The CANALAVE Team

(I'll edit this into a real post later tomorrow but I am tired as it is almost 3 in the morning here. Sorry)


(Edit: And it turns out, I can't think of anything for Apollo to say that would make a decently long post to save me life. *Sighs*)

The peaceful silence of the city was destroyed by the stomping footsteps of the Harbinger. Drapion emerged out of route 218, his breathing labored and loud like nails across a chakboard.
He was covered in wounds and gashes, his back and tail bleeding nonstop as he moved. Drapion's glowing red eyes were like the lights of death in the evening air.

"Come out, come out, where ever you are..."

Drapion's voice was soft, captured on the breeze coming off of the sea side city.
He moved bluntly from behind the bushes of the route beside the city, each footstep making an audible sound that vibrated through the ground.
He could smell meat. The living. Drapion had not eaten in so long it was time to change that.

"I can smell you..."

With a chuckle, the Harbinger moved quicker into the city. He enjoyed messing with his prey, but there was a lump of emptiness within him that only the living could fill.
He spotted them soon enough. There was an array of creatures, even a black cloud that he had never seen before. Three of the creatures were down on the ground, dying in their own way.
Drapion's gaze shot to one in particular. A zoroark.
Sucking in a loud gulp of air, his vision nearly swam at the sweet scent of blood.

"I told you I could smell you!"

Without hestitation Drapion charged forward. He gave a battle cry as he did so, reveling in the looks of shock and horror from the other living.
He did not pay them any mind, merely aiming right for his prey.
The zoroark was out cold, unable to move as he reached her. He grabbed her with one claw, his mouth drooling with anticipation.

"This one is mine!"

Drapion smashed the body against the ground, eyes brightening at the blood that splattered where she hit the concrete. But it was not enough.
Her screams echoed through the air as he banged her once more, finally waking up.
His demonic laugh boomed loud and clear as he reached out with his other arm. One grip on her head and the other on her arm, he effortlessly tore the limb from her body and earning more cries from the zoroark.
Shooting a manical smile of triumph at the others, he tossed the body into the air.
With one well plassed cross poison, the zoroark fell to the ground in many peices, blood and gore littering the ground.

"A feast for a god indeed."

Taking his time, Drapion smashed several peices of the body into his mandibles, loud knashing sounds flling the air.
Crunshing of bone and wet squish of flesh was music to his ears.
Consuming the body took only a few seconds and Drapion enjoyed ever moment of it.
Glancing satisfied at the gorey mess he had made, the Harbinger simply turned and walked away. Back to the shadows.

The drapion changed his mind.
As he moved closed and back into the shadows of Route 218, he found that he was still not yet satisfied.
His decaying body was still tense with the anger of ripping apart the body of the fallen prey and he was itching for another.

"I change my mind..."

The Harbinger turned just as he was out of sight of the rest of the living creatures. They were shocked, clearly freaked out by the display of gore and anger from the undead.
Another deep chuckle escaped Drapion, mixing with his wheezy breathing.
He would let them think they were safe. He was in no rush. After a minute or two, he already knew his target.
The other bug.
A creature he knew as a whirlipede.
It had busted into the Pokemon Center like it didn't give a damn about the Harbinger.
And this angered him greatly.

"I will show you!"

The drapion roared in fury, charging yet again from the shadows. He reveled in how he took the group off gaurd again.
He ran right past everyone, not even sparing a glance at the bloodied mess of the zoroark.
He aimed right for the building and crashed his way through.
The hole he created out of the doors was more than big enough for him to fit through and he grinned evily at he screams of terror from the other bug.

"Prepare to DIE!"

Drapion watched as he tried to flee, rolling past him in a last resport, but Drapion was much too quick. He snatched up the whirlipede in his great arms, roaring once more.
In a swift motion, the shell covering the meaty insides was severed and thrown thoughtlessly behing the Drapion.
The bug screamed in agony and horror, it's cries pleasing the Harbinger.
He brought the squirming body to his mandibles, using a crunch on the lower body, half of his kill was down his throat while the still alive creature still tried to get away.
More blood covered the face and neck of the drapion and his eyes glowed in anticipation as he watched the pain dawning on his pray.
But Drapion did not want to eat the rest of the body.
Instead, he went the same route as with the zoroark and slammed the soft body against the pavement.
It died upon impact, the blood splattering around it and all over the building as well as Drapion himself and the other living.
He threw a glreeful smile back at the others.

"Don't make me come back! Kekeke..."

And with that, Drapion went right back to the shodows.
The Harbinger continued to wonder if he would come back for another. Or not...

Claudius sat and watched the Drapion murder the Zoroark, and then soon after, the Whirlipede. He had no objections, though, he would have joined in had he not been injured at the moment and it hurt him to stand up. A single thought flew through his head, the first in a long while. If I wasn't injured... I would have done that.
After watching the stone tiles on the ground get soiled with blood twice, Claudius looked around. The Drapion left, and a shadowy being had arrived. Darkrai. Claudius knew well it was a being of legends, and one he should not mess with. He sat there, and tried to look fluffy and not of any danger for a while, trying to process what was going on.
(OoC: Yup, gonna have him develop that infection-based consciousness.)

Courtney watched silently as the Torterra, Chi, instructed Darkrai on how to heal their friends. Three fellow survivors injured. The odds just weren't in their favor, was it? Out of nowhere, a Drapion came and went, and then came back again. However, something was off about it. It seemed to be undead. First, it came to kill the Zoroark, then it came back for the Whirlipede. The odds weren't in their favor.

Courtney trembled. Her small body was just shaking out of fear. What if he did come back? Would she be next? She needed comfort, but Dennis wasn't around. She needed something that was the next best thing.

Scanning the area around her to see if there were any undead around, she ran to a nearby tree and started carving into it. The Pawniard fought hard not to cry as she was carving it. It didn't take long for the finished product to be revealed.

It was a profile of a man. He had bold features and a thick head of hair. With tears forming in her eyes, Courtney hugged her carving of Dennis. She closed her eyes and imagined herself back at home, doing what she loved best with the one who taught her the art of woodcarving. She let out a sigh as she slumped against the tree. She's learning the reality of this dark world that Dennis is gone. But it did make her feel better for a little bit.

Chi shuddered in terror when a drapion that reeked of fetid death and evil smashed the doors of the pokecenter even wider open and seized Natsumi in its claws. She wanted to screw her eyes shut as it crowed, "This one is mine!" and began to smash and crush the zoroark, but her eyes seemed glued open and she had to watch with sickening, roiling dread as Natsumi regained consciousness only to die so terribly.

When the drapion, for no apparent reason, deemed itself sated and turned its back to leave, Chif felt a boiling shame taint her conscience. She had not even attacked to defend Natsumi. She had just frozen, as immobile a stone, and watched as a bright, precious thing was torn away from the world brutally. But I am not a stone. I had to power to fight it, and yet stood motionless. That makes me . . . worse than a stone. I wanted to call her a friend, but how could she befriend me, who is worse than filth? When the horrible, lazy, clacking footsteps suddenly drew nearer, Chi felt as if she couldn't draw in enough air. There must have been frost in her veins, because the dread she felt was more than a chill; it was an icy terror that sliced her open an left her raw and trembling. It came back.

As it began to fit its bulk through the door, she began to bombard it with Magical Leaf . . . but no matter how accurate the attacks were, they just bounced off the creature's slimy, purple exoskeleton leaving no damage at all. She was afraid to use Mega Drain, for fear that somehow the infection would be drawn to her along with life force, but she used it anyway as the drapion proceeded into the room. Again, it had no effect at all, and the drapion began to eat Gyro - spunky, crazy Gyro who had been so supportive and lent her his agility to help everyone. She nearly sobbed as he paused when Gyro was terribly wounded, struggling vainly to roll away with only half of his body, but the drapion smiled terribly and smashed his body on the concrete floor, creating a stain to match Natsumi's. Only when the drapion left again did Chi shudder and succumb, tucking her limbs and head to her shell and closing her eyes. It was just too horrible to look at . . .

Hinge's nightmares ramped up with the addition of heavy, lazy, insect-like steps accompanied by gnashing pincers wrought in shadows. An evil voice poured into his ears, creeping like molasses through his core. I told you I could smell you! it cried, and soon his dream was flooded with cries of terror and terrible crunching-ripping-dripping-splashing--

Make it stop! Hinge screamed inwardly, trying to thrash around and only succeeding in twitching his paws. NO! NOO-- Suddenly, the screaming ended as there was a peculiar burst and he felt like his whiskers and muzzle and chest were suddenly coated with something wet . . . and warm. AAAAAAAAGHHH!!! She tried to shake the clinging shadows away. They died down for several minutes, and he trembled in terror and numbness. But then, he heard the noise again. NO! NOT AGAIN! HELP, SOMEBODY! Anybody . . . please! PLEASE! STOOOP--

It must have been a few minutes, but they crawled by for Hinge, whose psyche writhed in terror as the horror played out again once more behind his closed eyes. But then . . . it was over. And . . . there was some kind of light. It was dim at first, only faintly there, but it grew and grew until it chased all the shadows away and left him feeling warm. His side seemed to fill up, reinflate, with the light and he sighed once, deeply, before falling into a deep, black sleep.

[[sorry if this is too long, but I didn't want to cut anything . . . ]]

(Skip, as Apollo is supposed to be away)

(OoC: Skip me, please. Claudius is still fluffy and thinking.)

He loved all his sons, and his brothers also, but sometimes having so many opposing and contrasting views was too draining. He needed some time for himself, away from the constant fighting, he knew they probably needed a break from his preaching about the joys of humans too. But he couldn’t very well take a vacation can he? No, he still had work to do, and he was doing what he did best, gathering information firsthand.

He was able to coerce a timid and frightened starly into telling him exactly what it saw. The poor thing was frightened speechless, but he was pointed in the right track. In order to even think about taking down one’s enemy, one had to know their enemy, and that was why Ho-Oh was currently on the verge of tracking down a possible undead. But not just any normal undead, he had reason to believe this one was a pawn of that wretched bird everyone was talking about….

He path of destruction was rather easy to spot one he found it, destroyed trees and boulders turned over helped lead the way. But after a bit he lost the track, as if the thing was able to blend into the shadows. If he had been a better tracker he would have been able to get there in time. But the scream that rang through the city told him the thing had found another victim. By the time he was halfway to the first scream another rang out.

Two pokemon, that’s how many he had failed to save today. The whole world was spiraling down the drain, and he was still trying to save it, yet he could not even save two pokemon…..

He arrived to the aftermath of the killings. The undead was retreating as something attacked it. He was about to curse the pokemon for being so daft as to think it could survive an attack from it once provoked. But he held his tongue at the sight of a legend. Instead quickly got to work on fixing a mistake that he felt could have been prevented.

Ho-Oh landed next to the remains of the Zoroark, its bloody mess would have nauseated anyone not used to gore like he was by now. With a quick nod to his fellow Legend, Ho-Oh got to work and did his little ritual on the body. A bit of Sacred Ashes over the remains, covering the whole thing with his multi-colored wings, then letting his Sacred Fire glow beneath the covered wings. And before you know it A Zoroark laid there, no injuries marking its body as if it was never in any danger.

He moved to the next one, a whirlipede, but when he opened the pouch where he kept his most prized possession, he faltered. “I, I don’t have enough…I could only bring back one…” He would need to replenish his storage of ashes, but that would take time, and the harbinger was getting away.

“Look after these pokemon Darkrai, I need to follow that thing, I’m sorry…”

So he took off after that monster, his heart full of regret for not being better prepared, next time though he’d make sure he was.

((Due to certain circumstances, SapphireSilve's Zoroark has been deemed fit to revive, She is to post next, then the post order shall continue as it was before i intervened. ))

(Thanks Ho-oh)

Natsumi felt a lot of pain for one moment. She hadn't been able to open her eyes to see the attack coming from the undead and was unable to defend herself. Soon she felt her pain end and saw the white light before her. She saw her brother and her trainer waiting for her but then her brother, Akito, look at the friends that his sister made as well as the Gallade that seemed to care about his sister. He looked at Natsumi and said, as a warm fire surround her, "Go back to your friends Natsumi and go back to that Gallade. He seems to care deeply about you." Then she heard Jacob say right after Akito "Akito is right Natsumi. It isn't time for you to join us up here. Return to your friends and to him. We'll continue to watch over you." Natsumi tried to speak but before she could she felt her spirit return to the realm of the living and opened her eyes and saw the colorful wings of Ho-oh before her and heard his masculine voice saying, “I, I don’t have enough…I could only bring back one… Look after these pokemon Darkrai, I need to follow that thing, I’m sorry…” The Zoroark couldn't really believe that 'The Ho-oh' believed her worthy enough to bring her back to life. She wanted to thank him but before she could the magnificent rainbow bird was gone. The female Zoroark began to move so she could get back on her feet and instinctively reached for the wound in her side that Apollo had caused her earlier but felt unblemished fur and skin. Where the wound was she didn't even feel tender in that area. The Zoroark slowly turned to look at her friends and at Apollo and Darkrai her eyes filled with life once again.

"There there. It is a tragedy that two lives at the hands of an Infected, but that is no reason to be upset young one." Courtney looked up to hear Darkrai's voice. She felt better and walked up to Darkrai, bowing before his presense. "Thank you Darkrai." Hesitantly, she walked back into the pokemon center. She looked at what was left of Natsumi and Gyro and shivered. She saw that Chi was tucked into her shell, most likely out of fear.

Courtney went up to the scared Torterra and lightly tapped her. "Chi? It's over. You can come out now." She told her. The Pawniard looked at the still hurt Persian and Gallade. She wished she could do more, but she was just a kid. What could she do?

A miracle from the skies came down in the form of Ho-Oh. The Pawniard stared in disbelief at the legendary as he did some things to Natsumi's body. In a bright glow, the Zoroark was revived, no injuries on it at all. Courtney's eyes grew wide. She couldn't believe that someone could be revived like that. She hoped that the legendary bird could bring Gyro back to life, but he couldn't. He flew off, advising Darkrai to keep an eye on them.

Courtney stood in place, not entirely sure of what had happened. She looked at Chi's shell and quickly tapped it. "Chi! Come out here! You won't believe what just happened!" Her eyes were wide with wonder and curiosity.

"Just a brief rest.."
The infinite void of stretched grey cradled his dissolving body.
"I said I would just a take a brief rest. There is still so much to be done."
He whispered softly from between cracked lips as he ran a gaseous tongue over them.
The dark, almost black cloth soothed his wounds like a bandage, the horrific energy that emanated from it was like a balm for the spirit of the ghost type.
If he had had bones they would have been aching.
The dark purple Haunter blinks his large eyes and pulls himself together, literally gathering the tiny wisps of poisonous gas inwards as he drifts from the library wall where he had been resting.
His clawed hands he holds loose at his sides to make sure he does not look threatening.
He never smiled, not with teeth like his.
Distance is just a matter of perspective for a ghost like him and gravity a mere memory.
He moves fast and passes through any obstacles in his way like they were cobwebs until a spot of light passes over his face.
The Ghost type turns his head upwards and his blood-red eye widens.
He raises both hands in supplication of the great pokemon he sees flying over.
Even the aches as his body starts to dissolve again cannot temper the feeling of child-like wonder he feels at the sight of the brightly colored legendary.
He remembers the tales Daniel had been told and told in turn to him of the great legendary pokemon.
It takes awhile for him to tease the memory from the fog his brain had become but as the last sparks in the great bird's wake fade he recalls the name.
Ho-oh.
It is only then he realizes there are other here.
"Hello friends!" He calls, hoping they will, indeed be friendly. "I am Namdnas.

He got up, despite his bad leg, and pondered. Limping to the library, lost in simple thought, he stepped through the busted door to his sanctuary, the library. This was time he should spend alone. He was no longer hungry, his leg injury had made him lose his appetite. He sat down on the counter for a while. A quiet squawk could be heard as he went up into the dark upper floors before disappearing into the upper floors of the library, to protect the books he loved but could no longer understand.

(OoC: Bye, guys! Claudius is gonna be put in Inactive for now, I thought about it and I should cut back a little on my characters. I skip too much. I'll come back, though!)

Courtney's voice was muffled through the sounds of her shell. "Chi? It's over. You can come out now."

Chi scrunched her eyes tighter for a moment, wishing vainly for the light of day, which would surely chase away the horrors that danced behind her closed eyes. She gave a shudder, then slowly began to relax and come out of her shell -- she had friends who could use her support.

However, at the sounds of huge wingbeats, Chi retracted again sharply. When Courtney tapped her shell again, her voice was no longer tinged with fear. "Chi! Come out here! You won't believe what just happened!"

Chi stuck her head out and watched with awe as Ho-oh -- THE Ho-oh -- mourned that he could not save more than one of the fallen pokemon. She glanced up at Hinge who still lay on the healing machine, wondering if he had seen, and, though he was not awake, was reassured by his newly strengthened breathing and the way one side not longer looked crushed. Thank the heavens. It worked.

As Ho-oh winged away, a haunter appeared on the periphery. He called out to them. "Hello friends! I am Namdnas."

Chi cleared her throat and gave a short, "Welcome," before she turned to survey the group. Courtney looked okay, and Natsumi was miraculously hale after Ho-oh's treatment. Darkrai faded like a shadow into the night. Hinge was healed and sleeping deeply. Only Apollo still loooked the worse for wear. "Natsumi," Chi called, "perhaps your claws are nimble enough to work the humans' machine once more, for Apollo. Hinge . . . is okay," she said, with great relief.

And, indeed, he was. He had slept soundly through Ho-oh's entry and exit, as well as Namdnas' entrance. Any whispering nightmares seemed to fade away, drifting further and further from his exhausted mind. The pure black cradled him like a child, slowly restoring the strength to his paws.

Apollo stared in disbelieve as the undead killed both Gyro and Natsumi. He tried to get up, but his leg hurt to much for him to do anything. The Gallade could only watch in horror as the undead finished it's meals and walked off. The Gallade struggled as he fell off of Chi's back and onto the ground. He grunted as the impact shook his hurt leg, but he struggled toward the two bodies. He knelt next to the two bodies and started to pray.

Arceas, let these two pokemon be warmly welcomed into the heavens and let them see their loved ones again. Apollo crossed his arms over his chest as he continued to pray. When he was done, he reached over to the Zoroark's body and took the Soothe Bell that used to be wrapped around the Zoroark's neck. He struggled to his feet and walked off. He needed to be alone, especially sense he couldn't do anything to protect his friends. He clenched the Soothe Bell in his hand as he stumbled into a house, unaware that the gash on his arm was leaving a trail of blood.

(Had permission to take Natsumi's Soothe Bell)

"Natsumi, perhaps your claws are nimble enough to work the humans' machine once more, for Apollo. Hinge . . . is okay." She heard Chi say. This caused the Zoroark to glance at the blood trail that she was sure was left by Apollo when he left. She had heard his voice when she died and knew she had to get to him, not only so she can get him to come back and be healed but to also let him know she was alive again. "Hello friends! I am Namdnas." She heard a new voice say and turned to see a very tired looking Haunter. She wasn't sure on what to make of the ghost type but she figured her friends will be safe enough without for now. Apollo needed her more at the moment and the Haunter didn't seem dangerous. So the little Zoroark gave a nod to him before she faced Chi and said, "Okay Chi I'll go get him and bring him back so he can be healed. The rest of you stay and rest here. I'll return with Apollo as soon as I can" Then, using Agility, Natsumi followed the trail of blood. Instictively she reach up for her Soothe Bell for support but when she felt around her neck and got nothing she wondered where it was. She didn't remember it lying beside her on the ground when she was brought back. After a few more moments of thought she guess that maybe Apollo had it when he saw her dead. She hated that thought as soon as it entered her mind because she didn't want him to see her like that. After a few more moments, and her still running, she just shrugged it and hope she could get Apollo to realize that she was alive and not one of the undead and infected.

When she spotted Apollo not too much further ahead of her Natsumi set up an illusion to keep them safe from any undead and infected that was around the area and so that the two of them could be alone because she was sure that when Apollo realizes she was alive a lot of things may happen. Once she was close enough that she was sure the mighty Gallade could hear her she called out, "Apollo, Apollo wait up." Natsumi saw that Apollo was looking at something he was holding in his hand before he looked up and shook his head as if not believing what he was hearing. So knowing of no other way to grab he Gallade's attention Natsumi used another Agility to speed up a little more before she got close enough to Apollo and wrapped her clawed hand gently around the front of him and hugged him tightly as she press her head against his back to let him feel her completely as she said softly, "Apollo why didn't you stop." Her voice was softly and filled with worry and concern, especially when she saw his wound was still bleeding.

Courtney saw that Apollo had left and took Natsumi's soothe bell with him. "Doesn't really surprise me," Courtney said, "Since the soothe bell lets out a chime that calms whoever hears it..." Natsumi followed after him since he was still hurt. At this time, a tired looking Haunter. "Hello friends!" he said, "I am Namdnas." Courtney was hesitant about saying hello to this new pokemon. Ghost types, especially Haunters, weren't always the friendliest pokemon in the world. But still, Courtney was going to be nice. She walked up to Namdnas and said "Nice to meet you. My name's Courtney." She stuck out a hand, or blade, or arm. Whatever, the point is she extended a limb for the Haunter to shake it.

(OoC: Sorry for the short post. Plus, I didn't know what was going through my head for the last couple sentences.)

The aged Haunter allows himself a fraction of a smile, although he takes care not to show too much of his teeth and takes the bladed hand being offered to him in a gaseous three clawed grip and shakes it firmly.
Even know he can feel the spirit needed for that action causing more of the poison that was his form break off into nothingness.
He had heard the dark rumors of a human something similar had happened too and Namdnas is distracted by thinking about what would happen if the disease wore him too down to little more than a floating head.
He shakes his head to clear his wandering mind.
"Good evening Courtney, or perhaps not so good on the balance of things." His voice is rich, vibrant but above all else soothing as a bell chime. The Haunter touches it with Hypnosis for the effect.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" He asks softly, not wanting to open any old wounds.
These poor pokemon appear to have taken a battering and, although he cannot do anything for the poor torn Whirlipede besides a solemn burial, there was still life which must mean, in a round about way, there was still hope.
"I come from Lavender Town." he says to the Pawniard as if she was one of his own Gastly children. "That poor Whirlipede over there...Surely he deserves a proper burial..."
The wisps of his tail briefly curl themselves like a question mark before returning to their usual sedate curling.
Ah he is so tired, more tired than the bags under his eyes make him out to be. It would be so easy to simply lay down one night and fade away to nothing.
But that would be the coward's way out. He was still alive, at least as alive as he could be and the elderly ghost type felt he had a duty, to this pawniard who he had never seen before and these pokemon who were no doubt stronger than him.
To watch over them and sing them softly to sleep.
It was not yet his time to die again.

Jerome was glad that the evening was starting to descend upon the city; it meant that he could take advantage of the darkness while he took a look around, and thus making sure that nobody, undead or not, disturbed him from his work. That Floatzel that had attacked him outside the city ... it didn't take a genius to see that it was a walking corpse. He'd taken care of it without much trouble, but he was starting to wonder how all this could've happened without his knowing. The cave in which he'd made his home for the past few months was clearly not a popular spot. I guess I was lucky.

The blue Bisharp trod his way carefully through the quiet city, passing derelict buildings brought almost to the ground. Clearly this place had been through quite a lot after the outbreak. He reached the end of the side alley he was walking through and stopped dead as he heard voices. With a growl, Jerome raised his bladed arms in preparation to attack, but lowered them again when he realised that the voices sounded quite ... normal. Although he hated using that word it seemed like the only adequate one to describe them. Perhaps 'living and breathing' would be better.

Jerome stood and watched the group of Pokemon for some time. He only recognised two of their species: a Zoroark - who was following a green and white Pokemon into a nearby building - and, the one that interested him the most, a Pawniard. Jerome stared at the 'normally-coloured' younger version of himself for some time, trying to remember if she had been a member of his pack. Eventually deciding that he did not know her, Jerome fell back into the shadows, reluctance gripping him and preventing him from approaching. That Pawniard would no doubt make some sort of remark about him being blue instead of the 'normal' red, and he wasn't sure if he was up for receiving more taunts anytime soon. Growing up and evolving had not changed any of that.

A purple Pokemon that looked like a Ghost-type mentioned that somebody deserved a proper burial. Curious, Jerome looked just to the right of the group and caught sight of the bloodied body of a Whirlipede, clearing having suffered a very violent and cruel death. Jerome sighed woefully and lowered his head. The last thing he needed was a bunch of Pokemon around him; getting in his way and making comments about his odd colouration, but he felt the need to contribute to his burial in some way. After all, Whirlipede was a Unovan like himself. There were no rules stating that he had to stay with the group afterwards.

Sighing again and plucking up his courage, Jerome stepped out of the shadows and approached the group. He held himself rigidly as he got closer, ready to retaliate if they mistook him for an enemy. "Good evening." His deep voice was almost monotone and his face bore little expression. He was neither happy nor sad to speak to these Pokemon, so why should his expression contradict that? "I heard that you are planning a burial." He looked around at everyone in turn, taking in their faces. He had a feeling that he wouldn't be forgetting this encounter anytime soon. "My name is Jerome." After a pause, he asked, "Will you let me help you?"

Chi stared worriedly as Natsumi followed Apollo out of the building. She had no idea he could move -- if he could, why didn't he try to fight when Natsumi . . . Chi flinched away from the thought, but it came anyway: . . . when Natsumi died. When she got crushed. When that thing came and there was nothing any one of us could do . . . but Apollo . . . could move? The troubling thought tumbled about with waves of concern for her new . . . acquaintances? teammates? comrades? fellow living? She also desired to get to know them, to help them and heal them, but she knew that they could be gone so easily . . .

The night bears so much conflict, Chi thought miserably. I need to sleep. . .

Just then, a blue bisharp walked towards them from the shadows. Chi began shaking leaves form her tree for Magical Leaf, thinking that the newcomer's coloration was due to the infection, but then she saw how it moved. It certainly did not have that terrible, lazy lope of the infected. In fact, it was rather stiff, like a tin soldier. Once she could see his face in the electric lights, his expression looked quite guarded, and his words were as stiff as his soldiers in short, spaced sentences.

"Good evening. I heard that you are planning a burial. Pause. "My name is Jerome." Long pause.[/i] "Will you let me help you?"

"My name is Chi. The persian is Hinge," Chi added. "Perhaps . . . perhaps we could delay Gyro's burial until the morning, when the dead ones sleep? We must stay here until Natsumi and Apollo return, at any rate," Chi fretted.

In his sleep, Hinge's whiskers twitched as a new dream was born. He scented . . . he scented a rattata, there was loamy forest turf below his paws. Dappled sunlight on the ground danced when a gentle breeze stirred the leaves overhead. He could hear trickle of water in the distance. He licked his lips and began to track his prey . . .

[[Welcome back!]]

The Gallade stumbled as his whole body was lit with the fire of pain and a broken heart. His grip on the Soothe Bell tighten as his eyes started to water. His mind was clouded and his heart ached. As he stumbled away from the center he placed one of his hands on his chest and long painfully sigh. His heart ached, yet he wasn't sure why. Then he something call his name and it sounded like Natsumi, but he shook his head as he knew she was....she was no longer with them.

Then he felt something wrap around his waist and felt something lay against his back, and then the voice that followed, took him completely off guard. Which is very hard to do. "Apollo why didn't you stop." It felt like his breath was knocked from his lungs. He looked down at what was wrapped around his waist and for a second it felt like his heart was going to explode.

He took his free hand and gently took the clawed hand that wrapped around his waist. He gingerly turned around on his good leg only to find himself so close to a breakdown. The pokemon in front of him was someone he though he was never going to see again. Natsumi... The Gallade stumbled on his words, but he gripped the Soothe Bell in his hand tighter. A few tears fell from his chin as he released the Zoroarks hand and hugged her.

His heart was pounding and his leg throbbed, but he hugged Natsumi tightly. Then he pulled away and looked into her eyes for a moment before he leaned forward and kissed her deeply. The Gallade held the Zoroark close to his body, taking in every little detail before he closed his eyes and kissed her even more deeply. In his head Apollo was more afraid then ever before, because he wasn't sure how Natsumi would react to the kiss, but he was to over joyed to really and truly care at the moment. It was there, even with the pain his body felt, that Apollo decided he did indeed love the Zoroark.

I love Natsumi and i'll always be there to protect her. Even if it means I lose my life, i'll always protect her.

Natsumi felt Apollo touch one of her claw hands before he turned around to face her and said softly, Natsumi... She then saw a few tears falling from his eyes before he released her clawed hand and hugged her tightly for a bit. He then pulled away and looked into her eyes as she looked back into his but then she was taken by surprise when the Gallade suddenly kiss her. Her eyes widen for a bit as she felt Apollo deepen the kiss as soon as he closed his eyes and held her close. Once the shock pass Natsumi gripped Apollo as she slowly closed her eyes and began to kiss him back deeply. She even lean closer to him as her thoughts turned to the kiss they were sharing. She felt her heart beating rapidly as they kiss and her thoughts turned to her feelings for the Gallade and realized that she was in love with the psychic type Pokemon while she continued to kiss him. ~I-I believe I'm deeply in love with Apollo. This is what Akito and Jacob was talking about,~she thought to herself as she wrapped her arms around Apollo and making sure they stayed safe for a bit longer until she remembered he was bleeding. "Apollo, you need to have your wound cared for," she whispered softly against his lips though she didn't want to break the kiss.

"Good evening Courtney, or perhaps not so good on the balance of things." Namdnas said to Courtney as he shook her hand. His voice was surprisingly soothing for someone of his species. "I come from Lavender Town. That poor Whirlipede over there...Surely he deserves a proper burial..." Courtney looked over at the mangled mess of what was left of Gyro. He was kind to her, even though she only knew him for a short time.


"Good evening. I heard that you are planning a burial. My name is Jerome. Will you let me help you?" Courtney looked over to the source of the voice and her eyes widened. It was a Bisharp, her evolved form. However, this one was a different color from the normal red coloration. The Pawniard went up to her pre-evolved form and just looked at him. She was at a loss of words. She always wanted to grow stronger and become a Bisharp, and Jerome seemed like he could help her with that goal.

"H-Hello Jerome." Courtney said, hoping not to make a fool of herself. "M-My name is Courtney." The Pawniard heard Chi mention something about waiting until morning for a burial for Gyro. She went back over to Namdnas and said, "Yes, we should wait until daytime. In the meantime, you are welcome to stay with us. You too, Jerome!" Courtney said to her evolved form. She felt comfortable in the group she was with, especially with ones like Namdnas and Chi.