(ACE) The LAVERRE Team

((Sorry skip please?))

After Barry was decided as friendly, Kaneki closed his eyes and rested, purring slightly as Hide ran his paws through his black fur. "I'm Bernie," Opening his white and silver eye, Kaneki looked over at Bernie who had sat down nearby. At least everyone was relaxing. Lazily sliding his eye over, Kaneki observed Barry with one eye closed and the other one half-lidded. "I'm here to help you in whatever it is you need and what's your name Miss?" Opening his eye a bit wider, Kaneki looked over at Alirah, who seemed to have clammed up. Opening his other eye, Kaneki got up from his spot next to Hide, surprisin the Riolu who watched as Kaneki trotted over to Alirah and plopped himself down next to the Umbreon, his dual tails curling around the pastel Umbreon protectively.

Hide chuckled and got up as well, wandering over to Kaneki and sitting down on the other side of him, leaning his back agains't Kaneki's as he slung an arm over the Phanteon, the limb resting over his chest so that Hide could feel Kaneki breath and the ghost's slow, sluggish heartbeat under his paw. "Sorry I asked a question to soon, I was looking for a human and a Absol. Thought that they may have came through here." A human and Absol? Hide tapped his chin with his free hand. There was a human, but I don't know about an Absol... He thought, humming quietly in thought.

“I'm-- um... I...” Looking over at Alirah, Kaneki listened patiently as the pastel Umbreon found her words, and carefully addressed the other Umbreon. “Um... It's fine. My name is Alirah.” His white gaseous ears flicked upwards, leaving behind a few curling wisps of white gas that dissipated into the air a few seconds later as he listened in to whatever was being said. “T-there was a human here earlier, but I don't know where she... went.” Kaneki's eyes narrowed as he remembered her flying off on her dragons. he growled lowly, the sound reverberating against the floor to make it sound deeper than it was.

"The human abandoned us. Flew off on her dragons and left us for dead." He said lowly, his eyes narrowing dangerously at Barry. Did they know this human - this deserter? His glare softened to a more concerned expression as he looked back over to Alirah, who was continuing to talk. “I don't think she had an Absol with her, though. She had lots of dragons.” He snorted quietly, looking away and set his head on his paws, his narrowed glare returning to Barry. "I like you so far, and from what I saw, I don't think this was your human."

“Uh... B-Barry?” Looking over at Alirah, Kaneki felt a sinking feeling appear in his chest, and his ears fell at the pastel eeveelution's words. “My friend... She got attacked by a Gardevoir, and they Teleported away... She's a black Furfrou.” Biting his lip, Kaneki sucked in a deep breath. They didn't know how far something could teleport? “I-if you're looking for someone too, maybe we could help each other?” Exhaling slowly, Kaneki looked back at Alirah and opened his mouth to explain to her, but Barry cut him off. He shut is jaws with a loud sound of his teeth hitting as he glared harshly at Barry.

"A Gardevoir, seems those creatures are still around. Sweetie we'll have to wait till morning when their is light outside those undead monsters are everywhere." His eye twitched and Kaneki's tail lashed slightly, almost like a snake that had tasted something foul. “Anyways... I don't know if anyone else has a place to go, so if you want, you're all welcome here in the Boutique. I know a little about this city, so we can make a run for food when the storm passes. Um... if that's okay, I mean...” Standing up slowly, Kaneki narrowly stared at Barry, but his fur remaind flat. If Alirah was extending a paw of hospitality, Kaneki wouldn't interfere. "Alright Alirah, we'll wait till the storm passes and try to get as much food as we can before the monsters come looking for us."

Clenching his teeth, Kaneki started a quiet growl that was barely audible as he watched Barry address him and Hide. Insinctively, Kaneki moved in front of Hide to block Barry's view of him. "Can you both help when the time comes to gather food and help protect the others?" Kaneki scoffed. He didn't need to be asked. He said he would protect them, didn't he? "Alirah, when we find them, it'll be best to stay with us to get you all to safety. It might be a long road, but I have faith you'll do fine." Stepping up to Barry, the Phanteon stood almost nose-to-nose with the Umbreon, his eyes narrowed into a glare.

"Kaneki..." Hide warned, knowing what he was about to do, but the Phanteon ignored him, his tails twitching in agitation as he stared Barry down, his eyes narrowing into a glare.

"Alright, listen up. I'm sure you mean well, but I don't really appreciate other making assumptions. You come in here, ask demanding questions, put us on the spot right after we lose someone important, then you start saying what we should and shouldn't do? I already said that I will protect everyone here, but I don't appreciate others telling me what to do, or putting 'mons under my care in danger." He said, his voice low but not threatening. "And another thing I don't believe in is false hope. I tried that and I ended up dead. Teleport works world-wide. For all we know, Knightly was teleported into a completely different region. If she is around here, great, but don't get someone's hope up just because you said you'll find them. It is not a definite thing, and I'd rather it if you step the fuck off and sit back until we've recovered from losing half our group in one night."

Kaneki turned away, stopping a few paces away and turning back to glare at Barry again. "I'm glad we understand each other." He said, before moving to the back of the boutique and  sitting down in the shadows, staring at Barry from the cover of the darkness, where only his single red glowing eye showed his position.

Things escalated fast...

"Alright Alirah, we'll wait till the storm passes and try to get as much food as we can before the monsters come looking for us." The midnight Umbree... he wasn't just a fly-by-night passerby, but he was willing to help out? God, Alirah was really feeling like one of the monsters he spoke of now... “... Okay! When we find Knightly, she can help us track down your... friends?” Ali used the term lightly-- she didn't know if they were friends, foes or otherwise to Barry, but what else was there to call them?... Man, she sucked at this. Kaneki's tails were no longer curled around her tiny form, making her instinctively want to traipse to he and Hide.

"Can you both help when the time comes to gather food and help protect the others?" Barry's question seemed innocent enough, but the Haunted Pokémon simply scoffed. Did... Did Ali miss something? Her eyes darted between Kaneki and Barry questioningly, almost fast enough to make her dizzy, but she opted to keep her lips sealed. Her eyes finally stopped on Barry, the Umbreon offering the encouragement she needed but didn't deserve; "Alirah, when we find them, it'll be best to stay with us to get you all to safety. It might be a long road, but I have faith you'll do fine." Her ears perked up, giving him a smile. “T-thank you!”

The Ghost- was frighteningly close to Barry before Ali could even realize what was happening-- and even when she had time to think, she still didn't quite get why Kaneki was aggravated. He glared knives at the dark pelted Moonlight Pokémon, "Alright, listen up. I'm sure you mean well, but I don't really appreciate other making assumptions. You come in here, ask demanding questions, put us on the spot right after we lose someone important, then you start saying what we should and shouldn't do? I already said that I will protect everyone here, but I don't appreciate others telling me what to do, or putting 'mons under my care in danger." Alirah flinched lightly, though Kaneki did not raise his voice. “K-Kaneki...?” She whispered, unsure whether or not the murmur actually left her lips.

"And another thing I don't believe in is false hope. I tried that and I ended up dead. Teleport works world-wide. For all we know, Knightly was teleported into a completely different region. If she is around here, great, but don't get someone's hope up just because you said you'll find them. It is not a definite thing, and I'd rather it if you step the fuck off and sit back until we've recovered from losing half our group in one night." Kaneki faced away, padding towards the looming shadows of the Boutique. "I'm glad we understand each other."

If... if saying they would find Knightly was false hope, did that mean... Ali was never going to see her again? Was she hanging on to something gone now? Her rings pulsed uncontrolled, her few steps towards Kaneki faltering quickly as she did nothing more than flop onto her belly and stare towards the glowing eye giving away the ghost's location. “... Kaneki? Is seeing Knightly again, false... hope?” Her voice was devoid of anything-- particularly, hope.

"Can you both help when the time comes to gather food and help protect the others?"

Bernie looked between the two pokemon as Barry spoke to the ghost. Kaneki scoffed and ignored his friend and Bernie could tell this wasn't gonna be good.

"Alright, listen up. I'm sure you mean well, but I don't really appreciate other making assumptions. You come in here, ask demanding questions, put us on the spot right after we lose someone important, then you start saying what we should and shouldn't do? I already said that I will protect everyone here, but I don't appreciate others telling me what to do, or putting 'mons under my care in danger." The ghost continued in a low voice, "And another thing I don't believe in is false hope. I tried that and I ended up dead. Teleport works world-wide. For all we know, Knightly was teleported into a completely different region. If she is around here, great, but don't get someone's hope up just because you said you'll find them. It is not a definite thing, and I'd rather it if you step the fuck off and sit back until we've recovered from losing half our group in one night."

All in all Bernie just felt lucky he didn't say something stupid when he first showed up because he really did mot want to be on Kaneki's bad side. He felt a little sorry for the new Umbreon, but definitely not sorry enough to try and defend him.

“... Kaneki? Is seeing Knightly again, false... hope?”

Bernie held his breath as Alirah spoke and was thankful she wasn't talking to him. This was honestly more drama than he'd ever had in his too long life. The old cat sat up and swung his tail back and forth agitated, doing his best to stay out of the drama and keep his snarky mouth shut.

It was so quiet here. The darkness had swallowed everything, even life. Nothing stirred.. and loneliness seeped from the sodden city. Clouds blotted out the starlight and moon so only the thinnest trickles of light could make it to the ground below. An icy breeze whipped over the ground but the air.. it felt like it was.. tense. Like it was holding its breath and waiting for something. Fog billowed and clouded over everything, a thick shroud that felt almost malignant. "It's so cold.." wheezed the Snivy as he staggered his way forward. His typing and small scaled stature was never very good at handling such a chill, even after hanging around with Verglas for so long, and his movements had grown labored. Even his sweater didn't help as it had grown sodden in the rain.

The cold air buffeted him again until he winced. Pulling his arms closer to his chest his tiny hands grabbed one another as he shivered. How long had they been walking? It felt like an eternity had passed since they last stopped. "Eep!" Plant squeals as one foot slams against an unseen rock and he stumbles. Struggling to keep on his feet he flails until falling back on his rump. Turns out sitting was even worse then walking, as the freezing water crept over his scales, but he could not find it in himself to stand back up.

Verglas walked up behind him, his red gaze even more distant then usual. Turning a sad, puffy gaze at the Snover Plant waited for him to speak but received nothing. "So tired Verg.." He whined pathetically while wiping one hand over his eyes. "Tired of walking, of the cold, of the dark.." Plant's voice trailed off into sobs. Today had been terrible. They had been chased at least three times, walking since morning without stopping, rained on, and hadn't had any food all day. It was like everything was out to get them! Lip quivering, tears bulged at the corners of his orange-brown eyes. "Let's stop," the Snover finally spoke, a tiredness to his voice that never seemed to leave these days. With great care Verglas bundled up the Snivy and helped him onto the top of his head, where he curled around the peaks like a snake, before pressing on.

"But I don't wanna be here.." Plant sobbed, dreading the thought of spending the night in such a spooky town. This place was nothing like home. It smelled like swamp water and peat instead of stone and moss. Verglas tromped forward with his usual lumbering gate as though his feet didn't ache. His words came slowly on each breath, "Come on.. There's.. some place nice to stay here." He didn't want to stop. He couldn't stand to do so. He had to search.. But Plant needs to.. The Snivy's mood had been incredibly somber all day. The last thing he needed was shoddy rest upon his cap as he kept walking.
Blinking his dark red gaze the Snover longed for the time his vision was clear and his head didn't feel so pressurized. It'll pass.. His body felt numb, moving as a reaction instead on by intention. Even as he looked at the buildings for one that didn't look terrible it was hard to focus on them. They were all the same.. the same boring structures that did not call to him. "How about here?" He says laboriously, pointing to the next building coming up. Plant groaned slightly, shifting his tail, but said nothing.

Trotting up to the building the Snover freezes. Lightening flashes above, giving just enough light for him to see a dark shape waiting next to the building. Was that a Pokemon? The shape stands and heads inside the building, clearly a creature of some sort. Something thumped in Verglas chest; he had to follow it. Suddenly his steps were slightly faster, still awkwardly slow but still faster then before. Pokemon. But as he approached he fell back to his slow step. Bodies? Some seriously mangled corpses lay around outside this building. Was that  bad sign? The feeling pulsed harder, driving the Snover to head inside. He had forgotten Plant and was only focused on one thing.
Something was alive in there.

Breaching the doorway Verglas walked in slowly, a tingle creeping along in at the scent of life inside the building. There were voices further in as well that were all the more tantalizing. Plant stirred on top of him upon noticing the drier air and lack of rain. Focusing his eyes he looked around the room but did little in the way of moving. This place wasn't terrible at least. Blinking in the gloom the first thing he noticed were bright colors, pink and orange. His heart skipped a beat; all the Pokemon they had seen today were the monster kind. But Im too tired to run.. Praying they were friendly the Snivy had little other choice and forced a short, timid greeting. "Hello?"

Hide watched as Kaneki sat in the darkness of the boutique, and with a heavy sigh, the Riolu pulled himself to his paws and wandered over to Kaneki, completely ignoring the ghost's glare that the Phanteon sent his way. Setting himself down unceremoniously next to Kaneki, Hide slung an arm around Kaneki's neck and pulled the ghost close, much to their chagrin. Rubbing his cheek up against Kaneki's, Hide grinned as Kaneki growled lowly at him.

"Hide, get off."
"Not until you smile at me, grouchy-pants."
"Off. Now"
"Smiiiiiile Kaneki. Don't make me lick you."

Kaneki couldn't help it, he grinned at Hide's threat.

"There's that smile! Good, now stop being a creep and go back out where the others can see you." The shiny said, getting up and almost dragging the ghost to his paws.

“... Kaneki? Is seeing Knightly again, false... hope?” Pacing out to stand in front of Alirah, the black-furred Phanteon sat down, looking anywhere other than the pastel Umbreon's eyes. He sucked in a breath and let out out slowly.

"I... I don't know. I'm sorry Alirah, but... Teleport has a very, very wide range. Knightly... She could be anywhere. I'm hopeful that Knightly is still around, but..." Kaneki trailed off, his eyes finding themselves glued to Alirah's mint green paws. "...I'm not going to base my hope on a move that works worldwide. I'm sorry, Alirah. We could all use some rest, okay?"

"Don't worry I'm just getting some fresh air, I'll be lucky to waste some monsters along the way." Watching Barry go from the corner of his eye, Kaneki glared at the Umbreon's retreating form. "He may not be a threat, but I don't like him." He said quietly, earning a light punch from Hide. "Be nice Kaneki." Hide scolded, earning the Riolu a grin and one of Kaneki's red tails swishing past his face, getting the gas near his nose and making the small fighting type sneeze. "Kaneki!" Hide protested, holding his nose.

"My apologies Hide." Kaneki said, but it was easy to tell he wasn't sorry at all. The sound of Barry returning brought a scowl back to Kaneki's face and he narrowed his eyes at the Umbreon. "Sorry I just needed some fresh air, Kaneki, sorry I didn't want to offend you." With a huff of air, Kaneki looked away from the Umbreon, but kept eye locked on Barry so the Phanteon was looking at them sidelong. "It's fine. Just, don't be a dick. We're all tired and I get snappy when I'm tired." Kaneki informed, his ear flicking as he heard the sound of Hide's repaired door creak.

Getting to his paws, Kaneki lowered himself to the ground, his lithe form allowing the Phanteon to slowly make his way so that he could see the doorway. There stood a Snover and atop its head was a Snivy. Kaneki raised an eyebrow. First a Servine, now a Snivy? It was almost funny. Sniffing the air, Kaneki bristled immediately. Undead. "Hello?" Skirting around the entrance, Kaneki stopped to stand in front of the undead Snover and the Snivy, his red eye glowing dimly.

"I smell undeath on you, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt here. Friend, or foe?" He asked, his red tails curled up in defensive 'S' shapes as his eyes travelled over the two. The Snover was very obviously undead, but the Snivy seemed healthy. Perhaps the Snover was still sane, then? Whatever it was, Kaneki needed to know if these two would be dangerous first.

A tall figure stood in the center of town, his attire disheveled and his breathing erratic. Sucking in a deep breath, the trainer straightened out his clothes – there wasn't much he could do about them being drenched, unfortunately – checked his bag and finally,took a deep breath. ”Well Nisha. Last I checked, this is not Orre. No Stark either.” The trainer looked down at his companion – a powerful Liepard who nodded sadly. ”Yeah. Sorry Grimsley.” The Dark Trainer shrugged and crouched down, petting his faithful companion. ”That's alright. Lets look around. Maybe someone else is about? Surely we're not alone here, right?” Grimsley asked his friend, who gave him a feline shrug.

”Sounds like a plan. Where to start?” The Liepard asked, and Grimsley hummed quietly in thought, crossing his arms and looking up at the stormy sky. ”Perhaps somewhere out of this rain? I don't particularly like being drenched.” He said, earning a chuckle from his Liepard. ”I agree there, Grim'.” She said, following Grimsley as the Dark Trainer made his way over to the closet building, which he guessed was a boutique. Hands in his pockets, Grimsley hummed a quiet tune, one that Nisha recognized as the same song Grimsley would sing on occasion if he was upset or something was troubling him. Her green eyes shone with amusement.

”Grimsley. We've been partners for fifteen years. I know when you're troubled by something. What is it?” She confronted, earning a short laugh from him. ”Ah, it's fine. I'm just worried about the others. What happened to Ci– Boss, Tristana and the Thomases?” He said, stopping under the protection of a tree as he turned his communicator all the way up. He was sure he had heard something odd over here as he was going past. Even with his sensitivity turned up, Grimsley could barely make out the voice that was picked up through his earpiece. "... Smell un... Ath... You... The be... It of the dou... Ee. Fri... Oe?" Voices, he deducted. Pokemon voices. Turning the communicator's sensitivity down, Grimsley looked down at his partner with a grin. ”Looks like Lady Luck is smiling at us Nisha. Seems like we aren't alone here.” He said with a smile, looking around the area.

A considerable amount of undead bodies lay strewn about – a recent battle, Grimsley guessed. On the ground nearby was a silk scrap of cloth, and picking it up, Grimsley found traces of undead blood on it. Sucking in a breath, Grimsley looked around some more. ”Looks like we missed one hell of a fight.” He said, standing up and squeezing some water from his clothing. Shaking out his hand, Grimsley grinned and placed his hands in his pockets once more. ”Shall we go say hello to the locals, Nisha?” He asked, making the feline smirk and roll her eyes.

”Knock yourself out, Grim'.” She said, following as Grimsley wandered up to the door, a friendly smile on his face as he knocked politely on the door – no need for a repeat of Realgam. ”Excuse me. The weather out here is frightful. My partner and I are in search of a shelter, could we stay with you? I promise not to cause too much trouble. I'm told I make wonderful company.”

Based on the fact Kaneki refused to meet Alirah's troubled eyes promised his answer would not be good. Her tail curled around her and she pushed her snoot into the fluff. Knightly's scent was still there... "I... I don't know. I'm sorry Alirah, but... Teleport has a very, very wide range. Knightly... She could be anywhere. I'm hopeful that Knightly is still around, but..." Kaneki said ‘sorry’ like she was dead. Alirah knew he was not trying to provoke any more pain in her dull senses, but anything and everything was like an unsharpened blade tearing to and fro viciously at her. "...I'm not going to base my hope on a move that works worldwide. I'm sorry, Alirah. We could all use some rest, okay?"

“... Okay.” She felt so small, she was agreeing to relax in the shelter Knightly and she shared for so long, while the Furfrou could've been anywhere, in any type of emergency. She might be three buildings across, waiting for me to-- no. Nonono, that's not happening. Noo. Her conscience was her greatest enemy. Well... one of them. These days, it seemed like everything was against her and most of them were attributes of herself.

"Don't worry I'm just getting some fresh air, I'll be lucky to waste some monsters along the way." Barry's tail disappeared into the darkness outside, much like Knightly had faded into the endless black of the world. “Don't go,” Ali whispered, but he was already out of sight by the time her feeble voice cooperated.
The female sighed, resting her chin on her paws. Her collar was a bit oversized for her neck, choking her up a bit.

Ali's stomach made a slight sound and she sighed, shutting her eyes just until everything was a dark blur except the occasional blinding burst of lightning. Kaneki and Hide's voices were in the back of her mind, but said mind was wandering. Where would Knightly go if she were still in Laverre? The Pokémon Center wasn't an option, it was overrun. Maybe the Poké Ball Factory. Or that weird house off to the south. ... I have to help find food in the morning, too. Erm... She was not good with any type of responsibility. God, she hoped she wouldn't let everyone down.

Her sight in her left eye changed color slightly, to a more crimson hue. She blinked a few times and closed both eyes at different times as though she was winking at nothing. A single tear rolled down her left cheek.
Ali brought up her foot and ran her paw up her face, recoiling a little as she stared at her pads dyed in blood. Wh-what the heck? Her eye was itchy and bothersome, but her attention on that was whisked away as Barry retu--

She paused. Looking around the room, Barry was already back and the sound was definitely of something entering the Boutique.
Alirah's rings dimmed to nothing and she pushed herself to her feet. Her heart was racing-- she had to resist the urge to call out Knightly's name, but any reason to died as she realized the footsteps sounded bipedal rather than a four legged poodle.

The creature moved towards the doorway, looking sort of like an oval with a sombrero in the shadows. It was a nearly humorous thought in her dark mind until she realized this was not a living Pokémon.
"Hello?" The voice easily belonged to a child. But it was not the undead, rather the little Pokémon on top of it's head-hat-whatever.
Kaneki, as boldly as he proved to be time and time again, stopped ahead of them and offered his response: "I smell undeath on you, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt here. Friend, or foe?"

Alirah was not so calm.

She materialized a Shadow Ball in front of her teeth as she paced up behind Kaneki. If the undead made one false move, she would spring above him and fire. Ali growled quietly at the undead-- it was their kind that took Knightly away!

A light echo sounded from the door in rhythmic knocks. Was it more undead? That was awful courteous though, how many undead waited for an invitation to kill? ”Excuse me. The weather out here is frightful. My partner and I are in search of a shelter, could we stay with you? I promise not to cause too much trouble. I'm told I make wonderful company.”

... And how many could speak so smoothly?

If worse came to worst and Kaneki had to fight this undead, they at least needed to know what else they were up against. It was uncharacteristic and she would probably regret it - like always - but her physical form disappeared as she phased towards the door and slipped behind the tall figure and their ‘partner’. Her Feint Attack faded away and she reappeared, awkwardly realizing in her five seconds of bravery, she'd forgotten to think of something to say.

“N-n-not what I was expecting,” she stuttered, looking over the human and their Liepard that towered over her. At least it's not another undead. Doesn't mean I can trust them, though. At best, she looked like a disapproving puppy with a trail of blood on her cheek.

“Erm...” Real intimidating, Ali. “It's been a bad night... I hate to ask, but how do I know I can trust you? I... I-I have others I can't endanger.”

"I... I don't know. I'm sorry Alirah, but... Teleport has a very, very wide range. Knightly... She could be anywhere. I'm hopeful that Knightly is still around, but..." the ghost told her. "...I'm not going to base my hope on a move that works worldwide. I'm sorry, Alirah. We could all use some rest, okay?"

Bernie curled into himself, he knew he could definitely use some rest. But somehow he doubted he was going to get some any time soon.

“... Okay.”

The small voice hurt terribly and it made him wish he knew how to comfort people, to be there for them. But that had never been something he could do, and he felt a little too old to learn new tricks.


"Don't worry I'm just getting some fresh air, I'll be lucky to waste some monsters along the way." the other umbreon left without much warning, and Bernie didn't particularly care.

Bernie closed his eyes and thought about sleeping, even if only for a couple minutes. His breathing evened out before long.

[color:86e4=##2fc014]Hello?"

He jumped awake and glared in the direction of the voice.

"I smell undeath on you, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt here. Friend, or foe?"

Ali formed a shadow ball and walked up next to Kaneki, and regrettably, Bernie stood too. He was prepared to fight these undead, even if he would rather be napping.

He groaned aloud when there was soft knocking at the door. They'll never have a simple, peaceful time. ”Excuse me. The weather out here is frightful. My partner and I are in search of a shelter, could we stay with you? I promise not to cause too much trouble. I'm told I make wonderful company.”

No, of course it couldn’t just go well.

Plant did not shift or falter from his perch, remaining unfazed as the positively pink Umbreon charged an attack. His large eyes turned toward her questioningly. Was she going to strike at them without provocation, without so much as a word in or an attempt at being civil like so many others? Even a 'go away' would of been more polite. Beneath him Verglas stiffened, bracing himself to take the brunt of the attack if needed. He’s always looking out for me. Why couldn’t other Pokemon see that? Why couldn’t they see him for who he was? All they saw was.. well he didn’t really know why they saw a monster but everyone did. What has he done to you! He doesn’t deserve to be attacked! The bones along the Snivy’s spine stiffen but he can not get himself to move. Yet again he is powerless to help Verglas, too weak to do anything but watch.

A spooky ghosty Pokemon stared at him with judgement in his gaze. Was he going to hurt them too? "I smell undeath on you, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt here. Friend, or foe?" Astonished, Plant struggled to form words, his large eyes slowly blinking as he spoke. “I just wanted out of the rain…” he whimpered softly, the chill of his sweater more apparent without rain soaking the rest of him. Surely they didn't think of him as a foe, right? They were just a couple of kids for sycamores sake! Another Umbreon spoke to the first, his words soothing but quickly followed by a, "Are you both friendly or with those monsters." Monster... the word echos in his head like a bell clapper. You guys only see monsters.. Why should he ever expect any different..? Carefully, Plant picked his way off of Verglas' cap, the Snover reaching to help as his did so, and the Snivy's eyes narrowed. "Not monsters," he murmured bitterly, "He is my brother." Still too weak to stand the Snivy staggered, frustration the only force giving him strength to remain on his feet.  

A tapping echoed into the room from behind them, a voice trailing in, ”Excuse me. The weather out here is frightful. My partner and I are in search of a shelter, could we stay with you? I promise not to cause too much trouble. I'm told I make wonderful company.” Another person showing up randomly? The frustration knotted further. They would probably accept whatever it was without a second thought. It was just an innoent old folk looking for shelter, totally nothing like him! They wouldn't call him a monster right to his face for it either. They wouldn't try to kill it.... Plant's tiny legs shook until he was forced to fall back into a sit. "Im just.. so tired...." he sighed dejected, his eyes hitting the floor. "Didn't want any trouble.. just need some rest.."

Verglas' entire body stiffened as a tingling sensation passed through him. The gears in his brain started to crank, the white smog that had filled his mind finally clearing. Is it..? Shifting himself around the Snover waddled his way back toward the door as fast as he could. Though he was 'charging' the hobbling steps were still slow, clumsy, and nonthreatening as any other he could manage. Those words. He hadn't heard speech like that in so long... it was like music, true blissful music cutting through the fog. It has to be..! He doesn't want it to end.

A blip of a shadow passes by the door but the Snover does not notice, nor does he catch any of its words there after. Standing a foot or two from the door's threshold Verglas' dark red eyes go wide with jubilation. It was a human, a true living human standing there. Its scent, its sight.. it was like pure dopamine. After all this time he had finally done it! The undead's stubby body shudders with delight, the muted scent of all the undead blood only exasperating it further. "Ss-sss--S-siR-" Verglas found himself struggling, his numb tongue more unresponsive then usual. His stiff arms rose, flailing pathetically as he tried again. "Ive sear-searched so long.. please, I-I need.. you must help!"

“... Okay.”

Kaneki looked away from Alirah at the softly spoken word, shutting his eyes and biting his lip. His sharp teeth punctured the skin and the metallic iron taste of his own blood filled his senses. Letting the taste sit in his mouth, Kaneki thought about all the people he had let down. His family, when he ran from home. Hide, when he left the iolu back in the city. Touka, when he left her territory in search of more food, the surprise on Hide's face when they met again, and the sadness at what he had become. And finally, Knightly. He wasn't able to get there in time, like so many other times. He failed his group once more, and for what? Nothing useful. Only a heartbroken child, and a group thrown into disarray.

“Don't go,” Alirah's soft words broke the Phanteon's cool reserve as he snapped his head away, sucking in a deep breath through his nose. The air sat in his lungs and stagnated, mixed with the scent of his own blood and the smell of undeath from the Snover. The befouled air swirled around in his lungs, settling in the pit of his chest like silt sifting down through water. The disgusting mixture of air and blood threw a haze over Kaneki's senses as he held the breath, feeling his sluggish heartbeat through the pulsing in his head. Finally the Phanteon sucked in a smaller, more fresh stream of air, mixing with the already existing stagnant air in his lungs to form a more bearable tasting breath. Letting it out slowly, Kaneki let the haze over his mind lift, giving way to a clearer vision and a stronger train of thought. “I just wanted out of the rain…” Cracking open his eyes, Kaneki let the duel-colored orbs rest on the Snivy and Snover. He wasn't getting any threatening alarms from them, and so the Phanteon dropped his guard around them, his Detect fading.

"Calm down, Alirah I don't think this one is responsible for your friend disappearing, but I'm with Kaneki on this." Kaneki slid his gaze over to Barry, narrowing his gaze slightly. While he still wasn't on friendly terms with the black Umbreon, he would tolerate them. "Are you both friendly or with those monsters." Kaneki's eye twitched violently at the use of the word, and his upper lip twitched slightly. Suppressing his growl, Kaneki sucked in a quick breath and let it out in a light hiss. He hated that word. Monster. "Do not call them monsters. Calling something a monster means you are stripping them of sanity, and of a name. You don't call someone a monster until they prove it that they truly have no morals left." Like me. I am a monster. I don't deserve to be called anything else. The bitter thought at the end of his sentence caused Kaneki's muzzle to twitch down in a frown. "These two have not demonstrated that at all, in fact I'd call them allies. Not monsters."

"Not monsters," The Snivy agreed defensively, and Kaneki stopped to observe the two carefully. "He is my brother." Nodding at the two, Kaneki looked over at Alirah, one of his tails curling protectively around the Umbreon to stop her from attacking, and to stop her from being attacked. "Alirah, I don't see these two as a threat. I think we should let them stay. If anything goes awry, I will deal with it." He whispered quietly to the shiny, before looking back at Hide and nodding. The Riolu sighed lightly and gave him a thumbs up. The Riolu then cocked his head to the side and flicked on of his tall ears up. Kaneki stiffened when he heard a knock at the door. Peeking around the Snivy and Snover, the Phanteon narrowed his gaze to a glare as he stared at the humanoid figure. Another human? Were they going to stay, or ditch them at the first sign of danger? He swerved around the two newcomers and took a place beside the door, out of the human's view as he observed them.

”Excuse me. The weather out here is frightful. My partner and I are in search of a shelter, could we stay with you? I promise not to cause too much trouble. I'm told I make wonderful company.” Watching as Kaneki took his hiding place, Hide walked up to the two newcomers, grinning at them. "If Kaneki thinks you two are trustworthy, I'm not gonna question it. He's kept me alive this far, so he must be doing something right. I'm Hide, the normal colored Umbreon is Barry, the Persian is Bernie and the shiny Umbreon is Alirah. I apologize for all the hostility. We were just attacked by undead, you see? So we were a bit jumpy. Sorry for assuming." He said, extending a paw towards the Snivy.

Kaneki watched as Alirah used her Feint Attack to get closer to the human, seemingly surprised by their arrival. “N-n-not what I was expecting,” Keeping his eyes on the human, Kaneki narrowed them dangerously. He was instinctively distrusting of humans, especially trainers who had the resources to capture everyone present. Instinctively, his two red tails lashed at the thought of the human who had captured him and taken him from Hide and his home. “Erm...” Kaneki allowed a small smile to grace his muzzle as he found amusement in Alirah's scrambling to find her words.

“It's been a bad night... I hate to ask, but how do I know I can trust you? I... I-I have others I can't endanger.” Suddenly turning serious, Kaneki stepped out from his hiding place and stood beside Alirah, his claws gripping the ground as he circled around behind Alirah protectively. "I'd like to know the answer to that myself. The last human who tried to mingle with us fled at the first sign of danger. How do we know you won't do the same?" Kaneki's tone had a sharp edge to it, almost accusing in how he spoke. He barely even registered Barry coming up beside them, at least until they spoke.

"That's Grimsley, Alirah we can trust him, but why are you here of all places Grimsley? He was familiar with this human? Kaneki turned so that he could stare at Barry from the corner of his eye. And he was saying they could be trusted? A soft growl of consideration rumbled in Kaneki's throat as he contemplated what the Umbreon had said. "Jill always idolized you Grimsley and I was there as well, but any case I need a Jill Sandwich." Ah, so this 'Grimsley' as Barry's trainer's idol? Kaneki scoffed lightly. "Just because they were your trainer's idol does not make them trustworthy, Barry." He said in a forced tone, looking back at Hide who was with the Snivy and Snover. "You may trust them, but Alirah and I are looking at it with the safety of our group in mind. It doesn't matter if they were trustworthy, I want to hear it from their mouth, in their words."

Hide looked up from his spot with the two newcomers and saw that Kaneki seemed to be dealing with the other stranger. "Im just.. so tired...." Hide grinned at the Snivy. "Hey, no worries. I'll grab some blankets and stuff for you." He said, dashing over to where there was a laundry basket of older clothing, possibly old styles that had gone out of season. Pulling out a few, Hide set them out in a corner of the room where the siblings could camp out. "Didn't want any trouble.. just need some rest.." Hide shrugged as he put a jacket down on the ground. "It's no trouble really. Kaneki's always been like this. Its how he's kept both me and him alive this long as for the others..." He trailed off for a moment. "We just lost someone to an undead and we've all taken it pretty hard. That's why they were a bit hostile towards you. Sorry about that." Hide said, stepping back from the little nest he had made. "I hope this is okay for you two." He said, before stepping around the Snivy and moving to take his place beside Kaneki to offer the Phanteon his support.

His arrival was taken better than he expected, honestly. The familiar sound of something materializing from a Feint Attack drew Grimsley's attention as he looked down in surprise at the pastel Umbreon that had appeared in front of him. Nisha blinked in surprise, staring coolly at the vulpine as they struggled to form some words. “N-n-not what I was expecting,” Grimsley smiled behind his hand, looking at the unusual dark type. There was a fleck of blood on their cheek, making the trainer glance at Nisha in worry. The Liepard stepped forwards, extending her nose towards the pastel vulpine. Taking a quick breath, Nisha backed off again and looked up at Grimsley with a slight shake of her head. So the blood was not owned by the Umbreon then.

“Erm...” Waiting patiently for the Umbreon to find her words, Grimsley tried to wring out some water from his scarf, flicking his hand to rid himself of the water. “It's been a bad night... I hate to ask, but how do I know I can trust you? I... I-I have others I can't endanger.” Grimsley's navy blue eyebrows shot up in surprise. Oh dear, had he come at a bad time then? "I'd like to know the answer to that myself. The last human who tried to mingle with us fled at the first sign of danger. How do we know you won't do the same?" Grimsley tried to cover the surprise on his face at the new voice, and instead watched at the Phanteon appeared from nowhere and circled around the pastel Umbreon protectively. So they were the protector, he guessed.

"That's Grimsley, Alirah we can trust him, but why are you here of all places Grimsley? Ah, someone who knew him then. Grimsley looked at the normal colored Umbreon, looking over them. While he didn't recognize them, Grimsley smiled at them all the while. Perhaps they were accompanied by a trainer? "Jill always idolized you Grimsley and I was there as well, but any case I need a Jill Sandwich." Jill? The name rang a bell, but he couldn't quite place it. He couldn't dwell on it too much however, as the ghost had began to speak again.

"Just because they were your trainer's idol does not make them trustworthy, Barry." God he wished that Shauntal was there. She had better luck with ghosts. Even still, the Phanteon's movements were similar to that of an Umbreon's, so he likened it to that. Their claws were gripping the ground, a sign of agitation and Grimsely watched as their tail curled protectively around the pastel Umbreon. A protector then, he assumed. "You may trust them, but Alirah and I are looking at it with the safety of our group in mind. It doesn't matter if they were trustworthy, I want to hear it from their mouth, in their words." Which was fair enough, he supposed. Grimsley nodded lightly at the Phanteon, indicating that he had both heard and understood them.

”I can understand your concern. Barry was it? Yes he is correct. I am Grimsley Pieris, dark type trainer of the Unova Elite Four. I'm not sure what circumstances affected the previous human here, but I assure you I won't leave in the heat of a battle. My team are all prepared to defend myself and anyone I am affiliated with. My partner here is Nisha.” He said, motioning to the Liepard. A bright color caught his attention as he stared at the shiny Riolu as they came up to the Phanteon. Before he could say anything however, Nisha growled lightly, alerting Grimsley to the presence of an undead Snover.

"Ss-sss—S-siR-" Grimsley's eyebrows shot up in surprise as he signaled to Nisha to be calm. The Snover moved towards him, their red eyes pleading. Kneeling down, Grim' turned his translator up so that he could hear their words. The Snover flailed their arms at him, in an attempt to try and help them speak, he assumed. "I've sear-searched so long.. please, I-I need.. you must help!" Blinking, Grimsley hummed quietly. ”What do you need help with?” He asked quietly, aware of Nisha wearily surveying the Snover from behind him in case anything went south. He was glad for the protectiveness of his partner, especially around semi-sane undead. The last thing he needed was to get sick by trying to be friendly.

Well, there were good ways and bad ways to appear brave. An example of a bad way was Alirah visibly jumping as Kaneki slunk from his vantage point and moving around her in a defensive manner. Her pink fluff flattened as she realized, DUH, it was the Phanteon-- though she probably already wrecked her image in front of the strangers she was previously trying to interrogate.

"I'd like to know the answer to that myself. The last human who tried to mingle with us fled at the first sign of danger. How do we know you won't do the same?" The blades in Kaneki's voice were nearly enough to slice the clouds in the storm. Ali stood by him with certainty - one might consider his choice in speech callous, but she found it protective. A lot like Knightly. She heard her own name above the sinking feeling in her chest, turning her attention back to Barry as he approached. "That's Grimsley, Alirah we can trust him, but why are you here of all places Grimsley?

“Grims...ley?” She repeated, shrinking back as she stole a nervous glance at their Liepard. Ali shot her eyes back at Barry as he continued, "Jill always idolized you Grimsley and I was there as well, but any case I need a Jill Sandwich." ... A-a what? What was a Jill Sandwich? Her mind could've wandered with that, but now was not the time.
"Just because they were your trainer's idol does not make them trustworthy, Barry." Kaneki's flat statement referring to Grimsley had the cotton candy Umbreon wondering something. He said he... died. Her ears flattened. I wonder-- no, stop... It's disrespecting him to wonder, she scolded herself, pushing the thought out of her mind.

"You may trust them, but Alirah and I are looking at it with the safety of our group in mind. It doesn't matter if they were trustworthy, I want to hear it from their mouth, in their words." Kaneki said, his choice in words immediately freezing Alirah's muscles as she processed it. She didn't know how she'd been considering it - her mind was cloudy as heck tonight - but she realized she wasn't making decisions where to sleep tonight or how she'd bother Knightly. No, she was helping make choices that could save or destroy the group. The only ones she had in this hellish nightmare now.

That in itself was a scary thought.

Stop over thinking it! She held a poker-face in front of everyone but inside she was panicking. She wouldn't - couldn't - fail her friends.
”I can understand your concern. Barry was it? Yes he is correct. I am Grimsley Pieris, dark type trainer of the Unova Elite Four. I'm not sure what circumstances affected the previous human here, but I assure you I won't leave in the heat of a battle. My team are all prepared to defend myself and anyone I am affiliated with. My partner here is Nisha.” The Elite Four? Almost missing the latter half of his words as she tried to remember what Korei said about the Elite Four (they weren't chefs, were they?), Ali tilted her head to the side in bewilderment.
“Grimsley? If you're from the Elite Four, that makes you pretty important, right? Why would you spend your time with a ragtag group like us?” She asked, completely non-accusingly but more curious.

"Ss-sss—S-siR-" The Snover fought to form words, even throwing their arms about. Their voice sounded like they themselves were only a child... That was horrible. No one deserved to be infected with the awful disease, especially not a young one. "I've sear-searched so long.. please, I-I need.. you must help!"
”What do you need help with?” Grimsley was speaking to the Snover as another sentient being. Ali never considered it - even as Kaneki called them allies, she had her doubts. A tiny smile crossed her face and she sat down quietly, watching the little one.

If every undead and survivor were like this, could we live in peace again?

((OoC - I've managed to make myself sick taking care of my puppy. Sorry for the lateness and Ali's mediocre behavior. I'm gonna dual Alirah with another character as soon as I can to start some plot! ^^ Mwahah.))

(OoC really limited wifi skip please)

"These two have not demonstrated that at all, in fact I'd call them allies. Not monsters." Pulling his tiny hands into his sleeves Plant curled them into fists. There was no way he was being sincere. Pokemon didnt just flip flop into kindness- they only jumped out of it. So everyone was just gonna ignore the fact that Verglas was sick and tolerate them for being dumb kids? Well, he wouldn't let the next step happen again. With a slight grunt he lifted a hand and started rubbing his stinging eyes, smearing tears into the end of his sodden sleeves. Whatever.. Not like it really mattered- they didn't have to stay here long and would be done with these Pokemon soon enough.

The bright orange Pokemon approached him with a friendly look to his muzzle. "If Kaneki thinks you two are trustworthy, I'm not gonna question it. He's kept me alive this far, so he must be doing something right. I'm Hide, the normal colored Umbreon is Barry, the Persian is Bernie and the shiny Umbreon is Alirah." "Plant," he mumbled meekly with a pause, "and Verglas." "I apologize for all the hostility. We were just attacked by undead, you see? So we were a bit jumpy. Sorry for assuming." The Snivy's eyes narrowed hesitantly as he extended a paw. So that made it okay for them to be all rude to kids? "We didn't do anything." He grumbled, taking Hide's hand to find his feet once more. The youth wobbles, his tail stiffening to keep balance, but he did not fall again.

Usually when he felt unbalanced Verglas would be right beside him. Turning his head he can see the Snover has wondered back toward the door. There were no sounds of pain so he was okay but before Plant can even take in whats caught his attention the normal Umbreon, Barry or something, pushed his way forward. "Sorry if I was a bit mean their kids, I didn't know you both were brothers." The buds around his shoulders itched as he vines begged to come out. He was so tired of all the patronizing! Why did it matter if they were kids, bothers, strangers, or anything! They were a pair of tired Pokemon just looking for somewhere to rest out of the rain on their journey. They never tried to harm anyone yet everyone else always jumped to conclusions that they were out to hurt people. "I'm sorry about my behavior, its just I miss my partners and I'm starting to think age is catching up with me. Anyways, I'm going to get some sleep." Plant took in a deep breath and held it in his chest a few moments before letting it go. He didn't have the energy to get riled up... "Yeah well.. jus' dont take it out on me."

Taking care not to fall Plant tried to walk toward Verglas but found himself stopping only a few steps in as shaking wrecked his small frame. The movement renewed the chill of his damp cover and it soaked all the way down into his bones. Bringing his arms in closer and clenching his body Plant hugged himself tightly, hoping the fabric of the sweater would dry out soon. "Hey, no worries. I'll grab some blankets and stuff for you." Hide offered, running off before the Snivy could respond. In a matter of moments he was back and laying down things that looked kind of like his sweater gently in the corner of the room. A place to rest... That's all that he had wanted, the reason he had come in here in the first place. "Thank you.." he sighed exhausted, patiently waiting for the Riolu to finish as he moved closer. "It's no trouble really. Kaneki's always been like this. Its how he's kept both me and him alive this long as for the others... We just lost someone to an undead and we've all taken it pretty hard. That's why they were a bit hostile towards you. Sorry about that." Crawling into the nest Plant instantly felt a wave of homesickness. Other then missing the scent of dead leaves and oak it was a lot like the one he had at home.. "It happens a lot.." he admitted absently, flopping onto his belly. "You get used to it. Kinda." The Riolu stepped away but his voice remained gentle, "I hope this is okay for you two." The Snivy nodded, stretching his face along the cloth. It was all he could ask for. "Its perfect, thanks."

Sprawling out over the nest of clothes Plant instantly felt more at ease. They would soak up the moisture in his sweater and hopefully give him his first good nights sleep in a long time. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out his rubix cube and checked it over. Any wet spots got gently rubbed against the nest until they were dry and once satisfied he set it down beside himself. This stuff eats water a lot better then my nest.. Was his nest okay? Had some other Pokemon come and used his home while he was gone? Longing nagged at his heart. I miss my nest.. but Im so far from home.. But it was for Verglas!
His makeshift bed was big enough for both him and the Snover so why was he so far away? "Verglas..?" He asked as no more then a whisper, stretching his neck to look toward the door. He was still standing there and looked to be having a conversation. Plant didn't have the strength to get up again and go check what was going on. What could be keeping him..?


It was finally happening. The Snover felt his stiff body quiver with excitement and the raw empty feeling in his stomach turning to Butterfrees as he tried to speak. ”What do you need help with?” The human spoke softly but his words boomed in the Snover's head, completely honed in on them and nothing else. The snow drifting in his head gave way to clear sky, the world gaining a bit of color once again. Why did other Pokemon attack him so violently but humans remained gentle and sweet? Why didn't they understand he was trying to get help! "Ss-ir," he starts again, struggling not to stumble over his numb tongue, "Im o-on a rescue mission. My trainer, she needs your help. She's stuck and needs a human to help."

He had traveled so far to find this human.. could he remember the way back? I can. I can make it back. Natural homing instincts would send him running home and with the humans help his trainer would be okay. Then they would be happy and free and she would feed him oran bread once more. Maybe she'd even put some meat in it! They just had to get to her first. Which meant they had to move out now. Taking heavy steps forward Verglas' red eyes widened as he spoke. "We must go," he insisted, walking far enough that rain blotted his skin, "She's waiting for me..!"

#BadgepostVerglas

Kaneki huffed lightly as the human nodded at them, speaking to them, instead of at them like so many other humans did. Well, good for them. At least they knew how to treat them properly. Theres one point to them. ”I can understand your concern. Barry was it? Yes he is correct. I am Grimsley Pieris, dark type trainer of the Unova Elite Four. I'm not sure what circumstances affected the previous human here, but I assure you I won't leave in the heat of a battle. My team are all prepared to defend myself and anyone I am affiliated with. My partner here is Nisha.” Dark types? Kaneki's eyes narrowed at the Liepard, his spectral tails flicking to either side. Dark types were bad news for a ghost like him, but he didn't see too much into it. After all, he had Hide, plus two other Dark Types on his side.

"Ss-sss—S-siR-" Blinking, Kaneki tore his gaze from Grimsley to observe the Snover that waddled up to the human, their arms flailing in front of them wildly. "I've sear-searched so long.. please, I-I need.. you must help!" Help? Kaneki quirked a brow. What did they need a human so badly to help with? Were they unable to do it themselves or get someone else?Without missing a beat, Grimsley kneeled down and addressed the Snover with a smile. ”What do you need help with?” Another point on his side. They didn't judge. Kaneki's ear twitched as he watched them interact.

If only he got the same treatment.

Kaneki's thoughts turned bitter as he scowled, turning away from the scene. All I got was rejection and people attacking me. I deserved it though. The monster, the killer. Shiro, Rize, Jason... Centipede. Gritting his teeth, Kaneki growled lowly, turning around in a circled as he started pacing. The Ghoul's trump card. The killer. The... "Monster... Heh. Those kids aren't monsters. They haven't killed, they haven't caused pain. Tch." Kaneki's words were hushed, spoken just above a whisper. "A true monster doesn't regret. Bah. What does that make me then? A cowardly killer?" He hissed lowly, unaware of Hide's eyes on him. A monster is something that kills for pleasure, for fun and for power. A monster is what I am. Why am I still he- Footsteps violently jerked Kaneki from his thoughts as he looked up, only to see a familiar flash of orange fur. "Hide..."

"Kaneki, are you okay?" The Riolu asked quietly, getting a reply by Kaneki shaking his head at him.

"I'll... I'll tell you later. Promise, okay?" He said, making Hide sigh.

"Alright."

“Grimsley? If you're from the Elite Four, that makes you pretty important, right? Why would you spend your time with a ragtag group like us?” Kaneki looked up, his eyes narrowing again as he stared at Grimsley. That's right. Grimsley said he was an Elite Four. Pacing back up to Alirah's side, Kaneki stared harshly at the human. "I wanted to ask the same. Surely there are other humans out there that could use your help, not us?" Kaneki hadn't meant to spit out the word humans, but it was accurate to how he felt about them at least.

Hide left the interrogating to Alirah and Kaneki. Kaneki knew that he was doing. So, Hide wandered back into the main room, where the Snivy had decided to answer his previous question. "Plant,", so the Snivy was called Plant? Hide grinned. It fitted them nicely. "and Verglas." Looking back at the Snover, Hide smiled warmly. Even if every other  person kicked them out, there wasn't anyone else he knew other than Kaneki who knew how it felt to be called a monster.

"Sorry if I was a bit mean their kids, I didn't know you both were brothers." Hide frowned. That didn't excuse it though. Just because they're kids doesn't mean it's an automatic trust throw. "We didn't do anything."Which was true. All they wanted was out of the rain, and if Kanekie let them in, well Hide was going to make sure they were welcome. "I'm sorry about my behavior, it's just I miss my partners and I'm starting to think age is catching up with me. Anyways, I'm going to get some sleep." Hide watched Barry walk off with a sigh, looking back at Plant after a few seconds ticked by. "Yeah well.. jus' dont take it out on me."

Sitting down, Hide sighed and leant against the wall, closing his eyes for a rest. "Thank you.." Cracking open an eye, Hide grinned. "As I said, 's no problem. You must have been cold, and no one likes getting cold. Well, except for ice types, but that's their element." He said, giving the Snivy a Riolu's equivalent to a thumbs up. "It happens a lot.." Humming, Hide nodded, his smile dropping. "You get used to it. Kinda." Nodding again, Hide opened his other eye, staring at the ground. "Yeah..." He said quietly, his voice dropping down to a sad tone.

"Kaneki and I... Well, more Kaneki actually. Kaneki has had a pretty rough life. He's been through a lot that's made him this way. Would you believe he used to be happy and bouncy all the time? The saddest he ever got was when someone got hurt in a story." He chuckled, but the smile dropped after a moment. "But... Life was less than friendly with him. Actually, it was hell from what he's told me. He died. Like, actually died, but instead of actually dying, something triggered his evolution. After he evolved... Life was tough for him, I'll say that much. I'd say more, but I'm not at liberty to say. Kaneki will have to tell that part." Hide said quietly to Plant, sighing deeply.

"And me? I spent a lot of that time looking for him, not even realizing what was happening to him. Tch, some Riolu I am. Couldn't even sense Kaneki's aura." Hide sighed, looking over at Plant. "At least you and Verglas are together. Kaneki and I are now, but we never used to be. It was hard at first, but eventually we found each other again." Hide looked up as Barry wandered over to Kaneki, who had stepped back a little to give Grimsley, Alirah and the Snover some room.

"Kaneki, I know we're not on the best terms right now, but why do you not trust humans for?" Hide's eyes widened and he scrambled up to his paws. "No, no! Barry don't-!" He started, but Kaneki had already processed the question. He growled lowly. Hide sighed and rubbed his temples. He was going to get a headache at this point.

Kaneki glared at Barry, his growl light, but warning. "Why?" Kaneki rolled his eyes. "Okay, I'll tell you why. I was captured unwillingly, thrown into a ring where I lost the use of this eye -" He lifted a paw and pointed at his red and black eye, "- and was forced to endure hours of surgery, without painkillers, might I add, only for my body to reject it so violently that a blood vessel ruptured and dyed the white sclera black. I was then put back into surgery until my body was forced to accept it. I may be able to see with it now, but do you know the pain I went though to get my vision back?" His voice had raised to a louder growl, but still not enough to be yelling.

"And I'm not even at the best part yet! I didn't go free after the surgery, oh no. I was thrown back into that goddamn ring to fight for my life every day. I eventually escape, only to run into another human. This one, keh, tried to eat me. So tell me Barry, does that explain why I don't trust humans? " He growled, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "And let's not forget the most recent human let-down, who fled at the first sign of danger. If they had stuck around, maybe Knightly would not have been stolen by that undead. If they human was still here, I wouldn't have lost her when they Teleport away right in front of me." Turning away, Kaneki walked back to the front of the store, where Alirah, Grimsley and Verglas still stood.

"Verglas..?" Hide sighed, rubbing his temples. "I tried to warn him not to ask that to Kaneki... Plant, I think Verglas is still at the front there..."

"Ss-ir," Kaneki looked at Verglas, listening silently to the Snover's struggled words. "Im o-on a rescue mission. My trainer, she needs your help. She's stuck and needs a human to help." Oh, so that's why? Kaneki blinked. Well, it made sense, he guessed. "We must go," Whoa, whoa, no! Nope, no way that wasn't going to happen. "She's waiting for me..!"Moving in front of the Snover, Kaneki smiled at them. "Whoa, whoa there buddy. Don't you think they should rest first?" He asked, looking back at Alirah, asking for silent permission from her to invite Grimsley in. "If you need them to help, they should be rested and at full strength to make the trip, right? Come inside where it's dryer. Your brother is probably looking for you." He said, trying to usher the Snover back inside.

Keeping his eyes on the two Eeveelutions in front of him – the black one looked like the bodyguard of sorts. They way that they held themselves was one that Grimsley had seen many wild Pokemon take. He didn't need to take classes on it to know that the ghost was sizing him up, judging how safe they would be with him around. The pastel Umbreon tilted her head to the side in confusion. Was it something he said? Grimsley hummed to himself in thought. “Grimsley? If you're from the Elite Four, that makes you pretty important, right? Why would you spend your time with a ragtag group like us?” Blinking, Grimsley smiled warmly at the Umbreon.

Before he could answer, the Phanteon returned – Where had he gone? Grimsley hadn't even seen the ghost leave – and added his own rather bitter statement. "I wanted to ask the same. Surely there are other humans out there that could use your help, not us?" Grimsley sighed.

”I have found company with humans is few and far between. Even then, I would much rather spend my time with Pokemon than others of my own species. Even when I was at the Unova League, I rarely left my room because there were just too many things going on that I wanted no part of.” He explained, looking to the side as Nisha prowled up and wound herself around his body, stopping beside him and laying down. Her tail curled up and hung lazily over Grimsley's shoulder as he remained in his crouched position if not for his own sake, then the sake of the Pokemon present.

"No, no! Barry don't-!" There was a shout from inside, before Barry came up, asking something to the Phanteon that he didn't catch in time, watching with an intrigued expression as the ghost turned around and growled at the normal-colored Dark Type. "Why?" Their word was spat at the Umbreon, before being followed up shortly by more words that were growled harshly at Barry. "Okay, I'll tell you why. I was captured unwillingly, thrown into a ring where I lost the use of this eye -" The Phanteon's paw jerked up to point at his left eye, the one that was black and red, which – Grimsley noted – glowed faintly whenever they charged up one of their moves. "- and was forced to endure hours of surgery, without painkillers, might I add, only for my body to reject it so violently that a blood vessel ruptured and dyed the white sclera black. I was then put back into surgery until my body was forced to accept it. I may be able to see with it now, but do you know the pain I went though to get my vision back?"

Grimsley winced at the tale. He had never needed surgery except for an appendix operation when he was a teen – thank God, and even back then he was extremely thankful for the anesthetic and other painkillers. Trying to imagine the surgery without it... The Dark Trainer shuddered. It would be like the old war soldiers he had read about in Shauntal's books, who had surgery on site and were given only a strap of leather to deal with the pain. "And I'm not even at the best part yet! I didn't go free after the surgery, oh no. I was thrown back into that goddamn ring to fight for my life every day. I eventually escape, only to run into another human. This one, keh, tried to eat me. So tell me Barry, does that explain why I don't trust humans?" An illegal fighting ring? Grimsley frowned. If people wanted Pokemon to fight, it was so much better – and safer – to just challenge other trainers, not pit them up in battles to the death. Grimsley was no stranger to how illegal fighting rings worked – before he joined his previous battle group prior to the Elite Four,  there were many that ran around the casinos and bars. The thought of them still running left a bad taste in Grimsley's mouth.

"And let's not forget the most recent human let-down, who fled at the first sign of danger. If they had stuck around, maybe Knightly would not have been stolen by that undead. If the human was still here, I wouldn't have lost her when they Teleport away right in front of me." Ah. So that's what this was about then. They had lost one of their team members in  the fight that he and Nisha had seen the aftermath of. Grimsley cursed silently. If only that had been here quicker, maybe they could have helped out before their friend was taken. It can't be helped, I suppose. Grimsley thought bitterly, looking over to the Snover, who had begun to speak to him again. Switching his focus, Grimsley listened intently to what the undead needed to say.

"Ss-ir," They looked like they were having difficulties speaking, so Grimsley made sure to listen patiently, even as Nisha stood up beside him, wandering over to the pastel Umbreon to address them herself. The Liepard kept an eye on the Snover, but after a moment, broke her gaze and looked down at the small Umbreon, aware of the Phanteon's glare. ”Grim's always been like this. He believes in giving everyone a chance. Even the undead around that can still talk.” She said quietly, chuckled. ”I swear, the doofus will end up hurting himself one day with how nice he is to everyone. He may be a little intimidating, but he's really nice. The only time I've ever seen him mad was when this prick put the city below us on ice, literally. They froze the whole city. It was devastating to say the least.” The Liepard, shrugged lightly. ”All I can really say is that he is a good guy. I'd give my life up without a second thought if it mean saving my partner.” The true adoration for her trainer shone clear in Nisha's voice as she grinned, falling silent as she watched Grimsley talk to the Snover.

"Im o-on a rescue mission. My trainer, she needs your help. She's stuck and needs a human to help." Grimsley nodded, watching carefully As the Snover began to move forwards towards the awning where the Dark Trainer had found refuge from the rain. "We must go," Go? Go where? He just got here! Looking back at Nisha and the other two Pokemon, Grimsley was torn. He wanted to help the Snover, but he didn't want to just leave the others. Especially after what the Phanteon had just said about all the humans he had come across leaving them or worse. "She's waiting for me..!" The rain started hitting the Snover's mottled skin, a few droplets falling down and hitting Grimsley's already soaked jacket. He inwardly sighed. It would need to be dried out before the material got ruined by the rain.

"Whoa, whoa there buddy. Don't you think they should rest first?" Grimsley's saving grace came in the form of the Phanteon, who had jumped in front of the Snover to halt their walk. Grimsley did not miss the look the Phanteon gave the pastel Umbreon. It looked almost pleading. It seemed as much as they didn't trust humans, the ghost wanted him to stay. Grimsley counted it as a small victory. "If you need them to help, they should be rested and at full strength to make the trip, right? Come inside where it's dryer. Your brother is probably looking for you." With a grateful sigh, Grimsley nodded. ”Right. My team is all tired, and we wouldn't be much help out there without the rest.” He said, and it was true, mostly. Bisharp and Greninja were most certainly tired, and last he checked Skuntank was on the verge of falling asleep he was that tired. Even Shyama, who was always full of energy was practically asleep on her paws. They all needed the rest, even more so if he was going to be dragged somewhere to save another human.

Ali made a tiny, disgusted face as she ran her tongue across her chest. Yuck, what was worse? The grime and mud spiking her pelt into Sandslash-esque quills, or the awful taste she suffered for trying to restore herself to not looking like a backwards sand mouse? Her tongue poked out of her lips in a humorous expression, the brief moment an accidental or purposeful distraction from the multitude of thoughts racing through her mind.

She paused mid-lick, her ear angling itself curiously to hear what the dark Umbreon was asking. "Kaneki, I know we're not on the best terms right now, but why do you not trust humans for?" The question didn't seem laced with anything ill, Ali thought, but she second-guessed that immediately as Hide's eyes shot wide. "No, no! Barry don't-!" He tried to stop whatever was about to go down before it started, however with the growl from the Phanteon, it seemed he hadn't quite succeeded.
"Why?" Kaneki repeated, rolling his eyes at the question. "Okay, I'll tell you why. I was captured unwillingly, thrown into a ring where I lost the use of this eye -"

The ghost motioned to his right eye, the side with his crimson colored iris.

"- and was forced to endure hours of surgery, without painkillers, might I add, only for my body to reject it so violently that a blood vessel ruptured and dyed the white sclera black. I was then put back into surgery until my body was forced to accept it. I may be able to see with it now, but do you know the pain I went though to get my vision back?"

That was... something that belonged in a paperback, that was something that should've never had to happen to a Pokémon like Kaneki. Ali had not been his lifelong friend or anything, but he had appeared in the night to save her, a stranger, and protected her even when she made stupid choices. But he was hardly done, much to Ali's dismay. It had been bad enough already... how much more had he been put through?

"And I'm not even at the best part yet! I didn't go free after the surgery, oh no. I was thrown back into that goddamn ring to fight for my life every day. I eventually escape, only to run into another human. This one, keh, tried to eat me. So tell me Barry, does that explain why I don't trust humans?" The growl behind Kaneki's voice was enough to make Ali flinch back a little, regardless that she was not being spoken to. She nervously glanced to Grimsley, then to Barry and Kaneki; not knowing how this would end was troubling. While she didn't expect anything to break out, she was always paranoid enough for herself and Knightly.

"And let's not forget the most recent human let-down, who fled at the first sign of danger. If they had stuck around, maybe Knightly would not have been stolen by that undead. If they human was still here, I wouldn't have lost her when they Teleport away right in front of me."
Ali's teeth clenched hard, her face screwing up as she threw her attention to her right so she didn't have to face the phantom. She caused what happened, but not only that, she let Kaneki go out into the fray to help while she hid away in the Boutique. And now he was blaming himself for it. The worst. I am the absolute worst... She heard his paws padding towards the front of the Boutique, but she didn't have it in her to face him and try to assume some of her rightful guilt. I am worthless.

Her head hung low, eyes hidden away by her poofy ears hanging on either side of her face. She was absent enough in mind that she reacted pitifully slowly as lithe kitty paws appeared next to her. Looking at the Liepard, Ali gave the best bashful smile she could.
”Grim's always been like this. He believes in giving everyone a chance. Even the undead around that can still talk.” The Liepard's soft chuckle was soothing, something nice about hearing it as well as seeing her Elite Trainer giving his time to listen to the Snover. ”I swear, the doofus will end up hurting himself one day with how nice he is to everyone. He may be a little intimidating, but he's really nice. The only time I've ever seen him mad was when this prick put the city below us on ice, literally. They froze the whole city. It was devastating to say the least.”
“T-they froze an entire city? What kind of person would do that?” Ali asked herself a bit louder than she'd thought. Huh. That was okay though, it was a better response than she would've given if she had actually meant to say it. The Liepard rose her shoulders indifferently, ”All I can really say is that he is a good guy. I'd give my life up without a second thought if it mean saving my partner.” Her grin was contagious, despite Ali's current downbeat mood.

“May I ask... What happened with the frozen city? Did you guys stop the person who did it?” It was as though she were little again with a human reading her a bedtime story.
She caught Kaneki's voice over her own loud thoughts. Looking up, the Phanteon was seemingly asking her... what? She honestly just didn't know, but in a thoughtless action, she rose her paw up and tried to give a thumbs-up. But she didn't have thumbs, and with that being the case, she simply smiled and nodded at the ghost. She didn't know what he was asking, but she trusted his judgement as Hide did.

((OoC - If I messed up anywhere, I'll fix it when I get up. ^^ I'm falling asleep writing again lol.))

It was a dark and stormy night, and  the hulking undead found himself enjoying it. The rain pelting his scales was a soothing reprieve from the disgusting dryness he normally endured when he deigned to leave the water. The area he found himself in was unfamiliar, but that was nothing new. Not bothering to hide himself, the Feraligatr moved slowly but surely on his hind legs; crawling on all fours far too demeaning even if it was faster. Eventually, he saw an end to the annoying forest, and he could spy human buildings through the leaves. Humans were such fun prey, and they often liked areas such as this. Even if there weren't any humans, living Pokemon often tried staking claims in the abandoned territory. Either way, he was likely to find something here, and the thought of a meal made his mouth water. Drool dripped past the razor sharp fangs and down the large jaws, and he forced his lumbering gait into a jog.

The former human settlement was a total wreck, which he noted with mild approval, but there were plenty of buildings still standing. Many lesser beings didn't like being out in the blessed rain, so he slowed down his movements to more closely inspect the various buildings. The only thing that made the rain an inconvenience to the Harbinger was the unfortunate tendency for it to wash away the scents of his potential prey. He had to duck his head to look into the clear windows, and his glowing red eyes were an ominous warning to anything that might be within. After three buildings and nothing to show for it, Feraligatr growled in frustration and slammed his tail into the wall of the last house he had inspected. The force of the attack created a huge hole in the house, and it groaned from the strain of losing a support.  He had hoped that maybe it would startle some hidden living into bolting, or even make a living cry out in fear if they didn't die immediately. He was disappointed when his ploy yielded nothing, and water built up in his mouth in frustration. Feraligatr released a blast of water through the gaping hole, and it struck the opposing wall with enough force to decimate it. After losing two supports, the house couldn't stand up any longer and collapsed.

He almost wrote the town off as a complete waste of time until a whiff of blood and decay hit his nose. It was faint, but if it was noticeable in the rain, then there must be a lot. Naturally inclined to investigate the blood anyway, Feraligatr followed the scent until he found the remnants of a massive fight. There were bodies everywhere, and blood was turning the water collecting on the ground red. His hunger taking over, he crouched down to taste it, and he was infuriated that it wasn't fresh. When he reared back onto his hind legs, he roared his frustrations to the sky. He glared at the house that was surrounded by the gore, and something caught his attention. The large opening wasn't shut off, and he thought he spied something tall, thin, and bipedal. Could it be a human? He never got an answer to that unasked question, however, for he saw a quadrapedal Pokemon attempting to sneak away. It looked like it had come out of a different exit than the one that the questionable figure was standing inside, but the potential human was put completely out of his mind now that he finally had prey.

The cat was still under the very laughable assumption that he couldn't see it, and he allowed it to continue thinking that as it "escaped." He swung his head in wide arcs to act as if he didn't know where it went, but his eyes never completely left the cat. It staked towards an exit to the town that he hadn't noticed before, and he waited until it was almost completely out of town before he dropped to all fours and ran. His powerful limbs carried him with lighting speed towards his prey, and he sloughed a path through the mud. He could see the cat turn around, and the fear filled eyes only urged him forward. He smiled when the cat ran away; this meant he could have fun! He followed the cat into the forest, and he was highly amused to see that it very quickly turned into a marsh. The mud and water would only hinder the cat and help him, and he couldn't wait to see the cat's face when it realized that. He waded into the water, his natural element, and lowered most of his body into the murky depths. He slowly followed the cat, who continued bolting through the mud, and he waited for the cat to tire. Paws getting stuck, trudging through water, and running in near circles would wear the cat out soon, and as long as he stayed hidden, the cat would eventually decide to rest.

It took a little while, but the cat's adrenaline finally wore out. It collapsed on one of the few pieces of dry land, and he used the cat's heavy breating to guide him. The cat made the mistake of not looking around, and Feraligatr was behind him. He slowly raised himself out of the water, the rain making it hard for the cat to hear the murky water being displaced, and he roared as he lunged. That was when he finally saw what he was looking for; The cat knew it was utterly helpless about its fate. One could almost see a grin on Feraligatr's face before the gaping maw grabbed the back end of the cat and crunched down. He felt the spine, tail, and back leg bones snap in his jaws, and the cat screamed in pain. The front claws tried to find purchase on his snout, but the taste of blood fueled his hunger until he felt nothing else. He began to shake his head rapidly, allowing his fangs to rip even more into the cat's body, and more of the delicious blood poured into his throat.

This continued until he finally realized that the cat had stopped screaming, and the front half of the cat had dropped to the ground in front of him. He swallowed what was already in his mouth, and then picked up the remains to let the rain clean off some of the collected dirt before eating the rest. He noticed the red bowtie around the cat's thoroughly broken neck, and he used a claw to tear it off. He debated about what to do with it, before he remembered that there might have been some other living in that dumb city. If any of them had seen the chase, knowing that he could be back for them would be a great taunt. Though he loathed the idea of leaving the nice swamp, the rain was still going strong. He trudged back to the human city and found the building that the cat had come from. The opening was closed this time, and his full belly kept him from simply breaking down the door. He dropped the bloodied red bow tie in front of it before he headed back to the swamp.

The umbreon couldn't sleep with Kaneki scolding him like he was and truthfully he just couldn't stay here any longer. Barry was about to leave until an undead feraligatr shows up. Witnessing the attack had made the dark type feel fear seeing how savage the harbinger had killed the Persian. He had to find Jill and Chris now!  There was no time to wait anymore, but he thought about Alirah's well being as well as the children. "I'm sorry Alirah, I have to find them. I promise after I find them I'll be back with help." Afterwards Barry opened the door and wandered into the rain where there was bodies of undead pokemon lying dead. The eeveelution couldn't think of anything else as he stood outside as the trail of blood leads towards the swamp. That was a path to avoid and the only other path is towards the meeting place where Jill and Chris might be at. With a deep breath, Barry started walking towards the exit out of town and towards the forest. Lightning was his only light to see around corners as he started running to the exit. Forgive me everyone. The umbreon thought as he left town in hopes to find Jill and Chris alive still.

Verglas had stared blankly at both the human and Phanteon. They were going to make him wait longer? A prickling feeling jabbed at the skin of his arm, urging him to make them go. Didn't they understand the urgency of this! Sure, ice would protect his trainer but what if something attacked, or there was a avalanche? But the Snover could not argue the point as the undead's call sent him reeling back into the house to Plant's side with bumbling steps. He was so close to finishing his mission, tantalizingly close but the Snivy had priority.

The Snivy couldn't breathe, his chest tightening. There was an actual monster outside. Something big, scary, and dangerous! Its cry resonated in his head, a sound of longing, or want, of hunger or death. Had he and Verglas brought it here..? Would they blame him...? Plant swallowed roughly, unable to suppress a whimper as his arms wrapped around Verglas' core. The fear in the house was palpable with two of the Pokemon trying to sneak away in search of a better shelter. What if it found them..?

Other then Plant's soft whimpering neither child said anything. Tension was pressing tightly against the Snivy's chest, a feeling he was unwillingly familiar with. Every single bump and snap outside tensed his muscles again and again. Was it going to find them and make everyone fight for their lives once again? The shaking returned to his body but this time it was not fueled by the cold. I can't... He was too exhausted to even get up again let alone fight. If it found them he's be nothing more then prey. Im useless. But as the minutes ticked by and no other roars were heard the initial terror fades to a underlying fear. He didn't even have the strength to be afraid anymore... Both trembling hands fall to his side, the Snivy's body falling over once more to put him on his belly. The small force flipped his hood up and over his eyes so only their bottom peaked out. If the Pokemon threw him and Verglas out now he wouldn't blame them.. but it'd mean certain death.