The CANALAVE Team

Chi was grateful that they had found a guide, especially a strong, razor-sharp-looking one, who could escort them to a pokecenter even as the sky grew darker. Courtney seemed good-natured and having another able fighter helped Chi calm down slightly. She did her best to pick up Natsumi gently with her strong beak and deposited her haphazardly on her shell, just behind her neck, the only place she could reach.

"Thank you, Courtney," Chi rumbled quietly. "We are in your debt."

Damn it, she's right, Hinge thought grudgingly. Even if the pokemon failed to operate the humans' machines and potions (he pessimistically predicted they would) a pokecenter would offer more secure shelter, as the walls were made thick so that pokemon in pain would not blast through them accidentally. Although, Hinge reflected darkly, listening to the mucus and liquids inside his lungs, getting killed by infected would be faster then rotting from the inside out!

Natsumi was still pass out from the blood lost but as she was in the darkness she began to see the memories of what she recently lost. Her brother Akito and her trainer Jacob. She felt someone picking her up gently and then place her back down on something grassy. Must have been the Torterra Chi, was Natsumi's last thought before she welcome the darkness that surrounded her. She began to relive the memories of her childhood all the way to the death of her brother and trainer.

(sorry for the short post but like I said don't have much for Natsumi to do since she is pass out)

"Don't worry, I've been here long enough to know where the Pokemon Center is. Just follow me."

Gyro was relieved that she said that. She walked towards the town and he followed. He turned around and began to roll backwards. That way, he could talk and everyone could hear. The Pawniard turned, "Oh, and the name's Courtney."

"Thank you, Courtney," Chi rumbled quietly. "We are in your debt."

"Yeah kid, you're really doing us a huge favor" said Gyro. "My name is Gyro. The green turtle is Chi. The Zoroark is Natsumi, and the cat I forget his name. Something revolving around a door I think... Anyway, how did you get here? I thought that me and Natsumi would be the only foreign Pokemon here."

The Dodrio fell to the floor. Prey were becoming smarter and stronger, and harder to hunt than ever before. There was a small squeak, and within moments Claudius was crunching the bones of a Rattata that had dared to venture into his domain. Soon enough, two of the Dodrio's heads fell asleep, but did not dream. He made sure that any disturbance in his haven would result in missing limbs.

(OoC: Short post)

"Thank you Courtney," the Torterra said to her, "We are in your debt." The Whirlipede also commented, "Yeah kid, you're really doing us a huge favor." Courtney looked back at them and said, "It's the least I could do. I'm just lucky to have found other survivors."

The Whirlipede was introducing her to the group."My name is Gyro. The green turtle is Chi. The Zoroark is Natsumi, and the cat I forget his name. Something revolving around a door I think... Anyway, how did you get here? I thought that me and Natsumi would be the only foreign Pokemon here."

The question did not sit well with the Pawniard. Her parents came here, and were killed after they laid their eggs. And all for a black market. Courtney answered Gyro by saying, "I, uh... I was born here..." Technically, she wasn't lying to him.

I'm just lucky to have found other survivors, Courtney said.

That's true, Chi thought, thinking back to time spent wandering alone. But that only made her think back to her meeting with Hinge, the first survivor who stayed with her. It brought an ache to her throat wondering if he would survive much longer.

Chi listened quietly as Gyro and began making introductions. "My name is Gyro. The green turtle is Chi. The Zoroark is Natsumi, and the cat I forget his name. Something revolving around a door I think..."

"It's Hinge," said Chi. She said it quietly; perhaps the whirlipede didn't hear her. Hinge did, though -- Chi's deep voice vibrated reassuringly through her shell.

Thanks, he thought. The mew thanking her out loud only came out as a weak, wet cough.

Hinge tried to distract himself by listening to the conversation between Courtney and the wheel-bug. He disliked how Gyro was so loud and careless, but he was also grateful for the distraction, so he satisfied himself with the middle ground of an silent smirk at the whirlipede's awkward blunder.

However, in reality, breathing was getting harder and harder for Hinge. I think something is bleeding into my lungs, he thought darkly. Fuck.

Apollo watched as the Zoroark got to one knee and pasted out in his arms. That's when it hit him. The sudden rush of emotions mixed with the intense pain of his broken leg. His eyes widen as Chi put Natsumi on her back and Apollo coughed up blood. Tch. Dammit, I can't let my own wounds get the better of me. I have to help the others get out of here. He cursed under his breath as he struggled to his feet.

Then something caught his attention. The grass rustled and Apollo knew something was coming. So he readied his Night Slash and Leaf Blade combo as he focused all his weight onto his one good lag and jumped just as an undead Magmar came at Chi with a Fire Punch. Apollo intercepted it with his Leaf Blade and sliced the fire types stomach with his Night Slash. Sickly purple blood and guts poured out of the opening in the fire types stomach, but it didn't look fazed.

The Magmar used it's other hand and used Fire Punch. Apollo was forced to take the attack sense it covered his strong side and he could dodge. He slowly raised his free hand and placed it into the hole in the undead stomach and used Focus Blast. For a moment the Magmar stopped moving and it's fire died. Then it's face exploded, along with the rest of it's body. Blood splattered all over the Gallade's body. Apollo fell to his knee but winced when he fell on his bad leg. He coughed up more blood as he very slowly got to his feet.

His whole body was in pain. Not just physically, but emotionally too. How could he do that to Natsumi and he could hardly do anything in his weaken state. He just hoped she would forgive him when she awoke and if he survived till then. He wobbled over to Chi as he fell to his knee's in pure agony. He looked at Chi with a weak grin, S-sorry I coul- He coughed more blood and cursed under his breath as his vision started to blur. Sorry, Chi, Hinge, everyone...... I'm still to weak to protect anyone. The Gallade was in so much pain physically and emotionally that he couldn't take much more.

Natsumi was still pass out but she could hear voices around her while she was in the darkness. She was fighting to not to give up and to wake up and see what was going on. She heard Apollo's voice in the darkness and then heard the sound of someone or something exploding. She then heard Apollo speaking and she could hear the sound of him coughing. She wanted to check on him but the pain in her side were the wound was but she force her eyes to open to realized that she was still on Chi's neck. She hopes that where ever they are going she hope they will get there soon. She was sure Hinge was in as much pain as she was if not more but she couldn't move from her spot without causing more harm so she whispered softly, though her voice was weak, "Apollo."

"It's Hinge," said Chi.

Gyro looked to the side slightly sad, "Sorry Chi...or should I say sorry Hinge." The cat simply coughed his unhealthy cough. "Man, we better get to that Pokemon Center and fast" Gyro mumbled. "Hinge isn't sounding too good."

The bushes to the side started to shake. This caught Gyro's attention, causing him to turn in reaction. What he saw scared him, he wasn't sure what type of Pokemon it was, but based on it's markings it was obviously a infected Fire-type. This was bad, he, Chi, and Courtney were the only ones able to fight and they could all be easily killed by that thing.

Before Gyro could get ready, Apollo jumped out of nowhere and began to fight it. Apollo's movements were pretty fast, Gyro had no idea what he did. But the the infected's head exploded, causing purple gunk to fly everywhere and Apollo to fall.

"S-sorry I coul-" he coughed more blood and cursed under his breath, "Sorry, Chi, Hinge, everyone...... I'm still to weak to protect anyone."

Gyro rolled straight to him. "You are wrong dude! You protected all of us! You didn't quit on us, so I'm not quitting on you!"

Gyro rolled behind Apollo to where Chi was behind him. Then, he put two of his antenna underneath his body. "Sorry about this Apollo..." Gyro said that before he quickly rolled backward to see Apollo being thrown into the air and land on Chi's back. Gyro looked back to see Courtney, "Alright kid, I need you to climb and sit on Chi's head."

Gyro turned to Chi, "Listen Chi, I know we don't know much about each other or do we like each other, but our friends are dying. I have an idea, it's a stupid idea, but it's the only idea I have. I'm going to try and give my Agility speed boost to you."

Gyro jumped onto Chi's back without landing on neither Hinge nor Apollo. Gyro rolled to the base of the tree that stuck out of her back. "Courtney!" he shouted, "If this works point Chi in the right direction!" Gyro wrapped his two antenna around the tree and focused. Energy began to flow from him and into the tree. "Chi! Do you feel anything?!"

((OoC: I hope this works!))

(OoC: Nothing much I can do here, and I don't want people waiting for me to do nothing. Please skip. Skipping at midnight, for the win! xD )

Just as they were getting ready to head out, a Magmar appeared out of the bushes. It just had to be a fire type when the only ones that could fight it could easily get killed by it. However, the Gallade took it out quickly. He collapsed to the ground almost immidiately afterwards. Courtney was beginning to panic a little bit. What if she was wrong about where the Pokemon Center is and it's her fault fault that they die?

As the young Pawniard's heart was racing, Gyro told her to get on Chi's head. She got on and sat on the Torterra's head, ready to navigate if the plan really does work. Her heart was still racing though. Courtney doesn't think anyone will notice...

[[OOC: In Mystery Dungeon, the whole team gets a speed boost when someone uses Agility ^^]]

Chi barely had time to think A magmar--! before Apollo had somehow managed -- with a broken leg and a despairing aura -- to blow up the slimy purple creature. As the gunk splattered, Chi and Hinge both cringed, hoping that the infection did not make its way into the greenery on Chi's back, though each had different reasons. When Apollo collapsed, in pain and still apologizing, Gyro took charge. "You are wrong dude! You protected all of us! You didn't quit on us, so I'm not quitting on you!"

Fearsome swordsman?! That's a freaking drama queen, Hinge muttered inwardly. Who bitches like that after suavely blowing up an enemy? Oh, right, this guy . . . Grow a pair! And the wheel-bug encourages him . . . Concentrating on his annoyance was distracting too, although it was making him even more tired.

Chi winced slightly when Apollo thumped onto her shell. Oh, dear . . .

To her quiet puzzlement, Gyro hopped up onto her back to, and shouted for Courtney to climb onto her head. "Watch out for my spikes," Chi said to the Pawniard as she climbed up.

Gyro was still going. He explained how he wanted to give her his Agility stat boost and rolleed ove to her tree. "Chi! Do you feel anything?!"

Chi's thick, strong legs began to take on the airy lightfootedness that came with a boost in speed. "I think I could run a hundred miles," rumbled Chi encouragingly. "I just hope I don't throw anyone off!" With that, she began walking again, picking up speed until she was at a fairly fast, lumbering lope. She knew her shell must be lurching terribly and felt bad for her injured passengers, but she knew that haste was key in helping them, so she lurched on.

They better not . . . trample around on Chi's back too much, Hinge grumbled tiredly. There's real plants up here--Oh, damn -- damn -- damn. Chi's rhythmic gait hurt. Ow. Shit. Arceus, when will this be over . . . ?



[[OOC: Neoven8tr, sorry about leaving you out. Feel free to follow us and throw in a creepy stalking -- I mean, following? Slow realization that prey is escaping? -- scene, with some insane Macbeth ravings! Claudius is cool XD]]

"You are wrong dude! You protected all of us! You didn't quit on us, so I'm not quitting on you!" Apollo looked at Gyro and blinked. As he looked at the Whirlipede he watched it swig around behind him and before he knew it he was in the air and landed with a thud on Chi's back. He groaned. More pain shot through his body as he tried to lay right. Tch! That really hurt Gyro you bastard. The Gallade cursed the Whirlipede then fell silent in both mind and body. He was tired and his leg hurt so badly.

He let out a long sigh. Then he relised something. Natsumi...... He turned his head and looked at the Zoroark, his face full of worry and guilt. It was his fault that Natsumi got hurt as bad as she did and all he was doing was whining like a baby. He blinked back tears and moved his arm slightly. Natsumi.....I'm so sorry for what I did to you. I-i never met to hurt you. Apollo whispered so that only Natsumi could hear him.

Natsumi felt Chi moving faster under her, which cause the Zoroark to sigh with relief. With this speed boost they will all be able to get to a safe place soon and take care of each others injuries. Natsumi.....I'm so sorry for what I did to you. I-i never met to hurt you. she heard Apollo's voice saying. Natsumi force her eyes back open, because she had closed them earlier when Chi began to speed up, and turned her head to look at Apollo. She gave a small smile and, with the hand that wasn't holding her wound, she reach up and touch Apollo's arm "It's alright Apollo. I know you didn't mean to hurt me anyway because you were in a trance and really had no control at what you were doing." She made sure that Apollo was the only one that heard her before she gave another smile and closed her eyes to rest some more hoping they will reach their destination soon.

((OoC: For once just skip me. Gyro doesn't know where the Pokemon Center is, only Courtney does. So, just say that Gyro continued to use Agility. BTW, MoonlightEve, Gyro has no arms. How can he be careful?))

Claudius was drifting off to sleep when he heard something sloppy and wet hit the library. He slowly got up, leg hurt horribly, and went outside to check what it was. There was a large purple blotch on the library's wall. Claudius looked around, and saw that an Undead Magmar had caused it. What bloody man is that? He can report,/As seemeth by his plight, of the revolt/The newest state. All three of his heads faced it and squawked angrily. They then resumed quietly what they did best, madly giggling, fuming with anger, and quietly sobbing. The angry head squawked loudly, as if to say he was going to punish it for invading on his territory. He jogged over there and began to wildly peck at it in small circles, what he knew as Drill Peck. One of his heads squawked territorially, and the Magmar grunted angrily in return. It blew out flames, and Claudius stepped back. He sat down and ruffled his feathers, looking to the living Pokémon. His expressions on all three heads read, "I did my part. Your turn."

Luckily, Chi said she could feel Gyro's speed. Pretty soon, she was walking. But soon, the giant was speeding up. Courtney needed to grab a hold of something or else she was going to fall. Luckily, the directions weren't hard. "Whoa! Watch it!" Courtney screamed to the Torterra. The Pawniard wasn't ready for such speed.

"Just follow the road until you reach the red roofed building!" Courtney told her. That was the pokemon center. Looks like the others were going to be alright after all.

(OoC: Sorry for the short and crappy post, but I'm a bit tight on time at the moment...)

Heavens, there it is. Thank Arceus. Courtney had guided her to a road traversing the forest, and then directed her to follow the road. When the trees began to thin and she hadn't thrown anyone (though it had been close), Chi was hopeful. When they were out of the forest, and into the next town where a Pokecenter was clearly visible Chi was nearly jubilant. She knew that they may not be able to work the machinery, but she needed the hope so she clung to it desperately.

"I see the Pokecenter! Thank you so much, Courtney, and you too, Gyro," Chi rumbled gratefully. "We're almost there . . ."

Almost there? Hinge echoed. Lot of good that'll do . . . you need opposable thumbs to work those stupid things. Unbidden, his mind flashed to the gallade's human-ish hands and the zoroark's nimble claws. No. It could never work . . . they're hurt too . . . at least when I die I won't become an undead. I hate that I had to die when I'm still so freaking weak, but at least I'm not undead. That has to count for something . . .

It had taken the Pitch Black Pokemon almost an entire day to reach the nearby isle of Canalave. True, Iron isle was closer, but there were far more Pokemon on this island. He grumbled as he held his head, pulled out his stilt-like legs from his shadowy skirt and began to walk using them as legs.

The cries of the suffering were far more loud here, he noticed... He prayed to Arceus that no one would become inflicted enough to take damage from his ability. He hated this, he hated causing so much misery to others... He then spied a group of Pokemon; all alive, no doubt.

A Torterra ferrying what seemed to be an Injured Gallade and three foreign Pokemon was the sight revealed to him. They seemed to be headed towards the Pokemon Center nearby. The three he didn't recognize were from Unova, he decided.

'They'll never be able to operate the human's machinery without fingers...' he thought to himself. Then his face lit up; he had fingers. And he wanted to gain the trust of other Pokemon once more... So what better way than to assist them? Of course, he would just be delaying their demise; Mortal Pokemon-- HEALTHY mortal Pokemon, stood no chance against the Infected. He pulled his stilt-like legs back into the shadows of his skirt and floated straight towards the Torterra.

"Greetings, mortals," he spoke aloud, once he was within earshot. "It seems that you are in need of assistance... Might I be of any help?"

((There has been a confusion in the order, I presume, so I am posting out of order. I do hope this does not happen again.))

(Merp, sorry meant to write this early, but skip and say Apollo FINALLY passed out from the pain)

"Greetings, mortals, It seems that you are in need of assistance... Might I be of any help?" Natsumi heard an unknown masculine voice say which caused her to look back curiously, though she had to grit her teeth so she wouldn't cry out in pain at doing so, and saw a humanoid ghost like Pokemon before the group. She looked at him curiously wondering why he looked familiar to her because she was sure she has never met him before. As she looked at his blue eyes, red around his neck, and the white on his head and when she looked carefully at him she recognized him right away because of a memory she had of her trainer when he showed her and her brother a book of legendary Pokemon. Before she pass out from the pain she whispered so very quietly that it was hardly heard by the others, "Darkrai? The legendary ghost Pokemon of the night." Her eyes then closed as she pass out from the pain her last thoughts on hoping that they will reach wherever they are going soon and that everyone will be alright and of course why Darkrai is here.

Gyro heard Chi and Courtney and stopped using Agility. That took a lot of energy. Gyro rolled forward and off Chi, avoiding Hinge and Apollo of course. He hit the ground with a thud in exhaustion. He looked up, there was a red roofed building. Gyro got up and started for the door.

"Greetings, mortals, It seems that you are in need of assistance... Might I be of any help?"

Gyro looked back and saw a black floating figure. He turned around to see it clearly. He had piercing blue eyes, red teeth-like growths around his head, and white hair-like growth on his head. First thing Gyro did was prepare an attack. But, seeing is how he just walked...er...floated to them he is probably friendly.

That was something else this Pokemon had, hands. And more importantly, fingers. As much as this Pokemon had a dark feeling, Gyro needed his help.

"Yes actually" he replied.  "Three of our friends are injured, and I'm sure my big green friend could use a rest. We can skip the names because this is too important."

Gyro rolled and charged straight through the doors, smashing the automatic glass sliding doors to pieces. He rolled around and saw the machine that appeared to be the healing station. It was almost in full condition, nothing seemed broken. Gyro turned back around to face the black Pokemon.

"Listen, I still don't trust you enough but we need your help. That machine is probably our only hope in helping our injured friends. I ask of you to place our friends on the machine and heal them. Start with the cat Hinge first, he's the one with the most injuries."

Gyro only hoped that the dark Pokemon would help.

(Skip. Unable to think of a decent post at the moment. Courtney just said to Darkrai "Yeah, we could really use your help." It's the best I got...)

"Listen, I still don't trust you enough but we need your help. That machine is probably our only hope in helping our injured friends. I ask of you to place our friends on the machine and heal them. Start with the cat Hinge first, he's the one with the most injuries."

Of course, these Pokemon were wary of him. Who wouldn't be? After all, he was technically their deity of the night and nightmares, that and with the Epidemic at play, everyone was to be questioned. Darkrai looked to the Pokemon Center and then back to the Whirlipede.

"That won't be a problem at all. And I understand your unwillingness to trust me, after all Pokemon become inflicted with horrid nightmares just by sleeping in my presence. I suppose I wouldn't make the best houseguest either."

He chuckled at his sorry excuse for a joke and floated towards the Pokemon Center.

"Now, you will have to give me proper instructions as I do not even know what this place is called. I know the humans use it to heal Pokemon they battle with, but other than that, I know nothing."

When Gyro rammed into the pokecenter (Uh-oh...what keeps undead pokemon out now?! Chi thought), Emergency lights switched on, suggesting the presence of some sort of power source.

Chi shivered slightly at Darkrai's subtly creepy aura when he appeared and asked him to help them heal their wounded, Chi eyed his shadowy digits with hope. When he agreed, with a touch of wry humor, her chest tightened and she could only nod her thanks at the nightmare pokemon.

She trundled to the healing machine, where there was a large black surface that seemed sort of rubbery as well as a control panel located to one side. The table wasn't very big (Chi usually went on it only in a pokeball) but she was fairly sure it would work without the pokeball. Chi had often seen nurse Joy pressing various buttons on the panel when her former teammates were injured, and she remembered distinctly how a strange pulsing light would fill up her bones and take away all her wounds.

"The green button," said Chi. "You put them on the black table thing then press the green rectangle on the bottom, then press the little violet circle when all their wounds have been healed." She settled to the ground, so that Darkrai could more easily move Hinge (who was lying much too far up her back for her to reach) onto the machine.

Though Hinge was awake, his brain was foggy and his eyes were closed. Gradually, with the speed of oozing slime, the shadows began to take on shapes and strange things flickered in the corner of his vision. His fur began to fluff out and his paws twitched as the shadows picked up speed, ballooning out into twisted, mocking faces and nightmarish claws that seemed to reach out and snag on his heart before retreating into the dark. He lay in a limbo of strange noises and half-nightmare visions, the voices of his friends nearby becoming more and more distant, muffled beneath the black fog.

He wanted so badly to open his eyes, get up and shake his pelt and groom away the clinging fear, but he was too weak. He couldn't move.