(ACE) The OLIVINE Team

"We don't even know if it'll work yet. Better to find out now than if we need it later." Cinder's argument was sound, and it as enough to make the Electrike feel bad for trying to talk his way out of it. His paws still worked the floor, uneasy, as this device was a completely foreign object to him and a starting point was hard for him to pick. "Come on! Do it for Arry; you know he'll love the experience." He would.. and, he had to admit to himself, he wanted to know what it was like too. Heat came flush to his face, shame washing over him again as he acknowledged attempting to miss out of such an experience because of his own shortcomings.

”I think I can get this open. The knob moves but the door is sealed by rust.” Mathias spoke of a sturdy steel door just to the side. What was behind it? Etincelle could only picture the room he had traveled to in the Battle Arcade, with wires, cameras, electronics, and that large generator that the Luxray had brought to life. Was that what he had to look forward to? Was that what he had to charge for this thing? With a rough swallow he prayed he had enough power within him, but Faux stamped his worries with a sharp, "Leave it." Relief was quick to wash over him, as misguided as it was, and he tried his best not to show his apprehension. "We need to get to the battery, or at least some wiring. The fastest route would be on the ceiling panel of the car itself."

Melanie stepped forward. Let it be an innate sense or a subtle cue but she could feel Etin's nerves and moved in to offer support. Sniffing about the the small space they had filed into she could smell the old, dank blood and grime Cinder had mentioned on the stairway. It was not overpowering or fresh, leading her to believe the fire type was simply being dramatic, but it was still worth noting. Even the heavy steel door gave off a scent of rust. Would the inside be any better? Her curiosity would remain, as after a quick nuzzle Etincelle stepped away from her to approach the elevator door.

"Inside huh?" He said awkwardly, his eyes widening at his own reflection in the intimidating heavy glass walls. His experiences with glass were limited and traumatizing, to say the least. His pink gaze shifted to Mel, the scrapes and scratches along her face and chest were a searing reminder of that day. What if he caused another explosion..? There was no using Dig to get out of this one. Placing a paw against the doors surface he pressed, wondering if the others expected him to open it. "Mathias, could you slide these open?" He asked awkwardly, shuffling back to allow the larger Pokemon more room.

Mathias looked around in that tiny room he opened. It was just cleaning supplies and nothing of note worthy in there other than a toolbox. He closed the door and moved over to where they needed him."Mathias, could you slide these open?" The doors looked pretty well dented from impacts and some gunfire but still strong enough to withstand a moderate amount of heat from fire. He wasn't going to melt it at all since it would be just an open invitation for any undead that could be wandering on the next floor. He put his claws into the left side and started to pull back on the door. It made a screeching sound like metal scraping on metal. Then again, it hasn't been oiled in a while so it would likely do that. With each pull, the door opened little by little. The noise it was making wasn't loud but it was enough to show it needed something to make it slide open easier. After a certain point though, the screeching stopped and it opened fine afterwards. So far though it was pretty dirty and dust flew up a bit. Other than that, it was pretty much what Etin needs to get to work on the elevator. This then brought the question, where's Arry at? Then hearing him saying up told him that he was in the next elevator over. This then brought a smile onto Mathias' maw. The kid is being adorable right now.

Bastet looked at Arry seeing him trying to make the elevator move. It reminded her of when they was in Saffron City and she was trying to make the elevator move. Mathias was a charmeleon back then but the moment with Arry was to hard to ignore. Maybe they was meant to be here after all. Though the tragedy in Under was a reminder that life is precious and how Mathias and the other described Forrik as a tough charizard who fought to avenge his fallen family. She was going to bring it up. She wanted to know more about Forrik. Who had contact with him. "I don't get it." She then talked with Mathias psychically to not disturb Etin from working on the elevator's electrical output. I know you guys said something about this Forrik when we was in the under but how long did you know him and how long have you been in contact with him? I'm not saying he did something to you but I just want to know more about him. I know you wouldn't tell me a lie but maybe we can ask them if they know of him.

Mathias knew that Bastet was wanting to know more and so did he but he doubts anyone left of Forrik's family was alive and even if one did survive, it would be to young to remember what happened. I wish I knew more but I did have contact with him for maybe a few moments. Glass and Cosmic knew more than I do and honestly, I miss them. Maybe they know but I doubt they would have anything to share. The Charizard looks back over to Arry and begins to smile a bit more. "Guys." He then points over to Arry. This was innocence in pure form. This was just like that day. It had to be like that day. No kid would even come close to Arry and Arry wanted to go up so much that he wanted to see the stars so bad. Mathias walked over to the other elevator and watched Arry but not disturb him from being adorable. If there was a human with a camera though, this would be a picture of cuteness.

"Inside huh?" The shiny Pokemon mumbled, the persuasion, or perhaps coercion, successful as he turned back toward the elevator.  "Mathias, could you slide these open?" He asked, likely needing the help though it could also have been a last ditch effort to change course. Resting on her haunches Cinder hunched her back as she waited, the lumbering steps of the Charizard enough to rumble the floor as he moved over to the elevator. Without much to add to the situation Cinder meant to take a small moment of rest, but the horrid and sudden shrieking from the elevator door was enough to send a nervous shock-wave throughout her body. Her eyes flashed wide and stared tensely at the doors as they slowly and forcibly rolled apart. Glass shouldn't make that sound. She thought tensely, but the thick panes did not seem at risk of breaking, and the metal framing them must have been whining from years of neglect.

Once a space big enough for the smaller Pokemon was made Faux ushered Etincelle inside. She followed suit as Mathias continued to pry and inscrease the size of the opening. While the fox was an intelligent one, her many years of life offering her many colorful experiences, there were some things she knew only in theory. Peering at the ceiling with a scrutinizing eye she spotted a panel that looked as though it could be moved. In fact, it was askew, perhaps moved in the past for this same reason. "Right there," she points, making sure Etincelle is paying attention. "There should be a thick cable and accessible wiring on the other side of that panel."

"Give it a surge and this thing should start working, if only temporarily." Faux's voice was muffled by the thick glass panes, and had she not been able to see the fox on the other side of the door Cinder would have thought her to be much further away. While the screeching door had finally been opened and silenced the air was not quite. Arry was pawing at the return elevator, his tiny feet tapping the glass desperately trying to spring it to life as he cried out to get it to work. "Up! Up!" Her face sat like a stone, as unresponsive as the machine he cried to. Would he be disappointed? She had hyped up the ride, but elevators were quick buggers, ending the journey scarcely after it began, and though the glass walls would allow him to see outside the day was still young and the stars would not be visible.

She watched quietly, waiting and watching for a moment where she could do something useful. maybe we should have taken the stairs. Despite her own argument they would have been faster, and their journey continued. Letting her eyes slowly sweep across the other Pokemon she wondered if Melanie felt the same way, or even Bastet. They hadn't or couldn't do much, and that reflected poorly on her. Should she say something? Having finished with the doors Mathias fell into a similar boat and occupied himself with watching Arry. He motioned to the rest of them as if they could not hear Arry's cries, his quite voice holding a level of elation Cinder wished she could share. Whether or not he wanted it to continue the fire type could not hold her tongue any longer, and needed something to occupy here tongue. "We're gonna be in the other one," she breathes, hoping they others were quick with the recharge. "Its gonna be pretty fast, but you wont feel the speed."

Etincelle really did not like this plan. Keeping his head held high he puffed out his chest to betray how twisted he felt inside, and boasted a faux confidence he hoped would inspire himself. Padding into the room Mathias had opened in a last attempt to change their course Etincelle hoped to find something he'd recognize or knew to be useful, but was disappointed to find a mishmash of humans objects that were equally as foreign to him. Resigning himself to his path the Electrike padded back toward the elevator as Mathias placed his claws for prying. The screeching, whining, grating sound of the glass doors was more than enough to send shivers down his spine, but it was Mel's shying away that made him concerned about the noise. Rushing to her side he assured her it was only surprising rather than dangerous, and remained there until Faux ushered him inside.

The space was small, not something he particularly liked in an unknown location, and being able to see through the primarily glass walls was heavily disconcerting. "Right there," the fox instructs while pointing to a seemingly arbitrary spot on the ceiling. "There should be a thick cable and accessible wiring on the other side of that panel." With the door fully open and the horrid sound at bay Etincelle called for Mel to join them, both for her sake and his. She needed much few paces than him to enter the elevator, though even before he turned his head Etincelle could tell she was anxious by the slow, ginger clicks of her claws against the floor. Moving to her side her nuzzles her gently as Faux continues unabated. "Give it a surge and this thing should start working, if only temporarily."

Gazing up at the ceiling panel the Electrike felt very small, as though it was impossibly far away and he was reaching for the stars. "Mel," he starts, about to ask for her assistance, but the fox was already ahead of him. She padded about, looking for the right spot when the electric Pokemon stopped her, and without missing a beat she bent down to allow him onto her shoulders. He clambered on, careful of any wounds he could spot of areas he assumed would be sensitive. As one unit the two Pokemon became a tower, the large fox stretching onto here hindlegs and even the wall to give the smaller Pokemon the height he needed. Pressing his snout against the panel Etin was surprised and relieved to find it moved aside without need for persuasion, and with the gentlest leap he could manage he popped through the opening onto the top of the car.
Unlike the rest of the box this area was not see-through, though Faux's description was more than enough to assist him. The massive mechanical structure situated above the center of the car had multiple thick cables, and a heap of smaller wires below them. He was no electrician by any means, and the functionality of wires was like speaking another language, but if the fox thought a surge would work he would not doubt her. "Here goes nothing." He mumbles uneasily to himself as he stuffs his paws into the heap and bites one of the thick cables. With no idea which one needed the energy he would just have to hit them all, and ignoring the awful taste in his mouth he let loose a Spark with a fair amount of energy pumped into it.

Melanie could hear the crackling of electricity, the humming sound echoing upward through the hollow shaft. How much of a charge would this massive machine need to run, and how much more would it need to stay going for their return trip? Dropping off of the wall to move away from the sound the fox flinched as the humming got louder, the sound turning to a persistent buzz about them as the entire room started to vibrate. Pacing about the space the fox would have thought it to be an earthquake were they not in the air, and she was right to panic if Etincelle's excited chirp did not ring down from above. "I-I got it. I got it!" His paws thunked about on the ceiling before he dropped back down in the car with a heavier sound. His smell had changed like that of grease and oil, but otherwise bared no ill will as he panted beside her. "We're going up!" He barked, his voice light with excitement as his small tails wagged.

Arry didn't understand why the elevator didn't work but when he looked at th adults staring at him. It made him feel that he might have went to wrong elevator. Cinder came over to him and told him so that he wouldn't be left behind. "We're gonna be in the other one," Oh, that makes more sense. Then again, this one might be for returning to the lobby only. "Its gonna be pretty fast, but you wont feel the speed." If he wouldn't feel the speed, then that would mean he's gonna feel nothing different. It would be actually fun to go all the way up but somehow he had a feeling that it's not that simple. As long as they get the bad pokemon out and it becomes safe for them to see the stars then they can return when the sun is setting. It made him all the more happy."I-I got it. I got it!" The sound of the machine turned on and it looked ready to go. Finally they can go up. "We're going up!" Yay, now they can go explore and see the stars.

As Arry gets onto the elevator with the others, he wonders how many times they'll have to go to another  elevator. If its multiple times then some might actually have different colors. At least for Arry, seeing different colors would be a start to something good. Yay! Lets go up!" Looks like there's buttons Though none of them was able to press them except for Mathias and Mel. It raised the question, how tall will he be when he becomes an adult? It was something that was a bit far but he hoped it wouldn't be that far away.

While Mathias and Bastet waited, Some stuff crossed Mathias' mind. Some of it actually reflected on his wild nature of his past. Why of all pokemon did he happen to be left behind with Leo? Bastet was the only who survived that hellish desert of Orre but he had this feeling that there might be another besides her. Only time will tell before they find a missing companion but it might not end well either. His thought was then interrupted by Etin. "I-I got it. I got it!" The sounds of the elevator engine activating was enough proof that Etin had succeeded. "We're going up!" Arry even reflected the excitement. Though Cinder was right that it would be a very short ride up, it would at least make it fun but hopefully nothing makes the elevator move slower than normal.

Bastet got on it and looked around seeing some of the stuff was replaced recently. Judging by the looks of it, it had to be some time ago but when exactly? It was hard to even know. She looked at Faux but couldn't bring herself to tell her that she isn't trying to make things easier but it was the fact she was trained to use those powers to detect undead in blind spots as well as behind doors and walls. "Can I tell you all something? When I was still an eevee, I always wanted to ride an elevator that would go even higher than the tallest towers in both Kanto and Johto. I wish I knew where that place was but I bet its a safe haven." It was wishful thinking but even then is anywhere in this world safe anymore? All they're surrounded by is death, decay, and undead that want nothing but their lives to join their growing numbers. No, she wasn't going to give up that hope of there being a safe haven. They all have to make it through this. Even if they don't see eye to eye, they're still fellow living pokemon. Bastet then looked over to Etin. "Thank you Etin, you're the best." The Eeveelution said with appreciation for his work on it.

Mathias walked into the elevator looking at the panel. It looks fairly simple and since he seen Zeke do it enough times to make it work, it shouldn't be a problem for him to press the buttons. "Thanks Etin, looks like we can make it up safely." Now the question is, how many floors will be still intact and how many may have collapsed into the one below it? If one is set up just right for them to climb up, then they can make the trip a little more easier.

Arry stared back at them, his eyes full of wonder as he realized he was being watched. Cinder beamed, her smile warming into an earnest one as their youngest made his way into the right elevator. Turning, Cinder thought to stop him as not to crowd the work being conducted, but her fears were quickly put to rest as Etincelle's muffle voice rained down on them. "I-I got it. I got it!" With a thunk he's back in the car, and letting her own voice boom along with a wave of her paw the Quilava cheered, "Alright, file in and lets roll out!" Ushering the rest of them into the car Cinder hopped in herself. She thought about giving Faux a strong nudge with her shoulder, or perhaps Etincelle for a good job, but she thought against it for better or worse.

"Yay! Lets go up!" Arry cheered, the close quarters not at all dampening his excitement as the crowd came in together. "Can I tell you all something? When I was still an eevee, I always wanted to ride an elevator that would go even higher than the tallest towers in both Kanto and Johto. I wish I knew where that place was, I bet its a safe haven." The fox turned a scrutinizing eye to the other vulpine. Would the wait not have been a better fit for small talk than filling the air on their short life? Taking in a deep breath the fox had no intentions of sharing her own thoughts, or dreams long dead, but she couldn't resist muttering, "Towers don't make for good safe havens; their escape options are too limited." She knew how hypocritical that sounded seeing how they were literally in the Battle Tower, but they didn't intend on going that high and wouldn't have to risk their only exit being cut off.

With another deep inhale the fox knew she was taking about a different place, and while tall this facility had obvious limits. Staring at the panel of light up buttons the fox knew minimally what humans used to represent numbers, but there was no need to guess when arrows edged the rows of buttons. "Mathias, could you hit the up arrow?" She instructs, twitching her face in the direction of the panel. Were they going higher than one tester floor she would be more concerned with knowing which button to press, but this was a trial run more than anything. "Don't be too close to the door." She warned, unsure if the safeties were still in place.

The elevator clunked and whirred, giving off a hum as it came to life. The floor shook ever so slightly, just enough to make the Ninetales step uncomfortably in place. Etincelle rubbed against her, a normally comforting action make worse by the strange smell that had smothered his scent after his venture. Her senses all told her this was a terrible idea; a small moving box that she would not see or move in? Hell no. But she forced herself too stay put, Etincelle's presence at her side, as Cinder ushered the rest of the Pokemon into their small vehicle. "Yay! Lets go up!" Arry cheered, not a trace of fear in his voice as his metal feet clicked against the floor. "Woohoo!" Melanie cheered, both trying to spread the small one's joy and squash down her own misgivings. She beamed, a light look to her face despite the unease in her gut.

As the rest of the Pokemon clustered around Etincelle could not stop wagging his small tail. He had done something good, and the excitement from it was palpable. "Can I tell you all something? When I was still an eevee, I always wanted to ride an elevator that would go even higher than the tallest towers in both Kanto and Johto. I wish I knew where that place was, I bet its a safe haven." A tower? This was the closest the Electrike had ever been to climbing a tower. Even his home in the mountains couldn't compare to these human structures and how perfectly vertical they were. "I bet you could see for miles." He mused, the whimsical thought playing before his eyes. A horizon, end to end, visible in all directions. It was a wondrous thought, and he could only hope the height they gained from this ride could be even a fraction as wondrous.

"Towers don't make for good safe havens; their escape options are too limited." Faux barked, bringing him back down to earth. He may not know the inner workings of human engineering but the hound could equate her statement to tall trees. Predators could just wait below for you to fall, descend, or die, unless they could climb or either party could fly. He shuttered at the thought, his tail coming to a firm halt. Missing the rest of what Faux said he turned to Arry, hoping to keep his own spirits high. "Don't blink! Cause its gonna be over in the blink of an eye!"

OoC)) Skip, Arry's getting excited and doesn't have any dialogue this round.

Mathias inspected the panel carefully. Despite it having not as much use after being replaced, it looked fairly decent though some minor dings in the plating was made but it seemed to be more caused by a hammer when they was putting it in. Other than that, nothing looked out of the ordinary. Everyone was on the elevator and it looked a bit cramped. Arry was excited as usual and his face shown it. The Charizard couldn't help but smile at this. This kid was braver than the rest of them. "Mathias, could you hit the up arrow?" Seeing that this panel only had an up arrow or down arrow that usually only gets used by staff, The charizard does so and the elevator begins to activate on moving. The sound it made was mainly common in all elevators, though a minor squeal of metal components moving from its state of dormancy of not being in use for some time had made itself well known to them. Regardless, it still worked and it moved which means they can use the elevator to get around from floor to floor.

Bastet listened into the sounds of the elevator and other than the known things being heard, nothing out of the ordinary was catching her attention. "Looks like we can get up to the other floors. What's the chances if we have to transfer to another elevator?" Now that she mentioned it, there was a possibility for that to happen. Not a great chance but there is a chance. Guess any other small talk will have to wait till they got done and back. "Elevator elevator take me to the sky. Where the pidgeys fly about all day." She began to sing a small song that she had sang since childhood. It was her way of enjoying elevators. Though those days was long gone, she still would keep that song as something of comfort.

Mathias looked at Bastet thinking she was a bit uncomfortable but that wasn't the case. She was having a good time. As the elevator reached its test destination which was the next floor, the charizard seen the hallway that was pretty good sized in width for them to actually dodge stuff if an attack was to happen. "What can we find on this floor?" Mostly they would need to see if there's a room where they could see the elevator control room to see which floors are available and which ones that was locked by the humans.

Mathias didn't protest, and with his superior height and deft claws easily pressed the button Faux had alluded to. The button lit up, much to her satisfaction, and was immediately followed up a shuddering of their car. It rattled, as if daring to come apart on them, and a horrid squeal of metal echoed in the empty chamber above them as the mechanism was forced to move after years of neglect. The doors slid closed, the screeching growing louder until they had fully closed. A whining could be heard above, followed by another forceful shudder that was enough to make the small Pokemon lose their balance, until the box finally began to move.  

Shouldering her way to the edge of the vehicle Cinder pressed her paws excitedly against the wall. "Arry quick, this way!" She called out to him, knowing full well he could miss it in an instant. The fully glass elevator had only a thin tinted frosting to keep them from seeing the world outside, likely for privacy, and once they lifted past it the outside would be exposed once again. This floor had a high ceiling, she recalled, and what little of the stairs she saw suggested multiple wrappings; this would be slightly longer than average, even if it was only a few seconds. As the car started to lift the fire type could already see the unfiltered light coming from the top and filling car as they moved past the frosting panes. "See!"

Faux did not need to move to the edge to see; the change in light was notice enough, and she already witnessed the outside world on the way here. "Looks like we can get up to the other floors. What's the chances we have to transfer to another elevator?" Bastet asked, her question valid and reasonable. "with any luck, slim to none." She stated simply before tilting her head back toward the other Pokemon. "With no other parties using them our car will remain on the floor with us. We should only have to transfer if the motor dies again and wont recharge." If they were quick, she thought, it wouldn't have time to discharge.

While the next floor up wasn't that high Cinder was enthralled by the trees outside. The Battle Tower was already raised, and as they moved up she could see the whole of the battle Frontier with ease. After walking around it the place seemed smaller than she imagined, with the remains of the Arcade a smoldering scar on precious dreamland. She shied her eyes away from it, the wonder lost, and did not have a chance to reconsider before the elevator dinged and the doors slid open with less of a creak than before.

Cinder braced herself, half expecting an sudden attack, but the place looked just as void of life and ransacked as the ground floor, and quickly relaxed her stance. Faux was quick to step in front of the group, her ears primed for any disturbances. "What can we find on this floor?" Mathias' question seemed like it was directed at Cinder, and she tried to reason and recall what would be here. "Well.. the battle floors are supposed to have a lot of rooms so you never know what you're walking into. This floor looks pretty open." Was that just to allow big groups and Pokemon to travel? It was hard to say; while there was plenty of windows this floor had more solid walls and was darker overall. "Its the first floor up. If its not for staff I'd guess its a waiting room for contestants who are already signed up."

It was like some sort of hell for Melanie. No, it was nothing like the Cafe, the Arcade, the Castle.. but the shifting floor, the screeching machinery, the hum of electricity, it was enough to turn her legs to jelly. No one else seemed upset or even remotely off-put, but as the car shifted and started to move Melanie found herself crouching closer to the floor both out of fear and in need of stability. Etin's comforting touch disappeared from her side, sending hurt through the fox when she clearly needed support, but she could hear the awes and gasps he gave as he looked through the unobscured glass. She did not fault him for wishing to look but.. It was a sight she wished she could experience, no doubt, but perhaps any sight would have made this more bearable.

With an obnoxious ding the cube came to a rough and uneven halt, and another creaking, aching squeal played as the doors slowly rolled open. Etincelle peeled himself away from the sights of outside, and with only a quick brush of his head against the fox to tell her it was time to go hurried them out of the car. Faux was moving cautiously, he noticed, but Cinder was much more lax. She walked out and bit away from them as she answered Mathias' question, and Etincelle was again surprised at these socialized Pokemon's knowledge. "Its the first floor up. If its not for staff I'd guess its a waiting room for contestants who are already signed up." An entire floor for waiting? Did that mean this wasn't their true destination, there would be no medical supplies here?

As if suddenly recalling something he had forgotten Etincelle thrust his head back violently to look at Melanie. She hobbled out of the elevator, her splint painfully noticeable to him now. How had he forgotten her injury, even for a moment?! Rushing to her side her placed himself beside her, nuzzling the fox in a forgiveness seeking gesture. How could he be so stupid, so insensitive? But Melanie gave no indication of her true feelings, her reactions giving away nothing as she limped forward and sniffed the musty air. "A waiting area? Sounds like a good place to find a backpack or a bag of some kind." The hound's pink eyes lit up. She remembered his suggestion? The idea had left his mind already, gosh he was losing it, and it was enough to bring a smile to his maw. "Yeah! The more we can bring back to base the better." He cheered, finding a new hope for the floor.

Trudging forward he moved slowly to ensure the fox could follow with steady steps. There was an array of couches and screens, the floor being mostly an open floor plan with minimal doorways for them to access. If Cinder's warning meant anything its that they wouldn't find much here if anything at all. And, as he had been painfully reminded, they had other priorities. "But, if theres no medbay, we probably shouldn't stay on this floor too long."

OoC)) Skip. Mathias and Bastet are moving with the group and keeping cautious.

The other Pokemon started to move out of their vehicle and onto the floor, and while Faux's ears were primed for noise she heard nothing aside from their personal shuffling. Wasn't this redundant, she thought, to have a second waiting after when they had the base floor? Perhaps this was for those who had already signed up, a holding zone to stagger out the battles. If it was meant to hold multiple people and Pokemon, could it have been used in todays world as a temporary bunker? "A waiting area? Sounds like a good place to find a backpack or a bag of some kind." Mel pondered, her idea not far from the hopeful mark. "Yeah! The more we can bring back to base the better." The further forward they walked the more this room felt like a small airport to her, all the chairs and benches, broken up arbitrarily for privacy or groupings. In some way it brought up ancient memories of times long past, but she gave no indication of that as she continued to listen and scent out the area.

"It's as good a place as any to look for lost items." She agreed with them, though she knew their scavenging venture had only just begun and had yet to bare fruit. Padding close to a row of connected chairs the fox nimbly hopped on top of them for just a bit of additional height. The padded seats were stained and slightly sticky against her paws, but the fox ignored it as she leaped again onto their backs and continued to scan the room. "But, if theres no medbay, we probably shouldn't stay on this floor too long." Etincelle's words were riddled with worry, as though he feared staying in one place too long. No, the Vulpix realized, he wanted to find their supplies faster than anyone. The concern for his partner was admirable, but Faux knew a thorough, though not extensive, search would aid them most in the long run.

Cinder paced around the seats and sturdy tables, checking on top and beneath them for anything of interest. Discarded food packaging was abundant on this floor, something they didn't see below, and she wondered if there was a food store here as well. Somehow she doubted it, as the place didn't look like a safe storage anymore for whatever had been eating here. "There might be one on this floor, but it's probably purged given the look of this floor." She responded to Etincelle dryly, her gaze still sifting through the refuse. "Cinder? What's this? Arry's small voice caught her attention. The young Pokemon had stayed close to her, it only took a few paces for her see what he was talking about. "Also what's this brown stuff?" He asked a follow up question before she answered the first, but nestling in beside him she rolled the bottle over with one paw. "It's a soda bottle from the looks of it." She explained, thankful the bottle didn't have the horrid reek of liquor coming from it. "And the brown stuff's the soda. Its a sweet fizzy drink humans were crazy about. They put bubbles in it so it felt silly on your tongue." There was no denying she loved it as well, but it had been numerous years since the Quilava had enjoyed any sort of human confection, and she doubted any that survived to this day would be a positive experience.

Yet, even if it had spoiled, it begged the same question as earlier if there was food stowed away here. "There might be a soda machine nearby, though it wouldn't be any good if anythings left." Just saying the words out loud reminded her that while they had a priority to get medicine food was just as prevalent. If there was something to gain here, they should take it, but Cinder still couldn't convince herself. We've been lucky so far. The berries they had gathered had been abundant and safe, leaving no one hungry. If they found old human stuff here, would it even be safe to eat or worth taking back?

Faux had spotted something shiny among the waste on the floor. Trotting over to it she nudged papers and debris out of the way to find an ultra ball. It was open, cracked and clearly broken, and lay alone with no other Pokeballs around it. Was it lost, forsaken, abandoned, had the Pokemon survived, remained, revived? It was a story for the lost, one she would never know, and she turned away from her find empty pawed. Sniffing around, moving aside trash and other waste, she noted this floor was more filthy than rampaged. Sure, the occasional blood stain splattered the floor, and the seats had been clawed up, but the actual filth strewn about was trash rather than mess. A hat lay under a crumpled newspaper, and Cinder's voice rang through her ears about carrying supplies. "Anyone see any packs?" She asked, already itching to get back to the elevator.

Etincelle moved at a quick trot, his body staying close to the wall and barely in range of Melanie's touch. He didn't know what he was looking for, outside of bags and medicine of course, and moved quickly in search of anything that may catch his eye. His short venture along the wall brought him to door, locked or at least jammed shut, and the Electrike considered asking Mathias for help tearing it open. But before the words could leave his mouth the small Pokemon took in a breath and was hit with the same putrid scent he had smelled back in the Battle Arcade. It was nauseating, dizzying, and quickly brought up other negative feelings as he painfully recalled that hell of a building. With a small whine, he moved away from the restroom, and a quick snuffling sneeze from Mel told him she remembered the last one as well.

"There might be one on this floor, but it's probably purged given the look of this floor." Cinder responded to his question, and while he did not know much about the structure and layout of human buildings he was confident that they wouldn't put an infirmary beside the latrines. Continuing to trot he allowed his eyes to travel upward, and high on the walls he saw screens eerily similar to the Battle Arcade space sporadically around the area. Was this another viewing area, a sigh of another death roulette? He shuddered at the thought; they would not survive that again. "Anyone see any packs?" Faux asked, and despite his search for anything useful the Electrike had to shake his head no. "Negative," He confirmed dryly, "this floor seems like a bust."

Melanie took a few paces beyond him, her sensitive nose catching a whiff of plants. The further she went the more it seemed like a phantom scent, as all she picked up was the musky order of the room and the dry, earthy scent of a long dead plant. Reaching forward with a delicate paw she felt the crunchy leaves and shriveled stem crumbled beneath her gentle touch. Just the thought of how dry and wasted the plant was was enough to parch her mouth. "Cinder?" She asked, hoping her question was not too far off base. "Would one of those machines also have water in them?"

Arry looked at the bottle a bit more as Cinder told him what it was. "It's a soda bottle from the looks of it. And the brown stuff's the soda. Its a sweet fizzy drink humans were crazy about. They put bubbles in it so it felt silly on your tongue." Soda? Not exactly his favorite but it was tasty. Once they got past some more chairs it was then they seen some blood. What could have happened here? Why was there blood on the floor and what bad pokemon could have done this? Arry was a little scared but he was with Cinder and the others so they could keep him safe. "I'm getting scared a little Cinder, but I'll be brave so we can see the stars."

OoC)) Skip, I'll edit this once I'm more available tomorrow. I have Family over that I haven't seen in a long time.

Arry didn't seem as jazzed about soda as she had expected, but Cinder could only assume its because he didn't know how glorious it really was. A shame, as any experience nowadays would surely not meet expectations. "Come one, lets see if we can find the machine." She cooed, leading the child remissfully down the the adjoining hall. It really narrowed out the space, and while her mind was trekking back to a time of sweets and fizz, any light dreams Cinder had brought up faded in an instant as the texture beneath her paws changed. Their filthy room turned to trauma as bloodstains smeared large portions of the floor beyond, the hall acting as a threshold between clean and killing rooms. "I'm getting scared a little Cinder, but I'll be brave so we can see the stars." Arry said meekly, his voice grounding her back into reality. That's right. This place has been too quiet. She had been foolish to walk so carelessly with Arry beside her. The signs of death and invasion were clear from the start of their exploration, and if she were to forget that again for even a second there would be blood on her paws.

Making a quick half circle Cinder physically blocked the child from walking or seeing further with her body. "Don't worry Arry, nothing will get you while I'm still kickin'." She said with an upbeat tone, though the words were more of a promise to herself than the Aron. With her body repositioned and eyes now pulled away from the floor Cinder noticed a small alcove in the wall. Her eyes widened, shocked to find a row of vending machines tucked away. "Well I'll be damned," she muttered quietly, motioning to Arry to follow as she approached the machines. They were dusty and beaten, like everything else on this floor, but more importantly they already seemed looted. Two were pried open, the inner workings exposed to the world with no spoils remaining, and another had a massive hole with radiating cracks in its glass panel. Standing on her hindpaws the Quilava burst her flames up even higher and peaked into the cracked machine. Tucked in the back were a small handful of bottles, precious, life-giving sustenance that had either been out of someones reach or kept safe for later.

"Cinder? Would one of those machines also have water in them?" Mel's voice called out toward her, and with a massive grin the Quilava called back, "It very well might!" If she had a tail boy it would be wagging right now. "Arry, pull out the bottles Im about to toss down from the flap on the bottom here." She instructed while lifting the flap on the machine. With a leap she squeezed her long form through the crack and into the cramped, coiled rows. With delicate claws and extreme dexterity the weasel was able to hook and drag the five bottles forward. Three waters, two sodas, and odd spread considering the value of clean water but she was not about to complain. They clunked and dropped to the bottom below, and she awkwardly shifted to drag herself back out of the machine. "Let's take these back over, kay?" She cooed, grabbing several in her arms as the pair made there way back and away from the bloody zone.


"Negative, this floor seems like a bust." Faux couldn't help but feel disappointed, but she had began to expect as much as none of them turned up anything of note yet. She nodded in acknowledgment, her own trek continuing as she looked for tossed or discarded items that could be used to carry things. Cinder seemed to have found something, and while she would ask a normal Pokemon what it was she knew the loud gal would tell them soon enough. Striding past what looked like a trashcan something caught the fox's eye. It was a black string, practically invisible in the dark corner, and she dragged it forward with a careful hook of her claw. As she pulled it from the shadows Faux vaguely recognized it as a drawstring bag, something simple enough that even her paws could manage it. Excellent.

Quickly moving to wedge it across her body she heard the Quilava call out, "Alright, so far we've found some drinks!" Her loud voice was enough to make Faux cringe, but she said nothing of it and instant sought to move them forward. "They can go in here," she instructed, tugging her bag open. Cinder dropped her bottles in without a second thought, and with one last look at the bloodstained floor got enough chills up her spine for one location. "Alright, we should move the next floor."

Etincelle hurried back to Mel's side. He could almost laugh, almost make a joke about how, after waking in a pond, he would think she never wanted to see water again. But he wasn't in the mood for jokes, nor would he deny the critical value of water even after such an experience. It was food of life, after all. "It very well might!" Cinder called from the far end of the room, her voice extra cheery as a clunks and clanking sounded from that direction. Had she found something of note? He thought to ask but knew the loudmouthed Pokemon would tell them soon enough either way, and instead he sought to gently nudge and usher Melanie the other direction and make their way back to the elevator before any protocol was given.

Melanie shuffled her paws, the smaller Pokemon's gentle touch confusing her by simple implications. Were they leaving, had she missed some visual signal? The tension in the room felt the same, the small amounts of noise they were making unchanged if not increased as she turned herself around to head back. Or was it unrelated, such as a well in their way she had not noticed that Etin was was leading her away from? The fox dared not question it as it did not matter. Moreso, she only made it a handful of steps before Cinder's voice was elating, "Alright, so far we've found some drinks!" Her own maw parted in a delighted smile. No matter what said drinks were it was relieving to know they had something to show for their efforts as well as quenching her thirst. Her tails swished, and she asked, "Water.. among them?" as the Quilava did not specify for her.

The fire types packed the bottles away, any sort of celebration quickly cut short as Cinder announced, "Alright, we should move the next floor." While the Electrike thought it strange that she would wish to move on after finding spoils, he had already found this to be the best choice of action and did not protest. With an affirmative nod he gave Mel another nudge, and while he did not think she needed his guidance this time he took his place at her side regardless. Somehow, heading back into the small box felt all too soon and short compared to the tentative steps outside, and making sure Mel was settled and safe he asked cautiously, "Are we checking every floor? What if we went from the top down?"

"Bring it here," Faux instructed as the last two Pokemon rejoined the rest of the group. "Theres enough room for one more." Truthfully, the one bag was quickly growing too heavy and would be awkward to carry, but the fox was not about to burden another Pokemon with it until they needed to bring more items along. Mathias commented on the dryness of the floor, and while Faux was not surprised by that she found herself bristling at his other commentary. "Perhaps its me but it looks like someone could have moved them to another floor. It did look like there was some sort of skirmish here since there are blood spots and some bullet holes as well. Likely the army was here though so chances are they got it up on a higher floor or a few more floors up."

With a heavy sigh the fox barely held back a roll of her eyes as she sat squarely within the elevator car. That was twice now their newcomers brought up an army, and unlike the first time she could not be hopeful and assume the simply meant a group of Pokemon survivors. "No army would have come to this place, and it certainly wouldn't be in this sort of state if they had." She growled, shutting down any nonsense before it panicked the rest of her team. "However, there are signs of habitation, human and otherwise, and in that case its highly likely that the lower floors have already been plundered." They would be easiest to get to, even for others only passing through, and despite their party going deeper still it took a brave soul to so deep into the unknown when profit was not assured.

"You are right though," She followed up a bit more lightly, the sternness relaxing from her cold voice. "If anything had camped here and made a stockpile it'd be upward. Likely in a spot that offered something to them, like the medical room we need." Breathing in Faux steadied her nerves. She should not snap at such hapless comments but unneeded panic and unrest could be the death of them all.

Cinder could see the stress on her partner's face, and while she wanted to offer some sort of comfort she couldn't think of anything that wouldn't cause more harm than good. Even her discovery had sparked minimal excitement from both the Vulpix and the group. Her face twisted into a sour expression, frustration settling her belly as the Charizard continued to speak. Cinder nearly tuned out, but the end forcibly caught her attention. "--If only he was still around and didn't die so soon..." He? The single word, this alleged 'he' was enough to make her skin crawl. The only Pokemon Cinder knew of that was relevant to the pair was that blasphemous undead, and she did not want the misfortune of knowing what that bastard was like alive. Mathias probably wasn't referring to him, but she didn't want to know and wasn't about to ask.

"Are we checking every floor? What if we went from the top down?" Etincelle asked, his question echoed by Mathias' prior statement. Cinder thought on it for a few moments. It was definitely an option, especially with how frequently this place should have healing areas, yet she just couldn't find it in herself to agree with the hound. "Theres too many floors to go from the top down, and what we want will be relatively low anyway." Relatively being a strong word here, as any number of them could be raided by the looks of the last two floors. Plus one of those places being the 'camp' was another story, but even that being on the top seemed doubtful. "I don't know about the prior survivors, but I don't think they'd move everything up that high. After all, they might not have had a way to move the elevator, or didn't trust it, and would be going on foot."

As she spoke Cinder stretched, reaching her long body up the wall to relax her spine. A whimsical beep sent a tingle down her spine, and she realized she had managed to reach one of the control panel buttons. "Ah shit," she cringed aloud, the action accidental but not detrimental. "We might skip a floor here, but we at least we're goin' up."

"If anything had camped here and made a stockpile it'd be upward. Likely in a spot that offered something to them, like the medical room we need." Etincelle nodded agreement, the fox's words as logical as ever. "Probably safeguarded too, even if its just the number of floors between it and the ground." Mel continued to reason, though the hound worried that meant breaking in to some place. He may have boosted the elevator but he was not confident enough to open ever electrical threshold, nor were they in any condition to bust their way in to some stronghold. As Mel settled in the elevator Etincelle looked on with worry; she lay awkwardly, going to far as to place her belly on the floor and her wrapped limb stretched in front of her.

Moving to her bad side he placed himself as a furry barrier, making sure no one could accidentally step on her wounded limb once the elevator shuddered. Placing his paws square he made sure he would not be the one to do so either, and readied himself for another short venture. "We're gonna go a little higher," he cooed to Arry, and nudged his head to suggest going to the window. "Theres too many floors to go from the top down, and what we want will be relatively low anyway." Cinder answered his prior question, and but unlike Faux he was not satisfied with her answer. "I don't know about the prior survivors, but I don't think they'd move everything up that high. After all, they might not have had a way to move the elevator, or didn't trust it, and would be going on foot."
"If they had no reason to leave they could stay up top." He argued, knowing full well the how, the crux of that argument was an immensely important answer he did not have. "Or even just a couple floors if they had a proper barricade to keep everything out."

"You saw the first floor." Melanie countered, her voice sullen and surprising the Electrike who knew she did not see the floor. "If something.. if a bunch of somethings was intent on ransacking the place then this blocking themselves in idea would be what spelled their demise." Without a means to escape, with a deadly fall on all sides, with too many floors to travel up to a dead end.. it made the fox shudder just thinking about it. Their sanctuary would become their tomb. What a horrible way to die, and one she almost fell victim to. "Ah shit," Cinder cursed as the machine chimed and whirred to life once again. "We might skip a floor here, but we at least we're goin' up." The car shook and whined, shaking before it once again started to climb. The Ninetales could here some sort of ticking as it moved, though she had no way to know how many floors they were moving past.