The MOSSDEEP Team

As the Jolteon glides through the air she feels almost peaceful. She had failed in her job. Failed to protect Monisha and caused her friend to be damaged permanently. Mutilated, unable to fly, and broken. Grounded forever and not able to do what a normal happy bird should. She might not of said the word promise, a very heavy word to the Jolteon, but it might as well of been. She had broken her trust, rendered useless by mud, and not even attempted to help a single one of her friends. I told you I would blast them with lightening.. now I cant even make a single spark to help you.. How pathetic could she get. How worthless could she act, sulking to side instead of battling like everyone else.

Her uselessness and weakness could not be remedied. It was too late now to as Monisha had already been injured and felt pain that would last with her forever. The Jolteon was practically defenseless; unable to make any lightening and slowed by thick mud. In her current state dashing in toward the monster would be no more then suicide.
But she already knew that.
Tightening her lean muscles further Pachi thinks lightly to herself. She couldn't flee if she wanted to. She couldn't fight back if she needed to. She couldn't do much of anything, except play bait. Using her own body maybe she could distract the dragon long enough to give JuJu a window of opportunity. By letting it rip her apart he could escape, wounded he would need all the time he could get to flee with the others. Or it might give him long enough to finish it off with an Ice Fang to an exposed, feeding neck. With new lively prey the dragon could forget about Monisha completely, giving her birdie friend a chance to get away. A chance to know I didn't mean for this to happen.. that I did want to protect you..

Maybe one day you can forgive me.. Her dainty yellow paws curl in close to her body, compressed and firm as they prepare for impact. With her eyes squeezed tight she can not see where the enemy monster is but knows it must be close now. With a quiet breathe out Pachirisu accepts the pain soon to come. There is a sudden jolt in her shoulder that runs down the length of her body. Its cold with the sounds of a soft shhh before something hard thuds against her face. Flashing open her green eyes she cant feel any pain other then slight discomfort in her stomach and along her side. All she can see is a greyish stone that fills her vision, no blood or pointed fangs. The Joltie had slid gently across the soggy grass and bumped into the side of the building. The Garachomp was no where in sight. But how?

The Glaceon stares wide eyed at the spot where the dragon had been. One moment it was thinking of making a meal out of him and those nearby and the next it was gone. Just.. gone. A radiating pain echos through is tendril, ear, and any other place that he was hit with the flames making it difficult to focus. His instincts tell him to stay on guard, that the monster might be hiding and could leap out at him at any moment. Naturally he never seemed to feel at ease knowing that the threat, any threat for that matter, could still be present. We are safe.. for now. Lightly he steps on blue paws over to Sarah, her mud slathered fur matching that of the ground. Try as he might the Glaceon cant walk straight, moving with a pain-filled limp to his step. With a quick glance he knew Sarah was fine, she had hit the ground but was no worse for wear. She would be okay even without him checking on her. Shifting his eyes to the other Pokemon the Glaceon's good ear gives a twitch. How is Monisha after losing a wing.

Letting his tail run across the Jolteon's back Glalie passes her by for the Riolu and Mandibuzz a little further off. There is a look on Taph's face that worries him, helplessness maybe, that told him time was of the essence. Opening his mouth to speak he is cut off as a sudden bright flash of light that envelops the bird and then vanishes with her. What, was that an attack? Bewildered and confused he looks to the sides but see's nothing. Glalie cant even see the other bird that had been present or any of the flock beside those dead on the ground. Eyes wide he holds a firm stare at the child below him, not necessarily accusing him but needing explanation for what just happened.

Trying to stem the terrible flow of blood from the bird's wing tears blur Taph's vision. He had no bandages and knew no fire type attacks. Whatever could he do to save the big bird by himself?
Scrambling in the mud the little canine wipes his tears away on the back of a bloodied paw and prays for a miracle.
He was so useless...he had always been so useless.
Pathetically the Riolu paws at the limp bundle of feathers.
"You've got to wake up..." He whimpers, turning back to the dirt-covered Jolteon and Glaceon stnading up to the terrifying monster.
A whimper of fear gets stuck in his throat. That thing...It would hurt them if they didn't have help. Maybe it would even eat them and the sounds of ghostly flesh being torn apart ring true in the Riolu's memory.
No, they were so nice and he had to get them help somehow. If only the bird would wake up. If only she was o.k. then they could have help and...and...
Taph starts to cry again.
He didn't know what to do and he was so useless, he was always useless. He could never help any of them! If only he could help get the bird somewhere safe or make the monster go away! But he wasn't strong enough.

Taph crouches over, cradling his head in his hands as he bends over and cries.
What can he do? Already he can feel the disappointment starting, that harsh wave of negative emotions that would spread from every pore to pool over him. He was so weak...Too weak to do anything but die!
Taph whimpers in fear as he covers his eyes with one muddied blue paw and notices through his stubby claws a suddenly flare of light.
He moves his paw to notice that both the Garchomp and one winged bird have completely disappeare, leaving him sitting in damp puddle of blood and mud alone while the two Eeveelutions look around for their enemy.
They were o.k both of them o.k!
Tears brim in the tiny canine's eyes once again but they are tears of joy this time as Taph cheerfully runs towards them, slipping a little in the wet mud.
"It's a miracle!" He says far louder than he first intended, his blue muzzle splitting wide in a childish cheerful grin.
He has wished and wished and wished that he could make things better and things had gotten better!
It must have been the fairies, the fairies were real and they helped make everything better!
All he had to do was believe hard enough. The little fightning type is estatic.
"The fairies made a miracle for us!" He wants to hug the dirt covered Jolteon with his happiness but immediately the cold look int he Glaceon's eyes tell him that would be a bad idea. Instead he just settles for a smioe.
"Fairies took miss birdy to a safe place and made the scary monster go away." his young age is clearly reflected in his tone.

What happened? The monster was gone.. the battle, over? There was a silent air of peace over the Pokemon, one that told them safety for the time being. Its gone Monisha. It can't hurt you anymore. A light feeling comes to Pachirisu's aching heart. The monster was gone! She might not of won the battle, had a deserved painful death, and the Garchomp may of simply vanished without warning, but for now it was good enough for her. The feeling of Glalie's tail told her he was alright too, standing and moving again. Getting to her own paws the Jolteon feels a bit shaky but confidence beams through her mind.

"It's a miracle!" She can hear the little Riolu's voice mimicking her own thoughts. Turning to were her birdie friend lay she starts, "Monisha its gone its-" but breaks off when she realizes that the Vulture wasn't there. "M-monisha?" She asks tentatively, stepping forward closer to the spot where Taph was sitting. "The fairies made a miracle for us!" His voice is happy but it does not penetrate her. The positive feelings inside her heart have gone and again are replaced with a cold, hollow weight. Looking down blood still pooled and stained the ground red where the bird had been but there was no sign of her beside a few dirtied feathers that clung to the mud. "Monisha?!" She calls out more quickly, panic starting to croak in her voice.

This had to be some sort of joke. The Mandibuzz was injured, she couldn't of gone far! had Taph maybe found a way to move her? Taking a step back the Jolteon feels her breath coming in short and fast. No no no! No Monisha the monster is gone its alright now. Its gone come back! She blinked. They were both gone. Just leaving like that. Had the Garchomp- panic cuts off her breath in a gasp. Turning to Glalie her eyes are wide in horror. "Glalie you don't think! That the Garchomp.." It was too horrible for her to finish and too hard to breath while speaking.
The Glaceon looks her firm in the eyes. She hadn't seen what happened to Monisha but she did have a point. But.. no. The Garchomp left suddenly Monisha seemed like she was teleported against her will. The events couldn't be connected, right? I don't think Garchomps can learn teleport, they aren't psychic. It didn't seem to add up. The light happened a few moments after too. Though they were close together the two, technically three, Pokemon vanishing couldn't relate to one another. Shaking his head gently the Glaceon utters only a few words to her. Now wasn't the time for silence. "No, she's alright." Yet it also wasn't the time for a big speech.

The Jolteon still feels anxiety pulsing through her veins but the sound of Glalie's voice is more relaxing then the words he had said. "Fairies took miss birdy to a safe place and made the scary monster go away." The little Riolu matches his optimism, completely cheerful and innocent. As long as the monster didn't have her.. I hope youre safe.. Forcing herself to calm down Pachi nods to the child with a soft smile on her muzzle. "And they'll keep her safe too." It was hard to finds someone like him with all the demons running around. So young and innocent.. Looking between him and Glalie she can't help laugh the tinniest bit. "We are all really dirty. We should probably wash this mud off." There had to be clean water somewhere on this island. The vulpine Pokemon had been lucky finding clean drinking water in bottles inside the houses, but they would need more to bathe. Sure the ocean was nearby but saltwater would leave them all sticky and thirsty.

"I think I saw a pond near the base of that big hill over there." With one weak feeling paw she points to the distance. Her idea of a 'big hill' might seem like a small mountain to others. "It had like, a tiny waterfall. Small enough that any one of us could sit under it comfortably. I only saw it for a second yesterday but I think I remember where it is." The waterfall had been more like a stream going over a slope, gentle and small yet still definable as a waterfall. With a deep breath the Jolteon bends her neck down to grab the few feathers that still remained. Tucking them safely into her filthy white mane she turns toward the eastern side of the island and moves with unhappy, quiet steps.
The Glaceon nodded to her. Mud clung to his faint coat making a harsh contrast between what was clean and not on him. He hated being dirty and washing sounded peaceful after all the fighting. It might even soothe his burns a bit. Water could mean berries. Maybe even Rawst. Slowly, trying not to limp, he pads forward.

Taph sticks out his red tongue at the idea of taking a bath.
Sitting briefly in one of the least muddy patches of ground he shakes himself off, larger clumps of mud flying from his fur and splattering the ground. Still sitting he raises his uninjured hind-leg and gives himself a good scratch behind the ear. Everything would be o.k. for Miss Birdy now the Fairies took her away. The fairies were good at helping people, unlike him.
Carefully licking at the area around the bite mark Taph notes that he's missing some of the dark fur around his leg where it has fallen out and the skin underneath has turned dark purple.
Swiftly smoothing fur back over the wound before before standing back up and hurrying after the other two Taph worries. When they washed the mud away the two nice pokemon would see that he had been bitten and then...
Taph sniffs as he thinks of all the horrible things that they could no to him when they find out that he had been infected. They'd killed off the bad birds with some powerful attacks, would those attacks be used on him if he could no longer be trusted?
It had been so long since he last had friends too, he didn't want them to hate him.
Carefully the Riolu follows behind the others, keeping his back hunched over and his tail between his legs. He keeps a respectful distance between them as he looks up the big hill. He had until they got to the top at least then maybe he could run away if it looked like they were going to hurt him.
His legs twinge with pain, not from the bite wound but from his earlier attempt at a Hi Jump Kick. His parents would have been so ashamed.
I can try right? He says to himself as he silently walks after the two, looking at the ground rather than at the eeveelutions backs. If I am self confident and believe really hard maybe they won't mind....
Taph squeezes his bright red eyes shut briefly.
Oh please oh please oh please be my friends! he prays.

The vulpine pair walked with uncomfortable steps, the drying, scratchy mud and wounds becoming a real bother. Going in silence the Jolteon was a foot or two ahead of Glalie so he could not see her face. Her heart felt heavy in her chest, a great, cold weight. Monisha.. Though the Glaceon told her the bird was alright the pain of loss and failure was still raw. Unless she physically saw her friend again the mental wound would not heal properly. Frowning at the ground it might of been better if she didn't think about it, try to push it away. The next time she saw the vulture she might be.. With a shake of her head Pachi attempts to clear her mind. As she moves sparks begin to build and gather once more in the clear parts of her pelt feeling good and natural. Now only to get rid of all that mud!

Glalie took the rising ground with a grain of salt. He couldn't tell if the pain he was feeling was simply from his natural weakness in types or that the attack had burned him. Wincing as his tendril swayed with each step he could only pray that there were Rawst berries nearby. Even if it was just pain they couldn't hurt. With a grunt his unamused face simply carries on, firmly staring forward as he looks for the so called pond. All that his blue gaze can pick up is a space where the sloping ground has been craved out into a stairway for easier ascension. Getting closer he can see that plant life has sprung up from the cracks, a sign that they had not been maintained or properly used in a long while. Not that that was surprising. "Over there," Pachirisu started, looking over her shoulder, "Up those stairs and to the left. She should pass a big white rock on the way."  

She tried to smile softly to Taph. It had been a while since she and the Glaceon had traveled with a kid. He seemed so timid.. I won't let anyone take you away. Children needed to be protected in this day and age. They were the future if things ever got better. "How are you holding up, Taph?" She asks gently in a light voice. Turning to Glalie she can see the pain from the burn marks reflecting in his blue eyes. Licking his cheek she moves a step closer to him. "It wont be long before you can soak those." He makes a small grunt of humor which now glistens in the Glaceons eyes. Though its relieving to see he is alright it only makes pain run through the Jolties heart. I wish you would use your voice more.. Why wouldn't he talk like he used to? What had happened to cause this? No answers come to her.

The ground was evening out again with trees dotting it every so often. Watching their leaves with interest the Glaceon looks for anything small that he can make a meal of. He had eaten not long ago but hunger was already starting to prod at his stomach. Nothing of interest shows up though and his eyes again fall to the ground. Rotating his long ears there is a faint tickling of water off in the distance. "I see the rock!" It shouldn't be long now and usually water meant life. And food.

Startled from his daydreaming the little Riolu flinches backwards under the question and stumbles on the rocky ground.
Luckily he manages to right himself before he can fall but being caught out like that make a blush of embarassment burn underneath his fur.
"Y-Yes I'm fine." He stutters out. His legs are still aching but it wasn't so bad, not really. He could make it if he tried!
Another sharp pulse of pain runs through the black-furred limbs. In his failed kick he had overextended his muscles. What they needed right now was rest and a gentle rub to get them back to health but the little canine doesn't know that. All he knows that he had tried and failed to protect his friends and because of that the fairies had to step in and help them. He couldn't protect them himself and the strict-but-nice Glaceon had gotten hurt using his fire. That was a bad thing and it had happened because of him. If he had managed to kick properly then he would have been a hero and saved them all instead of needing them to save him.
Despite the twitching pain in his legs Taph grits his teeth and carries on, climbing the hill more swiftly so as not to be left behind.

This place hadn't always been abandoned, once humans had put steps up here. The Riolu doesn't know why but as he approaches the worn and overgrown slabs of rock he hears Pachi says they are getting close to the stream where water was.
But still...
The little Riolu hunches over nervously, his tail whippnig between his legs at the sight of the chipped and worn stairs. Even in the tower where he had spent most of his life he had never gotten the hang of stairs, preferring to scuttle up them hunched over rather than climb them properly after his trainer. It was where his fear of failure made itself most seen.
Setting his jaw determinedly Taph takes his first step on the stairs, keeping his gaze focused on the two taller pokemon rather than his own feet as usual. His sore legs and nervousness make it harder for him to climb the stairs then the other two and a sudden twinge of pain makes his leg twitch.
With a small yelp of surprise the Riolu falls over, tumbling back down the stairs with an arubt thump.
Whimpering in pain at the foot of the stairs Taph clutches at his head for a while before clumsily pulling himself back up. Oh dear, he's gotten even muddier.
Crouching on all fours and cheeks burning with shame the Riolu attempts to climb the stairs again fromt he bottom, paying closer attention to where he puts each paw.

((OOC: Couldn't resist.))

Staring at the white rock Glalie pads up to it placing his dark blue paw pad on its smooth surface. Though it appears a bit rough and has many grooves its gentle and cool to the touch. Longing aches dully in his heart as it reminds him of where he grew up. His favorite area of the facility was that filled with ice caverns and snow. It was beautiful, lightly colored and pure, and taken care of throughout the year to always give the Glaceons their proper enviorment. Even if he hated when the snow tracked into his bedding or the extra sting wounds gave in the chill it was home.The Eeveelution pair had passed an area filled with snow in their travels, making the Glaceon bounce and play like a kit though he would never admit it to anyone else. Guess I miss it more then I know.

Taking in a deep lung full of air he blows a cold breeze of Frost Breathe at the rock. A layer of ice started to form over its light surface making it even smoother with a bluish hint. It looked so much like the stone that had evolved him now, more appealing to him then before with the chilly layer on it. Using his claws for grip the Glaceon clambers on top of it and sits comfortably, letting its cold sink into his thick pale fur while he watches his friends. Sarah had turned around, ears tall and eyes wide as she looked back down the stairs toward the Riolu slowly making his way up. Her green gaze was full of concern for him as he toppled down the slope. "Taph! Are you alright, do you need help?" She asks worriedly, taking a few steps down from the top of the stairway but not quite rushing to his side. Watching the child intently he didn't seem injured as he stood up. "You can do it." She assures him bringing confidence into her voice. It was just a little fall, nothing too bad. I need to relax..

With a huge yawn the Glaceon takes his eyes off her. Helping the Riolu would be a one man job and the Jolteon was more then capable of doing it herself. Peaking around once more at the treetops Glalie looked again for something he could make a meal out of. The scent of birds was thick on the air and it didn't smell of the Murder. Yet there was nothing in sight. The thought of having to preen the feathers off a catch makes his stomach churn and he changes to the searching the ground. Rotating his long ears he hears nothing beside the distant babble of water. Maybe their battle had caused everything to go rushing off to their burrows. Giving up on the hunt altogether he thuds his head down on his paws and waits.

Immediately the Riolu scrambles upwards to an awkward deferential, keeping his ears low and his tail between his legs.
Rather than looking at the Jolteon his bright red eyes focus on his feet.
A blush of embarrassment burns hotly at his cheeks.
In his attempts to be confident he had made such a fool of himself.
"Sorry..." He says softly, his blue furred body drooping visibly.
He had never been good with stairs.
Ignoring the bruises forming under his fur and the throbbing in his legs the small Fighting Type quickly climbs up the rest of the worn staircase like a crab, hunched over low on all fours.
His trainer had never bothered to explain to him why he was such a disappointment but from his parents he had gathered it was because his legs had been born wrong, incapable of holding the strength of the powerful knee kick he had been born to perfect.
He was an unwanted mutation, a deformity of a Riolu.
He shouldn't be trying to impress anyone and he certainly shouldn't be trying to stand up.
Whimpering softly under his breath Taph hauls himself up the last chair and curls up to tend his throbbing legs.
Roughly he rubs the fur with his hands to try and get the pain to stop.
With his back to the Jolteon he is obviously sulking, more hurt over his embarrassing and very public failure then his short tumble.
Carefully Taph uncovers the mark on his ankle from the mud now drying on his fur. The flesh around it is an angry inflamed red with darker purple marks oozing into it. It would be impossible to pass off as a bruise.
Taph covers the mark with his paw and tries to breathe deeply. He was scared to die...

The Leavanny blinked as a sudden bright light hits his eyes. He covers them with one hand like a notched leaf as he adjusts to the sudden change of lighting.
Oh, this is definitely different to the gloom of Mt. Moon.
Swiftly the hero turns his head from side to side only to find that he is alone on some sort of grassy hill. He certainly doesn't remember climbing it.
A soft wind stirs up and makes his bright cape of leaves billow out behind him. In the early morning light he's certainly cutting a dashing silhouette.
He can't wonder how he got here when there's hero work to be done!
Pro-B spares a few thoughts for his friends and wards back in Mount Moon. They didn't come here with him and he'd had to find out where he was before he could go back. Maybe he'd even find some Pokemon to protect along the way.
Resolved not to be sad for the moment the Leavanny acrobatically leaps upwards. No need to use Sunny Day here, the sun is shining brightly of its own design and filling him with strength.
Ah to have such a celestial ally.
Cape swishing behind him Pro-B leaps over broken bits of human buildings in exaggerated leaps and bounds, his red cape flowing magnificently out behind him.
He spots something below, oh another Pokemon. Maybe they are in need of a hero's help and could possibly help him in return.
Spying a jutting out lump of broken stone by the worn stairs the Chlorophyll boosted Leavanny leaps onto the outcropping.
"Who is this mysterious figure who has come to save us? I am the one, the only, the amaaaaaaaaaazing Prophet Blade!" He declares loudly as he puffs out his chest and rests his hands on his hips.

It was days as nice as this one that almost made it seem as if the epidemic never hit. The sun was shining, the water was warm, and below the surface, none of the broken city was visible nor the rotting corpses of those dead or undead. Just the sun above casting its rays into the water and illuminating everything. And the light only grew brighter as Aqua swam closer and closer to the surface. With the floatzel's flotation sacs inflating, rising to the surface after diving in search of a meal was a breeze.

A summer's dream that transformed back into a nightmare mere seconds after the otter pokemon breaks the surface of the water. She had thought that the moments spent swimming -almost- made everything seem normal right? Almost...but nothing was right about the city she had stayed behind to defend. "For Oliver..." The floatzel breaths quietly to herself in remembrance. With a powerful kick and lash of her twin tails the otter slips just below the surface and heads towards land.

Aqua swims forward until her belly gently meets with sand and she lunges forward with enough force to throw herself onto her hind paws in an upright position. Everything on land seemed peaceful for the moment, though she's had enough experience to know gettin' use to the silence wasn't a good way to stay alive and kickin'. With ears perked and senses on alert the floatzel casually, as much as one can in these times, walks further in towards the heart of the city. She didn't bother to shake out her fur or nothing, the cool water felt good on her coat and the sun would dry it all soon enough.
One paw swoops down as she walked to snag a long, dried piece of grass to use as a toothpick. Some bits of her last fishy meal still stuck in the corners of her teeth.

"Who is this mysterious figure who has come to save us?"

The floatzel halts immediately at the outburst, having heard it from a bit of a distance. The sound nearly making the otter leap right outta her skin and throw a scald attack in its direction just out of pure instinct. Instead her cinnamon colored eyes jolt towards the voice, the declaration to find a dark figure against the bright sun. The light causes the floatzel to squint and in an attempt to get a better look Aqua raises one paw to act as a visor, but to no avail.

"What in the Sam Hill..." She starts, staring in surprise for another moment longer before starting off in a jog towards the hero. Living, breathing survivors are already harder to find then hen's teeth and this one seems to be higher than a kite.

"I am the one, the only, the amaaaaaaaaaazing Prophet Blade!"

Too wrapped up and thrown off by Prophet Blade, for the moment, the floatzel doesn't notice the others that are coming into increasing proximity to her as she jogs towards this 'mysterious figure.' Is that a Leavanny? Gritting her teeth lightly the floatzel calls up as loud as she dares to.
"Just whataya think you're doing? Hollerin' like an exploud, any of those undead critters in the area hear you and they'll flock here like a bee ta honey!" The floaztel says with genuine concern evident in her voice though it mixes a bit with her nerves and irritation. Enough good honest pokemon have died here, no one needed to be added to that list.