(ACE) The LAVERRE Team

Kaneki had no time to ponder why the Snover went back inside as a loud roar permeated the area. The ghost's eyes went wide and the fur along his spine shot up in alarm, raising to make him appear twice his normal size. "Alirah! Get inside, now!" He barked, looking back at the Umbreon with wide eyes. That was the roar of something powerful - something dangerous. Gritting his teeth, Kaneki gave the human a quick glance. "Get inside. I don't want to deal with your death on my paws." He hissed lowly, not bothering to check if the human had heeded his warning. Cloaking himself in the shadows, Kaneki circled around the back, his eyes narrowed as he noticed the Persian - Bernie - sneaking out. Coward. Hissing quietly, the Phanteon ducked behind the wall he was hiding next to, his eyes never leaving Bernie as the Persian deserted them. They got to the exit of the down before something fast blurred past, spooking Kaneki as he jumped backwards, his gaseous tails swiping furiously as the red tails spiked like fire.

Sucking in a breath, Kaneki raced across the path so that he could duck behind another shelter, watching as whatever the creature was chased the cat, who had run into the marsh. Idiot! Kaneki took a few hesitant steps forwards, his ears flicking upwards in an attempt to hear what was going on.

That was a mistake.

Although faint, Kaneki could still hear Bernie's screams as whatever that creature was attacked him. Turning tail, Kaneki ran back to the boutique, phasing through a wall and skidding to a stop as he stared at the entrance - the door had been closed, but that didn't stop Kaneki from placing himself between the door and his group, tails flared out, eye blazing and hackles raised. The Phanteon's ears flattened as he snarled a wordless warning to whatever was approaching the closed entrance. The Phanteon stiffened when he heard the thing's heavy breaths outside the door, which lingered for only a moment before disappearing into the night.

Hide watched with wide eyes as Kaneki slowly let his hackles lower back to lay flat against his shoulders and back. The Riolu stood up and approached the Phanteon, who stared back at him. Wrapping a hand around his shoulders, Hide pulled the ghost towards him, wrapping his other hand around his neck, just below the white ruff of gas as he hugged Kaneki until the Phanteon's breathing had calmed down. Finally, Hide let Kaneki go as he shifted to move towards the front door. He heard the soft footsteps as Barry left through the back door, but he didn't say anything to the ghost who was pushing the front door open just a bit.

The door creaked lowly as Kaneki pushed it open, his eyes falling to the ground where a red bow, spattered with blood, lay. Kaneki's breath hitched, and his eyes widened. "He..." Looking back, Kaneki observed the group, his shoulders slumping. "He's dead... Bernie's dead." The Phanteon said lowly, his eyes dropping as he coughed, the corners of his muzzle twitching. Coughing again, the sound came out strangled, almost like a laugh. A couple more of these noises later, and Kaneki bit his cheek, hard. Iron filled his senses, and he let out snicker. Soon he couldn't help it and he choked on another laugh. A couple of seconds later, the Phanteon was laughing. It was a bitter, almost forced sound. The noise chilled Hide's spine, and he looked at the ghost, who was now staring at the bow that lay on the ground.

"I -" Another snicker escaped Kaneki. "- I thought I was free of th-the sl -" Another giggle. "- slaughter." Kaneki tried to scoff, but with his broken laughter, it only came out as a snort. "I guess not."

Hide moved forwards, placing his paw on Kaneki's shoulder, making the Phanteon jump. "Kaneki... What happened to Bernie is not your fault. No one could have foreseen that happening." He said, his heart melting as Kaneki stared at him, his eyes half-lidded with a kind of sadness that Hide had only seen when they had to leave their previous home. While the ghost had been laughing, Hide could see that Bernie's death had hit him hard as he buried his muzzle into Hide's chest to comfort himself. Hide hugged the Phanteon with one arm, using his other one to rub his shoulders. "Shh... It's okay buddy." He said quietly, pulling Kaneki's head back so that he could look at the ghost's mismatched eyes. Covering the red and black one with a paw, Hide covered his own eye and grinned at Kaneki, who managed to muster up a small smile at Hide's antics.

"Thanks, Hide." He whispered, sighing lightly as he turned back to look at their now much smaller group. "Blanket rule, no one goes out without telling Alirah or myself first. It's too dangerous." He said with a sigh. "Let's all get some rest. We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow." He said, finding a spot on the floor where he could curl up. Hide followed after him, sitting down beside Kaneki and leaning back so that his head was resting against the Phanteon's chest. Kaneki shifted so that his front paws were draped over Hide's legs and his tails curled around the Riolu's chest and shoulders. Although Hide fell asleep nearly instantly, Kaneki still kept his red eye open for a bit longer, keeping watch for anything that could pose anymore threats to them.

Looking up from where he was crouching, Grimsley glanced over at Nisha, who was sitting beside the pastel Umbreon, talking to them. The Elite Trainer smiled. It seemed they were getting along after all.  The Liepard looked up at him, giving her trainer a light smile to show that they were okay. Grimsley  returned the gesture and focused back on the Snover.

“T-they froze an entire city? What kind of person would do that?” Nisha frowned lightly as her eyes dropped to her paws. ”A person who would have stopped at nothing to get their hands on power. Its because of people like them that Grimsley doesn't like socializing. He's been bitten too many times by people he could have called a friend.” She said bitterly, glaring harshly at her paws. “May I ask... What happened with the frozen city? Did you guys stop the person who did it?” Smiling slightly, Nisha nodded. ”Yeah. A strong trainer defeated the guy and brought him to justice. I'm not sure what happened to them after the Epidemic, though. Maybe they finally saw reason to their horrific ways.” She said, lifting her head up suddenly. The Liepards ears flicked up and she tensed. ”Grim', something's coming!” She warned, getting her Trainer's attention as a loud, horrifying roar filled the area.

"Alirah! Get inside, now!" Grimsley tensed and jumped up, his scarf flying forwards with the sudden movement. His conversation with the Snover was cut short as they retreated inside, with their form replaced by the Phanteon's, who looked rather frightening with how he was bristled to show off his sharp teeth and claws, fur spiked up to add to his intimidation factor.  They glanced quickly at Grimsley, who blinked in surprise as they spared him only a moments glance before barking an order at him in a low hiss, "Get inside. I don't want to deal with your death on my paws." Heeding his words, Grimsley motioned for Nisha to follow him as he ducked inside the Boutique. Digging into his bag, Grimsley grasped Bisharp's Pokeball and released the Duel Type in front of him, where they stood tall, observing the situation. When the Steel Type saw no immediate danger, he gave Grimsley a quizzical look. ”What's the matter Grimsley?” He asked coolly, to which Grimsley gave the Bisharp a series of hand signals meaning certain movements, before explaining to the duel type.

”Stand guard. There's something out there and I don't believe it is friendly. We also have an ally out there, about a foot shorter than Nisha, all black with three white stripes on his back and two red tails. Do not engage, only defend. I don't want to see anyone hurt.” He said, to which Bisharp nodded and took a stance beside the door, closing it as he did so. Sighing, Grimsley lent against a wall, closing his eyes for a moment to let his mind reel through all that had happened recently. Opening one icy blue eye, Grimsley absentmindedly played with the blue hair that made up his bangs, letting the blue locks go in favor of opening the other eye and looking around the boutique.

No sooner than he did, there was the sound of claws skidding across the wooden floorboards as Kaneki returned, skidding to a stop in front of the door, with his twin tails flared out and hackles raised. The Phanteon bristled with tension that the Elite Trainer had seen a few times when a Pokemon was defending their territory with all their life. Recalling Bisharp, Grimsley silently thanked the Steel warrior for his support before placing the Pokeball back into his bag. Nisha paced up beside her Trainer and growled lowly at the door, where Grimsley could hear the labored breaths of something on the other side  of the door. It only lasted a second, before the breathing disappeared and Nisha relaxed.

Grimsley watched with held breath as Kaneki slowly calmed down and was approached by the shiny Riolu who gave the Phanteon a hug, holding them there for a moment before the ghost moved towards the door and pushed it open lightly. Grimsley's eyes fell down to a red object that was laying on the ground at Kaneki's paws. Something else caught Grimsley's attention as he looked back to see Barry disappear out the back door. Grimsley went to say something, however, the Umbreon was already gone. "He..." Kaneki's unusually quiet voice startled Grimsley as he looked back at the ghost who was staring down at the bow, before turning to regard the group with a wide, sad stare. "He's dead... Bernie's dead." Grimsley let out the breath he had been holding in a long, drawn out sigh. Was that what that creature had been after?

A cough dragged his attention back to the Phanteon, who was staring at the ground, their muzzle twitching slightly. Grimsley blinked when Kaneki coughed again, but it ended up sounding more like a strangled laugh. The Dark Master's eyes widened as a few more of these cough-like laughs followed, before being followed by a snicker. Was he... Laughing? Grimsley looked concerned as the ghost choked on another laugh, only for them to erupt into a fit of broken, hollow laughter that seemed to chill Grimsley to the core.

"I -" They snickered again, their speech cut off by the sound, "- I thought I was free of th-the sl -" This time they let out a hollow giggle. "- slaughter." The Phanteon scoffed, the laughter dropping into a short snort before dying out. "I guess not." What... What happened to this Pokemon to make them act this broken? Grimsley frowned. They must have been through literal hell and back to end up like this.

"Kaneki... What happened to Bernie is not your fault. No one could have foreseen that happening." Looking up, Grimsley smiled when he saw the orange furred Riolu holding his friend in a tight hug as the Phanteon buried their muzzle into the Riolu's chest. The small Fighting Type rubbed circles in the ghost's dark fur to calm them down. "Shh... It's okay buddy." Grimsley sighed and moved down into a crouch so that he could run his fingers through Nisha's fur as he observed the two shinies converse with a smile.

Finally, Kaneki pulled away and smiled at the Riolu. "Thanks, Hide." After his brief thank-you, the ghost turned and addressed what was left of their small group. "Blanket rule, no one goes out without telling Alirah or myself first. It's too dangerous." Grimsley found that fair enough, since now everyone would be on edge. "Let's all get some rest. We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow." Grimsley sighed and silently agreed with the Phanteon. Placing a hand on the ground, Grim' moved so that he was sitting on the ground in a more comfortable position as he lent against the wall, one hand calmly petting Nisha who lay down beside him with her head resting on his leg. Moving his free hand behind his head, Grimsley stared up at the ceiling and smiled. It had been a while since he found such a nice group. Even with the mishaps that they were going through, he was sure that eventually, they would pull through.

Alirah listened to the Liepard much like a tiny child being read a bedtime tale. She generally had to imagine things within the confines of her own mind for entertainment, but a real Elite Pokémon was painting a picture in her mind's eye, which was even better than the alien documentaries she once watched on TV. ”Yeah. A strong trainer defeated the guy and brought him to justice. I'm not sure what happened to them after the Epidemic, though. Maybe they finally saw reason to their horrific ways.”
Ali's ears perked curiously. “Another Trainer? Were they Elite too, or is it-- was it possible for someone to be... like that? Did normal people really use their Pokémon to help others? And--” She paused, smiling awkwardly at the tall feline. “I-I'm sorry for the questions! You're interesting to talk to!”

Nisha's form went rigid, her ears moving up to listen attentively. ”Grim', something's coming!” She cautioned, correctly detecting something... something bad... Whatever it was, it was frighteningly close as it's booming voice roared, nearly causing Alirah's legs to splay out from under her. "Alirah! Get inside, now!" Kaneki called, Ali's half-pupil eyes meeting his widened ones. She froze for a moment, failing to process exactly what he was telling her.
Finally, her mind clicked, scrambling back into the safety of the Boutique and checking behind her for the Phanteon. Who wasn't there.

“K-Kaneki?” Ali's paws twitched slightly, her claws flexing in indecision to follow him or stay. Do not follow him, you won't help, she chided herself as though it would calm her. He's... he's okay. But... Please don't end up... gone... I don't want Hide to deal with what I feel. And I don't want to feel it again. Her ear moved a bit, giving her peripheral sight of the two kids. ... They're probably worried. Steeling her nerves, she padded softly to them with the gentlest smile she could muster in such a situation. “... I don't think we've formally met, have we? We should do that later.” She tried to hide the shake in her voice. Alirah was not the type to be a comfort, but Knightly's words eased her mind more than a fort with a moat and barbed wire fence could've. They didn't have such things, so maybe that analogy was slightly off... “Everything's gonna be fine. The Pokémon that went to investigate won't let anything bad hap--” Her voice cut off, expression faltering as she noticed Mr. Kitty wasn't there. “--pen. I'll... I'll be back, okay?”

Ali went to where Bernie had been laying, sniffing carefully like a cadaver dog and trailing where the Persian must've gone. She peeked out the back door into the storm, squinting harshly and calling his name cautiously. Why did he leave? Was he going to help Kaneki? It crossed her mind to go out and follow them, but those thoughts deflated in an instant as lightning streaked across the sky and a boom rattled her mind. Turning her body around, she padded back into the main area, white claws scraping the floor lightly.

She squeaked lightly as Kaneki appeared through the wall rather unexpected; troublingly, he looked not at the group but at the door. “Kaneki? What... what's out there?” Ali murmured, tail snaking around her hind legs nervously.
Despite the door being closed, the creature outside lumbered closer to them as though it were completely aware they were inside. Ali's stomach turned, feeling like she would throw up at any moment. Her pitiful display was even more sickening to herself as the Phanteon boldly shot a warning growl out to whatever massive beast lurked just outside.

The moment dragged on for what felt like at least two lifetimes, but it was over a lot quicker in reality. As the breathing got more distant and eventually disappeared altogether, it was apparent the creature had moved on.
She gave a huge sigh of relief, her body raising back to a stand rather than the submissive posture she held moments ago. Kaneki's fur began to smooth out again, easing the Umbree's nerves a bit.
"I'm sorry Alirah, I have to find them. I promise after I find them I'll be back with help." Ali's attention flew to her fellow Moonlight Pokémon, leaving her wordlessly watching as Barry walked away from the group, from her, and out into the hellish world. She couldn't find words until it was too late: “I don't want you to leave...”

The door opened slightly with a low, alarming sound, but contrary to the pink fox's first thought, it was not the heavy breathing, door stalker. Kaneki slipped the door open, and his sides immediately stopped moving for an instant at whatever lay out there. For better or worse, Ali needed to know what was happening. Her paws swept the ground as she moved a bit closer, stopping short as Kaneki looked over everyone in a despondent sort of way. "He..."
"He's dead... Bernie's dead."

Ali's eyes diverted from the Haunted Pokémon, as he seemed to live up to such a name, a light cough turning into a forced, seemingly hopeless laugh. Kaneki's eyes bore at something outside the door - if it were any other circumstance, the crouch-like pose Ali made to see past Kaneki's paws out there would've been humorous. But her eyes reached a new level of wide, even by her standards, as she realized the red item laying outside was a bloodied bow tie.

"I -" His hallow laugh continued, "- I thought I was free of th-the sl -" Ali backed up slightly, shooting a confused look to Hide. "- slaughter." With everything today, Ali could do nothing more than cringe. It was her first real taste of the Epidemic since the day her and Knightly's Trainer died. She had been sheltered away from most of it, and now she was understanding just how hopeless life was, to see Kaneki react in such a way.
"I guess not."
Hide moved to console the Ghost-, something Ali didn't have a shred of nerve to attempt. She did not fear him to hurt her, but she didn't want to make herself a burden... not any more than she already was. She would surely die if Kaneki and Hide were to leave - she would not give incentive, they were her solace now. Mentally and protectively, she needed them.

Ali stepped into the rain, pelting her freshly drying fur and wetting her down again. The bow sat in the rain, an utter show a disrespect for the deceased - and as such, she picked it up in her front teeth and padded back into the Boutique to lay it gently out of the way. “I'll--” Her voice cracked, betraying her. “I'll bury it tomorrow...”

"Blanket rule, no one goes out without telling Alirah or myself first. It's too dangerous." Kaneki seemed calmer, speaking as he did before this. That was a relief in an otherwise bad situation. "Let's all get some rest. We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow." If tomorrow were any longer than today was... Ali would cope somehow. She wasn't strong, but she had no desire to die. She had to find Knightly again and make sure she was okay before she let that happen.

Alirah looked over the room, deciding to settle by where she and Knightly used to sleep. Her fluffy tail curled against her back to give her the illusion Knightly was there, but her mind was not fooled. Laying her head down, her eyes slid shut but she was not drowsy. It would be a long night. It was the first night without Knightly.

It was cold.

It was raining and the Eevee was tired and alone. The loss of his parents weighed heavily on his mind as he tried to find anyone who could help him. Conan tried to fight back his tears, but he missed his parents and didn't have anyone else to be with. The Eevee was getting cold from the rain soaking his fur and tried to press on each door he came to trying to get inside to dry out. As the normal type walked from one building to the next, a loud crack of thunder scared the young eevee as he made a dart towards a broken down building with a small dry spot. Conan was shaking in fear and didn't want to move from where he was at, but it wasn't long until the cover had started leaking water onto the child and spooked him into running towards another building. Dashing as fast as his little legs could carry him he runs right into a door of the Boutique. Clunk! He hit his head on the door and started hearing voices in the building.

The eevee noticed the door was somewhat open and pressed his tiny paws onto the door opening it a little. Finally inside, water was dripping off his fur as Conan was shivering from being drenched from the rain. "H-hello? I'm scared and lost. Is anyone here?" The Eevee asks as he sits by the doorway trying to dry out. A water puddle formed where the eevee is sitting at and tears was continuing to come down his face as well. Another crack of thunder sounds off and small kit hides under a small table. I'm so scared the storm is scary. He put his front paws covering his ears trying to block out the rumbles of thunder, but to no success. The thoughts of his parents being there for him didn't help either as he cried even more. "I miss my ma and pa come back please I don't wanna be alone." The normal type cried out not sure if anyone heard him. The voices sounded like it came from the next room and they was unfamiliar to him. With no options left he stayed put as he waited for someone to come.

With a quiet sigh, Kaneki looked over to where Alirah curled up alone, his sympathy going out to the small Umbreon. Shifting from his position on his side to lay on his stomach, the Phanteon turned himself intangible as he stood up, letting Hide fall to the floor with a quiet 'oof'. The Riolu in question sat up, rubbing the back of his head and glaring accusingly at Kaneki, who trotted off to where Alirah was curled up. Much like an older sibling taking care of their younger one, Kaneki lay down next to Alirah, his twin red tails curling around to embrace Alirah's small form, his own head coming level with the pastel Umbreon's as his red and black eye looked back at her with an understanding spark.

Moving his paws to rest under his chin, Kaneki was aware of Hide wandering over, his own orange form plotting down on the other side of him, leaning back across Kaneki's flank. When Kaneki lifted his head to stare at the shiny, he only grinned toothily at him and winked. Rolling his eyes, Kaneki put his head back down on his paws and sighed deeply as he finally closed his eyes.

"H-hello? I'm scared and lost. Is anyone here?" Kaneki complained loudly with a whining growl as he lifted his head up sleepily. Is a little peace and quiet too much to ask? He thought, frowning in disapproval at the door. Who was it this time? The voice sounded young, but with the downpour of the rain, the ghost couldn't really tell. With a loud huff, the ghost started to get up, only to be stopped by Hide's paw on his shoulder.

"Get some rest Kaneki. I'll get this." He said, holding the ghost cat's gaze for a moment, before Kaneki begrudgingly agreed and let his head rest back on his paws. He kept both eyes open, observing the door with narrowed eyes.

"I miss my ma and pa come back please I don't wanna be alone." Hide approached the door, grasping the handle and pushing it open slowly. At his feet stood a completely drenched eevee. From the baby fluff still on it's chest, Hide assumed that the normal type was barely even a teen yet. Hide's mouth dropped as he stared, blinking a few times to make sure he wasn't seeing things. "U-uh. Hang on a sec." He said, ducking back inside for a moment.

Hide walked up to Kaneki and shrugged. "They're only a kid. An eevee, and looks like they'er orphaned too. Let them in?" He kept it short, since he knew the Phanteon was tired. The ghost only mumbled a quiet protest about having to think about something while he was this tired before he raised his head up and sighed. "Check them for cuts or bites. If they're clean, they them in." He said with a long sigh as he placed his head back onto his paws. Hide gave him a Riolu's equivalent of a thumbs up and wandered back to the door.

"Just gotta check you for infection. If you're clean I'll bring you inside, 'kay?" He explained, kneeling down and looking over the small normal type. He even reached out his paw and closed his eyes, the sensors on his head rising slightly as he checked the Eevee's aura. It was a bright, healthy green, so the Riolu knew the normal type was clean. Lowering his paw, Hide opened his chocolate eyes and grinned at the Eevee. "Looks like you're clean. Here, lets get you inside." He said, picking up the small Eevee and carrying them inside.

Bringing the small normal type over to Kaneki and Alirah, he sat down and set them back on the floor where they could curl up and dry off. Laying back down, Hide lay over Kaneki's flank and grinned when the Phanteon only twitched his ear at him. He could tell his beau was tired, since he wasn't up in arms about checking out the Eevee himself. Looking back at the small normal type, Hide smiled. "Don't worry about introductions let buddy. We'll chat when we get up okay? Try getting some rest." He said, leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest with a sigh, closing his eyes and letting sleep fade over his senses.

After a while of staring at the dull celing, Grimsley began to nod off. Having spent a while on his own now, the Dark Master had begun to get hyper aware of his surroundings when stopping for a rest. The undead were relentless when they smelled human, a fact that annoyed Grim to no end. So when he heard a soft voice outside, he was instantly alert, sitting up quickly and placing his hand on Nisha's purple fur as a silent command to stay alert. "H-hello? I'm scared and lost. Is anyone here?" Sighing, the Elite Trainer sat back, pinching the bridge of his nose lightly and sighing deeply. From the pitch of the voice, it sounded like a child, probably around Shyama's age.

At the thought of the young Houndrunt, Grimsley fished her pokeball from his bag, shecking the capsule for any cracks before releasing the small puppy from the Pokeball. The young Houndrunt blinked a few times, looking around at the new surroundings. Last time the puppy was out and about was in an abandoned building in Orre before they met Stark and the others, so the more tidy look of the Boutique took Shyama by surprise at first, before the pup's thin tail began to wag back and forth quickly, wasting no time in placing her nose to the ground and eagerly smelling the scents of all the pokemon and people who were once here.

"Get some rest Kaneki. I'll get this." Grimsley looked up from his spot observing Shyama to watch as the shiny Riolu reassured his friend and wandered over to the door where the other voice was coming from. "I miss my ma and pa come back please I don't wanna be alone." His first thought were correct then. The newcomer was just a child if their voice was correct. What a horrible time to be alone. It's raining and it's dangerous for any child to be outside, expecially after that thing was just here... He thought, looking over at Nisha, who got to her paws and trotted over to the door, her head peering over the Riolu's tall ears to see a small, drenched eevee kit.

"U-uh. Hang on a sec." Stepping back so that the Riolu could rush past her, Nisha looked back as Hide adressed the sleepy Phanteon. "They're only a kid. An eevee, and looks like they're orphaned too. Let them in?" Both Nisha and Grimsley were surprised at how Hide simply barked out the description so quickly to the Ghost. They must of had experience with this sort of thing before they had arrived in the city then. Kaneki replied with the same kind of short, sharp response, getting straight to the point, "check them for cuts or bites. If they're clean, they them in."

Letting Hide get past, Nisha observed quietly from her stance, her bright emerald eyes watching intensly as Hide kneeled in front of the Eevee. "Just gotta check you for infection. If you're clean I'll bring you inside, 'kay?" The Fighting Type then began to methodically check the Normal Type, eveing lifting a paw and extending it to the Eevee in a motion that Grimsley recognized as the Riolu using his aura sensing capabilities to check the young kit.

"Looks like you're clean. Here, lets get you inside." Turning from her spot, Nisha trotted back to Grimsley, picking up Shyama as she went since the Houdrunt had started wandering over to the door where the fire pup could run out into the rain. "Don't worry about introductions yet buddy. We'll chat when we get up okay? Try getting some rest." Settling herself down next to Grimsley, Nisha placed Shyama down beside her, where the Liepard's tail curled around the fire pup.

Grimsley smiled warmly at the Eevee kit, before resting one hand on Nisha's chest. Draping the other hand behind his head, the Elite Trainer lent back and closed his eyes, falling quickly into the first decent rest he'd had in months.

While not nightmarish, Ali's dreams were dark. Literally. Not even her best attempt at shining her rings through the inky blackness could show anything more than shadows stretching further than her eyes could see. In the real world, her breaths were erratically switching between troublingly slow and then paced as though she had ran for days.
Her mind began to rouse awake, seemingly taking control of the dream to see Knightly appear ahead of her. She bounded in her mind towards the Furfrou, but just as she made it close enough to leap to her, Ali's eyes blinked open.

She sucked in a breath and held it for a minute, turning her head around to look over the Boutique. Something felt wrong, but she couldn't quite place what was the matter with her thoughts failing to remind her of the previous night.
She dismissed it as her paranoid mind as she had many times before, settling her chin back on the floor and tilting her head to look at Knightly curled around her. The dark fur was a comfort until she noticed the wispy white fringe and lack of bangs covering "Knightly's" face.
She physically felt her heart skip, her mind feeling like someone took a bucket of memories and poured them into her brain.
Gone...

Her heart's metaphorical splitting in two slowed to a crawl, almost dulling into nothing with the warmth of Kaneki's fur next to her, reminding Ali that she wasn't completely lost yet. She moved a little closer to his side, looking for nothing more than knowing he and Hide were there.

Ali lay contently for a while, forgetting her private hells long enough to think of something good to do.
She was careful not to let her claws click the floor as she moved across the Boutique with Bernie's bow on the way outside. She cautiously used two senses - scent and hearing - before even looking outside. Everything checked out safe, relatively, considering the circumstances. No growls or screams on the air, signs of anything being nearby, not even the scent of death was very strong.

The rain washed away the majority of the blood coating the ground, leaving the fallen undead looking almost as if they had died in peace, omitting their twisted expressions.
Morning light cast to the ground, brightening the town that was akin to a dark, watery wasteland of zombies the night before, although the fog had not disappeared... In fact, it seemed as though it had gotten thicker. With the bright sun though, it was hardly ominous; rather, it was a nice change in the look of Laverre, like a misty rainforest somewhere.

Ali, with ears straight up similar to a Pikachu checking it's surroundings, she paced over to the fence around the small garden of flowers and pawed the earth away to form a shallow grave for the only remains they had of Mr. Kitty.
She did not have the religious beliefs to say a prayer in his honor, opting to stand over the freshly covered hole in a sort-of vigil.

The flower garden had been mostly destroyed since the epidemic began, but a few flowers were brave enough to stand up after growing up without the kin that spawned them, a lot like everything else in the world these days.
Alirah picked a few in her teeth, only taking what she found necessary and passing back by the gate, leaving a pretty pink flora by Bernie's “grave.”

Ali approached one of the euthanized undead, but her mind quickly changed. It would've been a nice sentiment for the Pokémon that had been alive before the virus took them, but she didn't have the nerve to get close. One could spring up and chomp off her nose...
She turned and padded back towards the Boutique with the flowers between her teeth.

Mud squished between her toes, much to her disdain; that stuff just harbored bacteria, and if something poked her, she could possibly get infected. She eyed her next steps suspiciously, stepping like she were on a minefield. Albeit slowly, it was going okay - just step in the squished down spots where other stuff walked, and she'd be okay...

Alirah began noticing two sets of tracks - both clawed, canid paws. She cocked her head, looking at the smaller prints and curiously placing her own foot in one of the straighter marks. Her toes fit, then her heart-shaped pad.
It took her a painfully long moment to realize they were her own prints, and the larger ones belonged to Knightly.

Ali swung her paw to her chest, staring at the mud. It was the feather that broke the Camerupt's back. All the pushed-away emotion she denied, the grief of losing her, the self-guilt for damning her to disappear...
Alirah's paws flew to her muzzle to cover her eyes, smearing mud onto her short, pink facial fur. With no support from her forelimbs, Ali's chest flopped into the filth with her back legs holding up for just a minute before collapsing too. “I did this,” she murmured. “I lost her because I helped Mr. Kitty, but then I let him die too... If I hadn't opened the door, they'd both be alive...” She exhaled hard, forcing out more air than she had in her lungs which turned into dry coughing. “I didn't want this... I didn't ask for any of it to happen.”

“But whether I did or didn't, I caused it. It's the same thing... Do they blame me? Knightly, I never wanted you to leave, you have to believe me...”

((OoC - I'd like Ali to be alone until Kaneki comes and talks with her for a bit since Duma and I have plot, pwease and thank you.<3
Laverre is a decent sized city in my imagination lol, so the fog (btw, Duma and I remembered it's actually Misty Terrain with some Smog. Not some hellspawn fog, ha.) hasn't reached the Boutique yet as it's still pretty bright and cheery outside. It's gonna get very dark, very fast soon. Lastly, I am terribly sorry for my stupidly slow replies to this team. I hardly have decent time to write for Laverre because I want Alirah's posts to be as spot-on as I can make them, leaving me very little time to make that happen with my daily life making me so pissy or tired a lot of the time ha. But unfortunately I'm still not pleased with how I'm handling this team, which makes me upset, so I'm gonna try to pull out ma' friggin' stops and make this as good as I wanted it.
Ridiculously long OoC over and out~))

The Snivy's eyes peeled open dryly. The sun was up, the rain had stopped and, at least for what he could tell, it was a new day in the waking world. The moisture had finally left his sweater, though a few damp spots remained, and as he pressed against the soft material the warmth was most comforting. His second eyelids swiped across his orange-brown eyes, clearing them of the vague sleep and revealing the room to be as it was the night before. The monster hadn't gotten them.

With a deep breath in Plant lets his exhale rattle his body and the sensation tingle over every scale. He was whole and felt no unaccounted pain though there was an emptiness both beside and inside him. Without shifting his body Plant knew Verglas was no longer beside him. However, he could see the Snover none too far away and did not panic.
Resting had helped bring some energy back to the youth but he still did not stir. The night had been rough with sleep eluding him for many hours. When it finally did come he was haunted by darkness and prowling eyes, the sweet smell of his beloved spider surrounded him though he could never reach her shape in the distance. As consciousness slowly returned to him the thorn in his heart stabbed him with a fresh wave of longing. As much as he accepted the adventure he was on it would sure be nice to go home and be with her once more..


Verglas had moved at some point. He never really slept for long periods of time and would simply sit watch while Plant rested. With the shelter of the building and protection of the other Pokemon though even that duty fell thin. It was hard to look out for anything as well when the windows were taller then him and walls blocked his view. The night had been long... they had to delay, he could accept that, but did they not understand the urgency? She needed him.. Just a little bit longer. The snowy haze in his mind continued to drift.

The Snover sat very still, arms limp at his sides with the ends draped against the floor. His eyes were wide open, unblinking dark red spheres that stared intensely at the human while waiting for him to awaken. Others did not like him too close, something he had learned slowly over time, so he sat a respectable distance away, roughly over three meters. Would Grimsley be ready to help once his eyes opened? It would be morning, they rested, certainly there would be no further delays. The mental snowstorm blows a little harder as the other Pokemon stir. Soon...

(Plant hasn't actually moved at all other then opening his eyes a little so he still looks asleep. He also hasn't realized there is a human among them due to the panic the night before.)

Kaneki stirred awake as he felt the warmth of Alirah's form leave, but the Spectreon barely moved. Only a simple twitch of his white spectral ear showed that the Spectreon wasn't just asleep. In truth, he probably should have gotten up, but he was comfortable here, and if he got up, that meant Hide would too. One thing Kaneki didn't want to deal with was Hide in the mornings. The Riolu was not a morning Pokemon.

A patch of sunlight hit the ghost's closed eyelids and he growled in protest at the light, shifting his paw to cover his eye, hoping that he could go back to sleep, or at least rest some more. Five more minutes... He thought, his muzzle scrunching up to show his sharp teeth as he started getting his muscles to work. Letting the muscles relax with a sigh, the Spectreon cracked open his silver and white eye, looking around the boutique with a half-lidded, still sleepy gaze. With a light sigh, Kaneki craned his head around to look at Hide, who was sleeping with one arm draped across his back, with the other arm laying over his stomach. His lower hand was half curled up, with his knees up to his stomach and his feet pressed up against his legs. His orange fluffy tail curled around his feet, keeping them warm. Looking at his beau's head, Kaneki laughed slightly when he saw the Riolu had his head draped across his flank, his muzzle laying across his back.

"Hide." Kaneki called, getting a responding hum as the Riolu stirred. "Hide get up." He said, earning a groan of protest from the smaller fighting type. "Don' wanna..." He groaned, cracking open one chocolate eye to start accusingly at the Spectreon. "'s too early." He protested, which of course went ignored as Kaneki slipped out from under Hide, forcing the Riolu to sit up.

Now stripped of his warm pillow, Hide protested loudly with a groan as he threw an arm over his eyes. "Kanekiiii nooo. Come back heeeere." He said, staring at the ghost type from under his arm with an accusing glare. The Spectreon only smirked and stretched. "Nope. You gotta get up lazybones." He said, chuckled as Hide sighed deeply, rolling over onto his stomach and getting up into a kneeling position. "You're a prick." Was all he said, rubbing the sleep from his eyes with the palm of his paw.

"You love me for it though." Kaneki replied through a yawn, shaking out his coat and stretching his legs. "I'm going out to check on Alirah." He said, padding outside to where he heard Alirah disappear to.

As he walked out, Kaneki heard the soft sniffles of the Umbreon, and he quickened his pace, listening as a wet plop was heard. Ducking outside, Kaneki noticed the pastel Umbreon's form drenched in mud as they lay there. “I did this.” Alirah's quiet murmur was only just caught by Kaneki as he quietly approached the Umbreon, his eyes solemn as they lowered to the ground.

“I lost her because I helped Mr. Kitty, but then I let him die too... If I hadn't opened the door, they'd both be alive...” The Spectreon's eyes widened as Alirah started coughing, stepping forwards and picking his way through the mud towards the Umbreon. “I didn't want this... I didn't ask for any of it to happen.” Those words were painfully familiar to Kaneki, making him stop his approach as he grit his teeth and looked away. “But whether I did or didn't, I caused it. It's the same thing... Do they blame me? Knightly, I never wanted you to leave, you have to believe me...”

Looking back to the Umbreon, Kaneki drew up beside her, standing in a semi-dry patch of ground. "None of us blame you for what happened, Alirah. It couldn't have been helped." He started, sighing deeply. "Hide and I made a promise to protect you, and to cover those who wanted to escape. If anything, I'm at fault for not keeping up my end of the promise. I let Knightly get taken away, when I was supposed to be protecting her." He said, dropping his head with a frown.

"I understand how it feels to be cheated in life. I haven't had the best life myself." He started, looking over at Alirah with his mis-matched eyes. "I told everyone the story of my eye, but that was when I was still just an Eevee. My evolution was much, much more painful." He continued with a sigh, "at the time, I was living with a small Crobat who called herself Touka, but food was scarce in the city, so I had to start wandering further and further to find food. I ended up wandering into the territory of this Pangoro called Jason." Kaneki took a moment to gather this thoughts, sitting down as he did so.

"Jason was... He wasn't a nice pokemon. In fact, he was the complete opposite." He sighed. "Alirah, have you heard of the move Endure?" He asked, looking at the Umbreon with an unreadable expression. "It's a move that allows you to endure hits so that they don't hurt as much. I was born with it. Now Jason, he had this... This game he would play. He would attack a pokemon until they were a breath away from dying, then he would heal them with a full restore or something, and start all over again." Kaneki spat the last few words, a growl forming in his throat as he recalled the event.

"Because I had Endure, Jason didn't need to do this. Instead, he had me count back from ten as I was strapped down to this table. Every time I counted, he would hit me, over and over and over. And when I finally reached zero..." Kaneki let it hang in the air as he took a breath. "Lets just say that was my last breath as an Eevee. Before I had been captured, I made a promise to Hide that I would come back for him, since we had been separated. It was because of that promise that I evolved instead of dying." He explained, frowning at the ground. "As for Jason... I'll say that he's not breathing anymore." He added, his tails sweeping along the ground.

"Don't feel guilty about losing Knightly and Bernie. They were both my fuck-ups, not yours." He said, looking down at Alirah with a smile. "We should probably head inside. You're just gonna get muddier and muddier down there like that."

Sunlight hit Grimsley's eyelids, making him stir awake. Humming lightly, the Elite Trainer cracked open one ice blue eye and winced at the bright light as it hit his retinas. Lifting one arm up, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and opened them both properly. Beside him, Nisha stirred with her trainer's movement, her ears flicking up before being followed by her green eyes opening. Grimsley laced his fingers together, turning his palms outwards as he stretched his arms and hands out. Once his shoulders gave a satisfying pop, Grimsley unlaced his fingers and shifted so that he was sitting cross-legged as he placed both hands behind his back at the base of his spine and arched his back until that too, gave a light pop. Sleeping in that position was bound to give him a few cricks in his back, but at that point, Grimsley really didn't care.

Sitting up, Grimsley looked to his side where Nisha had lifted her head up, a light purr audible to the Elite Trainer as the Liepard slowly stood up and stretched, her tail arching down as she stretched forwards with a wide yawn. When Grimsley offered a hand to the feline, she happily rubbed her face over it, wiping the gunk out of her eyes as she did so. Down at Nisha's paws, Shyama woke with a squeak, the puppy's eyes blinking open as the Houndrunt bounced to her paws and wandered up to Grimsley, placing her paws on his leg and whined lightly at him. Grimsley chuckled and gave the puppy a scratch behind her ears, smiling warmly at the young Houndrunt. Looking up from where he sat, the Elite Trainer noticed their ghostly protector was already awake, looking back at the Riolu that was draped over their back.

"Hide." A wordless hum replied the Spectreon as the small fighting type stirred. "Hide get up." Grimsley smiled as the young Riolu groaned in protest, replying sleepily, "don' wanna..." They stared with an accusing glare at Kaneki, slurring his words as he continued talking. "'s too early." The protest went unheard as Kaneki simply slipped out from under the Riolu and got to their paws. The Elite Trainer chuckled as Hide draped an arm over their eyes and sighed loudly. "Kanekiiii nooo. Come back heeeere." Kaneki only smirked at Hide as he stretched, earning a grin of amusement from Grimsley as he watched the exchange from where he was sitting.

"Nope. You gotta get up lazybones." Hide finally got up, rolling onto their stomach where the Riolu then lifted themselves up to a keeling position before accusingly saying to Kaneki, "you're a prick."

Grimsley chuckled lightly. It reminded him of the times when he was back at the League and Shauntal would come into his room as he took a nap on the black sofa he had in there. "You love me for it though." The Spectreon yawned and shook out their fur, padding over to the door before turning back to the others to address them. "I'm going out to check on Alirah."

Nodding and waving a goodbye, Grimsley covered his mouth with a hand as he yawned, wiping his eyes afterwards before looking around the room towards the Snover and Snivy. ”Did you two sleep okay?” He asked, resting on hand on his leg while the other ran his fingers through Nisha's fur as the Liepard purred loudly with a smile on her face.

By some miracle, Alirah was able to hear paw steps over the sound of her own erratic breaths and nearly shrill whining. When her eyes and mind comprehended none other than Kaneki appearing before her, her brows furrowed with a single tear streaking down her cheek and dyeing her fur darker. "None of us blame you for what happened, Alirah. It couldn't have been helped." He released a heavy breath before continuing. "Hide and I made a promise to protect you, and to cover those who wanted to escape. If anything, I'm at fault for not keeping up my end of the promise. I let Knightly get taken away, when I was supposed to be protecting her." Ali pulled her limbs closer, caking mud against her chest and inner parts of her legs. “N-oo, I dohn't think there's ano'her Pokémon an'where that could'a done better'n you did...” Her pronunciations faltered embarrassingly. She cleared her throat quietly, her sight becoming clear for a minute before blurring again, then repeating.

"I understand how it feels to be cheated in life. I haven't had the best life myself." It was a fleeting thought if she would ever be able to look him in the eyes again without remembering why they didn't match. "I told everyone the story of my eye, but that was when I was still just an Eevee. My evolution was much, much more painful." Ali's body filled with dread. She had been sheltered away like a stored glass figurine, her childlike mind much like the same fragility.
"at the time, I was living with a small Crobat who called herself Touka, but food was scarce in the city, so I had to start wandering further and further to find food. I ended up wandering into the territory of this Pangoro called Jason." The Spectreon paused briefly, settling down on his haunches.

"Jason was... He wasn't a nice pokemon. In fact, he was the complete opposite." Kaneki sighed. At some point, Ali had pushed her chest up so that she was also sitting, mud falling off in clumps. "Alirah, have you heard of the move Endure?" He was impassive in asking, his eyes on the pastel fox jolting her nerves to try and remember the move as though she were being graded. “I-I... No, I'm sorry...”
"It's a move that allows you to endure hits so that they don't hurt as much. I was born with it. Now Jason, he had this... This game he would play. He would attack a pokemon until they were a breath away from dying, then he would heal them with a full restore or something, and start all over again." The Ghost- growled behind his exhale of the syllables. Alirah's body was suddenly stiffened, her paws moving in anxiety at the idea.

"Because I had Endure, Jason didn't need to do this. Instead, he had me count back from ten as I was strapped down to this table. Every time I counted, he would hit me, over and over and over. And when I finally reached zero..." The breeze moved the leaves high above them, offering a calming sound that went unappreciated by Ali. She changed the angle of her muzzle multiple times, her expression twisting more each time she moved and dug her teeth further into her tongue. "Lets just say that was my last breath as an Eevee. Before I had been captured, I made a promise to Hide that I would come back for him, since we had been separated. It was because of that promise that I evolved instead of dying." Kaneki shifted his sight to the ground, further detailing the graphic painting in Ali's mind. She finally broke the silence she was so determined to keep with a sob, fixing her eyes on the Spectreon and trying to assure herself that he was sitting in front of her and wasn't being hurt anymore.

His gaseous tails brushed against the ground, whether intentional or subconsciously, Ali didn't know. "As for Jason... I'll say that he's not breathing anymore."
The Moonlight Pokémon seemed to give up her clean fur in exchange for not having to hold up her front end, stepping her forepaws ahead of her as her legs stretched forward and she sunk back down.
“I-I'm sorry, Kaneki,” she said softly. “You didn't deserve to die. I've known you since last night and I'm still trying to keep track of everything you've done for me, and for everyone here. You risk it all for some strangers...” She breathed in, craning her neck skyward. “My own parents couldn't protect me like you have. And here I am, just making things more difficult for you... God, I'm sorry.”

"Don't feel guilty about losing Knightly and Bernie. They were both my fuck-ups, not yours." The ghost assured her, complete with a smile towards her even when she must've looked completely laughable. "We should probably head inside. You're just gonna get muddier and muddier down there like that."
She blinked, trailing her eyes up her legs and to her fluffy chest fur, flabbergasted at herself. Ali's teeth parted widely as she burst into a fit of laughter, her eyes watering from amusement. “Oh my God, I am an idiot!” The moon vulpine sprang up, swiping pawfuls of muck off. “If Hide is still asleep, you should use Mud Slap on him!”

She finally regained composure and walked like a normal, mature adult. A mud covered pink marshmallow adult... “Hey, Kaneki.” She called,  “Thank you. I was really sad, but you reminded me of something.” Ali smiled at the thought fondly. It might've been a ‘bad memory’ by some people's standards,  but...
“It just made me think of when I came to live here. I had a human, but he wasn't nice, either. He wasn't like Jason, but he hurt me a lot, even let me go hungry. Something happened to my mom and dad a bit before that, but anyways, we got into a battle and I got knocked out.” Her voice was still light, not showing any resentment that she surely had for the human himself. “But he was mad at me for it. I'm not strong and I thought he understood that, but I guess he just had a lot going on and didn't keep his cool. Before I knew it, I had a board between my eyes. He left after he was done hitting me and I felt bad, I think we really needed the prize money.”

“So!” Ali continued, “I made it back to our apartment building, but Knightly found me before I went in. I must've looked pretty sorry, because she was mad. She kinda kidnapped me with consent!” Alirah joked with a mischievous grin. “It's a weird story to enjoy remembering, but for me, it let's me remember there's good times and not such good times. Knightly saved me from my human and showed me it could be okay. You saved me from her - or my feelings for her, rather - and reminded me.”
Attention forward again had Ali tilting her head curiously. She wasn't sure what she was looking at painted on the outer wall of the Boutique. Was it mud? Squinting in the daylight, she could make out a dark, reddish-brown color and small bits of something stuck to their shelter's exterior. She decidedly pushed it out of her mind; it was kinda gross looking which was bothersome, but an undead with just enough intelligence to be rude could've done it.

And if it were the same undead, it had an awful cruel streak.

A Meowstic lay on the ground that Ali noticed before but didn't pay attention to. In it's physical - however dead - state, that was pretty surprising, but what can ya say? With a world overrun with dead Pokémon, you'd either need a better plan of survival or you had a really amazing memory to remember each and every fallen Monster. Something told Ali she'd remember this zombie for a while though, the bipedal kitty nearly unrecognizable as what once was; the cat's internal organs splayed across the ground, intertwining and connecting into the Meowstic's hallow body.
A good part of it's head was nonexistent anymore, showing off the inner skull with no contents, and add in the throat region shredded into a messy membrane salad, she was going to be haunted by the knowledge this lay outside. “Wh-what the heck... did this...?”

Plant's skull echoed with the sound of Grimsley's voice. ”Did you two sleep okay?” It was such a simple, gentle question. The voice was not familiar, soft yet very distinct from anything he had ever heard before. Turning his head he is met with a sight that is both curious and terrifying. A long-limbed creature with a flat face and fur only upon his head. Pelts covering his body, much like his own, so very little of his actual skin could be seen. The Snivy stares blankly at the man with wide, brownish eyes. That's a human? Never had he seen such a creature before, hence the search, but for something so rare it hardly looked powerful. What do you have that Verglas needs so badly?

The human stirred, moving, shifting, and stretching in ways only a waking being could. The mental snowdrift thinned slightly, making way for sunshine much like that that flitted in through the cloth-blocked windows. A sensation alike to excitement poured through the Snover's veins, stirring him from his resting position. He was awake. Making his way onto his stubby feet the Snover would of spoken had his tongue not felt numb and useless from the nights silence. That would have to wait, like everything else. Instead he made his way back over to Plant, his sight never leaving the humans form.

Verglas' movement broke the starter's trance, the thin lids sliding over his eyes as he brought himself back to reality. Swishing his tail across the soft fabric Plant gave a half-hearted shrug. "It was okay.." He was still exhausted, still starving, still in the middle of no where with Pokemon he barely knew. Forcing himself to sit up the Snivy rubbed his eyes clear. For the first time he noticed not only the human but his collection of Pokemon and what looked like another child in the room. When had they all made it here...?

Kaneki's white ears flicked upwards in alarm as he heard the quiet sob of Alirah beside him. He blinked, his eyes meeting Alirah's for a moment. His muzzle creased in worry as he looked at the Umbreon, his ears fell back once he realized that Alirah was sad about him. He looked away quickly, closing his red and black eye as memories of Hide having that very same expression when he first met him all those years ago in the city.

His beau's fur had been smeared blue, but his chocolate eyes are easily identifiable. In those few months, the two of them had grown distant, both physically and emotionally. Then Kaneki met Hide again after he was with the Ghouls and - The Spectreon shook his head, hard. The past was in the past, he didn't need to lament about it. “I-I'm sorry, Kaneki,” Opening his closed eye, Kaneki looked at Alirah with a surprised glance. Why was she apologizing to him? He was the one who had fucked up, not her. “You didn't deserve to die. I've known you since last night and I'm still trying to keep track of everything you've done for me, and for everyone here. You risk it all for some strangers...”

Ah. Kaneki let out a slight chuckle. "I've always been like that, even before I was captured. Always looking out for others." He laughed, but it was bittersweet, almost forced. He knew, deep down, that was a lie. He had killed far more pokemon than he saved. That was just who he was - a monster. Monsters didn't help others, they killed them. Kaneki bit his lip and looked away from Alirah.

“My own parents couldn't protect me like you have. And here I am, just making things more difficult for you... God, I'm sorry.” Kaneki hummed quietly in amusement. He shook his head and looked back at Alirah with a small smile. "You know, my mother once had this thing she would say to me; 'Be the person who gets hurt, rather than the person who hurts others'..." He sighed heavily at the words. "I used to live by those words. It was because of that, because of those goddamn words, that I ended up the way I did."

Thankfully, the uncomfortable silence and half-answers were cut off with Alirah laughing at her appearance. The true, joyful laugh prompted a smile, a true, genuine smile to spread across Kaneki's muzzle as he chuckled quietly. “Oh my God, I am an idiot!” He laughed shortly as he stood up and shook out his fur, a few white wisps from his mane floating into the air before dissipating. “If Hide is still asleep, you should use Mud Slap on him!” Raising a paw to his muzzle, Kaneki had to bite his cheek to stop from laughing, but his shoulders shook with the silent laugh as he rolled his eyes.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but Hide's awake. I had to get him up before I could get up. He has a habit of sleeping on me." Kaneki laughed, jerking his head towards the boutique. "C'mon, let's head back inside."

“Hey, Kaneki.”

The Spectreon blinked, humming lightly. "Yeah?" He asked, looking down at Alirah as the small Umbreon continued, “thank you. I was really sad, but you reminded me of something.” Kaneki nodded slowly. He always did enjoy stories, and spoken stories were no different.

“It just made me think of when I came to live here. I had a human, but he wasn't nice, either. He wasn't like Jason, but he hurt me a lot, even let me go hungry. Something happened to my mom and dad a bit before that, but anyways, we got into a battle and I got knocked out.” Kaneki blinked, frowning lightly. He didn't really understand how Alirah could speak so lightly of a human who did that. “But he was mad at me for it. I'm not strong and I thought he understood that, but I guess he just had a lot going on and didn't keep his cool. Before I knew it, I had a board between my eyes. He left after he was done hitting me and I felt bad, I think we really needed the prize money.” One of Kaneki's tails curled forwards, as though it was making a red gaseous shield around the pastel Umbreon. He wouldn't let anyone do that to Alirah again if he had any say in it.

“So!” Kaneki started from the sudden continuation, but he fought down the evidence as he looked back at Alirah, retracting his tail as they neared the boutique. “I made it back to our apartment building, but Knightly found me before I went in. I must've looked pretty sorry, because she was mad. She kinda kidnapped me with consent!” Kaneki chuckled at Ali's mischievous grin, rolling his eyes lightly.

“It's a weird story to enjoy remembering, but for me, it let's me remember there's good times and not such good times. Knightly saved me from my human and showed me it could be okay. You saved me from her - or my feelings for her, rather - and reminded me.” Kaneki nodded, looking up and back towards the walls of the boutique where... Oh no.

Kaneki winced as Alirah found the remnants of his attack. Dried blood and gore stuck to the walls, and although the ground was no longer coated in the stuff from the rain, it was still everywhere. Kaneki looked away sighing lightly. He probably should go and clean this up before everyone else found the remains.

“Wh-what the heck... did this...?” Kaneki looked at Alirah, who was staring at the dead Meowstic that was the last victim of his attack. The Spectreon sucked in a breath as he walked up beside Alirah, his eyes darkening slightly as he looked down at the corpse.

"That..." He sighed heavily. "I..." Shaking his head, Kaneki decided to not beat-around-the-bush and just come out with it. "That was me." He finally said with a sigh. "That's why I wanted everyone inside before I could take care of the rest of the undead. Hide knows how I fight. I..." He shook his head harshly. "I've hurt a lot of Pokemon, Ali. Not all of them were undead, like this one. Hide knows this too, and he sticks around because he loves me. He's the only one who can talk me down after a fight." Kaneki looked up at the boutique, where he could just see Hide from what little view he had from the window. it seemed everyone was waking up.

Kaneki nudged Alirah and motioned to the boutique with a paw. "We... We should head inside."

---

Hide yawned and stretched, his short, stubby claws clicking on the ground as he rubbed the back of his neck and looked around. ”Did you two sleep okay?” His ears flicked as he looked up to see Grimsley talking to Plant and Verglas. He smiled warmly. It was good to see that the human was trying to get along with everyone. His chocolate eyes were drawn to the small puppy that was sitting in the Liepard's curled up legs. He blinked. It must have been Grimsley's pokemon, since he didn't remember them being here last night when he went to sleep.

It was a very small pup, and it looked almost like a Houndour, so he guessed it was from that line. He shrugged and looked around. Kaneki still wasn't back, so he assumed he was talking to Alirah about something. "It was okay.." Hide's stomach decided to let itself be known to the Riolu as it growled at him. Hide looked around. Kaneki would be back soon, and then he would probably leave again to find food.

"Th-thank you for helping me inside." Hide's ears flicked up and turned towards the voice as he turned his head to see the small eevee kit. Hide smiled and kneeled down in front of them. "'s no problem. Now that everyone's awake, I'm Hide. What's your name, little guy?" he asked with a smile. "Kaneki will be back soon with Alirah I believe, so then he'll see about getting food for everyone." Hide said to the small kit, standing up and waiting at the back door for his beau to come back with the small pastel Umbreon in tow.

Grimsley's question was answered with a small shrug, followed by the Snivy's quiet voice, "it was okay.." He smiled at the grass type's answer, glad that he got a response from the Pokemon. Taking the time to look around, Grimsley noticed the other two pokemon, the Riolu from the previous night and a small Eevee. He assumed that they arrived earlier in the night, when Hide had taken care of their visitor. The normal type must have been their surprise visit last night.

"Th-thank you for helping me inside." Grimsley sighed inwardly. Another child? He looked down at Shyama, as the young pup stood and bounced in place. The Dark Master chuckled and offered his hand to the Houndrunt, who immediately bounded up to the offered hand and licked it. Moving his hand, Grimsley pet the small pup behind her ears, prompting the Houndrunt to roll onto her back and stare up at him with a playful smirk.

Shyama's playfulness was soon cut short as Nisha stood up, using a front paw, the Liepard batted the pup on the nose, rolling her eyes at the young Houndrunt. Shyama whined, but rolled back onto her feet, sitting down beside Nisha and leaning against the cat. Digging into his bag, Grimsley pulled out two of his protein bars, checking the label before opening on up and splitting it in half.

Movement caught the corner of his eye as the little Eevee from before walked up to him, staring at him with an almost pleading expression. Grimsley soon connected the dots and broke one of the halves of the bar again, offering it to the small normal type. "'s no problem. Now that everyone's awake, I'm Hide. What's your name, little guy?" Looking up, Grimsley noticed the Riolu was kneeling in front of the kit, smiling. The Dark Master found the Riolu's smile to be contagious, as a few moments later, he too, was smiling. "Kaneki will be back soon with Alirah I believe, so then he'll see about getting food for everyone." With that, Hide got up and moved towards the door. Looking at the bars in his hands, Grimsley decided to unwrap them both and break each one into four pieces. He then sat up and set the pieces down on the wrapper so as not to gen them dirty from the floor.

”I have some protein bars here that I'm happy to share until then. They should keep you stated until we get some proper food, at least.” He looked over at the Snover, sighing lightly. ”Unfortunately I don't have anything that can cater to your friend over there, I'm sorry.”

"That..."
Ali's teeth unclenched as she focused on Kaneki rather than the messy entrails and rotting corpse. "I..." His head shook side to side as if he were warding off a bad thought... or smell? Ali sniffed at the air lightly. "That was me." Wait, what? Alirah's brow quirked slightly, almost humorously until she remembered the question she has just asked.
"That's why I wanted everyone inside before I could take care of the rest of the undead. Hide knows how I fight. I..." He... he seemed troubled by it. Before she could protest with they were trying to kill us, you didn't do anything wrong, he continued. "I've hurt a lot of Pokemon, Ali. Not all of them were undead, like this one. Hide knows this too, and he sticks around because he loves me. He's the only one who can talk me down after a fight."

Her teeth parted just a bit, her dumb expression looking more shocked than she was. Ali's ridiculously accepting nature flew her thoughts above what Kaneki just admitted and straight to what she needed to say to make him feel better. Before her train of thought hit a platform, he prodded her gently, "We... We should head inside."

“Hide isn't the only one that cares about you... I-I heard you just say that you put this undead down, was... was that supposed to change something?” She genuinely wondered, “Because it didn't. I learned during the past-something-hours that, like some undead can function like they would before they got sick, not every living is quite... sensible. If you have to hurt them, they probably wouldn't have understood much else, anyways. That makes you a hero, doesn't it?” She quickly scouted the buildings in eyeshot, then looking back at the Spectreon's paws. “That's what heroes do, they stop the bad guys. Police were hailed as the most... what's the word, noble? Most noble individuals but they hurt people and Pokémon. They had society's go-ahead to do it too, which made them quote unquote protectors.”

She was silent for a moment, tracking through what needed to be said next. Ali usually didn't talk like she actually had a clue often. This was difficult, maybe she should just go back to begging for her tiny life...
The Umbreon threw her paw up in bashful-defense, waving it awkwardly. “I'm not trying to put down the police or something, but in the end, where are they now? You're here and you've looked out for everyone that needed it. If they were considered good, you should be considered great.”

She passed through the Boutique's threshold before realizing she'd actually done it, immediately derailing any other greeting-card-esque ideals she might've thought of. Ali dropped the subject completely in respect for Kaneki, waving her tail behind her a few times in hopes that he would catch her reasoning wasn't loss of interest.

Walking into everyone's sight was about the most awkward thing ever. “Let's not talk about why I look like someone dipped me into a fondue fountain...” She smiled shyly, as though she were meeting her prom date's family for the first time. “That isn't a demand, though.” Ali shot a glance to Kaneki for some kind of encouragement. Motioning to the Spectreon with her eyes, it seemed a safer - and less embarrassing - idea to pass the choice to him as she added, “Does anyone want something to go with those granola bars? If Kaneki thinks it's an okay idea, I can run to the Café a few doors down and get more food.”

You know, she had completely not noticed the Eevee plush before... Did it belong to either of the-- holy smokes, it wasn't a plush! Ali's face looked akin to someone finding their long lost sibling who was supposed to have left the region but got lost and became a Magikarp Salesman instead, then hit the lottery. That was an exaggeration, but an amusing image nonetheless. The Umbreon had never actually met an Eevee. She'd met Eeveelutions, but not once the tiny fluff base form, so pictures were the only ideas she had of what she should've looked like.

Clearing her throat awkwardly, she looked at the door - when in doubt, look at doors - and back at everyone with a dorky smile. “Anyone is welcome to tag along.”

((OoC - Ali doesn't know the difference between a protein bar and granola lol. Now, each time I read the freakin' motivation speech, it either makes perfect sense or none whatsoever. If its like that for anyone else, let me know and I'll reword it. My thought train done derailed, too. :'3))

Any sleepy feelings were swiftly being pumped out of him as more and more Pokemon rose and spoke. Kaneki cooed more stuff to the stray Eevee, his words neared syncing up with the re-entrance of the eeveelution pair. His eyes trailed with the sound of their pawsteps and fell on the.. drowned looking Umbreon. Oh dear.. Had they fallen into a scuffle? There was definitely a look in her eye that said- chnk.

The Snivy's eyes slide completely to the other side of his head before his skull follows. That sound.. it was akin to a hoof-step, or a tap against a tree. To see such a thing inside this place would be crazy and his eyes strain to find the source. The sound comes again but instead of an equine beast he only spies the human fiddling with something that he places down on shiny material. ”I have some protein bars here that I'm happy to share until then. They should keep you stated until we get some proper food, at least.” Pur-ro-teen? Plant's brow furrows. What the heck was that? Staring at the strange brown squares that he can only guess are the 'puroteens' not a single one of his synapses registrar them as food. ”Unfortunately I don't have anything that can cater to your friend over there, I'm sorry.”

His spine stiffens and eyes narrow as he shifts his gaze back toward the eeveelutions. You dont know anything about him. Even the human thing was making quick judgements about Verglas without any proof! Had they really traveled this far for someone who made the same assumptions as everyone else? How was this creature any different than everything else they had ran into! Nothing about him was special other then the strange pelts he draped himself in, and even that didn't seem all that helpful for a rescue. “Let's not talk about why I look like someone dipped me into a fondue fountain... That isn't a demand, though.” While he gave a slight huff Plant said nothing else. Normally he would of asked what that was but his mood had been soured yet again by jerks who thought they knew everything.

We should move on. The night had passed and their needed human was found. While he still didn't have any energy the sun was out and he would be okay soon enough. If not.. Verglas never complained about carrying him a short ways. Plant lifted one hand, ready to give a quick goodbye, but the Umbreon continued. “Does anyone want something to go with those granola bars? If Kaneki thinks it's an okay idea, I can run to the Café a few doors down and get more food.” So many things he didn't understand.. were they all things he'd learn in time or was he missing something vitally important? “Anyone is welcome to tag along.” Maybe I could see.. No, no it would be better if they moved on. If these things were really important he'd learn about them elsewhere.

"M-my name is Conan, you're pretty for an umbreon." Ouch. The tiny Eevee speaks, its words pulling the Snivy's focus away from himself. That's freaking cold.. He had only met his first Umbreon yesterday and black one wasn't ugl-- Plant's brownish eyes blink several times and he looks around. Where was the other one? Sure, there were Pokemon in the room now that he didn't recall from last night but specifically remembered taking to the black-furred Umbreon. He's gone? No one seemed worried.. no one seemed concern either. Had something happened? Maybe.. maybe we should wait.. Something about this place wasn't safe. Unease crept through his nerves and the room suddenly felt too confined. "I'll go." He mutters quickly, making his way onto his short feet. He needed out of the room, he needed sunlight, and secretly he didn't want the lady Umbreon to go out alone.


Its cold and the flurry is kicking. More Pokemon were speaking, more things to distract human from his mission. Yet event he mundane conversation manages to grab his attention. They were speaking of food now and the hollow feeling deep in his belly was gnawing at him once more. Nothing ever seemed to stop it.. no matter what he ate or how much it constantly begged him to be stated.

His dull red eyes fall to the bar pieces laid before them. His trainer would often eat them, throwing them in her pack before a a short hike, but their familiarity waned as another memory poured through his mind. Her delicate hands unwrapping the cloth bound chunks already sliced for ease. Despite the cold of their mountain home the sweet loafs of Oran bread remained warm and soft... How long had it been since he tasted such a sweet treat? Nowadays everything seemed to taste of ash and iron, never satisfying and always needing more. His eyes slowly drifted upward to meet the humans gaze. "Oran bread.." He murmured softly.

A vine snaked its way around his arm and tugged. Verglas didn't move but snapped his eyes to the side to see Plant struggling to pull him. He wanted him to go somewhere? The Snivy's eyes were stressed.. the thought of separation working at him. "Verglas?" he whimpered, hoping the Snover would come along easily. The undead shuffled his feet and sat down roughly in the makeshift nest. "Can't leave." What if the human disappeared? Plant could handle himself and wouldn't be alone. Too close now.. The Snivy needed him but he needed the human just as much.

The Snivy's head flicked between the adult faces, unsure if he could trust any of them with his next request. Eventually he lands on the human, praying that Verglas' trust in him was well founded. "You'll keep him safe here..?" He could just stay in here. He didn't have to go to the Cafe place if it meant keeping the Snover safe. "He'll be okay when I come back?" His voice strains and he shuffles closer to the human as he speaks. Turning his head to look at Alirah he mutters more softly, "Or he can come with?"

Kaneki winced as he prepared himself for Alirah's response. He was used to it by now. People calling him a monster because he was simply trying to protect everyone. He sighed. OF course Ali wouldn't be different. He couldn't even forgive himself, let alone accept the fact that he does these things. Why should he expect Alirah to accept them?

The Spectreon's eyes slid over to Alirah, widening only slightly when he caught sight of Ali's big smile. “Hide isn't the only one that cares about you... I-I heard you just say that you put this undead down, was... was that supposed to change something?” Blinking in confusion, Kaneki let his gaze slide to the side, away from Alirah. Perhaps she didn't get it? Was she just... Being too naive? “Because it didn't. I learned during the past-something-hours that, like some undead can function like they would before they got sick, not every living is quite... sensible. If you have to hurt them, they probably wouldn't have understood much else, anyways. That makes you a hero, doesn't it?” He snorted and shook his head. Killing something doesn't make him a hero. He was the opposite of a hero.

“That's what heroes do, they stop the bad guys. Police were hailed as the most... what's the word, noble? Most noble individuals but they hurt people and Pokémon. They had society's go-ahead to do it too, which made them quote unquote protectors.” Kaneki groaned and rolled his eyes. If only she knew. Police weren't noble. They were cowards, who when the ring got busted, opted to try and kill all the fighting pokemon in there because they were too savage.“I'm not trying to put down the police or something, but in the end, where are they now? You're here and you've looked out for everyone that needed it. If they were considered good, you should be considered great.”

Kaneki laughed almost bitterly. "That's funny." he stated, walking beside Alirah as the two eeveelutions walked back to the Boutique. "I really don't understand what you and Hide see in me that makes you two believe in me that much." He said with a sigh as he followed a little way behind Alirah, looking around as he padded forwards.

Once the two set foot back into the Boutique, Kaneki was glad to see that everyone had woken, his bi-colored eyes shifting down to the young eevee that arrived the prior night. “Let's not talk about why I look like someone dipped me into a fondue fountain...” Kaneki choked on a laugh, raising a paw o his muzzle as his shoulders shook lightly with held in laughter. “That isn't a demand, though.” Kaneki caught Alirah's quick stare, and so he grinned toothily.

"Ali had a bit of a crisis and decided that the mud was a perfect place to lay down and wallow. Not exactly the best idea if you're pastel pink." He joked, looking towards the bars which Grimsley had placed out for them. It seemed that this human was nice after all. He caught sight of an orange blur, jumping back just in time for Hide to slide to a stop in front of him, the Riolu pulling the ghost in for a hug, much to Kaneki's chagrin. The Spectreon laughed, moving his paws up to push Hide off him so that he could see what was going on.

“Does anyone want something to go with those granola bars? If Kaneki thinks it's an okay idea, I can run to the Café a few doors down and get more food.” Looking over Hide's shoulder, Kaneki hummed lightly. "That's not a bad idea. Hide, you scouted past that place last night. Did you see anything?" He asked the Riolu in front of him, resting his head on the small fighting type's shoulder.

Hide thought for a moment, subconsciously petting Kaneki on behind his ears as he did so. "Well... I didn't see much, since that was where those two psycho pokemon were, the erm, Sceptile and Zoroark from last night. But if they were there, I don't see any reason why the wouldn't be food there." He said, looking back once he felt Kaneki bristle lightly. "Kaneki?" He called softly, tapping the Spectreon on the nose, breaking him out of his silence.

"Sorry. I'm going along with you Alirah. Hide, can you look after those who stay back? I'm not letting Alirah go to the cafe alone of those two used it as a shelter." He said briskly, his duel tails flicking back and forth as he stepped forwards so that Hide and Ali were now on either side of him. “Anyone is welcome to tag along.” He nodded looking at their group. Plant and Verglas, his eyes hovered on Plant for a moment, his white ears flicking upwards in intrigue, before he forced his gaze away and looked over at Grimsley. His eyes narrowed a hair. While he would not deny that humans were resourceful, there was no way he was going to trust Grimsley until the human proved that he was trustworthy.

"M-my name is Conan, you're pretty for an umbreon." Looking down at the small Eevee, Hide grinned and gave them a small nod. "She is isn't she? I've never seen an umbreon that color before. The only other unusually shiny eeveelution I've seen is Kaneki. And he was like that from birth." He said, looking up as Plant put in his own offer to go with the group to the cafe. "Can I stay here? I wanna play with the snivy and Hide." Chuckling, Hide nodded. "Sure thing buddy. I'll look after ya while the others are off getting food."

Kaneki watched the interaction with a light smile, sitting down as he waited for everyone to be ready. When Conan's eyes fell on him, Kaneki was taken aback with the way that the small Eevee began to shake. Sniffing lightly, Kaneki's ears dropped when he realised that the small normal type was afraid. Quite frankly, it stung. "G-ghost." Kaneki blinked, his bi-colored eyes, widening only slightly before he got up and moved forwards, lowering himself down so that his head was on the same level as the Eevee's.

Well then. This oughta be fun. How on earth am I supposed to soothe the kid? He thought, tilting his head sideways for a moment. "Hey buddy. It's alright. I'm nothing to be scared of. I'm not gonna hurt you." He said quietly, looking up at Hide for a moment, before he got an idea. "You know Hide, yeah? Well, Hide is a very good friend of mine. Ask him, he'll tell you that I'm not that scary. There's no need to be shaking. Your name is Conan, right? I'm Kaneki."

Grimsley smiled lightly as the small Eevee kit accepted his offer, taking one of the pieces of protein bar. "Th-thank you. mister" He nodded, casting his iceblue gaze towards the door, where Alirah and Kaneki returned from. “Let's not talk about why I look like someone dipped me into a fondue fountain...” Stifling a laugh behind a hand, the Elite Trainer had to bit his lip to keep from laughing at the Umbreon's amusing quip. “That isn't a demand, though.” The pastel Umbreon then cast a quick stare towards Kaneki, which their ghostly protector responded to with a toothy grin.

"Ali had a bit of a crisis and decided that the mud was a perfect place to lay down and wallow. Not exactly the best idea if you're pastel pink." With a barely suppressed chuckle, Grimsley came to focus when the topic moved from Alirah's muddied fur, to the subject of food. He didn't have much in the way of food, but the little he did had, meant that he was happy to share. “Does anyone want something to go with those granola bars? If Kaneki thinks it's an okay idea, I can run to the Café a few doors down and get more food.” That's right. Laverre had a cafe within the city. If the food within the cafe was still good, then it was practically a jackpot for any sort of food.

"That's not a bad idea. Hide, you scouted past that place last night. Did you see anything?" Kaneki agreed with Alirah's statement, speaking to the orange furred Riolu who had approached Kaneki as soon as the ghost had entered the room. Hide paused in thought for a moment, which Grimsley didn't fail to notice as the Riolu scratched the Spectreon behind the white wisps that made up the Ghost's ears. "Well... I didn't see much, since that was where those two psycho pokemon were, the erm, Sceptile and Zoroark from last night. But if they were there, I don't see any reason why there wouldn't be food there." The Elite Trainer frowned. Psycho pokemon? That didn't sound good. At the mention of the other pokemon, Kaneki had frozen, only coming from that state when Hide calmly called, "Kaneki?"

"Sorry. I'm going along with you Alirah. Hide, can you look after those who stay back? I'm not letting Alirah go to the cafe alone of those two used it as a shelter." Grimsley blinked at the brisk tone that Kaneki now held. It was almost as though he was more worred about those two pokemon than whatever that monster that was outside the previous night. “Anyone is welcome to tag along.” Looking around, Grimsley decided that it would be best if he and his team stayed at the Boutique, if anything so that he could simply rest. He didn't even remember the last time he had an actual safe place to camp out in.

The small Eevee – Conan – looked towards Alirah, speaking quietly as they addressed the pastel Umbreon, "can I stay here? I wanna play with the snivy and Hide." Grimsley chuckled as Hide answered for the Umbreon with a grin, followed soon by a cheerful, "sure thing buddy. I'll look after ya while the others are off getting food." Grimsley nodded, sitting up so that his back as leaning against the wall of the building, with his legs crossed beneath him. ”I'll stay back as well.” He said, motioning to Nisha, who was attentively watching the small Eevee, before her ear twitched and she looked up to Grimsley. ”If needed, perhaps Nisha could accompany those who are going out?” He offered, getting a nod from his partner, who stood up and stretched, weaving herself around Grimsley's arm with a quiet purr.

"You'll keep him safe here..?" Looking towards the Snivy, Grimsley picked up on the Grass type's strained voice as they spoke to him. "He'll be okay when I come back?" Grimsley nodded. ”Of course. Your friend asked for my help, and in turn I'll keep him safe.” He said, fully intending to keep that promise, too. He believed in giving everyone equal chance. It's one of the reasons why he enjoyed being a part of the Elite Four. Every trainer he faced was given equal chance to win, or to lose. It was a lot better than his previous pastime, that's for sure.

Ali's tail flattened against the floor behind her, giving her body enough balance not to flop over as she sat much like a dog doing the old "sit pretty" trick. She smirked deviously at the Spectreon, "I gots ma' ghost backup!" For pure comedic effect, she held her left paw vertically in front of her and plunked it with her righty, flinging mud onto the floor. "Biam!"
She stopped with her childish shenanigans, beaming at the Eevee as she realized the cocoa colored kit was introducing himself to her. "M-my name is Conan, you're pretty for an umbreon." Alirah dipped her head into her chest fur bashfully, placing her foreleg on the bridge of her nose as though it would inconspicuously hide the stupid, embarrassed smile playing at her muzzle. Ali, you're hiding the wrong part of your face... "Th-thank you, so much! I'm Ali, it's nice to meet you!"

Just when she thought she would survive - she responded, she did good, right? - suddenly Hide. "She is isn't she? I've never seen an umbreon that color before. The only other unusually shiny eeveelution I've seen is Kaneki. And he was like that from birth." The Umbreon in question gave a humorous wail, turning into a laugh at the end. "Somebody help, they're complimenting me and I don't know what to do!" Yeah, that solved the awkwardness. Definitely. Alirah the Umbreon, everyone, social skills 110%. Sarcasm.
Ali blinked as Conan asked if he could stay at the Boutique; she wanted everyone to feel it was a free haven of sorts - it was their choices what they did, as long as they weren't in danger, she wouldn't intervene. Hide offered to guard the kit, for which Ali was grateful. She already had a soft spot for the lil' guy.

”I'll stay back as well.” Grimsley added. His legs were positioned funny to the Umbreon; did humans usually sit like that? She honestly couldn't remember... ”If needed, perhaps Nisha could accompany those who are going out?” The Liepard nodded, affectionately rubbing against his arm in kitty-fashion. Alirah would've fist-pumped her approval if she actually had the anatomy for such things. "Do you wanna go, Nisha~?"

"I'm still hungry, can you get me something to eat?" Conan asked, earning a smile from the pastel fox. She never really had the chance to be around little ones, she was already adopting pink-big-sister-squad role. "Of course~ But in return, you have to keep my friends safe, alright?" She grinned widely, looking to Hide in curiosity if she were doing this right.

"I'll go." Plant picked himself up, deciding to join the snack squad and moving to coil his vine around Verglas' arm. "Verglas?"
Ali moved to say something, but stopped her voice as the Snover replied with the negative. She sincerely felt sad at the moment Plant turned to Grim, looking for an answer that his brother would be safe. Had they seen the world for what it was before this entire Epidemic mess? She couldn't imagine being born into this world now, without knowledge of the carefree days when daily life wasn't searching for food and avoiding creatures trying to kill you. Plant shifted his sight to Ali, "Or he can come with?"
"Yes," she gently replied, "you can both consider yourselves part of the our group. Asking isn't necessary, okay? If you guys wanna go, come on, then~" Alirah offered a half-grin before pacing to the exit and scenting at the outside air.

((OoC - Ali is really, really not trying to be condescending lol. She's trying to be less introverted and she isn't quite sure how yet. Precious cotton candy fox lol.))

Was he really considering this? Never had he left Verglas alone with strangers, never! They couldn't be trusted. In one way or another they would want the pair to be separated for good and for one of the brothers to be dead. Then what am I thinking? All of these Pokemon had given them the same callous looks they always get. There was no way Verglas would be safe here except maybe, just maybe the human was different. We traveled so far to find him. What exactly made it special? Looking at the pale-faced creature Plant can not tell.

Grimsley gave a nod and spoke gently. ”Of course. Your friend asked for my help, and in turn I'll keep him safe.” Could he believe in the human? Biting his lip the Snivy was doubtful. He hardly looked capable of anything. Letting his eyes trail the room he scanned for any possible threats or traps. The place itself seemed fairly safe but the ghost Pokemon was definitely a problem. Not only was he terrifying but he spoke with authority. What if he decided Verglas was no longer welcome while he was gone? But instead of disapproval he spoke gently to the other kid, giving a much kinder welcome then he had given himself. Maybe it would be okay? Looking at Verglas the wide-eyed Snivy hoped he would give some insight but the Snover just slowly blinked and said nothing.

Well.. they weren't giving him much to work with. The confined, ominous feeling pushed down harder on his chest. He would go nuts if he stayed here much longer. The lady Umbreon had made her way to the door and paced impatiently. He had to hurry up and make a decision. "Yes, you can both consider yourselves part of the our group. Asking isn't necessary, okay? If you guys wanna go, come on, then~" Both of them..? Sucking in a deep breath he gave one last tug of Verglas' arm. "You can go," the Snover muttered, his body slowly turning to face him, "I gotta watch him." A weight squeezes Plant's heart. In an instant he had been replaced by the human. Verglas would do anything and everything for him and now he wouldn't even come along. His vines fall free, defeated, and the youth walks to the door with his worried eyes still plastered to his brother. "We'll be back real soon!" He assured the Snover while padding out the threshold. The undead didn't seem to care anymore. He had found what he wanted and suddenly it was the most important thing ever. It doesn't matter. Verglas was still his brother, his best friend and family. If something happened while he was gone.. he'd never forgive himself.

Blinking in the weak sunlight the Snivy immediately feels the malaise fade as he steps outside. The sun tingles along his body and starts to kick in photosynthesis. Energy would be slow to come but just being outside was helping. Still.. he couldn't help thinking about his body and it killed any enjoyment he might of felt. "Where are we going?" He asked the Umbreon hesitantly. It had been hard to see last night and he had no idea where this place was.


The Snover didn't move from his spot while he watched the Snivy walk away. Why did he seem so upset? They had found a human! The mission was almost complete. If anything Plant should be jumping for joy but instead he seemed even more sad. These Pokemon had welcomed them and given them a safe place to sleep. There was a human, another child, and a kind group to stay with instead of having to run. His brain ticks but can not think of why the grass type would be so sad. Was it something someone said?

Blinking the thought away the Snover looks at the Pokemon swerving around Grimsley. It must of been one of his, a powerful looking one at that, but the Snovers mind warps the cat as he vaguely recognizes its dappled appearance. It had been so long since they were back in Pallet, back when Plant was always smiling. The same creature had lurked there. Verglas strains to remember his name but whats left of his memories are too hazy, too snow covered to remember. What had happened back then? Whatever it was there is something wrong with the memory, something covered in emotions he can not recall. The faint taste of Liepard meat dabbles the back of his throat and endless hunger gnaws deeper in his hollow belly. Now was not the time to think back to then. Letting his gaze shift back to the human the Snover asks as clearly as he can. "What other Pokemon.. do you have?" Did they need Pokemon for the mission or was it human tools? The details were growing too hazy to recall.

The Spectreon couldn't help but laugh as Alirah wailed out, "somebody help, they're complimenting me and I don't know what to do!" Shaking his head, the ghost grinned, looking up towards Grimsley's Liepard - Nisha, I think he called them. - who had gotten up and was now curling around her trainer. The bond the two shared was strong, Kaneki could tell that from even a quick glance. It didn't take a genius to know that.

”I'll stay back as well.” Nodding to the trainer, Kaneki slid his bi-colored eyes to the Elite Four, blinking at the position in which they were seated. Wasn't that... Uncomfortable? Surely a legs were not supposed to bend like that. As his eyes narrowed slightly, Grimsley spoke again, drawing his attention back to the trainer's face. ”If needed, perhaps Nisha could accompany those who are going out?” Having the Liepard, that would be a big advantage for them if anything went amiss, plus the extra help would be useful. The Spectreon nodded, looking over at Alirah for her input.

"Do you wanna go, Nisha~?" With a light chuckle, Kaneki looked over at the small Eevee, tilting his head slightly as they approached Alirah. "I'm still hungry, can you get me something to eat?" A tightness in the Spectreon's chest made itself known, and his eyes dropped to the ground. There were some times, when he was that age, where he went without food for at least three days. He shook his head. That would not happen to this Eevee. No one else was going to die on his watch.

"You can both consider yourselves part of the our group. Asking isn't necessary, okay? If you guys wanna go, come on, then~" Looking up, Kaneki blinked as he realized he had completely missed a question that had been asked. A quick look around told Kaneki that it was probably Plant who had asked the question, with how Alirah was looking at the two. Kaneki smiled warmly at the two. "I agree. The two of you have as much right here as the others." He added, looking towards the Snover, his smile never dropping. If only everyone was like these two. All they wanted was shelter, and a little help. He couldn't imagine people turning himself or Hide away, just because he was technically dead. Why should these two be any different?

"We'll be back real soon!" Turning towards the door, Kaneki began to trot outside, looking around to get his bearings. When his eyes fell on the Meowstic's corpse, the Spectreon grimaced, pacing over to it and hooking it with a claw. He then dragged it out of sight, into a bush, stepping over the mud puddles and back towards the Boutique, where the others were just exiting. "Where are we going?"

While the question was directed to Alirah, Kaneki trotted up and pointed towards the general direction of the Cafe with a tail. "Just over to the cafe. There's bound to be food there, so we should be fine to just walk over, grab some food and water, and come back." He said with a shrug. With luck, they'd be back quickly.

---

Hide watched the group go, giving them a wave as they left. He turned and looked back at the group, consisting of Verglas, Conan, Grimsley and his pokemon. The small puppy by the Elite's side intrigued Hide. It looked like a Houndour, but it had no skull on top of it's head. Placing a paw to his chin, Hide looked at it a little closer, the sensors on he back of his head lifting as he attempted to see it's aura. It pulsed a healthy green, and had a dark orange coloration over it. It certainly looked like it was a part of the same line. Maybe a mutation, like Kaneki?

He couldn't ponder much on it, as Conan came bounding up, stopping just in front of him. "Hide? Can you play hide and seek with me?" He laughed, grinning at the small Eevee, dropping down to their level (Which in all honesty, wasn't much to drop down to). "Heck yeah, we can. I gotta warn ya, I'm pretty good at hide-and-seek! But stay inside, okay? Do you wanna seek first?" Hide couldn't help the grin that formed on his face, adjusting the broken headset around his neck, Hide looked over at the others. "Anyone want to play hide-and-seek with us?"

"How nice is Kaneki, Hide?"

Hide blinked, looking down at Conan. He hummed in thought, putting a paw to his chin. "Well, he can be scary, at times, but that's only when he's protecting me or others from something even scarier. He's a very nice guy. He's protective, and takes things a bit too personally, but he's a really, really nice guy. You'd like him if you get to know him." Hide said, sitting down next to Conan.

"If he's ever getting really scary, just remember that he's only like that to protect you. He hates seeing his friends hurt."