|~ Disease Deoxys - [T] ~| [Best Rookie 1Q '12]

[-Grayscale-]

(I love how you guys targeted me before I had even wrote about getting to the city/attacking lol)

Gale Witt
Cerulean Forest

"Name's Alistar Blados, amigo..." said the Typhlosion with a bloodied grin. For a fire type pokemon, he sure was chill when he wasn't angry. Glancing at Alistar's forehead, Gale hoped the cut wasn't anything too huge, though it looked pretty nasty. "My name? Oh it's Sho, Sho Torai," said the Axew, smiling. He didn't look too dangerous, but "Sho's" tusks were obviously strong. If there was ever a time they had to fight, which he hoped not, those would be the first thing he'd be cautious of. He watched Alistar shake his fur before giving the Axew one last look of hatred. His view quickly swapped to the city ahead, which could be seen through the trees. "How 'bout that. Somethin's up over there," it said, motioning to the both of them and running for Cerulean. The Scizor looked back at the dragon type.

"We should probably follow him," his new friend suggested, "I'll expect you to be directly behind us ok?" Allowing the dragon type to bound ahead of him, Gale froze in place for just a moment to see Sho teleport. He was interested now. Taking a step forward, the Scizor only froze again. "I'm forgetting something… what is it…?" he wondered, but he couldn't think of an answer to his issue. Slightly frustrated, Gale ignored his thoughts and ran ahead to try and catch up to his allies, who were now much ahead of him. "Running is so much more difficult with this coat…" he mumbled to himself towards the city.

Up ahead he could just barely see attacks flying, his friends having caught up to the scene. By now, Gale was moving faster, trying to concentrate his psychic powers. It wasn't working. He was a bug type- his type countered the psychic gift naturally. Leaping up from the ground, the Scizor flashed open his wings to catch a gust of wind, flying him much faster than he would have on foot. It helped that there were no obstacles, either. Streets now below him, Gale closed his wings and took the impact of the ground. Besides seeing Alistar and Sho charging at different opponents, there was an infected Emolga and Pawnard. It wasn't a second until he was immediately focused by the enemies- a Flamethrower heading his way.

It was so quick, he could barely dodge it. Scorched on the side, one of his legs immediately gave out. The pain had barely set in before a massive, torturous headache came into play. He had never got one as terrible before. Distracted, he had just barely seen the large Thunder attack in time. Though he had raised his claws to hold his head, he naturally put them in front of himself defensively as to brave the attack. Gale couldn't dodge it. He could barely move due to the burns.

The Thunder attack hit him dead on. Electricity flew through his body and he was launched backward a few feet. The headache in him only grew, and he felt as if he was about to faint. His mind was telling him elsewise. Eyes flashing open, he slammed a claw down into the ground while soaring. The street let out a terribly loud and horrid shriek as his claws scratched the surface to slow him, and quickly Gale found his adrenaline picking him up despite his agonizing injuries. "There's only one reason why I'm in pain right now. And it's because of them."

Breathing hard, the Scizor took a few seconds to gather himself with Iron Defense, repairing some of the burns the Arcanine had inflicted while toughening everything else he could. Locking his sight onto the Arcanine which had fired at him he picked himself up successfully. His legs carried him, Gale's speed growing until he jumped up at the Arcanine claw first. His arm shining a brilliant white, he aimed a Bullet Punch right at the mutt's face in rage. He didn't care if he was at a type disadvantage.

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

Deoxys
Mt Moon

There were disturbances in the city. Watching through the eyes of his minions, the army which had invaded Cerulean City was already being attacked by his loyal infected. There wasn't much to worry about in his opinion, as more infected would come to aid if the current ones fell. Eventually, the humans and their pets would have to face the inevitable; their destruction. Join or die, it didn't matter to Deoxys. His power enough could overtake any competitor, and once the legendaries were under the alien's order, there was no countering him. Nothing would halt his progress, not even this minor disturbance.

Sensing a teleportation in Mt. Moon, Deoxys assumed the Raichu had been successfully captured. His hypothesis was correct, psychic visions revealing images of the infected Hypno holding the wild pokemon with its Psychic power, which had only been increased with his gift. This was pleasing. Though normally he'd have any captures infected immediately, Deoxys chose this pokemon to be his new lab rat. Spreading the infection airborne was a major test that he wanted operated and intact as soon as possible. They had conducted no experiments of this yet, but that was soon to be changed with this new pokemon.

His decision already made, he sent visions to the Hypno instructing the Psychic to have the Raichu tested with the airborne virus. After it was put into effect, the Psychic saw visions of him releasing the Raichu back into the wild. Even if the test wasn't successful, the infection on the Raichu would allow Deoxys to see through its eyes and know where the Raichu was. And if it was, the process of testing humans and spreading the virus throughout Kanto would be next. He couldn't help but be pleased with his work.

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

Benny Larson
Cerulean City

He found himself face to face with the infected. The army had begun their attacks, Benny unable to do anything to assist them. He was so frightened he could barely call out orders, either. It looked as if the pokemon were handling this one well, though he felt stupid and cowardly watching them take the hits and fighting upclose. "I'm such a failure, wow. I can't fight. I don't know what to do. We were just searching for survivors, and now look at all of this," Benny thought to himself, very upset. His self-confidence was being broken over and over.

Then it hit him. What if they failed? He wouldn't be able to show his face again. He may have been able to return home, but at what cost? And what would his wife and kids think about him? Stress was pounding up inside his head by the second. This was huge. If they tried to avoid the aliens and search for survivors… no, that wasn't going to happen. They had to get through with force, whether he liked it or not. He just prayed they'd have the strength to do so.

"Good going, guys! Keep it up!" he called out. He felt so stupid, but cheering had to count for something.

 

[Greiger]

Somnus
Mt. Moon
​

Somnus walked with an air of importance through the caverns. Right now the area was right on the verge of being deserted. There were only a few pokemon moving through the caverns either doing something specifically for Master or acting as guards at certain points in the caves. Somnus didn't really focus on the thoughts though. He had a task and he would get this Raichu to his Master even if he to die to do so. Just then Somnus stopped dead in his tracks. Master was sending a message to him. He saw himself with a needle filled with the infection, but one that would be spread through the air. He injected the Raichu with it and allowed the little mouse to escape. As the vision left his head he looked around and noticed none of the other infected had received the message. Somnus turned to his captive, "Don't worry little Raichu. My Master wants me to be extra special to you."

Somnus moved through the caves with ease until he came to the place where Master had left a cabinet. Somnus held his captive in place and opened a cabinet that housed many needles, all filled with the virus that Master had prepared. He grabbed one and turned to the Raichu. He tapped the needle and squirted out some of the liquid, it wouldn't do to let an air bubble enter the Raichu's bloodstream. "Now, hold still. There will be a light pinch." Somnus made sure to grip the Raichu tightly as he pointed the tip of the needle at the Raichu's arm and injected him with the virus. Once the needle was empty he threw it to the side and walked back to the entrance of the cave with his captive still in tow. He walked out into the forest and continued walking for about a minute before he dropped the Raichu on the ground.

"My Master is showing an act of mercy toward you. Leave now." Without another word Somnus turned around and headed back to Mt. Moon to await Master's future orders.

 

[Sir Bastian]

Axel
Mt. Moon​

Floating behind the Hypno, Axel felt a sting of defeat, having stopped his struggles against the psychich abilities of the Pokémon holding him captive. Other than delivering a bolt of electricity to the Hypno, there was nothing he could do. And seeing how the Typhlosion from earlier had reacted... or rather, not reacted, trying to escape was pretty pointless at this point.

"Don't worry little Raichu. My Master wants me to be extra special to you."

His ears perked and he looked up, his eyes widening slightly.

Oh no. Nooo no no no, this can't -possibly- be good. Would there actually be a fate worse than being infected at this point...? Maybe this is the end for me? I'm going to become... another mindless drone, and I'm going to be killed by one of the sane Pokémon... and I'll never see Daniel again.

He frowned deeply and hung his head once more, seemingly accepting his fate.

As the Hypno stopped in front of the cabinet, pulling out a needle, Raichu widened his eyes and began squirming once again, trying to free himself from the psychic hold.

"N-no! I don't want to be infected! I have to find Daniel! I d- gyak!"

He let out a squeak as he was grabbed by the Hypno, his cheeks starting to spark, though he managed to hold it back, not wanting to anger his captor even further.

He winced as the needle penetrated his skin, shuddering as the cold liquid was injected. He breathed heavily as he was then led by the Hypno once more, his head becoming rather woozy, not noticing where he was being taken. Only as the sun, on it's way down, shone down through the trees did he realize he had been taken outside, snapping out of the haze he was in.

He was then, to his utter bafflement, dropped to the ground, where he quickly landed on all four, turning to the Hypno in a rather defensive position.

"My Master is showing an act of mercy toward you. Leave now."

Axel wasn't stupid. He knew that he had done something to him, and this wasn't an act of mercy... this was a test. None the less, if it would help him become free for at least enough time to find Daniel, he'd take it.

Without another word, he turned on his heel and sprinted through the forest as if the entire place was on fire. He kept running and running and running, not thinking about anything other than fleeing.

Axel
Cerulean Forest/City​

Beginning to pant after having run for so long, Axel slowly came to a stop in the middle of the forest, having a quick look around, his ears twitching as he listened for anyone nearby. He only heard some rumbling nearby.

He decided he would continue with what he had in mind from before: To find Daniel and make sure he was safe. And the safest bet was with the camp to the south of Cerulean... which unfortunately meant that he had to go through the city. Where the sounds were coming from.

He quickly skittered through the forest quietly, crawling from bush to tree to bush again, until he reached the edge of the city, resting underneath a thick bush, his eyes wide with the scene in front of him.

Pokémon were fighting. Infected against non-infected. Fire was being shot everywhere and they were flying all over the place. Axel only managed to recognize the Typhlosion from earlier, standing in the middle of everything and sticking out like a sore thumb.

He pressed himself to the ground and watched the fight rage on, ears laid back as he hoped either side would flee soon enough.

 

[|Equinox|]

Flight - Battle Mode
Cerulean

"I'm sorry Flight! But I have to do whats right!" cried Torai, unleashing a torrent of attacks at his enemies. For a second there she was glad that she had been cooperating with that Axew. Being hit by that rampaging beast would not be a pretty sight. Glancing to the left, Flight squeaked in surprise while jumping forwards, dodging a stray beam of electricity.


What's an Emolga doing in a fight like this?


A Scizor charged into the battlefield, turning into the center of attention in mere seconds. Then, people attacked the bug-like infected instead of the others. Poor fellow. Trying to stop this meaningless battle, she put a hand in the air, blasting a large electric beam into the skies.


With a flick of her tail, the beam exploded on top of everyone, then split into thousands of tinier beams, which rained onto the land below like a meteor shower. Wrapping herself in an electric shield, the Emolga leaped into a nearby bush, trying to stay out of the battle. It wasn't worth it.


"I don't know which side is winning, but one side's gonna lose, and I don't want to be in the side that gets their behinds kicked." murmured Flight, watching the firework display with beams, fire and sparks everywhere. A neighboring bush rustled, and the Emolga blinked, walking closer to the wriggling plant. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the leaves aside, eyes wide.


"Axel?"​

 

[Sir Bastian]

Axel
Cerulean City​

His eyes widened. A Scizor was now charging into the fray as well, and in the next second, a large beam of electricity was shot into the air, sending down flashes of energy all over, coupled with the fire and the lava here and there. It was a complete warzone down there.

He was so captivated by what was happening in the city that he didn't notice the small figure leaping into the nearby bushes, the electricity in the air from the blast, causing a shiver to go through him. He quickly lowered the tail onto the ground, letting himself discharge slowly.

Axel was about to crawl backwards and find some sort of way around Cerulean, even though the skies were starting to darken from the night that was slowly sneaking up on them, when something broke through the bushes to his left.

He was so startled by this, that per reflex, he rolled sideways until he ended up on his belly again, kicking himself backwards onto all four, his breath stuck in his throat and his cheeks sparking with electricity.

Blinking a few times as he recognized the form of the Emolga that had helped him and the Umbreon out along with the Axew earlier. She was still fighting the infection.

"... Flight? What-"

He then turned his head, looking into the city with widened eyes. She was the one who'd done that beam of electricity into the air.

He looked back and forth between her and the city, his heart racing in his chest, trying to decide wether to run off because, after all, she -was- an infected... but then again.

He swallowed down and gave his head a little shake. "It's... it's too dangerous here. We have to get somewhere safer. If... if you're still up to the task of... y-you know, not infecting anyone."

Before she managed to answer, he had lied down on his belly again to avoid further detection from the fighters. "W... when the infected attacked Cerulean, I fled into the forest. I've got a place a little far from here, but it's safe. There's no infected, or... well, others. Just a few Pokémon here and there."

 

[|Equinox|]

Flight - Battle Mode
Cerulean

The Emolga was utterly surprised, not expecting to see a rather coward rodent hiding in the bushes, only meters away from the battlefield. He was probably the last in the 'who's going to fight' list. Flight could see that he was struggling, looking back and forth, and she chuckled in amusement, seeing how silly and cute he was. The flying rodent could understand his troubles though, to stay and help, or to flee. Perhaps it's because they were both electric types.


"It's... it's too dangerous here. We have to get somewhere safer. If... if you're still up to the task of... y-you know, not infecting anyone." he spoke shakily, and she sat down next to him, listening to the Raichu's words.


"I maybe an infected, but I'm not going to infect anyone. I won't infect you either," Flight answered in a rather emotionless tone. Then she realized that the last statement might had been a little misleading, "But don't get me wrong. I'm not...protecting you or being your partner, Okay?"


"W... when the infected attacked Cerulean, I fled into the forest. I've got a place a little far from here, but it's safe. There's no infected, or... well, others. Just a few Pokémon here and there."


The Emolga's eyes flashed with interest, "Sounds excellent. I'll need someone quiet to recharge again." she purred, getting up to her little feet, "Mind if you lead the way?"​

 

[NightOfRemorse]

"Good going guys, keep it up!" the human exclaimed. So much for being commander. He was more of an audience right now. "Oh please. Make me hurt you," a voice said, though barely audible through the racket of the violent battle taking place. Then, Number was suddenly struck by flames and lava. She automatically stopped the Thunder attack in shock and fell to the ground with a soft thump. Her back quivered in pain as it was scorched in several spots. Number saw that lava only continued to shoot from the ground. She had to brace the pain and get up quickly, or she would be toasted. She picked herself up and hopped away from where she stood, where lava exploded through only moments later.

Looking around, Number watched the battlefield burn. Evacuation was certainly an option, but not one she wanted to take. Not yet, anyway. The Typhlosion was clearly angry, and was apparently willing to risk the safety of his Scizor buddy in order to try and destroy the army. They wouldn't quit that easily. Two thirds of the army were fire types, anyway. Number was the only one with a disadvantage at this point.

Suddenly, a beam exploded overhead and became thousands of tinier beams. Not paying attention to it and attempting to act fast, Number spewed out toxic liquid from her mouth toward the Typhlosion right as the beams came down. The beams met with the lava, fire, and toxic, until all of those elements just couldn't take it anymore and caused an even more massive explosion that engulfed Cerulean City. The boom echoed throughout neighbouring areas and nearly made Number go deaf. It was all... white. She couldn't see a thing, either.

((If anyone disagrees with the massive explosion, I can edit.))

 

[Sir Bastian]

Axel
Cerulean City​

"I maybe an infected, but I'm not going to infect anyone. I won't infect you either. But don't get me wrong. I'm not...protecting you or being your partner, Okay?"

She's so... calm. How can she be so calm when there's a -war- going on literally a rock's throw away? I guess that's what the infection does to you...

Axel blinked a few times, clearly not having hinted or even thought about this, his cheeks darkening a little, a small spark of electricity emitting from them as he shook his head.

"O-oh, no no, I didn't expect.. uh, that, either. Just... you... helped me out earlier. It's only fair if I do the same to... you. What about... Torai? Do you think it's possible for us to get a hold of him?"

He glanced towards the battle, suspecting Torai was in there somewhere as well, slowly pushing himself to a stand, brushing himself off with his paws.

Just then, a massive explosion erupted from the city, causing a shockwave to go through the forest, Axel lifting his arms to cover his face with a wince.

"W-whoa! What just happened?!"

 

[|Equinox|]

Flight - Battle Mode
Cerulean


"O-oh, no no, I didn't expect.. uh, that, either. Just... you... helped me out earlier. It's only fair if I do the same to... you. What about... Torai? Do you think it's possible for us to get a hold of him?" he replied, stammering with redder cheeks.


"Why are you stammering like that?" Flight asked, hiding a smirk, giggling a bit at his actions, "There's nothing embarrassing here."


"As for Torai I don't think we can get a hold of him while he's the center of the battle..." she stated, standing up as well, only to hear a large explosion booming across the skies. Then came a large explosion and a blinding burst of white light. Following her instincts, the Emolga pounced onto the Raichu's belly, pressing him down and protecting him from the blast. Closing her eyes on his belly she felt a strong gust of wind roaring over them, and held on even tighter, not wanting to be blown away.


The blindness only stayed for a couple of seconds. After the explosion, Flight opened her eyes, only to find herself laying on the Raichu's belly, causing her to scramble down in an instant.


"I guess the light didn't do any harm after all," Flight murmured, brushing the dust off her body, "You...uh, okay, Axel?"​

 

[Greiger]

Somnus
Mt. Moon​

As Somnus made the trek back to the caves he got the odd feeling that he had forgotten something, something important. By the time he reached the caves he still couldn't figure out what he was missing. He found a spot further inside, sat down and began to meditate. He had already infected the Raichu and let him free, he also had been given orders to go to Cerulean and find anything that could benefit Master but the others had probably already stripped the place clean... what else was there? Raichu, Cerulean, Umbreon... Somnus stopped thinking and came back across his previous thought. Umbreon. The word sunk in his head for a few seconds before he let out an annoyed sigh and mentally kicked himself hard... very hard. He had been so focused on the Raichu that he had entirely forgotten about Master's second order, to bring the Umbreon to him as well.

It was highly unlikely that the Umbreon was still in the forest. Alistar had been in the forest when he had seen the Typhlosion last so logically Alistar would have picked up the Umbreon. Another possibility would be that the Axew and Emolga had somehow, by sheer luck, beaten Alistar and both had taken the Umbreon to a safe place. Going with the best case scenario Somnus began to search for Alistar's life source. If he had the Umbreon all he had to do was go to him grab the Umbreon and do what Master wanted him to do. If those other two had the Umbreon then Alistar would help him track them down.

It took a few minutes to find a guard who not only knew teleport but also was willing to take the time to wait for him once he arrived at his location. It didn't take Somnus long to find Alistar's location. He was in Cerulean and based on the sheer amount of energy radiating from the city it was apparent that the infected were fighting against something. Somnus gave his guide the coordinates and the suggestion to duck once they got there and in the blink of an eye both were gone.

Cerulean City​

Somnus had given coordinates to distance themselves just a bit from Alistar. If he was being attack then Somnus didn't want to risk stepping right in the line of fire. Luckily his coordinates had placed the two right behind a still intact wall. His guide stayed put while Somnus peeked around the side. He spotted Alistar... and the Axew... and a Sizor.... and a whole group of un-gifted fighting back with a human standing off to the side. Somnus blinked in surprise. Just how much had he missed in the span of a few minutes? Shaking off his temporary confusion Somnus calculated the odds of getting across the open battlefield to Alistar when a large explosion suddenly rocketed the area. Somnus quickly hid behind the wall as the ground shook with an amazing force. He waited a few seconds before looking back out. He could still see the un-gifted and decided to go with a much safer alternative.

Focusing his power Somnus grabbed a portion of the wall and shook it around until he ripped it free from the ground . He turned to his Breloom guide, "Well, you coming?" Wasting no time Somnus levitated the wall so that it would protect him and the Breloom and began walking across the battlefield. The wall was only slightly damaged so Somnus figured it could take a few hits before crumbling and at that point he would grab the Breloom and teleport to safety. Alistar wasn't that far way and once Somnus got there he took a quick look around, the Typholsion hadn't picked up the Umbreon. He turned to Alistar, "Alistar, do you remember what you were supposed to pick up in the forest? Hmm? Something Master asked us to specifically pick up for him? Perhaps this will jog your memory... what's black with gold rings and walks on four legs? Don't worry I'll let you have a few minutes to think about it."

Somnus' voice had descended from emotionless to pure sarcasm. The Hypno continued levitating the wall, waiting patiently for Alistar's response.

 

[-Grayscale-]

Gale Witt
Cerulean City

His claw was just about to meet the Arcanine's face when an explosion erupted between the fight, catching him completely off guard and sending him into the streets again. It was if he was a skipping stone, flying to the side and bouncing off the ground multiple times before smashing into one of the buildings. Screams of pain began to fill his head, and for a moment Gale found himself wanting to scream, too. Everything was chaotic. He didn't even know what caused the explosion and he had just failed an attack on top of it. Everything was wrong. The Scizor was in pain, and that was rare for a steel type like him. He didn't deal well with it at all.

His eyes read sharp anger. That's it. Sucking in his breathe and moving himself despite the sting, he opened his claw in the direction ahead at a Nidorina that looked to be completely shocked by the explosion as well. But something was wrong with it, and it was a perfect shot he could make successfully if not disrupted. "I'll show you my pain. I'll show you the pain you brought me tenfold." Focusing his energy, he poured it into both of his claws now, keeping each right next to each other for a wider aim. He prepared to launch his strongest attack- Hyperbeam, completely ignoring his surroundings. One… two… three. The beam was shot instantly, the bright light flying at the poison type in a long ray of white, green, and orange. The wall behind Gale's back barely kept him from falling down as he shot it.

His eyes clouded the moment he shot it. Thinking he hard an impact, the Scizor dropped his claws down and let his vision darken. He couldn't move. Not yet. If anyone was to attack Gale now, however, he was going to have a problem. His headaches only were beginning to calm.

 

[Sir Bastian]

Axel
Cerulean Forest​

As the shockwave blasted past them, Axel kept his eyes pinched shut, his arms still in front of his head. He then felt a force push against his stomach and that, coupled with the shockwave, sent him backwards with a grunt.

After a few moments, when everything had died down and he could actually hear again, Axel lowered his arms, breathing quietly. At least they were both alive. He blinked in surprise, finding the Emolga lying pressed against his stomach.

As she scrambled to her feet, so did he, wobbling a little before being sure the ground was actually sitting firmly in place. He dusted off his back, his tail flicking through the air as he nodded a few times.

"Yeah… yeah, I'm alright. Th.. thanks, Flight."

He glanced towards the town again, all of his instincts telling him to just run away before another of those explosions happens. He wrinkled his nose a little before glancing back to Flight, looking rather worried.

"Couldn't you.. uhm, contact him with your psychic powers? Or… does that even work? If he just… knew we were here, he could teleport to us."

 

[|Equinox|]

Flight - Battle Mode
Cerulean Forest

"Yeah… yeah, I'm alright. Th.. thanks, Flight." he stammered, wobbling a bit.


"Thank Arceus you are. I wouldn't want to carry someone that big." Flight snorted with mischief, "I don't think my back can support your weight."


Scurrying into a bush, the Emolga gazed across the battlefield with squinted eyes, trying to locate the raging Axew. Just then, the flying rodent sensed a strong sense of energy coming from above. Looking up, her eyes widened with fear as a bright ball of energy was formed in the Scizor's hands.


"No, it's too dangerous," Flight replied, concern showing in her eyes, "We'll have to go now. Torai..."


She sighed, looking back for a while, hoping that Torai would be fast enough to escape this mess. But going out would only get her and Axel killed. No, there must be another chance. Another time.


"Torai...will have to take care of himself for now," she finished, then hastily grabbed the Raichu's wrist, "If we don't leave soon we'll be hunted down."


(that's cute XD she's kinda holding his hand, but not in a lovey-dovey way. I wonder what his reaction will be!)


Running deeper into the forest, the Emolga stopped in her tracks. She didn't let go, however.


"You lead the way." she spoke calmly, looking at the skies, "I have a feeling that we're the last hope."​

 

[Sir Bastian]

Axel
Cerulean Forest​

".. Oh. Uh, right, of course not."

He lifted a paw to rub the back of his head. He had thought and perhaps sort of hoped that she would have cared at least a little bit about him, rather than worrying about having to carry him. Suppose it couldn't be helped.

He followed her into the bush, staring out towards the city as well, glancing between it and her.

"No, it's too dangerous," Flight replied, concern showing in her eyes, "We'll have to go now. Torai..."

It was easy to hear the concern in her voice. At least that meant she wasn't just an emotionless monster like some of the infected. Like the Typhlosion or the Scizor.

"R… right. I hope he'll make it out alright."

His paw was then grabbed, blinking in surprise a few times as she pulls him along. He was still rather fast on his hind legs, but not nearly as fast as when he was on all four, ducking down underneath shrubbery and branches as they ran away from the city.

As they came to a stop, he let out a breath of air in a sigh, glancing down at Flight for a moment, then following her gaze into the skies.

"You lead the way. I have a feeling that we're the last hope."

The last hope? For… what? The infected and this war? She –had- to be joking. What on earth could two electric rodents do against monsters like those they had fought earlier? Not to mention Deoxys himself.

As he thought about this, his head started getting a little heavy, a spinning feeling erupting inside of his head, causing him to lift his free paw, rubbing his forehead while he groaned.

"Nngh… ow. I… hnh…"

He stood still for a moment, not noticing anything Flight would do to get his attention. After about half a minute of constant headache, he looked up again, shaking his head quickly, his ears twitching at the sounds still roaring from behind them.

"I'm… I'm fine. C-come on, we've got a fair bit of way to go."

He lowered down onto all four, glancing at her, obviously showing her that he was intending to run at full speed. He waited for her to catch on before he dashed forwards, his tail whipping in the air behind him as he sped through the undergrowth.

After a while of running, they were out of the forest. And there, on the bank of a river, lied a large, darkened power plant, wires moving out from the roof in different directions and a large waterwheel sitting in the river's murky waters. Axel gave Flight a little look before dashing over to a bit of rubble at the side of the building and with three small jumps, made it inside a hole, just big enough for him to get in through.

Coming into the power plant, it was clear it'd been abandoned for some time now, the equipment here looking rather old. Axel lead them through a corridor of old, tipped over machinery, generators and whatnot, spotting a Magnemite here, and a Voltorb there.

Eventually, they made it into a small hub, created by several machines having tipped at once, now creating a small cave-like area, lit up fairly well by a couple of lightbulbs in the machinery facing into the hideout.

Axel moved inside and turned around, sitting himself down on his rump, paws on his belly as he lets out a small sigh. He was only just able to stand up on his hind legs, should he choose to. There were a few things scattered around; Some berries resting on some leaves, a bit of grass, which obviously made up for his 'bed', as well as a belt, clearly having belonged to a human, lying over in the corner.

"We should be safe here… at least for now. You can… recharge here. And I think I need a bit of rest myself… nnh."

The headache seemingly returning, Axel lifted a paw to rub his forehead again, mumbling something unintelligible under his breath.

 

[|Equinox|]

Flight - Normal
Cerulean Forest

"I'm… I'm fine. C-come on, we've got a fair bit of way to go." Axel reminded from behind, getting onto his fours. Seeing that there's no dangers around her, the Emolga relaxed a bit, turning into her normal form once again.


"Go ahead," she nodded, flexing her arms a bit. As the Raichu sped into the unknown, the flying squirrel followed from above, gliding in the air. Axel was fast, but he couldn't possibly outrun someone that could fly, so she had no difficulties in following him.


Flight glided gracefully in the air, following the rodent out of the forest and towards a river, where an abandoned power plant stood at the other side. Watching as Axel crawled into the hole after a few attempts, the Emolga dived from above, entering the hole without failing.


Once inside, she withdrew her gliders, landing lightly on the floor below. Deep inside, she was really impressed with his makeshift home, but she didn't show any appreciation. She had no reason to...did she?


"We should be safe here… at least for now. You can… recharge here. And I think I need a bit of rest myself… nnh." Axel spoke, sitting himself down on his rump. Flight watched and frowned when she saw the Raichu rubbing his forehead with a paw, murmuring something that wasn't understandable. He seemed to be in pain.


"Axel...?" Flight asked softly, sounding more feminine than before, "Are you...alright?" without a reasonable reply, she padded closer, placing a hand on his forehead. Probably not a fever the squirrel told herself, handing him a berry, "Maybe this will help?"


Putting the berry onto his other paw, she sat down right next to him, feeling a little concerned. What's happening?​

 

[Sir Bastian]

Axel
Abandoned Power plant​

"Axel…? Are you...alright?"

He mumbled something quietly again, still not making it very clear what he was saying. He only snapped back to reality as her hand rested on his forehead, lifting his head a little.

He accepted the berry with a nod of his head, lifting it up to his mouth to take a good bite out of it, his eyes squinted slightly shut as the pain was evidently still there.

Maybe I should just tell her? That I'm… most likely infected. But I don't think it'll do any good… and… well, I don't –know- if I am. Ngh, my head…

He shook his head a little as if trying to shake off some kind of ghost sitting on his shoulder, eventually finishing the berry, smiling lightly down at Flight.

"Thanks.. I'll be fine, it's just… a bit of a headache. What're we going to do now, though? Are we… seriously going to try and fight this… infection on our own?"

Axel was one hundred percent certain that one of them, if not both of them, would die fairly quickly if they began going up against the infected. And at the same time, they couldn't look to the army for help. They'd just kill Flight outright at the first glance. Then probably Axel afterwards for being her ally.

He cleaned his paw from the berry's juices, staring into the wall of blinking lights ahead of him thoughtfully. What could they do? What kind of options did they have?

 

[|Equinox|]

Flight - Normal
Abandoned Power Plant

"I hope it isn't an infection. It would be better if you stay normal," She replied, smiling back as he finished the berry. It didn't seem to work though. Scanning his body, she could see no injuries of any kind, and if it was internal bleeding, then the berries should had helped. The more Flight thought about it, the more she feared that her friend might had been attacked and infected while she wasn't there.



She could only hope that he'll be alright.



"Thanks.. I'll be fine, it's just… a bit of a headache. What're we going to do now, though? Are we… seriously going to try and fight this… infection on our own?"


Flight's darkened upon hearing his question. Axel is worried that we aren't going to last a minute out there. We have to fight a legendary Pokemon. We have to go through an entire army. We have to stand out of the humans' way. This will be really hard, and looking at his face, I can see that he's scared. Scared that one of us is going to die. Perhaps both. But who can blame him? It's two against a thousand plus the legendary Deoxys, which probably worth a thousand more.


"We'll find allies. Torai is one." answered Flight, getting up to her feet, "We'll search for loners that are interested in helping. We'll form a small group of rebels. Then we'll find the Valoran Army, letting them know that we're standing on their side. After that...."


She stopped, looking at the sitting Raichu in front of her.


"...We'll decide when we get that far," the Emolga concluded with a shrug. He's still having a headache... she told herself, worry taking over.


"I'll be right back."


Grabbing a nearby plastic bag, the squirrel dashed towards the lake, filling it up with cold water. Making a knot at the end, she approached her ally, tying it around his forehead with the help of a piece of string. Wanting him to feel better, she placed her paws on his shoulders, massaging them a bit. Flight wasn't doing this because she was interested. She only wanted to ensure that he's alright, nothing more.


"We'll...see what we can do. But first you need to recover."​

 

[Sir Bastian]

Axel
Abandoned Power Plant​

"I hope it isn't an infection. It would be better if you stay normal."

Axel nodded a little, completely agreeing with her. It wouldn't exactly be fun to become another mindless drone. Maybe he –should- tell her about the syringe after all..

"We'll find allies. Torai is one. We'll search for loners that are interested in helping. We'll form a small group of rebels. Then we'll find the Valoran Army, letting them know that we're standing on their side. After that... we'll decide when we get that far."

He looked up again, listening to her plan while his ears twitched, his tail curled up on the ground next to him. If just one of them went to the army and told them, it might work better if he came walking along with two infected… but the idea of a rebellion was a little envigorating. He regained some of the hope for the infected Pokémon.

"I'll be right back."

He looked after her as she sped out, taking the time to rub his head some more, tail twitching on the ground. The pain was starting to come and go in waves, rather than a constant headache. Flight then returned with a bag of water, making him lower his arms before tying the bag to his head, making him look rather silly.

The water helped a bit, making him smile appreciatively, turning his head as she moved behind him. He tensed up for a moment as she began massaging his shoulders, but quickly relaxed again, looking ahead of himself, a content purr escaping him.

"You're… right. We both need to regain our strength… and then… mrh. You can't stay away from the infected for long, or you'll just be.. forced back. So.. you should…"

He furrowed his brows, gaze moving slightly down towards the floor. Daniel had always been the one to come up with strategies and plans. He had been pretty amazing at it..

Had been? No no no! You can't afford to think like that! He's out there somewhere. You just have to… keep looking. But…

He turned his head to glance back at Flight for a moment, his expression somewhat thoughtful.

… Right now, there's others who needs my help. And I'll be sure to bump into Daniel if I go to the army's camp…

"Right. I think… you need to go back to the infected, once we've recovered… find Torai, and let him know. I'll… go to the army meanwhile, and let them know what we're doing. If something happens… we meet up here. Yeah?"

He glanced back at her again, looking rather unsure of himself. He wasn't used to coming up with tactics and plans, but right now, he didn't see any other option, if they were really going to fight back the infected.

 

[|Equinox|]

Flight - Normal
Abandoned Power Plant


"You're… right. We both need to regain our strength… and then… mrh. You can't stay away from the infected for long, or you'll just be.. forced back. I think… you need to go back to the infected, once we've recovered… find Torai, and let him know. I'll… go to the army meanwhile, and let them know what we're doing. If something happens… we meet up here. Yeah?"


"No!" Flight protested, eyes wide with agitation, "What if they won't listen to you? What if I can't come back? Deoxys wouldn't want to let me go. He'll make me stay! And if that happens, you'll have to come find me, and that's basically digging your own grave."


"Just don't do that okay? You're putting yourself in danger," she continued, letting go of his shoulders, "Plus, if we split up I have no idea when we're going to meet again."


I don't want you to get hurt she thought, but instead of admitting, out came an excuse, "When you're in trouble I'll have to go all the way to save you again. I don't want to be alone again. Now that I have you to help me, things are going to be much better."


Unlike her father, she wasn't going to stand there and no nothing at all. With the 'zombie apocalypse' coming fast, she had to do something, and she had to do something as a team. Letting out a growl of frustration, the Emolga slumped onto the floor, leaning against Axel's body with her arms crossed.


"Just stay together okay? ...Don't leave me."​

 

[Sir Bastian]

Axel
Abandoned Power Plant​

"No! What if they won't listen to you? What if I can't come back? Deoxys wouldn't want to let me go. He'll make me stay! And if that happens, you'll have to come find me, and that's basically digging your own grave."

Axel jumped slightly at the exclamation, turning his head to look back at her while she spoke. She was right. There was a good possibility of this happening, but at the same time, there was also a good chance that the army would just get rid of the both of them if they walked up to their camp.

"Just stay together okay? ...Don't leave me." She said after having slumped against his side and crossed her arms. There was some sort of tenderness to how she acted, despite pretending not to care about him. She might've been just as scared as Axel was about this whole thing. But there was no way around it.

He lowered a paw, pausing for a moment before running it across the top of her head, nodding slightly.

"Alright, I… guess you're right. But what do we do then? We need to get a hold of Torai at some point… and if you stay away from the infected for too long, they'll –know- that something is up."

Quieting down again for a little while, his paw kept resting lightly against the top of her head while he stared down at the floor again, deep in thought.

What do we do? Should we both go to the army and hope they'll hear us out? And what do we do –after- we've found Torai? How can we fight them? … Flight is right. We need to worry about that later…

"We… need to get some sort of message to Torai, about meeting us here. And we also need to go to the army and tell them what we're planning. Just… so they don't kill us by accident. What do.. what do you think we should do, Flight?"

He looked down at her again, watching her ears twitching for a moment.