(ACE) The OLIVINE Team

Etincelle walked stiffly, his lips pressed tightly closed and eyes wide as he tried to stomach that possibility. That was far, further than the Battle Hall, the Battle Castle, the pond. Walking there, let alone on his own, would be no small task- if Arry went there he had intent to do so. Had the run in with the other Houndoom spurred the thought? Yet, it didn't make sense; Arry never knew Rosko, he had already passed at that point. He was at the burial, but he wouldn't have the longing and desire to visit a lost friend after bumping into their murder, let alone before knowing the outcome of said run in..

Violently shaking his head to and fro, Etincelle pushes the thought away. "We can check there after the pond and meeting up with the others." He finally says as they get ever closer to their new destination. He seemed like a stretch to say the least, but he could understand that Melanie would be grasping at straws. Though her ears were high and alert her head was tipped downward, eyes surely distant though unseen. He brushes gently against her side, but the fox says nothing more on the matter. "Arry could be at either place. It'll be a matter of time until we find him."  Mathias tried to encourage them, but even that did not bring her to speak.

Though Mel had a vague sense of how far the pond should be, it was hard to tell how close they were getting. Breathing deeply the air yielded her no clues; ash and smoke still tainted it, and would for some time to come, but they were too close to the ocean to scent for moisture. The wet tinge and salty tang was everywhere outside, and this open space was no exception. Even the soft scent of plants and grass around them had that edge of salt, and the fox felt all the more useless in their search. "Flock of bird Pokemon. Must be their gathering time." Mathias comments, and though she strains her ears even Mel knew she could not hear something so far away.

Gathering time, weren't flocks always together? Tipping her nose to the sky Melanie lets the light touch her face. Was it getting late? The warmth of the sun was nice on her fur but her perception of daytime was.. not what it once was. "Evening draws out bugs before nesting." Etincelle informs them whimsically, though the Ninetales had her doubts it was that late already. A deep frown borrows even deeper into her face, was he just trying to ignore memories of their last bird sighting? Her own stomach knots at the thought. "I doubt Arry is in the air." She grunts, not allowing herself even to remain distracted.

The Charizard thought about flying up to talk with the birds but with things are these days, they'd likely fly away. "Evening draws out bugs before nesting." Birds do hunt some bugs like caterpie. Perhaps it was better to leave them be. Yet Mathias was getting a feeling something was off. It shouldn't be taking the others this long to meet up with them. "I doubt Arry is in the air." The comment made Mathias smile a little in a sense, it would be a silly idea to think Arry could fly unless he was on a plane which unfortunately wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

Bastet dodges another attack but another one lands very close to her forcing her to lose her balance and falls down. Shit, this isn't working out. I can barely sense Mathias but I have to try. The espeon fires off another swift at an oncoming crawdaunt before getting up. She then runs at it and attacks with round knocking it off the stage and it lands on its back. After that it was only a matter of how well she can focus on contacting Mathias. Mathias, we're in trouble, we need your guys help this time! We've been surrounded by crawdaunt and a mismagius who isn't letting us leave! It was a matter if now if the charizard could hear it in his mind.

The idea of asking the birds faded. "Maybe not, but I'm kind of concerned for the others, it shouldn't have taken this long to search the area they was at. I think we should check on them." Soon he went with the feeling he has. Though he couldn't hear Bastet's voice in his head, he had a feeling that they might have trouble show up unknowingly. "I got a bad feeling the others might have found trouble and is in need of help. What do you say, should we go help them out?

Swaying on her paws Cinder drew in pained breathes until she could until she could handle the aches with gritted teeth. She was so over this shit already. With staggered steps she moves backwards, slowly but carefully maintaining the distance between herself and the approaching Crawdaunt. Taking in the deepest breath her stinging chest would allow she spits another stream of fire at the Crawdaunt, the damage minimal but surely adding up with each hit. The flashing lights were making her head swim, gods make it stop, but forcing her eyes to focus she looks beyond her aggressor toward the entrance. Another pair or more (it was hard to tell) were holding back and blocking their way out instead of going on the offense. The hell, were they trying to trap them in here?

Flashing her flames a bit hotter the Quilava burns with agitation. Tipping her muzzle upward she blasts fire into the air, and while it blurs out the ghastly eyes for a moment it does not seem to meet its mark. The ghost gives a disgusted gasp, the chanting stopping for just a moment before the visage grew a mouth roared like some great beast. Covering her ears against the noise Cinder crouches lower to the ground. What the hell did these Pokemon want?! It was just fucking with them while the Crawdaunts clearly meant harm! Was it a sick joke, some cruel hunt, some poorly preformed lesson?? Growling to herself the starter Pokemon knows there is no point in seeking an answer; they are under attack and had to defend themselves either way.

Suddenly, movement flashes in the corner of her eye. A small silhouette barrels forward, her frame low to the ground as she sprints as fast as possible. There is a crash from behind her as the chasing Crawdaunt gets a foot snagged between the metal bases of the chair and comes to a halt. Finally, distance is put between them. Refusing to stop Faux blocks out all of the excess stimuli, her mind and sights focused solely on the stage. She had to find a way to even the playing field, or at least stop the nonsense.

Reaching the main walkway she continues her streak forward. The ghost wails with a booming voice in something between anger and alarm, but the fox is locked in. She charges down the stage, a clear target to draw out the nuisance as she bolts toward and light and shine. Getting closer to the flicker she can only see what the object is when the ground before her spews shadows. Another wail sounds thats so close and so loud it hurts her ears, and despite her quick paws Faux can not avoid the Phantom Force as the ghost rushes up from beneath her. Somehow solid and incorporeal at the same time, the ghost strikes and sends her flying while it rises once more. Her body tenses up, gripped in a psychic grasp as the Mismagius takes her hostage with a gleeful giggle. "Naughty naughty!"

With hurried steps they made short work of the walk. The grass was plush and cooling compared to the stones and other things they had walked on all day, though the scrubby lands he grew up in were much more akin to stone. It'd been so long since he saw his birthplace it made Etincelle's heart ache, but he could not give in to melancholy right now. Before long, the little pond came into sight along with its mixed emotions. He had been a complete mess, literally and emotionally, and did a 360 upon discovering their lost friends. Yet fate did not want to repeat itself; bounding up to the water's edge its obvious that no one has been here in a long time. The water is crystal clear with no signs of disturbance. The mud contains no fresh prints, only dried ones from their visit earlier, and no fresh sinks hung in the air.

Almost instantly, Etincelle deflates. This was.. a bad sign. Faux's plan still rings in his ears, they had direction now, but its not a positive prospect. The corners of his mouth bunch up as his jaw hangs open, any words dying out on his tongue. What could he even say at this point? Melanie pads up beside him, the silence telling without need for confirmation; no one was here. She begins rummaging about, her nose running across the ground until it runs over a specific spot. Arry.. The little stone shapes he had made were still pressed into the ground, though his scent had long become stale. A whine escapes her, distressed without reprieve. Why weren't the others back yet...?

Pacing about the pond in desperation the fox searches for any sign of life, but as her paws come up empty Mathias echoes her own concern. "I got a bad feeling the others might have found trouble and are in need of help." What else would keep them. They were only looking for leads or somewhere Arry could have reasonably gone in the Battle Hall. Any blocked path, vertical climb, or scary spot would surely keep him away. If there was trouble, if Arry found trouble first-- The fox whines again, fearing the worst for all involved. "Then we better not waste any time." Etincelle barks while stamping his paw against the ground.

Mathias couldn't think of any other explanation on why the others haven't came yet. They would have been back a few minutes ago. "Then we better not waste any time." Hearing that, Mathias had once again felt the need for battle to come. Not waiting any time, he started  moving towards the Battle Hall. In his mind, he was worried about the others. True, Bastet could hold her own in a battle but he worries about her just as much since they been reunited after the dangers of Orre.

The battle raged on and Bastet couldn't keep this up. The warzone like issues of the past started coming back to her when she lost everyone. She wasn't going to give up, she had to keep fighting. "Naughty naughty!" Bastet then looked as the Mismagius got ahold of Faux. This made Bastet fear that Faux maybe used to manipulate them into surrendering. This then forced Bastet to stop and then in a small spout of anger, she finally yells at the Migmagius. "You vile coward!" At the same time, Bastet had managed to lock her powers onto the Migmagius directly in case she retreats with Faux.

The Charizard's fire was increasing in size as a focused rage was getting more visible. "Be ready!" After that the charizard goes silent as he was focusing. They had to be in trouble for it to take this long. Mathias was going to give hell to whoever was stalling the others from meeting up with them.

"Faux!" Cinder's alarmed yelp sounds far away as the fox is toted upward into the rafters. Flung upside down with her hind legs above her, the fox swings about like a heavy bag on a string. No amount of struggling or kicking rights her position as her ghost floats upward with speed, grace, and that wicked laughter. Growling and snapping at the air in protest the fox has had enough of this nonsense, but knows better than to ask to be 'released' in such a precarious situation. "We don't have time for this!" She barks instead, the statement true to their predicament while remaining firm against the childish behavior.

A sudden change in direction jerks Faux one way then the other, the force enough to make her stomach turn. "Enough!" She barks again, her head spinning more each moment. The ground has grown far away, her body so close to the massive flickering light that its constant clicking with each ignition almost drowned the laughs and chants. Another sudden change brings the pair to a halt, Faux's gaze locked on the floor as she mentally prepared for the fall. Instead, she was lifted higher, dragged upward by one leg until she was a big more level with the devious ghost. "Are you not entertained?"

Flames lick at the fox's maw, her eyes practically glowing with aggitation as she scratched at the air. Entertained?! "There are more important matters at stake!" She seethes, smoke and embers alike pouring out with her words. With a cheeky smile and spin around her victim the ghost easily avoids the stream of fire before flicking the fox upward. Its mouth remained crested, a laugh to its trilling voice, "Oh you n-" it starts, but is cut off but a cringing exhale. "You vile coward!" Bastet's voice shouts from far below, her call faint at this distance, but the fox does not hear. As the ghost fights the physic energy closing around it it's grasp on Faux weakens and the fox fall's instantly falls.

Instinct takes over; she makes no noise, her body going cold with instant alarm as the fox flails to right her position. All her paws extend and one manages to a stage truss. Locking her grip the fox scrabbles to safety, her body curling around the metal structure as she stared with wide, blank eyes.

Gritting her teeth Cinder struggles forward. For whatever reason, her aggressor had not advanced on her while she was staggered. Whether it had lost interest or didn't intended to kill, she didn't know or care, but it gave her a few precious moments to take in the situation. Whisked up high, higher than the annoying light, she could no longer see Faux, but a faint glow that matched Bastet's told of something she was grasping with psychic. Closing her eyes and looking away from the ceiling Cinder draws in a labored breath; this was going on too long. Even if it wasn't that bad, she felt a pressing sense of dread.

The decision was unanimous. With nothing tying them to the pond the group set out immediately. With hurried steps Etincelle moved them along, the light clinking of his claws and necklace now drowned out by their collective steps and heavy breathing. There was a silence between them, the acknowledgement of worst case scenario an unspeakable burden. Though he was not lost the Electrike was quick to find their own scent trail, and he could only hope they retraced it with better time.

A whine escaped Mel's maw, thoughts racing to all sorts of horrible ends. Etincelle's steps and huffs were more than enough to follow, but with her mind trailing off her feet found themselves on autopilot. Perhaps, another thought whispered through her mind, that's how Arry moved about, and such unconscious movement was why they could not find him. Clenching her jaw in a bid to push the thoughts away the fox prayed this was the [good] end to their search. "They're not outside." Etincelle pants as they get closer to the building, the stone dread sinking ever deeper in Mel's belly.

Sniffing about the entrance for any sign of disturbance or entry Etincelle is relieved to only scent his friends. "Come on," he barks while nudging his way inside, the musty scent of the Battle Hall surprising compared to the other buildings they had visited. Instantly he's taken aback, the sight of little outside of piles and piles of leaf litter not at all what he was expecting. Was it some sort of nest, or a playground? "Be ready!" Mathias warns, reminding the hound that their friends had not yet returned from this place. He nods, trying to find a path or a lead on where they went. The smell of leaves drowned out all else, and aside from a slight divot one could call a path leading deeper into the room there was not a lot to go on. His head tips to one side, unsure of how to progress.

The fox paced, her mind whirling and confused by the leaves. Everything smelled the same in here, and as she walked and brushed leaves in all directions she could not help but feel surrounded. Though she knew them to be simple foliage the touch of them was unnerving. Noisy, shuddering, so easily moved and sending vibrations through the pule, it was not something she could easily avoid or be tender with anymore. Her body itched, breath quickening as she could not avoid the mundane distraction. Chewing at her shoulder in agitation the fox shakes and stumbles as she touches more leaves. With a growl she yields to her frustration and paws at her bow until it slides down her neck once more.

"I don't know where to start." Etincelle admits, confusion edging his voice. "Something tromped forward though the leaves, but that's not like Faux to allow." Pushing past the Electrike Melanie sniffs where he was standing. The scent of their friends was all around them but it was clinging to the leaves; they went this way. Blinking her eyes to acknowledge blurred shapes the long-legged fox charges forward with an awkward gate. The leaves were deep, but dense. They could bare Etin's weight if not her own when spread out. "Is it safe with Mathias' flame so close?" She worries aloud, her steps not stopping.

OoC)) Skip, had a very busy day and a bit exhausted, will edit tomorrow.