(ACE) The FARAWAY Team

Jump. Land. Find another branch. Jump. Land. Find another branch. Jump. Land. Find another branch. Jump...

It was a mantra playing in his head, over and over and over again. In truth, the Eevee was absolutely terrified, and if he had it his way, the Normal type probably would have curled up and squeezed his eyes shut in the hopes that he could will the monster away. Unfortunately, real life had a tendency not to work like that- a pity, really, considering how much trouble it would end up saving him. Repeating the words, reaffirming what he needed to do was at least enough to keep Oracle on track, though he couldn't help but worry, regardless.

What's going on? Is anyone hurt? He couldn't tell, what with the smokescreen still clouding the air, though the noises were more than enough to fuel his overactive imagination. If he tried really hard to focus, he could faintly hear the sound of voices, though it was impossible to make out what they were saying while continuing his frantic dash towards the top. I wish I could do something to help... The Eevee thought, despite knowing his own combat skills were flimsy enough to make him more of a burden than an asset. I'm just putting others in danger by being stuck like this, right?

The brief distraction was nearly enough to cause him to slip, landing on a skinny branch that wobbled uncertainly underneath him. That's as high as I can afford to go. Oracle thought to himself, squinting through the fog. "Oracle! Keep talking, I can't see you yet!" Ah, right. "Can you hear me?" Hmm, this wasn't really working as well as he hoped, but perhaps there was something else he could do to make his location known. "H-here, keep an eye out!" Was the best warning he could give, tilting his head back and firing off the smallest Shadow Ball possible. "Did you see that? I'm here!"

((OOC: I'm totally fine with that!))

So much going on! So much noise, there were so many things fluttering and skittering about that The Feraligatr couldn't even begin to keep track of everything that was happening, so he tried to focus on the pretty fox, but even that didn't stay still, as a big, smoky black dog jumped in front of her, and then a green thing popped up in front of him! The crocodile reached up to touch it, tapping it with a claw and it tinked like glass. But seemed stronger almost, reminding him of a sheet of metal. He wasn't able to ponder much further however as the doggy was talking to him. The way he looked at the gator meant that it must have been very important so he took great care to pay attention! Sitting up alertly, he was able to make out the gist of what he was being told and it confused him, furrowing his brow he cocked his head. "Why?" The reptile's lips twitched to say more, but he stayed quiet as the hound kept speaking, growing more bewildered by the second, crying out unhappily. But, the message sank in. Eventually. Letting out a long sigh he lowered his head further, whining and grunting before his cries came to resemble speech. "I don't understand..! Why are you afraid? Don't!" Reaching out with a bloodied and gnarled hand, his reach was stopped by the barrier of Protection, further upsetting the reptile, and he began to scratch at the wall pleadingly. "Friends! Frrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeiiiinds! Maaaaaaaaahhhhhh-!" Inspiration cut the notions of a tantrum short, and the reptile retracted his limb, cocking his head with a small smile before laying down and rolling onto his back. Grinning, pleased with his own ingenuity The Feraligatr watched the hell hound's reaction with baited breath. "Not big! Small. Like friends."

[ ooc: sorry, skip me this turn. ]

Rokai could see some sort of understanding in the water type's eyes, and for a little bit there, the Houndoom was hopeful that the Feraligatr would just leave them alone. "Why?" The reptile seemed to be listening, and they let out an unhappy cry that made Rokai wince. No creature should be able to cry at that high of a pitch.

Forcing himself to bare with it, Rokai kept his green gaze level with the Feraligatr's red eyes. He couldn't back out now, he supposed. The undead continued to whine and grovel before a few words became clear among the mess of noise. "I don't understand..! Why are you afraid? Don't!" The giant reptile began to scratch against the dark green barrier, leaving old bloodstains against it that slid off soon after. Rokai almost gagged at the sight, but the Houndoom bit his tongue and kept his calm. "Friends! Frrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeiiiinds! Maaaaaaaaahhhhhh-!" Stiffening as the reptile suddenly cuts off it's wailing cries, Rokai watched with wide emerald eyes as the undead retracted it's hand, tilting its head and giving Rokai a small smile.

What happened next baffled the Houndoom, as he watched the massive undead lower themselves to the ground and then roll over onto their back. A mouth full of dangerous, sharp teeth became visible to Rokai as the reptile grinned at him, their eyes sparking with what looked like excitement. "Not big! Small. Like friends." Rokai's jaw opened in a small 'o' shape for a moment, before he closed it, trying to think up a reaction to the undead's odd behaviour. When he couldn't come up with a decent response, the hellhound threw planning into the wind and tried to come up with something anyway.

"I, uh... Y-yeah, right. S-small." What the heck is going on inside this creatures head? In any case, Rokai was stumped. Even while they were on their back, the undead's jaw came up to his chest, but it was significantly better than being dwarfed by the giant reptile. Perhaps now they could get to a safe location, once they ditched the Feraligatr? Or maybe they could tag along to scare off the other undead, but keep a relative distance from them. Putting his attention back to the reptile, Rokai watched up curiously from the other side of the green-tinted scratched barrier.

To the fox's and skunk's relief, Abby takes off to retrieve Oracle from the tree. It's not long before the fairy is no longer visible due to the veil of smoke and the gator has only them to focus on. The daunting creature stumbles blindly within the smokescreen, screeching as a water veil ripples over its tattered hide. The force of its move countering Marvin had set off. Once again in full view, the creature seems to have gotten uglier. Or maybe it was just closer.

The stench of its rotting flesh choked the air as it advanced. Marvin takes a step back instinctively to maintain the distance. His nose wrinkling up at the smell. Despite being an obvious corpse, it appeared to remain some of its brains. Not that it should last much longer. How much more could this thing decay before not being able to walk? The skuntank continues to look on with disgust as Rokai speaks with the creature, a protect the only thing between the shiny hound and it.

Katyusha remains stiffly in place. Unwilling to abandon Rokai if the beast were to attack and honestly fascinated with the undead creature before them. Not to say she wouldn't feel safer with more distance between them. On some level it was understanding them and despite refusing to step back, it lowered itself to the ground. If she wasn't fearful the gator would have a mood swing and snap her muzzle right off, she's lean forward for a better look.

Was this creature really able to be reasoned with? Should it be? Could other undead understand and resist their base instinct for feeding?

Beside her, Marvin scoffs at the creature's attempts. Clearly, not as impressed with the display. "Just kil-"

"No, no, let's not upset it more than we have to..." Katyusha says breathlessly, cutting the other off. If they could avoid fighting they should. Distract it, get away, find it other friends, something.

Marvin scowls at the interruption, his eyes narrow as he returns the beady red-eyed gaze of the undead. "Your our friend? Then trust us. Close your eyes and open them when we tell you to." Could something simple like that work? The ninetales starts to open her mouth to suggest something else, but lets it die on her tongue. Better not to conflict one another and confuse it... "Friends do it all the time." The skunk adds for emphasis, his muscles tense, half expecting it to crack at any moment.

Abby floated in the air above the tree and kept her ears trained for Oracle's voice. She could hear the other's voices, but she was focusing too intensely to understand the words. Finally, near the edge of the tree, she could hear Oracle shout, "Can you hear me?" There he was! Unfortunately, she still couldn't see his brown fur amongst the leaves.

She responded, "Yes, but I still can't see you!"

He then gave a warning, "H-here, keep an eye out!" What was he going to do? The question barely entered her mind before the answer in the form of a black, shadowy sphere erupted from the tree. Her eyes locked onto where the attack exited the tree as she moved out of the way of the attack. "Did you see that? I'm here!"

That gave her exactly what she needed. "Yes! I'm coming!" She dove down closer to the tree's limbs where she saw the attack come out, and she finally saw Oracle clinging to the smallest branch that could hold his weight. She floated down to where he could see her before she calmly said, "I'm going to use Psychic to pick you up, okay?" He had not seemed adverse to the idea earlier, but it was always good to let people know you were about to pick them up anyway. Her eyes glowed a faint blue as she started the attack, and the Eevee's body was surrounded by a blue aura of the same shade.

The fairy picked him up with the attack, and informed him, "It moved away from the base of the tree, but it approached the others." She was getting nervous, she could still hear voices, but there wasn't any shouting or yelling. While that would seem like a good thing, the Togetic was anxious when undead became involved in anyway. She slowly brought the Eevee closer to her and then floated with him to the ground. Once all four paws were safely on the ground, she released the attack, and asked, "Are you alright?"

((OOC: I hope that was alright Penumbra. If it isn't, please let me know ASAP, and I'll change it.))

The Shadow Ball tore a hole through the remnants of lingering smoke, subtle but noticeable. Oracle stared for a few moments, grateful for the distraction, no matter how small. His mouth seemed to tingle oddly after using the attack, though the Normal type had long since become accustomed to the feeling; he was proud to be one of the members of his clan chosen to be blessed with the goddesses' gifts, those strange circular objects that had to be modeled after the celestial bodies. The abilities granted by them had come in handy more times than he could count.

"Yes! I'm coming!" In response to the familiar voice, Oracle let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. When the Togetic grew near he shot her a small, grateful smile. "My hero." The Eevee said, his tone playful but genuinely thankful- because wasn't that the truth? He shuddered to think of how much worse his situation could have been, how long it would have taken him to get down from the tree on his own and whether he would have been safe or not when he did. "I'm going to use Psychic to pick you up, okay?" Oracle nodded in response, bracing himself for the familiar feeling of being lifted up.

"It moved away from the base of the tree, but it approached the others. Are you alright?" The Normal type frowned. "I'm a little shaken, but I think I'm going to be fine. Is... Is everyone else okay? I didn't hear much; it's hard to tell what's going on." Still, quiet was better than noise, right? Noise implied conflict. Noise followed by abrupt silence was even worse. "What should we do? I don't think we can fight it."

((OOC: That's perfect! Thank you! ))

They must think that he's brainless. The Reptile stared at the mangy purple skunk, his red, dead eyes glowing with a boiling anger, hints of it seeping out as a yellowish liquid falling from his eyes as he rolled onto his stomach. They weren't going to do this again, he would not let his so called 'friends' leave him, even if they hated him they were all he had. There is nothing else but family. No reason to exist-He was outraged at the thought of being abandoned yet again but his own fear kept it in check, if he scared them now then they'd run and then he'd have to break their legs. "I don't want to h-hurt-!"

His bulky frame shook, ducking his head low to the ground while he trembled in a sadness that tore at his eyes and throat, effectively crushing it. In his silence a cold realization took root and made his eyes go dry, they wouldn't stay if they didn't see a use to him. And of course he was stupid and weak. Not strong enough, never strong enough. Even still a low croaking of a sentence fell out in a jumble out of his lizard lips. "I'm so sorry how could I have let you-!"

His body tensed as if stabbed by a long lance, then went loose as his tail thumped against the ground and blissful ignorance made it's needed return, spreading like euphoria. His expression was calm and gentle, if a bit hazy, looking around for a bit not quite knowing where he was, but his eyes brightened at the sight of small fluffy things, his tail making a thundering noise against the ground, kicking up a small amount of dust. Pressing his nose against the barrier of Protection he loomed over The Houndoom with a wide smile of broken and rotted teeth, and seeing a bit of blood on there gave it a quick lick.

"No hide-seek! Hugs. Very fluffy."

"Ah shit," The Phanteon curses with a hiss. If he had just looked past the shrubs he could of seen the undead, a Feraligatr or something of the like, but he didn't. Instead he had bothered with the dumb bitch who was less then helpful. Ive wasted time. Bounding through the bushes Lone ignores TD's warning, "Don't go!" She calls, taking a few steps after him but not enough to leave the shelter of the shrubbery.

Lone's paws pounded as he ran through the clearing, ready to yet again get into a fight for others. Since when did he care about any of these Pokemon? He died before them and yet they still offered him no help. Clenching his teeth he pushes the thought away. It didn't matter if they expected him to turn tail and let 'nature' take its course, or if they thought he had others motives. Or hell, if they thought he would turn against them. I wont run, not when Oracle is involved. Was another Eevee going to die on this island..? Not while I draw breathe.

He doesn't get more then a couple of meters before coming to a harsh halt. The undead was face-to-face with Rokai's, only the thing barriar of a Protect between their jaws. The hound looked worn, his attack ready to break- Protect never lasted long despite its energy input. But its not the monster or the dog that catch his attention, but the small shape past them- Oracle! Abby was with the Eevee who was safely on the ground and appeared uninjured. The undead wasnt after him at all. Lets keep it that way. Drawing back his lips the Phanteon hisses at the Feraligatr, tail lashing. Another Pokemon he did not recognize was trying to talk it down but no! He was taking action! "Get out of here." He growls, flashing his jaw open for a moment. "You're not welcome."

TD looked on in horror. What did she do!? The gators jaws flicked and moved but she couldn't tell if it was growling or talking or what. The others all had their backs to her, faces hidden. She was completely out of the verbal loop. Her dark paws work at the grass underpaw, anxious. Rokai was using Protect but how long would that last? I could help! I could use mine once his goes down. She could throw a Sand Attack at its eyes before she did, blinding it long enough to put the barrier up even!

But.. Abby had told her to hide. If the creature took interest in her there wasn't much she would be able to do other then run. Even then, the forest would trip her up. There are too many plants. She would make for easy prey. Swallowing back fear the Vaporeon stares on at the ominous sight. Hopefully her friends had a plan. No one needed to die..

The creature glares straight at Marvin who returns the stare evenly. It doesn't work. Enough of its intelligence must have remained, Katyusha notes to herself not only to comprehend the words, but to realize it was being deceived. That fact was fascinating, something to brood over when this experiences was over. For the moment, all the ninetales could really focus on was the malice burning hot in its dead red eyes.

It was going to strike. She was sure it was. It would mow them down, leak more putrid fluid, like that which was now coming from its eyes, infect them--and as soon as the anger built up, it disappeared. The part of the undead that wanted to be their 'friend' was back. Or maybe that was a trap as well. If it was smart enough to tell when they were lying, could it not set a trap of its own? "No hide-seek! Hugs. Very fluffy." The fox takes an involuntary step back as the creature presses against the barrier of the protect once again. Acreus no.

Marvin's ears twitch as someone charges through the bush into the clearing behind them. Sparing a glance, he catches sight of a phantom. Though the phanteon doesn't run far before coming to a harsh halt with teeth bared. Clearly, this was another member of their little band. Any sane bystander would never have bothered with an undead of the likes of this on in front of them. "Get out of here." It's tail lashed furiously and for a moment, Marvin couldn't help but wonder just how he intended to make this monstrosity do just that.

"You're not welcome." Then again, it was at least four against one. "He's right, enough of this. We're not going to play games with you. Leave or we'll make you." the skuntank snarls, readying a stance, tail twitching in anticipation of a coming attack. Snippets of what he imagines will happen playing through his mind as he mentally prepares himself to try to dodge and retaliate. Not far away, Katyusha readies herself on more unsteady legs. Her body lowering slightly to the ground. Was there really no way to talk their way out of this? If there was, it would likely be as dangerous to pull off as their current intimidation attempt...

Oracle gratefully teased, "My hero," when she had found him, and she couldn't help a small smile breaking her worried features.  After they were both safe on the ground, he answered her question, "I'm a little shaken, but I think I'm going to be fine. Is... Is everyone else okay? I didn't hear much; it's hard to tell what's going on." She didn't know what to tell him because so much could have changed... Everyone was okay before she had gone after him, but if there was anything the massacre at her home had taught her, it was that things could go horribly wrong in the span of mere seconds. Oracle asked her, "What should we do? I don't think we can fight it." Undead were dangerous enough, but the situation was made worse by almost half the group having a severe type disadvantage.

She looked in the direction the sounds were coming from and found that the smoke had dissipated enough to see what was going on. Rokai had a green screen up that Abby recognized as Protect, and the undead Feraligatr was pressing it's about against the barrier. For a second, it almost looked ready to attack before thumping its tail on the ground like a hound. The barrier didn't look like it was going to be able to last any longer...  Rokai and Katyusha both looked terrified, Marvin was trying to make it leave, and Lone was standing with the others. There was no sign of Tinydragon or Caine. Oh Arceus... I hope they're okay... She prayed that Tiny dragon had heeded her advice and stayed away from the undead, but she hadn't seen Caine other than the fire fox hiding soon after the Feraligatr had shown itself. She hoped he had simply remained hidden.

After surveying the situation, she had an idea. If she could distract the undead, it might allow Oracle to sneak past, give Rokai a break, and give the others an opening to attack if they thought they could handle it. "Try to sneak past it, Oracle, and regroup with the others. I'll distract it." She tried to give a reassuring smile, "I'll be fine." At this she jumped up and flew towards the undead's exposed back. So far the creature had refrained from fighting, and she decided to keep it like that. When she was within a few yards of the beast, she halted and shouted, "Over here!" The small fairy remained floating in the air at almost eye level with the tall creature. If it still tried going after Oracle, she prepared a use of Follow Me.

His first glimpse at the commotion in a good while, and what did he see? Well... It certainly wasn't great, but Oracle was at least happy to know that their little group was unharmed, albeit missing a few members. He didn't see any blood, though- that had to count for something, right? Perhaps they were just in hiding; it seemed like the smart thing to do. "There's... More of us here now?" Were they perhaps drawn in by the sound of a commotion? It made sense, though at least the Normal type could take some comfort in knowing despite their difficulties, they at least cared about one another enough to help- or try helping.

Still, that strange barrier attack... It was holding off the Water type for the moment, but it didn't look like it was going to last forever, and that had him worried.

"Try to sneak past it, Oracle, and regroup with the others. I'll distract it." The Eevee looked up, a frown worrying at his features. He wanted to say something- protest or volunteer to help- but he knew it was pointless; he was too weak to even try fighting something like that. Annoy it, maybe, but spitting poison and running in circles could only take one so far, especially when they were as frail as he was. "I think... It's confused." He decided to say instead, hoping to at least be somewhat helpful, if only as far as information was concerned. "I don't think it's harmless, but it called me friend. It might not want to kill us- maybe not all the time, or with all of it's... Will? Does that make sense?" He wasn't really sure.

"Stay safe." Oracle watched her go nervously, before crouching down low to the ground. He was more than capable of just bolting for cover, but there was a good chance the sudden movement would draw the Water type's attention. Just have to make it to cover. Just have to make it to everyone else... He started to crawl, the seconds ticking by longer than they ever had in his entire life.

The Reptile blinked in a dazed confusion, taking a few moments to process what was said. His friends seemed very scared for some reason, and now they're asking him to leave. Now that just didn't make any sense! "But why? Now's not good time 'cause there's scary things. 'Prob lot's!" He lowered his immense stature and stared on skeptically at the group of hissing and snarling pokemon. The maw hung open slightly as he thought of something more to say,  showing a sliver of the black abyss that lay just behind the jagged rows of rotting teeth. As the corpse spoke a vile stench was spat out along with it's ragged breath, just as acrid than an open grave filled with bodies in various states of decay."Unoffense, I'm stronger than you. I don't get it." Tilting and scratching his head The Feraligatr's wandering attention easily catching on the sudden movement, his puzzled frown deepening at further intrigue. "Wuzzat? Need something?" Turning his head he stared dumbly before eventually recognizing the white blur in front of him, but just vaguely. "Talking Cloud? No...Fairy Prin'ess!" Smiling sweetly this expression grew to one of awe when a small factoid that he had learned in life decided to make itself apparent. "Spread happy right? Could you make my friends happy please?" Taking a thundering step towards The Togetic, the diversion seemed to be working, the corpse easily being engulfed in childlike wonder.

(skip please)

Lone swished his puffy tail proudly as the Skuntank backed him up. "He's right, enough of this. We're not going to play games with you. Leave or we'll make you." While he wasn't so keen on letting a giant, dangerous, moron of a beast romp freely around the island the others didn't seem prepared to fight. Or at least throw the first blow. The brute whined, its filthy teeth glinting as it attempted words. "Unoffense, I'm stronger than you. I don't get it." Scoffing, Lone tilted his head to one side. Even if it was the group could surely overpower it. The Gyardos was way more intimidating then this thing and they made it out of that just fine. "You sure ain't smarter then any of us though," he sneers, showing his own teeth a bit more.

Already tired of lollygagging the Phanteon was ready to make it leave. Bitter thoughts filled his mind until his paws fidgeted, Frustration building. Why was everyone trying to be so diplomatic with this thing? Able to speak or not it was a goddamn demon that needed to be sent back to hell. Suddenly, Abby shouted, "Over here!" and pulled the creatures attention away. "Spread happy right? Could you make my friends happy please?" It turned and took a few steps away from them, thank gods as it literally smelled of death, and the Phanteon felt the blinding fury build to a peak. It spoke of friends but smelled of blood and rot. It wanted happiness but would turn on them at a moments notice. What sick game was it playing at!? It nearly killed Oracle for no reason! It'll do nothing but murder. His red eyes took on a glow, his Frustration ready, and he charged forward with his paws extended.

"No!"

Slam! The Phanteon collides with something and is thrown back with a loud pling! Stunned, the world suddenly felt like it was spinning. What the hell was that!? Vision blurred, it takes several moments for Lone to fling himself back to his paws. Shaking it head clear he is shocked to see the same magicked barrier of a Protect around himself but it is shattering into pieces. "What!?" He growled, the angry power still pulsing through him. "Don't huurt it!" TinyDragon begged, suddenly right beside him. Her body was still tense from her Protect, fear sparkling in her eyes. Between the rage, a dangerous Pokemon on one side, and bitch-fins on the other Lone's paws could not hold still. His head flicked between TD and the Feraligatr, ready to slash his claws across either one. "It's a demon! Why are you helping it!?"

TD shook her head, tail raised. "It's so'd no viohence!" Projecting her words the Vaporeon pointed a weary paw at the other water type. "Everyfang its done hasn't shown aggrusion." It was clear to see even from her hiding space. Body language was everything to her. It spoke of things Pokemon often couldn't put into words and usually became a second thought. But, for a creature that couldn't hear, it was her primary sense of tone and mood and this creature has shown nothing but curiosity and hesitation. "It'll kill you!" Lone snapped, a growl rumbling in his throat. Her head pushed back a little but the Vaporeon did not step down. "It's friendly!"

While he wasn't happy to see Lone, Rokai wasn't about to shirk off the help. "Get out of here." The Phanteon's unfriendly bark was enough to make Rokai flinch. "You're not welcome." Rokai looked between Lone, Marvin and the undead, his green eyes wide. Were they going to fight it? "He's right, enough of this. We're not going to play games with you. Leave or we'll make you." Sucking in a deep breath, Rokai looked around. They had more numbers, but it was no doubt stronger than them.

"But why? Now's not good time 'cause there's scary things. 'Prob lot's!" Rokai thought about that, his muzzle setting in a thoughtful frown. "Unoffense, I'm stronger than you. I don't get it." Sucking in a shaky breath, Rokai stood his ground, his green eyes locked on Lone. "You sure ain't smarter then any of us though," He was just baiting the undead now, and Rokai guess it wise to get out of there. His poor shield had taken far too much stress and so the hellhound dropped it, making the shield shatter with a sound not unlike breaking glass. Rokai then took his leave and hid behind the group.

"Over here!" Snapping his head up, Rokai's eyes widened when he spotted Abby flying past the large undead, and he opened his mouth to say something, but firmly shut it after a moment. Abby knew what she was doing, and Rokai had no doubt that they knew what they were doing. "Wuzzat? Need something?" The Feraligatr seemed to buy the distraction and stared entranced at the Togetic. "Talking Cloud? No...Fairy Prin'ess!" The undead smiled - which only seemed more terrifying - and seemed pleaded that it remembered something semi-useful. "Spread happy right? Could you make my friends happy please?" The undead advanced towards Abby, and Lone took his chance and attacked it. Rokai went to cry out, to tell him to stop, but someone else beat him to it.

"No!"

Lone slammed into a wall of Protect, and Rokai's green eyes pinpointed TinyDragon, who ran out to stop Love from attacking. "What!?" The growl in Lone's words made Rokai flinch, but TD seemed to put the tone aside as she addressed the Phanteon. "Don't huurt it!" Rokai could have sworn the tension was tangible enough that if he breathed he would choke on it.

"It's a demon! Why are you helping it!?" At Lone's words, TinyDragon shook her head, jabbing a paw towards the other water type, "It's so'd no viohence!" Rokai let out a breath, sighing lightly. He hoped there wouldn't be a fight to worry about, not after the previous day's events. "Everyfang its done hasn't shown aggrusion." Thinking about it, Rokai deducted that she was right. The rolling over, trying to make itself small, telling them it was dangerous, those were all friendly and non-aggressive things. "It'll kill you!" Obviously Lone didn't feel that same way. Rokai held his breath as TinyDragon held her ground against the angry ghost, insisting her point. "It's friendly!"

Rokai moved to stand beside TD, his green eyes kind. "She's right. They haven't done anything aggressive towards us! Rolling over, offering protecting, heck, they even tried asking Abby to make us happy! You may see them as a threat, but I don't, and neither does TD." Rokai said calmly, hoping to get through to the Phanteon.

"Unoffense, I'm stronger than you. I don't get it." Either this creature couldn't see it was outnumbered, or more of their 'teammates' had abandoned them. "You sure ain't smarter then any of us though," The ghost-type beside him barks at the hulking undead. Exactly. He leaves any agreement unsaid as the creature, one again, becomes distracted. This time, by a fluttering ball of white feathers.

The skuntank recognizes it as Abby fairly quickly. The thing couldn't take its eyes off of her. This was their chance. Ditched the dull lizard, go somewhere it couldn't follow--but beside him, Lone is already charging an attack. He watches him spring forward, only to drop short and connect with a familiar move. A sound, like breaking glass, following the destruction of the barrier brought up to stop Lone shatters into nothing.

"Don't huurt it!" Marvin's ear perk at the desperation in TD's voice. "It's friendly!" Not a chance, this thing was a time-bomb. "Tinydragon's right. We don't have to start a fight. This feraligator has no interest in fighting us." Katyusha adds, her voice growing steadier as the immediate fear of being eaten ebbs. "We can reason with it! This undead appears stable enough...maybe we could even learn from it. I've never had someone at this stage of decay to question before."

"You're joking right? That thing will snap sooner or later and attack anything and everything. I'm betting on the sooner. Leave this thing to rot on its own." Marvin cuts in, glaring at the back of the scaly pokemon as it continues to marvel at Abby's fluttering.

"She's right. They haven't done anything aggressive towards us! Rolling over, offering protecting, heck, they even tried asking Abby to make us happy! You may see them as a threat, but I don't, and neither does TD." Rokai chimes in, supporting TD and taking the words straight from her mouth. "We need to at least try! Katyusha adds with exasperation.

Before Oracle, left he offered a quick word, "I think... It's confused. I don't think it's harmless, but it called me friend. It might not want to kill us- maybe not all the time, or with all of it's... Will? Does that make sense?" She nodded to indicate that she heard, but didn't otherwise respond. The red eyes, the death smell, and the wounds that wouldn't heal all reminded her of the Growlithe that had killed Lyle and Cassandra. They always turned. They always turned. It was only a matter of time, and she didn't want her newfound friends to end up killed by it. She barely heard Oracle's parting words as he sneaked off,"Stay safe." I'll try, she thought in response, but no words came out. It wasn't clear how well the undead could put two and two together, but she didn't want to take the risk of it figuring out that there was someone else there.

The Feraligatr took a few seconds to realize that she was the one speaking to it; it lifted a claw to scratch its head before it turned and her fluttering wings caught its eyes. Then it smiled. The action would have been comforting if not for the rotting gums and teeth and horrid stench that even she could smell. She forced herself to smile back, continuing the ruse, and she tried to see if her friends were going to take the obvious chance. It looked so happy as it remembered something, "Talking Cloud? No...Fairy Prin'ess!" Those were... new names. The childishness behind them deeply hurt as she could still see that there were remnants of the creature's mind still there, and she felt immense pity for it. It didn't change her mind, however; if anything, it only made her want to end its misery before it completely lost itself. It then asked, "Spread happy right? Could you make my friends happy please?" Huh, it knew of her species's supposed ability to spread happiness, and was asking her to do it? She wasn't sure how to respond to that.

The creature had held her attention so closely, that she hadn't been listening to the others, but she had seen Lone charging to attack and was shocked to see Tinydragon stop him. Wait... What are they doing? Her brown eyes wandered over the undead's shoulder to see that only Lone and Marvin looked ready to attack, and the others were all trying to stop them. Didn't they understand? No matter how friendly the undead was, it was going to be a danger to them. It would eventually become violent and try to kill them, and she didn't know if she could stop it, and they would die, and she'd be alone, and... and... She had to stop that line of thinking and actually deal with the hand Arceus had dealt her. If they didn't want to fight now, she couldn't make them, and talking about it with the undead right there would be stupid. Taking a shuddering breath, she finally answered with a still forced smile, "I... I can try."

The Eevee so dearly wished he could have watched what was happening, but didn't want to let Abby's attempt at a distraction go to waste. He kept up his slow crawl to safety, limbs shaking ever so slightly as if stopping would cause them to lock up completely. Would it see him? Would it be too preoccupied with what was going on to notice the Normal type fleeing? A thousand different scenarios ran through Oracle's mind- none of them good- and he had to give his head a brisk shake in order to clear it. Don't panic now. Just keep going- you have to.

He really hoped he wasn't wrong about the massive undead simply being confused.

"It's a demon! Why are you helping it!?" As the Eevee drew closer, he started to tune into the sounds of what appeared to be an argument. "It's so'd no viohence!"  He hadn't gotten much of a chance to see what was going on, more concerned with keeping his head down and sneaking over to the rest of the group without being noticed, though he did note idly that another had joined them- Lone was there? Had the commotion drawn him in, or had it just been a coincidence? Oracle had nearly forgotten about food in all of the chaos."She's right. They haven't done anything aggressive towards us! Rolling over, offering protecting, heck, they even tried asking Abby to make us happy! You may see them as a threat, but I don't, and neither does TD."

"We shouldn't fight it." The Eevee said once he felt as though he had managed to sneak close enough to speak safely. "It doesn't want to fight us- what if someone gets hurt?" And then in a quieter voice, added, "If it comes down to it, we could always sneak away later."

Flashing another bitter sweet smile at Abby's answer, The Feraligatr glanced over his shoulder and this was soured with concern. "Thanks. You've gotcha work cut out for ya. Friends seem feisty today." Turning around slowly the undead's eye darted back and forth rapidly between all of the members of their company, furrowing his brow as the gears turned in his head to try and understand the situation as a whole. They all seemed stressed out, so his first idea was to gather them up for a cuddle time but there were two of them who were downright angry and probably wouldn't react well. That meant no hugs for now, to his immense disappointment. Finally his gaze focused on one in particular, the small purple fluffy cat. What caught the reptile's attention was the sheer rage written all over his face, especially towards the small blue fish, recognizing the barrier from before meant to keep him away being used for the same purpose against the smoke veiled spirit. Oh no! Did that mean that they were fighting?!? "That's no good! Please don't fight with friends, it's no good." Laying on his stomach and scooting forwards slightly, still some distance away The Feraligatr set his head on the ground and stared up intently at Lone, what remained of his lips pursed and pouting. "You 'kay? You're lookin like you'se hurt lots."

Why did she insist on making every damn thing so difficult? "Bullshit its not!" The Phanteon snapped, the Frustration refusing to fade as it bulged in his muscles. "It absolutely reeks of rot and death. There is nothing friendly about that." Despite his hostility the Vaporeon held her ground, standing firmly before him with purpose. Even her normally fearful eyes shined with courage. Since when had she become so high and mighty? "Look hat eht," she insisted, "It hathn't even hurt anywhone!"

"Tinydragon's right. We don't have to start a fight. This feraligator has no interest in fighting us." Turning his entire head Lone stared at Kat in disbelief. Her too!? The Ninetales had always attempted to be a the voice of reason but this.. this was too far. "We can reason with it! This undead appears stable enough...maybe we could even learn from it. I've never had someone at this stage of decay to question before." The raspy pants of Lone's breathing grew long saliva strings that dribbled from his teeth. She was joking right? "Reason.. with a scale-bag of decay... Why not just jump off some cliffs and see if we can sprout wings." Undead were all the same, all of them! Stability was temporary, they were never sated, and no matter what they were a danger to be around. "I can't believe this. You've both gone mad!" he spat venomously, turning to face the undead while taking a fresh battle stance.

Thankfully, someone was on his side. "You're joking right? That thing will snap sooner or later and attack anything and everything. I'm betting on the sooner. Leave this thing to rot on its own." Giving a small grunt the Phanteon was relieved to know at least one member of the group wasn't feather-brained but he still didn't agree with him. "Once it snaps it could follow us. Why let that inevitability linger?" It was not an if- it was a when.
Rokai unsurprisingly agreed with TD, "She's right. They haven't done anything aggressive towards us! Rolling over, offering protecting, heck, they even tried asking Abby to make us happy! You may see them as a threat, but I don't, and neither does TD." What was wrong with these Pokemon? What had changed since they wandered apart? Lone's breath grew ragged. He had waited too long and the attack had become too unstable and muddied to hold. With a sick pulsation the strength ebbed from his body, the harsh glow of his eyes fading away to their normal ruby shimmer. Wincing with effort the Phanteon blinked out fresh blots of red tears. This entire thing was complete bullshit.

Despite the courage she had to challenge Lone the poor Vaporeon's heart was fluttering like a caged bird. This wasn't some tiny infected Pokemon- it was a big, powerful creature that was heavily decayed. She had only caught the ladder half of what Katyusha said onward but Marvin had made a serious point. Even if what she said was true it would eventually succumb to the disease. But he's still a Pokemon. We can't dehumanize him just because we didn't know him before. TD's eyebrows furrowed seriously. No, she wouldn't let them harm this creature as long as he still had a conscience.

Taking in a deep breath, and finding it very hard not to gag on the foul stench of the Feraligatr, TD marched past Lone until she was standing between him and the gator. While she did not see his words Oracle spoke softly, "We shouldn't fight it. It doesn't want to fight us- what if someone gets hurt?" but she turned just in time to see Lone's snarky remark. "We have a higher chance of someone getting hurt if we let it run rampant." But its not rampant! For what its worth the thing had barely moved from its spot. Maybe it would chase them, like play-things, but technically even that was not a rampaging demon. This time she caught the soft shifting of the Eevee's lips, "If it comes down to it, we could always sneak away later." Sneak away? Well.. that was better then all this talk of murder in a peaceful berry forest. Thank you Oracle.

Lone lessened his stance, forcing the fur along his neck to lie flat as he looked between the living Pokemon with an irritable scowl. "So.. you're all telling me you're okay with hanging out with this disease-ridden reptilian hellspawn? That, mind you, could snap any one of us in half without a second thought or any remnant of mercy because of," he looked between each respective Pokemon in turn starting with Katyusha. "Possible questions," then Rokai, "Hysterical babbling," followed by Oracle, "Later chances," and the last was TD. Lone's lip curled at the words, disgusted, "And that it hasn't done anything.. yet?" TD gave a slow nod and a soft, "Yes."

"That has got to be the stupidest horseshit ever! You are literally spelling out our own demises. But fine, whatever! If y'all want to listen to bitch-fins and keep a ticking time-bomb around like its some fancy pet be my guests. Just don't  be surprised and lose your spines when it tries to fucking eat you and you have to put it and your friends down." The Phanteon huffed, his chest filling with air as rage still pulsed in his blood and a new idea formed in his brain. He sure as hell wasn't going to fall victim to this thing.. but he wouldn't like bitch-fins either. You're gonna watch all your friends die because of your call. Her poor wittle heart would just break, hah!
The heavy stench of the Feraligatr slapped him in the face again as though the beast had breathed right into his muzzle. For the first time in several minutes Lone actually focused and acknowledged its words, shocked to find them to be about himself. "You 'kay? You're lookin like you'se hurt lots." Staring the beast down Lone said nothing for many heartbeats before giving a cold, "Yeah, but that's none of your business." Rising his puffy tail the Phanteon turned and padded closer to Oracle. Whatever they did with the thing now wasn't his problem but he still wasn't going to let another Eevee die on this island.

Marvin shakes his head, slowly taking several steps back as the gator inches towards them along its belly. An involuntary hiss creeps its way up the skunk's throat, but he's able to catch it between clenched teeth. The creature drags itself to be right before the ghost-type. It's grotesque features all the more apparent up close. Marvin knew the creature was coated in blood from his observations before, but being this close made him want to retch.

Was it even his own blood covering each knife-like fang? Daring too look it in the eye, he could only see soulless red pits staring back at the its 'friend' from sunken holes. This thing was going to be the death of them all. Beside him, he could hear the ghost canine getting increasingly heated. As much as he agreed with him and his hatred grew for the blind crowd of pokemon supporting this...this thing he couldn't bring himself to pull his gaze from the undead to respond just yet.

His clenched teeth weren't just holding back a hiss anymore. Bile was sitting right at the back of his throat. Each time the undead breath, opened its mouth, spoke, another wave of rot and decay rolled over them. At least a few times, he swore he could see the stench as it was blown in lazy waves through the group through watering eyes. It was too vile.

Katyusha lets Lone retaliate without interruption. It was crazy. But...but if they could reason with it...it would be such a step forward! A great ally...albeit, a completely unpredictable one. "I know it is crazy, but... She starts, pausing to take a moment to look up at the pokemon in question. "It feels wrong to just, attack it when it is like this...not to mention how difficult it would be to do so." Kat adds, noting to herself the exacts of the undead's bulk and remaining physical prowess. Even this far decayed, getting hit by it would hurt. A lot.

"But Lone has some good points too...what now? How close do we really want this thing? I am for not fighting it, but we...we can't be willing to get cozy with it." She says, getting quietly as she spies the creature creeping closer to them, what remained of its eyes focused intently on Lone. Despite this observation, she takes a step back herself. It wasn't looking at her, but being this close felt uncomfortable like bugs crawling underneath her skin.
"Who...who wants to talk to it?"

The undead took her words at face value, not realizing that she was terrified and wanted it to leave. Acknowleding the chaos behind it, it comments, "Thanks. You've gotcha work cut out for ya. Friends seem feisty today." It then turns it back on her, and once again she is given an opportunity to strike, but she can't. As much as she is terrified of this thing slaughtering them in their sleep, the others don't want to fight it, and if she attacked alone, she would be killed. She had no doubts about how powerful this thing was in comparison to her, and she felt helpless. She was a healer at heart and a protector. And if she didn't somehow convince them to ditch the undead, then she was shoddy at her job. It appeared concerned at her companion's behavior, somehow oblvious that it was the cause of the chaos. It lowered down to Lone's level and scooting forward with a look akin to a puppy dog. If the puppy was five times your size, smelled of dead meat, and had ominous red eyes. "That's no good! Please don't fight with friends, it's no good." It was trying to play peacemaker. Then in a concerned tone, it asked Lone, "You 'kay? You're lookin like you'se hurt lots."

The Phanteon snapped back, "Yeah, but that's none of your business." While she normally disapproved of such mean comments, the undead was stressing everyone out and didn't seem to comphrehend it. Afterwards, Lone moved closer to Oracle, as if he was trying to protect the Eevee. She understood the sentiment, but she was also worried about Tinydragon and the others. I can't protect them when it finally snaps... Moving slowly so that she didn't trigger a predator's reaction, she flew around the gator to regroup with the others. Caine was still hiding, thankfully, but she wasn't sure if he had left when he realized that the group fully intended on leaving the undead as it was. I wouldn't blame him... She then had to focus again on the others, and she settled down next to Tinydragon. She was so young, and likely didn't know any better at this point, and Abby was determined not to let the undead harm her. She knew she was supposed to "make her friends happy," but focusing on a Wish might make her and the others vulnerable... She offered a strained smile to Tinydragon, but it was clear she was utterly terrified of this undead.

Katyusha spilled her thoughts, "I know it is crazy, but... It feels wrong to just, attack it when it is like this...not to mention how difficult it would be to do so." While Katyusha had a point on the second part, Abby found she couldn't fully agree to the first part. She was generally a talk it out person too, but one can't talk out of a fight with something that couldn't talk. Thankfully, at least she had listened to Lone a little,"But Lone has some good points too...what now? How close do we really want this thing? I am for not fighting it, but we...we can't be willing to get cozy with it."

"They always turn..." she quietly mumbled. It was still too close for her to feel comfortable voicing dissent, but she needed for them to know that she wasn't comfortable with this. If she had to, she would tell them about the Growlithe and Mightyena, but she really wanted to avoid that. Revisiting that night of blood, screaming, and fire was not something she wanted to do. She tensed up at just the thought of it repeating. Granted, this was a water type, but it had teeth and claws.

"Who...who wants to talk to it?" She wasn't going to volunteer unless she had to, but she was still very much opposed to this. She hoped that maybe they'd decide to sneak away like Oracle had suggested earlier... She gulped at the thought of being on the run on a small, secluded island with a giant predator on their tails. Though she was lucky in that she could go where it couldn't follow, but leaving these poor Pokemon to that fate would be horrible.

However, she was also somewhat lost; she had no idea what Katyusha wanted to talk to it about. She inquired, "Um... About what? I'm not sure if there's much i...they can tell us."

( Please skip me this round! )

The tang of mild offence finally made itself present in the reptiles mind, true he was a tad bit slow but they were talking about him as if he wasn't in the room! Er, not in the open grove. Determined not to be distracted at this moment he stared with an intense intent, looking around alertly and putting what was left of his senses to work and pay attention. They don't want to fight anymore, so that's good, but he still tasted the fear in the air so it wasn't through yet. Quirking his head when he figured out what they were asking about, he smiled again and folded his hands. He was pleased to find that their want was something so easily rectified. "Silly fairy friend, I'mma chattot lot! I can tell youse the anser to what you asking. Be glad to." Please stop being scared. Please please please. He hated being frightening to his friends, the cloud of suspicion and fear was all around them and it made his skin crawl. Panicking wouldn't help though, he knew he needed to remain calm if he was going to make everyone feel better. The rose-tinted ideal of frolicking through the tall grass, his companions all smiling and laughing and happy-Just like they used to be! That imagining, which he perceived as memory, that is something that he'd be willing to kill for and it made his chest feel warm now that he remembered it.