Ask to Join The Dark Tournament

[PentheWonderful]

Cassie could still hear Gerald's laughter resonating in her ear.

It'd been so free, open, and absolutely out of place in their current situation. No, it clearly did not belong in their current situation. Yet, perhaps that was why she cherished it so much. Something she'd said had drawn out such carefree glee from her friend, and though she knew it was the fact that the absurdly sharp and gifted Thomas had degraded himself so low as to accept occupation in a grocery store that Gerald had been so riled up about, Cassie couldn't help but feel she had a hand in his joy. It was the kind of satisfaction one would get from telling a great joke, and Cassie was usually not a very funny person and that was partially why she was so easily amused herself.

Though she knew that small swell of satisfaction was probably misplaced, she still couldn't help herself from smiling upon his laughter.

"Sorry, sorry, that was just too damned funny. Last place I'd think he'd end up was in a grocery store. Carry on."

"Well, he does still sneak off at night and comes back in the morning all haggard. I'm not really sure what he does, but I can say my rent isn't cheap, and he wouldn't have been able to afford it with just a grocery store clerk's salary." She had added then, shrugging her shoulders slightly. "Yet he does. Pays it every month. I think it's a cover or something. He's certainly laying low for some reason. Maybe he built a secret lair under my house too."

And then their light conversation had resumed for one more exchange before she'd pulled him down to sit with her, and she'd revealed the ribbon to him.

"He is a bit strange, yeah...I'll bet if he comes back and sees us like this, his mind is gonna jump to conclusions again..." He chuckles at this, and Cassie soon found herself joining him.

"That seems likely, yes." She adjusted her position against the palm tree in order to better slump into it, and let out a small, pleased sigh once she found that perfect spot. Her eyelids felt heavy, refusing to stay aloft, but she relished the hum of thoughts racing through her mind, and the tingling numbness it slowly spread through her body, draining away her emotions immediately after their high, like water escaping a broken container, leaving her hollow, yet, content with its familiarity.

"I'm going to assume Salem gave you that ribbon, yeah? Gotta say, your pretty lucky."

Cassie looked over to him at this, raising an eyebrow slightly at his last statement. The flickers of joy had died away, and all that was left was the millions of thoughts and questions racing through her head when her eyes locked with his, and she adeptly picked apart the pieces scattered throughout his brown irises.

Wistfulness.

Longing.

'No. Oh no he didn't.' A slight smirk pulled at the edge of her lip, soon developing into a teasing, playful, I-know-what's-going-on grin.

But she caught herself and quickly wiped that expression clean off her face.

A soft, almost hollow smile took its place, and she recalled the memory that had been recorded when her mind had been in shambles barely an hour ago. The redhead head and blonde man sitting together by the fire, the latter's leaning in to whisper the rest of the conversation that she'd missed, and the gradual fluster growing on the former's cheeks. Yes, she solved that puzzle the instant it'd been presented to her. And honestly, she was quite pleased by her recovery, the performance her mind had pulled off.

But there were still splotches, here and there. Slight corruption of memories that came from the transition and the occasional break and glitch. Perhaps the memory she recalled had been corrupted as well. But the evidence presented in Gerald's eyes right then and there were undeniable. So it had to be true.

"Uh, I'm also assuming a bit here, but he did tell you what they meant, right?"

Cassie couldn't help the slightly wider smile now tugging her lips. 'Answers.' The voices, apparently present in her mind still, were thrilled, and so was she. 'The pieces.'

It was a silly little game they played. One she never thought she would have to play again. But the harsh truth of it all was Gerald had an ulterior motive, and his concern was a facade. Even after experiencing the horrors of Dead Man's Drop with her, their friendship was only skin deep. Most her friendships seemed that way, people just naturally tend to not care about her as much as they would to others. That was why Salem was so strange. He lacked these ulterior motives everyone in the world seemed to have, and gave and trusted and believed so much more easily and sincerely.

Gerald wanted something from her. He wasn't there with her voluntarily, or out of any real concern, and she knew this, but she didn't push him away. Because she wanted something from him as well, and that was why she played along.

"He just said they were a gift for me. For good luck." Cassie eased herself carefully. Careful not to raise any suspicions of the bits of information she'd stolen before. "Is there something more to it?" Her hand carefully traced the fabric once again, allowing them to gleefully trace the pattern hidden within it.

"Sounds like you know something I don't, so, I suspect Salem skipped out on something I should have been made aware of." She hummed nonchalantly, before softening her eyes and asking hopefully, "Would you tell me instead?"

 

[Astralkitsune]

Lin
​

Lin took a step back at the rage that radiated from the fox, and as June started to go for her staff Arrow tensed. Lin quickly rested a hand on Arrow's shoulder as Salem at the same time diverted June with his careful ministrations to her fur. Salem then held her gaze for a moment, and then after passionately telling her how much he wanted to fix the situation he told her he needed her. The combination of conflicting emotional responses and approaches from the two caught Lin off guard. Her green eyes reflected confusion for a moment before she stepped back and took a deep breath before focusing on June.

"I did threaten your partner with death. However I never tried to kill him, or he would not still be walking around." She focused her eyes on June, "you know the truth of my words." She took one step closer to the fox pokemon, "clearly you feel very strongly for him and he must be an exception to the rule. This does not however change the fact that most human's treat pokemon like their property, or their pets. For every trainer like your partner or even this wanderer," she pointed toward Salem. There are several more who capture your brothers and sisters against there will for their own desires. Lin nodded toward the pokeball in June's hands. "You were not born inside that orb. So if the red headed one did not capture you first then someone else did. Why did humans ever need to invent those devices in the first place when they could have lived in harmony ."

Lin took another step forward and lowered her head, "I do thank you greatly for your aid of fire when I needed it. You are mistaken if you think that I can not build fire on my own, there was just not the time to do so. However I still owe you a debt and I have further wronged you by threatening your partner. For two months I have been fighting and killing the invaders who would twist this land like their plaything. Your partner was the first human I encountered that was not with them and I had to make sure."

Lin frowned and furrowed her brows in thought for a moment before shaking her head. "Your observation is troubling. However there is no proof and I would never subject Arrow to one of those orbs even had I one to use." Lin slipped a hand down quickly and unbuckled her knife belt and quiver in a smooth motion. She pulled her bow off her shoulder and let it fall beside the other gear as she took one more step up to the fox and kneeled. "If the wrong done to your family can only be avenged with blood, then I offer mine."

Arrow paced back and forth, his eyes never leaving the Delfox as Lin made her display. He hated the idea of Lin lowering her guard to the other pokemon, and he felt that the gesture was to much. All Lin had done was slightly bloody the human and scare him, and that was after she had saved his and the fox's life. Still he would not interfere with Lin's way and it was not his families custom to do so no matter what the outcome Lin had chosen this path herself. However his eyes and body language told June one message clearly. If you hurt her, I will hurt you.

The pokemon's pacing became faster and he flexed his claws. Arrow's anger kept rising and his vision began to tinge with red as his blood lust increased. "The human's here twist our brothers and sisters, and you show anger to Lin. Why you judge my sister Fox when she has done more than any of your family to stop it! Lin fight alongside Arrow for all our people against humans and this your gratitude. Arrow spat a bullet seed onto the ground with disdain. "Haughty fox been with humans to long, forgot what being wild is like. You think your better than us. I die before ever go into ball and lose freedom."

"Arrow enough!" Lin yelled without taking her gaze off June. She could not interpret the full conversation without being able to see Arrows body language, however she had caught enough angry words to catch the intent. With her gaze on June, Lin was not able to see Arrow's increasingly violent erratic behavior.

Dr. Nevashi
​

"Erejast blinked and looked at Damion before flexing his shoulder and nodding. "Oh yes my sweet little Kiwi has made me feel much better. Although I shall have to keep an eye on the wounds later, using a pokemon's ability to heal such as wish on a human does not have perfect results." He clicked the pokeball and returned Kiwi back inside with a beam of red light. The Dr. thought about the two trainers words for a moment. "Contagious or shared nightmares, well that is certainly an interesting symptom, if linked to any form of disease at all. My yes I must say that is a new one in my book."

He turned toward Ecarte and Mina with a concerned look in his eye, before moving over to the girl. He very quickly checked her vitals with a well practiced precision. After a moment, when he was satisfied that she was not in any immediate medical distress he turned back to the trainers. "Just what happened to Mina here. The darling looks like an Angel when she sleeps, but I do not believe she would be sleeping this deeply in such circumstances if something had not happened.

He stopped and looked around, "I suppose we can talk about many different things while going for a stroll through a death infested jungle. You are right though that staying here would be a dreadfully poor option right now." The doctor took three quick steps forward and then whirled around quickly. "I have just one more question." He stared at the other two before smiling and rubbing his head, "just where are we going?"

 

[Nygenn]

Location: Riverside, near Camp SAM.CG
Time: 2nd Day, Somewhere around 9:30 am
Tagging: Salem, Lin

----------------​

Salem heard June yip and bark beside him. She clearly had something to say to the alluring huntress and after the accusations Lin had made earlier he wasn’t very surprised at this. What did surprised him very much however was that Lin seemed to understand all of it perfectly. Instantly, the lust spell she had cast on him was broken and replaced by wonder and admiration.

‘She actually speaks the language of Pokémon,’ he realized. ‘That is amazing! It has never occurred to me that we would be able to converse like that.’

Salem’s enthusiasm completely overwrote any annoyance he might have felt at having been asked a question and then subsequently having his answer dismissed. This was just too good.

He remembered hating his English lessons back when he was a child. He saw little need for it because he could already converse with everyone on the archipelago in their native language. He’d come to appreciate the insistence of the elders once he started traveling of course, but to know the Pokémon language, to truly understand what his friends were saying would be worth all the trouble of learning it.

‘Somehow, someway I have got this woman to teach me,’ he decided.

Meanwhile Lin had taken her conversation with the Delphox in a new direction and was actually going down on a knee to apologize for some offense or another. Something against Gerald among other things, if Salem understood correctly from the one sided conversation.

The action bothered him a little he discovered. Like it was not befitting her character. He had been strongly attracted to the dominance she exhibited a moment before, but now he wasn’t so sure if all that hadn’t been an act.

‘She is actually quite insecure,’ he thought. ‘If she was really as confident and set in her ways she would see no reason to apologize and prostrate herself so. Pride wouldn’t let her.’

Salem looked from the women to the Sceptile besides Lin.

‘Perhaps she is merely scared for her companion,’ he could certainly understand that. He himself had been unable to think about what he would do if Ajax showed symptoms of the virus.

‘She needs our help as much, if not more, as we need hers,’ Salem concluded.

He was jostled from his reverie when the Sceptile in question began to speak up. Salem couldn’t understand the words but the Pokémon was clearly upset, and growing increasingly more restless.

Salem found himself unconsciously lowering his center of gravity.

When Lin reprimanded her companion he thought the peace would return but the fire didn’t leave Arrow’s eyes. The women seemed oblivious to it though, too caught up in their conversation.

Salem took a small step closer to June’s side, put a supportive hand on her back and waited.

 

[Chrocey]

When Damian came out about his nightmare, Delilah wrinkled her forehead as though trying to put all the pieces together. All of them had nightmares, but why? If Damian was right, and this was some byproduct of Team Rocket’s virus, what was the significance behind having nightmares? It wasn’t like bad dreams were data that could be monitored...right?

The bee trainer left her questions unanswered, shrugging it off as she usually did. She’d leave theories to the scientists, as right now she didn’t see any value in discovering the truth about the intentions of The Dark Tournament. All that mattered at the moment was making sure everyone was ready to venture onward to find Alex.

When Nevashi asked about Mina, Delilah raised her hand. “Oh! She’s okay. She started crying so Ecarte had to knock her out.” The brash explanation was sure to get an angry glare from Ecarte. Delilah paid no mind, however.

“Anyway, we’re on our way to find Alex and Maverick. They got shot out of the sky yesterday so I wanna make sure they’re alive and well.” Delilah spoke in a factual tone, unashamed of her seemingly unpopular opinion.

For a brief moment, her eyes flicked to Damian to gauge his reaction. The trainer seemed upset about this adventure moments ago, and though she refused his suggestion, part of her wanted to see if mentioning Alex again had stirred up any more of the negative emotions that spoke volumes in his eyes.

Before she could get read on him, Delilah looked back to Nevashi. It wouldn’t matter if Damian hated her or loved her. The mission was still the same either way. It was truly up to him if he wanted to accompany her or leave her be.

Though she would never say it aloud, the bee trainer was very thankful that he and Mina had actually accompanied her this far.

“Maybe you could help heal him if he gets...hurt…” Delilah’s words slowed to a halt. Her eyes looked to the ground as she felt it rumbling faintly. Like some sort of earthquake.

Thump...thump...thump…

As the intensity increased, the thumping became more sporadic.

Thump thump thump

“Do you guys-?”

A tree behind Delilah was broken in half as a large claw swiped through it and struck Beedrill. The claw scratched the Beedrill, tearing a nasty gash in his abdomen in addition to sending him flying into another tree. After having not fully healed from the last couple of fights he’d been in, an audible crack sounded off as one of his wings snapped against the rough bark.

“Beedrill!” Delilah managed to shout out to her companion before the claw swung the other way, backhanding the horrified trainer in the opposite direction.

She landed harshly on her back. For a moment, the wind had been knocked out of her and she couldn’t breath. Stars clouded her vision and she fought not to faint.

The girl scrambled to her feet within seconds and held her arms above her head. A trick that she used to make sure enough blood was getting to her brain to keep her conscious. While doing so, she eyed the Nidoking that had burst onto the scene. She then glanced over to Beedrill as his back was against a tree. Greenish blood trailed from where he impacted to where he was currently resting.

At this distance, Delilah’s only possible assessment of his condition was that he was barely moving.

Her expression went from shock, to horror, then to rage. With gritted teeth she held her fists in front of her. “You’ll pay for that!”

 

[SUPERRNOVAA]

Location
Hidden Forest Clearing

Time
9:15 AM

Tagging

-----​

As Amara turned her eyes to Floyd, he visibly flinched a bit. It was as if she was holding a knife to his neck, one wrong move and he was dead.
Nervously shuffling around a bit, the trainer averted his gaze from the Sinnoh Champion. Simply being in the presence of someone high up in authority scared him, but being acknowledged by the authority in question was a whole different ball game. Embarrassment was definitely one of his worst fears. Floyd awkwardly strolled over to Swift and picked him up in an effort to somewhat clear his mind, holding him in his arms like he usually did. He never really had a practical reason for doing this, it simply made him feel more secure and somewhat self-confident. With all of the percentages Amara seemed to be listing, it really made Floyd feel as if he was completely inferior in every way to her.


"I suggest we return to the Venipede clearing Floyd Johnstone, as the residual cold should still serve as a repelant toward the warm tempered native Pokemon for approximately two more hours. We can there determine a wise course of action in which to proceed."

'Venipede clearing? What might she be talking about?' Floyd had been pretty much unconscious for most of the first day, he didn't have a clue as to what Amara might have been talking about. Swift tilted his body back a bit so that he could get a good view of Floyd's facial expression. Although to most it wasn't obvious straight away, Swift immediately knew what was going through his head. The rising star had spend so much time with his trainer that he could figuratively read his mind simply by looking at his face or his body language. After letting out a small buzz Swift gracefully frontflipped out of his trainer's arms and landed on the grass, causing it to rustle slightly.

In a pathetic attempt to act everything out, the Starmie made a bunch of overly complex dances and movements, with the occasional Ice Beam scattered throughout. Floyd didn't have a clue what his Pokemon was trying to convey, and resorted to picking Swift up again. The Starmie let out a sharp 'BZIRRT' and quickly gave up on his futile endeavor afterwards. Floyd glanced over to Amara once more and paused, struggling to find the right words to say to her.

"I, uh... really don't know what y-you might be talking.. about..."
Floyd's words slowed towards the end of his sentence. Something felt weird, it was like the answer was teasing him on the back of his head. The blurry image in his mind slowly began to uncover itself as he stared at Amara's pupils. An icy plain with broken trees and lots of muddy grass, perhaps this was what Amara was talking about? Floyd's senses went numb for a split second as thought clouded his vision. He didn't remember ever experiencing anything in a place like that. His head was aching quite a bit at this point, for no particular reason. A familiar static noise however broke his psychic trance as he winced at the pain caused by Swift hitting him in the chest, directly on to a scar from the wounds he
received the day prior.

"Huh?..." Floyd stood there for a second, still staring at Amara until he realized the situation, the slight embarrassment quickly overtook the pain in his chest and head. His face warmed up and he shook his head away. Somehow his violet eyes managed to land on Lily, who was still resting on Dynami. Floyd's eyes subconsciously traced her body down to the frozen wound on her leg. It reminded him of a certain event that had occured a couple of years ago, just after he lost the Unova League.

-----​

Synth ran along the dirt path beneath her at an incredible speed with Floyd riding on her back, obviously enjoying the wind blowing through his hair. It was a sunny morning and the although the bittersweet loss they experienced the day before was still looming over Floyd and his various companions, they were still enjoying themselves as if it was the first day on their journey. The trail of dust and rock that the Luxray left behind her violently lashed around with every step she took. Floyd peered into the distance for the tenth time, just to make sure any serious obstacles wouldn't hinder their progress. This time though, what looked like a girl with navy blue hair and ranger clothing got closer and closer. When Floyd uttered the words "Please stop." to his electrifying companion, the Luxray came to a halt and rested only a few short meters away from the girl, who was now easily distinguishable from the rest of the enviroment. She was resting against a rock for some reason. Floyd scanned her body with his eyes and found that the girl had sustained some kind of leg injury and that was probably the reason she was lying there.

'W-What do I?' The young trainer thought to himself as he hopped off of Synth and hit the ground. Slowly but surely, he approached the girl, cautiously watching his step. Just as he was about to ask if she was okay, he heard slightly audible crying coming from the blue eyed girl. Crimson blood was leaking down her leg, an extremely large wound came into sight as Floyd began to walk again, even slower than before. His pupils dilated at the sight, a Pokemon Ranger wincing in pain, lying on a rock with an injury the likes of which he had never seen before. Without hesitation Floyd reached for his satchel and snatched an ordinary Pokeball from it, and in a flash of white light, a Lilligant emerged. Echo stared at her trainer, happily waiting for a command, paying absolutely no attention to the girl who was obviously in pain.

"Could you heal her?" Floyd exclaimed, pointing to the Ranger.

Echo happily bounced, causing the shrubbery beside her to somehow mimic her actions. After signifying a positive response, the Lilligant strolled up to the Ranger and gently tapped her shoulder. The girls eyes shot open in response, tears were rolling down her face and on to the rock beneath her. She looked utterly shocked to see a Pokemon, much less a seemingly friendly one. Echo, without a single bit of doubt, began to use heal bell. A white glow came from her entire body as she slowly approached the wound with the leaf she had as a hand. The minute the gash was touched by her, it was also enveloped in a white glow. A gentle ringing noise came from Echo as the wound began to rapidly repair itself. Synth took the time to stop licking her paws and look over to Echo, the soft melody was so relaxing that it had caught her attention. After about a minute, the Lilligant pulled her hand away from the Ranger and let out a cute sigh of relief. Floyd strolled over to Echo and rubbed the flower on her head, which she definitely seemed to enjoy.

"You did an amazing job! I'll be sure you get you a present of your choice went we get home, mkay?" Floyd praised Echoes actions, which she appreciated, without a doubt. The young trainer pulled out the Lilligants Pokeball and a red beam of light came from it, causing Echo to be sucked into the ball once again.

The ranger girl was standing on her feet now, looking as healthy as ever. "What's your name kid?" She asked, staring intently at the boy who helped her.

"F-Floyd..."

"Thanks for helping me out. Be sure to thank your Pokemon for me as well, kay? Here, take this."

The ranger jumped down from the rock she was on and pulled out a stone resembling the shape of a leaf from the pocket on her vest. She forcefully handed it to Floyd before jumping up back on to the rock and scanning the environment around her. She gave a quick smile and thumbs up to the aspiring professor before yelling "Sorry Floyd, but I got some work to do! If my superiors find out about this, I'll be fired! We'll talk later, alright?" as she jumped off into the distance.

Floyd delivered a warm smile and signaled Synth to come to him. The Luxray approached and rubbed her face against his shoulder, causing him to stumble forward a bit. "I'll get you something as well! I promise!" Floyd stated as he hopped on to his Pokemon and put the leaf stone into his satchel.

"Onward we go."

-----​

"Lily, you might want to hop on." Floyd said, face still slightly red with nervousness. He cleared his throat and walked over to Amara before turning around, standing next to her and Crystal. "Lapras are known for their transport capabilities after all."

The ground rumbled a tiny bit just after Floyd finished speaking. This was followed up by a slightly smaller shock wave coming from the ground.

 

[Curvykitten]

Name:Lily Matherson
Location: Woods,
Tagging: Dynami, Floyd?

Lily could feel her strength waning, like a slow syphon on the very life line as she was struggling to hold onto. She knew that it would only be a matter of time before her wounds took their toll on her. No matter the amount of first aid she was administering at the moment, Lily needed real medical attention. Despite that, she took a deep breath and steeled her nerves, she couldn't give up...not now. She had fought to become stronger since she was little, and Lily had to believe she was strong enough to endure and survive this.

Still, she didn't have enough energy to spare to fight the suggestions of those around her. So she smiled softly, keeping her positive nature, forward she nodded. "Sounds like a plan," she moved then to Crystal's side and moved her hand over to its head. "Thank you for the lift,' she spoke softly as her fingers stroked over its side. She moved carefully, doing her best to hide the pain as she climbs onto the pokemon.

"I'm game for anything at them moment, as long as it buys us some time to rest.' Lily explained knowing she was the one that needed the rest. The idea of a safe harbor in a chaotic place like the island seemed impossible. That thought only pushed further home as the ground began to shake once more, "that is never a good sign, perhaps we should get moving." Lily suggested, Dynami already moving to her side to protect her should anything suddenly come their way once more.

 

[Mega Gallade X]

“Anyway, we’re on our way to find Alex and Maverick. They got shot out of the sky yesterday so I wanna make sure they’re alive and well.” Delilah spoke in a factual tone, unashamed of her seemingly unpopular opinion.

The moment she mentioned the trainer and his Pidgeot Damian let out a subtle sigh, shifting eyes downward. She'd practically sworn up and down that it was inconceivable the notion of him expiring could even be thought of.

“Maybe you could help heal him if he gets...hurt…” Delilah’s words slowed to a halt. Her eyes looked to the ground as she felt it rumbling faintly. Like some sort of earthquake.

Suddenly isolated thumping had broken Delilahs conversation with the Doctor and the tree behind her seemed to explode in a medley of splinters and large chunks of wood. An enormous claw seemingly not faltered by the tree that had existed where it was swinging moments before collided with Beedrill, sending him through the air and into the trunk of another tree.

“Beedrill!” Delilah managed to shout out to her companion before the claw swung the other way, backhanding the horrified trainer in the opposite direction.

As Damian watched her clamor back up to her feet she seemed dizzy, as if lightheaded, then the girl barred fists at the hulking pokemon.

Assessing the situation momentarily he glanced toward Beedrill, then Ecarte. "Keep Mina and the Doctor safe." he said looking just over to Orion whose eyes had gone stern, as if he knew there was work to be done.

“You’ll pay for that!”

Delilah yelled toward the pokemon. The royal pokemon seemed to issue it a challenge, flashing pointy fangs and roaring toward her. Damian picked up the nearest piece of splintered wood. It wasn't large by any means, about the size of his palm, he gripped it and chucked it as hard as he could at the Pokemon, and it bounced off of its tough hide, not nearly enough to capture its attention.

Instead of turning, the Nidoking prepped itself on its arms, all four appendages on the ground in preparation.

"Orion! Bone Rush!" Damian yelled as he ran toward Delilah.

Damian was closer to Delilah than the Nidoking, sure, but if it charged he doubted he would reach her before the pokemon, however instead of charging it opened its mouth and a spew of purple like needles shot toward the female trainer.

Thinking quickly, he lunged into the path of the attack, and pulling Delilah downward. His upper backside had caught most of the poison sting, shielding Delilah from most if not all of the move.

As the attack reached his trainer Orion was momentarily concerned for Damian and shook his head regaining his focus, he materialized his Bone Rush staff, sprinting toward the Nidoking and jumping well above it into the air, swinging the energy staff with vigor.

Damians backside felt as if it was melting. Poison, he figured quickly. It was a guess but he would reckon from a ground/poison type pokemon like Nidoking, that's what it was. There was a metallic taste in his mouth, he swallowed harshly before he recognized it. Blood. Shifting his weight on the dirt he looked toward Delilah whom he'd brought to the ground with him in an effort to move her from the path of the attack.

"You okay?" he said with trying to offer a smile before visibly wincing.

 

[Astralkitsune]

Amara
​

Amara watched Swift attempt a rather comical version of pantomime theater and noted Floyd's confused look. "Of course he does not understand my reference as he was in a state of unconsciousness for most of the day yesterday." She then eyed the other girls leg, "She has lost a decent amount of blood and the ice will only hold for so long as a tourniquet. I am not a doctor but her odds of survival decrease by the minute if we do not get her some form of medical aid."

Amara's thought process was interrupted by the thumps coming from the ground and the vibration accompanying them. The purple haired girl stopped and listened for a moment before her gaze swept the clearing taking in every minute detail and variable she would need to perform her calculation. "Shadows slanted at a 34 degree angle toward the south east. Slope of the ground about 5.2-6.1%. timing between each vibration needs to be more properly determined." She lowered herself to the ground and placed her right ear to the earth. "Timing between each impact 5.34 seconds on average. No wait impact timing has fluctuated. 3.2, 4.6, 7.9, seconds one impact much stronger vibrations than the others. Something large is in combat or dancing very badly. Estimated creature weight between 2100 and 2250 lbs. Thousands of mathematical calculations went through Amara's head at the speed of a computer as she finally stood up and looked toward the other two trainers.

She lifted her arm and stuck her index finger out pointing in one direction. "A large pokemon is fighting multiple opponents in that direction approximately 123 meters away. It may be wild pokemon fighting over food, or territory, or it may be a group of surviving trainers. The odds are about 39.4% that it is wild pokemon and 28.6% that it is a group of trainers with a 32% chance that it is Team Rocket." She then pointed toward Lilly, "her odds of survival are currently at 58.4% and dropping .3% every two minutes without receiving further medical care." She stood there and waited for the other two to respond.

 

[Chrocey]

It was all so sudden.

One moment they’d all been talking, the next, he felt a hulking object smack his back into a tree. There was no other way to describe the latter event other than it didn’t feel real. Some dream or hallucination conjured up, possibly by the virus.

But it was real.

Beedrill had stopped himself from moving. A sharp pain pulsed from his back. It sent reverberations throughout his whole body, making him feel extremely ill. The excruciating feeling of having his wing broken distracted him from the burning of the large gash in his abdomen.

Really? That was his silver lining? Things really must have been dire if he couldn’t conjure a single happy thought in his mind.

Beedrill forced his head straight so that he could watch the Nidoking that’d erupted and charged at his trainer. It ran toward her and the ground shook. He glanced over toward Damian and saw him mouthing a command to Orion.

Yet, it was disturbingly silent.

In fact, so was everything. It was as though all sound had been vacuumed out of the realm of reality. Beedrill was tempted to question again whether or not this was really happening, but the pain kept him grounded. A horrible reminder that his trainer was being attacked, and he wasn’t doing anything to help.

The Nidoking prepared himself for an attack.

Protect her.

Beedrill’s head twitched slightly as a voice rang in his head. Why could he hear this voice but nothing else?

Protect her, like you always have. She’s as good as your daughter now. With how she dresses, it’s clear that she feels the same way. There’s only so much we can do for her.

The voice trailed off, yet it was recognizably Delilah’s aunt. It was from a moment when she thought that Beedrill was asleep next to Delilah.

The bee pokemon lifted one of his drills, then the other one. They were a bit sore, but not broken by any means. When he tried to maneuver his body, however, a breathtaking stab forced him back down.

Every part of him was aching to get up and save Delilah from the oncoming attack. He continued to try, but nothing would work. Seemingly in slow motion, the onslaught of needles fired from the Nidoking and sped toward Delilah. All hope was lost, and the bug pokemon realized that was going to have to sit while the girl he’d guarded her since she was an infant died right before his eyes.

Then, something that can be summed up as a miracle, happened.

_______

Before Delilah had time to process what the Nidoking had done, she felt firm hands grabbing either side of her arms and a weight dragging her down to the ground. It took her a second to even recognize that Damian had entered her vision.

Delilah felt the vibrations of his body as each needle pelted him in the back, in addition to the needles that had wizzed passed her. Putting these together it finally dawned on her that Nidoking had used its poison sting attack, and Damian had jumped in front to protect her from it.

“You okay?” The champion had asked her, his voice still dripping with pain even if he tried to hide it.

Delilah opened and closed her mouth a few times as though she were choking on her own words.

At last, she found her voice.

“Yes!” the bee trainer exclaimed with a hint of annoyance, “of course I’m fine! It’s you that we need to worry about!”

Delilah wriggled free from his grasp and stood back up. She peered over his shoulder and at his back. He looked like a grotesque porcupine.

“Are you crazy?! You’re lucky you’re even alive enough to talk! Why would you…” Delilah stopped mid question as the Nidoking let out another ferocious roar. She gave the pokemon the majority of her attention before leaning down and grabbing Damian by the arm to help him stand again.

“Right, no time to talk when there’s a crazy, seriously ticked-off Nidoking in the area.” She locked eyes with Damian once again. As annoyed as she sounded, the emotions that flooded her pupils were both shock and confusion. “Lean on me as much as you like, but we need to get you away from here. Preferably toward the doctor if we can make it.”

 

[BurbleBurble]

Location: Camp SAM.CG/Riverside
Date: Day two, sometime 9:30 AM
-----
Cassie's claims of Thomas's probably would've unnerved him more if he knew what 'haggard' meant. Maybe he should've reapplied for twelfth grade when he had the chance...

But, what he did understand later on, was that Cassie wanted to know what the ribbons represented. And, lucky for her, he knew! He just had to dig it up...

You see, like Cassie's mind, Gerald's mind was a almost like a library. A badly taken care of one, that would be. It was like the janitors went to lunch 24/7, coating the books in the mind in a thick dust. The librarians were hardly any better, often digging up non relevant memories and other assorted garbage. The only areas that were properly maintained was the containment of colorful faces such as June and Cassie, and other such friends.

Though somehow Gerald made it work.

And he currently dug up the words Salem said just fine! He just needed to express it...somehow.

"Uh, how do I explain this...Alright. So in essence, the ribbon is a representation of love. You see...uh..."

He continued to probe his mind on the specific details. Useless trash information was shoveled up next to it.

You can never ask for, or take your own ribbon back once it had been gifted though, it has to be returned voluntarily.

Puff is probably terrified right now.

You should probably be concerned about June.

The trash was swept away and the relevant information was brought up. "What I mean is, Now that you have it, he can't take it back unless you give it to him voluntarily."

More digging. More trash.

Megan is pretty cute. Why don't you talk to her?

Salem's pretty nice looking. Why don't you find him?

A single person can receive multiple ribbons and all wear them all proudly to show off his or her popularity. It is a sort of status symbol to some, and needless to say, these people rarely sleep on the same cod several nights in a row, if you understand what I’m saying.

"I, uh, it's something they do on their island. It's a tradition. Some people there, uh, use them as a status symbol. The more they have, the more 'popular' they are."

He just needed one more supporting fact. One last thing to tie it all together.

Is being a trainer really what you want Gerald?

Should June really be hanging out with Salem? Are you really comfortable with that?

A recipient can decide to keep a ribbon received, and instead gift one of his or her own in return. If this ribbon also gets accepted and kept we know a match has been found and will soon see a bonding ritual held.

"Yes, I mean, No, I mean...Uh, I mean that now that you have that, you can, uh...I...I don't know."

He thought for a moment. Then almost jumped in excitement once he recalled it.

"WAIT! I got it! I remember it! Now that have you his ribbon, you can offer one in return if you feel that strongly about him. Then if he accepts it, he, uh...Bonding ritual. Uh...It's like marriage. That's all he told me."

He let Cassie soak it in for a moment, then sighed.

"I'm sorry. I'm absolutely terrible at talking about these things, other things get in the way...If June could use telepathy, I'd get her to remember it for me. I'd bet she could recall an entire audio tape from heart. Well, maybe not an entire one, but she would recall at least half of it."
-----
Lin's sudden humility came as a surprise to June, considering her near obstinate attitude prior to her own outburst. It...made her feel bad actually. Lin might've been savage, yes, but it didn't make her any less of a living being. Any less a good person who only wanted to do the right thing.

She should've known such things by now.

'...Perhaps I was quick to judge. We've had encounter with these "Invaders" as you call them before. They've left an impact on me and Gerald both, physically and mentally. I wouldn't be able to stand over three days with them. I couldn't even imagine two months. My apologies for the unnecessary rage, to both you and...'

Arrow had other plans. Ranting and raving about June, for criticizing of Lin, and the fox herself forgetting to be "wild".

Far as she was concerned, the Delphox was never truly wild. Even as a young kit, she was raised in a sheltered environment, with her eleven brothers and sisters.

But that was another story, perhaps for another time.

Right now the Sceptile was a more pressing matter than recollecting memories from fourteen years prior.

It seemed while she was thinking about what to say, Salem had placed a hand on her back in support. It was quite empowering, actually. June was a whole foot under the islander, but oddly is was that exact point that gave her the feeling of power. The fact someone who was so tall (and muscular!) would stand behind her rather than at the side of the fox or in front of her, it gave off a slight taste of empowerment.

'I cannot deny I acted rash in my arguments, and that my friends and family have done much less to help the wild Pokemon, but I vouch that we at least try. We are even currently sheltering a Noivern and her pup. So please, I ask that we bury the hatchet, and...'

It was then June noticed something was off. Seriously off. The erratic twitch, the glare in his eyes, the flexing of his claws...

'Band against a common enemy.'

June twitched for her stave again.

'Lin? Something is wrong with your Sceptile.'

 

[Loziana]

The sounds of the jungle surrounded Aidinia as she waited to see if the others would join her. She listened to the movement of the air, the crackle of the fire and the sounds and of the people in the camp scurrying to and fro. The people, living their everyday lives, or as close a fact simile as you could get in this death trap jungle they were currently hosted in.

Aidinia had hoped others would join her around the camp fire for song, story and comraderie, the disappointment was not all together unexpected. She could smell the air. A storm would soon rise. One thing was certain, jungles came with storms. This jungle came with storms within and without.

Aidinia's mind played back another memory for her. The weather was sticky hot and a storm was brewing, she could smell the air. She was desperately fighting a pox that had infected Pokemon on a small jungle island. It was sad, she couldn't remember the name of the place. They had all but cured the Pokemon when the virus jumped species. One of the girls she worked with showed the symptoms first. She was also the only casualty. Dr. Navashi had saved them all. She worried if they didn't do something soon this virus would jump species as well. Aidinia wanted more info about this damned virus.

 

[Astralkitsune]

Dr. Nevashi and Ecarte
​

Part of Ecarte was so happy to see the Dr. that she was uncharacteristically distracted, and had let her psychic awareness of the area slip. As it was the absolute last second psychic danger that yelled into her brain did not give her enough time to properly react to the sudden ambush by the hulking Nidoking. She only had time to whirl her back to the fight and protect Mina as shards of wood stabbed into her backside from the splintered trees. She turned back and took stock of the situation, Beedrill was down out of the fight. Kiwi was useless in combat except as a healer and that just left Orion. She had great admiration for the young pokemons spirit and vigor, but she knew he was not ready to best such a foe alone. She glanced sideways to the Dr. and lightly tossed Mina into his open arms before turning back toward the threat. Ecarte eyes glowed a soft purple for a moment as she viewed the immediate future and determined how best to attack. Then she sprinted toward the large pokemon running alongside Orion.

"Remember your lessons Orion and do not forget to focus on the battlefield aura. Look for a weak point and strike with precision instead of just raw power." Ecarte sprinted ahead of Orion and straight at the brute. A shower of purple spikes directed at the charging pokemon was intercepted by a shimmering purple light screen, and then as Ecarte closed in one monstoorous claw came crashing down towards her. The claw tore a huge chunk of earth open but their was no blood on it as the Gardevoir had spun to the side and pirouetted at the last second like a master ballet dancer. She leap onto the lowered arm and ran straight up toward the creatures head. The Nidoking turned it's maw towards the lithe pokemon and snapped at her with razor sharp teeth. Once again Ecarte nimbly dodged with inhuman grace spinning through the air and landing on the nidoking's head. As the beast reared back she sprung straight up with it's momentum taking her skyward. "Orion please trust me and don't hit the beast until I give the word or your attack will be wasted."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Erejast spun as the Nidoking burst into the clearing and attempted to shout a warning but it was to late at that point. All he could do was roll to the side to avoid debris. "Well at least my reflexes haven't gotten completely rusty." One small shard of wood stabbed into his arm as he came back to his feet. "That's what I get for thinking to soon. Wow I have gotten slow" "Pathetic" The word echoed around ominously inside the Dr's head. "Shut up you! Great now I am having two sided awkward conversations with myself. Get it together Erejast this is no time to start going crazy."

Erejast held out his arms as he lightly caught Mina from Ecarte's toss. He looked down at the sleeping girl in his arms and then took the briefest of moments to admire Ecarte's grace in battle. The Dr. then shook his head and broke the reverie rushing over toward the wounded trainers. He looked down at his god daughter in his arms again and realized he would need both hands. "Oh Selena please forgive me." Then he swung her up onto his shoulder and knelt down beside the two he ran his hands quickly over Delilah and Damen's wounds. He muttered to himself as he worked, "multiple lacerations, heavy dose of Nidoking poison, two cracked ribs, bruised T3 disc. Thirty seconds till, muscle paralysis starts. He ripped his shirt without hesitation and wrapped the cloth around his hands before pulling the posion laden spikes out of the young man's back. He quickly then released Kiwi and made a split second call on the battlefield. "Kiwi use a full heal pulse!" The Togepi giggled and ducked into her egg and a moment latter the egg started to shake and a waves of pink light radiated out over the whole area. As the wave swept through everyones wounds began to knit and bodies felt rejuvenated. Unfortunately even the Nidoking stood taller and completely unharmed.

"Orion strike Now!" Ecarte whirled around in midair and thrust her palms downward sending a powerful psychic strike at the Nidoking's head.

Before the pulse had even completely faded Erejast grabbed Kiwi and placed her beside Damen. "Kiwi use heal bell please." The egg shook and a pure melodic bell tone rang through the air. Purple poison gushed out of Damen's back as it was expelled from his body. Erejast let out a big smile and kissed the egg shell. "Great job Kiwi now Safeguard so we don't have to do that again." Kiwi popped her head up "Togepriii!" Golden light shot from it's mouth and showered down over the area leaving a light coating of glittering dust on everyone present.

 

[Nygenn]

Location: Riverside, near Camp SAM.CG
Time: 2nd Day, Somewhere around 9:30 am
Tagging: Salem, Lin

----------------​

June seemed to have calmed down somewhat, if her tone was anything to go by. It seemed Lin’s actions have managed to appease the wonderful fox somewhat.

Salem also idly noticed that June stood a little straighter when he placed his hand on her back. Somehow she seemed to be drawing strength from his touch, and that notion pleased him greatly, but he wasn’t letting his eyes wander from the erratic Sceptile.

A particular look, as if a decision made, was all the warning Salem had. He pushed on June’s back and pulled on her small shoulder resulting in turning her to face him while forcing them to switch places. While he did so he kicked his legs up and pushed off of the Delphox, and just in time too. The movement had been too fast for him to consciously follow, and he would surely have reacted to late had he not acted first, but the Sceptile’s bladed arm cleaved the air only inches beneath him. He would have been in two pieces had he not jumped over it. With Salem out of the way however, there was nothing slowing down the sudden attack and the arc of the swing continued towards Lin still kneeling on the ground.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion now. Arrow had been aiming for the much smaller Delphox and so his swing had been a downwards one. His blade cause Lin in the shoulder and sliced all the way down, diagonally across the woman’s torso.

Meanwhile Salem brought his legs down around Arrow’s neck and shoulder, hooked his foot around the arm, and threw himself along with the Pokémon’s momentum.

Arrow had already overbalanced when his attack missed, and with Salem’s added weight he soon found himself toppling forward. Salem swung himself between the Sceptile’s legs and uncoiled his body, flipping the Pokémon forward and onto its back harshly.

It was only then that his mind really caught up to what his body had been doing and he found himself kneeling over Arrow. Quickly he grabbed the offending arm, twisted it forcing the lizard to turn onto his stomach, and pressed his knee down onto his neck forcing his face into the cool river.

Time resumed as normal now and everyone caught up to the moment at once. June stepped back, fire stick instantly in hand, Lin fell over backwards with an anguished cry of pain and surprise from the sudden attack, blood freely gushing from gash in her armor, and Arrow began thrashing wildly.

The Pokémon was a lot stronger than Salem, and the man had no illusions that he would be thrown off at any minute. On the island they trained with various Pokémon because there was no realistic way to overpower them. It was always good to experience the limits of what you could do so that you wouldn’t grow overconfident. The only leverage Salem had right now was the lock he had on the Pokémon, and his weight bearing him down, but already the Sceptile was pushing himself up with his free hand and yanked his head out of the water. Before he could be throw off completely, Salem released his joint lock, as he didn’t want to cause the Pokémon lasting harm, but threw himself bodily onto its back instead. His arm snaked around Arrow’s head and pulled it upwards in the direction of where Lin laid sprawled backwards on the ground and writhing in pain, her armor was covered in blood and it began pooling beneath her.

“Stop struggling!” he yelled, trying to get through to the thrashing lizard. “Look what you’ve done!”

He twisted his body this way and that to avoid the flailing arm blades as best he could, but felt them nick and poke here and there into his sides and abdomen. Shallow cuts for now, but this hold wouldn’t be a viable strategy for much longer.

“Snap out of it!” he tried again. “Take control of your sense!”

 

[Astralkitsune]

Lin
​

Lin knelt on the ground and listened to June's reply intently. It made her happy that the Delphox was reconsidering her hostility as Lin felt she owed her a great debt for helping Arrow. Then she noticed Salem place his hand on her back and watched his muscles tense. Her own body tensed up in response ready for anything as was normal for her in the wild. Then June called out her warning and Lin felt the wind shift as an attack was launched in her direction. The attack was incredibly fast but she was still prepared to dodge when her sense told her what her mind could not comprehend. The attacker was Arrow. The previous night's nightmare flashed through her mind and for once in her life Lin hesitated overwhelmed by her own mind's dark visions. The hesitation cost her dearly as she moved her body just enough to see Arrows blade come down across her chest. A look of complete shock and disbelief flashed across her eyes as she felt the arm blade sever her armor and tear through flesh and some bone. The pain hit her instantly like a punch from a hitmonchan, although it paled in comparison to the pain of her own mental anguish. Only the thick leather armored chest plate she wore saved her from death although the armor was now completely ruined, and she was still not very far from hearing death's call. She fell backward in a spray of blood from the impact and pain landing on her back. Lin knew she was going to die someday and that it would mostly likely be violent and painful, however she had never imagined it would be at Arrow's hands.

Arrow thrashed about wildly growling and preparing to slice this puny creature that dared hold him into tiny ribbons when by some small miracle the man's voice mad him focus on the scene before him. Arrow's eyes widened in shock and his body went completely limp at the grisly view before him. Lin was lying on the ground in a pool of blood and he was the cause of it. The pokemon threw back his head and screamed his anguish to the uncaring heavens. "Tile!!!!" How had he lost himself to such a point as to so badly hurt his own sister. What kind of monster had he become on this Island of horror. Arrow knew with certainty at that point that if Lin died he would take his own life immediately after before the red haze took control of his actions again.

 

[PentheWonderful]

"Uh, how do I explain this...Alright. So in essence, the ribbon is a representation of love. You see...uh..."

One, the ribbon is a representation of love. Cassie pinned that bit up on a board in her head, allowing her thoughts to swivel, and memorize, and familiarize, and process. Her brows knitted together, allowing her neurons to do their work while her eyes glanced over to the redhead as he lagged behind, and she watched the struggle on his face to keep his eyes focused- to keep his mind focused.

Was he like her? She can't help but wonder. Or had their experience in Dead Man's Drop broken him more than he let on?

"What I mean is, Now that you have it, he can't take it back unless you give it to him voluntarily."

Two, the ribbon is a form of self-commitment to another. And he had committed himself to her, but she recalled an event her eyes had seen and her ears had heard that told her he himself did not know why. “I do not fully understand why I am doing this,” He had confessed to her catatonic self, “however I do know that it feels right to me on some level, so I am willing to see where this will lead.”

'Stranger and stranger.' She thought, and her eyes wandered away from Gerald to gaze blankly ahead. The flood of thoughts and fact and information had overpowered her presence in her eyes, and she had retreated in to better process it all. Another piece of information posted, and slowly, she could see the bits gather.

"I, uh, it's something they do on their island. It's a tradition. Some people there, uh, use them as a status symbol. The more they have, the more 'popular' they are."

This allowed Cassie to reaffirm a conclusion that she'd drawn back in the secluded grove. 'It is important to him. It is special. And it is the only thing he has left to connect him to his home.' And she smiled a slightly not hollow smile.

Three, the ribbon was an important part of his culture.

By then, Lady had finished her slab of meat, and proudly the feline had gone back to her trainer (she was still alive, what a surprise!). Slowing slightly upon the sight of Ajax being nearby, she twitched her nose in an attempt to sniff out this unfamiliar stranger. What did he want? What were his intentions? Standing just over his head, she bopped him lightly with her paw, being sure not to use her claws. But the Blastoise seemed far too deep in his nap to care.

Lady circled around to his shell, where she once again sniffed its surface, and soon, climbed right aboard! The tough armor was surprisingly warm beneath her paws, so she plopped right down on top of it and joined him in his nap.

"Yes, I mean, No, I mean...Uh, I mean that now that you have that, you can, uh...I...I don't know."

Cassie waited. She was anxious for answers, but she had the patience to wait for them. This was important, answers were important. She always needed to know what was going on and how things worked because that was how she kept in control. How she kept above everything despite her demure size. She was a puzzle solver, and she did not slack until they were solved.

And she tapped her finger impatiently against her lap.

"WAIT! I got it! I remember it! Now that have you his ribbon, you can offer one in return if you feel that strongly about him. Then if he accepts it, he, uh...Bonding ritual. Uh...It's like marriage. That's all he told me."

It was the final piece.

Four, the ribbons also act as engagement rings.

At this, her free hand lifted upwards to touch her chin, while the other continued its soothing massage on Ajax's neck. Her eyes hidden away by the brim of her fedora, she put all the bits together and processed a coherent image. And that image became a puzzle piece, and that puzzle piece she proudly placed in its rightful place in the puzzle that was Salem.

The rest of Gerald's words simply faded into the background while Cassie made sense of the new addition to her puzzle. And slowly, she smiles. "He really doesn't think things through, does he?" Was her first comment, amusement laced in her voice. "We barely know each other."

But between their comfort in each other's silence and the mutual understanding they seem to have, she might as well have known him all her life.

"But one thing is for sure." She lifted her head slightly to peer into Gerald's eyes, and a swell of joy glinted in them. "You were right. I am very lucky." 'That's a first in a long, long while.'

Cassie smiled gratefully at him, allowing it to be her thanks for his information sharing. There were no more words that needed to be said. At least, she thought so.

But ever so steadily, the emotions drain away, and Cassie was left with only her thoughts. The smile receded from her lips, and she found herself simply basking in this moment of peace.

And it was then that she realized she hated peace.

She had always been secretly yearning for trouble to come, and things to go wrong. Because that was how she got her kicks. She loved the thrill of emerging victorious from situations that stacked the favors against her.

Trouble didn't follow her. Rather, she followed it.

And that was precisely why she had to go. Thus, Cassie had gotten to her feet, and coiled the additional length of rope she had braided before to clip against her belt. She had a good fifteen feet by then. Clicking her tongue sharply, she drew Lady's ear to perk in her direction, followed by one of her brilliant emerald eyes opening.

Cassie nodded. It was time to go.

The Liepard stretched herself over Ajax's shell, but was soon on her feet. She hopped down and followed a distance behind Cassie as she started walking, around the doctor sitting alone by the fire pit, and back down to the river. "I'm going to see how our camp is holding up across the river." She announced. But that was a lie. She wasn't coming back.

“Stop struggling...!”

A few feet from the clearing's edge, she halted.

“Look what you’ve done...!”

Somewhere in the distance, there was trouble. Her heart leaped in her chest, and she glanced down to Lady, who shared the similar look she had glinting in her eyes. They were both thrill seekers, and Cassie remembered that that was exactly why she had brought the Liepard over her trusted Ninetales, or stable Kirlia. She came on that island to get in trouble.

And as always, she got it.

So the woman and Liepard kicked into a sprint, down the path where the river lies and halting only where the trees had stopped growing and the underbush had receded. The two of them took in the sight on display before them, and assessed the situation. Lin had apparently returned with Arrow, while Salem and June had gone down to wash the pottery. But now, Lin was injured and sprawled on the ground while Salem had pinned the Sceptile in the water.

Puzzle accepted.

Cassie crouched into the ground, allowing the underbush to swallow her petite form while her mind made sense of what was happening with what little clues she had. She knew Lin was a former ranger, people who were against the use of pokeballs. Assuming Lin was no different, she must not have a very good affinity towards pokeballs, which would mean Arrow was wild. So far the creatures afflicted by the virus were wild pokemon, while all the caught pokemon let out of their pokeballs to freely wander around seemed completely unbothered. 'In conclusion, Arrow is succumbing to the virus.'

Her hand against her chin, she observed how the Sceptile's thrashing had suddenly ceased, and a look of realizing glazed over his eyes. She watched it cry out in anguish at the sight of his fallen human companion, and she quickly concluded the next courses of action. Cassie looked over to Lady, finding the feline's emerald eyes boring into her, and she told her,

"Get help."

The Liepard lowered her head in understanding, and took off back to the camp where she would do what she did best; get attention. She came charging at Ajax, the big scary pokemon who would undoubtedly be able to restrain the Sceptile when it lost control, bopping his head with much greater force this time in the hopes of rousing him. When the Blastoise's eyes inevitably pulled open, albeit lazily, Lady looked him in the eyes and communicated, "Your trainer's in danger."

Before turning and taking off to Aidinia, who was still seated by the fire. She remembered the woman owning a pink and white mini Liepard thing that healed the ocean man's wounds earlier, surely she could do it again! Thus, to get her attention, Lady accurately knicked Aidinia's makeshift bikini from behind without tarnishing her smooth skin, and with the item in hand, she moved in front of the doctor to show off her prize before once again taking off in the direction of the river, mewling a, "Follow me, water giant!" to Ajax.

Meanwhile, Cassie had emerged from the shrubbery to slide onto her knees before Lin, who was sprawled on the ground. She observed the design of the chest plate and took note of the clasps which her hands wasted no time in undoing. Removing the armor, she was then met with the gaping wound.

Blood escaped her body with a gusto, pouring like a fountain, but the sight did not faze her. Lady would, hopefully, bring Doctor Moon with her, but until they get there, it was up to her to keep this woman from dying. Stripping off her shirt, Cassie bundled the clothing and pressed it against the gash. It soaked the blood quickly, and stained her hands. Lifting herself off the ground, slightly, she put her weight into pressing the wound. She had to stop the bleeding.

But it also left her scars open for all to see.

"June." Cassie called. It was not a yell, in fact, it was a very composed and collected tone, yet it was just as stern, with an iron behind it. "You need to immobilize Arrow. Use your psychic power in case he acts up again. Aidinia will be on her way soon. Maybe."

The gash was long, and Cassie had to apply her entire forearm to properly put pressure on it and then resulted in her needing to lean over Lin. Her gaze was set on the wound. Unmoving. She did not bother to speak to the huntress, for there was nothing to say. They could only wait with bated breath that Aidinia and Alex got there in time.

She only moved her gaze when Lady finally burst out of the shrubbery, Aidinia's makeshift bra in her possession. And Cassie finally released the breath she had been holding. Not because help was coming, no.

It was because Lady had listened to her and followed through. She was there for her when it counts.

 

[Mega Gallade X]

“Yes!” the bee trainer exclaimed with a hint of annoyance, “of course I’m fine! It’s you that we need to worry about!”

There was a small burst of adrenaline in him, it had only lasted about thirty seconds or so as Delilah stood, looking over him back to the pokemon. After that she'd began to help him up and what followed was two minutes and thirty seven seconds of intense agony.

“Right, no time to talk when there’s a crazy, seriously ticked-off Nidoking in the area.” She locked eyes with Damian once again. As annoyed as she sounded, the emotions that flooded her pupils were both shock and confusion. “Lean on me as much as you like, but we need to get you away from here. Preferably toward the doctor if we can make it.”

Damian had been counting since he stood, well, a more accurate depiction would be propped himself up against Delilah, whom he tried to not put his full weight against.

'...nineteen... twenty... twenty-one...' the numbers evenly spaced throughout his thoughts. Damian was trying his hardest to focus on them, focus on anything but the pain. Eyes closed, biting the inside of his cheek to do anything to focus his pain elsewhere. Nothing worked. Fists balled, holding tightly to the black material shirt of Delilah he stumbled for a moment as he lost footing but didnt fall. His back felt as if it had been run through with a thousand sewing needles and the leftover mass of flesh was oozing down his backside to his latissimus dorsi. Then he'd glanced semi upward, to Delilah, who was somewhat dragging him back toward the Doctor as he ran to meet them, and oddly enough... Damian lost count of the seconds he'd been trying to focus on. Her question seemed to just now phase him. Was he crazy? He'd of jumped in front of the attack for anyone, right? Damian liked to think he was a good person, while not valuing someone elses life over his own, he valued all life equally, which he believed was the way it was meant to be.

A half hearted smile as his vision clouded slightly while he kept looking toward Delilah. Maybe Damian was getting just a tad delusional from the poison but, he noted she was beautifully determined.

______________________________

The Nidoking took two hits, one to the jaw and another to the right ear, then brought up its hulking fists to cover its head, flailing outward causing Orion to leap back out of distance. Suddenly Ecarte rushed into the fray putting in swift work.

"Remember your lessons Orion and do not forget to focus on the battlefield aura. Look for a weak point and strike with precision instead of just raw power." he couldn't tell whether or not she was attempting to take the titan on her own or was simply waiting for Orion to assist her. He braced himself to run forward again at the Nidoking but suddenly Ecarte's voice cut through his mind again. "Orion please trust me and don't hit the beast until I give the word or your attack will be wasted." Soothing. Calming. He looked sternly toward the Nidoking, searching for any opening he could, doing a small circle about the sparring Gardevoir and what could only be described as savage pokemon.

______________________________

'Where was I...' He'd thought to himself about the counts, blinking rapidly as he was suddenly lowered to the soft dirt. It was soft, not hard like the ground was normally. Comfortable. He'd wanted to lay here, maybe the poison would get better? The thought was obviously ludicrous but sleep seemed so inviting. Erejast muttered to himself as he worked, "multiple lacerations, heavy dose of Nidoking poison, two cracked ribs, bruised T3 disc. Thirty seconds till, muscle paralysis starts. He ripped his shirt without hesitation and wrapped the cloth around his hands before pulling the posion laden spikes out of the young man's back.

They seemed to hurt worse coming out than going in. He could feel each spike as it was ripped from flesh, muscle and sinew. It definitely felt as though they brought out bits of Damian when they were removed.

Erejast quickly then released Kiwi and made a split second call on the battlefield. "Kiwi use a full heal pulse!" The Togepi giggled and ducked into her egg and a moment latter the egg started to shake and a waves of pink light radiated out over the whole area. As the wave swept through everyones wounds began to knit and bodies felt rejuvenated. Unfortunately even the Nidoking stood taller and completely unharmed.

______________________________

"Orion strike Now!" Ecarte whirled around in midair and thrust her palms downward sending a powerful psychic strike at the Nidoking's head.

Orion saw her attack and joined, charging one massive aura sphere, the legs. They'd faced a lot of powerful pokemon recently, but they all seemed to have quite stubby lower appendages. Weak point one. After the legs Ecartes strike will bring its body down, then close combat to ensure it was down.

He released the aura sphere, downward as well, colliding with the ground where the Nidokings flat feet met dirt. The knees buckled and Ecartes psychic strike collided with the pokemons head toppling its upper body to the earth. After that, Orion had swiftly sprinted toward the downed pokemon and unleashed its volley of physical attacks attempting to ensure it wouldn't stand again and harm them or their trainers.

______________________________

The poison was out, at least Damian had thought so. Living in a blissful naivety only lasted moments before he realized the needles only carried the poison and were not the full attack themselves. Upon trying to stand he convulsed, crying out reaching to his right side he grabbed for anything and was met with soft skin, the hand a little smaller than his own. He wasn't sure if Delilah had meant to accept his hand or it was some instinct but through his pain he let out a small chuckle, slight, barely noticeable.

Then kiwi used heal bell, and the poison seeped from his wounds, which was the worst part of the entire experience. The poison gaped across cuts, burning every nerve. He tightened his grip on Delilahs hand and glanced toward the doctor and egg pokemon. These two people whom he'd met merely minutes before were already saving his life. Why couldn't every stranger be good company. Another tightened grip and brief scream of discomfort as the rest of the toxin had left his body. It felt as if it were burning but he felt better, an after effect of nearly dying felt better than actually dying.

His vision blurry and dark, he looked toward Delilah again. He'd looked at her countless times upon meeting her after the Ursaring. Practically every time he addressed her, but this time seemed different. If not the shortest amount of time, he finally seemed to take in every feature of her face from fear that if it was the last thing he saw, at least it was easy on the eyes. Then he blacked out.

 

[SUPERRNOVAA]

Location
Hidden Forest Clearing

Time
2nd Day, 9:32 AM

Tagging

-----​

Amara was without a doubt correct, Lily's condition was faltering every second they stood there, even if it wasn't by much. The fact stood, pain was something that can only be endured for so long before you give in and let it take over. Floyd had a high tolerance for it, but it was the mental aspect of pain that really made him snap in cases like poison or paralysis. There isn't a black void that you stare into when you die because 'you' don't exist anymore. Your consciousness disappears in to mere nothing and 'you' aren't alive. There isn't anything, not even nothing. This was why the mere concept of death scared him, it was something he couldn't imagine no matter how hard he tried.

The musky scent that came from the woodlands around them strongly permeated the area. The trees were softly shaking about causing leaves to break off and gracefully float to the ground. The leaves only lasted for seconds, as the vibrations coming from the earth beneath the little group in the clearing made them shake and scatter in an erratic manner along the dirt and grass. It was serene, but Floyd paid no attention to it, the beautiful forest wasn't the case in focus. The young trainer turned his head to the direction in which Amara had pointed. That was apparently where the vibrations were coming from. Swift sat happily in his trainers arms as Floyd stared into the deep abyss of the lush forest ahead. It was as if the threat of death didn't exist and the green habitat was completely innocent. Although that wasn't the case at all. Reality once again hit him on the forehead and he began to realize the severity of the rumbling in the ground. It wasn't exactly getting larger, it was fluctuating somewhat. Sometimes there was a large vibration, sometimes there was a small one. Floyd peered closer in the direction of the tremors and his eyes widened at what he saw.

Pictures began to flash before his very eyes, like an epileptic series of frames they dazed him, but he barely made out the full picture. There was a brawny looking Nidoking lying on the ground and what looked like Lucario delivering an all out physical attack to it. Not so far away was a group of people who seemed familiar. One had mocha skin with emerald eyes and another had white hair and a face Floyd couldn't exactly make out. There was also another person, with the distinctive shape of a Togepi next to them. Eventually, the flashes of light began to slow down and his breathing grew slightly heavier. A weight was put on his shoulders, something that he would have to burden. The last image showed itself for a brief moment, it was a Gardevoir attacking something that Floyd couldn't make out in the short time span the picture was shown to him.

Floyd woke up from the trance he was in and the harsh, ever-growing winds blew his clothing to the the side. His skin tightened and a chill went up his spine. A burning sensation in his throat and a pounding pain in his head made themselves apparent to the young boy. Just what did he experience? Floyd wondered if he might have been going mad, why was his brain acting so funnily? After questioning himself for a short moment, he took a small step back and let the leafage below crumble under his weight. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath in, and then exhaled. The pain faded from his mind, but something else replaced it. An insuppressible urge to go to the people he saw in his image. He thought for a moment, and wondered once again as the grass gently brushed his heels, but quickly gave in to the attraction and decided to speak up.

"I personally think we should go towards the source of the earthquakes. There are people there in trouble, I don't want to bear the guilt that I ignored them, and caused another casualty among the dozens that have probably happened already. You're going to have to trust me about this."

Swift looked up at his trainers face, shocked by the clear, seamless projection of thoughts Floyd just conveyed. This was unlike him, never in the Starmies life had he ever seen his trainer speak in such a way. Floyd stood there though, letting the desire to head towards the danger spread throughout his perception, slightly clouding it. He asked no questions and received no answers. For now, he didn't need either.

 

[Nygenn]

Location: Riverside, near Camp SAM.CG
Time: 2nd Day, Somewhere around 9:30 am
Tagging: Salem, Lin, Cassie

----------------​

A small bump on the head roused Ajax enough to open an eye and see what was going on. The first thing he noticed were emeralds. No not emeralds, they were eyes, emerald colored eyes.

“Your trainer’s in danger,” a sexy voice purred in his ear.

Ajax blinked and pushed himself up.

‘What?’ he thought but before he could ask he noticed the eyes were gone, as was the Pokémon they belonged to.

He looked around for a moment until a feminine, startled voice crying out drew his attention to the center of camp, there a purple streak flashed by and when his vision caught up he saw it was the purple Liepard.

“Follow me, water giant!” she purred loudly at him.

The big Blastoise didn’t really understand what was going, but a glance besides him told him that the small human he was supposed to watch over, was gone.

Grumbling to himself he started hobbling after the speedy feline.

“Wait up Puss,” he called ahead.

“I’m coming.”
-

When Arrow seemed to have regained his senses and stopped thrashing, Salem slowly released his hold on the lizard and took a moment to catch his breath. Wrestling the Sceptile had felt akin to receiving a viscous kicking by a team of soccer players, some of which would have very sharp shoes. It hadn’t been his best choice of action, and certainly was not one he was likely to repeat any time soon.

He coughed and groaned as he gathered his feet beneath himself and pushed himself off of the Pokémon’s back. He over balanced, stumbled and nearly fell, but managed to catch, and right himself. Looking down his body he saw that his torso was covered in scrapes and cuts and spots that would bruise soon enough. He also felt a warm trickle run down his side but ignored that for now.

Arrow remained lying on his stomach, half on shore, half in the water. The Pokémon was clearly in anguish and Salem felt his heart squeezed when he looked upon it. What had happened? What could they do to help?

He stumbled closer to Lin who looked to be in an awful state, and knelt next to her. Cassie was leaning over her trying to keep the huntress alive. Salem hadn’t seen her enter the scene but found himself glad for her presence. His eyes met hers and he hoped to see something special in them again. Something like hope, or joy at seeing him again, or appreciation, or worry, but the adrenaline pumping through his body prevented him from seeing anything more than just their color and shape.

‘Such pretty eyes she has,’ he thought, then shook his head and focused his attention on June.

“Lady June are you alright?” he asked her. “I apologize for the rough handling. I’ll be happy to help smooth out your fur later if you’d like.”

Lin groaned in pain then and Salem looked down at her again, then at the ground beneath her and that was when he realized he was sitting in a pool of blood.

“Is she going to be alright?” he asked Cassie with genuine concern. “That’s a lot of blood for such a small body.”

His eyes drooped then and he fought to keep them open. He blinked a couple of times and looked at Cassie again. Her bright eyes helped to keep him focused.

Apparently that short tussle had taken a lot more out of him that he thought it would. Or was it the lack of sleep still plaguing him. He certainly felt very tired.

‘There is nothing more I can do now anyway right?’ he reasoned with himself. ‘Surely no one would object if I took a quick nap now. Cassie’s got it all in hands’

Salem closed his eyes while remaining seated where he was. A small smile tugged on his lips.

He felt rather good.

 

[Loziana]

Aidinia shot up from her seat, "give that back Lady!" She howled as she chased the beautiful purple Pokemon into the trees.

"What the hell has gotten into you?" She realized with a start that Ajax was about to bowl her over if she didn't move. So, not unlike a house slipping down a mountain in a mud slide, Aidinia came pouring into the chaos at the river's edge.

Aidinia took a quick assessment when she came onto the scene. The acrid stench of fresh blood permiated the air. Cassie sat, shirtless pressing aforementioned article of clothing into a gapping wound on some woman's chest. Salem, pale from blood loss rocked at the edge of consciousness. There was blood leaking from his side. By the edge of the river a sceptile dripping with the blood of the injured, sat. He looked devistated and horrified at the scene before him. Something obviously had caused this majestic Pokemon to attack, but he seemed tame enough at the moment.

Aidinia immediately called Alex to her. "These injuries are bad love, I know it will take a lot out of you but we must heal them. We will both rest after."

Alex's ribbons spun and twirled there was a melodic sound as she hummed and purred her wishes to the stars and sky. She danced and shimmered and soon the aura of healing enveloped first Lin and then Salem. Their wounds knitted slowly closed.

After the wishes were completed, Aidinia moved to Lin's side. "My name is Aidinia Moon, I am a Dr. I think you should eat some of the ferlgator we have left and sleep. You're healed, but your body will have to replenish the blood you've left lost. Dr.'s orders everyone is going to nap now."

Aidinia crossed the distance between herself and the sceptile. She washed the blood from his blades. She could feel his fever. She smiled down at him. "That goes for you too fella, you're running a fever and need rest."

Aidinia waited for them to head back to camp for that rest she had demanded from them.

 

[PentheWonderful]

The smell of blood was overwhelming.

It was one of those strange things you would unconsciously find yourself enjoying. The smell of iron, it overpowered the sweet scents of the jungle, the freshness of the river. It was almost too much. But still, nothing Cassie was unaccustomed to. Her eyes had returned to the wound beneath her hands, watching it closely, willing the blood to begin clotting to prevent any more from spilling. This overwhelming scent of crimson drew Lady in for a closer inspection, beckoning her to take a seat beside her trainer, Aidinia's makeshift bikini still clamped in her maw as she sniffed the injured huntress with interest.

Had she not devoured that filling meal earlier, she wouldn't have hesitated in taking a bite.

So focused was she, that the sound of pain induced groans and stumbling footsteps were not enough to catch her attention, but it was certainly enough to catch Cassie's. Her eyes flickered to catch sight of Salem's lithe, bronze form clumsily making his way over, lacking any of the grace and fluidity he normally held. There was instead only exhaustion and damage, and it did not suit him at all.

Her eyes followed him all the way to his kneeling by Lin's side, just opposite of her, without her brain's permission. Cassie lifted her head to properly see, and it was almost inevitable that they locked gazes. Those bright irises were yet again searching her own, ever so casually prying into her vault of secrets like they did once before. But his brightness had dulled, worn away by pain and exhaustion and it was an all too familiar sight. His caribbean green eyes, now glazed over by an aloofness, a certain sense of tranquility that seemed to protect him from reality's horrors. 'It's so strange, isn't it? It's... Abnormal. Or is it simply blissful ignorance?' She wondered, but soon realized the pressure being applied to Lin's wound decreasing, and for a moment, she realized she couldn't remember what she was doing.

Her eyes flicked downwards to the gore she had her hands buried in, and that tranquility, that haze that had overtaken Salem that had somehow overtaken her as well, was quickly flushed from her system. The blood was beginning to clot somewhat, but not nearly enough.

“Is she going to be alright?” Salem had asked her, coaxing her eyes to return to him. But not before first noticing his own little fountain gushing from his side, among the other cuts and bruises, on their way up to his face. “That’s a lot of blood for such a small body.”

'Because it's not all her's.' She wanted to respond, but found they never left her lips. Instead, they remained still, and her eyes remained glued to the injury much less severe than Lin's, yet the dread she eating at her chest was tenfold. It was the kind of dread you felt when fearing the safety of your own life, and it puzzled her as to why it was there for Salem.

'I don't want to lose him.' She realized with a furrow of her brows. 'I can't lose him. Not yet.'

Her eyes soon began their frantic search for something, anything, that would allow her to help Salem retain the amount of blood he had left, but the only option that came to mind was her own shirt, which she had already used for Lin.

Perhaps...

Perhaps...

Her frantic eyes somehow found their way to the fabric hanging from Lady's mouth, and the piece clicked in her head.

"Lady-" She lifted one hand to quickly grasp her Liepard's paw, placing it on the cloth over Lin's wound where her hand had been and proceeding to do the same for the other. "Put pressure on that, and don't move."

And the Liepard instead looked into the dying hunters eyes to purr, "When you die, I'm gonna eat you."

And so, she quickly snatched the cloth from Lady's mouth, carefully folding it into a neat square as she moved to Salem's side. Her quick eyes took note of the severity of his puncture; its alarming depth, but otherwise manageable diameter. His body was slumping steadily, but she caught him before he fell, reaching across his chest to grab hold of his shoulder. She would let him lean on her, if he so needed to. With her free hand, she firmly pressed the cloth over the puncture.

From this close, she could find his scent beneath the overpowering by the smell of blood. Cassie steadied him, pressed her shoulder into his to keep him upright, and she could feel his skin against her's and he was still so warm. "You don't really think ahead, do you?" She found herself asking softly beside his ear.

The hand she had on his shoulder hand moved to clasp one of his hands, feeling firsthand the roughness of his palms and that strange wholeness from before. She placed it over the cloth where she moved her own hand away, and pressed his against it firmly. "Put pressure on that. Don't let it leave you, Salem." 'Don't go yet.'

But she'd left him instead. Moving back to Lin, she nodded a thanks to Lady before once again taking over. Her back was to him now, so he wouldn't distract her again. It was for the best.

And that was when help came.

Aidinia pushed out of the shrubbery where Lady had emerged, completely bare chested with Ajax following closely behind. Cassie had looked up, and found herself silently pleased that the doctor's impressive rack had not fazed her as much as it should have. The bikini thing she wore hadn't really hidden that much anyway. But within the next moment, the doctor had released her Sylveon to heal all the casualties of Arrow's assault.

Cassie released a breath, and her muscles lost their tension. Lady flicked her tail in annoyance at the sight of the sources of wonderful scarlet disappearing, so she leaned down and drank from the pooling around Lin instead.

The trainer pulled her shirt back. It was thoroughly soaked by a stranger's blood. And she let out a small sigh.

"My name is Aidinia Moon, I am a Dr. I think you should eat some of the ferlgator we have left and sleep. You're healed, but your body will have to replenish the blood you've left lost. Dr.'s orders everyone is going to nap now."

Cassie stood at this.

"That goes for you too fella, you're running a fever and need rest."

She unfolded her shirt and squeezed as much blood as she could from it, all the while musing smoothly, "Are you sure you want him in the camp?" Her voice held a tone of contemplation, albeit challenging, yet not a trace of mockery in it.

The young woman moved to the river's edge, a safe distance away from Arrow, and impatiently dunked the article of clothing in the water. She would wash it before any of the hemoglobin could set in the fabric. "You can't control him. Lin is in no shape to, either."

She hummed, and then pulled the washed shirt from the river, holding it above the water to check for any remainders. "There's a good chance you're about to massacre your only friends on this island."

 

[BurbleBurble]

Date: Day Two, likely 9:30 AM or sometime past it
Location: Camp SAM.CG
-----
Satisfied. Yes, they were satisfied. The new memory was written into a book, and shoved messily in the shelves, to gain dust over the years. New papers were added to Cassie and Salem's archives, giving new connections to one another. And the need to figure out what was off was placated, though that was taken care of long before any of this.

Cassie agreed she was lucky. Good.

They were both placated, which made things even better.

Lady seemed to place herself on top of the sleeping behemoth in the midst of his stuttered speech, so he concluded June hadn't used force to swindle his belt back. Good, good. Lady might be needed to swipe things off an unwary rocket grunt.

Cassie had gotten up though, and seemed to have more important things to do. Lady followed her master with a click of her tongue. "Oh, uh, bye! Nice talking to you!"

That left him and the sleeping turtle. To be fair, he was rather drowsy himself...

And he nodded off to Ajax's steady breathing.
...
It was good five or ten minutes before he awoke. The doctor's scream was to blame for this, causing him to jump straight up.

"I'M UP, I'M UP!" He called out in panic. What was happening? Rocket attack? Feral Pokemon attack? Did someone just get decapitated?...He thought of that too much. Mental note, stop thinking of decapitations.

But it was nothing serious. Ajax was in no hurry, only just leaving camp. Actually, with Ajax gone, he noticed the doctors absence as well. Along with Salem's, June's, Cassie's, and Lady's continued lack of presence. So that meant...was he in the camp alone?

No! How could he be so stupid! There was still one person here.

Megan.

The trash information from earlier was fished up again.

Megan is pretty cute. You should talk to her.

Sounded like a good idea.

She was just fiddling with some bowls. There was no water to spill, no cats to steal belts...actually, talking to her might go smoothly this time!

So he calmly walked up behind her. He tried to not surprise her by doing a simple *ahem* to catch her attention.

"Hey there. Want to talk, or, uh, something?"
-----
The fox's suspicions were correct.

This thing was feral, and it was violent. Whether or not the Sceptile could be classified as Arrow anymore was up to debate, considering he just hacked through Lin with ease and lack of regret.

Though it was fairly obvious who he was aiming for, though. June's chest should've been the one cleaved open, not Lin's back. For this saving action she had to thank Salem and her own instincts, the former had pulled her back, and the latter caused her to jump back, staff alight.

Unfortunately, she wasn't able to get a good shot in. Salem had decided to wrestle the reptile into the river shallows, holding down the leafy monster, before propping up it's head to see the damage he had inflicted on his sister.

This seemed to placate Arrow and snap him free of the virus, at least temporarily.

And somehow, Cassie had arrived rather quickly. Lady was at her side, but not for long. She was sent to fetch help, such as Ajax and the Doctor. Would Gerald come? Hopefully not. She meant no offence to him, but he'd probably muck things up further.

"June." Cassie asked, in a cool tone. "You need to immobilize Arrow. Use your psychic power in case he acts up again. Aidinia will be on her way soon. Maybe."

That's all the Delphox needed to hear. She walked over to a few feet away from where Arrow lay.

'I understand your not my biggest fan right now. But please cooperate. I don't want to hurt you.'

No response. The poor thing must've still been in shock from the sight of Lin.

Salem asked if she had fared well. Considering he seemed more injured and bloody, why did he seem so concerned about her well being? The fox was completely fine...Though she would take him up on that offer for more massaging later.

As Lady and Aidinia showed up on the scene, and presumably Ajax lumbering behind them, there was no Gerald to be found. A small smile broke her neutral face.

Good, good. Aidinia, as expected, healed Salem and Lin. Then, in a interesting twist, went to help...Arrow?!

Even though June attempted to wave her away, in a Don't, he's dangerous! kind of way. Fat lot that did, the doctor reached for Arrow's arms.

'Forgive me for the precaution.'

June used a weak psychic to stop Arrow's arms from moving on their own volition. Of course, the doctor cleaned them off without a hitch. The wild reptilian didn't look like he was resisting. Hopefully it would stay that way for a bit. But the doctor was obviously much more optimistic, saying it was only a fever, and they'd offer him a meal back at camp. Cassie was quick to point out the asinine side of this, and June attempted to chime in...

'I have to agree with Cassie. Even though Lin's Sceptile is...'

Oh, right. These weren't Lin. Wouldn't understand what she was saying.

Maybe Cassie would though. She was good at identifying these types of things through body language, but June still had her doubts.

Right now, she just wanted to get back to camp, and have a nice meal. But it seemed while she was distracted, her psychic hold on Arrow...

Slipped.

 

[Astralkitsune]

Lin
​

Lin's mind and body were on fire with pain. Her thoughts still kept whirling around in a spiral of disbelief that Arrow had done this to her. She kept seeing the nightmare over and over again. On top of this she could feel her life blood slipping pouring out onto the cold unforgiving ground. Despite all this she desperately tried to fight through to consciousness, she had messages to convey before passing on. She felt hands and pressure on her chest. Lin opened her eyes to three pairs of eyes hovering over her. One pair of eyes seafoam green and the other pair a glinting silver. The final pair were a slanted pair of feline green. The eyes were accompanied by a purr "When you die, I'm gonna eat you." Lin had a thought, "that's fine with me." She put all of her remaining energy into weakly lifting one arm and placing it on a pouch at her waist, she pulled just slightly at the pouch trying to unknot it. She tried to whisper through blood filled lungs the message half garbled, "T..ee.aa" before she finally succumbed to unconsciousness.

Arrow could feel the blood pounding in his heart and head. The red haze had been driven back for now but hovered on the edge of his vision like a pack of predators surrounding wounded but still dangerous prey. Dark thoughts assaulted his brain, "kill, hunt, blood, prey, threat, food, survive, KILL!" His own instincts were assaulting him trying to rob him of his higher senses as a proud pokemon and to turn him into a blood thirsty beast. He had to end it before he was not himself anymore. Arrow growled and tried to move his arms upward but their was some invisible presence holding him down. He began to apply more pressure to the stubborn barrier but still the presence held him pinned. Finally the presence slacked off and Arrow tore through the barrier whipping his arms upward with viscous strength. The blades on both arms passed inches from the good Dr.'s face flying past in a split second and with enough force to move her hair from the wind. Arrow stood up in the shallows with both arms raised the arm blades turned inward curved downward towards his stomach. The red haze encroached almost all of his vision, his head pounded with the instinctual commands that he defiantly refused. "Kill, blood, kill, hunt, prey, threat, defend, survive, kill, hunt, blood KILL, Kill!"

 

[Nygenn]

Location: Riverside, near Camp SAM.CG
Time: 2nd Day, Somewhere around 9:30 am
Tagging: Salem, Ajax, Arrow, June, Line, Cassie, Aidinia

----------------​

Ajax came hobbling down the last part of the slope and rounded the bend to the river side. He could smell the blood, noticed several of the humans on the ground covered in it, and saw the wild Sceptile waving its bloody blades around, next to the doctor.

Without missing a single step the Big Blastoise threw himself forwards on all fours and loosed a volley of massive water bullets before continuing his movement in a dash towards the water. The two high pressure bullets launched from the shoulder cannons with a wet ‘slunk’ sound and almost immediately after exploded into the lizards back with a crack like thunder. The concussive force of the impact send the reptile skirting across the water until almost halfway across the river, where the current eagerly received it.

Ajax was right behind. He barreled past Aidinia and with a loud roar he dove into the water. Waves splashed up all around the bulky turtle’s form, drenching everything on the edge of the shore. Fully in his element he was on the sputtering Pokémon within two heartbeats, grabbed it roughly from behind and bit down onto its shoulder. He let the current swallow them both and used his weight to drag his kicking opponent under where he would last longer than it.

Water and foam spurted in all directions around the massive combatants in the water. The people on shore would hardly be able to make out what was going on because of the wild thrashing of the behemoths, until there was a booming roar, followed by a shrill shriek and then silence as they disappeared beneath the surface. The water settled over them and the flow of the river washed away all traces of the struggle.

 

[Curvykitten]

Name:Lily Matherson
Location: Woods,
Tagging: Dynami, Floyd,
Lily could feel the hairs on her arms stand on end as the familiar feeling of danger washed over her senses once more. It flashed quickly over her nerve endings, and set her on edge. Amara's over analytical analyses of the situation did little to help ease the tension that once again seized her body. Lily knew she shouldn't keep pushing herself, but in truth, what other choice did she really have? It was push forward or lay down and die, and she had no intention of ever doing that.

The odd sensation of liquid ran down her thigh as the holding her wound closed slowly melted. The water mixing with blood as it traced down the curve of her thigh. For now the ice provided an almost numbing effect, but that would only last as long as it did. So Lily decided it was best to take action while she still had the ability to do so. The last thing she wanted to do was end up a burden to anyone. They all had enough to carry upon their shoulders at the moment.

Lily looked up as Floyd seemed to lose himself to something, his eyes becoming almost blank as he became what seemed like an empty shell. She watched for a moment, wondering what could be or have happened to the poor boy. She reached out just as he seemed to shake himself free from held him. her hand recoiling to keep from startling him any further. Lily took a deep breath as Floyd spoke, how or why he knew about the trouble ahead was beyond her. She had heard stories from the elders of some of the tribes she had lived with in her younger years. But there was not enough time or energy to linger on those thoughts now.

"We are better off in numbers, besides I don't think I could live with myself either." she nodded in agreement with Floyd. "Pang...goro...pan." Dynami spoke up clearly concerned, "I'm ok Dynami...really." she assured her pokemon protector and looked to the others, "Lets get going." Lily managed a smile and readied herself for what was coming next.

 

[Chrocey]

Delilah had remained by Damian’s side as Erajest looked him over. Every bone in her body ached to step away and rejoin the fight herself, but she was frozen. Still stunned by him jumping in the way of the attack.

For a moment, Damian began to convulse. The unpleasant sight pinged a memory in Delilah’s mind, the horrifying nightmare she’d had about her brother who had been consumed by flames. For a second, she could still hear him wailing out to her in desperation.

Delilah shook her head and regained focus on the task at hand. There would be plenty of time to worry about the nightmare after the fight.

When Damian reached out for something to grab she’d immediately given him her hand. At this point she’d have given him anything that he thought would make him feel better. As if in response to such a thought, he began to squeeze her hand as the poison was withdrawn from his body, seeping and soaking into the soil.

Delilah winced. It didn’t look good, and it didn’t help that he seemed to be looking right at her. There was sadness in his eyes, followed by a calmness that seemed misplaced considering his current situation. Though he’d been looking at her softly, the bee trainer figured that he was simply passing out. It was understandable after having gone through such an ordeal.

Just as she’d guessed, his eyes closed and his body sunk until it was loose against the dirt. Delilah’s surprised expression shifted to a grimace. She reached out and put her hand on his shoulder.

“Thanks, Damian. Now, it’s my turn.” Delilah stood up and turned to face the Nidoking with clenched fists.

It had taken her a moment to notice that her body felt completely rejuvenated. No aches or pains, even the bruising on her sides from the Pinser attack seemed to have gone away. It was safe to say that she felt as ready to fight as ever.

Orion and Ecarte had already beaten the beast down quite a bit, and Delilah shot a glance over to Beedrill who seemed to have recovered his injuries after the Togepi’s healing shockwave. She let out a breath of relief.

“Beedrill! Let’s blind this guy like you did with the others!”

_____

Beedrill had been on the verge of death, and in that moment he was delighted to see that someone else had risked their own well-being to save Delilah. It was symbolic, he thought, as it meant that perhaps she didn’t need him to protect her. That even after he passed on she would be alright in this world.

As he began to slip into that final goodnight, his thoughts remained on Delilah. Everything she’d told him, all the time they’d spent together. Ruptures of sadness and longing covered his thoughts.

Death showed itself as a cascade of black and pink.

Pink?

Beedrill’s consciousness gradually returned to him as a wave of pink covered his body. Rapidly, his wound began to heal. His wing began to treat itself and snap back into place. Though painful, every injury he was suffering seemed to be fixing itself.

That was when he realized that the Togepi must have used its healing ability to rejuvenate everyone in the area. Just when all hope had been lost, Beedrill saw that perhaps there was still a chance for a happy ending after all.

The bug pokemon continued to struggle, but to his delight he was able to rise once again. He flapped his wings and hovered above the ground, faltering a little but regaining his composure and looking at the Nidoking with fierce determination.

After glaring for a moment he fixed his gaze over to Delilah, who seemed to be in good health as well. She looked like she was shouting and pointing to the Nidoking.

Beedrill cocked his head at her in confusion. If she was shouting, why couldn’t he hear her?

After having been revived, he’d just assumed every part of him had been fixed. It took him until looking at Delilah to realize that he still couldn’t hear anything. Not a single word that she was saying, nor any noise from the roaring Nidoking.

At that moment, he felt his blood run cold again. Could it be that the damage to his abdomen was too severe? And what of his antennae? He hadn’t noticed that they’d been harmed, as he was far too focused on everything else that was hurting.

_______

“What are you waiting for?! Let’s get ‘em!” Delilah shouted across to her pokemon impatiently. His only response was a confused stare.


It suddenly occurred to the dark-skinned trainer that perhaps something else was wrong. Keeping an eye on the Nidoking, she cautiously jogged over to her pokemon and looked at him, concern flooding her expression. Upon reaching him, she placed a hand on one of his drills.

Beedrill simply continued to watch her.

“What’s wrong, Beedrill? Are you still hurt?”

No response.

“Are you upset about something?”

Still no response.

Delilah looked slightly annoyed. “Why aren’t you answering me? Are you deaf or something?”

Beedrill once again didn’t respond, however this time his silence acted as a clear answer. Though Delilah had initially intended the remark to be somewhat sarcastic, her expression turned much more serious when she discovered it may have been true.

“Beedrill…” Delilah slowly pointed to her ear and tried to mouth the words ‘can’t hear?’. The bug pokemon understood what she was communicating to him and nodded solemnly. Though he didn’t exactly seem distraught by this new development, he was certainly taken aback.

Delilah’s forehead wrinkled, as if she were now trying to find a way to solve this problem. If they were lucky, this was just some sort of temporary hearing loss. If it was something more than that, then maybe the doctor would be able to help him. Until then, he was in no shape to fight the Nidoking.

“Follow me. Over here.” Delilah spoke slowly and waved her hands. She made sure to indicate any point she was trying to get across by making plenty of hand gestures. “We’ll wait with the doctor. Let Orion and Ecarte pummel Nidoking.”

Beedrill nodded in understanding. He followed his trainer closely, his eyes constantly darting around to ensure he was aware of everything in his environment.

 

[Nygenn]

Location: Riverside, near Camp SAM.CG
Time: 2nd Day, Somewhere around 9:45 am
Tagging: Salem, Lin, Cassie, Aidinia

----------------​

A splash of cold water on his naked skin jolted Salem back to full awareness. He raised his head, sat up straight and blinked twice. He saw Lin on the ground before him, her breathing steady and her face no longer pained. She was unconscious. A little further ahead he saw Cassie bend forward to watch her shirt in the river. He automatically took note of her curvy form, slender, yet muscular frame, and glistening skin marred by a myriad of marks and scars. The blemishes distracted from her beauty but added doubly to her allure.

The sight of her calmed his heart, he discovered to his surprise. He distinctly remembered it sent him racing earlier that day.

‘This tiny woman,’ he thought bemusedly. ‘She doesn’t care what effect she has on my so long as she is provoking some reaction.’

It was then that he became aware of the fact that he was holding a folded piece of cloth pressed against his side.

‘What’s this?’ he wondered, and unfolded it to reveal the remnants of a black shirt. He began to look around.

‘This is not mine, this looks more like…’ he thought, but stopped when he had turned around fully and saw doctor Aidinia Moon in all her pale, uncovered, voluptuous glory.

“My Moons…” he finished with a whisper.

He was staring openly, his eyes locked on her magnificent bosom. His body responded almost immediately and Salem was hit by a dizzy spell. His head hurt and he literally reeled from the ill-timed redirection of his limited blood supply.

He almost keeled over backwards on top of Lin but something soft caught him first. When he looked up he saw June looking down at him. She wore an expression of… concern?

‘For me?’ he wondered.

She yipped something, and he close his eyes tiredly. When he opened them again he wore an apologetic smile.

“I am sorry Lady June, but I cannot understand your words.”

He grinned at her then.

“Not yet anyway, however now that I know they can be learned you will find me an eager student.”

She didn’t say anything to that and just observed him for a moment from her elevated vantage point.

“Would you help me up?” he asked her, and she did.

He steadied on her small shoulders for a moment, then extended his hand with the cloth in it in Aidinia’s direction without looking.

“I would like nothing more than to keep ogling you like this my dear doctor, but it appears I am currently too weak to handle your magnificence.” He said smiling, but sounding disappointed. “Perhaps you will grand me a closer inspection later when I have the blood to spare for a proper response?”

Just then a grim looking Ajax came strolling out of the river dragging an unconscious Sceptile by the tail behind him. He made a yanking motion and the green Pokémon was unceremoniously tossed onto shore.

Salem called out to his friend.
-

The fight had been brutal and savage, but at the same time the river dampened and subdued all the motions and sounds of combat.

Arrow had been thrashing wildly, both from a survival instinct as from the red haze overtaking his mind, but the lizard Pokémon was at a severe disadvantage. He was built for speed, quick motions, and fast strikes, but here in the water he had no footing and could find no leverage. The water severally slowed down his thrusts and jabs as well, rendering them effectively useless against the turtle’s tough defenses.

The Blastoise was enormous. Easily a head taller than he was, while its kind normally stood shorter, or level at best. Its strength was also noteworthy. Granted Arrow had never directly tested himself in such a manner against a Blastoise before because his kind wasn’t built for grappling, but he had expected to be able to escape by now.

Ajax maintained his vice like grip on his adversary and clamped hard on its shoulder. The reptile would not be resurfacing if he did not permit it.

The pair had sunk down to the river floor where Ajax laid on his back, keeping the wild Pokémon from finding any leverage. The thrashing intensified, and grew more frenzied the more the Sceptile's lungs began to burn, aching for fresh air.

Eventually the lizard managed to twist some of his limbs free, but Ajax bit down harder on the green Pokémon’s shoulder and started turning around. It began slowly, but picked up speed quickly and the big Blastoise invoked his control over water and currents by means of the Surf skill Salem had taught him some years ago. The current of the river swirled around them, lending its power to their momentum until Ajax twisted and slammed the other Pokémon bodily into the riverbed, cracking stone, and likely bone.

Arrow gasped from the force of the impact, releasing the last of his breath and swallowing large mouths full of water instead. He jerked, choked, and panicked. Vision began to blur and then darken. His last thoughts were of his sister before he succumbed to darkness.

As soon as the Sceptile stopped moving Ajax grabbed hold of it again by the tail and pushed off the bottom towards the surface. He landed on the shallow side of the river and walked out onto shore, dragging his adversary behind him.

‘I hate this,’ he grumbled as soon as his head breached the water surface. ‘I am tired of dealing with all these freaks.’

Ajax tossed the reptile onto shore. It would probably live, it hadn't been under for that long.

“Oh Ajax, you saved Arrow from drowning, well done amigo!” Salem’s voice called, drawing his attention.

The big Blastoise looked over, surprised at seeing his friend up, waving and smiling. Always smiling. He rolled his eyes and grunted. Why did he ever bother getting worried or upset? There was no end to this man’s fortune. He would survive every ordeal and do so smiling.

Always smiling.

 

[Loziana]

Aidinia's eyes welled with tears. She hated watching Ajax dragging the sceptile into the water. Her heart was breaking for the Pokemon. She had to find a way to fight this damn virus! She absentmindedly took her make shift top from Salem. She nodded at him with his offer to play later. Her mind really hadn't caught what she was agreeing to.

Aidinia walked down to the water, bending down her pale back glistening in the sunlight, she washed Salem's blood out of the remains of her shirt. She shook her head, this fabric can't take much more. Aidinia thought as she tied the now sopping wet material back around her body. She walked over to Lin, fighting back her tears and focusing on the jobs at hand. She said something about tea, what was she talking about? I wonder if anyone knows what she meant. Arceus that's a lot of scarring! Has this girl ever had proper medical care? Aidinia inspected Lin's smooth skin, she saw scraps and scars and deeper wounds. This woman's life had been hell. Her body was obviously the road map back there. Aidinia's heart broke for her. We'll see to it that this girl has a closer family. I'll see to it! Her body was healthy even with all her scars. Lin's breathing was even and she seamed to be resting easy.

"Cassie, Salem do either of you know what she was talking about when she was saying tea? If it's something that can help we should probably figure it out. We also need to get everyone back to camp."

She walked back over to Salem and inspected his wounds. There were scars and he was gaining more everyday. She wondered how much longer his beautiful smile was going to last in this horrible place.

"Ajax my handsome fella," Aidinia addressed him as he came out of the water from his hard fought battle. "Can you help me get this lady back to camp and that sceptile to, we need to try to work on the virus, I'll need someone to treat."

They're going to think I'm insane, but with out a cure this thing is going to spread and all Pokemon everywhere could be infected.. I really wish Nivashi was here.

 

[Jake Acker]

Knox opened his eyes slowly, raising one broad arm to shelter his retina from the fierce glow that assaulted them from within the dank gloom of the cave he resided in. After what seemed like an eternity his vision returned to normal and he could survey his surroundings with his steel blue eyes suspiciously, judging every bit of moss and every puddle of moisture that surrounded him. Where was he? Oh of course. Hell.


Knox thought that was a pretty accurate way to describe his current situation. If being stuck on an island full of man eating monsters and having your very life put in the hands of a bunch gang members wasn't worthy of being described as hell he didn't know what could be. Getting up from the corner of the natural cave he had made his temporary home and wiping moisture of his backside with one of his hands in an absent minded manner it all came rushing back to him. The tournament. The knockout gas. The death of that unfortunate boy and his Pidgeot. The way he and Bastille had immediately vanished into the depths of the forest the moment the hologram had vanished and sought shelter in this cave. The pair had ventured out twice to drink and gather food and resources but Knox had strongly believed that Devon would know something was wrong by now after no sign of communication from him. Surely a team had been sent out to the island by now? What kind of a stalemate was happening between team Rocket and the outside world he wondered?


A sound reminiscent of a broken car trying to start up diverted the young man's attention to the entrance of his humble abode. It was his beloved partner Bastille, snoring so hard the ground shook with each exhale of air from the behemoths mouth. Under normal circumstances such a sound would be as good as an all you could eat buffet sign with flashing neon lights above their cave to any predators in the area but Knox had this cave for more reasons than just the lovely riverside view from its mouth. No, in fact after a quick glance at the sediment and the stone that made up the cave he had all he needed to know this was probably as good a natural shelter as he was going to find situated on this islands shores. The limestone walls spoke volumes to him, they whispered to him that a porous rock like themselves would encourage plant life and insects to inhabit the caves depths, pointed out to him that there would likely be collections of water deep in the cave that infiltrated from the river regime itself to form small pools that would keep him alive for at least a few days if he couldn't make a run down to the river itself and most importantly it screamed at him that Bastille would make for a great door. Yes this was in fact the very reason that the ancient Pokémon's snoring hadn't become a problem. By instructing his companion to back into the cave tail first his head filled the entire entrance to the cave itself and thus created a nigh indestructible barrier that any predators would have to break to get at the Bastiodon and his companion. Furthermore with his eyes closed Bastille's head blended in with the surrounding stone enough that the frenzied Pokémon couldn't even tell he was there and would eventually leave the area frustrated by a search in vain.


Finally on his feet Knox wandered over to the fire that had been the cause of his discomfort earlier. "So another great night’s sleep in our luxury accommodation hey buddy?" he said to the sleeping beast guarding the cave entrance with a smile on his face that masked the fact that he felt like shit after sleeping on a cave floor for hours on end. After not getting any response from Bastille other than a slightly louder snore than the ones that had come before it, Knox had taken to staring into the flames before him and letting memories wash over him. In fact the first memory that flooded back to him was of the last fire he had been looking at before his current one.


All of a sudden he was back in the room that the tournaments organisers had supplied for him, reliving the recent past. His least favourite kind of past. He was reminded of how a slight hissing noise, like an Ekans hiding in the grass giving its first and last warning before it strikes, as the gas had filled his room entirely and created a thick, suffocating cloud for him to struggle through. Quick thinking and luck was all that had sparred him from immediately succumbing to the gases effects like so many other guests had been in the adjacent rooms and all around the tropical trap they had walked into. Lying on the top of his bag was the scuba kit he had been doing maintenance on as well as his much less important floral swimming shorts. Desperately reaching for the equipment he had manged to catch it by the strap of the mask and pressed it to his face, greedily gulping mouthfuls of slightly metallic artificial air that the tubes fed him from the canister on the ground beside him. After getting his breath back he set about hastily slinging the oxygen tank over his shoulder. What was going on? Well obviously it was a trap of some kind, the question he should have been asking himself was "who is the cause of this?”. His first thoughts were perhaps another company had caught wind of his presence here and decided to take drastic actions. The second thought hit the nail on the head. Could it be the mysterious and oddly ominous benefactors that were holding this tournament? Of course it turned out his theory was correct as serval heavily armed men flung his door open with a crack as it slammed against the wall heavily. Ever last man cradled an ugly form of submachine gun that Knox wasn't familiar with and every one of the squat black weapons pointed his way with clear and vicious intent. Knox knew when he was beat. He couldn't reach for Bastilles ball, summoning the gentle giant would just give his attackers more reason to open fire on him and kill him where he stood. He couldn't hope to take out that many men with hand to hand combat from this distance either so instead he took of his mask as the first man stepped towards him and innocently asked "Room service?" with a wink before the butt of the guards gun knocked him out cold and left him alone in the endless darkness.


Knox was abruptly brought back to reality by the sound of heavy footsteps behind him and sunlight flooding the cave, making the moisture coated walls glint in a beautiful and most distracting manner. "Oh I see a certain sleepy head is up then huh?" he teased Bastille as he followed his partner out of the stale air that the cave contained and into the moist fresh air that could only be found near large bodies of water. Now that he was outside the Devon agent could admire his partner’s full glory. An ancient beast that stood in the here and now, larger than life and in Knox's opinion one of the most beautiful creatures this planet had ever had to offer. The majestic head was raised, sniffing the air with the intent of finding some food today. Luckily Bastiodon were naturally grazing Pokémon so Bastille could sustain himself on the abundant wild grasses in the area but Knox really couldn't stomach much more in the way of roots and berries. His body craved real protein. The young man’s muscle mass and body size wasn't meant for the diet of a Buneary after all.


"Come on big guy it’s about time we go hunting for something that can actually fight back." he said to his loyal partner as he swung a leg over the Pokémon's broad back and got a firm grasp on the back of his rock like neck. The pair set off into the denser forest at a steady pace, mentally preparing themselves for their first big move in this sick game they had so unwillingly became players in.

 

[BurbleBurble]

Date: Day Two, sometime past 9:30
Location: Riverside
-----
'Damn you!'

June had assumed that was a terrible word associated with terrible things. It was what Gerald said as a Noivern hoisted her off that once, and when she was seperated back at Route 15 (Or did he use crasser language?...She couldn't quite recall.), and when something he cooked didn't go too well. This seemed like a great time for such a word.

The offender was the Sceptile, who June had become lax on, broke free of her monopoly of his arms. He nearly slashed into the Doctor's face, which would've given her a nice scar had it landed. Lucky for her, it hadn't made it's mark. And with June there, she wouldn't have to risk getting hurt any further. June quickly raised her arm to usher the doctor away. Cassie was far enough away to avoid the raging thing.

Though, the more she observed Arrow, the more it seemed like he was going to...

'Don't do it. You'll regret it.'

No response.

'My apologies.'

Just as she raised her stave, a salvo of high pressure water blasted into the Sceptile. The sheer power behind them forced the fox on her side, sending the flaming stick in her hand elsewhere.

Along with the Pokeball she thought was securely stored away.

June recovered rather quickly, only the arm she was slightly sore. Her stave was sitting idly on the damp rocks. Her containment unit sat a few inches from the stick, and looked fine. Though as she picked it up, there was something off with it's usually smooth surface...was it a dent? As the fox turned the ball to look at the damage though, her heart sank.

It wasn't a dent. It was a crack.

Panic quickly set in. Was it broken? Was she technically wild now? Would she be liable to be infected now?

No...She had to keep her calm. Gerald relied on the Delphox. The rest of Gerald's team was depending on them both. She had to first inspect the damage more in depth.

Popping open the ball, there was no internal damages...Seemed she got lucky.

For now.

She'd keep this quiet, no need to incite panic in the others for now. It wasn't serious, at least she thought.

She had to act casual.

Where was Salem, the massage master, doing? Well, other than being unconscious, of course. Stashing away her weapon and ball, as it seemed whatever knocked both the Sceptile and herself would have no trouble dealing with Arrow alone.

As she arrived, the young man began to stir. Interestingly, he seemed to have been...provoked, that was the word, when he gazed upon the doctor. There was nothing surprising about her to June, other than a lack of the "thing one could call a shirt but was more of a bikini". Yes, this woman was rather odd. Not in a Gerald way odd, just...odd in her own way.

Getting back to Salem, it suddenly occurred to June he was about to crush Lin, the one way ticket out of this place. Swiftly she set her draped arms to support his back.

'Be careful.'

He closed his eyes for a moment. Then opened them, with a faint smile.

"I am sorry Lady June, but I cannot understand your words."

Right. He wasn't Lin. It was moments like these she wished for access to telepathy...Being a Psychic type was hard. The islander grinned as he spoke up again.

"Not yet anyway, however now that I know they can be learned you will find me an eager student."

This statement befuddled the fox a bit. Learning Pokemon language could take years, decades of work and determination. The only reason the huntress knew was because she wasn't unlike a Pokemon herself. June's eyes ran up and down his body. Two ribbons decorated his arm, which piqued June's interest. She'd figure out the owner soon enough. Then to his pants. Did he store that weird knife there or something? Because it was sticking out.

"Would you help me up?"

Not one to be rude, June tugged up Salem with little fanfare. He rested on her shoulder, and handed something to Aidinia. Something about playing later. Not too interesting.

No, the interest was on what was flung onto shore.

While Salem and Aidinia had the best interest in Ajax, June was more concerned about the self destructive unconscious reptile. It seemed to be alright, other than the whole unconscious thing...

"...when she was saying tea? If it's something that can help we should probably figure it out..."

Wait, tea? June's ears perked up at the mention

Ah, how could she forget? The tea Lin had made with the Delphox's fire! To temporarily rid of the virus! All she needed was...well, she didn't know the names, but she did know what they looked like. She could do it!...Possibly.

Once again yipping, though this time in excitement, June barreled towards Lin's body. She had to have at least something to make the tea in on her!...As she rummaged, it suddenly occurred to the Delphox that everyone probably thought she was crazy and defiling a unconscious woman.

Though, in June's excitement, she took her view off of Arrow again...

Which likely spelled trouble.

 

[Jake Acker]

It was fair to say Bastille hadn’t been enjoying his holiday so far. The Bastiodon had been told repeatedly by Knox that this mission would be more of a holiday than anything else, a simple geographical survey of a new and interesting island with a nice big fat pay check at the end of it to boot. Perhaps the duo might have even watched a couple of the battles with such interesting competitors turning up each day and taken a break from work.

Well the trip had turned out to be anything but simple right from the start. The moment that the duo had set foot on the islands sandy shores Knox had been in a state of geographical bliss. As Bastille raised his head to look back at his trainer best he could with his frill causing some difficulties he was reminded of how Knox had stopped only to hastily dump his bags in his room before he was already doing his job rather than enjoying the supposed holiday the Pokémon had been promised.

Knox had ventured out into the unknown with gusto, instinctively avoiding the areas thronged with people and was quickly lost in a world of vibrant plants and curious natural features that all seemed to be calling to him. That was of course until he was stopped by armed guards who really didn't look in the mood for any arguments that his quick tongue could think up. More importantly neither did their automatic weaponry. So making do with the small amount of frees space he had he soon discovered evidence that the island showed evidence that it had once been affected by seismic waves, most likely caused by earthquakes from long ago. Perhaps the island had once been ever bigger than its current state, losing parts of itself to these events or the ever present seas around it. After studying the sedimentary cliff faces for short period of time he discovered that an erosional process commonly referred to as undercutting was taking place underneath the waves, completely hidden from the average passer-by and something that he might bring to the attention of the officials when he could.

Bastille had loyally followed the Devon operative, carrying all the equipment the pair would need to complete a detailed survey of the land around them. Being such a large Pokémon he often had to wait for Knox to venture into smaller crevices or particularly dense areas of forest alone, bringing back small samples or detailed sketches of what he had seen, his keen eye picking out key features to take note of in the stone and analysing every grain of it for clues of why it existed in the way it did.

While all this scientific research was happening Bastille would usually take advantage of the situation and sample some of the local greenery, filling his more than ample stomach with whatever exotic plants he could find with no fear of poisoning due to the extradordanirly strong immune system all steel types naturally have. The gentle giant was somewhat of a bane to plants in general, he could consume serval tonnes of plant matter in one sitting if he felt like it. Luckily he could live his day to day life without eating a small forest due to a very slow metabolism, a common feature amongst large reptiles.

Bastille was brought back to reality by his trainer patting him roughly on the back before sliding down the broad and stone like back to reach the ground, the man’s boots making a soft thud as they hit the spongey vegetation on the forest floor. “See that up there buddy? Look like somebody already beat us to lunch today.” He heard him say apparently unfazed by the sight before them.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The area of woods before them had clearly been the sight of quite the battle in recent times. Trees were broken in two, massive furrows in the dirt left scars upon the landscape and most importantly the headless behemoth of a Nidoqueen carcass gave away what had happened here. Unfortunately there was little left of the monstrous Pokémon after it had been treated as an all you can eat buffet by the local predators and scavengers. It was little more than a husk now, bones and armour left behind as they were too tough for anything short of a Tyrantrum to chew up. Around the clearing there were other bodies of various Pokémon and even what may have been a human corpse. Both Knox's nose and Bastille's much more sensitive nose wrinkled up as the smell hit them and the Bastiodon was clearly upset by the scene. Another smell mixed with the thick stench of gore and reached the pair of them. Smoke? Looking around Knox's eyes came to rest on something that in his mind looked like a BBQ made crudely with resources gathered nearby. "Hardly my idea of the perfect place to be hosting a BBQ." he said to his partner as he watched smoke lazily drift into the air from the dying ashes in front of him. The structure itself had been tainted with crimson stains where someone of something had clearly been involved in a struggle. Even as he watched a tiny Zigzagoon sprinted from the undergrowth and grasped a bit of flesh laying nearby in its fangs, stopping only to growl at him before retreating back the way it came apparently happy with the meat it had and not feeing the need to attack him.

watching it vanish an unsettling thought suddenly struck Knox. If there was something out here that could take the head right off a Pokémon this big he didn’t want to stick around to meet it. Images of a colossal Scyther or an enraged beast of a Garchomp flashed through his mind as he looked at the gruesome scene before him, the battle being reimagined by an over active imagination hard at work.

Bastille let out a low rumbling sound that resonated through the ground and redirected Knox’s attention to his companion. The noise had a clear meaning to the young man after years of listening to them for years from his beloved prehistoric friend. Bastille didn’t want to spend another second with this body if there was nothing to be gained from it and honestly neither did Knox.

“Okay there are plenty more corpses in this graveyard of an island, I won’t make you look at this one any longer. I say we go back towards the river and try our luck there instead, get you a drink at the very least.” The archaeologist said with a hint of sympathy in his voice as he could only imagine how thirsty the Bastiodon must be if he was parched himself.

Swiftly returning to his perch on Bastilles’ granite like back Knox sighed as his stomach grumbled audibly. It would appear he was more famished than he had first thought and even this small venture into the wilderness had taken a toll on his limited supply of energy. Glancing back the way they had come a clear path could be seen from the trodden down grass and bushes that had been unfortunate enough to “challenge” Bastille.

After a quick debate Devon’s second best field agents had decided to travel to a new part of the river rather than the section they had previously visited. Knox was hoping to find a meander in the river as if a large animal died in the river it would likely end up washed ashore at one of these bends in the channel providing them with an easy meal, if of course something else hadn’t had the same idea.

Knox couldn’t help but make a joke to try and lighten Bastilles mood as they ambled past the Nidoqueen. “Hey Bastille look!” he said with mock urgency as he pointed at what was left of its arm “I bet that could come in handy huh?” he said with a chuckle, proud as ever at his own awful puns. The gigantic steel type let out a deep and low burst of laughter that seemed to echo in the Pokémon’s mouth even as it left it. The Bastiodon loved puns just as much as his trainer did and they never failed to lighten his mood even in the face of such danger as they were up against now.

As they ventured back into the dense trees of the forest neither man nor Pokémon had become aware that the danger was actually a lot closer than they expected.

Several glittering pairs of golden yellow eyes glittered in the brush behind them with eager anticipation of their next kill and the thought of satisfying their unquenchable thirst for blood.

 

[Astralkitsune]

Megan
​

Megan jumped and almost dropped the coconut bowl she was stacking when she head Aidinia's startled cry. She had been carefully stacking the cleaned coconut bowls together right outside one of the huts. Some small part of her brain knew that it was silly to try and stack bowls on the ground in a crude makeshift camp that had no floor or furniture. However the rest of her brain was desperately trying to preserve some sense of normality in this crazy nightmare she was trapped in. She had even grabbed a large fallen tree branch and used it as a makeshift broom sweeping out each of the huts before she had started on the bowls. She clutched the bowl tightly and carefully set it on the top of the stack before looking over and seeing a topless Dr. running after the sneaky Liepard followed by a lumbering turtle. Megan just shook her head at the antics and took a deep breath before standing up and surveying her work. She turned around slowly as she heard footsteps approaching, and saw Gerald. "He really is kind of cute." As Gerald walked up to her and asked her for a conversation. Megan blinked and then smiled. "Finally someone who just wants to talk. No life and death or monsters trying to eat us. Just a simple conversation between two people." She looked toward Gerald, "I would love to chat with you."

Off to the side behind the huts a small space of ground rose up into a mound and a tiny head popped up. "diglet." A pair of tiny eyes focused on the two humans ahead.

Amara
​

Amara stared at Floyd as he made his declaration, about people ahead in trouble. The young man's behavior had been rather odd just before he made the statement and Amara stood there in indecision for a moment. The odds were heavily stacked against them, that Floyd was correct, and that they would not be walking into danger. Amara almost never went against numerical odds in any situation especially grievous ones such as this. However there was just something about Floyd and the sincerity in his voice that had a way of persuading her against her better judgement. First the venipede mess and now this, she had been acting very out of character on this Island ever since meeting the young man. "What is it about him that makes me act like this?"

She blinked a few times trying to reorient her thoughts, back on the current situation. "None of us seem to have a large degree of medical training, or the tools to take care of dangerous wounds. The other trainer will not last for very long with that wound untreated and she may become a burden on us later. That would decrease all of our survivability chance." Voices of the past rang in her mind "always alone, always alone." She closed her eyes and then took a step forward in the direction she had pointed, "Come Crystal, it seems people need our help."

Erejast
​

The dark purple poison ozzed from the young man's back and he cried out from the pain of the healing and collapsed. Erejast stared down at the young man for a moment. "Why does this world always demand so much pain and trials from the young." "Because only those who are strong enough are worthy to survive." The darker voice echoed from within his mind. "Ok.. didn't really want an answer to my question. Really brain you can stop going crazy right now please. Wishing right now I had payed more attention in my psychology classes." The sounds of battle continued behind him, as the three pokemon fought in a bloody struggle for life and death.. "Oh right there are still giant pokemon trying to kill us and injured patients in front of me. Stop talking to yourself and act genius. All of this took place in seconds as Erejast used his other hand to pick up Damien and place him over his other shoulder. The effeminate man showed surprising strength for his build.

He looked over toward Delilah and her Beedrill who seemed to have something wrong with it. "While it is a lovely sunny day to stroll through the jungle, perhaps we should seek cover before giant pointy needles of poison coated death rain down on our heads. He tilted his head and pointed towards a ditch behind a pile of large rocks. Then he moved quickly over to the area and carefully slid into the ditch before gently placing both of his patients down on the ground.

The Nidoking took several fierce hits in the face from Orion's close combat. One of it's eyes was swollen shut and a few teeth were knocked out, but still it roared and began to lift it's head up from the ground. Ecarte still falling toward the Nidoking tucked her arms into her body and executed a somersaulting spin. Just before making contact with the rising behemoth, she threw out her foot landing a powerful kick on at the base of the Nidoking's neck. There is a sickening crack at the impact sight and the Behemoth once more hits the ground with a large thud. Ecarte gracefully springs off the Nidoking's neck and back flips twice before landing on the ground lightly. The Nidoking shuddered from the powerful impact and then let out a roar of sheer rage that seemed to shake the very earth. The mighty behemoth once again began to rise as Ecarte looked on in shock. "Orion that should have cracked his spine and paralyzed him. How can he still move, break off you attack and watch out!" The Behemoth reared up to it's full height towering over everyone in the vicinity. It's eyes were red with rage and destructive instinct flashing in the light with malevolence. The monster clasped both of it's claws together and swung them down slamming the ground with incredible force. The earth erupted from the impact sight causing a mighty tremor and sending shards of earth the size of sword blades in every direction. Tree's were shattered into kindling and others were uprooted.

Ecarte sped toward the trainers and flung herself into the impact zone throwing up the best light screen she could with the time she had. The debris and rolling earth itself slammed into the lightscreen. For a moment it seemed like the psychic barrier just might hold. Then the barrier of purple light shattered and large rocks slammed into the Gardevior flinging her body back twenty feet where she lay in front of the ditch. A large crater set in the center of the clearing in front of the raging tyrant with a circle of devastation lying around.

 

[MozzaD]

The first thought that had occurred to Jasper's mind when he woke up in the middle of nowhere was somewhere along the lines of, "How much did I drink last night?" Yet, he never remembered ingesting any sort of alcohol ever since he arrived at the Tournament...that's when the flashbacks began to kick in.

***
"Oh sweet lord, this is the life." He groaned contently while rolling around the bed, turning his head to see his companion, Athos, who had moved the coffee table to the side to get more open space to practice his fighting moves. Jasper's lips curved into a small smile upon watching his diligent companion. As per usual, the Gallade's fighting style was smooth and elegant; it looked more like a dance than anything else, one that had been honed and sharpened to near perfection. And Jasper couldn't help but be mesmerised by such movement.

Athos quickly noticed that his performance was being watched, and let his eyes meet Jasper's, giving him a questioning glance, essentially just saying, "Why are you watching me?" before returning to his practice.

"Ace, come on, relax!" Jasper urged, "We'll have the morning to practice, plus, with Delilah and Magnus, there's no way in hell that any of them can beat us."

The Gallade sighed, before finally relaxing, ready to crash onto the couch when suddenly the lights in the room went out. The Pokémon jolted upright and went back into a fighting stance, the back of his tonfa-like arms extending in preparation for a battle while Jasper jumped off the bed, wary of what was happening.

"I'll go to the balcony and look and see if any of the other rooms are suffering the same problems." Jasper walked towards the doors and attempted to open the door, but it seemed that the door was unlocked from the other side. The trainer exerted more force in trying to open the door, feeling more and more dubious with every second that passed. Jasper finally resorted to attempting to kick the door open, repeatedly slamming his foot against it yet still to no avail.

"Athos," Jasper called out, "I need you to use close combat on this door, I'm starting to think that we're trapped in our roo-" He cut himself off at the sight of an unconscious Athos near the door, "What the h-" He was about to say, before an overwhelming feeling of drowsiness began to set in, and in the last few moments he had while tenaciously trying to stay conscious, he heard the hissing noise coming from the air vents. And just as Jasper finally got ahold of what was happening, he felt his mind slip away, giving in to the darkness that overtook him.
***

"Son of a bitch." He muttered under his breath, before catching the gaze of a familiar Pokéball, immediately recognised it as Athos'. Still groggy from the drugs, Jasper reached for the Pokéball and called, "Come out, Athos."

The shiny Gallade popped out of the Pokéball in the same state as his trainer, still groggy from the knockout gas that both had inhaled. And much like Jasper, Athos was just as confused at where he had found himself. The trainer was about to speak when he was cut off by a hologram of a mysterious silhouette of what seemed like a mad scientist along with two of the other participants of the Tournament.

Things happened so fast afterwards; the demented scientist explaining the situation, the jungle, the virus-crazed Pokémon...and then the young trainer and his Pidgeot. There was nothing that Athos and his Trainer could do but spectate helplessly as the deceased trainer and Pidgeot crashed into the vast expanse of the forest ahead.

The initial shock of what Jasper had just witnessed caused him hurl over and puke, because regardless of how witty and sarcastic that Jasper was; there were no clever comebacks or retorts to tragedy. Tragedies always had the final word, something that the trainer knew all too well. Athos did his best to comfort his trainer, and put his hand on Jasper's back, and when the trainer looked back to his friend, the Gallade flinched at the sight of Jasper looking so mortified.

The young blonde realised that he was beginning to scare his partner, and quickly regained his composure (as best he could).

"We need to move." He immediately stated, his voice still shaky, yet he managed to muster up whatever courage he had and formulated a plan, "Athos, we're here without water, food, or shelter. If we have neither of these things by the end of the day, we're fucked. We should head nearer to the center for now, there's probably more fruits or Pokémon we could hunt and eat as it's denser there. As for water...if we're lucky, we'll find a stream, and if we're even luckier, we'll find a water Pokémon."

The Blade Pokémon nudged the Blonde for his use of vulgarities, and Jasper simply pointed out, "We're in the middle of a jungle with no way of knowing how to get home, get food or water and you're upset because I said fuck?"

Athos rolled his eyes, and the two began their trek, Jasper constantly glancing around for patrols, wild Pokémon, or just possibly useful items. He managed to fashion a makeshift spear from a large stick that he had found, and despite the fact that he knew that a glorified piece of wood would be no match for any large and powerful Pokémon.

And then came the large and powerful Pokémon. It was after only an hour that the duo struck gold and found a climbable tree with what looked like ripe fruit sticking out. The trainer grinned as he placed his wooden spear on the ground and ordered his Gallade, "Ace, this is the first semblance of food that we've found in an hour, but it might be a trap set by other Pokémon to ambush us. Stay here and guard me while I climb the tree and get the bananas."

Perhaps it was the fact that Jasper hadn't eaten since yesterday afternoon and was desperate for food, or just because the floor was so muddled with plants that it was hard to properly see anything below that he didn't notice the number of chewed up remains of a few Butterfree and Caterpie scattered around the tree. However, by the time Jasper looked down and noticed the amount of bug corpses, he had reached the fruits...and the head of a Tropius.

"FUCK!" Jasper yelped upon seeing the usually herbivorous Tropius' mouth littered with bug ichor and entrails. And regardless of how horrifying Jasper's current ordeal was, he had to give the Tropius credit for being so clever; it had used huge amounts of foliage in the forest to cover a majority of it's body and it's leaf-wings had managed to naturally camouflage itself among the rainforest, top that off with it's thick and long neck to make it seem like a tree and you've essentially got perfect camo for the forest.

The beast roared at Jasper, a mix of saliva, blood, and entrails from the Tropius' mouth flying at the trainer. It began to sprout it's large wings and it began hover, ready to take flight. Athos and Jasper quickly took note of this as he screamed, "ATHOS, AIM YOUR PSYCHO CUT ON THE WINGS NOW!"

It's worth noting that when Jasper is stressed, he begins an impressive chain of expletives. "Fuck, shit, fuck, fuck fuck fuck FUCK!" He repeated.

As Tropius was quite a large Pokémon, it took a while for it to properly take off, giving Athos a perfect amount of time to aim his move. The back of the Gallade's left arm began to extend and glow a fuchsia-like color. His amber-coloured eyes squinted to get a better visual of the target he was aiming for, and just as the Tropius' altitude reached about 3 meters off the ground. Athos slashed the air in a horizontal arc, releasing a number of sharp, boomerang-shaped energy waves directed specifically at the wings, and he struck right on target.

A cry of pain pierced both the Gallade and the Trainer ears as the Tropius slammed back onto solid ground while the Gallade went back a few steps. This cry of pain was followed by an even louder, enraged roar directed at Athos. The two Pokémon locked eyes, the Tropius' attention solely on the one that had clipped it's wings, giving Jasper just enough time to slide down the Tropius, grab his spear, and run to Athos. The now-wingless Pokémon began to stomp on the ground and began to let out animalistic grunts, bearing it's teeth at it's target.

"Ace, it's a grass-type, so when I tell you to, use Poison Jab. Remember, ONLY when I tell you to, otherwise, we'll be in a lot of trouble." Jasper ordered, the duo locking eyes and nodding at each other before the Tropius began to charge, letting out a furious howl as it stomped closer and closer. Athos' right hand began to glow a deep purple in anticipation of the monster charging towards him.

"Wait for it..." Jasper said, his keen eyes analysing the Tropius as it was barely 30 yards away. Beads of sweat began to slide down Jasper's features, Gallade let out a low growl as it awaited orders. The Tropius was getting closer by the second, every footstep the plant beast took causing Jasper's heart rate to accelerate even faster than before.

20 yards away.

"Athos, not yet!" He yelled, catching the Gallade about to take a step.

15 yards away.

"Almost there, just a little longer!" Jasper stated, his breathing becoming erratic. The beads of sweat had evolved into streams of sweat, he could begin to see the whites in Tropius' eyes, and instead of what usually would be a loving, caring Pokémon, all he saw was a monster who desired nothing more than to brutally murder both he and his oldest friend.

10 yards away.

"ATHOS NOW!" As soon as those words escaped the trainer's lips, the Gallade broke into a sprint, charging towards the enraged Tropius. Athos leaped, pulling back his arm before firing his arm like a missile into Tropius, right as it charged at it's own top speed into a fully powered punch.

The force of Tropius' charged knocked the shiny Gallade back, causing him to land on the ground roughly. However, other than the few minor scrapes and bruises from the fall, Gallade managed to take the behemoth down.

The Poison Jab impacted right in the middle of Tropius' neck, crushing it's windpipe, and causing the Pokémon to suffocate. It desperately gasped for the air it couldn't collect before collapsing on the ground, dead.

"Stupid, fucking flying vegetable." Jasper muttered, before collecting the fruits from the deceased Tropius' neck. The trainer walked to the Gallade, who was still on the ground and offered a hand.

"Good job, buddy. I would've died without you." Athos smiled before taking the hand and pulling himself up.

"Hey, also, thanks for trusting me." Jasper said, and Athos responded with a simple nod, and the two continued on, eating the fruits of their labour.

By the end of the day, Jasper and Athos had managed to climb up a large tree and use that as shelter...finding rest on a large bough of the tree, but Team Rocket wouldn't even let the trainer's feel the comfort of sleep.

Jasper suddenly found himself in a tournament, but not as a participant. His eyes drifted down to his hands, and finding them to be considerably smaller. And when he looked up, his eyes would widen. He saw his parents. Martin and Janice Moreau were on the stage, shouting and commanding their Pokémon companions; they were yelling and cheering. Jasper felt a grin formulating on his lips as he began to cheer for his parents, losing himself in this dream. He felt that swell of pride in his chest, the one you felt when someone you loved accomplished something amazing. But that high was immediately followed by a drop. In a blink, the stadium was suddenly empty, and Jasper was the only one around. He blinked once more to find himself in an empty white space...and upon blinking again he would find his parents in front of him. At first, Jasper smiled, happy to see his parents...and then he took a proper look, and saw their eyes: they were dead, colourless, void. Jasper took a step back, before they started speaking.

"You're a disappointment, Jasper." They spoke in unison, "We died in that mine and we left our legacy to a worthless, wretched, spoiled little shit."

Jasper was taken aback, he opened his mouth to try and formulate a comeback like he usually would when he was insulted, but nothing came out. And so they continued, "You didn't deserve to have us for as long as you did, we should've never had you, we were happier, we were better without you."

The young boy grit his teeth, feeling the stinging sensation in his eyes as tears began to stream down his face. He couldn't say anything in his defence, only managed to murmur, "P-please...mom....dad...please...stop..."

"Please what? Please stop this? As you wish...Jasper..." They said, a crooked, demented grin on both their faces as rocks began to fall from the ceiling, Jasper realising what was happening before screaming, "NO! PLEASE! DON'T GO, WAIT!"

However, it was too late, Jasper watched once again as his parents were crushed under a pile of rubber. He collapsed on his knees, clutching his chest as he began to sob, letting grief take him like the rocks took his parents.

Jasper woke up with a shock, hyperventilating as he recounted the experience he suffered while unconscious. Athos immediately tended to his friend, a concerned look washed over his features as Jasper winced, "It's fine, just a bad dream."

Athos grimaced, looking down and scanning the area below before gesturing to the blonde if they should go down, and Jasper nodded in response.

"Damn, if only Delilah were here we'd be able to get a better layout of th-" Before he even finished the sentence, he suddenly realised that his Maddox, Delilah, and Magnus were being held captive by Team Rocket. His companions, his family, the last family he has, are essentially being held hostage by a criminal organisation who was the cause of Maddox, and countless other people and Pokémon's misery.

Jasper would let his eyes meet Athos, and Athos would see icy cold rage steeling Jasper's eyes, "Athos; Magnus, Delilah, and Maddox are being held in captivity by Team Rocket."

Athos already knew this, but hearing it out loud made him flinch, "I know what we have to do, we need to find a Team Rocket patrol, and force information out of them. By any means necessary."

Athos' eyes narrowed and shook his head, Jasper then snapped, "This is your family, Athos, OUR family. I am not losing another one and neither are you, I'm sorry that we can't do this the way that you'd like but if we don't...I don't know what'll happen to them."

"It's not just them we have to worry about though, Athos...we may have had our food...but we still haven't found a source of water. We'll last about two more days without it if we're lucky...and those days we'll be weak and thirsty, so we need to find some water and fast."

The Gallade took a deep breath, before conceding and nodding in agreement. And after slowly climbing down the tree, Jasper looked towards Athos and said, "We should move that way." The trainer said, pointing away from the more denser section of the forest, "My bet is that there'll be more Team Rocket goons patrolling the borders to see if there's any trainer who wants to try leaving the forest, we might also reach a source of water there too...come on, let's go."

 

[Mega Gallade X]

As Ecartes attack had little to no effect on the behemoth, she seemed somewhat dumbfounded. Orion looked from her to the Nidoking as it brought both fists together and slammed the ground, splintering shrapnel rock in every direction, thinking quickly, he used ExtremeSpeed for a more defensive purpose, bobbing and weaving between the chipped earths frenzy of projectiles.

Ecarte had managed to get to the trainers in an attempt to protect them but as the screen of purple energy shattered Orion looked back toward the Nidoking which was now making its way toward the group.

From where he was he surveyed his surroundings, picking up three of the sharp rock projectiles that had landed near him, throwing them like daggers two bounced from side of the Nidokings tough hide while the third dug into the lighter colored underbelly of the pokemon.

It turned to face Orion, in all of its glory. Teeth sharpened to points, blood seemed to cover its claws, a medley of shades of red and he couldn't tell if it belonged to one of the trainers or the pokemon had misjudged how hard it wanted to hit the ground. Truly a terrifying sight now that he had the monsters attention.

It charged on all fours toward Orion, he drew in a deep breath, moments from impaling Orion with its large horn, he sidestepped, grabbing onto the horn as the Nidoking passed by, swinging upward from it and landing on the pokemons head.

The Nidoking came to what seemed like an involuntary halt, skidding and then standing upright. Orion swayed to keep his balance and then centered himself, both his form and mind. Moving his arms in a circle motion around his core, his eyes opened and he brought his fist up and then down swiftly where Ecarte had attacked the Nidokings spine earlier with Force Palm. It arched and flailed, tossing Orion off, who recovered by placing one hand firmly on the ground where he'd of landed and flipping upright.

The Nidoking collapsed to its knees, with its head low.

Orion assumed it defeated, looking back toward the trainers.

There was an ominous humming noise, faint, as Orion looked back toward the Nidoking to see the glow emanating from its mouth. It lit up its chest as it looked up. Why did it seem like every killer behemoth knew the move Hyper Beam?

Orion ran toward the pokemon, gripped the Nidokings horn and pulled it down with all of his strength, feeling a little give where the spine connected with the base of the pokemons skull. That had obviously been where Ecarte and himself struck it, making it much easier to maneuver the Nidokings head. As he pulled, the entirety of the pokemons head went down, forcing its own jaw closed, now aimed toward the ground.

Orion stood a few steps back and crouched looking toward the Nidoking, waiting to see if it would rise back up. It didnt. Nothing. He'd hoped for some other way to end this quarrel but this seemed the easiest choice to end it.

Orion stood and turned toward the group now in the ditch, Delilah still coaxing her Beedrill. Orion glanced back, at that moment a small sound reminiscent of a tire popping erupted dirt and a small dust explosion where the Nidokings head was, the compact ground having absorbed most of the impact. The Nidokings body was now headless save for remnants of lower chin to its neck.

Orion made his way to the group, the Doctor seemed to be tending to Damian, which meant his trainer was still alive, Mina was still sleeping, after everything Orion thought that a tad miraculous. Ecarte had shielded the group effectively but upon Orions inspection she seemed to be injured. He looked toward her and when she addressed him, he tilted his head slightly to give a quizzical expression.

 

[Jake Acker]

Sunlight filtered down through the canopy of treetops, creating an effect of dappled shadows on the ground below them and sending beautiful patterns dancing across Knox’s vison as he rode Bastille for the last stretch towards the river. The thicker trunks gave way to much thinner willowy trees as the smell of the river grew stronger and Knox smiled as he tried his best to forget the blood bath he had left behind, he knew from experience not to dwell on such experiences until you were safe and had time to recover. Even as the thought ran through his head, the tranquil forest was split by a horrific death screech from some unknown creature. No, this was certainly not that safe place.

Emerging from the last of the brush the two of them were treated the welcome sight of the river as it undulated past them and into the distance, a blue splash of paint on an otherwise green canvas. The soft crunch of gravel marked each step the young man took towards the water and each soft crunch was followed by a much, much heavier one. The distinctive footsteps of Bastille of course as the ancient beast happily lumbered over to the channel and took a deep drink from the clear water, the flow of the river breaking over the great Pokémon’s stone like frill.

Knox watched his friend with a gentle smile, glad to see Bastille finally getting a much needed drink after their not so pleasant stroll through the woods. He remembered their exploration to the Unova region fondly as he watched and was reminded of how much his partner had drunk then as well once their mission was complete. The sweltering dessert that had held what they were looking for was the cause of such dehydration, Knox too had suffered there. Although not just because of the heat it had turned out. His metallic blue eyes darted downwards towards his own abdomen for an instant. They sought out the burn beneath his shirt left so long ago by an enemy long forgotten now. The only blemish on an otherwise healthy body. He wasn’t ashamed of it, no it was more than that, and rather he just saw it as a reminder that his work was more than just work. It was part of him, a part of him he couldn’t get rid of even if he wanted to. Having to take lives and then being paid for what you’ve done is something no sane man can ever truly forget. It had left its mark on the Knox for sure, but not a mark big enough to ruin his natural good nature and character.

A satisfied noise from Bastille broke his chain of thought and the smile retuned to Knox’s face once more upon looking over and seeing his partner splashing his pillar like forelimbs in the water happily. Gladly forgetting the scar and the thoughts it evoked he walked over and knelt beside his companion, cupping water in his hands and bringing it to his mouth to drink. Knox always hated dwelling on dark things, after all the light was so much more enjoyable. Speaking out loud as he watched Bastille play in the water he quietly said “What’s life without a little fun huh?” his lips taking the form of a wild smile.

 

[PentheWonderful]

Everything passed her by like a river.

It rushed at full force in order to hit her with its full momentum and impact, yet, the water merely swerved around what they could not overpower and influence, and Cassie was a rock that split the current. Undisturbed, unbothered, she wrung the water from her shirt and perceived the events happening before her. With the ticking of a clock hand, her mind documented Ajax's assault on Arrow, beginning with those high pressure blasts that sent June flying, listening to each footstep and observing each splash in the water, tinkering, fabricating the struggle within the flow of thoughts in her mind, and judging her importance within it, finding none. She unrolls her shirt and flaps it to restore its shape, and finally pulls it on, over her head, and thought of Ajax's magnificence in battle. What an opponent he would be. That raw power, that ferocity, his primal battle instincts and that sheer size and bulk. Oh, it got her blood pumping, and it dawned on her how similar the pokemon was to his trainer.

"Cassie, Salem do either of you know what she was talking about when she was saying tea? If it's something that can help we should probably figure it out. We also need to get everyone back to camp." She heard Aidinia say, and the young woman could not help but feel her fingers clench upon her last statement. Get everyone back to camp.

Everyone.

She watched Ajax emerge triumphant from the current, dragging his bested opponent behind him, and two main ideas were processed at the same time. Her eyes observed closely how the waters and the gravel and surrender to him, bending to his will. This lazy oaf that had plopped himself down for a nap beside her not moments ago had a larger puzzle than she originally thought, it seemed. And her mind excitedly saves this thought in her archive to be played later. But at the same time, her mind buzzed with the doctor's words. The tea, but most of all, the disregard for her own input.

But why did she care?

Cassie stood, and she nodded appreciatively towards Ajax with a small, distracted smile. Lady looked up from her blood pool at the most. The brunette turned to face the others on the shore, mapping Salem and June's locations, still by Lin's side and then the doctor's, and finally, where Ajax had come to rest with the Sceptile. June seemed to yip in excitement about... Something. Cassie couldn't quite tell what it was specifically, but nevertheless, her eyes observed the Delphox closely with furrowed brows when she rummaged through Lin's body. 'What are you searching for?' She wondered. Step by step, bringing herself closer to the action. 'What do you know that I don't?' Interest piqued, she still made sure to keep her distance from Arrow.

Lady, of course Lady had noticed June's rooting through Lin's clothes. The Liepard straightened herself and her nose twitched. Was there treasure hidden away? No, no, she would have spotted it by now. This woman clearly held no valuables, or anything even remotely shiny. Then, then perhaps... Yes, of course! June was a carnivore, she saw her eat that slab of meat! The Liepard gladly followed her lead and sank her teeth into Lin's arm, purrs and growls vibrating through her chest as she attempted to flay the skin free of the arm.

Only for Cassie to reach down and pinch her nose shut once more.

The Liepard was insistent on keeping her meal, so sank her teeth in deeper, and deep enough to taste the rewarding flavor of iron on her tongue, yet her trainer simply waited. Oh so patiently for her lack of air to overpower her predatory instincts. It was inevitable, and Lady lost the battle after about a minute. Lady dropped Lin's arm, and Cassie shooed her away, flicking tail and all, and ignored her low growls of complaint. Defeated, the feline hopped onto Ajax's shoulder's to once again lounge upon him, and draped elegantly over him while she brooded.

Cassie's hand outstretched, kneeling down to aid June's search, she was stopped in mid-movement by Aidinia's voice yet again, "Ajax my handsome fella, can you help me get this lady back to camp and that sceptile to, we need to try to work on the virus, I'll need someone to treat."

And that outstretched hand became a fist as anger boiled inside her and simmered as quickly as it came. A hardness glazed over her eyes, and for a moment, she was confused. Why was she reacting this way? Sure Aidinia was recklessly endangering herself and others, but what did she care? It wouldn't affect her, she was leaving. They could do what they wanted. Yet... And yet, and yet, and yet, one glance at June and the fear she tried to hide in her eyes, and then a stare to Salem, still so weak despite the smile he tried to wear. And then Ajax, whose presence she could easily feel behind her, and finally Lin. Her bounty of information.

Yes, she understood this anger.

Cassie straightened herself, and then turned slightly to face Aidinia. The woman was a few inches taller than her, and it made her stand all the more tall and lift her head all the more high. Hands balled in to fists by her side, eyes like molten steel as they locked gazes with the doctor, she firmly said, "No." Her voice still so even and collected, despite the authority and fire it now held. "No, you are not taking the Sceptile into the camp. Tell me, Doctor Moon. What will you do when this Sceptile wakes and succumbs to the virus again? He will be too fast to catch and too feral to control. It will destroy everything you've built and I will not let the people I've fought to keep alive be killed by your inability to see ahead!"

That even, controlled tone boiled with molten steel to rise to a sharp bark, letting it explode like a bullet fired from a gun shaft. A split second reaction, leaving only smoke as a remainder of it's occurrence. "Doctor Moon, you will do well to listen to me when I tell you to keep Arrow away from camp. Study him here, by the river if you must, where Ajax might be able to apprehend him again if need be, but do not endanger the lives of others and risk your own livelihood by taking it to the one place you might find protection." Cassie allowed the fires to die and the molten steel to cool and settle, closing her eyes to reorganize her thoughts. She let out a gentle exhale. "You are a doctor. Think with your head. Not your heart."

Pulling her eyelids apart, the cool silver of her eyes settled upon June, and she continued, "June, you and Gerald had known Lin slightly longer than I. Have you seen this occur before?" She waited patiently for the Delphox's response, and received a nod. Cassie blew out another breath. The fit she had somehow gotten worked up into had left a dull ache in her chest, where her heart had been filled to the brim with emotion. But she relished the pain. "That would mean you've seen Lin somehow, temporarily, revert Arrow back to his normal self. Do you hear that, Dr. Moon?" Her eyes settled themselves upon the redhead, but her hand reaches out to gently scratch June on her cheek; where her eyes soon were a moment later. "Please help the doctor, and keep her safe as well."

Finally, her eyes return to Salem, still in his delirious stupor and she found she couldn't leave bring up thoughts of leaving anymore. Especially not leaving him. Not in his condition. Everything would run to the ground without his authority, and though June had a good hold on things, no one would be able to understand her. She had no choice. She needed to stay.

"Ajax, please help me carry Lin back to camp." Cassie watched his unsure glance and responded with a sure nod. "You can come back here to guard June and Aidinia after. Make sure they're safe." With hesitance, she watched the Blastoise lower himself down to all fours, of which Lady adjusted to by climbing on his shell. Swift and efficient, Cassie hoisted Lin's unconscious form on to his shell, where Lady lay on top of her to... Well, keep her from sliding off, she supposed.

After which, Cassie moved to crouch beside Salem, where she eyed his face and mimicked his smile. Things were good, as far as Cassie was concerned. But she always did have too much of a professional mindset and not enough empathy. Swiftly, she slung his arm over her shoulders, diminutive in comparison to his, while her arm wrapped around his waist. She bent her legs further, and with the small momentum she'd accumulated, pushed up to hoist both herself and Salem's semi-conscious form off the ground. Her hands grasped him firmly, which told him to be steady, and she pressed her side against his, which told him he could lean on her, if he so needed to.

But as she turned both herself and Salem around and began their trek after Ajax, Cassie looked back from the underbrush, and told Aidinia, "You'd do well to pay attention to June. I think she holds the key to finding a cure for this virus."

 

[Nygenn]

Location: Riverside, near Camp SAM.CG
Time: 2nd Day, Somewhere nearing 10 am
Tagging: Salem, Cassie, Lin, Ajax, Lady

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Salem was drowning. His attention had been drifting and for once it wasn’t because his thoughts were running away with him. No, this time he was simply feeling exhausted, more tired than he had ever felt before. Normally the surfer was inexhaustible with endless enthusiasm and several spare reserves of energy for whatever else caught his fancy, but now he was depleted. The lack of proper sleep, the loss of blood, the strain of having been forcefully pulled back from death’s door three times in less than twenty-four hours, and the pressure of responsibility were weighing on heavily on him now. So much so that he didn’t think he could get up anymore, and wanted nothing more than to just sink deeper into the dark waters of oblivion and let unconsciousness claim him.

He was about to do just that when suddenly a single word grabbed a firm hold of his conscious.

“No.”

It was Cassie’s voice, so level and clear, ringing like a clear silver bell through the murky water clogging his mind.

“No, you are not taking that Sceptile into camp,” her voice came again.

Salem’s eyes were open but he wasn’t really seeing anything. His ears were open but it was as if they were waterlogged. Nothing sounded right except for her voice.

He tilted his head back to look up in the direction of the sound, and it was as if she was a light shining through the surface of the water far, far overhead.

In his mind he reached for the light and felt himself get a little closer. Cassie kept speaking, and Salem used her words as a lifeline to pull himself up towards the surface, up towards where the sky was clear and the air would be fresh. He was thankful that she apparently had a lot to say.

It was a slow progression. The water pushed on him hard, and a strong current tried to pull his body downward. He was nearly there though, but his energy reserves were depleted. He reached out but it wasn’t enough.

Then a thin arm with a small hand, both covered in scar tissue, plunged into the water and grabbed hold of him. With a firm tug he was pulled up and free, and he blinked rapidly at the bright light and crisp sounds assaulting his senses.

His vision focused on silver eyes. Familiar silver eyes that were usually so cold and guarded, were now warm, and for a single heartbeat he felt something nostalgic. A glimpse of an old, long since forgotten memory, but it was gone before he was fully aware of it.

Salem suddenly had a bitter taste in his mouth which he swallowed away and blinked again.

‘What was that?’ he wondered momentarily, then Cassie pulled his arm around her thin shoulders, and wrapped her own around his waist before hoisting him off the ground.

He felt her firm grip on him, wanting him to be steady and he instinctively widened his stance. Then he felt her small body press close to his, offering herself up for support. She was rather cool to the touch he noticed, and in response he moved the arm around her shoulder so that he could grab hold of her. He squeezed briefly and rather than pushing down on her for leverage he pulled her closer to him instead.

When she looked up at him in mild surprise he smiled down at her and squeezed again. He was back. She had pulled him back, and together they slowly made to follow their Pokémon back to camp.
-

Looking ahead Salem noticed with some amusement that Cassie’s Liepard was seated on top of Lin and riding the giant Blastoise as if she were a princess in a palanquin. He chucked and was reminded of how Kaguya would sometimes act the same way. The thought of his missing companions ended his mirth rather quickly though.

‘They’ll be fine,’ he told himself. ‘They’re strong, and they are smart. It is more likely that they will end up saving me than I them.’

The thought brought him some comfort. He really did believed in his friends. Kaguya would not let anyone tell her what to do and Hinako was also with them. His oldest companion would look after the others like a mother watching over her children.

‘Or a sister watching her younger brother,’ he thought with a smile.

Hinako really had taken after Lyrana when she grew older. How much she had changed from the baby Nidoran she had been when she first came to the island. His father and received her as a gift for helping out with some foreigner’s research and had then given her to him, making Salem one of the very first people on the entire archipelago to own a Pokéball. Not that he actually used the orb back then. Hinako hadn’t gone into her Pokéball until many years later when they set out on their journey.

Salem’s attention shifted to the tiny woman besides him again. She was quiet now and seemed to be deep in thought. He was impressed with how she could have been so commanding without raising her voice, and looking the way she does.

‘She must be a natural born leader,’ he mused before shaking his head. ‘No. Uncle Zaldin always said that leaders aren’t born, but made.’

He looked over at Cassie again and wondered what had made her into such a capable leader, ‘or who.’

Salem sighed. He felt perfectly content and comfortable in this silence hanging between them. Merely focusing on the physical contact they shared would have been enough for him ordinarily, but he found that he missed the sound of her voice, and thus he decided to speak up.

“Where did your fire go Kar-sie?” he started before twisting his tongue on her name. He shook his head a little in confusion and stumbled causing her to steady him.

“Cassie, I meant to say,” he explained apologetically. “Sorry about that.”

Feeling a little silly about his mistake he decided that perhaps he wasn’t in the best state for conversation just yet, and settled for a pleasant smile instead. He had a lot to smile about after all. He was still alive, as was everyone else as far as he could tell, he had his arm around a pretty young lady, and had an appointment with the sexy doctor later.

They would all overcome this ordeal together, of that he was certain.

 

[Chrocey]

The jog back to Erajest felt like it was a mile long. With a large raging beast only a few feet away from them, even running at a full sprint wouldn’t feel fast enough.

Delilah kept looking back at Beedrill, making sure he was still following her. He was. Closely. Prepared to protect his trainer should the Nidoking make another attempt on her life. No doubt this was brought on by witnessing how closely his trainer had come to taking that poison sting attack head-on.

Erajest had sarcastically proclaimed how unsafe standing around here was. Delilah scoffed at this. Perhaps it was unsafe for a doctor, a little girl, and someone who was unconscious. In the heat of battle was right where the bee trainer belonged. At least, that’s how she felt a moment ago.

Delilah regarded her Beedrill and grimaced. She hated to admit it, but a deaf Beedrill wouldn’t bee much good in a fight against a Nidoking at full strength. Perhaps later on he would be, but at the moment the two of them didn’t have much in the way of communication, which was vital to their success.

After a brief pause, she nodded and started to move toward the ditch that the doctor had pointed to. Just as she was about to climb into it with him, the ground shook beneath her.

Delilah yelped as she lost her footing and stumbled backwards. Just as she was about to fall to the ground, Beedrill reached out and caught her. He then helped her stand upright once more.

It was such a simple act, yet it meant so much to the trainer. She looked back at him and smiled softly. It reminded her that even with his hearing gone, he was his usual self, looking out for her wherever he could.

If Beedrill could emote the same way a human could, he’d have given her a smile as well. That smile would melt away fast however as he looked into her eyes. There was a wild expression about her that he never liked. It usually meant that she was about to do something that would trigger every concern he had for her well-being.

“Beedrill!” she exclaimed, momentarily forgetting that he couldn’t hear her, but still managing to snap him out of his thought since he was already looking at her. She pointed to him, then pointed to the ditch.

He shook his head. Not wanting to leave her alone.

Delilah responded by pointing even more sternly at Erajest.

He looked deflated for a moment before reluctantly buzzing toward where the doctor had been stationed. Delilah climbed into the ditch as well, but only partially as she intended to climb back out.

Locking her eyes on Erajest she shouted. “Doc! Take a look at my Beedrill if you have any downtime with Damian. I’m gonna go make sure this monster gets taken dow-”

A loud popping noise reverberated throughout the forest. It made Delilah jump and she quickly turned to see that the Nidoking’s head had almost been completely blown off. The gruesome scene made the girl glad she hadn’t eaten that much earlier.

Orion’s presence had given her another start. He ran his eyes over everyone as if to ensure they were all okay.

Delilah looked to him, looked back to the Nidoking, then looked at Orion once more. There was a moment of silence before she finally said something.

“Uh...well, alright then.” She hesitantly reached out a hand and patted Orion on the head, “good...boy?”

Delilah didn’t know how to compliment a Lucario, but she assumed his somewhat canine appearance meant he’d like being pet. Regardless, there were more important matters to attend to.

Delilah looked to Ecarte and raised an eyebrow.

The pokemon had come across so stoic and powerful in the short time they’d known one another, that it was very odd to see her in such a vulnerable state. It appeared even pokemon that possessed as much talent as her needed help from time to time. That, or maybe Ecarte wasn’t quite as powerful as Delilah had given her credit for.

Making her way to the Gardevoir, she crouched down next to her and slipped one arm behind her legs and the other behind her head. The green-eyed trainer lifted the pokemon and carried her over to the ditch where Erajest was.

“Forget about my Beedrill for the time being, doc. It looks like you got another patient on your hands.”

As gently as she could, Delilah placed Ecarte down next to Erajest before looking at him with sincere worry.

“Is...is Damian going to be okay?”

 

[SUPERRNOVAA]

Location
Somewhere In The Forest

Time
9:40 AM - 9:52 AM

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The soft rustling of grass reverberated throughout the forest as the trainers and their Pokemon strolled, crunching leaves with every step they took. Crystal had been leaving a trail of dirt behind her as she trudged along with Lily and Amara on her shell, the aspiring researcher leading them by foot. Floyd was clearly delighted that everyone agreed to go with him, even if it was against the odds that they'd find friendly people. He didn't doubt himself for a second though, with every step he took a fuzzy feeling in his head got stronger.

The tropical climate didn't exactly help the fact that Floyd felt quite uncomfortable walking around in such a loose and battered up shirt, he was use to packing on multiple layers of clothing to survive the harsh winter season of the Sinnoh region. He use to hike up Mt. Coronet all the time to train and research, and you certainly didn't want to get caught in a bad situation near the summit. No radio signals, constant blizzards and to top it all off, a deadly variety of ice Pokemon. He had fond memories of the mountain, despite the harsh conditions, he loved it there.

Floyd's thought process was rudely interrupted when his foot hit something unmistakably metallic. He immediately retracted his foot to see what it was, and he breathed a heavy sigh of relief to find out that it wasn't another savage Pokemon. Floyd knelt down and placed Swift to his right before picking up the object to inspect it closer. A red, dome-shaped object with mirror like paneling on the inside. It was quickly identified by Floyd to be the upper-half of a regular pokeball. A chill went down his spine as he realized what kind of backstory this thing might've had. Forcefully bringing out a Pokemon from a pokeball without actually using the devices proper functions could bring upon excruciating pain to the creature in question. Floyd loosened his belt a tiny bit and slotted the metallic piece in-between his pants and the belt, right next to Swift's pokeball, before tightening his belt again to make sure it stayed in place. He didn't exactly need it, but who knows? It might come in handy later.

'BOOM'

A loud, peculiar noise reached Floyd's eardrums as an extremely tiny clearing came into view, causing him to flinch slightly.
'What on earth?...'

Swift basked in the cool breeze that blew by when the small group entered and found multiple people sitting in a ditch and a Nidoking... with its upper head completely gone for some reason, slowly oozing a blood-like liquid on to the dirt beneath it. It seemed like Floyd wasn't surprised at all to find people, familiar ones at that. As his eyes switched between human and Pokemon, a Gardevoir came into view and without realizing it, the buzzing in his head stopped for some reason. Floyd took off his glasses and breathed into each lens, cleant them with his shirt, and quickly put them on again. He looked around and began to recognize a couple of the faces in the ditch. One of them looked like that odd bee girl back at the resort, and the other person, the one with white hair. Floyd couldn't recall who he was straight away, but the more he looked, the more obvious it became.

"Damian?..."

 

[Loziana]

"Thank you, Cassie. I understand and you are completely right. I will stay here with the sceptile and do what I can for him. I will come back to camp to cook and treat wounds as needed. I'm sorry you feel as though I would ever needlessly endanger anyone. I hope you can forgive me." Aidinia smiled then. The young doctor set about finding a way to make a shelter near the river for herself. She also kept a very close eye on June. What is that Delphox up to?

I have to secure... Arrow did they call him? He is dangerous. Cassie isn't wrong about that. I'll have to find strong bonds and a way to keep them from injuring the fellow. Aidinia's mind wondered to other times when she worked tirelessly with pokemon and human alike trying to save the lives of those to sick to help themselves. This was not the first time she had had to deal with a combative patient. She would not give up just because she had inferior means at her disposal. Aidinia called for Savior. He was surly and grumpy. He grumped at her. "Savior, I really need your help, I know I'll owe you extra training, but I need you to hold this Sceptile so I can inspect his wounds and bind him. Will you do that?"

Savior harrumphed at Aidinia, You are hardly worth my time you puny hoomanling, but I see heart in you. Why I am wasting time with you I do not know, but your food is good. "Hitmonlee" He slammed his fist into his hand and grabbed hold of the sceptile.

Her mind caught up to her previous conversation now. She blushed red, Salem had asked her to fool around with him. She giggled a bit like a school girl. He was probably a bit delirious from loss of blood. It would be sweet if he really saw me that way. Aidinia blushed brighter. The young woman's hands slowly twisted vines to create restraints for the sceptile, as her mind wondered. Tears filled her eyes thinking of having to tie up such a beautiful creature. She knew it was for her safety as well as his own. He had been about to harm himself. As much as Aidinia loved Ajax, he had almost helped the poor thing commit suicide. Now Aidinia understood, Arrow was angry at himself for almost killing his companion. the woman that Alex had healed. Aidinia hoped Cassie informed the woman where the sceptile was when she woke. I'd panic if I woke and Alex was gone. Aidinia's heart was breaking for the pair. When Aidinia's restraints were complete. She carefully approached the sceptile, now held by Savior. She inspected his wounds. There were a few cuts and scraps. The doctor cleaned them and made certain there was no debris to be found, then she wound the restraints around his wrists being certain to hold him in such a way as to prevent the use of his blades to free himself. The bindings were placed carefully around the sceptile's waist, this prevented him from twisting out of them. Between the hands and waist was a branch line that allowed for a small about of movement to prevent injury. Although there was not enough movement space to allow escape, and even if by some chance he could escape, Savior was there as was Alex. The two were sizing one another up. Another branch line traced down to Arrow's knees and they were secured as well, and then another branch and his ankles were fastened.

After Aidinia had secured Arrow, Savior looked at Alex. "Who are you? Can you fight?" He gruffed at the healer. Alex smirked. " I am not so nearly brutish as you, I heal. I am here to fix the wounds instilled by the battles you fight. But that makes me your worthy ally Savior. Aidinia is a healer, but she is also a fighter a perfect mix of us two." Alex beamed at the girl. "I believe you will be good for her, Although I do wish you'd stop leaving bruises all over her." Savior guffawed, "The hoomanling complains of bruises? She has seen no bruises yet.." Alex spun "No, she does not complain at all! She speaks only of your help, of your training, and her desire to work well for you! Don't you dare hurt her more! She is HUMAN not a pokemon, she can not take as much as we." The hitmonlee heard this Sylveon speak of his trainer like this. There may be more to her than I thought. Savior thought as he gazed back at Aidinia. "Hitmonlee!" He barked as he sat guarding the area.

 

[Astralkitsune]

Erejast and Ecarte
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Erejast watched the fierce battle from the ditch, and the efforts of the mocha skinned trainer and her dazed Beedrill. His eyes kept careful track of the battle with the Nidoking as well. As the monster raised up to it's full height and began to bring it's claws down to the earth his sense of danger flared up and he threw his body over the two charges in his care. The earth shook and rippled all around him with the force of the earthquake attack. However it seemed something absorbed most of the debris that should have headed their way. He squinted through the dust and saw Ecarte lying on the ground injured close by. Before he could respond the their was a loud pop and the young woman was placing Ecarte in the ditch beside the others.

Ecarte had taken a few hard hits from the earthquake debris, but her light screen had absorbed much of the damage and she had suffered much worse in the past. She shook off the daze she had received and sat up looking around, "Garde.." She was in a ditch along with Mina, who thankfully looked unhurt. Erejast and Damien, and the others were there as well. She looked over and saw the headless Nidoking and and Orion walking up relatively unscathed. She let out a small smile and nodded at the Lucario. "Well done Orion. The beast surprised me with it's resilience and it's rage. I am not often surprised nor do I make it a habit of underestimating an opponent.

Erejast looked on Ecarte and for a moment admired the agelessness of Pokemon. "Fifteen years later and she still looks the same. I wish I could say the same for myself and this jungle is horrible for my complexion." The doctor opened Kiwi's pokeball once more, as the Togepi appeared in a flash of light. "Kiwi dearie please go give dear Ecarte a hug." Ecarte frowned at this as her wounds were not that bad and Kiwi would start to get tired soon from all the healing. Nevertheless she didn't stop the Togepi from waddling over and hugging her with a shimmering glow. She starred at Mina's godfather for a moment. "I can't believe Erejast happened to also be on this Island as well. That is good for us but bad for him, as that poor soul has tried so hard to leave his past behind him. He certainly looks a bit worn and I have almost never seen that man out of composure."

Erejast once more looked down at Mina and let out a small sigh of regret. "I really have been a terrible god parent to her. I always get so busy with my work and traveling about the world, and I have been leaving a scared twelve year old girl to her own devices far to often. I didn't even know she was at this tournament until now. Ecarte is going to hit me later I just know it. Well that stops now I am going to get her off this Island safely no matter what." "No matter what. Just what are you prepared to do then." Once again the darker voice echoed in his minds mocking his thoughts. "Shut up, I can't hear myself think. Erejast stop talking to yourself this is not a good sign of mental stability."

Erejast looked up sharply as he detected movement in the brush, just before a small group of people and pokemon moved into their clearing. He stood up and dusted himself off, "Oh good the text must have gone out after all. How good of more people to show up to our little barbecue soiree. I am afraid we seem to be low on seating. He gestured toward the Laprass, oh never-mind I see you brought your own." Then his eyes fell on Lilly's leg and his demeanor shifted. He scooped up the Togepi and began to advance across the clearing toward the other group as he looked down at the pokemon in his arms. "Kiwi dear our work is just never done."

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