The MOSSDEEP Team

Startled from his daydreaming the little Riolu flinches backwards under the question and stumbles on the rocky ground.
Luckily he manages to right himself before he can fall but being caught out like that make a blush of embarassment burn underneath his fur.
"Y-Yes I'm fine." He stutters out. His legs are still aching but it wasn't so bad, not really. He could make it if he tried!
Another sharp pulse of pain runs through the black-furred limbs. In his failed kick he had overextended his muscles. What they needed right now was rest and a gentle rub to get them back to health but the little canine doesn't know that. All he knows that he had tried and failed to protect his friends and because of that the fairies had to step in and help them. He couldn't protect them himself and the strict-but-nice Glaceon had gotten hurt using his fire. That was a bad thing and it had happened because of him. If he had managed to kick properly then he would have been a hero and saved them all instead of needing them to save him.
Despite the twitching pain in his legs Taph grits his teeth and carries on, climbing the hill more swiftly so as not to be left behind.

This place hadn't always been abandoned, once humans had put steps up here. The Riolu doesn't know why but as he approaches the worn and overgrown slabs of rock he hears Pachi says they are getting close to the stream where water was.
But still...
The little Riolu hunches over nervously, his tail whippnig between his legs at the sight of the chipped and worn stairs. Even in the tower where he had spent most of his life he had never gotten the hang of stairs, preferring to scuttle up them hunched over rather than climb them properly after his trainer. It was where his fear of failure made itself most seen.
Setting his jaw determinedly Taph takes his first step on the stairs, keeping his gaze focused on the two taller pokemon rather than his own feet as usual. His sore legs and nervousness make it harder for him to climb the stairs then the other two and a sudden twinge of pain makes his leg twitch.
With a small yelp of surprise the Riolu falls over, tumbling back down the stairs with an arubt thump.
Whimpering in pain at the foot of the stairs Taph clutches at his head for a while before clumsily pulling himself back up. Oh dear, he's gotten even muddier.
Crouching on all fours and cheeks burning with shame the Riolu attempts to climb the stairs again fromt he bottom, paying closer attention to where he puts each paw.

((OOC: Couldn't resist.))

Staring at the white rock Glalie pads up to it placing his dark blue paw pad on its smooth surface. Though it appears a bit rough and has many grooves its gentle and cool to the touch. Longing aches dully in his heart as it reminds him of where he grew up. His favorite area of the facility was that filled with ice caverns and snow. It was beautiful, lightly colored and pure, and taken care of throughout the year to always give the Glaceons their proper enviorment. Even if he hated when the snow tracked into his bedding or the extra sting wounds gave in the chill it was home.The Eeveelution pair had passed an area filled with snow in their travels, making the Glaceon bounce and play like a kit though he would never admit it to anyone else. Guess I miss it more then I know.

Taking in a deep lung full of air he blows a cold breeze of Frost Breathe at the rock. A layer of ice started to form over its light surface making it even smoother with a bluish hint. It looked so much like the stone that had evolved him now, more appealing to him then before with the chilly layer on it. Using his claws for grip the Glaceon clambers on top of it and sits comfortably, letting its cold sink into his thick pale fur while he watches his friends. Sarah had turned around, ears tall and eyes wide as she looked back down the stairs toward the Riolu slowly making his way up. Her green gaze was full of concern for him as he toppled down the slope. "Taph! Are you alright, do you need help?" She asks worriedly, taking a few steps down from the top of the stairway but not quite rushing to his side. Watching the child intently he didn't seem injured as he stood up. "You can do it." She assures him bringing confidence into her voice. It was just a little fall, nothing too bad. I need to relax..

With a huge yawn the Glaceon takes his eyes off her. Helping the Riolu would be a one man job and the Jolteon was more then capable of doing it herself. Peaking around once more at the treetops Glalie looked again for something he could make a meal out of. The scent of birds was thick on the air and it didn't smell of the Murder. Yet there was nothing in sight. The thought of having to preen the feathers off a catch makes his stomach churn and he changes to the searching the ground. Rotating his long ears he hears nothing beside the distant babble of water. Maybe their battle had caused everything to go rushing off to their burrows. Giving up on the hunt altogether he thuds his head down on his paws and waits.

Immediately the Riolu scrambles upwards to an awkward deferential, keeping his ears low and his tail between his legs.
Rather than looking at the Jolteon his bright red eyes focus on his feet.
A blush of embarrassment burns hotly at his cheeks.
In his attempts to be confident he had made such a fool of himself.
"Sorry..." He says softly, his blue furred body drooping visibly.
He had never been good with stairs.
Ignoring the bruises forming under his fur and the throbbing in his legs the small Fighting Type quickly climbs up the rest of the worn staircase like a crab, hunched over low on all fours.
His trainer had never bothered to explain to him why he was such a disappointment but from his parents he had gathered it was because his legs had been born wrong, incapable of holding the strength of the powerful knee kick he had been born to perfect.
He was an unwanted mutation, a deformity of a Riolu.
He shouldn't be trying to impress anyone and he certainly shouldn't be trying to stand up.
Whimpering softly under his breath Taph hauls himself up the last chair and curls up to tend his throbbing legs.
Roughly he rubs the fur with his hands to try and get the pain to stop.
With his back to the Jolteon he is obviously sulking, more hurt over his embarrassing and very public failure then his short tumble.
Carefully Taph uncovers the mark on his ankle from the mud now drying on his fur. The flesh around it is an angry inflamed red with darker purple marks oozing into it. It would be impossible to pass off as a bruise.
Taph covers the mark with his paw and tries to breathe deeply. He was scared to die...

The Leavanny blinked as a sudden bright light hits his eyes. He covers them with one hand like a notched leaf as he adjusts to the sudden change of lighting.
Oh, this is definitely different to the gloom of Mt. Moon.
Swiftly the hero turns his head from side to side only to find that he is alone on some sort of grassy hill. He certainly doesn't remember climbing it.
A soft wind stirs up and makes his bright cape of leaves billow out behind him. In the early morning light he's certainly cutting a dashing silhouette.
He can't wonder how he got here when there's hero work to be done!
Pro-B spares a few thoughts for his friends and wards back in Mount Moon. They didn't come here with him and he'd had to find out where he was before he could go back. Maybe he'd even find some Pokemon to protect along the way.
Resolved not to be sad for the moment the Leavanny acrobatically leaps upwards. No need to use Sunny Day here, the sun is shining brightly of its own design and filling him with strength.
Ah to have such a celestial ally.
Cape swishing behind him Pro-B leaps over broken bits of human buildings in exaggerated leaps and bounds, his red cape flowing magnificently out behind him.
He spots something below, oh another Pokemon. Maybe they are in need of a hero's help and could possibly help him in return.
Spying a jutting out lump of broken stone by the worn stairs the Chlorophyll boosted Leavanny leaps onto the outcropping.
"Who is this mysterious figure who has come to save us? I am the one, the only, the amaaaaaaaaaazing Prophet Blade!" He declares loudly as he puffs out his chest and rests his hands on his hips.

It was days as nice as this one that almost made it seem as if the epidemic never hit. The sun was shining, the water was warm, and below the surface, none of the broken city was visible nor the rotting corpses of those dead or undead. Just the sun above casting its rays into the water and illuminating everything. And the light only grew brighter as Aqua swam closer and closer to the surface. With the floatzel's flotation sacs inflating, rising to the surface after diving in search of a meal was a breeze.

A summer's dream that transformed back into a nightmare mere seconds after the otter pokemon breaks the surface of the water. She had thought that the moments spent swimming -almost- made everything seem normal right? Almost...but nothing was right about the city she had stayed behind to defend. "For Oliver..." The floatzel breaths quietly to herself in remembrance. With a powerful kick and lash of her twin tails the otter slips just below the surface and heads towards land.

Aqua swims forward until her belly gently meets with sand and she lunges forward with enough force to throw herself onto her hind paws in an upright position. Everything on land seemed peaceful for the moment, though she's had enough experience to know gettin' use to the silence wasn't a good way to stay alive and kickin'. With ears perked and senses on alert the floatzel casually, as much as one can in these times, walks further in towards the heart of the city. She didn't bother to shake out her fur or nothing, the cool water felt good on her coat and the sun would dry it all soon enough.
One paw swoops down as she walked to snag a long, dried piece of grass to use as a toothpick. Some bits of her last fishy meal still stuck in the corners of her teeth.

"Who is this mysterious figure who has come to save us?"

The floatzel halts immediately at the outburst, having heard it from a bit of a distance. The sound nearly making the otter leap right outta her skin and throw a scald attack in its direction just out of pure instinct. Instead her cinnamon colored eyes jolt towards the voice, the declaration to find a dark figure against the bright sun. The light causes the floatzel to squint and in an attempt to get a better look Aqua raises one paw to act as a visor, but to no avail.

"What in the Sam Hill..." She starts, staring in surprise for another moment longer before starting off in a jog towards the hero. Living, breathing survivors are already harder to find then hen's teeth and this one seems to be higher than a kite.

"I am the one, the only, the amaaaaaaaaaazing Prophet Blade!"

Too wrapped up and thrown off by Prophet Blade, for the moment, the floatzel doesn't notice the others that are coming into increasing proximity to her as she jogs towards this 'mysterious figure.' Is that a Leavanny? Gritting her teeth lightly the floatzel calls up as loud as she dares to.
"Just whataya think you're doing? Hollerin' like an exploud, any of those undead critters in the area hear you and they'll flock here like a bee ta honey!" The floaztel says with genuine concern evident in her voice though it mixes a bit with her nerves and irritation. Enough good honest pokemon have died here, no one needed to be added to that list.