(ACE) The SHIPWRECK Team

"What do I think we'll find here?" Aqua hums. With a nod Bell gives an affirmative, "Mmhmm!" Ms Aqua had lead them to the path already so surely she knew where they were going. "I bet there'll be a lot of human things since we're followin' one of their roads." Bell looked at the worn dirt path. Even after years of neglect you could clearly see the pathway that thousands of feet had crossed, and were still crossing! "A human road?" It really didn't look any different from the Rattata trails she would see near her pond. Except it was a lot bigger. And not so hidden. "Are we going to a city?" Every path lead somewhere and she had passed one of those on her... flight in. Where they headed back? "Humans usually keep all their goods and such in their dens. Keep a look out for any with a red or blue roof." Ah, so they were going to the city! Awesome!

The Poliwag walks with tiny hops, jumping onto little clumps of grass that had definitely grown in the hard-packed pathway. Other then grass there isn't much else to this area. In fact, its oddly vacant and near boring to look at with nothing but a maze of tall grass. Even trees were sparse and the few that were here didn't seem to be bearing fruit. The childs belly growls at the thought, reminding her of why they had set off in the first place. However, before she could say anything about it, even her low-bearing eyes catch sight human elements in the not-so-distance. Signs and fences, attempts at pavement, clear signs of their past presence along the pathway. Aqua peeks at the sign but Bell's gaze was fixated to the far reaches of the route. With all this grass and the water nearby it sure would be a good place for the Fox to hide.

"I wonder if this is where the fox lived.." She babbles to herself, still thinking of last nights story. Humans lived nearby so it had all the elements. That made it possible, right? "I'm not sure. They someone you don't want to find Ms. Bell? The Poliwag blinked her eyes, breaking her trance on the distance path. Huh.. Find someone? Turning around to face Aqua Bell shook her head, "No, but they could totally live out here. I dunno what they look like so it'd be cool to see one."


Saferi slowed her pace. There was something strange about these waters. The further she went up the more scents were revealed to her, their amounts strong enough to decipher from one another. Prey, blood, plants, stone, and something, something she could not place a name one. What the hell is that? It was tantalizing, familiar as though she should know it, but dank like it hadn't been the light of day in years. Is it a predator meeting its end? Or the infections first hold on something? Her knowledge was limited outside of hunting, territory, fighting.. basic survival really. What if this was something she did not know? Treat it like everything else. That had worked for her so far.

Dipping down so her movements stirred at the riverbed a cloud of dirt trailed behind her. It wouldnt matter; her prey was upriver and wouldnt see the cloud or know she was coming. The muds cool touch was almost soothing to the burn along her body though it hadn't given her too much trouble today as compared to yesterday. Good. She'd need to be in top condition if they were going in the ship. Letting her jaw hang open Saferi inhales, trying to pick up anything new amongst the rotten plants. Again, that smell trickled on top though it was much thicker now and couldn't be ignored. Her golden eye narrowed. Whatever it was they were literally in for a fight or life or death.

"No, but they could totally live out here. I dunno what they look like so it'd be cool to see one." Aqua watches as the child shakes her head. She gives a puzzled look, but doesn't press her further for the moment. Why a fox of all things? They weren't exactly known for anything particularly good. Wouldn't most kids wish to find a legend? Arceus knows they could use one or two of those in these times. Leading the way carefully into the crumbling town, she takes time to scan their surroundings often as they move.

A small port city, enough probably only for the one large ship they say before beneath the waves. It is all this amount of rubble could have been. Big enough though that there had to be supplies that survived...The rising light of the sun shines various shades of orange. The roofs, walls, all illuminating in the same hue. The floatzel whistle. "Wow, think they liked the color vermilion or what Ms. Bell?" One building was different. It clashed terribly in the rather uniform rumble landscape--a brilliant blue.

The structure was standing, but was pocketed by numerous small holes and cracks. Every window in sight stands shattered and open allowing the elements in. Creeping closer, Aqua attempts to look inside, but finds herself too short to do so from the windows. "Hmm..." She hums absent-mindlessly to herself as she begins a slow walk around its perimeter.The door was boarded, a forceful paw to the door confirmed it was boarded well. Windows too tall, cracks too large for her to weasel through...Carefully she reached a paw up to scratch her head underneath her hat.

"Ms. Bell you seeing anything? I'm stumped unless we can find something to climb through those windows with." She says, keeping her eyes on the nearest shattered window.

One big disadantage of the kelp forest was the inability to see anything approaching until it was right in your face, and this was making Thorn more and more nervous. He thought he could feel movement in the water, but there were so many plants around him that he wasn't sure if what he was sensing were other animate things, or more plants. As he kept moving through the kelp, he finally tasted something that told him he was almost at the Seaking. Pausing to gain his bearings again, something caught his eye near the base of the plants, but when he focused on it, there was nothing there. Unease was eating at him, and he hurried towards the scent/taste of the rotting Seaking.  

When he finally got to it, the body looked the same as it was yesterday, and the Gyarados was relieved by that. Apparently no one was desperate enough to use it as an emergency food source yet, but considering how obviously infected it looked, that wasn't a big surprise. No one wanted to risk infection.  However, the feeling that something had been following him hadn't left, so he decided to approach the corpse more closely. The idea was that he was going to try making whatever it was understand that this was his, and to leave it alone. If the thing was following him hoping for scraps of a kill, they were going to be disappointed.

What he didn't expect was for something to rocket out of the weeds towards his face. Snarling and opening his jaws wide to prepare for a Crunch, the object halted when it realized just what was sitting in front of the Seaking. This allowed Thorn to see a green fish with blue stripes down the side and a black back, and he had no idea what it was. He had seen many different pokemon while traveling and fighting alongside his trainer, but this was not one of them. Since it hadn't attacked him yet, he thought maybe he could indulge in his curiousity and be friendly. He dropped his angry facade and tried to smile at the significantly smaller water type. Unfortunately, that somehow scared the fish even more, and he felt bad at how the fish looked like it was about to... to borrow a human phrase, "piss its pants." "Look, I'm not going to hurt you. Just startled me," he tried to calm the creature.

"Uh... Sure... Yeah..." the fish spluttered. The voice seemed masculin, so he dubbed it a he until the fish would correct him.  The green fish kept looking around, as if waiting for something, but when Thorn glanced around, he didn't see anything.

"Are you running from something?" he asked. It was the only thing he could figure, and if there was a school of undead coming, they needed to go.

"N-not exactly..." The response caused the Gyarados to lift an eyeridge.

"Then what are you so worried about? If it's me, I'm not lying. I won't hurt you." Granted, this creature might be used to other pokemon lying to his face. Finally getting tired of not knowing what this creature was, he asked, "Not from around here... What are you? Oh... and what's your name?"

The fish looked at him with a slackjawed gaze for a second, as if shocked that he would speak to him. Remembering how almost all of the pokemon he was currently bound to gave him the same look, he patiently waited until the fish found his words. "I... not local either... Basculin from Unova..." he finally spit out. Thorn noticed how the fish pointedly didn't give a name despite being asked, but he didn't press.  Basculin... That's something new... As for Unova, he seemed to recall his trainer talking about the region. It was really far from Johto and Kanto.

Unfortunately, the Basculin still looked terrified of him, so Thorn decided to take his leave, and he hoped that maybe the fish would be fine. "Look, I'm about to leave anyway, so don't worry. I just ask that you don't touch that Seaking corpse. I have plans for it to help deal with the Phione problem."

At that, the green fish looked... sad, just for an instant, and this confused Thorn. Why that reaction to his revelation?

Alice. Where was Alice? The question clung to the damp air, to his coat, seeping into very bones. She had been there, that he was sure of. Close, so very close, and now gone. The more the glaceon fought to remember to think back on how he could have lost her again, how he had failed her, the fog that was ever present in his mind would only get denser. He knew he had to find her...protect her...take her from this place. "Chesire coming..." The words escaped as little more than a whisper.

So consumed with his own thoughts, he hadn't noticed he was no longer alone. Sounds reached him, not his own and not Alice. Maybe they could help Chesire? He ignored the terrain as he followed the echoed voices. Pain no longer existed for his damaged body, broken bit of glass, jagged rumble, nothing registered as he continued to pad forward. When his company finally came into view he stopped short.

"Alice...Alice...you're not Alice..." The canine continues to mutter to himself. A small blue fish and a larger orange something. The larger one was the right size, but not Alice. Alice had long, groomed fur the color of the midnight sky. Something they were doing did register in his mind. The pair was facing away from him, crouched over something a building large and bright. Was that where Alice was? Where they trying to get to her too? The infinite options flooded his damaged mind, but ultimately he acted on instinct.

Stepping forward, a familiar chill runs the length of his body, building and pooling in his stomach then throat as he releases an icy wind. Blown by unseen currents, the target and instantly freeze along a bent pipe nearby the strangers, creating a fragile slope along the side of the building. The beginnings of a makeshift bridge. "Need to find Alice. Please. Get inside building, need to find Alice." He pleaded, nodding towards the remnants of his icy blast.

The Poliwag plodded quietly along after Aqua, her head in the clouds despite all new things around her. She was getting more hungry by the minute but she had way better things to think about and distract her. Ms. Aqua hadn't said the fox couldnt be here so she had to think of all the spooky places it could be hiding. "Wow, think they liked the color vermilion or what Ms. Bell?" The Floatzel's question surprises her, stopping the motion of her little feet. "Vermilion?" That was a color? Screwing her eyes and peeking upward to see what Aqua was talking about Bell quickly realizes what she means. "-OH! Woah! Its so pretty!" All the buildings had a pretty reddish with a dap of orange color to them and nearly seemed to sparkle in the strengthening sunlight. "Its amazing!" It was like someone smeared Red Apricorn paint all over everything.

With her thoughts forgotten Bell scampers forward, spinning around and peering at all the buildings she could see. No matter how dilapidated they became the broken buildings held a strange beauty in her eyes. With all the reds it looked like the place was on fire, a shimmery place on the sun. "Oh Ms. Aqua look, the blue roof!" She squeals once she spots the different color. In truth, Aqua had probably already seen it but the did not stop her from speeding off toward the crumbling structure. She found what they were looking for!

Like a lot of buildings it was boarded and broken. It had holes all over it but many were small or sharp, not safe even for her tiny, rubbery body. "Hmm..." The Floatzel mumbles, trying the door vainly. Peeking around the building Bell looks for any gap that might be big enough for her. "Ms. Bell you seeing anything? I'm stumped unless we can find something to climb through those windows with." One hole looks almost big enough and not all that jagged so she pushes her fat body into it. However, she gets no further then the top of her head before its clear she can not make it through there. A pout stains her face but the youth is not discouraged. "Im pretty small. Maybe there's a hole I could get into?" She really didn't know what she would look for if she did get in, but they could worry about that after.

The morning air had been somewhat cold but suddenly it was enough to make the child flinch, shocked at its chill. "Woah!" She squeaks, throwing her tail in front of her face. The delicate sound of cracking ice bounces against her eardrums, confusing in all senses as it was not the season or place for such a thing. The chill stops, and she pulls her tail away to see something even more shocking. It was a fuzzy Pokemon! "Who are you?" She asks awed, oblivious to its infected state or its species. It had a pointed face and ears, and a thick tail. Never seeing something like it before only one thought pounds in her mind. Was.. was it a fox?


Saferi stopped in her tracks, moving only enough so the current could not push her. A deep sound resonated in the back of her throat. She knew what this taint was from. The recollection could be felt deep in the pit of her stomach. You fucking asshole. Of all places-- Thrashing her tail hard Saferi pulls up and shifts to the edge of the river. What the hell did she do now? Keep going, fall back and head to the sea? Gods fucking dammit. Gritting her large fangs she kicks away from the bank, scattering pebbles in her wake, and pushes forward.

The eel pulses her way forward, the scent filling her senses as it grew stronger, giving her an adrenaline rush as she recalled it so intensely. It was so obvious, so familiar. How could it of taken so long for her to remember it? Rage melted into the adrenaline, her energy levels sky rocketing. What are the chances.. Blood scent bathed her tongue and sent tingles along her scaly spine. This was no longer a hunt; she was on a murder mission.

Maybe it was because she was so honed on the scent or focused on it after so many years without but it was absolutely gagging. The river bowed, pooling off to the side under the shadow of trees. Under the taint was the thick taste of blood and the life, and in her eye drums was the mumbling of some creature talking. Saferi slowed, completely confident in herself and staying in the center of the river. You goin' to jail now Bitch. Letting her jaw hang open she breathes in the taste one last time to confirm. Her tongue does not lie but the voice is enough to be sure. "Having a sport of fun are you, Scum Tail."

"Im pretty small. Maybe there's a hole I could get into?" Aqua gives a small grin. She had thought the same thing...if only she could make sure she would be safe on the inside alone... A sudden chill distracts the floatzel from her thoughts and the sound of a sharp inhale. Moments later, ice flashes before her eyes she she turns on her heel. It catches the light, reflecting it every which way which momentarily blinds Aqua from seeing the finished structure created.

Nothing disguises the obvious discoloration of the pokemon now beside them. It's matted coat was probably once beautiful, but now was disheveled and blotted messily with varying hues of purple. As if its whole body were a bruise. The red tint of its eyes just as unmistakable as the rest of the glaceon. "Bell..." She whispers urgently, but the youngster appears oblivious to the danger. How had this pokemon been able to get so close to them without them noticing?

"Who are you?" Far too close. She needed to get between Bell and this...whatever it was now. "Bell...get behind me." She adds more loudly than before as she takes a cautious step forward to close the distance between her and the poliwag. "Need to find Alice. Please. Get inside building, need to find Alice."

It was motioning towards the building, speaking to them. Why wasn't it attacking yet? Was this a trap? Was it even smart enough for that anymore? Suppressing a shudder, she continues to inch forward to get between Bell and Chesire, ignoring the supposed tricks/delusions/threats? of the infected ice-type.

Deciding his business with the Basculin had been concluded, Thorn levered his tail under him to give him a boost from where he was resting. The green fish's eyes followed his movements, and settled longer than he he was comfortable on the kelp wrapping near the end of his tail. "Got hurt?" The question was said with a little more confidence, and this encouraged Thorn's more sociable nature. He still made it so that he was properly floating again, instead of resting on the sea floor..

'Yeah... The Phione caught me off guard... Didn't know they were infected until a little too late," He admitted abashedly. "Didn't actually land a bite on me or anything, so I'm good on that front," he quickly ammended his statement. He didn't want this guy to think he was going to start rampaging at any given moment.

"Who fixed you up?" the Basculin immediately asked. To be fair, there was no way Thorn could actually wrap up a wound with anything, so the question didn't strike him as completely odd. However, the way the green fish had glanced around with the question had caught his attention.

"Met some other living Pokemon, and one of them had hands, thank goodness," Thorn decided he wasn't going to lie, but he wasn't going to tell everything. Especially not to this strange fish that was giving him a bad feeling the more he spoke. He wasn't sure what this feeling was, but he had learned to trust his instincts.

His answer irritated the Basuclin, and he snapped "How many others?" Given the fact that this fish had been scared of him mere minutes prior, the sudden aggravation was surprising and put Thorn on the defensive. He started glaring at the fish again as he started adopting the fierce expression his species was known for.

Thorn decided he wasn't going to give anymore free information and simply offered,"A few." His fangs started to grow icy, and his serpentine form started to bunch as if he was preparing to lunge.

Now the fish was losing some of his confidence again, but he still felt comfortable enough to say, "That was vague." This fish was either much more powerful than he looked, or he was about to get ambushed. Given how the fish's eyes still widened with fear in the face of an angry Gyarados, Thorn was willing to bet on an ambush.

Magenta eyes glancing around, he could see things hiding in the kelp, as if they were also preparing to fight. Fighting swarms weren't his specialty, but he knew a wave clearer. He didn't want to cause a chasm to form, though... He needed to keep that damn Seaking corpse intact. Still not selling out his group, all he said was, "Yup."

"Who are you?" The younger pokemon asked, looking up at Chesire with an expression he used to recognize. Even without a name for the emotion, it made him feel warm. It was...nice, maybe even nostalgic. Had Alice given him such expressions in the years now long past? When he found her, would she give them to him once again? Chesire hoped so. "Chesire is Chesire."

The momentary bliss was interrupted rudely by the child's companion. The words swirled around in Chesire's mind. Bits and pieces he had to attempt to reform into coherent sentences. Bell? Behind? What was behind what? It made little sense. ...Alice was behind the wall though. That he knew and Chesire had to find her. "We go, inside, need help. Find Alice."

He needed them to understand. Again he charged an icy wind, aiming it at the remnants of his previous burst. It grew in thickness, extending further from the crumbling brick to something of a rudimentary foothold. A slippery one, but one not covered in glass. "Alice inside. Help Alice!" Chesire states, the certainty of that thought growing each time he repeats it. She had to be here.

Bell's brown eyes were round with wonder. Who was this Pokemon or this Alice he mentioned? Was this the fox from Thorn's story, still rugged from the chase, or someone else entirely? "Bell...get behind me." Aqua's voice is firm with a tone her own mother had had so many times. Ingrained knowledge directs the child slowly behind the Floatzel but she peaks around her legs curiously.

"Chesire is Chesire." The unknown Pokemon answered simply. So he was a Chesire? Ive never heard of that Pokemon. Did they live around here? Her mind was simply bursting with questions but she can not ask any before the Chesire speaks again, "We go, inside, need help. Find Alice." Bell gasped. Someone needed help!? "We have to help, Aqua!" She squeaks, gazing up the Floatzel longingly. This Pokemon had come to them for help! Had their friend gotten stuck trying to get in this building?

The cold air brushed against her again but this time Bell could see what it was- an icy breeze thingy coming from the Chesire! He was making an admirable slope into the building, easily strong enough to support her and maybe even Aqua. "Alice inside. Help Alice!" He urged, voice growing more bold. "Inside?" The child echos him. Looking at the cracked building Bell wondered how anyone could of gotten inside but heartily believed they could of gotten themselves stuck if they managed it. Which meant they needed help, her help!
Two heartbeats passed before the Poliwag moved into action, rounding past Aqua and hurtling up the icy slope. "We're coming, Alice!" She wailed, struggling up the ice. Keeping her tail straight behind her the Poliwag bundled her way up, almost slipping off several times. The roof appeared open above her, maybe big enough for Aqua, but Bell was looking at the first gap big enough for herself. Teetering at its edge the child suddenly realized it was a drop and tried to take a step back, but one foot slipped on the thin icy coat and sent her toppling forward over its lip. "Eep!" She squeals, realizing her mistke too late.



Saferi stared at the side of the bank. A tree and long grass above cast deep shadows over the water, darkening it from prying eyes. Thick water plants and fallen branches formed a barrier in the water and darkened the space further, creating a dark alcove for anything to hide in. A breeze blew through the tree, sending beams of light into the navy water. For a moment they catch the muddy red gaze of her target. "You're a long way from where you belong." She spat coldly, daring to swim a bit closer. It was trapped in its little temporary den. She might as well make the most of it.

The fresh scent of blood smashes her palate under the taste of rotten leaves, thick under that of death and even rot that come from the dank hole. No wonder these waters are so deserted. Why would any sane creature stay in a place reeking of death? Small translucent specks liter the makeshift den, catching her golden eye- fish bones. It decorated the fucking mass with fish bones... You always were vile. Saferi's thick fangs grit against one another a she forced herself to stay in control. "You disgust me." She growls vehemently, ready to strike at a moments notice.

Aqua stands rigid before the undead with her emotions torn and being tugged in opposing directions. She wants to help other pokemon, always has, but a sentient undead? They couldn't count. This monster could turn on them at any moment. Before she has a chance to act either way, Bell begins to climb the icy ramp. "Bell wait!" She calls urgently after the climbing poliwag, but it doesn't seem to deter the child. Bell makes it all the way to the top.

"We're coming, Alice!" Aqua hears her shout from the top of the makeshift structure. This was bad. She watches in silent horror, unable to do anything as Bell slips on the ice. For a moment, the child teeters on the edge. Then, as if in slow motion, she completely loses her balance and tips forward over the edge too late to right away. Aqua hears a squeal emit from her as she plummets.

"Bell!" She screams as she disappears from sight. Forgetting the undead by her side, the floatzel scrambles up the icy structure. Her paws slip and slide with each step she takes. The only thing keeping her from falling completely from the ice being how tightly she grips into it with her claws.

"You're willing to risk your life for this group? It's not like you really need them," the Basculin asked, and the mere suggestion he offered was almost ridiculous. It was true that he didn't have to rely on a group for safety, but the fish was ignoring the simple fact that sometimes Pokemon banded together for companionship. Thorn was guessing that the Basculin wasn't quite willing to fight him and was trying to get him out of the picture through some other method.

"So? Doesn't mean I don't care about them," Thorn cooly replied, and he challenged, "You wouldn't sell out your buddies in hiding, now would you?" No point in ignoring the obvious, and maybe the fact he knew about them would further discourage them. He was willing to avoid fighting as long as they wouldn't cause trouble, and he was hoping that maybe they'd be willing to let this go. He was confident in his ability to fight back, but swarms could be a horrible problem. The Phione earlier had made sure to beat that lesson in hard.

The Basculin's expression fell at the accusation, and his demeanor fully changed. "So you see them. Fine." The finality in the word set off every alarm bell in Thorn's mind, and he wasn't surprised when a school of fish like the one he had speaking to suddenly swarmed him. Cursing loudly, the shiny Gyarados lunged towards the one closest to his face and swung his tail in a wide arc. Looks like time for negotiation is gone. His icy jaws came back empty from the attack, but he felt his tail collide with a several bodies. He suddenly remembered the body that he needed to keep intact, so he made a tactical retreat by launching a Waterfall in a random direction.

"We're coming, Alice!" The poliwag wails, lighting a fire in Chesire. Yes! They were coming for Alice! The glaceon shuffles in place with excitement. Any and all concern for his undead state from the floatzel goes completely unnoticed as his eyes trail Bell's ascent. "Yes! Chesires needs to save Alice!" He calls up as a means of encouragement, leaping up onto his creation to follow. The bell around his large scarf twinkling faintly at the action.

With further excitement, he notices Bell has reached the top and is dancing around the edge. A grin breaks out across his scarred muzzle, how fun! Odd though, Chesire thinks to himself, that her dance is over the lip of the roof. Not even a second later, her form disappears from sight. "Wait for Chesire!" He calls, now racing up the icy slope, his balance sure on the slippery terrain. Without fear, the glaceon allows himself to project off the roof down the hole into the building.

A chill once again works its way up his body, gathering power and without much conscious thought, it erupts from Chesire, freezing the layers of debris now before them into another impromptu slope. His own paws nearly skidding from it as his form touches down on the solid surface. However, momentum carries him forward and pushes him off the slide and into an ungraceful, but unharmed, pile on the floor. The fox groans, his oversized scarf proving difficult to untangle from as he tries to stand.

Hello?" He calls tentatively, almost surprised to find the building inside abandoned. Wait, wasn't there other pokemon with him? Where were they? Finally making it to his feet, Chesire turns in a tight circle, scanning the area for Bell and Aqua. Chesire here!


((ooc: Cinder, feel free to have Bell use the ice slope/Chesire as a buffer for Bell's fall.))

Maybe that wasn't the best idea.
Bell can hear both Chesire and Aqua's voices but they merge together into one white hum as fear tugs at her mind. I don't want to hurt! The cold feeling swirls around her again, faintly stinging her rubbery skin. She gives a small squeak at the feeling of ice against her, and another as she lands upon the cold sheet and slides along it. Luckily, it was not painful, just unexpected, even more so as she flings off the side and takes another, though much shorter, drop into an open box on the floor below. "Woah!" Certainly not how she expected to enter the building.

There is a dusty thump as Bell lands, a dull fump echoing from the box. Whatever she fell on was very soft though heavily neglected as a cloud of dust rises above her. Everything seemed to be spinning as the child struggled to open her eyes, completely disorientated. Hello?" Chesire's voice takes several heavy moments to recognize has Bell's head starts to settle. Had he made it inside too? "Chesire here!" Shaking her head clear Bell looks around her. Well.. she definitely made it inside the mart, and it didn't feel like she was hurt either!

Standing up she slips on something in the box and face-plants the cardboard side. "Oof!" she gasps, trying again. This time she is a bit more careful, her head popping out above the top of the box. Mr. Chesire was standing nearby! Hopping her way out the Poliwag shakes herself clean of any dust before straightening up. "That was kinda fun!"


Saferi twitched impatiently as she resisted her urge to lunge. The bones, the blood, the sight.. terrible flashbanks pounded her mind. The makeshift den.. was this supposed to be his cage, an attempt at a new ring? Where the bones merely his prey or fallen challengers that he hung up in triumph? You always were vile. Oh, that's what his other name was; Vilekin. Or was it Acid Burn?

One of her eyes twitches slightly, the tangent fading as a memory of their brawls came in. They had always been pretty even... but if she made the first move right now when he didn't expect it, maybe she could get the early lead. We were both good as cramp quarter combat. But she was better. She had continued that style off fighting for so long after! There was no way learning to open water hunt had made her go soft. The eels massive jaw twitches, ready to lunge. She would show him, she would show him before he even knew the mistake he made!

"Bell!" Aqua shouts again, having finally clawed her away up the first icy slope. Her arms folded over the lip of the hole in the roof to hold her in place as she leans forward. A flash a blue a cloud of smoke from below. With one more forceful shove, the floatzel heaves her weight over the edge, free falling into the slick ice ramp.

The initial hit into the ice stuns her. Unable to control her descent, Aqua slides promptly off the ramp and free falls a second time to the floor below albeit with a softer land than before. With a groan she pushes herself back to her feet. The inside is covered in a layer of dust and just as abandoned as the town above. Aqua does a quick sweep of the store.

Someone must have been in a hurry, many items have been thrown about the store, shelves sit half empty from ransacking. It's not hard to find the only other bodies in the space. Bounding forward, Aqua puts herself in between Bell and Chersire. "Uh..Thank you Mr..Chesire for helping get in here," she says, nearly choking on the words as she thanks the undead.

"You can search for your Alice and we'll get our supplies and be on our way..." She adds cautiously, raising her hands to make herself appear as less of a threat.

As Thorn sped through the kelp, he tried to come up with an idea to deal with the school of Basculin currently chasing him. He could hear their voices, and it would be an understatement to say that they were unhappy. The Gyarados hoped that maybe he wouldn't have to resort to lethal force, but given how eager they were to pick a fight with him, it was looking less and less likely. Also, they had been way too interested in his group, and the fact that they tried to make him ditch made him believe they weren't exactly nice. So far his best plan was to just lead them away from the Seaking corpse so that he could fight with abandon. If anything, a good Earthquake might knock a lot of them out and scare the rest.

He felt something latch onto his tail fin, and Thorn didn' t need to look to figure out what it was. The fish were apparently faster than he expected. He could vaguely feel teeth trying to pierce the fin, but they didn't have a good enough grip to hang on to the constantly moving tail. He eventually found another clearing in the beds, and decided to make his stand here. The shiny Gyarados swerved into the clearing, and his long body left a clear trough in the sand from where he tried to stop. He twisted his body to face the oncoming fish and roared in challenge, "IF YOU WANNA FIGHT, BRING IT."

His first move was to slam his tail into the ground with immense force, and the ground responded with a deep and powerful shaking. The Earthquake attack caused a chasm to form in front of him, and the water also carried the shaking from the ground. A large number of the Basculin got sucked into the hole, and even those that didn't suffered from the intense vibrations. It took a few seconds for the attack to end, and the few fish he could see had been disoriented. A few apparently decided to bolt, and took off in random directions screaming, "Fuck this shit!"

Chesire's long ears twitch at the muffled sounds behind him. Turning to face them, he watches a cloud of dust lazily drift out in clouds from a nearby box. Good. He thought, they were still here. This store was big, this city unfamiliar, he would need help to find Alice. In an instant, the tadpole is on her feet, dancing her way to him. "That was kinda fun!" The glaceon gives a small smile in response. Thoughts of Alice float before his mind's eye, replacing the smiling face of the child before him with hers. She used to smile at Chesire like that...

"Uh..Thank you Mr..Chesire for helping get in here," The words snap him out of his daze. He was so distracted by his own thoughts, he hadn't even noticed the floatzel has slipped down to join them. "You can search for your Alice and we'll get our supplies and be on our way..." Another flash of distracting movement. Chesire's eyes track it, finding it to be the floatzel's hands, coming up to face him, palms revealed. He only watches with curiosity, his head falling slightly to the side.

As his mind works to comprehend her words, his eyes drift to their surroundings. Items of all sorts littered the rows above them and cluttered the floor. They wanted these...cylinders? "Chesire will help with items, if you help Chesire find Alice." He nods, more to affirm this pact to himself then to reassure the nervous pokemon in front of him. "Yes. Chesire can reach the shelves. Like before. Unlike you."

He turns slightly, measuring up the shelves near him. In his prime, he probably could have made it to the lowest hanging ones without even thinking about it. Could he still? If not, the ice was still built up strongly within him, eager to be released. His body felt so much stiffer...heavier...what curse had that Murkrow put on him to make his body feel this way?

Bell could not stifle a giggle as Aqua fell onto the ice slope and entered the room. They all made it! Wriggling her little body the Poliwag is about to bound her way toward either one of the other Pokemon but Aqua is faster, pushing her way in-between Bell and the Glaceon. "We made it!" The Poliwag confirms gleefully, flicking her tail back and forth. But Aqua seemed a bit distracted, her eyes on Chesire and words labored, "Uh..Thank you Mr..Chesire for helping get in here," Would they have been able to get in without him? Looking around Bell can see plenty of cracks and breaks, boarded up windows, and toppled shelves. The place was utterly disheveled and still sealed up pretty well. "He made it fun!" She squeaked realizing how tedious it would of been to try to squeeze through a crack.

With the initial shock of their entry fading Bell could finally take in that around her. Food and supplies and such! Bumbling her way over to the nearest shelf she peaked at the strange things upon it. Little cubes and cylinders, mountains of dust and soiled cloth. "You can search for your Alice and we'll get our supplies and be on our way..." Looking at the items on the shelf, then Aqua, then back to the shelf Bell's face grew puzzled. It wasn't often she was in human houses and there items were... interesting. "Ms. Aqua... what items are we trying to get?" She asked earnestly. They were looking for food, she and her belly remembered that much, but none of this stuff looked like food, let alone edible.

A frowned soiled her face. This was not at all like she was expecting. Sure, it was cool and strange in here, but food would not of been her first idea upon seeing any of this stuff. Bundling away from the short she padded over to an overturned box. There was smaller boxes and cloth in it but.. she had no idea what that meant! Turning to the Floatzel she whined, "I don't understand this stuff."  Aqua had led her here so there just had to be some kind of food stuff. Glancing around the room she notices just now.. sad? everything looked. There was color and fun shapes all over but it was dark, dirty, and unloved. I wish I knew what I was looking for. Even the air seemed off. It had the taste of musk with a faint hint of chemicals.

"Chesire will help with items, if you help Chesire find Alice." Turning her brown gaze to the Glaceon a wide grin spread across Bell's face. Chesire new what to look for! Hopping between each foot the Poliwag cheered, "Yes, yes! I'll look for her!" Now that was something she could do. Without hesitation Bell turned and scampered off through the store. The floor was covered in items and objects she did not know. Trying her best not to trip the youth took the easiest to navigate paths that she could find, climbing only solid objects and making her way under or around others. She nudged at a pile books, wondering if she could get under them. Was Alice small enough to be stuck under something? "Mr. Chesire, how big is Alice?" She called back, suddenly realizing she didn't know what she was looking for other then a Pokemon. "And what is she!"

"He made it fun!"[ Aqua watches tensely as Bell skips around the store, taking in casually, their current situation. She must not know...or at least couldn't connect the blotchy fox in front of them with the blood-thirsty undead. Glancing skyward again, she does note the lack of other exits. Getting in through the cracks or creating a hole of their own would have taken time and energy for sure.

"Chesire will help with items, if you help Chesire find Alice." Bell trusted him, he was their way out and in...She reasoned it would make sense to...keep him in sight. He also seemed to know what they were looking for. "Yes, yes! I'll look for her!" The poliwag chirps beside her. "Alright right Mr. Chersire." Aqua says, clearing her throat. "It's a deal."

Being mindful to keep both pokemon within sight, Aqua starts down the nearest aisle. "We're awful hungry, we came here looking for somethin' the humans left behind." How long has it been since she's been in one of the humans' stores? It felt like an eternity...

"You see Ms Bell, humans liked to put their food in little boxes and metal containers. It made it easier to move around. That's what my trainer told me anyway. We just need to find things with pictures of food on them. And of course keep an eye out for Alice. Uh, what did she look like now?" She asks, reaching a paw under her hat to scratch the fur there. All this Alice talk, and they weren't even sure she was a living pokemon much less what kind.

Several more of the Basculin took off after reorienting themselves, and even the ones remaining still looked terrified of him. He opened his maw to show off his teeth even more, and to prepare a Crunch attack. The bulk of fish that had gotten sucked into the chasm finally started swimming out, and the visage of an angry Gyarados was what they were greeted with. One or two more bailed at that point, but the rest decided to press the fight. "He can't get all of us!"  one shouted as they charged him, and he lunged towards them. He was still trying to avoid killing them outright, so he didn't bite down with as much force as he could. There was still blood in the water though, and the ones who took the attack did the swimming equivalent of limping away.

"BACK THE FUCK OFF!" he shouted, and more and more of the Basculin were losing their nerve. He could see it in their eyes that they were too terrified to fight him properly. The one he spoke to earlier was apparently the leader, and that one was somehow looking more terrified than the rest. Looks like he lead his group into a failed mission. He specifically made eye contact with that one and pulling off the Gyarados equivalent of a slasher smile, asked, "Now will you go away? I don't have time for this." He had tried being friendly, so now he was pulling out the intimidation tactics to deal with them. It was still a way to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, so he didn't mind using it too much. But it unfortunately fed right into the stereotype of Gyarados being fucking terrifying.

The fish finally just shouted, "ABORT ABORT. ABANDON PLAN," before swimming away in a blind panic. Apparently all of the earlier ballsiness had been lost in the face of a Gyarados completely willing to wreck their shit. The other Basculin followed their leader, and he eventually lost their movements in the kelp. After about a minute, Thorn dropped the facade and sighed. It was such a cutthroat world after the Epidemic hit it appeared. Granted, he had only been with a human with much of his beyond the Lake of Rage experiences, but still... The memory of his tiny trainer brought a smile to his face, and one would hardly believe this was the same creature that had just terrorized a bunch of other Pokemon. His thoughts wandered for a little, but he shook himself back to reality and decided, Guess I better figure out food now...

Chesire grins, leaping in place with excitement at their agreement to help. It can't be long now! They will find her. "Alice is tall, twice Chesire's height. Ears just as long." Chesire says, his growing motivation clear in his voice. He doesn't wait for the other before starting down the nearest aisle. Red eyes scan the shelving above them as he continues to explain. "...big purple eyes, fur, same color as night sky. Always with gold watch."

Nothing of interest. Undeterred, the glaceon starts down the next aisle then the next. At least, his pace slows to a stop, eyes focused on a miniature wall before them. It was only several feet tall and topped with the same bright blue of the roof, but this surface looked flat and smooth. It would be perfect to place things on top of. Noticing a space behind the counter, Chesire takes a couple paces back, bunching his hindlegs to build up power before dashing and springing up and onto the surface.

"You cannot miss her." He says at last, short on breath from his leap. "Very beautiful." Despite taking many breath, Chesire still felt breathless as he leapt down the other side. She had to be here. This was the best place, behind a wall, like their castle. He could even smell something. Was it food? Food behind the door? Alice too?

Pushing forward, he brings his shoulder into contact with the 'employee only' door and pushes it ajar, but it soon catches on something within and stops. Desperate, he pushes his head through the opening created. "Alice!" He calls, trying to force his body through, but to no avail. The room was dark, sparsely furnished, some large appliances stood out from the thin, brightly colored chairs and upturned tables. A kitchen? "Alice!"

Bell wriggled and squirmed until she popped out on the other side of the toppled books. However, as soon as she was free her disturbance caused the rest of the pile to fall over completely. The Poliwag paid it no mind, continuing her march around the store as her attention quickly waned to curiosity, anything within range of her eyes becoming much more interesting. "You see Ms Bell, humans liked to put their food in little boxes and metal containers. It made it easier to move around. That's what my trainer told me anyway. We just need to find things with pictures of food on them. And of course keep an eye out for Alice. Uh, what did she look like now?" Pictures of food on little containers? So far none of the little things she had seen looked like food..or had things on them that looked like food.

Sniffing at a tiny cube thing that lay on the floor all the child could smell was dust. A frown sullied her face. This finding food thing was turning out to be a lot harder then she expected. If there was anything she knew in life it was water and food. Why is it so hard to find then! If humans were going to hide their stuffies maybe finding Alice would be easier."Alice is tall, twice Chesire's height. Ears just as long... big purple eyes, fur, same color as night sky. Always with gold watch." Bell ate up the Glaceon's description. So she was a really big Pokemon with dark fur. Something like that would be easy to spot!

Bouncing to the next aisle Bell stops at edge. One shelf had fallen against the other tossing all it contents onto the floor and darkening the space between the shelves. Blinking her brown eyes Bell wondered if she would be able to fit in there let alone tell any of the items apart. There is no way Alice is there. This was already easier! Her belly rumbled again though and the chance of food was enough to turn her feet down the aisle. Just as she did pounding breached her eardrums. "Alice!" Chesire's quivering voice reaches her. Had he found her? "Alice?" She repeats, hurrying her way over to the Glaceon. He was trying to force his way through a door but it seemed to be a bit too small for someone his size. But not me! Barrelling past him the Poliwag dove through the open portion of the door and into the room beyond.

Flopping onto her belly she raised her tail and eyes high. "Alice!" She squeaked gleefully but received no response. Making her way back to her feet the child looked around the room. It was kinda different from the rest of the shop. Even the air tasted unusual compared to the other room. "Ms. Aqua, what is this place?" She asked innocently. Usually places that smelled different meant Pokemon went there often like feeding grounds, nesting areas, and sleeping places. "Is it a den?"

Aqua listens as Chesire begins to explaining. Tall, long ears, dark fur...what pokemon could that be? Zoroark maybe? As they continue through the aisles, the floatzel mindful to stay a couple feet away from the undead the entire walk. Item litter the floor and shelves, some of them Aqua recognizes, but half of them she doesn't. Potions, antidotes, if only she knew how to use them or even if she knew they would work underwater! If her trainer were here...

No. She told herself. It's not the time for thoughts like those. By the time their small group reach the counters at the back, she can feel disappointment starting to build. The place was full of all the wrong items. She was sure there would be at least -something- here. A frantic call from Chesire brings her fully back to the present. "Alice!"

Jogging to catch up, she can hear him call again from behind the counter. The height of the semi-wall blocks her view, but as she runs along it, her paws pressing against it as she moves, looking for a weakness, they finally push in as she rounds a corner. A small wood flap moves easily to the side as she shoves and makes her way. This was probably how the humans got behind here... she thinks to herself as she moves past it.

By the time she gets there, the glaceon already has his body crammed into what there was of an opening into an adjoining room. Cautiously, she creeps alongside him, carefully not to get in his way as she gets a look of the room beyond over his shoulder. It reminded her of her trainer's home....the white box, the tables--a blue shape barreling past them both."Ms.Bell!" The words fall on deaf ears.

Before she can react, Bell has worked her way between them, past the door and into the room. "Ms. Aqua, what is this place?" Aqua rushes as close to the opening as she dares with Chesire still wedged within it. The racing of her heart sounding in her head, filling her ears as she tries to listen to Bell's words. "Be careful!" She says almost as a reflex. "It looks like a human den...I recognize the box in the back...the huge white one. My trainer used to keep his food in a container that looked similar."

Darting her eyes around the room, Aqua focuses on finding what is blocking them. "Ms.Bell, can you see what is on the other side of the door? If there is something blocking us you can move...we might be able to get in with you."

The shiny Gyarados began swimming through the kelp again, deciding to see what he could find for food. Unfortunately, fate seemed to have different ideas for him this morning, and once again, he felt something in the water moving towards him. This time it was moving quickly, and unfortunately, the kelp still hid whatever it was. Thinking it was still the Basculin from earlier, he challenged, "Back for more?" Needless to say, he wasn't expecting the rotting corpse of a Sharpedo to rocket out of the kelp towards him. The teeth were jagged, and half of them had fallen out, and Thorn got a fairly good look at them when it opened its maw while zooming towards his face. He ducked out of the way barely in time, and it went right over  his head. He could smell the blood and decaying matter as it went by, and he nearly gagged. How the fuck did she deal with that shit? I know Mel said Lynn's sense of smell sucked, but damn. The Sharpedo's momentum carried it into the kelp again, and this time Thorn was waiting for the next assault. He coiled his body like a spring, and once he had a pretty good feeling he knew where the shark Pokemon was, he lunged with all the power he needed to jump waterfalls.

He had correctly guessed where the undead was, and the two beings collided. The Sharpedo had been moving faster, but Thorn was massive. Ensuring his mouth was closed, the shiny Gyarados slammed his crest into the undead's snout, and there was a crunching sound as the weakened bones snapped and compacted together. He even heard squishing noises before the body fell to the side of his forward charge, and he swung his tail around to change his momentum so that he would stop. He looked back to the undead to see if it could even still move. The Sharpedo's mouth and jaws had been horribly deformed and shoved into its body, and almost all of its teeth were gone now.  It still twitched, and when it saw him still nearby, it tried to get off the seafloor and failed horribly. The being was still trying to kill him even though it was too damaged to move. Thorn sighed, and decided to put it out of it's misery. It was once like him, and this continued half existence would be hell for him. He got closer to it, and it tried its damnedest to snap its almost non-existent jaws at him. He slammed his tail into the undead, and the body was smashed into the ground with final crunch and squelch.

((ooc: Please skip, Chesire is still trying to claw his way through the door.))

"Be careful!" is the first thing to come to ear. Careful? Was this place dangerous? All the bright colors and shapes sure didn't look dangerous. In fact the entire room seemed to give off a.. fun or calm sort of thing? It was hard to tell but all the open space just made her want to run around on the smooth floor! "It looks like a human den...I recognize the box in the back...the huge white one. My trainer used to keep his food in a container that looked similar." Waddling up to the object in question Bell strained to tilt her head back without falling over. Everything in here was too tall for a tiny Poliwag! I could see better on top of something! A lot of the sitty chair things were short enough for her to jump on. Maybe if she got on one them then she could- "Ms.Bell, can you see what is on the other side of the door?" Aqua's voice broke through her thought, "If there is something blocking us you can move...we might be able to get in with you."

Turning around and heading back toward the door its easy to see whats blocking it from the inside. One of the chairs had fallen against the door at a weird angle and its back was wedged under the handle. One of the little points of the back was broken off but not in the right direction for the door to open. Alone, it looked like it could be moved if she shoved it hard enough or even with enough force on the door itself. "Um.. " Bell mumbled, realizing the chair was not the problem. "Theres like a chair stuck against the door but.." One of the tipped over tables was keeping the chair in place, the chair's legs pressing harder against the table with each movement. No matter how hard they pushed they weren't gonna move that. "Its stuck against a table?" Those were the right names right?

If sight alone wasn't enough to tell the Poliwag she couldn't move the table tapping one foot against it did. It wasn't the heaviest or best quality but it was still too much for someone of her stature. "Maybe I can knock over the chair?" she mumbles, her voice edged with trouble. Taking a couple steps back the youth wiggles before giving the chair an amiable shove. It whines, shifting slightly as the Poliwag is bounced back, but does not fall. Regaining her footing the child huffs, slapping her tail against the floor as she gives it another go this time with a running jump. Her flat feet barely meet the edge of the chair while her torso flops forward onto its angled seat. "Woah!" The chair creaked under her weight, neglect warping its surface, before tipping from the momentum.  "Woah woah woah wooaahh!" she squealed as it fell over completely, tossing her forward onto the floor before while giving a weak crash.