(ACE) The FORTREE Team

Well. It seemed McChu's opinion was not well received.

"You know what? Let's just go. It's better than sitting here and arguing all day." Chickie Poo griped, beginning to trudge her way toward the path to the city. "If we fight 'em, we fight 'em. If we don't, that's great too, but the more time we spend snarling at each other the less time we actually have to finish this trip. I don't know about you, but I'd rather not be stuck in the grass at midnight listening to more bickering."

"Now that's what I--"

"Shut. UP!" McChu stopped mid-word as the little queer kid erupted, tearing from his lover's side to yell at the rat. That was... unexpected. "If you are so desperate to keep Miss Acht in charge why don't you shut your face and let her say something once in a while? Despite the fact you are large enough to have your own gravitational pull I have to remind you that the world doesn't revolve around you!"

The rat's frown returned, his pudgy face squishing with disapproval. "It's good to see you got to grow some balls for that faggy bastard back there to s--"

"He is trying to keep us safe," the black, angry dragon snapped, whirling on McChu with nothing but fury in her expression. The fuck?! "I haven't seen you doing that! Maybe if your brain worked as hard as your mouth, we'd have been out of this mess before now! So shut up or I'll--"

"All right, everybody, that is enough!" her brother interrupted, sending a sharp gale of wind to punctuate his words. McChu recovered quickly, his cheeks sparking with electricity. That fucking bitch! He'd figured her the only one ballsy enough to agree-- hell, she'd been singing almost the same fucking tune not five fucking minutes ago! The fucking hypocrite! "All of you, this is not helping. With the noise we're making, we'll be spotted before we can-- oh dear..."

The male dragon trailed off at the sight of his sister catching up with Xena, who'd taken the lead of the pack. Bristling with anger, he glared up at Magellan, teeth bared. "Fucking hypocrite bitch. If she were lying on the street bleeding, I'd fuckin' spit on 'er. You both hasn't seen anythin' I done for this fuckin' group-- she should learn to keep her fuckin' trap shut when she doesn't fuckin' know anythin'." Stomping off, not caring about any reply, he stormed toward the little jackal jackass that had spouted earlier.

Suzaku had been a bit surprised at the mutual backlash at the fat rodent, almost everyone telling him, in their own way, to shut the hell up. It was a bit vindicating, watching him take barrage after barrage of verbal insults, but he was rendered near speechless when Anubis took his turn. He was about ready to applaud the lucario when Lexa tore from the bulk of the group, the female charizard on her heels. Sinking back into his shell at the strange action of his sister, he turned back to Suzaku. "I think..." he began in a soft mutter, "I may have done a bad thing. She's going off alone and I don't think I can stop her." The blaziken looked back up, watching her receding figure disappear into the dense foliage. "What should I do?"

He heaved a sigh, unsure. He had no idea what would bring her back, or if he even should. "Well, maybe--" He stopped as he saw the rat's fat frame make his way to them, and Suzaku stepped in front of the lucario on instinct, putting himself between the two. "Move, prick," McChu growled, sparks flying, "You're not the one I wanna talk at."

Suzaku was unyielding, staring down at the plump little pokemon with a fierce gaze. "Back off," was his simple command, his stance as firm as his glower. McChu scoffed, an angry smirk lifting his pudgy cheeks.

"Fine." He looked at them both, eyes narrowing. "You can both fuck right the hell off. The both of ya's can starve for all I care. Then again, you probably have all the protein you need in yer fuckin' diets, so I guess you're all fuckin' set." Suzaku tensed, fist about to fly when he restrained himself. Getting in a fight now wouldn't do anything other than slow them down and wear them out. Seeing that he was getting away with that remark, McChu continued, speaking to Anubis alone. "If you ever talk to me like that again, you little prick, I'll roast your fuckin' tongue out." Giving them each one last glare before waddling off to catch up with the others. Watching him leave, Suzaku released a terse sigh, allowing his fist to relax. Little arrogant...

"...Come on, let's not get left behind," he muttered, taking wide strides to keep with the others. "I think Lexa will be fine-- she can handle herself. It's not like she's mad at you or anything, either... That stupid rat has us all on our last nerve."

Moving surprisingly quick through the brush, McChu managed to catch up with Chickie Poo, the bag of berries in his plump paw. He feared her stiff walk and stern expression was because of him, but it couldn't be-- he was trying to defend her! Waving it beside her, showing off its plump size, he looked proud of his findings. "On the upside, Chickie Poo, I've found quite the stash of grub! Should last us quite a while; maybe till we even reach some shelter. Better than these lazy fucks, eh?"

[[Lulu, feel free to lay into him if you want XD]]

((Sorry, not feeling well today. Skip for now and just say Anubis had to bite his tongue to keep from beating on McChu))

[[Skip. Nothing to go on.]]

         She was tired, grumpy, and a few steps away from what she expects to be a long battle, and her ragtag group of survivors were too busy bickering with each other rather than focusing on the next few minutes of their life, or their death.
    Acht wasn't prepared for this, not when she subconsciously signed a contract with life to actually stay alive in this dumb apocalypse. If this were to happen a few days ago, before she had met any of the others, she would've been ready. Ready to fight tooth and nail down to the last sliver of breath she breathed and still fight some more to protect what she was born with. But now? She wasn't ready. Harsh words and self-pity chiseled her down to something small, something breakable. The anger, the insults, all those mindless threats thrown around like nothing. The Aerodactyl thought that danger and a cause would bring Pokemon together, like the old human stories told, not...not pit them against each other. Her breath hitched, brow furrowed in dismay. She wasn't brave, nor was she a leader. She couldn't placate the others. She couldn't even fly anymore. Now all she was, was scared.
    She didn't quite expect the Raichu to bound up beside her, enthusiastically waving their bag of food, plump with whatever sustenance he found. "On the upside, Chickie Poo, I've found quite the stash of grub! Should last us quite a while; maybe till we even reach some shelter. Better than these lazy fucks, eh?" Regardless her feelings her lips instinctively curled upwards, her shaky breaths slowing down to something more peaceful--the tears that nearly threatened to spill from her eyes dissipating.
    "Thank you," despite her best efforts her words came out in a sigh, and Acht nearly wanted to hit herself for it. Her soft smile brightened into a half-grin, but her eyes did not hold the same emotion. Her cheekbones didn't rise, her lips weren't genuine. "Thank you for working so hard, McChu." she forced a cheery note to her words, looking back to the trail ahead, Lexa's silhouette trudging forward in front of them. "Say, what do you think we're going to fight up ahead? That is, if we do fight them. Other than a couple exceptions I've only really fought flying-types as undead." she shrugged, remembering the battle against dozens of Kecleon. "I wonder what we're up against."

((Sorry guys, there is a massive overhaul going on in my teams and I need to see who I am keeping, this team is staying but I may do a character shift so please skip for now until I can straighten it out))

((Sorry, but I must skip as well. I'm thinking of deactivating these two. Feel free to start the fight and I may or may not keep them in to contribute.))

"Thank you," Chickie Poo replied, to which McChu returned with a grand grin. It was the first praise he'd heard in... Legends knew how long, and it was about fucking time. Shit. At least good ole Chickie Poo knew a useful pokemon when she saw one. But as he looked back to her, something seemed a bit... off? He wasn't sure, but it faded pretty quickly, leaving McChu no choice but to let it go. "Thank you for working so hard, McChu." Despite the biting tone to her words, the raichu looked over the subtlety and proudly puffed out his chest a bit. "No problem there, Chickie Poo. Just doin' what I can. Being selfless and all that."

Though McChu was content to simply stride by his favorite aerodactyl in companionable silence, she piped up again, striking more conversation. "Say, what do you think we're going to fight up ahead? That is, if we do fight them. Other than a couple exceptions I've only really fought flying-types as undead." She shrugged as he turned to her, tilting his head a bit. "I wonder what we're up against."

He looked back to the path ahead of them, considering. He hadn't really given much thought to what could actually be waiting in store for them, just that there was likely something there altogether. After a small spell of silence, he shrugged. "Probably more of the same shit we've seen before. Packs of those mightyena seem pretty common here, but I hope there aren't more of those cocksuckin' keckleon. Psht. Little bastards." He chuckled to lighten the mood and to throw off the scent of his fear facing more of those camouflaged fuckheads. "I suspect that there could be a big variety of 'em though-- if Lilycove's the big city I'm making it out to be in my head, then it's a popular tourist spot. Exotic pokemon could have gotten trapped here. Do you know if a gym was there or not? If so, we're looking at powerful fuckers roaming, too."

Gregory was idly listening to the conversation going on next to him when he noticed Eris taking off into the sky a short distance away. The Charizard grew concerned, and outstretched his wings to follow her just as she turned and called, "Greg, come on, we're going."

"Ex ... Excuse me for a moment," he said politely to the others as he took to the skies as well, flying up to where his sister was waiting for him. "Eris, what are you--"

"Why should we help these guys? These ... assholes?" the black dragon growled, making sure to shoot a glare down at McChu as she spoke. "Why should we do things for them for nothing in return? I ... I don't want..." Eris drifted close to her brother and softly nuzzled his neck.

Greg hugged her back, but could feel her trembling against him, and sweat sticking to the scales on her face. "Eris ... you don't need to panic."

"I'm not panicking," she snapped, quickly pulling away. "I just ... liked it how it was before. With just us two...

Greg swallowed; this was difficult. While he was trying to encourage Eris to socialise with other Pokemon besides himself, the last thing he wanted to do was upset her. This had never been an easy task...

"Eris..." he began, but already his sister had turned and was flying off over the trees. Feeling he had no choice but to follow, Greg briefly glanced down at the others and called, "Good luck to you all!" before disappearing over the trees with his sister.

((I've just lost all interest in these two, so this is their leaving post. Rest assured that I will be back here soon enough. :]))

    "Probably more of the same shit we've seen before. Packs of those mightyena seem pretty common here, but I hope there aren't more of those cocksuckin' keckleon. Psht. Little bastards." She smiled and nodded her agreement. Packs of Mightyena were common around here--she wouldn't be surprised if the undead turned out to be just that. "I suspect that there could be a big variety of 'em though-- if Lilycove's the big city I'm making it out to be in my head, then it's a popular tourist spot. Exotic pokemon could have gotten trapped here. Do you know if a gym was there or not? If so, we're looking at powerful fuckers roaming, too."
    Acht fell silent with thought, narrowing her eyes as she tried to recall what she could remember. "I'm pretty sure...no, I am sure there's no gym at Lilycove, but it's like the in-between of two gym cities." the Aerodactyl replied, giving an idle shrug. "I wouldn't be surprised if any strong Pokemon from the nearby cities flocked to Lilycove. That and, I'm sure we'll run into plenty of ghosts on our way there--Mt. Pyre's near-"
    Her words trailed off as she looked up, watching the Shiny Charizard taking off to the skies. Her brother seemed concerned, following her. "Ex ... Excuse me for a moment,"
    "H-Huh? Oh, um, okay," the fossil Pokemon stuttered, stopping to watch the two siblings converse a few ways away. Acht frowned, turning back to her Raichu companion. "I hope those two are alright--Eris seems a little off." she mumbled, fidgeting awkwardly with her wings. Was there something wrong?
    "Good luck to you all!" she perked up at Greg's voice, eyes wide in surprise as the two fire-types vanished through the thick forest. She fumbled, unsure of how to react, and only managing to give a little wave.
    "T-They left..." the Aerodactyl seemed disheartened, a little disappointed that the new survivors had to leave so soon with such short notice. "Well, I hope they'll be okay. Maybe it was for the best." she gave an idle shrug, deciding not to dwell on the thought any longer as she began walking again, pushing past a few long strands of grass away from her face.
    It wasn't long until she stopped however, freezing almost mechanically in place as her gaze darted around her. There was a low rumbling noise, from a source she couldn't exactly pinpoint. "Did you hear that?" she whispered, words hushed as the sound grew louder. It was some sort of vicious snarl, coupled by a guttural whinnying in the distance.
    "...I think they found us."

[ooc: good to be back! the Ambipom and Girafarig have found them and are fairly close to them in the grass. VuV]

"I'm pretty sure...no, I am sure there's no gym at Lilycove, but it's like the in-between of two gym cities." Chickie Poo shrugged, making the rat feel a bit better. Well, that still meant that there wasn't a Gym or Gym Leader to help put out more deadly pokemon. "I wouldn't be surprised if any strong Pokemon from the nearby cities flocked to Lilycove. That and, I'm sure we'll run into plenty of ghosts on our way there--Mt. Pyre's near-"

She stopped mid-word, earning her McChu's attention. He followed her gaze to Magellan, who launched himself after his shiny sister. "Ex ... Excuse me for a moment,"

"H-Huh? Oh, um, okay," Chickie Poo replied, the charizard not really waiting to hear her soft reply. McChu snorted; the asshole prided himself on being all tact and pomp and all that and then just barrels by the leader of their little troupe without so much as a second glance? Dickwad. "I hope those two are alright--Eris seems a little off." she mumbled, to which McChu scoffed again.

"I wouldn't waste your worry on them, Chickie Poo," the raichu mused, turning back to her. "They can handle themselves, yeah? But what were you sayin', 'bout Mount whatsit--?"

"Good luck to you all!" The call from above disrupted his thought, the two siblings now in the sky, flying the fuck away. The raichu's anger peaked, sparks coming off his cheeks as poor Chickie Poo tried understanding why they'd just fuck off like that. "T-They left..." she mumbled, only sending McChu's anger further. Bitches makin' his Chickie Poo sad. If he had the aim to take them down from, here, he would.

"Well, I hope they'll be okay. Maybe it was for the best." Seemingly shrugging off the departure with little more than a idly concerned expression, she kept walking, earning her a bit more respect from McChu. He was glad she was able to just continue; it was one of the reasons he was so happy to follow. That, and you know, the great view from behind. But as he allowed his mind to venture into more crass areas, he was jolted out of his reverie when Chickie Poo stopped dead in her tracks, frozen to the spot. "Did you hear that?"

McChu perked his ears, and sure enough, a strange rumbling sound seemed to echo around them. Eyes shifting to try and catch a view of whatever was stalking them, he readied a Thunderbolt electricity dancing around his form. "...I think they found us."

"Then they should come the fuck out so I can kick their asses," he growled, trying to catch sight of their hidden enemies.

Anubis was thoroughly offended by McChu's accusation of activities between himself and Suzaku, going so far as to vulgarly suggest that they dined on one another. The Lucario trembled with the unsteady conviction to not beat the disgusting rat into the ground. It was getting really hard to hold back and he could see that even Suzu was having trouble not hitting him. But when the rat leaned in closer to him and whispered in his ear the Aura Pokemon surprised in himself in not lashing out in return. "If you ever talk to me like that again, you little prick, I'll roast your fuckin' tongue out."

He was ready and willing to have a row but the Blaziken at his side kept him calm, not willing to drag the fighter into a fight he didn't want. "...Come on, let's not get left behind," Nodding dutifully the Lucario tried to keep pace beside his companion but once in a while would steal sidelong glances at the female Blaziken in their party to make sure she was still okay and with them. "I think Lexa will be fine-- she can handle herself. It's not like she's mad at you or anything, either... That stupid rat has us all on our last nerve." Suzaku's words held a high comfort for Anubis and he paused, releasing Suzu's hand and holding it close to his chest. Lexa...she really could handle herself. Out of all of Mother's team Lexa was the only one he found alive. She had gotten this far on her own and now that they were together he wasn't going to let anything take his family away again. With renewed confidence he gave a happy smile to his friend before running to catch back up, falling in perfect stride with the taller fire type as they went after Acht.

____________________________

Lexa kept to the outskirts of the group but she made sure to stay close enough to be of any assistance and to hear anyone calling her. A few glances at the gathered told her that almost no one was happy with McChu at the moment which gave the normally stoic female a sick sense of pleasure, hoping that soon his debauchery would be his downfall and she would be allowed to beat him to a bloody pulp without getting yelled at by the gentle Acht. The poor girl was too easy for the rat to play but she seemed to be growing in confidence of her own so maybe she would break through the rose tinted glasses the Raichu kept painting on her and see the male for what he truly was.

Anubis seemed to be doing much better as well, if his smile was anything to go by. He looked like he had only a couple of years ago, before this nightmare started around the world, happy and confident. It helped her to relax knowing that he wouldn't be caught off guard again, that her pupil had found his sense of purpose once more and was again set in motion on his path of life. The elder female's fondness for her student only made her more resolute that she would keep him happy again no matter what, never wanting to see that broken spirit she cradled earlier ever again.

But what she hadn't seen coming was the sudden departure of Eris and Gregory, the female taking flight first and her brother following quickly after. "Good luck to you all!" The jubilant cry disheartened Lexa because she had become somewhat attached to Eris but as she watched them fly away she could only think of how Acht was feeling. Rushing to where she and McChu had stopped during the commotion she could see the forlorn look in the Aerodactyl and offered a reassuring pat on her shoulder to comfort the female. "Well, I hope they'll be okay. Maybe it was for the best." A little taken aback by the subtle change of heart Lexa frowned and clenched her fists at her side. How much loss had Acht suffered that this seemed to almost be expected? "They'll be fine..." she began but Acht was already walking away.

Sighing heavily the Blaziken waved Anubis closer and decided to keep closer to the flyer lest McChu decide he wanted to take advantage of the situation. She would feel better if Anubis and Suzaku were with the main group again just so she could watch everyone. When eventually he did catch up he silently gestured about Eris and Gregory but Lexa only shook her head, the Lucario looking a little sad before steeling himself and nodding. They continued walking again but when Acht stopped cold, alarm raised up in the female fighter as she too began to feel like they had just stepped right into an ambush. "...I think they found us." Cracking her knuckles Lexa took up a firm defensive position behind the kinder female as the flames upon her wrists burst to life. "It's not a question. They did."

Even McChu seemed ready for anything as the crackle of electricity emanated from his bulbous form, Anubis backing away from the snapping sparks to take up position beside Lexa. "Then they should come the fuck out so I can kick their asses," For once in agreement with the ass Lexa's face split into a confident smirk. "Then how about we send them their invitation?" she offered McChu, fire roaring in her palms. With a knowing wink she quickly tossed her Fire Punch towards the left flank, allowing the fire to leave her hands and travel to the brush lining the road and setting it ablaze, nodding her head to McChu and snapping for Anubis to follow suit. Silently her pupil nodded and took form, fire encircling his legs as he leapt into the air, precision kicks flying out to send his Blaze Kick's fire roaring out to the right flank, igniting the surrounding area the same. He landed soundly next to his teacher and both settle into the same stance, ready for anything driven out by the flames.

((I'm so sorry guys, I thought it was Lulu's turn. I didn't know she and Sil had switched places until Sil told me this morning. I have been in a lot of pain the last two days so I must have missed it during my posting yesterday))

    Acht shifted carefully on her feet, eyes scouring through the thick grass that surrounded the group. The sound of hooves drew nearer, excited, high-pitched howling ripping through the air. "Then they should come the fuck out so I can kick their asses," glancing towards the Raichu, her gaze drifted up to Lexa, who's palms flared and crackled with flames as she initiated a Fire Punch, and Anubis quickly following suit to do the same with his Blaze Kicks. She watched as the fire erupted from the grass, gently encircling them.
         It was an arena of fire.
    The Aerodactyl managed a short smile, the sight of the flames causing her wings to tingle and twitch. She perked up, stretching her long neck to see above the grass near her, catching sight of a slight rustling heading towards McChu. "Watch ou-" she called, her voice cut off as a charred Ambipom leaped towards her, both tails lit aflame as it utilized them to land two Double Hits on Acht. The force of the attack knocked her down, her eyes narrowing in anger as she hissed and writhed to get up, feeling the hot burns on her chest. From the edge of her vision she could see a rotted Girafarig stampeding out towards the Raichu. It's eyes were gone, leaving dirty, burnt sockets while the eyes on it's tail bulged from their place. Lowering it's head, it's skull began to glow a bright blue, before speeding towards the electric-type with a Zen Headbutt.
    Quickly trying to get back on her feet the fossil Pokemon readied herself to attack the Ambipom, concentrating to create a Stone Edge but stopping as she witnessed something she didn't quite expect to see--a pillar of water cutting through the grass beside them and dousing some of the flames. Realizing what this meant, Acht's face paled and she gave a shaky breath. "Shit."

[ooc: sorry for such a late post!! the Swampert has found them now, too]

[[Skip, please... McChu took on the girafarig and Suzu started a wildfire by him, too]]

The attack was almost immediate. Her idea to drive the infected out with fire seemed to work almost too well as suddenly Acht was overwhelmed by an Ambipom and a Girafarig went at McChu. The pompous rodent quickly began attacking the giraffe and Lexa trusted Anubis enough to watch himself as she went to go aid Acht. The Aerodactyl was ready to attack but dropped the power suddenly, the Blaziken rushing to her side and knocking the purple monkey back with a Blaze Kick. She heard the other female swear under her breath and turned her gaze to see along the same sightline as Acht. The water drenching the woods was obvious. Something large and water based was still lurking in the wildfire and it knew they were there.

"Keep your eyes peeled for what may have launched that attack, Acht. We will likely need to depend on McChu since it is a water type so I'll make sure he stays alive." Whistling for Anubis the Lucario paused the charge of his Force Palm and looked to Lexa, the elder female motioning to keep by McChu and pointing to the water hissing and steaming from the heat of the renewing flames. Nodding in understanding he took up defense nearer McChu before unleashing the Force Palm on the Girafarig opponent. "Suzu!" he cried out, hoping the male wouldn't object. "Lexa says to keep McChu safe. There is a water type nearby!" Without wasting anymore time the Aura Pokemon closed his eyes and stretched out his aura sense, not willing to let anything get a sneak attack on their trump card.