The ALPH Team

"Who the hell are you? Silver heard George say and looked up to see another Shiny Ninetales, just like Lalita. She was surprise to see another Shiny Ninetales but that quickly change when she saw that the Ninetales was stepping, unconcern, about the blood he was stepping in. Um...sorry. I've received quite a traumatic shock...." She then heard the Shiny Quilava say and thought that he didn't need to apologize. He had every right to be upset at seeing this. "Please...just stop. I can't take it anymore..." Silver heard Lalita say and looked over at her friend and when she saw how much she was suffering from the pain of the lost of another friend. She force herself back up on her feet so she could go over to her friend and gently place her paw on her. She couldn't lie and say everything will be alright, because she wasn't sure what was in store for them but she did say by mind since she was still too weak from her earlier Heal Pulse. ~Don't worry Lalita I'll be here for you~ She then looked up at Clyde and Gormlaith before she looked at the Ninetales softly and agreed with Clyde's words to the unknown Ninetales and said to him by mind, ~Yes, please move away from the remains. And George, I'm really sorry for your lost. I would help you bury Fred but right now I can barely be able to lift him to help bury him. I'm sorry for that~

It seemed they weren't to happy with Shiro standing in the blood. He lifted his paw up again, it was almost drenched in blood, though he didn't care, but he shook his paw anyway to get it off, he didn't want these pokemon thinking he was a monster, like those heartless creatures out there. "Sorry, I didn't know this was your friend." He said as he walked around the bloody puddle. "As to who I am, my name is Shiro." He said, as he faked a smile. He didn't know what feeling he should be feeling right there, but he was sure it was relief, so that's what he was faking, relief at finding other survivors.

"Its been while since I last met another living soul." He said as he looked at each one of them in turn. There was another shiny ninetales, a female. He wondered if he would feel anything toward her if he had his emotions? Maybe he would feel love, envy? Maybe he wouldn't feel anything at all, he would never find out because his emotions where never coming back.

He thought he would try to cheer her up, though he was going to fail since he didn't know what was funny and what wasn't. He closed his eyes and a Will-O-Wisp. Like that, three fire orbs appeared around his head, lighting the night with there magnificent bluish purple glow. He frowned, faking sadness. "I'm sorry if I did anything to upset you." Shiro said as he walked slowly toward her. Should he really be feeling sorrow now? He hadn't felt in so long it was hard to tell what he should be feeling, but in his heart, he felt nothing, it was just a black hole, much like the hearts of the ones he killed.

Surprised at the anger of the Vigoroth towards this newcomer, George found himself not immediately responding. He hadn't meant to stir up even more trouble, after all. The female shiny Ninetales begged for 'it' to stop, and the Vigoroth spoke again in a much calmer voice than before. “Where do you want to bury Fred?” It wasn't a subject George had been dwelling on, and the Quilava looked at his surroundings to find the perfect place to put his deceased twin to rest. I'm not familiar with this area at all.... But then George caught sight of a pair of maple trees, side by side, nearly exactly the same in appearance. There, that was it. Regretfully the Lucario couldn't help him out, but this was more of a personal burial. George trotted over to the front of the maples, looked back at the Vigoroth, and simply said, "Here." George would definitely be able to dig a decent grave for Fred, and the thought of leaving his brother behind nearly made George's legs give out. Even these complete strangers were reacting greatly to the death of his brother....his heart surged with increased fondness for them. Speaking to the Lucario now, George told her, "Don't worry, I can do this..." I hope.

The new Ninetales began to finally speak, stepping out of Fred's blood. His name was Shiro, a good name, and apologized for upsetting them. However, George had a very uneasy feeling about the Ninetales....his voice lacked emotion. George wished he, too, could shed this grief he felt....

Smirking and also keeping to the shadows, I eyed my prey and watched as some began to wither in fear. From me? No but from the blood, yes. An idea began forming through the chaos in my virus ridden head and I hoped, since we were in the Johto region and all, that it could come to pass. Looking around me, I calculated exactly how to get back to this spot and without a sideways glance I bounded off into the forest to find the prey I needed for my plan to work. Not normally found in the wild, I figured it would be a while before I found prey sufficient enough for the task at hand but soon I found what I needed. Standing before in the moons light was a young Ninetales seeming to be evolved by a fire stone and utterly lost with a broken leg. "Such a pity," The voices in my head rang out like spirits in the night. "and we were hoping for a worthwhile fight." Ignoring them for once so as to keep quiet, I began the tedious task of stalking my prey. The poor creature didn't even know what was coming when I leaped from the shadows like a nightmare and sprung to action.

Although it was completely evolved while I on the other hand only had one evolution, the size of the Ninetales didn't phase me much. The shock though that overcame it at the sight of my ghastly figure did however give me a kick of excitement that spurred me onward towards my prey and gave me the leverage needed to flatten it to the ground while the scythe on my head sliced this way and that across its soft underbelly, exposing the organs brandished beneath the distasteful color of its pelt. Blood poured out faster with each dying heartbeat the Ninetales managed to have while I began to feast upon the richness hidden within. Careful not to harm any other part of my prey I sliced yet again across its back legs to cut them clean off and then across its front legs, severing it from fighting if it could even do so in its weakened state. The cries it bellowed into the air were surprisingly quiet and I silently wondered if I was losing my hearing after all this time but I shook that thought free from my head and focused on the task at hand.

Looking into the eyes of my prey I smiled sweetly to the Ninetales and thought of the breathtaking female shiny one that one day I hoped would be my prey. I have eaten many a shiny in my day but none as gorgeous as this and her meat was probably sweeter then a regular Ninetales such as the one I busied myself with now. Anger overcame me at its soft cries and I reached into its body with my right claw, slicing a vital but not life sustaining organ and with that it cried loudly. I hoped it would be loudly enough for the others to hear. With its screams subsiding I dully realized that it was on its last couple of breaths and, becoming bored already, I dipped my head down to rip out its heart with my powerful jaws and tear it apart, swallowing blood and muscle tissue with each savory bite.

Now finished with my food, I began the task that would help me with my plan. Using the utmost precision, I sliced its head off cleanly and hooked my right claws into each of its eyes and threw them on the ground beside its massacred body. "Eyes, such distasteful organs. One wonders why they never taste sweet to us anymore." I clucked into the air while I picked the head up in my jaws and held it roughly but somewhat lightly so as to not harm it any more then I wanted it to be harmed. Then, turning back towards the sounds I could still hear from the group, I bounded as best I could with the extra weight to my spot in the shadows so I could watch the group. They were talking to the two newcomers, a Quilava like the dead one, and a male shiny Ninetales that to me, still wasn't as gorgeous as the female. Wasting no more of my precious time, I flung the head into their group aiming for a spot next to the female Ninetales and darted away to another shadow with little effort to keep my movements and sounds unnoticed. So far, I had decided to stalk them from a distance and it would stay that way until I saw fit.

She saw nothing. She heard nothing. All Lalita did was cover herself with her tails and try to block out all the bad that had happened in such a short amount of time. Max was gone, her friends were disappearing, new friends were being torn apart by other newcomers. This world was going to hell and Lalita could do nothing to stop it. She just wanted it all to go away, to go back to the way it used to be. But...it could never be that way again, could it? No...

"I'm sorry if I did anything to upset you."

Those words broke through her inner demons and she chanced a peek through her tails. But the face she saw didn't hold the emotion the words themselves should have invoked. While they were meant to sound sincere, all she saw were blank, empty shells masquerading as sympathy. It tore at her heart even more. Was the world so beyond hope that Pokemon couldn't even be bothered to care about each other anymore? Was this newcomer just the next step in the nightmare they all called home? Probably...

A new nightmare began as a something came flying at Lalita in a blur, landing right in front of her face. A severed head, with empty, hollow eyes stared at her. A Ninetales. Another version of herself. A terrified scream ripped through her at the image and she jumped back, nearly colliding with the others behind her. She couldn't do this anymore! What was the point?! They were all going to die in this place and there was nothing any of them could do to stop it!

Why?

Why?!

"WHY?!" Her heart-wrenching scream tore through the silence of the forest, echoing in the stillness. A grim reminder of the death that lay waiting beyond the trees.

Clyde watched the newcomer step out of the blood with the same lack of emotion on its slim, white face – even the canine’s words seemed false. It made the vigoroth’s blood boil. He had decided not to care about what the mutt had to say, but kept a harsh glare on him as he moved away from Fred’s remains to approach a distraught Lalita. He tensed, initially considering moving to block the path between the stranger and his friends. He didn’t want that emotionless freak near the others at a time of such emotional turmoil – he’d only worsen their situation. Besides, if the ninetales tried anything, he was confident that at least Gormlaith would be able to defend the trio. However, before Clyde had chance to intercept, George’s words met his ears.

"Here.”

Clyde followed the quilava’s gaze to a pair of maple trees and nodded his head solemnly in response. The stranger would have to wait; right now Fred’s burial took priority in his mind. Clyde trudged over to spot, standing on his hind legs to reach his full height. With a glance over his shoulder to the group, he buried his claws into the rich earth and began to dig. He moved fairly slowly, the movements causing a regular pang of pain in his side, but he was determined to do a good job – the quilava deserved it. Fred had been trying to protect him after all, Clyde felt inclined to give the deceased the upmost respect now that he had paid the ultimate price.

He had only managed a shallow, messy rectangular shape when the unmistakable scream of Lalita had him practically jumping out of his skin. Bloodstained fur standing on end, the vigoroth spun around to face the group, initially prepared to tear the newcomer apart, believing him to be responsible. However, he soon found a more surprising sight. A short distance from Lalita’s trembling form rested the head of one of her own species – gory, fresh and staring through dark, bottomless pits. Clyde’s lip curled back in disgust, his fury turning to the unseen tormentor. It must be infected, the voice had confirmed that, but it was still intelligent. It was playing with them – abusing them.

"WHY?!"

Clyde’s heart wrenched at the outcry. Why, indeed. He moved from the grave he’d begun before returning to the group. He couldn’t stand to see everyone in such an awful state; it was almost as infectious as the damn virus that had caused this mess of a world. In a moment of pure instinct, he rushed to the ninetale’s side and hugged her. He hadn’t hugged anybody since Bonnie’s infection all those months ago, and he’d begun to miss the act. He was so used to playing as the ‘tough-guy’ that he often struggled to show his emotions, but now that everything had come down to this, Clyde just needed an outlet. The vigoroth would never admit it, but he was scared; just as terrified as Lalita.
“We’ll be okay,” Clyde spoke quietly to Lalita, his arms wrapped loosely about her form, not wanting to accidentally hurt her like before. “I promise,” He closed his eyes momentarily, praying to Arceus that his words would prove true. But regardless of their fate, he would do everything in his power to protect them – all of them.

When he finally released her, his eyes had moistened slightly and he ushered a weak smile at her, which he soon offered to the rest of the group.
“As soon as we’ve buried Fred, we should get out of here,” His voice was soft, all traces of any previous anger dissolved and replaced by a combination of fear and sorrow. He wanted to go, start afresh and free of danger – but he couldn’t bring himself to leave the quilava’s remains out in the open. He had no objection to the group moving on without him and the deceased’s brother, but he presumed that for now there was safety in numbers. With a nod to the group and swallowing his feelings, he trotted back to the grave to resume his work at a faster pace – constantly looking up to scan the area for their unseen tormentor.

The newcomer, Shiro, was somewhat unsettling. It wasn't that he was threatening. It was the lack of feeling in his words. Gormlaith could tell that he tried, but his cold, emotionless eyes betrayed the truth. Nonetheless, Gormlaith nodded in recognition of his apology.

Her main concern was Lalita. The smaller fox was taking the recent events rather hard. This was completely understandable. If she had been in Lalita's place, she would be having a breakdown too. Losing so many friends at once was too much for any normal pokemon to handle.
She had not know the other pokemon Lalita travelled with before, so there was really no way for her to comfort the smaller fox.

Knowing how powerless she, no, everyone was now was the worse part of it. They could avoid the undead for only so long, before finally succuming. The ones with control were the undead, and even then, only subjectively. Their bodies remained, but the what made them them, their minds, was gone. We're all in this hell together...

Further proving her point, a head came flying by. It was clearly a deliberate act, meant to unnerve them even more. It startled Gormlaith, but not much more than most of the recent occurances. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Lalita. It only worsened her breakdown.
The deliberate taunting of this undead was starting to piss Gormlaith off. The mindless monsters were one thing, but to do this willingly? The Zoroark rose to her feet and stared out in the direction of where the head had come from. "Quit taunting us from the safety of the shadows! Come, so that I may get rid of you!" The zoroark called, also letting a Snarl escape her throat. She was sick of this, and wished to be done with it.

Silver didn't pay too much attention on what everyone was saying. Her main concern was of Lalita so she went over to the fox and tried to offer some form of comfort for her friend but before she could do anything something came flying out of the woods and landed right where Lalita could see it. Silver looked and saw that it was a severed head of a regular Ninetales. When she saw this she let out an angry growl as she turned to face where it came from, ignoring her tiredness, for the moment she stood up on her feet and facing where the head came from she gathered energy in her palms for Focus Blast and sent it where the head was sent from. Her attack went through several things but it didn't seem to make any contact with anything but far away trees so she just growled once again and said, "Whatever you are and whoever you are, get lost or so help me I'll find you and blast you away. I'm tired of your games so either show yourself or go away." Secretly she hoped that the creature, whatever it may be though she could sense the dark aura surrounding it showing that it was indeed an undead, will just leave and give them a break because they all needed rest. Lalita more then anyone. ~I hope the sun will rise soon so that we won't have to worry about any of the infected or undead since they don't seem very active during the day hours. That way we can all get some rest before we continued on and try to get out of this awful place~ She thought to herself as she moved over to Lalita's side and gave her a hug, much the same as Clyde did, and sat down weakly beside her offering as much comfort as she could.

There it was, the look he always got. He was so good at impersonating emotions, and yet, they still seemed to see what he lacked, was it his eyes? They say eyes are like mirrors to the soul, what did they see when they looked in his eyes? Did they even see a soul? Or did they see what he didn't have. He let out a sigh as he only seemed to make the fellow Ninetales more depressed.

Shiro let out a sigh. "If not my face, then look at my flames." Was all he said as he walked away and turned around again where he made his Will-O-Wisp appear to dance in front of the ninetales. His trainer, or mistress, was always into contests that she had teached him a few things, he hoped it would cheer her up. Even though he didn't have emotion, didn't mean his flames didn't reflect them, right?

He kept a focused look on his fire as they dance in a circle, bouncing up and down before stopping. He then made then merge into a larger Will-O-Wisp. The tip of it flickering out little sparks that gleamed in the moonlight. Almost like sparkles. Here was when it got tricky though, it took him many tries before he finally got it right. He made the fire spin, It began to open up, almost like a flower made of flames. A small energy ball began to form at Shiro's mouth before he tossed it into the fray. He watched as it landed in the middle and got surrounded by the fire. A few moment, and it bursted, the flames with it, and the small flames that got send in all direction began to burst as well, like small fire works. He didn't know if this was something that would make someone happy, but he had seen many people become happy when they saw fire works, so he hoped that this would have lightened the mood, even just a little bit.

Why?

Why indeed.

Why were they doomed to this misery, a life full of hate and death? George didn't have an answer to the apparently grief-ridden Ninetales, her beauty marred by the sorrows she'd endured. The Zoroark and Lucario reacted in fury, the latter even using a Focus Blast at the thing that had torn apart a different Ninetales in front of the female silver one. But that all paled in comparison to the fact that the Vigoroth was digging a grave, digging a grave for George's brother. He didn't have to do that, and the Quilava was about to help him with the task when the Vigoroth was distracted by the scream of the Ninetales before. George stood back as he hugged the silver fox, he didn't have a part in their bond after all. Nodding his head when the Vigoroth said they would leave after burying Fred, George went up to the unfinished grave. "I'll help. We need to leave as soon as we can." It's definitely not safe here. The shiny Quilava began to dig as fast as he could, not even paying attention to the flames of the male Ninetales. That didn't matter, not when it came to burying his twin brother.

Why'd you go, Fred? Why, when'd I came so close to finding you? It was stupid to ask a question like that, as if Fred had wanted to die, but George couldn't help it.

Now I'm alone. Just like before...only that time, I didn't have to bury anyone.

Wait. He wasn't alone. These strangers here....they'd been affected by Fred's death. The Vigoroth had began to dig a grave. George wasn't alone, he had them.

But was it enough?

From my place among the leaves and trees around the group, I witnessed pure horror fume from the gorgeous shimmery Ninetales. I watched as the others also broke down, saying they needed to move and one even went as far as to try and hit me with energy. A deep growl formed in my chest and I dug my claws into the ground to suppress the sound that would evidently cause them to notice me and then, it snaps inside of me. I cease to care and I step gingerly our of the shadows, a coy smile plastered upon my face. "Well hello there frrriieenddss." I drew the word out like it was some sort of foreign emotion well to me, I guess it was. "We just want to play." My eyes spark deadly and knowing, just showing the intellect in my eyes like it were a bright beckon of light.

The severed head game had stretched the group to breaking point. Those who weren’t terrified or emotionally lacking had become enraged - both Gormlaith and Silver eager to dispose of this unseen threat. Clyde couldn’t blame them. Were he in better health, he’d have rushed into the foliage at the sound of the voice, ready to locate and destroy this being before it could register what had happened. Alas, his wounds had begun bleeding again.

As he worked on digging the grave, the vigoroth’s eye flickered to the side where he caught the newcomer performing some kind of fire dance. Whilst he appreciated the idea that the pokémon might be trying to lift the group’s spirits, he personally couldn’t stand contest routines. He had no idea if the ninetales was a beauty contestant or not, but Clyde wasn’t the sort of creature to admire physical beauty – the vigoroth admired beauty that lay within. He exhaled sharply, the memory of his beloved Bonnie materializing in his mind, practically winding him. His separation from her was becoming unbearable, more agonizing every time her smiling face floated into his aching head. Oh, Bonnie.... He could only hope she was in a better situation than he was.

"I'll help. We need to leave as soon as we can."

The appearance of George at his side abruptly snapped him out of his daze. He smiled weakly in a greeting, pleased that the grave had now reached a suitable size and depth – all that was needed was its inhabitant. The vigoroth glanced sadly to the remains of the quilava. Moving away from the grave, Clyde intended to retrieve Fred in the most respectable of manners, but that same ominous voice stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Well hello there frrriieenddss. We just want to play,”

Clyde shuddered, spinning around to face the source and shocked to find that the voice’s owner was for the first time, visible. He bared his fangs at the absol, that same shade of purple engulfing its body. It was definitely infected – but it spoke with such clarity, such menace that the vigoroth’s fear was heightened. It had already proved its intelligence, it must be confident in its strength too to make the move of revealing itself. Regardless of his mental observations, Clyde rushed forward, to stand protectively in front of the group. Fortunately, the team were mainly all eager to tear into this sick monster, but the vigoroth was willing to protect those who hadn’t the bloodlust. He was exhausted, littered with bloody wounds and possessed only close-ranged, physical attacks, but Clyde would do everything in his power to protect his friends. Nobody else was going to die.

"Well hello there frrriieenddss."

So you finally decided to show yourself... Gormlaith thought. Now they could kill it and be done with its taunts. There was one problem, though. Most of the group was either physically or emotionally fatigued. Gormlaith quickly ran the conditions of her allies through her mind. Lalita was having a mental breakdown, Clyde had the large gash on his side, Silver had overexerted herself while healing the others, and George had just found out his brother was dead. That left Shiro as the only battle-ready ally.

"Shiro, I need your assistance in dealing with this beast," Gormlaith said, never taking her eyes off of the absol. While she didn't know the silver fox very well, he seemed trustworthy enough. Besides, she would need all the help she could get in dealing with this absol. It was smart, smart enough to mess with Lalita's mind, and it may be strong. In times like this, there was absolutely no room for error.

Silver looked up in time to see Shiro was doing some contest like moves hoping to cheer up Lalita. Silver was thankful for what he was doing until she heard, "Well hello there frrriieenddss. We just want to play." This caused her to look and see the undead Absol. She let out a soft growl as she force herself to stand on her feet not letting her guard down for a moment. She moved to stand protectively in front of Lalita. ~So you decided to show yourself after all you creep~ she thought to herself while she listen to Gormlaith speak to Shiro for his assistance in killing this thing. ~I hope he helps. He may be emotionless but he seems to be trustworthy enough to be able to help Gormlaith take out that annoying undead. I wish my strength has return so I can help them out but right now I'm best set up as a guard for my other friends~ she thought to herself. She really hopes that her strength will return soon so she can help out in destroying the creature before them. ~Snitch and George please stay safe over there okay until you finish the burial and then please return over here and help me keep Lalita safe~ she said softly by mind, making sure the Absol couldn't hear her.

Shiro didn't know if his little show worked or not to cheer the other ninetales up. But they where all interrupted by the creature that was hiding in the shadows. "Well hello there frrriieenddss." The Absol said, though Shiro just stared at it blankly, not even a flicker of fear flashed in his eyes as he looked at the undead.

He wondered what he should be feeling right there, hate? Yes, he should be feeling hate, but he felt nothing, so he had to fake it, like all his other emotions. Shiro's face instantly went to one of anger, a snarl formed on his face as he took up an attack position. "Shiro, I need your assistance in dealing with this beast." The oversized Zoroark said, though Shiro was way ahead of her. Flames began to lick at Shiro's mouth as he prepared to use his Flamethrower, opening it wide so that the column of fire was shot out of his mouth in the direction the Absol was standing.

Laughter flashed through my mind as I sidestepped the other strange Ninetale's attack. Hunger was blossoming through me and I needed food which there was only one creature I wanted. Thinking fast, my scythe began glowing and I threw out my Razor Wind to distract the others with its powerful, almost gale-like ferocity. More laughter drifted through me and I flew forward quickly with my head down and my scythe out aiming for the stomach of the Quilava called George. Picking up the Pokemon with my scythe buried in its skin, I jumped into the forest and flung it to the ground, relishing the screams of pain coming from its muzzle as I sliced its stomach up and began feasting upon its delectable body organs that tasted like liquid gold in my throat. Maniacal laughter worked its way out of my throat as I threw its filleted body back into the group, blood trailing after the organs coming from its body. Laughing again, I looked at them from the shadows. "We will return and when we do, you've been warned." My laughter carried to them as I turned and flashed through the forest towards my next destination.

(OOC: Was given permission and now he floats elsewhere and I will be joining with a living. Seeing you all again in a bit. :3)

The dancing fires were pleasant enough to look at, but they did nothing to soothe the emotional turmoil of the shiny Ninetales. Her world was dissolving around her and she was powerless to stop it. What hope could there be for any of them if all that ever waited around the corner was just more death? She didn't even notice the Pokemon causing her lapse in sanity step forth before the group, but everyone else sure did.

Within moments they were on edge, Fuzzy and Gormy quick to jump in front of the group as shields for whatever the beast could throw at them. Lalita felt the tension in the air and paused her breakdown to notice everyone was kind of, well, in front of her. Even the new Ninetales was prepping a fire attack. Where they...protecting her? Didn't they realize how futile it was? They were all going to die eventually...right?

As she watched her fellow shiny launch a powerful Flamethrower she couldn't help but be entranced by the way it sliced through the air right at the demon pervading her mind. Yet, it didn't phase the beast. Instead, it cackled madly and made a mad dash for George. No! They had already lost Fred they couldn't lose his twin too! Not in such a short time! But, alas, the Absol sank his horn into the soft flesh of the Quilava, and their new friends blood painted the ground a fresh red once more.

"We will return and when we do, you've been warned." No, she couldn't let that happen. Too much had been lost already. Lalita was sure that nothing she did was going to help her survive this perpetual nightmare, but, if nothing else, she would make sure the rest of her friends did. A steely resolve she had not felt since Max perished filled her. Her tears dried, her eyes hardened and narrowed dangerously, and a murderous crossed her face. She was done, finished with all this 'undead' and 'infected' nonsense. From this point on, all that mattered where her friends. Not even herself anymore.

"I'm finished with your games! Nothing is going to take them from me ever again!" Her voice rang clear and true, echoing after the demon as it fled with its prize. Let it return, she would be ready. To accentuate her point she let loose a powerful Flamethrower attack, torching the trees it had concealed itself behind. She turned back to her friends, her face set in determination, and began marching north once more. Never saying a word, but trusting they would understand.

((OOC:Sorry for the late post, got caught up at work. And Blitz, can't wait to see what you bring to the team after this creeper! lol))

Clyde had begun trembling. He felt light-headed, the blood loss finally determined to bring the vigoroth down at such a crucial moment. Gormlaith and Shiro were ready to battle, Silver had warned George and himself to stay back, but Clyde simply couldn’t stand and do nothing. He took deep breaths, keeping his body steady as the absol finally attacked, launching a razor wind in their general direction. He couldn’t have dodged it if he’d tried. The sharp gust pushed the ape backwards, only just managing to stay upright as the wind tore at his body. Bloody marks appeared on Clyde’s tired face, his legs now oozing with his own, rich blood. He could hardly feel it. The vigoroth had put all his effort into keeping his eyes from closing. The hideous screams, eerily alike to Fred’s was enough to give Clyde a punch in the stomach, eyes instantly widening in fear.
“Not again...” He couldn’t bring himself to look. It was already too late for the poor quilava. The absol had chosen its victim whilst Clyde was struggling with the winds, now the disembowelled corpse was slung back into the vicinity.

“We will return and when we do, you've been warned.”

He hardly heard the voice, the world was blurring and sounds were merging into a continuous slur. Clyde shook his head roughly, trying to snap himself out of the fatigue but to no avail. He heard Lalita shouting, but found his eyes set on the deceased brothers and the empty grave. It wasn’t fair. Life was so cruel, and Clyde had just about had enough of the torment. He took a shuddering breath, averting his attention back to the survivors as he watched Lalita storm away.
“Wai-“ The vigoroth struggled to form the words, what emerged was a weak, barely audible cry for patience. He caught Silver’s eye, a plea in his own orbs that apologised for his weakness, his body refused to obey the fragile mind’s orders. He stumbled forward, losing his footing to land face-first on the ground. A pool of blood was beginning to form around the battered creature, his once pristine white fur mainly a sickly, crimson shade, his wounds reopened from the absol’s attack. He wanted to fight this, he wanted to be the protector, but it was all too much. Thinking of Bonnie, Clyde’s eyes closed as darkness engulfed him.

(( Clyde’s going to be unconscious for a bit. I thought it was about time the blood-loss kicked in. Any characters have permission to carry him and nurse his wounds. ^^ ))

Silver closed her eyes as she tried to prevent herself from seeing the death of another friend not to long after the last but she couldn't block out the screams that George cried out as he was brutally slaughtered by the creature and then sent back into the vicinity that they were in. She only opened her eyes when she heard Lalita say, "I'm finished with your games! Nothing is going to take them from me ever again!" When she did she saw that Shiny Ninetails send a powerful Flamethrower in the direction the undead went as well as Shiro's Flamethrower. She then looked over at Clyde and saw that he looked at her before he pass out. She saw the apology in his eyes which caused her to grow sad. She got up and went over to the Vigoroth. She saw the crimson blood ruining his beautiful white fur and unable to help herself she put her paw over some of the opened wounds and had a pink aura to surround it as she healed the wounds some. She was too weak to do more but she was sure once she gets some rest she will be able to help fully heal the Vigoroth. She looked at her scarf that she had put around the Vigoroth's wounds earlier and saw it was still there which caused her to give a soft smile as she moved to put Clyde on her back. She knew that she was pushing herself but she wasn't about to have the others carry him especially when only a few of them can be battle ready if they are needed. Once she was sure Clyde was secure on her back she went over to Lalita and said softly, "Lets find a safe place to rest for the night since a lot of us needs to rebuild our energy. Hopefully we'll be able to find us all something to eat along the way."

Shiro watched with blank eyes as the undead killed the Quilava. He didn't know what to do, what to feel as he watched the Absol cut open the fire type and proceed to eat its organs. He truly was heartless if he could stand here and watch without feeling anything. He was nothing but an empty shell.

He watched as the other ninetales shouted after it, letting out a flamethrower where it had gone before going north. Shiro wondered if they would let him follow them, even though he had no emotions, he still wondered if they would let him stay with them. "May I join your group?" He asked as he walked after the other ninetales.

As she padded along through the ruins of Alph, Rune took a look around at the dark buildings and blood stained grounds. Despite all of that it seemed as if the area itself was set apart from the rest of the destruction she had seen in her travels. Stopping for a moment, Rune took it all in to revel in the ancient beauty of the Ruins. She had always wanted to travel to see them but with all of the battling, her trainer and friends had never had a chance to do so. Trying not to get choked up with thinking of her old memories again, Rune continued on through the Ruins but before she left completely, a scent caught her strong nose and her eyes widened.

Running through the trees, Rune followed the scent the best she could into Route 35 where the scent grew stronger but so did the surprising scent of blood. From the trees she could see two magnificent shiny Ninetales, a Vigoroth, a Lucario, and a Zoroark. Along with the seemingly living Pokemon, there was dead remains on the ground. Rune didn't hesitate to step right into the group of Pokemon to make sure that they did't see her as a threat. She wanted to smile in welcome to the group but all she could do was frown. "My name is Rune and I was hoping to join your group but I think first I should offer my condolences. It seems there has been great sadness here recently and I'll do what ever I need to, to help." Rune bowed her head to the group in a look of sheer sadness.

(OOC: Good to be here everyone(:)

"Lets find a safe place to rest for the night since a lot of us needs to rebuild our energy. Hopefully we'll be able to find us all something to eat along the way." Lalita nodded to Silver, and motioned to Clyde. "Make sure fuzzy is alright for me, okay?" She was worried about the Vigaroth, since he had hardly any time to actually rest and heal. The fact that he basically passed out was a good indicator that he was pushing himself too hard. Lalita turned when she heard another voice behind her. "May I join your group?"

She had almost forgotten about the other Shiny, and offered him a pitying look. The male seemed so empty, so hollow, but he didn't seem to have anywhere else to go. She couldn't just kick him to the side, anymore than she had with Garth. And at least this one hadn't tried to kill them. She gave him a nod and said, "Come on, then." She tried to offer him a smile, but wasn't sure what good it would do. All she could do now was keep going.

But, as fate would have it, yet another new faced popped up. This one quite literally, and right in the middle of their group. It was a Sneasel, Lalita had seen one once at one of Mistress's parties. "My name is Rune and I was hoping to join your group but I think first I should offer my condolences. It seems there has been great sadness here recently and I'll do what ever I need to, to help." Lalita's heart clenched at the reminder of their recent loss of the twins.

The little ice-type couldn't be closer to the truth, despite their kinds notorious nature for being sneaky and underhanded. She sighed and gave a shrug. "If you would like to join us." She left the offer open ended, too tired to deal with anymore surprises. They really needed to get somewhere sheltered for the night, and the only place with walls was the gateway leading to the park. A dangerous risk, but all they had. "Let's hurry, so everyone can get some rest."

(( This is just a little dream, well, nightmare sequence; feel free to skip it. ^^; ))

It was back in Spring again; flowers beginning to bloom, the forest alive with sounds of cheerful pokémon as the sweet, morning breeze tickled the vigoroth’s fur. Back then, times were so innocent, so tranquil. He walked alongside a smeargle – smaller than average, obviously feminine and skipping, a broad, infectious smile on her delicate lips. Bonnie meant everything to Clyde – a single look from those sparkling, blue orbs reassured him that he was, and always would be the luckiest pokémon in the world. Clyde returned the smile, nuzzling the female affectionately as the airy sounds of the season soon drifted into a bleak silence.

It was that dream again, not again.

The temperature dropped, sending shivers down Clyde’s spine as strange shadows began prancing beside the couple – hideous, deformed figures that reached out to grasp at them; pure darkness threatening to engulf their own, fading shadows. A scream. His head snapped around, a look of pure panic on his face as Bonnie lay motionless on the ground, the demonic shadows dancing about her slim form. He charged forward, trying to scream, shout as the illusions scattered – the environment melting into darkness, an eerie spotlight falling onto the smeargle.

“Bonnie...” Clyde muttered the name softly, distressed in his unconsciousness, head twitching lightly against Silver’s back.

Bonnie wasn’t moving. Clyde lifted her up, cradling her limp body as tears streamed down his face, begging for a miracle. She wasn’t breathing, but her eyes remained open, glaring. The once sapphire pools bore into his very being as a steady flow of crimson filtered into her irises, a demonic snarl distorting her perfect face. A deafening screech echoing off his ears, Clyde let her go. It was the single, selfish action that plagued the vigoroth’s mind. Bonnie was still somewhere beneath that terrible facade, but he chose to abandon her for his own stupid safety. What was the point in living without her? Every night he’d awake screaming, guilt-stricken that he hadn’t been strong enough to join her in the new world, as a monster – at least they’d have been together.

Before he could change his mind, reaching back for the falling smeargle, she dissolved into the gloom, calling his name in a tone that froze the ape’s blood.

The scene suddenly shifted, a heavy gust of wind pushing him towards a sheer drop. He scrambled to cling onto the earth, looking down to a seemingly endless pit in which he was headed. Screaming, horrifying cries of unfathomable fear drifted up to him, accompanied with Bonnie’s steady repetition of his name in that same chilling tone of twisted longing.

Just as she was ready to fight, it was over. The absol, too quick for Gormlaith's mind to follow, murdered George. Just like Garth, the absol spent no time getting the deed done. It made a hasty retreat, saying some empty threatening words before its departure. Now in its place was a jet of fire, having been released by Shiro too little too late. The damage was already done. Gormlaith lowered her head in defeat.
To her surprise, though, was the sound of a second, more powerful flamethrower being added to Shiro's. Gormlaith followed its path with her eyes, only to find that its originated from Lalita! The once depressed and hopeless fox was now livid. She shouted at the monster, declaring her renewed resolve." I'm finished with your games! Nothing is going to take them from me ever again!" Her words, while few, said all that needed be known. The one who once needed motivation was now the motivator. It inspired the zoroark to keep moving ahead as well.

She followed the female ninetales' lead, only stopping to identify the scorce of the thud she'd heard. Clyde's injuries had now caught up with him, forcing the vigoroth into unconsciencenss. Silver was already at his side, assisting him the most she could. Gormlaith considered offering to carry him, but she knew that Clyde and Silver shared a sort of bond. The lucario probably was content with carrying him.

The group moved on after Lalita had given Shiro permsision to stay with them. A few feet forward, they were then once again surprised. Thankfully it was a non-threatening surprise, a living, appearantly friendly sneasel. Her words seemed sincere enough, evidently Lalita felt the same having told the sneasel, Rune, she could tag along if she wanted to.
Gormlaith motioned for Rune to come by her side. While she seemed fine, past lessons had taught the zoroark to take the cautious approach. "I don't mean to show distrust," she said, "but...a past incident has led to us being more weary of strangers."

Silver felt her strength had return slightly, which allowed her to carry Clyde without a problem, but she knew she will need to rest in order for her full strength to return. She cast a sideways glance at Clyde's bandages and her scarf and saw that she will need to change them and possibly clean her scarf. She didn't mind it though,even with the scarf being a memento of her father's, she was glad that it was helping Clyde with his wounds. "Make sure fuzzy is alright for me, okay?" She heard Lalita say. This caused Silver to turn her gaze back at the Ninetails and smiled and said by mind, so that she won't use up what strength she has left by moving her mouth, ~Yeah, of course Lalita. Also if we can find any Sitrus Berries or Oran Berries they will be good for all of us to get our energy back, Clyde especially. I'll also have to change his bandages when we get a nice place to rest~ She then looked at the Sneasel and gave her a wary nod of welcome. She had heard Gormlaith's words and had to agree with her. With the past incidents it has caused them to trust strangers right away now.