(ELITE) The SINJOH Team

Gold's observation went unnoticed, but then again, it seemed he quickly forgot it as well as Cynthia made a haunting, chilling observation. "Wait." Gold stopped as well as Bitey, the typhlosion already rising to her back legs in anticipation of a fight. "Does...anyone else hear that?" Bitey's ears twitched and sure enough, a strange, gurgling sound-- as well as the thick stench of fresh blood. Her hackles began to rise as her lip slowly curled into a snarl as the others chimed in their own agreement."Yes, I do," the lucario replied, followed soon by the floating thing. "As do I."

Gold merely kept his trap shut for once, Bitey somewhat grateful as the group quickly found the source-- a very much dying Quilava. There was absolutely no hope for it even if it were surrounded with medical professionals and Ho-Oh himself, the poor bastard's leg mangled almost beyond recognition and his body emaciated to the point of medical marvel. Bitey stared down, expressionless, as a member of her own evolutionary kin quivered in terror. Terror of them or the death that was already gnawing at it, she wasn't sure, but it didn't matter soon anyway. Soon enough, the Quilava passed, the fear never leaving its features. Gold gave a quiet pat on Bitey's broad shoulders, a simple gesture of sympathy. She leaned in slightly to his hand, and that was all that was to be said between them.

"...Looks like a fresh enough wound," Gold commented quietly. "You think it got so hungry that it tried eating its own leg, or that something attacked it? Because if it's the second one, then whatever attacked it's probably still around." He looked around, uneasy, his eyes straining in vain to decipher the darkness around them. "And I doubt it'd leave a meal like that so easily."

It hadn't just been her mind playing tricks on her; Khan and Azelf had heard the noise as well. The Lucario remained in the lead, creeping forward silently and following a trail of blood that had appeared on the ground. Not long later, Khan stopped at a little hole in the wall and knelt down, and what Cynthia saw saddened her to the core; a starved, badly injured Quilava, quivering and whimpering, a growing puddle of blood growing where its back leg used to be.

Both Khan and Azelf knelt to comfort the poor thing in its final moments. Cynthia knew that there was no point in even trying to help it; it had simply lost too much blood, and no doubt its emaciated body was far too weak to give it a chance. All she could do was watch solemnly as the little Fire-type gave one final gasp and died. Cynthia dipped her head in respect as Azelf slid its eyes closed, wondering if things had been different if they'd gotten there sooner. I'm sorry, little one. May Arceus bless your soul and welcome you to His kingdom.

"...Looks like a fresh enough wound," Gold quietly observed. "You think it got so hungry that it tried eating its own leg, or that something attacked it? Because if it's the second one, then whatever attacked it's probably still around."

That was a very good point. Cynthia peered down at the terrible mess on the Quilava's hind quarters and shook her head. "No, it was definitely attacked. That leg was ripped off, not chewed." Suddenly feeling very uneasy, she snapped her head around at the darkness, almost expecting some foul beast to launch itself at them out of the shadows at any moment. Clearing her throat and hitching her bag strap further up her shoulder, she said, "Come on, there's no use dwelling here. We'd better push on and--"

It happened so quickly, so suddenly, that Cynthia barely had any time to react. The Quilava's eyes snapped open, the foggy orbs now blazing crimson red, its lip curling backwards into a feral snarl. Almost instantly it was on its remaining three feet, letting out a high-pitched screech that echoed up and down the halls. Cynthia could only hold up an arm to shield herself and Prince, crying out in terror, as it threw itself at them.

For a while, Famaer had kept his mouth shut, focusing on just keeping up with the group. He hadn't thought the hit to his shoulder would have affected him so much, but it as far too soon that they were on their feet and running from the Infected Khan spotted roaming the nearby tunnels. He was grateful when they reached a stopping point, quietly trying to regulate his breathing and regain some dignity, but the grim conversation at hand drew his attention.

"...Looks like a fresh enough wound," the human boy muttered. "You think it got so hungry that it tried eating its own leg, or that something attacked it? Because if it's the second one, then whatever attacked it's probably still around." The comment caused Famaer to look around uneasily, trying in vain to sniff anything out that could be lurking in the shadows-- unfortunately, all he could smell was the carcass the group was currently gawking at. "And I doubt it'd leave a meal like that so easily."

"No, it was definitely attacked. That leg was ripped off, not chewed." Cynthia confirmed, which cast a pall over Famaer and the others. They already knew something was close by, but to see a victim so close... "Come on, there's no use dwelling here. We'd better push on and--"

A shrill screech caught everyone off guard and before Famaer realized it, the three-legged Quilava was lurching itself at one of the others. But miraculously, before it could harm anyone, the large Typhlosion female brought down her large, powerful paw upon the Undead's head, smashing it to the cobbled floor and effectively silencing it forever. The glaceon swallowed hard as she nonchalantly lifted her paw away from the gory mess of the other's face, shaking it off a little before grunting in annoyance. "...Well done."

Why?! Why hadn't he even thought of the possibility of this Pokemon being infected?! It was as obvious as the scars on his face.

When the Quilava opened its eyes and shrieked, Khan's palm blazed with orange light as he prepared to Force Palm the thing out of its misery. But it was so fast; even on just three legs it was up on its feet in a second and -- and --

"CYNTHIA, MOVE!" Khan screamed, barreling forward with his paw thrown back. He'd blast that thing's head off before it even lay a claw on the woman and little Prince in her arms. Or he'd push them out of the way. Or take the attack for them. Either way, the only thing he was certain of was that neither of them were getting hurt today.

...This is all because I stopped using my sensors.

But Bitey was closer to them than he was, and got there first. Her huge paw smacked down on the Quilava's head in midair, smashing its head into the floor and instantly killing it for good. Khan could've collapsed from relief alone. Th-Thank you, Bitey," he panted, nodding to the Typhlosion.

But it wasn't over yet. His ears caught the snarls, roars and screams of the approaching horde before his sensors even knew about them. Heart hammering with terror, Khan searched for their auras and surely enough noticed a wall of red charging straight for them.

"They're coming," he whispered. It was hardly surprising, considering the amount of noise they'd just made, but Khan felt cold with pure dread. There were at least a dozen of them. "Straight ahead, coming in this direction." He turned his wide-eyed gaze to Cynthia. "We need to move. Now."

It all happened so fast.

One minute they were discussing creepy statues while Prince struggled to still his frantically beating heart, and then the noises.  The noises.  When Khan and Azelf went to investigate he nearly screamed for them not to, sure that a red-eyed terror was going to launch itself from the depths and tear them apart.

Cynthia does not move closer.  Her eyes being above his, she must be able to see what the two are looking at.  He longs to beg her to move, to run away, but his throat has closed up.  He can't make a sound.  Azelf's grief is nearly overpowering and the smell of blood makes him want to be sick.  What are they looking at!?

The noises have stopped.

This is not comforting.

"...Looks like a fresh enough wound," The young man speaks up now, uncharacteristically quiet. "You think it got so hungry that it tried eating its own leg, or that something attacked it? Because if it's the second one, then whatever attacked it's probably still around." For the first time since they'd met him, the boy seemed to comprehend danger; unease was agitating his mind and adding to Prince's terror.  His words, however, are what sends it skyrocketing.

EATEN!?

"And I doubt it'd leave a meal like that so easily."  

Ohdeargodsno.

"No, it was definitely attacked. That leg was ripped off, not chewed." Even she's uneasy now, and with Khan and Azelf having moved away slightly from where they were crouched (or in the pixie's case, floating) the fairy can see a huddled mess of teal fur and blood.  His stomach turns.  "Come on, there's no use dwelling here. We'd better push on and--" her words break off as a high pitched screech echoes off the walls, and suddenly, that mess is up and leaping at them, Cynthia's arm raising to shield herself and him.  

Prince can't even hear himself screaming.

The Typlosion leaps into action and punts the Quilava into the floor, destroying it in seconds.  Prince's scream fades, the fairy gasping for air as tears pour down his face.  He doesn't realize he's clamped down onto Cnythia, clutching her as if she were the only stable thing in the world, he doesn't notice Famaer compliment Bitey's quick reflexes, or Khan's thanks, or Azelf's tiny sob of relief before he gathers himself and also thanks the fire bear for the save.  All he can see are those red eyes, those hateful red eyes, oh god, no, they're all gonna die...

"They're coming," Khan manages a whisper, the familiar words cutting straight to Prince's core as the canine's dread fills him to the brim. "Straight ahead, coming in this direction"  His eyes are wild, and a quick glance at Azelf reveals the pixie's true emotions even as they wipe from his face; the Legend is terrified.  "We need to move. Now."

"I don't wanna die..." Prince manages to say in a barely audible sob.

"...Looks like a fresh enough wound.  You think it got so hungry that it tried eating its own leg, or that something attacked it? Because if it's the second one, then whatever attacked it's probably still around." Sick dread pools in Azelf's stomach.  "And I doubt it'd leave a meal like that so easily."

"No, it was definitely attacked. That leg was ripped off, not chewed." The Legend glances at the corpse again and swallows.  Yes.  She is right.  "Come on, there's no use dwelling here. We'd better push on and--"

Cynthia never finishes her sentence; the Quilava is suddenly up and within two seconds has launched itself at the human and fairy with a sound Azelf hears in his nightmares all the time, accompanied by Prince's screaming; oh no, no no no no, not Prince, not him, please not him.

"NO!"  He goes to grab the beast, gem glowing, but both he and Khan are beaten to the threat by the young man's fire bear; she hulks forward and smashes the undead into the floor, Azelf clasping a shaky hand over his heart as if such a thing could slow it.  Oh, oh Father, that was close; that was so close.  His head snaps over to Khan as the canine speaks.  "They're coming.  Straight ahead, coming in this direction"  Azelf only just barely remembers to collect himself enough to force a stoic expression, though not in time; one glance at Prince's face is all he needs to know that.  "We need to move. Now."

"I don't wanna die..." His heart pounds harder at the tiny cry, the pixie floating over to pat his head before getting ready to push his psychic abilities to the limit to flee.

With so many in their group, teleporting is out of the question; he can only hope to outrun them.  A battle in a corridor would be a nightmare.

Gold stood warily beside her as Bitey stared down at the Quilava. Something wasn't right. Her entire being focused down upon her fallen cousin, its blood still slowly pouring out of the gaping hole in its body where its leg should have been. "No, it was definitely attacked. That leg was ripped off, not chewed." the woman agreed with Gold; it wasn't often that happened. Bitey allowed them to debate among themselves about the murder's specifics-- she only needed to be pointed in a direction to go kill things. "Come on, there's no use dwelling here. We'd better push on and--"

Bitey's instincts had been right. The Quilava sprang back to life, eyes red and propelling itself toward the woman and the helpless Ralts in her arms. As quickly as it'd risen, however, Bitey brought down her great paw, smashing back down to the stone floor, crushing its head into smush. She lifted her paw and shook it free of the gore, snorting out the stench of death from her nostrils as she backed away from the twice-dead corpse. "...Well done." She turned slightly to look at the old dog, expression stale. Swatting a fly didn't need congratulations. Th-Thank you, Bitey," came another voice, the lucario. Paw sufficiently cleaned by wiping it on the nearby floor and walls, Bitey supposed she could acknowledge them-- she gave a small nod and shifted her weight to look at the others.

But the lucario had gone pale, nearly, as he stopped and... she wasn't entirely sure what the hell he was doing, but he soon spoke in hushed horror. "They're coming." Gold blinked in confusion and looked to Bitey. "Aren't they always?" he asked in a whisper, to which Bitey shoved her trainer a little for his stupidity. "Straight ahead, coming in this direction." The Lucario looked to the woman for direction, waiting for her lead. "We need to move. Now."

"Wait, where else can we go but the way we came or straight forward? Are there any tunnels we missed?" Gold queried, and Bitey couldn't help but agree, as much as she hated it.

Was this it? Was this how it was going to end? So, so close to her goal, only to get ripped to shreds by a Quilava? And not only that, but to take Prince with her? Everything was moving in slow motion, the voices of the others muffled and distant, as though she was suspended underwater. They were moving, shouting, panicking; no doubt making a move to save her. But would they make it in time? Cynthia could only ram her back against the wall, her arm acting as a feeble shield for herself and the Ralts, while her fate was calculated. The coin had been flipped; now it was time to see where it was going to land.

But the attack never came. With a roar and and what could only be the sound of bone shattering on stone, the Quilava was dead once more. Bitey stood over the corpse triumphantly as Khan gasped out a thank you to the Typhlosion. Cynthia lowered her arm and gazed at her, trying to form words that could express her thanks to the Fire-type for saving their lives.

"They're coming," Khan whispered, and it was then that Cynthia's world finally came back into focus, and she heard the oncoming shrieks and moans of what could only be one of the undead hordes. Cold terror shot through her system, gripping her heart with its icy fingers. "Straight ahead, coming in this direction. We need to move. Now."

Move? Move where? Back the way they'd came? Back through the winding, twisting tunnels, bumbling around in the darkness until they got lost or came to a dead end and all ended up slain? No, it was far too risky to run. The only way was forward, and if there was a wall of undead in the way then, well...Cynthia would have to knock it down.

"No. If we run we'll just be cornered, and then we'll all die." There was nothing else for it; she would tear that horde to shreds with her bare hands if she had to. She had never been so close to her dream since that day she'd stumbled out of Victory Road and caught sight of Sinnoh's Pokemon League looming over the waterfall at her. This was exactly the same; she just had to pretend that the horde were all the Trainers and wild Pokemon she'd had to fight her way past. She'd done it once, and she'd do it again or die trying.

"Somebody, take Prince," she said, her voice flat and not even looking to see whoever took the Ralts from her grasp, her eyes never leaving the darkness ahead. The horde were getting closer, their growls and snarls louder. "Everybody get back." Reaching into her coat, she pulled out two Poke Balls. "I won't have anyone else getting hurt. I'll deal with this."

Two red flashes of light revealed her chosen Pokemon: her Lucario and, beside him, her Roserade. Both seemed to grasp the situation immediately, and stood defiantly, ready for battle. Cynthia took a deep breath - dear lord her heart was pounding so quickly it felt as though it was about to explode out of her chest - and said to them both, "Are you two ready?"

"Whenever you are."
"Absolutely."

Love and gratitude for her partners blossomed into a short smile; these guys would walk from one side of Hell to the other for her if she so wished. She owed them so much more than this 'life' of pain, misery and danger. Today, she would end it once and for all.

The shrieks of the undead were almost deafening in the narrow tunnels, and coupled with the darkness it was difficult to pinpoint just how close they were. As soon as one of the shadows moved and the gnarled corpse of a Linoone emerged, Cynthia felt a charge circuit through her, energising her entire being. She was ready.

"GO! Lucario, Aura Sphere! Roserade, Energy Ball! Now! Let's do it!"

[[skip]]

Cynthia was going to fight, and so Khan would fight alongside her. The only way now was forward; if they all fought together they would get through this. They had to; what else was there for Khan to do but to fight? The fact that he had nothing to lose made jumping into a fight so much easier; gave him the strength to face the death that would inevitably reach him one day.

The Trainer released two of her own Pokemon - the Lucario from earlier and a Roserade. Both readied themselves for battle, and Khan did the same. Stepping up to Cynthia's side, he offered her a nod. "I will stay," he said firmly. He understood why she wanted to take care of this herself, but he just could not let her do it. Her Pokemon, judging by their powerful auras, were more than capable enough, but it only took one mistake, one wrong move, for everything to go horribly wrong. Khan knew that better than anyone.

As Cynthia cried out for her Pokemon to battle, Khan sprang into action. Hurling an Aura Sphere at an oncoming Raticate, he stole a glance behind him at the rest of the group. He wondered what they would do.

(Okay shit skip me; all Prince is doing is freaking out-- maybe I can try wringing a post out of this tomorrow but right now I've got nothing.)

The young man seems nearly confused by Khan's desperate statement, for which his fire bear shoves him for.  But then he raises a very good point.  "Wait, where else can we go but the way we came or straight forward? Are there any tunnels we missed?"

Probably not.  Oh, no...

"No. If we run we'll just be cornered, and then we'll all die."  Father above, must she always be right!?  Even during the bad situations!?  "Somebody, take Prince."  She holds the trembling, blank eyed fairy out, and Azelf's response is more instinctual than anything else as the human holds the Ralts out to him.  He scoops Prince from her grasp, holding him close, his heart aching as his shivering friend buries his face into Azelf's head with a tiny sob.

He is shaking so uncontrollably that even if he were a stronger fighter, he'd be in no place to defend himself.

"Everybody get back."  Nnngh, but he doesn't want to!  He wants to help!  "I won't have anyone else getting hurt. I'll deal with this."

She reaches for her Pokeballs, and out come a Roserade and a Lucario.  Strong, healthy looking Pokemon.  She addresses them: "Are you two ready?"

"Whenever you are."
"Absolutely."

Something inside Cynthia catches fire; passion lights her eyes. "GO! Lucario, Aura Sphere! Roserade, Energy Ball! Now! Let's do it!"

"I will stay."  Khan moves to her side, Azelf's stomach dropping.  He's half starved.  He'll be exhausted easily.  

"I..."   He has to help, but he has Prince; he can't put Prince down!

... Wait, he has ranged attacks.  Shifting his grip on Prince, his gems and eyes glow, and he sends out a wave of psychic energy at an oncoming undead from his position-- somewhat in the back, aiming around the others.

Yes, this can work.

Cynthia was quick to answer Gold's actually decent question, much to Bitey's quiet gratitude. "No. If we run we'll just be cornered, and then we'll all die." Gold nodded, seeming to understand the gravity of the situation. Even he, the eternal moron, knew the dangers of the Undead. "Somebody, take Prince." Azelf takes the trembling mess of a Ralts as Cynthia faces the dark tunnel fiercely, her gaze one that sent shivers down Bitey's spine.

She wasn't some normal Trainer. Those were the eyes of a warrior.

"Everybody get back." Bitey, invigorated by Cynthia's stoic resolve, snorted out her disapproval. She wasn't some fucking wallflower to watch someone else have all the fun. But Gold's hand on her side stayed her itch to fight and she stayed put. For the moment. "I won't have anyone else getting hurt. I'll deal with this."

Without hesitation, she pulled out two pokeballs, each producing a lithe, healthy specimen of their species. One like Khan, a Lucario, and the other one she hadn't seen before. Grass-Type from the look of it. Her voice was low as she spoke to them. "Are you two ready?"

"Whenever you are."
"Absolutely."

Something then sparked in the woman, Bitey snorting again as her itch to rip something's face off ignited once more. She flared her fire, wreathing herself in her own flame as she ignored Gold for just a moment. He snapped his fingers, a gesture that meant he was serious. For once. Angrily, she "calmed", staying by his side instead of rushing out and beating the undead fuckers senseless. "GO! Lucario, Aura Sphere! Roserade, Energy Ball! Now! Let's do it!"

"I will stay." Khan is apparently too exhausted to do anything; fine. Bitey wanted to light the bastards ahead of her on fire, and the fewer people in her way the better.

"I..." Gold looked to Azelf as the Legend shifted the small, terrified Ralts and began to use psychic attacks against the ones in the back of the horde. Well, that was useful.

He fingered a pokeball for a moment as he thought; he absolutely wanted to help, but the corridor was only so large. Bitey, despite her enthusiasm, only had a single ranged attack, and it could cause more harm than good, since the Undead would still come at them while burning. He'd learned that the hard way. "Bitey, you watch our backs. Nedry! You too!"

Bitey whirled angrily when she heard the name, snarling loudly as the called pokemon materialized in the air. The Togekiss glanced around, an unsettling grin quickly infecting his pallid face as he hovered above them. Legends above, she hated that fluffy fuck. "Nedry, you and Bitey make sure nothing flanks us. Cynthia, we should press forward. The noise will only attract more!"

They were going to stay with her...These wonderful gifts from Arceus Himself were willing to get themselves killed for her.

But why? Had they sensed her conviction and the weight it had on her heart? Or were they doing it simply because they didn't have many other options? She didn't know, but could've wept in gratitude to them. They had no obligation to obey her orders to retreat; they were not her Pokemon, after all.

A gust of energy swept past her face as Khan's Aura Sphere found its target; the Raticate's head exploded into blood and bits of skull as it fell down dead. More of its brethren were already clambering over its body, fangs bared and tongues longing for the taste of blood.

Her own Lucario's Aura Sphere blasted a Growlithe back against a wall where it flopped down dead as its skull was shattered to pieces from the impact. Roserade hadn't been so lucky though; her Energy Ball barely missed the Zangoose she'd been aiming for. The agile Pokemon clambered its way over the bodies, its huge claws outstretched for the Grass-type. Cynthia's heart lurched.

"KNOCK IT BACK WITH--" she yelled, only to be interrupted by a blast of psychic energy from the legend floating beside her. Most of the horde were sent hurtling backwards.

"That was far too close," Roserade panted, barely having time to recuperate before a Linoone leapt at her. She quickly blasted it back with another Energy Ball. "You sure this is the best idea, Cynthia? There's a lot of them."

"I'll say whether we retreat or not." Cynthia did not know this stern, reckless woman that had taken her place, but was quite grateful that she was there. Whoever it was was helping her keep what was left of her nerve. "If we keep fighting, we'll win. Roserade, use Sludge Bomb on that Wigglytuff. Lucario, ExtremeSpeed the Zangoose before it gets close again."

Both of her Pokemon cast anxious looks at her, but obeyed nonetheless. The Fairy-type Wigglytuff fell quickly to the powerful Poison attack, and the blue blur that was her Lucario scattered a good section of the horde, sending them tumbling backwards.

"Cynthia, we should press forward." Gold's voice was suddenly in her ear, and she finally looked away from her enemies long enough to see that he'd released a Togekiss. "The noise will only attract more!"

She nodded slowly, her gaze staring out into space. She reckoned she'd be lost in this daze until the danger had passed. She didn't much like the feeling, but she felt as though she'd tear each and every member of this horde apart with her bare hands if she could. She didn't care how many bodies she left behind; as long as none of them belonged to her friends and as long as she found the Inner Sanctum, she was content to remain this way.

"Everyone," she announced, "keep up the attack, but try and move forward at the same time. We still have ground to cover." Her eyes met the blazing glare of an undead Charmeleon as it lumbered towards her, snarling and drooling as it drew nearer. She stared coldly down at it. "Lucario, Shadow Ball."

Famaer had kept quiet for a while now, but only because he had nothing to add-- as opposed to when he needed to vent out some righteous dialogue. But with the situation escalating quickly into a full-on fire fight, the old Glaceon could only try to help in what little ways he could, shooting Ice Beams at incoming threats.

Cynthia's Roserade nearly got attacked, were it not for another quick attack to her assailant. The plant pokemon seemed unsure of whether or not they should keep pressing forward, but Cynthia found little use in retreating, as did the boy, it seemed. Still, it felt nice to be a part of the group rather than pushed away-- even if it was only because they needed the extra fire power.

But as the powerful trainer berated the others and solidified her command, Famaer took his eyes off the horde's front line a little too long. Too quickly, too soon, an Abra shot out from the gloomy dark and latched itself onto him. He didn't even manage a scream before he disappeared.

[[Sorry, guys, but this is his leaving post. I've been really thinking on it hard, and as much as I'd like him to make it to the end, it's getting so hard to write for him and being on a team twice is exhausting. Dx At least there'll be a better chance for camaraderie lolol]]

The battle was intense. Khan found himself launching attacks this way and that without a moment of letup, the horde only seeming to get bigger as time went on. Thankfully, most of them were relatively weak and went down quickly. Khan's hands glowed with intense blue light, a spear forming within them, and he charged forward, swinging the Bone Rush attack at whatever was in front of him, knocking them backwards and into the walls.

"Everyone," Cynthia announced, "keep up the attack, but try and move forward at the same time. We still have ground to cover." He was already ahead of the others, his spear dripping with dark blood as he held his ground, waiting for whatever would come next.

Surely enough, more shrieks and snarls echoed down the halls towards him as the next wave approached. Flanking them was a large, muscular figure that Khan soon identified as a Machoke. The Lucario gritted his teeth, swinging his spear behind him; this one looked like he wouldn't be so easy to bring down.

As Cynthia's Lucario went for a Charmeleon near the front of the horde, Khan charged straight for the large Fighting-type. He couldn't have been more grateful for the berries that Azelf had shared with him; without them, he wouldn't have had nearly enough strength to do this.

The behemoth saw him coming, and threw back one of his great fists ready to strike. Bulky as he was, Khan was faster; he swept around to the Machoke's side, ducking under the punch, and struck his back with the Bone Rush. It doubled over, groaning, but as Khan readied himself for another strike, its other fist swung around and slammed into his face, sending him flying backwards into the base of one of the statues. Pain stabbed through his cheek and neck, the familiar taste of blood flooding his mouth as one of his back teeth dislodged from his gums.

The pain had stunned him a moment too long, and the Machoke bellowed as it practically fell on him, its salivating, toothless mouth snapping down towards his face. Terror shot through Khan's body as he kicked and pummeled at the monster's hide, holding its face away with just a single paw. He was faster, yes, but the Machoke was stronger. Its mouth drew ever closer.

"HELP!"

There's no air, there's no air; he can't breathe and can barely see.  Everything is noise, flat static, broken occasionally by screams or yells.

He doesn't remember when he buries his face into Azelf's head.  His arms are wrapped around the Legend's neck, his legs pulled up as if some undead could slip beneath him and try tugging him down from the pixie, who is now floating high enough that they're brushing the ceiling.

"Bitey, you watch our backs. Nedry! You too!"  He hears someone yelling-- the young man, maybe?  Sounds like him.

The woman yells too.  Neither sound like the screams he's associated with being torn to shreds.  

Horror.  Anger.  Rage.  The undead's emotions swirl in his head, sloshing around like storm tossed water, and he's drowning; he can't seperate his own emotions from theirs, there's too many, oh gods there's too many--

Where does the horror and rage end and he begin?

"HELP!"

The scream freezes him to his core; he lifts his face from Azelf, head snapping over to stare as a Machoke's maw reaches for Khan's throat.  No!

"No, no you DON'T!"  Azelf's voice roars out; the psychic blasts he was launching from the ceiling to pick off undead that were getting too close cease, the Machoke attacking Khan shimmering blue as the pixie focuses his psychic power on him, instead.  Prince ducks his head, but he doesn't miss the wet tearing noise as his furious guardian tears the undead in half.

Make it stop please make it stop PLEASE MAKE IT STOP.

(I have literally not posted for him since October what the fuck.)

Blasting things from the ceiling is not difficult.  The prospect that he'll be doing this for potential hours makes his stomach lurch, but...

He will do what he must.

Prince's tiny arms wrap around his neck and his pitiful body weight shifts, moving from Azelf's arms to his back.  Good, so the child won't be in the way.  He now has more range to aim.  The little fairy shaking against his body fuels his rage, his psychic power building as a slow, steady burn inside his body.  His gem fells ridiculously hot and later he'll have a headache, but who has the time to care!?  

No, these creatures have taken far too much from him.  He can't allow them to take anyone else!  No one else!

His psychic blasts are powerful and his aim is perfect.  The undeads' heads pop like bubbles, and it soon becomes a demented race to help the others pick off the zombies before they can get too close.

For a while all seems to be going well, but... of course, it can't last.

"HELP!"

Azelf starts, heart dropping as he spots the Lucario, lying on the ground and holding a Machoke at bay with one arm as the undead tries to tear his throat out.  "No, no you DON'T!"  His arms pause in directing the blasts to focus on the fighting type, snatching him off Khan.

With a cry of rage he tears the undead in two, throwing the two halves away from the group.  

No one else.

Never again.

(MOM HOLY FUCK HE BRONZED)

The fight was a giant, dark, stinky blur. Like, super stinky. Just awful. The stench of decay nearly made Gold gag and his eyes water, but they had to keep going. Bitey kept an eye on the tunnel behind them and Nedry helped popping the bloated walking corpses with his Psychic. The sound was sickening, but Gold tried to not let it get to him. Just hum it away, don't listen to it. If you ignore it, it'll stop. "Everyone." Cynthia's voice was a godsend, drawing Gold's ear to something other than the sloppy wet sounds echoing all around him. "keep up the attack, but try and move forward at the same time. We still have ground to cover."

Gold grabbed another pokeball from his bag, as well as a large machete. The enemies were thinning out too much, spreading around them. Even as he directed Nedry, Khan barely escaped the fury of an Undead Machoke. Thankfully, the little floating blue elf took care of it -by ripping it in half, no less- allowing Gold to focus back on the battle at hand. Right. He released the pokeball, revealing a tiny Vaporeon, already hissing at the oncoming horde. "Gizmo, Surf! Push them back!" As the Vaporeon readied its attack, Gold whipped his head to Cynthia's direction.

"If we pack them more tightly into one space, the more overall damage our attacks will have. Like knocking down a bunch of bowling pins! We should try and funnel them!" Gizmo released his Surf, careful to summon it ahead of the others, as to not pull them into the water's current. Though it didn't kill any of the Undead, it did reinstate the distance between them and the enemy, giving them almost a fresh start.

How long had they been trapped on this floor? A day or two, at least. Running into the ruins to avoid the torrential downpour had seemed like such a good idea to the fire type initially but when the floor gave way and sent her and Anubis tumbling down into the depths she couldn't think the idea any more heinous. They had wandered the halls for what felt like forever trying to find a set of stairs to get them back up and out, but to no avail. It was only when they encountered him that she thought they had a chance at getting out again.

Encountering a human again nearly floored the fighting duo, and it scared Anubis out of his wits. The Lucario had sensed a nearby uninfected Pokemon and the pair had decided to check it out, to see if they would have a way back to the surface, and when the ginger headed boy came into view Anubis nearly screamed. Only Lexa's quick reflexes clamped his mouth shut fast enough to stop him from attracting everything dead in a five mile radius due to the echoing nature of their prison. He introduced himself as Silver, and seemed much less concerned about their reaction than she thought he would be. After all, how many living humans could there be if he was the first one the pair had seen since everything had started?

Anubis, however, was now far more concerned with something else. Grabbing Lexa's arm he let out a soft whimper even as his aura sensors vibrated nervously. Something was nearby and it was now to the point they could hear something going on just behind them. Lexa gently patted the shivering Lucario's arm before stepping away to peer around the corner of their hallway only to find a large horde attacking something. From her vantage she couldn't make out much clearly other than a several high powered attacks and the occasional shout. And shouting meant they were most likely alive. Looking back at Silver and Anubis Lexa gave a sharp nod to indicate she was going to help and trusted the other two to their own devices. Not willing to let Lexa die for him Anubis quickly followed, knowing they would have a small advantage given their flanking position.

Lexa cursed the fact that they were underground, wishing she could just wipe out as many as possible with an Earthquake, but that would have brought the entire upper floor down on top of them as well. So instead she gestured to Anubis to clear a path for her, the Lucario nodding and summoning a large Focus Blast in his hands. When he unleashed it down the center of the pack Lexa charged in with a Brave Bird and easily cut down what few remained in her line. When she hit center of the hoard she came face to face a Surf attack and cursed her run of foul luck. "Hey...!" she gasped sharply as the waves enveloped her, pushing her back and adding to the damage her Brave Bird had recoiled on her. She was pushed nearly all the way back to where Anubis was still standing, the blue hound looking at her in shock as she lay on the ground a moment to recover.

"I came all the way down here to get out of the water!" she growled angrily, planting one of her fists into the ground to brace herself as she sat up. "What newbie let loose a Surf down here?!" Not sure of how to answer Anubis instead bent down to grasp her arm, pulling her up with him carefully. "Are you okay?" he questioned softly, to which he received a slight smile. "I'm fine, just angry and wet." Some little whelp was going to get some serious training once she got ahold of them, that was for sure. She quickly flared her wrists and legs, letting the heat from her body steam the clinging droplets away and moved into another strike position. "Again." The Lucario nodded and began summoning another ball of energy into his palms, waiting for her next command. This was going to be an interesting day to say the least.

Cynthia watched coldly as Lucario's Shadow Ball slammed into the belly of the Charmelon, launching it against the wall and splattering its remains. She would not falter for even a second; she could not afford to. She barked out orders at her Pokemon with barely a second of letup, swelling with pride as they obeyed her every command. Slowly, but surely, the horde was beginning to thin out. They could do this.

So much was going on at once it was difficult to keep track of the others. She heard a cry for help from Khan and her heart lurched, but Azelf had it under control, hauling the Machoke that had pinned the Lucario and tearing it in half. It's congealed remains were swiftly washed away by a Surf attack from Gold's Vaporeon,

"If we pack them more tightly into one space, the more overall damage our attacks will have," Gold yelled over the roar of the water as it surged down the corridor, sending most members of the horde with it. "Like knocking down a bunch of bowling pins! We should try and funnel them!"

Once the attack subsided, Cynthia's eyes ran over the dripping walls and the saturated corpses of the undead whose bodies weren't solid enough to withstand the force of the water. Only a few of them were still alive, snarling and thrashing as they forced their dripping bodies to their feet.

"We've almost done it," she said, lifting her hand and clicking her fingers. Both of her Pokemon immediately returned to her side. "There's only a few of them left. Keep up the attack, everyone. Once they're all dead, push forward. Roserade, use Energy Ball on that Kecleon. Lucario, stay by me."

The Bouquet Pokemon charged back into battle, preparing her attack. Cynthia froze as she heard a voice from beyond the horde; whoever it was sounded disgruntled. Was it another survivor? She craned her neck and spotted the tall figure of a Blaziken, its body illuminated by its blazing wrists and legs. Was it trying to help them?

She was trying to spot whether it had any accomplices when a massive shadow loomed into view behind the Fire-type. A pair of fierce red eyes latched onto the Blaziken, lifting a huge, clawed hand to strike it.

"An Ursaring!" Lucario cried.

"BLAZIKEN!" Cynthia yelled as loudly as her voice would allow her to, waving her hands to try and get the dual-type's attention. "BEHIND YOU! LOOK OUT!"

((Skip - there isn't a whole lot for me to write. Khan panted out a thank you to Azelf and rejoined the fight. He threw an Aura Sphere in the Ursaring's direction, hoping it'll hit.))

The young man is yelling; Prince lifts his head to peek at him, manic pink eyes checking to ensure that he hasn't been set upon by the undead. But... no. Thankfully, he's shouting a suggestion.

"If we pack them more tightly into one space, the more overall damage our attacks will have. Like knocking down a bunch of bowling pins! We should try and funnel them!" He feels Azelf's body hesitate a moment and then watches as his guardian begins to aim his attacks to attempt herding the undead into a more tight space, flinging bodies and shoving them against each other. The undead pile up, though from the sound of Azelf's growling, not quickly enough to the pixie's liking.

His head is pounding and there are too many emotions and he has too many thoughts about those emotions. I wonder if I asked him if Azelf would knock me unconscious.

He probably wouldn't. The legend is too careful to risk injury to him. Besides, he can't steal his concentration. He needs every bit of it he can muster.

The words the lady's Lucario cries escape him, but he hears the voice because it's so much closer to him than the newcomers are. A new voice, one he doesn't recognize at all, and that must mean something bad is happening--

"BLAZIKEN!" the lady yells, and Prince finds himself stupidly wondering when in Arceus's skies a Blaziken got here. "BEHIND YOU! LOOK OUT!"

"RUN!" he shrieks as the spots the looming threat, feeling his throat protest the sudden violent usage of his voice.

(Skip please.)

Silver had never had very decent luck. Not in his childhood, not in his Pokémon Journey and certainly not when the entire world shat itself and gave up. He'd found himself trapped in the Alph Ruins... somehow -turned out those mushrooms weren't the best idea- and managed to survive, but to what end? He had never really traversed the ruins when they were decent, but now when the dead were everywhere? Cramped, inescapable corridors that threatened to cave in when you so much as gave them a dirty look was the absolute worst place to pick a fight, especially when your opponents were mindless killing machines that didn't give a single damn about structural integrity. But naturally, that's where Silver found himself. Because of course it was.

Thankfully, not all was bad news. He had managed to find living Pokémon wandering around the ruins as well, and misery does love its company. They were likable enough. It wasn't like Silver was alone in this labyrinthine hell in the first place since he had his team, but it was surprisingly refreshing to see new faces after wandering the wilds for... years. But, as it always did, the peace soon shattered. Sounds of battle made their way to him and the others and it didn't take a moment of deliberation to decide what their move was. Not when they heard voices.

Following Lexa's lead, Silver reached for his own pokeball, sending out Cacus, his Alakazam. Ranged attacks were always preferred when fighting Undead, and he knew most of his other teammates might bring the corridor down on all of them. But as Lexa cut into one, waves soon enveloped her and just about everyone else, knocking all the bodies closer to them. "Hey...!" she gasped as the water nearly claimed her, Silver and Anubis too far to aid her until she was pushed back toward them.

"I came all the way down here to get out of the water!" she growled angrily, planting one of her fists into the ground to brace herself as she sat up. "What newbie let loose a Surf down here?!" Silver shook his head as a feeling of immense dread hit him in the stomach; just the word "n00b" gave him flashbacks to that bumbling moron. Well, talented bumbling moron. "Are you okay?" Anubis softly asked, to which she gave an enthusiastic nod. "I'm fine, just angry and wet." She returned to her fighting stance, Anubis mirroring her. "Again."

Silver gave Cacus a nod, who then concentrated on covering Lexa and Anubis. Psystrikes and Energy Balls flew out, taking out the ones nearest to the two fighters. Silver took out his own largest knife and said quietly to the two before they took off, "I'll make sure you don't get swarmed."

----

"We've almost done it," Cynthia calmly announced, bringing some relief to Gold. At least it was ending. He was really looking forward to not being suffocated by the stench of decay and death. "There's only a few of them left. Keep up the attack, everyone. Once they're all dead, push forward. Roserade, use Energy Ball on that Kecleon. Lucario, stay by me."

But as Cynthia's pokemon did her bidding, light caught Gold's eyes. He squinted to see the lithe form of a Blaziken, who didn't seem to be charging toward them. Did that mean it was alive, too? When did it even get there? It looked like it had company, but Gold's eyes couldn't cut through the dark well enough to tell. Gizmo seemed to see the friendly stranger as well, and turned to Gold. "No more Surfs!"

"What are you talking abo-- oh yeah," Gold replied, instantly thinking that the Surf from earlier must have hit them. "Oops."

But as he was about to order Ice Beams instead, Nedry began giggling as he floated above Gold's head, his eyes glowing with power from his Psychic attacks. "Nedry, what's so--"
"An Ursaring!" Cynthia's Lucario cried, which only made Nedry's laugh even louder.

"BLAZIKEN!" Cynthia screamed, her voice now an alarming desperate pitch. "BEHIND YOU! LOOK OUT!"

"RUN!"

Nedry's laughter reached a climax as it filled the corridor, twirling in place as he eyed the others. What was so goddamn funny? "GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN, SILVER," he cried in between guffaws, "DON'T TURN AROUND!"

Wh--
SILVER?

The other trainer's eyes had widened at all the voices calling out to Lexa and them, but when he heard that voice... that bone-chilling voice, his heart had nearly stopped. It couldn't be that demon. It couldn't be that horrible nightmare of a Togekiss. Not him. Because that meant--

"Silver!" Suddenly, Silver felt himself grabbed by Cacus' large, taloned hands and the slightly nauseating feeling of being Teleported. As he reappeared next to other bodies, he turned to see a giant, lethal paw slam down on what Silver could only guess was the spot he was just standing. Red eyes pierced through the haze of dust, glowering at them all. That must have been the Ursaring...

"Lexa, Anubis, run!"