As Darkness Falls- The Call of the Old Chateau

[pikakip]

(Ahh, the moment many have been waiting for. The Rebirth of….)
(Also, ignore the thread title. I wanted to try out a new name, didn't like it as much :/)​

As Darkness Falls​

(Welcome To The Old Chateau)​

pg-16+​

Welcome to the REPO new recruits! We are the Restoration Exploration Protection Organization. Our Job is to restore protect and explore the Sinnoh, Johto, Kanto, and Hoenn regions' landmarks and important buildings. We expect every new recruit to be strong, tough, brave, and able to confront any situation, no matter how dim, hopeless, or terrifying the situation may be. In the past, we have had accidents involving restoration, but our recruits have always come out on the other side, stronger than ever. We ask you to join our noble group, not just to increase your strength, but also to help protect the landmarks that make thisworld great. If you do decide to join us, you may contact our company at the following email address: [email protected]. We look forward to working with you.

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YOU are a REPO recruit, you have enlisted just in time for the next mission, the explorationof the Old Chateau. It is your job to enter this historic building, and exploreits ancient halls. Others will join you, for this building has been here for centuries, and it may be a bit....unstable inside. you will need all the help you can get if you want to successfully complete this mission. Safety is our number one concern, and there is safety in numbers. If you can find enough historic information within this crumbling structure, then we may be able tosave it, and make sure it gains status as a regional monument.

Current Information:

• The building known as the Old Chateau resides in the Eterna forest in the Sinnoh region.
• It is built in a gothic style, reports claim it to be centuries old.
• According to Eyewitness reports, the building is thought to be haunted. Fact? Fiction?
• Gardenia visits daily, and she often expresses her thoughts on the building. Possible Recruit???

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Description of theold chateau > Eyewitness accounts:

Anonymous: "The place is Haunted, I know that for a fact. 'took one step inside and was blasted straight back out into the large gate that serves as the entrance. I think you'd have to be brave to even look at the place."

Ace Trainer Julie:"OMG! That place is the most terrifying location in all of existence. I..i lost three of my pokemon in there, we were down in the kitchen, the appliances..."(At this point the eyewitness burst into tears, and we couldn't get anything else from her.)

Anonymous:"Hmph. The Old Chateau huh? That place is somewhere you will never want to go. I've explored 10% of that building, and I've seen things that no man, woman, or pokemon should ever see. Sure, it is an interesting place, but you just have to ask yourself, is it worth it? Is it worth yours, or anyone else's life? I am one of the strongest people I know, but no one, and I repeat no one,should ever have to venture into that Hellhole....(At this point the eyewitnessbegan to sing.) It'll play a fiddle on your soul it'll throw you high it'll slam you low."

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Okay now for theactual RP stuff.

YOUR JOB:
As you should already know, your job is to venture through the old chateau and write down everything that seems important. This is your primary objective as a REPOrecruit, but you also have a primary objective as a human. Survive. The path before you will be filled with danger, sorrow, and anger. The Old Chateau is amystery, and it is unknown what it will throw at you, but you can bet it will be bad. The recruits, (you guys) will be divided into teams. The teams will be separated throughout the whole chateau, so choose your teammates wisely. Also, at multiple points throughout the RP, you will be given choices. I.E.: you must choose to go to the kitchen, or continue down the hall. I will then proceed togive information about both locations. our characters will then decide(IN THE RP!) which way to go. It is highly recommended that you stick together. Thereis safety in numbers after all...

OH! I almost forgot, you'll be able to bring your pokemon along, if youwish....

SU (These go in theOOC)

Name (What do people call your character?)
Age (16-35)
Gender (You shouldknow this...O.O)

Appearance (2-3 paragraphs, or 1 VERY detailed one. What does your character look like? What do they wear?)

Personality (2-3 Paragraphs. How does your character act? How would you describe them?)

RP sample (It can be from a previous RP, or it can be your first post. I.E. Flashback to yourreading the REPO recruit letter, and then describe your journey to the chateau.)

PASSWORD!!!(It'sbolded)

Pokemon SU (1-6)
(I recommend thatyou choose useful mons, it would be a shame to rely on your allies' pokemon thewhole time.)

Species (What kind of pokemon are youuuuu?)
Nickname (what dothey call it?)
Gender
Attacks(How do you do the things you doooo?
Personality(one fromthe games,(I.E. Modest) or a description.)
History: (Explain how they were obtained HERE)

Rules
1 Nobunnying/godmodding. Unless asked.
2 a minimum ofcursing, and censor part of the word with a * I.E. OH CR*P!
3 Post frequently(once a week minimum. If this thread dies, I will eat your family.)
4 If possible notify me of absence
5 If you're gone for more than 2 weeks, something bad may happen.
6 I am God.
7Make sure to put the secret bolded password in your SU.(It's in the RP somewhere just be patient and look)

(Note: This RP is intended to be a precursor to my/Strikit's/KillehKiwi's next RP, so if you do all abandon us, we'll keep the story going. We don't intend for it to die. EVER.)


Players:
Megaman765: Accepted
MoonstoneSkitty: Reserved
TiTaN.JuStIn: Reserved
Strikit: Accepted
KillehKiwi: Accepted

 

[Megaman765]

I'd like to reserve a spot. I should have my SU up sometime soon

 

[pikakip]

Good to see ya Mega.

RESERVED.
Let's restore this to its former glory shall we?

 

[MoonstoneSkitty]

Could you reserve a spot for me? Ill have up my SU later or tomorrow :)

 

[pikakip]

Alright MoonstoneSkitty, You are RESERVED

 

[TiTaN.JuStIn]

Same here. Your idea is great.

 

[pikakip]

Thanks Justin. Alright, you are RESERVED
And the RP is a bit of an old project. this is a sort of 2.0. If you want to see the original, do a search for As Darkness Falls Welcome To The Old Chateau.

also, remember, SUs go in the OOC.

 

[KillehKiwi]

You know I'm up for the second go, Kip! : ) Reserve me, I'm redoing Leyla's SU right now. ^-^

 

[pikakip]

WAAAAY ahead of ya Jess. You were RESERVED the second this RP started. I'm looking forward to RPing with you once more!

 

[pikakip]

Let's begin, shall we?

Le First post!

(Le Copypasta!) Chapter one


An Unknown Doom


In the Northwest section of the sinnoh region, there is a forest shrouded in mystery. It is located to the west of the Eterna City, which has earned it the name Eterna forest. The forest is cloaked in eternity, and it feels as if the place is shrouded in a mist of time. Near the Eterna entrance there is a building, a building that is so ancient and decrepit that it's a wonder that it still stands. Trees grow wildly along the sides of the building, their growth clearly unhindered by the seemingly solid building. The two-floored gothic styled building has a purple roof, dappled with the shadows cast by the tree branches above. There are several windows coated in a thick layer of dust. In the upper right window, there appears to be a handprint….


Standing guard outside of the front door is an iron gate, complete with spikes at the top…​

Welcome to the old Chateau recruits! When you get to the front gate you will be greeted by Darrius, our senior REPO explorer. He will divide you into two groups, and he will direct you into your positions. We wish you good luck, and remember, WE'RE WORKING FOR SINNOH'S FUTURE!


(Post one)
For your first post, you are to Travel to the Old Chateau(In any way)
However…

Glancing at a distance, there appears to be two people arguing outside of the gate. As you approach, you realize that one of them is Gardenia, the grass gym leader of Eterna. She is yelling at the other, A tall blonde man of about 32.

Gardenia: "It's suicide! I refuse to allow anyone to take a step into that building! I will stop you Darrius!"

Darrius: "Step aside Gardenia. I don't want to hurt anyone."

Gardenia: You don't want to hurt anyone?! That's Bullcrap! If you send them in there then they'll ALL be endangered! I'm the one that's keeping people safe!"

Darrius glances over and notices you for the first time.

Darrius: Hi recruits…It appears that we have a bit of a problem… Would you assist me?

Gardenia glares and pulls a set of pokeballs from her pocket.

Gardenia: "You asked for it…"



KillehKiwi

Spoiler:

Shiftry
Leaf storm
Razor Wind
Extrasensory
Swagger

Strikit

Spoiler:

Sceptile
Leaf Blade
X-Scissor
Detect
Slam

Megaman765

Spoiler:

Torterra
Crunch
Frenzy Plant
Leaf Storm
Earthquake

NightOfRemorse

Spoiler:

Roserade
Petal Dance
Ingrain
Magical Leaf
Grasswhistle

ME.

Spoiler:

Serperior
Leaf Storm
Leaf Blade
Wring out
Wrap

After you battle Gardenia, she sighs and hangs her head. Almost immediately she looks back up again, a fierce glare in her eyes. She chuckles sadly and walks off, before shouting, "Don't say I didn't warn you…"

Darrius smiles and turns towards the recruits.

Darrius: Thanks guys! I was really having trouble with her. She was spouting nonsense about the place being haunted, and about how none of us will make it out. Hmph. Are you ready to go? ALRIGHT LET'S GO!"

They , and Darrius pushes it open. You all walk to the door, and it opens to the lightest touch. You all walk inside and are greeted by a glimpse of a Beautiful Hall, Stairs flanking the left and right side of a large door. There are doors leading off to the right and the left. A beautiful crystalline chandellier hangs from the ceiling, and above that there are large beams to support it. As quickly as you get to see the room, the door leading outside slams shut, and Darkness quickly surrounds you.

The sound of Darrius fiddling with something in his pack echoes across the empty rooom. Finally, he holds up a lighter and ignites it. The flickering light casts dark shadows along the room. The stairs now seem to lead into a dark abyss. Gaunt shadows mark Darrius's face.

High above him, a Dark Prescence grins maliciously. The light glinting off of its teeth can only be seen by the most attentative observers. A frown crosses the REPO leader's face.

"Crap. Alright, we must have activated some sort of old security measure, the door locked itself and can't be opened without a key. A key that we now have to find."

Darrius sighed and placed his hand on his face. The Dark Prescence dropped from the ceiling and landed with a muffled thud. Darrius spun around to face the noise, and his lighter went out. A few seconds pass, and the silence becomes Deafening. A loud tearing sound is heard, and then the screaming begins. Agony. Agony is all that the screams convey. An excruciating ammount of pain can be heard within the shrieks.

Darrius felt the White-hot claw pierce his stomach. He felt the..the Thing groping inside of his body, and then he felt something rip from within and land on the ground with a wet slap. His screams were reduced to whimpers as the Dark thing removed his Organs. Darrius saw death, and leapt into its arms like a faithful puppy.

The noises stop. The mutilated thing on the floor no longer resembles a human. Its bones are cracked, its organs have all been removed from its body, and ists face has been slashed and scratched beyond recognition.

A dark laugh resounds through the hall.

"Welcome my children. Welcome to the Old Chateau!"

 

[Megaman765]

The Chateau was close. During marks travels, He had passed by the old building several times but never dared to enter, not without a reason. It was usually blocked off but now, He had full access to whatever could possibly be hiding inside. Mark had a feeling of excitement. Who knew how much the treasures in the Old Chateau could be worth? Adjusting the Natu mask that concealed his face, He continued onward to his destination.

Snype was likely following him and keeping a good distance. In such daylight, Others were bound to see Snype's shadow easily. If folks couldn't recognize Mark, They would certainly recognize his Sableye. Off in the distance, Two people were arguing about something. However, one person caught Mark's eye. Gardenia. Of all the places a pokemon official could be... let alone a gym leader. As soon as blond haired man noticed Mark walk up to the both of them, He asked for assistance in dealing with the problem. "...I'll gladly help." He said calmly to him.

Mark reached into his trench coat, pulled out a pokeball, and called out his Zangoose, Sheen. "You masked types seem to always have gruff looking pokemon. But I won't move so easily." Gardenia said as she called out her Torterra. Mark coughed twice. "Hey Sheen, I think I let you battle a bit to much huh? Heheh..." Mark said to his Zangoose. Sheen simpily looked back at Mark with a confidant smirk. He was prepared to do battle with the slowpoke Gardenia was relying on.

"Alright Sheen, Lets make those claws of yours a bit sharper hmm?" Mark told Sheen. Sheen honed his claws and stood into a battle position, pointing his claws right at the Torterra. "Alright Torterra, Earthquake!" Gardenia called out. The giant turtle stomped hard on the ground and caused an intense vibration on the ground. Sheen did his best to keep balanced as the field of battle changed. "We're trying to battle miss, Not destroy the whole forest." Mark taunted.

Sheen quickly moved in on Torterra and sliced at it with X-Scissor. As slow Torterra was unable to dodge the attack. As his hard shell was cut, leaves fell if in rhythm to Sheen's attack. Gardenia gritted her teeth and told Torterra to use Crunch on Sheen. Torterra marcher forward and used it's sharp teeth to knan on Sheens arm. Sheen let out a cry of pain as he felt the sharp teeth pierce his skin. "Sheen comon. You've faced worse then that laydown some Payback on the turtle eh?." Mark said to motivate sheen, While also telling him to use the attack itself, Payback.

Sheen's eyes began to glow purple as he released a wave of dark energy, pushing Torterra away from him, And forcing its teeth off of sheen's arm. "You know for a Gym leader, This kind of feels a bit too easy." Mark taunted. "I'll show you easy... Frenzy plant!" Gardenia replied. Torterras roots began to pierce through the ground and aim right at Sheen. The vines hit Sheen directly causing major damage. This time, Sheen actually did feel a bit tired, but was still willing to finish the job.

"Nice going. Leaving your pokemon wide open. Lets finish this battle shall we sheen? Crush claw." Mark said. Sheen lept into the air and moved his claws down striaight through Torterra's shell, Hitting its skin, And ultimately, causing it to faint. Mark was the victor. "Now if you excuse me Gardenia, I have a mission to attend to... Sheen, Return." Mark said, aiming the pokeball at sheen and returning him into it.

Mark let off a whistle, signaling Snype to follow him on into the building Once inside, The doors shut behind him. With that, The room became pitch dark. Mark couldn't see a thing through the darkness. Darrius however, had a lighter on him and lit up the room... for a little while. It quickly went dark once more and all Mark could hear was the sound of an agonizing scream, and a wet slapping sound. Mark felt something fall on his feet. Adjusting the the darkness, Mark could see a bit better in the pitch black room. On his feet, Was a dead body, One that had been ripped up by... something. It was Darrius. Mark froze solid. His mask was hiding his real expression. An expression of fear. He shook at the feeling of a dead body right on his foot. Mark backed up into one of the walls, doing his best to stay calm. "ah...ah... ****..." Snype kept hidden in the shadows, Looking at the fallen body in terror.

A loud piercing voice echoed through the halls.

"Welcome my children. Welcome to the Old Chateau!"

 

[NightOfRemorse]

"Veno! Veno! Veno! Venonat!" a big, fuzzy, purple insect-like Pokémon chattered as it ran along. It scanned the surrounding wood with its radar units, or eyes. "Veno Veno!" Zane shrieked as he stopped and looked around with his bright blue eyes. He, being a Venonat, was great at finding even the tiniest of things. He was searching for the Old Chateau, a gothic style mansion that was rumored to be haunted. Amelia ran behind Zane, with two large fox-like Pokémon beside her. Lucifer was the pitch black one with golden rings on his limbs and forehead. They called him an Umbreon. Maluu was the one with velvety purple fur and a brilliant red ruby on her forehead. She was an Espeon. Amelia brushed her black and green hair out of her face. Her skin was fair, except for the deep red scar on her chin. She looked around with her pale blue eyes and bit at her pierced lip, confused as to where Zane was headed to.

"Zane, do you see it?" she asked him, her voice ambitious. "Veno! Veno!" Zane replied as he ran toward a sound. Amelia followed him once again, seeing what Zane had heard. Of course, he had discovered the Old Chateau. There was Gardenia, the grass gym leader of Eterna City. She was arguing with a tall blond man, who appeared to be in his thirties. Amelia stood there staring at them, till the blond man noticed. "Hi recruits… It appears that we have a bit of a problem… Would you assist me?" he asked. Amelia stared in silence for just a moment. "Of course we can!" she replied, taking out a small pokéball styled with a camouflage print. The pokéball enlarged as she was about to call her Pokémon out. Lucifer and Maluu both stared at Gardenia with narrowed eyes. "Veno! Veno!" Zane shrieked. Amelia looked at him, took out a red and white pokéball, and casually called him back. The ball opened and sucked in Zane with a flash.

Gardenia glared at Amelia and pulled out a set of pokéballs from her pocket. "You asked for it…" she said. Amelia merely smirked at the threat. "Go, Roserade!" called Gardenia, tossing her pokéball and releasing a green Pokémon with red and blue roses for hands. "Roserade…" Amelia repeated the name. She's read a lot about these Sinnoh Pokémon, but hasn't really seen them herself. "Go, pokéball!" she called out, tossing the camo printed ball. Amelia didn't like announcing the Pokémon she was about to use, nickname or not. She liked to keep the opponent guessing. The ball released a bright flash, and a Nidoqueen emerged from it. The Nidoqueen roared and looked at the Roserade. "A Nidoqueen, huh? Haven't seen one of those in a while," Gardenia said. "Go on, you have the first move," Amelia said, gesturing to Gardenia as if brushing her away.

Gardenia glared at Amelia again. "Roserade, use Petal Dance!" Gardenia called out. "Rose!" Roserade spun around rapidly and shot out petals from its body. The Nidoqueen, Artemis, held her arms up, attempting to block the powerful petals as they pierced at her thick skin. "Artemis, substitute!" Amelia called out. "Nido!" Artemis responded, moving out of the way and leaving an exact copy of herself. The petals continued attacking the copy until it faded away. Roserade continued the Petal Dance towards Artemis, locked into the attack. "Quick Artemis, Flamethrower!" Amelia called. Gardenia gasped in surprise. "NIDO!" Artemis roared as she blew a large stream of fire from her mouth. The petals completed incinerated, and the fire blasted Roserade. "Rose!" Roserade cried in pain as it was flung to the ground. "Roserade, Ingrain!" Gardenia commanded. Roserade suddenly grew roots from its body and attached them to the ground. It seemed to gain all its strength, and stood up proudly. Amelia's expression hardened.

"Artemis, use flamethrower one more time!" Artemis blew out flames again, burning the now vulnerable Roserade. Roserade cried out in pain, taking the damage while not being able to move very far. "Roserade, Magical Leaf!" Gardenia called, despite Roserade being almost finished. Roserade attempted to carry out the attack, but it couldn't fight the burning flames. Instead, it uttered a whistle. Artemis immediately stopped the Flamethrower and collapsed. She was in a deep sleep. "Good job, Roserade!" Gardenia called as Roserade absorbed more nutrients from the ground. "Roserade, Magical Leaf!" Roserade shot colorful, glowing leaves at Artemis. Artemis just sat there sleeping, not reacting to the leaves. Amelia raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms. Despite Artemis being asleep, she didn't seem to suffer much from these grass attacks. "Roserade, use them close range!" Gardenia called. Roserade drew closer to Artemis, blasting the leaves. Amelia just watched, hoping Artemis would wake.

All of a sudden, Artemis opened her eyes and cried out from the attack. In a confused state, she got up and slammed her tail into Roserade, unrooting it and throwing it into a tree. Roserade crashed into the tree, and slid off of it as it collapsed. Gardenia stared in shock and hung her head. She looked up again with a fierce glare. Calling back her Pokémon, she chuckled and walked off before shouting, "Don't say I didn't warn you!" Amelia stared at Gardenia with her arms crossed. She was lucky that Artemis was poison type, and bulky.

"Nidddoooo!!" Artemis roared at Gardenia, taunting her. "Great job Artemis, return," Amelia said, calling Artemis back into the Safari Ball. The blond man smiled and led Amelia into the Old Chateau. In all its fanciness, it was surely creepy. Amelia looked around, or at least tried to. The man lit up the room, only for the light to go away moments later. Amelia's eyes widened in fear as she heard tearing and screaming. She didn't say anything to show her fear, but boy did she feel it. Amelia heard wet slaps against the ground, as if somebody had just angrily thrown cake. Death. She smelled death. She felt the space around her and patted Maluu's head in reassurance. A dark laugh suddenly echoed through the melancholy hall. "Welcome my children. Welcome to the Old Chateau!" Amelia looked around and shouted without thinking, "Who the hell said that?!" Zane broke out of his pokéball, sparkles glimmering around the shiny Pokémon's body. "Veno, Veno, Venonat!" Zane shrieked with his echoey, somewhat robotic voice as he ran off into the pitch black darkness.

 

[Strikit]

Sinnoh was alien soil to Korbin and his team. Having lived in Johto his entire life, and only traveling to Kanto since it was so close, there had never been any reason to come to Sinnoh before REPO contacted him. His first impression of the region was that it was infinitely more sunny than Johto. He wasn't sure he liked the change. The heat beat down on him ceaselessly, far worse than he was used to. It got so bad that he had to recall Helena, who usually walked alongside him, or perhaps clung to his shoulders when she got tired. The little Sneasel had simply not been able to handle the heat. All things considered, he was incredibly relieved when the trees of Eterna Forest came into view. He quickened his pace, long strides carrying him under the shade soon enough. The change in temperature was instantaneous. Breathing a sigh of relief, he released Helena onto the mossy ground next to him. She stretched her limbs, flexed her claws, then looked up at him with affectionate blue eyes. He laughed softly and motioned upward.

"Come on, beautiful."

Helena chirruped happily and leapt the nearly seven feet to her master's shoulder, where she perched easily. Now that everything was in order, Korbin began following the path marked on the map in his hand. Without it, he was sure he would have been lost; the path took so many twists and turns, forked off in so many places, that there was no clear way to understand which direction went where. Normally, Korbin had a good sense of direction. But this was a scenario where he could easily lose himself.

The Old Chateau became visible through the trees after several turns. He surveyed it with a raised eyebrow as he came closer, thinking that it did not look anywhere near as foreboding as the rumors and stories that preceded it. Helena, however, was not so at ease. Her ears flattened against her head and the feathers on her back perked up, the stance she took when something was seriously frightening her. "What is it, Hel?" Korbin asked in a soothing tone, stroking the fur between her eyes. She made no sound and relaxed somewhat, though she was obviously still tentative. "You know all the rumors about the Chateau are ridiculous. This exploration will mostly consist of dust and maybe a few Bugs."

As he came closer, Korbin could see a man who appeared to be in his thirties arguing with a somewhat younger woman. From this distance he could only make out some of the words, but from what he understood it appeared that the woman did not want anyone to enter the Chateau. With a scoff, Korbin approached the man, seeing as it was likely that he was affiliated with REPO, especially since he addressed he and the other recruits for assistance in this situation. Then the woman produced several Pokeballs from her pocket and threw them. Korbin jumped back as a jet of red light hit the ground ahead of him. The beam of pure energy materialized into the tall green form of a Sceptile. Though it looked capable and well cared for, Korbin was far from intimidated. His confidence in his team was insurmountable. They had taken him through two regions and dominated all he came across. They were unbeatable.

Smirking, he withdrew Samrin's Great Ball from his pocket and released him from it. The scruffy vulpine Pokemon stood in fighting stance, baring needle sharp white teeth. The eyes of the Sceptile seemed to convey laughter, as though it thought there to be no threat from a unevolved Pokemon, even a fire type. That sort of confidence caused Korbin to be more wary, but he was far from afraid. He would unquestioningly entrust his life to any member of his team.

"Let's let this thing go first," Korbin instructed. Taking the cue to move, Sceptile decided to test Samrin's reflexes. It charged him in a beautifully executed Slam. Samrin skidded out of the way, barely escaping the blow. An energetic glint appeared in both combatant's eyes then; they knew that this was going to be fun.

"Good. Sunny Day, now."

Samrin stood erect on his hind legs and howled at the sky, encouraging the sun's rays to intensify. The heat was suddenly so much more uncomfortable for Korbin and Helena, but for Samrin and Sceptile, the conditions were ideal. Although the latter effect had been unintentional, Korbin was still unconcerned.

Instead of leading with a Grass attack, which meant that it was still trying to test its opponent, Sceptile leapt at Samrin and slashed at him with X-Scissor. This one caught him square in the chest, tearing out tufts of soft white fur and lacerating his skin. Samrin snarled and snapped at the grass dragon as it retreated a bit. Acting by his own voilition, Samrin tensed, then belched a steady stream of flame. At the last second Sceptile jumped out of the way, though its feet and arms were singed. It was then that Korbin realized it wasn't taking the fight seriously; it was playing with them. Although he could take a good game every once in a while, he was in no mood to play.

"Don't wait," he shouted. "Confuse Ray."

Samrin caught the Sceptile's eye and opened his mouth slightly, emitting a high pitched noise above the human spectrum of hearing. Sceptile stopped and blinked, suddenly confounded by the simplest elements of the forest. A Starly chirped and it jumped; Samrin growled and it tilted its head; and when Korbin gave the final directions, it didn't move at all.

"Finish this. Give it the best Flamethrower you've got."

Squaring his shoulders, Samrin dug his paws into the ground and released a jet of fire strong enough to propel him back an inch. The inferno engulfed Sceptile, making it scream in the most pitiful fashion as its foliage went up in smoke.

Gardenia was not a cruel woman. When she heard her Pokemon's agony she recalled it as quickly as she could. Samrin closed his mouth, cutting of the stream and gave his own vulpine version of a smirk to the Grass gym leader. She glared at both him and his master, a look of dislike bordering on hatred.

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

Without another word she left them to whatever fate may lie ahead. Darrius led them through the gate. Now that Korbin was on the Chateau property, he surveyed the old house with an appreciative eye. It was incredibly large, and critically neglected. Glassless windows leered at him like the eyes of a starving creature. For a moment, he could swear he saw glints of red in one of the upstairs windows. He furrowed his brow and blinked, but by then they were already gone. Shutters hung from hinges in some places, and were completely gone from others. The roof was too high to see properly, but from what he could tell the shingles were missing in several areas. Though the front of the house had once been painted, the color was faded and most of the paint had peeled off. The house wasn't even the end of the problem, either. The rolling expanse of grassy lawn had obviously once been loved and carefully manicured, but that was not the case now. The large trees that seemed to have been strategically landscaped had acquired a wild mass of branches like the tresses of a castaway. Weeds had grown in among the tall grasses, and rose bushes in front of the house had expanded to the point where they were strangling each other. Ivy climbed up the side of the house unchecked, even slithering inside some of the open windows. Despite all of this, however, Korbin could see the beauty behind the unkempt tangle of broken architecture and overgrown vegetation.

Korbin contemplated the potential the place had as he followed the rest of the REPO team inside. From the outside it looked salvageable, but he would just have to see the interior. He certainly had enough money to renovate; he just needed to know that it would be worth it. Once the last person had stepped over the threshold the front door swung shut forcefully, making a decisive bang that seemed to say 'Yes, you're stuck now. What are you going to do about it? It's not as though you can leave.'

Darrius lit a cigarette lighter, causing the entry hall to be immersed in flickering shadows. The effect was ominous, to say the least. Korbin shifted his weight uneasily, slightly comforted by the weight of Helena on his shoulder.

"We ought to keep our stronger Pokemon out for this," he commented. "We don't really know what's in here, and we don't need to be caught unaware."

Before he'd even completely finished speaking there was a dull thud, and all light was extinguished. All the effort Korbin had put into relaxing was forgotten; he tensed and backed into a wall, his hands gripping Rakiri and Samrin's capsules. In the span of a few heartbeats the screaming began. A cold sweat broke out on Korbin's skin and his eyes wildly flickered over the darkness, unable to discern anything. The screaming stopped and was replaced by laughter of the most evil sort. A voice echoed through the entrance hall, welcoming them to the Chateau. The chilling reception threw Korbin from unease to complete defense mode.

"We... can't keep groping around in the dark," he said slowly, forcing his voice to remain steady. He threw Samrin's Great Ball and the little Vulpix landed in front of him, oblivious to the events that had just transpired.

"Maintain an Ember," Korbin commanded. Samrin belched forth enough flame that it flickered over his snout in a solid stream. Although it was easier to see, that also meant that the ruin that was once a human body was now visible. With a shudder Korbin turned away from it and regarded the other REPO members with a hard expression. "Our only option is to find the key Darrius mentioned and get the hell out of here."

 

[KillehKiwi]

First Post! SCORE!

Azleyla braced herself against the wind as she rode on the back of her Arcanine, Cornelius. They were heading to Eterna, or, more specifically, an old building in the Eterna Forest.

You see, Leyla sighed up for an organization called REPO. She couldn't exactly remember what it stood for... and she was too lazy to check the letter she got, which was in the back pocket of her jeans.

So let's just move on.

The main purpose of REPO is to explored the unexplored and seek out answers to mysteries. The building where she was headed was one of those mysteries. Apparently, it was haunted.

Now I know what you're thinking.

What the hell are you doing going to a haunted house? With complete strangers, at that!

Well, Azleyla has spent the past four days asking herself that question.

You see, Leyla's perpetually terrified. Of everything. Bug, Ghost, and Dark Pokemon, darkness it's self, fire, heights, some types of berries, everything!

Basically, if you snuck up on her in broad daylight and just said 'Boo', she'd jump four feet into the air.

Yeah. So. What the hell is she doing going to an apparently haunted house?

Azleyla happens to be a rather stubborn, prideful person. She doesn't like to have weaknesses, especially one so pronounced as fear of everything.

So she's going to try and tackle her weakness head-on.

Cornelius barked as they neared the Chateau through the thick trees of the Eterna Forest. Leyla started to shake, partially from anticipation and partially of… well, fear.

Leyla could make out a couple of figures standing by the Old Chateau. Two of which seemed to be arguing, and the rest were standing around awkwardly.

Cornelius skidded to a stop next to the group, and Leyla slid down his back to the ground.

All of a sudden, the woman who had been arguing with the man threw out a bunch of Pokéballs. Leyla recognized her as Gardenia, the Eterna City Gym leader. Leyla had challenged and defeated her two or three years back, when she was traveling Sinnoh.

A Shiftry landed in front of Cornelius, who growled menacingly. Leyla almost laughed out loud, her over-confident side taking over. A Grass-type, against a powerful Fire-type like Cornelius? Please.

"All right, Cornelius. You got this one?" Azleyla asked her Pokémon, patting his warm fur. He nodded, a determined gleam was present in his eye. He padded forward confidently, and took a defensive stance.

"Okay, let's start this off with Flame Charge!" Leyla ordered, and Cornelius happily complied. He charged at the Shiftry head-on, but as he approached, it jumped high into the air. Cornelius growled, and skidded to a stop, the flame receding.

"Into the air, Sunny Day, and then Fire Fang!" Leyla yelled, and Cornelius leapt into the air after the Shiftry. He howled loudly, causing the sun's heat to intensify. Leyla removed her jacket, revealing a slightly-skimpy camisole underneath.

As he neared, the Shiftry tried to go higher by jumping off the Arcanine's face, but Cornelius was having none of that. As the Shiftry tried to leap away again, he caught hold of its leg, flames still roaring in his jaws, and pulled him down to the earth.

The Shiftry screamed as the flames licked his legs and torso and Cornelius' sharp teeth dug into his leg. He was slammed into the hard-packed ground, and it shook with the weight of Cornelius.

"Shiftry, use Leaf Storm, close range!" Gardenia yelled, obviously distracted by the several battles going on around her.

Cornelius was battered by the razor-sharp leaves that the Shiftry sent at him. He yelped at they cut into his skin, and jumped away. Leyla could spot blood weeping from a few cuts.

"C'mon, Cornelius! We can finish this up here and now! Use Double Team!" Leyla shouted, and Cornelius immediately split into numerous copies that circled the lone Shiftry.

"Shiftry, use Razor Wind to knock out the copies!" Gardenia ordered, and then turned away again. Leyla smiled, that move wouldn't hurt her strategy at all.

The wind began to pick up, and Leyla frantically tried to keep her hair from getting mussed. "Use ExtremeSpeed and circle the damn thing!" Leyla yelled, frustrated by the fact that her hair was being messed up.

Cornelius and his remaining copies began circling the Shiftry, who frantically was trying to destroy the copies. But soon, you couldn't tell if there were any copies left. All you could see was an orange and black blur.

"Finish this with Flame Charge!" Leyla said, her smile was smug as she combed out her auburn hair with her fingers.

Cornelius leapt at the Shiftry, flames engulfing his large body. He slammed into the Grass-type, knocking him out. Little flames were burning on the Shiftry's body as he lay, fainted.

Leyla laughed and hugged the large Arcanine. "You were awesome, Cornelius! Way to go!" she praised, rubbing his head, and feeding him a Spicy Poffin from her bag.

Gardenia hung her head as she looked around; all of her Pokémon had fainted. The trainers were all still in a defensive stance, waiting for her next move. Leyla had her arms around her Arcanine's neck, her smug smile still ghosted on her face.
To their great surprise, Gardenia walked off. But she looked over her shoulder as she sulked away.

"Don't say I didn't warn you…" she whispered, it was only loud enough for the group to hear. Then, she disappeared behind thick foliage, and was gone. Leyla was unnerved by the manic look in her eyes, and the chilling tone of her voice. She hugged Cornelius' neck tighter.

Darrius, the man who was the head honcho of REPO, smiled at the group, and led them into the Old Chateau. Leyla refused to recall Cornelius until absolutely necessary. He comforted her nerves, which were already starting to create mad Butterfree in her stomach, gooseflesh on her arms, and shaking throughout her whole body.

Leyla finally recalled Cornelius as they entered the Chateau, as he was too large to fit through the door comfortably. Leyla stayed in the middle of the group, to avoid getting lost in the dark.

Suddenly, without any sort of warning, the door behind them slammed shut with a rather dramatic sound. Leyla jumped and shrieked in fear, biting her tongue in the process.

Darrius quickly lit a lighter, and the room was filled with flickering, orange light. He shadows this made made Leyla even more nervous and frightened.

The cigarette lighter made Leyla crave a cigarette, an old, bad habit of hers. Hey helped her calm her nerves, which were going haywire. She almost asked if anybody had one, when the room was immersed in total darkness once more.

Needless to say, Leyla's scream merged with the screams of terror and pain that soon followed.

Leyla sank to the floor and covered her ears. She had no idea where anybody was or what was going on. She covered her ears and murmured to herself to block out the screams, until they abruptly stopped.

She listened for anything, but could only hear her own heaving breathes.

Then, a voice; a chilling voice that seemed to be coming from nowhere, but everywhere at the same time. It welcomed her, and the other REPO recruits, then left with manic laughter that echoed all around the room.

A Vulpix issued an Ember from a good way behind her. She saw the silhouette of it's trainer, and followed his horrified gaze to a mound very close to where she was crumpled on the floor. She could reach out and touch it if she wanted.

Darrius. Dead. His body was unrecognizable, beyond the fact that his ruined hand still gripped the lighter. White bone shone in the low light, and blood was seeping towards her in a growing puddle.

Leyla screamed louder than ever, and slid backwards as fast as she possibly could to the wall where the Vulpix's trainer was near. She pressed herself against wall, eyes fixated on the corpse. Her chest heaved with every panicked breath that she took, and she was shaking violently. Her legs were outstretched, and her hands were firmly pressed against the stone-cold floor. She shivered as the cold seeped through her blue skinny jeans, and through her camisole and bare shoulders.

Kippp! How was itt? :)

 

[Sephear]

(I noticed a few words I couldn't remember for sure the correct way to spell, my spell check wasn't working, sorry.

Nolvic peered at his cards with a look of pure horror that said. "How could I possibly have a hand this bad?" Darrick, Frank and Robby, Nolvic's poker buddies noticed his face and went all in, putting down a Straight, three queens, and a pair of Aces. It worked, Nolvic grinned mischeviously and laid his hand on the table. "Sorry gentleman, looks like I'll be the one eating gourmet Kanto quisine tonight, Royal Flush." The other three men threw their cards all over the floor, all exclaiming variations of "Every time!". "Well, sorry but I know how to read between the-Crap!" After staring at the clock for a couple more seconds Nolvic realized that everybody in the tavern was staring at HIM. "Sorry folks, I got a date with a scary mansion in the middle of the forest! Never know where you may find fascinating artifacts with the potential to help preserve this great world!" He shouted back to his friends as he ran out.

"Go! Brashon!" The pokeball flew from Nolvic's hand and out came Brashon, his Pidgeot and the first pokemon he ever caught himself, he hopped onto the back of the wondrous creature that had no more trouble supporting his weight than an ant's. "Off we go, to the Old Chateau! Hi, this is your captain speaking and ignoring our hostess' corny rhime we should reach the old chateau in about 3 hours, please enjoy the soft plumage of our Pidgeot brand seats as we gently coast through these beeeaa-utiful skies." Nolvic followed his imaginary captain's advice and gently leaned back, enjoying Brashon's soft feathers and watching the clouds going by. "This sky really is beautiful, just like I'm sure the one will be some day." On that pleasant note Nolvic's eyes closed peacefully and did not open again until Eterna City came into view and Brashon lightky shook his body to wake his trainer up.

After landing Nolvic put Brashon away for a rest and took out Little Vixen, his Evee to make the walk a little more pleasant, he had landed in Eterna city to make the walk short because he knew his Geography well enough to be aware the Eterna Forest's east entrance is the one closest to the Chateau. "So Vix, eat any good berries while I was cleaning house again?" Vixen happily squeaked and nodded her head. "Wow, sounds good.....if I understood pokemon speak... sure is a nice garden over there, so am I to assume you still don't want to evolve?" Vix angrily squeaked "Alright Alright!" Nolvic threw up his arms in surrender. "It just seems like with so many options there would be something you wanted, but don't worry, I think your perfect just the way you are." Hoping nobody was watching Nolvic exposed his softer side by picking up Vix and nuzzling her nose with his, she squealed in joy.

Nolvic's deep appreciation for beauty wouldn't allow him not to stare in awe at the forest on his way to the Chateau, causing him to walk face first into several different trees, which would have been quite embarassing if anyone had been behind him on the trek to the Cheateau. "I'm glad nobody else is around here, especially any pretty girls, but then again, I'm so unfashionably late, I'm sure to be the last one there." Little Vixen chuckled lightly. "What are you laughing at you tiny little fox? I could squash you ya know....if you weren't so dang cute. Man, isn't this forest beautiful? Look at all the wild pokemon watching us and all the succulent berries from the trees." As they walked on Nolvic began to hum an old hymn about children that lived in a huge forest alongside fairies who were life long guides and companions to them. Nolvic only made music when he thought he was alone, he had a mesmerizingly great voice but was still emberassed for anyone to hear him make music, except for someone very special who wasn't around anymore.

Nolvic stopped, they were there, he wiped away the tear that was beginning to form in his left eye and set down Vix and pulled out her pokeball. "Sorry Vix, the old chateau might be to 'Terrifying' for your delicate sensibilities, return." Seeing a few people already at the gate Nolvic stepped in their direction. "Time to see what this whole thing really entails." As he got closer to the front gate the figures became clearer, and so did the sound of their arguing, when Nolvic realized that Gardenia was trying to convince Darrius not to take the recruits into the Chateau he became uneasy, the grass type gym leader was normally a very kind person and in no way superstitious, if she was telling them to leave it was advice worth considering. "Oh well, I've got a job to do, and nothing will stop me from completing it, step aside Gardenia." When it became clear that Gardenia was determined to turn them away even if it meant giving them no other option Nolvic took out the pokeball of the one pokemon that he was sure Gardenia couldn't stop. "I hope you're ready Gardenia, for....the Billdozer!"

A jet of light flew out of the pokeball as it opened and formed into the shape of a larger than average Fraxure that roared with battle spirit, a moment later another beam formed into a Tropius. Detecting the presence of another male pokemon, a large amount of testosterone (or the pokemon equivalent thereof) gave Bill a large boost of strength due to his ability Rivalry.

Gardenia wasted no time "Tropius, use Razor Leaf!" The Tropius shook it's head and launched a plethora of sharp leaves in Bill's direction. "C'mon, you are the unstoppable force! Dragon Rage!" Bill roared and released a stream of energy that looked remarkably like blue flames from it's mouth, easily knocking the leaves away and continuing on, but Tropius nimbly dodged out of the way. "Keep going Bill!" Bill continued blasting energy, this time hitting Gardenia's pokemon square in the chest, but Gardenia had been battling a long time and was a formidable opponent even while battling multiple opponents simultaneously and she didn't miss a beat. "Tropius, use Swallow!" Tropius shook it's head at just the right angle to toss some of the fruit hanging from it's neck up to it's mouth, quickly healing it.

Gardenia decided to take advantage of the bright light from two of her opponents using Sunny day. "Tropius, use Solarbeam, full power!" With the sun beating down so hard it only took moments for Tropius to issue a super powerful beam of pure light from it's mouth straight at Bill, for some reason Nolvic smirked. "Gotcha.....alright Bill, time to show anyone who may be watching this how you got your name, Bulldoze!" Bill ran straight into the solarbeam, shrugging it off like a bug bite and kept running, building up more and more momentup until it crashed into Tropius and grabbed onto it instead of letting it get launched away. "Now finish it off with Outrage!" Still holding onto Tropius Bill roared with tooth rattling strength and began slamming the fins on the sides of it's head into Tropius, kicking it, and otherwise beating on it until Gardenia withdrew the pokemon, realizing it was futile to keep fighting.

Before walking away Gardenia turned around and ominously muttered something just loud enough for the recruits to hear. "Don't say I didn't warn you." Realizing that there was no more conflict for the moment Nolvic put Bill back into his pokeball and followed everybody into the Chateau, being the last one in as he forced himself not to admire the figure of the attractive lady in front of him. "She looks sort of like....noo, she was one of a kind, she can't have any look-alikes, I'm being stupid...." Looking around himself as he followed the other recruits a chill ran down Nolvic's spine, the Chateau must have been truly beautiful once...but now....ghastly.

Eventually they all arrived in the foyer and Darrius brightened the darkness a bit with his lighter and began explaining what the recruits would have to do, but before Nolvic could complain about being left out of the team division the light went out and moments later tearing sounds could be heard, Nolvic didn't even need to wait for the screams, he grabbed his head to shut out Darrius' pain, but when he heard a woman screaming alongside Darrius he immediately followed the sound to a silhouette slumped against a wall and kneeled down near the face. "Are you okay?!?" Then the very large man's Vulpix lit the room with a small flame and Nolvic gasped and stood up and turned away, having seen the woman's face up close. 'She does! She looks just like.....' Then logic forced Nolvic out of his own mind and he released Seeker. "Use your aura to help that Vulpix light up the room buddy." Seeker released a blue light from his body that lit up what parts of the room the room the Vulpix's flame didn't, but instead with a blue ambiance that didn't flicker. tsking himself for his rudeness Nolvic turned back to the woman and tried to ignore her face, lest he be mentally crippled by painful memories, and offered her his hand to help steady her if she would accept it. "I'm sorry for the way I acted a moment ago, I deserve a hard knock to the face for it." The whole time Nolvic did not once glance in the direction of Darrius corpse, the sounds he heard as the deed was done were plenty for him to know he couldn't bare to look at the unrecognizable gore.

 

[Strikit]

Few things truly terrified Korbin. He had been uneasy, scared, and even frightened before. But never terrified. That alone told him the magnitude of their situation was not to be ignored. Despite this, his first thought was the need to form a plan of action. They had to find the key Darrius mentioned and get the hell out of the house before they ended up like the pile of human meat before him.

When one of the female recruits pressed herself against the wall near him, his protective nature kicked in. He knelt down on one knee and pulled her to her feet.

"Keep hold of yourself," he said in a calm, smooth tone. "We need to all keep our heads so we can get out of here. I think it's safe to say the exploration mission is off."

Korbin kept a gentle grip on her arm, strong enough to keep her standing.

"Now. Although this seems to be the worst idea people come up with, I suggest we separate into several subgroups and take different paths in order to find the key as quickly as possible."

Samrin looked up at Korbin, then down at the body of the REPO leader. He wrinkled his snout in disgust and backed up closer to his master. Though he was concerned for Korbin's sake, whatever had done that had shown no maliciousness to Pokemon that he knew of, and he was therefore not afraid. At least not for himself.

 

[Megaman765]

Mark snapped back into reality, still terrorized by the dead body. Seems like things were going to be more serious then he thought. The rumors were true... the chateau really was haunted. Mark was trapped like a rat. Snype began to wander around the room, hiding in his own shadow. The dark room made it was for him to stay well hidden. With the current circumstances, Mark was tempted to call out Snype. Mark could blow open the door with Plan B... but was it necessary? There must be another way out of such an old building.

The large man lit up the room fairly well with his Vulpix. The shadow Snype hid in was easily visible now. He decided to stick behind Mark, Blending with his own shadow. The large man suggested that everybody split into groups to explore the building. The job would likely be done faster. Still, blindly wandering around the mansion would be dangerous. Someone died just by entering the room... that's enough to foreshadow future encounters.

"...Sounds like a plan. But right now we're all strangers to each other. I don't know any of you. If we're going to split into groups, lets at least give names." Mark didn't want to reveal himself but if he was going to survive, He would have to show a bit of respect by showing his face. He remove any concealing clothing he was wearing. Mask, trenchcoat, and fedora. All to reveal himself.

"I'm Mark. Professional thief." He said calmly. From the ground below him, A figure began to form out of the shadows. "This is my loyal partner. Snype." Mark said as Snype rose from the ground below. Snype's eyes gleamed a bright blue color in the darkness as he gazed at the other trainers Pokemon, giving a half heartened wave. If it weren't for the dead body killing the cheerful mood he would have had during introductions like this, Snype would have willingly offered a handshake with any Pokemon that had them to begin with. However, Snype did glance at each of the trainer's bags of items irresistibly... "Snype. Nows not the time." Mark whispered to his partner. Snype frowned for a second but nodded at his master's advice.

 

[NightOfRemorse]

Amelia looked on at her purple bug Pokémon as it ran away. She seemed not phased by it, as if it happened a lot. Suddenly, Zane stopped in his tracks as a Vulpix lit up fire. "Veno!" Zane cried, looking around as if searching for a better pastime. Amelia glared slightly at the Pokémon's foolishness, and took the opportunity to call it back. From the corner of her eye, she saw Maluu yawn widely. The other recruits exchanged conversation, but Amelia didn't reply. The words weren't for her.

"Now. Although this seems to be the worst idea people come up with, I suggest we separate into several subgroups and take different paths in order to find the key as quickly as possible," a large man said. It was indeed risky. The ghosts, demons, poltergeists, extra-celestials, whatever they were or would prefer to be called, had just torn the tall blond man into gory, meaty shreds. That wasn't very enticing.

Amelia looked at the others, realizing their contempt for Darrius. His piercing yet welcoming overjoyed grin, asking for help in scouting the elusive place that was the Old Chateau. He was alive and well with his little flaming match just moments ago, and now he was a corpse, with no other purpose than to rot away. The cause of his death was this massless entity, among others that occupied this fancy yet treacherous place.

Amelia could only wish she had the power of Odd Thomas, seeing the dead as if they were live beings. Being able to see them, touch them, albeit not able communicate with them. But that was better than being a victim, unable to see four feet ahead in the unnerving darkness. "I'm Mark. Professional thief," another guy said calmly after removing his concealing apparel. He seemed to be hiding something, just by the fact that he hid his face and seemed hesitant in revealing his name. "This is my loyal partner. Snype," he said, gesturing to a Sableye that rose from the shadowy depths of the fancy floor tiles. It looked around at everybody, its eyes finding interest in their bags.

Lucifer stepped forward and growled at Snype, teeth bared. Lucifer had the tendency to be a little hypocrite, as he too often took things that did not belong to him. The yellow rings on his body glowed brightly for a moment, signifying he was ready to pounce. "No! Stop it, Luce," Amelia said. Lucifer looked at her in annoyance. Amelia liked to call him that when he misbehaved, since he hated it. Lucifer growled yet again, but softer. He sat down obediently, even though he really did not want to listen. "Sorry. Anyways, I'm Amelia. That butthurt bug is my Lucifer, and this is Maluu," Amelia introduced, gesturing to an Espeon. "Espe!" Maluu greeted. Amelia moved her bright green bangs from her face as she imagined herself being torn up by the creatures lingering the hallways. Not quite how she pictured her future back when she was five years old.

 

[KillehKiwi]

Leyla's eyes were unfocused, and she was shaking as she felt a strong arm pull her up to her feet. She was unsteady, she felt sick and dizzy. Blood had that effect on her.

She leaned on the man's side, as he advised her to get a hold of herself. She sucked in a deep breath, and exhaled deeply. She continued to shake, but her vision was becoming less dull, and her panic attack was receding.

She smiled at the boy who questioned if she was alright, and nodded. Then she turned to look up at the man who helped her up off the floor.

And she really had to look up. He was more than a head taller than her; she only came up to just below his shoulder.

She noticed when she got a good look at his face, that he was extremely handsome, as well. Leyla smiled to herself, and looked down.

Leyla glanced at the other recruits, and noticed that she was the only one without a Pokémon at her side. She fumbled with her bag, and almost dropped the Pokéball she extracted. She tossed it into the air, and her Espeon, Sakura, emerged in a flash of purple light.

Sakura immediately sensed her Mistress' distress, and rubbed up against her legs in comfort. She sat at Leyla's feet, curling her tail around Leyla's feet, in a show of protection.

Sakura quickly scanned the room with her heightened psychic senses, and found a lingering sense of aggression and hatred, possibly left by whatever killed Darrius.

She tightened her tail around Leyla's legs, and kept her ears pricked. Her eyes darted around the room.

Leyla listened to the others' introductions. When an uncomfortable silence settled in, she decided to introduce herself.

"Uh, hi. I'm Azleyla Mills, but you can just call me Leyla." She started, feeling a bit awkward. "And this beauty here is Sakura, my Espeon." Sakura blinked at the other trainers in greeting, before turning away to continue to survey the room.

 

[Strikit]

The introductions being passed around did not expedite their escape from a fatal situation, but Korbin supposed they were necessary. Although he would certainly not trust any of the people in this room, and he would most certainly not grow affectionate towards any of them, he felt it would do well to boost morale. Once again, having the mindset of a commander proved useful.

Korbin listened carefully to each introduction, committing each name and face to memory. It would not do to forget who everyone was, especially in a situation where people may grow suspicious of one another. Though his sheer size seemed to make him a target for fear and unease, he wished to combat that with steady confidence and straightforward speech.

"I am Korbin, and this is Samrin," he introduced, waving a hand toward the scruffy Vulpix. "And this is Helena."

Appearing shaken and uncertain, the well groomed Sneasel peeked around Korbin's shoulder from behind his neck, offering a tentative chatter in greeting. She appeared just as shaken as her master felt, though some of his cool confidence did rub off on her and she attempted to straighten up and act dignified.

"Now." Korbin counted off the people in the room, not willing to wait for further introductions. "We need to separate into two sides."

He shifted off to the left a bit, taking Leyla with him. After seeing the weakness of her stomach, he couldn't fathom letting her leave his site. He tended to gravitate those who he imagined needed protection.