(ELITE) The REALGAM Team

Cinder made only one comment, and not a wrong one. "This is a weird place." Stark would have agreed had he not been so used to places of that sort. Maybe sometime he could tell the scruffy Pikachu how he learned all that he did. As it was, she remained calm as he worked.

The small ball of fire from her paws evaporated, unnecessary in the moment that the computer lit up. The Dragonite heard her looking at the papers to his right, above where the dusty Porygon was, but his sharp maroon eyes remained focused. Experiment... Thomas? He lit the folder up, bring up various notes and pictures. Stark's eyes narrowed, clicking further in, he found a group of scientists with what must of been a dozen Porygon around them. He frowned. The note below named tests, tasks of cyberspace travel and completing dangerous puzzles. 'The number of failures have only grown in the last year. Only one subject still remains capable of showing use to us....'

Stark pulled out of the folder, closing the picture and notes with a sigh. This had nothing on the epidemic. He heard Cinder's voice then, stammering out his name. "S-stark," she squeaked, but elicited nothing but a flick of one antenna from the dragon.
"These people did a lot of work with Porygon, apparently, but nothing on the virus," he mutters, blind to her distress. "Maybe the papers hold something mo--"
"Stark it moved!" The sudden cry got his attention, Cinder jumping over the computer to the other side as the Dragonite snapped up. Pulling himself up so rapidly that the chair knocked back, hitting the ground sideways. "It freaking moved I saw it!" He followed her pointing finger to the Porygon's empty vessel.

Or... not empty?

"Mother of Christ."

The Porygon was indeed moving, the body making an odd whirring sound that grated on his ears. Moving one arm, Stark placed it protectively in front of Cinderspark in case it proved to be hostile. As they watched, though, the body went silent, giving a much softer whirring before the head snapped up. Stark watched with sharp eyes as the Porygon disconnected from a chord plugged to the still lit up computer-- Was it in the computer...?! Slowly becoming airborne, the two blocky arms at its sides moves to and fro, as if it were swimming midair. Still the dragon remained tense, until the eyes blinked and the artificial Pokemon turned and looked at them.

Suddenly it made a sharp cry, that almost sounded like a squeal of joy? "O- oh! Friends! Hello! Hello!" The normal type zipped forward, but Stark was stunned into silence, his face going slack with shock. Could... this be-- "My name is Thomas! Have you seen any of my friends nearby?"

Stark eyed the other suspiciously. The Porygon mentioned in the notes. This was the only survivor? The Dragon relaxed his posture, only after glancing once at the Pikachu. "... Well, we made a few friends. What were you looking for exactly?"

"My humans!" Thomas chirped happily, shooting forward, nearer the middle of the room to glance around, blinking at the darkness. "How did it get so dark and dusty overnight?" he gasped.

Stark had to keep himself from gaping. "...Overnight?"
"Of course! The scientists always leave me plugged in at night. Something about conserving power-- did you happen to see them?"
"Humans?" Stark half coughed at the question. They were mostly all dead. His eyes went round ad the dragon stage whispered over his shoulder, "I think this guy was stuck in the computer... for a long time, Cinder." Louder, to Thomas, Stark called, "Well, ah, no. Aren't many humans about." When the Porygon turned, regarding him with a quizzed look, suddenly the dual type felt awkward for his next words. "...You... uh, are aware of the state of the world... aren't you?"

The chair falls back and clatters against the floor as Stark stands but the Pikachu's eyes do not leave the mechanical body. It was moving. It was freaking moving when it was thing that shouldn't be moving and watching it move was not okay. Why was it moving?? A protective arm moves in front of her but even that can not stop her stare from digging into the whirring, twitching thing in the corner. Had they activated a security system? That's where I remember Porygon! She had gotten in so much trouble so many times for doing that; tripping an alarm or alerting the watch Pokemon and having to dip the fuck out of the weekly raid. Porygon were nasty, mean little demons when tripped and this one was-- ohh gods this one was starting to float.

"Mother of Christ." The Dragonite gapes but does not else. Kill it! Screams in her head but the words wont come. "Wha-what is it doing!" She squeals instead, her fur puffing up even more so as static crackles through it. Then the eyes blinked on. We're dead. The laser beams. The laser beams were coming. It shrieked and Cinder ears fell back in pain, her free arm wrapping around her skull, as the sensitive cochlea are unable to handle such a high, horrible sound. She should run. She had to run she needed to fucking run away before it laser beamed her right in the fucking face. Her tail twitches, falling downward and feeling for the edge of the desk. Yes, just one swift jump back and she could be on the floor-- "O- oh! Friends! Hello! Hello!" The Pikachu's jaw falls open and her arm slowly slides off her ears, letting them pop back up. Did it.. what? "My name is Thomas! Have you seen any of my friends nearby?" Friendly..?

Porygon were not friendly. They were defense systems, they were intruder alerts, they were weapons of protection. Why was it saying hello so... joyfully. "My humans!" It was alerting humans? There were more humans here?? Was Red or Grimsley one of them? Were they going to storm in and attack them with the long sticks, nets, and darts? "How did it get so dark and dusty overnight?" The Pikachu flinches at the Porygons words, echoing Stark, "...Overnight?" "...Overnight?" This place reeked of must and neglect. The undead that had attacked her earlier would of easily driven any sane person out of here long, long ago and only strong, brave Pokemon or really stupid ones (like herself) would dare enter. Red was odd and Grimsley was.... well he was odd too, "Of course! The scientists always leave me plugged in at night. Something about conserving power-- did you happen to see them?" But he was no scientist.

Was it crazy or retarded? Was part of its memories missing or could it not comprehend time due to being a machine? Had it shorted out when the power came on? Was it just primitive sense it wasn't doing what she always saw? "I think this guy was stuck in the computer... for a long time, Cinder." With Stark's words she finally manages to peel her gaze off the pink and blue form, looking to the Dragonite both curiously and confused. "Or inside its own head.." Stuck in a computer... how did computers even work? How was it in the computer when it had been laying there on the floor? A vein pulses pulses painfully in the back of her skull at the thought. Looking back at the Porygon the thing is just staring at them with no visible hostility or signs of it. Could it really be friendly...? Was this what they were like with the hostile settings turned off? "Well, ah, no. Aren't many humans about." Stark tries to explain to it. "They are pretty rare.." She had seen more in the last few hours then she had in.. months?

"...You... uh, are aware of the state of the world... aren't you?" Stark manages to stammer out. The Pikachu's ears perk but her body suddenly feels ill and weak while her muscles go limp. Our poor world.. She hadn't noticed that her tiny hands had been in such tight fists but now the palms burned and ached to tell her as they opened, the paper with a now crumpled corner falling to the desk. While she didn't trust Porygon this one seemed okay to try and talk to. "Were you.. trying to camouflage yourself in that corner?" Even that didn't make sense. Non-organic Pokemon usually weren't targeted by the undead because they didn't smell of heat and blood. Trying to take a tiny step forward to see the spot on the floor better the paper brushes her paw, spooking her for a moment but then simply grabbing her attention. "Oh yeah," She really didn't want to change the subject, the Normal Type could not be ignored after all, but she didn't want to forget the thing she found or ruin it somehow. Grabbing it carefully in her paws she tries to smooth out the corner she had crushed before trying to hand it to Stark. "Is this important Stark? I looks special compared to the other papers." Even though the Porygon was making her uncomfortable and the now revived acknowledgement of the Earths condition was on her mind the mouse forces a nervous smile. She could still try to help him.. even if that's all she could do.

The female head of the Arbok rears back and with a small clicking sound ignites flames across the surface of her shorter fangs. The blaze burns brightly inside her mouth, illuminating the purple scales of her head. Her long serpentine body uncoils as she slips across the ground. The ribs of her hood start to spread.
"Box Pokemon?" She asks with a hiss and bends around to get a better look at it. It looks like a pokemon made of the square shaped sweetblocks they had eaten before. She recalls the name of them. "Are you made of pokeblock? Can I eat you?' She asks and extends a long tongue past the flames in her mouth. The flickering light falls across the face like markings on her spread hood, making the shapes like eyes seem to flicker with their own life. Her tonguew flickers in the air.
"You smell strange. Are you good to eat?'
Perhaps the box bird isn't edible after all. It smells like dust and plastic like a computer. Computers were not good to eat but this one moved.
They would eat anything that moved, if only to see what it tasted like.

Yuuku turns to look back the other way, away from the box bird. The flames of his sister's jaws throw his head into shadows.
"Humans taste good." He adds halfheartedly to the conversation, not caring if the human there takes offense at this.
He did not like this place. It was too familiar. He loved being in places where he didn't get poked with pointy things or electrocuted or burnt or have his scales peeled off. He liked being able to eat what he wanted to eat. He didn't want to go back to the cage that was too small for him to coil properly.
He turns his head sharply back towards the thing that looked like it was made of blocks and angles.
"Ssperiment?' He hisses as an enquiry.

((OOC: Not my best but huzzah, I have posted))

(Skip.)

Placing his hands in his pockets, Grimsley waited outside the room Nisha and Skuntank were searching, waiting for his eyes to adjust. After a few minutes, he started following the sounds of voices back to Stark and the Boss. As he drew closer, he recognized a new voice among the known ones. "O- oh! Friends! Hello! Hello!" Waiting outside the door, Grimsley leant against the frame, listening into the conversation with a small smile. "My name is Thomas! Have you seen any of my friends nearby?" Friends..? Looking around the room, the Elite Trainer waited until his eyes had adjusted to search the room.

He didn’t have to look long before his icy eyes found the Porygon. "My humans!" The irony of the situation almost made Grimsley laugh. He hadn’t seen any other humans since he had travelled away from Unova. "How did it get so dark and dusty overnight?" That made the dark specialist frown slightly. Surely they weren’t completely oblivious to the surroundings?

"...Overnight?"
"...Overnight?"

Stark and the Boss were thinking the same thing, it seemed. If this place had gone dusty overnight, then douse him in feathers and call him Ho-Oh, because there was no way this place could of gotten this dusty overnight. "Of course! The scientists always leave me plugged in at night. Something about conserving power-- did you happen to see them?" Scientists? Grimsley frowned slightly. If there had been scientists here… Shaking his head, Grim chased the thought away. Now was not the time for those thoughts.

"I think this guy was stuck in the computer... for a long time, Cinder." It made sense. If the computers had been off, and the Porygon had been inside the database of it, then it was a perfect way to preserve them – undead wouldn’t eat an empty husk, and unless an undead with some sort of sense had come past, the Porygon wouldn’t of woken up if the computer wasn’t turned on, so when Stark booted it up… "Or inside its own head.." The Boss’s quiet mumble dragged the Elite Trainer from his thoughts. Now was not the time for spacing off – he still had to report what Skuntank had said about Nova.

"Well, ah, no. Aren't many humans about." Sighing lightly, Grimsley lent against the doorframe, his ice blue eyes watching the group converse. He had almost forgotten what it was like to be a part of a group that were working together for a common goal. While his own team were doing the best they could, being alone with the same six Pokemon could get boring after a little bit. "They are pretty rare.." And yet – Grimsley chuckled quietly in amusement – this group had run into two in the span of twenty four hours. Lucky them. "Humans taste good." Staring at the snakes, Grim raised an eyebrow. Were they trying to creep him out, or was that just how the snakes talked even without a human’s presence there? With a shrug, Grimsley waved the comment off. There was no use in getting upset over it.

"...You... uh, are aware of the state of the world... aren't you?"

Grimsley listened in, wondering if that was the case. If this Pokemon didn’t know what the world was like now, that would be dangerous for them. If they didn’t know what an undead was, or if they were infected… Letting his eyes scan over the Porygon, Grimsley was sure that the new addition to their group was safe. "Were you.. Trying to camouflage yourself in that corner?" It would make sense, if the Porygon was disguising themselves. "Oh yeah," Looking over at the Pikachu, Grimsley lent on the doorframe, waiting until there was a moment that he could talk without butting in. "Is this important Stark? I looks special compared to the other papers." The Trainer watched as the Boss handed Stark a piece of paper with what looked like scribbles and small writing on it.

"Hey, hey, what are you? Are you a Pokemon too?" Looking to his side to where the Nidorina was just entering, Grimsley watched as the Pokemon surveyed the Porygon. "I've never seen anything like you before! Cool! You're so blocky!" Chuckling quietly, Grimsley waved to Stark, aiming to get the Dragonite’s attention. "Can I touch you? You look so cool! I didn't know it was possible to have a body like this--I mean, I've seen Onix and Staryu before but you're so bright too! Pretty!" After observing the Nidorina, Grimsley cleared his throat to address Stark and the Boss.

”I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Nova has gone missing. I sent Skuntank out to search, but he couldn’t find them. Should we re-distribute teams?” He enquired, looking behind him for a moment to watch as Nisha and Skuntank walked back over to them. With a shake of the spotted feline’s head, Nisha indicated that they hadn’t found anything of help. ”Sorry Grim, the room was practically empty. Any paper we found was either torn up or blank.” Nodding to indicate that he had heard, Grimsley watched as Nisha moved to sit beside him, with Skuntank sitting just outside the door, keeping watch.

"...You... uh, are aware of the state of the world... aren't you?"
The Porygon tilted his head to one side. "State?" he inquired curiously, blinking eyes that did not even require the action. The sigh that escaped the Dragonite was long but soft. This was going to be a long day.
"Were you.. Trying to camouflage yourself in that corner?"
The question from the electric type made the normal type paw the air again with his block-like forelegs. "There is no need to hide!" Thomas chirped, painfully happy in a way that was beginning to hurt Stark's head. A pulsing migraine fought it's way behind his eyes. "I was sleeping!"

"Okay, enough of this," he finally interrupted, stepping forward. Maroon eyes were suddenly wary; he had never had to deal with this situation before. Never had the dragon found someone who just didn't know that dead walked the earth. He even wondered if the virus was even capable of messing with an inorganic creature like the Porygon line the same was as other Pokemon. Would it be a literal computer virus? How would it affect the colouration, would he still turn purple? They can't eat, though, would it just try to kill things but without the capacity to consume what would be the point of their actions? Or would it resemble ghost types who just merely go insane, before fading off, and leaving the body an empty husk-
"Oh yeah," Cinder interrupted his thoughts, the Dragonaite starting sharply as he blinked. His thoughts having gotten the better of him, maroon eyes slowly refocused, only to find the Porygon much closer, staring at his face.
"You have such pretty eyes."
"Ack!" The Dragonite half flailed with his paws before frowning. "Buddy... personal space."
"Is this important Stark? It looks special compared to the other papers."
Turning his attention back to the Pikachu, Stark watched the mouse hold up a partially crumpled piece of paper. His face lit up with interest, curiosity bright in his eyes as he took the paper from her hold, hungrily flipping it over. "Let's see what we have here," he murmured to himself. But it was far from what he wanted, that was instantly clear. These were not words... seemed to be something crude, maybe-- This looks like art done by a child, he realises rapidly. Stark raised his head, glancing at the dimmed computer. It must of turned off, using too much power from his boost reviving Thomas. Between the odd word documents in there, and the drawings, it dawned on him that this must of been a personal workplace. Maybe the Porygon was considered a pet, left to rest in this guy's desktop at night? It was far from what he had hoped, but at least it was a start. Grinning back at Cinder, the Dragonite nodded approvingly. "This tells me all I need. Looks like we'll be able to move on."

While the two were busy, though, Thomas watched as a human approached, leaning in the doorframe. He beeped happily, waving at the man as another Pokemon trotted in."Hey, hey, what are you? Are you a Pokemon too?"
He chirped happily as the Nidorina approached. "I'm a Pokemon! My name is Thomas!" he floated closer to the ground as the poison type investigated, tilting her head at different angles to look at him.
"I've never seen anything like you before! Cool! You're so blocky!" She gushed over the normal type, an action that would have earned a flush of embarrassment had be been capable of it.
"I'm a Porygon, and you can touch me! The people liked me because I could go in the computers," he explained, glancing back at the desktop. Thomas' heart dropped when he saw it had turned off, but he could only float at a lower height to show his disappointment. "Where is everyone?" he whispered to himself.

The sound of a clearing throat caught the Dragonite's attention, his eyes flickering back towards the door. He raised one eyebrow questioningly. ”I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Nova has gone missing. I sent Skuntank out to search, but he couldn’t find them. Should we re-distribute teams?”
"Nova vanished?" he repeated, shock evident in his voice.
The Liepard, Nisha added her agreement. ”Sorry Grim, the room was practically empty. Any paper we found was either torn up or blank.”
"Shit. We need to stick together, then. We won't lose anyone else," he stated firmly, eyes hardening. The Dragonite reached out one hand to the Pikachu, giving her a smile before looking over everyone again. "We'll move on down the hall for now-- if Nisha is right, then there won't be anything here, but the next few corridors could prove insightful- wait!"

He broke off with a cry, watching as the Porygon suddenly shot out of the room. Thomas had only heard 'friend is missing must go find friend,' and ignored the warning. "He couldn't of vanished, we'll find him!" he insisted, flying right past the human. He did, however, catch a sudden bright light, the flash too pretty to ignore. "Ooooh!" Thomas approached the dying light, unintentionally moving closer to the Umbreon he could not see anymore. "Who are you!" he asked happily.

"Christ, it isn't safe," Stark spat from back in the room. Hastily putting the paper down, he barked out, "Grim! Stop him before an undead does!"

[ ooc: permission to run into Smiling Tom ]

The Porygon's squealy, electric voice blasts painfully against the Pikachu's long, sensitive ears. Why would humans make something where such a horrible, grating sound would come out of it? Did they not care about their tiny ears? "Let's see what we have here," The dragon's voice snaps her back, and the small electric type beams hopefully in his direction. Stark would know what that paper was, and if helped him at all then she had done her job properly. Watching the dragon's face as he examined the paper Cinder can not read his expression. That couldn't be good. Biting her lip, she pulls away a little. Was it the wrong thing? Was it something useless? Im sorry, Its hard to tell when I cant read! Oh legends Stark was going to think she was an idiot, and illiterate idiot! Its not my fault!

Sound flutters against her ears and the Pikachu flinches hard as she flips herself in its direction. ...The snake? When had they come in here? Had they been there the whole time, watching her, and she hadn't even noticed!? What kind of instincts is that! Taking a step closer to the computer a panic rises in her chest at the realization of how small her platform currently was. Looks like a bad situation would force her on the offensive.. not that that would end well... Swallowing roughly she looks back to the dragon only to see he is finished with his examination. "This tells me all I need. Looks like we'll be able to move on." With a twitch of her tail Cinder smiles once more, excited. "Really? That's awesome cause I do-" Her voice is cut off by another familiar one, "Hey, hey, what are you? Are you a Pokemon too?" Huh? Tristana? The Nidorina had come this way too? Before she could even entertain that thought the human walked in the room as well, spouting, ”I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Nova has gone missing. I sent Skuntank out to search, but he couldn’t find them. Should we re-distribute teams?”

Cinder's head fought between two thoughts. First, they had all bunched up! They were supposed to split up and she was the one that got Stark, not these other Pokemon! He's mine! Though it appeared that they now had a new companion who would be tagging along.. but that was just one guy and not the whole group, so it was okay. Secondly, and more importantly by far, what did Grimsley just say!? "Nova vanished?" They hadn't been separated that long, how could he of vanished? "A big dragon can't just go missing 'like that!'" She squeaks, snapping her fingers at the end. Something bad had to of happened, or he just left, or or... whatever it was it couldn't be good! Her green eyes stare accusingly at the human. .....How would he know Nova went missing if he wasn't watching him.. or where he went, or what he was doing. Did you do something to him!? Did you catch or cage him cause he was a rare Pokemon!? Any trust she had for him vanished in a cloud of doubt.

"Shit. We need to stick together, then. We won't lose anyone else," They were going to stay in a group again? Cinderchu can not hide the disappointment from her face but at least she understands why. Being with the human again though... She gives her pelt a hard shake. It didn't matter. She had a partner now and things would be okay as long as they didn't get split up. Still, she must force a smile when Stark extends her a hand, grateful for his kindness as she accepts the offer and returns to her perch. "We'll move on down the hall for now-- if Nisha is right, then there won't be anything here, but the next few corridors could prove insightful- wait!" In a blur of pink and blue the Porygon shoots away like a living missile. Grabbing tightly to the Dragonite's scales it takes a moment for the Pikachu to registrar what just happened. Thomas flew off? "Ooooh!" But not too far as his voice still carried. "Who are you!"
Shit.

"Stark, there is something out there!" She exclaims, flailing one paw. More then likely it wasn't something good and that imbecile didn't know any better! "Christ, it isn't safe." Grim! Stop him before an undead does!" He was trusting a Pokemons life to the human? Why. Why trust a weirdo human who played around in the dark of a weird lab to save the moron from certain death!? He was useless! Every impulse told her to go help Thomas but instinct to run and hide kept her upon Stark's shoulder. "We need to save him!" She hisses urgently. If they stood around too long, she would explode. Just because Thomas was ignorant didn't mean he deserved to die on his first day back to reality! "You, we can't just let him get killed!"

Both the snakes turn slowly, hoods unfurling and teeth beading with transparent drops of venom.
"Where are you going?" Yuurei asks plaintively, twisting her head to follow the path of the streaking bolt of pink and blue that is already disappearing out of sight. Her tongue flickers out, long and pink, to taste the very faint scent the swiftly passing Pokemon has left behind.
She turns back towards the sparky yellow one who clings to the meaty dragon with her eyes fixed on the path the tiny thing had taken. Oh dear, the little thing went away very fast. She didn't even get to ask it if it was squishy like a berry or hard and chewy.
"We will help look." She hisses, turning to her bother to confirm.
"We go." The other head nods.
The pair flatten back against the ground, Yuurei controlling the more powerful muscles of their thick coils as they start to slip in the direction the little blocky thing had gone.

Yuuku's golden eyes scan the shadows, the ambush predator feeling strange about hunting down such a tiny morsel rather than disguising themselves in shadow and waiting until something meatier went by.
Would it taste like those strange sweet cubes they had found before? It looked about the same color.
"Which one is Nova?" He asks his sister.
The slightly smaller head stops to think.
"The spiky dragon, Druking." She struggles to remember the name of the unfamiliar species.
"Spikes bad." Her brother nods. "Hard to eat and not much meat."
Yuurei bobs her head along in agreement.
"But could have tried new kind of meat." She points out.
"Yes, that is sad." The male head agrees. "I want to eat proper meat soon."
Yuuku raises his head and his voice.
"Are we looking for the tiny block one or the spiky dragon?"

The light of the Flash slowly faded, and left Tom in darkness once more. The very air of this place weighed down on him; the fur of his neck stood up, as if something dangerous were lurking nearby. He did not know what was hidden in the darkness. It could be anything, and while undead were always a threat, Tom couldn't help but feel there was something worse. Maybe not in this area, but deeper into the tower...? He was not about to try and find out; it was best to focus on finding whoever else had been unlucky enough to be stuck here.
"Ooooh!" Taken by surprise once again, Tom instinctively used Flash for the second time, and the light revealed a...Porygon. Inorganic. No wonder he had not been able to detect it before it found him, damned thing. The blocky Pokemon did not appear to be hostile, but rather childlike, especially in the way they had reacted to Tom. Perhaps it was truly only a child? "Who are you!" Whatever the case, the creature was loud-its voice was going to attract something, and with Flash, Tom knew they were in even more danger of something finding them. Tom couldn't allow that, not with how much this place had put him on edge.

"Keep your voice down," Tom warned, and took advantage of the lingering light to check around him: nothing yet. But he could hear hear other sounds-voices, perhaps? If this Porygon had been with a group, then it would make sense that other Pokemon were looking for them. They didn't appear to be frightened at all, nor would someone stop to fawn over a random stranger if they were being chased. Tom sighed; it looked like he was going to be stuck with a lot more strangers than he had hoped. This was not what he had wanted.
"I'm Thomas," he said reluctantly, as the full name brought a bitter taste to his tongue. The words clawed against his throat; it had been a long time since he'd last spoken to anyone. His voice was not back to its full potential yet. "Just call me Tom." Tom looked around again, just to make sure, then turned back to the Porygon. This was not going to be fun, but there wasn't any other option besides walking away, and unfortunately that wasn't going to happen.

"Are there other Pokemon with you?"

Stark and the Boss were as baffled as Grimsley was. How could a big dragon like Nova just disappear? "Nova vanished?" The shock in Stark’s voice mirrored the concern in Grimsley’s blue eyes. If others were going missing, then there was more of a danger here than he first thought. Clicking his tongue, Grimsley scowled. "A big dragon can't just go missing 'like that!'" Looking back over to Boss, the Elite Trainer scanned their face, his eyes widening slightly at the Pikachu’s accusing glare. Did they think he was the cause for Nova’s disappearance? Shaking his head, Grimsley tried to motion to Boss that he was not the cause for the Druddiking’s disappearance.

"Shit. We need to stick together, then. We won't lose anyone else," Stark reached out to Boss, giving the Pikachu a kind smile. He then turned to address their group. "We'll move on down the hall for now-- if Nisha is right, then there won't be anything here, but the next few corridors could prove insightful- wait!" Oh crap. The Porygon dashed past Grimsley, his scarf shifting from the wind the fast Pokemon created. "Where are you going?" Grimsley turned to follow, stopping only a moment to hear what Stark had to say. "Christ, it isn't safe. Grim! Stop him before an undead does!"

”Right! Nisha, with me, Skuntank, you stay here with the others!”
”Yes!”
”You got it boss!”

With that Grimsley turned, running after Thomas, Nisha running just ahead of her trainer. The Liepard jumped over a stray wire, looking back to see Grimsley step over it, flashlight in hand as he searched the hallway.  "Ooooh!" Looking up, Nisha’s green eyes pierced the darkness, easily finding the pink and blue Porygon amongst the darkness. ”Over here Grim’!” She called, moving over to try and find anything else. "Who are you!" Who..? Nisha’s sight pinpointed a dark shape in the shadows, before having to shut her eyes quickly as whatever it was used Flash, illuminating itself and revealing an Umbreon. She wasn’t able to catch a lot of the conversation, and by the time she had gotten closer, they were all but done talking.

"Are there other Pokemon with you?"
”Yes. A few others.”

Nisha answered for Thomas, her green eyes sweeping over the Umbreon’s frame. Her ear twitched as she heard Grimsley making his way over, the light from his flashlight illuminating the small area around them. When the Elite Trainer spotted the Umbreon, he stopped and looked about. No Nova, only the Umbreon. Kneeling down, Grimsley moved slowly, so as not to startle the Dark Type. They seemed calm, but there wasn’t any use in taking risks. ”I mean you no harm. I’m just trying to find one of our missing members, and making sure the Porygon doesn’t hurt himself. He ran off suddenly and we didn’t want him to get himself hurt, or worse.” Grimsley explained, hoping that the Umbreon wasn’t hostile to humans.

(fuck. skip. im so sorry. >< )

The Pikachu's tiny heart pounds like a fluttering bird. Oh no no no this could not be happening right now. That Pokemon was not bright enough to be left on his own, especially not in an eerie place like this! Oh gods he was going to die to the first undead he floated into. "Stark!" She squealed again, thumping her paw fiercely against the side of his head. He had turned Thomas on, couldn't he turn him off too? Somehow? From a distance?? Grimsley turned for the door, but not before giving orders to his cohorts, ”Right! Nisha, with me, Skuntank, you stay here with the others!”

Oh HELL no.

Sparks trickle defensively down from her cheek pouches and along the length of her spine. Stay with them? Not him, not his Pokemon. You cant leave me with them. Were they just mindless animals that needed a babysitter to him!? Stark said nothing, did he agree? Was this what he wanted from man? Any status she felt she had obtained sank to her paws, deeming her no more then another tag-along that needed supervision in Stark's adventure. "Thomas! No!!" Tristana urges, rushing out of the room before Grimsley or his Skuntank could block them in. Was she going to get left in here, locked, trapped? With no one but the humans murdering Pokemon!?

Alarm fueling her paws the Pikachu was no longer thinking, letting fight-or-flight instincts guide her. Leaping to the floor Cinderchu pelts as fast as her paws will allow, bolting across the tile and slipping out the door in a matter of seconds. Dont touch me. If that Skuntank put a single claw on her she'd zap him to all hell. Get out. Her vision swam as she rushed down the hall, Tristana's blue form nothing but a blur up ahead. Random patches of light blotted the hall, shifting unnaturally for such an environment. There shouldn't even of been light here.
Though she knew never to look behind herself while fleeing the Pikachu jumps over an obstruction and, in the pause of a rough landing, dares to look back for the light source. Shit. The panic increases exponentially. The human and his cat were giving chase! OHGODSSAVEYOURSELF. They could not have her! She was not prepared to die!

The pause lasted three seconds at most before the Pikachu was going full sprint again. Tristana's color spot had vanished along with all thoughts of Thomas in the panicked haze. It was happening. The human was going to kill her, or catch her, or feed her to the cat, or anything just horribly awful. Oh legends no this was not how it was going to end. The hall grows extra dark -a bend, maybe?- but the Pikachu registrars no more then, TRAPPED. Refusing to stop, white noises bounce against her fluffy ears, other creatures were close, too close.

Coming to a wall the Pikachu is about to force a sharp turn and pray the path opens when a bright flash of light blinds her. !!! Too shocked to stop the mouse crashes into tall sheets of metal, or something of the like, that in turn fall forward in a loud clatter. Her vision is no more then a sea of blinding white, too bright to handle even with her eyes shut. Shit no NO. Vainly Cinderspark tries to keep fleeing, holding her paws against her eyes, as she stumbled around in the scraps. Unable to see she kept bumping against the lengthy sheets, barely bundling through a clear path only to trip over a fallen piece and fall flat on her belly. "Eeeh!" She shrieks, fore-paws rushing forward but failing to catch her.
But as they do the brightness behind her eyes fades and she realizes that not only could she see again but it was actually lit enough to fucking see in here. She was so fucking dead right now that opening her eyes seemed like the last thing she would want to do but an unfamiliar voice forces her to witness them. "Are there other Pokemon with you?"

Everything freezes.

The voice did not registrar as anymore then words as the Pikachu stared at a set of black paws right before her. Her entire body goes cold, lungs refusing to expand as her gaze shifts up every painful millimeter. It.. it ca-.. She only needs to see the paws to know its an Umbreon. The shape, the size, the fur. Umbreon, a species she knew so well.... It was matted and messy but recognizable all the same. "Nnn-" The soft sound is barely audible, too good to be true as it falls from the Pikachu's tongue. She can not hold herself back any longer and in a quick burst her green gaze shifts to the Umbrie's face.

Her heart both sinks and shatters in one fell swoop.

...It...wasnt him... Not even close. The colors, the face, the smell.. Other then the species there is nothing even remotely resembling what she had hoped to see. A voice casually answers from behind but the Pikachu makes no response to it, the sound bouncing off her, nonexistent. Ice seeped into her bones, the overwhelming disappoint sagging her body even lower to the ground in a lump of despair. No... Her ears limply fall against her skull, suddenly too heavy to hold up. Even her head drops, plopping against the metal with a numb, lifeless thump. Loss stabs deep in the Pikachu's tiny heart but even that isnt enough to rouse her unnaturally still body from the floor, only the soft sound of sobbing revealing that she was still at least somewhat conscious.

"Thomas?" the chipper inorganic replies in a curious voice, slightly piquing Tom's limited interest. There was little, if any, chance that the Porygon knows him, and even if he did, there was nothing to it other than sheer coincidence. "I'm Thomas too! Two Thomases!" The Normal-type's excited words bring only an irritated sigh from the Umbreon; this was going to be so enjoyable. His question about other Pokemon is, however, surprisingly not answered by the Porygon itself but by a different Pokemon altogether. ”Yes. A few others.” Tom faces this newcomer, a Liepard by the look of her; her green eyes observes him, but there is otherwise no other response from the purple-furred cat. There was no lashing of a tail or the half-crouch Tom has come to expect from this particular species, and he deems her unlikely to suddenly attack. The response, however, has brought a spot of petty frustration to him, as it was not the direct answer he had wanted. Tom has little time to gather his words he rarely used before yet another shows up, a flashlight clutched in its hand, lighting up the walls around them...it was a human. The Umbreon looks over the human and its dark hair, the length of yellowish-white cloth wrapped around its neck (the name of which Tom can never remember properly), and icy blue eyes. Anxiety is beginning to build in his chest and throat like bitter bile, and it takes a good chunk of his willpower not to growl. It was illogical of him to react this way-Jeremy was no longer with him, and was in all likelihoods already dead. There was no one left to protect from other humans. Tom feels nothing but disgust with his faulty self-control.

The human clad in a dark suit kneels down in front of him, and Tom feels his legs go tense. ”I mean you no harm. I’m just trying to find one of our missing members, and making sure the Porygon doesn’t hurt himself. He ran off suddenly and we didn’t want him to get himself hurt, or worse.” Missing member...perhaps that was the one that had rushed past Tom not too long ago. If so, they were in for a great disappointment, as the Pokemon had literally vanished into thin air. Forcing himself to make eye contact with the human, Tom figures it was best to simply drop the news now and get it over with.
"...There was a Pokemon here, not long ago," he begins, "They ran too quickly for me to see them, but...they vanished. Here one minute, then gone." The Umbreon cares little for the whereabouts of a complete stranger, but what point was there in withholding the information? They were gone, that was that; there was no physical trail to follow. Would these strangers attempt a search, or realise that such a thing was fruitless? Hopefully the latter would be their choice, else his only one was to follow right after.
"Cinder--? Um, um, are you, are you ok?" Yet another voice, female, Tom has become used to the chorus...but who was this "Cinder"?

Then Tom spots the Pikachu.

There must have been something wrong with him today, to be missing so many details and being so unobservant, but the Electric-type was something else entirely. They were still, limp, and if not for the sounds of crying Tom would have believed them to be dead. He averts his brown eyes for a second, but soon finds himself looking right back again. What was wrong with this one, and why did looking at them make him feel so...on edge? Jeremy. Gods above, his damnable fragile human had looked like this after one of his panic attacks-defeated, liable to shatter like glass if approached. Damn it. Damn it all. Tom has not asked to be trapped here with a Pokemon so very much like someone he had genuinely cared for. It was a cruel jab; it was almost a mockery.

(Note: I got full permission from Vince to control Porygon!Thomas a bit~)

Nisha kept her green eyes on the Umbreon, not trusting them to not attack Thomas. Her ear flicked as she heard Grimsley come up behind her, and the Liepard allowed her gaze to soften as she backed up to stand beside her trainer’s side. "Thomas?" Only just catching up to the conversation, Grimsley listened in intently, just in case he missed introductions. "I'm Thomas too! Two Thomases!" Two..? Ah, the Umbreon must’ve been called Thomas too. Finally catching himself up, Grim’ sat down, trusting Nisha to keep him safe from harm if the Umbreon did decide to turn violent. The Dark trainer didn’t believe they would switch that fast, but one could never be too careful.

"...There was a Pokemon here, not long ago," Looking up, Grimsley kept his ice blue gaze level with the Umbreon’s chocolate one. So they had seen Nova? "They ran too quickly for me to see them, but...they vanished. Here one minute, then gone." Letting his disappointment show with a sigh, Grimsley nodded. ”Okay. Thank you.” He said, running his fingers through Nisha’s purple and yellow fur as he fell silent in his thoughts. If Nova went through this way, he would of left traces. A large dragon like him would not have disappeared without a trace. Perhaps he left some claw marks or something, somewhere. Snapping to attention, Grimsley fished through his bag and got out his note book, taking a pencil and giving the flashlight to Nisha, who held the light over the book as he wrote down a few key points, muttering them to himself as he went.

”Keep... Skuntank with you guys... I’m taking Nisha and searching further for Nova.” He wrote on the paper, taking it from the notebook and swapping the flashlight in Nisha’s jaws to the paper. ”Take that to Stark, please. Meet me back here.” He said, and the Liepard nodded, before taking off back towards where Stark was.

"Cinder--? Um, um, are you, are you ok?" Looking back, Grimsley noticed that the Boss (or Cinder, apparently) had joined them, but something was wrong with the small Pikachu. They were curled up, and if Grimsley couldn’t hear the quiet sobbing coming through his translator, he would have thought the Pikachu dead. Concern flew across his face, but he did not reach for the small electric mouse – they already didn’t trust him, and he wasn’t about to touch them in case he startled the Pikachu and got an electrical shock for his troubles.

”Boss? Are you alright?” He whispered quietly, turning the volume of his translator up so that he could hear Cinder’s response. He wasn’t about to go and call the Pikachu by her name, in fear of making the trust between them worsen. Even still, he couldn’t just leave the Pikachu, since they were clearly in a sort of emotional distress. Perhaps it had been caused by the Umbreon? Maybe they knew an Umbreon in their past to cause this reaction? Either way, he wasn’t going to pry too much into it. Some secrets are best left alone.

Why... The Pikachu could hardly breathe, each inhale a wheeze and exhale a sob, her body cold and still as though pinned by jagged icicles. Its a cruel.. damn joke.. Her eyes are open but sightless, all vision reduced to a blur of black and grey. Were the gods punishing her..? Was this retribution for being happy, for buddy-ing up to Stark, for lingering instead of finding her way home? Noise ruffles her ear-fur but does not registrar as words. Was the Umbrie going to eat her? That would be the perfect ironic death.. consumed literally by what she loved most. Kill me. Right now, she wouldn't even care.

More noises rustled against her ears. Would no one let her grieve in peace..? Of course not. No one understood. No one ever understood.. Hell, she never even had the chance to ask if any of these Pokemon had seen him. How would they even know, let alone understand? Crunching of the stuff around her is finally acknowledged, the next set of words coming in properly though they take several hard seconds to decipher. "Cinder--? Um, um, are you, are you ok?" Sluggishly turning her head toward the familiar voice and face of Tristana Cinder allows her eyes to blink, wetness oozing from the corners through the surfaces felt like fire. Okay..? No, no she was far from okay. There is a fucking thistle in my heart. But it was her problem. Her overwhelmingly all-consuming problem. Parting her jaws to speak, or at least give some sort of response, she chokes on her own fluids, making no more then a gagging gasp as her jaw quivers. Just fucking end me.

Swallowing hard to clear at least one of her air passages the Pikachu sucks in a deep lungful of air and instantly gags again. Oh fugh.. Not even her thoughts can remain linear as the thick scent of Umbreon coats her palette. She had to move, now, but her body refuses to respond and simply convulses on the taste. Its Umbreon.. Every Pokemon carried a minimum of three scents to them. Their typing held one (or two if it was a dual), their species had another, and their biology and individual scent being the other. This Pokemon was not her Umbrie and did not hold his unique, sweet scent, but he had the other two distinct ones to torture her. It was just too much to bear. Her green eyes look straight into Tristana's, pleading for things she can not express. Honestly, if an undead came in right now and carried her off, she would appreciate it.

”Boss? Are you alright?”

Fucking end her. Another wave of emotion slams against her rib cage, another swiftly following as she once more breathed in the scent of Umbreon. Not him too. How had she forgotten that damn human? Had he come to torture her as well? Anguish burns hot in her chest while the rest of her yellow form feels ice cold. How much suffering did she have to endure before it passed? Choking on her next breath Cinderspark realizes something that makes her fur stand on end. When they ran into the human they had been a pre-established group. A group. Nova vanished when he was alone with him. This Umbr- this Pokemon was alone- he was not yet part of their group. She was positive Grimsley had caused Nova's disappearance. Had he come for.. was he going to do something to the Umbreon too? Dont you fucking dare. This may not of been her Umbreon but she was not about to let him fall into the hands of this fucker.

Horror clicks in her brain at another realization. A Liepard and a Skunktank..? Her thoughts quickly pick up pace though they remain jumbled under a cloud off emotions. Dark Types? She can not recall any of his other Pokemon right now, and while making this conclusion off of only two Pokemon (one of which was only partly so) was a huge jump Cinder was not about to let go of the possibility. Are you.. a dark type trainer? What if he was. What if he was a dark type trainer. Some people did that! Her breath quickens, pulse pounding. If he was.. he was going to do something to the Umbreon! And if he wasnt he was still going to do something, she just knew it!

The Pikachu's tiny form can not handle the pool of feelings bubbling inside her. It was becoming too much. Any more and she dry heave, or collapse, or both. You cant have the Umbreon. Blinded by a new fear her pain increased. There was no way in hell he was going to be allowed to catch it. Not while she still drew breath. With a massive effort Cinder forces herself onto four shaky paws. "Y-you.." Her voices shakes as well, a soft hush as she start to pant. Turning to face the human she staggers, stumbling for a moment on the shifting metal. It takes longer to recover then it had to stand but someone she manages to do so. Her face is wet, tears refusing to stop and mouth dripping with drool, but her lip curls back and eyes blaze with a hot rage and she stares defiantly at the human.

There is a pause before she can respond, already needing to catch her breathe. Sparks fly from the Pikachu's tiny form, and between pants she can finally scream, "Dont you touch him..!" She would protect this Umbreon if it killed her. Even though it wouldn't bring back her shiny she would protect this Umbreon with the same voracity she would him. She would make this human into a fool. Wild Pokemon were not to be his tools as long as she was around. "Dont you fucking dare touch him!" Pokemon were not supposed to attack humans but gods be damned if anyone could stop her.

[ooc: orz please skip me, i've been staying up all night trying to finish overdue hw and i'm just too burnt out to post,,, when Cinder shouts, Tristana instinctively throws her hands up in front of her in defense and stumbles back in surprise. she looks incredibly confused, and keeps glancing back and forth between Cinder and Grimsley before shooting a concerned expression to Tom]

Tom cannot focus on anything other than the sobbing Pikachu or the human, the latter of which holds an expression of concern for the whimpering electric mouse. Was he going to attempt to approach the creature? The only thing that would earn him was a nasty jolt of electricity, though Tom doubts the little Pikachu is strong enough now to produce a shock capable of stopping a heart or messing with the nerves. Right now they don't look capable of even pulling themselves off of the ground. His stomach churns at such a blatant display of weakness, and in such a vulnerable, unknown place as well...was this Pokemon even trying to stay alive? And why are we still standing around like slack-jawed idiots? He's supposed to know better than this; the Umbreon lashes his tail once, irritated with himself for being so careless with both his own life and that of other Pokemon. To think he once had the audacity of truly thinking himself to be a guardian, as if Tom was anything other than some sort of tool, and not a useful one at that. Such thoughts leave a bitter taste in his mouth, but the truth is an unsavory draught. All of them-the other Thomas, Cinder, the Nidorina, the Pikachu, everyone-was doomed to a tragic end, weren't they? It was almost a shame that he cannot force himself to simply leave them be, and make his own way.

"Y-you.." With tremendous effort the Pikachu has brought herself back from the cold floor, bringing a momentary lapse in Tom's stoic expression as he watches. It's almost cruel how it seems to take all of her energy to simply stand and talk; the Electric-type certainly doesn't look anymore in the spectrum of stable, with her wild, angry eyes, the look of a Tauros that's had its tail trod upon...directed right at the human male. Tom sees the sparks, and it brings up something in his chest, a feeling he could not put words or description upon even if he tried. "Dont you touch him..!" She was talking about him, that was much was clear. Tom, a Pokemon raised to fight and die for the sake of others, was being defended by a ragged Pikachu who could barely stand on her four feet; the irony is lost on him. His own sort of anger is rising in his throat, etched into the baring of his teeth. "Dont you fucking dare touch him!" Tom once said the same thing, or at least something similar, a million years ago in a place he cannot remember, to protect a man who was by all likelihoods was only another dead body in a wasteland of corpses. All of my protection, for nothing. The look the Nidorina gives him-one that said she actually cared about his involvement-is the last straw, and he steps forward with stiff, steady steps. This Pikachu does not know him, or anything about him; why does she bother to try with this little stunt?

"I do not need anyone to defend me," Tom growls, though he makes no attempt at aggression towards the Pikachu, nor anyone else who was there. His voice sounds like sandpaper in his ears; he was not a Pokemon made for so much talking. "Especially not crying Pokemon shouting for all in this place to hear."

If Grimsley had known how the Pikachu would react, he might not have even tried talking it out. They slowly got to their feet, their green eyes piercing and mistrusting. "Y-you.." The Dark Trainer was aware of his Liepard tensing beside him as the feline’s green eyes narrowed at the Pikachu. She must have returned a moment ago, then. "Don't you touch him..!" Grimsley’s eyes widened slightly. Did they think he would capture the Umbreon? He may be Dark type master, but there was no way he would force a pokemon to join him.

While they were small, the Pikchu had a truly fierce look. Their green eyes were wild and their face wet with tears. "Don't you fucking dare touch him!" Nisha stepped forwards, her purple and yellow fur spiking slightly. Raising a hand, Grimsley placed it on the Liepard’s shoulder, silently telling the feline to relax. ”I am not one of those trainers who force their pokemon into submission. Those kinds of people don’t deserve to own a pokemon. A pokemon trainer can only have a maximum of six pokemon in their team, and I have a full team. Each of my pokemon are not forced to do anything, and we all have a strong bond of trust built up between us.” He started, his voice low and calm as he addressed Cinder.

”I have been a trainer for a few years, and Nisha can confirm, I have not done a thing to harm them, nor have I captured a pokemon against their will.” He said, sighing quietly. ”While I admit you probably have your reasons to mistrust me, I promise you I will not make any moves to harm you or anyone around here. I treat pokemon as equals and friends, not as tools.”

Nisha stepped forwards once more, her face more calm this time. ”I have been with Grimsley for about fifteen years, and in all that time he has never broken a promise. Whether you trust him or not, know that he is a kind trainer.” She said, rubbing her face against Grimsley’s shoulder, her green eyes watching the Umbreon as the Eeveelution stepped forwards.

"I do not need anyone to defend me," Their voice was scratchy and the words came out as a growl, but the Liepard knew that was just because they probably never spoke.  Leaning against her trainer, Nisha watched the Umbreon with a slightly narrowed stare. "Especially not crying Pokemon shouting for all in this place to hear."

That was a little harsh. Grimsley blinked, his icy gaze staying cool and level. ”That doesn’t mean you have to be so harsh about it, either.” He replied, his voice staying calm so as not to appear judgmental or hostile. He wanted to keep things civil, not to start a fight between everyone.

This was not going well! No, no no no no... "O- other Thomas! Don't let them fight!" The Porygon tried to ask the Umbreon for help, apprehension shimmering in his electronic eyes, but the normal type quickly turned back to the group from where he hovered, beside the Umbreon and behind Cinder. "Friends shouldn't fight!"
What the HELL is going on down there?! Stark silently growled, angrily flipping through papers with his newfound clawed fingers. Despite being careful to use his palms, still the sharp talons ripped through papers at times, but the Dragonite did not even care. "This is all useless," he muttered, his wings twitching. The group was suppose to find and retrieve Thomas, what was taking so long?
"Don't you fucking dare touch him!"
Well, that answered his question.
"Come on guys," he muttered, finally turning his large bulk to make it through the door and begin his way through the hallway.

The cat made an angry sound at the Pikeachu, causing Thomas to shy away, fear shining on his expressionless face. Please don't eat me!!
”I am not one of those trainers who force their pokemon into submission,” the human started, his calm voice managing to calm the normal type down enough to peek from behind Thomas #2.
”I have been a trainer for a few years, and Nisha can confirm, I have not done a thing to harm them, nor have I captured a pokemon against their will. While I admit you probably have your reasons to mistrust me, I promise you I will not make any moves to harm you or anyone around here. I treat pokemon as equals and friends, not as tools.”

Stark was approaching the group, his expression hard but not aggressive, as the Liepard stepped forward, managing to catch her words. ”I have been with Grimsley for about fifteen years, and in all that time he has never broken a promise. Whether you trust him or not, know that he is a kind trainer.”
What was going on?
"I do not need anyone to defend me." A new voice? The Dragonite finally reached the others, standing beside the trainer and behind the others. His bulk proved intimidating but his mouth frowned, piecing together the situation.
”That doesn’t mean you have to be so harsh about it, either,” Grimsley chimed in, voice level.

The dragon glanced down to Cinder, his eyes sharpening at the distress clear on her face. "Okay-- everyone needs to chill out. Give Boss some space; step back, go down the hall, guys. Don't crowd her. What happened?" Maroon eyes ran over the Umbreon, his displeasure with the Pikachu and her defensive stance. "Be you friend or foe?"

Nausea gripped deep in the Pikachu's stomach. She was overdoing it, and would likely collapse, or vomit, or cry, or all at once. No shit. It was too late to back down though, her emotional rollercoster had been set loose and she would hold true to her convictions even if it killed her. ”I am not one of those trainers who force their pokemon into submission. Those kinds of people don’t deserve to own a pokemon. A pokemon trainer can only have a maximum of six pokemon in their team, and I have a full team. Each of my pokemon are not forced to do anything, and we all have a strong bond of trust built up between us.”

Grimsley gave his little spiel but it only caused the rodents growling to get louder. "Oh fuck off." She spits vehemently, saliva strings on her teeth. That was a load of total bullshit if she had ever heard one. Six may of been the limit but they could still catch more. She'd seen it, it was real. He was lying right to her face. Panting, she tries to get enough breath to continue, "You fucking human bitches.. always thinking you own the godsdamned world and everything in it!" No respect.. they had no respect even now the human wasn't backing off when any sane creature would. ”I have been a trainer for a few years, and Nisha can confirm, I have not done a thing to harm them, nor have I captured a pokemon against their will. While I admit you probably have your reasons to mistrust me, I promise you I will not make any moves to harm you or anyone around here. I treat pokemon as equals and friends, not as tools.”

Trust.. no, no it wasn't trust at all. "Trust.. you know nothing." Humans. Godsdamned ignorant bastards, all of them! His pet spoke in his defense, but it was nothing but a brainwashed minion. All of them were nothing but Stockholms examples and she wouldn't let that happen to any Umbreon. The Pikachu tried to let out a frustrated roar but the sound caught in her throat and fell as no more then a diseased animals ragged gurgle. With a hard, raspy cough the mouse staggers a step forward, giving the roar she wished along with a bolt of electricity before the human and its toy. "Of course you'd say that! Man and its pet, side by fucking side."

They were all like this, weren't they? Humans stole Pokemon from their mothers, imprinted on the young, and raised them to think of fights as glorious. They captured what they wanted from the wild and took them from their families. Eventually the Pokemon may enjoy the chance to explore the world but they can never go home, they would never be free without being a 'failure.' They would always be slaves.

Grinding her teeth the Pikachu narrows her eyes further. Im glad your kind is going extinct. One of her arms buckles, shakily heavily as she is forced to put her weight on her other legs. Black splotches appear at the corners of her vision but Cinder forces them away with a hard blink. She would not falter.. not yet, not now. Something catches Cinderchu's green gaze and she dares to look past the human. Stark's large orange form was easily recognizable and fast approaching. Yes, yes he could settle his bullshit mess. He could send this asshole packing with all his little minions then- An unfamiliar voice spoke too close for comfort, making the Pikachu flinch, her sparks cutting out. Had it not been its location she would of ignored it after a quick look, irrelevant to her personal fight, but it was coming straight from where the Umbreon was standing (and was clearly not [Porygon] Thomas).

"I do not need anyone to defend me." Shocked, she flips to face him, "Yeah but you know tha-" but her very sentence dies upon looking at the Umbreon's face. It's features were.. painfully different from what she wanted. She knew it wasn't him, that was old news already, but every fucking reminder was just too damn painful. "But he was.." How could she even argue with him? She didn't know him and he didn't know her plight. To him she was probably just some rat who had a breakdown and gone crazy. No, its noble! Im saving him from- "Especially not crying Pokemon shouting for all in this place to hear."

...Ouch. Holding the Umbreon's gaze for a couple moments Cinderspark looks away when she feels fresh tears bulging in her green eyes, heart breaking even further. It wasn't her fault she was a crier.. and did stupid shit whenever she got like this. Really, it wasn't..! Speaking toward the floor her voice falls soft as the droplets fall to the floor, "You don't choose your heroes." You know, she had at least put the human off the idea of capturing him. He could of said thanks but no need, or nothing at all instead of basically saying her actions were worthless and emasculate her. I was just trying to help..

Again her arm shakes with weakness, her ragged breath making the black spots larger. She was losing it.. the anxiety was fading to painful clarity and her energy with it. As the anger left the Pikachu's form she can't fight the weakness in her limbs and falls on her elbow. With a gasp and sharp breath in through clenched teeth Cinderchu carefully pushed her way onto her hindpaws. Both her ears fell low to her skull and her tail plopped against the ground. Running one paw across her face Cinderchu tries to regain herself but it does not help. In the process she bumped the charm on her collar, the light clink sound sending a cold wash through her body.

By now Stark had made it up to everyone had seen how she.. threw everything for a loop. "Okay-- everyone needs to chill out. Give Boss some space; step back, go down the hall, guys. Don't crowd her. What happened?" The Pikachu's eyes were still on the floor, shame starting to burn hot in her pelt while her bones felt icy cold. She swayed on her paws, body heavy. There as no way she could handle seeing disappointment, disappointment in her, in Stark's eyes. How could she even explain herself without going allll the way back? To say those things in front of everyone...

Swallowing heavily the Pikachu sniffles. Her eyes large and pleading and she forces herself to look at Stark. Hopefully he wouldn't be too harsh in his judgement since it was truly a really complicated situation.. She swayed a bit more, forepaws bundling together at her chest while her shoulders rolled in. "I.. there was.. this Umbreon..?" There was no way she could explain properly and the hollowness to her words showed it, "You can't trust the human.." Stark must of been exauhsted with her, as he asked the dark type, "Be you friend or foe?"

The Pikachu gasps with another fresh wave of anxiety. "Friend, please!" She tried to take a step closer to the Dragonite, paws extended, and instantly slumped to the side upon realizing how weak she was. Stark wouldn't send him away, would he!? Sure, she had kinda.. completely lost it and made a total fool of herself and almost attacked a human but that was no reason to take it out on the Umbrie impostor! Her heart couldn't take that.. it just couldn't..

”That doesn’t mean you have to be so harsh about it, either.”

The human's response gains Tom's attention; he meets the man's cold gaze with one of his own. What was this one yammering on about? If that is the human's definition of harsh, then they do not truly understand the meaning of harsh. Perhaps their skin was so thin that a mere declaration truth was enough to sting, and if that is the case, Tom will regret having ever stepped a foot in this direction. Groups were truly more trouble than they were worth at this point, if he cannot speak without it being interpreted as some crude insult. "I was not being harsh."
To his continuing misfortune, the Pikachu was reacting even worse than the human, barely able to stutter out a few words to him before looking away. There is no stirring of pity in Tom's chest; this was mere weakness and a shameful display, nothing more. He catches her soft-spoken words: "You don't choose your heroes." Heroes...now that is foolish idealism. There's no such things as heroes, only survivors, and the reanimated ones. "You do not even know me," Tom retorts. This was a truth that could not possibly hurt, for it was undeniable; this Cinder has not learned his name, and knows nothing about his life. She does not know about his human. She was attempting to protect a tool to be used, not some abstract idea of a white-coated saviour.

At the same time the Pikachu is struggling again to bring herself up off the floor, a new face has shown itself, this one an immense orange-scaled dragon. "Okay-- everyone needs to chill out. Give Boss some space; step back, go down the hall, guys. Don't crowd her. What happened?" Boss...? Why in the lowliest of hells was the Electric-type the one in charge? Tom would have expected the powerful dragon to be leading them instead, due to the natural strength of Pokemon with such a typing. The flying beast turns to him, maroon eyes locking with Tom's own. "Be you friend or foe?" That was an odd question, leaving little room for anything other than black or white. Tom is a guardian, a protector, so where does that leave him? "Friend, please!" Cinder was practically begging towards the Dragonite, so perhaps she really was not the one in control of this group. Good. That was a little reassuring for him; it meant the group couldn't be entirely feeble. Maybe they have a chance of surviving whatever was in this dreadful place.
"I am not your foe," Tom states plainly, unflinching in the face of a Pokemon several times his own size. He was not about to call himself their friend, but an enemy he was certainly not.