(ACE) The STARK Team

"B-But-- Where can we go? I don't know this place at a-AA!"

Carl’s grip had tightened, Vale’s fear tainting his own terror to create a truly monstrous sensation pulsing through his quivering veins. His heart was beating in his throat, the darkness enclosing around his bedraggled form as the Bayleef desperately asked on a course of direction.
“How the fuck should I know?!” The Meowth screeched, unable to keep his thoughts to himself. Fur standing on end, he looked hurriedly over his shoulder, praying that Gaear’s bulky form was enough to alert them of his presence. He wasn’t the sort to hide in the shadows, more the type to come barrelling towards them in a blur of claws and fangs. Shuddering, the cat looked desperately about him until a dim flickering of light caught his attention.

The light, a warm glow of a f ire, was faint and emerging through the entrance of a building in the distance. Although he didn’t fancy the idea of stumbling across more undead, Carl instincts soon persuaded him that the fire’s source was safe. Serafina had disappeared; last time he’d checked the Haxorus had no fire moves, and so he hoped the flames belonged to the grouchy canine.
“There!” He exclaimed, pointing at ragged paw at the flickering light providing a beacon through the suffocating gloom. It was the only shot they had. Carl only hoped it wasn’t leading them straight into the path of the ever-ravenous undead…

(( Skipping Gaear for this one. ))

“How the fuck should I know?!" Carl screeched in his ear, only making Vale's anxiety spike. They were running around some giant cave with strangers, an army of Undead and a psychotic dragon hot on their trail, and he had the gall to yell at him like that?! He'd only just gotten there himself-- what was he supposed to do!?

"Don't yell at me-- you've been here longer than I have!" Vale screamed back, his voice almost getting as high as Carl's. Even though it was comical out of context, Vale would laugh when he wasn't in mortal peril. Still, with his snappy retort, Carl still pointed a way; a light at the end of the tunnel. It certainly wasn't daylight, but fire... and even with his aversion to the element, it was better than the dragon. Nodding, the bayleef began to gallop again, rushing toward the light source.

(( OoC; Please skip me as I need to figure out what has happened in the team ))

Sahara's sensitive ears caught a faint screaming in the distance. While she couldn't understand what they said, she knew exactly who it was. Did they want to alert every undead in the area that a fresh meal was running around? Geez. Upon peeking out one of the busted windows, she sighed-- Here came the dynamic duo towards the Center. If she couldn't get rid of them, she could at least try to get them to stop attracting unneeded attention.

While it was quiet at the moment, it was an unwritten promise it wouldn't last long. Sahara wasn't at her peak condition, the ideal of a safe Center was almost too good for Sahara to share. But still, she pushed the broken door open and waved bloodied a paw at the two, "Would you stop screaming and get in here already!?"
They were sitting Psyducks if Carl and Vale noticed her that easily. The canine dashed outside and looked around for something-- Anything she could block the door with. A sheet of plywood caught her eye. Good enough! Sahara lifted and dragged it back to the entrance and waited impatiently for the duo to make it inside before she blocked it off.

"Don't yell at me-- you've been here longer than I have!"

Carl had hardly heard Vale’s snappy retort, his terror contagious enough to have grasped hold of his unfortunate companion. The Meowth hadn’t the time to pity the guy, shit happened – still, he was more than grateful the grass-type was with him in the first place. He dreaded to think of his current situation had he been alone. If the undead hadn’t got him first, his intestines would be draped around that monster’s neck by now.

Holding tight as Vale stampeded onwards to the dimming light, the feline feverishly looked over his shoulder in a vain bid to catch glimpse of crimson orbs within the overwhelming shadow – thankful only gloom met him. Soon however, his focus returned to the near-abandoned building as a familiar face fell into view – the Arcanine. Smiling, relieved that the powerful, if a little pissy, canine was still around to give Gaear a run for his money, Carl looked near-maniacal. Perhaps there was hope after all! There was no doubt that when Gaear came, he’d be coming for blood…

"Would you stop screaming and get in here already!?"

“You’re a sight for sore fucking eyes!” Carl exclaimed breathlessly, eyes wide as a flicker of incredible joy darted about the blue pools. Still, his smile was short lived. He could hear a roaring in the distance. Pouncing from the Bayleef’s back once he’d entered the centre, landing clumsily but intact on the grimy floor, the Meowth watched fretfully as Sahara barricaded the door. As much as he appreciated her efforts, it wouldn’t hold their hunter for long. Still, at least Gaear would have to tear his way through two experienced battlers before he could reach his target…


(( Skipping Gaear again. He’ll be back soon. >D ))

"Would you stop screaming and get in here already!?"

Vale could have kissed that arcanine, the silhouette of a building coming into view after the female's bright pelt did. Racing to the door, his passenger pounced off once in the safety of the building, earning some imbalance on Vale's part. He stumbled and rolled, crashing his back into the far wall of the reception area, his lungs involuntarily pushing out a grunt. Even with his pounding heart, wobbly legs and aching lungs, Vale cracked a smile. They'd made it. “You’re a sight for sore fucking eyes!” Carl exclaimed, which only made the exhausted bayleef chuckle.

"...You can say that again," he chuckled, relaxing his head and neck against the wall he still leaned on. His legs trembled with adrenaline still, the muscles feeling a bit like jelly beneath his hide. It'd take a bit for him to recover from a rush like that. He glanced around, sure that the female had already cleared out the building. "...So how long... are we staying here?"

Shadow let out a sigh. How long had she been walking now? Too long. She couldn't remember when she last had rested. Properly back when she had tricked one of the infected. Yeah, that was the last time she had gotten some rest. And that was around the last time she had seen a house or anything build by humans. As she got over the top of a small rock she saw...

Light? Right ahead? She got all exited until she remembered that even the infected could stay for a rest at those places. She carefully sneaked closer, until she heard some voices from inside. It didn't sound like infected, so she peaked through a window.

A Arcanine, Bayleef, and Meowth was in there... talking. This was interesting... Where had they come from? None the less, she thought to herself that it would be better to see if she could join the group. Besides, a little company would be nice. She carefully when to another window and climbed in through it. Then she looked at them, hoping they wouldn't attack her but... She did not wish to be the one to speak first...

Sahara backed aside to see the dyad bursting in the doors. Carl leapt from Vale, sending the latter crashing into the back. She sighed as she hurriedly blocked the door off, if anything was wandering about, it surely heard THAT. The wood creaked before finally it hit the wall sending a huff of air from beneath it.
“You’re a sight for sore fucking eyes!” Hard to tell if that was an insult or not. Didn't really matter anyways, at least they made it into the rather dirty and broken building without attracting an entire army of undead. "...You can say that again," Sahara's frown was everpresent during the relative comfort of the warm Pokémon Center. "...So how long... are we staying here?" ... 'We'? She shot a glare towards the Bayleef in distaste of the slight suggestion they stay 'together', "You're free to leave anytime." The Arcanine's words were venomous as always, not the slightest hint of empathy laced within them. That's how she always was since... that day.

Sahara's fur bristled as a new scent as it made itself known to the canine. It didn't smell of death, which meant another living. Following the appearence of the scent, its owner entered through a window into the Center. Another survivor. Fan. Freaking. Tastic.
Sahara spun around with fangs bared towards the cat. It's choice to remain quiet aggravated the Fire-Type as she narrowed her eyes and spoke first, "What do you want?" She stood up, intimidatingly towering over the other female as a growl reverberated from her throat.

"...You can say that again ...So how long... are we staying here?"

Carl’s relieved, crooked grin was short lived. He looked to Vale, now recovered from his rather inelegant entrance, and then back to the door which the Arcanine was continuing to barricade. That wouldn’t hold Gaear off forever. Chewing his lip nervously, the fire-type’s response was less than pleasing. The bitch wanted them gone. Even though she didn’t say it aloud, Carl had an inkling the canine wouldn’t have any qualms about tossing them out at a moment’s notice. Best to stay on her good side for now.
“Lovely to see you again, too,” He muttered sarcastically, a grin pulling at his lips. So much for good behaviour. Still, he’d rather face the undead than tolerate the company of someone who couldn’t take a fucking joke. As roaring sounded from beyond, Carl quickly took that back. No, he definitely wanted to stay.

Suddenly, they had company. Whipping around, eyes wide at the sight of a luxray who definitely hadn’t been in the room earlier, Carl instinctively backed away. The only benefit of having a stranger in the building was that it was female. If she didn’t prove a total psychopath, this could quite easily prove a pleasant situation. As the fire-dog questioned the newcomer’s motives, intentions, Carl feverishly eyed the open window. The second the cat was permitted to stay, he was going to barricade that bloody thing.

---

Gaear was not happy.

He stood, panting and bloodied amongst endless corpses of undead. Having single-handedly killed the remaining beasts that had swarmed to him with the group’s escape, the Haxorus looked akin to a demon. Exhausted but with every capacity to kill, the towering dragon took a moment to regard his work. There were no signs of life, no movement. Just the powerful stench of rot and blood mingled together to prove the beast’s foul fragrance.

A smile crossed his features then, his powerful body slack as he quietly trudged to the nearest wall. His tusks were blunt. They needed to be extra sharp for what he had in mind for his loyal companions. Slowly sharpening the gory utensils on the wall, each screech of protest akin to the cries of past victims, Gaear flexed his claws in anticipation. Of course, Carl was going to die, but his cowardly ‘friends’ had also joined the dragon’s hit list. They had the audacity to abandon him for the undead, leave to protect some scrawny feline and elongate his true intentions to gut the mangy bastard. Oh, if they’d only moved on. Their bleeding hearts, their protection of Carl sealed their fate.

Content, the blood-soaked dragon trudged onwards in pursuit of his prey, a malicious smile crawling up his face.

It was more than a surprise to say the least that the fire dog that had offered he and Carl shelter was so calloused in her response, telling Vale that they could leave at any time. He shot a glance to Carl, who seemed just as uneased by her reply-- they weren't welcome. Frowning at the now tense, uneasy situation, Vale got to his feet, unsure of how to proceed. Were they supposed to leave the center now? What of the dragon that followed? He wasn't really ready to be rid of his protection so soon... the thought of losing another ally with such danger on their heels was enough to stay his feet.

However a yelp of surprise was earned when a luxray simply appeared in the building. The arcanine was much better in her reaction, simply demanding what the cat wanted in her what seemed to be usual, gruff tone. Vale swallowed, hoping to get some civility in the conversation before it turned sour. "Erm... Hello, miss. I'm Vale... W-What's your name?"

Of cause the first one to realise she was there was the Arcanine. "What do you want?" She had narrow eyes, standing up tall to intimidate her. And it worked fine, pretty perfectly to be honest. Shadow lowered herself to the ground, mumbling her reply "I just... Saw the light and... Well, thought it would be nice to have some company..." she then got surprised when one of the others spoke up. "Erm... Hello, miss. I'm Vale... W-What's your name?" Vale, eh? Nice name...

"I'm... Shadow... Nice to meet you..." She felt uneasy as she was standing there. Then she looked back at the window. She then looked back at the others. "I'm sorry to ask this but... For everyone's safety could you maybe help me getting the window barricaded? I..... I wouldn't want any infected in here..." She then looked around for something to barricade the window with, and decided that a couple of boxes would be best for now, as she when over to some and began pushing them against the window.

"I just... Saw the light and... Well, thought it would be nice to have some company..." A sigh was Sahara's only reply. Man, everyone these days just wanted to be a big, happy family. But with the undead's dying screeches still ringing through the area, Sahara really couldn't blame her. "Erm... Hello, miss. I'm Vale... W-What's your name?" She slightly rose a brow, he was always eager to introduce himself, wasn't he? He shared that quality with her late Trainer, at least. Oh, how she missed his voice praising her... "I'm... Shadow... Nice to meet you... Sahara flicked her ears. Introductions were not her thing, she hadn't even the manners to introduce herself. It didn't matter anyways, its not like these strangers cared anyway. And she didn't care either.

"I'm sorry to ask this but... For everyone's safety could you maybe help me getting the window barricaded? I..... I wouldn't want any infected in here..." Sahara wordlessly padded beside the Luxray, with a swipe of her grand paw, sent a box skidding towards the window which met with a crash. It satisfied the Arcanine's frustration that she was stuck in a broken down Center with a trio of Pokémon she didn't care for, nor wanted to be with. Whatever though, she'd be outta there soon enough.


((OoC - Sorry for lame post, I feel like crap. By the way, we are in Survival Area, if you guys wanna change your locations. If not, thats cool too. lol))

Thankfully, the feline intruder had proven herself amiable company, hesitant in her response as she provided her name, Shadow. Carl managed a wavering, lop-sided smile, too infected by fear to boast its usual sleaze. Instead, the Luxray requested to block the window. Whilst the Meowth wasn’t entirely comfortable with being trapped in such a small space with all these strangers, especially the grouchy Arcanine, he preferred their company to what was lurking beyond paper walls. Gulping, he nodded his head, eying the door uneasily.
“Be my fucking guest,” He muttered distractedly, failing to present his usual cheery humour in such a bleak time. His dirtied fur was standing on end, ears constantly twitching for any telltale signs of Gaear’s return as sudden movement behind sent him jumping out of his skin. It figured Sahara would be responsible. Glaring at the female but unable to uphold his bitterness for the pulsing terror overwhelming him, Carl let his company work on barricading the place.

It would be useless, anyway.

Suddenly there was a quiet knocking on the well-secured entrance. Weren’t the adrenaline in the Meowth’s veins threatening to make him faint, Carl would have easily missed the two, well-time taps. Throat constricting, mouth dry, he exchanged a fearful glance with Vale. There was no doubt in his mind who was responsible.

“Knock. Knock…”

Vale relaxed a visible bit when the cat introduced herself as Shadow, her company much more welcoming than the arcanine's. Her soft, somewhat hesitant reply allowed the bayleef some relief, a grateful smile warming his features. Thank goodness... it seemed an eternity since he'd seen a genuinely friendly face.

The arcanine seemed less enthused by Shadow's company, even annoyed at her suggestion to barricade the windows. Vale couldn't understand this girl. Why was she so angry, showing such animosity toward them? Why let them in or call them to her when she didn't want to harbor them in the first place? Her actions made no sense... 'And I'm too tired to figure it all out...' he whimpered in his mind, exhausted from the past couple of hours.

Suddenly, a quiet knock sounded on the door, Vale's eyes widening to nearly comical saucer-like proportions. His gaze darted to Carl, who did the same to him. Staring at each other, silently acknowledging the only pokemon who could be on the other side, Vale got to his feet, backing away from the door slowly. "...We... should run..." His voice could barely be heard by his own ears, but that could be because of his pulse pounding on his inner ear. They needed out. NOW.

((OoC: Bleh, skip this time. Not feeling too great. Just say that Shadow stared at the door scared '-' ))

The small fire crackled quietly in it's dying moments as the room darkened without its light source. Sahara gently exhaled a fiery breath and ignited it once again, cinders reaching out through the air before finally losing their light and falling.
The room remained silent, almost eerily quiet. It was a false peace though, it couldn't compare to the serenity the world once had. Before this toxin spread and the air was tainted with death. The world would never return to its former glory.

Her reminiscing was cut short as two well timed knocks thumped against the door, her frame rising from her haunches and into a defensive position. She glanced back towards the others, their fearful expressions confirmed her suspicions; Whatever was on the other side of that door posed a very real threat.
His voice... That voice... His words met her ears and she was instantly infuriated at the realization that he tracked them down.

While she was easily the youngest Pokémon there, her crystal blue eyes remained cold and fearless. She was prepared for any moment that door could come flying down and there'd be hell to pay. "...We... should run..." The Fire-Type's size was the only one that rivaled Gaear's... How would she look if she ran away? "Run if you must...", she began with a tone dark as night, "There is probably a back door..."


((OoC - Hope its alright for Sahara to be a complete idiot stay, Snitch. ^^ If not, I can change it lol.))

"...We... should run..."

Carl, nodded his head like a madman, wholeheartedly agreed with those three, simple words.
“Yeah,” He answered firmly, the word oozing fear. “Yeah, we should,” Eyes lingering on the door, the sudden stillness only heightening his terror, the Meowth felt is unwise to even breathe. The tension so fearsome, so heavy was like a vice. At this rate, he was going to suffocate before Gaear could even look at him.

When no further movement was made, no voice, no scraping, no roaring –nothing, only then did Carl react. Wide eyes on the door a moment, the cat took a breath before the antisocial fire-mutt spoke up. For a girl, she was awful miserable. Of course, the cat had little time to ponder of ways to alight the canine’s spirit with his famous charm, and instead gave a disbelieving snort at her next words.

"Run if you must… There is probably a back door..."

You fucking crazy?! Eyes roaming the canine’s powerful frame, Carl could admit she would definitely give Gaear a run for his money – but he was convinced the dragon’s incredible bloodlust would always secure him victory.
“Good luck, sweetheart!” He muttered quietly, quickly before turning and fleeing. Fuck ‘em! If they wanted to be heroes and take on Gaear, so bloody be it! Hell, they’d slow that monster down and allow the rational, sane ones enough time to leave. Looking back to Vale who seemed to be the only other creature of sound mind, he ushered his head towards an exit at the rear of the building. ”Barricaded my ass!” Carl growled, tearing the feeble blockage away from the door as quickly as his small paws would permit. Fortunately, terror was the perfect incentive. In a matter of seconds, the door was swinging open.

With a final look back, Carl shot out into the darkness beyond.

((Sorry about the delay, NightDaze and I have been discussing plot ideas. It would be amazing if everybody could evacuate the pokémon centre, lol. If you’d like to know what we’ve planned, feel free to drop either of us a PM. :3 ))

Vale's eyes darted to each pokemon in turn as they spoke in hushed tones, each seemingly not wanting to herald the monster just outside of the door. He swallowed hard as Carl readily agreed with him, glancing over to the terrified meowth as he spoke. It seemed the only one without fear was the arcanine, growling lightly and standing her ground, staring at the door. What was she thinking?! Had she seen that monster?! A pang of guilt stabbed Vale right in the chest; it seemed she had enough courage to do what he never could do... To stand up, fight, and more importantly, win. He gave a small whimper, his yearning for that sort of sheer firepower forever elusive to him. Would he ever be able to be that confident in his abilities? Could he ever attain that status?

He didn't get to ponder long, as Carl soon jetted out the back door, making a clear run for it. Shocked and hurt that the cat had simply run, Vale only just caught the look the other'd given him befure turning tail. Vale was torn. Either stay and try to defend his new comrades, his dogma, his very principles, or run after Carl and try to live another day... He swallowed hard, then shut his eyes and turned to leave out the back door as well. "Good luck...!" he wished, wanting to grant the best odds to those that would need them most. His legs carried him swiftly after Carl, his breath already coming out in pants.

As he ran, something didn't seem right. It was too quiet. Too peaceful. No tromping sounds, no roaring... something was definitely wrong. And while he knew a pursuer was after them, it wasn't some mindless undead that would carve its way into the building. Hopefully, it wasn't something that they were running straight into. "C-Carl!" Vale's voice was soft, not wanting to attract unwanted attention. "Wait, I'm coming!"

((OoC; I'm not feeling too well, so skip please. Just say she followed the two others))

What did it take for a tired old Aggron to get just a few minutes of peace without two dozen undead monsters throwing themselves at him every time he sat down? Compared to him they were merely shrimps and he took care of each and every one of them with a few Dragon Claws and a quick Stone Edge. But fuck, he was getting fed up of getting up off his iron ass every five seconds because another brainless pile of flesh wanted to try and eat his guts or whatever. Needless to say, Smith was in a very bad mood as he stomped down the mountain path towards the Survival Area, chomping on a piece of iron that he'd mined from the ground.

He'd been forced to leave the mountain that he'd claimed as his own, and that not something that he was expected to take lightly. Shoving aside a tangle of bushes he tromped into the Survival Area. Arceus, this place was boring. Trees, grass, the remnants of human settlements ... Smith had never been keen on areas like this and preferred to stay as far away from them as possible. But here he was, trapped like some fat-ass Wailord washed up on a beach. He couldn't go back up there ... even though he knew he was more than capable of showing those undead that he wasn't one who should be messed with, there had just been so many of them lately. He wasn't exactly young anymore, and the many times he'd had to battle were starting to tire his aging bones. He needed to rest.

"C-Carl! Wait, I'm coming!" The fuck?! Snapping his head to the right, Smith noticed three Pokemon - no doubt living judging by their voices and the fact that they weren't falling apart - running out of the back door of the Pokemon Centre straight in his direction. No. Just no. He'd already left one of his homes in the hope of finding some piece and quiet and now there were a bunch of noisy, annoying little shits to prevent that from ever happening. With a growl, Smith stepped straight of his hiding place in the trees and stood right in front of the group, blocking their path. He eyed the Meowth, the Bayleef and the Luxray with sharp, narrowed eyes.

"And just what do you three think yer doing here, eh?" he growled, throwing his piece of iron aside and pounding his fists together. "Didn't yer mothers ever tell yer that it's rude to trespass?" He pointed one hand up to the vast mountain in the distance. "See that big-ass mountain up there? From its tip," he held his hand flat and slowly tilted it downwards, "aaaaaall the way down to that rock over there by that house is my turf!" He jabbed a clawed thumb into his chest and glared at them all in distaste, curling his lip into an annoyed growl. "Yer got that? I pissed on that rock for a reason! Now, unless yer want my foot up yer backside, I suggest yer fuck off!" He wasn't fond of hurting the innocent for no good reason, but if he didn't get any peace soon he might've just lost his cool.

((OoC - Skip please~ Sahara is just waiting on Gaear. :3))

"C-Carl! Wait, I'm coming!"

It seemed like there was only one idiot who hadn’t opted to run. Looking over his shoulder at Vale’s call, the Meowth reluctantly slowed his pace as the recently arrived Luxray was seen alongside the grass type too, leaving only Sahara missing. Well, it was her funeral.
“Keep it down!” The feline hissed, fur on end as his eyes latched onto the lightened building. A decent distance from the place of healing which would no doubt be redecorated red, Carl heaved a sigh of relief as he managed a weak smile at the duo who had chosen to accompany him. Least she’ll keep Gaear busy for awhile…

"And just what do you three think yer doing here, eh? Didn't yer mothers ever tell yer that it's rude to trespass? See that big-ass mountain up there? From its tip aaaaaall the way down to that rock over there by that house is my turf! Yer got that? I pissed on that rock for a reason! Now, unless yer want my foot up yer backside, I suggest yer fuck off!”

Carl could have pissed himself then. The Aggron came out of fucking nowhere, bellowing about how he wanted to the group out of his territory. Backing up to stand close to Vale to practically peek out from behind a foreleg, this was the last thing the Meowth wanted now. Looking over his shoulder, praying that all this commotion wouldn’t distract that murderous Haxorus, Carl tried and failed to interject the steel-type’s speech with a pathetic shushing.
“Y-yes, o-of course! We’ll fuck right the fuck off – w-we just need to pass through,” He finally blurted out, voice quiet but laced with an obvious panic. “J-Just quickly. N-no trouble, er… Sir,”

---

Obviously a polite knocking wasn’t going to do the trick. Huffing, tired of these pathetic games, Gaear’s bloody claws flexed as a sudden light of purple was launched towards the door. The Dragon Pulse knocked the door of its hinges, the piece of wood flying back, snapping in two from the items barricading the entrance. The Haxorus stood pleased at the entrance, staring into the building as he trudged through the feeble blockage the inhabitants had set up.

As he entered, eyes narrowed as a dangerous smirk played on his lips, the armoured beast, decorated in a thick layer of gore looked akin to a demon. Stood proud, tall, the dragon was surprised to find only one creature remaining. The Arcanine. Scanning the fire-type, his expression void of emotion as usual, Gaear gave a distasteful snort.
“Where’s the cat?” He growled, bluntly. He neared her form, switching to stalk forward on all fours as heavy footsteps left a trail of crimson behind him. “The Bayleef?” Only when he was stood directly before Sahara, the smell of blood thick on his breath, Gaear stopped.

He commended her bravery. She was fearless, stood stubbornly and unflinching before his intimidating stature. It was a rare thing nowadays, especially from a female. The silence heavy with a suffocating tension, Gaear made no movement, completely motionless as he breathed steadily into the canine’s face. One wrong move and he would gut her where she stood. All he wanted was two simple, little answers; a direction, a gesture, and she might get away unharmed. Might.
“Where are they?...”

It was just one thing right after another...

Once Vale had caught up to Carl, another grand behemoth stood between them and safety, this one a giant aggron. A beast made of nothing but steel and rock, and what ate iron ore for freaking breakfast. He stared up, his expression matching Carl's fear, his legs quivering as he stood his ground. Carl managed to speak, saying they were only passing through, but Vale had a hunch it wouldn't pass the mark. The aggron'd probably just turn them right back around to face that horrible, terrifying dragon...

"P-Please sir!" Vale cried, near tears with terror, "we just need to get away from the dragon. We won't stay l-long, just let us get away...!" He cast a fearful glance behind him, as if to reiterate his point. He couldn't see the hulking figure... yet. Turning back to the aggron, he swallowed and cried once more, "Please!"

"Y-yes, o-of course! We’ll fuck right the fuck off – w-we just need to pass through. J-Just quickly. N-no trouble, er... Sir."
"P-Please sir! We just need to get away from the dragon. We won't stay l-long, just let us get away...! Please!"

Smith blinked down at the odd little trio standing before him, dwarfed by his immense bulk. His furious expression started to soften into one of guilt when he looked into their terrified faces. They were literally begging him for safe passage - for mercy.Yer stupid old fool ... the reason yer left those madmen in the first place was so this never happened! Feeling bad for evoking such a reaction from the Pokemon - who were clearly fleeing from something themselves; some 'dragon' - Smith rubbed the back of his aching head thoughtfully. But do yer really want this noisy lot runnin' round in yer turf? Attracting more unwanted attention? After thinking about this for a moment, Smith did something that he never expected to do, and he was pretty sure that the others were finding it a surprise as well: he threw back his head and burst into laughter.

"Oh, what the hell!" he eventually roared, patting his hand on his heaving belly. "Wouldn't hurt to have some company for once, eh? Been holed up in that mountain for too long! Gets a bit borin', y'know?" With a amicable smile, he held out his massive hand for the Meowth to shake. "They called me Smith. Good to meet yer."

When introductions were complete, Smith looked off in the direction which they'd come and grinned. "What's this 'dragon' yer speak of?" he asked, pounding his hand into his fist and twisting it round. "Giving yer trouble is it? Want me to take care of it for yer? Been a while since I had a battle with a dragon. They're tough ones, them. Always fun."

Finally, the mind-numbing wait was over. The broken door shot across the room for the Dragon-Type to make an appearance. Through the still-somewhat barricaded door entered the bloodsoaked behemoth, his expression sly and threatening as always. As he stood high, the canine had to stifle the scoff trying to make itself known. He'd have to do a lot more than that to intimidate the Fire-Type that stood calmly in the path of this beast.

“Where’s the cat? The Bayleef?”, Gaear questioned the canine as he shifted onto four legs, creeping dangerously close to Sahara. The latter stood silent, unwilling to answer.
Sahara's anger flared once again as the Dragon exhaled his blood tainted breath into her face. Regardless, she knew this foe had to be handled delicately; Even the slightest mistake could result in her death. “Where are they?...”

Sahara's mind raced as she tried to come up with a plausible answer. Gaear couldn't be trusted; Without a careful choice of words, he could kill her anyway. Then the others would die too. Not that the others really mattered, but that would be a metaphorical victory for Gaear.
"They've slipped away. It was pitiful, they even recruited another cat to their team.", she growled with a glance towards the back of the Center, "I hate cats..."