantom may be the talker but she would make sure they knew she meant business.

"--brought us here. I had kept us on track."
Belle's ears, or whatever it was she heard with, picked up on noise from an area close by. Luckily for her, it seemed like whoever was speaking was intelligent, and not completely hard to understand like the disgusting zombies she had come across thus far. Though, admittedly, she felt a bit bad for them. They were once living like she was, and it was kind of sad to see pokemon just turn into those mindless monstrosities.

But whatever, that was the least of the Chimecho's worries right now. There were other beings nearby! The first she had seen so far! She guessed she just avoided all the towns in fear of infected, but there was definitely a large crowd, of what she assumed to be living, here. She could hear them.

Wanting to be careful however, due to not exactly knowing if she should trust these voices, she floated into town, making sure to hide behind things as she got closer. She peered from her hiding spots, hoping not to make any noise as she did so, because if they were in fact infected, she'd be doomed. As she got closer however, the pokemon she saw were definitely Living. Granted, there was a huge Krookodile with tons of scars, but they were just scars, not rotting flesh.

Nervously, she approached the group, happy to see some, well, hopefully, friendly faces. "Uh... hello!" she called out from a few feet away.

As Ullr and Francesca answered the Growlithe's question, Rocket kept his eyes firmly on the masked canine. No one went around wearing a mask for no reason - this guy was hiding something. If it was something like an infected wound, he'd have to kill him. Well, he would've if he didn't have an audience, and the moody-looking Vaporeon that had appeared looked as though she knew the Fire-type. Killing him and her in self defense wouldn't make him look too good.

"My name is Phantom, and this is Artemis." Rocket frowned, still watching the Growlithe like a hawk. Even his name was weird. "We are from Orre and we were on our way to Goldenrod City.. but it seems we've gotten a bit.. off track."

"A bit?!" Rocket scoffed harshly. "Dude, you're practically on another map." He didn't feel much like making pleasantries right now, especially with Phantom continuing to creep him out. Still, if they were going to tag along for a bit, names were always helpful. "The name's Rocket, and this is--"

"Uh... hello!" called another voice just off to his left. A Chimecho was approaching, and although she seemed friendly enough, Rocket wasn't sure he wanted a large group following him around. Sure, he loved Francesca's company and Ullr wasn't too bad, but since the arrival of the masked weirdo and the Vaporeon that hadn't stopped scowling since she'd arrived, he decided that he definitely preferred smaller groups. Not just for less stupidity, but less noise as well.

"Yeah, hi." Nonetheless, he offered the Chimecho a brief wave of his fin. "We're off to find some grub at this 'Poffin' place," he said, looking to the Chimecho and then towards Phantom and Artemis. "If you wanna come, that's fine, but you gotta keep up. Oh, and no bullshit. Got it?"

"And lemme try that again. My name's Rocket." He started off down the street again, soon reaching a junction. He stood on the edge of the curb, scratching his cheek. "Shit, which way now?"

((I'm so sorry but please skip me >.<))

    "My name is Phantom, and this is Artemis. We are from Orre and we were on our way to Goldenrod City.. but it seems we've gotten a bit.. off track." Immediately the Krookodile's brow furrowed, an uneasy frown on her face. She nodded her agreement to Rocket's words, a clear hint of doubt and suspicion in her eyes as the dark-type gazed down at the newcomers.
    "Uh... hello!" snapping her head to the source of the sound, she was met with a small psychic-type slowly making her way towards their ragtag group. She gave the Chimecho an odd glance, closely inspecting her for any wounds before giving a small wave of her hand.
    After the Gabite introduced himself to the strangers, the Krookodile began. "I'm Francesca," she spoke, crossing her arms. "Had no idea there would be so many survivors in this one area." she shrugged. She turned, following Rocket as he meandered down the street. Quietly, she whispered. "Where are all these Pokemon coming from?" she asked. "I mean, three living at once?"
    "Shit, which way now?" she paused, looking down the roads and the piles of rubble. Francesca frowned, trying to recognize the paths before cautiously pointing down one. "This way, I'm pretty sure." she replied. "Been ages since I've been here, but I think this is the way. Hearthome isn't as complex as Castelia anyways, if you get lost it's easier to find your way back."

"A bit?! Dude, you're practically on another map." The Vaporeon stiffened, muscles tightening harshly. "Really, well isn't that just great." She growled, unable to catch Phantom's gaze as he received the 'news'. Well wasn't this fantastic. Not only were they lost but somehow they had gotten themselves way the hell on the other side of the damn country. She sit down roughly with an exasperated groan. Roped in with these morons cause Phantom can't keep his big yap shut. Just great. And the Growlithe seemed way too interested in them to even think of leaving. "The name's Rocket, and this is--" "Uh... hello!" Oh no, not more Pokemon. For legends sakes, she would take listening to Phantom sing that damn song for an hour then have to deal with more of these guys!

Phantom perked immediately at the new voice, already beaming at the new face, a friendly one at that. "Hello!" He greeted the Chimecho, wondering if she was lost or just traveling. "I'm Francesca. Had no idea there would be so many survivors in this one area." The Growlithe shrugged, tail wagging a bit. At least she seemed to enjoy the new company too, making the total go up to three friendlies. "We're off to find some grub at this 'Poffin' place," What was a Poffin? Was that a Sinnoh, human, or an apocalypse thing? "If you wanna come, that's fine, but you gotta keep up. Oh, and no bullshit. Got it?" Shaking his head the pups tail wagged even harder. "That sounds lovely, thank you." He barked lightly, "And oh no never! Wouldn't even dream about it when you all have been so helpful."

"And lemme try that again. My name's Rocket." Turning toward the Chimecho Phantom nodded, "My names Phantom and this is," He gave the Vaporeon a gently shove, forcing her to acknowledge the psychic type and actually speak up for herself this time. "Artemis." She snarled, eyes staring to the side instead of at any of the other Pokemon. Avoiding any other conversation the quadruped rose to her paws and followed close behind Phantom as the party started to move. If she was going to be stuck with these Pokemon at least she could get some food out of it.. Yeah, and after they could get the hell out. Well, as soon as she could get a certain canine to leave his new buddies behind.

"Shit, which way now?" "This way, I'm pretty sure. Been ages since I've been here, but I think this is the way. Hearthome isn't as complex as Castelia anyways, if you get lost it's easier to find your way back." Phantom blinked, enthralled by the Krookodile's knowledge. His entire life he'd hardly been out Gateon, the thought of knowing so many big cities, having visited and explored them.. it was extraordinary. "Where is Castelia?" He asked mesmerized, curious if it was another city here in Sinnoh or if it was somewhere else entirely. How many of these wondrous places will I end up traveling through before we get to Goldenrod. He blinked. Which.. way is it? Suddenly he realized he had no idea where to even start on his way back to Johto.

The Chimecho edged a bit forward from the spot she was behind. Not all of these pokemon looked too happy to see her, and she was just a teensy bit nervous, but the reassuring wave of the Krookodile made her want to get closer to the group. "Hello!" the Growlithe called out, and Belle returned the greeting with another "Hello!" before adding, "It's nice to see some friendly faces!"

"I'm Francesca. Had no idea there would be so many survivors in this one area." the Krookodile said after the Gabite had rather gruffly introduced himself, "And lemme try that again. My name's Rocket."

She was glad they seemed at least rather friendly. Granted, she didn't expect them to be too happy, considering their situation, but at least they seemed like they were trying to be welcoming.

"My names Phantom and this is," the Growlite trailed off before nudging the Vaporeon, who growled out a vicious "Artemis."

"I'm happy to meet you all. I'm Belle, a wandering nurse. I hope I can help you guys out!"

Belle admittedly flinched a bit at the Vaporeon's cold nature, but she just shrugged it of in a second as she saw the group moving. I mean, she had no idea what had happened to all these Pokemon over the years of the infection, and it was only normal to have a few pokemon who were probably very angry at the world as it was. Either way, she let the thought flow to the back of her mind as she happily trailed the group.

(Skip please)

Phantom wagged his tail happily as he followed along with the others. This was so exciting! It was easy to squash the worry of location down when he thought about the fact he was somewhere completely new. He had told Acid he would survive out of Gateon and now look at him, exploring the far off reaches of Sinnoh. This is for all of you. If he really was living for the friends he had lost, then the Growlithe really hoped they were proud of the distance he had covered. Oh.. The thought of the actual distance he had gone and all the sand he had walked across made his aching paws hurt even more. Giving his thick orange fur a hard shaking the canine can still feel sand trapped next to his skin, making it itch feverishly. He didn't miss the expanse of sand but at the same time the thought was comforting as his is homeland was filled to the brim with the stuff. They were a far ways from Orre and he wondered if there a desert in Sinnoh. Should I ask? Maybe now wasn't the time.

Artemis kept her eyes locked on the ground, her frown as far as her face would allow. She did not want to be here, she did not want to be with other Pokemon, she did not want any of this! But damn Phantom won't let that happen. She takes in an exasperated breathe and lets it out with a soft sigh. Wasn't Sinnoh.. a different continent all together? She shudders. How in Arceus' name had they gone from the endless deserts of Orre to freaking Sinnoh? About ready to call shenanigans on this crap. Than again, how did she know that these Pokemon weren't all conspiracists and just lying to them, trying to get them good and lost more then Phantom had? They said something about just arriving.. Hell, what if they didn't even know where they were and just threw out a name!

Her ear fins twitch bitterly. Nope, no way was she believing this to be Sinnoh. Not anymore. Not until she had some sort of hard evidence that was more believable then the word of some 'new arrivals' to a city that at least one had never seen before. I hadn't explored all of Johto before ending up in Orre, this is probably just one its cities, or maybe Kanto's. That would make more sense, kind of. Moving across the country in a random flash was more realistic then moving across the world. Right? Hah! Gotcha! Her scowl changes to a pleased smirk. She didn't have to become friends with these Pokemon, just use their food before they headed out. This was brilliant.

[Skip. Don't have much to work with unfortunately! uvu]

"This way, I'm pretty sure," Francesca replied, pointing to the right. "Been ages since I've been here, but I think this is the way. Hearthome isn't as complex as Castelia anyways, if you get lost it's easier to find your way back." Rocket nodded in response as he turned and began to walk down the sidewalk, keeping his sharp eyes open for any movement, ready to retaliate if something unholy threw themselves at them from behind the rubble or out of an alleyway. "Good job we got you, ain't it?" He turned to the female gator and winked at her. 

Just as Phantom queried Castelia's location, the Chimecho introduced herself. "I'm happy to meet you all. I'm Belle, a wandering nurse. I hope I can help you guys out!" The Gabite perked an eyebrow at the Psychic-type, nodding in approval. "A nurse, eh? Looks like we got some keepers here, all right. Where did you-- hold on."

Rocket stopped and held out his fin for the others behind him to stop. "Sssshh..." What was that? A whisper? Rocket's head snapped to his left, towards a trash can sitting on the edge of an alley. He stayed deathly still, barely breathing, as he stared at it. "Wait there," he told the group and, claws raised, he stalked towards it. He peeped around it, beyond it and even inside it, but there was nothing to be seen. 

"Weird ... did anyone else hear that?" he asked, resuming his place in the middle of the path, scratching his cheek in confusion. "Swear I heard something." He paused for a moment, mulling it over before continuing with a shrug. "Probably just the wind. C'mon, let's hustle." 

Had he just been hearing things? It wasn't like him to be paranoid...

((Sui gave me permission to make posts without images and colour codes since I'm away with just my phone and don't have enough SH days. Once I'm home I'll come back and put everything missing in.))

    "Where is Castelia?" the Growlithe asked, which caused the Krookodile to glance back at the pup. She hummed in thought, remembering the massive buildings and towering hotels. The streets were crammed, packed with both people and Pokemon alike. The roads bustled and every shop was crowded--it was the epitome of the term 'big city'.
    "Castelia's in Unova," she replied. "Pretty far off the map. It's a long boat ride oversea, maybe a few days. It's a pretty big region, though."
    "I'm happy to meet you all. I'm Belle, a wandering nurse. I hope I can help you guys out!" Francesca nodded her head in acknowledgement, glad that they had found a survivor with some kind of medical knowledge out here. After all, Arceus knows how many wounds she and Rocket would get while brawling.
    ""A nurse, eh? Looks like we got some keepers here, all right. Where did you-- hold on."" The Gabite himself seemed genuinely glad they had found a nurse as well, but his last sentence left the Krookodile alert as she perked up. "Weird ... did anyone else hear that? Swear I heard something."
    Francesca shook her head, a small frown creased her scaled lips as she focused on her hearing. She cocked her head in an attempt to catch more sound, but shrugged. Nothing. "I don't hear anything." she mumbled. "Well, I guess my hearing isn't the best, anyways."
    "Probably just the wind. C'mon, let's hustle." With a firm nod the Krookodile followed close behind, eyes alert for anything uninvited that dared to follow them.

Phantom's tail would not stop wagging as Francesca answered his question. "Castelia's in Unova," Unova, Wow! "Pretty far off the map. It's a long boat ride oversea, maybe a few days. It's a pretty big region, though." Days by boat. He had stared day in and day out at an endless expanse of water back in Gateon yet he couldn't imagine an entire region being such a distance away. Even now, after crossing so much of Orre and somehow skipping a few regions to arrive in Sinnoh, the pup could only look on in awe. "That's incredible." He said breathlessly, trying to take the idea in.
He was forced away from his thoughts as the Gabite voiced his approval about the friendly floating Pokemon, "A nurse, eh? Looks like we got some keepers here, all right. Where did you-- hold on." but caused the canine to slow to a halt as he finished. Blinking his orange-brown eyes Phantom shifted his gaze around the street, searching for anything that could of set the dragon off. By this point in his life he knew that when big, strong Pokemon felt a disturbance it was usually better to listen now and ask questions later.

"Sssshh... "Wait there," The Growlithe was perfectly still, body tense with curiosity and fear. It was too soon to be running into trouble! An uncomfortable shiver coursed through his veins as Artemis bumped ever so slightly against his side with her tail. Looking toward her he was surprised to find she didn't seem at all concerned. Heck, she even looked happy for once. What are you thinking about? Maybe it was best he didn't know the things and went on in her mind. "Weird ... did anyone else hear that? Swear I heard something." Glancing back up he was relieved to find Rocket coming back empty handed. Finding nothing was better then finding something bad. "I don't hear anything. Well, I guess my hearing isn't the best, anyways." The Growlithe shifted his paws uncomfortably, "Mines a bit handicapped, but not much. Though I didn't hear anything either." He tilted the masked side of his face away from the others.

Artemis straightened out her back and stood a bit taller, putting it simply, "Nothing at all." She wasn't afraid of some noise that she didn't even hear. Honestly, what was their, six competent Pokemon here? Even if she didn't trust them no one wanted to lose to the undead and these lizards looks like they were itching for a fight. "Probably just the wind. C'mon, let's hustle." Her muzzle angled itself upward as though it was searching for this 'wind' he spoke of. The Vaporeon's cyan eyes saw nothing but Belle floating about. Wait.. Wasn't there another floating Pokemon with this group? Though she looks nothing comes up but the Chimecho. They were down a member already and hand't even noticed! Artemis opens her jaw to speak but then clamps it back shut. I don't care. These Pokemon were not her friends so she wouldn't concern herself with a missing persons problem. With a sweep of her tail the Water Type strode forward and followed the others with proud steps.

""A nurse, eh? Looks like we got some keepers here, all right. Where did you-- hold on."
"Hum...?" she replied, questioning, tilting her little body as she did.
"Weird ... did anyone else hear that? Swear I heard something."

Belle admittedly was put on edge as she heard the other talk about noises. She was just recovering from her most recent escape, and that was a whole day ago. Just... their faces and the noises they made... it was terrifying and she was so tired of it by now.
"I... I didn't hear anything either. Do gabites usually have such acute hearing? I didn't think they could hear very well..." she replied, keeping the last part mostly to herself as a note. If this gabite had good hearing, or at least... better than a growlithe's, she wanted to keep it in mind, because maybe it could help someday. Who knows?

"Probably just the wind. C'mon, let's hustle." At that, Belle immediately replied, "Well. We really shouldn't just brush it off. Let's all tread carefully over there. In case it wasn't just the wind."
If he was going to brush something off like that, he may as well at least know that it could be something.