(ACE) The FORTREE Team

McChu let out a long, lengthy yawn as he continued to walk behind Chickie Poo's hypnotizing rear, her tail an undulating serpent cheerily waving before him. He had gathered plenty berries, and all that running was beginning to wear him out. Keeping a casual distance behind her, letting his mind roam, he soon forgot his surroundings in a cloud of his own musings. He'd never guessed he'd end up in another group, especially when there were pokemon that reminded him of that damned Dragonite. But there was someone there after his own heart, and he supposed it made it all that much more bearable. It was good to have a kinship with another scumbag, even if she would probably end up stabbing him in the back.

His carelessness caused him to run into Chickie Poo when she stopped, then lost his balance when she lunged away into a nearby tree. "Shit!" he cursed, unaware of what had just happened. Searching the tree limbs, he quickly found the aerodactyl's form and frowned. "You should warn someone when you do that, Chika!" he called before looking to just what had her so damned interested. Two charizards, a black and normal, and something else. Whatever it was, it had blood on it. Frowing further, he began to waddle over to the others, wanting to know who they were and what the hell they wanted.

"Hey!" he called, waddling closer. "The fuck are you?" He looked them over more and saw that the black one... was... a chick? Eyebrow raising in disbelief, he scoffed. Well, if she was a chick, then he'd finally found someone butchier than Xena.

As she and Anubis trailed behind the group Lexa realized she must have missed something because after some soft conversations Jake and Zoe took off leaving the group that much smaller. Half expecting McChu to put his two cents in once the pair were gone she was shocked when a loud shout from the sky gave him little chance. Everyone was on alert after a crash, followed by a pair of thuds, sounded from the vicinity of the scream. Anubis nearly jumped out of his skin but Lexa found herself following Acht to the sounds.

Acht politely, if a little confused, asked who they all were but the first thing Lexa noticed was how battle scarred the Charizards were. 'Just like Cathal...' But even as the thought came into her mind a pained whimper sounded from behind her. Anubis had followed and the sight of two more ghosts from his past he once again began to retreat into his own mind, wrapping his arms around himself and fighting the urge to cry. He had constant reminders of how he had failed all around him, taunting him. Why was fate being so cruel to him?

He had failed Mother, watched as she coughed up blood and ran hot with fever before wasting away. He had watched Cathal as an infected, insane beast before being killed by his friend Suzaku. And then...then he had taken Suzaku's life himself. His friend. The others he had failed to protect but Suzu he had personally ended. Granted it had been asked for, a mercy killing so the the Blaziken wouldn't become that which he had just ended, but to Anubis it was the final line crossed. Even without the infection he had become tainted. Dirty.

A monster.

Now here there were two more reminders of his sin, the dark female sporting nearly the same pattern of wounds and hardened battling that Cathal had, the same determined expression. Even with his eyes closed he could see their aura's, the colors mingling together in his mind to form a vision of his old friend. Crying out in alarm Anubis backed up, tripping over Lexa and falling backwards onto the ground. His eyes flew open in terror even as Lexa reached down for him and he brutally smacked her offered hand away before scrambling back.

"Stay away from me!" Even his Aura sense had been tainted by his blackened soul! Such a thing couldn't be! But there it had been and as his eyes shone with unshed tears the small form of a Smeargle caught his eye, the creature sitting off to the side as it reached around its environment. It clicked in him at once what it was doing and even a monster such as he felt his heart tug at the sight. Blind. The poor creature was in the midst of chaos without even sight to aid him. Lexa knelt down beside him in concern but all Anubis could do was point to the Smeargle.

Turning her head the Blaziken caught on to what had Anubis so entranced and nodded to the Lucario before standing once more. She stepped towards the new trio and saw the two Charizards practically hovering over the small dog-like Pokemon, her instincts to protect the younger and smaller ones kicking in. Brushing past one of the fire lizards Lexa put herself beside the Smeargle and allowed him to sense her presence before speaking. "Do you need any help little pup? Your tail looks a little rough." Not aware if it had been the Charizards who went after the Smeargle or not she was sure to keep her eyes on them even as she addressed the canine. Couldn't be too careful especially with such obvious signs of battle upon them.

"There was dragon, it picked me up." Cketch mumbles as he brushes himself off and shakily manages to stand properly. The brass rings in his ear chink together as he shakes his head. He has no wounds that won't heal, thanks to the branches breaking his fall but he was bruised all over.
There is too much movement disturbing the scents of the forest and making it hard for him to concentrate on refining one in particular.
The smell of scales and flames he recognizes vaguely as Charizard skin and though the harsh tang of blood erases everything around him his ears still worked perfectly and he was reasonably certain one of them had addressed him.
"Thank you, I am not hurt badly but by the first egg I am very sore..." He tries to explain, hoping he is facing the right direction.
The fall and the sudden rush of adrenaline it had brought made him feel dizzy as he sniffs deeply, pecha berry pink tongue hanging out as the sense of taste helps add to his sense of smell.
These new scents and sounds were confusing without the help of Foresight to help separate them out.

The pale furred canine's long tail instinctively whips up to shield him from the potential danger and the Smeargle winces as the scorched clean cut stings.
Twitching pathetically he tries to sketch Foresight to help him identify exact who is talking to him. A thin dribble of plasma oozes from his wound and Cketch winces yet again. His tail was still so very tender and the wound would take a long time to heal if it did at all.
Nothing could possibly restore his ability to paint with it...
For a moment a rush of despair seems to overwhelm him and it takes all his effort to stop himself from starting to cry.
Twice crippled freak...
How long would it be before this world killed him?!
Instead of tears Cketch forces himself to relax and fakes a brave smile.
"Of course this will never be o.k..." He says faintly, showing them the severed tip of his tail.

With time to sift through the scents in the small clearing he tries to identify how many pokemon were actually nearby.
Fire and feathers, a smooth scent, must be a Blaziken and the familiar canine smell nearby held a brief metallic touch so he figured Lucario.
A whiff of Ozone denoted an Electric Type and something small. A Pikachu perhaps.
The scent of flames, scale and blood was the two who had approached him first, though at first he had thought there was only one the stink of blood moving means that the two are separate. That smell puts Cketch on edge worrying about the infection. With so many scents present he can't detect the bitter mote of the disease in the air.
Finally was the scent of stone and leather wings that meant one of the ancient pokemon. Aerodactyl?
His tail twitches again.
Without his Foresight finding out where all these strangers actually were, let alone which of them meant him harm, would be a headache inducing activity.
"I am Cketch...the Smeargle." He replies to one particularly sharp line of questioning as he turns his head around to try and pick up where it came from.

"There was dragon, it picked me up," the Smeargle said as he wobbled to his feet. Eris snorted loudly and barged forward, almost shoving her brother out of the way. "Yeah, no shit. I just sent it crying back to its mama." A gentle tap on the shoulder from Greg alerted her that she was overreacting again, and with a huff she stepped back in line beside him. "Thank you, I am not hurt badly but by the first egg I am very sore..."
"I'm not surprised," Gregory said, his quiet voice gentle as he took another step forward. "Well, there seems to be a town nearby. Maybe we can find you a remedy there, yes?" He was aware that Eris had still been eyeing the Normal-type hungrily, and silently warned her not to act out of pure impulse like she usually did as he turned his bulk around towards the city he had mentioned when he noticed figures approaching in the distance.

"Oh, shit." He had expected this reaction out of his sister, who really didn't do so well in large groups. In fact, come to think of it, she managed poorly whenever anybody was around apart from him. He saw her dark form skulk behind him as the Pokemon approached. An Aerodactyl landed near to them and asked the Smeargle if he was all right before turning her attention over to them.
"Hey! The fuck are you?" Even before the overweight Raichu had finished speaking he knew how Eris was going to react; just his expression and tone of voice was enough to set the female off. The Electric-type displayed a hostility of sorts, and Eris never allowed that. Gregory quietly groaned as his sister stomped out from behind him, a low, angry growl rumbling from her throat. "You want to watch your mouth when you speak to us, you fat little twerp." The shiny Charizard's stance was one of defense as her wings and tail raised themselves as she glared daggers at the electric rodent.

"Eris." That was all Greg needed to say before the female heeded his words and backed down, skulking in the shadow of her brother as she continued to glower at the Raichu. Satisfied that a fight was delayed for the time being, Greg set to work on the others that had appeared. The jackal-like Pokemon, whom Greg recognised vaguely as a Lucario, looked terrified to say the least. He fell backwards and scrambled away from the female Blaziken that reached out for him, pure terror etched upon his youthful face. "Stay away from me!"
Greg's mind was at work as he tried to come up with theories pertaining to the jackal's behaviour until Eris voice hissed into his ear. "What the fuck is his problem?"
"Not sure," Greg mumbled back as he decided not to directly address the Lucario for the time being out of fear that he'd only scare him further. Instead, the dragon smiled amicably at each member of the group as he examined them all in turn. "I can assure you that neither of us mean any harm. In fact, quite the contrary - we only wish to help." His wings shuffled themselves comfortably against his back as he pointed a hand to his chest. "My name is Gregory, but you may call me Greg if it's easier for you." Stepping aside and gesturing to the tense, growling female behind him, he added, "This is my sister, Eris."

"You should warn someone when you do that, Chika!" the Aerodactyl gave a slight smile as the Raichu followed. "Sorry--I guess I got a little too worried about what was falling from the sky." she shrugged, looking the others over. The Smeargle tells of a dragon who had picked him up as he stands shakily. "Thank you, I am not hurt badly but by the first egg I am very sore..." her eyes drift to his tail wound, which tries to sketch a move without it's tip. She could feel pity sting in her mind--of all the things his species could lose he had lost the most notable aspect. Shaking the thought away, Acht quietly gazed at Cketch's eyes...where were his pupils?

"Of course this will never be o.k..." the smile that he wore as he said his line startled the female. "A-ah...here, maybe this'll help?" she mumbled, shuffling through her bag of berries before plucking out a Sitrus, and carefully rolling it to the Smeargle, scared that if she threw the item she may hit him square in the face--or something of the like. "Hey! The fuck are you?" Acht perked up when McChu questioned the newcomers, rather rudely, although the fossil Pokemon was mostly unfazed--she had grown used to his speech. Instead, her sights were on the shiny female, whom growled and glared angrily at the electric-type. "You want to watch your mouth when you speak to us, you fat little twerp." the Aerodactyl worriedly flailed her hands between the two, in a makeshift attempt to stop any kind of argument brewing between them. "H-Hey! Lets not get into any fights--please?" everyone already had their fit of shouting at each other a few moments ago--Acht faintly wondered what even kept the group together.

"I am Cketch...the Smeargle." she turned back to the normal-type, smiling as she nodded. "Acht the Aerodactyl, nice to meet you all." she gave a little wave of her hand as she adjusted the bag in her mouth. "Stay away from me!" she swings her head to the source to find that Lexa and Anubis had also followed them here, and she gives a worried glance before looking to the Blaziken. From her peripheral vision she could see the Smeargle wobbling slightly, she still wonders what's wrong with his eyes. "My name is Gregory, but you may call me Greg if it's easier for you. This is my sister, Eris." putting on a friendly smile the fossil Pokemon replies. "Greg and Eris...nice to meet you!"

The three newcomers were going to be trouble, McChu could easily tell. Upon hearing his rather sensible query, the black, female charizard snarled at him, causing his cheek to spark in retaliation. "You want to watch your mouth when you speak to us, you fat little twerp." A lip twitched and he stepped forward, even as her brother/ lover/ what the fuck ever attempted to calm her down. "Eris," he spoke, and her sulking cower made the raichu's snarl dissipate into a small smirk. Psht. That's right that little bitch calmed her fucking tits. He crossed his arms and watched the black female, disregarding the rest of the group. Yeah. She was one to watch.

________

Feet rhythmically thudded against the road, their owner's eyes flicking about the surroundings with a dazed sense of unease. What had happened? Had all of that-- all of what happened at Mt. Pyre been merely a dream, or just the latter half? He remembered peace, he remembered a light and then nothing-- only to wake up to an empty road. No Pierce, no Anubis, not even the remains of Cathal. Had that even happened...? If not... how had he gotten there? A quick look at his hands and his memory of the bloodlust reminded him of what that entire delusion could have been; there was no mistake that he was counted amongst the monsters now... Maybe this was how their madness developed...?

Suzaku shook his head, wanting to rid himself of the heavy thoughts that had been burdening him ever since he woke back up. Augh, if only he could stop thinking about it... about them, about the hunger still in the back of his mind...

"Stay away from me!"

Suzaku paused, lifting his nectarine gaze to the road ahead of him. That voice... "Anubis...?" Was... really? After a tentative step forward to break his stillness, he dashed forward, the road ahead of him rolling quickly beneath him. He'd been hearing whispers, smelling phantom wisps and seeing nothing but ghosts. But this voice... that was there. That had been cried by a throat, enunciated with a tongue and teeth. That wasn't a delusion, that wasn't him going mad, that was real. Utterly, undeniably, irrevocably real.

As he ran, he finally discovered the wafting of smoke, and other voices ahead. He stopped in his tracks, spotting a myriad of pokemon, including one of his own kin. But behind the other blaziken, curled, was a form he couldn't believe he saw.

"...Anubis?!"

Eli had paid no mind to the latest distraction to ensnare the group; apparently a monkey that had fallen from the sky, now fussed over by a pair of burly Charizards. The Arcanine stared only for a moment, absorbing the scene with a frown before turning abruptly away. He had his destination; Lilycove. Selina said his family were heading there and if she possessed even a single molecule of compassion then there was a chance that her words were true. Regardless, the canine wouldn’t forgive himself for passing up such a hopeful opportunity.

As his company sought to fuss over the latest arrivals, Eli began trudging away. It would be a shame to abandon the few rational creatures so callously, but he knew were his priorities laid. June would be waiting for him, the kids were no doubt missing him and he intended to hurry the reunion as quickly as time would permit. He needn’t hang around with a troupe of creeps seemingly intent on deterring him from his goal. Head held high, the Arcanine trotted away – silent until vanishing from sight altogether.

-

Selina had held back from the newcomers as much as possible, watching from a distance as tempers already showed signs of flaring. A small grin played on her features, glimpse of clashing personalities fleeting but quick to catch the fighter’s attention, as she slowly sauntered forward. Amidst the latest set of introductions, the Mienshao took the opportunity to subtly sneak a berry free from Acht’s bag, silent as she retreated victoriously to loiter against a nearby tree-trunk. She ate quietly, only half-listening to the conversation as she got her first good look at the latest arrivals; a pair of Charizards and a blind mutt. Yippee…

"Stay away from me!"

Oh, and now the whelp was acting up again too. The Mienshao merely rolled her eyes, quickly growing irate from the high emotions the Lucario seemed to embody – but of course, she couldn’t teach him a lesson when Mother Hen was looming over her. With any luck, he’d get himself killed and the group would be free of the burden. Not that she intended on staying long. Selina stayed only for the entertainment, the food and the protection that travelling together provided. As soon as they reached Lilycove in one piece, they could go fuck themselves. She wanted a troupe of bodyguards; friendship wasn’t on the agenda.

"...Anubis?!"

“Oh, now what?” The Mienshao grumbled at another new voice, turning as the sight of an approaching Blaziken, this time a male. Yet what caught her eye instead was the lack of a certain humungous, bad-tempered fire-dog. Eli? Her frown deepened at his absence, realizing that he must’ve slipped away during the welcoming of the dragon pair and their meal. Sly bastard. Her glare was suddenly replaced with a cruel grin, imagining his expression the moment he realized that she would never change her ways. She knew absolutely nothing of his family.

Snickering to herself, she slid down the tree trunk into a sitting position, completely satisfied with her mischievous antics and keen to reward herself. With all the newcomers for McChu to piss off, Selina saw that she was in for a treat. Let the show begin!

(( I hope it’s alright for Selina to steal a berry from Acht’s bag, lol. I can edit if need be. ))

It is no good, there are just to many scents for him to orientate himself and the fall had not helped him either. Nose in the air Cketch's head moves from side to side, trying to find some constant.
The tip of his tail twitches spasmodically as he instinctively tries to clear his confusion with Foresight but the scorched red edge of the severed tail merely sends stabbing pains down his body as he tries to move it.
Cketch is thoroughly confused.
The calmer quieter voice of the two flame scents, Greg, seemed to be reasonable and offering assistance even if Cketch wasn't sure if he could be trusted. The rock scent makes an introduction in a clear voice Cketch takes to be female; Acht the Aerodactyl. Another name to remember.
Cketch has never been confused before but he feels it now, the fuzziness and exhaustion of the last few days catching up to him in a torrent.

Perhaps it would be best to try not to draw attention to himself. There seemed to be trouble enough with what he thought smelt like a Lucario voicing a very panicked opinion. Concerned Cketch turns in his direction and inhales. With so many pressing around the subtlties of many scents were lost but the sharp note of fear in the air is almost as strong as the metallic reek of blood.
Companion Eris was sounding like something he should be far away from.
Carefully stepping closer to the Aerodactyl and away from the smell of blood Cketch picks up another scent approaching. Fire and feathers. He sniffs the air in that direction more deeply, trying to pick up whether it was a threat. A note of bitterness on the breeze makes the little normal type's fur stand on end. Nervously he clutches the aching tail in his paws, not knowing what he would do with it if the scent is in fact what he thinks it is.
"I think-..." He says timidly, unsure of what to say as he feels warm fur brush past him and the scent of fur and fire erases all other smells.
However the breeze brings the scent closer as it's owner steps into the clear and still feeling too disorientated to voice a proper warning Cketch barks.
No sooner has the sound left his jaws then the little normal type feels embarrassed at such an uncultured reaction.

Not even noticing the Mienshao stealing a berry from the sack she held, Acht worriedly looked over the group. She had to admit, it was obvious that they were a handful--tension grew much too easily amongst them. The Aerodactyl carefully watched the Smeargle as he carefully walked closer to her, before perking up at a new voice. "...Anubis?!" in surprise the fossil Pokemon turns to the approaching Blaziken with rather...intimidating red eyes. His hands were tainted a deep purple, and worriedly she tried to catch his scent. “Oh, now what?” she gave a shrug, the new fire-type seeming to know the Lucario.

"So...um." she stammered, feeling awkward with the sudden appearence of so many survivors. (At least, Pokemon she thought were still...alive.) "Perhaps we should keep moving? We can chat while we walk to Lilycove--so then we can still make some progress on our trip." she suggested, still carefully eying the male fire chicken. Something didn't seem right about him at all--he was functioning and speaking, but his colors and eyes were...instead, the Aerodactyl turned her sights to the Lucario he seemed to know, hoping for some kind of answer.

((OOC: Skip, Cketch is still confused and trying to avoid the attention))

Some weird shit was going on here. Another Blaziken had turned up, this time a male, with ominous red eyes. Just that on its own awoke Eris's instinct to charge at the filthy, diseased creature and rip its head from its shoulders, but it seemed to recognised the wimpy little Lucario. The shiny female snorted with both bemusement and the hilarity of the scene as Greg shuffled to her side, his head dipped awkwardly.
"I can't help but feel we're the odd ones out here, apart from the Smeargle guy, obviously," she whispered into her brother's ear. "The rest seem really well acquainted, and even the complete stranger recognises one of them!"
"Of course they're acquainted - they're friends. But why should that stop us from travelling with them a while? Besides, Greg paused when he saw Eris's poisonous expression, "there is safety in numbers."
"I thought we were doing just fine by ourselves," the female growled, stealing a venomous glance down at the fatass Raichu, who was still staring at her. "For fuck's sake, if he doesn't stop staring I'll--"
"They might prove to be a valuable source of information to us," Greg said quickly, hoping that making it seem more as though he was just using them to gather resources. While it was true he wanted to learn more about this region and the Pokemon in it, he truly wanted to be friends as well. "Maybe we can find out where we are and what we can make out of this place."
"I'd never thought of it that way." Eris seemed to relax a little under his words. "All right, fine, but if I get one more remark out of that Raichu I'll fucking cook him. Look at him! Forget the Smeargle - that guy could keep us fed for a week."

Chuckling lightly at his sister's morbid sense of humour, Greg softly cleared his throat as he wandered back towards the group with Eris close behind. "Lilycove? Is that a city in this region? If you don't mind, Eris and I will accompany you for a while. We are good scouts if needs be, and we can hold ourselves in a fight." He offered Acht a genuinely warm smile as he reached her side."Will you take us along? I promise there will be no trouble," he added, ignoring Eris's soft, "We'll see," from beside him.

Averting her gaze from the new Blaziken, she found her eyes settling on the Charizard siblings, whom were speaking to each other. Curiosity gently pricked Acht's mind, wondering faintly what the two fire dragons were whispering about. She nearly flinched when she saw the shiny's venomous expression, shooting a glare at McChu. She began to worry about what they were conversing about. What if they're plotting something? Oh...what if they're planning on doing something to us? her concern only grew, but the Aerodactyl furiously shook her head to clear her mind of such ideas. No! Don't judge them like that, Acht--they're survivors just like you. Don't ever judge a book by it's cover, they haven't done anything to betray your trust...yet. And she quietly hoped to Arceus that they didn't--she didn't want to lose anymore friends.

"Lilycove? Is that a city in this region? If you don't mind, Eris and I will accompany you for a while. We are good scouts if needs be, and we can hold ourselves in a fight. Will you take us along? I promise there will be no trouble," when the male approached her with a warm smile, Acht grinned. See? They're not bad Pokemon! "Yup! Lilycove is a city in this region, Hoenn. It's the next city from here, if I remember right. It's pretty big, filled with lots of buildings and even a huge shopping plaza from what I've heard. It's bound to have plenty of supplies."

She turned to the others of the group. "I don't mind at all you two coming along, the more the merrier! I'm not entirely sure about the others though." she looked at the others. "Any objections?"

[[Skip please]]

With Anubis scrambling away from her Lexa decided to back off a little bit and give the boy some space. He seemed so upset and she didn't want to push him into a complete mental breakdown. Instead she turned her attention back to the new arrivals and McChu's less than happy greetings to them. She made sure to keep one eye on the Lucario behind her but Acht could only handle the portly Raichu so much by herself. "I think McChu's is only angry that the newest female is more manly than he is. No offense to you miss Charizard."

Lexa continued to shoot McChu dirty looks but for some reason the Arcanine used the distraction to slip away from the Mienshao and into the distance. She briefly wondered if he was coming back but Acht soon turned the conversation to moving the group. It seemed a good idea and Lilycove at least was a step in the right direction for Lexa to find a way home. But even as they discussed leaving a new voice came into the scene.

"...Anubis?!"

Lexa turned to see another Blaziken walking up and her defenses went on high alert. How did he know Anubis's name? What did he want and where the hell did he come from. Taking a protective stance in front of the Lucario the female Blaziken was more than surprised when Anubis's voice followed. "Su-Suzaku?" His voice was soft, timid, much more like the child she had known in the past. That was, at least, until he started screaming his head off.

"No! Nonononono! You're dead! I saw- I did...I killed you!!" Convinced that he had finally lost his mind the Lucario tried to run from the spirit come back from the realm of the dead to haunt him but wound up finding himself trapped as the two Charizards blocked his path. Scrambling to try and turn a different way he found Selina in his path. Once more turning he found McChu and Lexa there. Grabbing his head the Lucario stood in the center of everyone around him before dropping to his knees and crying in despair.

Why? Why was this happening? Suzu...he had asked to die. Why was he being haunted by everything he had loved and watched die? All that remained to destroy him would be if Mother magically showed up to kill him too. "Why...?"

((Permission for Suzaku to grab Anubis or something to try and prove he is real and not a figment of Anubis's imagination))

(( Urgh, Selina’s suddenly so hard to write for. I’m so sorry but skip me, please. Dx ))

"Yup! Lilycove is a city in this region, Hoenn," Acht replied, and Greg gasped in astonishment. "It's the next city from here, if I remember right. It's pretty big, filled with lots of buildings and even a huge shopping plaza from what I've heard. It's bound to have plenty of supplies."
"Hoenn! Can you believe it, Eris?" The orange male grabbed his sister's arm, a genuinely excited smile warming his youthful face. "We've come so far! And what a wonderful region this is!"
"Yeah, the trees look so much different than they were back in Kanto." Eris's reply dripped with sarcasm, but a small grin lit up the female's features as she witnessed her brother's excitement. While she never admitted it, seeing him happy gave her a spark too; one that she very often needed.

"I think McChu's is only angry that the newest female is more manly than he is," the female Blaziken suddenly piped up, receiving little less than a furious glare from Eris. "No offense to you miss Charizard." A growl rumbled in Eris's throat as she became more than ready to give that bitch a good thrashing, but a side-ward glance at her brother forced her to try and calm herself. Losing her temper here and ruining everything would not be doing them any favours. Besides, Gregory genuinely wanted to befriend these Pokemon; it would be selfish of her to explode now, even though every instinct in her body screamed at her to retaliate against the other female. She had embarrassed Greg on more than one occasion, and she knew she had to try and stop that.
Still growling, Eris simply glared at the fellow Fire-type and muttered, "None taken," as she felt her pride tear itself to shreds.

The Lucario, meanwhile, was flipping shit at the sight of the second Blaziken. The kid screamed his head off, and desperately tried to flee from 'Suzaku' while nearly colliding with them and everyone else. He finally stopped in the middle, dropped to his knees and sobbed into his hands.

"...Greg? Come on, you're meant to be the smartass here. What the hell is going on?"
"I don't know," Greg muttered into the female's ear, sympathetic yet curious eyes latching onto the trembling jackal before them. "I really don't."
"He apparently killed the guy ... or is he just nuts?"
Greg did not answer, his mind buzzing to try and figure out a theory. It would seem that the Lucario suffers from a state of mental trauma, possibly post traumatic stress disorder, he thought, bringing his hand up to his chin in the trademark gesture that drove Eris crazy. Perhaps killing Suzaku was a mere dream or hallucination conjured by another traumatic event, and he is not struggling to differentiate reality and imagination. However ... if he really did kill Suzaku and that very Blaziken is alive and well here today, one might suggest that a paranormal entity is at work here...

Eris smirked as she imaged sticking a 'genius at work' sign on her brother's forehead. For now though, she left him alone to ponder in his thoughts as she eagerly watched the scene to see what this Suzaku guy was going to do. Might not be such a bad idea to stick around here ... at least it's entertaining.

[OOC: Since it's basically impossible to write a post from my phone now, I'll have to summarize this all in a OOC post. ;;A;;
Acht was a little surprised at Greg's outburst about being in a new region, but then went on and asked about where they had come from--claiming that she had been from Cinnabar, Kanto. She gave a nervous laugh at Lexa's statement about Eris, glancing with slight concern at the female's furious expression before giving a small, short sigh of relief when the shiny replied with "None taken."
When Anubis began to flip shit, Acht squeaked a little in surprise and stumbled backwards, watching in confusion as the Lucario started claiming that he killed Suzaku. She looked towards the new Blaziken, before looking back to the Lucario--quietly wondering is he was crazy.]

((Sorry guys, without Sil I don't know how to have Anubis or Lexa respond. Skip for now))

(( I'm so sorry that I have to skip again! It'll be my last time as I'm going to be swapping Selina for a new duo very soon. ))

Nervously the blinded Smeargle moves himself closer to the leathery wing and old stone scent of the Aerodactyl, a scent as solid as a rock and equally unshakable.
Sniffing nosily at the air he tries to sort out what has happened. Recent movements stir the air, causing waves of smell to overlap and blend together. Where Pokemon have remained motionless the scents have built up around them, allowing the blind canine to get a better idea of their height in the foggy colored cloud of their own scents.
His tail-tip twitches, he can't clarify the smell any further but he thinks he can pick up a small note of bitterness on the air.
The white-furred dog like Pokemon had a highly developed sense of smell, his blindness since birth leading to the talent for scent detection being honed to the point it could almost replace his absent eyesight.
The small trace of bitter smell is familiar.
Cketch's stomach lurches. He feels sick inside as he recalls where he had smelt such a scent before.
Therese, the beautiful lady Marowack he had become infatuated with back in Lavender Town. Her soft skin had picked up that bitter scent...right before she had gotten very sick and awoken as one of the ones to be feared. It was shortly after he had his tail severed, the memory is as red raw in his thoughts as the seared end of his tail was.
"Should we...?" He stutters nervously.

The Aerodactyl blinked a little in surprise as the Smeargle anxiously shuffled closer to her. Her bright, emerald eyes looked the normal-type over, before her gaze rested with concern on the Pokemon's severed tail tip. It looks as if it was cauterized shut--the flesh painfully sealed with perhaps an attack of some sort, a fire punch? Slowly, Acht became increasingly curious about the wound, mentally debating on whether or not she should inquire as to what happened to him. Acht, no. He just fell out of the sky and probably had a hard time--asking him about something seemingly traumatizing won't help him at all! But... She watched carefully as the male sniffed the air, did he perhaps scent something? She cursed a little at the fact that her nose wasn't as good as a mammal's, detecting the hordes would be so much easier if her sense was smell was as sharp as a dog's.

Once again, her sights snapped back to the Lucario, and then slowly to the foreign Blaziken. The steel-type had claimed that he killed the fire starter, which still confused the Fossil Pokemon to no end. If he had really killed the fire-type, then that would mean the Blaziken had rised back up from death as an undead--which in turn means that Anubis had killed a living survivor. The stranger's coloration suggested this theory was correct, too. His hands and wrists were a deep purple while his eyes burned a bright crimson, but if he was undead, wouldn't he have attacked them already? The tension in the air was thick, almost suffocating as she took a step forward. "Should we...?" the canine muttered, and hastily she attempted a smile. "It'd be a good idea if we started heading out of the city now, I think?" she squeaked, nervously. "We can um, talk while we walk?"

[OOC: Write a post with only one other post of material? Challenge accepted. \ o / ]

"Su-Suzaku?"

Suzaku's face brightened a little when Anubis replied, his soft whimper of a voice spreading relief in the fire bird's chest. He began to walk forward, hoping to get some of this whole debockle straightened out. Oh, thank Legends he'd found someone friendly-- "No! Nonononono! You're dead! I saw- I did...I killed you!!"

Suzaku stopped dead in his tracks, eyes wide at the accusations. So... that wasn't some fever dream? Those images, all of that blood... the screaming... He shook his head free of them, only to discover that he'd suddenly been holding his head. Blinking in confusion, he dismissed the echoing voices in his mind and strode forward, looking only to calm the little, frightened lucario. Placing his clawed hands on Anubis' shoulders, he held them gently, but firmly, his expression bewildered, but warm.

"Look, Anubis... I don't know what happened after... that," he began softly, keeping his hold. "But I do know now that I'm actually here. See?" He gave a small, playful punch to Anubis' chest, where his fist bumped solidly against the fur. "Here." He wanted to ask about the others, about what happened to them, but... looking at Anubis' poor state and the protective glare the other blaziken was giving him, now was probably not a good time. He cleared his throat, suddenly very, very aware that he actually had something of an audience. That... that was awkward.

Staring blankly at each of them, he heaved a heavy sigh, deciding, Well, why the hell not? He put up a hand in a friendly, small wave. "Hey there, everyone. I-uh... I know him," he began, pointing at Anubis. A scoff sounded somewhere below, and for a moment, Suzaku wasn't all that sure where it'd come from. But quickly afterward, a portly -very portly- raichu emerged from the thicket of the crowd, a sour look on his pudgy face.

McChu had had enough of this flowery bullshit. With the dragon twits, the blind retard and this new guy that seemed really questionably close to one of the younger boys in the group -Ew- he'd just reached his limit. Acht had announced that it'd probably be better for them to move on to Lilycove, and by Legends, that was way better than whatever the fuck this was. "Hey, Dipshit--" he began, making his way out of the forest of legs and after Acht. "Get a room and fuck already-- shit. Daylight's wasting; stop staring at him, you creepy-ass fuck."

Alarmed by not only the raichu's adamant and immediate hatred of him, but also by the very specific and disturbing accusations, Suzaku's eyes narrowed into slits as the fat rat walked past him. He knew these types-- assholes with filthy mouths and minds, walking on everyone around them like doormats. He'd dealt with enough of it growing up, training, etc. He'd thought in a world of collective crises, the basest insults and prejudice would, you know, stop for more important things. Apparently not.Well, he knew what to do with them.

Fuck with them.

Catching up to the waddling rat with only a couple of strides, the bastard didn't even have time to turn as Suzaku, without hesitation, placed a large, taloned foot on his head and pushed. Hard. How inconvenient that the sprawling route ahead of them was downhill. With the rat rolling and unable to stop himself, Suzaku merely smiled as he watched, the rat's unfiltered, unchecked curses fading the more he careened down the hill. He turned back to the others and shrugged, beginning to follow on foot. "We should catch up." After a few steps, though, he did wait for Anubis, wanting to try and catch up without being rudely interrupted again.

[strict repeat]

Anubis didn't know what to make of the apparition approaching him, nor of the two firm hands that grabbed his shoulders and held him firmly. Basically at this point the Aura Pokemon was absolutely certain he had lost his mind. What in all creation had he done to deserve this endless nightmare? It had all started when Mother got sick...then everything went to hell from there. He had thought meeting Suzaku to be the one bright spot in his bleak world without Mother but the event soon spiraled him to a whole new level of hell. Now here he was to do it again...

"No...."

"Look, Anubis... I don't know what happened after... that," The blue canine refused to look up into those lying eyes, denied his inner demon the pleasure of seeing him cry at the blatant reminder of what he had done. "But I do know now that I'm actually here. See?" He barely opened his eyes, mere slits as his head slowly turned to look down at the warm fist bumping against his chest. "Here." As he felt the heat from the Blaziken his mind began to reel, legs nearly giving out from under him as the possibility of the phantom being truly alive making his head spin.

Lexa didn't stop glaring at the new Blaziken the entire time, Anubis's reaction to her male counterpart making her more than suspicious. The normally sweet boy seemed absolutely terrified by this 'Suzaku' so she wasn't ready to believe she should just trust him right off the bat. And as his hands reached out to grab the Lucario she took a protective step forward, huffing angrily as a warning for him to let the hell go. He seemed to get the hint because it looked like a light went on in his head as he realized there were others staring at this odd newcomer's behavior. "Hey there, everyone. I-uh... I know him," he offered with a pathetic wave. "I don't care if you know Santa and the Easter Bunny too, back off of Anubis," Lexa warned.

McChu was more than happy to give his own opinion of the affair, making some lewd comment about the underlying homosexuality of the friendship the Blaziken claimed with her companion, and Lexa was ready to smack him in the face. She marched over to where McChu was however it seemed the other Blaziken beat her to it, because when she came up to the fat bastard Suzaku already had him rolling down the hill. "Okay, maybe you aren't so bad," she commented with a smirk, eyes lighting up in amusement at the sight of the Raichu getting what he deserved. "But I'm still keeping my eye on you." Spotting Acht walking away with the others Lexa took one glance at Anubis, who waved her off, before nodding and joining the other female. Approaching the dark female Charizard she offered a smile and pointed with her thumb to McChu, "Think the rest of us will get a turn?"

Anubis watched as the others left, only Suzaku trailing behind, and he forced himself to calm. Closing his eyes he reached out with his Aura Sense and for once registered the aura of the other male before him. He was real. And alive. The swirling colors looked just like they had when he had first met Suzaku...but how was that possible? Shaking his head clear the Lucario willed himself to move and walked towards the other male, falling into stride beside him. "Suzaku..." he whispered finally, gathering the courage to actually speak. "What happened?"

Tail tip still futility twitching in an attempt to make sense of the situation the blinded Smeargle feels his heart beating anxiously in his chest. His sense of smell and hearing both were keen but they were no replacement for the clarity he had lost.
His tail thrashing like an angry Ekans with artistic frustration he edges even closer to the Aerodactlyl and sniffs deeply.
The scents in the air were all disturbed and it has difficult to link up the words that had been said with what he was smelling.
The smell of dust and the moister dirt beneath it where the ozone scent of the electric type had been but the string of unpleasant curses filling the air it seems the abrasive loud-mouth hadn't been too harmed. Cketch blinks in surprise at some of the foul words; quite a few of them are new to him.

Gripping his tail firmly in paw the small Painter Pokemon steps forwards and raises his nose in the air. His tongue hangs from his jaws, a small speck of color against his short white fur. His snout pointing towards the disturbing newcomer he inhales deeply.
His sensitive nose floods with odors and among them is the bitter scent that meant disease.
His hackles raise and he takes a tighter grip on his tail as he takes a step towards the feathery scent of the Blaziken.
The Fire Type has a charcoal-like scent mixed with the warmth of fiery feathers, a scent over which the faint trace of corruption lingers like a heat haze.
Ignoring the scent of steel and canine fur that was the Lucario Cketch inhales again, trying to pinpoint the source of the bitterness. The smell was faint; either the disease had not run its course yet or something far stranger had happened.

In an attempt to use Foresight to clarify the issue Cketch brings his tail around in an elegant sweeping motion that would have allowed him to focus on the specific scent. Without the tufted tip of his tail however it only sends a bolt of pain running down his spine. The seared scab of the severed end cracks a fraction and a drop of blood oozes from it.
The Smeargle winces then draws in another deep breath through his nose to calm himself. The bitter smell still lingers faintly on the wind but it seems almost stale. Perhaps he is simply overreacting.
"I think that, possibly, we could trust him." Cketch says quietly, unsure if any of these other survivors would be bothered listening to him. "He doesn't smell as much as an infected or undead would."

Of course not infected didn't automatically mean trustworthy...