(ELITE) The ECRUTEAK Team

Kyoyas' breath was ragged as he ran through the pitch black forest, half-limping as his legs carried him through the thick brush. His fur was matted and mangy with dirt and blood, his glasses were smeared and uneven upon his face. Clamped tightly under his arm was a small bundle, wrapped in pale cloth.
Behind him came the echoes and screeches of the undead, a flurry of multi-type attacks all trying to find him in the darkness.
I have to lose them! I can't lead them back! He skidded to a halt, performing a very rushed rain dance as he tried to catch his breath. The skies opened up, the dark clouds above pouring rain down in thick torrents.
Bastards will lose my scent now...! he thought, doing his best to make a beeline for his target, and not run directly there, as his instincts screamed at him to do. The Ampharos' tense expression changed as he saw the thick patch of thorn bushes and large boulders come into view. With a final bound, he leaped on the large boulder, shimmying his way around the bushes and into the hidden den, gasping and collapsing inside.

The Ampharos clung to the package he held against his chest tightly, closing his eyes and leaning against the cool walls, his breathing still thick and heavy. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he searched the small hole, his gaze resting on the dark pile of fur in the darkest recess.
"Good...still here..." he whispered to himself, his breath slowing a bit. Pulling himself up painfully, he inspected his wounded upper leg. A deep two-clawed gash ran across it, revealing thick muscle underneath the tattered yellow fur.
He sighed heavily, adjusting the glasses on his face and gingerly picked up the package, unwrapped it from the cloth and its' tattered plastic package and inspected it.
It looks like it's still undamaged...

The small amount of liquid in the glass syringe barely showed in the darkness, shimmering ever so slightly as he moved it. Kyoya clenched his jaws as he looked to the unconscious Umbreon in the darkness.
This better be fucking worth it...it'll all be for nothing if he doesn't make it through...
The smell of blood not only clung to Plague, but now to himself. He dragged himself closer to the vulpine and nudged him slightly.

"Plague, I'm back...I brought the meds." He whispered, inspecting the Umbreons' wounds again. Plagues' eyes opened slowly and hazily as his breath quickened slightly, but he didn't move.
Kyoyas' slate colored eyes moved over the Umbreons' broken body, pausing at the protruding, narrow bone jutting out of his side. Dry blood clumped his fur near it, and dark and foul smelling liquid had started to form around the wound from bacterial infection.
"Plague...we're going to have to set this...before we give you the Max..." he muttered firmly as his gaze met the Umbreons'.

Plague struggled to take in a breath to respond, but an excruciating pain kept him from taking anything more than a shallow, tiny breath.
Tears fell from his eyes slowly as he gazed at the Ampharos, terrified and in agony.
Kyoya solemnly nodded at the Umbreon. "I couldn't find any anesthesia...but once I set it, I'll give you the Max...then the pain will go away." He said softly, moving to the entrance and letting his paws get rinsed off in rain before coming back. He picked up the white cloth that he used to wrap the medicine, gently cleaning the wound. Puss oozed from the clotted areas and blood slowly began to seep from the puncture in his flesh.
Pausing, Kyoya disappeared and quickly came back with a severed branch about 8 inches long in his paw.
"...You'll need this." He muttered, gently opening the Umbreons' maw and putting the branch between his canines.
"Whatever happens, don't cry out." Kyoya hissed, his eyes cold as steel.

Grasping the rib, he quickly shoved it under the skin and into its' relatively correct place. The Umbreon convulsed and tensed under his firm grip, quickly going limp with a gagging whimper.

"There's a good chance I'm probably younger than you, canine. I'm not that old..." Yeah right. It was all she could do to stifle the chuckle that bubbled up into her throat. "Do you happen to know what you are? There seems to be a sudden abundance in... new species of Pokemon nowadays." Now that was a question worthy of an answer. “Well, actually...” However Anton quickly cut her off, the sense of urgency in his voice the only thing that stopped her from chomping his neck for it. "...I'm sure you're having fun with this guy, but you remember that reason we were leaving? It's coming back together now." Tysiohone shot a glance to their popsicle friend and noticed that he was indeed beginning to reform. “Well…shit.”

“Those buildings are abandoned, Although, you don’t look the kind to hide.” Ty just tossed the Houndoom a smile. “You don’t know the half of it,” she said coyly, offering the older hound a wink. “Let’s move!” In a flash her legs were carrying her away from the scene of the awakening Gengar and towards the buildings. Though, her intention wasn’t to hide within them, oh no. She was setting a trap. They had already used too much time and that thing was going to be on them before they all made it to shelter, so she needed a Plan B. And wouldn’t you know it, Tysiphone was known for Plan B.

She didn’t slow down even a little as she came to the building and looked as though she was about to crash into the side of it. She turned her head briefly and watched as the Gengar formed once more and came after them, but she didn’t slow. But faster than a blink that all changed. With expert precision her whole body was up in the air and twisted around so that her feet were now facing the building before she could crash. Her back paws hit the side of the building and took the impact, her body folding in on itself as it took the force and held it. She then planted her front paws firmly into the ground and pushed her chest forward, letting out a mighty Snarl using the extra push from stretching her diaphragm. Her position had also been chosen carefully, for the sound began reverberating off of the surrounding buildings, their empty hollows making the perfect bounce back so the one attack kept hitting over and over. Sound based moves were fun that way. Granted each echo was pathetically weaker than the last, but that didn’t matter. His defenses were so low now thanks to Snarl’s sub-effect that they could finish the asshole with out worry.

“Let’s get him boys!”


((OOC: Ana, I figured you wanted them to not be noticed since they weren't really near the group yet. Feel free to join the fray~ Gotta love Ty being the only freaking girl in this team. It is EPIC!))

He should have known she'd get them right back into the fray.

With the speed She-Wolf was doing, Anton had vaguely wondered if she actually meant to escape. He couldn't keep up with her on land, so he launched himself into the air to fly over them just below the rooftops of the devastated buildings around them. However, she didn't run into one of them. She ran into one of them, ricocheting herself from the side to face the gengar that pursued them with a loud Snarl attack, causing Anton to turn. Of course she'd lead them back to battle. He hadn't known this chick for ten minutes, but he should have already known better...

Turning in the air to face the gengar as well, he fired a well-shot Ice Beam back down to the ghost, hoping to freeze him once again. Now that there were twice as many "allies" as last time, he had little doubt they'd be victorious. He just hoped the commotion wouldn't attract more attention like their previous battle had.

“Well, actually...” The odd canine never finished her answer, reminded of the fact that she and the dragon were just leaving. It was in moments the Direyena shouted to them, already racing away. “Let’s move!” Rience mustered a small smile. "I have nothing better to do..." he mumbles, form already darting through the deep nightscape of the ghost town. The presence of the awakening ghost set off alarms in his mind, the Zorombra's psychic powers detecting and pinpointing the location of the apparition.

Pausing briefly on a rooftop to observe the scene before him, the illusionist found himself amazed at the canine's amazing speed and precision, her Snarl loud enough to trigger the painful ringing from his ears. “Let’s get him boys!” The desolate city of Ecruteak began to rise with an odd kind of life, the snarls echoing off broken, dirty walls. The small glitters of moonlight were flickering with passing clouds, Rience sliding down the sloped tiles with ease and onto the streets.

The Dragumbra was overhead, already firing an Ice Beam down at the Gengar. Although the sheer power of the attack interested the Zorombra, the cold that came with it wasn't all too inviting. Cracking his neck on both sides, Rience narrowed his eyes. Staring straight at the ghost, the illusionist's eyes glowed with a bright light, a similar aura surrounding their foe. Suddenly, it's body was painfully contorted with a strong Psychic, before being released and left in a agonizing position. "There we are," he mused, leaving the undead so others could have their turn.

“You don’t know the half of it. Let’s move!”

Vito, pleasantly surprised at the female’s drive, watched near-motionless as she darted away from the scene – the others following obediently on land and sky. The Houndoom, however, knew better. Whilst he couldn’t anticipate her exact actions, he presumed she was a performer. Running alongside her would only succeed in wasting his precious energy. Instead, he darted down one of the alleyways, blending into the darkness as silent footfalls eventually brought him out of the shadows.

When he emerged, effectively rejoining the group as he’d planned, a spark of excitement flickered within the canine’s dark eyes. Smiling absently at the sight of the trio of peculiar, but clearly powerful individuals he’d stumbled upon, Vito felt a wave of longing for such enthusiasm. They lusted for the battle, whilst he sought to avoid it. Still, he wasn’t useless and had come to the conclusion he would have to demonstrate such strength. It was a dog-eat-dog world and age had become a great sign of weakness – Vito couldn’t afford to be considered a target were they to turn hostile.

As the bipedal canine hoisted what was now recognisable as a grotesque example of a Gengar aloft with a painful psychic attack, Vito began forming a shadow ball in the back of his throat. Holding back the move, allowing the power to accumulate as the seconds drew on, the canine was famously patient. His eyes remained unmoving from the writhing ghost-type, its body contorted awkwardly as he awaited the order, the confirmation to attack. He soon received it – apparently, it was his turn.

Silent, he released the shadow ball, his aim keen as the mass of dark energy rocketed towards its target. Tearing one of its ghostly arms clean off as the already wounded undead stumbled back on impact, Vito liked to think he’d done a good enough job. Calm, his expression betrayed no emotion but his infamous, eerie serenity.

Kyoya leaned over the Umbreon, putting his bloodied paw to his neck and holding it there. He waited silently, feeling for a pulse with intense worry in his gaze.
Finally, he felt the faint pulse of blood in the vulpines' veins. Kyoya sighed quietly in relief, carefully pulling the chunk of wood from Plagues' mouth. There were deep indentions where his teeth had bitten into the bark. He quickly put it to the side, turning his attention to the wound on Plagues' side.
With any luck, it'll heal correctly. He should be able to walk on his own again after this. He grabbed the syringe at his side and uncapped it, staring intently at the liquid before carefully pushing the needle into a major vein in the foxes' arm. With a push of the plunger, the liquid flowed into the Umbreons' bloodstream, just as a loud bark echoed throughout the forest. Kyoya froze, his ears straightening to the sky.
That sounded like it came from the town...
He quickly pulled the needle out and tossed it to the side, padding towards the entrance to the den, his ears still high on full-alert.
He gasped as he heard a multitude of growls and footsteps getting closer to their location. He hurriedly padded to Plague, shaking him.
"Get up!" He hissed, glancing over his shoulder as the noises grew louder.
He frantically looked about the small den, grabbing the cloth from earlier. He knelt down, putting his wounded leg forward, and wrapped the cloth around the worst part. With a stifled grunt, he tied it as tightly as he could bear, got to his feet and stood close to the entrance of the den. The multitude of sounds were right outside, some of them passing on, and some of the still nearby.
Kyoyas' fur bristled, electricity sparking from the orb on his tail as he set himself in a defensive position.
There was a rustling in the bushes of the entrance. Kyoyas' body stiffened, his steely gaze narrowing. A small canine approached, its' nose to the ground before a deep growling could be heard coming from it. As lightning lit up the sky outside, the creature could be seen in the flash.

Red orbs gleamed in the darkness, staring intently at the Ampharos. Its' small but formidable fangs were bared as the stench of the undead filled the den. It's furry hide was matted and marred by blood and enormous wounds. Kyoya growled in response, his tail raising high as it surged with electricity.
The Ampharos spun in an attempt to release the Electro Ball attack, but the small canine was quicker in the small space. In a flurry of fur, the undead Growlithe had Kyoya on the ground, snarling and biting at his throat. The Ampharos frantically shoved at the creature, yelling in anger and fear.
"Plague!"

____________________________


The Umbreons' eyes snapped open, his gaze met with a terrifying scene. Kyoya was grounded by a furred creature, rabidly snapping at him as he struggled to get it off. Plague leaped up using a Quick Attack and colliding with the decaying Growlithe with a snarl. The two hit the side of the boulder with a splat, the Growlithes' internal organs falling out of its shattered ribcage with the impact.

Plague looked back to the Ampharos dazed and frightened, still pinning the Growlithe under his weight.
Kyoya said nothing as he scrambled to his feet, staring at Plague momentarily before dashing outside. The Umbreon quickly followed out into the heavy rain, staying close behind the Ampharos.
From somewhere behind them came a terrifying howl, echoing loudly through the forest. Plagues' heart leaped into his throat as he glanced back.

It's calling for help...!

(OoC- they'll be in Ecruteak next turn, followed by a ton of undead, lol. Oh, and he used a max revive on Plague. His broken rib is fixed, he has just a gnarly scar now)

Oh this was just too good. Everyone seemed to be taking a turn in getting at the shadowy bastard of a ghost, making the next move the easiest she ever had to do. Once more her body glowed with the force of her Assurance, but his time the ghost had taken so much damage the aura was a massive force swirling around her like the power of Giratina himself. It was good to have moves that let everyone else do the work. She charged at full speed, slamming into the creature as the energy of their combined attacks transferred from her into the ghost, ripping it apart from the inside. This time, it wasn't coming back.

"Well, guess that takes care of that," Ty quipped comically, turning back to shoot the others a sly grin. But that smile fell quickly as a loud howl pierced the air, followed by the distant sounds of growling and snarls."Oh for crying out loud! Now what?" Angrily Tysiphone turned to check the area the sounds were coming from but didn't see anything. Muttering angrily to herself she began to check the air, scenting it as best she could, only to stop dead in her tracks as she turned the corner around one of the warehouses. "Fuck me..."

It was hard to make out against the newly rising sun but there were easily 30 pairs of glowing eyes, maybe even more behind, rushing towards their position. And what else could be leading the mass their way but two very obvious idiots heading their way. Did they honestly think they were getting away? They stood out so greatly against even the dark streets that even a blind Deino would find them! And they just had to be heading her way. "Sorry to spoil the victory party boys," she called back, annoyance barely noticeable over the glee of another fight, "but the after party is headed our way!"

She could only hope the two idiots who brought them here got in the way of the fight so she could dispose of them herself.

The gengar finished with She-Wolf's attack, Anton landed on a nearby rooftop, his anxiety still full force. Something wasn't right. Something was terribly, terribly wrong... and even as she gloated, he knew it. Though, when she stopped mid celebration and cursed to herself, he knew his dread was there for good reason. He turned to the direction she faced, already hearing the eerie hungry howls sending a chill down his spine. 'I knew I should have just fucking left...' he growled to himself as he shifted his weight on the roof.

As She-Wolf charged in, Anton growled as he heard the cawing of fliers. Those would fall to him, as even if he tried to flee, they'd just fucking follow. Spotting She-Wolf, he shouted to her before taking flight. "If anything happens, I'm blaming you!" 'You psychotic twit...!' After airborne, he fired ice beams at his foes, raining down frozen bodies to the ground.

When they had believed the battle was over, another had just begun. "Sorry to spoil the victory party boys, but the after party is headed our way!" Rience grumbled a bit, his mind sensing the sudden legion of enemies, along with two odd presences. However, now was not the time to sit around and ponder, Rience's body already in action as he snaked up the pipe of a building and onto a roof, moving swiftly from house to house to get a good distance to attack. The Zorombra's eyes were glowing again, a sharp psychic hitting a ghost that attempted to grab his mane.

The sudden chill in the air made him look up, watching as the beams of energy and ice rain down upon the undead. "Pretty good," he mused, before sliding down the roof and landing on the filthy streets. He was closer to the two foreigners now, and their presence seemed so familiar... "Those two..." he grit his teeth in frustration, trying to remember where he had met the two Pokemon while he battled the infected.

Frustration rising to it's peak, he snarled, violently thrashing his hands and claws to rip away at the flesh of whatever was near him. As much as he wanted to sink his teeth into one of these bodies and tear them apart, the potential contagiousness of these foes made him from doing so. "Motherfuckers-!" Rience rose his arms high into the air, flowing a deep aura. "...Heads!" he shouted, albeit a little too harshly before he slammed his hands on the rugged cement.

In an instant, the bricks and wood surrounding him broke apart and was sent flying, waves of darkness rolling off of him as he initiated his Night Daze. The shockwaves traveled far, knocking lamp posts and undead over. Around him as now a fairly medium sized crater, dipping into the earth as Rience panted.

The group’s combined efforts ensured the undead’s abrupt death, bringing a relieved smile to the aging Houndoom’s face. Well, that was easier than he’d expected. But unfortunately, Vito had presumed wrong. Howling flowed in the air akin to an eerie lullaby, snarling and growls soon accompanying the sound as the canine gave a huff of defeat. Never a break… As he watched the female Mightyena-creature stalk away, muttering bitterly to herself at this new change of events, Vito waited patiently, relishing in what would be a very short-lived moment of peace.

"Sorry to spoil the victory party boys but the after party is headed our way!"

Vito, although annoyed, wasn’t surprised. Exchanging a look with the dragon-creature who had warned him to make an early escape, the canine was beginning to very much regret his determination to involve himself with this group. Not ten minutes with them and they had already proven themselves a magnet for danger. Well, there was no going back now. Giving his neck a quick crack in preparation for the most physical exertion he’d have in months, Vito calmly trotted into the fray.

Picking up speed, he charged towards a particularly dense bulk of undead creatures. In those seconds of sprinting, Vito’s ever-attentive mind absorbed the group’s efforts around him. The dragon was tackling the airborne threats, the occasional chill cascading up the Houndoom’s spine accompanied by the pained squawk of those unfortunate to be caught in the firing line. The female hound was in the centre of the fray, tooth and claw as she quite brutally took out her enemies. That left the bipedal shiny, harnessing an amount of power Vito was intent on staying clear of. Instead, he skidded to a halt before the rampaging beasts, mouth open to release a furious inferno.

The flames, so savage in their emergence left the frontrunners of the group nothing but a charred mess, the fire rapidly spreading and halting their advances. Vito held his head high, expertly ending the attack as he followed the move with a sludge bomb. The flaming undead, although a satisfying sight to their victims, would only succeed in attracting more of their comrades to the scene. The poison attack was enough to douse the fire whilst only heightening the dreadful sting of poison on exposed, blistering flesh.

"...Heads!"

Vito, so engrossed in his own small mission, hadn’t paid enough attention to the Zoroark-creature’s plans. He turned in time to see his ally crashing his paws down, a powerful burst of dark energy suddenly leaving the canine in furious waves to wreak havoc in the city. The Houndoom darted to the side, narrowly avoiding a collapsing lamp post as his attention hurriedly volleyed between the dark-type and the undead in his proximity. Thankfully, the immediate threats were writhing in agony at the combined sting of fire and venom.

Kyoya sprinted as fast as his long legs could carry him, his hoofed paws clacking against the hard concrete and bricks of the cities' ground as they left the wilderness. Rain spattered his glasses, but there was no doubt what was following them, even if he couldn't see them; he could hear their howls and the guttural growls as they snapped at the air behind them.

His heart thudded hard against his ribcage, pounding in his ears. His breaths came out heavy and frightened. His mind was racing, frantically trying to compile multitudes of plans to try and get out of this deadly chase without either of them getting hurt or killed, and coming up with nothing.

But then...
A horned canine bounded towards them, followed by a dark dragon in the skies and a Houndoom close behind. His eyes grew wide behind the lenses as his gaze darted to each of them before running right past them and skidding to a halt behind the large group.
Survivors!? This many in one place!?
He watched anxiously as he caught his breath, watching each of them engage the oncoming hoard.
They're all at high stages of evolution...!
And they're all working in unison!
A cold smile spread across his maw as he looked down at Plague, who had been right behind him the whole time, close as his own shadow.

The Umbreons' face was full of distress and confusion, noticeable even under the concealing mask. But the Ampharos didn't offer any explanation.
"I say it's time we give them a hand, shall we?" He growled, a malicious and eager grin spreading on his normally unreadable face.
With one finned paw, he pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose and dashed forward, analyzing the attack formations the others were using as he added his support. His agile form darted down the streets, multiple illusions of his yellow body appearing amongst the hoarde near the uninfected to draw attention away from them. The monsters attacked the illusions, only for their claws to slice through nothing but air.

A sordid laugh escaped his maw as he had made it through the thickest concentration of them to end up on the other end with only a few scratches. The Ampharos looked to the pale purple sky as the rain poured down. The gem atop his head glowed with intensity as his tail sparked loudly, electric currents surging through his thin but muscular frame to the tip of his tail. He could feel the amplified surge course through him from the waters' conductivity. The howling undead had finally found the real Ampharos, but it was much too late. With a smooth and powerful whipping of his body, he launched the powerful electroball from his tail into the infected masses. The devastating electric move collided and exploded into a multitude of crackling electric charges carrying from one to another, and another. The undead unfortunate enough to be caught by the attack were grounded and fried from the inside out, permanently incapacitating a large chunk.

_____________________________________

Plague watched dazedly, his mouth agape. His crimson eyes darted from the retreating Kyoya to the powerful female canine that snarled and ferociously tore apart those around her, and the dragon above them who had been raining undead corpses of birds upon them, frozen solid. But his attention was diverted as a powerful energy swept through the ground underneath his paws. The Umbreon whipped his head around, just in time to leap out of the way of debris burying him from a nearby building. Plague snarled as his gaze met with the source of the attack, his fur bristling with rage and his rings pulsating brightly as he recognized the tall figure.
That attack...!
It's him!
The fucking bastard!
But before the Umbreon could act, something collided with his side, knocking him off his feet. He could feel scales against his skin and a familiar hissing that could only come from his kind. The creature atop of him slashed wildly at him as the Umbreon struggled. He whipped his body about frantically, his claws finally catching the blue-scaled vulpine in the face, knocking it off of him. He yelled in anger as he spun onto his feet, his rings glowing with rage. The Vaporeon screeched as it flew back, its body contorting strangely as it struggled to get back up, as if its spine was broken. Its body was covered with a pale slime, its' finned hood was shredded, and one of its rear legs was hanging by nothing but tendon, dangling uselessly behind it as it stood on fractured bone. A gurgling hissing came from it as an acidic attack began to form in its' mouth.

Plagues' ears snapped down against his skull as he protracted his claws and bounded towards the finned abomination with lightning speed. With an enraged roar, he barreled into the slimy Eevee counterpart, knocking its body into a nearby building as its acid attack flew wild. Without hesitation, his eyes began to glow a vibrant blue before a powerful aftershock followed; an invisible missile plowed through the ground and into the Vaporeon, making the creature explode from the inside. Plagues' chest heaved as the attack faded. His head snapped around, locking on the heavier battle. He leaped in, narrowly avoiding the flames of the Houndoom as he ran.
The Umbreons' bands glowed brightly, the light drawing attention to his dark body as he used Pursuit after Pursuit, slashing and ripping open exposed bodies with his attacks. Undead blood covered his paws and arms as he dashed through the wet streets, tearing apart everything he could get his claws on, his maw covered in a bright red foam, the beak of his mask dripping a deep crimson.

(OMG I LOVE THIS TEAM SO MUCH)

As everyone jumped into the fray Ty couldn't help but be somewhat pleased at how well everyone worked together. Well, everyone except Rience it seemed. He let loose an attack that caused a massive crater in the middle of the street, taking out several undead but also causing Ty herself to be blasted away from the field. Though thoroughly pissed at the situation she turned it to her advantage, allowing the propulsion of his attack to amplify her own as she tackled a large Hariyama and ripped its neck open with an Ice Fang. Terribly pleased with herself she turned back and jumped back into the fray with the rest of the group.

Intrigued by the two strangers, especially the Umbreon's ferocity, Ty took to watching them more than the infected that ran amok. The Ampharos showed tremendous skill while the Umbreon was just brutal, both traits she enjoyed very much. Perhaps they weren't as idiotic as she had assumed, though they had led the entire horde there to begin with. Eh, there weren't a lot of upsides to this world anymore so maybe it was just really shitty luck on their part, it could probably be forgiven if their minds worked like their battling.

Wanting to stay alive long enough to find out Ty went back to ripping the undead apart. She took off after an irritating little Growlithe after it decided to shoot flames at her, cursing at it loudly enough to attract the attention of several more. Soon the puppies had her surrounded and Ty just let out a deep chuckle. Her Snarl ripped through the air just before her Assurance flared to life, giving her a ferocious appearance. “Hehe. Dog pile!” The female running in a circle quickly smashing into each one and careening them into the puppy beside them. Soon they were just one big pile of broken puppy and the only one left alive was snarling pathetically at the bottom of the pile. His back legs were gone and he was trying to dig his way out with the only front leg that wasn't useless and broken.

“Pathetic,” she jibed, fully aware that they couldn't understand her but not giving two shits about it. It was time to have more fun. Jumping back into the horde Tysiphone was a force to be reckoned with, Assurance backing her up every time as her signature move.

((OOC: Keep the fight going for another round. Lots of critters! Plus Ty wants to see more of what Plague and Kyoya can do. XD))

Anton growled to himself as he felt his Ice Beam count running low, switching to just smacking things out of the air with his long, lithe tail. He should have just left. Why didn't he leave? Because he was stupid, that was why. Now, he was stuck with a crazy She-Wolf and a band of misfits that he wasn't sure he wanted to know. The old houndoom seemed fine enough, but his infamous anti-social stance would always put him at odds with other pokemon. Landing on a nearby tree limb, he caught his breath from the fight and observed what was happening.

She-Wolf was tearing things' faces off. Typical. Old Dog Doom was blowing shit up, impressive tongues of fire expertly thrown and doused with balls of venom. Kind of gross, but effective. The weird fox with the cane had done some sort of radiating attack, demolishing Undead and the city around him alike. The entire reason for the mess they were in, the ampharos and umbreon, were soon found to be holding their own, fighting off their part of the horde with vigor to match She-Wolf's. However, as he watched the umbreon fight one of his cousins, he noticed the odd skull ornament fall off, revealing the horrible face it hid.

Anton fond himself flinching in repulsion, quickly understanding that this umbreon was a threat as well. But... it fought its brethren... 'How...?' He didn't get much time to ponder, as the rest of the flock soon discovered his resting place, squaking and snapping their beaks hungrily. He snarled, taking wing once more. The questions would have to wait.

Recovering from his attack, he brushed off his legs and fur for any smaller debris lost in his long mane. He took a moment to survery the battle again, clambering up a roof and looking out at the undead. Everything however, was simply a blur of purple and black, along with the occasional flashes of orange and red of fire. The patter of droplets hitting his muzzle irritated the Zorombra, before a flash of bright light caught his attention. A blur of energy flew against the undead.

Targeting a snarling Growlithe, barking and scrambling in futile attempts to reach the Illusionist. Smirking, Rience leaped from the building's top, cane shining bright with power before he swiftly landed onto the the ground, impaling the hound's head and brain in the process. Removing his treasured item from the now-dead canine's greymatter, he began Aerial Acing all other infected around him, always aiming for their eyes or forehead.

With a couple infected down, Rience soon found his attention attracted to one of the newcomers, the one that had such a familiar aura radiating off of him... It was an Umbreon, that's for sure, brawling with it's aquatic counterpart. But something felt so off about it... The glowing purple rings reminding the Zorombra of the snake's den he escaped from as it collapsed to the ground.

Then it hit him.

Punching a Gengar in the face with a Foul Play, staring at Plague. "You`re-!!" he shouted, his figure barging past the ghosts that surrounded him. He finished another Growlithe with an Aerial Ace, talking to the dark-type while fighting. "You`re from that Arbok`s den!"

In between the occasional bouts of ferocious flames escaping Vito’s maw, the Houndoom had the opportunity to survey the overall situation and condition of his allies. With the seemingly never-ending amount of undead, he was thankful of the obvious strength of the creatures fighting alongside him. Had he been alone, it would have been a far shorter battle. Dismissing the thought, the old hound’s eyes soon fell onto a pair of strangers. An Umbreon and Ampharos had joined the fray.

In the short moment he had to catch his breath, the Houndoom’s bones aching in protest of such exertion, Vito noticed the skull perched atop the dark-type’s head. That alone was enough to send alarm bells ringing in the canine’s mind. Not to mention the off-coloured rings – from his hazy memory, Vito was sure creatures of his kind were black and yellow. Unfortunately, there was little time to dwell on the matter.

Dark eyes too engrossed to notice the fast-approaching Arcanine, Vito reacted too late. Dwarfed by the hideous canine’s impressive stature, the Houndoom was launched a good few feet backwards as the undead’s body slam hit. Stifling a grunt of pain, his spindly legs unable to keep him upright, Vito’s slender form skidded to a halt as the ferocious momentum finally wore off.
“I’m getting too old for this,” He muttered darkly, rising to his paws as quickly as his complaining joints would permit. Tail lashing dangerously behind him, Vito’s features held an unusual serenity. The pain gradually heightening to seep into and only worsen the condition of his delicate bones was almost inconceivable in his expression. A master of disguise, fakery, Vito met his attacker with a shadow ball, knowing fire would only make the beast stronger. Disadvantaged in size, raw physical strength and effective moves, the canine was going to have his paws full with this one.

"You`re-!! You`re from that Arbok`s den!" The bipedal vulpine shouted, tearing through undead as he did so. Plague didn't miss a beat, pouncing on a gurgling and decaying Poliwhirl with a ferocious snarl.
"And you're a damned bastard!" He snapped, his vibrant red eyes shooting to the Zoroumbra. "Do you want to attract more!? Quit the stupid shit or I'll kill you myself!" His fur bristled as he quickly lowered his head and shoved his snout into the undeads' soft and amphibious flesh beneath him, ripping and severing its' spinal cord. The Poliwhirl convulsed and quickly fell still underneath the Umbreons' paws, to which Plague responded with a quick leap off of the corpse. "They react to SOUND!" He hissed, throwing a glare towards the Zoroumbra before turning his attention elsewhere. He spat angrily towards the dark trees, as what appeared to be the 'leader' of the canid pack bounded from the forest with a stench as rank as its' sheer size.

Plagues' fur stood on end with rage and fear as he beheld the enormous fire dog, its' fur rotting off in patches and half its' skull missing. The monster howled loudly, announcing itself and preparing what remained of the pack for a mass attack. The Umbreon bared his fangs, his rings suddenly pulsing brighter in a show of intimidation. He bounded forward, evading and using the undead bodies around him to leap off of and get closer to the fiery canine. Claws and talons slashed at him as he dashed through them, but one enormous claw caught his jaw as he leaped by. The Umbreon was thrown from his original trajectory, his body smacking against the concrete. A hollow clatter sounded, barely audible over the ruckus of the battle as the pale bird skull flew off of the Umbreons' face and bounced through the darkened streets.

___________________________________

Kyoya paused in his attacks to quickly survey the damage. The skies were less crowded, thanks to the aerial dragon, and there was a mounting littering of corpses throughout the once sleepy town as all the earthbound living took down the undead, one at a time.
The hoard is dissipating...
The Ampharos' slate gaze focused on the brightest among them, the Umbreons' purple rings giving off enough light to illuminate the entire group, the vulpine charging towards an enormous Arcanine.
Kyoya growled as he sprinted forward, watching it all play out as he moved to assist. The Houndoom launching a Shadow Ball at the large beast, hitting the beast square in the chest with the attack, just as Plague was tossed to the ground by a rampaging Ursaring. Using his sharp hooved feet, the yellow ovine kicked his way through the thinning hoard until he came to the Umbreons' side.
"Plague, are you hurt?" He growled coldly, defending him as the Umbreon pushed himself to his feet. Kyoya glanced back, his eyes falling on the Umbreons' exposed face. Plague said nothing and bounded forward, fearlessly and stupidly climbing the rotting bear as only a creature like Plague could. Kyoya quickly used a Double Team to confuse the dangerous and formidable predator, as Plague clamped onto its' neck ruthlessly with his small but powerful jaws. The Ursaring thrashed wildly, its' muddied roar strangled by blood pouring from its' mouth.
"Plague!" Kyoya shouted, dashing around the bear as it flailed its' lethal claws blindly. The Umbreon leaped off, just in time to barely dodge the bears' Slash attack, the razor sharp edges only grazing his shoulder. He caught the sheeps' gaze, quickly nodding as his eyes grew a bright blue and his body drew close to the ground defensively. The bear suddenly ceased his movement as it was surrounded and encased by a deep blue aura. Its' bloodshot eyes grew wide in what looked like surprise, couple with the bloodlust so characteristic of the infected. Its' muscles tensed and shuddered, but would not move under the Umbreons' Psychic attack.
Kyoya quickly took the opportunity and agilely mounted the bears' shoulders. A feral grin spread across the ovines' maw as his entire body began to spark. Thunder sounded in the sky, an enormous lightning bolt suddenly coming down and colliding with the Ampharos' body with a blinding and deafening collision.

The enormous bolt of lightning engulfed the Ursaring and the nearest undead, frying them where they stood. As the attack dissipated, the bear collapsed in a pile of singed and blackened fur, leaving the Ampharos standing atop of his seared and unmoving trophy, his cloven hooves deep in the decayed and burned mess.

"You didn't tell me you knew Psychic." The Ampharos stated flatly, the annoyance in his voice not lost on Plague.
"I didn't, before you left." Plague snapped back, his tail whipping angrily behind his ebony body. Kyoya seemed unphased by the Umbreons' accusational tone, but concern crept into his mind as troubling thoughts of the Umbreons' unbridled ferocity ate at him.
"Now, to that mutt." He muttered, dismissing the former quips and glared down at the maskless Umbreon. He clicked his hooves against the hard concrete in disgust, shaking off the remains of the bear off of his feet.

She was having the time of her life. Tysiphone charged her way through a few more puppies, claws slashing at their rotted bodies and fangs ripping at their throats. She kept her razor sharp teeth coated in ice as a safety precaution so as to not allow the poisonous blood of her new playmates to enter her throat, so while it was beginning to make her her tongue numb and her head to ache she wasn't going to let it up until all of the little beasties were taken care of. She tried keeping an eye on the others but she was more or less lost in her own little battle.

And then Old Man River started flipping shit.

She didn't know what the hell was going on between him and the strangely ringed vulpine but it didn't seem friendly. It piqued more than just her curiosity to see the venomous display of the masked one. She wanted to see a fight. A real one, not the pitiful excuse for a hack and slash that the Undead were providing. But she was torn from her little viewing by a Raticate that tried to bite down on the back of her neck. Little bastard got a severe shock when her Assurance smacked it to the ground and she grinned in morbid pleasure as she felt every bone in its chest cracking and crushing its organs.

Well shit, they just kept coming didn't they? It was even worse when the big boy showed up, an Arcanine easily towering over the rest of them, and it charged after the new boys. Ty was on her paws to go and get their backs when the beast threw the Umbreon and knocked its strange mask clean off, giving everyone a clear view of just what was underneath. 'What the hell is that?! Is it even an Umbreon anymore?!' Thought of the Undead surrounding her went out the window when she saw the state of the male she fought alongside.

An Ursaring stole the show and Ty seethed as it stole the focus from the Umbreon that wasn't an Umbreon. But the deft way the Ampharos used the opportunity provided by the freaky fox had her bearing a feral grin. "Such a clever beast," she remarked lightly. It was just her luck that she would encounter so many in which to engage and her mind quickly began cataloging anything she could about them. She stepped back and allowed the others to handle the rest and when the last beast was felled she strolled casually up the the pair who had started all the fun. "So...anymore games you want to play?" She just couldn't stop the grin that spread across her muzzle.

Anton was completely engrossed in his own battle, the woes of the grounded pokemon below unknown to him as corpse after corpse kept occupying his time and effort. He lashed and fired attack after attack, but still the members of the enormous flock kept coming. Aggravated and running low on attacks, he lauched himself higher and higher, easily outflying the rest of the horde as his speed maintaned, outmatched. Afew Agilities ensured his quick ascent, the skies clear and crisp. Once he reached a suitable height, he paused in the air, flipping himself around to face the thick string of birds that hungrily followed. Oh, yes. This would be much simpler.

Folding his wings beside him, he built up his one of last Ice Beams, then propelled himself downward in a steep dive. These bastards would fall out of the sky like the flies they were. He opened his maw and released the frozen beam, unleashing it upon his foes.

The birds seemed to freeze in one giant popsicle of death, his body moving quickly through the flock to ensure that most, if not all, of its members would be affected by his attack. Once out, his mind went to the living below, who were still fighting out their own battles. Speeding himself up once more with a quick Agility, he nearly rocketed toward the ground, flaring his wings only slightly to slow himself down enough to warn them of what was coming.

"Get out of here!" he cried, flying over the battlefield to speak to them all. He paused in the air and gestured upward. "Hurry-- before the ice gets here!" He flapped, launching himself back deeper into town, the serveral Agilities still on his side. He didn't want to be around when that thing hit.

"And you're a damned bastard! Do you want to attract more!? Quit the stupid shit or I'll kill you myself!" Rience snarled, eyes narrowed sharply at the Umbreon as he bared his fangs. The Zorombra grumbled darkly under his breath, cane swiftly tearing through the flesh and brain of the undead with each Aerial Ace initiated. From the very corners of his sight, his blurry vision was keeping close watch on the purple-ringed fox. The canine bristled much more fiercely, and the Illusionist rose a brow before raising his head to see the dark, looming figure that lumbered from the forest.

"Not bad," he snorts, quickly surveying the remainders of the dead army. The Arcanine was definitely a formidable foe, the hulking monster only outlined in the Zorombra's terrible vision by the lights of Plague's rings. Speaking of which, the said dark-type's skull had fallen off to reveal it's face, leaving Rience to grimace in disgust. Forcing himself to stop standing there thinking, his feet moved swiftly across the filthy street, Aerial Acing his way past the smaller undead.

Skidding to a halt, the Zorombra looked to the skies to feel the cold hitting his body like waves. "Hurry-- before the ice gets here!" The ice beam was approaching, and fast. Rience concentrated, eyes closed tight and gripping his cane to the point where his claws began to crack it. Aura was rolling off of him, the undead around him forced into a tight group with a Psychic. Releasing his hold, the illusionist rolled out of the way just in time to watch his victims freeze, before disguising himself as a Swellow and fluttering away from the spreading chill. (Current Illusion: Living Swellow) Flapping his wings, her rounded the city before landing near where most of the group was. "How much more do you think there are in the area?"

[OOC: Apologizes for the lateness/shittyness! ;~; Life is being a royal bastard at the moment. ;; I'll try my best to write better posts the next round!]

Vito, although irritated his youthful agility was persistent in escaping him, was thankful that the Arcanine was momentarily distracted by the loud newcomers and attractive glow of purple. Heaving a breath as the grotesque beast changed its line of focus, the Umbreon a true battler in its fierce determination to meet the leader head on, the Houndoom winced when the masked creature was intercepted by an Ursaring. However, the glimpse of the dark-type’s face came as a greater shock. Whilst Vito wasn’t horrified by the wound the skull had disguised, it had certainly come a surprise, quenching his curiosity to why an Umbreon would require the macabre item in the first place. Nodding his head lightly in understanding, pleased that the creature was already back on its paws and climbing its attacker, Vito reminded himself of his own company.

Inspired at the sight of the Umbreon and Ampharos’ teamwork in the brutal attack of the rotting bear, Vito instilled with new life, sprinted towards the Arcanine. Before the fiery beast could react, a Sludge Bomb hit its decaying face, the acidic substance eating away at the rank flesh and seeping deep into wide, vulnerable eyes. Blinded, the canine gave an agonized howl, Vito wasting no time as he lunged for the throat. Smaller, it was only through chance and his target’s fragile state that the Houndoom sent the beast toppling over. Fangs buried deep in the rotting flesh, the old hound careful not to ingest any of the dangerous blood, he jerked his head roughly to lengthen the gash about the creature’s throat. Gargling, the poison from the earlier attack seeping into the slit, gory throat to render the Arcanine’s muscles rigid, jittery, Vito halted his onslaught to make a hasty getaway. It wasn’t dead, wounded and immobile for the time being, but the Houndoom figured that fatigue would seal its demise. The undead were cruel. This leader would prove nutrition to its loyal followers in due time.

"So... anymore games you want to play?"

Joining the bulk of the group, the area littered with bloody corpses to leave a temporary silence surrounding the few survivors, Vito managed a weak smile at the female canine’s quip. At least someone had enjoyed the past few minutes – the Houndoom himself tended not to seek out the macabre sport. Nodding his head in a courteous greeting to the newcomers, his dark eyes lacking their earlier ferocity to leave only his bloodstained face as evidence of his role in battle. Unfortunately, there was no time for introductions. No sooner had Vito caught his breath, the dragon’s voice was flowing from the sky alongside an unsettling chill.

"Get out of here! Hurry-- before the ice gets here!"

Catching sight of the lithe creature above, Vito didn’t need telling twice. Giving a firm nod of his head, the Houndoom turned to his immediate company with an exasperated smile.
“Never a moment’s peace, is there?” He muttered in good-humour, his voice serene and laced with the refinement of age. Knowing they weren’t dim, having already proven their capacity to look out for themselves, Vito took off after the dark dragon that had been kind enough to offer a warning.

Although travelling no doubt twice, if not triple his own speed, the avian proved a good enough beacon to follow as Vito felt the cold of the approaching ice. By the time it hit, the canine was well out of range and stood silently observing the devastating effect on the undead masses. Looking up to Anton, a small smile of relief fluttered onto his tired face.
“You sure know how to put on a show,”

"So...anymore games you want to play?" The canine sneered, her ferocious eyes moving over the Ampharos as a grin plastered itself across her large maw. Kyoyas' slate gray eyes looked down on the large canine, boring into her critically before a small and sly grin appeared.
"Indeed, madam. Indeed."

But as soon as the conversation began, it ended abruptly with the dragon swooping in with a warning. "Get out of here! Hurry-- before the ice gets here!" Kyoyas' ears perked, his jaw clenching and face hardening again as he looked skyward.
“Never a moment’s peace, is there?” the Houndoom muttered, dashing off. An enormous ball of ice and undead plummeted towards them, shards of ice and frozen chunks of flesh flying off into the darkness as it approached. The Ampharos quickly dashed to the side, leaping over corpses and rolling onto the hard concrete, evading the ice attack colliding with the earth.

____________________________

Plague remained silent as the others approached them after the Arcanine fell, retreating as subtly as he could behind them. His rings' intensity fading to a slow pulse under the moonlight, he trotted into the shadows, searching among the piles of the dead anxiously.
Dammit, where the hell is it?!
The Umbreon glanced back at the others, his face still clearly able to express tension, despite the torn and mutilated flesh barely covering his skull. He paused, his gaze staying on the Ampharos, so confidently standing next to the large canine, the two of them seemingly having a pleasant introduction. A sudden pang of pain and jealousy ripped at the vulpines' chest as he watched.
Of course he would.
Death everywhere and he still can smile and act like he's fucking Arceus.
...What a bastard.
He sighed heavily, his eyes moving over the ground, and catching a pale sliver among a pile of garbage against a building. Plague sprinted towards it, recognizing the sharp beak instantly. Skidding to a halt, he quickly flipped it over and lowered his face into the skull.

"Get out of here! Hurry-- before the ice gets here!"

"Get out of here! Hurry-- before the ice gets here!" Tysiphone had to move quick to get out of the way of the large shard of death and ice. It plummeted to the ground and shattered, sending debris and icy shrapnel in all directions. The shrapnel proved significantly more difficult to dodge than the icy pillar itself had been, little needles of ice whizzing through the air, and the Direyena's body soon found itself covered in small nicks and cuts. Great...like her blood wouldn't attract more of those bastards.

Ignoring them for now Ty decided to saunter back over to the group and give them a winning smile. "Never a dull moment with you, huh, Fairy?" She shot him a toothy grin as her eyes gave a mischevious glint, a clear sign that she was plotting. "I have to say that this is the most fun I've had in weeks. Never thought surrounding myself with powerful, attractive males would be the answer but hey, a girl can't complain." Eyeing the Ampharos carefully Ty immediately noticed the frames adorning his bridge. "Curious..." she began, stepping carefully towards the large male. "My trainer has a pair just like those. But he hated wearing them. Only pulled them out when we worked late and his eyes were tired." Feigning indifference she shrugged and glanced behind the Amphros to eye his Umbreon companion. "Do I even want his story?" she asked slyly.

Her stomach let out an audible groan and Ty began to realize that all of this excitement tonight had burned off that small bit of hunting she had done earlier. Damn. "Well, thanks to you gentlemen I am once again starving. Don't suppose you would mind helping me back to my place for a bite, hm?" Turning to Anton she gave a look that screamed pity and delicately lifted one paw, licking gently at the cut that was evident on the end. Still eying him she gave a few more soft licks to other cuts on her leg and paw before scraping it over her face, bringing to his attention even more of the injuries. "Besides, Anton, I think you owe me that much. Don't you?" The smile that followed those words would surely make the paranoid dragon suspicious, but she just couldn't help giving him the same mischevious smirk she knew would make him squirm. It was too fun. And now she had even more personalities to exploit.

This was a dream come true.

It looked like She-Wolf was back in business.

From his perch, Anton could watch the others evade his falling icy death trap from above with ease, said others arriving beneath him shortly after he, even the elder hound. Good. While the others made him cringe, the houndoom was a presence he didn't wholly loathe; a rarity nowadays. The She-Bitch was last to waltz in, her tail high as her nose. She was certainly in a good mood.

The dark dragon paid little attention to the wolf's ramblings, however, as he was sure her words would really only succeed in further dousing his mood. However, his name sounded from her lips, causing him to glance to her. "Besides, Anton, I think you owe me that much. Don't you?"

The dragon glared, his lip curling a little in a feral snarl. That... that.... bitch! "And what, exactly, do you think I owe you?" he growled back, wings and orbs flaring. He didn't care she was slightly wounded-- so was he. She licked and cleaned at her minor wounds pathetically, only spurring his anger on further. Now that the danger was past, why NOT play a few on him? Stubborn, malicious, decietful little fnjdfsal;gbkdsb... If he had the strength, he'd launch another Undead-filled popsicle right down at her smug little face.

When no one answered his inquiry the illusionist let out a humph of annoyance before edging a little closer to the group, slightly eavesdropping on the conversations. The now-frozen streets of the city made him ruffle his feathers, quietly wondering if disguising himself as an ice-type would make it any better. The audible growl of the female's stomach made Rience snort, before raising a brow at the Direyena's sentence. "Well, thanks to you gentlemen I am once again starving. Don't suppose you would mind helping me back to my place for a bite, hm?"

"Where is your place, anyway?" the bird chirps, regarding the ice-covered paths and broken lamp posts. "I'm assuming somewhere not caught in this wreckage." His eyes drifted towards the Umbreon, whom now regained his mask. 'Fucking prick.' The Swellow quietly hoped that the purple-ringed fox wouldn't tag along, glaring at him before swiftly looking away like an arrogant child.

It wasn't long before his sights were set on the electric-type, whom the female took an immediate liking to. 'And what's so fucking special about him--he's just an Ampharos!' Although he would never openly admit, the illusionist was jealous of the others, his feathers fluffed in annoyance.

Remaining characteristically quiet, the epitome of cool sophistication, Vito held his head high, calm despite the circumstances that had rocked his existence. Eyes wandering the faces of the creatures gathered, the canine disguised his discomfort in recognising none of the species save the two newcomers. He’d thought himself relatively well-learnt in the creatures occupying the regions, but it seemed life was always full of surprises. Mutation didn’t seem an unlikely explanation and good manners prevented him from probing for a rational explanation.

"Never a dull moment with you, huh, Fairy? I have to say that this is the most fun I've had in weeks. Never thought surrounding myself with powerful, attractive males would be the answer but hey, a girl can't complain."

The dark-type clearly wasn’t addressing him. Powerful, attractive male? Once upon a time, perhaps. Vito was pass his prime, his calculated words far more dangerous than his slender frame, whilst greying around the muzzle could only appeal to an older lady. Still, Carmela had never grumbled. The image of his mate sauntering within the recesses of a deep, brilliant mind, Vito’s demeanour was lightened by a small, nostalgic smile. He could only pray she was okay – no doubt his sons would ensure her safety.

"Well, thanks to you gentlemen I am once again starving. Don't suppose you would mind helping me back to my place for a bite, hm?"

By the time Vito had tuned into conversation once more, the female canine was still speaking, clearly enamoured with her new situation as she invited her company back for ‘a bite’. Remembering the dragon’s warning upon their first meeting, the Houndoom eyed the Direyena carefully as she exaggerated an injury, mischievous in her attempts to evoke a reaction from the aforementioned avian. Whilst Vito couldn’t approve of her behaviour, he couldn’t distinguish any fault in the technique from Anton’s venomous response, wings flaring aggressively. Vito simply shook his head at the spontaneity of youth.

"Where is your place, anyway? I'm assuming somewhere not caught in this wreckage."

The illusionist was in the guise of a Swellow when he spoke, the Houndoom admiring the canine’s ability a moment before turning to the Mightyena-creature for some kind of answer. He had no qualms about following or indulging in a meal following such a battle. He was tired, of course, but in comparison to the injuries of his company, Vito was mainly unscathed – still, it would be nice to re-familiarize himself with the feeling of company. Isolation could do strange things to the mind, but arguably, a living mind that you hadn’t the capacity to read was far more dangerous. Vito had met a lot of pokémon in his lifetime, experienced enough to deal with even the tensest situations and after months of solitude, the unconventional gathering before him would provide a welcome change. Company, at the current moment, was a risk he was willing to take.
“Lead on, Ma’am,” He nodded his head appreciatively to the female, voice low and refined with age. A small smile brightening a gaunt but serene face, Vito stood tall, obediently awaiting directions.