The PALLET Team

The bird didn't take long to drop them off in a random town, it turned out the avian was healthy and alive, apparently it had been carrying around several Pokemon the past year from town to a different town. Strange how it worked, but the Flying-type certainly didn't tell the reasons of why he had done that. Nonetheless, Ciel and Sebastian had been taken to the rooftop of a house, safely landing as the bird flew off silently. Once again, strange as the bird usually screeched upon arrivals/leavings. The Bug Pokemon casually glanced down from the rooftop, the drop wasn't that far down, but obviously enough to break a bone if you went the wrong way. He scanned the area, this town was small compared to the others, trees made it isolated too. The only way in and out being a straight path to what seems to be another city.

The Dark Pokemon calmly stared at his master whom was checking out the new chess board. Obviously, there's barely a soul around, what's the point of playing this game? In fact, the Epidemic was a simple game to them, this was no new chess board, there's still Undead hungry for their souls. "Young Master..." Sebastian began, his fiery gaze fixed at a small group, "It appears we have company, along with a special guest." He was mostly eyeing the floating pink cat-like Pokemon, those features could never be mistaken as anything else; it was Mew. He remembered it straight from the books Ciel had ordered him to remember to heart (technically, brain, the Houndoom believes he has no heart).

"Just watch," Ciel responded as he followed his servant's gaze, "It seems like a memorial, best we don't interrupt Sebastian." It was obvious, the deep indent on the ground, the pile of dirt right next to it... a molten purple body. What a sad, yet painful way to die. But the Venonat felt no remorse towards the body. He will admit that its dead, crying over it won't bring it back to life. Its death was its own fault for not knowing how to survive in this dog-eat-dog world. He glanced over at the Houndoom, only to find the Dark Pokemon gazing right at him, as if seeing through his thoughts. The Dog smirked, staring back at the body down below, "How sadistic of you."

[Ooc: Yo, just joined the team 8] I'll just be a stalker for the next two rounds -or once the burial is done- but feel free to spot the duo before I make my appearance -note; they're not speaking too loud, they're surprisingly quiet here-]

((Late skip, sorry about that, but I can't post now so please skip. Ken shall do something next go.))

((Posting out of turn because the Warning Mods forced Lost to post and skip me and I am vital to plot.))

The bright day became a darker place very quickly as sarrow and pain wrapped around the Legend's heart. As the grave was prepared for the body, Mew made no move to contain the tears rapidly streaming down her cheeks. Legends were suppose to be the steong ones, never show fear or back down, but she just lost the strength within her to do so. Forgive me Khan... Ken... You should not see me like this... the pink feline apologized silently. As Mew continued to slowly yet gently bring her fallen brother's corpse to the hole, a voice behind her actually made her jump, taking her so off gaurd that the burned body fell a good few inches through the air before she got ahold of herself again. "Do you need any help?" The Honchkrow's voice came to her, soft yet hesitant.

The Legend allowed a small smile to come across her baby like face, even with her brilliant cerulean eyes full of sarrow and tears dripping from her cheeks. A touch upon her back took her off gaurd as well but the Psychic type did not startle as easily that time. "Just give us your commands and we will obey," Khan's honest voice came to her ears softly. "We are here to help you." Mew had to hold back an emotional sob. How can there still be such kind souls in the world when this virus is causing such chaos? Without turning around, Mew cleared her throat, refusing to let her voice betray her emotions when she was such a symbol of hope. It paid off as her voice was strong even with her low tone. "No. I can handle this." And with that she gently moved the larger Legend into the scoop out of the dirt she had made. Once his body was completely submerged, she allowed the glow around her body to fade completely as she set the body down.

With one more Psychic, the mound of dirt beside the hole slowly moved back into the earth like a wave of brown. Mew then glanced at the Lucario behind her, her eyes still too bright and tears on her face but her smile was genuine. "Stand back now. I must make a grave marker worthy of a Legend." As the group did as she said, the feline levitated into the air, her arms outstretched as her eyes glowed brightly. After a few twitches of her arms, the Metronome brought a shaking to the earth around them. Suddenly dozens of roots errupted from the ground surrownding the grave, swirling upwards in a massive tornado of green. Within seconds, the Frenzy Plant made a towering oak tree in the middle of the small town, green leaves waving happily in the breeze as the healthy trunk completely covered the grave. Mew smiled up at her handy work, the new shade covering her face. "Rest well brother. You have earned it."

It seemed that Mew had the situation under control. Khan watched silently as she finished the burial of Genesect. He stood back and watched with pure awe as she used a Grass-type move conjured by the Metronome to create a tree out of the roots from around them. "Rest well brother. You have earned it," the small legend said solemnly after her work was done.

Khan very softly placed his hand on her back again. "Well done." Without another word he walked over to the tree and gently touched its bark. He leaned against it on his forehead and inwardly gave Genesect his farewell and blessing. Rest in peace. You ... were more of a hero than I ever was...

The appendages on the back of his head suddenly rose as he detected several new auras in the area. Three of them were harmless and uninfected, but the forth was all too familiar. With a growl, Khan whirled round and spotted Maxwell stepped out from round a corner. "YOU!" The Lucario's fury at seeing the little menace again was obvious as he conjured a spear with Bone Rush and charged forward with a howl. Standing next to the Raichu was the Kangaskhan from before, but Khan completely ignored her as he flew like a blue bullet at his target. He'd smash the little monster's skull in and gouge out his brains.

"I know how this is going to sound...But we’re not here to fight," the large Normal-type said. Khan had no idea why but her words stopped him in his tracks and he skidded to a halt in front of her. "We just want to talk, and hopefully set things right, that’s it." Looking up at her, Khan's lips curled into a malicious snarl. "I only know one way to set things right," he growled, casting Maxwell a murderous look. But then he remembered Mew's presence behind him and how upset she was. He had already unintentionally been nasty to her and he doubted that, in the state she was in, she would want a fight to the death to break out. While she was still there, Khan decided to restrain himself. There would be time afterwards; he doubted that Mew would bother to stick around here...

"What do you want?" he spat, his eyes blazing with confined fury as he glared at them both. He held his spear behind him, ready to swing it forward if this turned out to be a trap.

The floating pink feline had buried an unknown being; the others stood by in respectful silence; the Lucario was lunging forth, bone in hand. This is it. He thought meekly, a shiver passing through his spine. Maxwell closed his eyes tightly, the brunt of the attack about to come down full force. This is what he had come here for, right? To let those he had hurt receive vengeance? To end the monstrosity that he had become? "I only know one way to set things right." The harsh words of the fighting type shoved the stark reality onto Maxwell's face, a small flinch appearing on his otherwise blank face. The Raichu opened his eyes slowly, but kept his shameful gaze on the ground, finding himself looking at the powerful hind legs of the Lucario. He could only imagine the rage and hurt on his face... Of which you inflicted. Don't you feel powerful? Don't you never want another thing to hurt you again?

A headache began to pulse throughout his entire head, taunting and twisting his brain's muscles in all the wrong ways. His neck seemed to burn with uneasiness, although it oddly felt like something was attacking it with a flamethrower. What... what's happening to me... Maxwell shook with the effort it took to stay on his four feet, his eyes widening as they stared without focus. You're weak unless you reach for power, fool! The Voice roared in his mind, almost physically taking his breath away. You're useless until you succumb to me! You're dead meat unless you become the monster you're supposed to be! It seemed like everything else was at a standstill, and that any sudden movement would throw his entire mental build off. It was like he were a hose, and that hose had been bent, and suddenly the rushing water within it was being suppressed - it like he was building up, threatening to explode, ready to burst.

"I'm going to die," he whispered, his wide eyes shaking as they struggled to focus on one thing, instead of darting around warily. He held a fore paw to his non-beating heart, his ears pressing against his skull. He had barely even noticed that Khan had asked in a sharp tone what they were doing here; not even Maxwell could find the answer to that. His mother and he were here to talk - because there was nothing left to lose, and the damage had already been dealt. In a louder voice, he brought his eyes to look directly at Khan. "I said I'm going to die. Please, just- just listen." He said tonelessly, but his words trembled with unsaid things. There was too much to say, and he was running out of time. Or is time catching up with you? "... I never... said thank you. For all those times you saved me as a Pichu." The words hitched in his throat, the memories flashing in his mind. It's the only things I have at this point...

The Lucario few straight at her son, malicious intent all the ever present in its eyes. She just knew it would be this one that would make the first move, the one who could never understand what it meant to be a part of a family, and in turn love them despite circumstances.

But as he halted in his tracks, and no attack came from his end, Nora Bates loosened up just the slightest bit. Her nerves wearing thin from having to be on constant watch over both sides.

"I'm going to die,"

What? What did he mean by that? Was Maxwell saying that he was to inevitably attack the group, leading to his own destruction? Or was the young raichu planning the ultimate sacrifice? She didn’t even want to let that thought linger in her mind, he was too young and still innocent to be put through all of this, and to take things so far made her heart physically ache.

"... I never... said thank you. For all those times you saved me as a Pichu."

There it was again, Nora’s heart hurting at what she was hearing, for some reason she couldn’t help but cast the thought of her son Maxwell planning on doing something self-destructive from her head. She reached down her pouch to pet the head of her son Norman, more to calm herself down than anything else, only earning a slightly painful scratch from him as he went back to sleep from being awoken by her.

If Maxwell was gone, it would only be her and Norman again….And despite the fact that for the longest time it was only them two, going back to a family of two was just too painful. She did not want to lose Maxwell OR Norman…..

“Maxwell….Dear….what do you mean ‘you’re going to die’?” It was possible that in an effort to keep everyone calm he was omitting certain information from even her. So she leaned down and gently asked, “Is there something happening?” With worry drenching her voice.

((really sorry for the lateness, things have been a bit hectic OTL))

((OOC: UGH! Again please skip me, I don't know what to write... TT_TT))

The Pink Legend set the body down in the indent, her brilliant pink glow faded slowly. The duo watched the funeral silently, they didn't know the corpse, nor did they share a relationship with it... But, it was best to pay their respects. It didn't take long for Mew to use Psychic once more, the mound of dirt filling up the indent that held the corpse. 'Better than leaving it out in the open,' Ciel thought, it would be saddening for such a powerful Pokemon to be left in the opening. Especially if it was left to rot silently and unknowingly in this small town. The day seemed to grow darker by the second, the feline slowly levitated into the air, eyes began to glow a brilliant light as she waved her paws; Metronome. Roots erupted from the ground, a tornado of green beginning to reveal itself as an Oak tree.

Sebastian stared, somewhat amazed at this power. Though the Houndoom was powerful enough, and the life of comfort with his master seemed enough. This was something new; it was power from a Legend. It's not like he's power-hungry or anything, but this... How can one be not amazed? "Rest well brother. You have earned it." She said. He bowed down for the Legend silently, Ciel giving a solemn look. Sebastian lifted his head, not flinching as the Lucario suddenly screamed at some newcomers, "YOU!" Ohoho... What's this? The Dark Pokemon glanced at his master, watching the Venonat grin with glee. He must be entertained. Sebastian blinked as he watched the scene, watching the Kangaskhan defend herself, "I know how this is going to sound...But we’re not here to fight," They know each other, so they're not newcomers... Something was awfully off about them. Especially the Raichu. It was far more malnourished than the rest of the group. There were bitemarks -- barely visible -- covering the lower half of his body. Perhaps...?

"We just want to talk, and hopefully set things right, that’s it." The Normal-type said. Oh how much Ciel wanted to laugh! It had been so long since he had seen entertainment like this. This was just simple drama, it wasn't THAT big of a deal. Compared to what the Bug Pokemon had faced in his past.. He shook his head, his focus back on the group. The Lucario's lips curled into a snarl, giving the Raichu a murderous look "I only know one way to set things right." The Electric-type looked as if one of the Undead. Though the Venonat didn't have a strong nose, he glanced at his servant to check if he was sure, only to receive a glint in his eyes. Then if that Raichu was Undead... What of the Kangaskhan? She had a bloodied up tail and a couple of scratches, but she didn't seem all that bad compared to the Mouse Pokemon.

"What do you want?" The Steel/Fighting Duel-type spat, a spear behind his back, ready to use as if this was an ambush. The Raichu definitely look liked one wanting to talk, but Sebastian was thrown back as the Undead actually spoke. He never head one speak before, except that Braviary back in the ship... But this one didn't speak in First-Person. The Raichu thanked the Lucario for the old times, did they know each other before the Epidemic too? Sebastian shook that off, the past shouldn't matter to the present, but something was awfully wrong. As if the Electric-type was holding back some unseen force. It was then did the Houndoom catch the name of Maxwell. What a fitting name. Sophisticated even, did he live a good life so far?

"Hey Sebastian," Ciel began, his eyes still glued to the drama scene. He could feel the dog's piercing gaze against his fur, but continued on what he wanted to say; "If that Raichu does anything... Don't bother to help them unless they ask for it." He turned to the Houndoom, watching him blink in surprise. What, this isn't a new order than the usual is it? Even so, the Dark Pokemon bowed his head, a malicious grin appearing on his face as if the last reaction hadn't happened, "As you wish my lord."

The buirial was done. Her job was finished, yet even then she was unable to tear her eyes away. The tears flowed freely and the Legend tried to wipe them from her face with a rough movement from her forepaw. Mew felt Khan's touch even as she stared angerly at the liquid on the back of her paw. I... I need to get out of here. Before I break down completely. Sparing a glance over her shoulder at the Lucario, Mew knew that the sooner the better.

However, the feline was not at all prepared for the sudden outburst from the fighting type that had been right by her. Immediately taking to the air, the still crying Legend watched as Khan charged a Raichu whom was quickly then followed by a Kangaskhan. Mew blinked slowly, allowing the last traces of her crying to disperce as she studied the Raichu. One of them, she realized with a start. But it seemed.... to not be attacking. In fact, it was speaking. Mew flew over to the group then, slowly enough to listen to them speak, but she then took her place in the middle of the group.

Mew glanced at the newcomers but then looked right at the Lucario. "It is time for me to make my leave, Khan. I have done what I have come here to do. I..." She spared another glance at the electric type. "...have to help my brothers and sisters to undo what has been done," the Legend told Khan in a soft voice, her eyes falling to the ground. She then began to glow, her body growing and morphing before leaving a violet serpent in her place.


mew could not do anything to save those that had already been taken by the horrible virus. She could do nothing for the Raichu or anyone else, for that matter. The Dragonair shot up into the air, leaving a trail of a faint light behind her. "Goodbye.... and take care."

The light faded completely as Mew disappeared into the air.

((I am done floating here. It has been fun role playing with you all!))

Ken watched as Mew finished burying her fellow legend before flying to the sky, probably upset at having to place one of her own to rest. He hoped she would be all right.
Soon Khan sprung into action, going for a Raichu that seemed to be saying something about dying.
Max... It was the electric type they all knew, and once cared for. It was hard to believe that the little guy was starting to lose his mind.

The big boss pokemon walked over to what was happening. Wanting to know himself why the little mouse pokemon had returned, and why he had brought the Kangaskhan along with him.
Mew came back to them, but it seemed it was only to say goodbye to them before changing into a Dragonair and flying away from them. "Goodbye.... and take care." She said as she disappeared.
Be safe, he though before looking back at the Raichu. His face betrayed his newfound distrust for the electric type.
He has seen him as a friend once, but now, he was one of them. He had to keep his guard up. There was no telling what kind of trick the Raichu could play.

((Sorry for the crappy post. I'm trying to keep awake while I do this.))

Khan had to work extremely hard to keep his raging temper in check as he continued to glower at the undead rodent. Every instinct in his body told him to destroy the little monster in front of him as quickly as possible. Maxwell wasn't even looking at him; the Raichu's eyes were firmly shut and the expression on his face was almost rather calm, but he visibly flinched whenever Khan spoke. The Lucario felt a sense of achievement at this. At least the little beast knew how much he was hated. Perhaps he'd get the hell out of there and leave him in peace.

But then, slowly, Maxwell's eyes opened and he looked straight up at him. Those crimson eyes ... whenever Khan looked into those a primal fear, an instinct, crept inside him and told him to eradicate their owner. He clutched his spear so tightly his knuckles turned white. But then, just as Khan was planting his toes firmly into the earth below them, the undead Raichu spoke: "I said I'm going to die. Please, just- just listen... I never... said thank you. For all those times you saved me as a Pichu."

Khan's eyes widened and his rose his head a little, staring into the distance, lost in his thoughts. It was true - when they found young Maxwell in the wreckage of the Pokemon Centre in Violet City, Khan had been the first one to offer the poor Pokemon a piece of his last Sitrus Berry. If it weren't for me... Khan's fists tightened once more and his glare returned. ...We wouldn't be having this conversation. "Yes," he said. His voice was quiet, calm, but the foreshadowing of his rising temper was evident in each word. "Yes, I did, I saved you. Even then ... even then I knew that you were ... one of them. Your aura ... it was different." He took a step back, for a reason he wasn't sure of. Perhaps it was the sudden and rather startling realisation that he was the reason that Maxwell was still 'alive' now. "I regret it. I regret saving you. Maybe it was because you were so young. I felt sorry for you." He scoffed harshly. "I was sorry for a creature whose brethren destroyed my life!"

He swung the spear round from behind him and pointed it in Maxwell's face. "I'm going to kill every single one of you," he snarled, his eyes blaring with bitterness and a lust for revenge. "I had a life ... it's gone now. Gone. Within minutes everything I knew and loved was destroyed. Dead. I was the only one to live ... the only one to have to go through this..." Why me? Khan looked up at the sky to try and pour the tears back into his eyes. Why did it have to be me?

A calming pink glow from beside him alerted his attention. Mew floated next to him, a rather solemn expression on her gentle face. "It is time for me to make my leave, Khan. I have done what I have come here to do,"she said. Khan allowed the tears to come at these words. "I...have to help my brothers and sisters to undo what has been done." Transforming into a Dragonair, Mew bid them farewell and flew away. Khan silently watched her as she slowly shrunk into a tiny dot before disappearing from sight completely. He allowed her words to sink in as he slowly looked down at the ground. She, as well as her fellow legends, wanted to destroy the undead as well. He shared a goal with them. Khan clutched his spear with a rage that was growing now that Mew had gone. He would help her with her goal, whatever it cost.

The heavy silence was almost suffocating after Mew had transformed and majestically left - his mother had asked in an unsure voice what he had meant when he said he was going to die. What does she think? The guttural voice grated within his mind, but Maxwell held no ability to speak as he stared at the narrowed eyes of the Lucario before him. "Yes, I did, I saved you." He unintentionally felt himself tense up, sensing where he was going. The hatred that was building up, pure and white in its unadulterated anger, hit the Raichu to the core. "I regret it. I regret saving you. Maybe it was because you were so young. I felt sorry for you. I was sorry for a creature whose brethren destroyed my life!" The Aura Pokemon aimed his spear at him threateningly, the glint in his eyes as dangerous as the weapon he wielded. I was a fool. He couldn't find solace in being forgiven, even if he were given the chance - which he certainly wasn't being given.

"... I was the only one to live ... the only one to have to go through this..." Maxwell shivered, the intensity of the Lucario's conviction causing him to take a step back. Is that what he was...? A monster, mindless and evil, hungry and out for blood? His gaze dropped to the floor, taking deep breaths that didn't fill his lungs. Maybe he should simply stop fighting what he was becoming; it was clear that there was only one other being in the world that believed he hadn't gone over the edge. The Mouse Pokemon looked at the Kangaskhan, regarding her with as much emotion as he could muster (which wasn't much), a quiet murmur of a thank you passing through his lips. He was the parasite that the Lucario described him as. He took everything and gave back nothing, he risked the lives of everyone whilst he did nothing to protect them. His head began to pulsate with the sheer strength it took him not to cry out in pain, his monstrous thoughts battling against his shredded conscience. What was he? Hadn't he been infected long enough? Wasn't he enough of a demon already to not feel anything anymore? Why am I so... lost?

Was it weird that, as he struggled with himself, the one thing that kept coming to mind was that he hadn't answered his mother's question? Here he was, just a step away from the edge of insanity, and he felt that his mother was justified to know where he was going. With a shaky breath, Maxwell focused his eyes on the Kangaskhan. "I'm not myself anymore." He was a child robbed of his innocence, an adult corrupt in his ways - he was a contradicting monster, and it hurt when he couldn't feel anything. His eyes flashed red, and his head swung to face a hidden opponent. Where was Maxwell, the Pichu that cried beneath a fallen Pokemon Center? Not even the Raichu that presently stood knew exactly.

The pink pokemon transformed and flew away from them all, and for some reason this relieved Nora more than anything. Something about that pink pokemon felt uneasy to her, but only when thinking about Maxwell also…But it was gone, and she could mentally relax a little, though not physically relax. The tension in the air was still thick enough to suffocate a pokemon….

The only compensation to her being on constant edge was that everyone else was also. All the other pokemon had that look to them, as if expecting a smoking volcano to erupt any second. If things drew out, they may even grow restless and attack just to end things once and for all. It was as if this small group felt bigger for some reason, as if there were more of them than what she was seeing right now. But she chalked that up to her imagination for now.

"I'm not myself anymore."

Nora instantly denied that, maybe he was starting to loose himself, but she could see the young pichu that clumsily walked up to her and asked her to take him with her in those eyes. There was still a full conscious being in there, fighting with everything he had, and she will not let him give up that easily.

“Yes you are, I can tell.” She then looked at the group of pokemon, all once friendly to this electric type, but now wanting him dead. “The fact that you are here right now trying to make amends means that you are still with us, still fighting and still living. And as long as there is even the faintest of hope in us being a family, I will make it happen.”

“I’m not gonna lose you so easily, you can’t get rid of an overbearing Mother that easily.” She ended with a smile pointed at the Raichu. She had no clue what lay in the future, but she wasn’t planning that far ahead, she had no way to in fact. As she could do was preserve her family one day at a time.

She didn’t know what else Maxwell was planning, it sort of seemed like he had said all there is to say, unless the boy was keeping more to himself again. She would stay there as long as needed, but Norman was starting to make a fuss again in her pouch, he was hungry. And although she had promised no more killing to feed them, despite the fact that it broke her heart seeing him hungry. She would find him an already dead pokemon out there to feed, after this is all over of course.


((wrote this kinda fast cause i was going to skip, so sorry if its not as great as i would have wanted...))

((OOC: Honestly, i think this team can win the award for most Drama/Angst if there was such an award xD))

For some odd reason Haze had wandered away from his friends and Mew. The entire moment seemed slow and disorienting. He couldn't remember how he ended up where he was but he was here. "Guys!" he called. "Ken? Khan? Ms. Mew? Where are you? Hello?" He conked himself in the head. Great going Haze... Haze just sighed and continued with his search.


It took him a while but Haze finally was able to get back to the town. He still didn't find the others so he decided to trace his steps. His first stop was the abandoned house that Khan investigated. The house was just as Khan had said it was, empty. "This is stupid and pointless!" he yelled as he stomped his foot on a loose floorboard. He almost fell through the floor and his head almost collided with a metal trunk. Why would something like this be hidden? Haze thought to himself. "What the?" When Haze opened it up, he found berries. A lot of berries. Under the berries were bottles of strange liquid and under them was a strange flat and round object. One side had some strange writing on it while the other side was reflective. It couldn't have been a stone, it was to flat and flimsy. "I wonder what this is..." he asked. "Maybe Khan would know! Oh wait..." He slumped his shoulders. "I have to find the others first..." With a pout, he shut the trunk and walked outside. Suddenly, Haze noticed a familiar pinkish glow. Mew! It's gotta be her! and he took off for it.

When Haze finally got to where he saw the glow Mew was gone but the Ms. Bates and Maxwell were there. Khan had already stepped up to confront them. "I'm going to kill every single one of you!" He was readying an attack on the Infected...but something was different this time. He didn't seem as dangerous as he did when he and the Kangaskhan attacked Haze and his friends. "I'm not myself anymore." he said. Haze thought that Khan was about to unleash Hell but then Ms. Bates stepped in. “Yes you are, I can tell." she began. "The fact that you are here right now trying to make amends means that you are still with us, still fighting and still living. And as long as there is even the faintest of hope in us being a family, I will make it happen. I’m not gonna lose you so easily, and you can’t get rid of an overbearing Mother that easily.” Haze was stunned. Family... The word echoed in his head over and over again. This Kangaskhan, this fellow survivor who just said that an Infected was one of her family. How can she consider one of Them as one of her own!? As strange as her exclamation seemed to the young Nuzleaf, he couldn't help but remember his father. He missed his father and can only imagine the pain that he felt in his last moments. Haze's scars began to burn again. He hated the Infected, he hated that fiery monster that took his father away from him, he hated how it mercilessly murdered his father, he hated them with as much power as the flames that consumed his father, but this Raichu, Maxwell, he was different. He had expressed remorse to them and according to his mother, he is still fighting to stay alive. He was not truly evil, he was different. Haze impulsively ran down the hill and stood in front of a very angry Khan with tears running down his cheeks. "Please Khan! Don't hurt them!" he begged his friend. "They're not bad Pokemon! They are just trying to survive like us! They have it just as bad we do! We can all survive this Hell together! Please, I don't want anymore to die!" He couldn't hold back his tears any longer. "Please, no more."

((OOC: I'll be honest, I sorta teared up at the end while I was writing this.))

"I had a life ... it's gone now. Gone. Within minutes everything I knew and loved was destroyed. Dead. I was the only one to live ... the only one to have to go through this..." Khan said, and Ken couldn't help but feel sadness for the Lucario. The Honchkrow had always been an outcast where he lived, and he had to watch his only friend turn and attack him. Why me...?
The Kangaskhan was trying to rasure Max that he was still him. Though Ken didn't know if her words where getting through to him. Everyone either wanted to kill Max, or try to help him. Ken really didn't know what he wanted to do at this point. What could he do?
Max had been his friend, even if he had been infected when they first met, he was still his friend. But then he simply attack them. "What am I supposed to do? I don't want to take sides..." Ken said to himself as he backed away from them. He found it better not to get involved. He simply hoped they wouldn't turn to him for what they should do. Cause in truth, he didn't know what they should do.

Khan stood a short distance away from the group for a while, planning how he could eliminate Maxwell without causing a massive fight in the process. Now that he knew Mew's goal, he was determined to help her out with it, whatever the cost. He owed her that much; she had made his life brighter than it had been in a long time by just being there. But then Haze came running towards him. Khan blinked at the Nuzleaf as he approached with tears running down his face. He hadn't noticed he was gone.

"Please Khan! Don't hurt them!" Haze begged, skidding to a halt in front of him. "They're not bad Pokemon! They are just trying to survive like us! They have it just as bad we do! We can all survive this Hell together! Please, I don't want anymore to die! Please, no more." Khan said nothing for a few moments and simply stared at the Nuzleaf as his words sunk in. When they did, Khan felt his temper rising again but managed to barely hold it in as he leaned down towards Haze. "Haze..." He tried his best to keep his voice steady and calm, but he found it rising with every word. "I am sorry for this, but don't you understand? It is Pokemon like them," he swung his spear round so it faced Maxwell and Nora's baby, "that have destroyed our world. We need to get it back, reclaim what is ours. And to do that we need to eradicate the ... the vermin that have plagued it!" He was shouting again now, his eyes a bloodlust that he hadn't know was there until now. "And Mew ... she and the other legends are working towards that goal as well. And even if I have to die, I will get our world back!"

His chest heaved, his teeth clenched and his eyes burned as he regarded his enemies. But Haze's words, how panicked he had been, had struck a nerve deep within him. He noticed that Ken was backing away a little, obviously trying not to get himself involved. Khan looked at Maxwell. He looked at Ken, then back to the Raichu. His expression became one of sorrow and anguish and tears began to pour down his scarred face. "Ken..." He turned to the Honchkrow, his eyes pleading him to shed some light on the situation. Were his intentions good and just, or was he turning into a madman? "Ken ... what should I do?" Help me...

“I’m not gonna lose you so easily, you can’t get rid of an overbearing Mother that easily.” Maxwell stepped backward, knowing that for any other living and sentient being, they'd have felt touched. But he was too far off, he was a monster just as the Lucario had pointed out. The Raichu rounded on his hind legs, clutching his skull hopelessly as waves of confusion passed him by. Who was he, again? He was Maxwell, a Raichu who wasn't sure where he stood, trying to find solid ground in a world that didn't coddle the weak. He was powerless and uncertain -- there really were no words that could describe how bereft and empty he felt. Who could say they could live through dangers and live through death, and still be a happy person? Maxwell shook his head, dropping to all four paws once more. Why couldn't the world be black and white, a world where you could tell who was evil, and who was good? Somewhere in the present world, the Nuzleaf was pleading to Khan, defending the Raichu.

"We can all survive this Hell together!" Wasn't that what they all wanted? To survive to see another day, with hopes that this epidemic would fade? The Mouse Pokemon wasn't sure anymore; he wasn't sure of a lot of things. There were amends, maybe, but the world and its occupants had left their mark on him. He had been labeled as a monster, and been treated as such. What was he supposed to feel...? Anger, for those that had hurt him? Pity, for those whom had lost so much? Love, for those that had nurtured? Respect, for those that deserve it? The Pokemon that assembled around him, they each had those qualities. They were ruthless, imperfect beings that constantly made mistakes. The entire world was one huge mess-up for all he'd care. Panting from emotional exhaustion, Maxwell shook his head repeatedly. Everyone was confused now, lost and unsure just as himself. Like so many situations he had caused, he held power over it; he could make it better, or he could wreck more havoc. The responsibility never made Maxwell feel so horrible as it did at that moment.

There was the two in the bushes -- he sensed them, despite their well hidden spot. They were witnesses to this heavy moment, to the Pokemon gathered here. His blank eyes looked directly into the Houdoom's, and he shook his head slightly. Now isn't the time to reveal yourselves. He thought quietly, despair seeping into him. With that finished, Maxwell noticed that the Lucario -- Khan -- had tears in his eyes. Who was he, again? He was Khan, the Lucario that had saved him numerous times before, whom Maxwell had pushed too far. The same Lucario that had called him a monster until he actually began to believe it. Yet he was the one crying, the one with processed thoughts and true emotions. Maxwell was an emotionless being compared to the Sinnoh native that stood before him. Maxwell's eyes sought out his mother, not knowing what to do anymore.

She believed in him, gave him a love that he couldn't reciprocate even when he wanted to with his entire body. The Kangaskhan had given him so much without asking for anything in return...

Why do bad things happen to good people? Maxwell was brought up thinking that the answer to that question was that it was a test, and that once you overcame that 'bad thing', you were a stronger and better person. But that was idiotic, he realized some time after he evolved into a Raichu. Bad things happen to good people because it's those kinds of people that are ignorant of the bad things happening to others. You can't understand what someone is going through unless you've gone through it yourself. With a shaky breath, Maxwell's eyes flicked to Ken, the Honchkrow that the Lucario was calling to, before going towards said Lucario. He looked at the tear stained face, the battle scar, the look of uncertainty. It was almost scary to think that they resembled each other, somewhat. "Khan," the name sounded weird on his tongue. "We're... we've all gone through hurt... We're all more alike than we'd care to admit..."

((things are getting emotional, and deep and causing people lose their faith in their convictions, damn....But sadly i'mma have to skip, if i wrote anything it'd just end up being a repeat of what i wrote last time D|))

Haze knew in the back of his head that this was not the time to be angry but he couldn't control his sudden outburst. "No Khan! They are not monsters! I know we've had our disagreements with them before but they are not the monsters you think they are." he exclaimed. Haze then pointed at Nora Bates and her child. "Ms. Bates' child is infected, this is true. But that doesn't make his mother a monster or a traitor. She doesn't feed the live bodies of our fellow survivors, she feeds her child her own tail! Her son is still a baby and probably can't completely understand this but he will one day, I'm sure of it." The Nuzleaf then turned his attention to Maxwell. "I've seen all the evil that the Infected can do too Khan. My father was murdered by that fiery abomination." Haze away looked to the side and clenched his fist in recollection. "It came out of the sky and just attacked us. It's foul breath smelled of sulfur and burned down our forest home. Father fought but he was no match for that monster." Haze looked down in shame, as if he were about to shed tears. "I can't forget that horrible day! The memory doesn't leave! All because of that monster!" ... He exhaled. ... "But Maxwell is not that monster! He's not the monster that killed your friend. He's not the monster that killed a Legend. He's not the monster that killed Papa. He's a survivor. He may look different now but somewhere inside, he's still the same Pichu that you saved before Khan. He isn't some senseless bloodthirsty monster that would kill us all in a heartbeat. After all..." Haze pointed straight at Khan. "No senseless bloodthirsty monster would ask for YOUR forgiveness!"

((OOC: Sorry if this post was just Haze ranting but I needed to get this point across...that and I had nothing else. But boy, is this story getting better by the post or what!? ^^))

Ken was unable to provide a reply to Khan's pleas to help him, and the Lucario felt himself becoming more and more confused. He looked frantically round at his friends, silently begging them to shed some light on the situation; to give him just a tiny hint that he was doing the right thing; that he wasn't becoming deluded. Out of all the possible candidates, Maxwell had to be the one to step forward first. Khan gritted his teeth and held his spear tightly, realising with a frightening jolt that he was mere inches away from ending someone's life. Just one swing of his spear ... at the right time ... on the correct spot ... and it would all be over in a second.

"Khan." The young Lucario felt a shudder run through his body as the Raichu spoke his name for the first time. He was not worthy of even looking at him. "We're... we've all gone through hurt... We're all more alike than we'd care to admit..." "NO!" Khan bellowed barely a second later, swinging his spear round towards Maxwell's face. It was a mere inch away. "How dare you! I am nothing like you! While his mind found wisdom and truth somewhere in these words, he refused to believe it. How he was being compared to this lifeless, soulless little rodent was beyond him. He had a life, a soul ... and he wasn't going to let that change anytime soon.

He continued to glower at the undead Electric-type until Haze lost his temper and started to rant. Khan simply stared at him blankly as he actually defended Maxwell, Nora and the infected baby residing in the mother's pouch. Haze... His fist tightened around his spear until he felt it starting to crumble in his hand. What have they done to you?! "After all..." Haze ended his rant by swinging his finger round straight into Khan's face. "No senseless bloodthirsty monster would ask for YOUR forgiveness!"

Khan was still for a moment while the words sunk in. He couldn't stand it. Here he was, trying his utmost best to protect his friends and make their world a better place and now they were starting to turn on him? The Lucario howled in rage and swung his spear towards Haze with incredible speed, only for it to crumble to dust at the last moment. He watched as the blue particles blew away in the breeze, revealing his paws underneath. Oh my... Realising how close he had been to mortally injuring his friend, Khan staggered backwards, looking round at everyone frantically. Haze's words had added a scar to his collection, but he had had no reason at all to attack him like that. Horrified by what he had done, Khan wrapped his arms around himself and doubled over, trying desperately to hold back the fit of sobs that were threatening to overcome his body. "Haze ... I'm so sorry, I..." He had no idea what to say, knowing that his apology would not be enough. Looking round at the others, he decided to simply speak the truth of his actions. "I only want to protect you all..."

Clearly he was doing something wrong if they were all turning on him. He needed to think; confirm to himself that he was doing the right thing. Were the infected Pokemon like Maxwell really like him, able to suffer the same pains and emotions? He didn't know, and he knew he couldn't think it over properly like this. "I ... I need to be alone." Without another word he turned tail and ran off into the trees surrounding the town. He tripped on a tree root and fell face-first into the dirt. Looking up, he realised that he was lying right in front of the Pokemon that he had detected earler - a Houndoom and a Venonat. "I-I'm sorry," he stammered, scrambling to his feet and disappearing into the greenery.

"... He's a survivor. He may look different now but somewhere inside, he's still the same Pichu that you saved before Khan. He isn't some senseless bloodthirsty monster that would kill us all in a heartbeat. After all... No senseless bloodthirsty monster would ask for YOUR forgiveness!" Maxwell stared in surprise as the Nuzleaf spoke up, addressing him directly. The Raichu almost immediately cringed, but when he realized that the words were defending rather than prosecuting, he could only stare in disbelief. This one being -- Haze, was it? -- they believed in him, believed that he wasn't a monster. It was one thing for a supportive mother... but for a stranger, who Maxwell admittedly didn't know very well, to stand up for him... Khan seemed to be confused, emotions flying through the Lucario's face at a rapid pace.

Things were climbing upward, emotions reaching their peak; when suddenly, it all collapsed. Khan had lunged towards not him, but the Nuzleaf, and swung downward. ...?! Maxwell sharply breathed in shock, watching the spear dissimilate. "I only want to protect you all..." The conviction, the emotion placed in those words tore the Raichu up. Khan had done nothing wrong except fight for what he believed in. Maxwell himself had fought for what he thought was just. His mother protected because family was her base motive for everything. The Raichu took a reluctant step backward as the Lucario dashed off on his lonesome, feeling as if someone had kicked him in the stomach. This was wrong, it was all wrong. Khan shouldn't be running away, nor should he have been pushed that far. Maxwell let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, looking at the ferns that still shook from the impromptu run. His mind literally pulsed with all the 'what-ifs' and 'oh-nos' and 'one-days', confusion rippling through his brain.

"Mother, he's... not gone...?" The headache continued to intensify, a beating upon his head that never ceased. The back of his mind felt like it was being ripped open, torn apart and thrown back together haphazardly, but he wasn't thinking of himself. Khan, Khan needed help. If there was something that the Raichu learned in his short life, it was that no one was justified in being alone. When one pushes others away, it's just as much as a reason as any to reach forward. Clenching his jaw in determination, Maxwell kept his eyes trained in the direction the Lucario had run off to. "We... we can't leave him alone..." He whispered to his mom, and even to the rest of the group too, as he staggered forward slowly. Each agonizing step felt like he was being weighed down by gravity, ready to fall at any given moment, but he pushed forward.

The pain never made him feel more alive.

Nora watched warily as the group of pokemon that she had been fighting these past few days all seemed to tear apart. She had come here with Maxwell in the hopes of just getting the other to understand their position, and hopefully to just reach a truce, but things went way further. It seems that their words had done more than reached them, but seemed to persuade them. The grass type being the most convicted, and the other two simple being confused as to what to do, neither wanting to take responsibility of this conflicting situation.

Before she would have taken this choice moment to attack, no prey was at its weakest than when it was confused beyond reason. But now she could only sympathize.

This was a situation no one would have predicted, so of course they would not know what to do, Hell, Nora barely knew what she was doing. She was just following her heart, and hoping for the best, not wavering from that desire to protect her family. The only thing she still had really….

So in the end it was reasonable what that Lucario did, but he can’t go running from his problems forever. That Lucario is going to have to learn real soon that he has to face problems head on, and most importantly that not everything was in black and white like he liked to believe….


"Mother, he's... not gone...? We... we can't leave him alone..."

How that mouse of hers could still believe he was a different pokemon all together while still saying things like that was beyond her. He looked like he could barely hold himself up, yet was still worried about his past friend. But as much as she wanted to agree with him and go help him make everything better right now, in the Lucario’s emotional state, she doubted he would be so joyed as to talk to Maxwell again so soon.

“He needs a little bit to sort out his thoughts….we should give him a minute to himself, then go check on him after…” Which was partly true, she did believe that. But she also wouldn’t put it past Khan to have an emotional outburst leading to a physical outburst…..Sometimes one just needs to take some time to cool down…

((OOC: There's not much to go on so skip me please.))

Khan panted and grunted as branches and leaves pelted him in the face as he ran faster than he had ran in a long time. He had to get away; he had to think. The further away he got from Maxwell, Nora and his friends - who no doubt hated him now - the better. If they did indeed despise him for his ways, then there was no point in going back. He had failed.

Eventually he began to slow down as he found it hard to breathe. Slowing to a stop next to a small stream, Khan dropped to his knees. He gazed at his stricken expression for a moment before collapsing face-first into the cold water. He lay for a few moments, his head tipped to the side as he refilled his lungs. The pleasantly cool water ran along beneath his belly, cooling him down. He stayed like this for a few minutes before finally sitting upright and wrapping his arms around himself.

Eva... Khan's solemn face crumbled and he hugged himself tighter. Looking up at the bright sky between the canopy above him, he whispered his Trainer's name over and over again, hoping for at least a sign that she had heard him. No ... she was more than just his Trainer; she was the one who saved his life when he was barely a year old. She was his saviour and best friend ... and had died because he had failed to protect her. I'm so sorry, Eva... What way was that to thank her for her kindness? And now, not only had he failed Eva but he had failed his new friends as well. By becoming selfish; consumed by his own desire to avenge Eva; to convince himself that he was making up for his mistakes. I've only made things worse...

A sudden flutter from a tree nearby startled him and he jumped, but it was just a Pidgey leaving its nest. He made no effort to attract the living bird's attention. Instead he started to think about the reason why he had fled his friends in the first place. Both Maxwell and Haze had made out that the undead were really not that much different from the living and suffered the same problems, had the same feelings ... Khan found that hard to believe - the infected heathens that had murdered Eva and his other friends were certainly nothing like any living Pokemon that Khan had ever known. They were brutal, sadistic and ruthless murderers. But Maxwell ... even though he had lost control and attacked them on more than one occasion, he still managed to retain some characteristics that living Pokemon possessed. Logic, reasoning and sympathy ... Did that mean that Maxwell truly was different from those other Pokemon, or was it simply because the virus had not yet completely taken over his body? Would he become as bloodthirsty and vicious as the Pokemon that killed Eva and his friends, or would he be able to resist it? If this was the case, would Khan be killing one of his own if he smashed open the Raichu's skull with his spear? Would it be the equivalent of killing Ken or Haze?

He didn't know, and his mind was far too jumbled and troubled to think any more. He needed to forget for a while. With his arms still wrapped around his torso, Khan shuffled out of the water and leaned his back against and tree, curling up as small as possible. He didn't know if Ken and the others would come looking for him, but a part of him hoped that they wouldn't.

He wasn't sure what he might do.

“He needs a little bit to sort out his thoughts….we should give him a minute to himself, then go check on him after…” Maxwell directed his gaze towards his mother, unspeakable... emotions going through his mind? Or rather, was it thoughts? What rendered his emotions real -- his stilled heart, or his malfunctioning mind? The Raichu looked at the Nuzleaf, Haze, seeing that it was just the three of them now. What words were to be said? How about killing him... The Voice's insolent whisper returned; how could Maxwell forget about the one thing that tormented his mind? No longer were foes threatening to bash his head in, no longer were words slicing into his shredded soul and dragging him down, yet there was always the Voice, waiting in veiled anger, waiting to strike in his vulnerable state. You can kill him, and the Lucario would never know... No... The base of his skull seemed to burst into flame, causing Maxwell to fall onto his four legs and arch his back painfully.

"Nngh...!" The Raichu gritted his teeth, pain coursing up and down and along his spine. What was happening...?! Aren't you angry, Maxwell?! Don't you need meat to survive? Aren't these the same people who tried to kill you? One killing of a Nuzleaf will be a testament to your revenge! He fell onto his side and began to fall into a seizure, unable to control the pain that was killing him, decimating him to nothing less than a capsule of the pain. His tail writhed and lashed in a frenzy, and his cheeks sparked with static. You can't get rid of me! I'm a part of you. No, I am you! Maxwell's eyes had blurred out from the intense pain, but through his dull vision he saw Nora -- his mother, his support, his last connection to the sane world -- and he reached out in desperation. Pins and needles stabbed into every part of his body, rough invisible hands pushing him downward. The very magnitude of this... this virus left him speechless and broken.

I'd like you to say that you're more powerful than I! GO ON! He let out a horrendous roar in a loud voice he didn't know he had. It was a broken voice, a noise so piteous to hear; it held the emotion that he was stripped bare of, leaving him weak and defenseless. His back jerked in an odd position, his battered body screaming for respite. His eyes landed on the Nuzleaf again, unfocused in his view, and he tried to encompass his thanks. Thanks for believing in him when he himself had given up, believing he still had some soul left. Another bout of spasm took the Raichu into a fit, and Maxwell roared once again. His brain-! Oh, it felt like his entire mind was aflame with the fires of Hell, demons of unknown history finding joy within his broken body! The Voice-! It was the Voice that was roaring, surely, not him? He couldn't make such horrific bellows that spoke of such deep and profound lost...? The noise resonated as memories flashed through his mind.

But they were warped, not at all what he could recall! He saw his trainer, the child's body mangled and burned beyond recognition; a mammoth Arcanine, flames igniting in its great maw as its rugged pelt was stained with blood; piles of dead bodies, the skeletons already melting from the intense heat. Maxwell let out a pained moan, his senses on haywire and beyond the capability of feeling... was this how it felt to truly die? To simply feel pain of nonstop agony? "No!" Maxwell needed to end this, the very memories that now rang throughout his very soul slowly breaking the Raichu. How could he ever have forgotten his trainer...? And the Arcanine...! Maxwell wasn't lost, nor was he confused. He had all the answers to all the questions, and that was what hurt. He knew.

Are you stronger, Maxwell? It was like Maxwell was at his very limit, at the very edge. His body convulsed in great pain, with no end in sight. Whimpers were the only sign that the Raichu wasn't completely gone.