(ELITE) The MAHOGANY Team

It was Ariana's harsh footsteps-more like stomps, really-that caught Daisy's attention just in time to see her kick the young boy with blue hair, knocking him to the ground. She flinched when both him and his companion shout, nearly in unison, and the sharp, homophobic insult Ariana aims at the boy feels like a needle was stabbed into her chest. It's a pain that's all too familiar. As the Rocket woman goes off on her rant about her hostage's supposed uselessness, Daisy can only watch and pray that her words about killing him are just that-words, thrown out to keep the prisoners in check. That might only be a false hope, but she didn't want to hear gunshots. She didn't want Mars to have to watch her friend die in front of her.

Even though it involved treating the rest of them as mere resources, Archer manages to talk her out of killing the boy. She left him alone after one final, gruesome threat, but tension still kept its stranglehold on the very atmosphere of the room as more time passed. Fenix and Tyranny had yet to return, and after her violent outburst, being in the same room as Ariana feels as though Daisy and the others are stuck in the same cage as a starving animal; something awful happening was inevitable. She'd wished for one of her Pokemon to be by her side earlier, but now, she knows it's best that they stay out of sight. Better that than to be a potential target.

After all, once Ariana orders Archer away, it's clear to Daisy that the ones who remain are obvious enough targets themselves. The apprehension and dread that'd already carved itself into her only worsens once their one ally on the opposite side is gone; she can only hope that everyone who left returns before anything ugly can happen.

At last, she removed her foot from his chest.

It would be nice if she did this because her tantrum was over, but no; her next victim was Archer. Not that Saturn noticed this, too busy sucking lungfuls of air down to pay attention to much else. Did she break anything? He tried to sit up, will himself to stop trembling, Ariana's screaming at Archer a dull roar in the back of his head as he took stock of the damage. No, nothing felt that sore-

Gentle ribbons twined around him, easing him up, helping Saturn drag himself up into a sitting position. "Don't be afraid," the Sylveon soothed in a soft voice. "You aren't alone, I promise."

"Th-thanks," he coughed, touching a hand to his ribs. Ow. Sore. But no, not broken. He pressed his back flat to the wall behind him as though he could scoot further away from the raging woman, the pain from what had just happened warring with Flynn's comforting aura. Hesitantly he reached a trembling hand up to pet the Sylveon's head, automatically, then remembered himself in time--this isn't Hellena; you can't just pet a pokemon you don't know--

"S-sorry." He turned red, eyes sliding back over to Ariana. He shivered and looked to Mars.

Mars had sat back down, red eyes burning, burning, burning; if they could literally light someone on fire, Ariana would have exploded to bits.

I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. You monster.

How could she? Why would she?

It was a really stupid question; the answer to both was 'because she can.'

This was exactly the kind of shit she'd fought so hard to eliminate. This was what they were supposed to wipe out of existence. This animal who violated people and struck them and humiliated them for no other reason than it made her feel better and she could get away with it.

If they had succeeded all those years ago, she wouldn't exist.

Her palms' screams of pain finally registered and she relaxed her grip, inspecting the half-moons of blood her nails had left behind. She'd bandage them before they started digging again.

Right now she'd like to keep fantasizing about Giratina squashing Ariana flat.

Across the room, Saturn bit his lip. Mars was beyond furious. He winced when she inspected her hands, aware of what she was doing and why.

That he could do nothing but sit here and watch her stew and not even attempt to reassure her--and maybe beat back some of those thoughts about wishing Cyrus had succeeded--was one of the worst feelings of helplessness he'd ever felt. She was upset.

And trying to make her feel better would only make her more upset, because Ariana would murder him.

"Shit-"


Archer hadn't thought he'd sneaked up on Fenix. His footsteps had been the only sound in the corridor, echoing far too much for his liking. He'd heard every footfall, every breath, every rustle of fabric as he moved with painful clarity, as if his entire body had been miked and the sounds projected from dozens of speakers. So when she jerked in surprise, injuring her hand and falling back, Archer's heart dropped into his stomach and his face drained of color. Oh... Oh no.

He didn't move as the woman stood near him and they both watched in horror as the clicks of the traps unlocking made their way cheerily down the hall. And while Fenix seemed to be waiting for some sort of explosion, Archer knew better. His breaths nothing more than shaking gasps, his ears strained to hear the telltale noises of what those traps did hold. His stomach plummeted into his feet when the red eyes appeared. Fenix took a step forward and he reached out to stop her, but both were too struck by fear to move beyond those initial steps.

Fenix's flashlight suddenly sprang to life and illuminated the Electrode rolling toward them, others joining it.  "Fuck..." was her initial word, and though it was appropriate, it was quite the understatement. She grabbed him, forcibly pulling him out of his stupor and back toward the room where they'd left everyone waiting.  "Fuck fuckfuckfuck we gotta go. Archer- move it!"

He sprang to life, Tyranny already halfway back to the hole. Shit. There was no telling when and how those Electrode would detonate. If those monsters did explode, it could bring the entire building down on them. Fuck. Fuck, fuck. How did they get out of this? They needed to one-shot each of them, which they didn't even know how many there were. How... How were they getting out of this?

Archer let Fenix go ahead into the tunnel before ducking in himself, barely keeping his expression controlled. Ariana even seemed to pick up on it, and her eyes looked between the two of them before settling on Fenix with a glare. "What did you do?"

"The traps were triggered," Archer quickly replied, trying to divert Ariana's anger away from the blonde. He quickly looked about the room, seeing that the younger ones were separated, and that there was still a bit of lingering tension from earlier. But that didn't matter. "Several Electrode are coming this way. They can't fit through the hole, but it won't take them long to create one large enough. Plus, the structural integrity of the building will not withstand such power."

"Shit!" she hissed. With a last glare to Fenix, she looked around herself. "Someone better come up with a plan, because I'm about to start chucking people at them as fodder. Starting with the smallest, most useless one here." She glared down at the little blue-haired shit stain, and once more, Archer interrupted her line of thinking.

"No! We can't have them exploding inside the building, Ariana," Archer hissed, trying to pull the hostages one by one closer to the actual door that led outside. He held out a hand for Max to take, knowing the wounds on her back would impede her progress and speed. He wasn't entirely sure if he could get her out alive.  "There's other solutions. Does anyone here have a Pokemon with the Damp ability, or something similar? That prevents attacks like Explosion and Self-Destruct from going off?"

"Th-thanks." Flynn offered a small smile to the injured boy and sat down patiently at his side, watching Ariana out of the corner of his eye as he continued to press his aura towards Saturn. She was still pacing like a caged animal but after Archer's distraction she hadn't turned her attention back to her previous victim. Instead she seemed lost in her own mind as her fury continued to boil just under the surface. Dangerous, yes, but it offered them all a moment of respite until the next eruption.

His attention only drew away from Ariana when a hand came near his head before startling and drawing back. "S-sorry." Flynn's tail curled slowly as he watched Saturn war with himself about trying to pet him and answered the boy's question for him by leaning forward and bumping his head against Saturn's hand, letting it rest there until he got the hint and began to scratch. He wouldn't be allowed to purr, for fear of drawing Ariana's attention, but the physical contact would help soothe the both of them. "Don't worry about it."

---

Fenix was glad Archer didn't require any more prompting to move his ass and her long legs drew her back to the entrance nearly as quickly as his Persian who had a head start on her. Dragging herself back through the hole, tearing the bottom of her shirt and ripping a large hole near her stomach, Fenix practically dropped out of the hole and onto the floor. Flynn jumped as he watched the blonde hit the floor and barely catching herself on her feet, moving away from Saturn with a small nuzzle to go check on her. The panic was rolling off of them in waves-

"What did you do?"

It was no surprise to anyone the rushed return triggered Ariana's bad attitude but before Fenix could put her own two cents in Archer quickly and flatly explained the situation. They didn't have time for drama and Fenix knew she would get caught in it if she said anything. "The traps were triggered. Several Electrode are coming this way. They can't fit through the hole, but it won't take them long to create one large enough. Plus, the structural integrity of the building will not withstand such power."

"Shit!" Ariana hissed angrily, glaring at Fenix who only gave her an ugly frown in response. "Someone better come up with a plan, because I'm about to start chucking people at them as fodder. Starting with the smallest, most useless one here."

"No! We can't have them exploding inside the building, Ariana," Archer tried to reason, already stressing that Ariana's solution was to kill everyone. "There's other solutions. Does anyone here have a Pokemon with the Damp ability, or something similar? That prevents attacks like Explosion and Self-Destruct from going off?"

Fenix shook her head. "Not really my area. I have one Pokemon that could take out electrics pretty easy but-" she turned to look at Ariana with a level glare. "She's a little indisposed, at the moment. Everyone else I have wouldn't be able to take them out before they exploded, at least not without the lot of them all going at once in a coordinated strike."

There was a sudden flurry of activity when Fenix squeezed back through the hole so quickly that she tore her shirt in her haste. The movement and raised voices brought Max back to the present, and it didn't take a genius to figure out something went wrong. However, her heart stopped, and the blood drained out of her face when she heard "Electrode." She all but tuned out the squalling redhead's snipes as Max quickly ran through what she still had on her person to defend herself with. Her hand itched as she reached into her pocket to pull out her designated powerhouse, but she stopped herself as she remembered who she was with. Sadly, she looked up at Misty, and the Ponyta was trembling.

The sight of the pony being so afraid made up Max's mind, and she steeled herself. She shakily stood up and flinched as she threw her bag onto her back; there was nothing she could do about that now, and she couldn't afford the bag sitting awkwardly on her front this time. The burning sensation was currently ignorable, though, and the adrenaline helped her focus on the problem at hand. A hand reached out to her, and she was stunned when she realized who it was. Archer was trying to help her? Knowing that she needed to do this, she accepted his offer as she grabbed his hand. "There's other solutions. Does anyone here have a Pokemon with the Damp ability, or something similar? That prevents attacks like Explosion and Self-Destruct from going off?"

Unfortunately, she had no such Pokemon with her, so she shook her head in apology. "Sorry..." However she looked Misty, and gave her a short order. "Agility."

That snapped the Ponyta out of her freeze response enough to make her respond, "Wh-what?"

"Agility. You're gonna need it. Electrode are stupid fast."

"B-but..."

"Agility. Whether you run or fight, you need to be fast." Her voice was tinged with urgency.

Misty gulped, but with her human grounding her to the here and now, she finally nodded as her body glowed faintly blue.

Something is wrong-that much is obvious when Fenix tears through the hole in the wall as though her life depends on it, Archer and his Persian not far behind. Something sent them into a panic, but what, Daisy has no idea. She’s almost afraid to hear what has gone wrong.

"The traps were triggered,” Archer says when Ariana questions them, ”Several Electrode are coming this way. They can't fit through the hole, but it won't take them long to create one large enough. Plus, the structural integrity of the building will not withstand such power."

Electrode? Legends, Daisy had been expecting something bad, but this was something else entirely. Her fear over learning what had panicked them had been right. If those Pokemon were to self-destruct in these fragile, close quarters... well, Archer had already spelled it out for them. They could easily be buried alive. The thought alone makes her sick to her stomach.

"Shit! Someone better come up with a plan, because I'm about to start chucking people at them as fodder. Starting with the smallest, most useless one here."

What the hell-that wouldn’t help; she’d just get them all killed! Was Ariana really so spiteful that she’d risk blowing up a building with herself still in it, just to get rid of one young man? The idea alone is so petty and evil, Daisy can believe she might actually go through with it if given the chance.

"No! We can't have them exploding inside the building, Ariana," Archer protests, "There's other solutions. Does anyone here have a Pokemon with the Damp ability, or something similar? That prevents attacks like Explosion and Self-Destruct from going off?"

”I’m sorry, I don’t,” Daisy answers, though it looks like she’s not the only one. That’s not much of a reassurance. Truthfully, her options to help are limited; Maggie and Snowy are a no-go, she won’t dare risk them, and they’re not battlers anyways. That left her Porygon-Z and Blastoise. One’s not going to take them all out by themself, and the other is a Water-type. Not only that, Daisy also doesn’t want to see what a powerful Surf might do to this place. That, however, leaves her with nothing useful to offer.

"Don't worry about it." Saturn, despite everything, managed a little smile of gratitude when the Sylveon moved forward and shoved his head against his hand.

For that tiny second, everything felt... better. Not okay, but better. Tiny mercies were always appreciated.

And it was gone in an instant. Pandimonum erupted and Mars and Saturn, unable to actually move closer together, were stuck sending terrified glances across the room to one another as they scrambled up, Saturn making sure he didn't accidentally step on Flynn.

"Shit! Someone better come up with a plan, because I'm about to start chucking people at them as fodder. Starting with the smallest, most useless one here." She glared at him, and he paled. What the hell did he do? Was she really this mad over them being friends?

Like hell you will!

"No! We can't have them exploding inside the building, Ariana," Archer pointed out, and the stress was so thick Mars thought she could see it hanging over the room. Their survival hinged on Archer talking sense into a madwoman. "There's other solutions. Does anyone here have a Pokemon with the Damp ability, or something similar? That prevents attacks like Explosion and Self-Destruct from going off?"

Both shook their heads, stomachs sinking as they sent nother quick glance at one another.

No, they had no partners who would be of help, here. And, Mars realized as sweat trickled down the back of her neck, anything that could dispose of them quickly would be unusuable because ground types in a building were a recipie for disaster.

(This is so bad and I am so sorry but it's just not getting any better. ><)

"Not really my area. I have one Pokemon that could take out electrics pretty easy but-" Fenix turned to look at Ariana with a level glare, who returned it rather enthusiastically. "She's a little indisposed, at the moment. Everyone else I have wouldn't be able to take them out before they exploded, at least not without the lot of them all going at once in a coordinated strike."

With everyone else denying any pokemon fitting Archer's descriptions, he aggressively stormed to Ariana's bag, which had been tossed in a corner with Belladonna and her awful Honchkrow. They both made noises of displeasure, especially as Ariana snapped at him, "And what the FUCK do you think you're doing?!"

"I'm retrieving the only pokemon that can get us out of this," Archer barked back, unwilling to tolerate any of Ariana's superiority complex-related issues. He rummaged through, even as her pokemon growled and pecked at him, finding the ball in question despite their interference. Smacking them away, even as Ariana stormed to him to try and wrest it away.

Furious that he had the gall to ignore her, Ariana snatched him up by the collar and throat, face inches from his own. "If you think you're going to get away with this unscathed--"

"If it gets the Electrode dead, then so be it. Unless you'd rather be buried in this building, get off."

The glares shared between them could have set the world on fire, and Archer knew that this stunt would get him a black eye, broken rib, or deep concussion. But he wasn't about to allow himself to be exploded because Ariana couldn't see past her own ego, much less the innocent kids that had the misfortune of bad timing.

Pulling out his gun, he handed the ball to Fenix and trained the gun on her. "Ok, you and I are going back out there, and we're going to kill those fucking Electrode. Go. Now."

Flynn jumped back as everyone began to panic, keeping closer to Saturn as Ariana began to threaten him again but still casting worried glances to Fenix. She looked rough from dragging herself through the hole, a trickle of blood beginning to soak into the torn part of her shirt which only seemed to entice the Electrode now banging on the wall with even more fervor. They had to do something... Anything-!

Fenix, however, watched with a cold stare as Archer began to dig through Ariana's shit. He was pecked and swatted at by her trash pokemon who had no manners save for those that reflected the disgusting personality of their trainer but he didn't care. This was interesting. He began to argue with Ariana in front of everyone defying her orders and basically calling her fucking stupid without using the actual term. It took a lot of control for Fenix not to flat out laugh if it weren't for the sudden sound of banging echoing in the hallway behind them.

Within second the bang was followed by another, then another, and another as the Electrode ganged up and attempted to breech the wall impeding their way to their victims. Archer's point was driven home as Ariana finally acquiesced they didn't have time for any petty bullshit argument and a familiar poke ball was deposited into the gym leader's hand. Her thumb idly caressed the glossy surface even as a familiar dark sheen came eye level to her face and Archer's voice broke through the sound of their own doom trying to smash its way in.

"Ok, you and I are going back out there, and we're going to kill those fucking Electrode. Go. Now." Her eyes moved from the barrel of the gun in her face to Archer's eyes, the corners of her mouth ticking up in a cynical smirk as another loud bang resounded from behind them and more of the wall gave way. "Honey, you and that pea shooter are not the scariest things in this room right now. So take a step back, okay? My girl is a little big for you."

With a firm toss she summoned forth Pompeii, a large, impressive Arcanine who immediately recognized the seriousness of her trainer and took up stance beside her. Ears and eyes trained on the wall that continued to shake apart from the repeated banging her feet planted soundly in anticipation for the call. Flynn moved back to Fenix's side and took up post on her other side, his ribbons curling and twisting eagerly in the anticipation of battle. This was a life or death struggle for everyone in the room. If anything survived Pompeii they would have to take it out as quickly as possible or they would all die in the cave in.

"Anyone willing to fight get ready," Fenix called out, tapping her foot twice to give a silent signal to the fire dog to begin charging her attack. "Once this starts we have approximately 30 seconds before they start trying to go off, anything that gets by my girl has to be dealt with immediately or we all eat it. Got it? Good." With a grin she lowered herself into a fighting stance watching as a large rock gave way from the rubble pile and a large, red eye finally became visible. "Let's do this! Bulldoze!"

With a loud roar Pompeii charged forward, her massive paws digging into the ground as she plowed her way into the wall where her opponents screeched in anger at seeing their prey. Fenix and Flynn followed after the rampaging mass of fur and teeth as her attack bashed into orb after orb, shattering some and crushing others with the weight of the wall and her bulk. A few escaped the initial assault but Flynn's Moonblast followed quickly as well as Fenix's own fierce kicks to bat the malicious undead back to Pompeii to deal with. Fuck this was the rush she needed to vent all these fucking frustrations over Ariana's bullshit! All she needed to do was picture that cunt's ginger headed face on each one of these fuckers and it was like free therapy!

Hopefully the others were faring as well.

Max's heart was racing as almost everyone else denied having a Pokemon that could make this fight less dangerous. Fenix's taken Pokemon was their only shot, and Max wasn't sure how much of a power play Ariana was going to make out of that. Would she damn them all just because she had to be in control? She all but stopped breathing as she watched Archer and Ariana squabble again, and her hand went into her hoodie pocket to find one of her other Pokeballs.

If they were going to die, she was going to save Holly. The ghost would be the only one who could survive the explosion and following collapse. She didn't have time to think about afterwards, but at least Holly would have an afterwards.

Her finger was resting on the button when Ariana ceded enough ground to allow Archer to pull out the Pokeball that likely held their salvation, and he handed it to Fenix. As if he needed to, he ordered her to go kill the damn Electrode with a gun pointed at her. Fenix was unimpressed with the threat, but she quickly released the large Arcanine.

If the situation had been different, Max would have had the time to be happy at the sight of a large dog Pokemon, but with their lives literally on a countdown, she was simply happy that the Arcanine was ready to fight.

"Anyone willing to fight get ready," Fenix called out. Max looked down at her still shaking Ponyta. She couldn't make Misty do this, nor could she make herself do it either. She didn't even have her damn bat. And that was ignoring the fact that if she so much as tried swinging that bat at anything, her back would immediately rebel. She was useless. Helpless. She swallowed and looked away from the hole where the Electrode were still trying to squeeze through. Grinding her teeth as she bit back tears, all she could think of was her partner Pokemon. She wanted Melody. Even with the type disadvantage, the Noctowl still had the levels to make her attacks hurt. But she couldn't have her. Melody would turn on Ariana and Archer on a dime.


Fenix continued with her spiel, "Once this starts we have approximately 30 seconds before they start trying to go off, anything that gets by my girl has to be dealt with immediately or we all eat it. Got it? Good." Fenix looked far too excited over this fight. Then again, she actually had a shot of making this work and could go down fighting. Not just standing there like a useless statue. "Let's do this! Bulldoze!"

All Max could do was keep her ears open towards the fight and keep her hand on Holly's Pokeball in case they failed.

(please skip me this round, sorry >< Site had issues with alerting me to the last post)

As Fenix explained that her best-- their best--shot at destroying the Electrode without being blown to bits was the one Ariana had taken from her, Saturn chewed on his lip, trying to still the slight tremble in his hands. She wasn't going to listen- there was no way someone as egotistical as her was going to-

And then Archer decided he had enough and walked over to dig the pokeball out, despite the giant angry bird sitting there.

"And what the FUCK do you think you're doing?!" the monster of a woman snapped.

"I'm retrieving the only pokemon that can get us out of this," he threw back at her, still searching for the pokemon he needed. As he found it and went to presumably give the pokemon to their human, Ariana stalked over to try to wrestle the ball from him, settling instead for grabbing him by the throat.

"If you think you're going to get away with this unscathed--"

"If it gets the Electrode dead, then so be it. Unless you'd rather be buried in this building, get off." he ground out. Mars felt a surge of gratitude for the gutsy man.

The building held its breath as the two glared each other down, but Ariana blinked first. Surprised that she had relented (maybe she also had to realize she didn't want to die and she would if she kept this up; even the mad had to have some kind of survival instinct, or they wouldn't live long enough to fuck up so much shit in the world) Mars watched as he handed the ball to Fenix and pulled out his gun, likely to appease Ariana. "Ok, you and I are going back out there, and we're going to kill those fucking Electrode. Go. Now."

"Honey, you and that pea shooter are not the scariest things in this room right now," Fenix snorted. "So take a step back, okay? My girl is a little big for you."

Out came a massive Arcanine. Mars exchanged the quickest of looks with Saturn--the situation was too dire to inspire delight, but there was enough room to be impressed.

"Anyone willing to fight get ready," Fenix directed the others, tapping her foot twice. Probably a nonverbal command to the pokemon. "Once this starts we have approximately thirty seconds before they start trying to go off; anything that gets by my girl has to be dealt with immediately or we all eat it. Got it? Good." She lowered herself, eyes on something, and both young people glanced over to see what she was looking at, Mars's expression growing grim and Saturn shuddering at the glowing red eye that looked back at them. "Let's do this! Bulldoze!"

And hell erupted.

It was now or never, and never wasn't something either considered going into willingly. Not when she had a life to live. Not while he still had a mission. Without looking at one another but coordinating regardless, Saturn pulled out Milky Way, and moved to put himself and his Bronzong between the Electrode and Max and Misty. Those two would need protection; Max was in no condition to do anything strenuous with her back in the shape it was, and Misty clearly wasn't a fighting pokemon. "Extrasensory!" he barked to the steel type. "Anything gets within range of us, you blow up its brain!"

Milky Way let out a low rumble, arms up.

While he covered Max, she edged closer to where Daisy was, intent on ensuring nothing got too close to her, either, and making sure she was well out of the way of Pompeii. Out came Hellena. "Slash! Kill anything that gets past the Arcanine!"

Both concentrated on just their little areas, their pokemon dutifully dispatching anything that got within range, their trainers at their sides, tense as if they could fight off any of these things with their bare fists and would attempt to if needed. Between the massive Arcanine in the front, each of them covering a corner, and Fenix cleaning up anything in the general middle of the area, they had all bases covered.

Now it was a matter of actually clearing out the problem.

"Honey, you and that pea shooter are not the scariest things in this room right now," Fenix scoffed. Archer heaved a small sigh, but let the comment go. Now wasn't the time. "So take a step back, okay? My girl is a little big for you." The Arcanine that was summoned was... impressive, to say the least. A massive furry beast, one that his own pokemon seemed to admire. Still, he couldn't just sit there and stare in awe at the obviously well-trained pokemon. He put himself in front of Max, knowing that her and her ponyta wouldn't be of use in an actual fight. "Stay behind me and watch the walls and ceilings for fractures," he directed quietly. "We'll need a warning if we need to bail."

"Anyone willing to fight get ready," Fenix directed the others, tapping her foot twice. Probably a nonverbal command to the pokemon. Archer felt Ariana's ire bloom behind him; there was no way she was taking this even remotely well. "Once this starts we have approximately thirty seconds before they start trying to go off; anything that gets by my girl has to be dealt with immediately or we all eat it. Got it? Good. Let's do this! Bulldoze!"

Archer set to work. He directed his Mienshao and Taurus first, commanding the fighter pokemon to Fake Out and have Justice come up and finish an Electrode off with a Return. It was a good system, but not one that worked well with large groups such as this.

Meanwhile, Ariana was beyond livid.

She was going to kill that Arcanine and wear it for a fucking hat.

How dare she. How dare she flaunt her dissension and insubordination so carelessly. Ariana watched Fenix with a hate she had almost never quite felt before. Oh, she was having the time of her life, that little bouncy-tittied bitch. Well. That wasn't going to last for long. Her eyes went back to the Arcanine that was supposed to be some kind of otherworldly savior and glared at it. Yeah. She'd have that fucking thing as a purse. Or underwear. She'd carve up that pretty fur and fuck Archer blind on it. Yeah.

So engrossed was she in her own vision of revenge, she didn't bother directing her pokemon to do anything. No. They could save their strength so that when they were done fighting the stupid balls, they could swoop back in and settle back onto the top of the food chain, where they rightfully belonged. So let them fight. Let them wear themselves out. Tired slaves were far more easy to control anyway.

She was going to kill that Arcanine.

Crack!

Fenix felt the break in her knuckles the instant her fist made impact with that stupid, fugly face as it rolled towards her but despite the pain she didn't slow down. She couldn't slow down. Her heart was racing, her muscles ached, her breathing was starting to become ragged, but fucking hell was this the therapy she needed! Every time one of those red and white bastards came near her all she saw was Ariana's face and it felt so. fucking. good to plant her fist or her foot right through it. She couldn't wait to do this for real once the opportunity arose.

With a powerful arc kick Fenix launched one of the balls right into one of Flynn's Moonblasts, his power significantly increased because of his constant Calm Mind's while they were digging. The blasts shook the walls a little but not enough to loosen the rubble, as long as they blasts didn't hit close to them anyway. He would alternate between Return and Moonblast depending on range and with his weird little ability that just meant his Return had even more power.

Between Flynn and Pompeii the herd of bouncing death balls was thinning significantly, Archer's duo and the kids Pokemon helping out with whatever managed to roll or get knocked past them. It was a glorious death match and she was a fiery, spinning beacon right in the center of it. Each twirl and kick sent her shirt riding higher on her abdomen, revealing a sickening, jagged scar across her stomach and side that by no rights should have healed on its own.

But that was a story for another day.

Archer quickly positioned himself in front of Max and Misty and quietly ordered, "Stay behind me and watch the walls and ceilings for fractures. We'll need a warning if we need to bail."

"Yes sir," Max muttered in response as she took a step back. Misty was surprisingly able to mirror her, and the Ponyta looked up at her with such apologetic eyes, Max's heart ached. Yes, Max was upset that they were effectively useless, but it wasn't Misty's fault. "... Agility, again. Keep an eye out and be ready to run." Hopefully giving Misty something to do would help keep her nerves in check.

Saturn was quick to join him in protecting them, and it was almost strange to see the normally quiet and timid boy giving firm orders to his Pokemon. Mars had gone over to Daisy to make sure the doctor lady was covered, and she too was confidently directing her Pokemon for battle.

As much as she appreciated that they were doing their best to protect her, she couldn't deny her pride in her ability to take care of herself was stinging. If she could actually use her stronger Pokemon in this fight, then she would be right up there with the others giving orders.

Thankfully, there wasn't much time to dwell on that, for when Fenix and the Arcanine jumped in, the fight figuratively exploded. Treason and Justice were double teaming individual Electrode while Fenix and her Arcanine handled the bulk of the horde. Every now and then there would be one or two who got past them, but they were often handled by Saturn's or Mars's Pokemon. Max's eyes would stray to the battle, but she mostly handled watching the building's framework for new cracks.

Misty still felt immense guilt at her own powerlessness and cowardliness, but she obeyed Max's and Archer's orders. However, she couldn't help but notice that Ariana's Pokemon were just standing there and watching other people risk their lives. Ariana, meanwhile, had this look of pure rage and didn't look inclined to tell her Pokemon to do anything. She really would kill them all for pettiness if she felt like it. The thought was almost as terrifying as the imminent threat the Electrode posed.

The knot of anxiety in her stomach only grew worse when everyone else also denied having a Pokemon capable of preventing self-destructing. Things weren’t looking good. Their time was growing short, and it seemed like Fenix’s suggestion was the only shot they had, other than the far riskier idea of making all their Pokemon attack at once. Daisy felt her nails dig into her palms. If they had any other choice, she couldn’t begin to think of what it might be.

It must have been obvious to Archer that Fenix’s Pokemon was the best option too, because he went to retrieve their Pokeball even as Ariana and her Pokemon alike attempted to stop him. The former was furious, threatening, certainly unwilling to concede anything to her hostages-but even she had to know that the alternative was a far worse fate. There wasn’t any point in acting dominant if you died for it. That didn’t stop Daisy from being surprised when Ariana actually did back off, however, and Fenix’s Pokeball was given back to her.

The Arcanine herself was a magnificent Pokemon, radiating strength. Her presence reminded Daisy of another of her kind, a Pokemon that was dear to her, but that feeling was a painful one-and not worth focusing on. Not when everyone’s lives were in serious danger.

"Anyone willing to fight get ready," Fenix told them; somehow, Daisy felt as though leading like this must have been second nature for her. Not that such a thought was important at the moment. "Once this starts we have approximately thirty seconds before they start trying to go off; anything that gets by my girl has to be dealt with immediately or we all eat it. Got it? Good. Let's do this! Bulldoze!"

In only a few moments, the entire room changed into a sort of organized chaos as Fenix and her Pokemon went on the attack. Everyone was fighting-all except Ariana-to prevent the Electrode from getting out; everyone understood what would happen if they didn’t. Even the blue-haired young man, normally so timid, had stepped up to protect Max alongside Archer. And his friend, the girl with the red hair, had gone over to Daisy. Was it done to protect her?

Maybe it was less defense and simply covering another area, but she had no desire to stand aside and let everyone else handle everything. Not while she simply stood aside and watched. Daisy had never been a fighter herself, but she was not helpless. Her Porygon-Z was the Pokemon she brought out; the cyber Pokemon was her only option at the moment. Her others were either too vulnerable, or simply not with her.

As she directed her Porygon to use Tri-Attack against the Electrode that made it past Fenix, Daisy felt that familiar anxiety return the same way it always did whenever her Pokemon had to fight for her. She and Mars were off to the side and in less danger that way, but they could all die here if even one of their foes managed to self-destruct.  As Daisy knew all too well, it only took one mistake for disaster to strike.

At least this time, her Pokemon wasn’t fighting alone.

(I'm afraid I need to skip here since my two are just doing exactly what they started in the last post. Maybe tomorrow I might edit this into some sort of post, but for now I've got nothing and I don't foresee me figuring anything out.)

The stench of rotting meat and blood was almost overpowering as they destroyed undead after undead. Stopping their assault was not in the cards, of course, and so they simply all had to endure. There was no way any Electrode here could survive if their merry band of forced labor wanted to do the same.

Finally, after a reeking eternity, the last Electrode was no more. Disgusted at the state of their fur and cloth, Archer and his pokemon retreated back further from the hallway. Tyranny was quick to wash Justice and Treason down with a weak Water Pulse as Archer took a quick look at the state of the hallway.

"We should move quickly through this," he reported in a grim voice. "Before the smell gets further down and suffocates us."

There was a click of a gun that caught his attention, and he turned back to see Ariana with a look of barely contained rage, the weapon pointed at Fenix. Shocker. "Not before Miss Princess over there surrenders that Arcanine back to me," she growled. Her eyes locked onto the blonde and even Archer's pokemon backed away from the woman. Her obvious need for power was terrifying and they certainly didn't want to be seen as an obstacle. "You have a good time, sweetie? I certainly hope so. Now put your doggy back and hand it over."

Archer wanted to sigh, to roll his eyes and allow Ariana's pettiness not affect him. But she was a trigger-happy lunatic and would likely shoot him just as easily as Fenix. So, stoic facade intact, he watched the exchange without any comment or reaction. Here was to hoping that Fenix would simply play along...

It felt like ages but in reality their struggle with the exploding balls of death and rage couldn't have lasted more than a couple of minutes. Any longer and they would have used self destruct and taken all of them out in one fatal blast. That didn't make the quick fight any easier, however. Even with everyone's help her body ached from being pushed so hard in so short a time. Her shoulders twinged, her feet were tingling, and her knees and even her hips were protesting so many short bursts of speed. But it was worth it.

"We should move quickly through this, before the smell gets further down and suffocates us."

A slight pant in her breath as she worked to even her heart rate back out Fenix listened to Archer giving out his new recommendation to gtfo (a sentiment she heartily agreed with) while Flynn circled back around to behind her legs offering what little stability he could so she didn't fall backwards. Fuck she needed to sit a moment, smell be damned. She hadn't fought for her life that hard in at least a year since she woke back up under the mountain.

Unfortunately for all of them, Ariana wasn't in the mood to let them celebrate or move on.

The click of the gun's hammer had Fenix letting out a disappointed sigh, rolling her eyes to meet Ariana's malicious scowl. "Not before Miss Princess over there surrenders that Arcanine back to me," she growled, clearly pissy about her power trip being ruined. It wasn't Fenix's fault Ariana had shit for brains but that certainly wouldn't help the situation to point that out, not as both Flynn and Pompeii made their stances clear by placing themselves at her side. Fenix let out a soft click of her tongue which at least had the massive Arcanine lowering her hackles at the bitchy redhead. Didn't prevent the soft growl from her sweet canine, though.

"You have a good time, sweetie? I certainly hope so. Now put your doggy back and hand it over." Ariana's tone brooked no argument but Fenix was still loathe to comply. Pompeii had just saved their fucking lives and she knew that Ariana wasn't about to let such a powerhouse out of her grasp. Flynn looked back and forth between Ariana, the gun, and Fenix as he began to struggle with the length of Fenix's silence. The blonde battle maiden was never this quiet when such opportunity for retort was ripe. What was going on? What was she thinking? When would this Arceus-damned stand off end?!

Reaching out Fenix put a hand behind Pompeii's head and gently scratched at the point her mane swooped behind her ears, the Arcanine settling down as she was comforted. "I'm going to interpret that as a 'thank you for saving my life Fenix' and let the gun thing go. But since you asked so nicely," Fenix rolled her eyes again, pulling out Pompeii's ball once more, "I guess I can agree she is too big to travel down this tunnel with. Come on baby girl, time to take a break. You've earned it."

Pompeii bowed her head and bumped it against Fenix's chest as she was recalled, Fenix's mouth pulling up in a tiny, sincere smile at the affectionate gesture even as the light enveloped her Pokemon to seal her away. It would be hard giving this ball back now that the sweet old girl was once again in her hands but she couldn't risk pissing Ariana off any further until they had a plan to get rid of her. And with all of them and their mons exhausted and Ariana's just fucking dandy because they didn't help at all this was not the time. But soon.

"Here," Fenix sighed, holding out the ball to Archer. "Just as asked. Can we please go now?"

Even the doctor lady had a Pokemon join the fray. The Porygon-Z was a powerful little being who helped quickly kill some of the Electrode who managed to get around Fenix and her crew. Max didn't get to appreciate the sight of the new Pokemon due to all the chaos and watching for cracks in the building, and even though it had felt like hours had passed, it wasn't much longer before the hallway was again.

The smell of decayed flesh and blood quickly hit Max's nose despite her lacking sense of smell, and she pulled her sweatshirt up to cover her face up to her eyes as she deeply breathed to calm her racing heart. No one died. No one died. She had to keep repeating the phrase to herself, but she couldn't help but look over her companions to ensure that none had perished in the attack.

Fenix looked exhausted and was definitely sporting a few new smaller injuries, but thankfully, she had her Pokemon with her to make sure she was still able to stand. The others looked a little rough, but nothing that a good wash and sleep wouldn't cure. Which none of them were going to get like this.

Tyranny tried to wash the gore off of Justice and Treason, and Archer retreated back with his Pokemon as they did so. He quickly ordered,"We should move quickly through this. Before the smell gets further down and suffocates us."

Finally releasing her grip on the ball that held Holly, Max's other hand joined the other in keeping the sweatshirt over her mouth and nose. She had nodded to agree but before anything else could happen, the click of a released safety made Max completely freeze in place. It took her a few seconds to realize that she wasn't the one on the other end of a gun this time. Heart racing again with a pale face going paler, she could only watch as the scene unfolded.

Ariana's hateful voice made no attempt at concealing just how angry she was. "Not before Miss Princess over there surrenders that Arcanine back to me," She snarled. "You have a good time, sweetie? I certainly hope so. Now put your doggy back and hand it over." Max's heart dropped when she heard the Arcanine growl.

"I'm going to interpret that as a 'thank you for saving my life Fenix' and let the gun thing go. But since you asked so nicely," Fenix said with complete nonchalance. "I guess I can agree she is too big to travel down this tunnel with. Come on baby girl, time to take a break. You've earned it." The Arcanine did a sweet gesture that Max recognized well enough to make her chest burn for other reasons, and right after, the pokemon was returned, and Fenix tried to hand the ball to Archer. "Here. Just as asked. Can we please go now?"

She didn’t know how long the fight with the Electrode truly lasted, but eventually, the undead were all killed. The smell of their blood and rotting bodies was horrid, nearly making her gag, but at least none of them had managed to set off Self-Destruct. All of her fellow hostages had survived-that was a good enough outcome for her. Trying not to draw too much attention, Daisy gave a small whisper of thanks to her Porygon-Z for helping in the fight. She wished she had a way to get the gore from the Electrodes off their body, but sadly, that would have to wait.

"We should move quickly through this, before the smell gets further down and suffocates us."

Yes, that was a good idea. Daisy wanted to say as much, but she was stopped by the click from a gun. Of course Ariana would take issue with them now, of all times. And once again, Daisy could do nothing except watch what happened.

"Not before Miss Princess over there surrenders that Arcanine back to me," Ariana hissed, no doubt still furious over Archer and Fenix defying her earlier. What they did saved your life too, Daisy thought bitterly. It might not have been necessary had Ariana done literally anything at all to help. "You have a good time, sweetie? I certainly hope so. Now put your doggy back and hand it over."

The Arcanine growled in the redhead’s direction, and Daisy prayed that wouldn’t somehow set Ariana off into a rage. She did not want to see this Pokemon, nor her trainer, be hurt or killed. Especially not after they’d done so much to keep everyone alive. Fenix herself was oddly quiet; Daisy had no idea what she was thinking, but she doubted the blonde wanted to give up her Pokemon. Who would? Daisy would give anything to have her own taken Pokemon with her again.

"I'm going to interpret that as a 'thank you for saving my life Fenix' and let the gun thing go. But since you asked so nicely," Fenix said after some time, sounding completely unfazed, "I guess I can agree she is too big to travel down this tunnel with. Come on baby girl, time to take a break. You've earned it."

Seeing the affectionate bond between them, trainer and Arcanine, was painfully familiar. Daisy didn’t want to acknowledge why she felt that way. Thinking of Laurentius, who would always be a sweet puppy in her mind no matter how big he grew, would only hurt her in a time when she needed to keep herself together. So she tried to push him out of her head, at least for now. The important part was that Fenix had agreed, however reluctantly, to Ariana’s terms.

As she handed the Pokeball back, Daisy hoped that would be the end of this confrontation.

"Here. Just as asked. Can we please go now?"

It felt like an eternity, but at least things began to wind down until all that was left was the smell of rot and blood. Mars, spotting Max with her hoodie pulled up over her nose, quickly did the same with her turtleneck sweater, muttering "Sweater buddy solidarity," under her breath.

"We should move quickly through this, before the smell gets further down and suffocates us." Archer said. Both young people nodded wearily, Saturn shaking a little from the rush of adreneline as he came down from it. Milky Way glanced between him and the rest of the situation, a beeping noise that he recognized as being one of alarm directed at him. Hellena, at the same time, gave her human a fearful, questioning mrow.

"Shhh," she said, before realizing that the sweater was muffling her mouth. Shit. Mars shook her head, the cat staring at her and then to Arianna as if to say "SHH? ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY IS 'SHHH!?'"

Lowering the neck of the sweater a little enough to speak, Mars gave the cat a sad look as she recalled her. "Sorry," she whispered.

There was no way she could trust Hellena out. At least not right now.

Glancing Saturn's way, she saw the same flash of light as he recalled his own friend. Well, at least nobody was going to di-

Clickclick.

"Oh come the fuck on." They both froze, Saturn glancing first to Max, since she was right there, and then to Mars.

It was Fenix staring the gun down this time.

"Not before Miss Princess over there surrenders that Arcanine back to me," the demon woman hissed. Saturn felt his stomach knot up. Sure, she was just asking for the Arcanine back, but...

Every single alarm bell in his head was screaming.

"You have a good time, sweetie? I certainly hope so. Now put your doggy back and hand it over."

The Arcanine growled but made no further movements. Fenix was completely unimpressed, a fact that Saturn knew was going to get the woman killed at some point. "I'm going to interpret that as a 'thank you for saving my life Fenix' and let the gun thing go. But since you asked so nicely, I guess I can agree she is too big to travel down this tunnel with. Come on baby girl, time to take a break. You've earned it."

Mars let out a little noise of pain as the Arcanine headbutted her human. Oh, she'd like one of those from Hellena right now...

Fenix handed the ball back, but neither Saturn nor Mars relaxed even a little.

"Here. Just as asked. Can we please go now?"

Something bad is going to happen. Something bad is going to happen. Something bad is going to happen-

Why did she have to be so mouthy? Why couldn't she have just handed over the pokemon without the sass? "I'm going to interpret that as a 'thank you for saving my life Fenix' and let the gun thing go. But since you asked so nicely, I guess I can agree she is too big to travel down this tunnel with. Come on baby girl, time to take a break. You've earned it."

Archer's stomach sunk into the floor and his heart was in his ears. He felt himself pale as that ever-so-familiar feeling of all color withdrawing from his face washed over him. Though he was unwilling to look at Ariana, he knew he needed to, to see what the volatile woman's reaction was to, once again, her threats being verbally dismissed by a hostage. A younger, prettier hostage, even, with just as -if not more so- loving pokemon at her side. It was... not good.

His eyes went wide as saucers as Fenix handed him the ball containing the newly returned pokeball and then continued to be apathetic-- which, he couldn't blame her. She looked utterly exhausted and was unused to traversing through the precarious mine field of Ariana's company. "Here. Just as asked. Can we please go now?" He took the ball, and were they in a situation with normal criminals, this exchange would have been fine. Maybe Fenix's sass was a little much for tried nerves, but overall it would have gone more or less well. The ball was returned to a partner, Fenix obeyed, and everyone lived.

But this was Ariana. And with Ariana, there were certain rules that must be abided by when interacting with her if one wanted to get out of that interaction alive. Stupid rules, utterly vapid and contradictory rules that she often made up on the fly or changed on a whim. Rules she chose to either let slide when in a good mood, bend in a great mood, or utterly eviscerate someone regardless of mood... And unfortunately for Fenix, she had already broken several, all of which led back to the fact that she wasn't giving Ariana proper... gravitas. "Proper". Ariana didn't see the fear in her eyes and thus, that needed to be remedied.

Archer saw the crack, the fracture in Ariana's sanity when he took the ball from Fenix. The insane woman still holding the loaded and cocked gun didn't need to utter a single word to get Archer to deliver it to her; that look had been enough. Something was about to happen, and for a moment, he wondered if she was about to just shoot them all to save face and get revenge in one fell swoop. He then wondered if he would be included.

The ball in her hand, her eyes went to it, considering something. A brow quirked as what likely was a terrifying thought occurred to her-- and Archer's suspicion was confirmed when a small, coy smile played across her face. This was bad. This was...

"You don't seem to understand your situation, dearie, since you keep talking to me like that," Ariana purred. The fact that her mood swung so quickly was off-putting, but Archer knew better than to recoil from her. "You keep shrugging off my threats, even after I literally whipped one of your fellow hostages. I guess you don't care about a bunch of strangers and that's fair, but getting line after line of nothing but lip from you... Well, I'm fucking sick of it." She finally looked up from the ball, her face still a perfectly sweet grin. "You just don't give a rat's ass about when I point this gun at you, yeah? Well. Maybe this'll push you in the right direction. Queenie, Cleo darlings, I need your help. Archer, make sure she stays there."

He couldn't disobey. Not right now, or she'd murder everyone in here. With only a nod as a reply, he went to Fenix and pushed her down to her knees, keeping her there with the help of Treason. They both knew what was coming next and were powerless to stop it. Ariana, happy that she was finally going to break the pretty blonde, released the pokemon that had just been recalled, much to its confusion. And it was that window of surprise that allowed Queenie and Cleo to strike.

Cleo, the Arbok, wrapped herself expertly around the mammoth canine, forcing it to the ground and keeping it from moving. Queenie's massive bulk loomed over the trapped Arcanine, staring down at its panicked face as she waited for a command. Ariana made sure to stare down at Fenix a moment, basking in her victory. "So long as you have pokemon for me, Princess, I can do with them as I please," she purred. After a small chuckle, she flicked her eyes to the Nidoqueen and her grin widened. "Kill it."

The Nidoqueen turned so that her tail was positioned over the Arcanine much as a guillotine hung over a prisoner's neck. Without hesitation, the massive tail swung down on the fiery canine, earning a loud, shrill yelp of pain. Again, it came down, and again, and again. With each hit the cries became more strangled as blood choked the poor creature, until finally the last hit procured a sickening snap of bone, and Cleo slithered away from the limp body. Though paralyzed, the Arcanine was still very much alive and her strained cries of pain and terror echoed throughout the room and hall. The Nidoqueen turned, using Hone Claws over and over, seemingly unaffected by the pitiful whimpers below. Then, she regarded the Arcanine with some sort of emotion Archer couldn't read, and smashed her fist into the dog's head with what had to have been a Poison Jab. The skull caved, a eye bulged a little, and after some twitching, the Arcanine stopped moving altogether.

The poor thing was gone.

"You don't seem to understand your situation, dearie, since you keep talking to me like that," Ariana's voice drooled out like stale honey, crusted and unappetizing but still thinking it was too sweet to ignore. Was she seriously going to draw this out even longer even though she just got her way? What kind of high school petty bull shit was this? "You keep shrugging off my threats, even after I literally whipped one of your fellow hostages. I guess you don't care about a bunch of strangers and that's fair, but getting line after line of nothing but lip from you... Well, I'm fucking sick of it." 'Oh my god. Just fucking hit me or shoot me and get it over with,' Fenix thought bitterly. 'Your power trips are boring me.'

Ariana looked up from Pompeii's ball in her hand and for the first time in this entire endeavor Fenix felt her blood run cold at the malice behind that grin. Her instincts had never once considered Ariana that kind of a threat before but now every sense in her body was screaming something bad was about to happen. "You just don't give a rat's ass about when I point this gun at you, yeah? Well. Maybe this'll push you in the right direction. Queenie, Cleo darlings, I need your help. Archer, make sure she stays there."

Fenix was stiff as a board when Archer and his Persian came to her sides, Archer's hand needing a bit of force to push her shoulder hard enough to buckle her knees. Her hands kept reflexively clenching and unclenching into fists as the urge to act became heightened. Something was going to happen, something she could stop, but even as her mind played a dozen ways for her to take Ariana out right here and now there were numerous other factors that would get her killed in the attempt even if she succeeded. Not to mention everyone else that would die right along with her. The kids with them didn't deserve to die just so Fenix could have the pleasure of snapping Ariana's neck before that Nido took them all out.

Fenix watched in horror as her beautiful Arcanine was once again summoned, the canine's confused expression at a stranger's call making the shift into one of horrified pain all the more gut wrenching as she was suddenly pincer attacked by the Arbok and Nidoqueen. "So long as you have pokemon for me, Princess, I can do with them as I please," Ariana droned out sa though she were the star of her own poorly acted play. Her air of self importance was as disgusting as the smile she shot her sadistic pokemon. "Kill it." A soft whimper was the last sound Fenix made as they began their assault on her lifelong friend.

With each new blow Fenix's fingers dug further into her palms until they bled. The sounds of bone cracking and yelps of pain and desperation ripping her heart apart every second that went by. Eventually her eyes started watering and began to shed two rivers of tears even as her face remained utterly neutral to the brutality before her. Pompeii whimpered and screamed, each cry for help piercing Fenix's heart as the translator in her ear caught every word, but she couldn't move. Even if she stopped the violence now there would be no way Pompeii could survive the injuries, not with with her ribs crushed and legs broken.

Not in this world.

The hollow ring of Hone Claws after Hone Claws began to drown out every sound until it became Fenix's singular focus. She knew what was coming, what those echoes meant in this stony tomb. Her own scar burned with memory and rage at her own assault and the future that awaited her dearest friend-

---

Soft, playful growling came from the box Grandpa held out which shook occasionally as whatever was inside tried to find its way out. Fenix was barely 9 years old and still hadn't spoken a word to this man since he took her in 4 years ago. When her parents died she had been sent to live with Blaine as he was her only living relative but that didn't mean she trusted him. He was loud, pushy, constantly playing pranks on his students and random passers-by, it was obnoxious. But even with all her attitude and getting arrested for petty theft or property destruction, on top of her refusal to acknowledge him in the slightest, Blaine had been nothing but patient with her. Which for him was really an accomplishment considering he spent 90% of his time at the Gym.  Maybe he figured out all she was doing was trying to get his attention?

This year Grandpa had gone all out in decorating, like he was planning something special. The tree was almost too tall for the room as the star lightly brushed the ceiling, the ornaments were so numerous they weighed down the branches, and he put on so many lights it felt like a bonfire more than a Christmas tree, but he tried. He even took out many of the decorations she and her parents used to use from a collection of things they had managed to save from being sold off when she came to live here, scattering them throughout the house with the mountains of other decor to help her feel like she was home.

Now the weird old man was handing her a moving, growling box that was growing increasingly impatient with her indecision as the rattling got worse. Blaine's cheery grin never faltered.

"Go on then, open it up!" he laughed jovially, thrusting the box into her arms without warning. "Before it tries to burn a hole through the box."

Concerned and unprepared Fenix knelt down to the ground and set the box down. She took a deep, calming breath before slowly prying off the lid only to have a giant head pop it up the rest of the way for her and cause her to fall backwards. A- A Growlithe?! This was her Christmas present?! Looking up in disbelief at Blaine she didn't see the pup climb out of the box, only felt it's impressive weight on her lap as it propped up on her chest to lick her cheek. That first small giggle, the first real laugh she had let out since her parents died, that had sparked the beginning of her recovery.

That along with her new best friend.

***

Stupid, stupid, STUPID!

How could she have been so stupid as to follow this man into the mountainside of the volcano without telling anyone?! Grandpa was going to be furious. He always told her that while she was safer with Pompeii than she was alone that didn't mean to go looking for trouble. But what did she do? Found trouble anyway. Always trouble. Seeing that man stealing poaching in the protected forest near her home had been unforgivable. That Ninetales mother he shot, the kits he stole, the dozen or so other wild Pokemon he force captured… It was sick.

Chasing after the man in black alone was absolutely something she would do again but she should have called someone before taking off. The police, Grandpa, anybody, just so they knew where she was. Even now as she lay trapped at the bottom of a ravine no one knew to look for her here. Saving the Pokemon had been pointless if they all died down there, still trapped in those balls she couldn’t open for some reason. What kind of monster pushes children off of cliffs anyway? If she ever found that man again... He was going to pay. Him, and anyone else with that stupid red R painted on his shirt. This was her second encounter with an asshole in those same stupid pajamas and it was the last straw.

Pompeii grumbled at her softly as Fenix let out a sharp hiss, her leg protesting any and all movement as she tried to shimmy closer to a rocky wall for support. It was broken for sure but after the initial break it had gone sort of numb, except for this intense heat of blood rushing to the area. How was anyone going to find them down here? Shivering slightly from her body trying to slip into shock she tried to hide the pain to not worry Pompeii but the Growlithe knew better. Laying across her lap she began to warm her trainer in hopes of keeping her alive, and it was in that warm, comforting embrace Fenix slipped into unconsciousness unsure if she would ever wake up.

A loud, thunderous howl finally dragged the young blonde from her slumber. It was sometime in the dead of night and Pompeii was still laying over her but had begun letting out this cacophonous sound that bounced off the walls of the ravine like a storm. "What's gotten into you?" Fenix muttered softly, too weak to actually protest beyond that. Pompeii did not stop. It wasn't until another sound began to join the howling that she finally shifted into a loud bark, calling out to whatever was in the darkness. An equally loud roar was the response followed by the heavy beating of wings but rather than alarm Pompeii hopped up eagerly, her bark occasionally broken by happy whines as a trio of bouncing orange lights drew near.

She thought she heard Grandpa's voice calling out her name before darkness claimed her mind once more, but all she knew for sure was the warmth of her protective guardian still shielded her.

***

Fenix let out a primal roar as another one of the rotten bastards descended, the bird’s beady red eyes glowing as hot as embers as its beak met her fist in a sickening crack. But still it, and all of its compatriots, would simply get back up again. Fucking hell these monstrosities were endless! Kyuubi was badly wounded, Cathal was running out of flame, and Lexa and Bonfire had been splintered off and she lost sight of them. Anubis clung to her legs, terrified, and Fenix did her best to shield him from the monstrous birds but it was quickly becoming a losing battle.

Anastasia’s loud whine caught Cathal’s attention and the two nodded to one another, the Charizard turning to his trainer with a snarl, roaring at her to move her ass even though she had no idea what he was saying verbally she at least knew the meaning. She was unwilling to leave her Pokemon to their fates but was given little choice when the Charizard picked her up and placed her on Pompeii’s back. Clutching her small Riolu to her chest Fenix could only cry and mourn her beloved Pokemon as they bought her the time needed to escape.

Pompeii ran until she was too exhausted to continue, all the way to a mountain not unlike the one they had called home. It was no volcano, at least not anymore, but it was familiar. They sheltered themselves there for a while but the undead found them there, too. Anubis evolved and fought beside Pompeii to stop some random trainer’s undead Sableye that had found them but Fenix still took a Hone Claws buffed Shadow Claw to the side. She was lucky she didn’t bleed out but even after being defeated the undead had done its job. The infection spread quickly, hastened by her compromised state due to the injury and blood loss, and due to its nature the wound never healed.

Pompeii and Anubis never left her side as she spent her final moments in this world, the pain and fever too much to fight back anymore. Nestled against the warmth and softness of her beloved Arcanine, her sweet baby Anubis all grown up and laying with his head  on her shoulder, she felt herself fade into blackness much the same as she had as a child stuck in the ravine. Warm and safe, her lifelong friend and guardian still at her side…

---

Fenix’s mind came back to the present in time for the final blow, the silence of the Hone Claws ending drawing her back out of her memories. “It’s ok baby girl,” she whispered softly, unsure if her Arcanine could even hear her through its pain. “Just let go…” It was the only advice she could give as that fist lingered in the air above Pompeii’s head. Fenix let out a strangled cry as her baby’s head caved in from the final blow, the blood oozing out in an endless river as the body gave one final violent twitch and went still. She could only pray there had been enough damage Pompeii had gone into shock before the Poison Jab and didn’t feel the deathblow. It was a sickening thing to pray for but…it was better than the alternative.

She was numb as Flynn moved to her side, her body going slack as she was propped up as little more than a heap with only Archer’s hand keeping her upright. Her entire life Pompeii had protected her, guarded her with even her very life, and when that sweet girl needed her most…Fenix had been unable to return the favor. She failed. Failed to be worthy of that wonderful Arcanine’s love and devotion. But while she couldn’t protect the oldest friend she had in the whole world there was one thing left she could do, kill the one who took her from it. By ordering Pompeii’s death Ariana had signed her own death sentence. And she would repay every moment of that poor canine’s suffering a thousand fold until Ariana knew nothing but pain and begged for the sweet release of death.

Both her, and those redemption-less Pokemon of hers.

They would all pay.

Before the tension rose, Mars got the same idea Max did and quipped,"Sweater buddy solidarity." No one could really see it, but the comment made Max smirk a little.

When Ariana accepted the ball from Archer, the gun didn't waver. Her eyes went to the ball in her hand as if considering something, and then she smiled. Max didn't know what it could mean, but after that show of "disrespect," it couldn't be anything good. Ariana then creepily purred, "You don't seem to understand your situation, dearie, since you keep talking to me like that. You keep shrugging off my threats, even after I literally whipped one of your fellow hostages. I guess you don't care about a bunch of strangers and that's fair, but getting line after line of nothing but lip from you... Well, I'm fucking sick of it."

Then she finally looked away from the ball with that horrible smile still on her face. "You just don't give a rat's ass about when I point this gun at you, yeah? Well. Maybe this'll push you in the right direction. Queenie, Cleo darlings, I need your help. Archer, make sure she stays there."

As the pawns obeyed the queen, Fenix was forced to kneel as Ariana rereleased the Arcanine, and the Arbok bound the poor creature so she couldn't move. Max and Misty both thought that maybe
Ariana was going to torture the Pokemon and the chill had begun to set in. "So long as you have pokemon for me, Princess, I can do with them as I please." Then Ariana shattered the thin glass of safety that Max still thought they had. "Kill it."

We literally mean nothing to her other than toys. The thought made her blood run completely cold as the full realization set in. She had thought this would suck, but that Ariana would leave them alone if they played along well enough. That they meant more to her alive rather than dead. But no. She had every intention of being their god in this hell hole, and nothing less than bended knees and begging would appeal to her. And even then, her whims mattered more.

The Nidoqueen turned around to hang her tail over the Arcanine's neck, and that's when she realized just how brutal this was going to be. There was no order for a move to make this a proper attack; it was just a hulking beast's heavy tail hovering like a guillotine. To make it worse, it wasn't like this was Grigori, whose tail could shatter rocks in one blow. It was a smaller being who weighed significantly less. This wasn't going to be fast.

All these thoughts hit her at once, but they all flew away once the the tail dropped. There was a dog's yelp of pain, and then the Nidoqueen lifted her tail again just to repeat the same maneuver. And she did. Over and over again.

Each pained yelp made Max tense up more and more as if she could feel the pain itself. Despite her own back aching, she bunched her hands in the fabric of her sweatshirt and clutched it closer to her face as if trying to restrain herself. Tears started to freely fall down her face and soaked into her clothing for the second time in nearly 24 hours, even though this time it wasn't as obvious.

The snap of the Arcanine's spine didn't bring any sort of relief. Pompeii was still alive and screaming in pain. The sound was strained due to the probable damage to her throat, and the sound only horrified Max more.

Then the Nidoqueen took her sweet ass time as she sharpened her claws. Max wanted to scream. JUST FUCKING KILL HER YOU BITCH. END IT ALREADY. The added agony was unnecessary. The sweet Arcanine didn't deserve this. She only kept it in by nearly clawing into her own face and literally biting her tongue, and she hated herself for being so damn helpless. Again.

Everyone died around her, and she was always too late to stop it. At least most of them had died quickly. Most.

Then came the final blow. The Nidoqueen used a Poison Jab to enhance her power as she punched Pompeii in the face and caved in the skull. The Arcanine was dead, at last.

Max had to literally hold herself together to keep herself from screaming from grief, rage, and horror. She had JUST checked to make sure no one had died and this bitch decided to kill a Pokemon on a whim. She was shaking enough that it knocked Misty out of her horrified paralysis. Even though she knew she couldn't do it, she wanted to tackle Ariana to the ground and claw her face off. See how she liked being powerless for once.

The Ponyta had never seen something this brutal when living Pokemon had been involved. The Undead would literally eat the living before they died, and she had heard the screams of the damned enough times for it to still haunt her nightmares. But there was something to be understood about how they simply sought to eat, and nothing more. This was unbridled evil, and the show of power emphasized just how out of her depth she was. She wouldn't even have lasted as long as Pompeii, and she wasn't sure if that relieved or scared her more.

She looked up at her shaking human, and the look on her face made Misty suddenly wish again that she had learned to fight before the Epidemic. How dare these pokemon use their power to lord over the others. How fucking DARE that woman for using them like this. It wasn't fair that so many Pokemon had died but this awful person had kept a team of 6 fully capable fighters.

She wanted to make them pay.