(ACE) The MAUVILLE Team

"Can we PLEASE focus on the real problem here?" Madison exploded before he'd even gotten any sort of answer from his brother. Sirius turned to glare at the Lopunny; not him too...? "I mean, seriously? I think we have bigger things to deal with than who is bothering who- like how we're kind of trapped in this shitty place? Maybe you lot might find something charming about the whole 'falling apart while we stand and chat' shtick, but I didn't wake up this morning intending to get eaten by a walking hunk of rotting flesh or crushed under a ton of stinking rocks, thanks for asking. But, you know, have at it."

"You know what, Brother Dear, your fluffy plush doll's got a fucking point," Orion snarled from behind the Lucario and her wimpy-looking human. Sirius rubbed at his temples as he felt his will beginning to fade. He wasn't going to win this; not today. "Why don't you leave? We'll all leave-- you go one way and I go the fucking opposite. That sounds like a great plan; let's do that! Maybe while you're busy fucking off, you can find someone else to stalk."

Sirius could've pulled his fur out in frustration as he was interrupted again, this time by the human. "Look.  I... I don't care if he's your brother. 'He's my brother, butt out' isn't a defense. He said to go away. So go away. He and Mariel and I will go one way and you and the Lopunny can go the other way.  Problem solved; it's super simple." Where these idiots brain dead? Did they not realise that there was no way in hell that was going to happen?

But Madison at least had a point; they did have more pressing matters at hand, like getting out of this crumbling hellhole without being smooshed under several tonnes of concrete, or being found by that devil of a Garchomp again. With a deep breath, Sirius pushed back his growing frustrations and gave his staff a small whirl in the air, powering up its flame.

"Fine," he said curtly. "We'll stop arguing, sure, but I'm not going anywhere. I'll carry you out of here over my shoulder if I have to, Orion, and once we're out in one of the Routes I'll shake the answers out of you." He turned away, making out that he was taking a look down the corridor ahead when he was actually gritting his teeth and snarling to himself. Why?! Why didn't any of them understand where he was coming from? Why was nobody on his side? It wasn't as though he was being unreasonable; he just wanted his little brother to love him like he loved him.

Turning back to them, he composed his face into a calm expression and said, "Besides, it's a lot safer if we're in a big group, right? Don't know if you saw it, but there was a pretty nasty Garchomp in here earlier. It must've used Earthquake or something ... that's why the building's structure is weakening." He gazed thoughtfully into his flame for a moment. "We could do with finding out whereabouts we are; this city is pretty huge..."

Did he get a couple dirty looks for that? Yes. Did he really give a damn? Nope. He lost the last one he had somewhere around the time the ceiling started falling in on them.

"You know what, Brother Dear, your fluffy plush doll's got a fucking point." The Delphox sneered in response to his words, and there was certainly something to be said regarding the irony of someone so blue making him see red. "Why don't you leave? We'll all leave-- you go one way and I go the fucking opposite. That sounds like a great plan; let's do that! Maybe while you're busy fucking off, you can find someone else to stalk."

"Oh, I'll show you just how much of a 'fluffy plush doll' I am, pal." Madison hissed back, raising one fist with a crooked grin twisting his features. "I've had one hell of a bad day and it keeps getting worse." No, no, wait- hadn't he just been complaining about all of the arguing? Ugh, but he really didn't want to be the bigger person in this particular situation- if anything, he wanted to give the damn headache of a Fire type a good taste of a knuckle sandwich. Punching people was so much better than fretting over his own hypocrisy.

"Look.  I... I don't care if he's your brother." Oh, right. Madison had almost forgotten about the human. The Lopunny's brief burst of aggression faded, fist lowering as he listened to him speak with an expression that was decidedly neutral. He wasn't really sure how he felt about the human yet, though something he said did manage to catch the Normal type's attention. "He and Mariel and I will go one way and you and the Lopunny can go the other way.  Problem solved; it's super simple. Unless you'd rather not come with us?  It's true you stand a better chance of getting out of here if you're not alone a-and we won't bother you..."

Seemed like the human wasn't the only one who shared that idea. "Besides, it's a lot safer if we're in a big group, right?"

"It is." And it meant Madison was less of a target. "I think sticking together would be our best bet- for all of us. Even if we do split up somewhere down the line, with the way things are right now, it would probably be smarter if we stayed as a group while the danger was still... You know. Dangerous?" Eloquent.

"Oh, I'll show you just how much of a 'fluffy plush doll' I am, pal." the rabbit hissed back, raising a fist and contorting his face into a weird grin. Orion knew that his battle experience was shit, but he had enough street smarts to know how to hit the ceiling above that plucky bastard to get it to collapse. "I've had one hell of a bad day and it keeps getting worse."

"Oh boo fucking hoo, we all have!" Orion snapped back, but stopped in his verbal onslaught when the human stirred in front of him.

"Look. I... I don't care if he's your brother. 'He's my brother, butt out' isn't a defense. He said to go away. So go away. He and Mariel and I will go one way and you and the Lopunny can go the other way. Problem solved; it's super simple." He glanced down to Orion, who only could stare up at him in anxious anticipation. It was odd to have someone helping him... someone actually helping. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. Should he say something? Do something? Give a... thumbs up or... Thankfully, the human continued on his own. "Unless you'd rather not come with us? It's true you stand a better chance of getting out of here if you're not alone a-and we won't bother you..."

Orion blinked. He was... being given a choice...? Was there an angle? What was this guy trying to gain? "...I..."

"Fine," Sirius replied curtly, practically snapping at the word in the air as it left his mouth. It caused Orion to break eye contact with the human to hatefully watch his littermate. "We'll stop arguing, sure, but I'm not going anywhere. I'll carry you out of here over my shoulder if I have to, Orion, and once we're out in one of the Routes I'll shake the answers out of you." Orion seethed visibly at the sentiment, throwing twin birds at his brother's receding back. Fuck that guy.

He then turned back, addressing them all like they were his loyal fucking subjects or something. Or serfs. Lowly fuck-off serfs that couldn't think on their own, so they had to rely on the wise king to tell them how to think and feel and what to do. Christ, he hated Sirius. "Besides, it's a lot safer if we're in a big group, right? Don't know if you saw it, but there was a pretty nasty Garchomp in here earlier. It must've used Earthquake or something ... that's why the building's structure is weakening." The blue Delphox didn't heed his words and only increased his loathing in his glare as the other fire fox pondered. "We could do with finding out whereabouts we are; this city is pretty huge..."

"It is," the rabbit supplied. "I think sticking together would be our best bet- for all of us. Even if we do split up somewhere down the line, with the way things are right now, it would probably be smarter if we stayed as a group while the danger was still... You know. Dangerous?" EuuuuUUUGGGGH. Why did everyone have to make sense?! He certainly felt more like tossing it all to the wind and telling Sirius to go fuck himself with his wand. But then again, that had worked so fucking well last time.

Orion's growl was low and threatening and completely directed toward Sirius. His lips were curled back as much as possible, his ears pricked and his hackles straight off his back. Every single inch of his body oozed hatred. "I'll leave this cave-in. I'll leave this city. Sure. Fine. Whatever. But it will not be, or EVER be, with you." He rose to his paws, still on four feet, and waited for the human and his Lucario to move. "The only way you're carting me out of here on your fucking shoulder is if you've got my cold, stiff corpse in your hands."

"Fine." The snapped word called heir attention from Orion to Sirius, Mariel noting the way every fiber of Orion bled hatred for his brother. "We'll stop arguing, sure, but I'm not going anywhere. I'll carry you out of here over my shoulder if I have to, Orion, and once we're out in one of the Routes I'll shake the answers out of you."

"Not if I have anything to do with it," Calem mutters, and Mariel smiled a bit to hear the fire in his voice, even if it was a mumble. Good.  

"Besides, it's a lot safer if we're in a big group, right? Don't know if you saw it, but there was a pretty nasty Garchomp in here earlier. It must've used Earthquake or something ... that's why the building's structure is weakening." An excellent point. Calem's frown of defiance became one of thoughtfulness. He thankfully had the pretense of mind not to tell the group they'd seen that Garchomp. It would just make the other two angrier that they'd been arguing over Orion when that thing could still be loose. "We could do with finding out whereabouts we are; this city is pretty huge..."

Just our luck, I guess, that we've never been to Hoenn... He has no more an idea about the city than anyone else.

"It is. I think sticking together would be our best bet- for all of us. Even if we do split up somewhere down the line, with the way things are right now, it would probably be smarter if we stayed as a group while the danger was still... You know. Dangerous?"

Which makde perfect sense. Calem had to nod in agreement.

"I'll leave this cave-in. I'll leave this city. Sure. Fine. Whatever. But it will not be, or EVER be, with you." Yeah, small wonder why. "The only way you're carting me out of here on your fucking shoulder is if you've got my cold, stiff corpse in your hands."

"W-well, I'm going to make sure that doesn't happen, Orion." Calem adjusted his hat and shoulder bag. "I-I've never been here before, but the place reminds me of a- of a mall. Malls tend to have maps. We're in a stairwell, so... we need to get out of the stairwell, then if we don't see an immediate exit, find a map? From there we can figure out a Plan A and a Plan B in case a cave-in blocked off Plan A. And then we can go our separate ways." He punctuated the word by glaring at Sirius.

"Orion, you can then decide then whether you want to stay with me and my family, or continue on alone. For now, as much as nobody is happy with this, we have to stay together and start moving."

((Nnnngh, skip for just this round. Sirius flashes a glare at Calem and then starts looking around for one of the maps.))

"I'll leave this cave-in. I'll leave this city. Sure. Fine. Whatever. But it will not be, or EVER be, with you. The only way you're carting me out of here on your fucking shoulder is if you've got my cold, stiff corpse in your hands." Somehow Madison wasn't very surprised a certain someone had his own two cents to add on the matter.

"Whatever." The Lopunny replied with a shrug. It wasn't his problem whether the Fire type wanted to go with them or not- he wasn't his brother, after all, and therefore not his responsibility. Even if we were related, I probably would have given up by now. It's not like he hasn't already made his feelings obvious enough. He wasn't quite sure whether to consider Sirius' persistence admirable or thickheaded. Probably a little bit of both- with emphasis on the latter. "I don't have a problem with it. What happens happens." Seemed like he was getting dragged along for the ride whether he wanted to be or not. It was still better than making a go at things alone.

"I-I've never been here before, but the place reminds me of a- of a mall." He turned his attention back over towards the human when he spoke, head tilting at a slight angle as he listened. "Malls tend to have maps.  We're in a stairwell, so... we need to get out of the stairwell, then if we don't see an immediate exit, find a map? From there we can figure out a Plan A and a Plan B in case a cave in blocked off Plan A.  And then we can go our separate ways."

"Right." He could only feel thankful that the dust and debris clouding the air had finally settled, allowing the Normal type to keep an eye out for one of the aforementioned maps. "Probably better if we keep moving anyways." He said, starting to walk.

Sirius' glare was a look that Orion burned into his memory. He wasn't just going to let that dick-gargling fuckhead just have his way like he always did. No. He wasn't fucking winning this one. Not if Orion was still breathing. "Whatever." Orion turned to see the rabbit shrug and begin to walk away. He held little more than indifference for the guy and it seemed the feeling was mutual. For once, Orion was ok with that. He could deal with indifference. He could handle that. "I don't have a problem with it. What happens happens."

"I-I've never been here before, but the place reminds me of a- of a mall." The blue fox looked up to the boy and listened, his fluffy, scarred ears perked in his direction. "Malls tend to have maps. We're in a stairwell, so... we need to get out of the stairwell, then if we don't see an immediate exit, find a map? From there we can figure out a Plan A and a Plan B in case a cave in blocked off Plan A. And then we can go our separate ways." Orion couldn't help but feel the very beginnings of a smirk forming at the human's emphasized word.

"Right," the bunny called. "Probably better if we keep moving anyways."

Orion followed, slinking on all fours as he'd always done, his staff clamped into his jaws. Carefully, he made his way out of the collapsed bit of stair and then skittered to a corner of rubble away from his brother. They were back in the central courtyard, it seemed, the Poke Center nearby. He gnawed a little on his staff anxiously; he simply wanted out of this hellhole as quickly and as alone as possible.

"Right. Probably better if we keep moving anyways." Calem watched him start to walk away, starting to fall in step behind him. Mariel walked at his side, the two friends sighing as they stepped out into the central courtyard.  

Sure, it was possible undead birds could find them there, in the open like that, but if they werelucky, there was nothing left inside the city that could've heard all that noise and no birds are active.

... They're not lucky people.  Mariel kept herself on high alert, because it was awareness and adaption to changing situations, not luck, that would keep them alive.

Poor guy... Calem could help but notice Orion moving to get as far away from his brother as he could. Thankfully, the courtyard was of a decent size. Plenty of room to not be near Sirius.  

... He could use Axel to escape, but Axel probably isn't big enough to carry even just him and Orion out, let alone all of them. As much as I don't like Sirius, I don't want to leave him here to maybe get EATEN. And he wasn't not really mad at the rabbit at all, let alone angry enough to leave him behind to potentially the same fate. No, he could... he could do this.  He could tough this out. And it was only that one hallway that caved in, right? If they needed to make a fast exit, they could just... come back here. He was a decent runner, and if he was too slow, Mariel would literally grab him and run.

Okay, good, now he felt a little better...

Out of habit, he scanned the area. Not super big, but big enough so he didn't feel penned in. This was nice....

...

Wait, what was that?

As he glanced around the little area, a statue caught his eye.  Staring at it for a moment, he swallowed as recognition hits him.

Lumiose Tower... Why was that here?  The two cities must have had some sort of partnership...

Just his luck that he would be slapped in the face with a reminder of home. Kalos, Kalos; what has become of you? Would he live long enough to find his way back?

"S-so... f-first floor? That- that has to be... promising?" Time to force that away and focus at the task at hand. First floor was a good sign. Hopefully they could find a way out from here.

"The courtyard again?!" Sirius huffed as soon as that miniature model of Lumiose Tower came into his torchlight. He looked over at Madison with an irritated flicker of his ear. "We're back where we started."

At least it seemed to be clear, for now. The Delphox crept forward, listening for any signs of company. A lump on the ground caught his attention and he stopped, looking at the cluster of dead bodies in disgust.

"This is where we were attacked," he said, grimacing at the blood and guts splattered across the courtyard's tiles. "It killed four of us before we managed to get away..." He pointed his finger towards the eastern entrance. "We ran that way, and I remember that gate being blocked off by debris, so we can rule that one out. And Madison and I just passed the western one on the way to you guys, and that was blocked too."

"That leaves us with the north and south entrances," he deduced, standing to attention as undead noises reached his large ears. "South doesn't sound too good ... what do you say we try north?" Quite honestly, he was hesitant to leave the courtyard just yet; at least there was no chance of a ceiling falling on them out here.

"S-so... f-first floor?  That- that has to be... promising?" It took an impressive act of willpower to keep the groan that threatened to slip out of his mouth contained. While he supposed the human had a point, that didn't make the observation any less disheartening for reasons Sirius was mercifully quick to point out so he didn't have to.

"The courtyard again?! We're back where we started." He exchanged a sour look with the fox, his own irritation painfully obvious in his less than thrilled expression.

"There used to be more of us." Madison offered as the Fire type recited their story. He tried to watch his step, moving daintily around debris and gore alike with all of the grace of a terrified housekeeper who had spotted a mangy Rattata skittering around uninvited. Ew, ew, ew- talk about something he didn't want to step in? He hadn't known those unfortunate Pokemon for long, but he really didn't want to step in them- or any other bodies, for that matter. "Some were killed, others were lost when we went upstairs. I don't really know what happened to them. A pause, a moment of consideration. "The windows are too high to climb out of." And oh, how he had dearly wanted to.

"We ran that way, and I remember that gate being blocked off by debris, so we can rule that one out. And Madison and I just passed the western one on the way to you guys, and that was blocked too." A nod. Thank goodness Sirius was better at keeping track of things than he was; between the building nearly coming down on them and his alarm at their rapidly dwindling party, the Lopunny probably would have been stuck wandering in circles. "That leaves us with the north and south entrances. South doesn't sound too good ... what do you say we try north?"

"I don't have a problem with that plan." So long as they had some idea of where they were headed- a distraction, a goal- Madison was content.

"S-so... f-first floor? That- that has to be... promising?" Orion said nothing as he kept himself low to the ground atop his pile of rubble, ears twitching for any sign of other unfriendlies. Though the human seemed a little optimistic, Sirius' demeanor changed from frustrated to livid.

"The courtyard again?! We're back where we started." A small smile crept onto Orion's expression as his brother vented and exchanged a mutual look of disdain with the rabbit. Aww, is life not fair to you anymore, Sirius? Are you actually going to have to work toward your goal instead of just being handed it? Poor baby.

"This is where we were attacked," Sirius began, offering some insight for his sudden temper tantrum. Not that Orion was really interested in listening to his brother talk, but the thought of listening to him recount a failure of his... Well, that was far more palatable. "It killed four of us before we managed to get away..." Wait, four? With how many pokemon barged into his little sanctuary, how many had actually been with Sirius in the first place? Jesus, did he command an army?

"There used to be more of us." the rabbit explained further. "Some were killed, others were lost when we went upstairs. I don't really know what happened to them. Orion flicked an ear. He had wondered where the pony and weird bug/lizard combo had run off to; apparently, they didn't know either. "The windows are too high to climb out of." Or into. Which was why Orion had picked that particular apartment.

"We ran that way, and I remember that gate being blocked off by debris, so we can rule that one out. And Madison and I just passed the western one on the way to you guys, and that was blocked too." Orion listened quietly, mentally marking off the spots Sirius mentioned. He would have to keep them in mind if he had to split and run from his brother. "That leaves us with the north and south entrances. South doesn't sound too good ... what do you say we try north?"

"I don't have a problem with that plan."

"Not like my opinions really matter to you, so sure. Why not." He glared at Sirius, hostility and hate written into every single strand of fur on his body. "North sounds peachy."

"The courtyard again?! We're back where we started." Oh... guess the good news wasn't really good news for everyone, then.

"This is where we were attacked," Calem's eyes widened as Sirius offered an explanation for his sudden fury. Mariel's jaw tightened. "It killed four of us before we managed to get away..."

It. Did they mean the Garchomp? It was the only other Pokemon they'd mentioned so far!

Was it still here!?

"There used to be more of us."

Oh well that was... super obvious. Thanks for that insight they already knew.

"Some were killed, others were lost when we went upstairs. I don't really know what happened to them. Come to think of it, weren't there others, too? Others that had been right there with them? Calem chewed his lip. Things feel signifigantly less safer in numbers, now... "The windows are too high to climb out of."

"We ran that way, and I remember that gate being blocked off by debris, so we can rule that one out. And Madison and I just passed the western one on the way to you guys, and that was blocked too." East and west were out, then... "That leaves us with the north and south entrances. South doesn't sound too good ... what do you say we try north?"

"I don't have a problem with that plan."

"Not like my opinions really matter to you, so sure. Why not." Calem glanced over. He could say with complete honesty that he didn't know that much hatred was possible. Orion looks like anger incarnate. "North sounds peachy."

"Think of it this way," Mariel offered Orion in a murmur. "the sooner we find a way out of here, the sooner you can ditch him, and if you're wandering around alone, the thing that attacked them could find you."

"If he thinks he's actually forcing you to stay with him once we leave the city, he's going to get a really huge reality check," Calem added, grumbling as he peers down the dark hallway heading north.

Since they all seemed to be in agreement, Sirius began to head north. He ducked his head and chose to ignore Orion, Calem and Mariel mutter shit about him behind his back. He couldn't care less about the human and his Lucario; their opinion didn't matter to him. But to hear Orion talk about him like he did ... Sirius was sure that would never stop hurting.

They passed the tower in the centre, and soon afterwards two buildings loomed in front of them, one on either side of the path. Holding up his torch, Sirius noticed their red and blue exteriors and stopped; they were in front of the Poke Centre and the Mart.

It didn't make a whole lot of sense to stop and gather supplies if they were getting out of there in a few minutes, right? That was, if nothing else went ridiculously wrong and left the northern exit useless as well. He paused in front of the Mart, scratching at his ear.

"This is the last chance we'll get if anyone wants to go see if there are any leftover supplies," he said. He looked around at them all, but his eyes lingered the longest on Calem. "A couple of minutes won't hurt, if you want to stock up."

The Lopunny remained silent as they walked, listening to the human and his companion speak, but not actually adding any input. He could only hope they would be able to pacify the Fire type; they already had more than enough problems to deal with besides a fuzzball with an attitude.

"This is the last chance we'll get if anyone wants to go see if there are any leftover supplies." Sirius' voice broke Madison out of his trance, the rabbit's head tilting up to regard him, and then the two buildings curiously. He didn't have much use for either of those things, did he? And yet, the allure of snagging something while he had the chance was tempting. He could be as bad as any Murkrow when it came to snatching up little shinies, though pragmatism had taken precedence over luxury and riches. "A couple of minutes won't hurt, if you want to stock up."

    Moving towards one of the buildings with light, cautious steps- the blue one, not the red- Madison narrowed his eyes as he tried to peer inside. "Hard to see." He noted, though that probably didn't come as much of a surprise. "With how many humans pass through here on a regular basis, I can imagine they were probably well stocked once upon a time. No telling about now, though." Stepping back, his gaze drifted to the mart's red counterpart, a shiver running up his spine at the sight. His last experience with such a place hadn't exactly been the most pleasant.

"Think of it this way," the Lucario murmured, catching Orion's attention. "the sooner we find a way out of here, the sooner you can ditch him, and if you're wandering around alone, the thing that attacked them could find you."

"If he thinks he's actually forcing you to stay with him once we leave the city, he's going to get a really huge reality check," the human added, giving Orion a weird feeling. It was odd that they were so consumed with protecting him from his own brother... No one had really been actually concerned with him before. Sirius had feigned it, but... everyone else...

"This is the last chance we'll get if anyone wants to go see if there are any leftover supplies." Orion's mind snapped back to the present, the revulsion at his brother's sage advice pulling him from the other thoughts. "A couple of minutes won't hurt, if you want to stock up."

"Hard to see." The bunny commented, earning a small scoff from Orion. That might be due to the overwhelming nighttime afflicting the sky. "With how many humans pass through here on a regular basis, I can imagine they were probably well stocked once upon a time. No telling about now, though."

"Not to mention that it's the first place people would go and loot. So you know, there's probably only dried up corpse-raisins and broken glass." Orion grumbled. "Though, I would like to know where we'd be keeping this stuff when we 'stock up'. Do you have a convenient backpack underneath all that ego? Because I left mine at home."

"This is the last chance we'll get if anyone wants to go see if there are any leftover supplies." The human and canine looked up to watch the fox as he imparted his advice to them, turning their heads to then look at the pokecenter. "A couple of minutes won't hurt, if you want to stock up."

"Hard to see,"the rabbit added. Calem blinked, tilting his head; of course it's hard to see. It was nighttime. And he was a rabbit. And he, Calem, was a human. Neither were exactly revered for their night vision. Too bad they didn't have anyone available who was. "With how many humans pass through here on a regular basis, I can imagine they were probably well stocked once upon a time. No telling about now, though."

"Not to mention that it's the first place people would go and loot. So you know, there's probably only dried up corpse-raisins and broken glass." Mariel nodded; her thoughts exactly. "Though, I would like to know where we'd be keeping this stuff when we 'stock up'. Do you have a convenient backpack underneath all that ego? Because I left mine at home."

"W-well... um... Orion's right about it probably being bare, but..." Calem shoots Mariel a nervous look and she nodded, urging him to speak his mind. The boy used a hand to jiggle his bag on his shoulder, the stuff inside making a little noise. "I do have a bag. And it might be worth looking just to- to make sure that there's really nothing in there?"

"Even if there's no food, the dead might have usable weapons or tools." Mariel glanced back at the Pokemart. "Worse, there could be a Pokemon laying trapped in a pokeball. Things happen. We should at least check for that."

Sirius chose to ignore Orion's obvious efforts to berate and ridicule him at every opportunity. He lowered his staff to eye level and flicked sparks towards the flame, watching as it crackled and blazed. Sometimes, if he concentrated hard enough, looking into the fire granted him visions of the future, but he deliberately glanced away from it before any could manifest; he certainly didn't want any of those futures to include being eaten by undead or crushed by hundreds of tons of concrete before they could even get outside. Neither did he want to hear any more of the jibes and insults Orion surely had stored in his head for when the time came for them.

Calem, at least, was considering his suggestion. The Delphox clamped his staff between his teeth as he strode over to the Mart's blue door, squeezing his paws in a gap and trying to pull it open. Dust scattered around them as he finally lugged it to the side with a final tug, revealing the pitch black interior. He crept inside, checking for any dangers before waving the others inside.

"Seems clear," he said, wedging his staff in a gap in one of the shelves and flicking some more sparks at it to amplify it. It lit up most of the room like a large tiki torch, giving them at least enough light to find what they wanted.

He stepped to the side as Sirius made his way over to the door, arms crossed tightly as though it was the only thing keeping him held together. The Normal type seemed tense, ready to run at the first opportunity should something unexpected leap out at them from the dark confines of the building. Perhaps he was being a little more paranoid than he really needed to be, but when the world seemed like it was falling apart at the seams, a bit of paranoia was the lesser of two evils.

He squeezed his eyes shut at the cloud of dust that rolled out when the door was opened, trying to hold back a coughing fit. His poor lungs probably would have cried out in agony if they could, what with all of the junk Madison had inhaled accidentally as of late. And that wasn't even getting into the number it had done on his fur! Ugh, he felt filthy. "Sure looks like this place has been closed up for a while." Was the Normal type's observation, accompanied with a slight wheeze. Whether that was supposed to be a good thing or not remained to be seen.

"Seems clear." Admittedly, while he was somewhat curious to see if anything of value was still inside of the building, he was hesitant to go rushing in. While the Lopunny did hold back for a moment, before long he found himself moving in for a closer look. The light was enough to reduce his anxiety significantly, if only because it meant he no longer had to worry about what he could not see.

Navigating through the shelves, he crouched down to poke through a few empty containers, nose scrunching up at the sight. What did half of these things even do? Madison honestly wasn't sure. He had only seen humans using them before, never putting much thought into distinguishing which item did what. "Is there anything specific we should be looking for?"

"W-well... um... Orion's right about it probably being bare, but..." The pissy blue fox perked a little at his name, eyeing the boy as he spoke and gestured to his bag. "I do have a bag. And it might be worth looking just to- to make sure that there's really nothing in there?" Orion didn't much like the possibility of Sirius being correct or useful, but he had to concede that it was better to look anyway. Not that he would actually say that aloud.

"Even if there's no food, the dead might have usable weapons or tools." The Lucario glanced over to the Mart's abyssal interior and Orion followed her gaze. "Worse, there could be a Pokemon laying trapped in a pokeball. Things happen. We should at least check for that." Orion's frown deepened at the sentiment. While it would be hell to be stuck in his ball for the foreseeable future, there could also be plenty of other things trapped by the debris in the building. Things that shouldn't be released.

"Sure looks like this place has been closed up for a while." The bunny proved far more brave than Orion had expected, but he didn't outwardly comment. At least on the rabbit's bravado. "Can't imagine why," he grumbled back, not really expecting any response.

"Seems clear." Sirius made his way closer and quickly, the others started to actually venture inside. Orion, on the other hand, stayed firmly planted where he was. No way was he going in there. Nu-uh. Especially with the gallant knight and his fluffy concubine at the lead. "Is there anything specific we should be looking for?"

Man, that was just begging for a crude joke. "Dick", "your mom", "your dignity" or even the non-vulgar kind like "common sense" were the first ones that came to mind. Orion snickered at all his mental jokes and quips but restrained himself from sharing with the others. Instead, he shifted his eyes to the open area around them, watching the shadows for movement.

Calem and Mariel followed the others over to the store to look, Sirius being kind enough to open the way and light it for them.  

"Sure looks like this place has been closed up for a while," the rabbit remarked. Calem nodded, chewing on a thumb. That's... promising? Right?

"Can't imagine why." Orion was still grumpy. In other news, water wa wet. To be fair, he raised a decent point, not that Calem decided to say anything of it. Considering what might be in this store, maybe it would have been wiser to listen to Orion after all. Arceus knew what lurked within the dark depths of the store...

It's easier to be brave when you're not actually facing down a dark place that could be hiding horrors just a few feet away.

"Seems clear." As the others moved further into the store, Calem took a few shaky stepped forward, pausing to glance back nervously at Orion and Mariel.

"Is there anything specific we should be looking for?"

"U-um- healing items. Like-" The boy spotted a Potion bottle on the floor and picks it up. Someone stepped on it, cracking the casing. All that precious healing fluid, gone to waste... "They look like this. Different colors label them as stronger or weaker in healing power. P-pokeballs would also be a good thing to look for, maybe?"

He should really step in further and help look to make sure no one is trapped or hurt...

Sirius was was quite content to mind his own business while the others had a look around. There wasn't anything in here that he could make use of, anyway. He attempted to occupy himself by wandering around the shelves and picking up random objects to peer at them closely.

He felt a rumble somewhere in the distance, and the small building shivered ominously. He froze, trying to figure out where it had come from. Oh please, please, for the love of legends, don't let that have come from the north. The last thing they needed was for their one safe path to be buried beneath the rubble.

They needed to hurry. Since everyone else was content to take their sweet times, Sirius started scouring the shelf he was closest to, reaching towards the back for anything hidden. Eventually, his hand closed around a pink bottle, and he pulled it out to look at it. Judging by its shape, it looked like some sort of Potion.

"Try this," he said, tossing it towards Calem. "Not sure how much is in there, though." He continued to rummage through the shelves.

( Please skip me this round )

As Mariel remained in the doorway to keep a lookout, Calem wandered deeper into the store, staying close to Sirius. There was no way he was venturing into the depths where he couldn't see. Moving away from the light source would be unbelievably stupid, especially after what most of the present people witnessed lurking in the shadows of this place.

That Garchomp... god knows where it went. If it were in here it would've struck by now. There's no way anything with that much bloodlust and rage could contain itself for very long. If it were in here it would have grabbed them in the courtyard, not waited for them to venture into the Pokecenter. And anything of likeminded evilness would have done the same.  

He took deep breaths to calm his heart. It sped up too much for his liking. Don't freak out, Calem...

If he did they'd never take him seriously again. It didn't matter that he wasn'tthe leader and had no desire to be. Bad things could still happen if people regarded you as a joke. As weak. Especially when survival of the fittest is something a lot of people are adopting as their philosophy these days...

"Try this." Calem just barely caught the movement from the corner of his eye and stumbled forward a pace to catch the Potion Sirius threw to him. He fumbled it, but at least he didn't drop it. Not that it would break but...

Well, he was just thinking about appearances.  

"Not sure how much is in there, though."

"It... there's..." He weighed it in his hand. "About half." That wasn't much at all, but it'd do. Waste not want not. He stored it in his bag.  

He found one full Super Potion all the way on the back of a shelf and his eyes lit up with glee, grabbing it and storing it away as well. A tiny spark of hope ignited-- maybe there's more to find!  But...

No sense in leaving Sirus's side to venture off, even if he would cover more ground that way.

Maybe...?  He turned back towards Orion and approaches him.

"Orion? Would... would you...?" Oh right. He was... asking the grumpy one for  a favor. Orion may not like this... but it was too late to back out now. "Would you light my way so I could cover more ground?  We'll be done a lot faster that way. We can split whatever we find between us?"

Sirius tossed yet another empty bottle to the floor with a sigh. It seemed that plenty of other scavengers had gotten here before they did. They were wasting time; why did they even need to search for supplies if they were going to be out of here in a matter of minutes? ...Right? Yep. Super awesome idea there, Sirius. Maybe he was just trying to make himself look good in front of the others, like a good leader. 'Initiative', it was supposed to be called. Instead it turned into 'stand around in an empty, useless building while the building increasingly grows more unstable and the undead roam the halls'. I are super smart.

He peeked around his shoulder at Orion. He wished he could just go over and talk to him without having a lifetime's supply of insults thrown at him; just to listen to him and try to make things right. Now that he was thinking of it, was he trying to prove himself in some way to Orion that he was a good brother? Sure, he hadn't been there through all the shit that his Trainer had put him through, but it was hardly his fault. Orion was treating this whole situation like Sirius was some kind of evil mastermind who'd planned his misery from the start.

"Orion?  Would... would you...?" A stab of jealousy punched through him at the sound of Calem's voice, and Sirius snarled to himself. "Would you light my way so I could cover more ground?  We'll be done a lot faster that way.  We can split whatever we find between us?" Who the hell did this weedy little human think he was, talking to Orion like they were best buds? They'd only just met.

Why did he need an additional torch? Sirius's was doing a good enough job of illuminating the place; the shop wasn't that big. The Delphox's eyes narrowed in suspicion as he glared at the human; were they planning to sneak away? He wouldn't put it past either of them, especially how they both seemed to think that he was the ultimate evil or some shit.

He watched them in silence, watching to see how Orion would respond. He'd have to keep a close eye on them from now on.

"U-um- healing items." He blinked owlishly at the example the human gave him, head tilting to the side. Yes, he had seen those before. Never really cared enough to find out more about them- a shame, all things considered, what with the world going to complete and utter shit- but it was good to have an example of what he was looking for. "They look like this.  Different colors label them as stronger or weaker in healing power.  P-pokeballs would also be a good thing to look for, maybe?"

"Okay." Madison muttered blandly, glancing down at the containers he had been digging through. He recognized a few as the items they were looking for, but a quick shake made it clear that they were all disappointingly empty. He sighed, shoulders slumping in a combination of defeat and frustration. Nothing could ever be easy, could it? "Thanks."

The sound of... Something in the distance rumbling caused the rabbit to freeze soon after, his eyes going as big as dinner plates. His fear of dying a traumatic death that wouldn't be terribly out of place in a claustrophobic person's worst nightmares was quickly reunited, and he got to his feet as if in preparation to bolt. Thankfully, the roof didn't come crashing down upon them, but he suddenly didn't feel comfortable lingering in the same spot for much longer anymore. When I get out of here, I'm not going inside any enclosed spaces for a month. Nothing but blue skies and rotting freaks. Geez, when had his standards decided to take such a dramatic nosedive?

"Orion?  Would... would you...? Would you light my way so I could cover more ground?  We'll be done a lot faster that way.  We can split whatever we find between us?" Madison frowned.

"We don't have forever."