The LAVENDER Team

Torrent's mind and eyes were still fixated on the beyond, on the curing waterway that led to the Power Plant. Cerulean was a dangerous bet, but so was that godforsaken building. It was once the main supplier of all of Kanto's energy, countless electric pokemon making their nests in the underbelly of the building to further the plant's power. Zapdos himself had been rumored to roost there occasionally. But the humans had long abandoned it when the wild pokemon grew too numerous, and let it run by itself. It would be decrepit, it would be full of debris new and old... but its isolation away from humans and more nomadic pokemon would likely be its saving grace. Maybe there were only a few undead lurking there...

"What's our first goal for this morning?"

Therese's question started Torrent out of his reverie, his stoic gace flicking to her as he quietly mulled her question in his mind. "...Food, clean water, shelter," was his short reply. They needed all three, in that order. Food was likely going to be berries, so hopefully their juices would be enough to slake their thirsts. However, his plan of action was soon tossed aside as the little riolu pup just lit out.

"W-wait! No come back!" Torrent turned to see Noir dashing after her, and his body went rigid with fear. "Yue!"

"Noir!" he called, his large, bulky body lurching forward into an all-out dash after the little cubone. He couldn't lose another kid. Not another one...

Yue dashed through the small canyon, the high rock walls making her nervous.
Don't follow. Don't follow.
She thought silently, running faster in an attempt to lose anyone who might have run after her. The pale Riolu was nothing but a blur speeding through the dry dirt and short grasses. Once clear of the rough terrain, her small but sensitive ears could hear frightening groans following behind her. She tore around a corner, her large paws clinging to the towering rock face while she struggled to catch her breath.
He must have gone to the city. He must have.
She sniffed cautiously, trying to catch the blind dogs' scent. She lowered herself to the ground, keeping her nose inches above the ground. After a few minutes of careful searching, her face brightened. Amidst the smell of blood and dirt, the familiar scent of the painter came to her nostrils.
He was here!

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The Cubone ignored the dragons' roaring, his little body moving as fast as it could over the large rocks, deeper into the canyon.
"Yue! Wait!" He shouted after the quickly vanishing white smudge ahead of him. His small legs moved at full-speed, pounding the dirt underneath and making a small dust trail behind him.
Yue! There's something behind her!
His heart leaped into his throat when a mud-blotched and bloodied carcass started dragging after her. Noir skidded to a halt and dove into the tall grass. The little Cubone peeked out, watching with wide eyes. The dead thing was once pink and had small wings, but now only bloody and black stumps remained on its back. But what made Noir shudder in horror was its missing bottom half. Entrails dragged after the groaning monster as it clawed its way after Yue, leaving a dark bloody trail.

Yue!...
The Cubone started to panic. As he watched more monsters came out of the small grassy plots and out of the rocky crevices, all drawn after the pale Riolu. W-what do I do?! he thought frantically, wringing the plush in his hands.

(If Torrent catches up to him, he should pounce on something creeping up on Noir. Poor kid is oblivious that he's gonna get surrounded really soon. And I have no idea what to do about Therese...should we wait? Maybe do a few more posts? I don't want the team ending before she comes back @_@)

"Noir!"

His mind only on the little cubone that was quickly getting away, Torrent tore after the boy, his long, muscular limbs carrying him quickly. Despite the boy's best efforts at stealth, though, many slumbering undead were already being roused by the shouts and calls they were crying. Cursing to himself, he soon saw a lumbering, staggering tauros gaze after Noir, and Torrent knew what had to be done.

The Aqua Jet allowed Torrent to bridge the gap between them, his horned head plowing into the bull's side. The tauros flew, letting out a strangled cry before it was silenced as it hit the ground, its neck snapping with a sickening crack. But as Torrent stood his ground, he knew that it was not the only one. Launching himself back in the direction he saw Noir run, he soon saw a shadow behind the cubone. Speeding toward him, leaping over and landing directly in front of Noir, his fist crackled with a thunderpunch that connected with the drooling kangaskhan that had been lurking behind him. She flew, her crushed head separating from impact.

Panting, looking down at the cubone, he leaned over and placed a large hand -the same that had just taken out a kangaskhan in one hit- gently on the oversized skull helmet. "...Don't... run off..." he stated firmly in between breaths. "...You'll... get yourself... into... trouble..."

((We can put the team on hold till she comes back?))

"W-wait! No come back!" Both children had bolted into the wilderness, one after the other as the Cubone tried to retrieve the aura-reader. "Noir!" Torrent too, had gone after the duo. It was barely a minute before Therese felt her own feet dash, legs pumping in rough motions as she sprinted. Movement itself was proving a difficult task, her brain aching and dizzy. Looking forward, the white blur of Yue had sped ahead. "Careful!" she shouts, doing her best to keep up. 'Arceus please don't get into trouble...' The commotion was awakening the wilds around them, bushes rustling with the victims of the epidemic. She stopped, panting, looking ahead to watch the Dragonite plow into the side of a bull. She whirls around, club clutching tightly within her violet palms as she got ready to initiate a Bonemerang at the rising dead. Raising her weapon, she stopped when a voice in her mind reminded her.

'You're one of them now, Therese. You don't need to fight them.'

"I-I'm not one of them," she muttered, eyes narrowed with a burning rage. With a snarl, she burst forward to meet her enemy, a Magneton, bludgeoning the undead into the Earth with a Bone Club. Her free hand grabbed one of it's Magnemite bodies, forcefully separating it from the trio before impaling it's eye with her weapon, discarding the body behind her. More heads had poked out from the patches of foliage, a few staring at her. 'You're one of them you're one of them you're one of them you're one of them...' she clutched her skull, grip tightening as if to crush the voice within her. "I am NOT one of them!" she hissed, before stumbling back from the infecteds that emerged. They all looked at her with such...odd emotion. 'You're one of them,' her only protest was a quiet squeak, struggling to stand before backing away, turning around to dash to Torrent and Noir. "Are you two alright?" she asked, fear plaguing her insides.

Noir squeaked in shock as the dragon landed with a heavy thud in front of him, the ground shuddering underneath the childs' feet. Before he could understand what was happening, a large crack sounded behind him, followed by the sound of ripping flesh and a far-off thud. Noir stared wide-eyed up at the looming dragon, falling back onto his rear.

"...Don't... run off..." Torrent growled firmly, his blue eyes steely. "...You'll... get yourself... into... trouble..." His large claw rested heavily on the childs' shoulder, spattered in blood and gore. Noirs' large eyes teared up behind his mask as he stuttered. "I-I'm sorry!" He whimpered. "B-but Yue! We gotta find her! She's all by herself!"

He looked behind him, his eyes searching for the thing that Torrent had attacked.
"Are you two alright?"

(Ooc- god I'm so sorry for the bad quality of this post. @_@ I'm so busy today. Yue's on her way to Cerulean still)

His panting came to a slow when Torrent saw Noir's fearful eyes, his own panic coming to a halt upon seeing the child's. He swallowed, forcing himself to calm-- at least, for Noir's sake. "I-I'm sorry!" the boy whimpered. "B-but Yue! We gotta find her! She's all by herself!" Torrent's glacial gaze flickered upward, toward the route ahead of them that led to Cerulean City. While Cerulean had never been a bustling metropolis like Saffron or Celadon, it was on the outskirts of those grand cities. Surely there would be more than a few dangers lying in wait for them.

"Are you two alright?" Therese's voice cut through the dragonite's thoughts and he turned to see her, her tainted, bloodied scales brought to light by the day. There was no hiding it now-- she was turning. Torrent's stare lingered a bit too long before he replied, pushing the thoughts of murdering her before she tried the same away.

"...More or less," was his initial reply, holding a hand out for Noir to grasp. "We need to get to Cerulean before she gets in trouble."

Torrent's eyes unnerved her, his icy gaze lingering on her form as she felt anxiety build up inside. 'What is he thinking?' her own eyes glanced up at him, expression made of dread and fear. 'What are you thinking? Are you going to kill me? Are you going to get rid of me now?' a short, brief sigh of relief escaped her as the Dragonite spoke, the Marowak only realizing now that she was holding her breath. "...More or less. We need to get to Cerulean before she gets in trouble."

"Cerulean? Alright." she mumbled, walking forward a bit. Her head pounded and vision blurred with dizziness, the Marowak was sure that she would pass out soon. 'But I can't...go unconscious...they might kill me in my sleep...' to say Therese was frightened was an understatement, the movements of her body rigid and face terrified. "I-I'll go run up ahead to see if I can catch her before she runs off too far," with the mumble, the infected already began to dash off in the direction of the city.

Although disoriented, she thanked Arceus for being able to still run without stumbling on her own feet. Her legs were sore, but were fueled by fear and the need to escape. 'Escape from what?' she questioned herself. What exactly was she trying to run away from? She couldn't tell, headache too painful to allow her to think her motives through, and instead, she relied on her instincts as she sprinted closer to Cerulean.

Noir gasped when he looked back to the Marowak following them, poorly containing a frightened cry. Her brown scales were tainted with dark and ugly splotches, and her once soft brown eyes were now a terrifying blood red.
Therese...
His masked gaze frantically moved from the Marowak to Torrent, dread building in the young ground-type as the silence lengthened.

"...More or less," The dragon grumbled stoically, breaking the tension and offering his large hand to the Cubone. "We need to get to Cerulean before she gets in trouble." Noir thankfully thrust his hand into the enormous dragons' claw, his large eyes glued to Therese.

"...She's not Therese anymore, is she?..." He whispered to the dragon as soon as they were out of earshot. The Cubone stared sadly ahead of them, his gaze resigned and strangely accepting. "...Will...all of us...get sick too?..."

(I'll have Yue show up again when they're nearby the town)

Torrent's pale stare stayed on Therese when she spoke, his eyes logging every discolored scale, every strange movement that betrayed her. It wasn't like it was even easy to hide now that they were out of the dark. But since she still had the capacity to form coherent sentences, that she wasn't currently trying her damndest to eat either of them... it held the large dragonite at bay, to say the least. "I-I'll go run up ahead to see if I can catch her before she runs off too far," she mumbled seemingly to herself before she clumsily darted after the missing riolu pup.

Noir's small, chilled hand in his own brought Torrent away from Therese's retreating stumbling form down to the cubone himself, who was also watching Therese run. "...She's not Therese anymore, is she?..." Torrent's hard stare softened some as he watched Noir's expression turn to one that really, only adults should wear. A face of resignation, of a sad, terrible helplessness that came with overhwelming defeat. "...Will...all of us...get sick too?..."

Torrent gave a small reassuring sqeeze of Noir's hand, not wanting the child to bear the burden of Therese's fate as well. Wanting to break the sad fixation of the cubone's gaze, he gently picked the other up and settled him onto his usual spot between his wings. "...She's fading, Noir. But for you and I and Yue... we're not sick. We'll be ok." He looked back to the small cubone, a small smile on his hard face. "I'll make sure of it." He then dashed off, wanting to catch up to Therese as soon as he could. Hopefully, they'd find Yue before she did...

[OOC: please skip me. Things came up and I don't have the energy to post.
Let's say Therese is still running, but her speed is faltering as her mind aches even more. She's at about a slow jogging speed now.]

"...She's fading, Noir. But for you and I and Yue... we're not sick. We'll be ok." The dragon said softly, picking up the Cubone and sitting him atop his back. Noir nestled in between his wings, clutching the plush with one arm while holding on with the other.
"Pika too?" The little ground type asked, looking down.
"I'll make sure of it." The Dragonite grinned up at him before dashing forward, his large body barreling forward with a sudden burst of power.
"Whoa!" Noir shuddered as a small smile grew on his face, the dragons' confidence comforting the child.
Torrent will protect us. He's big and strong. No monster in the world can hurt him! The Cubone reasoned in his mind, his large eyes watching the road ahead of them as the dashed through the dirt paths.

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The pale Riolu slowed her pace, her paws digging into the stone gravel beneath them with a crunch. She stared with a wide, empty gaze at the abandoned city, seemingly emotionless to the carnage that lay before her.

Dead bodies were piled high, as if they were gathered and left in the center of the road to be taken away...but never retrieved. Human and pokemon corpses alike lay in the heaps, their skin rotten and discolored. The smell overwhelmed the canine, the rank stench of decaying bodies and blood assaulting her sensitive nose. The Riolu lurched and fell to her knees, gagging as a small pool of bile poured from her mouth and onto the gravel.

"Run-tse duh shang-dee, ching dai-wuhtzo..." She rasped under her breath, shakily pulling herself back to her feet. "They're everywhere. Every city, every... every house, every room... I can hear them all and they're saying...nothing...!"

"Yue!" she shouts, panting as she gasped for air. She felt something inside her twisting, an excruciating pain tingling through her nerves. Her hands were a pale violet, her color diffusing rapidly from her grungy, filth-covered scales. Her whole body shook, the bitter taste of blood rising from her throat as she coughed, wheezing. "Yue?" she whimpers, seeing the buildings of the city only a few distances away. Her speed had dropped to a slow, painful limp. Therese soon fell to her knees, forcing her arms to drag her body.

"I-I can't..." she whispered, grunting as she forced her body forward. "I-I can't...die now...Arceus have mercy, please..." her eyes closed shut as she pulled herself back onto her feet, barely standing straight as her head ached. Her vision was blurring, throat dry as she snarled. "Blood..." She bared her teeth, feet harshly stamping the ground as she began to march towards the city, eyes narrowed. "Blood...flesh...heartbeats...feed..."

(Please skip. Need Silverishness' post before mine)

It didn't take long for Torrent to close the gap between their location and the city. Long strides with powerful limbs made the journey quick and simple, jumping easily over obstacles and darting between boulders and trees. He felt Noir's light weight bouncing gently against the back of his neck and shoulders, assuring that his passenger was still there. His speed only slowed when he could see the tattered roofs beyond, not wanting to rouse any trouble just yet.

Panting lightly at the city's edge, it worried him that he couldn't see Therese or Yue. Eyes glancing around to the darkened corners of the town, it wasn't until a few moments had passed that he spoke. "...Now that we're here, Noir, we need to keep quiet," Torrent began, his eyes darting to anything that might move. "You don't see either of them, do you?"

Her breaths were heavy, lungs painfully wheezing out air as she marched towards the city. Her eyes were the vivid shade of blood, filthy hands, white-knuckled as she clenched them into fists. The Marowak gazed up and towards the buildings, a small smile growing on her lips. "Come here little Yue...come to Mother..." she cooed, hysterical giggles swiftly following her words. "Mother'll protect you...she'll cradle you in her arms and put you into a long, peaceful sleep..."

She stood before the ruined settlement, battered houses and broken glass abandoned like trash along the streets. She inhales deep, taking in the scents of death and rot into her lungs, cherishing them. She analyzes her surroundings, skipping along the grungy paths and laughing. "Come out, come out, wherever you are~!" she sang. Suddenly, her personality gave a drastic change, a feral snarl emitted from her throat as she slammed her club onto the earth, creating a small crater. "Where are you." she snapped, rage boiling inside. "COME OUT BEFORE I BREAK THIS CITY DOWN, WITH YOU ALONGSIDE IT!"

"Come here little Yue...come to Mother..."
A sudden hysterical giggling followed the eerily familiar voice, making the small canine scramble to her feet and dash behind a beaten white, peeling picket fence.
"Mother'll protect you...she'll cradle you in her arms and put you into a long, peaceful sleep..."
"Th-Therese...!" She whispers as she leaned against the fence, her large golden eyes staring into the sky as she listened for the Marowaks' approach. A sudden and quick shuffling was heard from the way she came.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are~!"
Yue gasped, terror making her breaths ragged as she scrambled through the dry grass and into a small, beaten house.
"Where are you! COME OUT BEFORE I BREAK THIS CITY DOWN, WITH YOU ALONGSIDE IT!"
The Riolu threw herself against the wall as the Marowak raged, the vibrations of the attack traveling through the floor.

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"...Now that we're here, Noir, we need to keep quiet. You don't see either of them, do you?" The Cubone nodded at the dragons' request, cautiously standing on the dragons' back as he scanned the looming city.
"Nu-uh...maybe they-"
A deep boom suddenly cracked the silence, followed by a blood-thirsty voice.
"Where are you! COME OUT BEFORE I BREAK THIS CITY DOWN, WITH YOU ALONGSIDE IT!"
The little Cubone shuddered at the terrible voice, clutching at the dragons' wing as he staggered back in fear.
"T-Torrent!" He cried, his voice full of emotion as his large eyes found the source of the commotion.

(um did we want to call in a harbinger now? or did we wanna wait a turn or two, let therese do some stuff?)

"Nu-uh..." Noir admitted softly as Torrent's eyes scanned the scenery. Maybe they-"

"Where are you! COME OUT BEFORE I BREAK THIS CITY DOWN, WITH YOU ALONGSIDE IT!" Torrent recognized the voice immediately, though his memory of the voice was already stark in contrast to the vicious demand they'd heard. Had Therese already broken down? Damn it, he cursed inwardly, tensing his muscles. I should have killed her when I had the chance...

"T-Torrent!" Noir cried, and the dragonite lunged, wasting no time. Back into a full-out run on all fours, he launched himself onto what was once the bike shop, quickly climbing to the top and scanning the city for both Therese's and Yue's whereabouts. Shouting for either of them would likely bring more attention than they wanted. "Do you see Yue, Noir? Look for her, but don't shout. We can't let any of the other monsters find us." With two passengers, he wasn't sure how long or fast he could run...

[[I guess? I'm not sure lol]]

In mad rage the Marowak slammed her body against the wall of a house, the building beginning to crumble under the force of the impact. "COME OUT, COME OUT, WHEREVER YOU ARE!" she snapped, viciously slamming her Bone Club onto the still-standing fences and obstacles that stood in her way. The ground-type's eyes were fierce with rage, glowing a bright crimson that glared daggers into anything that moved in her range of sight. Therese bared her teeth, viciously digging into a half-eaten corpse of a Wartortle that lied in her path.

She dug her jaws deep into it's black flesh, ripping away at the skin. Hungrily she devours the leftover organs that other undead had spared, filling herself before chucking the water-type's body away. "GET OVER HERE YOU LITTLE SHIT!" Therese screams, digging her own claws into her flesh as if tryig to hold herself back. She recklessly threw her weapon forward, lodging it into the rough bark of a tree as she thrashed. I don't want to...I don't want to hurt them! She threw herself onto the ground, clutching her arms and trembling before bursting back on her feet, wildly breaking and crushing everything around her. "I'LL KILL YOU!"

[OOC: I'm prolly gonna take Therese out right before the harb arrives or so and put her as a Kanto Floater. |D]

Noir threw himself forward onto the dragons' back, clinging as tightly as he could to quick and surprisingly agile Torrent. Mounting a large building, the large dragon scanned the city. His deep voice carried in the silence as he looked back to the small child on his back.
"Do you see Yue, Noir? Look for her, but don't shout. We can't let any of the other monsters find us."

Noirs' heart leapt into his chest, fear and anxiety building.
Therese...! Yue...!
The small Cubone pulled himself up, his dark eyes scanning the broken-up city. The small Marowak rounded a corner, leaping upon a dark corpse, viciously tearing into its' bowels and devouring what she pulled out. Noir was speechless, his breath hastening as his whole body started to shake.

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"GET OVER HERE YOU LITTLE SHIT!"
Yue gulped hard, attempting to silence her heavy breathing. A thick crunch sounded through the streets, the sound of wood splintering startling the Riolu. Yue padded around the broken glass on the carpet, her golden eyes on the large window that faced the street. There was the Marowak, thrashing wildly on the pavement.
She's gone...! She's not yellow, she's black...!
Stalking around a corner, the small canine froze in place. There in the hallway was a long, striped creature, doubled-over as it pulled at the corpse at its feet with a hissing snarl.

(Okay, so one or two more posts good for you then, Lulu? Who do we want to harbinger here?)