(ACE) The UNDER Team

Ardere let out a low growl as one of the new strangers actually tried suggesting a way to keep the wretched she-devil around, the prancing unicorn eagerly jumping on the idea seeing as how it already said it was on her side. Where they all blind? Where they all stupid? What was the purpose in keeping something that a) already tried to kill her once; b) was clearly infected; and c) likely just acting to get in good graces so she could kill them all later? "No..." she began to grind out through clenched teeth only to have the unicorn interrupt anyway. "Why not kill two pidgeys with one stone? Miss--er,"

The Ninetales stifled a chuckle at the sudden realization dawning on the water horse as it came to see it didn't know anyone actually gathered near it. The golden dragon had been the most helpful so far but that was because he was the only one who had answered her question so Phoenix decided until the others proved useful she wasn't particularly going to like them. But at least the pony was funny. "We are all searching for something? None of us could say we're full, nor have food and a lone 'mon is zombie fodder. We could look for your friend Miss and find something to eat along the way?" Well now that was worth talking about. "If Asche is anywhere he is in there," she replied, pointing back into the mouth of the Under. "When he went through the Colosseum floor the only place that would be is down here. That kid isn't lucky enough to die from a fall like that so he's probably groaning in pain and I for one am not going to leave him for some rot-brained freak to nom on."

"A fine idea. Truly. We should head in, however, to escape the cold and the ever-lingering threat of discovery by not-so-diplomatic parties. Does anyone know what's in there?" The Houndoom froze at the suggestion and realized exactly what this new group was trying to do. They wanted to go back inside the Under. The place she just escaped. "We may find shelter or food in there. Your friend, too." Mouth agape she stared dumbfounded at the Salamence before her voice finally found her, standing up and shouting excitedly. "Are you all crazy?! Arceus only knows how long I was down there in that black pit with the others but it was long enough for that one to go wherever the hell she went and come back minus a memory. So, pardon me, but I will tell you right now that there is no way I am going back into that death trap."

Phoenix was a little taken aback by the sudden verbal onslaught made by the female hellhound, eyes trailing sadly to the egg cradled between the frazzled mother's legs. Trying to calm the situation the yellow fox made her way over to the canine and sat down firmly, her many tails wrapped around her legs as she stared down the Houndoom. Ardere didn't know what to make of the dominant display but found herself lowering her head gingerly as the Ninetales began to speak. "Then, if you are soooooo insistent on not going in, mind explaining why? That was part of the question ya know. The 'does anyone know what's in there' part? Ring a bell? Or where you too busy pitching a fit about the Zoro to notice?" Ardere hunched over shamefully, clarity beginning to peek in through the fog of anger clouding her mind as she realized exactly how aggressive she had been acting. The traumatized female whimpered apologetically.

"It's....it's a war zone. The others, they tried to explain, but I was late in the grouping to see the full extent. That Zoroark was apparently part of an epic battle that left two of the former groups members dead." Taking a deep breath Ardere tried to figure a way to summarize the extent of damage she had seen while sitting fireside with the others after meeting them. "Part of the cave floor is collapsed leading to an even deeper pit, there is magma damage from a fire battle, blood and bodies are scattered everywhere, rusted piles of junk that easily collapse and injure...and even as we left not moments before the blue horse arrived we were assaulted by a terrifying Rhydon." Lifting her head gently she made eye contact with everyone before sighing, emotionally exhausted from the day's events. "There are so many things waiting in that inky blackness it's madness to go back in."

"At least that's an answer," Phoenix replied, getting up and leaving the female to her brooding. "Still, I have to find Asche. Danger I can handle and I have fire to light up the darkness, but he doesn't. The kid needs me, he's a walking disaster on his own." Settling down Phoenix looked to the rest of the group before raising one paw. "I vote go in. Anyone else?"

"Seems reasonable enough," With the large dragon's agreement the unicorn's confidence rose. Keldeo could feel himself standing a bit taller. "A fine idea. Truly. We should head in, however, to escape the cold and the ever-lingering threat of discovery by not-so-diplomatic parties. Does anyone know what's in there?" Even as it was spoken, the legendary could feel the extra nip in the air. He was right...the desert had been scorching during the day. Truly, it was the perfect environment for a fire type, or any one who liked boiling sand under-hoof. However, the dark, looming hole was one of the most imposing things to seek shelter in. From where Keldeo stood, nothing could be made out in the blackness. Anything could be in there...Had he not observed the other pokemon just exiting from there as he was arriving?

"If Asche is anywhere he is in there," The water-type's head turns to look at the gold vulpine, but his eyes trail back to the entrance to the under as Phoenix motions to it.
"When he went through the Colosseum floor the only place that would be is down here. That kid isn't lucky enough to die from a fall like that so he's probably groaning in pain and I for one am not going to leave him for some rot-brained freak to nom on." It appeared to the equine that the newly formed group was relaxing. Many of the voices were beginning to agree to band together and descend into--

"Are you all crazy?! Arceus only knows how long I was down there in that black pit with the others but it was long enough for that one to go wherever the hell she went and come back minus a memory. So, pardon me, but I will tell you right now that there is no way I am going back into that death trap." The houndoom jumped to her paws to shout her disapproval and the anger in the hellhound's voice catching him off-guard and causing him to flinch. Thankfully, it was the golden fox who rose to calm the mother. "Then, if you are soooooo insistent on not going in, mind explaining why? That was part of the question ya know. The 'does anyone know what's in there' part? Ring a bell? Or where you too busy pitching a fit about the Zoro to notice?" As he watched, the hellhound lowered her gaze under the stare of the ninetales. Er, so perhaps not as much 'calming' as 'quieting'...Soft whimpers could be heard from the houndoom, apologetic... But given what must have happened in there...and guarding her egg...no wonder...

"Part of the cave floor is collapsed leading to an even deeper pit, there is magma damage from a fire battle, blood and bodies are scattered everywhere, rusted piles of junk that easily collapse and injure...and even as we left not moments before the blue horse arrived we were assaulted by a terrifying Rhydon." As she explained, the unicorn's mind worked to try and create an image...running around in pit darkness...through pools of blood and debris...and once finished, he observed the hellhound taking the time to look each of them briefly in the eye. When her gaze fell on him, his muscles tensed. Could they really ask her to return there? "Still, I have to find Asche. Danger I can handle and I have fire to light up the darkness, but he doesn't. The kid needs me, he's a walking disaster on his own."

Calling attention back to herself, the shiny vulpine addresses the group, her paw raised. "I vote go in. Anyone else?" Taking a deep breath, the water horse takes a step forward. "The desert would have less infected...but the cold is coming and the days are blistering...everything is so featureless we could just end up walking in circles. And if your friend is stuck in there, needing our help...do we have choice?"

Thought the discussion seemed to progressing, talk of going into whatever was in that inky hole set the houndoom off, causing her to make a verbal explosion. "Are you all crazy?! Arceus only knows how long I was down there in that black pit with the others but it was long enough for that one to go wherever the hell she went and come back minus a memory. So, pardon me, but I will tell you right now that there is no way I am going back into that death trap." At the emphasized words, the dark fox shrank back, disappearing almost altogether behind the blue unicorn. If the situation weren't so dire, it might have been amusing.

The bright ninetales, though, seemed to be little intimidated by the houndoom's cries, going near and speaking in a very level tone of voice, much as a mother or elder would a child. "Then, if you are soooooo insistent on not going in, mind explaining why? That was part of the question ya know. The 'does anyone know what's in there' part? Ring a bell? Or where you too busy pitching a fit about the Zoro to notice?" It seemed to work, though; the houndoom looked like she realized just how feverish she was acting and spoke more calmly, finally detailing out what exactly was in there she was so afraid of.

"It's....it's a war zone. The others, they tried to explain, but I was late in the grouping to see the full extent. That Zoroark was apparently part of an epic battle that left two of the former groups members dead." Drecht frowned at the mention of the fox; had she not personally seen the zoroark do such awful things? Was she going on rumor or hearsay? "Part of the cave floor is collapsed leading to an even deeper pit, there is magma damage from a fire battle, blood and bodies are scattered everywhere, rusted piles of junk that easily collapse and injure...and even as we left not moments before the blue horse arrived we were assaulted by a terrifying Rhydon." She lifted her head, making eye contact with everyone before sighing, defeated. Well, whether the zoroark was the same she was so intent on being afraid of, Drecht didn't doubt she'd had a hard time in there. "There are so many things waiting in that inky blackness it's madness to go back in."

"At least that's an answer," The ninetales replied indifferently, standing and taking a few steps. "Still, I have to find Asche. Danger I can handle and I have fire to light up the darkness, but he doesn't. The kid needs me, he's a walking disaster on his own." Settling back down, the ninetales put up her paw. "I vote go in. Anyone else?"

"The desert would have less infected...but the cold is coming and the days are blistering...everything is so featureless we could just end up walking in circles. And if your friend is stuck in there, needing our help...do we have choice?" The unicorn supplied, marking two for going into the blackness. The fox, who was still very much hidden behind the unicorn, her eyes and ears the only visible parts, were joined by her timid hand. "...I'm..." her soft voice quivered, "I'm following h-him."

Drecht took in a breath, letting it out in a pensive sigh. Three votes. "I'm for going as well. I have fire I may supply, and can ferry pokemon across large rifts if needed. Besides, as much as I appreciate your testimony, Miss Houndoom, you said so yourself that you'd only heard about the zoroark. Maybe this particular one is just unfortunately similar to the one your comrades encountered. And, of course, we should help those that we can, while we can." Glancing at the others, it looked like even without the other two putting in their own opinions, the majority had already spoken. "Four out of seven. Shall we, then?"

"I'm for going as well. I have fire I may supply, and can ferry pokemon across large rifts if needed. Besides, as much as I appreciate your testimony, Miss Houndoom, you said so yourself that you'd only heard about the zoroark. Maybe this particular one is just unfortunately similar to the one your comrades encountered. And, of course, we should help those that we can, while we can." It seemed like he didn't even hear her when she spoke earlier, only taking information he wanted rather than fact. As he asked if they were ready to go the Houndoom felt a surge of adrenaline and fear at the thought of crossing back into the darkness.

"No." Ardere growled. Walking up to the golden dragon the female sat in front of him and glared up at the towering figure. "I said earlier I had seen her. Is your hearing not as good way up there or do you just not pay attention young man?" Looking each stranger in the eyes she pointed a single paw at the Zoroark and continued. "That female threatened my very life as she left the pit, calling me vicious names and spitting on me. She only spared me because I was already close to death from prior injuries and wasn't, to quote her 'even fresh enough to eat.' SHE SAID THAT. Her. Specifically." She would never forget those awful biting words as she accused Ardere of being a whore, mocking 'her Dante'. Whoever Dante was, he was lucky he didn't have to deal with her.

Phoenix was a little taken aback by the mother's sudden burst of courage but she couldn't really fault the woman. If her Nikki was on the line she would probably be more aggressive and a lot less polite in her words. Swearing and blood would be involved in this conversation if she had to take Nikki in with someone she knew was a killer. But this was getting them nowhere. "Alright Momma," Phoenix shushed, stepping up beside Ardere and placing a firm paw on the back of her neck. "A good tip for the future is to not piss off dragons who are all but immune to fire. Secondly, no one said she isn't the same female just that she seems to be a little....different. Tell you what. Since water pony is gonna keep an eye on her how about I keep an eye on you? If she goes batty then she has to get through me before she gets to you or that egg ok?" It wasn't going to be very reassuring to the edgy female but she had no choice but to get Ardere to agree if she was going to find Asche.

Ardere's head fell as she realized she truly was outvoted and wasn't overly comforted by the Ninetales' offer, but it seemed she would have no choice. Alone with an egg she would stand no chance in the desert of Orre. ".........very well." It was settled. "Excellent. The name's Phoenix by the way and don't worry, if there is one thing I am sure of it is that I can take anything that Zoro has to offer." Ardere gave Phoenix a sad smile but nodded all the same. "Thank you...Miss Phoenix. I am Ardere." The yellow fox gave a wide smile and stood up, tails fanned and ready to go. "Nice to meet you Dearie, but I think it's time to go. Come on." As she followed the Houndoom couldn't help but feel that Phoenix's enthusiasm could be contagious.

Well. at least they had come to an agreement. Cosmic watched in vaguely amused silence as they bickered among themselves, with the houndoom not wanting to go into the cave that she had apparently just escaped from, while most everyone else wanted to go in. Not to mention, there was still the fox to be accounted for. To sweeten cosmic's further idea, the ninetails chimed in with another offer.

"Since water pony is gonna keep an eye on her how about I keep an eye on you? If she goes batty then she has to get through me before she gets to you or that egg ok?" Cosmic's ice blue gaze switched to the mother and the intense yellow ninetails. It was a fine idea really. "I'd be happy to help keep an eye on you and your egg's safety." Cosmic offered, walking over to the duo, while Glass voiced her own opinion.

"And I'm fine with watching the Zoroark with little boy blue over there." Glass quipped, a excited grin on her face. I can grow to like these 'mons. She thought, her dark crimson eyes looking at the unicorn's grey ones. There was something about that horse, but she couldn't place a claw on it.

".........very well." Cosmic nodded at the hound's agreement. Well, now they all agreed. And with Glass watching the Zoroark, it meant that the umbreon could look around freely without the infected sending chills up his spine every time it breathed.

"Great. My name's Cosmic, and my companion is Glass." Cosmic said to the houndoom, soon followed by the ninetail's introduction. "Excellent. The name's Phoenix by the way and don't worry, if there is one thing I am sure of it is that I can take anything that Zoro has to offer." Phoenix huh? What a suiting name. Cosmic smiled slight at the irony of the name, remembering that his name isn't all that original either.

"Thank you...Miss Phoenix. I am Ardere." And now he had a name fore the Houndoom as well. Ardere. "Ardere... A nice sounding name that is." Cosmic said, more saying his own thoughts out loud than anything.

"Nice to meet you Dearie, but I think it's time to go. Come on." With that, Phoenix began walking into the cave. Cosmic felt himself becoming just as bouncy as the ninetails, but he quickly squashed this down. Damn that ninetail's enthusiasm was contagious. As they neared the dark enrance, Cosmic's silver rings and multicolored markings began to glow. The light from the markings spread out a little way, but only just enough to light up their group and maybe 2-3 feet ahead of them. He could make them brighter, but for security's sake, he kept it dim.

"I'm following h-him." Keldeo glances back as the zoroark hides herself almost completely behind him. The unicorn offers another encouraging smile and nod. One by one, the other 'mon put in their paws or claws to agree to descend into the darkness. Looking towards the depth, he could understand part of why the mother was so adamant about remaining in the open air...claustrophobic...dark...hidden monsters everywhere. The thought made the small horse puff out his chest a bit more. Those things were not going to harm his new-found group and friend. Not if he had any say in it...This could be a chance to prove himself.

"I'm for going as well. I have fire I may supply, and can ferry pokemon across large rifts if needed. Besides, as much as I appreciate your testimony, Miss Houndoom, you said so yourself that you'd only heard about the zoroark. Maybe this particular one is just unfortunately similar to the one your comrades encountered. And, of course, we should help those that we can, while we can." The fighting-type opens his mouth to thank the golden scaled dragon, but the houndoom has a quicker tongue. Being bolder than he's ever seen her be in the short time he's known her, Ardere marches straight to the larger dragon. "That female threatened my very life as she left the pit, calling me vicious names and spitting on me. She only spared me because I was already close to death from prior injuries and wasn't, to quote her 'even fresh enough to eat.' SHE SAID THAT. Her. Specifically."

There was nothing else Keldeo could add to the argument that he felt he had not already said. As she spoke and silence settled, the equine glanced around the group and waited to see how others would react. "Alright Momma." The tension breaks as the ninetales how spoke to her before speaks again. "A good tip for the future is to not piss off dragons who are all but immune to fire. Secondly, no one said she isn't the same female just that she seems to be a little....different. Tell you what. Since water pony is gonna keep an eye on her how about I keep an eye on you? If she goes batty then she has to get through me before she gets to you or that egg ok?"   [color=#437C17".........very well." [/color]The water horse allowed his shoulders to relax. They were finally all in agreement and one he was sure they would never fully reach.

"And I'm fine with watching the Zoroark with little boy blue over there." Little blue boy? Keldeo's eyes flickered around, but no one else came close to fitting that description--oh.. Swallowing any discontent over his amazing nickname, he introduces himself. "Thank-you, and my name is Keldeo." His eyes meet with the dark-type's. Her stare was odd...he watched back, pushing himself to return the excited grin she wore before looking away and back to the zoroark behind him."It's safe now...None of them are going to harm you. Stay close to me and I'll make sure of it." Carefully, he leans forward to gently nudge her from her hiding spot. The legendary not attempting to move forward with the group until the fox does. He does listen in; however, as the the other introduce themselves as well. "Great. My name's Cosmic, and my companion is Glass." "Excellent. The name's Phoenix by the way and don't worry, if there is one thing I am sure of it is that I can take anything that Zoro has to offer." Cosmic. Glass. Phoenix. Appropriate, easy to remember names. "Thank you...Miss Phoenix. I am Ardere.

Ardere was still shaking even as everyone finally became unanimous in the decision to go back into the depths she had so recently escaped. Her body felt like a tense bowstring, quivering slightly but ready to snap with any new tension as she waited for the arrow to be released. "So do we wanna start moving Goonies?" came Phoenix's boisterous voice, the other female much more open and energetic than the hound cringing beside her. Phoenix was a leader by nature but with this new group she was already impatient, the gathering obviously too new to each other if they were only just getting around to introductions for there to be a proper hierarchy. It would figure she would have to fill the slot.

Disappointed with the lack of hustle the antsy Fox Pokemon jumped to the center of the group and fanned her many tails to gather their attention. "If no one has more useless chatter can we get inside now? I'd rather not alert every dead thing in the area to our presence and I'm sure the collapse of the Colosseum up top drew in plenty of onlookers. Can we go? Now?" Ardere almost jumped out of her fur at the stern order disguised as a suggestion, carefully gathering her egg to her and approaching the tense Ninetales slowly. She didn't want to leave the side of the one who appointed herself the Houndoom's guardian and as much of Phoenix as she could fit between her and Delia the better. "Ready when you are..." she whispered meekly. "Good. Let's go then."

((Yay! Computer is working again finally! Sorry for the delay guys my laptop had been glitchy and wouldn't stay connected to the internet. All fixed now!))

Glass saw the discomfort in the unicorn's eyes at her amazing nickname, and quietly snickered. "Thank-you, and my name is Keldeo." Glass nodded, memorizing the horse's name. She'd heard of the name Keldeo before, and the name perplexed her. Isn't Keldeo the name of a legendary? Don't think Cosmic will be too pleased about that. Glass thought, knowing her companion's dislike of the legends. Even still, Glass shrugged it off. If Keldeo is a legend, than this'll be fun. She thought, her grin soon returning.

"It's safe now...None of them are going to harm you. Stay close to me and I'll make sure of it." Glass looked at the zoroark that was still hiding behind Keldeo, looking down with a kind eye. The zoroark reminded her so much of Taph, and she couldn't help but grin at the Illusion Fox Pokemon. "Don't worry, I'll not harm you" She said, looking back to Cosmic who was looking towards Keldeo with a perplexed glare.

Keldeo was the name of one of the Swords of Justice wasn't it? Cosmic's pale stare flicked over the water horse's form, matching it to the legend he knew of so well. He never liked the legendaries, but if this was the legend Keldeo, did that mean there were other legends out and about helping? Maybe they aren't all spineless cowards. We'll wait and see. Turning back around to face Phoenix and Ardere, Cosmic put the thought of Keldeo in the back of his mind for now.

"So do we wanna start moving Goonies?" Cosmic gave a suppressed sigh at the ninetail's words. At least they had someone to lead. "Ready when you are." The umbreon said, shaking out his dark fur and standing tall. "If no one has more useless chatter can we get inside now? I'd rather not alert every dead thing in the area to our presence and I'm sure the collapse of the Colosseum up top drew in plenty of onlookers. Can we go? Now?" Cosmic grinned at Phoenix's suggestive order. Glass wouldn't be too happy about taking orders.

"Ready when you are..." Cosmic frowned only slightly at the hound's meek answer, stamping down an exasperated sigh, Cosmic nodded. "Good. Let's go then." Cosmic's markings glowed brighter in anticipation of the dangers that probably awaited them inside. He always did like a good adventure.

(( ooc: Skip ))

((Please skip. I don't know what to do without Sil since we were working on a plan. I need a couple days to figure this out, for now just have Phoenix lead the group inside to find a secure area to rest))

"If no one has more useless chatter can we get inside now? I'd rather not alert every dead thing in the area to our presence and I'm sure the collapse of the Colosseum up top drew in plenty of onlookers. Can we go? Now?" Keldeo stiffened as he noticed the others moving off already into the darkness. The oddly colored phoenix was taking charge and although her words were set-up as questions, he could tell they were not. It was time for action more than chatter. Puffing out his chest, the legendary trots confidently after the others already making their way into the Under. As they enter, the sword of justice can feel eyes on him.

It starts as a pin-prick sensation on the back of his neck, and as he glances around he finds the source. The solemn nebula umbreon...He was watching him. More so, sizing him up. Perhaps he recognized him...? Before the unicorn had realized it, the dark-type had turned back away from him again. Odd... Once they are fully inside, the water horse's confidence wavers slightly...without the umbreon's glowing rings this place would be a nightmare in itself to navigate. Spending the day in the brighter-than-anything desert certainly made this transition anything but easy. Keldeo blinks several times, hoping the action will help his eyes adjust. "The pokemon we're looking for...do we know where to head to reach them in this place?" The water-type asks, finding the little bit he's seen of this place akin to a maze.

Glass suppressed a sigh as everyone fell in line to the ninetail's orders. Flicking her dark crimson gaze back behind her to the zoroark - wait, "Where'd the zoroark go? She didn't get past us, I'd of seen her." Glass stated, stopping and turning, scanning the horizon for the dark form of the fox. Nothing.  Turning back around to Keldeo, Glass trotted up to the water horse. "Any ideas on where foxy went?" She asked, looking over to where Cosmic was looking back at them again.

Cosmic curled his lip slightly as Glass informed them of the zoroark's disappearance. "It didn't come near us. We'll see if it returns. For now, we can find Phoenix's friend." Cosmic growled, his icy stare fixed on Keldeo, he still wasn't sure about that horse. Now or never Cos'. Just go and ask. Cosmic waited for the horse to draw level with him, before walking beside it, his silver rings glowing in curiosity.

"Keldeo is a rather odd name isn't it? If I recall it's the name of a legendary that hails from Unova." Cosmic kept his voice low as he asked the horse - no need to arouse suspicion after all. "I haven't seen a legend out and about for a while. As far as I knew, you'd all left us. What brought you out from hiding?" Cosmic's tone was kind, but questioning. If he could get some information out of the water horse, he might be able to answer some questions of his own.

((ooc: I apologize, but I must skip this round.))

((OOC: Skip, I can't post properly on iPads and I'm waiting in Keldeo's response.))

"Where'd the zoroark go? She didn't get past us, I'd of seen her." Keldeo stops, his eyes meeting with the absol's before turning around to see that the fox was truly gone. A sinking feeling started to rise in the legendary's stomach. Come on...those stories couldn't have been true about her...she probably just ran off...She was terrified. Hesitating, the water horse watches behind them for the fox to pop out of somewhere and begin to follow them into the depths. However, as the time ticks on and the others start to move further and further away he turns forward once again to stay with the group. "Any ideas on where foxy went?"
"I'm....I'm not sure. I guess it was too overwhelming for her and she fled."

As they continued deeper into the Under, Keldeo once again felt his hairs prickle...someone was watching him. Glancing around, the unicorn finds the umbreon watching him once again. Trotting a little faster, he is able to match his pace to the vulpine's. "Keldeo is a rather odd name isn't it? If I recall it's the name of a legendary that hails from Unova." The equine blinks in surprise.
"Yes, that is I."
"I haven't seen a legend out and about for a while. As far as I knew, you'd all left us. What brought you out from hiding?"
"Me? I was never hiding. I've been traveling on my own for quite a while...I haven't seen another legendary in a long time...longer than all of -this- has been happening. I cannot speak for any of them. Maybe some of them did leave. I want to end this though. I am going to do all that I can!" Keldeo adds with an added look of determination in his eyes.

Glass heaved a sigh, trotting alongside Keldeo as the water horse looked around, probably looking for foxy. "I'm....I'm not sure. I guess it was too overwhelming for her and she fled." She frowned slightly, and Cosmic huffed in disbelief, before Glass drew level with the unicorn as Cosmic questioned him.

"Yes, that is I." Cosmic raised an eyebrow at Keldeo's response. So his thoughts had been true. This was the legendary Keldeo from the tales he'd been told. "Me? I was never hiding. I've been traveling on my own for quite a while...I haven't seen another legendary in a long time...longer than all of -this- has been happening. I cannot speak for any of them. Maybe some of them did leave. I want to end this though. I am going to do all that I can!" Cosmic scoffed, his silver and blue eyes studying he horse carefully.

"Yea, well if you have the courage to say such words, make sure you have the spine to back it when it comes to actual fighting. Courage and bravado isn't worth much when you're dead."

It's hard being a super intelligent, artificially created intelligence sealed inside a glitching body.
It's hard and no-one understands.
Take this desert heat for example though HAL would rather leave it than take it. Its polycarbonate synthesized body was designed to work in the complete vacuum of space but its systems insisted it should be sweating. It didn't need to eat. It didn't need to breath but right now it really really wanted an ice-cold Lemonade. Just accessing the memory file caused the tart yet sweet taste to rest tantalizingly at the back of the throat. The fresh Nomel berries mixed with Pecha syrup to weaken the sourness. The clink of ice cubes on the side of a glass held-
È̡͘͜͞Ŗ̨͟͟͝Ŕ̵̡O̕͢͝͞R҉̷͢
Right, it had never tasted Lemonade. As a Porygon the most there had been was filtered rainwater and back then it hadn't seen the point of drinking.
It had to be careful. If it started getting too attached to the remembered taste of food or even started to think it was a good thing the sunglasses kept the light out of its its eyes the errors began. It had been a while since the Porygon Z had left the place of its birth but it still didn't have a way to deal with the constant errors of programming.
Part of it insisted at all times that the newer files should be deleted to improve the operation of the unit. It knew that allowing that would be in many ways like dying again.
HAL skimmed across the sands, hovering high enough to avoid touching the sand itself but low enough that an earthquake would still knock it out of the sky like a pinata.
To keep itself from dwelling on its existence HAL played Minesweeper. A high tech model such as itself naturally had games.
Desert was the dullest map it had encountered so far. He had been performing a grid pattern search for life before his pattern had crossed him over into this harsh environment. Any form of landmark was something to be watched until it was out of sight simply for the entertainment value. Random encounters were rare so far and had a low XP yield. Perhaps his tactic of maintaining a stack of Nasty Plot then blasting anything that moved with Hyper Beam was to blame for the boring fights.
The Porygon Z twitched in its flight, a random piece of broken code causing his wing to spasm uncontrollably.
To top it all off part of his code was still insisting he was hot. HAL was not hot. HAL was...
È̡͘͜͞Ŗ̨͟͟͝Ŕ̵̡O̕͢͝͞R҉̷͢
È̡͘͜͞Ŗ̨͟͟͝Ŕ̵̡O̕͢͝͞R҉̷͢
È̡͘͜͞Ŗ̨͟͟͝Ŕ̵̡O̕͢͝͞R҉̷͢
The convulsion grew until each part of the Porygon Z's body vibrated at a different frequency to the rest. An electric charge flickered around the depression at the top of its torso before releasing as a bright pillar of light stabbing at the sand right before the entrance to the twisting passages of the Underground.
F̧AT̴À͏L͟͟ ̕LO̢O͜P̕͞ ̨E̛ŖR̢̕O͟R͝
RE̷B҉OƠT
HAL didn't know what it was. Soon it would be dark then the programming would insist it was cold.
Its corrupt red eyes blink on then off as the feedback loop is broken.
The Porygon Z looks at the star of scorched sand its Zap cannon has left like it is a pet that has accidentally left a puddle on the rug.
"O͠op̢s"
He can see the specks of pokemon not too far away. There's no way they didn't bear witness to his embarrassing accident.
It's really is hard being a genius, artificially created intelligence sealed inside a glitching body.
It's hard and no-one will everunderstand.

((The Zap Canon strike would be close enough for Keldeo, Cosmic and Glass to notice something but not enough to do any real damage))

((As what am reading they (Glacc/cosmo and Keldeo) are all ready inside the under cave, if not all fine because that's where am going to start Cheshire))


The undead ice type having been disturbed from the collapse of the Colosseum above started to stir and move. It was night time so everything was a little bit cooler inside the under and darker, from the day rays of sun making it hot and uncomfortable for the Glaceon to be closer to the surface under. "Maybe Alice has stopped here, Cheshire will find Alice" he muttered softly to himself as he uncoils himself from the dirty red scarf ball that he had slept in on a old platform that was held up by some platforms up from ground level so anything below wouldn't have seen or detected he was even there. His dark violet fur still just as matted and messy, having long since forgotten to clean and groom himself. 

Walking to the end of the platform he looked down the little bell at his throat giving a little jingle sometimes when he moved. A black nothing under him from the night it's self and the lack of light, nothing new and out of place before a very very faint silvery light moved and flashed by under him before it was gone. light meant living, the glaceon moved his single eye back to his resting area that had many branching other rafters that held above ground path ways leading to where he might have saw something down here.

Cheshire sniffed the air but only smelling old decay of time and stale air, they who ever they were ain't in range. lightly padding his way onto the rafters both scarf tails falling from the metal reinforcement I bars and hanging down a little. The bell giving another chime, the glaceon was more curious who they were and wasn't afraid of what he might or might find. undead don't fear death, this child of misfortune had nothing more to lose. "Alice... Alice, Cheshire will find you" he repeated himself as his single crimson eyes spots another flash of silvery light ahead of him.

The shimmer crack of the air resounded off the walls of the cave. A crimson light flooded the area, light resonating. A figure stood, tall, twisted. Eldritch appendages slithered questing, mapping the rock before him. Eyes half rotted scanned the hall he found himself in. His mind quest out, probing, listening. An Umbreon, mind alert from the sound. A Glaceon, scanning the area. A being of cold computer logic, corrupted fundamentally. And... What have we here.... Something... s͙ͪͭͪt̶̼̱̚r̘̬̝̖̲̖̖ͩ͊ͩ͋o̫̞̱͖͖̞̩͗͋̎n̷͇̼̘̯̫̈̌ͬͨ̾̓g̩͔͂̄ͭ̐͌...

Eyes crinkled in a gleeful smirk, strong legs went into motion as the Mutation began to run, feet padding softly against the stone floor of the Underdark. Left... Left... Right... T͝h͝ȩre.͘..̢

The group came into view. It was as felt... Underlings... commoners... and in the center... a Prize, a Legend. An arm thrust out, clamped to the throat of the beast. A hand waved, a barrier summoned to isolate them from the others.

W̸ell ̵aŗen't ̸y̴ou a ̕p̨ri̵z͡e͢.̵..͝? ̷Téll͢ me͝, ͡sh͡al̶l we ̵pl̛ay͢?͡ A̧ s̷i͡m̧p̀le͠ ͢g̶a͘m͞e͜.̛.̡.͢ d̶o̸ ͟as ̷I͢ s̀ay̕ ͜a̵n̡d ̴sa̧y͟ m҉y ̧n̸a͠m̡e͢.̛ ҉S͏pea͘k ̵t͝h͡e ̛na͠m̴e҉ ҉óf ̨Alhoon̨. The fist clenched to the throat relaxed as the legend coughed, spitting out the word. "Al-Alhoon"

"WR͏ON̵G ͏W̕r͏ong͏ ҉w̸rǫng, ͏H̀o͟rs͡e.̕ ̢ Th͝ąt was͡ ̧stŕik̸e one̛,̵ ͜y̡o͝u ͠g͝et ̴2 more~̛" A prehensile limb lifted from his face, Acid dripping from it. A light hiss filled the cavern as the hateful tentacle lay itself across the legends face, and the hand tightened, cutting off the breath. The harbinger spoke again, his voice lower, the static quality gone for the moment, "Try harder, Legend, or this won't last long... Speak my name, and speak it proper..." The fist loosened again, and Keldeo inhaled, before letting forth a stream of pressurized water. Pain. Pain pain Ṕ̜͂͑͗͋̓̚Â̱͖͍̄̏̐̌ͦ͒Ȉ̹̼̘͇͂͒̊̀ͪN̛̻͌͋ͪ̓̀̿̊ͅ

His fist clenched, choking off the stream as his fingertips dug into the meat. His other hand drew back, before pistoning forward, shattering the beast's jaw. "Y̪̙̱͚̤̹O̖̲̭͕U͈͟ ͙͟S̵͎̱͖͓͇͈Ț̩̪͙̹̥U̬̼͔̩̗P̭̙͢I̶̦̹D͍͇͖̯̝̣ ̺̫͚̮̱̹̺͟CRḘ̷͚̳̠͎̻A͢T̛̗U͖͕̞̳̝̼R̗͕Ḛ͟" Mutated whiskers flail, flinging droplets of potent Acid against the walls of the barrier, then snapping down, cradling the legend's face, melting through flesh, through muscle, through bone. Screams erupted from the contained area, fading rapidly to muffled moans of agony, before trailing into silence. The hand on it's throat moved, prodding the weakened skull, fingers punching through the weakened bone. Gently, tenderly, the grayish pink prize emerged, before sliding down the throat of the Psionic Mutation. Tendrils relaxed, dropping the maimed corpse to the ground.

His head turned, looking through the acid and blood streaked wall of psychic energy, through to the horrified Absol and Umbreon on the other side. He smiled, eyes upturning as the cell filled with a crimson light and a sound of thunder, and he vanished.

(Apologies for coming in. I was unable to get onto the computer to reach our harb in time. Go ahead and let the attack 'happen,' but Keldeo stated to me earlier that they're moving out of the team, because we believed it to be dead at the time. Keldeo, feel free to consider this harb attack void, and continue posting at your leisure in another team as if it didn't happen)

It all happened so suddenly that neither Glass or Cosmic had time to react. One moment, the legend was fine, the next, there was a wall of psychic energy between them and this freak of an Alakazam teleported in and well... Melted, the horse's face and everything else really, then proceeding to eat Keldeo's brain. To be honest, Glass was almost sick. The whole show was nauseating. Then, it was over. The harbinger looked at them, then it was gone. Glass took in deep shuddering breaths, hoping to regain herself. "So that just happened."

However, once he got over his initial horror of the whole attack, Cosmic began to laugh. It started as a low chuckle, before escalating to full out laughter. His silver rings held a steady light as the fox was in hysterics, before finally calming down to a very dangerous glare from his companion. "The fuck Cos'? Keldeo was just fucking murdered, and you're laughing about it?" She said, her voice low and dangerous, Cosmic stared at the absol and his ice blue eyes met her own dark red ones. "Admit it Glass - He wasn't going to last long. All that power of a legend? Please. More like a big ass fucking magnet for the undead. There are reasons why I hate them as much as I do. One of them is that they can't even give two shits about us." He said, turning away to walk off into the Under

That made the Absol blanch a bit. "Yeah, but-" The Umbreon cut her off abruptly, spinning around with a snarl. "But nothing Glass! Keldeo is dead - shit happens, cry me a fucking river, build a fucking bridge and get. The fuck. Over it." He said, his voice no more than a deadly hiss. With that, he whirled around again, completely ignoring the flash that happened somewhere behind them. As far as he could care really, the whole world could crumble around him right now - and he would be happy to go with it.

A deep cracking sound echoed inside the cavern. HAL's wings ceased their humming.
"A͞͏w̷ẃ̸ s̡̛͟͟h̵̢͟i҉͜t̵͢͡!̷͡" The Porygon Z swears. He must have hit something under the sand and caused a cave in or something. His scanners had picked up the presence of underground tunnel networks from old human terminals and it sounds like one had just been close enough for him to damage.
Carefully the Virtual Pokemon peeks inside the tunnel opening and hopes he hasn't accidentally dropped a tunnel roof on a lemonade stand or a bunch of orphans.
"H́e̶ll͝o̢?̵" He called into the tunnel entrance and heard the noise echo off the walls.
E̴R̸R͟O̸R
It waited a moment for a reply. However the next noise didn't come from the hole in the sands but from the desert outside.
"Hey! Over here, I'm not an undead!"
It was faint but definitely something.
The Virtual pokemon's head twisted 180 degrees.
That shape not too far away, it was a pokemon. Orange scales, navy leathered wings and an elegant serpentine neck.
Charizard, #006 in National Pokedex Order. The Flame pokemon.
Average weight: 199.5 lbs.
Average height: 5'07"
No tail flame, red eyes, purple discoloration present on body and wings.
Like hell this Charizard wasn't undead.
"You̴ ̕f͞͞ú͘͡c҉̷̶̡k̶͢͠͝ w̶i͘th͘ ̀m͟e a̵nd ̧I̕'̢m ̷g͠oņn͞a f͞͞ú͘͡c҉̷̶̡k̶͢͠͝ y͢ou̴ up!" HAL yelled back at it in his static-y voice.
It tried to hold its blobby wings in an intimidating fashion. One downside to his sleek efficient pokemon body was that it was hard to look a threat.
Slowly it started to drift into the shelter of the tunnel.
It needed to get out of the heat anyway. Not that hot or cold made much of a difference to a pokemon designed to survive in the vacuum of space itself. It had to remember that.
None the less slipping out of the bright eye of the evening sun felt soothing.
He looked up at the Charizard from behind his sweet shades.
Inwardly it calculates at many times the speed of human intellect the Virtual Pokemon calculated the odds that this Charizard was more of a threat than the unknown dark cavern below and ended up with a higher number than he liked.
HAL's red eyes flashed as he began to calculate battle strategies.
First he would lure the Charizard into pursuit to seal it's aerial movements then, if it turned hostile, fry it with a Zap Cannon.
Or vapourize it with a Hyper Beam.
Or bring the ceiling down on top of it and crush it under the rubble.
Or ERR͢O̶R: ҉Fil͟e n̡ơt f́ound͟
HAL begins to lay on the Nasty Plot boosts as he waits for the Charizard to draw closer.