The BLACKTHORNE Team

Rocket hadn't moved for several moments. The Gabite lay on the ground inhaled lungfuls of air as he fought to get his breath back. The noose that had tightened itself around his chest was beginning to loosen. Never before had he been so frightened; so close to death that he could smell its putrid stench.

After a while, he finally managed to get his mind back into gear and staggered shakily to his feet and observed his surroundings. Vladimir was motionless on the ground behind him, but the Ninetails had his crimson eyes open and was simply lying there. Rocket was about to tell him to get the hell up, but then he noticed that he had a rather nasty paw injury. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to walk properly on that for a while.

"No need to thank me," Rocket said as he hobbled past the motionless Ninetails. "Yeah, don't worry, you just lie there. I don't want a thank you. I only saved your life. It's no big deal."

Reaching the edge of the cliff, Rocket swallowed and forced himself to look down. He saw an Umbreon flying through the air towards him, but before he could question whether his brain cells were still intact, he saw Written fall and land roughly on a small, rocky outcrop a few metres below him. The Umbreon landed nearby, and Rocket paused to mutter a question at whether he was OK.

So we've got a Ninetails with a bad paw, a Swellow that can't fly and a Torterra in a river. Fantastic, just great.

Through his hard outer shell, however, the Gabite did feel a pang of remorse for Bass. The Torterra had willingly given his life so that they could make it across. And he had actually liked the guy, despite the fact that what he had done was a little ... stupid, although Rocket felt bad for admitting it.

The Dragon type was beginning to think that his brush-up against Death's hide was starting to eat away at his mind - he could've sworn that he'd just seen the Torterra hanging onto a log and floating a little further downstream. Wait ... it was Bass!

What the...? How did...? Why didn't he just sink like a stone? The size of him!

So it was just himself and the Amazing Flying Umbreon left available for action now, and they had two teammates to help out. Rocket turned to the Umbreon as soon as he had stood up and said: "Hey, you. My name's Rocket. D'you think you could help out Written while I ... go ... down there and rescue the big guy?" The idea of traversing such high and dangerous cliffs scared him a little, but he couldn't live with himself if he left Bass behind. He'd have to learn to get over his stupid fears. Friends were more important to him than blood pressure.

“I just have the worst luck, don’t I?”

It had been a few minutes since Bass had managed to lug himself onto land. He could only sigh in resignation as he found that there was really no easy way for him to reach the others. All the while, the Torterra couldn’t help but shiver and shake as a cool breeze blew his way, amplifying the drop in heat that he had already felt, having been submerged under water for quite some time. Turning back to the river, Bass was finally able to see what exactly he’d fallen in. He tried as best as he could to keep from dry heaving at the ghastly sight of the river. It was a sick shade of green, mixed with streaks of red and black. Bits and pieces of debris...and limbs, floating along. How he managed to not any of that, that crap, was a miracle, if you could even call it that.

Upon the realization that he was just swimming in all that filth, though, the urge to just throw up was at this point was very much desirable. ‘I got to get out of here. I cannot stand one more minute next to this - whatever THIS is!’ Yet despite his desire to escape, Bass knew he was pretty much trapped...well that was until he saw Rocket standing up. ‘Is he coming to get me?! Oh dear Arceus, THANK YOU!’ Hope and relief and all different kinds of emotions began to swell up from within as the Torterra thought about the idea more and more. But then the grin plastered on his face slowly fell as he wondered how, one, the Gabite would get down and, two, how they’d both manage to get back up. ‘Why does everything have to be so difficult?!’

Route 45/Dawn (9)
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The Umbreon looks to be healthy.What was his name again?Oh,yes Flame Of The West.He might prove to be useful.However Written In The Fates might have strained her wings to much.So she would be unable to do surveillance or scouting,but she could still be of use.I opened my eyes and saw the Gabite standing to the side.

I tried to thank him but thankfulness doesn't come easy to me."Yeah, don't worry, you just lie there. I don't want a thank you. I only saved your life. It's no big deal."I looked up as he turned away.Was he being sarcastic or modest?

Either way he was wrong.I needed to get up.I rolled onto my stomach and lifted myself up,carefully holding my paw above the ground."Hey, you. My name's Rocket. D'you think you could help out Written while I ... go ... down there and rescue the big guy?"Says Rocket to Flame Of The West."Written In The Fates,if your wings are to injured to hold up hop on my shoulder,I'm sure I can hold you up."I said as kindly as my demeanor could muster.

I turned to tell Rocket that he should take Flame Of The West as backup in case that Luxray or any other infected pokemon are down there,but he was already gone."DAMN IT!Flame Of The West,go help Rocket you and him our the only people who remain uninjured.Written In The Fates,Stick close to me.I may be injured but only one of my attacks rely on movement,so I should be able to defend us.We need to stick together!"

Her life before had been protected, sheltered from harm and cherished of memories. Oh, how she missed those days, when being ignorant was a viable option. What lay before her now was only destruction and horror...

Written had gotten to her talons unsteadily, pecking her wings in fright. They can't be... She relied on these wings far more than necessary, and with her primary source of movement out of the way, option two was forced to take its place. Just like adventure novels, though I'll admit much worse. "I'll get up in a moment; I just need a breather." Taking a deep breath to concentrate, the Swellow hopped to the wall, tilting her head upward so that her glasses were pushed up also.

Hop to it. Guffawing at her own pun, the Swallow Pokemon slowly began to scale the rocky climb with each talon clutching for dear life. The night sky had begun to appear, though what Written once called a starry night was now great fires burning far away. Her useless wings had brought down her spirit, as it had when she lost her ability to use them. As she pulled herself onto the top, gasping for breath, Written In The Fates wasn't sure if she'd ever be able to feel the air under those wings once again. Is it hopeless to believe they'll recover? The Swellow watched tiredly out for her friends, panting with each restricted breath.

... in where she would never escape it.

[short post is shooort]

Rocket helped Written to pull herself up and couldn't help but admire the Swellow for her determination. He marveled at the fact that she had managed to climb several metres of vertical cliff without the use of her wings.

"Whoa, pretty good work, there," Rocket attempted to compliment her as she collapsed, panting for breath. It suddenly occurred to him that he and Vladimir would not have made it across the bridge without her help. He bent towards her and said in a whisper that only she could hear: "Hey, thanks for the bridge thing. I owe you a favour for that. Just say."

Done being a softie for the time being, Rocket left Written to catch her breath and wandered over to the cliff's edge and looked down at Bass, who had somehow managed to clamber onto the shore. Scratching his cheek with his claw, he began to decide what to do. He had two options; one: climb down using the ledges; or two: Dig a tunnel. While the Gabite shuddered at the idea of traversing such a great height, using Dig wasn't a good idea. There was a risk of accidentally weakening the cliff's side and collapsing it. Rocket wasn't sure if his nerves could cope with another disaster.

"I'm going to climb down there and see if the big guy's all right," he told Written and Vladimir. "You two ... just wait here, 'K? I'll be back."

Very, very slowly, Rocket lowered himself down onto the cliff's first ledge, digging his claws into the rock for support. He tried not to look down as he steadily began to get a little quicker, more confident. That quickly changed when one of the ledges broke under him and he fell several feet, eventually plunging his claws into the rock and coming to a stop. Panting with both tension and relief, Rocket noticed that he was pretty close to the bottom and jumped the last few metres, landing with a slight stumble on the damp pebbles.

"Hey, big guy!" He wobbled over to Bass, grinning broadly. "You all right? How'd you do that, eh? You're a tough one! So..." He took a quick look at the river. "What happened to that Luxray? She dead?" he asked hopefully.

((OOC: Sorry for the not-that-good quality, I was in a rush. =P))

“Oh my! Oh - Be careful!” The Torterra could feel his heart, beating the hell out of his chest, as he watched the Gabite scale down the length of the cliff-side. To say that Bass was worried was an understatement, but his anxiety has slowly begun to die down as Rocket managed to slowly, but surely, close the distance between himself and the ground below...Well that was until the guy managed to fall a few feet after one of the ledges crumbled before him.

“DEAR ARCEUS!” In response to his fr-acquaintance’s apparent dilemma, the Continent Pokemon decided to get as close to the wall of rock as he could so as to catch his comrade. In the end, the Gabite managed to dig his claws into the rock’s face and keep himself from falling any further. As a rain of dust and pebbles were dumped on his head, Bass could not help but look up to see what’d happened, and to his delight he saw that Rocket was fine. Seeing that the guy was fine, the Torterra took a few steps back, giving the Gabite enough space to jump down from the rather safe height he was at.

"Hey, big guy!" Bass couldn’t help but smile back at the dragon before him. This pokemon, one he’d barely known for about a day or two, had practically saved his ass at least twice and risked his life once again just to make sure a big screw-up like himself, was okay. “You all right? How'd you do that, eh? You're a tough one!” “I’m alright! Cold, sore in places, few bruises here and there, but other than that, I’m good.” Now, Bass would have probably continued smiling as he was had he not heard, “So...What happened to that Luxray?" His smile turned upside down as he remembered the reason he jumped off the cliff in the first place.

(10)
((Not much to write,Vladimir is just resting))

How do you gain one's trust when you can't even rely on yourself? How do you begin to trust others when times are untrustworthy? She didn't know; everywhere around her, pandemonium acquired the land, causing her to be confused, and... lost...

"Hey, thanks for the bridge thing. I owe you a favour for that. Just say." Rocket looked over her as she lay on the ground, whispering his thanks. Written wasn't exactly sure whether she was glad that he were alive and well, or happy that someone had her back, but either way, she was jubilant. This world might turn out better than I had thought. Though it was pretty sadistic to brush aside the blood and gore and the killings, without this pandemic, Written in the Fates would have probably stayed a Taillow; heck, she'd probably still be in the cottage and have never met these great Pokemon beside her.

At least... were beside me. Though the Gabite had ran off to help the Torterra, what were the chances that the huge Continent Pokemon would be able to pull himself up the hefty ledge? I suppose I'll have to lay that fate onto Arceus' hands. Anyhow, Written in the Fates had just about enough rest for herself at the moment - others were in need of aid and help. Heaving herself onto her talons, she hopped towards Vladimir softly. "Vlad? ... Vlad? Are you alright?"

Though the Ninetails had not answered, the Swellow caught the rise and fall of his gait, allowing Written to breath a sigh of relief. He was only resting. Death... The Swallow Pokemon shivered as she imagined herself killing the infected Roserade in her brash anger in revenge over the martyred Machoke. Whatever had happened then, whatever anger had filled her to the point that she thought death was the only option, Written certainly did not feel it. All she felt at that moment was remorse; even the undead did not deserve to be killed. She had a background too, a back story like no other.

Written shook herself, fluffing her feathers against the cold wind as night fell upon the sky. She didn't have the time and space to worry right now. "Vladimir, if you're able to stand up and walk to safer ground, please do. I think it's best if we retreat into the forest nearby." The Swellow pushed her glasses upward (by way of tilting her head of course), looking down at the fallen Ninetails. We'll make it out of here safely, that I swear to uphold.

... yet, despite everything she felt, everything she faced, she was not alone. There were others nearby, and whether she loved it or hated it, she would stand by then through thick and then.

Rocket nodded, satisfied that the Torterra was at least able to walk, so that was a good start. But the question was ... how the hell was he going to get Bass back up the cliff to the others? Although the Gabite wasn't very good at climbing, he probably could've made it back up if he tried hard enough. Getting a huge 700lbs Torterra up there, on the other hand, was another matter.

"Well, just in case she isn't dead, we'd better get out of here in case she ambushes us again," Rocket said, walking unevenly along the pebbles along the wall. If the Luxray turned up now, with Rocket tired from his descent and Bass hosting a few minor injuries, they would struggle to fight her. As if that wasn't concerning enough, Rocket was unable to use Dig - the only attack he had that would be effective enough to defeat her - because of the pebbled ground.

Rocket wobbled along the cliff side until he found a decent-sized hole in the wall. Peeking through into the damp, murky darkness, he spied a path leading upwards. Stepping back and examining the hole itself, it was big enough for him to fit through, but it looked as though Bass might have to duck down.

"I bet this leads back up to the main path," Rocket said, stepping back to allow Bass to have a look. "I'll let the others know what we're doing." He ran away from the wall until he could see the clifftop. "HEEEEEY!" he yelled at the top of his lungs so he could get the attentions of Written and Vladimir. "Bass and I have found a cave that leads up to where you guys are! Wait for us in the forest - we'll come and find you once we're up there!"

Satisfied that they had had no trouble hearing him, Rocket returned to the Torterra and said, "Looks like this is the only way ... unless you want to try climbing the cliff." He grinned to indicate that he was joking. "So how about it? Might be a bit of a tight squeeze for you though."

(( I will skip my post for the first time EVER ;-;

Rionnah will return next post~ ))

"Well, just in case she isn't dead, we'd better get out of here in case she ambushes us again."

“Yes sir!”

Alright. So things were looking good so far. No one’s died yet and just about all of those infected bastards were either dead or, well, dead....hopefully. Everyone seemed to be relatively unharmed...well, excluding Vlad’s bleeding, and maybe the few cuts and bruises that the Torterra himself had been sporting. With that in mind, Bass managed to turn his worried frown into a look of relief. ‘If we manage to keep this streak of luck up, we may just outlast this damned epidemic or even find a way to stop it!’ Finished with his musings, the Grass-type looked around, thinking of a way to keep himself busy as the Gabite searched for some sort of passage to reunite them with the others. Padding around the small strip of land, Bass stumbled upon the broken shard of a Poke Ball. The sight brought back all kinds of memories, most being of the fun, lighthearted variety.

“Did you know that the first Poke Balls weren’t even Poke Balls at all, but ancient urns that would contain pokemon, although I believe the mechanics and overall design resembles that of today’s contemporary Poke Ball. In a way, you could consider those ancient urns found at “Pokemopolis” to be the forerunners of the Poke Ball.”

Ah, talkling google. Just like the good ol’ days, one might say. The Torterra found it extremely interesting how he managed to pick up the more “inconvenient” traits of his original trainer/owner. ‘At least, the knowledge gained from my spouting bouts of random information could possibly benefit the others, in ways he has yet to think up. ‘Well, that is if they’re even listening.’

He was just about to dive deeper into a one-sided conversation about the history of the Poke Ball when-

"I bet this leads back up to the main path," Now THAT right there, was good news! Stepping over to the Gabite, who’d moved a bit to the side, Bass could see the little opening that seemed to be a bit to small for him. ‘Eh, I can just whack my way through.’ Turning to the Dragon, Bass watched as the Ground-type yelled up to the others up above in an attempt to get their attention.

"HEEEEEY!” Rocket yelled, ”Bass and I have found a cave that leads up to where you guys are! Wait for us in the forest - we'll come and find you once we're up there!" Somewhere along the way, Bass had joined in on the shouting so as to help carry the sound to the other half of their team.

"Looks like this is the only way ... unless you want to try climbing the cliff."

“How could I climb the cliff when I don’t even have fin- Oh! I see! Very nice, Sir Rocket.” To think that Bass’d nearly fell for the Gabite’s tease was rather embarrassing, but whatever. It happened to Maura and himself all the time, so he was pretty used to it. Which meant he could get over it pretty damn fast, too.

"So how about it? Might be a bit of a tight squeeze for you though."

“As long as we’ve got a chance to, as my trainer’s friend would say, “haul our asses” up there, then I’m game.”

((ooc: eh. Long post is long OTL))

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Route 45/Nightfall (11)
"Vlad? ... Vlad? Are you alright?"
I open my eyes to barely slits.In the darkness she probably couldn't see them but Written In The Fates must have been assured by my breathing.

I breath,"It appears night has fallen.We better find a more secure shelter before the nocturnal creatures awaken."I steady myself on my
three unharmed legs,curling the aching,injured leg to my chest.I look to Written and say in a more normal tone,"I would create a fire but I'm afraid it would bring about our undoing.The light would attract the vile abominations and we would be swarmed with the undead."

I turn to face forward but my ears detect a noise.Hmm.I look back to the edge of the cliff...voices.Specifically Rocket and Bass's voices.Hmph,Bass is alive,I'm glad.I tell myself it's because he's our most powerful fire and our main chance against a large number of undead.But I know...I've taken a liking to Bass.A series of words ring out.. "HEEEEEY!"Rocket's voice echoes "Bass and I have found a cave that leads up to where you guys are! Wait for us in the forest - we'll come and find you once we're up there!"

Heh.I go to the edge of the cliff and point my muzzle down,carefully steadying myself.I send out a quick series of flame throwers consisting of small beams and light dashes.I send,"[..](pause)[-.-.][---][.--.][-.--]."

I whisper to Written In The Fates,"I hope they understand international morse code,Written In The Fates.I told them,'I copy'....I learned morse code from my partner."An image of a bloody,twisted body flashes in my mind.I shiver.I turn away from the cliff,as if I could turn away from my memories."Come on.Let's see if we can find an out cropping of rocks."I go forward.

That's all I can do.

Keep going forward.

Dusk had arrived, and with it, promises of coming nightfall. Derek feared the night, for it was the time when most of the monsters came out to hunt. The Eevee quickly picked up the pace of his walk, careful not to spill any of the berries in the leaf bundle he was carrying. He had spent half of the day searching for berries and other foods, for Derek's stores were depleted. Daytime was the best part of the day for a normal Pokemon to hunt, it seemed the monsterd had a weakness to sunlight. Derek spent the rest of the walk trying to find ways to solve his food problem, then the hollow tree the Eevee took shelter in came into view. It was the perfect hiding spot, especialy during the night. After setting the leaf bundle in his food pile, which was pitifully small, Derek settled down to sleep. It had been a tiring day, and Derek needed all the rest he could get. Only right after he had curled up, Derek's ears perked up and his head lifted sharply. For a moment there, the Eevee swore he had heard someone shout. Dismissing the shout as a figment of his imagination, Derek tried to go back to sleep again. But, once again, Derek heard more shouting. Okay, now it was getting ridiculous. The Eevee climbed out of his tree and went in the closest direction to the source of the noise. Perhaps it was a survivor in peril, or a crazy monster. Either way, Derek was curious, and raced off quickly.

Suddenly, something huge and brown knocked Derek off his feet and facefirst onto the ground. Disoriented, Derek looked up to see a huge, rotten bird swooping down at him, cruel talons extended. With a yelp of terror, Derek ran away as fast as he could away from that thing. With a loud, bone-chilling screech, the bird pursued its tiny prey, wings flapping in a somewhat lazy fashion. As the Eevee continued to run, thorns tearing at his paws, he attempted to formulate escape plans. Derek arrived at a cliff with no bridge, and realized he was trapped. Derek had taken a minute to glance back, and while the monster had not caught up, he ran into the side of something furry and alive! Frightened, Derek realized he had collided into a Ninetales...a painful memory of Gellert's attack took hold of Derek's mind. After being silent for ten seconds, Derek brought back his thoughts to the present. "I'm really sorry! I was running away from a monstrous bird..." he told the Ninetales hastily, then noticed another bird near the fox. Derek thoughr he'd had enough of birds!

((Hope this was good ^^))

How valuable is life? How measurable is life's worth compared to others? She questioned herself about this everyday, any time, because there were moments when life had no meaning. She would sigh to herself, however, because life...

Vladimir had gotten to his feet - a very great relief and a worry at the same time for Written - and he hobbled over to the earth's ledge, sending down bits of flame one by one in a pattern. "Come on. Let's see if we can find an out cropping of rocks." The Ninetails started going off in another direction slowly, his bloodied paw risen from the ground. Written tweeted a worried note, but followed nonetheless as she stayed near the fire type.

Rocket had shouted that he and Bass had found an opening into a cave, telling them to meet within the forest. The Swellow agreed to every bit that the Gabite had said, though she had to admit that she was worried as to how exactly they would recuperate once more. Once you go down, it's twice as hard to go upward... Written cawed anxiously, staying behind Vladimir and keeping a lookout for any sort of danger. The Swallow Pokemon could hardly believe that on her quest to find her Muse and return to her owner safely, she had found herself entangled within a web of deceit, trust, and friends. And, of course, blood, anger, and fighting.

She preened her chest feathers, sighing as she reminisced about her past life. She didn't regret going off to Johto, thousands of miles and an large expanse of water away from Hoenn, but Written severely missed the simplicity and safety of that other world, the world free of infections and living dead. To gain something always means to lose something... She clucked in agreement to herself, hopping after Vladimir.

In that moment, an Eevee burst through the trees, and drove itself forward with such bluster as it crashed into the Ninetails beside her. Written cocked her head to the side in question. Where have you come from, little Eevee? "I'm really sorry! I was running away from a monstrous bird..." The normal type had then turned his eyes towards her, and he seemed to drop his sentence entirely. What? Written quickly checked over her feathers, seeing nothing wrong with their usual sleek shine to them, before catching onto what he had just said.

"I'm not whatever monster you had just seen, Eevee," she spoke gently, trying with all her might to move her wings to greet herself. They did not move whatsoever. "I can hardly fly as it is." Seeing that the normal type was by far not infected as far as looks and speech goes, Written figured that he was trustworthy enough to know her name. "I'm Written in the Fates."

... life wasn't something you question. All around you, she saw, had a purpose, a life that shone as an individual; so who was she to question that sort of topic?

"Mmm ... uh huh ... yeah ... cool..."

Rocket barely listened to anything that Bass was saying as he examined the hole in the wall. The Torterra had then said that he was perfectly OK with 'whacking' his way through. Looking at the sheer bulk of the Continent Pokemon, Rocket couldn't see how he'd have any trouble with it.

"That's one less thing to worry about then," he said, poking his head all the way into the hole to get a better look inside. Indeed there was a steep path leading upwards, no doubt leading into the forest above somehow. They'd be in danger going into such a hostile and dark environment with a load of crazy Infected running around, but they had no other choice. They'd just have to keep their wits about them at all times.

"OK, big guy, I'll go first. You wait here 'til I give you the signal."

Rocket lifted a leg and climbed into the hole with ease. The small cave was damp and had a rather musky scent to it. Sniffing the air, Rocket failed to detect any Infected in the area so turned back round and beckoned Bass to follow him.

"Just ... be careful you don't knock the wall down, eh? Or else we're really fucked."

((ooc: I know the others've said this already but, Welcome to the team, Fader!))

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Route 45 | Night
[14]

"Just ... be careful you don't knock the wall down, eh? Or else we're really fucked."

Well, that was his sign. 'Okay, Bass. Now is not the time to screw up! You gotta pull yourself together so we can both reach the others.' Alright! "Okay, boss!" And with that, the Torterra had clambered into the hole. 'A little small, but nothing to worry about.' Sure Bass could feel the drag of his branches along the cave top, ceiling, whatever, but they'd grow back.

"Boy! It's been a long time since I've been on an adventure like this. If I remember correctly, it's been approximately 5 months, 4 days, and- however many hours it's been since midnight." Rambling, one of the many ways Bass manages to fight pure unadulterated boredom. "Oh did you know that the formation and development of caves is known as speleogenesis, which is the origin and development of caves, the primary process that determines essential features of the hydrogeology of karst and guides its evolution. These may involve a combination of chemical processes, erosion from water, tectonic forces, microorganisms, pressure, atmospheric influences, and even digging. Also, most caves are formed in limestone by dissolution."

'Yup! Still rambling. I'm sure Maura would be proud.' As Bass continued on with his explanations on the formations and unique characteristics of caves, a nagging feeling would tug at him every few minutes, making him look back to see if anyone had decided to follow them. 'Calm down. You're probably just imagining things again. Just relax...Nothing's gonna get you, I think.' In the end, his weak reassurances would provide temporary comfort, until he heard, "Foooood," echoing from further down the cave. 'Oh shi-'"ROCKET!!!! I THINK SOMETHING'S FOLLOWING US!"

Route 45/Evening (12)
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I landed flat on my back,my breath flew out of my lungs.I quickly got to my feet,my face twisted into a madman's facade.I let out a growl and my muscles tensed.However when the Eevee spoke my breathing quieted.

As Written in the Fates comforted him,I began eyeing him up and down.He looked healthy if a bit frightened and as an Eevee he could be almost any type he wanted.I said,"My name is,Vladimir."As I waited for a response I looked around the woods wondering where Bass and Rocket would appear.

Derek nearly jumped ten feet backwards when the Ninetales growled like that. His attention didn't rest long on the fox when the blue bird started to check her feathers. Were all birds like that? "I'm not whatever monster you had seen, Eevee," the girl bird then said , or at least Derek guessed that it was female. The bluebird's voice sounded feminine. "I can hardly fly as it is." What? She couldn't fly? but all birds could fly, why didn't this one have the same ability? "I'm Written in the Fates." the bluebird introduced herself. Wow, that was a really funny name, where had she got it from? Derek opened his mouth to introduce himself, but the Ninetales beat him to the punch.
"My name is Vladimir," The Eevee was really surprised now, where were all these weird names coming from? "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Written in the Fates, and you too, Mr. Vladi...mir?" the younger Eevee had trouble in pronouncing this particular name. "I'm Derek! And it's really nice to see a Ninetales, I knew one named Gellert, he literally raised me."Derek's ears slightly drooped at the depressing thought of his foster dad. "His name was Gellert, but he's not the same anymore...he tried to attack me." Finally, Derek had ended his long talk. The Eevee had been known to be very talkative, Gellert had sometimes teased Derek about it. But before he could prolong the monologue, Derek's ears perked up again. Was that a raspy hooting noise he'd just heard? "Um...maybe we should go somewhere else...that monster might come back." Derek suggested in a timid voice.He certainly didn't want to run into that monster owl again. Derek wasn't strong enough to be able to fight alone, Written in the Fates couldn't fly...it looked like Vladimir would be the only one able to fight right now.

While Rocket did actually like Bass, the guy talked far too much. The Gabite walked briskly up the steep path and came to a junction, with one path leading left and the other right. He stopped for a moment to try and figure out which way was heading towards Route 45. Scratching his cheek with his claw, he finally decided that he'd had enough of the Torterra's ramblings and attempted, as politely as possible, to quieten him down.

"Listen, not that all this isn't interesting, but ... don't you think you'd better--"

"ROCKET!!!!" Bass suddenly bellowed, nearly sending the Gabite off his feet in fright. "I THINK SOMETHING'S FOLLOWING US!"

His ears ringing, Rocket swore as he dived towards Bass and clamped his mouth shut with both of his fins. "Ssshhhut up!" he hissed. "If you go yelling like that we'll have practically a whole army of undead swarming around us in second! Try to keep it buttoned while we're in here, yeah?"

Not moving away in case the Torterra started hollering again, Rocket listened. Indeed there was a dreadful moaning sound coming from the left pathway. Rocket tensed; an Infected was nearby. As much as the Gabite wanted to run straight down there and challenge it to a battle, he knew that the others would be waiting for them up above and didn't want to put Bass into more danger.

Sighing, Rocket finally decided that it was safe to let go of Bass's mouth and turned towards the right pathway. "Better go this way, then," he said as he began to walk quickly. "But do me a favour and be quiet, eh? If you really must say something then whisper, jeez..."

"MMMMPPPH!"

"Ssshhhut up! If you go yelling like that we'll have practically a whole army of undead swarming around us in second! Try to keep it buttoned while we're in here, yeah?"

Okay, so now, the situation at hand was that, he, the oh had just alerted whatever was in the cave, or all of Johto for that matter, where the two of them were. 'GREAT! LOOK WHAT YOU DID, YOU BIG OAF! Now those infected scumbags are gonna kill you, and on top of that, if we do die and Rocket manages to tag along, we're going to have to worry about getting our behind kicked to hell and back!' And so the two stood, Rocket, with his fins tightly clamped over Bass's mouth; Bass, wide-eyed, confused, and scared.

Then, when it was deemed safe enough, Rocket let go and began to walk toward one of the pathways, but not before warning him, a full grown Torterra to keep his trap shut unless it was really important, which would call for whispering, not yelling like the banshee that they probably now knew he was.

"...Okay."

And with that, Bass finally began to move his thick, stubby legs forward, never once letting his guard down, looking over his shoulder, trees, and rocks, every 5 seconds. 'I might as well do something useful and be on the look-out for any threats. At least with staying vigilant, I'll manage to keep my trap lid closed...as well as keep Rocket for getting even more angry with me....' Concluding the thought, Bass couldn't help but let out a sigh, a sigh of disappointment. He never thought he'd quite possibly screw up a budding friendship so early into the act. 'Dammmit, Maura, how'd you do it?!'

Route 45/Dawn (13)
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"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Written in the Fates, and you too, Mr. Vladi...mir?" At the sound of my name I raised myself from the trance I had fallen into.

"Vladimir is fine.There is no need for formal titles in this distressing world we are encased in."

"I'm Derek! And it's really nice to see a Ninetales, I knew one named Gellert, he literally raised me."

I studied Derek intently.I felt a kinship to him,he is but a child but has lost his father in a way similar to the way I lost the only father I ever knew.An Eevee is the only species with the most potential of any pokemon.To find one alive,in this terribly disgusting reality we are bound to,was astounding.And what more,exactly what I needed.I needed a disciple and here presented before me was a perfect candidate.

"Um...maybe we should go somewhere else...that monster might come back."

"Yes perhaps we should young Derek,we must seek a fortified area in which to use as a both a shelter and a fortress."

I looked around,ah perfect.I looked to Written In The Fates and Derek.

This region is covered in rocks and rough ground.Over there next to that clifface rising above our current ground is a boulder which we should be able to fit behind.However,we will need to take watch as the top will remain undefended from aerial attacks."

I took a breath.I sat on my haunches and cleaned my bloody claw which had scabbed over.

I looked up,"However I'm open to suggestions for a secure fortress.Where ever we decide to hide I'll take first watch while you sleep.I shall wake you an hour after dawn I will take my rest.While I sleep Written In The Fates and Derek you two will need to see if there is any berries or water.However,Written you are unable to fly so you and Derek will need to stick together.If you are attacked, escape and run here.If you happen to collect the berries and water unscathed divide them evenly among the six of us."

I sat and my haunches and tried to clean my paw and muzzle as best I could while waiting for a response.