The CELESTIC Team

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Outside Celestic Pokemon Center | Noon || 17

The Squirtle nearly falls apart from Shaka’s response, but perks up when the raichu considers his intelligence. “Y-yes, sir. I-I can be sma-smart. I-I mean, if you, um, want me to-to be. I-I have thi-this journal here. It h-has calculations in it, sa well as, as, as my journal en-entries. Pl-please d-don’t hurt m-m-me.” This kid sure does stutter a lot, the Raichu sighs inside. At least he has enough guts to plead. The pain in Shaka’s legs has finally dissipated, while he continues to pace around the Squirtle. From behind closed eyes he calms down the rest of his frustration, dissipating the rest of his anger in order to speak to the Squirtle calmly. Opening them again, Shaka addresses him. “Good. Intelligence can be useful. You are certainly not very strong, but you may be able to help with any planning.”

The raichu stops circling the Squirtle, instead taking on a light hover just a few feet off the ground. His electricity seems to be restoring itself now, not that it matters much since hovering takes so little energy for him. As he lazily floats, he finishes up his words. “I do not need to see your journal. Besides,” he adds in a passive shrug, “I cannot read the Human language.”

As he finishes speaking, Narron returns from behind the Pokémon Center. Before he comes over, Shaka browses over the smoldering building. It would appear the frame of the building--made out of a dense stone--is surviving. Black smoke still billows out through any available opening, and the wooden rooftop is beginning to show signs of the flames reaching it from the inside. The fire was crackling inside, a noise that sounds so pleasant compared to the unholy silence that exists in the world now.

Narron returns to them, giving an apology for his frustration. “Sorry, Shaka, I just had to cool down, take a breather.” Shaka gives a respectful nod, even putting in a small smile. “I understand.”

“And as for you Squitle. Next time y-never mind, just be careful in every move you make, because if you make one wrong one, you’ll be in trouble.” Shaka hovers down, stopping down next to them and folding his arms seriously. “Now that we have all made friends, let us get out of here. The Undead will be drawn to this chaos soon.” He turns around in his hover, nodding past the town shrine. “What do you think of that building overlooking the cave?” Shaka points his tailtip to a well-kept building overlooking the area above the cave entrance, at the opposite end of the town. “It looks to be relatively intact, so it might be a good hideaway.” While he waits for a reply, his ears flick around cautiously. There is no sound of the Undead yet, but they could always be watching, waiting. His fur shivered uncomfortably in the naturally cool air of Celestic, not because of the cold itself but because of the discomfort of being out in the open.

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Celestic Town, West Side | Noon || 18

Shaka guides the way along the road encircling the town, leading them the left way around. The Pokémon Center sounds to have consumed most of its flammable parts by now, gradually eating away at anything other than the caved building’s concrete skeleton. The raichu refocuses his ears towards his front when Narron speaks to him. “If any undead attack, he’s completely useless, so all he is is just another mouth to feed and body to protect. Are you sure it’s a good idea we bring him along?” They pass by a ruined building, as Shaka turns the corner leading past the town’s western entrance. He hovers down close enough to speak to Narron, but the bulbasaur takes the opportunity to whisper so the squirtle does not hear them.

“We could use him as bait to kill a few Undead, y’know. Leave him outside all alone, he’ll probably begin wailing his ass off, then from the tower, we kill any Undead that come for him. We kill a few undead and we find a use for the Squirtle.” The Raichu is for once rather bothered by Narron’s willingness to kill, but if he was in the same situation he probably would have said something similar. “If he happens to get killed in an undead attack, I might just run from fear, instead of helping him, though.” Shaka chuckles lightly from the bulbasaur’s attempt at deadpan humor, and gives himself a second to think before he whispers back. They pass by the entrance as they do so, and he gives a look to see if anything is shambling towards their direction--there is nothing. It would seem that this place is rather ignored by the Undead, and if anything does come it might not pose much of a threat. Nonetheless, he passes by the way into the town quickly, making sure that nothing can notice them.

He waits for Narron, before returning to quietly give his response. “We should keep him around for a while; maybe he can prove that he has some use in a group. He made a stupid decision, but he seems like he's intelligent--even though he is cowardly. Any sort of wailing or panicking would be a bad idea; we do not know exactly what sort of Undead live near here. If things get ugly, we may attract something like a Garchomp, or even worse.” Shaka momentarily shudders at the thought of meeting a Garchomp. He’s killed one before, but it would still bother him to meet another one. This squirtle can read, and that may prove to be quite a valuable thing to have.” Because of his companion’s current mood, Shaka decides to keep any mention of helping the squirtle to himself. It would be best to keep those words hidden until Narron cools down enough. The leer the bulbasaur throws back at the squirtle only reinforces his decision.

They have nearly turned around the corner leading to the large house. It still lies idly, with its cracked windows and its rather pristine condition. Any injuries to its foundation are few and far between, leaving Shaka to believe that there may only be a few Undead inside if any. He turns aback in the air, speaking to Narron and the squirtle as they head towards the house. “Okay, since the building is rather intact, I would guess there may be only a few Undead inside, if any.”

He nods to the squirtle to get his attention. “You, my good squirtle, will keep watch outside the entrance until we are sure there are no Undead in the house. If you see any Undead coming into town, you’ll just rush inside and find one of us.” He winks to the squirtle, putting on a sharp grin. “You’ve already shown you can run pretty fast, so this job should suit you well. I’m sure that would be a good role, wouldn’t it Narron?” He cannot help but smirk again, as the situation was funny to him.

((OOC -- Sorry for taking so long. >:3 I have been thinking up a new character that will be joining with Shaka soon!))

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Celestic Town, North Side | Noon || 19

The squirtle totally disagrees with Shaka’s proposal, completely missing the point the raichu was trying to make. Surrounded by Undead? The only Undead that would be left in the house after Narron and himself are done would be bits of gore and bones! The squirtle starts to tear up, snot running from his nose as he starts to bawl a little. The show makes Shaka shake his head in disgust, confused as to how someone could be so cowardly, so frail. The begging proposal that is offered, though, impresses the raichu a little. Despite this, Shaka argues against it. “We could indeed l--“ He is interrupted when Narron speaks up again, threatening the child. “Listen, you little baby, you will do what we say, or you die. Just be glad that I’m listening to Shaka, if it weren’t for him, we’d be ditching you to draw in some Undad, then killing them from afar while they try to eat you.” The squirtle quails under the vicous threat, prompting Shaka to stare in contempt at Narron. Shaka’s cheek patches spark slightly from withheld anger, and he was just about to rebuke him before he was interrupted by the squirtle.

In an attempt to distract them, the squirtle sprays water towards both their faces. The raichu barely manages to avoid it by hovering to the side, before whipping back and snarling at him. Narron had received a spray of water to the face as well, except his hit home right in his eyes. The squirtle had not hesitated to run for his life, making his way for the exit they had passed by and making his way into the nearby forest. In a furious rage, Narron shouts out after him and charges towards the squirtle and disappears into the forest himself. All of it happened within only seconds, leaving the raichu floating idly by the building they were planning to enter. Shaka facepalms, finding himself at a total loss as to how he is going to keep these idiots together. If this keeps up, he may just leave them to their fighting and go find some other, nicer town. They had all lost a powerful leader in Ponamu, and Arceus help Shaka if he truly did have to become the leader of this group. In fact, now that he thought about it, he really missed that Glalie. Sure, he was infected and nearly killed him, but he had an impressive control over his own emotions--in fact, he had better control than the Bulbasaur!

Shaka takes a long breath, enjoying the cool and beautiful air of Celestic Town which, besides from being polluted by the smell of the burning Pokémon Center, was relatively clear. The berry bag still remains curled around his tail, tempting his stomach to growl in contempt. Maybe while he waits for the idiots to return, he can enjoy a berry or two.

Dismissing his blank stare towards the exit the others went through, he hovers up towards the roof of the building. At the middle the roof stopped sloping and was flat, providing a good lookout for air and ground threats. There were a few breaches along the sloped sides, but the flat part has remained completely intact. Landing on all fours onto the smooth surface, he curls his tail to his front. He carefully unwinds his tail around the improvised bag, and takes out a palm-sized Sitrus. A smirk comes to his face as he zaps the fruit in his hand, softening it enough for consumption. He then hungrily devours it, enjoying every last moment of its simple but apple-like flavor. The moment had removed his negative thoughts, replacing them with his hidden, solitary cheerfulness. With the others gone, he lets out a small, smiling chuckle. It was small things like this that showed there was still a worth in life. After finishing the berry he wraps his tail tightly around the bag again, licking the last of the fruit’s juice from his lips. Checking momentarily for any sign of Undead or the Dynamic Duo, he pads along the flat rooftop, patrolling for any Undead. His padding is a bit cheerful, even though it still exhibits its natural caution. If Narron and the squirtle do not return soon, he will have to go into the building by himself. They will surely know where he is, so maybe they could come in after they are done squabbling?

((OOC--Blah, I'll add in the color coding later |u))

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Outside Celestic Town | Noon || 20

Shaka continued to patrol around the top of the building, assuring himself that there was no one else in the town other than himself. He puts his ear to the rooftop, and hears a bit of scuffling from inside the building. While the bulbasaur and squirtle settle their differences, he shall clean out this building. But then a noise interrupts his thoughts, making him spring up from his slouched position and float into the air.

There was a vicious shout that rushed through from the exit to his right, echoing through the town. Shaka leaps up from his calmed position at the noise, and snarls with displeasure. Something was definitely after Narron and the Squirtle, and it sounded vicious. He moves to the rim of the rooftop, staring towards the town exit in both worry and irritation. I am not going to interfere, he argues with himself, I am not.....Narron’s able to....Oh, forget it. Floating back over the rooftop and descending, he places the berries in a small nook between one of the thatched tiles. He then departs, using his levitation abilities to slow his descent to the lightly snowed earth. He lands in a sprint, running on all fours through the town exit. He leaps up into the trees just a short run outside, stepping cautiously through each branch. His senses are high, keeping check for any manner of Undead that may be bumbling around as he pursues the increasing sound of conflict.

As he steps through the trees, he catches a momentary glimpse of shimmering brown. That was the squirtle’s shell! He returns for a moment to stare at it, watching it slightly echo as he hears the occupant practically hyperventilating from fear. Coward. Shaka shakes his head clear of his disgust for the reptile and continues after the sounds. The runt would have to be dealt with later, after he helps Narron. As he gets closer to the sounds of the battle, the sound of sharp objects slicing through the air becomes audible. Shaka begins to see attacks whizzing away from his direction from through the tree foliage obstructing his way. He growls inwardly, keeping himself hidden from the unveiling scene from behind the cover of a thickly leaf-covered tree branch. Well, this looks ugly. Staring down to the scene--and keeping an eye out for any stray attacks--he watches a large, leaf-covered gecko in white garb assaulting Narron. The Bulbasaur has taken to running from the lizard, trying to find cover from his attacker. Shaka does not intervene in the battle, even though it looks major; Narron can take care of himself in this battle, as he has already shown his fighting prowess.

Shaka snarls at the wood gecko, but stays quiet from his perch, taking the time to catch his breath from his rushing. He surveys the creature, learning, watching. Such things could help if his target continues to not notice him and assault Narron. It does not look infected, nor are its eyes tainted with a bloody red. Aside from its glaring viciousness, there is nothing visibly wrong with it. Is he attacking out of defense, or is he mad? Shaka wonders, becoming gradually curious. There is no fell stench coming from the scene, neither from the lizard nor from the land. It is as if the forest itself is waiting for either of the grass Pokémon to conquer the other, its leaves rustling quietly from the soft, cold wind.

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Outside Celestic Town | Noon || 21

The battle between Narron and the mad wood gecko had not taken long. Having dodged the Razor Leaves launched by Narron, it had perched upon his back. It switched its stare between him and some other stranger Shaka had not immediately noticed, hidden in the brush nearby. After assessing the danger, the white coat-garbed lizard sprung off of the Bulbasaur’s back and dove into the underbrush of the forest. But the distinct aim of the leap had put Shaka on guard, as he suspected he knew where he was going. He followed along in the trees, doing his best to keep the enemy in sight. His instincts were proven true, as the Grovyle’s steps had been making their way towards the quivering shell of the Squirtle. It had taken only a moment for him to leap out of the tree, only to collide with the springing form of an Undead Floatzel from the forest floor. He tumbled back, snarling at the interrupting corpse as it wasted no time in performing an Aqua Jet. Shaka leaps into the air, levitating momentarily as the weasel launches straight under him. He fires a Thunderbolt straight down into the stream of water, stopping the Undead short and dispersing its move, making it slide and fall onto its stomach. It was paralyzed by the electrical blast, opening itself to attack. Landing right onto the back of the Floatzel, he grabs the back of its head and wraps his tail around its neck, fortifying it with Iron as he keeps his weight on its back with both feet. It hisses and snarls, its fangs pitifully trying to snap at the steeled tail coiled around its throat and its clawless hands unable to reach back and scratch at him. Another electrical charge leaps through his tail, frying the neck of the weasel for a few seconds until it falls off and the body slumps over. He wrenches his nose away from the horrid stench as he immediately refocuses his attention on the Grovyle. His cheeks burst with electrical anger as he sprints off in the direction the lizard went in, as he keeps alert for any other Undead ambushes. Ahead, the screams of the squirtle had come to a horrible end, being dominated by the sounds of a violently shucking shell. Just as he reaches the scene does the squirtle’s murderer spring into the forest.

He hisses in a repressed shout at the gecko as he flees. There is an uncanny blood-thirst in his eyes, disturbed over the fate of the Squirtle. “Get back here you green-scaled bastard!” He clenches his fist and shows it up towards the bushes that it had retreated through. A temporary rage takes over his head, but he withholds himself from taking up pursuit. When the ire subsides, he mutters a scorn to himself and throws down his hand. “Don’t yell, you idiot. That’ll only attract more Undead.” His ears check the land vigilantly, hearing only the sound of retreating steps. His strong eyes detect no movement, and his nose catches no foul odor. The iron scent of squirtle blood fouls the air, though it does not bother the Raichu. He makes an aggressive turnabout, his cloak whipping as if in offence in the general direction of his enemy.

He puts his hand down upon the bloodstained rim of the gory shell, and sighs bitterly. The scene was disgusting, yet his eyes did not avert from it. The shell had been cracked, with many of its fragments torn off, revealing the soft flesh of the Squirtle’s insides. It left a miserable feeling in his stomach, but not one of revolt. It was one of disappointment, of personal grief; he knew this kid had potential, but the world had other ideas for him. The death left Shaka feeling a bit hollow--actually, it left him quite guilty. He could have kept up with Narron and mauled the lunatic gecko before he got to his victim. A slight pain throbs in his legs as he remains upright, but he ignores its nagging for the time being. While he closes his eyes and lets his mind clear out the frustrations, he overhears the newcomer Luxio addressing Narron in the distance, his sharp ears overhearing everything. Shaka keeps his next words silent to the others, only to be heard by keen and focused ears.

“What a poor, scared little child. Born in a time where the weakest are slaughtered. May your soul find peace.” There was no time for burial, but Shaka felt concern for the forces that would devour and defile the corpse further. He opens his forlorn eyes and turns around to the others as if all of his depressive thoughts were nothing to him. While the squirtle has died, he shall live on, and there is no time for grief in this aggressive world.

The Luxio addresses them both now. While he listens, Shaka picks a stray leaf from a low-hanging branch and wipes the small slick of blood from the paw he used to touch the reddened shell. “You’d do well to run away from it.” Discarding the bloody leaf aside himself, he replies with a grim but respectful calm. “I know, Luxio.” A curt nod comes shortly after. He looks towards Narron, his posture lowering as he goes onto all fours. His legs were beginning to act up from standing upright again. “Narron,” he says with a sharp but controlled tongue, “there was nothing we could do for the kid. We should head back to the town before the Undead come upon us.” As he turns towards the direction of the town and begins walking, he speaks over his shoulder to the Luxio. “You can come with us if you like, but do not try to pull any underhanded moves.” His cheeks spark a little, but the stern warning is etched with a solemn tone.

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Outside Celestic Town | Noon || 22

As Shaka walks by the corpse of the squirtle, he hears the Luxio giving a reply to him. He perks his ears and turns around momentarily, impatient but willing to listen. “I wouldn’t dream of causing any trouble for you;” There was a dash of sarcasm in the mew, but otherwise she seems quite friendly. “I will come with you, as long as you don’t mind me.” He gives a humble smile to her, appreciative that he has someone else around that has a better emotional grip. ”Then you may come along.” For a moment, he browses around with his ears, making sure that they were not going to be ambushed again by the vicious wood gecko. There is no sound to be gathered, save for a calm leaf-rustling breeze. When he looks to Narron, who had come over to them; he held a shocked stare at the Luxio momentarily. Was he startled by her sudden appearance? Before Shaka can think about it or even anticipate what Narron was going to do, the bulbasaur bolts off in the direction the wood gecko had taken in its retreat. As if anticipating Shaka’s demand to know where he was going, Narron shouts out to him and the stranger.

“Just leave me alone!”

A blank stare towards the shrubbery Narron rushed into was all Shaka could offer in response. His cheeks begin to spark in indignation at the seemingly endless rage of his companion; he mutters angrily under his breath, shaking his head in scorn. “Reckless. Just reckless.” When he looks back to the Luxio, his expression appears bland but his voice kindly. “Don’t worry about Narron; he’s already proven himself capable of killing strong opponents.” He continues to pad on all fours towards the town, passing by the gore-scattered corpse of the child squirtle. “Besides,” he continues with a cautious growl, “it’s best not to be around him when he’s that angry.” He visibly shudders and glares back towards the sounds of Narron’s rampage, listening to the furious shouting of Narron as he pursues the squirtle’s murderer. There was the sound of constant slashing, as he supposedly was sending a storm of leaves through the trees. As he listens to the outcry, he catches the name Zoke, connecting it with the squirtle. He ignores it, though. Instead, he recalls the way Narron cut apart that Glalie that not even he could challenge, and how he only narrowly escaped when Narron had gone berserk.

He returns on all fours onto the discreet path leading back to the town, flicking his tail to the Luxio in a cue to follow. As he pads along, navigating his way through the trees, he decides he should offer a name to the stranger as a token of respect. Hopefully she will return the favor. “You may call me Shaka, Luxio.”