The UNDERGROUND Team

The charizard that leapt to Bryant’s aid was not Rodolfo.

Almost twice the size of sensitive dragon, the beast that emerged from the surrounding foliage instinctively took up a protective stance in front of the fearful cranidos. His cries for help had gone unheard, rather the muscular dragon’s presence fuelled by the foul stench of the undead. He had been on the hunt; the stranger’s scream had only helped lead him to the source. His expression hard, Marco’s powerful, grey stare never left the sickly scyther as it neared him. Always taught to spare the weak, the burly charizard set aside his views on the account that it was the one proving the threat; it had no right to life.

A vicious, booming roar leaping from the dragon’s chest, the fire-type launched himself at the undead, gliding on injured wings to collide with the bloodied insect. The creature’s pure bulk was enough to knock the scyther backwards, the insect floored as Marco wasted no time in restricting its movement. He wanted this over quickly. A heavy foot leisurely pinned the writhing monster down, the beast’s fragile wings tearing beneath the pressure. The charizard, expression blank, unleashed a furious flamethrower to engulf his target in mere seconds. The attack, brutal but quick, saw an abrupt end to the being’s struggles. It’s charred skin peeling away to reveal the raw, purple-bloodied flesh beneath; Marco shuffled away from his kill, unfeeling of the crime he had committed. However, as he turned, eager to console the insect’s intended victim, he was met with a far more startling sight…

“RODOLFO!”

Alert in an instant, Rodolfo’s heart nearly leapt from his chest at the cry of terror. Bryant’s voice was undeniable – his absence only just dawning on the dragon. Terrified, fuelled on by a sense of valour, the youthful dragon darted away in the shout’s direction. On arrival, he found the familiar cranidos backing away from a most fearsome charizard. Lost to a combination of fury and growing fear, Rodolfo instinctively rocketed towards the ‘threat’, fangs bared as a flamethrower grew in the back of his throat. He claws outstretched, Rodolfo aimed a slash at the enemy’s throat; he was too slow. The creature had caught his wrist mid-air, the male’s powerful claws digging deep into Rodolfo’s flesh to evoke a pained cry from the youngster. As he met the stranger’s steel gaze, pure shock was quick to overwhelm his slender frame. He choked out, emotional.

“M-Marco?”
“…Roddy?”

A moment of silence. The rush of emotions embodied by both charizards translated onto their scarred faces as the impossible revealed itself as a reality.
“Roddy!” Marco’s cry oozed the purest kind of joy, his face alight with an incomparable happiness, relief, as he embraced his sibling in a tight hug. Powerful arms holding his brother close, the elder’s eyes momentarily closed – the unfathomable feat of finding his estranged sibling overwhelming his usually aloof demeanour. “I-I thought I lost you,” He spoke softly, the emotion evident in his words as he tightened his grip. His mate, his parents, his friends – they were all dead. The revelation that his younger brother still lived was more than his aching heart could take.

Surprised, joyous, but afraid, Rodolfo remained rigid in his brother’s hug. It had been years – the last time they’d been together was the day before his banishment. Marco hadn’t been there. Stomach flipping at the rare emotion that his sibling was emanating, Rodolfo’s mind was unshakeable from that painful day, the memories exploding in his mind.
“Y-Y-You’re not… mad?” There was a fear in his voice, the dragon too hesitant to return Marco’s embrace. He didn’t deserve his love. He’d tarnished the family’s good name with his cowardice – none of them had come to his defence, thus he naturally presumed his banishment was well-received. ”I-I-I’m sorry… I didn’t – I-I couldn’t…” Gulping, his body tensed as the tears began to form in his eyes; Rodolfo found himself held at arm’s length, the warmth of the embrace lost. Marco stared at him hard, a flicker of pain crossing his features whilst Rodolfo struggled to uphold his demeanour.
“Do not speak of it,” His voice was strong, authoritative as his eyes scanned his younger sibling’s teary face. There was no point dwelling on the past to upset their reunion. They were family and that was all that mattered. He managed a weak smile. “It’s good to see you,”
“You too,” Rodolfo sniffed, the joyous tears now openly flowing down his face, a brilliant smile gracing his features. He buried his head in Marco’s broad chest, arms wrapped about the dragon as he returned his sibling’s hug tenfold. It had been so long – a painful road of isolation with the constant knowing that he had disappointed everyone he’d loved. But no. Marco had come back. Marco forgave him.

Openly sobbing into his sibling’s shoulder, wracked with emotion, Rodolfo was only brought out of his hysteria by a gentle pat on his back.
“Come on,” Marco’s voice was kind, supportive. The tone sent Rodolfo back to their childhood – the times when he returned home, battered and crying from a day of bullying where Marco would be the one to comfort him. Nothing had changed. “Your friend’s right,” Rodolfo had hardly heard Dio’s words, a warning of the arrival of an entire swarm, but as he shifted to look at his brother’s serious, almost concerned expression, he soon realized their reunion would have to be delayed. Moving away from Marco, Rodolfo roughly wiped his tearstained face with the back of a hand, his attention roughly torn away from the heartfelt arrival of Marco to the threat of an undead horde.
“A-Are any of you battle ready?” Rodolfo questioned shakily, mainly addressing the two newcomers. He constantly stole glances to his elder sibling, the joyous smile unmovable from his young face despite his attempts at regaining composure. The strangled snarls and buzzes were growing in volume; the monsters were slowing trudging out of their hiding and into view at the promise of fresh meat. Marco’s eyes surveyed the area intently, the joy of finding his brother masked with a determination. Rodolfo’s presence only gave him more reason to protect – nothing would hurt his brother again, not while he was around.

"RODOLFO!" Marilyn recognized that voice as Bryant's. 'What has he gotten himself into this time?' she thought to herself. Out of the tall grass came not only the Cranidos, but another Charizard. However, this one seemed to be bigger than him, which worried the Gothitelle. Rodolfo flew towards the Charizard, but the stranger attacked, emmitting a cry from the familiar Charizard. Marilyn was preparing a Charge Beam attack, however, something stopped her in her tracks.

"M-Marco?" They know each other? "...Roddy?" Her question was answered when the two embraced. They seemed like such good friends. It made Marilyn think back to before the infection, when she, Florence, and Jack always played together. She knew Jack was infected now, but she wasn't sure about Florence. She could only hope that her friend was still alive. Dio said she heard a swarm coming in.

She was right. Out of nowhere, undead bug pokemon came out. Marilyn noted how the hisses and buzzes were getting louder the as more and more pokemon came. She hoped that the newcomers were good at battle. "Why don't get this party started, shall we?" she said as she fired a Charge Beam at the bug pokemon.

(OoC: Crap post is crap. Also, I will be introducing Florence soon.)

Rodolfo had a brother. A much... larger brother... Bryant instantly felt much safer. It would be much easier to survive with two large dragons around. Hell, if Bryant evolved, they'd have a whole team of strong fighters. If only... It did no good hoping, unfortunately. It would happen eventually.

Roaring from not too far away shook Bryant. There were more of them... What had he done by suggesting they take this route? Had he doomed them all? How many were there? Marco asked who could fight. He wasn't very strong, but he'd do it. He had to at least help. "I'll fight, but I'm not very good at long range." He said, standing next to Marilyn. When they got closer, he would keep them at bay.

"You're welcome to stay with us. I can sense what you have been through, and it's not safe out there for someone like you..." Plea felt a strange warmth within him at the female's words. He was welcome, words he had not heard sine the sweet tiny fox back at that lake. Though her icy counterpart left much to be desired, she had been so kind. The Gothitelle was nice just like her, so maybe it wouldn't be so bad here. "Thank you," he whispered. The large dragon had noticed another creature, a strange feline creature that approached. But a great shout soon had everyone jumping.

Within moments he was alone with the feline, everyone having taken off to the voice that called. While she was quite pretty, Plea couldn't help but see the looks she kept shooting him while the others were gone. She looked like she wanted to kill him. Unsure what to do Plea kept away from the strange female as much as he could without seeming afraid. She seemed to have the same attitude towards him that the Glaceon had...what was it with him and Eeveelutions? Was it only actual Eevee that liked him?

He could see the others heading back and without a thought he quickly sped over to the Gothitelle who had been so kind as to let him stay. Worriedly he glanced them over and noticed the two new additions. "Is...is everyone alright?" he asked softly, gaze turned towards the ground hoping not to anger anyone. "What happened?"

[ooc: Skip me :U Nikki is just terrified of Marco and the undead so he started crying and flew up into a tree.]

((lol, still got nothin. Skip, please.))

"Why don't we get this party started, shall we?"

Marco emitted a hearty, deep rumble of a laugh at the gothitelle’s enthusiasm; however, a frown soon surfaced on Rodolfo’s face. Unlike his elder, Rodolfo wasn’t quite as thrilled about the gradual emergence of all manner of monstrous undead. He had seen enough violence for one day – the venusaur for a start – but yet, it seemed it was something he was just going to have to get used. As the group soon reformed, the ghost-creature enquiring to what had happened, Rodolfo’s expression fell. He hadn’t wanted to gift the newcomers with a monumental battle with a swarm of undead, suddenly guilty that this couldn’t have been avoided. Fortunately, his brother chose to answer, effectively silencing Rodolfo’s fears of bad manners. There was far more to worry about at the moment.
“If you cannot fight I suggest you stay well back,” The elder dragon stated bluntly. He regarded Plea for a moment, his expression serious until an amused smirk flashed onto his lips. Despite the dire situation, Marco knew he was going to enjoy this battle.

As soon as Marilyn’s attack had hit, Marco leapt back into action. Storming forward at a surprising speed for his muscular form, the charizard soon unleashed a powerful flame burst at the most hideous beedrill he’d ever seen. The flames engulfed its form in seconds, the power spanning to char the screeching creatures surrounding his target, though the caterpie colonies hardly proved a substantial threat to the behemoth of a dragon. The bee retaliated, striking out against its attacker whilst its flesh continued to burn away, seemingly numb to its current state aflame. Narrowly dodging the spear-like arms, Marco brought a slash down directly above it – deadly claws tearing its head near in half whilst the strangled, agonized buzzing intensified, then silenced. He could hear Rodolfo practically gagging in the background, an amused smile brightening his face as he allowed the insect’s body to drop, lifeless, to the ground.

Whilst Marco had rocketed into the fray, Rodolfo remained hesitant. Moving to address the group, he offered them a reassuring smile, though quickly noted Nikki’s absence. Suddenly fearful, the dragon’s eyes desperately sought out the youngster, heart beating furiously in his chest.
“Nikki?!” He called, panicked. He could see nothing but the amassing army of infected insects – a carpet of caterpie and weedle slowly approaching alongside an ariados and another pair of scyther. Biting his lip nervously, the charizard was frenzied in his searching, gliding forward to eventually catch glimpse of white within the trees. “Nikki!” As he peered harder, the trembling shape of his friend was visible past the dying foliage – at least he was safe. A sigh of relief escaping him, Rodolfo called out in warning. “Stay there, okay? This’ll be over soon,” As soon as the words had left his mouth however, the charizard found himself launched backwards.

Rodolfo hit a nearby tree hard, a pained cry escaping him, as he took note of the attack that had hit him. The ariados had fired a spider web at him, effectively pinning him to the foliage in a foul-smelling, surprisingly tough silk-like substance. Struggling against his restraints, eyes wide with fear, the young dragon watched horrified as the spider made a sudden approach, flanked by several spinarak – its children. He was helpless, his arms pinned as claws desperately worked to tear apart the web. Gulping, his eyes slammed shut in terror as the spider lunged, fore-leg raised to aim a sucker punch.

(OoC: Brace yourselves for a long post!)

Marco seemed as ready to fight as Marilyn. She was so excited for a rush like this. The Gothitelle let out a wave of psychic energy, which was able to keep most of the bugs at bay while she attacked them with Charge Beam. The whole time, she kept a steady eye on the others. The yamask wasn't sure what was going on as Marco instructed him to get back. The dragons were fighting, though Rodolfo was a bit more reluctant in doing so.

Marilyn looked back at Rodolfo, who was making sure Nikki stayed safe. As he turned around, an Ariados pinned him to a tree in its web. Marilyn wanted to help, but she felt herself getting pushed back into a tree as well. The Gothitelle found herself stuck in the same situation. She was doomed as well, but she felt electricity coming from it. It was an Electroweb. A Galvantula and several Joltik came towards her. She screamed out of terror. She hated spiders. The undead Galvantula noticed that Marilyn was struggling, and used Thunder Wave on her. She became paralyzed, unable to break free of the web. She was unable to protect her new friends. She closed her eyes, waiting for the end to come.

"Be gone, you undead scum!"

Marilyn opened her eyes just in time to see a Shadow Ball attack hit the Galvantula dead on. She looked over to see a Mismagius. The ghost had also used Psybeam to get the Joltik away. It didn't look dangerous. 'Wait, is that...' The Mismagius floated towards Marilyn. She began untangling the Gothitelle from the webs. "My word, you sure have grown Mary..." Mary? There was only one other person who called her that. Marilyn needed to know the answer now that she was free from the webs.

"Flo? Is that you?" Her question was answered when the Mismagius embraced her with her arm like appendages. "It's been so long, dear! I was worried sick! I thought you had become infected!" Marilyn noticed that she was crying. The Gothitelle wrapped her arms around her lifelong friend. "I was worried to Flo. I thought you were gone as well." Marilyn let go and looked over to Rodolfo, who was still pinned in the Ariados' web. "Hey Flo, mind helping out my friend? He's kinda in a sticky situation." Florence wasn't pleased with that pun she made. "No problem." she responded. She floated over to the Ariados and fired a Psybeam attack, being careful not to hit the Charizard. "Here, let me help." Florence said as she began to untangle Rodolfo from the web.

Marilyn made her way to the tree where Nikki was sitting. She climbed up it so she could talk to the scared Togetic. "Nikki? Are you alri-" Her sentence was cut off by a sharp pain in her torso. Another sharp pain hit her again, and another. Three was the magic number that made her fall to the ground, bleeding from where she was hit. An undead Heracross loomed over her, preparing another attack to strike down the Gothitelle. "Help..." she weakly cried out as she blacked out.

The Togetic was in a state of panic. He had been spooked by the ghost that came up, Plea, and frightened baddly by the other dragon that showed up Nicholas could onlt watch in frozen horro, even as Rodolfo embraced and spoke with the newcomer, Marco. He was bigger... and looked much more baddle hardened than Rodolfo. The exclaimation from the other feline was just too much for him. A swarm of undead?! With a cry of horror, the pixie selfishly fled. Taking to the air, he dove right for the nearby tree tops. He could not even think of the others; the youngster was trembling from fear. As the group quickly talked about a battle, the Togetic just shook, watching with fearful and nnocent eyes.

Even as the dragon, Marco, spoke of those not ready to fight hiding, tears formed in the pixie's eyes. He had fled before the offer was even thrown into the air. "I am a coward," he sobbed. But then the real chaos began. There was no time to think about self pity as it seemed every undead bug Pokemon in the region showed up. Nikki had no name for most of them, but screamed in horror as caterpie and Weedle made the first move. He was no hardened battler- if the Togetic went down there he would be killed!

Rodolfo called out his name, but Nicholas could not respond. He cried loudly in the overwhelminf fear. When the dragon finally spotted him, Rodolfo called out awarning to stay still. but no sooner had he said that, he was hit with an attack that left him helpless. "RODOLFO!" the distraught duel type screamed, but still unable to move. His tears grew in intensity, more than awear that he had not a single offensive move and Metronome would be much too risky for himself and the others. But as he could only watch, yet another stranger came and rescued the dragon, making Nkki go numb with releif. But no sooner did Marilyn go out of her way to try and comfort the Togetic.

Nicholas stared at her with desperate, frightener eyes. But then she gave a shout, sudden clutching her side and falling with a thump to the ground. Nikki could only wtch as blood formed at the wound, an undead Herracross standing over her with hunger in it's eyes. Nicholas could no longer just stand there and watch her be killed. A steely determination came to the youngster's eyes as he suddenly yelled. "NO, you stupid bug!" The pixie then jumped, aiming to kick the bug right in the face . Despite knowing no such move, the attack hit. The bug hissed as it slid a few feet away from Marilyn, turning its hateful gaze to the Togetic.

It was then that he knew what his role was in the fight.

Nicholas felt all emotion drain from his body, leaving him numb. Without hesitation, the Togetic suddenly shot up into the air. He could see all of his friends struggling with the immeasurable amount of bug Pokemon... ANd then he did it. There was a glow coming over the Togetic as he waved his arms in the air. In just an instant, all of the undead Pokemon in the area snapped their attention to him as the Follow Me attack worked. Shooting a glance specifically at Rodolfo, Nicholas braced himself for the attack as all the undead swarmed him. He could only hope that the others would take advantage of his distraction as the bugs washed over him likke a wave, blacking out his vision.

((Oh crackerjacks...skip please. I tried to think of something for him to do but Plea is just hiding as suggested. I'm sorry...I HATE skipping...))

Finally, a FIGHT. As the brothers got settled and reunited -the larger of which sent chills of excitement down her spine- Dio thrust herself into the battle, her body immediately whipping up a sandstorm. Already, the dead were blinded and put into a more fabulous rage, biting and squealing and hissing as they sought the living flesh around them. She laughed, scraping more and more sand into their faces with her Sand Attack, watching them with amused satisfaction as they lunged and attacked wildly, missing her by miles. With a superior scoff, she thrust herself into the air with a mighty leap, and came hurdling down, the ground beneath her paws shivering with anger and power.

Earthquake.

The ground shook and split, taking many of the horde with it. The overgrown wild vegitation ripped and gave way as the soil it clung to opened into a rift, then closed uncerimoniously, crushing anything that had gotten into its earthen maw. "Stupid zombies," she scoffed, looking back to the others, seeing that they were not faring so spectacularly well as she had. Frowning, she jumped to them, only to notice the Yamask hiding in a corner. She glared, her tail lashing a little as she studied him. Coward. She hated cowards. With the type of pokemon and what little she'd seen of his character, she vaguely wondered if maybe he was somehow the fat man in poke-form. If he was, she'd kill him there and then.

However, a cry for Rudolfo caught her attention, and she sprung forward, seeing the togetic divert all of the attention to himself, which was a particularly strange move for Dio to witness. She would use an attack like that, but the togetic? Wasn't he a pacifist of sorts? Still, with the deads' attention gathered, she took the opportunity and struck with a Quick Attack, eliminating a good third of the horde.

The psybeam that launched the ariados away from Rodolfo’s trembling form had been far too close for comfort. The psychic energy tingled against his face; eyelids scrunched shut as his heart leapt to his throat in fear. The charizard only found the courage to look when the sound of a gentle, but unfamiliar female voice met his ears. A purple, ghost-like creature stood before him, tugging away at the spider’s web holding him tight to the tree trunk. Confused, a frown loomed over the dragon’s eyes, though his predominant emotion was undeniably terror. Shaken by what had happened, his mouth dry at the realization of how close to death he may have been, Rodolfo found himself unable to offer thanks to the stranger. He merely fumbled away with his restraints, entire body shivering as he worked to calm himself.

Marco had near torn the scyther blocking his path in half at the sight of his trapped sibling, furious that the insect had the nerve to endanger both his and Rodolfo’s life. Slinging the disfigured corpse to one side, his expression one of pure hate as he mercilessly crushed countless caterpie beneath his massive weight; Marco only relaxed at the glimpse of a ghost alongside his sibling. The female wasn’t undead, instead helping to free the charizard. Content that Rodolfo was under a watchful, protective gaze to rival his own, Marco offered him a stern nod, disguising the incredible panic that the sight had triggered in him. Whilst he was eager to simply shoo Roddy away and force him to sit this battle out, the charizard was aware that too much time had passed. Despite his age, his natural leadership, Marco could not bring himself to command his estranged sibling. They were equals. Rodolfo had survived this long alone – he clearly didn’t require the babysitting, the patronization that the elder was tempted to bestow.

The hoard was very gradually falling; the numbers growing in the mangled corpses instead. The brown feline was proving a master of the battlefield, furious in her attacks as she almost effortlessly took out countless undead. However, the others weren’t faring quite as well. Marilyn lay fallen and bloody, the shy ghost concealing himself from the violence whilst Rodolfo worked panicked alongside the most recent arrival to free himself. Marco found himself trying to shake a pesky spinarak from his back, hissing in anger as the spider’s fangs pierced the hardened skin. However, the pain was quickly gone. The creature willingly slipped from his back, suddenly transfixed by the youthful, white creature he had previously glimpsed earlier. In fact, the whole swarm were slowly averting their attention… His stomach knotting uncomfortably, Marco took a deep breath. The togetic was a beacon, drawing the undead to his lithe form until it disappeared completely beneath the writhing mass.

“NIKKI!”

The raw emotion in Rodolfo’s cry of terror was enough to burn the back of his throat. Stampeding forward, half the web still clinging stubbornly to his body, the charizard’s thoughts only concerned the togetic he had quickly grown to love. This was practically suicide. The youngster sacrificing his own life for the sake of the rest of the group’s – well, Rodolfo remained adamant that it would not happen. Angry tears brimming in his eyes, the dragon stormed through the swarm, numb to the scratching and clawing of the creatures surrounding him.
“Roddy! Get back!” Marco’s booming orders fell to deaf ears, the sibling utterly determined to ensure his companion’s survival. Reckless and impulsive in his decision to act, Rodolfo quickly found himself weakening. The sheer density of insects crowding Nikki’s form was shocking on closer inspection, the charizard soon realizing that perhaps it was too late. No… Unwilling to accept such a fate, Rodolfo stooped down, his face soon clawed to a bloody mess by the monsters as his arms found a limp form. His heart constricting, hope silencing the fear, the young charizard soon lifted the battered creature over his shoulder – ensuring that from such a height, Nikki would be free from further attack. His body bloody, littered with fresh gashes from his heroic efforts, Rodolfo’s wings suddenly burst open as he used his last ounce of energy to push himself into the sky, Nicholas held tight in his arms.

Rodolfo’s burst of energy provided a perfect time to end this. Although consumed with worry for both the togetic and his brother’s safety, Marco wasted no time with the opportunity he’d been given. The undead were still gathered in one place, their corrupted minds too slow to react to the abrupt loss of their target. Exchanging a look with the ground-type feline, Marco gestured to the infected mass.
“Now!” He shouted. It was an order for the entire group; though the eye-contact with the female gave him reassurance at least one of them understood his intentions. His metallic glare returned to the monsters, powerful jaws opening to release an incredible flamethrower. He watched mercilessly as the insects writhed in pain, the flames quickly spreading through the hoard due to the sheer proximity of the creatures. Within long, it was over. The monsters had stopped moving, the combined efforts of the group securing them victory. But alas, it was not without injury.

Marco’s attention only turned from the mountain of corpses at the cry and accompanying thud of his sibling. Unable to hold his weight and lacking the energy to fly, Rodolfo had swiftly crashed back to solid ground. Ensuring that Nikki had landed on top of him to avoid further damage, the aching pain in his side that landing caused soon evoked a feeble call of pain. Now that his body wasn’t crawling with foul bugs, the true condition of the charizard was revealed. Whilst there were no substantial wounds, every ounce of the creature’s body was smeared with blood – the undead’s and his own alike. Gashes crawled along the dragon’s slender legs, his face dripping with the red liquid as the pain of the attack soon flooded back into his being. Rodolfo felt sick. Gently setting Nikki onto the ground, he desperately rolled towards the bushes, unable to contain the rising bile.
“Roddy, you idiot,” Marco was behind him in an instant, his voice stern yet gentle at he regarded the extent of his sibling’s injuries. Somewhat distraught to have witnessed such a gruesome scene, the elder brother placed his thoughts solely on the positive and that the fact Roddy was still living – bloodied and violently sick, but alive nonetheless.
“…Nikki,” Rodolfo choked out, determined to nurse the togetic but physically unable to move. If the aching of his gory form wasn’t enough, the poison now coursing through his veins was quick to reduce him to nothing but a heaving, emotional wreck. He pointed desperately at the togetic a distance behind him, shuddering as he brought forth another amount of vomit. “Marco, Nikki,”

The dragon understood, reluctantly leaving his sickly brother’s side to peer down at the togetic. He nudged the creature’s shoulder gently, determined to sympathise with the being that his brother was so intent on saving. He clearly meant a lot to Roddy were he to endure such pain and violence for the sake of saving him. Humbled by the thought, Marco spoke quietly, softly to the stranger, ‘Nikki’.
“Nikki? Come on. You can fight this,” Unsure of how to approach the situation, totally oblivious to the youngster’s personality, Marco opted for a calm source of support. Looking uneasily to Rodolfo, his expression of concern only worsening at the charizard’s persistent illness, the dragon was suddenly launched back into his memories. He felt helpless – as helpless as he’d been at the sight of his mate and parents’ deaths. He shuddered at the thought; a rare desperation engulfing the dragon’s scarred face as he addressed the group. “Are any of you healers? Please. I-I don’t know what I’m doing,”

Marilyn laid on the ground in a lot of pain. She could only watch as everyone else tried to fight off the infected. Nikki kicked the Heracross in the face. The Togetic did not want Marilyn to die. Nikki then proceeded to do the bravest thing Marilyn has seen in her whole life. He directed the undead's attention to him with Follow Me. The others began to take advantage of this distraction by attacking the undead. However, Rodolfo rushed forward, concerned about the Togetic.

"What are you doing? You're gonna get yourself killed!" Florence cried out. But it was too late. The Charizard had rushed into the crowd to save Nikki. He realized the error of his ways, however, when he started getting more and more cuts on himself. Grabbing a hold of Nikki, Rodolfo took to the air with a burst of energy.

"Now!" The older Charizard commanded. That must have been the sign to the group to attack. Florence attacked with her own Thunderbolt. Thanks to the powerful group effort, it was over. The undead were now just bodies scattered everywhere. Marilyn, who was still in a lot of pain, slowly got up and walked over to the group. Weakly, not even sure if they could hear her, she said, "We did it. We defeated the swarm. And nobody go-" she suddenly stopped. Holding the side where the wound was, she fell to the ground, still in a lot of pain. She was unable to get back up, even though she tried. As she slowly closed her eyes, she could see Rodolfo wasn't feeling 100% either. "R...rodolfo?"

Florence juggled her worries between both the Charizard and the Gothitelle. She floated over to the Charizard and saw that he was ill. When she heard a thud, she saw her lifelong friend hit the ground unconscious. The Mismagius tried to get her up, gently shaking the psychic type like a mother trying to get her son up for school. "Mary? Wake up! Please wake up! Mary!" As she pleaded for her unconscious friend to get up, she began crying. She didn't want to lose her friend.

"Are any of you healers? Please. I-I don't know what I'm doing," The healthier of the dragons said. Florence shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. I wish I was so I could help my friend." Her voice was choked from her tears as she silently hoped that someone in the group was a healer. The female ghost type stayed close to her friend, staying low to the ground. "Please don't die." she whispered.

Ugh.

Not only was one of the dragons injured, but so was the togetic and the gothitelle. Dio sighed. What a day. While the others scrambled to heal their friends -where had that mismagius come from, anyway?- Dio was left standing somewhat awkwardly, watching them, unsure of what to do. She had no healing experience, as all of her expertise was dealing damage, not recovering it. When the older, healthier dragon asked for assistance, she frowned; she was no philanthropist, but aiding this guy might prove more worth than not. She stepped forward, frown still in place.

"Can't say I know what I'm doing either, but you could stand to use some help," she replied, looking over the togetic's marred form. She glanced to the gothitelle, nodding in the psychic's direction. "We should relocate, though. I don't think wounded out in the open is too great of an idea."

"R...Rodolfo?”

Rodolfo heard Marilyn’s quiet words, turning his suddenly heavy head in time to witness the gothitelle fall helplessly to the ground. His wide eyes focused on the wound she’d been clutching, his fear skyrocketed at the damage in which the group had taken. Opening his mouth to to call out, the charizard found himself incapable of speech. All that emerged was another acidic bout of vomit, as he swiftly turned to spare the rest of the group a scene of his physical state. The stench was bad enough alone. His whole body shuddered, helpless, as he rapidly felt his stomach emptying. Marco was at his side again, apparently the health of his brother taking priority of Nikki. Rodolfo frowned, disappointed as he coughed, roughly shrugging away his sibling’s comforting hand. Adamant to help the wounded, he wiped his mouth and shakily turned to the group. The dizziness that overcame him was startling. Fortunately, Marco was nearby to offer an arm to lean on.

"No, I'm sorry. I wish I was so I could help my friend.”

The ghost hadn’t offered much assistance and Marco’s fear was quickly increasing beneath a mainly calm surface. If the utter lack of healers wasn’t bad enough, Rodolfo’s sudden fragility concerned him to no ends. The dragon’s bloodied body wouldn’t kill him – it was his vomiting that worried him. As he supported the sickly creature with a single, powerful arm, Marco regarded his brother with a frown, realization soon washing over his expression. Poison. His lip curling back, worried, Marco turned to regard the ground-type feline as she spoke - about as helpful as the ghost then. However, she had a point about moving on. The mass of bloody, smoking corpses wasn’t exactly subtle. Nodding his head in agreement, Marco cast his gaze across the surroundings. There was a small, half-collapsed building nearby – it seemed suitable enough.
“Over there,” He pointed with his free arm, his tone lacking its usual confidence. Rodolfo had found the energy to push himself away from his sibling, now carefully trudging to the injured togetic’s side. Marco could just about hear the dragon’s pained whispering.

“N-Nikki? Nik…” As Rodolfo neared, his body hanging somewhat lopsided, his chest tightened at the sight of his battered companion. Not Nikki. Of all the pokémon, why was it the innocent who were burdened with such pain? “Don’t worry, y-you’ll be okay,” He spoke softly, his voice hoarse from the stomach acid attacking the back of his throat. Stooping down, the dragon carefully picked up the bloodied pokémon, somewhat unbalanced walking on hind legs as he carefully padded back to the others – determination set on his face. He ignored Marco’s look of disapproval, trudging past to walk towards the small building his sibling had gestured to.

A defeated sigh escaped the elder brother as Rodolfo’s willpower – his determination to help was admirable, but it would do no favours for his health. Marco shoved the thought away, reminding himself that he was no longer a babysitter.
“Need a hand?” Marco turned to address the ghost, gesturing with his head to Marilyn’s unconscious form. Whilst he was more than willing to offer the injured – anyone for that matter – a lift, they essentially remained strangers. It was only right he ask beforehand. Managing a weak smile, subconsciously looking over his shoulder to watch his slow-moving brother, Marco cleared his throat. “Sorry, I never had chance to introduce myself. My name’s Marco – I’m Roddy’s brother,” He gave a polite, curt nod of his bulky head, addressing the gathering that remained. Although it would’ve been nicer to meet in a more relaxed scenario, Marco hoped that the battle had at least proven that he only had good intentions.

(( Had permission to pick up Nikki, again. ))

(OoC: YAY!!!! 25 POSTS!!!)

Marilyn was still unconscious from her wounds. She was stuck in a dream, or more like a memory. It was from a long time ago, back when she was a Gothita, and Florence was a Misdreavus. The two were playing together back at their home in Ecruteak. Florence was always like a mother to Marilyn, always keeping her safe in any dangerous situation. She loved her life there, and she was more than happy to dream about it.

Meanwhile, back in the real world, Florence stayed close to her friend's body. The Mismagius admired her friend's courage in keeping an eye on the Togetic, but wanted to scold her for doing something foolish like that and endangering herself. However, she knew the rant would fall on deaf ears, and it wouldn't look good for either two in front of the others.

"Need a hand?" said a voice. Florence turned around to the healthier dragon and floated up to him. “Sorry, I never had chance to introduce myself. My name’s Marco – I’m Roddy’s brother,” She bowed in front of him to be polite and then began to talk. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Marco. My name is Florence, Flo for short. I am a friend of Marilyn's, and yes, I do need a hand for her, because I lack the strength required in lifting her." Florence gasped. "Oh look at me! I'm just rambling on again..." Florence floated down close to Marilyn and whispered in her ear. "Do not worry, Mary. You'll be safe."

((Sorry to hold up the team only to skip, I thought I had posted already. >.< I don't have much time to post now, but I'll make a good one next round.))

Nicholas blacked out.

After the swarm had overcome him, there was nothing he could do. There were roars and the sound of many attacks all at once, but the pixie's senses were quickly overwhelmed by the many countless number of undead. He cried out and fought in vein against the pain as they all scratched and bit him, but he could do nothing. Nicholas felt the tears escaping his closed eyes as he went under. The pain just too much and the undead taking their toll. But at least he would die like a hero. He had saved Marilyn. he had helped Rodolfo. Maybe Zoe would forgive him someday. Maybe...

The Togetic felt the thin tendrils of the waking world tug at him, pulling at his mind. The pain and exhaustion covering his entire body was nearly too much and the duel type found himself drifting away again. He whimpered, trying to curl up on himself as warm liquids began to roll over his face. Just let it all end... Just take the pain away, he wanted to scream. But there was nothing he could do but endure the pain. When suddenly he heard a voice. “N-Nikki? Nik…”

Nicholas' mind froze, all of his limbs going numb. R.... Rodolfo? The angelic voice spoke again. “Don’t worry, y-you’ll be okay." It did not matter that the dragon sounded beyond distraught, that the scent of bile and death was in the air- all the Togetic heard was the caring nature in the soft voice. Nicholas felt something wrap around him and suddenly he was thrust against a franticly beating heart. The duel type still could not open his eyes as he felt Rodolfo walk irregularly. The Togetic finally managed to open one blue eye. The other was too painful and the youngster knew it was swollen, blood flowing over it from a gash on his forhead. The Togetic stared up, desperate to see the dragon's face. "R-Rodolfo... Are the-ey all o-okay?"

His voice but a whisper, hoarse with pain, and him bleeding all over his closest friend, Nicholas was still worried for the others.

The battle was a swirl of confusion, and Plea could do nothing but hide in fear as the others went after the undead. The brown fox glared at him but everyone else seemed to forget he was there. He wanted to help, but by the time he finally gathered enough courage another new addition showed up and handled several of the beasts herself. The team worked together so fluidly that the small Yamask realized he would only end up getting in the way.

With a sad frown and a tear rolling down his cheek he realized that he didn't have any more place here than he had with the others, so it was probably better to just go. "I'm sorry..." he whispered to nothing, sure no one would hear or even notice. The battle was over but everyone was so distracted that they wouldn't even notice him slip away, and so he did. Into the shadows the small ghost melted, nothing remaining of where he once was save for a few tear drops softening the ground where they fell.

As Dio watched the scene unfold before her, she couldn't help roll her eyes. Really? Did they have to be so damn dramatic about everything? I mean, really... was the fairy hurt that badly? Dumb. She frowned and stepped back a bit, to see if the dragon felt the same. What she found completely shocked her and took her off guard.

He looked sick with worry, though that might be attributed to poisoning. Still, his face, his eyes were so focused on the fairy that it seemed there was nearly nothing else in the world, nothing as important as that damn white thing. It confused Dio, that someone could be that invested in another living being. Even a dragon, a creature she'd expected to be as selfish and uncaring as herself... As she watched him pick his friend up and carry him gently over to the others, for the first time in a long time, Dio felt misplaced. She didn't belong here, with pokemon that truly cared for each other. There were no renegades like her, and while normally that didn't matter to her, the dragon's face burned into her mind and soul, making her remember the one thing she usually lacked: guilt.

Her paws stepped backward, toward the brush, away from the group. There, they were complete and whole. They didn't need someone like her disrupting the peace they'd worked so hard to attain. No... for once, she'd do the decent thing... and leave them be. Nodding her head to them, she turned tail and ran into the brush, to find more like her, pokemon more of her mind, so she wouldn't cause anyone like that dragon pain...

People.

The little Riolu had nearly tripped in his shock as all of a sudden, many emotions that were not his flooded into his mind.

There was only one explanation for such an event.

Survivors.

He stared up at the large building he had just been ready to take refuge in. His aura sensing power told him clearly that they were not inside, but they were somewhere nearby.

Felix bit his lip and nervously tugged on his bandanna. One one hand, the Epidemic had very easily flipped upside down a belief the little one had held for most of his nine years: strangers are just friends you've not yet met.

That had been very cruelly shot down just a month ago by a group of survivors who had chased him from their group, threatening violence if he didn't leave... as they threw rocks at his retreating form anyway. It had left many cracks in his shell of innocence and the encounter still hurt, not physically, but emotionally. What if these survivors also didn't want him around? Rocks hurt. Now he knew why Mommy had always been nervous when he played with rocks.

Now on the other hand, he could very clearly feel distress, fear, pain, and... there had been a flicker of guilt but the one bearing that particular emotion must, for some reason, have left, for Felix could suddenly feel that particular emotion no more.

An undead Vulpix suddenly sprang at him from a nearby bush, taking advantage of the youngster's attempts to stand still a while and think things through.

"Eeeeeeeeeeee!" Felix leaped back instinctively, unashamedly afraid, fur on end, and he kicked the fox as hard as he could. It fell back, momentarily stunned, and the Riolu smashed a fist onto its head in a brick break.

The Vulpix fell apart instantly, splashing blood everywhere, including all over Felix.

He stepped back, shaking, eyes wide and blank. He had just taken a life. Him. The one his trainer praised for being such a peaceful, friendly creature. The one his mother praised for settling fights instead of causing them. The one his father appluaded for being a good boy. The one his Uncle Rodrick commended for always standing up for the weak.

And in just two seconds he had mercilessly executed a creature who was so ravaged by the infection it did not know what it was doing. He'd just gone against a core belief in a fit of panic and someone had died for it!

His legs shaking, he sat down rather hard on the ground on his knees, beginning to cry as he apologized repeatedly to the pile of guts that sat in front of him.

"I-I'm s-so sorry, I didn't mean it, I know i-it's n-not your fault. Th-this s-sickness th-thing makes e-everyone a-act crazy and m-makes them h-hurt o-others; you n-never w-woulda done th-that if y-you were n-normal..."

He was sobbing now, his emotion sensing ability turning itself around as custom with his species; instead of absorbing everyone else's emotions, he was pushing his emotions of fear, guilt, and horror into them, allowing them breifly to be emotion sensors themselves, even though they were only capable of feeling his emotions and no one else's. It was supposed to be a defense mechanism so Riolus who were alone could signal their parents that they needed them, but in the Epidemic, broadcasting your emotional pain to everyone around you--and thereby letting them know exactly where you are-- might just accidently summon the wrong kind of Pokemon to you.

But Felix, still drenched in the Vulpix's blood and babbling apologizes at the dead creature, had no way of knowing that he might just have summoned more undead.

(Ooc: Apparently, I traumatize my characters when I can't figure out how to introduce them. XD It's so much fun to mess with all the emotion and aura powers Riolu have.)

Dark wings streaked across the midday sky as the black Charizard made him way North in search of his trainer. He had been searching for months, though they felt like years to him. Each moment he wasn't by Deans side was another moment he may find him dead.
Shaking his head he tried to get the memory out of his head. He knew that his trainer wouldn't be dead when he found him, not as long as he still had his pokemon. Seth would take care of him, he would make sure no harm came to him, and if any did, then he would never forgive the Arbok.

Letting out a great roar as he tried to get rid of some of the strain he was feeling. Kothar could feel his wings begin to stiffen from the strain of worry and long flight as he had not rested for a day now, and roaring seemed to be the only way to loosen up, though it was a bad idea these days.
Moments after letting it out, a swarm of flying undead bug pokemon began to attack. He didn't have time to deal with these weak small fry.
That large fire type dodged there meager attacks with ease before picking up speed and slamming into the ones that where in his path with a Wing Attack, cutting some of them in half with the force before spinning around and firing a Flame Burst, igniting them and any who got to near.

Once done with them he quickly headed for the nearest building in hopes of losing the rest. He knew he was stronger then them and could easily burn them all with his white fire, but even he had his limits, and he wasn't really in the mood to waist his time when he could be spending it looking for his trainer.
The only building that was close enough and offered cover was an old rundown place that looked like it could have been used to hold some kind of pokemon sport. He couldn't make out what it said on the front before he dived into the building through a whole in the roof and instantly headed into its shadows, covering his white flame with his massive wings as he watched the bugs fly by, completely oblivious to where he was. Only when he was sure they where gone did he allow his flame to be exposed once again.

Kothar thought he was alone in the strange human structure until he heard what sounded like talking. Red eyes began to dart about the room, though they didn't seem to be in the area he was, now curiosity began to take root in the large Charizard.
Slowly he began to make his way to the voices, keeping to the shadows, his tail flame looking like nothing but a moving spirit that those who have seen it had always thought him to be a ghost before letting the rest of his body be seen. Only then did he see the shock and fear in there faces as they gazed on the Black Charizard with its bright red eyes and pure white flame.
He wondered if he would get the same reaction from these creatures.

He came to a stop when the pokemon came into sight, two of which he recognized right away. They where Charizard like himself, only they where smaller, and there colour was that of a normal Charizard.
Kothar felt a little envy-us of them. There life must have been easy. Others must look at them as normal, but when others looked at him, all they saw was a demon. His scales where darker then that of even a shiny Charizard, and he had seen only one of those. There scales where more of a dark gray, not pitch black, like his own.
Kothar couldn't help but growl, but he tried his best to keep himself from attacking. He knew attacking out of jealousy was wrong, and he would keep himself from doing so, for Dean, the only human who saw him as a friend rather then a monster.

It wasn't until moments after watching them that he realized a few of them where hurt. His eyes soon turned from anger, to concern. If some of there group was hurt, then they ran the risk of bringing more undead, and there was no way they would be able to handle more.
The black Charizard felt like he was underestimating them, but he knew he couldn't leave them without some help, even if that help was from a demon like him.
Opening his wings he flew over to them on a single flap, landing a few feet away from them. His red eyes fixing on each one of them before landing on the smaller Charizard. "Do you need any help?" The question was directed at all of them, though it looked like the smallest Charizard in there group needed the most help.

Florence was unsure of what to do. Marilyn was hurt, Rodolfo was ill, and the Togetic was hurt as well. "I think I know a temporary solution. I'll be right back!" The Mismagius said as she floated away from the group. She went deep into the park with a plan. She would get some berries to try and see if it could help the three that aren't doing well. As she went deeper into the park, she felt a sudden rush of emotions. But it wasn't coming from her, it felt like someone was broadcasting them. They were emotions of panic, fear, sadness. Florence followed the source of the broadcast until she found the source; a crying Riolu.

The sight of him losing it broke the Mismagius' heart. She felt so sorry for the dear. She floatly over to him and lightly hugged him with her arm-like appendeges. "Shhh..." Florence murmured. "It's alright, little one. Don't cry." Her voice was more soothing so he would relax. Florence knew how fragile the emotions of young pokemon were, as she learned growing up with Marilyn. She adopted a motherly persona, one that would make her feel less scary towards others. "Now, tell me what ails you, young one..." She said, keeping her voice low.

Meanwhile...

Marilyn slowly woke up. Her wounds were getting better, but she still felt a bit tired from all the infected. She saw the damage that had happened to the group. Rodolfo was ill and Nikki was badly hurt. She slowly got up and realized she had a bit of a limp. Shaking the pain away, she made her way over to the Togetic, and kneeled down. She could see that Nicholas had a gash on his forehead and one of his eyes was swollen. "R-Rodolfo... Are the-ey all o-okay?" he whispered to the dragon.

The Gothitelle realized that if it wasn't for him, she would most likely be dead. Marilyn began to wonder why he saved her in the first place. Was it because he wanted to be the hero? No, it just wasn't like the Togetic to be like that. Was it out of friendship? That sounds like it could be it. The two felt so close together that it made sense for that to be the case. But another thought entered Marilyn's head. Did he do it out of... love?

The psychic type shook the thought out of her head and lightly held Nikki's hand to answer his question, even though it was directed towards Rodolfo. "Yes, everyone is safe thanks to you." Marilyn let out a soft smile to the Togetic. The thought about love came back to her, though.

The battle for Bryant had been relatively calm. He managed to keep the swarms off of himself until Nick pulled them all away, and it was over quickly after that. He grunted as the strange ghost and the feline left- why did all of the females seem to leave so soon? Was Marilyn next? Sighing, he looked towards the others. Bryant had little stomach for seeing his friends injured, and could offer little help regardless. Still, it felt wrong not to be at least trying to aid them. The sound of crying not too far away offered the perfect excuse for his removal from the situation.

Finding the source of the sound, he found that the puple ghost that had been with Marilyn had beat him there. The creature that was crying was soaked in blood, and with that ammount, Bryant doubted it was all his own. With the blood and the noise, he would probably attract every Undead from here to Ecruteak. Still, Bryant didn't know what to do in the situation. Turning his back on the two on the ground, he set himself into a ready position for battle. "Do what you need to." He said. "I'll keep watch."

[ooc: Skip. Not up for posting.]