The DREAMYARD Team

Coco silently fumed from inside, though she kept a neutral face on the outside. Though it's just a matter of time until that blasted Gardevoir gets the best of me...! How dare the psychic probe past her facade, past her mental walls and seek out the truth! If there was one thing that the Starly detested, it was when someone intruded on someone's past other than their own. Although she was a thief and a liar, even Coco didn't go into another person's history unless they wanted to. And even then she didn't enjoy that; it was another thing to weigh her down to one area when she could otherwise be off leeching off someone else. Flapping her wings to gain more elevation, the starling probed the outskirts of the Dreamyard busily, looking at the path that would lead to Striaton City. Of course, Coco could have easily gone ahead of everyone else and gotten a head start on the loot, but at the same time she would be exposing herself. Best let the coward croc be the leader and pick up his scraps.

Landing on the grass just outside of the Dreamyard, Coco played with her silver spoon quietly, the sun creating a sheen on its shiny surface. Heh. A small chuckle escaped her before she knew it, but for once the Starly didn't feel as if she needed to hide anything. At the moment, she stared at the spoon, hating how her siblings had tricked her but feeling smug that she was most likely the only one of the brood to survive up to this point. How superior she felt as she imagined how starvation or loneliness must have cornered her brothers, or how harsh reality must have been to the unprepared chicks that her sisters were! Almost sadistic in her joy, Coco preened her chest feathers quietly, a small smile gracing her features. So what if the humans at the Orphanage had called her 'corrupted'? Or if the other Pokemon in that wretched place called her a loner and an ass? Here that same corrupted Starly stood, alive and much better than whatever they could have coped with during these times.

"We ought to get a move on..." She murmured, now wanting to find something more filling in her stomach - with that Druddigon and the recently murdered Natalie, Coco's stomach felt just about as empty as it had a few hours ago. The Starly cocked her head, turning her body to seek out the others. If I didn't let others ruin me, then neither should the Gardevoir. With a satisfied nod to herself, Coco called out loud and clear to the others. "Let's head out now, please?"

Coco immediately agreed with Arthur's idea to visit the city and flew off towards the Dreamyard's entrance/exit to look for a suitable path. The one that he had used to access the Dreamyard had been unobstructed so he reckoned that that would be a good route to take, as long as no infected had destroyed the path in the meantime.

Arthur looked behind him towards where the two Ghost-types had been conversing and noticed that the smaller one had gone, perhaps frightened away by the crazed Weavile. A pang of sadness gripped the kind Feraligatr's heart at the loss of another friend. He shuffled over to the Chandelure and said, "H-Hey, we're going to g-go and check out the city. You sh-should come with us, it'll be safer."

Leaving her to make her own decision, Arthur then turned back and saw that the beautiful Pokemon had stopped crying and was following Coco towards Striaton City. Glad that she had decided to accompany them, Arthur caught up to her and gently gripped her arm, the blush on his face easy to see even under his bright blue scales. "I-I'm glad you're c-coming with us, miss," he said. "Er ... did I get your name? I'm Ar-Arthur."

"Let's head out now, please?" Coco then called. Arthur gave her a quick wave and then dropped to all fours and quickly caught up to her. "Y-Yes, we're coming!" he answered, crawling past her. "I-It's just this way. Perhaps w-we should go and f-find some food first of all?"

(OOC-Skip. Got nothing to post right now... just say she greeted them and made another smart ass comment to Coco or something.))

Wil was so scared right now. He thought everywhere he looked, he thought he saw an undead. Someone to murder him, just like what happened to Amy. Oh how he wished to have been back home with her, just spending time with her and being a good friend. But all joy seems to be cut short for the Litwick. He knew he was shiny, and he knew nobody would care about him, shiny or not shiny.

He completely passed Striaton City and had entered the Dreamyard. He was still scared, and just went forward without himself even knowing. Wil felt himself bump into something. He looked up and saw it was a Feraligatr. The blue gator looked very scary to the young Candle Pokemon and he fled. He hid behind a Chandelure, his "normal colored" evolved form. He felt like she could protect him. "Please... don't hurt me..." He was so scared that he wanted to cry. He closed his eyes tightly, hoping that the gator would just go away.

(OoC: Night, if you don't want him bumping into Arthur, I'll edit the post. Other than that, be gentle with this guy...)

Agata was floating around in Dreamyard when she heard voices nearby. The young Misdreavus was really happy to hear voices but no matter how happy she was she cautiously floated over towards the voices until she saw a small group of Pokemon. One was a Chandelure with a different colored Litwick hiding behind her. The young Misdreavus looked at the Litwick curiously and wondered if she could become friends with him. She then look and saw a Starly and a big gater like Pokemon she realize was a Feraligatr. She grew a little nervous at the big Pokemon but she come in sight of the group and said softly and shyly, "H-Hello."

It was definitely getting a bit too crowded for her liking.

With the sudden presence of new Pokemon occupying her mind, Ophelia felt increasingly distressed. The guilt of not helping the poor Shuppet was beginning to overwhelm her, until she found a young, shiny Litwick hiding behind her form. "Please... don't hurt me..." The Chandelure gave a gentle smile. Although she wasn't the greatest with children, the ghost-type still enjoyed such pure innocence and joy they held. It was a miracle that kids were even alive in this world, really. "It's okay, hun. No of us will hurt you." she cooed, gently.

"H-Hello." Ophelia blinked at yet, another newcomer. This one was a Misdreavus, and the ghost-type giggled. "I'm surprised to find so many of my kind here, it's very nice to meet you." managing a warm smile, the Chandelure tried to keep all her angst and depression from being apparent. "Anyhow, I am known as Ophelia." she glanced at both Litwick and Misdreavus, before asking her question. "What are you names?"

[OOC: Decided not to give up on Ophelia just yet!]

"I-It's just this way. Perhaps w-we should go and f-find some food first of all?" Coco sniffled to herself as Arthur stumbled up to catch up to her, the Gardevoir following along with the same blank look. The psychic gave her that same piercing look, but this time the Starly simply raised her beak and turned around. Like I'll break down just because you stare, imputent fool. The bird hopped onto the back of the water type, a feat much more easily accessed with the crocodile on all fours. Cooing in agreement to his earlier statement, Coco looked forward expectantly. Now they were finally getting somewhere; she was already in fault for staying with this group for so long, this amount of time something she had never done before. How much longer would she stay with this lot? Not too long, she hoped secretly, stealing a glance towards a certain Gardevoir. Poor lost souls like that fool should stay lost. Coco ruffled her feathers, and despite how easily she distanced herself from others, she found that she was finding that something was amiss. God a mercy... She inwardly moaned as she realized what that something was.

"Arthur, wait," she called, a quiet chirp because honestly, she didn't want that creepy Gardevoir to catch what she was about to say. "We should. You know - wait for the others. Or go back or something," she floundered with her words, annoyed at how flustered and timid she sounded. She hadn't an honest part in her soul, yet here she was, looking out for the missing Pokemon. The bird tried to settle her discontent with the situation with a gentle smile, appearing as innocent as she could muster. Coco had embraced the dishonest life, the life looked down upon by society, and in turn, by the rest of the world. She stole of her own free will, and she robbed because others were too lenient. She was who she was because she wanted to. Coco was here because she had chosen this life for herself.

"Yeah, it won't be fair if we left behind the others." She decided, nodding with forced enthusiasm. It was just what they all needed, a good push in the right direction. The direction in which the Starly could not follow -- she was a stranger amidst all of them, and she knew that if she withdrew now no one would miss her. An emptiness bore into her heart, but she only seemed to smile even wider on the outside. She didn't belong, but she couldn't find it in herself to leave either. And that's where everything is wrong, heh.

Arthur continued forward, crawling low on all fours. He concluded that the strange Ghost-type did not want to come with them since she was holding back, and by the way that the Gardevoir had disappeared, he figured that she had changed her mind and wandered off. Looks like it's just me and Coco, he thought, catching up to the Starly and rising up onto his hind legs to get a better look at his surroundings.

The city was close by, its buildings towering high over the trees in front of them. With a determined look, Arthur shuffled forward awkwardly just as Coco piped up. "Arthur, wait." Even though there was a certain amount of urgency in her voice she still spoke quietly, as if afraid that someone else might hear her. "We should. You know - wait for the others. Or go back or something," she flustered, obviously nervous about something. Arthur lowered himself down to her level to try and figure out what it was. He had nothing, so simply decided to fulfill her request. "W-Well I assumed th-that they weren't coming, b-but ... I s-suppose I could ask them. Wait here." And with that he turned to go back just as something small bumped into his side.

It was a very small Pokemon that looked just like a candle. Upon the very sight of him it fled and took cover behind the Chandelure. By their similar appearances, he guessed that they were from the same evolutionary line. There was another Pokemon there as well, who nervously greeted them all. Arthur was happy to see that others were starting to come here; the group did not feel so small anymore.

The Chandelure comforted the Litwick and introduced herself as Ophelia. Happy at finally knowing her name, Arthur slowly crawled over to the group of ghosts, being careful not to frighten the little candle any further. "E-Er, hey. Coco and I are, er, h-heading towards the city to l-look for food. W-Would you three like to come with us? And my ... m-my name is Arthur." He gave them all a cautious smile as he waited for their replies.

"It's okay, hun. No of us will hurt you." The Chandelure said gently. Wil felt safe around her, and it felt odd. He thought the whole world was against him with the epidemic, and to know that someone wants to help him made him feel glad. "H-Hello." Another voice called out. The Litwick looked over and saw it was a Misdreavus. The ghost type looked like she was around his age. Wil couldn't help but let out a smile at his new friends.

"Anyhow, I am known as Ophelia. What are you names?" Wil looked at the Chandelure, Ophelia. It was such a nice name. "It's nice to meet you too, Miss Ophelia." The young Litwick was taught to call people by Mr., Mrs., or Miss. It was the polite thing to do. "My name is Wil, spelled with only one L." People have always made the mistake of putting two L's instead of just one. Wil looked at the Misdreavus to see what her name was.

Wil looked out of the corner of his eye and jumped back at the sight of the gator. He was frozen in fear until it spoke. "E-Er, hey. Coco and I are, er, h-heading towards the city to l-look for food. W-Would you three like to come with us? And my ... m-my name is Arthur." The Litwick wasn't sure how to respond. He wanted to go, but he didn't want to leave Ophelia and the Misdreavus behind. That just wouldn't be nice.

"I'm surprised to find so many of my kind here, it's very nice to meet you. Anyhow, I am known as Ophelia. What are you names?" Agata heard the Chandelure say and smiled at her but before she could introduce herself the shiny Litwick beat her to it by saying, "It's nice to meet you too, Miss Ophelia. My name is Wil, spelled with only one L." "It's nice to meet you Miss Ophelia and Wil. My name is Agata," she said she then turned to look at the Feraligatr and smiled at him as she listen to him saying, "E-Er, hey. Coco and I are, er, h-heading towards the city to l-look for food. W-Would you three like to come with us? And my ... m-my name is Arthur." She then thought about it for a moment and then said, "I would like to go. What about you Miss Ophelia and Wil?"

[OOC: skip. Ophelia said okay and follows Arthur and the others to where they're trying to find food.]

It was humiliating, almost horrible to watch as Arthur agreed, heading back into the Dreamyard. Coco followed after, hopping with much less enthusiasm as the Feraligatr address the... oh? There was not one, not two, but three ghosts hanging out. "It's nice to meet you Miss Ophelia and Wil. My name is Agata." The Starly's mind reeled as she processed the sudden statement of names, innocent eyes darting between the three phantoms. Agata was the Misdreavus, that was confirmed -- Ophelia was the feminine name so that had to go to the Chandelure, which left the little Candle Boy to be Wil. Coco nodded at her own deductive reasoning, though withheld on any further motion so that the wretched Gardevoir would stop calling her out on useless things that flew over poor Arthur's head.

The ghosts had begun to float towards the city, their destination with food in mind. Taking to flight, Coco began to glide alongside Ophelia, her eyes scanning for any nearby threats. Other than one certain psychic Pokemon, the coast seemed clear, and the Starly let out a bated breath silently. She was so much better off not sticking with this group...! There was less risk, less hassle, and fewer chances of being attacked by the undead; the two major strikes in the short amount of time had proven that as such. She was a sneaky individual, which meant that she would avoid these direct confrontations, and get away before she found herself in an unsightly situation. Here she was, though, being a living contradiction of that statement, tagging with this group. Even when Coco had her ulterior motives, at this point she should have abandoned ship and jumped to the next victim of her leeching.

Coco waved a wing, swerving midair to find herself gliding above Arthur. Three ghosts, a mad psychic, and a coward croc. Just excellent.

As he approached, Arthur heard the two new Pokemon introduce themselves as Wil and Agata. He nodded to them both, a timid smile trembling across his lips. Ophelia and Agata both agreed to go with him and Coco to find food in the city. "Th-That's good! I'm g-glad to have you w-with us."

He turned and began to slowly crawl away, his head turned slightly, watching Wil. The Litwick had not yet moved. He was obviously still unsure of what to do. He seemed to be comfortable around Ophelia and Agata, so it was possible that he was still scared of Arthur. The Feraligatr knew that he was big in comparison to a lot of Pokemon and it wouldn't have been the first time that someone had been nervous around him because of his size. Still crouching down low, he briefly turned to Wil and smiled at him. "C-Come with us! I w-won't hurt you, I-I promise. I wouldn't dr-dream of it."

So that he didn't look too pushy, he turned back and began to lead the way out of the Dreamyard. Little Wil was capable of making his own decision and he didn't want to put pressure on the shy thing. He secretly hoped that he would go with them though; he didn't want to think of Wil here all alone while he and the others were together in Striaton.

"It's nice to meet you Miss Ophelia and Wil. My name is Agata," Wil listened as Agata introduced herself. When the Feraligatr asked his question about traveling with them, both Miss Ophelia and Agata chose to join him. Wil was still unsure, however, still a little intimidated by the big pokemon. Arthur had crouched down and looked at him, making him a little nervous. "C-Come with us! I w-won't hurt you, I-I promise. I wouldn't dr-dream of it."

His words were surprising. Wil thought about it for a little bit. The Litwick soon nodded and scrambled over to the group. "I'll come with you..." He said. "Hopefully, someone as big as you would be able to take on the undead, right Mr. Arthur?" Wil let out a shy smile as he stayed back with Miss Ophelia and Agata. He hadn't talked to the bird yet. If he remembers correctly, Mr. Arthur called her Miss Coco. Wil wasn't sure if he could trust her yet as he looked at the Starly with curiosity.

Agata was glad that Miss Ophelia and Wil was going to go with the big Feraligatr who she learned was Mr. Arthur. She smiled and began floating beside Wil as she listen to him say to Mr. Arthur, "Hopefully, someone as big as you would be able to take on the undead, right Mr. Arthur?" She looked at the big Pokemon and really thought he looked strong and said, "Yeah Mr. Arthur you look strong and so do you Miss Ophelia." She looked at the Starly but since she didn't know the bird yet she wasn't sure how strong she is but she heard that Mr. Arthur called her Miss Coco so maybe she is strong as well.

[OOC: Gosh, I need to get a new image for Ophelia... Her current one is bugging me. @x@]

As Arthur began leading the way, the Chandelure slowly followed. Levitating only about a meter off the ground, the ghost watched as she passed by the Dreamyard's overgrown foliage. "Yeah Mr. Arthur you look strong and so do you Miss Ophelia." The Misdreavus's comment caught her attention, the chandelier in question turning to float backwards and face the other ghost. She smiles.

"Why, thank you Agata. I'm flattered," she giggled. "Although I spent most of my life caring for the books at Canalave Library, I do have quite a few years of training behind me," Ophelia didn't quite mean to brag, but talking about her backstory helped her remember the happier days of her life, which was sufficient enough to give her hope for this apocalypse.

"Although I spent most of my life caring for the books at Canalave Library, I do have quite a few years of training behind me." Coco perked up as the others began to talk about how strong they were, or specifically, the evolved Pokemon in their company. The Starly flew quietly, content with fading in the background for a bit. That way, the others could 'bond', talk easily amongst one another, and let their walls down. They'd slowly reveal who they were, and their weaknesses and weak spots -- and Coco would be there, in the background, collecting information about them. She would be the one in charge, the one with the power instead of anyone else. So, go ahead, forget about me... you'll find yourself regretting that... The bird quietly smiled to herself, seeing the pavement of the city beginning to override the wild grass of the Dreamyard.

But enough of that, she had to remind the group of their motive, their reason for coming into what could be a dangerous place. "All righty then... where should we start looking?" Coco questioned innocently, trying to give off that she was no more than a victim of the epidemic. Her eyes darted towards the Pokemon Center tantalizingly, though she held herself off from giving a suggestion; they'd think she was too assertive, and able to be a leader. I mean, of course I can be an exemplary leader. Yet she had to feign a childlike instance, and for that she had to completely assume that role. Coco landed atop of Arthur's shoulder, settling down. Fools, she thought, she was surrounded by fools that wanted nothing more than company.

That's why it's so easy to take advantage of them. She tweeted happily, a content and gentle expression on her face. Now that she had written herself off, she'd be able to slowly work around them quietly, snatching greedily from behind the background. I'll be the puppeteer of this puppet show, you've yet to see.

Arthur's lips trembled into a fond smile as little Wil nodded in agreement and scrambled to catch up to him. "I'll come with you...Hopefully, someone as big as you would be able to take on the undead, right Mr. Arthur?" The Feraligatr's yellow eyes widened and he held his breath in awe of the compliment. Normally others only judged him by the self-conscious and nervous way he held himself, but the small Ghost-type had looked beyond that. Arthur was almost too touched for words. "Yeah Mr. Arthur you look strong and so do you Miss Ophelia." Agata then piped in. Arthur finally released the air being held in his lungs with a content sigh. He looked at the two small ghosts with utmost appreciation in his eyes and broad smile. "Thank you ... I-I will certainly try m-my best." That was no lie. After witnessing Natasha's horrific death he promised himself that he would never hold back again. "And p-please ... just c-call me Arthur."

"All righty then... where should we start looking?" Coco asked, fluttering down onto Arthur's shoulder as they left the trees and decrepit walls of the Dreamyard behind and entered Striaton City. Arthur, now standing tall, took a good look at his surroundings. He had passed through this city on his way to the Dreamyard but had not paid too much attention to it; his goal had been to get to the cover of the trees since the big cities made him feel uneasy. Now that he wasn't alone, however, Arthur was full of confidence and vigour. He looked over to a tall, old-fashioned building next to the Pokemon Centre, which looked similar to the establishments that humans often visited to receive food.

"H-How about in there?" Arthur pointed to the building in question and looked around at the others for approval.

"Thank you ... I-I will certainly try m-my best. And p-please ... just c-call me Arthur." Agata also commented on how strong Arthur looked. She also commented on how strong Miss Ophelia looked as well, to which she replied, "Why, thank you Agata. I'm flattered. Although I spent most of my life caring for the books at Canalave Library, I do have quite a few years of training behind me," The shy Litwick was still looking at the Starly. The only thing she had asked was where to start looking. Wil simply ignored it for now and smiled at Agata.

"H-How about in there?" Arthur asked, pointing to an old looking building. Wil thought it looked interesting, and it looked like it may have some food in there. The Litwick's stomach growled a little bit. At the sound of it, his cheeks grew a little red and he giggled. "A-As long as there's food, I-I guess we could look around in there for a little bit." He looked over to the Misdreavus, who seemed to be the only one that was the around the same age as him, "What do you think Agata?"

Agata smiled softly as she heard Arthur say to both her and Wil, "Thank you ... I-I will certainly try m-my best. And p-please ... just c-call me Arthur." The young Misdreavus floated as she followed the group to the city. She looked at the little bird Pokemon that her mother described to her as a Starly. She wasn't sure on what to make out of the bird and at the moment she didn't really worry about it as she listened once again as Arthur pointed at a big building near another building she knew to be a Pokemon Center. She looked at Wil when she heard his stomach growl and listened as he said, "A-As long as there's food, I-I guess we could look around in there for a little bit. What do you think Agata?" As if on cue her own stomach let out a small growl of it's own to show that she was hungry. The cheerful ghost smiled as she blush before she said, "Yeah that sounds like it will be great and fun at the same time."

"All righty then... where should we start looking?" Ophelia paused, surveying the town. "H-How about in there?" The Chandelure smiled when she saw the old gym, floating closer to the building. "Why, I remember this place!" she mused, taking a peek into the dimly lit room of the restaurant through the shattered window. "This used to be the gym... I visited a long time ago with my trainer to meet the leaders,"

Pushing open the bulky doors and levitating inside, her fire lit the surrounding darkness. "I wonder if any of the monkey Pokemon survived... They were well known here," Ophelia peered around every corner, inspecting the area thoroughly. "However... I wonder what kind of food we'll be able to find. This world's been abandoned for over a year, which means most of the sustenance we come across will be rotten..."

"Why, I remember this place!" Ophelia suddenly piped up, floating closer to the old building and peering through the shattered window. "This used to be the gym... I visited a long time ago with my trainer to meet the leaders." "Really?" Arthur felt himself becoming a little unsettled at the thought of coming across another gym - his experiences of them in the past were far from pleasant. Nonetheless, he was inclined to follow the Ghost-type as she pushed open the large wooden doors and entered. As soon as Arthur took in breath, all he smelt was dust and decay. It didn't really seem like this place had food after all...

Ophelia mentioned something about 'monkey Pokemon' but Arthur did not know what she meant and decided to ignore that comment for the time being. Right now their top priority was finding food that did not give them any nasty digestive problems, and at that moment in time it looked to be a very difficult task. Arthur paused to take a better look around the derelict building. Tables and chairs, many of them broken, lay scattered on the dusty wooden floor. Ahead a long, red curtain was still hanging lopsided on its hooks after being nearly torn to shreds by wicked claws.

"Th-This is definitely one of those p-places that humans used to g-go to receive f-food," Arthur mused, mostly to himself rather than to anyone else. He cast his mind back, trying to remember where that food had been brought from. He was just a little Totodile at the time, so his mind was rather fuzzy. Suddenly, he had a brainwave. "The f-food was brought out on a h-hot plate from a special r-room. I think that room w-was called ... a kitchen! I wonder if th-there's a kitchen in here s-somewhere...? I b-bet that's where whatever f-food is left is being k-kept."

Wil smiled a little bit as Agata's stomach growled as well. Looks like she could use some food as well. "Why, I remember this place! This used to be the gym... I visited a long time ago with my trainer to meet the leaders," The Litwick was unsure of what Ophelia meant by gym. He's never had a trainer, and he's lived a very sheltered lifestyle. "Miss Ophelia," he asked, "What's a gym?" She also mentioned something about the world being abandoned for over a year.

A year?! Was she serious? It didn't matter much to the Litwick, because all of his friends were either dead or long gone, but a year? That was just crazy. The f-food was brought out on a h-hot plate from a special r-room. I think that room w-was called ... a kitchen! I wonder if th-there's a kitchen in here s-somewhere...? I b-bet that's where whatever f-food is left is being k-kept." Arthur said to the group. Wil did remember a room called the kitchen when he was staying at the shelter. He was never in there himself, but he remembers Amy talking about it. Oh how he missed her voice...

Wil set foot in the building and looked around as well. He wouldn't provide much help since one; he didn't know what the kitchen was. And two; he was short, so he couldn't reach the tall cabinets. He entered a room that was all tiles, sinks, and stoves. But Wil didn't know that he was in the kitchen. He saw cabinets and tried to jump up to reach them, but they were very far from his reach. The Litwick felt his stomach rumble some more. "Where in the world is the food?" he asked.

(OoC: Hello long post! Where the hell did you come from?)

"The f-food was brought out on a h-hot plate from a special r-room. I think that room w-was called ... a kitchen! I wonder if th-there's a kitchen in here s-somewhere...? I b-bet that's where whatever f-food is left is being k-kept." Nodding in agreement, the Chandelure began following the candle as it wandered around, soon ending up in the kitchen. "A gym is a building, such as this, where Pokemon Trainers come to challenge. Each gym has a leader, who has strong Pokemon. If the challenger can defeat this leader, they will earn a small metal ornament known as a badge, which represents the human's power," she explains.

Looking around the kitchen, Ophelia smiles. "The food should be somewhere around here!" she murmured, opening cabinets and drawers. "Although you and I don't require sustenance like this, we simply feed off the emotions and thoughts of other living," 'And their lives and souls.' she stopped herself from saying the last part, humming. "Everything's covered in dust... It'll take a while before we can find a proper can of food,"

[ooc: oh gosh! I'm sorry, I've been really busy in life lately and I can't get to posting right now! ><" Coco just followed quietly, wondering what she can get off the others.]