Trial by Fire (A PMD Roleplay)

[Snapdragon]

((OOC: I know there's already been at least one Mystery Dungeon roleplay, but... eh. XD I'd like to keep this one small. Depending on the interest, I'll limit it to around three or four players, myself included. As far as rules... don't be a dumbshit. :] For the sake of convenience, I'll also keep a little list of characters up in this post. I'll add on anyone who joins, too.))

Characters:

Adramelech: Shiny Charizard, male. The powerful leader of a distant tribe. Seeks to conquer Virilanus.
Tsadi: Dragonite, female. One of Adramelech's champions. Easily the strongest of the four.
Zayin: Tyrannitar, female. One of Adramelech's champions. The toughest champion, famed for her tenacity.
Gimel: Metagross, genderless. One of Adramelech's champions. A masterful tactician, able to win fights with minimal effort.
Resh: Garchomp, male. One of Adramelech's champions. Said to be fast enough to outrun a lightning bolt.
Verdane: Sceptile, male. Former leader of Virilanus. Deceased.
Vexer: Meowth, male. Native of Virilanus. A cunning trickster, though admittedly self-centered and somewhat underhanded. Adores shiny trinkets.
Laela: Poochyena, female. Native of Virilanus. Rough and short-tempered, but kindhearted. A Poochyena with a fiery pelt inherited from her father. From a pack of skilled hunters with a reputation for always catching their prey.
Ring: Growlithe, male. Native of Virilanus. A peace-loving Growlithe with an odd sense of humor. Has aspirations of glory. Once studied under a now-deceased teacher.
Thira: Eevee, female. Native of Virilanus. Tends to be shy by nature. Has a love of digging, and has been known to hide in the tunnels she makes.



-----




Virilanus was famous for being the most tranquil part of the continent. A territory that stretched from the eastern mountain peaks and its grassy foothills down to the great forest in the south. It was most well known for the spring found at its center, said to have been blessed ages ago by a powerful Pokemon. Legend said that the spring would never turn foul or dry up, but always remain pristine and pure. For years, the Pokemon of Virilanus lived happily, surrounded by fresh water and green plants and guarded by the mighty warrior Verdane. Beyond the borders of Virilanus, however... things weren't quite so peachy. A terrible drought had settled over the continent, and as time passed and the rains failed to come, things grew more and more dire for the outside world. Crops failed, rivers dried up, and Pokemon dropped like flies.

Things had become desperate for Adramelech. His people could no longer live in the plains that they'd called home for generations. And so he had done the only thing he could. He gathered up his four fiercest warriors, and they marched.

And now... now, Virilanus burned.


It was too much to believe. Just one day ago, the sun had been shining, some little Rattatas had been splashing around by the edge of the spring, and Verdane's biggest concern was breaking up the quarrel between Clefairy and Jigglypuff regarding who was pinker. Now... the sky was thick with smoke, flames danced hellishly all around, and the giggles of annoying little rodents had been replaced with screams. Now, Pokemon were fleeing in all directions, wildly seeking escape from the terror that had descended from nowhere. Now, Verdane's charred and broken body was floating face-down in the water of the spring.

Vexer's legs were shaking beneath him. Behind him, the noise grew louder. Some of the Pokemon had organized themselves together, to face down the invaders. He glanced over his shoulder, down the way he'd come. The street was lit up by a blast of yellow-gold energy--a Hyper Beam. Seconds later, the ground under his paws shook, a large rift splitting the street he'd been fleeing down moments before. Earthquake. Screams, sobs... silence. Just... just what were they up against? With moves that powerful... They had destroyed Verdane. The strongest fighter in all of Virilanus was dead. It was numbing.

And it was hopeless. Every rational part of Vexer's brain screamed that at him, that it was pointless to get himself killed when the whole thing was a lost cause anyway. Still, his paws remained planted. Stay and fight, or turn and run? It shouldn't have been a hard decision. A shriek from the sky caught Vexer's attention. He glanced up to see Swellow lancing through the sky like an arrow, heading towards the same carnage that Vexer had been running from. Swellow never quite made it--seconds later, a white-hot jet of flame hit the bird head-on, and he plummeted uselessly to the ground. Vexer's eyes widened as he watched Swellow fall, though the shock of the sight was quickly replaced with another. Strong red wings that tore through the smoke and gleaming black scales, a tail that ended in a burning flame.

For a brief second, Vexer locked eyes with the black-skinned Charizard soaring overhead. That moment was all that was needed to crumble the last of his nerve. The last of his courage died out. All thoughts of loyalty to his burning home were wiped out by terror. The Meowth ducked onto all fours and took off in a blind sprint.


----


Nightfall brought little relief. The embers of town still glowed in the darkness a short distance away. Vexer had taken shelter at the edge of the forest, crouched down beneath the cover of the undergrowth. Where the black Charizard and his followers had gone, Vexer didn't know. They could all be there, waiting for the survivors to gather. They could have spread out to search for the escaped Pokemon themselves. Maybe they had gone away entirely. Really, Vexer wasn't aiming to risk his neck finding that out. But where was there to go from here? The noble thing to do would be to search for those that had been wounded in the attack on the town and try to help them. The sensible thing to do would be to get the hell outta Dodge before somebody set his face on fire.

Vexer had never been known for his courage, but neither was he a blind coward. He obviously couldn't spend the rest of his life huddled in the undergrowth, but where was he supposed to go from here?

 

[Artiste]

((OOC: Lol at Tactics reference. Adramelech...xD))

Ring had been running all day long, and boy, was he tired. He had hidden under a bush, big mistake. Up a tree, another mistake. The black Charizard soared through the air, demolishing everything, and the small Growlithe didn't know where to hide anymore. He had run, he had hidden, and now, there were no places left to hide in. Day had turned to night, and now he was even more frightened, if that was possible. Everything was in cinders. It looked even more devastated, with the embers lighting up the streets. Miraculously, the forest had remained intact, and naturally, Ring blasted out of his hiding place, which was under the charred remains of a bunch of trees that he found a few minutes ago, though it could have been an hour, he did not know, in a full sprint, as fast as his small legs could possibly carry him. The strange invaders had seemingly left. Key word: Seemingly. They could be anywhere. Virilanus had quite a few places to hide, when the circumstances called for it. Though most of them were destroyed, there were still a few, most of them near the Spring. As he sprinted towards the forest, he thought he saw something out of the corner of his eye. He turned, and realized a a split second later he should have never. It was just a burned leaf, floating through the air in a swerving pattern, until finally coming to rest on the back of a running Growlithe named Ring, just for a moment, until the wind carried it away again.

At the edge of the forest, there was a Meowth, looking quite scared. Ring knew the feeling. He glanced at it for a moment, and then continued his running, going straight through the forest for about a minute, until he reached a clearing he had known about for a month or so. It had a very good view of the city, but those in the city could not see the clearing. Or the Pokemon inside of it. It was near enough to the Spring, but no resident of Virilanus in their right mind would go there right now.
Ring thought of Verdane, the poor Sceptile had fought, and died for his territory, in a valiant effort to shield the other Pokemon from the wrath of the invaders. He was now laying in his grave, it was fitting, that he now lay there, in the thing that had made them prosperous. If they were lucky, he was not dead, just injured terribly. Hopeful thoughts would not help them now! They needed to figure out a plan, a way to escape, and someday come back, and give the invaders a taste of their own medicine. Maybe someday soon Ring would evolve, maybe. Even more fitting was the idea of an Arcanine belaying, and defeating the invaders, with all of the survivors alongside him! That would come once he could find the illustrious Fire Stone! But, like most illustrious things, it was rare. More rare then some poor Growlithe could find. He could not even use Ember... How useless is a Growlithe that can not use the simplest of fire attacks? Utterly useless! There was nothing he could do about that, except find a new teacher to replace the one who had died, trying to protect Ring. Oh, teacher! Why did you have to protect me?! You could have saved yourself! But instead, you saved a lowly Growlithe, who can't even use Ember yet.

Exhausted, and with those thoughts swirling through his head, Ring fell into a deep sleep.

 

[Sami]

Today would've been a great day, had it not been for that terrible monster. Had it not been for that creature perphaps her family would still be here...no no no! It wasn't the time to think like that. Father would've never fallen to a foe such as that, even so, he would've known better than to fight to the death. Her brothers, not so much, but Father and Mother surely have made it out alive. At least...that's what she kept telling herself. Crimson orbs looked around as a fiery colored body was wiggling itself out of the rubble she had laid beneath unconsious for quite some time. Man, was she sore. If it hadn't been for quick but rather stupid thinking, she probably would be alive.

Laela's nose gave a cautious sniff as she continued to look around. The entire place was destroyed, not so much charred as the other places, but absolutely wrecked. If she hadn't been caught under that building, surely she would've been burnt to a crisp. How could such a successful day of hunting become such a hellish nightmare? It was like an Arbok with his mouth on a Snorlax...it was just to much to swallow. As she walked...no limped from the rubble she gave a shake of her pelt, letting loose fur and dust fly.

It seemed as though that steel demon had left, must've done it's job. Laela's nose was thrown way off by the smell of burning...well, everything was kinda burning. Not paying attention to her footing, the Poochyena tripped over a body. Cringing as her chin met the ground she could feel her body shaking. Part of her wanted to know not what...but who she tripped over, but the other part feared it would be someone she knew. Slowly, she stood up, eyes looking straight ahead as she walked forward, not daring to look back. Her family was safe, they had to be. If only she had been born a Houndour, then that metallic beast wouldn't have stood a chance...

As she limped away from the corpse she didn't identify, she kept her eyes peeled for any and every movement as she pushed on. How long had she been out cold, well, it wasn't night when she was last awake, so that was saying something. She was headed towards the forest, at least there she could easily avoid detection from the invaders, if they were still around, anyhow. Stopping at the edge of it she looked up at a pair of trees. With a wince, it didn't take her long to get herself up into the branches of one of them. Laying down momentarily, she licked at the foreleg that was giving her limping issues. Oh ew. Upon closer inspection, there was a good gash upon the skin as she cleaned it with her tongue. Most likely from rubble falling upon her, it was pure luck she was even alive.

She puffed an audible sigh as her eyes fixated on the small amount of sky that was peeking out in between the trees foliage. Doubt had rushed into her heart and Hope had pushed it back, but now Doubt was starting to seep in once more due to the silence of the night. The silence was actually angering the girl, her fur bristling as she stared up at the sky. Just who did those invaders think they were?! Marching in here like that. If only the village could've forseen this somehow, all this chaos could've been prevented. People could've been moved to saftey, and stronger Poke'mon gathered in their defense. And that steel abomination.....he was going to pay. All Hope was slipping away as Laela was letting out a rather loud growl up in her tree without realizing it during her inner thoughts.

((Not exactly my best, but I shall get into the swing of this a bit better. Brain is still in the martini shaker.))

 

[Snapdragon]

((OOC: Yeah, I wasn't aware of the reference until Demi clued me in. I've never played that much Final Fantasy. XD
PS: Edited for typos. Whoops.))

Virilanus' blessed spring lived up to legends. After the events of the day, it had been clouded with debris, ash, blood, and a body. In spite of all that, the waters showed no signs of the earlier horrors, and remained as pristine as they had always been. Adramelech stood at the edge of the waters, thin wisps of steam trailing from his nostrils as he surveyed his newly-conquered territory. It was amazing how easily Virilanus had fallen. Only that Sceptile had been able to put up a worthwhile struggle, and he'd been at a disadvantage from the start. Adramelech turned his back to the spring, surveying the four faithful champions that had helped him to conquer Virilanus.

Tsadi stood at the front, dark eyes fixed forward and spine straight in true soldierly fashion. In spite of her cutesy little wings and cuddly appearance, her ferocity on the battlefield was unrivaled. She had more than proved her worth during the attack; she had a versatile arsenal of moves at her disposal, which she had put to very good use that day. Adramelech was grateful to have the Dragonite's unwavering loyalty.

Zayin sat with her feet in the spring, scowling at the wreckage around her. Though not quite as much of a powerhouse as Tsadi, the she-Tyrannitar had an extremely volatile temper, and skin tougher than rock. It took more than a drought, miles of travel, and a hostile takeover to wear her down; although she was seemingly relaxed, the frown on her face made it clear she was itching for action.

Gimel, as always, remained near Adramelech's side. Though it was hard to gauge any sort of emotion in the Metagross' steel face, he still seemed to exude an aura of calmness. Gimel's calculating mind had never failed him, nor Adramelech for that matter. The cunning tactician was capable of vanquishing foes far stronger than him, even those that had a type advantage over him. He had been a ruthless slaughtering machine in the attack; Gimel was not well-known for his mercy.

And in the back, fins folded casually, stood Resh. In the sky, on the ground, or beneath the earth, there were few that could match his speed. Most of his victims barely had time to lay eyes on their murderer before they fell. In spite of his rampant arrogance, the Garchomp was an invaluable fighter and scout. His cockiness was well-earned; Resh's agility and hit-and-run tactics meant he could take on even the mightiest of foes without taking a single blow.

"Gimel... tell me, where does this spring water come from?" Adramelech turned his attention back to the waters, watching the moonlight and the glow of the smoldering wreckage dance on the surface.

"The land of Virilanus includes a tall mountain, correct? I would assume that would be the source."

"Hm. Very well. Gimel, Zayin, come with me. We'll head towards the mountain and search out this spring's water source. Tsadi, Resh... the drought in our homeland has reduced our numbers drastically. Search out all the survivors you can, and see who will join us. I'm not a cruel man; those that would submit to my rule will be permitted to live. If any resist, well... I'll leave their fates to your discretion." And with that, Adramelech spread his wings and took to the sky. Below, both Tyrannitar and Metagross turned to the mountains. Tsadi and Resh nodded to each other and took to the sky. The Garchomp headed towards the grasslands, and the Dragonite... to the forests.


-----


Vexer's mind was starting to play tricks on him. Even if his feline eyes could handle the darkness of night, his jittery nerves combined with the shock of the day's events had him thoroughly frazzled. He kept hearing ominous rustles, and once he thought he saw a flash of something moving in the darkness behind him. That was it... if he stayed there any longer, watching the dim twinkle of the town's remains, he'd end up losing his marbles. The safest way to go was deeper into the forest; he could count on the cover of the trees. All the invader's he'd glimpsed had been huge. They would have a harder time navigating the dense forest. There was nothing Vexer could do for Verdane, or anyone who had been stupid enough to fight. They were all dead, and unless he wanted to join them, the best he could do was just cut his losses and run.

Didn't that just tick him off, though? It didn't seem right to let these intruders get away with murder--genocide, even. The deaths of Virilanians hung heavily in his mind... but what could one Meowth do? Scratch them into submission? That would be suicide; he'd seen that black Charizard take down Verdane, and the Sceptile had been ten times the fighter Vexer would ever be. Even if he did have some sort of chance, it would still be five on one so long as that Charizard's underlings were with him. He just had to accept it: he was powerless to do a thing. Slowly, cautiously, Vexer backed out of his hiding place and retreated deeper into the woods.

He had only been moving for about a minute when he came across a clearing. There, right out in the open, lay a Growlithe. Dead? Hurt? Surely he wouldn't be so crazy as to nap without some sort of cover! What if that Charizard was flying overhead right then, looking to pick off survivors? Vexer hesitated at the edge of the clearing. It was true that there was safety in numbers, even if he would sooner travel with a Stunky than a canine, but his courage had still been crushed by Adramelech's ferocious invasion.

It took Vexer a moment to gather up his resolve, but finally he decided to make the approach. Rising up onto two legs, he barely managed a single step before a loud growl from behind and above froze him in his tracks. His fur instantly standing on end, instincts seized the Meowth and sent him skittering up the first tree he could reach. Was that Growlithe just bait for some kind of ambush? For all he knew there was a Garchomp lurking in the trees, just waiting to pounce! Vexer carefully scanned the area, eyes wide and alert.

No large blue land-sharks... but he did spot something up in another tree a little distance away. Temporarily backing away from the unconscious Growlithe, Vexer leapt into another tree, drawing close enough to make out what that thing was. ...A dog? In a tree? Under normal circumstances, Vexer would have laughed. A canine would have to be stupid to climb so high; one little push and their tiny little claws wouldn't be able to keep them on their perch. Who would be clueless enough to sit on a precarious perch and broadcast their presence with loud growls? Vexer climbed up higher, a short leap being enough to carry him to the same tree as the canine.

It had been too dark to notice much color from a distance, but up close, Vexer recognized that ruddy coat. Without a doubt, it was one of that Houndoom's mutts. And injured, too; how she'd managed to get so high up with a wounded leg was beyond Vexer. Well... if his suspicions were right and this Poochyena was who he thought she was, then she was probably already aware he was around. Her hunting skills were kind of a big deal in town--not that they'd done her any good in the invasion. Vexer abandoned all pretenses of stealth with a sigh and dropped down to a branch just above the Poochyena, catlike eyes gleaming in the moonlight.

"You look like a fish out of water, Red. Get down before you hurt yourself, will you?"

 

[Shiny Motley]

Thira hid in the tiny hole she had dug a few hours ago. She's been hiding there for quite a while now, because of that one evil monster: a black Charizard, who was flying around, trying to take over her forest home. She had gotten away just on time: right after she had her hole covered, she felt something hot against her back , though not hot enough to burn her. She whimpered, not because she thought the heat had burned her, but because she was worried about what had happened to her parents and siblings: Eevees weren't that great around fire, and no one in her family was a Vaporeon or Flareon. Shaking her head, she decided that the forest wasn't the safest place to be at right now, especially since the little hole in a tree where she lived in was now just a pile of ashes. After that thought, she quickly dug a bit more, trying to find the edge of the forest, which was probably the safest place right now.

She soon found a small place where there weren't a lot of roots and whatnot, which, she guessed, was the edge of the forest. She paused for a moment, than dug her way up to the surface. Jumping up into the air, she took a quick breath of air, but then choked it out as soon as she had let it in. The air was full of smoke and ashes, but she should have expected that: the forest around her was now made of burning trees and bushes. Looking around, she saw that she wasn't at the edge of the forest, but in a small clearing.

Inspecting her surroundings, Thira made out a few fellow Pokemon in the shadows that, she suspected for a while, had also tried to escape the flying monster: A sleeping Growlith, a reddish Poochyena, and a Meowth. Looking around, she saw that the Charizard and his companions had left, or, at least, wasn't near the place where she was now.

After seeing the three Pokemon, suspicion started to grow in her mind. Were these three spies for the black Charizard? Cautiously, she tried to dig another tunnel away, but she stepped on a stick, which made a loud cracking noise. Oh no, I'm doomed! the frightened Eevee thought.

((OOC: eheheh.... best I could do right now. PM me if I need something to change.))

 

[Gardevoir Master]

((Room for one more?))

"I must go. Virilanus needs me."

A green paw snagged Teris on his elbow.

"Not without me, you're not."

Teris the Gallade turned to his beloved. The Gardevoir's violet eyes met his with a wicked grin.

"Malana..." Teris started, but the Gardevoir put her paw to his lips.

"It's obvious Virlanus needs both of us," Malana said. "We're a team, remember? We watch each other's backs."

"No, I won't risk it," Teris replied, gently pushing her hand aside. "How this attack came without warning... It's clearly too dangerous..."

Malana gripped Teris' hand. "There's always danger, Teris. And I'm always by your side. If you can handle it, I can handle it."

Teris turned away from Malana. In a low voice, he said, "But I don't think I can handle this one." Malana stared at the back of his head in silence before he spoke again. "I know it, and you know it, too. We can't predict the outcome of this one..."

"Sure we can!" Malana exclaimed. She spun Teris around and pulled him into her arms. She brought her face a hair's width from his with a childish grin. "I predict we will win. It's as simple as that."

"It is not that simple, my love," Teris said, bringing a hand up to her cheek. He stroked it, and she relaxed her head into it. "I don't know what's going to happen this time, but I do know that it won't end well if both of us leave this house. Please. Stay here until I return. I don't want to risk losing you."

"I don't want to lose you, either," Malana said. Her head moved forward, locking her lips over his. He leaned into it, sharing this passionate kiss. Telepathically, she added, ~That is why I will go. That is my decision, not yours.~

~I'm afraid this time, it isn't,~ Teris responded.

Malana's eyes went wide for a moment as there was a sudden, sharp blow to her abdomen. She staggered back, her eyes dropping down to his fist where her gut was a second ago. Her own fingers went limp as she put a hand on her belly, releasing the fist that almost met the same spot on Teris.

"Dammit, Teris," Malana said with an ironic smile as the world went dark around her. "You always were faster..."

Malana's eyes snapped open to pitch darkness. Was that a dream? No, a memory. The sharp pain in her gut could attest to that. Trying to sit up, she found herself pinned beneath a pile of rubble. Another strike against dreamland.

"Dammit, Teris," Malana grumbled as she shoved the debris of their home off of her. "When I catch up to you, I'm gonna..."

It finally struck her, as her eyes took in the burnt out frame of their house. A board landed on her head, and she was knocked cold for a moment. When she came to again, all she could see were the flaming ruins of the Virilanus. Standing up, allowing the last of the pillions to tumble off her, she drifted through what was once their front door. Now it was more of an arbitrary hole in space. Everywhere there was destruction and death. Bodies lay motionless in the road. Homes were people live and loved and laughed were now piles of charred kindling.

"Teris..." she whispered. Then, much louder, "TERIS!"

Malana darted about, Teleporting here and there in a frantic search. ~Teris? Teris, where are you!? I... I can't find you. Why can't I sense your thoughts...?~

Finally, she fell to her knees in the middle of the street. She hoped it wasn't true. She hoped this was just some nightmare. But if she could no longer sense his presence, it must mean...

"NOOOOOOO!!" she cried out to the heavens. "TERRRRRRRIIIIIIIISSS!"

Malana put her head in her hands and sobbed. Those invaders... those monsters... If they hadn't come to this peaceful village, none of this would've happened. Tears still falling from her eyes, Malana forced herself to her feet. If it weren't for those monsters, no one would've had to lose their life.

Malana marched down the middle of the street. Loose boards and gravel vibrated as her anger passed through them. Flames flared to incandescence with her sorrow. Her mission was clear.

Those monsters won't leave this village alive.

 

[Artiste]

The cracking of a branch awakened Ring. He looked around groggily, wondering what had awakened his blissful slumber. "Whozair? Ugh.. What a weird dream. Verdane and Master beaten? Bah, never." Then his sense of smell had followed his brain in awakening, bringing the smell of a burnt city with it. As he realized then, it was not a dream. Verdane and Master had been defeated, and now the whole town was in burning shambles.

He stood up, and shook himself, to wake up his sleepy brain. Fully awake after the shake, he cast his gaze around his makeshift campsite, looking for what had made the sound which had so rudely interrupted his slumber. Was it in the trees? No. Was it hidden? Yes. But, what "it" was, Ring did not know. What a fool he had been! He could have completely compromised his secrecy, even his life! No use crying over spilt milk, though. It was over, and still he had his life. Ah! He sensed the presence of other Pokémon, and with the knowledge that the invader's couldn't be that far away, his gaze shifted around with more urgency. An Eevee, standing stock-still, was obviously the source of the broken branch. Up in the trees! His gaze shot to the place. Just a Meowth and the Poochyena who's renowned hunting skills might have been the cause of the aforementioned compromised life. Houndoom's mutt, given away by the orange coat it had. Although and injury looked like it was stopping it from hunting any Growlithe. Ring trotted over to them, and said;

"Hiya." He called up to them, a bit too cheery for the situation at hand. "Name's Ring. Who're you guys?"

((OOC: Wow, that post turned out long for waking up, and spotting Pokemon. xD))

 

[Sami]

Laela's ear flicked as the audible sigh from the Meowth could be heard. With narrowed eyebrows, her scarlet eyes flicked towards the feline. She got her eyes from her father as well as her fiery pelt, but alas, she had her Mother's species. Standing up on the branch she had been laying on, she locked eyes with the cat above her, brow still furrowed. Her maw opened slightly with a curled lip as though she was going to speak for a moment before she closed it and looked away. Releasing an audible sigh, she looked back up to the Meowth with still harsh, crimson orbs.

"I don't suppose you've seen anyone from my pack during or after all this chaos, have you Meowth?"

She'd let the 'red' comment slide, after all, it wasn't the first time she'd been called that. Her and one of her older brothers always got that comment due to their inherited colors from Father, except Brother was lucky, he wasn't as vividly red-orange as she had been. Laela still had flickers of hope that someone had to be alive still, even just one of her family would do. As much as she would like to know everybody was safe, common sense did cloud her hope. Father would've been the only one to survive such an attack, and he would've probably taken Mother and her younger siblings elsewhere.

As her mind was trying to iron out the confusion, her eyes drifted from the Meowth to the huddled body of a Growlithe on the ground. Dead, no wait, he woke up. A snapping sound drew her attention then from the Growlithe to the ground in the opposite direction. Light snap, something small. Her eyes weren't good enough to see in this kind of darkness from so far. Didn't seem to be a threat though. Her nose was still being taken for loops due to the burnt ashes lodged up there. Speaking of which, those ashes were starting to tickle a bit. Oh geez...was she gonna -

"A-choo!"

- sneeze? Ugh, a little late to the ball there. With the unexpected sneeze from her nose, Laela body rocked dangerous close to falling off the stump. Catching herself at what seemed the last moment, Laela moved back towards the safer center of the branch, laying down once more. The Poochyena stared at her clean but still sore foreleg before she looked down at the Growlithe who called up.

"Good to see that there are some survivors besides myself. I'm Laela, have you seen any other Poochyena or perhaps a Houndoom around?"

Laela shifted a bit on her branch. Getting down was easier than getting up here, so that'd be no problem. But she had such a terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach...then again, it was hard not to have a bad feeling when you hometown was just stomped on and toasted by a random bunch of strangers.

 

[Snapdragon]

Well, it looked like he'd lucked out when he'd spotted that Growlithe. He'd gone from being all alone to being surrounded by survivors. Such as they were, anyway. A stupid mutt with mutated colors, some timid little mouse of an Eevee, and a Growlithe that was grinning like an idiot in spite of the gravity of the current situation. It was a bit of an understatement to say none of them looked tough enough to take on the invaders, but there was still safety in numbers. If all else failed, there were three targets to keep the enemy busy while Vexer was making a run for it.

Vexer decided to first deal with the Poochyena. She stood out the most, which was both blessing and curse. For one thing, it would be impossible to blend in while sticking with somebody that had an extremely rare fur color. On the other hand, he family was famous for never failing a hunt. That probably meant she was more powerful than she looked--if she was one of those super-hunters, then she was probably the best fighter. Plus she'd probably inherited all kinds of moves and skills from her Houndoom father. Of course, the fact that she was a dog didn't earn her much points, but... Vexer was surrounded by canines anyway, so what choice was there?

"Don't sweat it, Red. You're one of that Houndoom's brood, right? They're the best hunters in Virilanus. They're probably doing just that--hunting down those invaders." Of course, Vexer didn't believe a word of that himself--if Verdane hadn't been able to beat them, then nobody would be able to. But there was nothing to gain by slapping Laela in the face with the truth. Just tell her what she wanted to hear, and she'd be much easier to deal with. If there was one thing Vexer could do, it was lie. He may not have been the toughest cat around, but what he lacked in brawn he made up for in brains.

With that out of the way, he decided to get a better look at the other survivors. Climbing came easily enough to Vexer; a few bounds onto lower branches, then a short drop to the ground. "Pleased to meet you, Ring. You too, Red. And, uh... you, Eevee. You don't have anything to be all freaked over, y'know. We're all Virilanians here." Vexer rose up onto two feet and began pacing. There was no sense beating around the bush--everyone knew what had happened, and with any luck, the consequences had hit them, too. "Look, guys, I'm gonna be frank. We're screwed over, here. With Verdane gone, we don't have anyone to protect us, and you guys don't strike me as being tough enough to take on those guys."

He shrugged apologetically, then continued. "I don't know who those invaders were, or how many of them there really are, or even where they are now, but I did see some stuff. I was there during the attack. I saw two of them. There was a Garchomp for sure, and the leader is a black Charizard. He was the one that killed Verdane. I think it's safe to assume they're all skilled fighters, and it's likely there are more of them than what I saw. The way I see it, here are our options. First, we leave Virilanus. Cut our losses while we're still alive. Second, we go into hiding. We're weak now, but we can get stronger. Maybe gather up more survivors, if there are any willing to fight. Third, we go back to the square, see if we can find out more about the enemy. Possibly take them on if we run into them, but that would be suicidal. Maybe if we had time to prepare, and the element of surprise... no, still not likely."

Vexer shook his head. Too many variables. If the invaders were separated, if they had time to lay traps, if they could successfully ambush the enemy... that would count on luck a little bit too much. "Anyway, my point is that we have the best chance of living if we stick together. It'll also help if you guys share any information you've got about those invaders." He paused them, dropping back down on all fours. He tended to go on two legs when deep in thought, and he was done pondering for now. "So what to you think? Should we band together, and if so, what's our next move, guys?"

 

[Shiny Motley]

Thira nearly screamed when the sleeping Growlithe awoke, and yelped as three heads turned to look at her. She was just about to dig a hole to hide herself, until the Meowth said, "We're all Virilanians here." Feeling a slight bit more comfortable, she decided to introduce herself.

"Er... h-hello," she said in a small voice. "My name is, um, Thira. Nice to, er, meet you guys," she managed to say. Speaking was definitely not one of Thira's strong sides, and speaking in front of strangers made her speeches even worse. "Er... I didn't really, um, think that, er, anyone would have really, uh, survived. So, eh, how did you guys survive?" she asked. She wasn't in the mood to explain how she had survived, but she wondered how interesting these Pokemon's story would be, compared to hers.

She quickly recalled the adventure she had. She was in a hunting lesson with her dad, an Umbreon, when they saw fire far away. She quickly dug a hole, only big enough to hide herself. Now that she thought about it, there was a possibility that Dad was still alive, but she doubted it: It was him that had covered her the hole she dug, and she remembered that she felt something hot against her back right after the hole was filled. Tears filled her eyes as she remembered the incident.

Trying to cover up her tears, and responding to Vexer's invitation, she quickly said, " I might need some protection, though. I'm not that, er, strong yet, and I'll really need, uh, some people to, um, travel around with, you know, in case I, er, get attacked or something. I'm good at digging, and, er, I'll be able to dig a hole big enough to, um, hide us all if we do get attacked!" she added quickly. "So, er, Vexer, I do want to, er, band. I dunno what, er, Laela and, er, Ring will want to do. I'm not an, um, Espeon yet, and I can't, uh, read minds."

 

[Sami]

Laela's curled into a slight smile. Well well, wasn't this Meowth something? He must've certainly had quite the smarts if he was talking like that. Her forelegs were crossed as she rested her head on them, eyes locking onto the Meowth's as he mentioned 'that Houndoom's brood'. Hah, they weren't stupid enough to run into death's arms. But...somewhere in her mind, it made her feel just a bit better, even if she herself knew it was a lie. Eyes moved to the Eevee as she spoke before moving back to the pacing Meowth.

Standing up, Laela gave a shake of her red-orange body. Her leg was feeling better, though she'd have to avoid getting it dirty. In a time like this, it was no time to act helpless. She remained on her perch within the tree, watching as the Meowth leapt down.

"The invaders also have a Metagross and what I think was a Dragonite. Didn't get to good of a view, but it definately wasn't a Charizard."

Laela sat down as a hind leg came up and scratched behind her ear, a mosquito buzzing away in the knick of time to avoid being squished. What a fine time to get a bug bite, right inconvienantly behind the ear too. Lowering her leg to stop itching, she looked at the Meowth as she sat. "Charizard, Garchomp, Metagross, and a Dragonite. That's a pretty powerful squad." Band together? Well, so far, there were four survivors and four invaders that the knew of. That was like sending four Poochyena pups after four Tauros, just wasn't going to work; someone was going to get stomped all over. Of course, if you send four pups against one unsuspecting Tauros, then you'd have a chance...

"I say we band together, all we need to do is play our cards right. Sticking my tail between my legs and running isn't exactly my style. Ignoring a bunch of strangers who leveled my home to train underground isn't either." Laela stood up and gave an impressive stretch, leaping down from the tree in a similar fashion that the Meowth had. Landing next to the Growlithe, she walked into a position that made the four that were there into a lop-sided square shape. Remaining standing, she looked to the Meowth. "It may be 'not likely' to you, Meowth - but face it, right now the 'element of surprise' is just about all we've got."

Looking from the Meowth to the Growlithe, then to the Eevee, Laela's ear gave an absent-minded flick. "Well, I'm Laela, as I've said before. I don't know about you guys, but I don't plan on running away or dying until I've had my fair share of revenge. No one levels my home and gets away with it." Eyebrows were furrowed with a serious face to match, but inside her heart quivered and jumped every other beat. Her thoughts of revenge were all aimed towards that steel beast, but the other didn't need to know that.

"If anyone else is in for the ride, I say we take them out one by one. I'll admit, I might have vivid fur, but I'm not exactly the brightest crayon in the box when it comes to strategies." Laela finally sat down as she puffed a sigh, her ears drawing back before she scratched behind her ear again. Cursed mosquito...

 

[Snapdragon]

Vexer was beginning to see why mutts like Laela got such a reputation. To be able to climb with the ease of a cat... did she only have Houndoom blood in her, or was there some Skitty, too? Regardless of whatever else there was, it looked to Vexer like Laela was also part Primeape. It sure didn't take her very long to start raving about revenge and how they could beat fully-evolved Pokemon if they maybe tiptoed up on them. It seemed as if the group had two strong extremes speaking for them. On one side was Laela, all ready to start diving at the throats of Charizards, common sense be damned. On the other, timid Thira stammering about how she needed somebody to protect her and how they could properly hide from the enemies.

Well, Vexer would wait before offering his opinion on things. He was fully aware of his own capabilities, but he could only really guess at what the others could do. Thira had confessed to being weak, but for all he knew that was just some sort of self-confidence issue. Ring... he used to hear talk in the town about a Growlithe that was training to be a fighter, but for all Vexer knew, that was a different Growlithe. Laela... well, she had the reputation for never failing to kill her prey, and she certainly seemed confident that she could win against the invaders, but he preferred to let actions speak over words. It was a little too soon to be deciding anything for certain.

For the moment, he simply stuck to answering the Eevee's questions. He could tell she was feeling pretty nervous--and Vexer didn't quite blame her, either--so may as well do what he could to put her at ease. Anxiety was contagious, after all. "My story's probably not as exciting as anyone else's, really. I tend to come and go between the grasslands and Virilanus Square. When I showed up earlier today, I saw smoke rising from the village, and I could hear shouts. I went to go check it out and it was total chaos. The village was in flames, and the market stalls were all overturned and abandoned. I saw the Garchomp first--there was a whole crowd of people running away, and he'd just whip past them like the wind and cut them all down like it was nothing. I didn't stick around for too long, so I don't think he noticed me. When I got to the spring... Verdane was taking on that Charizard, and he was having a real tough time of it. That Charizard dove right at him, and Verdane just jumped in without any fear. I saw him score a direct hit with a Leaf Blade, then the Charizard bites down on his throat and... snap. That was when I ran. I've been hiding out here ever since."

Of course, he didn't bother to point it out, but the fact that he'd just run away without even trying to help anyone out... well, there was really no hiding it. Not Vexer's proudest moment, but he really didn't want to find out if that "nine lives" thing was fact or fiction. The fact of the matter was that he'd been scared--more scared than he'd ever been in his life. With a sigh, he dropped his gaze, one paw idly rubbing at the once-shiny coin on his forehead. After all that had gone down, it was looking a little dull and tarnished. "As for my name... eh, nothing special either. Just call me Vexer." Ugh. Persians didn't give names lightly. When one came from a litter of Swiftlings and Stalwarts, being a Vexer wasn't really anything worth bragging about, either. Still, a name given is a name earned--everyone who met Swiftling would know of his speed, and anyone introduced to Vexer would know he could... well, vex people. How charming.


----


Shame, Vexer. What good is a clever mind when you're too busy daydreaming to put it to use? Tsadi was no fool--she knew that small, weak creatures were likely to flee to the cover of the trees. Her dark eyes had picked out shapes in the dark, peeping out from between the gaps in the foliage. The ivory-bright coat of a Meowth, flashes of cream from a Growlithe and an Eevee. She plunged to the earth like an arrow with an authoritative cry. "Virilanians, don't move!" The Dragonite landed on her feet with a resounding thump, a small shower of leaves fluttering down in her wake. With her diminutive wings flared, she glared down at the four small creatures gathered. Tch... none of them had even evolved yet. Pathetic. If she had her way, she'd just stomp the lot of them, wipe her feet off on the loam, and then busy herself getting the charred remains of Virilanus Square ready for the rest of Adramelech's tribe. There was no way the Charizard would find any use in such weaklings.

"You were wise to run and hide, Virilanians, but it won't do you much good. If you've got an inch of sense, you'll hold still and listen while I'm talking to you. Your guardian has fallen, and Virilanus now belongs to Adramelech the Ashen. I am Tsadi, one of his chosen champions, so you listen up when I'm talking to you. Adramelech is a merciful leader. If you accept him as your new leader and submit to his rule, your lives will be spared and you will be allowed to remain in Virilanus." Hmph. Too gentle an offer for these Sceptile-loving punks. Tsadi flexed one clawed hand into a fist, watching the Meowth, Eevee, Poochyena, and Growlithe closely. It was a shame the invasion had been so short-lived. Tsadi had been hoping that one of the inhabitants of Virilanus would prove to be a challenge. Sadly, such was not the case. She wasn't going to get much of a challenge out of unevolved weaklings, no doubt, but some action was better than nothing.

"Unless, of course, you'd rather try and get even with us...?"

 

[Artiste]

In his mind's eye, Ring saw himself rushing over to the(Giant) Dragonite, and kissing her feet like crazy, but if he did that.... She might interpret it as an attack, albeit a weak and fruitless one, and bust his butt with some awesomely strong Dragon-type move. He did NOT want that to happen, at ALL. Maybe if he ran, she would chase after him, and the others could escape! Ring would die almost immediately, unless the Dragonite was as ruthless as the Charizard, Addramalech the Dragonite called him, and the Garchomp. That would be torture. A slow and painful death, maybe she'd cut him into little pieces and eat him! Or maybe she would just stomp on him, crushing his defenseless un-evolved Growlithe body. Or, an even worse possibility, she would give him to the Garchomp! That made the poor Pokemon tremble, but he had to steady himself, or she might kill him outright.

He would have to think on this one. The kissing of the feet plan was tantalizingly good-sounding right now, but he didn't want to stoop to that level.

Vexer... Laela... Thira... He felt like he had known them his entire life, and they were best friends, as opposed to knowing each other for ten minutes.

Still frozen solid with fear, Ring made a hasty decision, which may, or may not save his newfound friends at the expense of his own life: He would run for it, after telling the others to hide.

As his master had taught him, he whispered to the others, without moving his lips. It was called 'Ventriloquism', or something.

"Everybody, I'm going to make a run for it, and once I'm gone, if she follows me, hide in one of Thira's tunnels."

With that accomplished, he stuck his tongue out at the Dragonite, said; "Betcha can't catch me, stupid!", Turned, shook his tail at her face, and sprinted off into the forest, hoping she would follow.

 

[Shiny Motley]

"AHH!!!!!!!!!!!" Thira screamed as a big yellow swooped down on her and her new friends. She, once again, was going to dig a hole and hide herself, when she suddenly heard the Dragonite speak, or, rather, order for her and her three companions to freeze. She stood there, itching to run away and hide herself in a hole, as the huge (and fat) Dragonite began her speach about being one of the flaming lizard's companion and the "fact" that the Charizard was merciful. Bah, lies, all lies. How could someone be merciful if he had burned an entire forest and its inhabitants? But her thoughts were quickly interrupted as Ring ran into the forest.

Thira stood there, rotted to her spot, as she watched the Growlithe dash off. She couldn't believe it: right after she had met him, he ran off. She continued staring into the direction where he had disappeared to, until, in the corner of her eye, Thira saw the Dragonite stirred a bit. Her mind snapped back into reality, and, instinctively, she started digging.

Gosh, what am I doing? she thought after the hole was about three feet deep. I should be following Ring, in case the Dragonite chases him, and after that thought, she abandoned her hole and ran after him, unaware that Laela and Vexer were still there.

((OOC: Yes, I know the last paragraph is a little.... wierd. Please bear with me for it, and I will modify it the best I can, as soon as I get rid of all my homework........))

 

[Snapdragon]

((OOC: Right, guys. Artiste has been, sadly enough, banned. That leaves us out one roleplayer.
Way I see it, these are our choices:
1. We continue with the roleplay. A low-leveled Growlithe should not taunt a Dragonite unless he can outrun said Dragonite. We can ask Gardevoir Master to fill in the fourth spot, since he did express interest earlier on, or if the group prefers it, stick with just three.
2. We let the roleplay die. Not counting SE's edit, it's been about five-six days since the last post. I'd be kinda bummed to see another roleplay fizzle out, but if there's a lack of interest, hey, I understand.

So what say you guys?))

 

[Shiny Motley]

((OOC: No, I don't want this roleplay to die. It's great, terrific, anything good. It shouldn't die. Let Gardevoir Master join if he still has interest in this. But three people is also okay, but the more, the merrier, unless we get about 6 people. So..... I'm just saying let G M join, okay? Okay.))

((Mod Edit (Sami): Yell it to yourself.))

((Edit: Eh, I've been really busy with school and homework, anyways, so I won't post anything. Sad to see this RP die down, even if I didn't start it..... I didn't want to make a new post, so I just modified this one. ))

 

[Snapdragon]

((OOC: Well... I don't want this roleplay to die either, to be honest. :/ It seems every roleplay I make ends up dying out before it even starts, and I had my fingers crossed this one wouldn't go the way of the dinosaur, either.

Even so, I don't think there's a choice. Artiste is gone (and I'm kinda sad to see him go too, SE, but that's life) and I can say with a fair amount of certainty Sami won't be posting any time soon. She's got her hands full with creating her art portfolio until the end of October, I believe, and her silence (editing your post notwithstanding) kinda hints on her vote anyway. XD

Since there's no chance of Artiste coming back and I can't blame Sami for choosing getting into art school over a Pokeymanz roleplay, I'm shutting Trial By Fire down. It's kinda hard to keep a roleplay going with half the people involved out of the picture. Fun while it lasted, though.))