Pokemon: The Walking Dead(IC)

[Pppgggr]

Pokemon: The Walking Dead (OOC/SU)

THIS IS AN M-RATED ROLEPLAY

Link to OOC Thread

Pokemon: The Walking Dead takes place in the Kanto Region, several years after the events of Pokemon: Fire Red and Leaf Green. A strange virus has broken out across the planet, transforming both pokemon and humans alike into deathless beasts with a taste for blood. You take the role of one of the few survivors, fighting just to stay alive. Around every corner there are dangers, whether it's the undead, or the living scum of society. Will you prevail?

Plot

Spoiler:

Five years after the defeat of Team Rocket in Kanto, a new virus by the name of "Pokerus" began to enter the public eye. It was a disease that seemingly only affected pokemon, and with very few negative effects. Pokemon infected with the Pokerus Bacteria experienced rapid growth, as well as longer, healthier lives. First discovered by the sisterhood of Nurse Joys as they healed sick or wounded pokemon, news of this beneficial virus spread like wildfire.

Everyone, especially trainers, wanted to have their pokemon exposed to this new virus, and so people went about experimenting with the virus, discovering new and easier ways to pass it on. Over time, people began to discover that the disease could be transefered simply by allowing your pokemon to interact with infected individuals. Naturally, pokemon already infected with the virus became of high demand and eventually, mega-corporations sprung up and began charging massive amounts to infect one of your pokemon so that you could spread it to the rest of your party.

As the virus became ever-more popular, professionals such as the Pokemon Professors entered the fray, diverting their research to the study of this new virus entirely. Professor Oak of Pallet Town discovered that the virus was actually a new form of pokemon life, attaching itself to hosts and feeding off of their bodily wastes in order to thrive.

The trend didn't last long, however. As more and more pokemon became exposed to the Pokerus Virus, they began to develop an immunity to it as they would other diseases. As Pokerus no longer became a viable way of enhancing pokemon, the supposed "Great Pokerus Boom" ended, and the world more-or-less returned to normal....Or so everyone thought.

One thing that had been overlooked about Pokerus, is that like most pokemon, it could EVOLVE. As it became ever-more pressed to survive, the Pokerus Virus began to change into a whole new entity entirely.

Pokemon infected with the disease gradually began to become sick and die across the globe. Trainers and pet-owners alike flooded the pokemon centers world-wide in a frenzied attempt to help their beloved friends, backing up and essentially shutting down global healthcare.

Within days, deceased pokemon began to come back to life as monsters, feeding on their trainers and whatever pokemon were still left living, throwing the planet into a state of world-wide panic.

As the newly resurrected pokemon feasted on humans, the disease started to form a second branch, this one with the ability to infect them, and the population began to decline rapidly until very few living human beings and pokemon were left.

Eventually, even the god-like legendary pokemon were beginning to become affected by Pokerus......But before they could change, Arceus took action and recalled them to his realm, leaving only Mew, the legendary dog-pokemon, and Lugia to act as protectors to the few survivors that remained.

The end of the world had come about.

You

Spoiler:

You take on the role of one of the many survivors of the virus. Either through witts or dumb luck, you managed to avoid becoming a brain-eating zombie, and now you're on a mission: To survive. You don't have to be a trainer, for they weren't the only ones who survived. Officers, Breeders, Doctors, Professors, and many other kinds of people have survived the apocalypse as well. Challenges await you around every corner, and every second will be a struggle to survive. Not only do you have to worry about the hoardes of the undead, but also those people whom have gone bad to survive. Are you ready to face hell?

Notable Places:

Spoiler:

Each place in Kanto has its own threat level. A place's threat level can be anywhere from 1 - 5, 1 being relatively safe, 5 meaning GET THE HECK OUTTA THERE! Depending on each city's situation before the Pokerus Boom, each place has its own threats to deal with.

Pallet Town

Spoiler:

Threat Level: 2
Description:
As the few Trainers Pallet Town did produce generally left to tour the rest of Kanto, or even the world, there weren't many pokemon to be infected. The only reason this city hasn't been granted a Threat Level of 1 is Oak's Lab. Oak, like many other professors, had been studying the Pokerus Virus, and thus when it began to mutate, a few of his pokemon changed as well. Though the lab is an incredibly dangerous place, it is also home to vast collections of pokemon, still trapped in their pokeballs. Though one would have to be very stealthy to get in or out, there's a good chance that some of these trapped pokemon may not have the virus and need rescuing. His machinery will only sustain them for so long.(If you do enter Oak's lab and successfully take a pokemon, you do not get to choose what it is unless it is the pokemon you start with. If it's a pokemon you get later on down the line, it will be randomly generated for you. You may not take more than one.)

Cinnabar Island

Spoiler:

Threat Level: 1
Description:
Cinnabar Island is perhaps the safest place in Kanto. When the incident occurred, they were able to contain it, and since they're in the ocean, the only threats they face come in the form of Pokemon from the sea, though attacks such as this are rare because very few of them can survive on land.

Cinnabar is currently run by its Gym Leader, Blaine, who rules the island benevolently. He and the rest of the islanders reach out to whatever survivors are still remaining, offering them a safe haven from the destroyed world outside. They even offer a vaccine to cure infected persons, so long as they haven't already changed.

The only issue is getting there.....

Pewter City

Spoiler:

Threat Level: 3
Description:
Pewter City was home predominantly to rock-type pokemon, one of the few types that were immune to the mutated form of Pokerus. Due to its pokemon gym, and the scattered populations of normal-type pokemon, however, enough trainers were within the city for it to be entirely overrun. Pewter City wasn't a very bountiful city, and thus very few resources are to be found there, and though it's safer than Saffron or Celadon, it's not a very desireable place to be.

Cerulean City

Spoiler:

Threat Level: 4
Description:
Cerulean was both a large city and a major hub for trainers before it fell victim to the disease, and thus it was COMPLETELY overrun when the dead began to rise. One of the only safe spots left in the city is its pokemon gym, where Misty is generally kind enough to give haven to any traveler who is caught within its streets. Though Cerulean isn't particularly bountiful, it isn't exactly resource-depraved either, so it may be worth taking a look.....

Vermillion City

Spoiler:

Threat Level: 3
Description:
There are no survivors left in Vermillion. When the dead rose, those few that were still living fled to the S.S. Anne and sailed several miles out to sea. The survivors are still there, but getting on board the boat would be very difficult because its passengers are very un-trusting... Vermillion wouldn't be a city worth entering if it wasn't for its vast supply of goods. Since it had a decent harbor, it was a center for trade, and several large warehouses dot the shore. Who knows what treasures may be hidden there?

Lavender Town

Spoiler:

Threat Level: 1
Description:
Besides Cinnabar, Lavender is probably one of the safest places in Kanto. It was home primarily to ghost-type pokemon. Since ghost-type pokemon like Ghastly are already dead, it's impossible for them to become undead a second time. Lavender is a rather small town with little to offer, so it doesn't have very much of a population. The pokemon tower is still home to many Ghost-type pokemon, however, so assuming manage to get your hands on a pokeball, a visit could be worth your while.

Saffron City

Spoiler:

Threat Level: 5
Description:
THE most dangerous town in Kanto. It was its biggest city, and because of the massive population of humans and pokemon it used to have, its population of the undead is expansive. Not only do you have to worry about the undead, but bandits as well. It's nearly impossible to get out of the city once you've entered, and because of that, people began to grow violent in order to get ahold of the few supplies there were to go around. Rumor has it that Sabrina is still alive, somewhere in the city, and protects the weak wherever she goes.

Viridian City

Spoiler:

Threat Level: 4
Description: In Viridian city, you don't have to worry about the undead as much as you do bandits. Since Viridian was originally the home of their leader, several remnants of Team Rocket still remained inside the city, even after Giovanni had died to the infection. These remnants, lead by James, ambush anyone to enter the city, taking their pokemon and using them to further ensure their survival.

Fuscha City

Spoiler:

Threat Level: 4
Description:
The Safari Zone is the most troublesome place in Fuscha. Because the city had gone out of its way to stockpile pokemon, massive amounts of the undead rose up when the Pokerus mutated, overrunning the city in massive swarms. The most pre-dominant of these undead is a staggering beedrill population, which kept their co-operative traits even within death.

Celadon City

Spoiler:

Threat Level: 5
Description:
Celadon City is now sometimes called "The City of the Dead". It was the hub for all of the Pokerus companies, and thus almost every pokemon in the city had the Pokerus virus in some form or another. These days, you can't even turn a street corner without running into two or three of the undead. This is one city that you want to avoid at all costs. Even its Mega-Mall and all of its resources are -NOT- worth entering the city.

NPCs

Spoiler:

NPCs are not to be controlled without a GM's permission. In most cases, if you have need to interact with one of these characters, a GM will take on the role.

Blaine

Spoiler:

Blaine is the current Leader of the survivors of Cinnabar Island. He was the Island's gym leader before the world went to hell, and so he's also the strongest trainer on the island. Preferring to rely on his own strength, he did his absolute best to keep his pokemon from obtaining Pokerus, even going so far as to making challengers give their pokemon a cure he had commissioned in order to keep them from giving his pokemon the disease. He's incredibly wise and warm-hearted, but if you attempt to harm him, or anyone else on the island, he will NOT hesitate to kill you.

James

Spoiler:

An ex-member of Team Rocket, he was generally one of the weaker links of the team, but all of that changed when his Meowth caught the Pokerus virus and proceeded to kill his best friend and lover, Jesse. This death caused something to chance inside of him and he became a cold-hearted murderer, dead-set on making the lives of everyone around him miserable. If you come across him with a pokemon, be prepared, because he'll probably try to take it, even if he has to pry it from your cold, dead hands.

Misty

Spoiler:

When the undead struck Cerulean City, Misty fell back into her gym with what few survivors remained, heavily barricading it. Today, she and the remaining survivors live in fear that they will eventually be found-out and overrun. A generally kind, if head-strong woman, she strives to help anyone foolish enough to attempt to pass through the city.

Sabrina

Spoiler:

Just before the collapse, Saffron City's gym leader, Sabrina, was thought to have gone insane. Throughout the last few days of civilization, she went about telling anyone that would listen that she had not only seen, but SPOKEN to a Mew. Nobody believed her, of course, and when the dead had finally overrun the city, she dissappeared. Some assumed her to be dead, others thought she may have ran off in search of her mew.

Rules

Spoiler:

1. NO ITEMS MADE SPECIFICALLY AS WEAPONS. This includes guns, Machetes, Tazers, anything of the sort. The pokemon universe does not have these. If you are to have a melee weapon, it must be something along the lines of a baseball bat, a pipe, an axe, or any other tool or various item made specifically for a usage other than combat.

2. No controlling NPCs without a GM's permission.

3. Make sure that the items you manage to scavenge are reasonably balanced. If it's something that may tip things too far in your favor, a GM may ask you to revise your post. If you're unsure, just consult one of us.

4. Stay Active. Anyone inactive for a week or more, without giving prior notice, will be booted from the roleplay. If they're gone for only a few days, or longer with prior notice, you may bunny them with permission.

5. Pking is legal, but PLEASE try to keep it to a minimum. If you die, feel free to submit a new application.

6.PLEASE KEEP ALL GRAPHIC SCENES TO A -MINIMUM-. I will have to report them to the forum moderator or else I'll get in trouble myself.

Mechanics

Spoiler:

I don't want to make the mechanics too complicated, mainly because I want this to be more of a free-form roleplay, but for this to work, I do need a few simple ones.

Zombies:
The Undead within this roleplay are very similar to the ones found in the AMC series, The Walking Dead. The zombies react to sight, smell, and sound. They cannot feel pain, and the only method of killing them is by a blow to the head. The zombies are alot slower than they were while alive, but because they're not restricted by pain or exhaustion, their strength is multiplied ten-fold. Getting caught by one can be lethal.

The undead that take the form of a pokemon possess only physical attacks from when they were alive. You won't see an undead Charizard using Blast Burn.

Wild Pokemon:
Wild pokemon are incredibly rare because of the infection, but they are not unheard of. Most of the weaker, less intelligent pokemon were picked off early on in the apocalypse, but a great deal of the more powerful and intelligent ones survived. These survivors found within the wild are either incredibly difficult to defeat, or so small that they have an easy time of hiding. Whenever you intend on coming across or capturing a wild pokemon that is not of the undead, please run it by a GM first.

Evolving and Learning New Moves:
There are very few restrictions on this specific aspect of the roleplay. When you feel your pokemon is ready to evolve, you may do so. If you wish for your pokemon to progress and learn new moves, there has to be a reasoning behind it. A GM reserves the right to make you revise your post if they feel you haven't given good enough reasoning.

Immune Types:
The types immune to the disease include Rock-type pokemon, Ghost-type pokemon, Steel-type pokemon, or any pokemon without a solid form(I.E., Slugma or Grimer).

Any pokemon of a type that is not listed here is susceptable to the Evolved Pokerus. If the pokemon of choice is of mixed-type, I'll give you a ruling on whether or not they're immune upon posting your Sign-up.

Catching the Disease:
You catch the disease through the usual methods. A bite from an infected pokemon has a 100% chance of transmitting the disease. Other ways to be infected are by interacting with a sick pokemon or person that has yet to die, or to have any residue from an infected pokemon enter your bloodstream through a wound. Wounds caused by claws or anything similar have an incredibly small chance of transmitting the disease(About 5%), but the possibility is still there. If you're unsure as to whether or not something has infected you, ask for a GM ruling.

[Khawill]

James and Helen
The couple was driving a car towards Pewter City, Helen slept peacefully in the passenger's seat. James drove into the city to see it was infested, he cut of the lights and drove slowly, "Helen dear look! We are in Pewter City."

Helen opened her eyes slowly, she looked out the window, "I suppose we are James, tell me what are we doing here?" She yawned and stretched.

"My sweet there are people to save here, hopefully. Can you pull out a map and tell me where we are exactly?" He parked behind a building, out of the way of any infected.

"Well just look outside! There is a Pokemon center." She pointed to the red-roofed building just across the street. "You think there are people inside?" She stretched again, getting ready to get out of the car.

"Indeed there could be, let's have a look shall we not?" He reached for his baseball bat, Helen grabbed her crowbar. "We should leave our belongings here, I would hate to be slowed down."

"But James, you are super strong I doubt that you would be slowed down by a few bags." Helen laughed, she grabbed her medical bag, hoping to get a resupply if there were no people. They both exitted the car. They snuck towards the building quietly, hiding behind mailboxes and other things littered across the ground. "Look! The door is closed, maybe that means survivors?"

"No no, look there a vent shaft has been gnawed through, there is certainly an infected Pokemon in there." He pointed to a ventilation shaft on the wall nearby. "We should go in, maybe we can find a survivor or some sort of note." He dreaded the idea of being too late.

They went around back and forced the door open, it made a loud creak as some furniture was pushed to block it. They entered the building slowly, there was blood splattered on the walls, a corpse soaked in a puddle of red. "James, we were too late." Helen said sadly, "That was a nurse joy, they must have stayed here for cover." She began to cry.

James gave her a hug, "There there, my sweet. Do not cry, I am still here. Look here though, the front door s not locked, as a matter of fact it is not even blocked. It seems some occupants had made it out! Dry your tears, we shall move deeper into the city to find these lost souls." They went started to go out the back when James heard a low growl. "Ready your weapon." A small rattata leaped at them, James swung with all of his might, landing a hit on the infected Pokemon. "Home run!"

Helen gave a silent applause, like she did whenever he killed a zombie in this manner. "Speaking of running, let's run, I want to find these new survivors soon." She was much better knowing that maybe one survivor was around.

They ran out the back and back to the road toward their car. Already there were several human walkers going toward them. James started the car and rolled down Helen's window, "Get 'em girl!" He floored the drive, heading right for the zombies, Helen landed a hit on one while James hit two others with his car. They were attracting more attention. He honked his horn repeatedly, "Might as well get them all!" He laughed. They drove loudly down the road with James honking the car's horn.

"James look up ahead a sign, It says Help. There may be survivors in there!"

"Helen I'm going to slow the car down, you jump out. I'm going to lead these dead blokes on a merry chase." Helen nodded and as he slowed down, she rolled out into a bush. "I'll be back for you!" He yelled. Helen ran toward the house, James had attracted enough zombies for it to be safe.

She banged on the door heavily, "Hello is anyone in there? We have come to help! I have medical supplies, can anyone hear me!" She yelled. A walker came up behind her and she swung as hard as she could at his skull. "Open up!"

[Pppgggr]

The sound of clamping hooves filled the night as a cool burst of air buffeted Eric and his Rapidash continuously. He was riding on the back of the pokemon, his chest pressed against its neck as the two of them galloped down Route 11 and towards the Eastern Coast of Kanto. Because he was a good distance away from the city, he made very little effort to keep quiet or stay stealthy. Whenever they came across a stray Walker, he would simply guide his Rapidash up to its side and as they rocketed past, he’d bash open its brains with his baseball bat. If it was a pokemon walker, he’d simply have Rapidash preform a fire charge directly into it, running it over.

After several hours, he eventually hit the edge of the route and where the massive wooden boardwalk used to be. Bits of soaked wood were scattered about the coastline, and jutting out of the water, massive wooden stakes could be seen. Slowing Rapidash to a trot, they made their way to the beach and began to set up camp. It was dark now and the side-route to Lavender was highly dangerous.

Gathering some of the wood scattered about the beach, Eric instructed Rapidash to light it and sat down by the fire. Openning his bag, he pulled out a large pokemon egg and covered it slightly in the sand close to the fire in order to keep it warm. Under where the egg had been in his bag, Ethan pulled out a small piece of meat wrapped up within some old newspapers. Earlier that day, he had found a living Ratatta and killed it.

Impaling the meat on a sharp stick, he held it over the fire, watching as the pink meat slowly turned to a succulent brown. After it was finished, he ate a fourth of it and stored it back in his bag for the morning. Then, from his bag, he pulled out his last can of pokemon food and opened it, placing it down in front of his Rapidash.

“We’re running low on food….After we hit Lavander, we may need to head west towards Saffron….Hopefully the rumors about pokemon immune to the disease living in Lavander are true…."

Rapidash nodded in approval and after the two of them had finished their meals, Eric recalled the pokemon to its pokeball in order to ensure her safety. Then, nestling himself in the sand next to the half-buried egg, he fell asleep.


When dawn arose the next morning, he quickly packed his things and made his way up the beach until he hit the point where it ended, fading into a rocky cliff-face that if the boardwalk had still been implemented, travelers would have usually avoided traversing. To pass this obstical, Eric could see only two paths: He could either climb to the top of the cliff where the thick treeline could be found, or to take the safer route and spend several hours backtracking until he found a place where he could simply walk to the top.

Feeling rushed to get to Lavender, Eric chose the first route. From the bottom of the cliff, he grasped on to the rocks jutting out of the side and began to climb. Climbing the cliff was a very tedious and straining job, and at one point, when he was half-way up, he lost his grip and nearly fell back to the bottom, just barely catching a loose branch.

When he finally made it to the top, he let Rapidash out of her pokeball and mounted her once again. As he rode her, the top of the cliff steadily began to slope downwards until finally he returned to ground-level, another beach laid out before him. After several more hours of traversing the beach, he eventually reached Lavander town.

As he had expected, Lavander was a ghost town, completely avoid of people, dead or otherwise. The sleepy little town hadn't been very exciting before the apocalypse, and it sure as hell wasn't exciting then. From his spot at the entrance to the town, he could spot the Pokemon Tower, the place that was rumored to house ghost-type pokemon. They had arrived.

Seeing that it was beginning to get dark once again, he chose to take refuge in the abandoned Pokemon Center, taking out the few walkers that were inside, presumably leftover from the initial outbreak. Propping himself up against the wall, he dosed off into a light slumber.

[Sir Bastian]

Jackson Wells

“I… think it’s gone…” Jackson mumbled out as he peeked through a tiny hole in the curtains of the living room, glancing back at Ace, the Kadabra, sitting with its legs crossed on the floor, and the Haunter, slowly floating around the lamp hanging from the ceiling, which wasn’t lit. He had turned on a small lamp and put it in the middle of the room, thanking Arceus for the electricity at least still being here.

“Dabra.” Ace said, his hands resting on his knees while looking up at Jackson. He sighed softly and pulled the curtain firmly shut again, moving over to sit down in front of Ace, Fog slowly descending down next to Ace, glancing between the two.

“I don’t know what to do, guys…” He ran his hand through his hair, taking a deep breath. “If we can even make it out of the city, we’ll still have to either go through the cave to Vermillion, or to Cerulean… and we have no idea the state of the other cities. I think Celadon would be a safe bet to go to… it’s a big city, and they probably made some defenses pretty quickly.”

The Pokémon stayed quiet as Jackson mumbled out his ideas, eventually closing his eyes with a frown. “… It’ll be alright. We just need to wait for someone to come through. Hopefully they’ll see my sign and try to get in here. We’re starting to run low on food too…” He added, looking up at the others, Fog now looking a little worried. “Haunter..?”

The sign he was referring to was a fairly big piece of wood resting up against the house he was hiding in, with large letters writing out “HELP – Living inside”. He had cleared out the middle of the rooms throughout the house and used the two sofas to block up the front door, just in case.

Just as he was about to go and count his scarce supplies, he heard what sounded like... an engine? No, a car! And the next moment he heard someone banging on his front door and shouting that she, because it was definitely a woman, had supplies and wanted to help!

Jackson's eyes widened and he was stunned for a moment before scrambling to his feet, running over to grab the iron pipe resting against the wall, before turning to Ace, who had also gotten up.

"Ace! Get the couches out of the way, be ready if they try anything or if there's any shufflers! Fog, hide and get ready to help... just in case."

The Pokémon both nodded, the Haunter slipped through a wall and hiding out of sight, as the Kadabra used it's Psychic to move the couches aside, giving a minimal opening. Jackson tore the door open, pipe in hand, staring directly into the eyes of the woman outside for a few moments before hurriedly gesturing for her to come in, whispering out to her.

"Quick, get in!"

[Sweet_Dreams]

Misdreavus cocked her head when she came across a... well, dead probably wasn't the right word, so... an 'incapacitated' body of one of the infected Pokemon outside. Nobody around Lavender made any kind of contact with them, usually. Anyone remaining in the town had probably holed themselves up somewhere, like they had. And most of the Ghost Pokemon didn't bother because, well, it wasn't like they were going to get infected.

The incapacitated bodies were mostly strewn near the Pokemon Center, so Misdreavus assumed that that was where whoever or whatever it was, had gone. She considered her options at this point.

If whoever it was, was friendly, then Millie would need all the help she could get. But it the thing in the Pokemon Center was some kind of Supreme Zombie that killed other zombies to live or something dangerous like that, then Millie was probably safer where she was.

Misdreavus made up her mind and proceeded to float through the door of the Pokemon Center, and came across the form of a sleeping human. She stared at him thoughtfully. As far as she could tell, he didn't look like he was infected, but... well, how could she know? She would just wait for him to wake up and see if he tried to take a bite out of her, then. That was the simplest solution, really.

~*~

Millie sat with her arm around her knees, on which her chin rested. In front of her was a tombstone, the words 'Growlithe, beloved first companion' crudely etched onto it. Around her stood many more tombstones, each more impressive than her simple little rock. Back before the infection, there had been a little stonesmithing profession in Lavender which had prided itself on its elaborate and personal work.

Now it was doubtful that there would ever be another tombstone added here again. Not with the way everything was going.

It probably wasn't healthy, being surrounded by nothing except the bodies of the dead and the ghosts which haunted the tower. She couldn't bring herself to move, though. Not yet. Not so soon.

Growlithe's pained howls still rang through her ears. She'd already cried all her tears, and now all she could do was stare at the place her faithful friend had ended up. Somewhere, she felt a little guilty about shutting down like this when her life was probably in some kind of danger, and she still had one Pokemon left.

But Misdreavus had already gone somewhere else, and she'd boarded up the entrance to the Pokemon Tower. What more could she do except wallow in her own morose thoughts?

[Greiger]

Nyx
En route to Cerulean City

There was only the sound of crunching leaves as the thee walked along the gravel path. Nyx was characteristically silent and Grovyle, who had been attempting to talk to Cubone earlier, had fallen silent as well. He glanced around every so often at the trees, shivering a bit as some wind brushed against his body. Cubone had a stern look on her face. Even though she had a short pair of legs she was keeping up with her human master quite well. Her hand had a relaxed grip on her bone, but the rest of her body was tense, ready for a sourger to come from anywhere and for her bone to crack open its skull. Nyx had her wrench in her hand. While she would have enjoyed having something with more reach... well... this would just have to do. If only she could find something like a wooden board and sharpen it down. Maybe make a long spear that she could thrust at the Scourgers from some distance, now that would be a weapon.

It hadn't take Nyx long to figure out to head toward Cerulean instead of Pallot. What were the odds of boast still being kept there? All the sane people probably left with their boats a long time ago, but at least Cerulean had many paths in and out. Pallot only had one unfortunately. Nyx's thoughts were interrupted when she spotted something up ahead and quickly dived off to the side, getting behind a bush. Marowak quickly followed her example but Grovyle took a few seconds before following. There was a human on the road, but he wasn't moving. Nyx pointed to a tree and crawled over there with the two pokemon following. Every single rustle they made sounded like a pair of gongs to Nyx. If the scourger so much as heard them....

Nyx finally got to the tree and waited for the others to gather before pointing to another tree. She didn't wait for any nods, rather crawling on her belly once more and yet again made it to the tree without any incident. The scourger was just standing there still, looking around blankly. Nyx began to crawl once more, the two following her. They continued on like this until the view of the Scourger was minimal at best. Nyx finally got up and readjusted her clothing before heading onto the path once more. Grovyle cast a nervous glance back but Cubone kept her head up and followed after her trainer. Silence fell upon the group once more as Nyx continued to keep vigilant. It was only a few hours now before they would get to the tunnels. Hopefully her plan would work in there, otherwise, being in a cave with dozens upon dozens of infected Zubat would not be fun.

[Claire*]

Paige Cooper

“Hey Scrambled,” Paige rolled over and shook the little sleeping Happiny that had dozed off in the soft glow and waves of heat coming from the fire place. They had found an abandoned house a day earlier, a stroke of luck, one of the few they ever got. “Did you hear something just now?” She asked as she raised her torso into a seated position.

“Pi, Pi” The petite pokemon tried to wave her off. Scrambled always hated to be woken up.

“No, I really thought I heard something just now. Kind of like a thump.” Her eyes surveyed the surroundings of the abandoned house and its living room. It was hard to see outside of the fire’s light radius. “Maybe I’m just imaging things again.” She laid her head back down, her gaze locked firmly on the ceiling above her. Ever since her family died, she began to imagine terrible things lurking around every corner. Even in broad daylight, she didn’t feel even the slightest bit secure. It was like somebody ripped off what little security blanket she had and burned it in front of her eyes.

“Scrambled, you awake over there?” Her voice but a whisper in the still night. No verbal answer came, which funny enough, was an answer in its own right. If only she could be as blissfully unaware as her Happiny. Would she be better off? Or would it serve as a detriment? Maybe being untrusting was the new norm. One thought kept nagging her in the back of her mind, why was this house abandoned?

It didn’t take long to find her answer. Just as her eyes began to get heavy, a pair of hands grabbed her by the throat and pinned her to the ground. She could hardly breath, speech was an impossibility.

“Just what do you think you’re doing here, woman?” A raspy voice crawled its way out of the back of her assailant’s throat. “Don’t you know? This is our house.” The shrouded figure gestured behind him to reveal others who were watching with twisted pleasure. “You think we’re just going to sit by and let some squatter She-Poochyena take it over? I don’t think so, baby.”

Paige struggled to free herself, her arms were pinned down to the ground with his knees. She had to find someway out of this, they were going to kill her, or worse yet, keep her alive. Quickly, she brought up her leg in a quick motion that surprised her attacker, her knee catching him prone. He rolled off her in agony, his howls finally causing Scrambled to wake from her slumber with a fright.

Paige raced to her feet and pulled 'Scrambled' to her chest. The others came rushing in for her, her back quickly hitting the far wall of the room. “Scrambled!” She shouted in fear and desperation while closing her eyes. “Use flash!” A bright, blinding white light filled the room, the pursuit of her assailants cut short as they stumbled around in confusion. Paige saw her chance and bolted from the house, her feet carrying her as far and as fast as she could go. She didn’t even notice the change in scenery as she entered Viridian Forest, her head only telling her one thing...run.

...

Paige wasn’t even aware of how far or how long she had been running. Her feet seemed locked in perpetual motion. She eventually did recognize that she had entered Viridian Forest, this only intensified her fear however. She quickly recalled Scrambled to her pokeball, she didn’t want to risk her little Pokemon’s life on the very high chance of infection. In her mad sprint through the underbrush, Paige wondered how many normal Pokemon were actually left. Sure there were those that were immune, but they were only of a select typing. It saddened her to think of all the death in the world that she could do nothing to help cure. It was a powerless feeling to be trained for something yet unable to assist those who needed it.

She jumped over the log of a fallen tree, her foot catching on a branch as she cleared the other side. Her face hit the soft loamy ground, her senses blacking out for just a minute, or was it longer? Paige didn’t know the answer to that. She was laying prone, out in the open of a forest that had terrified her to no end before. Her eyes eventually opened and refocused on the world around her. When she got to her feet, everything spun and finding her sense of direction was impossible.

The sound of a flutter reached her ear, it was faint and slowly coming from behind her. Her dizzied stated caused her to stumble as she reached for the four foot lamp pole strapped to her back. Nerves caused her hands to sweat and her grip to falter as she took a readied stance. She held a breath in her lungs, desperate to be as quite as possible. It didn’t matter. A Butterfree emerged from the brush, not the lovable creature they always were, but the monster most of them were now.

Paige swung at it like a not quite living, not quite dead piñata; the filling inside being less than desirable. Her blow connected with it, it crumpled to the ground incapacitated. Again she ran. No purpose in mind, she wasn’t even sure if it was a good direction to go. For all she knew, this could take her back to the very place she had been running from. She choked back tears as she ran, her life now a living hell. Worse than it ever had been before. Everyone had taken their life for granted before this. What wouldn’t they give now to be back in the old days? Where money was their biggest worry.

Eventually, the forest seemed to melt away around her. The trees became sparse and the world opened up around her. She had no idea where she was, but through her tear soaked eyes, a sign read:

“Welcome to Pewter City!”

[Khawill]

Helen
Helen darted into the house. Inside was a man about her age and an Kadabra. She frantically looked around for more survivors, but was saddened not to see any. She started talking quickly, James was outside risking his life, she could idol talk later. "Quick, I need answers. Are you the only one? Is that your only pokemon? Are any of you injured? What about bitten?" She listened outside as she heard tires screech, "Please, please do hurry, we can save you but time is of the essence!"

The radio in her bag went off with James' voice, "Please do hurry Helen, I am not having a ballgame out here!"

James
James sped through the streets in the car they had found. He tried to keep the car in sight for when the radio would go off with Helen's voice. There were many zombies converging on him though, which made him think about whether or not this was a good idea. "Arceus help me!" He sped far forward then turned with a loud screech toward the walkers, coming to a stop "Come at me you rotting flesh bags!" He floored the car and it sped forward. He ran over a lot of zombies but hardly all of them. He said into his radio "Please do hurry Helen, I am not having a ballgame out here!"

[Sir Bastian]

Jackson Wells

As Jackson opened the door, a woman ran inside. As soon as she was in, he shut the door behind her and got out of the way, the Kadabra raising it's arms as it forced the couches up against the door once more, barricading it.

Jackson turned to the woman, opening his mouth to say something, but was bombarded with questions.

"I'm... y-yeah, we're the only ones here, and no, we're not injured."

His eyes widened as he heard tires screeching outside, hope filling his chest. He glanced down at the radio with surprise in his eyes as he looked up at the woman again.

"Alright! I'll go get my supplies! Fog, help me!"

Jackson ran off to the corner of the room, sliding to his knees as he picked out a green backpack and pulled it open, laying down the iron pipe next to him. A Haunter then flew down through the ceiling, arms full of a couple cans of food, some bandages and what looked like a medkit, as well as a couple of potions.

"Thanks." He murmured as he hurriedly stuffed everything into the pack, slinging the bag over his shoulder, grabbing the pipe and heading back to the woman. "Alright! What do we do?"

[Claire*]

Paige Cooper

Pewter city...She had never spent much time in Pewter city before. Typically, she only came here when she was passing through and it wasn’t ever a place she had actually stopped. News had been scarce since the outbreak, she wasn’t exactly sure of what the situation was like here. Were bandits as prevalent as they were in Viridian? Paige shuddered at the thought. Hopefully that wasn’t the case.

She took a few cautious steps toward the heart of the city. The Pokemon center had seen better days, that was for sure. The one in Viridian had too, a place that used to be such hope for weary trainers, was now a discarded husk. No healing was being done there anymore, not for a long time now. Paige surveyed the area around her, she was fairly out in the open, a feeling she didn’t much care for. Openness was a death sentence, but so was being trapped. Maybe death itself was unavoidable at this rate? It certainly would be a lot easier. Besides Scrambled, what else did she have to live for? She actually thought about suicide heavily on the night of her family’s murder. The night was long and intolerable, she was living in fear every second. Yet, fear was the reason she was still alive today. Paige had been too afraid to end it all, too much of a coward.

She struggled for a long time after her family died. They weren’t even killed by the creatures that had caused the death of so many, but by the greed and inhumanity of their own species. Men trying to sustain themselves by leaving bodies in their wake. The very idea was repulsive and inhuman. Humans always reacted one of two ways to adversity. They either pulled together, or they panic and find one another expendable. Paige hoped that one day, she never found other humans expendable, even if they were untrustworthy.

A noise that Paige hadn’t heard for some time filled her ears. It felt foreign to her now, as if it came from another world. The screeching of tires. Paige ran in the direction of the sound, her heart beating faster and faster as she searched for the noise. Salvation or destruction. Life or death. It could be a helpful person, or a marauding gang. Paige had to know, she had to see what the noise was all about.

[Khawill]

Helen
After the man had gathered his belongings she pulled out her radio. "We are ready to go!" She yelled.

A pause, and then another screech, "Get away from the door!" Helen dove against the man, driving them both into the ground away from the door, "Here I come!" The car sounded louder and louder, until there was nothing but engine and a loud crash. James had rammed the car into the building. He poked his head out the window, "Hey dear! Who's your new friend?" She was still lying on top of him, "I feel jealous now! Next time invite me!"

Helen stood up and smiled, "Maybe if you were not going on a joy ride I would have." She laughed and got in the passenger's seat. "

James motioned for the man to get in, "Hey dude, you gonna hitch a ride with us or stay here? There is kind of a big hole in the wall." He looked back, "Ooops, maybe I should've used the door!" Both him and Helen laughed.

[Sir Bastian]

Jackson was ready to leap out the front door with the woman, but instead she dove towards him, causing him to yelp out and raise the iron pipe to defend himself with, but the woman had pounced too suddenly, and he was now lying on the floor.

He didn't even get to voice a complaint as the wall shattered in broken debris and a pair of now rather ugly couches. The Kadabra only -barely- made it away from the door in time, laying on the floor, looking a little confused.

As the woman got off of him, Jackson rubbed his head, his eyes widening at the sight in front of him. Despite the massive hole in the wall, the thing he found most odd about this entire situation, was how cheerful the two people seemed. Like this was just a day in the park for them.

He contemplated not going with two people who seemed just a tad on the crazy side, but decided that crazy, helpful people, was still better than dead, hungry ones. He recalled both of his Pokémon to their balls and got to his feet, darting over to the car and diving into the back seat, slamming it shut.

"I'm in! Go, quick!"

James backed the car out, running over a Jigglypuff and a Bellsprout in the process. He quickly spun the car around and it sped down the road, towards the exit of the town that led to Cerulean.

Jackson took in a deep breath of air, just about to relax at finding some kind of safety, as he turned to look out the window, jumping into his seat. There was a girl, on her way towards them as they moved past! She was waving her arms, trying to catch their attention. However, there were also a couple of shufflers behind her! Two humans, and what looked to be a Weedle. Not the greatest threat in the world, but...

"Wait, there's someone else! Stop!"

James hit the brakes, causing Jackson to bump into the seat in front of him with a wince, but he quickly pushed the door open and ran out, grabbing Ace's Pokéball and summoning him once more, running towards the girl while shouting out at her, about ten more Pokémon and humans moving towards them from the street they had just exited.

"Watch out, behind you! Ace, Psycho Cut!"

The Kadabra raised it's spoon and a purple energy collected around it before it swung it three times, three psychic-energy blades flying past the girl, cutting the head off of one of the humans, the other in half, and the Weedle in half. The human rolled around on the ground before starting to claw towards her again, at a slow speed.

Jackson continued running towards her, hoping dearly that the man behind the wheel would turn around and come for the two of them. "Run over here, quick! There's going to be a ton more in a few moments!"

[Claire*]

Paige Cooper

Paige couldn’t believe her eyes, a functional car. Just as she was running down the road in its direction, the car went speeding past her in the other. Without even realizing it, she instinctually raised her arms to try and wave them down. She watched in horror as it passed her at blazing speed. Maybe it was for the best, her moment of curiosity could have cost her, she didn’t know who it was in that car. She watched it, a slight feeling of resignation building up in her heart. Then it braked, hard. A man with black hair leapt from the vehicle. He ran in her direction, Paige’s first thoughts were bad. She hadn’t had good experiences with others running towards her, it usually involved her running the other way.

For just a split second, she thought about running, but then he threw a pokeball. She was very confused by this turn of events as the Kadabra emerged in a beam of light.

"Watch out, behind you!” The man shouted at her. Paige turned to see the monsters that had been following her even without her realization. “Ace, Psycho Cut!" The newcomer barked to his Kadabra.

Paige did the only thing she could do. She ducked as the Kadabra unleashed three whirling blades of psychic energy in her direction. Paige could feel them as the energy rushed past her, missing her by only the smallest bit. The monsters behind her were not so fortunate. The blades sliced and diced them, one of the human ones the only thing able to slowly give chase. She cursed her stupidity for not being careful in her hurry to check the noise.

The man continued to run towards her, shouting, "Run over here, quick! There's going to be a ton more in a few moments!"

That was all Paige needed to hear, as much as she didn’t trust this car full of people, she trusted them more than a horde of flesh eating monsters. She picked herself up off the ground, her legs desperately tired from the day’s events and all the running. With the last reserves of energy, she made her way to the man, her breath coming in shallow and hurried breaths as she doubled over and looked up at him.

“T...th...thanks.”

[Khawill]

Helen and James
"Your welcome!" James said cheerily as they both walked toward the other couple. Helen smacked him on the head.

"You dope she was talking to that fellow! I must say that was pretty brave of you wasn't it James?"

"Indeed it was Helen, tell me are you two going anywhere? We will be honored to escort you both, but uh..." He whispered in Helen's ear, "Helen dear, did you catch either of their names?"

Helen whispered back, "Oh my, no I did not! We must introduce ourselves!" She looked back at the two then back to James, "She we wait until we get in the car?"

"Not at all! This matter must be solved immediately!" He looked back to the other people and raised his voice to normal, "My name is James, and this is my darling Helen, we are here to help with a smile!" Both of them smiled happily. "May I ask if you are a couple? Most people don't jump out to save if that isn't the case." James laughed, "I kid, but really, what are your names?"

[Sir Bastian]

Jackson Wells

"It.. it was nothing." he said, slightly out of breath, offering the girl a little smile. The Pokémon and humans shuffling towards the from the road the car had come from were still a fair bit away, the car chase seeming to have made them a bit indecisive as to whether they wanted to follow.

Just then, James and Hellen came walking up to them and Jackson blinked quickly.

"Oh, uhm... I'm heading to Lavender. W-"

He didn't even finish his sentence as they began introducing themselves. Jackson peered over his shoulder at the zombies moving closer to them, sending a slightly confused glance to Paige before hearing the comment about them being a couple.

His cheeks warmed up and he looked back to James and Hellen.

"Uh, n-no, we're not. I'm Jackson. You can call me Jack. But I... uh, think Hellen has a point, we -may- want to get back into the car before we're overrun."

He glanced to Ace who seemed ready to fight the horde if her had to, his eyes narrowed. Jackson then peered over at Paige, actually rather curious about the girl's name. He hadn't a clue what came over him, but he couldn't have just left her behind, in the wake of shufflers like that.

[Claire*]

Paige Cooper

This was insanity, this couple came sauntering up as if nothing had been the slightest bit amiss. Didn’t they know they were out in the open and probably about to be overrun? Now was not the time to exchange pleasantries. She listened as the man talked about where he was heading. Jackson... Lavender town? Why? Then it struck her, he had introduced himself to the couple, he didn’t know them. Were they a rescue team? Why were they so nonchalant with what was going on?

Still winded, Paige inched her way to the car slowly, wary of any other creatures that might suddenly rush them. They were getting closer, but keeping their distance...for now. She ignored the comment about her and Jackson being a couple, it didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things if they were mistaken for one or not. She had never met nor seen Jackson in her life, but she was thankful that he stopped for her. He seemed oddly more bashful at the comment, his cheeks flushing as he glanced at her. “Uh, I don’t know about the rest of you. But, I’m going anywhere but here!” She purposefully omitted her name, not thinking it prudent information at the time. She ignored the peering gaze of Jackson as she continued her way towards the car.

She dashed the last few feet to the car and climbed inside the back, hoping the others would follow suit. The zombies were getting closer. She turned around in the back seat, facing the others who were still outside. “Dammit! Get in the car!”

[Khawill]

Helen and James
"Honey I really think these two want to get going, maybe we can talk later." Helen said.

"I agree, you were always the smart one." They turned and walked toward the car, a walker approached him but he swung his bat hard at its head "Jackson is such a manly name I'd take it any day!" They got in the car, "I must say, this is becoming quiet a large group, he turned to the back seat, "Do you plan on staying with us until anywhere specific? Got any family or such you are worried about?" A walker came to the door, which prompted James to slam it into the walker and get out and swing the bat at the head.

Helen looked back, "When we save people we always get the question, how are we so happy and are we crazy, but as long as I'm with James and we are helping people I don't think we are in danger!" James got back in the car, speaking only to Helen, "Did you see that my dear! We just saved two people, and you were ever so sad when that Pokemon center was empty."

[Sir Bastian]

Jackson Wells

Jackson breathed out a sigh of relief as the girl walked over to the car and insisted on them getting out of there. He had always been too polite to be forward with people, and as such relied on others to do that instead.

He hurried over and got into the backseat as well, after having called back his Kadabra, lifting his hands to rub his face, mumbling out into his hands as he was asked a question of where he was going again.

"I... need to get to Lavender Town as quickly as possible. It's fine if you're not going there, but I -really- need to get there..."

He lowered his hands, just in time to see James get out of the car and bash another shuffler's head in.

"Look, can we... just get going? They're kind of starting to swarm around us by now."

He looked over his shoulder, out the window behind him, the entire town seemingly coming to life and going after them, and the fact that James were fine with just sitting and chatting without going anywhere, worried him quite alot, despite what Hellen had said.

[Khawill]

Helen and James
James floored the car, and sped forward slamming into some zombies. He rolled down Helen's window. "Get em honey!" Helen leaned out the window and readied her crowbar. She busted the faces of three zombies before they blasted out of the city. They drove down the street, east.

She got back in and James rolled up the window. "Good show Helen! I must say that swinging arm has gotten a lot better since nursing school." he looked at his gauges, "So why do you want to go to Lavender Town? That place gives me the creeps."

[Claire*]

Paige Cooper

Finally the others got into the car, just as the zombies had converged on their location. Paige turned in her seat as James sped away, leaving a trail of mangled and befuddled zombies in their wake. Helen dispatched a few with her crowbar hanging from her window. Paige wasn’t sure what to make of these two. Here they were, in quite literally the worst conditions the world had ever seen and yet, they seemed almost content. Paige wasn’t even sure if love existed anymore, yet here it was, literally right in front of her. Was it such a powerful emotion that it kept two people sane and happy even as the world burned around them? Was it now the driving force in their lives? Paige never knew love in that way, only familial love. They had been her strength for so long, now she had to continue on alone.

Jackson said something about getting to Lavender town again, he seemed pretty intent on it. Paige couldn’t help but wonder what was waiting for him there. ‘As quickly as possible’ he had said. Sparing a quick glance, Paige tried her best to size him up. As much as James and Helen confused her, he was an enigma. Like her, he appeared to be traveling alone. He risked his own life to save her, something not many do now a days. He seemed more down to earth than the other two, and for reasons she couldn’t explain, it worried her. It was hard to trust strange people, especially men, from her experience.

Paige turned to look out the window, her finger depressing the window switch as they sped along on the road heading east out of the city. The once still air became a swirling tempest as the window rolled down about halfway. The strong breeze buffeted her cheek, her hair cascading backwards in resemblance of a fiery streak. She gazed longingly out the window, it had been so long since she had been in a car, she almost felt motion sick from the experience. Here she was, having been trapped in Viridian one day and in a car full of strangers the next.

Suddenly, she recalled how James mentioned Helen being in nursing school. She had been so tense with their escape, she hadn’t paid the comment much attention until now. Helen was a nurse, just like her! Paige avoided the subject at all cost, there was no reason for them to know she was a nurse either. It was fine if Helen wanted to broadcast it to the world, but that was something Paige preferred to keep under-wrap. She did wonder where Helen had studied. Judging by the look of her, she assumed she was just the slightest bit older than her. Even if they studied or interned at the same residency, they probably wouldn’t have gotten the chance to meet each other. Thankfully, Paige considered herself good, but not enough to obtain notoriety.

She pulled out Scrambled’s pokeball and held it in front of her cupped in both hands. The weight was reassuring, her Pokemon was safe and spared from the day's earlier events. Her gaze locked on to the button in the center and held for some time. Did the others think her secretive or rude for not even sharing her name? She barked at them to get in the car, but she completely blew off every question they had pointed her way. As of yet, she hadn’t lied to anybody. She quite literally had nowhere to go. It didn’t matter what the others wanted to do. If Jackson wanted to go to Lavender town, he was free to do so. Paige wasn’t so sure if she was up for such a long trip with them just yet. She would have to get to know them better, but that would take work. Work and trust. Trust she didn’t know if she possessed anymore.

In one smooth transition, she moved the Pokeball from both hands into her left and stuck her right arm out the window. She cupped her hand and let the wind move her arm up and down, almost as if she were a Pidgeot on the airwaves. With the slightest trepidation, she cleared her throat. Her gaze away from Jackson and pointed out the window.

“So...What’s in Lavender town?” She asked, mimicking James’ prior question.

[Khawill]

Helen and James
"Hey James," Helen said in a melancholy voice. "That looks like Fluffy's ball." She looked through the rear view mirror at the ball Clare was holding.

"I've already told you my sweet, almost all pokeballs look the same. Fluffy is..." James looked toward his girlfriend, her eyes were glossy and she was looking down, "No longer infected, he is now in a much better place." He lifted his arm and stroked her hair, "I miss him ever so, but he never did like when you cried."

"Yea, he would jump in my arms and wag his tail, and I wouldn't have to cry because I'd be laughing." She wiped her eyes, "I bet that woman loves her Pokemon as much as we loved our Fluffykins." She pulled a picture out of the glovebox, it was of her, James, and a small Lilpup playing out on campus with all of their friends, "James, are people scared of us? Are we crazy?"

"Now why would that question even come up? We do nothing but good and save people, we are like super heroes!" James tried to sound as positive as possible. "Would crazy people help others?"

"Well no, but everyone we meet is so sad, but I always feel happy and so do you." Helen looked out the window. "I bet those strangers in the back think we are crazy as well."

James completely and violently halted the car. "Helen! Being happy is not crazy, I'm happy because I still get to be with you, even if I have to endanger myself to keep you alive. Everyone is sad because there is no other person for them, but as long as I have you, and we are saving people, what reason do we have to be sad?" Helen teared up and gave a smile.

"You always know what to say!" She leaned over and they gave each other a hug.

[Sir Bastian]

Jackson Wells

Jackson closed his eyes and took in a deep breath of air as the car sped away from the gathering zombies. For the first time in a long while, he felt actual relief. He almost started thinking about what to do when nightfall came and they had to set up camp somewhere, but he quickly dismissed it, rather wanting to enjoy the serenity of safety for the time being.

He turned his head a little to peer over at the girl sitting near him, who had just rolled down the window and looked out it with an odd sort of... sadly dreaming expression on her face. Jackson's brows furrowed a little as he watched her hair wave in the air behind her due to the open window.

Looking away again, he peered out his own window, watching the shrubs and trees flash by. Now that they weren't in the city, he could hardly see any shufflers anymore. He rolled his iron pipe between his hands, doing his best not to be overcome with dread from thinking of the future and what might happen.

He glanced back to the girl, peering down at the Pokéball she was fiddling with. He had been wondering if she had had any Pokémon, but apparently she did. Or at least, she had at some point. He could vaguely notice Helen and James talking at the front seat, but found it rude to listen in on their conversation, so he simply didn't.

The girl turned her head to the window, her arm stuck out of it and moving up and down. The motion put aside any kind of fears or doubts for the girl he might've had. She then asked him a question about Lavender and he opened his mouth to reply, but just as he did, James hit the brakes and Jackson was caught off guard. He was flung into the back of James' seat.

"Blurgh!" he cried out as he fell to the floor of the car, taking a moment to rise up again, shaking his head and shuffling back into his seat, looking just a little out of it from the sudden stop. A quick look at the front seat let him know that the two were just doing their thing, and he decided to turn his attention to the girl again, despite her looking out the window.

"My... mother and father is. Ever since the outbreak I've been stuck in Pewter, so I... don't know anything other than what little information I could get a hold of."

He didn't feel the need to tell the others that he had been stuck in the Pokémon center with a couple others, nor that the pack by his side held both medicine and a bit of food for humans as well as Pokémon, which he had borrowed from the center after it had been 'evicted'.

His attention turned to Helen and James, a slight tinge of worry coming into his voice.

"Do you know... anything about Lavender? And the rest of the region? How... bad is it?"

[Claire*]

Paige Cooper

The car stopped suddenly, Paige’s focus was broken as she lurched violently forward into the seat in front of her. Cursing silently under her breath, she climbed back up to her own and this time pulled the seatbelt across her body and latching it. Her mother would have laughed hysterically at what just happened. That ever present “I told you so” tone she would take as she reminded her to buckle up in the car. Paige could just picture her in her head; she would turn around in the seat that Helen was now occupying, her finger waging in that chiding way it always did. She smiled a little bit at the thought, her gaze returning to the window again as she left James and Helen to their business. They seemed happy, but they were obviously dealing with some stuff too.

"My... mother and father is. Ever since the outbreak I've been stuck in Pewter, so I... don't know anything other than what little information I could get a hold of." Jackson spoke up, explaining his reason for trying desperately to get to Lavender town. Paige bit her bottom lip, as he mentioned his mother and father. She couldn’t blame him for wanting to get there so badly, she probably would have been trying to do the same if she were in his shoes. He still had hope they were alive? Chances are they were dead already, but she didn’t have the heart to tell him that. He asked the crazy couple if they knew the situation of Lavender or anywhere else. She highly doubted the report would be good.

News was sparse when she was in Viridian. The occasional traveler came through only to be beaten, robbed and discarded of. There were some reports that the infection was worse in other cities of Kanto, but some had also faired better. She hadn’t heard any news of Lavender town. Her family had originally planned to try and find some way to the Unova region. They figured if somebody was able to find a cure, it would be Unova. That plan obviously never came to fruition. Castelia city was probably an infected mess by now anyway. It was such a cultural melting pot, the infection probably spread through there like wildfire. Probably the same with any areas of large population. Paige knew that viruses always spread when there was a large base of hosts to choose from. A virus thrived when it hopped from one host to the next, it evolved. A place like Castelia or even Celadon would have been a breeding ground for death.

Well, that nurse training did come in handy for things other than how to patch up a Pidgey now and then. She tucked her pokeball back into her bag, Scrambled would have to wait awhile to see the light of day.

“I...I hope you find your parents,” Was all Paige said, still refusing to look at Jackson.

[Khawill]

Helen and James
After their embrace James began driving again. "The region? Well it is pretty bad, I'd say there are more monsters than people."

"Than clouds in the sky!" Helen added, "We have been walking all over the region but there are not as many survivors as we had hoped. Even the water types are infected."

"Yep, I was fishing over in the big body of water, uh what is it called again."

Helen whispered in his ear, "The ocean."

"Oh yes, in the big body of water called the ocean and a magickarp very nearl bit my hand off!"

"Lucky for him we had a crowbar, I hit that fish right out the park!"

"Then we were at a playground, swinging on the swings, not a child in sight."

"Child in sight" Helen echoed.

"Makes me sad, every corner of this region seems to be infected. I can't say anything about Lavender Town though, I avoid that place like a Muk in the street."

[Sir Bastian]

"Thanks." He murred out to the girl next to him, also without looking at her. He knew it was stupid to believe they were alright through all of this, but he couldn't just give up. If he didn't have his parents to go back to... there wouldn't be any other to care for in his life other than Fog and Ace.

He cringed ever so slightly at James' answer, turning his head to glance out the window as more sceneary passed them. His answer made his mood sink, and Helen's comment didn't exactly help either. Hearing that the water types were infected as well didn't exactly fill him with joy either, and as he saw it, there wasn't much choice left for either of them.

Most cities were probably gone, if it had been as bad as Pewter, the air would be full of infected flying-types... possibly. The water would be packed with infected water Pokémon. So basically, there were no escape. He was going to have to try and cope with the way the world was now, or die trying.

Running a hand over his face, he rested the iron pipe down on the floor of the car, tapping his fingers against his thigh. There was a long silence, only broken by the engine of the car, before he spoke out.

"... Ghost types are immune to the Pokérus. One of the shufflers bit my Haunter, but he only took damage. He didn't turn."

After another little silence after his burst of vague information, he glanced to the girl afterwards, leaving James and Helen to... well, be James and Helen.

"... What about you? Where are you headed? Do you... have a plan?" He sounded almost hopeful when he had asked her, but realized that since she had just walked into the middle of Pewter and then waved down their car, she probably didn't. Couldn't hurt to ask though.