(ELITE) The PYRITE Team

"Ya bettuh be!" she scolded him, her hooves falling to her sides and her stance relaxing. Pyth hung his head, heat radiating off his face. The giant carnivore once more cried out for sunshine, as the bull  stared at the ground intently. That must be her name...idiot...

"... M'kay cowboy, heas how it is. Don't go after mah dino, an' I won't go after you. Promise me and ah'll let you off th' hook.... Fuh now."

"Ye- uh...sure." He muttered anxiously, his gravelly voice almost lost in the dirt.

"Oh!-- OH!-- Oh, I'm so sorry!" he yelped, gingerly stepping around to not slam the building with his tail as the dino leaps to the foxes' aid. "I didn't see you there, did I hurt you?" Pyths' ear flicked in that direction as he watched the debacle with open-mouthed confusion. This ancient, living death-machine looked like he could easily crush a Rhyhorn in its' jaws, but...
He looked more like a clumsy ballerina.
This was the monster with steak-knives for teeth?
This was what he was gonna fight?

The bull sighed, his eyes glazed over in disappointment.

"Your...boy, huh?" He glanced at the female, the thudding in his chest slowing a bit. His mountainous body relaxed, his head rising to survey the bright fox and the lizard. "Who's the other one? Yours too?"



As he listened to the cow, his steely gaze peered through the bright heatwaves floating above the roads. He could have sworn he had felt the beating of hooves. Not of his own of course; he could recognize a bulls' thudding from a mile away. No, whatever it was, it was much smaller and swifter than he. He watched passively, concern dwindling.
No point in bothering if there's no challenge.

"Get the hell out of the way!" Barked the vibrant yellow fox as she lithely sprung about the rubble of the building and drew the fire of some of the flock that had fallen upon them.

"Well, damn." He growled under his breath as he turned and bounded into one of the crumbling, decrepit buildings. He could only hope 'Sunshine' had enough sense to take cover. Screeches raced by his ears as the large mass of dead, rotten birds flew past him.
Their red and black bodies blotted out the bright light from outside as they swarmed the building, and flooding their way towards their target. Pyth grunted angrily as they hungrily pecked and tore at his hide. Flames roared out of their small mouths, the bull narrowly escaping them as he began to Thrash wildly. He threw himself into the walls, barely feeling the crushing bodies before they fell to the floor.

"I'm fine." Boy, was he relieved to hear that. The dinosaur practically felt the wave of relaxation wash over him. At least he didn't screw up again, that was good. As he leveled himself with her, his tail wagged back and forth just slighty, like a dog's would if you fondly said their name on the other side of the room.
"So who are you guys anyway? And how did you get here?"
Basile almost stuttered out before he could think critically of his words. He took a pause, and then leaned up again to his normal height.
"Oh. Me and Sunshine? My friend over there is Sunshine, the Miltank," he starts, chipper at the mention of his cow friend. More like an older sister to him, at this rate. "We met a while ago... golly, I don't even remember when. A while ago. She found me on a route as she was running, I was stuck in my Pokeball." The blood-curtling, hawk-like screech of a flying intruder dawned on his ears, and Phoenix took action in lightning speed. Without a word, she disappear around to where Sunshine and the Tauros were, still talking.
"Get the hell out of the way!" Basile gasped, his tail lightly slamming into the building next to him as he tried to maneuver as fast as he could.
"Sunshine! Watch out!" his hulking, 8 foot tall form starts shaking the ground as he bounds to her, the flock coming in directly from the side of them.

-----

Sunshine snorted just a bit, still keeping her aloofness about her.
"Ye- uh... sure."
She nodded in approval, her eyebrows still somewhat furrowed, but her mouth turned into a slight but arrogant smile. Normally, she wouldn't have been so easy to just... let the hook out of his mouth. But it had been a while since she had seen the male equivalent of her species, and she was feeling particularly nice today.... Wow, maybe the sense of loneliness got to her easier than she anticipated.
"Your...boy, huh? Who's the other one? Yours too?"
"Her? She ain't gonna see mah good side for what she did earliah," Sunshine said snidely, "But the short ansuh is no. Basile tried to make friends, an' she opened up with a stream o' flames. Ah don' blame 'er much though, life ain't so easy to live no more with all these walking corpses around."

The shriek from the Talonflame was the thing to break her of her trance, too. What a mindless idiot, announcing the flock's attack. Sunshine immediately swiveled to see the coming onslaught, fists up. They immediately came down as she realized this was too much for her to take on.
"Get the hell out of the way!" the fire fox yelled from across the courtyard, making a mad dash at them. The flames that flew from the other's mouth seemed to distract them enough to where the two weren't covered in birds the moment they swarmed around them.
"Well, damn." the Tauros cursed, hightailing it in the other direction. What the hell was he doing, making himself bait? Admirable - she oughta tell him so if he even survived such a stunt.
"Sunshine! Watch out!" Basile barked from a distance, the reptile immediately running up to her at a speed that surprisingly matched the Ninetales'. Without warning and with a yelp of protest from Sunshine, Basile scooped her up onto his head.

"Boy, wait! Hol' up, cowboy!" she clung to his crest as soon as her hooves could, "Find a place to hide out around here, quick! I'll hold 'em off! Someone gotta help out here!" Basile looked up at her from his peripherals, still running the opposite way.
"Sunshine, are you sure?!"
"I'm shuah! It'll be ok, go inta one of those buildings! If any get near you, thrash 'em away!" With that, the cow curled into a ball and spun with the power of Roll Out. Basile winced at the prospect, but he trusted Sunshine enough to let it happen. Sunshine went zooming down the dinosaurs back after hopping over his neck crest still in ball form. She ramped off his back, knocking out whatever flying birds were trying to come at him.
She landed smoothly, spinning around in circles and creating a dust cloud. Hopefully, that'd cause some confusion.

The wait felt like an eternity, and now that it was closer, Matt saw that the flock was far larger than he'd originally thought. Just how many Fletchling and Fletchinder could there possibly be in Orre? As far as he could recall, there weren't that many wild Pokemon in the region, let alone species from Kalos. Obviously flying over to Orre wasn't exactly a big issue for, you know, birds, but still. Why couldn't it have been some Pidgey instead? Matt hoped that the flock wasn't planning on sticking around; as much as he loved a good fight, these things were way too numerous. Besides, he had a sister to find and no incentive to hang around Syphilisville...or whatever it was actually called. Unsurprisingly, the second a sensible thought drifted into his head, Matt heard an unholy shriek erupt from the big boss Talonflame and the entire flock began to swoop downwards in a frenzy. The only thing that would make infected do that was-well, shit. There had to be other survivors, survivors that could very well be getting eaten. Matt made eye contact with Athena for a few seconds, quickly read her pointed look of "don't do it", then promptly ran out from their spot in cover. So much for being sensible, jackass.

"MATT!" Athena yelled after him, but by then, he'd already brought out Jules from her Pokeball. The Garvantula wore an ecstatic expression on her face-no, that wasn't an intended pun-that just about melted off when she looked up at the mass of very unfriendly birds.
"What the-? Matt, what's going on?" the Electric-type asked in a squeaky voice, and skittered closer to his legs. Her typing was both an advantage and a disadvantage, but Erasa was a no-go right then, and he needed backup for Athena. It would've been a lot easier if he had the other three here, but...
"You'll be fine! Just stick close to me, don't use Bug-attacks, and zap the fuckers."
"Well, no shit, mon patron-they're Fletchinder," Jules retorted, brimming with electricity that was thankfully aimed at the birds and not him. Her Thunderbolt was joined by Athena's own; the Gardevoir glared at Matt as she picked up two of the now thoroughly-charred Fletchinders with Psychic and crushed them. That was probably a sort of message, but Matt shrugged it off. C'mon, Athena adored him, and she would never crush his head for running out into the open where zombie birds were without bothering to make some sort of plan first. He was perfectly safe.
"Do you always have to be so rash?" Athena asked as she used Thunderbolt again with Jules; part of the flock had definitely noticed them now. If too many attacked, they'd have to take cover, especially with Jules' weakness. Matt was not about to let her or Athena get hurt because of some damn birds.
"It's part of my charm," Matt said back, "I'm such a helpful guy, after all."
"Yeah. Sure."

Dean's reaction is...  

"Kylie!"  The voice wrenches at her heart; Diantha raises a hand to her mouth as the rancher bolts from the house and after the Vibrava, darting after him with Justy.

They're too late.

"Come back! Please....come back...."

In a shocking display of tact, Justy lays a hand on his shoulder.  "I'm sorry, but... we should get back inside."

"I... I can still attempt looking for her.  I have a flying type; we can search by air."  She glances first at Dean, then at Justy.  "My team is immensely strong and all healthy, and we're all currently in one place."  She stuffs her hand in her pocket, the fingers closing around her beloved bird's Pokeball.  "She can't have gone far, and the horde is gone by now."

"You two can hold down here, right?" Cosette turns to look at them. "Leave the searching to us."

They will find her.  They have to find her.  She's only a child.

And far too many children have died in this pointless, pointless apocalypse.

No. Nono. NononononoNO.
Great, big, whopping barrel of NOPE.

What the hell was going on here? This was the second time this phenomenon had occurred and the Ninetales sure as hell wasn't going to let the cycle repeat itself. Why was it that every time a survivor appeared in Pyrite suddenly they were flooded with them? No one wanted to live here when things weren't trying to eat them, so why the hell did the world want to live here now?! Phoenix was having a hard enough time trying to understand why a ten foot tall dinosaur acted like a five year old and had a pink cow for a mom when then a bull randomly charged from nowhere. Now there was a fucking human?! Where were all these cockroaches coming from?

If it weren't bad enough all this attention had caught the eye of a passing horde and now there was a flock of fire birds all over the place. Just fucking great. As soon as these little bastards were dealt with she was going to go right for the root of the problem and kicking all of these useless, zombie attracting moochers right on out of town. They were not welcome here. She had Asche and Dean to take care of, Dean had Storm and Cira, so they were already bordering on too many. This human had who knew how many Pokemon plus there was the two cows and a dinosaur. That was basically a shit magnet ready for the world's biggest turd to just roll on through.

Not. Happening.

Last time she was suddenly overwhelmed with newcomers everything that could go wrong did.
First, a crazy Smeargle fucked shit up and needed to be murdered. Second, an undead Aerodactyl nearly killed everyone. Third, one of her own got snatched by a giant Braviary. Fourth, a demonic Mandibuzz with human body parts decorating her destroyed her shelter and did murder someone. Fifth, her own undead mate escaped imprisonment and tried to kill them. And last, but certainly not least, the entire Pyrite Colosseum collapsed while they were inside it and killed nearly everyone. All this was in the span of a few days after they showed up. Shit like that tends to make you less tolerable of strangers and she was already pretty intolerable to begin with. So with this group she was already off to a bad start with the flying torches.

Raging at the thought of once again losing Asche and/or Dean because other people couldn't find their own places to stay when this turf was already claimed Phoenix called forth her Extrasensory and trapped three of the birds in a ripple of pink energy before slamming them into a wall with sickening splat. Their soft, rotting bodies didn't absorb the impact well and practically exploded from the force, spraying entrails and dark blood all over the wall by her head. Unfazed by the gore she set out grabbing as many as she could in her psychic net and throwing them about, taking out her frustrations on the helpless murderers until she could work her way up to the big one.

And not one of these fuckers better get in her way of challenging the big one.


The creature's nervous tail twitching was really starting to concern Storm as she watched it twist and wind like a snake waiting to strike. And it seemed her earlier attempts at seeming more intimidating had backfired when she heard the demon's stomach growl loudly. It wanted to eat her. "'Have' to attack me?" it seethed, growling angrily and moving its serpentine tail even more rapidly. "Did you 'have' to attack anything else out there? What did you do to Phoe!?" Phoe?!

"You know Phoenix?!" Storm practically screeched, shock and fear working in equal measure to increase the octave of her voice. How in the world did Phoenix know such an odd creature? And why was it already so protective of her? It was concerned that she had actually attacked the Ninetales. Storm was about to ask how it knew that nickname when a loud crash echoed through from the other side of the building, followed by a series of loud banging and shuddering as the decrepit building protested. Despite her worry about the demon she also didn't want to get trapped inside a falling building if whatever that was decided to bring it down. Letting out a series of warning yips the zebra turned tail and ran back out the way she came in only to see a flash of yellow further down the road angrily throwing Fletchinder into the ground and walls. It was Phoenix, and she was pissed.


"I'm sorry, but... we should get back inside."

Dean wanted so badly to turn around and punch the idiot but the gentle hand on his shoulder, offering a silent support, left him unable to go through with it. His shoulders and head sagged as he contemplated his next move, trying to figure out if there was some way to track the little girl down again and bring her back. "I... I can still attempt looking for her. I have a flying type; we can search by air. My team is immensely strong and all healthy, and we're all currently in one place." Dean shook his head. "It's not a good idea with the flock still in the area. We can only hope Kylie doesn't run into them before we find her." But Diantha wasn't ready to give up hope.

"She can't have gone far, and the horde is gone by now." Again Dean had to stop her. "Two of mine are still out there, and who knows what they found along the way. The flock is likely still here if they heard or spotted one of them. Especially since the direction I sent my Zebstrika is the same way they went." This time the Champion's Pokemon wasn't ready to let it go. "You two can hold down here, right? Leave the searching to us." "Just stop!" Dean shouted, tears beginning to fill his eyes. "We've spent over a month searching for her, I am not going to give up now especially knowing she is alive. But we have to be smarter than this." He gasped a little as he tried to keep himself from crying but the thought of losing the Vibrava again was too real.

"We have- We have to get to my Pokemon. We can all search together but only together. I won't lose them too. I can't." Dean's heart clenched when he realized that meant he would have to tell Phoenix that he found Kylie and then promptly lost her again. The fire Pokemon's heart would simply break at the news. "She needs to know..." he reasoned with himself aloud, not really aware he said it where others could hear. "She'll go through hell and back to find her again."

"You know Phoenix?!" was the immediate reply, and suddenly Asche felt like the world's luckiest moron. Of all the people to barge in-- it'd be someone that knew Phoe. But it wasn't one of their old group; even half-blind, Asche would have recognized that massive ass. "Do you?!" he cried back, but he wouldn't get an answer.

Shortly after his question, something crashed nearby, alerting his body even more so than it already was. The force of whatever was banging around in the space nearby was causing the building to creak. Great. He heard the giant black and white thing skitter, prompting him to do the same. Unfortunately, he was still pretty blind and ran straight into the doorway, earning a yelp of pain. He barely had time to catch himself before he nearly lost sight of the black and white blob. "Wait!" he called, chasing her. "Where's Phoe? Is-Is she ok?"

_______________________

"I... I can still attempt looking for her. I have a flying type; we can search by air. My team is immensely strong and all healthy, and we're all currently in one place." Despite the hope in Diantha's voice, Dean shook his head, defeated. "It's not a good idea with the flock still in the area. We can only hope Kylie doesn't run into them before we find her." His tone reflected just how little hope he held, which only made Justy feel worse, but Diantha was far more optimistic about their chances.

"She can't have gone far, and the horde is gone by now." Again, Dean shot her down. "Two of mine are still out there, and who knows what they found along the way. The flock is likely still here if they heard or spotted one of them. Especially since the direction I sent my Zebstrika is the same way they went." Justy opened his mouth to try and subdue the conversation, but Diantha's Gardevoir was equally as determined. "You two can hold down here, right? Leave the searching to us."

"Just stop!" Dean cried, causing Justy to flinch back. "We've spent over a month searching for her, I am not going to give up now especially knowing she is alive. But we have to be smarter than this." He panted a bit, the emotion running rampant through his expressions. Justy couldn't help be feel bad for the guy; he knew what it felt like to lose a friend."We have- We have to get to my Pokemon. We can all search together but only together. I won't lose them too. I can't." Dean seemed to come to a realization in his silence, the pain clear. "She needs to know..." Justy could only blink in confusion as to who "she" was, but it wasn't like he had a good opportunity to ask. "She'll go through hell and back to find her again."

"Between all of us, we should be able to clear out the horde," Justy supplied cautiously, pulling out a pokeball from his waist. "At least we'll be able to recover the two from your team, right?"

The dust devil seemed to help distract the entire hoard of birds from their direct target. Dust flew everywhere and coated the landscape for just a few moments in a thick haze.  Sunshine was covered with dust, but the tunneling air seemed to catch off in it's own little brunches of dust-devils, distracting the bird-brained creatures with the movements. Finally when she had kicked up enough dirt to make the desert sandstorms jealous, she unrolled into normal form. Whatever flying bird dive-bombed towards her on their suicide mission would be met with a Body Slam. For what part of the horde she had been left with, she was pretty successful in fighting off. Everything was so dizzying that the cow had no time to recollect her thoughts and realize the gore that was spilling. It was mad thrashing trying to get out of a dust cloud and out of the eyes of the birds above. Hopefully the lack of living creatures would deter them away. She managed to Roll Out back towards Basile's direction, near one of the houses that Phoenix headed near.

-----

Basile whimpered, sneaking into the house and making several things clatter and snap as he tried to fit himself through the tight doorways. Golly, if an undead bird tried to get him here.... No, he'd be fine. They couldn't get through here, it'd be too hard. All of them were distracted. But, surely... they couldn't have missed him running away? He was bigger than everyone else. So he cowered in the corner, the silence forcing him to contemplate all the horrors of the outside going on right now. He couldn't hear much, but he knew Sunshine was fighting off undead. There was no way to tell what state she was in or where she was going. But Basile pacified himself with the knowledge she was trustworthy, and she would come back to him. Not leave him on the side of the road without him. No... she'd never.

As if on cue, Sunshine came whirring through the doorway, absolutely covered in dust. Basile almost exclaimed, if it weren't for the fact they were still hiding. But his face immediately lit up.
"Are you ok?" he says gently. Sunshine shook, jiggling all over as dust flew off of her in plumes.
"Ahm ok, sugah. I'm thinkin' the others are too. I saw that Ninetales runnin' for the buildin' right next to ours. Ah kin tell if she'll be needin' my assistance."
"Oh, good," his voice wavered, "I hope no one's hurt.... You sure you're ok?" he looks her over, not seeing bloody injuries as far as he could tell. Most of them being surface level, at least. She puts a hoof on his muzzle, caressing his scaled cheek. Their eyes meet and both smile at each other.
"Ahm fine, kid. Don' worry."
The walls suddenly slammed, dirt dislodging from the cracks in the wood. Something was banging on the house.
"What 'n tarnation...." Sunshine peaked through the window, seeing Phoe throwing around flocks of the birds into the walls and floors with glowing, psychic energy. Blood and gore was splattering around the walls like paint. Looked like she had it under control.... Most of the flock had been lost in the confusion or taken down by now. As far as she could tell. Unfortunately, she wasn't very strong, and Basile was mentally weak when it came to killing creatures. Neither were strong enough to fight off a group of birds this size.

(Mooching off someone else's data to do this, but please skip me.)

Dean doesn't take kindly to the offer.  Diantha winces.

I didn't mean to upset him...  Though, that doesn't do her much good now.

"We've spent over a month searching for her, I am not going to give up now especially knowing she is alive. But we have to be smarter than this."  

You're the one who knows the area.  Give us the directions and we will follow.  She doesn't begrudge him shouting.  He's in pain.  People in pain can be touchy.

"We have- We have to get to my Pokemon. We can all search together but only together. I won't lose them too. I can't."

Justy is pulling a pokeball from his pocket.  "Between all of us, we should be able to clear out the horde. At least we'll be able to recover the two from your team, right?""

"I agree.  We should be able to handle mostly anything."  The big queston is, will they all survive the effort to clear out a horde?  The Pokemon would be the ones doing most of the fighting.  Being infected is a very real threat...

"Do you know where in the city your Pokemon are?"  The fairy's eyes move from Dean's face to Diantha's for a split second.

I hope so.  If not, we either must search the city together, which will take forever and they could die before we find them, or we split up, which would be riskier.

"Between all of us, we should be able to clear out the horde." Justy kept by Dean's side as he pulled out one of his pokeballs, trying to offer the upset blonde some kind of comfort. "At least we'll be able to recover the two from your team, right?"" Diantha seemed to have finally understood Dean's mood and tried again to offer assistance, though this time in a far less controlling manner. "I agree.  We should be able to handle mostly anything." It wasn't the horde the Breeder was worried about, it was Phoenix's state of mind. She had been through so much in the last couple of months that between the horde, Kylie, and the two strangers behind him she was going to lose her mind.

"Do you know where in the city your Pokemon are?" Dean swallowed hard and nodded, pointing towards the other side of town. "We split up, she went to the ONBS building which is why I sent Storm that way. We should be able to meet them over there, hopefully without incident." He called Cira forth and she hovered dutifully before her trainer, the Volcarona's ember wings beating gracefully as she eyed him for some kind of sign, her wings drooping slightly as she sensed his oncoming depression. She was about to speak when he held up one hand to stop her as he took a deep breath, gathering his senses to try and calm down. "I'm fine, Cira. But the others may not be. We have to get to the other side of town quickly." The fire moth nodded and took up point, leading the way down the street towards the city square.

"Come on," Dean said stiffly. "Let's go find my Pokemon so we can find Kylie."



Phoenix was still angrily slamming tiny birds into walls when she spotted the big one touching down, his talons grabbing dirt as he attacked a swirling funnel of dust. And act which seriously pissed him off. The Talonflame screeched angrily as he beat his wings, dispelling many of the small dirt clouds in his way and eyeing the yellow Ninetales as though she had something to do with that nonsense. Fine. Whatever. As if to prove her challenge she hurled on of his own Fletchling at him and struck the large bird in the head with it, stopping a fair distance away and fanning her tails angrily. "Bring it bitch!" she cried out, the air around her growing hotter and beginning to form invisible waves. "You don't scare me you giant pigeon!"


"Wait!" Storm slowed down when she heard a loud yelp following the demon's voice calling for her. Whatever he hit it sounded like it hurt. "Where's Phoe? Is-Is she ok?" Sighing and cursing her own generous nature the Zebstrika turned around and caught back up to the strange creature following her, stopping just in front of him as he ran. "Calm down!" she cried out as he nearly ran into her, jumping back for a moment. "I am trying to find her too. I am guessing you don't see so well so if you need help getting out follow me. I am not looking forward to a building falling on my head."

The lightning pokemon moved quickly but this time made sure to not get too far ahead of her shadow as he creeped along behind her. It felt weird and wrong for something with eyes on the side of its body to be allowed to purposefully follow her but the guy needed help, and Storm wasn't the type to leave someone who needed help behind. As she broke out back into sunlight a swirl of sand awaited her, causing the zebra to choke and cough before getting her bearings. It was then she saw the neon fox in the distance challenging what looked to be a very large bird. She watched as the shiny got hit with a Wing Attack, but at least she managed a Payback in return. Still, it didn't look good.

"Phoenix! Hang on!" she cried out, wasting no time in charging her way forward and forgetting about a certain blue demon-thing stalking her. She came crashing into the fight with a Wild Charge and knocked the bird a good several feet away as its feathers crackled with electricity, the Zebstrika panting as she waited for it to get back up.

"The hell? Storm!" Phoenix hissed at her. "That one was mine you giant, horse-brained glory hog!" Storm huffed but for the most part ignored the insult, knowing that Phoenix's normal attacks were going to be weaker than usual due to this particular species also being a fire type. The Ninetales, however, was pretty competitive and wouldn't let it drop so she had to provide some banter to calm the fox down. "You're just mad I saved your ass," she teased back.
"Like hell. I had this."
"Uh huh."
"Shut up, I did!"
"Sure you did."
"Dammit Storm!"
"Just say thank you and we can get back to killing it, okay?"
"Bite me."
"Close enough."

"I agree. We should be able to handle mostly anything." Justy perked at Diantha's optimism, confident that they'd be able to wipe out the horde, rescue the other Pokemon and find the little Vibrava in no time. The woman's Gardevoir seemed optimistic as well, which only added to Justy's certainty that they'd be successful. "Do you know where in the city your Pokemon are?"

Dean seemed to calm as they progressed to actually forming a plan on helping his pokemon caught out in the horde. "We split up; she went to the ONBS building which is why I sent Storm that way. We should be able to meet them over there, hopefully without incident." Once more he called out his impressive Volcarona, which seemed to slow and sadden at the sight of her distressed trainer. Dean waved off her concern, however. "I'm fine, Cira. But the others may not be. We have to get to the other side of town quickly." The fire moth nodded and took up point, leading the way down the street towards the city square."[/color] He turned to them."Come on," Dean said stiffly causing Justy's back to straighten. "Let's go find my Pokemon so we can find Kylie."

Justy nodded, rushing forward with the others. He released his own Sandslash in preparation of the horde, the quick little sand rodent running easily along beside him. "All right, Sandy," he spoke evenly, his voice calm even in the crisis. "There's a lot of avian walkers. You're going to need to use Stone Edge, but sparingly. You can't use up your whole pool of them. Just wait on my mark and focus on clusters rather than individuals."

It wasn't far into the town where the others were, the Volcarona leading the way. But as they came upon the fight, Justy's eyes didn't go to the blindingly yellow fox, nor the Zebstrika-- not even the flock of Undead they were fighting. No, he immediately spotted a blue shape he'd never seen before. It could have only been a pokemon, with its shaggy mane, long horns and the strange eyes on its side. But what the hell was it?!

"What IS that?!" he cried, grabbing something -anything- to throw at the odd, menacing creature. His hand quickly found something, however, and he threw it with all his might: a Luxury ball.

An empty Luxury ball.

The ball flew true and hit the thing on the side, where it was dissipated into red light just as a dissolving Flechinder swooped for the blue thing, missing it completely. The ball shook once and then stayed still.

He'd... captured it?


"Calm down!" the black and white blob cried, jumping out of the way just in time to not be headbutted in the leg by Asche's giant skull. He teetered on his paws, his eyes once more shut firmly against the bright sun that was already managing to hurt. Jesus, what was that thing made of?! "I am trying to find her too. I am guessing you don't see so well so if you need help getting out follow me. I am not looking forward to a building falling on my head."

Asche peered an eye open carefully to see the blob leaving him, to which he quickly skittered after her, occasionally knocking into one thing or another. Jeez, he didn't remember this much garbage everywhere... Then again, he'd been able to see all the piles and had the ability to maneuver around them. Man, he missed seeing things. But soon his guide stopped again and he flinched as he felt the sun warm his entire pelt. He was completely exposed... and blind.

"Phoenix! Hang on!" Asche flinched at the cry, unable to look around himself for Phoe and whatever was giving her issues. His tail twitched dangerously behind him as he tried opening his eyes to see even a little of what was going on, but to no avail. The pain caused him to shut his eyes again and hiss in pain, shaking his head to rid himself of the throbbing in his eyes. But over the screeching of the bird pokemon, he heard Phoe.

"The hell? Storm!" the Ninetales' voice snapped out over the sound of the battle. "That one was mine you giant, horse-brained glory hog!" There was a moment between the two females before Storm -what Asche could have only guess was the blob- replied cooly, "You're just mad I saved your ass."
"Like hell. I had this."
"Uh huh."
"Shut up, I did!"
"Sure you did."
"Dammit Storm!"
"Just say thank you and we can get back to killing it, okay?"
"Bite me."
"Close enough."

Though the witty banter was funny, Asche couldn't help but cower in place as he could only pray one of the Undead didn't come for him. It'd only be a matter of time, though--

"What IS that?!" a voice cried, horror and terror saturating the words. Asche flinched; he knew that meant someone likely spotted him. He turned toward the sound, still unable to see, and hissed, his dangerous tail coiled around him like a snake. But though he was ready to defend himself against an attack, the only thing he did feel was a quick sharp pain in his side... and then nothing.

[[Phoe, bby, let me know if I need to change anything]]

Picard sat in quiet meditation, still paying heed to the many beings outside. After initial defenses went up, they all seemed to be getting along in calm conversations. That was good. There was never enough of them that sought out peace instead of tearing each other to pieces over something trivial. He had heard many come and go in his small, arid sanctuary, and he was content at keeping it that way. This new world...he had no place in it. Not when the uninfected were worse than the walking dead.

"Get the hell out of the way!" A female voice roared, before the sound of flames erupted, accompanied by the screeching of hundreds of screeches. The wartortle leaped to his feet, at the dirty window within a second. He peered out, watching as the group scattered under the protective flamethrower that was engulfing a flock of birds. Below, he heard a thudding of hooves dashing into the building, followed by a large cloud of the attackers. Picard grimaced and pulled himself away from the window, sidling the wall as he contemplated his next move. Below the angry bellows of a tauros sounded with heavy thuds accompanying them.

With a quick hiss, he dashed down the stairs.

___________

SNAP!SNAP!SNAP!
Pyths' tails snapped hard against his back, knocking the black and red birds off of him, only for more to replace the fallen. Bird bones crunched under his hooves as he thrashed around, running from room to room in an effort to thin the flock out. Flames launched themselves at his face as they narrowly grazed his horn and ear. Soon, the others began to follow suit, streams of fire pouring out of the tiny beaks. Soon, the room and its' furniture were ablaze, with the flames licking at his thick hide. Without hesitation, he rammed himself through one of the burning walls, scraping himself along the holes' edges to rid himself of the pests still attached to him. A bellow escaped him as he felt the searing fire burning the right side of his thick mane, eating right into his skin. But it was quickly quashed when a blast of water rushed down the stairs and through the entire bottom floor rooms. Pyth threw himself into the flood to put himself out, before crushing the avian infected that remained, thrashing madly in the water.  Panting, he tread to the foot of the stairs and gazed up, to meet the gray eyes of the furry-eared turtle.

"Many thanks, friend."

(feeling shitty today, sorry for hte lack of color)

(I'm sorry to do this twice in a row but please skip me.)

"We split up, she went to the ONBS building which is why I sent Storm that way. We should be able to meet them over there, hopefully without incident."  

Hopefully.  That's the key word, now isn't it?  She watches as he pulls a Volcarona from his pocket, watching the majestic bug move to ask Dean something, a question he deflects before she even gets to ask it.  "I'm fine, Cira. But the others may not be. We have to get to the other side of town quickly."  

She sure wastes no time, beginning to lead onwards.  Dean follows, flickers of his expression screaming about his strained state of mind despite his steady, if not rigid, voice. "Come on. Let's go find my Pokemon so we can find Kylie."

I sense he's worried about something else.  Maybe something besides potential undead.  Bandits, maybe?  Or something else?  Her eyes catch Cosette's pink ones as they fall in step behind Dean.

Something's up.  She doesn't have to speak the words for Diantha to know her thoughts.  The Champion gives her fairy the barest of nods.

We will have to be on our guard maybe more than I thought.  Something is out there that he is wary of, and we don't know what it is.

Dean followed Cira's ember scales as they dusted the path the moth had taken, his run nearly matched by Justy as they chased after her. He took a few glances back to make sure Diantha was following alright but couldn't bring himself to slow down knowing Phoenix was most likely in trouble. He wasn't going to let the young woman out of eye shot though, in case she needed assistance. His best hope was that Storm had found her and using her electricity to her advantage against the feathered horde.

It took only a matter of minutes to reach the other side of the square but to Dean it felt like an eternity, and when they arrived he felt his stomach drop. They were covered in flapping heathens and it seemed Storm and Phoenix were currently challenging a massive Talonflame. As Phoenix and Storm bickered the large avian rolled back onto it's feet and let out a god awful screech, alerting the females that it was prepared for another assault, and they immediately snapped to attention. Dean ushered Cira forward with a Heat Wave, her intense flame easily burning through the smaller fire birds despite their typing and clearing a path for her trainer to his Pokemon. Storm moved away from Phoenix and let loose a Discharge against the large beast, the electricity wrapping around the Talonflame and arcing through many of the smaller birds around him, popping them mid-air. Phoenix let out a wicked laugh as she blasted him with an Extrasensory, distracting him from targeting Storm as she readied another Wild Charge. Her hooves scored the ground as she huffed dangerously, rearing back as electricity danced around her fur, and went at a full gallop the instant he turned towards the Ninetales. He never knew what hit him.

Storm winced as she threw her full weight into the bird, his body more solid than she realized, but between her own bulk and the current running from her into the avian it stood no chance. It screeched in pain as its organs were fried by the voltage passing through his system, his brain turning to super heated jelly and dropping him like a rock. The rest of the flock was easy pickings after that. Dean rushed to Storm's aid as she dropped to her front knees, the recoil of her attack hitting harder than she thought it would, and quickly set to work rubbing out her sore muscles so she could stand again. Phoenix shot Dean a beaming smile and trotted over to her human, rubbing up against him affectionately as he worked, and stuck her tongue out at Storm. "This wouldn't have happened if you had listened to me, mono-pony. I told you the big one was mine." The Zebstrika snickered, "You're just jealous I got the last hit in." "Damn straight!" Dean reached over and tussled the top of Phoenix's mane, shooing her away gently. "You're going to be more upset in a second," he warned her. "I uh....I brought some guests." Phoenix's playful demeanor changed instantly, hackles raising as she turned and saw two more humans and their Pokemon finishing off the rest of the birds.

"Oh HELL no!" Phoenix was seething. She already had a dinosaur, a cow, a bull, and a human on her mini adventure and now Dean was bringing two more?! This was not going to fly. There were so many people and Pokemon in Pyrite that the likelihood of attracting every horde in the region shot up exponentially. Not ok. She looked around at the group that was currently gathered and eyed them all individually. "Look, we don't have room for all of you and I don't have the generosity. Asche is the only one who gets to stay, the rest of you can get the fuck out." Dean turned to his Ninetales in shock as he heard her speak, not because of her rude outburst (which he had been expecting) but because of the name she dropped. "You found Asche?" It was like a switch was flipped as the yellow fox suddenly perked up, excitement clear as her tails waved. "I did! He's hiding around here somewhere, he went through some kind of strange evolution and hasn't been able to see well. Asche? Asche where did you go?"

When no reply came she felt an icy fear grip her heart, terrified that something had happened to him while she was busy protecting total fucking strangers rather than her best friend. "Asche?! ASCHE ANSWER ME!" She started to panic and ran to the house where she had stashed her blue friend, making Storm nervous when she saw it. "You mean the blue demon is your Absol friend?" Phoenix stopped dead in her tracks at the Zebstrika's words, charging back to her immediately and snarling. "You've seen him?! Where the hell is he then? What did you do Storm?!" The injured horse whined and tried to stand back up, pulling away from Phoenix's snapping jaws. "I didn't do anything to him! The building was starting to fall so I got him out, I didn't see where he went after I came to help you!"

A vision of him getting caught in the crossfire flashed in her mind and the fox went to the most logical conclusion, one of the newcomers had to have done something. "Which of you did it? Huh? Where is Asche you bastards! He's really easy to spot so one of you saw something dammit!" She stalked over to the group that came with Dean and sniffed around, catching Asche's scent. She paced aggressively back and forth as she tried to figure out why his scent lingered in one spot before suddenly vanishing, eyeing each human and Pokemon nearby. "Blue fur, long tail, eye markings on his side, probably a stupid expression on his face. Any of you seen anything like that? Hm? Better speak up before I start roasting feet." Dean stood up and walked over to his enraged Ninetales, resting his hand on her head. "Baby, come on, you don't have to be so aggressive-"

"The hell I don't!" Phoenix roared, cutting off Dean mid-sentence. "I just found him Dean! I can't lose Asche again! I won't!" The blonde felt a stab in his heart at her words, knowing that he would have to tell her about Kylie too, whether or not they found the Absol. She was starting to tear up she was so upset, frustration building to the point she thought she was going to explode. "He needs me..."

((The fight is over, any attacks should be wrapped up ^_^))

Justy dumbly made his way to the ball he'd thrown, picking it up as the battle died around him. What had he even caught? Was it infected like those birds dying for a second time around him? He turned the ball over in his hands as Dean went to his pokemon and Sandy returned to his own side. The Sandslash was rightly confused by the ball in his hand, as she didn't see any of the little indications for her own ball or her comrades'. "Justy...?"

"I-I..." he stuttered out, eyes still fixated on the Luxury ball in his hand. "I caught it..."

Perplexed by her trainer's confusion, awe and worry, she drew closer. "...What did you catch?"

"I don't know."

"Oh HELL no!" Justy turned at the cry, taken off guard by the sudden shriek. "Look, we don't have room for all of you and I don't have the generosity. Asche is the only one who gets to stay, the rest of you can get the fuck out." Uh-oh. Justy gestured to Sandy to withdraw from the fox, as to not further provoke Dean's livid Ninetales, and went back to Diana's side.

Dean balked. "You found Asche?"

Even though the fox had just been spitting venom and fire, she suddenly perked at the question, all nine tails wagging. That was adorable if she weren't terrifying. "I did! He's hiding around here somewhere, he went through some kind of strange evolution and hasn't been able to see well. Asche? Asche where did you go?"

Silence. She quickly panicked, looking around frantically. Justy felt his heart ache for her; first the little dragonfly, now this "Asche" person? "Asche?! ASCHE ANSWER ME!"

The Zebstrika nervously shifted her weight as Dean tended to her. "You mean the blue demon is your Absol friend?"

The fox was on the horse immediately, her jaws snapping and snarling. "You've seen him?! Where the hell is he then? What did you do Storm?!"

"I didn't do anything to him! The building was starting to fall so I got him out, I didn't see where he went after I came to help you!"

The fox whirled, eyeing them each in turn with a vicious snarl.  "Which of you did it? Huh? Where is Asche, you bastards! He's really easy to spot so one of you saw something dammit!" Justy frowned, but kept quiet, a nagging feeling in his stomach. He certainly hoped that weird thing he caught wasn't-- "Blue fur, long tail, eye markings on his side, probably a stupid expression on his face. Any of you seen anything like that? Hm? Better speak up before I start roasting feet." Justy's eyes widened and he felt all color drain from his face as his hand holding the newly filled Luxury ball tightened. Oh.... Oh no....

"Baby, come on, you don't have to be so aggressive-"

"The hell I don't!" The livid Ninetales roared, cutting off Dean mid-sentence. "I just found him Dean! I can't lose Asche again! I won't! He needs me..."

Justy heard little else but his heart in his ears. "I..." he began quietly, eyes looking down to the Luxury Ball in his hand. "Is this... him?" Though fear consumed him, he released the strange demonic pokemon from the ball, the strange blue creature materializing once more before them and beside the Ninetales.

Asche groaned as the disorientation quickly began to wear; it felt like he'd just come out of a poke ball, but that couldn't be right. His trainer was long dead. Maybe he'd just passed out a little while? He shook himself and hissed again at the bright light of the sun. "I didn't know what it was, and so I just... threw something at it," a voice he didn't recognize explained. "I didn't realize I'd thrown an empty ball until after it left my hand..."

"...Phoe?" Asche muttered, having to shut his eyes against the world again because it was still too goddamn bright. "Are-Are you there?"

(Fucking christ. Didnt' get a notification for this team and I've also been busy with forum stuff so please skip. I'll try to make up for it next turn)

Suddenly, it was quiet - quiet being there was a peaceful lack of screeching undead birds. The fight must be over. The cow wiped her forehead of it's sweat and dirt before looking to Basile.
"S'pose the coast is clear...." she muttered before leaning out of the cracked door. Yeah, the birds were mostly gone. She saw the others still in the plaza, with the addition of a Zebstrika, that shaggy blue and black thing from earlier and... four humans?! Sunshine's eyes opened wide. She hadn't seen humans since she left the ranch. Sunshine leaned back and signaled Basile with the swing of her chubby arm and clopped forward. Basile groaned as he fit through the tight doorway, scales scraping on the wood. Sunshine popped back into the sunlight, walking towards the group. Basile still kept cowered over, even as his scales struggled to unlatch from the many beams of wood.

"This wouldn't have happened if you had listened to me, mono-pony. I told you the big one was mine."
"You're just jealous I got the last hit in."
"Damn straight!"
"You're going to be more upset in a second. I uh....I brought some guests."
Sunshine looked to the humans, each of them very odd and somewhat unique. This guy who seemed to know the Ninetales seemed casual in comparison. Like any human that she would have suspected to find in this wasteland. His plain appearance was nice to see - very down to earth. The lady looked like she was one of those glamour fashion models and one of the other guys looked like he just ran down from the mountains. The last guy looked kinda normal.... A little dressed up for a zombie apocalypse but, what are you gonna do.
"Oh HELL no! Look, we don't have room for all of you and I don't have the generosity. Asche is the only one who gets to stay, the rest of you can get the fuck out."
"You found Asche?"
"I did! He's hiding around here somewhere, he went through some kind of strange evolution and hasn't been able to see well. Asche? Asche where did you go? Asche?! ASCHE ANSWER ME!"
As Phoenix went on freaking out about searching for this Asche guy -- wait, where DID the furball thing go? How could she have not noticed? Too focused on the humans.... She walked up a few feet away from the diving line between the two groups that just met up. Basile's booming footsteps coming to a halt. Neither had anything to say but to watch the scene unfold.

"You mean the blue demon is your Absol friend?"
"You've seen him?! Where the hell is he then? What did you do Storm?!"
"I didn't do anything to him! The building was starting to fall so I got him out, I didn't see where he went after I came to help you!"
Phoenix was just about on fire. Sunshine took a step back as she whipped around violently to the humans. Basile physically cowered at her sudden rage.
"Which of you did it? Huh? Where is Asche, you bastards! He's really easy to spot so one of you saw something dammit! Blue fur, long tail, eye markings on his side, probably a stupid expression on his face. Any of you seen anything like that? Hm? Better speak up before I start roasting feet."
"Baby, come on, you don't have to be so aggressive-"
"The hell I don't! I just found him Dean! I can't lose Asche again! I won't! He needs me..."

Sunshine watched the human's expressions, especially on Dean. He seemed to be just as much anguish as she was. This was a pretty heavily loaded situation. Well, good to know the Ninetales didn't just have a heart of pure unfriendly lava - at least to those she knew. Basile however, was shaken. If he had ears, they would be drooping to the ground.
"We'll find him.... He couldn't have gone far...." he offers quietly, like a child who's friend had just lost their stuffed animal. Sunshine looked up at Basile, blinking at him with a familiar tenderness. Basile looked back briefly, but then looked at the humans. One of them spoke up.
"I.... Is this... him?"
Asche came out of the Pokeball that the purple-haired hiker guy had in his hands, materializing from the red laser-light.
"I didn't know what it was, and so I just... threw something at it. I didn't realize I'd thrown an empty ball until after it left my hand..."
Basile grinned and whispered only loud enough to where Sunshine could conveniently hear.
"Yay, he's safe! I knew he was ok!"
"...Phoe? Are-Are you there?"

-----
[OoC: So sorry Abysswalker, didn't notice Matt was with the others.]

Okay. Apparently this town is just full of random strangers, like a shitstorm waiting to happen. First there was the horse bantering with the fox while they beat the shit out of the Talonflame, and then three other people-seriously, despite the fact actual humans had showed up, none of them were Rose-followed by a cow and a goddamn giant Tyrantrum...What the hell is up with this town? As the horde began to thin, Matt recalled Jules back to her ball; no way is he going to risk keeping her out, in case more annoying birds wanted to show up and start the fight all over again. He hadn't really been paying attention to whatever dynamic was going on between the Ninetales and her little misfit gang, but of course that turned out to be a mistake. Thank God he was going to avoid one of Athena's judgments for once, as the Gardevoir kept silent. She's definitely biding her time, though. I'll be getting the "you idiot" rant as soon as I think I'm in the clear.

"Oh HELL no!" the Ninetales shouted, obviously quite upset, and probably at him. He quirked an eyebrow in mock curiosity, wondering what the hell the Fire-type's problem was. How stupid do you have to be to start yelling after a horde passes through? "Look, we don't have room for all of you and I don't have the generosity. Asche is the only one who gets to stay, the rest of you can get the fuck out." Who is Asche, and why should Matt care? It wasn't like he was going to cry over not being allowed to stay in Syphilisville, though the missed opportunity to rest for a bit after traveling would suck. Maybe he can hitch a spot over in one of the outer buildings, where nobody would bother him and he wouldn't bother anybody. "That's so kind of you, princess." His dry response earned him another glare from Athena, but as fate would have it, she deigned to extend her mercy for now. By now, the Ninetales has gone into full panic mode; apparently she liked this Asche so much that she was willing to let them get out of her sight and probably eaten. What a great friend; she was now even turning on another Pokemon she knew. Get suspicious towards someone and tear out their throats, eh? Probably not the most ethical approach, but hey, this was an apocalypse and all. "Asche?! ASCHE ANSWER ME!" I hope she looks forward to more undead. At this point, Matt wouldn't be surprised to find that he was only a month into the end of the world rather than four years.

Of course, the logic of paranoia and panic dictated that Fire Bitch would turn to the rest of them, the "easier targets." "Which of you did it? Huh? Where is Asche you bastards! He's really easy to spot so one of you saw something dammit!" Easy to spot? She didn't even say what species, so no, not easy to spot, thank you. Was he magically supposed to know exactly how a missing stranger looked like based on a name alone? "Blue fur, long tail, eye markings on his side, probably a stupid expression on his face. Any of you seen anything like that? Hm? Better speak up before I start roasting feet." Matt surpressed the desire to roll his eyes. Ooooo, big scary Ninetales likes to throw her weight around. He'd dealt with a lot worse than her before, and Matt's not about to let some overly-aggressive, bright yellow mutt threaten him and complete strangers like she had every right in the world to do so. Besides that, he's never heard of a Pokemon that fit such a weird description. Athena looked faintly amused, which was probably due to the imagery of roasting feet rather than there being any genuine humor in a Pokemon going missing. Goddamn, he knew she was going to start taking tips from this random Ninetales, and that wouldn't be pretty. Before Matt can say a word, one of the other dudes spoke up; it was obvious from the get-go that he knew the Ninetales. "Baby, come on, you don't have to be so aggressive-"
"Baby?" Fucking creepy...that guy wasn't going anywhere near Athena, no way in hell. Maybe he knew that Ninetales a little too well. "The hell I don't! I just found him Dean! I can't lose Asche again! I won't! He needs me..." Well, that was a sudden change, and one Matt doesn't trust one bit. She wasn't going to catch him off guard with some random sob story, especially not after that little display of uncontrolled anger and physical threats. Sorry, but no. Fortunately for the fox, another one of the humans (some purple-haired weirdo Matt didn't recognize) seemed to have the lucky number for her missing pal. In this case, it was a lucky Pokeball. The creature released from it was...well, it was unfamiliar, very odd...and quite blue. That was definitely not a Pokemon Matt had ever seen before, but he could make out the faintest traits of an...Absol? Maybe? The shape of the head and the legs, and the scythe-like tail were the main points, but that didn't make it automatically an Absol. It'd been way too long since he'd seen one, and this thing was definitely not just an Absol. Absol don't evolve, though...it's gotta be something else. Unfortunately for Matt, Athena looked just as perplexed as he was.


(note: sorry for the shitty post, orz)

"Oh HELL no!"

Diantha and Cosette whirl around to spot the Ninetails with her teeth bared, both drawing back at the sheer hostility radiating from her.

"Look, we don't have room for all of you and I don't have the generosity. Asche is the only one who gets to stay, the rest of you can get the fuck out."

"That's so kind of you, princess."  The duo stare at the tall blonde man-- when did he get there!?

"You found Asche?" The shock in Dean's voice redirects their attention back to him, where he is gaping at his companion.

And just like that, her mood lifts so quickly it may as well have been catapulted upwards. "I did! He's hiding around here somewhere, he went through some kind of strange evolution and hasn't been able to see well. Asche? Asche where did you go?"

There is no reply.

"Asche?! ASCHE ANSWER ME!"

"You mean the blue demon is your Absol friend?" Cosette stares in horror as she stops and runs back, snapping her teeth at her teammate.

"You've seen him?! Where the hell is he then? What did you do Storm?!"

"I didn't do anything to him! The building was starting to fall so I got him out, I didn't see where he went after I came to help you!"

And now she suddenly whirls on them.  "Which of you did it? Huh? Where is Asche you bastards! He's really easy to spot so one of you saw something dammit!" Cosette tenses as she approaches, stepping near her human, figurative hackles raising-- her eyes begin to glow.  

"Blue fur, long tail, eye markings on his side, probably a stupid expression on his face. Any of you seen anything like that? Hm? Better speak up before I start roasting feet."

"Touch my human," she hisses in a barely audible voice,  "and I-"

"Cosette!"  Diantha glares at her.  She doesn't need to raise her voice for Cosette to understand the underlying warning.

Thankfully, Dean steps in, walking over to stroke his fox's head. "Baby, come on, you don't have to be so aggressive-"

"The hell I don't! I just found him Dean! I can't lose Asche again! I won't!"

Diantha watches as the rage on her fairy's face falters-

"He needs me..." 

-and dies.

An empath is a terrible thing to be, if a person wants to remain angry.

"I..."

Diantha and Cosette's heads snap around to stare at him.

No.
You idiot.

"Is this... him?"   And he releases a strange blue Pokemon from the pokeball.  The poor thing staggers in the bright light, confused and disoriented.  "I didn't know what it was, and so I just... threw something at it. I didn't realize I'd thrown an empty ball until after it left my hand..."

"...Phoe? Are-Are you there?"

"Well," Diantha begins, her voice flat, "now that we know he's safe and it was a simple mistake, I do trust you will properly release him from being bonded to that Pokeball, since he is in fact not yours and likely doesn't want to be."

"Right, Justy?" The Gardevoir fixes him with a look that could stop killer Combee.

"I..."
"Is this... him?"

"Justy no..." Dean whispered incredulously, bringing one hand over his mouth to hide his shock as the purple haired male pulled out a pokeball and and blue figured emerged from the light. Phoenix's reaction was one of petrified horror as she watched Asche's form re-materialize beside her, eyes wide as he cowered from the light. "I didn't know what it was, and so I just... threw something at it," Phoenix began a low growl as the man began to speak, slowly stepping in front of Asche as she stared Justy down. "I didn't realize I'd thrown an empty ball until after it left my hand..." She was about ready to launch a jet of fire at him when Asche's timid voice whimpered out from behind her.

"...Phoe? Are-Are you there?" At Asche's question her desire to protect her friend suddenly overwhelmed her desire to punish the asshat who caught him and she turned without a second thought, curling herself over the Absin once more and shielding his eyes with two of her long tails. "I'm here Blue, I'm here..." She draped her neck over his and hugged him as best she could, trying to ignore the growing pity in her heart at his new situation. Asche had been scared of Dean at first because he had bad experiences with humans, so how was he going to feel about being caught?

"Well," Diantha began, making Dean turn his sorrowful gaze away from Phoenix and Asche to pay attention to her. "now that we know he's safe and it was a simple mistake, I do trust you will properly release him from being bonded to that Pokeball, since he is in fact not yours and likely doesn't want to be." The blonde could see Phoenix tensing at the suggestion, preparing herself to dish out another verbal onslaught, and he knew he had to run some kind of interference or else the entire group would be at each others throats. "Right, Justy?"

"Hold on!" Dean called out. "Yes, it's true Justy screwed up again and did something bordering on unforgivable. But what we haven't considered is that he very well may have saved Asche's life by doing so." Phoenix lifted her head quickly and stared at her trainer like he had grown a tail. "Look at him, he can barely see in this harsh light. I don't know what kind of evolution he went through but it's obvious he is having trouble. Even my own Ninetales is having to shield him from the light, so do you really think he could have fought off the hoard attack in that kind of condition?" Even Storm winced as she realized she had basically led the kid out of the frying pan and into the fire when she ditched him after escaping the building.

"Asche," Dean said softly, turning back to the strange new Absol form. "Would you like to say anything about all of this? Maybe you could help us figure out what happened to you."

((Once the "Asche has been captured" crisis is over Dean will be more than happy to start a group dialogue so everyone can get to know each other lol. Just right now Phoe has demanded this is the most important thing.))

[[Wes' post count continued from Ilex]]


Asche's tense form relaxed a little as he felt the warmth and weight of his friend on him, allowing her to push him into a lying down position and she covered his face with her blessedly thick tails. Fucking sun. "I'm here, Blue, I'm here..." He forced himself to calm his nerves in the knowledge that if something bad were about to happen to him, Phoe would just burn the shit out of it.

Justy, in the meantime, watched the exchange with a sense of pity and guilt. He hadn't intended on catching the poor thing, much less in offending Dean more. "Well," Diana began, Justy's lavender gaze going to her, "now that we know he's safe and it was a simple mistake, I do trust you will properly release him from being bonded to that Pokeball, since he is in fact not yours and likely doesn't want to be." Justy flinched at the implication, his hold on the luxury ball in his hand tightening. He couldn't destroy this ball. Any other ball, sure, he would have gladly destroyed it to avoid more unpleasantness, but not... not this one. "Right, Justy?"

"Hold on!" Dean called out, halting the very quick rise in tension between everyone. "Yes, it's true Justy screwed up again and did something bordering on unforgivable." Ow. "But what we haven't considered is that he very well may have saved Asche's life by doing so." Justy blinked in shock, completely unprepared for Dean to actually defend him. It seemed his Ninetales shared his sentiment, as her eyes bulged out at him in a shocked stupor. "Look at him, he can barely see in this harsh light. I don't know what kind of evolution he went through, but it's obvious he is having trouble. Even my own Ninetales is having to shield him from the light, so do you really think he could have fought off the hoard attack in that kind of condition?" Justy blinked as he realized Dean was right and looked on this "Asche" with a newfound pity. He couldn't see. The poor thing.

"Asche." The Absin lifted his head at his name slightly, unwilling to disturb the tails that saved his eyes from the unforgiving sun. "Would you like to say anything about all of this? Maybe you could help us figure out what happened to you."

"I..." He seemed stumped. "...I'm... still getting used to the fact that I'm not trapped in the underground," he answered frankly. "...But... Is he... Is he nice? My last one... wasn't, so much..."

Though Justy felt any words on his part would only work to damage any chance he had of defending himself, Sandy came forward a couple of steps and offered the strange blue pokemon hidden beneath the yellow fox's body a gentle smile. "He is, sweetie," she answered warmly, and Justy felt his cheeks burn with his pokemon's earnest words. "He's real nice. Rubs the wrong way on some folk, but his heart's in the right place. Name's Sandy, hon. I'd love to actually meet ya."

---

"That took entirely too long, Wes."

"You're telling me. I was the one driving the entire time-- you were the one passed out in the side car for half the ride."

"Did we really have to make all of those stops, though? Especially since, you know, you robbed the armory."

"Haven't we had this conversation before? I could have sworn I just felt the weirdest deja vu."

Whiskey heaved a long, heavy sigh as he walked beside his trainer, glad to see the old sight of their hometown. It wasn't surprising that it was a complete disaster, but in comparison to how it used to look and now-- wasn't that much of a change. "Please don't change the subject. What if Jasmine or one of the Champions hunts you down and tries you for--"

"What if a meteor drops out of the sky and from its ruins rises a new alien lord and we all become its slaves for a thousand years of darkness?" Wes snapped back, both hands on the handle bars of his bike as he walked it into town. It was to keep the bike's natural roar from attracting Undead and pillagers, but it seemed that they were throwing caution back to the wind. "Look, they're not going to hunt me down. And if they do, I'll congratulate you from my prison cell."

Whiskey shook his head and weighed whether or not slamming Wes into one of these buildings was worth the risks it posed. "You're impossible."

The comment did manage to put a grin on Wes' face. "I know." But as they made their way further into town, the more they realized that they were definitely not alone. Wes leaned the bike against a wall, crouching down with Whiskey as they peeked around a corner to see an entire group of survivors. Wes blinked in astonishment at the sheer volume of living people and pokemon were gathered and the amount of mutilated bird corpses that surrounded them. "Looks like we just missed a party," he whispered to Whiskey, who shushed him in turn.

[[I'd like Wes and Whiskey to remain unseen for now, until Asche gets more settled in XD]]

The Wartortles' stoic gaze stayed on the bull, before nodding him. Slowly padding down the rickety stairs, he he surveyed the damage done. Ugly black and discolored walls were everywhere. Melted items, destroyed furniture. Well, there wasn't a doubt; he had to move on.

Pyth shook himself, and headed towards the destroyed wall that he came in from. Stepping onto the thirsty dirt of the city, he motioned for the wartotrle to follow.He hesistated for only a moment, gazing at the group not far from them. Humans.

The bull snorted in disgust, glanced at the turtle, then turned to the open path to the wild deserts and blazing sun. Picard watched the bull leave before following suit.

(this is my leaving post. I'm so sorry guys, I just don't have the muse for Pyth.)

The humans and other members continued their squabbling as Sunshine and Basile stood there. Well, they weren't really to get a word in edgewise. Sunshine stared at the group, and realizing how much conflict there would probably be if they stayed here. These people are a tense bunch, not something she or Basile needed to be exposed to. Maybe staying here wasn't the best option. Sunshine looked at Basile, signalling to walk over to the far side of the plaza. Basile obliged and walked over.

Sunshine explained they couldn't stay. Basile, in shock, asked why but Sunshine couldn't give him a direct answer. Instead she said that they did mention they didn't want them around. Basile, albeit sadly, agreed. Without really much of a goodbye since they couldn't get one in at all, they trugged toward the edge of town. They saw the bull running out of town as well and for the time being, his directional judgement was probably the best - so they followed him. Sunshine crawled up onto Basile's back, and Basile took off in a slow jog.

-----
[OoC: Leaving post. It's been fun, guys, I hope I could possibly come back some time. Just can't find muse for these two.]

Well, this is getting even more interesting. As the Ninetales shields her Absol-like friend from the blinding sun, rather than burn the purple-haired man who had caught him, one of the others begins to speak. She's a dark-haired lady wearing a billowy white cloak; something about her seems vaguely familiar, but Matt shrugs the feeling off. It's not exactly important compared to what's already happening...though it is pretty cool how she has a Gardevoir too. Hers surely can't have the lovable and dangerous personality of Athena.
"Well, now that we know he's safe and it was a simple mistake, I do trust you will properly release him from being bonded to that Pokeball, since he is in fact not yours and likely doesn't want to be." Ooo, icy. If Matt wanted to, he could have cut through the tension building up in the air. Athena might have looked serene beside him, but he knows that she could strike back with a brutal Psychic at any moment. Both of them are always prepared for the worst.

"Right, Justy?" The woman's Gardevoir gives this so-called "Justy" (the hell kind of name is that? His parents must have really hated their kid) a look that could have sent a demon running for its broodmother. She almost gives Athena's own death glare a run for its money; what is with Gardevoirs and being exceptionally scary creatures? Seriously, they make Gallades look like pathetic ragdolls. He immediately takes back that earlier thought about her not having the dangerous personality of Athena; Matt didn't need two fairies hellbent on showing off their impressive power and simultaneously destroying the entire town. He has a feeling that nobody would walk out of there looking pretty or, you know, alive.

"Hold on!" Creepy Dude's intervention comes at the right moment, seeing as how everyone else was five seconds away from strangling each other. That would have given him a time to ditch them without being noticed but eh, whatever. "Yes, it's true Justy screwed up again and did something bordering on unforgivable. But what we haven't considered is that he very well may have saved Asche's life by doing so." Matt and Athena meet each other's eyes again, a look of "what the hell is this guy talking about?" And what's so unforgivable about accidentally catching a Pokemon when you can easily release it at any moment? Damn, they're acting like this Justy guy murdered one of their own when all he did was make a dumb mistake that's about to be rectified. Yeah, that's real nice.

"Look at him, he can barely see in this harsh light. I don't know what kind of evolution he went through but it's obvious he is having trouble. Even my own Ninetales is having to shield him from the light, so do you really think he could have fought off the hoard attack in that kind of condition?" Huh. Looking over the likely-an-Absol again, Matt concedes that Creepy Dude is actually being pretty rational. The Pokemon hasn't yet had the tails of its Fire-type friend moved, so yeah, it likely wouldn't have any sort of luck against things that really liked to maim and kill. It looks like one idiotic mistake ended up being a stroke of luck for these people. "Guy's got a point," Matt says with a shrug; even if he's not fond of the way this group acts, or the nicknames the blonde guy uses, at least they weren't stupid...entirely. If there's one thing he can't stand, it's people who do dumb things even when they know those dumb things will get them killed, especially if he's caught in the crossfire of such choices. Nature is a petty bitch, after all. Even Matt can't appreciate the irony of dying because someone else was a total goddamn moron.

"Asche, would you like to say anything about all of this? Maybe you could help us figure out what happened to you."
"I...I'm... still getting used to the fact that I'm not trapped in the underground...But... Is he... Is he nice? My last one... wasn't, so much..."
He is, sweetie. He's real nice. Rubs the wrong way on some folk, but his heart's in the right place. Name's Sandy, hon. I'd love to actually meet ya."

Matt stays out of the conversation, seeing as he and Athena have absolutely nothing to do with it. It's nice and all that the conflict hasn't escalated to dumbass levels, but he has no interest in these other people. Some of the other Pokemon have already left, perhaps driven off by the Ninetales' threats or the group's tension, and he wonders if doing the same would be smarter than sticking around. Rose and Chris are still out there, after all...Well, they might know something about Rose, on the off chance she was around. It can't be that hard to miss a blonde girl with a Togekiss companion. That's assuming either of them are even still alive anymore, of course. Fuck. Okay, new plan-he asks these people about his sister, and if they don't know anything, then he's out of here by tomorrow morning. That's reasonable, and a lot better than being stuck here with no idea of what to do next. If any of them are Orre natives, then all the better-perhaps they could point out another potential place to search.