(ACE) The UNDER Team

[OOC: Oh crap, crap, sorry guys- internet went down yesterday night and I wasn't able to post. ;;A;;]

Absinthe frowned as they ignored him, only giving him a few wary glances. His violet eyes studied the Zoroark carefully, as it motioned to her stomach. "We'll all be together... Right here. With me... Together..." Blood was dripping from her claws and immediately the Absol's fur stood up, a mild growl emitting from his throat. The Jolteon began to request Sai, the Krookodile, to get him away, muttering something about Delia and death. "Don't worry Koin, I'll get you as far away from her as possible." Ah, so Koin was the Jolteon's name. e couldn't help but feel awkward to learn others names without them introducing themselves, but that was off-topic.

As licks of flames blazed at both infected [The Charizard now going away.] the crocodile began to retreat with the electric-type. Absinthe caught the apologetic look the Lopunny gave him, and as the living began to get away from the undead, the dark-type threw a Psycho Cut to the ground in warning to Delia. Turning tail and beginning to run, he caught up with the others. "I really, really do apologize if I had come at a bad time," Polite as possible Absinthe, be polite. "And I am most certainly sorry for your friend's passing. May she rest in peace."

"They call me Absinthe, and I am an ally." He quietly murmured, looking back at the Zoroark. It's disgusting scent made him shiver, he hated the infected.

The tunnels were black as pitch, and the only sound was a soft panting echoing through the walls. They were joined by light, padded footsteps searching their way through the endless dark. A shuffle was heard, followed by a crash and a loud groan. A small flicker of flame was seen, that soon grew larger as it formed a shape. Fangs. Red eyes glistened in the light of the fire as they took in their surroundings, before the fires faded as quietly as they had come.

Ardere winced as she fell into another wall or scrap, her already sore body making her tired and weak. It had only been a few days since Hadrian had attacked her, and the loss of her former friend still hurt deeply. She didn't realize until too late that it was this infection that turned her dearest companion into the crazed fox who brutalized her, the tell tale sign of his assault still fairly fresh on the back of her neck. It was scarring over, but if she pulled her neck or shoulders too tightly it would still sometimes split open and bleed. All she wanted was a place to rest, and was at a complete loss as to how she wandered into this eternal night.

Forcing herself back to her feet she continued onward. Something had drawn her here, something in the void. Perhaps it was Hadrian? If the Zoroark were here, maybe she could talk to him, figure out why he had attacked her like that. She refused to believe that the infection held him that completely, there had to still be something of her friend still in there. Right? Ardere shivered slightly at the idea that there could be nothing left but a demon that once was Hadrian, and nausea threatened to overwhelm her. She needed to get somewhere she could lay down, just for a moment.

((OOC: Introducing Ardere! She should get a lot more living time than Cathal did, lol))

It was odd, seeing the other pokemon unify against her. Her dragon had even left... She squeezed her eyes shut against the confusing situation. She had just come out victorious against Blaze... why did guilt rack her? Why did those other pokemon glare at her with hate? Jealousy? Yes... yes, that must be it... They were jealous that she had killed the obnoxious tower of muscles... They had wanted her kill, her power, and they were too late.

Yes... that had to be it.

She looked to Koin, and her eyes narrowed with a sickly grin. She had promised herself all that time ago that she would feast on him once Blaze was dead, and now, here they were... together and Blaze dead. However, something stopped her from attacking, from claiming her next prize. The other pokemon glared warily at her, and though she knew herself to be invincible, the instinct that she was ridiculously outnumbered stayed her claws. "...Koin..." She wanted to tell him it would be ok, that they would be happy together if he would just succumb. Just succumb... Didn't he realize that? Didn't he know? She would take him to sweet Death, and they would all be together, her, Koin, Blaze and Dante...

Her eyes snapped open with realization. 'DANTE!' How could she have forgotten her real prize?! Koin was dessert; Blaze was an appetizer and Dante was the main course. She was eating them all out of order! She cackled loudly at this new revelation, and she hopped onto a building, viewing the group from above. "Koin, I'll be back for you... I need to find... someone..." Her grin widened. "But don't worry... I'll be back for you soon... and then we can all be together..." She looked at the others and her grin grew. "All of us..." With that, she disappeared into the dark, her crimson eyes the only thing visible as she left.

It was soon that she came across a tunnel, an old railway system by the look of it. There, though, she saw a stumbling figure and had her heart still been beating, it would have stopped. Horned dog... could that be her love? She trotted near, becoming slightly visible. "...Dante...?"

Koin felt his body go numb with exhaustion, his bones feeling as if they were lead, his mind beating as if it had a heart of its own. Urgh... The Jolteon moaned in pain as Sai continued to drag him away, biting his lip to prevent any further noises. The last thing he wanted was to bring more attention to his friends for the infected, be the cause of more strife for those that had just saved his life yet again. His mind now focused on getting back to his feet, and away from Delia and her fantasies, the electric type found the energy to look at everyone whom he now was amongst.

Sai had a set determined face, looking around the darkness for any respite from the dangers, a chance for rest. Koin twisted his head to slowly seek out the other figures in the dying light - Shiloh, the Lopunny whom he had only met very recently. "They call me Absinthe, and I am an ally." And lastly, the Absol; he really didn't know what to make of the dark type, although seeing as how the Disaster Pokemon hasn't done any harm as of yet, he would just take his word for it. Not like I could have done anything if he did. The fact that it was true stung, but for now Koin nodded in resignation towards Absinthe. They could all have proper introductions when a time came for it.

As they continued to trek, Koin felt a question, a need to ask it, but he tried to subdue his urge. It did not work whatsoever. His Master had always chastised him for his insatiable, the Lightning Pokemon thought with a sad tone. "Uh, Sai... do you really think we can survive?" Those words made him cringe at the memory, cringe at when he had last used them. He shouldn't have asked, he decided. Koin had last voiced this sentence at Ecruteak to Chivalry, when he had begun to believe in the Gallade and his stalwart manners. It was the last sentence he had spoken before the Gallade disappeared.

Maybe it was because his mind was playing tricks on him, but Koin feared that the same thing would happen to Sai. Deja vu or not, the Jolteon didn't want to lose another friend. They're all dying... He shivered at the thought of another death. But it's inevitable. And that was the scary part.

When Sai believed he was far enough away from Delia he started to slow down. He ached in every inch of his body and wanted nothing more then to sleep, but he still needed to find a place where they could safely rest without being found so easily.
He found an old building, it was rather run down, and stunk to high heaven, but the stink could hopefully disguise there scent for being detected by Delia, and the place seemed to provide good cover. He ran into the place, keeping his senses alert for undead, but luckily, there where none.
He found his way to the top floor where he found a vacant room with a window with some boards that where probably meant to keep the infected out when the started to swarm the underground. Sai was starting to feel a little homesick. But he quickly pushed it aside as he he cleaned from debris in the corner of the room where he lay Koin down. The Krookodile wished he had something to help the little Jolteon, but he had nothing.

Sai finally turned his attention to the Absol, who had introduced itself as Absinthe. It was a name Sai was going to have trouble saying, it sounded almost like a word in a tongue twister. "I'm Sai." He said as he sat down next to the window where he was able to get a good look outside. "Sorry, but you came at a bad time." He added as he looked over to Koin once again, who now seemed to be awake.
"Uh, Sai... do you really think we can survive?" Koin asked him, and the Krookodile just held a look of surprise before it changed back to a sorrowful expression. He didn't know how to answer that question, but he had to say something, something that would keep hope in the Jolteon, but he could think of nothing.
"I really can't say Koin." He said, as he looked back out the window. "We may survive, or we may die, its hard to fight something that's just meant to be." He had no idea what he was saying, or if it even made any sense to the Jolteon, or even the others. "But I know one thing, we need to keep trying, even if in the end, there is nothing left to fight for." He looked back at Koin, and tried to smile.
Sai didn't know about the others, but he wasn't ready to give up just yet, he was going to see this infection through, even if he was the last one standing in the end.

Sai closed his eyes then stood up and turned to the others. "Keep and eye on him, I'm going to go and find some food and maybe something we can use to bandage up Koins leg." He said before he left the room. He had never been in a human home before, so he couldn't really tell what was what, but one of the rooms had to have something to bandage up Koins wounded leg.
Sai soon came upon a room that had long fabric like material. Being a wild pokemon, Sai had never seen bed sheets before, but they looked strong and clean enough to use to stop Koins bleeding, as well as future wounds.
Since Koin was small, he really only needed one, so he proceeded to fold the sheet when something rolled out of it. Sai's senses went on alert as he turned to the sound to see something he hadn't seen in ages. A pokemon egg. Placing the sheet back where he had found it, he walked over to the egg and picked it up.
He held it firmly, but gently in his hands, not wanting to risk dropping it and have it break, if not already broken. He looked it over and just as he thought, it had not a crack on it. The sheets must have kept it safe and hidden from any infected that had probably wondered these halls, but Sai didn't know how long the egg had been here, so it was a sure chance that it may never hatch, but there was also the slight chance that it mite, so he couldn't leave it behind.
Sai turned and grabbed the sheet he was going to use on Koins leg, as well as another to keep the egg warm before he began to head back to the others.

((Sorry for any grammar errors, was in a rush when doing this.))

[Ooc: Skip please ;P Busy. Shiloh's just listening to convo while relaxing seeing as the undead are gone. However, when Sai comes back she squints her eyes wondering where he got the egg]

"I'm Sai. Sorry, but you came at a bad time." The Absol merely gave a quick nod, acknowledging the Krookodile's words. He listened to the Jolteon as if they will survive, and Absinthe could only gently cringe at the thought. In this world, anything can happen. Anything. From the moment that the Epidemic started to right now living were slowly dying off, and the dark-type feared that soon the infected would completely take over.

"Keep and eye on him, I'm going to go and find some food and maybe something we can use to bandage up Koins leg." Absinthe slowly sat down on the dirty planks, senses alert as his eyes carefully watched the Jolteon. Sai left the room, soon returning with bed sheets and a... Pokemon egg? "How curious..." he mumbled. "You found an egg?" it was hard enough to believe that there were still living in this broken world, but there were even some eggs left? Absinthe was amazed.

Her limbs grew tired and weak, her nausea long since turning to vomiting. Her stomach tightened painfully as she once again expelled acid, as there was nothing else within the organ to emit. The stench and burn hit her nose and she gagged, it was awful. She took a few more steps before finally collapsing, exhausted, to the ground. She didn't know how long she lay there, but soon the darkness and shadows started making shapes.

A figure began to take form nearby, and Ardere heard slight shuffling to accompany. Was...was something there? The shadow began to take a familiar shape and the Houndoom had to stop herself from crying. A lithe, elongated form with a pointed snout. Long, spiky hair flowing down its back while long arms reached into the darkness. And those piercing red eyes... "Ha-Hadrian?" she whispered to the darkness.

"...Dante...?"

No! No not Hadrian, but some other demon! In her weakened state she would be no match against one of those creatures! Ardere whimpered in fright as she tried to force herself to her feet, but was unable to do more than shove herself to the side. This beast would be on her in moments, and who knew what she would do the the frail canine then. All hope was lost...

Legends knew how long he'd been stuck in the weird labyrinth of a town that this place was. He'd accidentally fallen down the broken shaft some time ago, thankfully not breaking anything, and trying to find his way among the dark ruins. He didn't even know where the hell he was in the first place. Or how long it'd been since he'd gotten there. The shaft of light that had signaled his entry was now out of his line of sight, and he was alone, in the dark.

Until shit caught on fire.

There was some hell of a fight going on. A charizard, from the look of it. Guilt panged him as he remembered his own charizard teammate, Shoko, and how the aggron had simply broken his long, lithe neck. As he scooted closer to the battle -but making sure he was still a good distance away- there were a couple of other pokemon he didn't recognize; a bunny, a croc, a fox... His eyes widened at the others. An absol... and a very beaten jolteon.

His ears flattened as his mind registered the sight before him, the fox leaving, disappearing into the darkness. He was careful to not attract attention, but the absol and jolteon attracted all of his attention. Of all the places he could literally stumble across... he found...

'Demi...'

He swallowed the anxiety that quickly clogged his throat and scampered to the other pokemon, slowly coming into the others' range of perception. He paused as his doubts collected. What was he doing? Why would they need his help, his of all other pokemon? His dainty paws began to reverse... Maybe... He shouldn't...

He gave the other jolteon a look of apology before turning to go back into the shadows.

"Ha-Hadrian?"

Delia's head tilted in confusion. The stench of bile covered up the other's scent, but with the voice, Delia now knew the houndoom in front of her was not her love, was not her brother, her dear, dear brother... but a godless imposter! Delia's teeth flashed in the dark. "JEZEBEL!" she screeched and lunged, pitting herself over the recumbent form of the stranger. "You think you can just waltz up to me and pretend you're my Dante? That YOU'RE my mate? Filthy wench! Whore!" She looked the other over, and the snarl lengthened.

"You aren't even fresh enough to eat," she spat, her crimson eyes glaring down at the poor houndoom. "Disgusting. Wallow and rot in your own bile, weakling. I won't sully my tongue on you." And with that, Delia jumped over her and out into the world, never looking back. Her attention was forward, on the horizon... on her prize.

Dante...

((And with that, she's gone, guys! : P Off to troll some Sinnoh))

"... But I know one thing, we need to keep trying, even if in the end, there is nothing left to fight for." ... Thank you... Koin managed a small smile in return to Sai’s, a great relief coming to him for such little words spoken, disregarding the hidden undertone of angst. When Koin had decided once upon a time that he should have hope for a better future, Chivalry had deserted him; whereas when Koin had lost all will to even live the coming hours, Sai had taken charge and helped him through it. Where the Gallade hadn’t answered, Sai did, and it made a life changing difference in the Jolteon’s life. Whatever life I still might have... Koin laid his head down as a wave of nausea passed him by, twisting his neck just enough to look at the others in the vicinity.

Sai had gone off on his own... The Jolteon had grown to respect that Krookodile in the small time they had met, in the even smaller time they had to speak with one another. Koin flickered his eyes towards those of Absinthe’s, but a moment later the Lightning Pokemon shifted his gaze downward, his heart beating rapidly. Too soon... too alike... Call him a coward, but he was still heartbroken over Blaze’s death... and still too traumatized by the sheer strength of the dark type that is Delia. It was still too much for him to handle right now, looking at another dark type and not seeing the blood ravaged Zoroark. The Jolteon went on to find Shiloh, seeing her within the limits of his vision. I shouldn't have to remind myself that they're alright in the first place... Koin berated himself silently, knowing that in his lapse of fear and despair, he had forgotten to take into account the well being of the others.

How will we get out of here alive... He thought nervously as Sai returned, clothes and an egg in hand. “You found an egg?” Koin hated himself for flinching at the voice. He wasn’t used to the unfamiliar, scared to tread the unknown for fear of another ambush - physical or not. The Jolteon had begun to lose focus of the material world, his eyes blanking out their little joint, his ears lost on the conversation. Koin felt immense pity for the egg, having to hatch into a place where it never knew the peacefulness of the world. Unless it grew up resistant to the emotional turmoil the epidemic causes, the baby’s mental position would not be in good health.

Being on the top floor of this building, Koin didn’t know what he wanted to happen. Staggering up to the window slowly, the Jolteon watched the darkness from his vantage point. Debris lay everywhere in this wasted place, the fire from the Pokemon Center illuminating the area with an eerie backlight. Like a flicker of a lightbulb, Koin noticed a flash of yellow in the corner of his eye. The electric type turned his head haphazardly, not sure what to expect, and was entirely surprised to see a Jolteon looking straight back at him. It was as if Koin were looking at a more powerful, healthy image of himself, but just like that, the other Jolteon had fled into the darkness once again. ”W-wait!” He yelled after the electric type, mustering his courage to shout, despite that he might have attracted the infected. I won’t let others be on their own... Not when he knew how much it hurt.

((I'm afraid I must skip. I have no power at my house right now due to a nasty storm happening outside. Using my phone to send this. I shall have Sai explain where he found the egg in my next post.))

It was silent. At least, that's all that Absinthe could posible hear as he began to slowly fall into a half-sleep half-trance state. With the little to know rest that the Absol had, he was indefinitely tired. His dead gaze was staring outside the window, watching the dark abyss that they were all within. As the dark-type slowly began to drift fully into the dreamworld, Koin's voice caught his attention.

”W-wait!”

Absinthe jolted up, had the electric-type found someone? Looking out the window, there was a fading yellow... It was fading slowly into the shadows, and with the minimum light they had it was almost impossible for the Absol to even distinguish it's species, let alone it's state of living. "Wh... Who was that?" he murmured, quietly, hoping Koin wouldn't mind him asking such a question. Maybe there were more survivors in these shadows... Just maybe.

"JEZEBEL!" Ardere didn't even have time to scream as the dark figure soon was over her, blood red eyes seemingly boring into her very soul. "You think you can just waltz up to me and pretend you're my Dante? That YOU'RE my mate? Filthy wench! Whore!" The evil creatures words sank in deep, as the fragile hound knew them to be true. She was filthy, abused, the scent of blood and pain probably lingering still. She looked up with a terrified expression as a feral grin spread across the other female's face. "You aren't even fresh enough to ea."

Bile welled up into her throat as she realized her fears where correct. This complete stranger, this...this fiend, already knew everything that had happened to her. Everything Hadrian did. Even as the wicked beast sprang over her prone form and bounded into the darkness, the guilt and shame still washed over her. Ardere turned to her side and began to retch, bringing forth only bile and acid, and whimpered in suffering. Her heart, her body, and indeed her very soul were crushed from the experiences over the last couple of days.

If she didn't find help, then surely soon there would be nothing left.

"W-Wait!"

Tai froze, his gaze sharply looking back to his wounded cousin. His ears twitched a bit, looking the little group over again. That jolteon needed help, even if it was the help of a no-good, two-faced, backstabbing asshole... His gaze lowered as the absol asked a question, too soft for his musy mind to pick up. Guilt gripped him again, and, against his better judgement, he drew closer to the others.

When he was close enough for them to see his features, and vice versa, he paused, giving everyone an uneasy look. "...Uh..." His eyes settled once more on the other jolteon, and his ears fell a little. "...You don't look so good there, buddy..." he said with a small, sad grin. He opened his mouth to say more, but then closed it soon afterward, not knowing what else to say.

It had not been minutes, it had not been hours, surely it had been days or maybe even weeks since she had seen the sun. Although she could not lie and say that she missed the bright sunrays that would illuminate her pelt to an eyeburning neon green, but she sure as hell just missed the life. She missed the grass, the trees. She missed the stars, the wind. She missed everything.

In the seemingly endless darkness of the underground cavern, there was a flash of green. Normally it would be an ovious eye catching color, but it was currently covered in grime and filth. The Jolteon came to a stop, her thin lithe form gracefully haulting all at once. Her large ears were flattened against her head and her soft lavander eyes were wide with fear as her gaze took in her surrowndings and confirming, once more, that she had gone in a circle and was still lost. She whinned out softly, looking over shoulder. She had not missed the huge, roaring fire nor the crashing hole that had been created and she just wanted to get the hell outta that place. Problem was... She didn't even know where this place was. It was ovious that there were humans here at one time, but there were all gone save for some mutalated bodies she had found. Just remembering all of the horrible things she had found in the darkness made the Lightning Pokemon's emerald pelt stand on end, glancing over her shoulder once more in self brought paranoia.

She knew that there must have been some powerful undead in the seemingly endless space with her to have caused such damage. The Jolteon began to sprint again, emmiting frightened yips under her breath. Calm down Salama, she thought to herself, fighting to slow her breathing. Calm down... Making noise will only attract them to you sooner. At that last thought, Sal immediately fell silent, the only noise were her dainty paws skidding across the debris covered ground. Salama had been searching in vane to find a way out of the horrible darkness for a long time- days, it felt like- and she was quickly coming to wits end. She was only a child, after all, and she wanted her mother. Sal fought back another whine. M-momma...

It was then that she heard a noise. Without a second thought she darted behind the nearest thing, which happened to be a building. Her large ears pinned to her head as her tounge flicked in and out with her panting, Salama slowly survayed around with wide eyes. Finally she processed the sound as... Wretching? Someone was sick down in that hellhole?! The discolored Eeveelution slowly stepped forward with another soft whine. Surely no infected would cough back up it's meal...? Then she saw it. The creature was larger than her and sleek with black fur and horns where ears would be. Sal's soft eyes widened as she easily recognized the species as a Houndoom, but this one was unlike any she had ever seen before. It looked so weak and just... Defeated in it's posture. Salama was immediately overcome with emotion at the poor thing. She just had to help it.

The Jolteon darted forward, much closer to the hell hound, and darting behind a pile of debris as she entered the tunnel like structure the canine was in. Her heart beat painfully against her exposed ribs. Was she making a right decision in helping a fellow survivor? Or signing her death warrant by approaching a stranger? Before Salama allowed herself to think too deeply into it and chicken out, she peaked her nose around the corner of the rubble, just enough so that she could see the Houndoom whom was no more than a few meters away. "E-excuse me. D-d-do you need help?" Sal asked, her voice high with fear and ending in a squeak. She was tense, her legs ready to flee if need be.

((Ooc; Hey guys, I'm new to the team :'o Hope I can keep up with the awesomeness found here in the Under!
Also, Sal is technically about nineteen or twenty, but still considers herself a child. ^^))

[ooc: ;A; I've been real busy what with finals wrapping up and family matters... so skip for now fkldsajf

EDIT: okay, so um, to keep the team goin', Koin chose not to answer Absinthe's question because he still didn't feel comfortable with the dark type, and he stared at the other Jolteon blankly, not knowing what to think and too tired to begin to think. :UUU So... yeah, in short Koin stayed still haha]

Sai was not surprised when the others saw the egg and asked where he had found it. He was actually expecting it.
"I came across this egg while looking for something to bandage Koins leg." He began to explain as he started to rip the sheets to put on the Jolteons leg. "It was under these when I found it."
He began to wrap Koins leg with the sheets, hoping the bleeding would stop soon.

His attention was soon directed to another Jolteon that seemed to be hanging back. Though it soon came forward, stating the obvious on how Koin wasn't looking to well.
Sai held the egg close to him protectively, as if someone was going to try and take it from him.
He had wrapped it up in the other sheet he had brought with him in order to keep it warm, as he didn't have and fur or hot sand to do that for him.

The Krookodile let out a sigh as he looked at the members of the group. The numbers dropped, only to pick up again, but he was glade none of them where infected or undead.
Sai still felt sore from his fight with Cathal, and without a second thought, he passed out.

Ardere could make a a flash of color darting around behind debris, and pulled herself in tight. If this thing decided to attack, she would be helpless to defend herself, but out of sheer instinct she knew to protect her belly. "E-excuse me. D-d-do you need help?" The dark hound slowly relaxed her guard and lifted her head to see who had called to her. She saw a bit of green poking out around the corner of a pile of junk, and heard the fear in the others voice as it called. The child was as scared of her as she was of them. Ardere couldn't help but laugh quietly at the development.

"I won't hurt you, child," Ardere called out sadly, her slight Irish accent offering a motherly tone to the words. "Please, I could use some assistance." The words were never truer, for as the Houndoom tried to stand her front leg gave out and she went crashing to the floor once again. She just didn't have the strength to move at the moment. More than a little rest would be needed to make it somewhere safe. "You wouldn't happen to have anything to heal me, would you?"

Tai's comment was confirmed as the other jolteon merely stared blankly at him, and the former was left to wonder what the stare meant. Maybe it was due to the fact that Tai's comment was kinf od tactless, or maybe it was because of the bloodloss the other jolteon was suffering. Either way, it left Tai in a very awkward position.

The ground alligator came out, mumbling something about an egg, which honestly, Tai hadn't noticed yet. Though, in the same sentence, he mentioned something about "Koin's leg," giving Tai a name to call his brethren jolteon. As the reptile clutched the egg and wrapped it in a sheet, the jolteon didn't have the heart to mention it was probably already dead. He sighed and moved in a little closer to the two.

"...Koin, huh?" he asked, taking timid steps to the wounded jolteon. "...Name's T-- Judas." It was weird introducing himself as such, but he didn't deserve the name his trainer had given him... the one he'd allowed to die. "...You need food or... anything? You guys look like you've had one hell of a run."

Little Salama heald her breath as the Houndoom's gaze turned to her. Would this hound attack? What if she lit the whole place on fire? That would make so much light, not even the Green Watt would be able to escape. Every undead from the whole place would be able to see her all too bright pelt. She would finally die right then and- But the Jolteon's ever worsening thoughts were interupted by the Houndoom itself. "I won't hurt you, child," it called softly, revealing itself to be a female with a beautiful and foreign twist to her words. The Jolteon almost fell to the floor her legs were so weak and numb from releif. She had made the right choice after all! And without the Green Watt! But her attention was still on the Houndoom. "Please, I could use some assistance." Salama obayed. Instinctively following the motherlike vibe she got from the canine, the Jolteon stepped slowly out from behind her cover to approach the Houndoom with a worried whine.

She came close just as she tried to stand. The Eeveelution could only watch in horror as she fell right back to the ground.  "You wouldn't happen to have anything to heal me, would you?" the Houndoom asked. Sal narrowed her lavander eyes with a newfound burning determination. She would help this Pokemon. Maybe then they could be friends! Maybe for once the Eeveelution could have a companion she trusted! She had not been gifted with a real friend since the scarred Espeon. Sal's ears fell. Boy did she miss her. But more pressing matters were at paw and she nodded shakily to the Houndoom. "Y-yes miss! I know a h-house that would surely have some p-p-potions! I will just run on o-ver and get'em for you. J-just... Wait for me h-here." It ended more than lame, considering she was oviously nkt getting up and walking away. Salama came close enough to offered the hound a smile. She then gave the weak duel type a reassuring lick on the forhead before spinning on her paws and rushing off.

Salama had been living in the same spot for a very long time, alone, and had explored and searched for others often so she knew her area fairly well. She had chosen an abandoned house with a window left open as her place to rest. She had never had any trouble with infected and she had been able to hoarde supplies there over the span of surely many days she had been in the dark. So with Sal running almost as fast as only the Green Watt could, she was soon closing in on the house. Her legs were strained as her paws barely skitted across the ground, her form seeming to fly through the air, but still she felt that she was not moving fast enough. What if the Houndoom died of exhaustion while she was away?! This made another whimper escape the Eeveelution and she fought to speed up. However, the last thing Salama expected was to hear... Voices? She turned her head to see a much larger Jolteon speaking with seemingly more Pokemon in a building. Her eyes widened. They had not been there when she left her house a few minutes ago! But there was no time to try and hide from them. Surely they would notice her dammed green coat anyway. So Salama just kept running, keeping her eyes straight.

Not long after passing the group of Pokemon did she come across her house. It was old and an ugly tan color but she never cared. Without even pausing in her running, Sal leaped into the air. She passed gracefully through the window without a hitch and found herself in the bedroom. The bed was right beneath the window itself so she bounced expertly onto the spingy matress before quickly jumping off. She kept all the good stuff underneath. She nosed her way under and saw just what she wanted- what the scarred Espeon had told her was a full resore. She said it was the best healing item humans had, next to a max revive. Salama snatched up the slightly dirty bottle into her jaws, careful not to penetrate it, and bounced on back through the window. She ran just as fast back to where she had left the Houndoom, not even sure how long it had really been since she she left. Salama swallowed her fear as she passed the group of Pokemon again, praying that they would just let her be, and allowed herself to finally slow down as she recognized the tunnel thing that she left the canine in. Her paws hurt, her legs were soar and tired, her breathing coming in short gasps, but the Jolteon still beamed as she trotted back to the Houndoom. "Th...this... Work?" she asked, her words drawn out as she fought to breath through her panting. But the Jolteon still smiled. She had done a good thing. Her, and not the Green Watt for once! Her!

"... Koin, huh?" The other Jolteon introduced himself as Judas as Koin shook himself from his trance. His entire body ached and felt weighed down, but looking at the other electric type, well off compared to himself, he felt whatever honor he had left struggle to hold itself together. "...You need food or... anything? You guys look like you've had one hell of a run." He wasn't sure what he needed anymore, really. All he knew was that he was numb, as if time had frozen his heart and mind in place - and he really needed something warm to melt that freeze away. Um...

The Lightning Pokemon took a sideways glance at Sai, guilt pricking at him as he realized that the crocodile had passed clean out. Everyone had gone up and disappeared, everything that he felt was familiar had vanished also, and the only other thing that tied him back to Johto was Sai. Their group was in shambles, barely being held together. "Er... yeah, we could use the help." To say it was awkward was an understatement; Koin was at a loss of words, his tongue not used to speaking coherent sentences. Looking at 'Judas' - the stumble over the words on his introduction wasn't just a stumble, he felt certain - cautiously, Koin limped over to Sai's side, sitting next to the Unova native.

"We're all just... tired." He sighed, beginning to hate how broken and defeated his voice sounded. Where was the Koin that believed he could? Where was the Koin that fussed over his fur? Where was the Koin... that smiled? Had confidence? "I wished I could have done more while I watched my friends die in front of me... y'know?" He twisted his neck to smile in bittersweet remorse at Judas. Why was he even telling this Jolteon, whom he had only met now, these things? Absinthe had been here longer, and he was having trouble with even looking at the Absol.

I'm not being fair... Within his head, he debated with himself, seeing the truth that he was projecting the evils of one dark type onto another. But it was difficult to wrap his mind around the fact that... he couldn't blame the death on anyone. Unable to cry anymore, Koin realized that the root of this was Delia and Arceus knows where that she-devil ran off to. He gathered his courage to look at Absinthe and quietly ask, "Could you go with Jude? ... no one deserves to be alone right now." Koin reached for the blanket that held Sai's egg, holding it close to his body, hoping that his warmth would emanate.

Koin sighed to himself, the sheer amount of mental effort that it took to set things in motion leaving him drained.

((Sai is still passed out, so nothing for him to do this round.))

Absinthe calmly regarded the newcomer, whom was another Jolteon. At least this one seemed a tad bit more talkative and without serious injury, the Absol offered a smile to the electric-type. "Wonder what Pokemon the egg is." he mumbled, watching as the Krookodile bandaged Koin's wound. A few moments after, the crocodile in question passed out. Probably from fatigue... The dark-types worry was easily swept away at the Pokemon's rise and fall of his chest.

"...Name's T-- Judas." Attention back to the foreigner, the Absol blinked. Peculiar name. "It's nice to meet you, Judas. Call me Absinthe." He seemed kind enough, not posing any sort of threat to them so far. "...You need food or... anything? You guys look like you've had one hell of a run." Koin answered. "Er... yeah, we could use the help." The Disaster Pokemon laid calmly on the rough carpet, deciding to keep quiet and listen instead of speaking. After all, it seems that Koin is more comfortable with Judas.

Absinthe was certainly surprised when Koin looked over to him, and the Absol gave the yellow fox his attention. "Could you go with Jude? ... no one deserves to be alone right now." With a nod, he stood and looked over to Judas. "Sure thing. Where to?"

Ardere was somewhat startled to see an electric green Jolteon approach, having never seen such a pelt color before. She thought for sure the green would have been a grass type hiding away. But the child was just as kind and gentle as her voice made her to be, as she offered to help the injured canine. "Y-yes miss! I know a h-house that would surely have some p-p-potions! I will just run on o-ver and get'em for you. J-just... Wait for me h-here." Ardere chuckled at the comment, because as it was she didn't think she would be going anywhere while the child was gone. The affectionate lick to her forehead was more than enough to help soothe her fears, and for the first time since coming down into this hole Ardere didn't think she was going to die. For sure, anyway.

The Houndoom waited patiently, tail dragging across the floor slowly from side to side. It was the only part of her that didn't hurt at the moment, and since she was anxious for the green child to return it would have to do for being her nervous jitter. With no way to tell the passage of time, the wait felt like an eternity before the young one returned. But what she carried brightened Ardere's face as a smile broke out. "Th...this... Work?" The young one had a Full Restore! Not only would that help her it would also help any lingering damage from the previous attack.

She gratefully took the bottle and downed it as quickly as possible, trying not to choke as it went down. As the human concoction worked its way through her she could feel her injuries mending, thankful that there had been no broken bones because those wouldn't have healed. Her energy started coming back to her and she felt like her old self. Almost...For some strange reason the nausea and light headed feeling continued, though with her other injuries gone and the bite mark on the back of her neck sufficiently scarred over, she could deal with the other two minor problems.

She gave the Jolteon an affectionate nuzzle before rising to her feet. "Thank you, young one. You have helped me a great deal." Her Irish accent floated through the air almost like a song, and she was happy that it no longer had the tones of pain and sorrow. "My name is Ardere, child. Might I ask of yours?" The Houndoom smiled warmly at the green electric fox, hoping to have made a friend in her.