The MEETING Team II (PLOT)

The stupid dinosaur would not let it go. "We're not playing at anything," Pach sighs, but does not continue. Maybe his pet human made him shut up. Hell if he knew. The legend internalizes a sigh; when had things gone so wrong? The human is silent, and after several seconds Zapdos finally turns his head to look and see why. The trainer reached out with his cupped hands again, the berries of different colours within half tempting for a moment. Zapdos still hesitated, the stinging against his throat stubborn but not bad enough to warrant wasting healing items. His cerulean eyes harden at the stupid oran.

Least it is not a super potion. He had but one memory of that particular spray, the blonde child from the vision blurry after years of forcibly forgetting whatever had corresponded back then. Zapdos grunted, a sound made purely so that he would not have to listen to the fuzz inside of his own mind. Instead he focused on the unnatural feeling of how the super potion had coated his skin, covering the surface of the wound and forcing the cell regeneration to speed up tenfold. Zapdos moves slowly, his beak eventually held above the soft, pink flesh of the boy. The super potion had smelled bad, too. The Kanto legend forced himself to remember the unpleasant smell, something that paled in comparison to the mere stench of the human, as he slowly plucked a berry at random from the other's hands.

Hold your breath, Zapdos told himself as he tilted his head back, the tiny fruit vanishing within his beak as it rolled onto his tongue. He crushed it, tasting oran juice, before it vanished into his throat. He sighed, but the process was easier for the second one, at least. Zapdos' eyes glazed over, numb, as he hoped to forget the sheer humiliation from the crime against nature he was committing.

Zapdos hesitates, but relents soon enough and begins to eat.  Roark nearly sighs in relief, only catching himself at the last moment.  Can't make noise; I might piss him off.  He's eating and without argument, and he NEEDS the food.  Can't risk doing anything that'll make him stop.  

Who knows when Zapdos last ate, after all.  He doesn't look thin, but he has... pretty poofy feathers.  No, more like spiky.  Spiky-looking.  Whatever.  The point is that his feathers could be hiding malnutrition.  I won't know unless he lets me examine him...  He'd have more luck threading a jellybean through the eye of a needle.

As Zapdos eats, Pach looks back over at the others.  They look... tense...   He can't smell anything.  What's the problem?  Why are they staring into the backpack like that?

The rock bird whispers to his companion, his eyes on the shaking, rocking Pokeball lying near the entrance of the pack that lays on its side. "His pokeball's wiggling.  What do we do?"  

"Goddamn it Sterling.  Now?  Can't you wait a bit?"  Anom growls at the pokeball, nudging it with a claw.

Archae glances back over towards where his human is feeding the thunder god before averting his eyes.  "If Sterling bursts out of that ball now... Well, first he'll destroy the bag.  But besides that, Zapdos will throw a fit.  A justified fit-- you know how Sterling is when he thinks his boy is threatened.  He'll interrogate the fucking thunder god."

"Been too long without an update.  He wants to see how Roark is doing.  He's not going back to sleep until he's let out and gets to look after him a while."  Once he decides to stop wasting time trying to break out of the ball, he'll probably start paying attention to whatever he can hear from in the pokeball...

This could end very badly.

(Skip)

(Skip)

The task at hand was to just get through. Zapdos allowed his mind to cloud over, mind and memory merging as a coping mechanism for the vile act he saw himself. Zapdos tried to imagine a time he would have accepted aid-- not from a human, no, but maybe one of his other friends. The Kanto legend crushed another berry in his beak, reaching for the next while he refused to look at the trainer kneeling beside him. Surely one of the Electabuzz at his home back by the river would have helped him if need be. There were so few wild berries to choose from, back there. Oran, cherri, sitrus... rawst-- I think that was one of them...
Naming off berries in his head did not help much as his mind went back to the wild Pokemon he looked over back then. Electabuzz, Electrode, Magneton... They would have cared about him, wouldn't they? It was only then that the realisation slapped the bird across the face; they would not have. But one of my friends surely.... would... Zapdos pulled through his head, seeing the faces of Moltres, Articuno... Lugia, Ho-Oh. They are my family. Not my friends. He took down the last berry half jerking away as soon as he was able to look away from the human. I guess I never really had friends.

The electric avian's feathers remained rigid, hiding his scrawny form beneath. He would have to do that act again, he was beginning to realise, but at least there was no cold feeling in his stomach. The food was probably not poisoned. Zapdos sighed quietly, still studying the ground. Would I really mind much if they were? Coming back to the present. leaving behind his depressing thoughts, the whispering from across the room his his ears, causing Zapdos to freeze. "Something is wrong," he hissed at the boy, bringing his head around to point at the clearly distressed Pokemon gathered around some lump of cloth the human had been carrying.

The thunder god does not argue, and though his eyes are glazed over and indicate that his mind is miles away, the miner takes no offence.  If ignoring him is the easiest way to get through this situation, then Zapdos can ignore him all he wants-- he doesn't need to be present inside his own head, as long as enough thought remains grounded in reality to continue eating.

As the bird eats, Roark finds his own thoughts straying.  He watches with dull eyes as the long, sharp beak plucks an Oran from his hand, its scent hitting him hard, sending him back, back, back...

---

---

Would he?  I get weaker by the day... after tonight when I eat this can of beans, I'll have no food left...

His chest has constricted.  His eyes are hot and wet.  Dina...

The thunder bird startles him, the miner flinching.  "Something is wrong."

"W-wrong?"  He struggles to speak around his windpipe trying to close off.  Spotting Zapdos staring at something, Roark turns to look over his shoulder, spotting Archae and Anom staring into his backpack.  "U-um... guys...?"

The Armaldo stares over at him, opening and closing his mouth a couple times before admitting the truth.  "... Sterling wants out."  

The color drains from Roark's face.

"I uh... don't think we have long to wait," the fossil bird adds as he fishes the rocking Pokeball out of the bag with his talons.

"I... well... shit this is terrible timing-- fuck!"  The Pokeball bursts open, a large Bastiodon taking shape from the light and shaking himself off.  His gaze settles on his redheaded charge first, the young man's face so white his freckles stand out sharply against his skin.  But it quickly moves to Zapdos, his bright yellow and black features too striking to ignore.

"... Well.  Never imagined in all my years I'd meet a Legend.  Can I help you, Zapdos?"  His eyes narrow.  "Or are you threatening my boy?"

Zapdos's answer will determine if he lives or dies.

The boy seems to take a second to register what Zapdos had said. "W-wrong?" he echoed and the bird had to internalise his sigh, only able to get his point across by keeping his beak indicating the direction of the issue and distressed pokemon. "U-um... guys...?"

The Armaldo reacts like a beached 'Karp, his mouth opening and closing several times before his gaze lowered. "... Sterling wants out."  
Sterling? What is a Sterling? Is it like a starling? Starly? Zapdos' eyes were suspicious as they narrowed a hair, watching their trainer for his reaction. Is this how he intends to trick me?
"I uh... don't think we have long to wait..."

But even Pach seems exasperated, the Rampardos sighing only to cut off sharply mid-thought. "I... well... shit this is terrible timing-- fuck!" Zapdos recoils at the brash light. Oh he hated pokeballs. Nasty goddam things. Only times the legend had ever been in 'em was when idiots tried to capture him; at least Zapdos was allowed the satisfaction of overpowering the balls from inside, the capsule literally exploding as he burst through without fail each time. His musings were short lived, though, as the 'starling' popped out; a hulking Bastiodon slowly looks to the human, but Zapdos narrows his eyes slightly. His gaze was not intended to be aggressive but the newest fossil Pokemon may have seen it that way as his own dark eyes stared back with the same intensity.

"... Well.  Never imagined in all my years I'd meet a Legend.  Can I help you, Zapdos?" the Bastiodon questioned, though his voice was not challenging. Zapdos felt it was more... testing. Though it always made him sit up straighter when he was recognised, despite being the useless trash legend he was, but that moment in time might not be the best to say 'Yes, thank you, just rip the god forsaken WIRES off of me without also flaying me, PLEASE.' For once, keeping his mouth shut seemed to be the right response. "Or are you threatening my boy?"

Zapdos sighed. "I didn't do anything," he stated. It was true; the human had been feeding him, from his HANDS, but no way in hell was he going to say that to anyone unless he damn well needed to. "Though I doubt you're able to help me, unless you can get this fence off of me while still leaving some feathers." His tone is sour, but the bitterness is clearly aimed at the inanimate object as his eyes grow venomous in a single glare at his entrapment.

The thunder god doesn't fail to rise to the challenge in Sterling's greeting, though to Roark's shock, he's not exactly offended.  Just mildly annoyed.  "I didn't do anything.  Though I doubt you're able to help me, unless you can get this fence off of me while still leaving some feathers."  Sterling's eyes settle on the barbed wire with a grunt.  "Bad landing?"  

"I d-don't r-really think th-that's any of our b-business..."  Don't start a fight with him now, oh god.  Nobody needs that.

"Fine.  Fair.  Why can't we let him out?"

"I... um..."

"Reasons,"  Pach interjects.  The Bastiodon hisses.  "I'll tell you later.  Right now, we have other things to talk about."

"I think we should go deeper into the building and see what we can find." Anom, taking the hint, speaks up.  "A couple can stay here to guard the campsite."

"I'm staying with the boy," Sterling grunts.  

"That's fine; I can stay here with Anom, and you and Pach can go with Ro," Archae adds.  

"We'll see if we can find anything useful, and when we come back, Ro, you're going to sleep."  The human glares at the dinosaur, but Pach doesn't so much as flinch. "I know you hate sleeping, but you have to try.  You can't live on photosynthesis."

"W-watch me t-try," his human mutters as he moves away from Zapdos to sit by the pile of wood that will eventually be a campfire.

"Enough, Roark.  You will try sleeping when we get back."  Roark scowls into his backpack as he puts it back in order.

"Zapdos, it's up to you if you want to come with us or stay here.  You'll be protected either way, but if you're really tired, you might want to get as much sleep as you can-- we leave tomorrow morning."

The Bastiodon just looked at the wires, giving no reaction. "Bad landing?"
Oh fuck you too, buddy. Zapdos narrows his eyes, the dangerous burning of pride through his veins making the Legend puff out his pointed feathers indignantly. Unknowingly fortunate for him, the worm spoke up, interrupting what sharp words he would have used.

"I d-don't r-really think th-that's any of our b-business..."
Smart, boy. Zapdos was already losing interest in the conversation but Sterling caught his attention.
"Why can't we let him out?"
"Good question." Zapdos narrowed his eyes accusingly but Pach ignored him.
"Reasons," he snaps, earning a less than pleased reaction from his shield counterpart. "I'll tell you later.  Right now, we have other things to talk about."
Tell him later? So they ARE planning to gut and eat me. Great. Like he had the strength to even fight anymore. If only they would get it over with.

Zapdos does not care for it when the Armaldo and Archeops join the conversation. Just fuck all of them. "We'll see if we can find anything useful, and when we come back, Ro, you're going to sleep." The sharp look from the trainer was enough to actually earn a snicker from the bird. "I know you hate sleeping, but you have to try.  You can't live on photosynthesis."
"W-watch me t-try," The human shoots back but the Bastiodon ends the argument.
"Enough, Roark.  You will try sleeping when we get back."
"Trouble in paradise?" Zapdos gives a dirty chuckle. Oh, it was worth it to finally see the dumb ape put in it's place.

"Zapdos, it's up to you if you want to come with us or stay here.  You'll be protected either way, but if you're really tired, you might want to get as much sleep as you can-- we leave tomorrow morning."
Oh, now he was included. Sobering, Zapdos glanced at his disarrayed feathers and made a face. "I'll stay," he said bluntly but not curtly. Instead he rested his head against the wiring in the least painful way he could. Anything to get away from the damn human.

The miner angrily stuffs things back into his pack, tuning out the conversing Pokemon as he shoves everything in, curses quietly at the mess, then pulls it all back out so he can properly arrange his supplies.  I'm not a CHILD, Roark snarls to himself inside his head, and I don't need to be told what to do.  I can take care of myself, thank you very much!  

As soon as the lie crosses his mind, he feels filthy; if there was any statement to be the total antithesis of the truth, it was the notion that he could take care of himself.  I'm only alive because of their generosity...  

"Trouble in paradise?"  The smugness slaps him in the face just as much as the words themselves do, and bitter fury roars to life before being quelled by guilt.  Always the guilt.  I deserve to be made fun of.  I AM pathetic.  His head remains down as he compiles everything together neatly in his pack, drowning out Pach's offer.

He fails to notice the glances of seething outrage that pass between his pokemon, but Zapdos's voice reels him back into the present.  "I'll stay."  

"Can I--?"  His dinosaur glances at Sterling, Roark's eyes widening.  Pach is asking permission?  Since when the hell does he do that?

"Next time, if there is one," growls the Bastiodon, stepping forward towards Zapdos.  The ground begins to rumble beneath them as the angry steel type makes the very earth beneath the building stir with his fury.  Several chunks of rock burst through the metal floor and rise into the air with a familiar rainbow glow.

Sheer terror crashes in.  Ancient Power.  "W-wait--!"  

Too late.  The rocks are hurled right at the bird, the larger ones halting inches from his face to fall to the floor instead of hitting him.  Sterling lets the smaller ones slam into him, stomping his way over to the thunder god, the earth still rumbling beneath him as he gets into the bird's face.  "Listen very closely, Thunder God, because I'm only gonna say this once.  I don't care if you're a god; while you're part of our group, you respect my boy.  Y'don't have to like him.  I don't give a shit if you don't like him.  But you.  DO NOT.  DISRESPECT HIM."

"S-Sterling, p-please--"  

"My trainer died but his boy survives.  You grew up in the wild, Zapdos; you should know the first goddamn rule of it."  One of the larger rocks twitches.  "Don't fuck around with a Pokemon and their young.  Are we fucking clear."

Having laid down the law, Sterling whirls and returns to Roark's side, the ground's rumbling quieting.  "Le's go, kid.  We're burnin' daylight and I bet you'd like to see if you can find some matches for that."  Roark numbly glances at the pile of wood his father's oldest partner nudges with a foot, nodding.  

"Archae, Anom, you make sure you all stay safe.  Including him-- yes I know you're fucking angry," he adds as the rock bird and bug give him a sidelong glance, the three sharing a moment of disgust.  "But it's over and done with.  We don't want him to get eaten.  Or shot.  Or whatever the hell else could go wrong.  So look after him and yourselves.  Keep each other safe; call for us if you need us."

"Got it."
"Roger that."

Roark zips up his pack and shakily gets to his feet, moving forward at a gentle nudge from Pach.

This entire day is already such shit, but maybe finding some matches will help.

He was not paying as much attention to the conversation by that point. Zapdos was still working on finding some sort of comfortable position. Completely unaware of how the nature of his comment would have been interpreted, the bird shuffled awkwardly and ignored the voices of Pach and Sterling. However, that changed with the ugly sound of metal snapping under pressure, building and breaking, causing the legend's cerulean eyes to snap open as he whipped his gaze around to the Bastiodon. Horror widened his eyes further, looking at the damage done to the floor of his home away from home. "What are you doing?!" he screeched. "DON'T WRECK MY HOME!" It was already falling apart, infested, decaying, abandoned, powerless, but it was his power plant. "Don't do that!" His voice took on a very tangible hint of desperation, but he was rapidly snapped away from fear for his home when the nature of the action became clearer: he was the target.

There was a shimmering aura over the chunks of earth ripped through the floor, the metal pulled up in ugly spots that caused the legend pain just seeing the state of his former home. The rocks immediately captured his attention, though, as the action looked eerily familiar. Ancient power?! His own glowed gold, but the nature of the technique was impossible to ignore. He flinches away, fear evident in his eyes as several of the smaller sized ones smacked into his side and folded wing. Despite the size being nothing more than a fist, as well as deflected by the fence's wiring, they still surely left bruises underneath the bird's feathers as he gave an undignified cry of pain at the unexpected assault. Why was this lunatic attacking him?! The thought was unable to be voiced past his fear, though. Zapdos' face went slack with horror as the largest of the chunks floated ominously before his face, causing the bird to violently flinch back, pulling away as he began to tremble. Am I going to be crushed?! The avian's heart pounded painfully within his chest, so focused on the onslaught that he was oblivious to the pure horror on the human's face.

Without warning, the rocks slammed into the ground, the sound earning another flinch from Zapdos. He was able to look up just as the Bastiodon approached him, the primal fear in his veins like fire. "Listen very closely, Thunder God, because I'm only gonna say this once." Not that he had any choice, but Zapdos was scared silent, unable to move with the closeness of the violent rock type. If he were watched closely, though, the trembling of his feathers would be apparent. "I don't care if you're a god; while you're part of our group, you respect my boy." A god? When did I ever claim to be a god? But, for once, the bird was not stupid, and he did not interrupt; he did, however, taste the bitterness from his own inadequacy on his tongue. He was no god. "Y'don't have to like him. I don't give a shit if you don't like him. But you. DO NOT. DISRESPECT HIM." The shout earned yet another degrading flinch, but Zapdos had no choice by that point. I don't want to die.

"S-Sterling, p-please--" The human was overshadowed by the demanding voice of Sterling, who had made no move to halt in his onslaught at that point. "My trainer died but his boy survives. You grew up in the wild, Zapdos; you should know the first goddamn rule of it. Don't fuck around with a Pokemon and their young. Are we fucking clear." Zapdos' eyes finally fall as the ugly rumbling does as well, a constant sound he did not realise was there until it ended. You grew up in the wild; you should know the first goddamn rule of it. I don't know anything though. He was the stupid one, the incompetent one. And this random trainer owned Pokemon had called him out on it in front of said human and three other Pokemon. Zapdos could have died right then along with the last illusion of dignity he had been parading around with. Even with Sterling no long addressing him, the Kanto legend still cringed from behind the fossil 'mon's back when he spoke again. "Le's go, kid. We're burnin' daylight and I bet you'd like to see if you can find some matches for that."

Why did he not put me down when he had the chance. The numbness from the shock seeped into his own thoughts, the avian's rhetorical question much more of a statement even in his own head. The other words were just noise, he digested none of it; instead Zapdos shut his eyes close and made the attempt to halt the shaking of his body. Why did they bother letting him live when he was such a nuisance, doing nothing but making these creatures who already hated him just despise him more? Was it to prolong his suffering? But they were miserable as well? When he opened his eyes just in time to see the trio leave, he caught the tense stances and hard looks of the Archeops and Armaldo. If it were possible, Zapdos would have pushed himself into the wall until he disappeared into it. Finally, in the safety away from Sterling, he mumbled, "...I never said I was a god." And will for an act of defiance was dead in that moment.

"When did you last eat, kid?"

"I'm not a kid," comes the mutter as Roark uses a rag to protect his hands from the doorknob.

"You're my kid and that doesn't answer my question," Sterling grumbles as the door clicks open with a rusty noise.

"Sterling, lay off."

"It's an important question!"

"And you already know the answer, more or less; no need to ask it."

"Yesterday morning."  The two Pokemon stare at Roark as he shines his flashlight into the room, shoulders rigid.

"He has food he'll be eating tonight."

"... How much left?"

"Just that."  Roark steps inside the dark room, eyeing the lockers on the far side.  Maybe he can find more clothes in there, or a tool... another weapon would be nice... oh, but it can't be too big, or he can't take it with him...  This isn't an RPG game after all.  Don't have unlimited space.

---

"...I never said I was a god."   The mutter spooked Anom for a moment before he remembered himself, regarding Zapdos with a cool gaze.  "... We know."

"But you are one," Archae chimes in.  "And we want to be clear.  We don't care that you are one; you won't get away with treating our human like shit."

"Nobody wants this to end in injury.  Or death.  Just don't be a tool and we won't bother you."

"There's been enough death already," the bird adds in a mumble as he settles down, folding his wings.

"Does he freak you out because he's human?  Is that what this is all about?"

"But you are one." Zapdos turns his head at a normal speed just in order to glare at the other bird. "And we want to be clear.  We don't care that you are one; you won't get away with treating our human like shit."
What the hell would you know. For the first time that morning, Zapdos wished he could fry a fellow living Pokemon to a crisp.

"Nobody wants this to end in injury.  Or death.  Just don't be a tool and we won't bother you." The Armaldo adds more salt to the wound without realising. I'm always the fool. You'll learn soon enough.

"There's been enough death already," Archae mutters, finally saying something the legend could agree with.

"There's a difference between a legend, spoken of for generations, and a God." His blue eyes were cold but very alive with their inner hatred. Did these fools just think he lived and breathed as he pleased? Arceus is a God. Palkia, Dialga, Gods. Maybe Rayquaza. Zapdos himself? No.

"Does he freak you out because he's human?" The bird bristles, giving a dirty look at the one who spoke. "Is that what this is all about?"
"'All about'? Don't act like life and death is a game," he growled. "I have yet to ever see a man who didn't try to capture or kill me. I am waiting to see which of the two your human is." Blue eyes flashed. "Consider yourself lucky for being 'normal' Pokemon. You don't see the dark side of humanity just by existing."

( How do get into character; a biography )

"Don't wanna bust this open if I can help it," Roark mumbles.  The man crouches down to test the bottom lockers with no success.  Who the hell bothered locking these before fleeing the literal apocalypse!?

"Hmmm... maybe they left the keys around?"

"Maybe..."  The miner stands and accepts the flashlight back from his Rampardos's mouth, moving the beam over to the far wall to look more closely.

"Is that it?"  Pach nods his head at something that glitters in the light as the beam moves over it.

"Well, it's definitely metal."  He takes a few steps forward, bony fingers gripping the flashlight so tightly his knuckles turn white.  A sigh of relief escapes him as he draws closer; definitely keys.  Not an infected steel type.  Keys.  He stoops to pick them up, the metal cold in his hand.  Thankfully they're mostly rust-free.  "I think they should still work; they look undamaged enough."

"All right, let's crack these open and see what's inside, eh?"  With a nod of agreement, Roark kneels down to test one of the keys in the lower, righthand locker.

Nothing.

He goes through each key, ire rising as none of them fit, going back to try several over again.

"What's the hold up?"

"They don't fit," he mutters.

"You're not doing it right."  The brusque voice makes Roark's hand tighten on the key ring again.  "Try twisting the keys the other way."

"I did that," Roark growls, "and they don't fit.  I'm not stupid; I would've tried--"

"Hey, whoa, calm down.  Deep breaths--"

"Nah, nah... the kid's right.  Bit overbearing there."  

"... You were being kind of a tool--"

"Don't push it," Sterling snorts.  "I guess the keys must be to a set of lockers in a different room?"

"Probably."  Which room, then?  Ugh, they'll have to search the whole building...

"We were gonna do that anyway," Pach reminds him, knowing exactly what is flashing through Roark's mind.  With a sigh, the miner nods.  

Onwards, he supposes.

---

"There's a difference between a legend, spoken of for generations, and a God."   Archae watches the legend spit the words, the thunderbird's face sour.  This is going to go fantastically.  And what does he mean?  Is now even a good time to ask him to clarify?  He sounds pissed.

"'All about'? Don't act like life and death is a game."  Well, he looks pretty murderous. "I have yet to ever see a man who didn't try to capture or kill me. I am waiting to see which of the two your human is." Blue eyes flashed. "Consider yourself lucky for being 'normal' Pokemon. You don't see the dark side of humanity just by existing."  

"Uh, I beg to differ, buddy."

"An, shh!"  The rock bird shoots his bug companion a glare before continuing in a far more diplomatic way.  "Zapdos, I don't know how much you know of the world, but... Pokemon are and always will be targets for bad humans.  We are a target just by existing.  I've seen it, and I've only been alive again for a year or two."

"Revived from a fossil," Anom explains.

"Right, yeah.  But back to what I was saying: you don't know this, and I can't blame you for not knowing, but y'know what else is a target for the dark side of humanity just by existing?  The good side of humanity.  Bad people--whether they're humans or Pokemon--will always take advantage of the good people.  That's just how it is.  That's why there's strength in numbers. The more of us there are, the less of a shot they have to use anyone.  Or hurt them.  Or worse.  As for our Ro?  He's not gonna capture you.  Or kill you.  He's not a bloodthirsty man and he has no interest in keeping a Pokemon companion that doesn't like him.  He just doesn't want you to fry him."

"Uh, I beg to differ, buddy." The Armaldo seemed prepared to argue, earning a seething glare from the bird. They did think this was some sort of dammed joke, didn't they? How did you morons survive without your master telling you what to do and how to not die? Zapdos released a short, brief growl. "Don't talk to me like I am stupid."

"An, shh!" The Archeops at least had some sense. If he kept tabs within his head, that made two pokemon he liked, two who got on his nerves, and a shitty human on top to sway the odds out of Zapdos' own favour.

Archae continues in a much more open tone, something that made the legend actually look to the Arcehsops and listen. "Zapdos, I don't know how much you know of the world, but... Pokemon are and always will be targets for bad humans. We are a target just by existing. I've seen it, and I've only been alive again for a year or two."

He was a fool if he thought that changed anything.

"But back to what I was saying: you don't know this, and I can't blame you for not knowing, but y'know what else is a target for the dark side of humanity just by existing? The good side of humanity. Bad people--whether they're humans or Pokemon--will always take advantage of the good people. That's just how it is. That's why there's strength in numbers. The more of us there are, the less of a shot they have to use anyone. Or hurt them. Or worse. As for our Ro? He's not gonna capture you. Or kill you. He's not a bloodthirsty man and he has no interest in keeping a Pokemon companion that doesn't like him. He just doesn't want you to fry him."

Zapdos remained quiet for a moment, his sharp gaze burning into the other avian, before he finally spoke. "...you've been here two years and you believe the naivety of your statement? Neither of you know. Have you ever been hunted by humans? Hundreds of them in a year? I live in Kanto, you know how I know this place in Johto? Because I was forced to RUN from my HOME so many times that I have other safe houses. SAFE. HOUSES. TO HIDE IN." The anger was all pouring out at once, but for the first time, it was not directed at either of the others within the room with him at that point.

"God? A GOD you call me? A GOD would not be run out of his home. Breaking out of Pokeballs ON A DAILY BASIS. I have not seen a single human who wanted anything but to catch me or kill me since the world ended. How do you think my brothers are faring? My sisters? You THINK you can comprehend how the world works when you have not seen a SHARD of how truly fucked it is?!"

Do not talk down to me. And do NOT give me your anger or your pity. If your precious Ro means no harm, then I'll just find out. Because, in case you didn't remember, I am stuck in a FENCE."

This next room looks far more sinister than the last did.  The ceiling is caved in in certain areas, shreds of the above room's floor dangling from precarious heights.  Roark makes a face and glances back at the other two, ready to pass this one up, but as his flashlight beam roams the room, he catches a flash of metal out of the corner of his eye.  A squeak of delight leaks out as he squints and spots small, shiny metal rectangle on the table across the room.

"Think that's a lighter?" His excitement is far more apparent than he'd like it to be, but for the moment Roark decides not to care.  A lighter.  

"Maybe."  The Bastiodon is glaring at the ceiling.

"... I think it's worth the risk,"  Pach says.  "It's only in some spots that the ceiling has come in, and there's a clear path from here to the table."

"I don' like thi-- kid!"  As soon as Pach gives his opinion, Roark steps out, taking quick strides over to the table and gasping in undisguised glee as he swipes the object off the table, flips open the cap, and watches the flame ignite.  "Look!  It is a lighter!"  

As he holds up his prize for the others to see, the floor buckles inwards, the joy wiping off his face.  Horror floods in.

The floor buckles again, a cracking sound, creaking, and then he's falling into blackness.

---

Zapdos's rant sends Anom snorting through his nose, the bug's temper rising, but Archae merely watches, holding a wing up in front of his friends legs to signal to him that he should keep a lid on it.  Briefly the Armaldo has to wonder what Archae must be made of to be able to listen to this without being even slightly bothered by it.

Once Zapdos runs out of steam, the bird replies, his voice level and quiet.  "All right, I can understand why you feel the way you do, but here's something you're not considering.  Yeah, I've only been around two years, but I've spent those years in the apocalypse.  While most of your life has been humanity at a mostly stable state.  I've seen more than a shard of how fucked the world is, believe me.  I may not've been hunted by hundreds in a year, but I've been attacked by, shit, maybe a hundred times?  By humans in the last four years.  More times by Pokemon, because there are far more of those still around.  Pokemon who have wanted to eat me, panicked because they think the infection is everywhere and wanted to kill me, saw me with a human and thought I was devil spawn; you name it, it probably happened.  Yeah, we called you a god, because that's what we know you as.  If we're wrong, and you say we are, then fine, but that doesn't change the fact that genetically, you are better than us.  Stronger than us; we have a reason to see you as special and a potential threat.  I'm not talking down to you.  I'm trying to have a civil conversation and explain our side, because you're not a mind reader and it's not fair to expect you to just know things.  You have no right to tell us how to feel, just as we have no right to tell you how to feel; none of us have tried to dictate what emotions you're allowed to display as long as you're not an asshole to our human.  Like Sterling said, you don't have to like him.  Just treat him with respect, the way I'm trying to do with you now, by talking this out.  And trust me, we noticed the fence.  It doesn't mean you don't have a beak or that you can't use it."

Archae's voice is a soothing thing to listen to.  The rock bug is grateful for its calming affect.  "It's wrong that you had to have safe houses to hide in.  No one's arguing that; that shit is wrong.  But we're not gonna attack you if you don't attack us, and neither is Roark.  Roark just wants to get out of this alive.  And so do we.  That's all.  And we don't appreciate listening to you mock him or how much we care about him, so if you could cut that out, that'd be fantastic."

Some sort of flood gate had whipped open with the Archeops and suddenly he was talking for what seemed like an hour straight. At first Zapdos held his angry bristling, eyes narrowed and twitchy as he fought to comprehend the words, but it quickly faded. The fire within him already smoldered to a icy hatred and the legend just blocked out the words altogether. They were just spouting some bullshit about their special snowflake human, anyway.

The avian was speaking so much, it took Zapdos a moment to realise not only had he stopped, but the Armaldo had stepped forward to talk. He tensed once more, expecting an onslaught, but the bug's voice did not drone on for long (unlike his companion).
"But we're not gonna attack you if you don't attack us, and neither is Roark. Roark just wants to get out of this alive. And so do we. That's all. And we don't appreciate listening to you mock him or how much we care about him, so if you could cut that out, that'd be fantastic."

Dark cerulean eyes remained unmoved but before the electric type could snap back-- and likely cause another half hour long chewing out-- there was a distant crashing sound causing him to snap his head up instinctively. Or Zapdos tried to, instead only wincing in pain as the wires bit mercilessly into his neck. "The hell was that?" he snarled, his frustrations over being ranted at and his pain causing the words to be much sharper than before.

[ ooc: bitterbitterbitter lmao ]

Pain.

Darkness swims in his vision, pain is everywhere; what is going on...?

---

---

Dina?  Isn't that her voice...?

---

---

The world comes into focus, just a bit, then blurs again.  Gardenia?  Dina!

---

---

Dina I can't; hurts...  Dark, too.  So dark.  Maybe he should just close his eyes... wait for it to go away...

---

---

Fragments drift down to him, much less clear than Gardenia's voice; instead of echo, it's more like fuzzy static.  "...worth the ..sk, n.. ...th ... risk; so no... w...th the ri..., sh... ...it shit."  

Is... is that Pach?  

---

---

His eyes snap open-- when had they closed?  Probably doesn't matter.

The world focuses again, and doesn't dim this time, though it stays blurry.  His brain sputters to life, like an old computer, taking stock of things, one step at a time.

He's laying down, on his side.  His legs have been drawn inwards, and his upper body has curled downwards.  His back hurts like all get-out.  So does his head.  There is something wet and sticky behind and above his ear; noticing it makes pain flare up and he curses the gods he lives under for that.  His legs and arms hurt.  Everything hurts.  It's still dark.  There is faint light from above, but he has no strength to move his head.  No glasses.

"Shit, I don't know; he could have broken something for all we know."  

"Ro!  Answer!  Please!"  

"Son, shhh!  We don't need to make any more noise than we've already made!"  he sounds angry.  "Go find stairs!  I'll stay here with the kid!"

Something tromps out of the room above.  He hears them move across the floor.  Pach.  That must be Pach.  And he's leaving.  Why is he leaving?

He bites down on his lip and shifts one leg, then the other.  A moan escapes him.  It's sore, but doable.  They don't feel broken.

"Kid?  Roark!  Are you okay!?"

Answering is above his capabilities right now.  One step at a time.  That is how he will slog onwards.  Now he tests his arms, stretching them.  They protest, but the pain is not stabbing.  They are not broken.

He streches his legs again.  Ow.  His arms again.  Ow.  Gritting his teeth, he rolls onto his back.

Ow.

Finally, he opens his eyes.  Blurry light that makes his head scream.  I don't want to.  But he knows he must.  Slowly, he braces his hands against the floor and drags himself into a sitting position.  He raises his hands to his face and scrubs the knuckles into his eyes, as if that would clear his vision.

Gardenia...  For a moment, a pang of disappointment stabs him-- he's not dead.  That was not Dina welcoming him to the release of death.  That was just a memory of her, a memory of when he felt like giving up and she refused to let him.

It speaks to her presence in his life, he reflects, that he'd recall fragments of that at a time where he wanted to give up yet again.

Well... I owe her and my Pokemon to keep trying... as much as I don't want to.

But... he can allow himself a few minutes of rest before trying to stand.  His head is pounding; he'd fall on his ass anyway.

Now if only Sterling would stop talking maybe he could collect the rest of his thoughts...

---

A crash rings out.  Faint, distant; Anom doesn't even hear it.  Zapdos, however...

"The hell was that?"

The bug frowns.  "The hell was what?"

Archae tries to smooth his fluffed out feathers down, staring towards the unseen source of the sound.  "Something... crashed.  Far away."

Anom curses.  "Okay, I'll go check it out--"

"And leave me alone to guard Zapdos and the others?  An, that's a terrible idea.  We don't know what might try to get in that door."  Nervous eyes dart over to said object.  "I'm sure Pach, Ro, and Sterling have it handled.  We don't need to rush in; we'd probably just get in the way..."

"But they might need our help!"

"We know for a fact Zapdos and our friends right here--" he nudges the bag with its pokeballs "--already do.  We don't have to play hero, Anom; remember what happened last time?  Nobody needs a repeat of that mess.  Let's learn from that."

"But--!"

"No.  If they need help, one of them will return."

"... If they're not back in ten minutes, I'm going to look."

Archae weighs that for a moment before nodding.  "That's fair."

Both Zapdos and the Armaldo frown.  "The hell was what?"
Archae hesitates before speaking slowly. "Something... crashed.  Far away."
The Legend bristles but remains calm. "More zombies ruining my damn home."

But the pair bicker after the bug curses, determining a course of action.
"I'm sure Pach, Ro, and Sterling have it handled.  We don't need to rush in; we'd probably just get in the way..."
"But they might need our help!"
"We know for a fact Zapdos and our friends right here already do.  We don't have to play hero, Anom; remember what happened last time?  Nobody needs a repeat of that mess.  Let's learn from that."
Zapdos scoffs. I'd be fine for five minutes without a baby sitter. But he dared not speak it out loud. Much as the avian would refuse to admit, the thought of getting caught by undead-- or worse-- in his state was enough to keep the words unspoken.

"... If they're not back in ten minutes, I'm going to look."
"That's fair."
"We're just going to sit and hope the undead don't get pissy?" Zapdos hardly waits for a response before adding, "We should stay quiet and keep on guard, lest something show up." Due to dealing with Pokemon, and not their useless human, his words were civil, much calmer than earlier.

God my head...  It won't stop pounding.  

God, it won't stop pounding.  It throbs.

"Kid, if you can hear me, please give some kinda indication of it."  

"Hhhhhhhhhhhhng..."  That was supposed to be a "shut up."  It's a moan.  Oh well.

"Oh, thank god," the Bastiodon breathes.  "Just... just stay put, okay?  Pach is coming down to get ya."

Stay put?  Just where did he think he was going to go?  Out into the darkness beyond?  Hell no.  His head hurts enough without moving, anyway.

In fact maybe he should lay down again?

As soon as the thought crosses his mind, he slaps himself mentally for it.  Nope.  Can't do that.  Gotta get up.  Gotta at least stand.  You know.  Right after admitting to himself his head hurts too much to move.

Why do the gods hate him?

With a deep breath, he braces one knee and his hands against the floor.  His stomach protests, agitated by the pain in his head.  Nothing for it, though.  He pushes off--

--and the world shifts and tilts and his face says hello to the linoleum.  A sharp pain in his mouth and blood clue him into the fact that he's bitten his tongue; he barely notices the reprimand he's receiving from Sterling above him.  God damn it.

"...o?"  

He rolls over, bleary eyes staring in misery at the door.  Did he just hear something?

"Roooooo?"

"Pach..."  The dry, raspy whisper isn't enough for the dinosaur to hear.  He calls again.

And so Roark responds again.  "P-Pach!"  There, that's a little louder.  He tries swallowing past the desert in his throat, tries ignoring the stab of agony in his head that makes the world swim before his eyes.  "Pach!"

"Roark?"  He sounds closer now.  One more should do it.  

"Pach!"

Heavy footsteps pause in their tracks, then start up with renewed speed.  Roark looses a shuddering sigh and closes his eyes as the Rampardos tromps into the room.

Thank god.  One obstacle down.

---

Zapdos doesn't seem too concerned, but then, he might just be hiding it.  Archae wouldn't be able to tell.  "We're just going to sit and hope the undead don't get pissy?"  He doesn't really wait for an answer, but thankfully what he adds is still on topic and leaves room for debate.  "We should stay quiet and keep on guard, lest something show up."

"I don't think it's undead.  Wouldn't you have smelled them by now?  Those things smell like shit."

"Yeah, I would've.  Or.  Should've.  If they're covered in mud or something it might be hard to smell 'em, and it is pouring a fucking river from the sky..."  Anom glares at the door, as if the rain outside could be intimidated by that.

The bird lets out a low sound of distress.  "Fantastic.  But yeah.  What Zapdos said.  For at least ten minutes.  If they're not back by then, Anom'll go after them.  You and I will stay put.  And quiet."  For dead things, the walkers sure did respond well to noise.  Why the hell even is that?

"I'm not happy about it," Anom grumbles.  "But it makes sense.  Though, kinda confused here."  He looks to Zapdos.  "You made it sound at first like you objected to us staying here and waiting?  But then suggested we do exactly that?"  Maybe he'd realized something inbetween sentences.  The mind has funny ways of pointing stuff out in nanoseconds.

"I don't think it's undead.  Wouldn't you have smelled them by now?  Those things smell like shit." Zapdos looked away from the pokemon, unwilling to waste his attention on them while a potential threat loomed nearby. Of course he'd be stuck with the only pokemon still alive that would rather chat than keep quiet when there were Undead lurking around. And of course he was basically helpless with this godforsaken fence coiled around him.

"Yeah, I would've.  Or.  Should've.  If they're covered in mud or something it might be hard to smell 'em, and it is pouring a fucking river from the sky..." Zapdos frowns at the statement, but doesn't bother looking down at the speaking pokemon. Why would Undead be covered in mud while indoors? They weren't smart enough to strategize like that... were they?

Oh my god they were still talking. Why were they so insistent on gabbing away their location? Zapdos rolled his eyes as he continued to silently boycott acknowledging them, though the didn't seem to notice. Not surprising. They were very wrapped up in their Talk-A-Thon, after all. "Fantastic.  But yeah.  What Zapdos said.  For at least ten minutes.  If they're not back by then, Anom'll go after them.  You and I will stay put.  And quiet." What a stellar, novel idea.

"I'm not happy about it," The Armaldo grumbled. Yes because your entire team seems to be against staying quiet. "But it makes sense.  Though, kinda confused here." Zapdos looked further from them, craning his neck back as he boredly scowled at the grime and filth decorating his home. Gross. "You made it sound at first like you objected to us staying here and waiting?  But then suggested we do exactly that?"

There was an actual pause in the conversation, which at first the electric bird didn't catch. But when he realized that they'd actually shut up for a moment, he turned back to them to make sure they were still there or, you know, alive. But there they stood, but staring up at him expectantly. Was... that last question directed at him? At the realization of what the brutish pokemon actually asked him, as well as the hubris associated with it, the grand bird sneered down. "I don't like chucking myself into danger when I can't do anything to protect myself and I'd rather not have the only pokemon capable of defending me go gallivanting off after their human master." He spat the word, his glare smouldering at the Armaldo.

"Roark!"  The dinosaur leans down to examine his human, Roark groaning as hands prod him and pull him and attempt to coax him into a sitting position.

"Noooo my- my h-head," he whines. "Hurts."

"Hurts like "I have a concussion" hurts or hurts as in "I whacked it real hard?"  

"I d-don't fucking kn-know," the miner groans.  God, why do their voices have to be so loud?

"Well we can't just leave you here!"

That is true, as much as it sucks.  He'd rather his brain punch a hole in his head than the undead do that for him... eugh.  He shudders as his stomach rebels.  Nope, let's not think on that right now.

"All- all right, a-all r-right just- just give me a... give me a moment..."  He rolls onto his side again and braces his arms and legs beneath himself, giving himself a moment to breath before pushing off.  This time when he starts his downward fall, something solid stops him-- and it's not the floor.  He falls into Pach, the dinosaur having dipped down so Roark could catch himself on him.  "Thank- thank y-you."

What a blessing Pach is, honestly.

"Can I j-just... h-hang on-onto you?"

"Of course."

---

Zapdos doesn't seem too concerned, but then, he might just be hiding it.  Archae wouldn't be able to tell.  "I don't like chucking myself into danger when I can't do anything to protect myself and I'd rather not have the only pokemon capable of defending me go gallivanting off after their human master."  

"He's not our master, he's our friend."  Anom just barely refrains from rolling his eyes.  

"We're not gonna leave you to the undead."

No sense in talking to Zapdos now.  He's even pissier than before, somehow.  How is that even possible?

I get why he is, I really do, but it's still fucking annoying.  Now that there's dead silence except for the rain outside, he expects Zapdos will complain about that, too.

Anom is staring into the backpack at the other pokeballs.  They could always let a few teammates out to search for Roark and keep an eye on Zapdos, if the thunder god really is that worried.  But will more Pokemon upset him?

Hmmm.

"He's not our master, he's our friend." The Armaldo seems to fight the urge to roll his eyes, but Zapdos doesn't bother to suppress his own. Sure. Right. Because friends chucked each other into battle to get beaten and bloodied. Friends pummeled you into submission, stuffed you in a tiny ball and commanded you to perpetuate the cycle over and over until you were surrounded with "friends". Father above, he wished he could just fry these morons -or at least their moron trainer- and go about his business. Like clearing out his own home, which the human was apparently knocking around.

"We're not gonna leave you to the undead."

"See that you don't," Zapdos growled back, his head swiveling to continue to survey his dark home. When the hell was that human supposed to be getting back, anyhow? He should hurry, since his pokemon were so completely distraught without him. Ugh. The thought of being that dependent on another, especially of a human repulsed Zapdos to his very core. How could any self-respecting pokemon live like that?

"Ugh... I- I wish... I c-could just... ride on your ba-back..."

Roark limps out of the room, leaning on Pach and wincing with each step.  God, is he sore.

"You... wanna try that?"

"N-no.  I'd f-fall off."  No way could he balance well enough to ride on his friend's back.  He'd probably crack his head open trying.

Or... well... maybe not.  He did have the hardhat for a reason.

Still, testing fate is a stupid idea.  Knowing him, his hat would come off in the fall somehow and he'd give himself a bad concussion.  Or he'd break something else.  Maybe his face.  Which would actually be a blessing; he needs his arms and legs and everything attached to those.

This sucks.  Jesus christ.  But he grits his teeth and keeps walking.  

I can do this.

---

Zapdos doesn't seem too concerned, but then, he might just be hiding it.  Archae wouldn't be able to tell.  "See that you don't."  

"We're n- Anom?"  Arche notices him staring at the backpack, where the other Pokeballs lay.

"If he's so worried about this, should we let more of our friends out?"

"What?  No.  Too much noise."

"But we need to go look for him, and it might be a good idea to leave someone else where while one of us goes poking around.  That way there are still two people left here."

"You're assuming Roark isn't coming back..."

"Just a 'what if' scenario.  I'd like to have a plan."

The bird moves closer to the bug, lowering his voice.  "Look so do I, but I'd rather not make him pissier and I like to have some faith in Ro.  He's sick, not helpless."

"Doesn't mean he can't run into trouble," Anom shoots back in the same, low tone.  "I'm nervous, okay?  I just want a backup plan.  Sue me."

"It hasn't been ten minutes yet, dude."

"Fiiiiiine," he grumbles.

"We're n- Anom?" Zapdos frowned as the Armaldo is obviously staring at his human's pack, the Archeops mirroring Zapdos' distant curiosity.

"If he's so worried about this, should we let more of our friends out?" The dumb bug doesn't seem to notice the shift in Zapdos' gaze as it narrows more into a dangerous glare.

At least his fellow bird had more sense. "What? No. Too much noise." Now they were worried about making too much noise? Pfft. Figured.

"But we need to go look for him, and it might be a good idea to leave someone else where while one of us goes poking around. That way there are still two people left here."

"You're assuming Roark isn't coming back..." Zapdos shoved his gratitude for the human feeding him and "protecting" him; he still wasn't convinced this wasn't an elaborate ruse to earn a Legendary ally. In the back of his mind, Zapdos knew he needed the human's help to remove the fence, but his anger and distrust of Roark's entire species was rooted too deep to simply be ignored. At least I would die with my dignity intact...

"Just a 'what if' scenario. I'd like to have a plan," objected the bug.

The bird moved closer to his companion and dropped the volume of his voice. What, did he really think he'd have privacy in Zapdos' own home? Did he really think he could scheme right in front of him, a goddamned LEGEND? "Look so do I, but I'd rather not make him pissier and I like to have some faith in Ro. He's sick, not helpless." Well, maybe not "scheme", but insulting Zapdos not ten feet from him was still pretty ballsy.

"Doesn't mean he can't run into trouble," the bug whispers back. They must have honestly thought that whispering would work. Not like they were concerned about noise level just, oh, five minutes ago. "I'm nervous, okay? I just want a backup plan. Sue me."

"It hasn't been ten minutes yet, dude."

"Fiiiiiine."

"I really hope you realize I can hear you," Zapdos growled as he stared into the blackness of his home, only affording the duo a glare before standing sentinel once more. "And if your human were such a 'friend', he would have taught you better patience. Just sit and wait and be quiet." The last sentence was practically hissed as what feathers weren't trapped by the fence rose with his anger.