(ACE) The LAVERRE Team

"Alriah, stay here and don't tell the young ones what's going on. I'm gong to check it out and hopefully the option of them just passing through is the only thing they're doing. Promise me though if danger does reach a very bad point, you'll get the young ones out of here and into a safe place."

Alirah nodded. “There’s an abandoned factory to the north. We’ll hide there if something goes wrong,” she stated as the Charizard moved for the door. She hated watching him go but if this were a job for anyone, Shadow could do it.

The vibes in the boutique were unquestionably bad and when she whirled around to see the children— Conan was as happy as could be but Plant… she knew he was onto something and wouldn’t be so easily convinced. “Good morning, dears,” she sang. “How did we sleep?”

The corners of her mouth tugged on her fake smile, threatening to reveal her facade as the images of those heads came back. She was an adult and it left her traumatized— what if the kids saw that?

“Say, Shadow and I have done some talking and we think it would be a better idea for us to stay in today. There’s some, erm… well kids, I’ll be honest… it might be very dangerous outside right now, we aren’t really sure yet, so please promise you’ll stay where it’s safe in the boutique for me.” Strategic secret. Not technically lying, not giving the graphic details— everyone wins, right? “But if we decide it’s safe, we should go on a walk today to the Poké Ball Factory. It’s where we can hide if this place ever gets compromised.” She should’ve taught them this already. That was her fault.

When Alirah called to the kids, It sounded like whatever plans of fun will have to wait but its better to see what she says first. “Say, Shadow and I have done some talking and we think it would be a better idea for us to stay in today. There’s some, erm… well kids, I’ll be honest… it might be very dangerous outside right now, we aren’t really sure yet, so please promise you’ll stay where it’s safe in the boutique for me.” Dangerous? Is there undead walking around to ruin the morning? Darn it, guess playing outside was not going to happen today. This gave Conan the pouty face but she made a promise if it was safe again they'd go somewhere. “But if we decide it’s safe, we should go on a walk today to the Poké Ball Factory. It’s where we can hide if this place ever gets compromised.” What's a Poke ball factory? Either way, it would be a lot bigger than the boutique. Wait, where’s Shadow?

Conan looked at Alirah as he sat next to Plant and he wasn’t smiling anymore but kind of sad that they won’t have much fun today at all. Seeing a worried look on Alirah finally made a click in Conan’s mind. ”There’s scary pokemon out there isn’t there? Is Shadow fighting them to get them to go away?" What he meant by scary as in the undead. He hoped Shadow was okay though that charizard looked absolutely clueless about a lot of things that is human made. He then ran to the window to see what’s visible and he started to see Shadow coming back and no undead around at all. What was going on? ”Shadow’s coming back Alirah. He looks angry.

While Plant was still snuggled up in the blanket he was starting to feel uncomfortable. The weight of the plush material was nearly too heavy as he watched with concerned interest, but he didn't dare toss it to the side. The air was getting more tense, the adults perhaps noticing they were awake and keeping things even more hush hush. Should he ask, or would they tell them if he waited long enough? Without a moment to think on the choices the Snivy felt a sinking feeling in his stomach as Shadow suddenly slipped outside with the same tense motions as before. Something was very wrong. Grabbing at the edges of the blanket he pulled it tighter around himself, like those sweet hugs he had longed for. Plant still was not found of the firestarter, but seeing him leave so fervently, without so much as a hand wave, left a bad taste in the child's mouth.

Normally his mind would be racing, jumping to all the horrible conclusions, but for some reason it stayed clear and bright with no more than building fears. It'll be okay... He told himself, hoped to himself, as Alirah trotted toward him. “Good morning, dears,” she chimed with a deceivingly light voice, her tone so sweet and gentle. “How did we sleep?” Shuffling within his blanket the Snivy cracked a tiny smile as he looked up at her. "...It was nice." It had been so long since he was properly rested, since he woke with a clear mind. He hardly remembered even falling asleep... Her warm smile kept his in place, but yet the Snivy could not shake the unease he felt in his belly. Shadow was still gone and it just felt wrong in here. Had the adults had a fight of some sort? No.. Ali wouldn't smile after having a fight. That just didn't make sense. The worries only got worse as he had another thought; was it him..? Was it all in his head??

He took in a deep breath, desperately trying to slow his thoughts. Nothing had happened, why was he freaking out so much?? He just needed a moment to calm himself and feel better.. a chance to relax in some good sunlight. With his sort stature and the early morning hours he couldn't really see outside, but what he managed to gleen was the soft rays of sunlight. Was the gross weather finally over and permitting? Fresh air and sun. Perhaps that's all he needed to shake this foreboding feeling, but before he could even voice his request he had his fears realized. “Say, Shadow and I have done some talking and we think it would be a better idea for us to stay in today. There’s some, erm… well kids, I’ll be honest… it might be very dangerous outside right now, we aren’t really sure yet, so please promise you’ll stay where it’s safe in the boutique for me.”

No, no no no-- The Snivy felt his full belly tighten and felt very sick. If it was dangerous why did Shadow go outside, why didnt they just lock the doors?! "...I wanted some sunlight," he mumbled meekly, the desire slipping out as his thoughts jumped elsewhere. What if he didn't come back?! Ali continued, forcing him to focus. “But if we decide it’s safe, we should go on a walk today to the Poké Ball Factory. It’s where we can hide if this place ever gets compromised.” Staring at her with large, pleading eyes the child felt his number of questions multiple. Hide there, why would this place be compromised? Surely it couldn't be that dangerous if they were going to go for a walk, right? What was a factory, and a pokeball? Was that where Shadow went?  

His rapid thoughts were dizzying and the world started to spin. Unable to focus on Ali's gaze any more Plant was grateful to hear Conan's voice chime in and ground him, though it did not make him feel better. ”There’s scary pokemon out there isn’t there? Is Shadow fighting them to get them to go away?" Fighting? He hadn't even considered that possibility. Were they under attack?! "A fight??" He parroted, betraying his fears as they squeaked out on his voice. "But he's alone!" What if something happened, what if he needed help? All the good feelings he had woken up with seeped out of his body. He was quickly feeling just as sickly as any other day, except now he had clear and cognitive thought to make it all the worse. Would they have to fight? They should, they had to help...! But his body ached, it hurt from the last fight he--

It was like a swift punch in the gut, a snickering reminder that his last fight was when he failed Verglas... His body started to shake, the grief pushing away all other thought. He had failed, he failed and failed and couldn't fight. Great Oaks he couldn't fight! If they needed him, then someone else would d-d.. ”Shadow’s coming back Alirah. He looks angry." The Eevee squeaked again, soothing that worry some though the Snivy could no longer think straight. "C-cant fi-ight.." he gasped on a stuttering inhale, his gaze wide and unfocused. If he couldn't save Verglas how could he help anyone else if something bad happened..?

While he was coming back, he did get the feeling someone or multiple pokemon was watching him directly. Though they was nowhere in sight, it did make Shadow more alerted to his surroundings. One thing though, how was he going to explain to Alirah on how serious this situation is. This wasn’t just a tactic to scare them off. It was a major threat to their lives. After entering the Boutique, Shadow looked at Alirah and notions for her to follow him without the two young pokemon. Though he is wild, he knows a thing or two about when something is off or if danger is around. He walked over to the door to the basement, if the two doesn’t follow them, it would make this a bit more easier to get both Conan and Plant to a safer place. He knew Alirah didn’t want to abandon this place yet but they need to consider the safety of the young ones.


”I seen what it was, you’re right on that, there’s nothing undead about the heads. What I can tell is that this wasn’t a passerby, It was deliberate. I did feel that I was being watched by someone or multiple others. Chances are that whoever did this will be coming back to look for who they can kill. Shadow felt that this was the only explanation he can give. The Charizard had a gut feeling that they won’t be getting to the factory unnoticed. ”All I can say is if we have to fight to protect the young ones, then we should stay close to each other. Otherwise use whatever means necessary to protect them.”

"...aneki--"

Huh..? It was early, different to the time he remembered. And that voice... Hide? Why was he here? Wasn't he meant to be back at the boutique? And where was here? Why was his memory so hazy?

"Kaneki!"

He had to respond, Hide was sounding worried. The spectreon groaned, the sound rasp as his vocal chords tried to work with him. Fuck, how long was he out? Oh, he was being shaken; he could now feel Hide's paws against his side, shaking the larger pokemon. Finally one of his eyes pried open, only to immediately shut it again. Bright... too bright right now. Still, the confirmation that the ghost hadn't died again was enough for his beau to leave him alone for right now, and the paws pulled away from his side, the heavy sound of a body landing beside him telling Kaneki that Hide had plopped down beside him in a sit.

"Holy shit dude... you didn't come back, I was worried. And then I find you laying out on the ground here... I thought you were dead. I've been trying to wake you up for at least an hour.""

An hour? Kaneki made a soft grunt in reply, carefully adjusting how he was laying. Everything was stiff, his side was sore like he'd been laying down like that for far longer than just a few hours. Finally he pried his eyelids open again and managed to squint them open for a little longer this time, bi-colored eyes finally focusing on the worried fighting type's face. Kaneki sighed and set to work on actually getting his limbs to work with him, stretching out each leg as far as it would go.

He hissed in pain as all his muscles fought against the movement, and he swore rigor mortis had tried valiantly to set in, considering how stiff he was. He shook himself out and bit back his growl of pain as it forced his whole body to limber up, shaking out his legs to get feeling back into them.

"How long was I out...?" He peered over at Hide, who was watching him with concern, brows pinched and mouth set in a thinned frown. Kaneki reached to lightly swat his muzzle. "Don't look at me with those puppy eyes. I'm fine now, really."

The bat seemed to get his beau's attention properly and he sighed, carefully moving to stand and run his paws over Kaneki's body, checking for anything that the spectreon may have passed over initially. "I have no idea, 'neki. I know I was trying to get you to wake up for at least an hour. You still had a pulse at least... but it must of been one hell of a fucking sleep you were in."

Kaneki gunted softly as Hide moved to the side of his body that was sore from laying on the ground for so long, looking out towards the boutique. Once Hide was satisfied that he didn't have any wounds, the spectreon started trotting over to where their base of operations had been, sniffing at the air. The scent of death was heavy in the air, making Kaneki pause, eyes narrowing. "We need to get back to Alirah and the others. I don't know how long we've been gone... but I have a bad feeling about this, Hide."

The riolu nodded, quickly falling into step beside Kaneki as the ghost started to run to the boutique, covering ground quickly. He started to slow when he saw something ahead, sticks of all types were embedded into the ground, creating a macabre scene as atop each stick lay an impaled head of a pokemon. Kaneki froze, his eyes going over the scene with a grim, resigned frown. This was not the first time he had seen such a grotesque scene... but he certainly didn't expect to see something similar here. He only paused to look back at Hide, and the two shared a nod. They had to be careful here.

"These aren't undead. All of these pokemon were living when they were killed." Kaneki noted as they wandered past a stake with a sandslash's head on top of it. His eyes narrowed further, and he quickened his pace. He had to get to Alirah, and soon. If there was something going on here, he didn't want to leave her and the others to deal with it alone.

Hide paused as they passed a stake that'd been snapped in half, tapping Kaneki's side. The ghost came up beside him to see what was going on, before he saw the stake, leaning down to sniff at it. It'd been broken recently... and there were footprints that led back to the boutique. Someone who was with Alirah, maybe? He would smell more death in the air if it was someone who wished them harm... he started trotting over to the building, circling it briefly.

As he did so, Hide wandered to the door, knocking on it with the metalon the back of his paw. "Don't panic, we come in peace." He called, hoping that Alirah and the others were still inside. He noted however, that Kaneki was not waiting. The ghost only gave Hide a brief look, before the spectreon was stepping through the wall and over to the other side, his head the first thing to be seen from the other side, before the rest of him followed.

"Alirah, it's me! I'm sorry I was gone so long, I have no idea what happened."

”There’s scary pokemon out there isn’t there? Is Shadow fighting them to get them to go away?"

Alirah hesitated. The kids were significantly sharper than she’d given them credit for— she was embarrassed but proud too. Such sharp minds.

"A fight??" Plant cried, panicking. "But he's alone!"
She held out a paw towards Plant and waved it soothingly for what little it was worth. “Shadow is just looking at the, um, clues as we speak. So yeah, I think someone mean is in town and we need to be very careful.”

”Shadow’s coming back Alirah. He looks angry.
Alirah turned to Shadow’s shape approaching and concurred with Conan, noting the expression on the Charizard’s face being one she’d not seen yet from their new friend. “Wuh-oh.” She whispered.

"C-cant fi-ight.." Plant’s tiny body shuddered— was that fear? Adrenaline?
She immediately strode to the Grass-type and crouched, speaking softly as a cloud and warm as a summer day. “You don’t have to fight anyone. Shadow and I will keep you both safe no matter what. Pinkie promise!”
Despite her obvious lack of a pinkie, she still held out a toe to Plant with her face spreading into a smile.

Shadow’s hulking footsteps alerted Ali to his presence. She moved to his side, her eyes asking all the questions without her voice saying a thing.
”I seen what it was, you’re right on that, there’s nothing undead about the heads. What I can tell is that this wasn’t a passerby, It was deliberate. I did feel that I was being watched by someone or multiple others. Chances are that whoever did this will be coming back to look for who they can kill.

She shuddered. Maybe the boutique was a bad idea after all… so small, not heavily reinforced, obvious… she needed to cut the strings she had attached herself to this place with and move on. But…

”All I can say is if we have to fight to protect the young ones, then we should stay close to each other. Otherwise use whatever means necessary to protect them.”

Alirah hummed her agreement with the Charizard, gratefully, and glad to have such a fierce and noble companion. She was truly blessed.

Her thoughts were moving at a pace she could hardly keep up with, driven to the darker parts of paranoia and concern when a metallic knock caused her to nearly jump two feet in the air. She growled loudly as a warning, but stopped in an instant when—

"Don't panic, we come in peace."

… her jaw fell slack. Her eyes were as wide as saucers and she took a moment to shake her tiny body around to ensure she hadn’t fallen asleep— merely dreaming this would be the cruelest deed her mind could play on her.

“Hide?! Hide!” She belted out as her paws skidded across the hardwood in clumsy but overjoyed strides. “Oh my god—“

She stopped mid step, suddenly face to face with… well, just that. Her brain hardly registered Kaneki’s features as his ghostly head phased directly through the wall into her line of sight. "Alirah, it's me! I'm sorry I was gone so long, I have no idea what happened."

THUD!

The cold hardwood broke her fall as every detail of the room faded into the abyss.

His mouth was already growing dry. With his breath gaining speed the child struggled to remain calm. Alirah was quick to console him, moving in closer and aiding to a sense of security. “You don’t have to fight anyone. Shadow and I will keep you both safe no matter what. Pinkie promise!” Keep them safe.. was that because he could not..? He could feel the genuine kindness on her words; she meant it out of care and concern, not contempt. She held out her paw, following up her out promise, and he gently pressed his hand against hers. With a sullen nod he tried to relax. Nothing had happened yet, nothing to justify his distress, and while he had not forgotten the pain of Verglas he took in deep gulps of air to prevent himself from balling once again.

Then Shadow came back in. Like Conan said he looked.. frightening, to say the least. The deep furrow to his face was not one Plant has seen before, nor did he get a good look at it as he gestured the Umbreon away and turned his back to them. They were talking in the same huddled fashion as before, but for some reason it filled Plant was with stronger dread. What was outside that was so disconcerting..? Shadow looked no worse than when he left, no wounds or blood, yet he seemed so revolted and outraged. Plant's small hands trembled, and pressing them together he could not help but slowly start wringing his wrists once again.

The weight of something wrong was settling even deeper in his belly. It threatened to drown him, and were his throat not filled with that dread he could have screamed-- ”Hey Plant, you want to know what’s silly?” Conan giggled, his voice uncomfortably calm as he continued without waiting for a response. ”A bug type like a Beedrill trying to make a pizza. It would make a pizza that has honey in it. It would be a honey pizza!” Turning his head Plant looked at Conan, bewildered, with his mouth agape. ..What? What was pizza? Was it a foodstuff too? Though he had only had it a scarce few times Plant knew honey was delicious, and after last night could not imagine how it wouldn't work in a cook. Whatever pizza was it would probably be good with ho-- Wait, was that supposed to be funny?

Sycamores, he couldn't laugh right now if he wanted to. A chill had run down his spine and he shivered simply hearing the name Beedrill. Living in Pewter Plant saw more than his fair share of the things each time he ventured off into his birthplace. Terrifying Pokemon with dreadful stingers that always seemed to be in great numbers, and each one carried a nasty attitude as well. It was enough to make his skin crawl, and his hands worked his wrists quicker as he recalled being chased by the relentless creatures. ".....Beedrills are awful," he breathed on a heavy sigh, his memories drifting away from the bugs to that of his dear home.

The shapes of the city did not have a chance to form in his mind before the haunting sounds of thuds against the door echoed throughout the boutique. A voice came just after, brushing his eardrums with another wave of foreboding. "Don't panic, we come in peace." The door creaked as it dared to open, a presence loomed just outside it, trapping them inside. As though a fist was squeezing him Plant could not find the strength to take another breath or keep moving his hands. Was that the bad, had it found them?! Frozen with terror Plant was shocked to see Alirah dash toward the door, her motions not at all echoing the fear he felt.

Then he saw why. In the same beat the door opened and Ali cried out, “Hide?! Hide!,” he managed to draw in another breath and let relief pulse throughout his system. It was a friend. Eyes widening and mouth agape his expression changed from confusion to disbelief. He had thought the Pokemon gone, vanished by his doing! But if he was here, did that mean-- there was no pause, no break as the ghastly face appeared and traveled straight through the wall to enter their space. There was no denying that familiar, peculiar coat and palette; it was Kaneki.

The next inhale caught in his throat. It was like he got slammed by something heavy. Kaneki was alive, Kaneki was here?! Great Oaks, they were back, and they did not look an inch from death! The edges of his maw dared tip toward a smile as his eyes glazed over with tears. Oh Oaks, they were okay...! After.. the event... Plant could only imagine the worst had occurred to these Pokemon that had been kind to him, that somehow he was to blame, but their demeanor said nothing of directed anger. Trembling still with a newfound joy Plant ran with staggering steps toward the Pokemon, and wailed with more joy than he thought he could muster. "Kaneki! Hide! You're back, you're okay!"

It looked like Alirah agreed with the idea of defending the young ones. Whoever it was though that was stalking them might still be outside and fighting may become inevitable. Soon Alirah said something in excitement. “Hide?! Hide!,” Who? That’s a name he never heard of before. Shadow watched Alirah trying to scramble to get to whoever but that was until he seen something phase from the wall. An actual ghost of an eeveelution? The Charizard couldn’t believe his eyes even as they could see the spectreon coming in. Even with Shadow’s glowing eyes, this wasn’t a dream or a let alone his imagination, this was quite real. "Alirah, it's me! I'm sorry I was gone so long, I have no idea what happened.” It even talks and what Alirah did made him cringe a bit. Thud! Even Shadow heard that thud as Alirah ran into the wall.

The Charizard couldn’t tell how hard Alirah had hit the wall but it even drew the kids to come as first Conan came darting and what Shadow seen was the eevee crashing into the riolu and hugging him. That must be Hide then but who was the spectreon. As Shadow was about to say something, here came Conan to wait for the spectreon to finish phasing into the room. Then, the eevee goes for the hug so these must be Alirah’s friends. The charizard then smiles. all and all, the kids was happy as Plant came in as well. "Kaneki! Hide! You're back, you're okay!”

Shadow then moves around and into a dark area of the room. His eyes glowed a bit more than normal. They couldn’t be the ones that left the horrifying scene of decapitated pokemon but maybe they seen something that would lead to danger. ”You must be Alirah’s friends I take it? Good to meet you, Sorry if I’ve not introduced myself but right now I feel we’re all in imminent danger.” He said as he points to the window as he seen multiple pokemon coming and they was not happy.

He had to admit, he was a little worried at first when he knocked, unsure if their little group was still here. Hide watched Kaneki's tails disappear into the wall, and he carefully creaked the door open, chocolate brown eyes squinting at first as he peered into the darkness, then immediately blinking to adjust to the light of the boutique illuminated by firelight. “Hide?! Hide!” Alirah's voice was the first one he recognised, and Hide's tail started to wag as he gave the umbreon a cheery grin, stepping properly into the boutique to chase after Kaneki.

“Oh my god—“ Kaneki stepped back a little as Alirah came running over to him, his eyes widening as the little umbreon collapsed in a dead faint. He quickly stepped forward to her side, eyes going over the umbreon's pastel coat, making sure she wasn't injured and had just fainted from the surprise of it. He wasn't a stranger to pokemon fainting at the sight of him, but it was surprising to see it from Alirah. The spectreon gently nosed her, before turning his attention back up to the rest of the group, as cheers of relief at seeing them echoed against the wooden walls.

It was heartwarming, really. He hadn't met people so glad to see him again in such a long time, it brought a smile to the spectreon's face. Kaneki carefully stepped aside as Hide entered the boutique beside him, tilting his head to the side to watch Conan come running up to greet them. The little eevee was still well and alive, that was such a relief to him, and so was Plant! He could see the little snivy from here, looking over at him with relief in his gaze.

”Hide! I missed you so much!” Hide crouched to return the hug that Conan ran up to give him, reaching to gently ruffle up the eevee's head fur with that sunshin grin still plastered on his face. This was such a warming feeling, having everyone so happy to see them again. Hide looked around at the room, noting what had changed, and what was the same. The first thing he was of course was the hulking newcomer that lit the room up with firelight, his eyes thinning slightly as he took in that vibrant purple scale coat and the red eyes.

Despite his misgivings at the color he saw, Hide's eyes went tot he roaring, healthy tailfire on the Charizard's tailtip, and he hummed lowly. Despite these very worrying red flags, that healthy flame said that this newcomer wasn't undead or infected. His eyes closed, aura senses flaring briefly to confirm this suspicion. What a poor curse to be stuck with right now, to be gifted with such a vibrant violet color palette.

Kaneki gently nudged Hide's side as he wandered further in, his paws quickly carrying him over to Plant, tails swaying slowly as he greeted the little grass type. "Kaneki! Hide! You're back, you're okay!" The misted eyes and the relief in Plant's tone was almost crushing, and Kaneki's eyes softened, smiling warmly down at him.

"Of course we're back, Plant. I wouldn't leave you guys unless I was forced to. No matter where I may end up, I'll always find a way back here." He said softly, sitting down so that he could look up at the charizard that was added to this group, bi-colored eyes focusing on the dragon's glowing red ones. How interesting, though he had seen some wild things in his time. At this stage, he was so used to rolling with things, he didn't bat an eye at something new.

”You must be Alirah’s friends I take it? Good to meet you, Sorry if I’ve not introduced myself but right now I feel we’re all in imminent danger.” Imminent danger was one way to put it. Hide snorted loudly in amusement, wrinkling his nose up a little to make a face at the thought of all the heads on stakes outside. The riolu stood and made his way over to Kaneki, running his hand up along the spectreon's back as he drew up beside him.

"Yeah, we saw the attempt at decor outside. Gotta say, someone's got to really take another class at what draws people in. It looks like some weird haunted house out there." Hide joked, trying to make some light of the situation. Kaneki swatted at Hide's leg for his joke instead, shaking his head with a roll of his eyes. "Imminent danger or not, I won't let them harm this group. They'll have to kill me again first."

So loud. Her ears rang so much it felt like a fire alarm was going off in her head. She could hear muffled, unintelligible voices and to each she could place a face— Kaneki! Hide!

Her eyes peeked open a crack and she heaved a great gasp as vision was restored in a single second. She practically leapt to unsteady feet, eyes blurry and wet as she took in the sight of her friends she’d feared were another casualty to the city. “Kaneki! I’m so glad you’re both okay!” She cried with a wide grin, which slowly faded to slack jaw confusion as she took note of everyone’s serious expressions. What had she missed?

"Imminent danger or not, I won't let them harm this group. They'll have to kill me again first." The Spectreon stated.
“Wha? What did I miss?” Alirah’s eyes darted around wildly for answers, simply too confused to muster a half coherent thought. “We should block off the front door,” Alirah suggested. Sudden memories of the heads outside flashed in her mind and no longer did details matter— imminent danger was enough for the fox to leap into the tedious action of pushing a desk towards the front door. She accidentally knocked over their leftover food but little did that matter to the pastel Umbreon— she had one objective only. No one else would get taken away.

OoC)) Skip, Conan is being quiet as the adults talk.

Plant could not believe his eyes, yet no matter how many times he blinked the Pokemon before him did not vanish. They were back, they were really back! "Of course we're back, Plant. I wouldn't leave you guys unless I was forced to. No matter where I may end up, I'll always find a way back here." Kaneki's voice was enough to send tingles down his spine. While he kept his hands to himself Plant could not stop himself from quivering and shuffling in place with a sort of jubilation. He hadn't caused them to leave, to vanish or abandon them. Whatever happened, Kaneki did not know, but it was not him that was at fault or blamed. His smile grew a smidge wider, and a small laugh made its way out as he squeezed his eyes shut and let the water roll freely. He had been fretting for nothing!

It was just.. overwhelming, and the small chuckles of relieved crying were more than he wanted to deal with right now. Where had they been, did they run in to trouble, did they have a story to tell? Would they be proud to know they cooked something together? No matter the joy it was cut short as Shadow spoke sternly from a far corner. ”You must be Alirah’s friends I take it? Good to meet you, Sorry if I’ve not introduced myself but right now I feel we’re all in imminent danger.” Breathing quickly to get himself under control Plant was riddled with confusion. What was he talking about? What danger? It was just Kaneki and Hide outside, and they were here now! There was nothing to worry about anymore! Did he mean, were these two not the Pokemon Shadow had gone to investigate..?

"Yeah, we saw the attempt at decor outside. Gotta say, someone's got to really take another class at what draws people in. It looks like some weird haunted house out there." Hide's voice was humorous, betraying the unsettling words Plant did not understand. Still unable to see high enough to look outside Plant had no idea what had the adults so on edge, but if Kaneki and Hide weren't in a panic then it couldn't be that bad.... right? "Imminent danger or not, I won't let them harm this group. They'll have to kill me again first."

The joy seemed to seep right out of his body, the smiles painfully short lived as reality returned to them. There was still a problem no one was telling them about. What was going on, who was trying to get them?! Try as he might the Snivy is too short to see, and what little he can is nothing but dreary skies. “We should block off the front door,” Ali concured, before pushing furniture toward their entrance. "Who's there?" Worry laced his question as he looked between trusted Pokemon, pleading for answers. "I thought we were okay!" But then again, why would he? Nothing had been okay in this town since he arrived, and as their past meal spread across the floor he could only assume things would get much, much worse.

With the threat of hostile pokemon continuing to increase as Shadow watched the window carefully. Shadows of multiple pokemon was approaching and they was ready to slaughter or take slaves with them. The Charizard was to focused to hear what was being said. His eyes was glowing excessively strong as his anger was also building towards the oncoming intruders. Eventually Shadow lost focus on the window as they was heading towards the front. “We should block off the front door,” Alirah said as she was trying to push the desk to block the door. Shadow had a bad feeling about this. Soon the sounds of ramming came from the other door from the shop. ”Tch, surrounded. If we’re going to make a break for it, we better devise a plan and fast. Otherwise we’re all in trouble.”

Shadow moved over to look out the cracks of the boarded up front window. Though the sun wasn’t up enougb to shine enough light on the ground, he could see quite a group of pokemon all hollering and wanting blood. These guys was no undead. He then moved to the back as the banging on the door continued. It wouldn’t hold long if left alone. The Charizard grabbed ahold of a large book case and knocked it over blocking the other door from being forced open. He then came back to Alirah and the others. ”This will buy us a bit more time but we need to get out of here before the human things fail.

Kaneki briefly glanced back as Alirah finally woke from her brief stint passing out, his eyes squinting fondly. Even in such a dire circumstance, he found it endearing how attached this little group was. If only we had time to dwell on that. Now isn't the time to get distracted. The grim thought was enough to sober his expression, and Kaneki watched as the umbreon scurried to her feet and started shoving a desk over to the door.

“We should block off the front door.” As much as he agreed with her, Kaneki's eyes lidded slightly in disappointment as there was clatter of bowls and the food that'd been prepared in the room tumbled to the floor, spilling and making it all but inedible. How sad. Still, he didn't have time to dwell on that, food could be regathered at a later date, it didn't mean anything if they didn't survive this. Kaneki shared a brief look with Hide, and the riolu nodded, getting to work on boarding the windows up. He could hear shuffling footsteps already, things were drawing closer.

It was a miracle they had gotten inside before they'd arrived honestly, and Hide breathed a soft, stressed huff of air as he looked around, taking inventory of what they had, and how to use it to fortify this place. If only Grimsley were still here. We could have used his help here. Still, the human was no longer around, and he didn't even know if he'd ever be back, or if he'd been a part of the casualties on the pikes. Hide's fur pickled at the thought of the sight and he quickly shook his head before his vivid imagination ran wild and made him ill.

Poor Plant however, got Hide's attention before anything else did. The riolu looked at him, and glanced away for a moment, unsure if he should tell him. The kids had to learn eventually, right? It wa sjust cuel to leave them in the dark like this. "Who's there?" Hide quickly crossed the distance between them and came to stand beside Plant, his eyes meeting the snivy's kindly. He offered the little kid a smile, crouching down. "I thought we were okay!" Hell, his heart broke for him and that tone in his voice. The riolu sighed softly, looking outside as the sound of footsteps shuffled closer, his ears twitching and trembling as he strained to listen.

"There's some bad guys out there, Plant. They put up some nasty things, and they want to hurt us. But don't worry, I know it's scary, but we're not going to let them hurt you, or Conan, or anyone here. If you're scared, stay by me, okay? I'll protect you." He offered the snivy a little smile, before turning his attention back to the task at hand. Kaneki was smart, he knew what to do in this situation. He stood quickly as he heard the sound of ramming against the doors, teeth bared in a tense grimace. This was a nastily familiar scene to the riolu, it was something he'd been through plenty of times, and he really didn't want to go through it again.

Still, there wasn't much he could do in this case. "Plant, Conan, come over here to me. I'll keep us safe while the others keep these nasty guys out." He said, clapping his paws together briefly, before he clenched them into fists, bracing his knuckles together. A bright orange bubble flickered to life around him and Plant, his Protect shining and staying sturdy. Even if this place came down around them, he would make sure the kids stayed safe.

”Tch, surrounded. If we’re going to make a break for it, we better devise a plan and fast. Otherwise we’re all in trouble.” Kaneki looked back at Hide to make sure he was safe, before turning his eyes back to the task at hand. His fur bristled as pokemon rammed at the doors, shouldering a desk over to one of the windows to cover it and keep it blocked. This place however was not good to defend long term. They couldn't stay here if these attackers got more violent. He jerked as Shadow crashed a bookcase in front of the door, fur bristling a little. Well, they certainly knew someone was in here now.

Kaneki hissed softly under his breath, watching the charizard as he approached them again. ”This will buy us a bit more time but we need to get out of here before the human things fail. Yeah, real smart, blocking one of their few exits with a hulking bookcase, after the other one had just been blocked as well. Kaneki let out an irritated huff, his tails swishing as he turned his attention to the doors.

"If we're going to move, maybe blocking the door with a bookcase that none of the others can move wasn't the best idea. Now we have to either move that desk or the bookcase to make a fast exit out." He sighed loudly, before moving to look out the window, watching the pokemon outside. There was no way they were getting out of this without some kind of fight... the spectreon growled softly, eyes narrowing. Well, it wasn't as though he was a stranger to fights.

OoC)) Skip, Death is mainly silently waiting for his chance to strike.

The voices outside started as a dull rumble— like a crowd chattering in a busy shopping center. It was unnerving in an otherwise dead world when before it meant life, people and Pokémon, society. The sharp contrast in reactions deep in her gut made Alirah nauseous, especially as the voices drew nearer and she could hear words like attack, kill, hurt, bleed. She knew their intentions were the furthest from good and she wheezed a sigh of relief as Shadow helped her barricade the door. A band aid on a bullet wound but at least it bought them enough time to make a plan of some sort without someone busting in the door.

The kids were next to Hide, encapsulated in an orange protective bubble and for a moment she breathed relief. Thank goodness for Hide’s quick thinking— the kiddos would be the first target of assault for sure.
"If we're going to move, maybe blocking the door with a bookcase that none of the others can move wasn't the best idea. Now we have to either move that desk or the bookcase to make a fast exit out." Kaneki pointed out, huffing with an all too obvious tone towards the Charizard.

“Th-th Poké Ball factory might work for a shelter,” Alirah stated. “If we have to leave here…” There was obvious hesitation even though she knew the boutique wasn’t safe anymore. It was her home, her shelter, safety. So many memories here both before and after the epidemic… gods, leaving it behind…

It was sudden, like a lighting bolt out of a blue sky— a boulder crashed through one of the boarded up windows and outside stood a Machoke. It’s eyes were wide with malice and pleasure at the horrified look on the Umbreon’s face, and it’s mouth twisted into a grin not unlike how she’d always imagined the boogeyman. “Uh—Uh oh!!” Alirah cried out.

It wasn't okay.

Even as those fretful words left his mouth Plant knew it wasn't okay. The stress was weighing heavy in his stomach, daring to make his dinner reappear as he huddled anxiously. "There's some bad guys out there, Plant. They put up some nasty things, and they want to hurt us. But don't worry, I know it's scary, but we're not going to let them hurt you, or Conan, or anyone here. If you're scared, stay by me, okay? I'll protect you." Bad guys...? When most Pokemon referred to bad guys they were just talking about the predator Pokemon, the angry sick ones... ones like Verglas. The words were minimally comforting, prejudice and stereotypes preventing them from soothing his fears, but Plant was in no mindset to argue.

His tiny hands worked at his wrists, the skin already feeling raw from yesterdays wringing, but he stopped like a frozen statue as a noise brushed his eardrums. It was like nothing he had ever heard before, a droning noise, something like... a lot of voices at the same time..? It chanted outside, the distance uncomfortably inaccurate as he was forced to hone in on this discomforting noise. "W-what is that?!" He pipped, unable to take his attention away from it. Were the 'bad guys' making that horrible sound? Why did it send such chills down his spine? ”Tch, surrounded. If we’re going to make a break for it, we better devise a plan and fast. Otherwise we’re all in trouble.” Shadow growled while tossing furniture in front of their remaining exit. Something about that seemed wrong, like trapping themselves in a collapsing tunnel, but no words against it left his mouth. With a rough swallow Plant knew not what to do or how to react; whatever was happening he was helpless to aid against it.

The sound seemed to get closer, become clearer, and the Snivy was trapped in a sort of trance as he unwillingly listened to it. "Plant, Conan, come over here to me. I'll keep us safe while the others keep these nasty guys out." Without a moments hesitation Plant crept over to the Riolu as his voice managed to reach him. Huddled close with his head down he was little more than a victim to the chanting outside, unable to pull his focus away from it. “Th-th Poké Ball factory might work for a shelter, if we have to leave here…” Ali stammered, the new location being brought up again as she and Kaneki thought to move them. A weight dropped his stomach even further, heavier still than the stress balling up inside him. Is this what she was talking about before..? 'It’s where we can hide if this place ever gets compromised.' Did Alirah know what this thing was?!

His breath came fast as Plant put two and two together. Whatever this was everyone else (aside from Conan) knew. They had been outside, and seen this, this thing... and it was bad. If the adults had all seen this bad thing, surely it saw them as well.... is that why is was coming toward them? Inching even closer to Hide he became uncomfortably aware how cornered they were, how they had nowhere to go and no way out. What do we do?! He screamed at himself, too afraid and unable to ask 'how do we get out?' before the deafening sound of shattering glass broke though all thoughts he had.

“Uh—Uh oh!!”  

The shards rained down in the boutique alongside pieces of splintered wood, tumbling off Hide's protective barrier as Plant looked on in horror. A massive boulder now rested inside their shelter that was not there a moment before. His wide eyes followed its path through the broken window and settled upon the shape of something out of a horror story. Almost shadowed by the dim light of the morning, the Pokemon outside was indistinguishable to him, but it stood there, menacingly, staring back with a gaze full of malice. Plant's lip quivered, eyes widening to their max as it came even closer, clearly trying to get in to their shelter, but its motions did not register to him as a small detail the Snivy could not ignore for his life shined at the forefront of his mind. Its eyes ...were normal... They looked nothing like Verglas', nothing like the sickly predators he had avoided, yet they sparkled with an undeniable animosity that made him feel threatened just from the sight.

This wasn't a sick Pokemon. This wasn't a sick Pokemon and it was breaking their shelter apart, it was trying to get to them! The world spun, sounds hardly registering to him until Conan screamed, wailing for help and pulling Plant partially out of his horror. There was nothing he could nothing, nothing they could do as the group lay like trapped minnows in a pond. Cowering behind Hide Plant could not take his gaze off the Machokes hateful eyes, stunlocked by fear as the cruel Pokemon's visage twisted with malevolence.

Shadow ran back to where the bookcase was and seeing the door shaking heavily. Using fire here wasn’t ideal since it could set the entire boutique ablaze. Soon the shaking stopped as talking was heard before a fist crashes through the wooden door. Damn it, trapped like rattatas. Trying to reason with them is likely the only option. Chances are we may have to fight them off. Then the fist smashed through the door again punching another hole in the door. It was a Graveler trying to break in and its punches was doing quite enough damage. The Charizard then hears Conan and runs back to him. His eyes was glowing fiercely. His anger was near its peak. “Th-th Poké Ball factory might work for a shelter, if we have to leave here…” Shadow couldn’t help but say something after blowing fire at the Machoke through the busted up window. ”Either we break through them now or we fall to the Graveler that’s breaking in from the back!” The back door held up well enough for the attacker to stop and head towards the front. The back had enough holes in it for Shadow to bust it open. Little did he know that it would alert them to their location. The Charizard goes to look again in the back seeing the door badly damaged but it should prove enough for him to break through. He went back to the others nodding for them to run to the back. He’s going to bust the door open.

His shadow claw was ready if any trouble met them while they escaped but hopefully he would spare using it if all possible. ”Lets get out of here. Leave the door to me.” He said quietly to Alirah and the others. If they wanted this place so much, they’ll get it in a blazing inferno.

The sound of chanting voices, the clamor of fists, claws and other body parts against their walls... Kaneki's eyes narrowed and his claws dug at the ground, tails whipping back and forth behind him. Think, damn it, they had to figure out how to get out of here.This place was not safe to be in anymore, it was too easily broken, and not defensible. His brain was kicked into overdrive, taking stock of everyone there currently, thinking up a game plan.

Hide could take care of himself, Kaneki wasn't worried about him. He could keep his protect up around the kids to keep them safe, and if it was broken, he knew how to hold his own well enough, so Kaneki wasn't going to waste time fretting about him. Alirah, Kaneki wasn't sure how well she could hold her own in a fight. So she wa shis number one priority to keep his eye on. Shadow was a charizard, he was trong looking at least, so Kaneki wouldn't waste his time keeping an eye on him unless he did something royally stupid.

His eyes briefly went to the bookcase blocking the door. Anything else stupid, anyway.

Hide watched Kaneki from where he stood, chocolate brown eyes narrowed slightly. He left the tactical thinking to him for now, flicking his eyes along to where the walls were being hit, watching as the boards trembled under the force. This wasn't good, none of these walls would hold up for long under all this pressure, soon it'd crack and the whole boutique would come tumbling down. They had to move, soon.

"W-what is that?!" His gaze was pulled down to Plant, brows furrowing a little. Keeping one hand up on the orange bubble surrounding them so his protect stayed strong, Hide knelt down to gently place his free paw on the snivy's back. Kaneki and the others could handle this for now, Hide would focus on the kids, they had to be kept calm right now. "Take a deep breath for me, Plant. You'll be safe here, I won't let them get close, 'Neki over there definitely won't let them close," he said, his voice soft and soothing, "I know it's scary, but you won't get hurt, I promise you."

Kaneki's gaseous ear twitched slightly as he heard Hide talking, sparing him a brief glance back and a small smile. At least he could focus on the kids. “Th-th Poké Ball factory might work for a shelter, if we have to leave here…” The factory? He'd seen it briefly when they went searching for food earlier... it did seem like a far better place to defend, if they could get there in once piece at least-- “Uh—Uh oh!!” A loud crash got his attention and Kaneki stood bolt upright, his tails flaring and whipping abck and forth wildly. His muzzle pulled back and he bared his teeth, red eye glowing brightly as his detect flared to life.

A Machoke, crazed and determined to get into the building. The boulder that crashed into the room became Kaneki's new vantage point as he jumped on top of it with a low snarl, immediately shooting several rapid-fire shadow balls out into the fray outside to ward off the machoke from trying to get in any further. His eyes then turned to the back door, where a large stony fist burst through, another pokemon trying to break into their cover. More shadow balls were fired at the graveler, claws gripping the boulder he was on with a rough scrape.

”Alirah! Kaneki! Hide! Shadow! Help us!”
"Get over to Hide, Conan! It's not safe out in the open, he'll protect you."

Kaneki's voice was harsh, a biting tone that left no room for argument. He wanted Conan out fo the way so that they were safe, this was o place for kids to be running around where they could be caught as collateral. He briefly looked back at Hide, who met his gaze and they shared a nod between them. They needed a cover, something to get everyone the chance to escape. ”Either we break through them now or we fall to the Graveler that’s breaking in from the back!” At least Shadow was in agreement. They couldn't stay here, this place would be gone soon. ”Lets get out of here. Leave the door to me.”

Kaneki glanced at Alirah, then to Shadow. Finally his gaze went to the door and he sucked in a slow breath. He needed to focus. "Once the door is open, I'll distract them. Do not worry about me, focus on getting out of here, focus on getting somewhere safe. I've died once, I'm not planning on making it a second time. I'll create a break, you all need to take it. Hide, take up the rear and do not let any of them follow you guys."

Hide frowned, but nodded. "You got it, 'Neki. You better come back after this or else I'll be dragging your ass back to life so I can kick it myself."
"Don't worry Hide, I'll come back, I always do, remember?"

((Skip. My writing app isn’t working right now.))

OoC)) Skip, Conan does what he is told and waits for the chance to run alongside Hide.