Fandom ..:: Us Against The World ::..

[WolfSol]

Samuel Nicholson
Here's hoping Cerulean has a bar or somethin'
Feywild Polka
------------------------------------

It'd only been a minute, maybe two, and already Sam found the pretty girl with dark honeyed hair dull. Then again, considering what he'd gone through to get here, what she must've gone through... it made sense. It wasn't every day that adorable Pokemon decided to go on a murdering spree, and violence such as what he'd witnessed definitely wasn't the norm. Maybe appearing apathetic was some defensive mechanism for her?

“I’m not staying here either, I don’t want to be burnt to a crisp!”

He flinched at the abrupt change in her tone. The rigid, impassive mask that she'd greeted him with breaking through in the guise of a waterfall. She definitely needed a smoke.

“I have no idea where I’m supposed to go, Saffron is my-it was my home.”

What a damn jolly time to breakdown. It was a bitter, perhaps unfair thought, but he couldn't help it. Especially when the heat at his back reached up to his neck. Sam offered a sigh of a reply and a grumbled, "You're not the-" but for once he didn't finish his quip. The look she was giving him told him that now was not the time for nonchalance or humor.

“Don’t leave me, please don’t leave me here.” She pleaded. Her voice was raw, and that damn look... Dammit.

Sam shook his head subtly before reaching over, settling a heavy hand on her uninjured arm. He kept his hand there at her shoulder for just a moment longer before withdrawing. "Keep up then." Were his words before he stepped past her to head deeper into the forest, the fire hissing and the smoke clouding behind him.

He narrowly missed killing a Caterpie with his boot as he navigated to the direction of Route 5's road. The trek wasn't that far, but the sudden stretch of Route 5 past the treeline made him uneasy. The cover of the forest would have been more appealing... especially when he stopped to observe the mess that obscured the one pale sand.

So the berserk Pokemon had not only targeted Saffron. At least from what he could see. The Route before him was littered with flaming vehicles, twisted bicycles, scorched earth, and scattered corpses. To make matters worse, the other side of the Route looked just as bad. Fire had already devoured the forest on the other side, making the thick smoke even worse.

Route it is then.

Sam had only looked back once to check if the sable-haired woman had followed before he covered his face with a sleeved hand. The gesture did little to calm the burn that had crawled through his nose and mouth, but he figured it was better than nothing as he hurried onto the sandy path.

Stifling a cough, he looked in both directions of Route 5. Which way should-

A shriek nearly had him jump out of his boots. He twisted, turning abruptly to the ear-piercing noise. Experience and training told him it was the call of a wounded Pokemon, but as his burning eyes searched for the source, he didn't see hide nor tail. The smoke was too black as it blotted out the sky, but farther up ahead, he saw a blob fall straight down.

Common sense told him to stay the hell away from whatever it had been, but as he squinted through the smoke, the unease turned to concern. Had he also seen a human just then or had the smoke been messing with his eyes? The thing that had fallen, it had looked like a bird Pokemon... it better not be a damn nutcase like the other Pokemon.

100 PD​

 

[Damafaud]

Armani Fernandez Calderon

Route 5
Run
Interaction: Spinster in Distress

​

His words irritated the spinster quite clearly, to Armani's secret elation. She smacked his offered hand away. Clearly, she was a woman capable of doing everything herself. If so, it wouldn't be a trouble for her to pamper him a bit in the future, no? Her retort, in return, caused Armani to slump his shoulder and stiffen his neck, looking aptly offended.

"I'm hurt! I always thought of myself as a handsome rapidash." Armani followed after the woman lugging his backpack. It was now slightly heavier thanks to the shoes inside, but still manageable. He positioned himself to her right, slightly behind but still forward enough for her to see his face and vice-versa. "Or a gallant gallade, depending on what shade of clothes I have on."

The fire was catching up to them, but finding someone to talk to alleviate Armani's worry to some degree. The woman was truly a stroke of luck for him. She returned a sense of normalcy to the otherwise foreign situation. The talk provided him some distraction from the crumbling world around him. Now, it might be impossible for him to make the ripe prune fell head over heels for him...

but tripping her down should be easy enough, no?

Mentions: Damsel in Distress ( DapperCat )

100 PD​

 

[DapperCat]

location: The forest line at Route 5
addresses: Damafaud
music: x

Malyna could do nothing but scoff at the retort of the walking circus. "Rapidash? Don't insult the majestic breed." Honestly, she was in secret just a bit angry at the comparison. As a Rapidash-rider and lover of the Pokémon, it was plain insulting for -anyone- to compare themselves to one. But this clown? That was even worse.

She kept her stumbling run up, all the while all too eager to bite into insulting the poor man that just happened to stumble upon her in these horrid times. But it kept her mind off of what had caused her mascara to trail down her thin cheeks. She shook her head a little, making sure to delay horrid thoughts for when it was safe.

"Gallade? Too stylish- dear boy-," she let out, her breathing becoming a little labored from the run. It was clear she wasn't experienced with much physical exercise. She'd just been lucky, whatever she ate, didn't stay on her boney frame. Well, lucky is what she wanted people to believe. "You are merely- a Substitute doll- trying too hard to- pass off as- glamorous-. But if you wish, I can- give you some well-needed fashion- advice-."

The confident woman produced a slight smirk at the man, trying to show him who was the boss- but her runny mascara and slight sweat to her brow did not help with that image.

80 PD​

 

[Damafaud]

Armani Fernandez Calderon

Route 5
Run
Interaction: Spinster in Distress

​

The backpack shook vigorously as he ran. It was his only possession now, he would never throw it away. Armani pulled on the right strap of the bag to reduce the effect it had on his balance. Cries of pokemon could be heard, and just like any other time in the forest, pokemon cry was not a good sign.

Though he was known as a frivolous, flamboyant dago with half the town's men itching to give him a good kick, Armani was physically fit. At least more than your everyday shopkeeper would be. Matador play was no light sport. Dancing, though seen as a waste of time, required rigorous training for those aiming more than simply moving their body around awkwardly.

Besides, no ladies hated a good body, no?

...except this one, who insulted his sense of fashion. Armani had his pride stabbed with needles, his friendly expression faltered. He, needing fashion advice? He was a trendsetter!

If they were still in Saffron, he would invite her to walk to his walk-in wardrobe, adorned with a full body mirror for anyone too confident in their fashion taste to repent. Armani hid his annoyance, turning the frown upside down.

"Thank you for your consideration," he smiled brightly, showing his perfect row of teeth once again. "I will remember to ask when inner beauty style is in season again."

Really, for someone to not understand the charm of a matador outfit!

Mentions: Damsel in Distress ( DapperCat )

No PD (Double Post)​

 

[Xemanorth]

Guy was honestly taken aback by the sheer effectiveness of his last ditch plan, as a result, the trainer stood there, gormless, uttering a soft: "Whoah-" right before Tai came crashing in. Thankfully he had somewhat learned from his earlier experience of being knocked on his ass, however, and despite the added heft behind Tai's charge in contrast to the volley of air that preceded it, he managed to receive himself.

Well, receive himself he did earlier as well but not in a way that prevented his palms from being cut and scratched up, this time his shirt protected him. Hissing past his teeth, Guy shifted about beneath Tai, taking a short moment to register of the situation before aiming to place a hand on the woman's shoulder in an effort to straighten her up off of him. "Better get going, no telling how long that'll keep it. No telling how mad that trainer is now either.".

With that, the athletic man aimed to snake his way out from beneath Tai if need be before pushing himself up to a stand. Should he manage to do so before Tai, he'd offer the trainer a hand. "Come on, let's get going!".

Mentions: Polka

70 PD​

 

[DapperCat]

@Myriad Polka Damafaud Xemanorth Feywild WolfSol
Minimum Activity: Post once a week​

Curses echoed out from the same location the Pidgeot had crashed- most likely belonging to its trainer. There were no impending footsteps, instead, some shuffling around. Perhaps the trainer was trying to find an injury in the Pokémon's wing? Impossible to verify, but a much needed delay for those on route 5. Sam saw the rough outline of at least one human through the muddy fog, moving swiftly away from the shriek of the Pidgeot. There was a male voice- but all Sam could hear was "...going!" Hopefully it was enough for the man to lead the traumatized Kazimir with him.

As Guy and Tai began to run - if she followed his lead - they noticed the sandy road was unsteady. A lot of it blown away by the immense wings of the Pidgeot, it was possible one bad footfall could lead to a fall. Along the road were some cracked trees and flames, but nothing compared to what Saffron had. But there was one sight they had to pass... a corpse on the side of the path of an elderly man. His eyes still opened in terror, he had sustained wounds to his torso, legs and eventually one to his head, presumably from the gust of wind knocking him down. If one of them were to check his vitals, unfortunately he would feel ice-cold.

Malyna and Armani's sprint was less horrendous than that of those on the route. Staying in the treelines had kept them somewhat hidden, making their path to Cerulean painful on bare feet for the woman- but otherwise uneventful enough. After a handful of minutes they could see the outline of what used to be a perfect row of trimme bushes, divided by a little fence and the sign of 'Cerulean City'. The first sign of a possible salvation.

 

[Polka]

LOCATION: Route 5---------------------------STATUS: Devastated--------------------------INTERACTION: Xemanorth
A gentle hand pushed onto Tai's shoulder to help lift her from the ground.
Of course her initial reaction was to shout some obscenity at the man who she had landed on- maybe from fear but most likely from her terrible attitude.
However, he got there first and offered her a hand then beckoned for her to follow him.
Against her better judgement- she allowed him to help her up.

Honestly she wasn't doing too well on her own- her arm was bandaged with her shirt- which was now as red and a Voltorb.
Choosing wisely, she followed Guy and assumed they could make pleasantries when they got to a safe zone. That- or she could ditch him once they got there. Safety in numbers and all that.

As she ran after him, ducking and weaving through the smog- her eyes caught sight of an old man. He was heavily injured and still.
Tai understood that he was probably dead but she wasn't a monster and quickly diverted her path.
Just in case Guy hadn't noticed the man or her stopping to help- she yelled forward to him. Though she wasn't trusting, she didn't want to lose the only other survivor she had found.

The old man was dead and cold. Tai was devastated and just sat and stared blankly at him. Like rubies in the cold, his blood sat diligently on the ground and his injuries were severe and debilitating. It was probably just as well that he was dead.

120 PD​

 

[Damafaud]

Armani Fernandez Calderon

Cerulean City Outskirt
Rest
Interaction: Spinster in Distress

​

Finally!

Armani slowed down his pace into a walk as the trees ended and replaced sign of civilisation. He wiped beads of sweat off his forehead, excitement crept up to his eyes openly.

The forest was horrible. Staying away from the path kept him safe, but the footing was horrible. Armani mournfully gazed at his shoes. The sole was wet with grass. bits of mud and forest track stained the smooth leather. First thing he did once he had the time was to give them a good polish.

As he looked down, his gaze inadvertently fell to the feet of the woman. She wasn't wearing any shoes. The whole time running, she must be holding in her pain, yet she didn't even complain once. Armani applauded her strong spirit and independence. He was happy she didn't ask for his shoes. Otherwise, he would need to (with a very heavy heart) lend her his.

Speaking of shoes, Armani had a spare in his backpack, his matador shoes. However, would he lend her the shoes if she asked? Absolutely not. He bought those shoes only for matador. The thought of letting something other than dust settling on it was horrible. He rather ran in the forest without shoes than risk damaging those authentic matador shoes which he bought after exchanging favours and seducing a girl below his standard.

As for his second hypothetical reason not to take out the matador shoes, sacrificing your comfort for that of a lady was a romantic move, no?

"Well then," Armani showed the woman his well-trained bow as he gestured toward the sign. "as custom obliges, ladies first."

Mentions: Damsel in Distress ( DapperCat )

80 PD​

 

[DapperCat]

location: Cerulean City
addresses: Damafaud
music: x

Malyna tried to skid to a halt, half-crashing into the little fence surrounding the sign. A sign-... Her eyes quickly scan over the letters, before a relieved sigh escaped her now barely painted lips. She made it. She - well. She and that... thing made it. But she didn't really care for him.

It was only now that they stood still that she noticed the burning and stabbing in the soles of her feet. Her hands clutched to fists and she whimpered. She never had a high pain-tolerance, making it all the more baffling she'd managed to put it aside. Adrenaline and the threat to one's life was one grand drug.

She gave nothing but a short nod to Armani's words, pacing forth into Cerulean, not bothering to walk around the fence. She carefully lifted one of her pained feet over, making sure to keep her dignity intact by keeping her skirt in line.
"I suppose this is where I lose you," she commented idly, "Have a good evening."

70 PD​

 

[Xemanorth]

Guy too, was diverted, though primarily on account of Tai as opposed to having taking note of the corpse, being tall, his head was further up in the cloud of smoke than he would have liked which made both breathing as well as seeing much more difficult than it ought to be.

Actually being able to see what had caught Tai's attention didn't end up helping things all that much, Guy had very little experience dealing with death and the situation at hand alike. Though, as dehumanizing as it may have seemed his mind did wander to dealing with the deaths of Pokémon on the farm.

Guy took in a deep breath through his nostrils before allowing it to escape through his mouth. "I don't think there's anything we can do to help him..." He shook his head, gaze for the most part averting itself from the old man so as to try and keep his mind somewhat clear. "We should go and inform the authorities, they'll know who to contact." He continued, words hurried as his gaze shot back and forth before urging Tai to get up once more.

"Let's get going!".

( Polka )

80 PD​

 

[Feywild]

Kazimir Rook

Location: Route 5

Interaction: WolfSol

•••
​

Freezing under the heavy hand resting on her arm, Kazimir inhaled shakily, she knew she couldn't just expect some stranger to whisk her away from this nightmare but damn she really wished there was a prince charming ready to save her so she could have a breakdown in peace. At the murmur of his words, Kaz perked up knowing this perhaps wasn't just a hopeless case yet. Then he began to move and all Kaz could do was follow him, for her right now he was a beacon and she was praying that the light wouldn't die and leave her blind.

No matter how much her legs shook and threatened to give in, the constant thought of don't get burnt alive kept her on jittery feet. Though with every passing second it was becoming harder to keep up, there was so much smoke and smog, hoarse coughs began to rack away at her as she struggled to breathe. With no other option than to stop and cripple briefly, Kaz's hands trembled as she ripped her cardigan for the second dreaded time today. Wrapping the newly acquired cloth around her face as a makeshift bandanna, the inky-haired girl glanced up to try find her guide, her eyes stinging from the smoke and reddened from crying, she almost missed him and was grateful that the mere sight warded off the panic that threatened to consume her.

Catching up to him, Kaz frowned at his supposed hesitance on where to go until a shriek sliced into her head and spooked the woman. Her stinging eyes trailed to try identify whatever it was, her current unstable judgement warned her that it was danger and she'd had enough experience with that today. With the amount of smoke washing over the surroundings and consuming, it was near impossible to make anything out. "Did you see anything?" She found herself asking warily, although her voice didn't waver or break she still certainly wasn't calm and composed. She'd only recovered enough to not fall apart on the spot, it was better than the embarrassing state she'd been in before.

110 PD​

 

[WolfSol]

Samuel Nicholson
I'm kinda glad I missed the party that happened on Route 5...
Feywild
------------------------------------

The pretty little thing that had quietly stumbled behind him spoke up, and her words drew him to turn to her. She looked much worse for wear than she had a few minutes ago, but it was probably just the smoke messing with his eyes. That and her voice betrayed her appearance, gradually reverting back to that apathetic noise he'd been greeted with before. "Not really sure. That shriek just now was a Pidgeot..." if he remembered correctly. That and the figure that he'd briefly seen falling from the sky did have what he could only guess were wings. Then again, the smoke was thick.

Still, why would a Pidgeot give out a cry like that, a wounded one? When he'd been hightailing it earlier, none of the Pokemon had attacked each other. The Pidgeot couldn't have been harmed by another Pokemon. A human then? Sam's gaze leveled on Kazimir before he turned fully around. In their current situation, another person would only slow them down, but... if it had been a human that had harmed the Pokemon, maybe they had weapons? Anything was better than nothing when up against crazy ass Pokemon as far as he was concerned.

"Since we're on a life or death adventure, gotta love those, let's go see what it is." Sam pointed into the black pit of smoke before setting off once more. He walked slower though, warily. It was not for the young lady's benefit, well partly.

He made for the clearest path that he could, but that in itself was near impossible. Too many times he'd had to deal with stepping on a corpse or the remnant of one because damn, it seemed that quite a few people had decided to do the same thing. Route 5... maybe this isn't a good idea... but as he waded through the massacre, he neither spotted nor heard an offending Pokemon. Only when he'd almost given up on searching for the source of the cry, his boot stepped on the edge of a splayed feather. The wing was mangled, the hollow bones jagged evidence that this was the Pokemon he had been looking for.

Sam lurched back though, wariness still clinging to him like the ash on his skin. Especially when he saw what he could only assume was its rider who looked much worse than its feathered partner. Wait... not all the Pokemon were going bat shit crazy? He crouched down, catching the faint rise and fall of the Pidgeot's chest, and crawled over to the rider. That is, until he heard another sound. Reflexively he reeled back, the sudden noise that was far beyond the crackling of fire startling him, and turned his head once more into the direction of the sound. The sound didn't register with him as a Pokemon's call so then... human.

His eyes fell to the rider and the Pidgeot as he stood up. "I thought all of the Pokemon had gone berserk, but it has a rider..." he muttered his thoughts aloud as he habitually patted himself for his smokes and lighter. Oh, what he wouldn't give for a smoke right now. Just one. Even if the desire made absolutely no sense considering their situation, being stranded in smoke.

"This doesn't sit well with me." Sam lingered by the Pokemon for a moment before stalking around it, "Come on, let's keep going." He moved forward, following the newfound sound with a faster pace.

100 PD​

 

[DapperCat]

@Myriad Polka Damafaud Xemanorth Feywild WolfSol
Minimum Activity: Post once a week​

As Kaz paced forth onto the road, she noticed the difficulty breathing to get less ever so slightly. But something else would catch her breath, well, if the bad boy in front of her wouldn't. Sam stepped toward the wounded Pidgeot, who was scrambling up to its talons. If he wasn't careful, one of the immense nails might nick him. But worse was that the man he looked at, thinking it to be its trainer- was not. In the thick fog a voice called, just a bit away from the Pidgeot; "Get the fuck away or I swear!" Both of them could hear the clicking sound of the expanse of a Poké Ball, as a silhouette became visible... the rider. This indeed hadn't been a good idea. Unfortunately the fog obscured most of the angered trainer, but they could see he was of average height, with a broad build.

Hopefully, Tai was guided away by Guy. If not in time she would have the misfortune of seeing a small insect or two buzzing in the corpse's surroundings- not a pleasant thought or sight. If the two indeed stumbled on across the dusty sand-path, they could hear the screams of humans and cries of animals fade behind them. Through the dusty air they could catch the vague silhouette of a sign and a fence.... were they getting close to Cerulean? The difficulty to breathe on the road gradually became less as they proceeded.

The third odd couple carefully entered Cerulean. Some particles of smoke, debris and dust floated through the air, but nothing close to the road. It was eerily quiet. Not a surprise either, given the havoc coming from the city beside them, most of them probably evacuated. Several houses came into few, along with a Poké Mart. But both could spot... the roof of red sticking out behind the first rows of buildings. A Pokémon Center.

 

[Polka]

LOCATION: Route 5---------------------------STATUS: Focused--------------------------INTERACTION: Xemanorth
Tai chose to follow after Guy. Leaning forward, she closed the deceased old mans eyes- not really paying attention the insects that had began devouring him.
She had witnessed way too much today and escaping felt like a perfect solution. Even if it was alongside a perfect stranger.
But- she didn't have to trust him... she just had to make it to safety and hopefully he would to.

Unbeknown to Guy, Tai was about to let her louder side out- clearly the fear was impacting her calls of judgement, as any sane person would realise this was not the time to be shouting. In truth, it was actually smoke damage to her eardrum, causing a small perforation, which she would find out when she arrived at the next safe point.

'I think I see a fence up ahead!' she yelled- causing a small skitter in a nearby smoke covered bush.

Without waiting for any kind of response or acknowledgement- Tai ran a little faster and with her good arm grabbed hold of Guy- forcing him to speed up towards the fence.
Tai noticed that the air was gradually clearing as the pair raced forward. Those screams that whistled in the background as casually as birds in the morning, were now distant and hushed.

Stopping rather abruptly, she traced the fence for some kind of direction. Paying very little attention to Guy as she did so- but not out of rudeness- she did not want to know him, grow to care for him and have him die.

90 PD​

 

[Feywild]

Kazimir Rook
Location: Route 5
Interaction: WolfSol

•••
​

“We’re just going to check out the weird potentially pidgeot noise?” Kazimir spluttered out, feeling the idea was a little incredulous, her hand raising to tug nervously at the ruined cardigan. Fidgeting would get her nowhere, and even the hesitance and doubt that crashed over her was tamed to let her follow Samuel. Instinct told her something was wrong with this, stepping through more corpses was a definite strike. It made her deeply uncomfortable, she could’ve ended up as one of them, charred and decaying. With a shudder, Kaz brushed away the thought of her own death, hoping that these poor souls could find peace in wherever they went.

Just as she’d been about to jog forwards and plant a hand on the mans shoulder to say they should just keep moving to safety, he lurched back and made Kaz flinch from the sudden jolt. Under his boot had been the crumpled wing of a Pidgeot, her mouth fell open to warn him to be careful but before she could he’d already crouched and began crawling to check it out. Don’t get Kaz wrong here, she loved to analyse things and discover, but perhaps now wasn’t the best time to do those when your own doom could be all you find.

“This whole situation doesn’t sit well with me.” Kazimir muttered, her bottom lip between her teeth as she bit feeling the nerves kick in again. Falling into another rhythm of following, Kazimir squinted through the smoke, “how can you tell where we-“

Like a deer in the headlights, Kazimir heard the shout and felt corrupting dread spear into her chest as she glanced over with her eyes wide. “Look, we don’t want any trouble!” Kazimir yelled back, her voice stony and sharp like jagged rocks as temporary bravery weaved through her, “We’ll leave, just don’t do anything stupid, okay?” Only then did she let her own fear leak into her voice as she peered through the fog at the obscured figure. Having really no idea what Samuel would do, she really hoped he didn’t try pick a fight he probably wouldn’t win. No judgement on his abilities, the burly man had her respect already, but he could quickly lose it if he chose to fight someone clearly more equipped for a battle by the sound of that click.

110 PD​

 

[WolfSol]

Samuel Nicholson
Those on Route 5 have no manners...
Feywild
------------------------------------
For a young thing, the woman sure was a sour sport. Well, Sam didn't blame her. She had every right to be wary, but he needed to find out what in the hell had caused the Pidgeot to crash land. That and... whatever or whoever had caused it, would they have any weapons that could be used against stir crazy Pokemon?

He turned on his heel at the newfound voice. At Kaz's words, Sam sighed. Yes, they weren't looking for trouble, at least when unarmed, but her parting words were... probably not the best.

Sam squinted against the smoke. The voice of the speaker looked slightly broad, average height, and was likely more equipped than they were at that moment if the telltale click of a Pokeball had anything to say about it. Did your mom not teach you any manners when you greet new folk? The quip was thought as he backed up a few paces, his boot nearly missing the remnants of a corpse.

"That's fine, we didn't wan to hang around this shit hole anyways."

He grabbed Kaz's shoulder and pushed her behind him as he briskly walked in the direction of the second noise he'd heard. His eyes didn't stray from the newcomer, a task that made it slightly difficult to know when he needed to step over or around the debris of route 5. "'Don't do anything stupid,' you say. Makin' it sound like we have more than a lighter." The mutter was accompanied by a chuckle as the smoke thickened, obscuring the wounded Pidgeot and the silhouette of the Poke-Ball-Holder-with-No-Manners.

Yet Sam didn't feel comfortable adjusting his attention forward. "Put your head on straight, kid. All these damn Pokemon, except maybe the bug type in the forest, are trying to bathe in our blood and ruin a good smoke. Whoever caused that Pidgeot to fall might have something we could use to defend ourselves if we come up against a berserk Pokemon. Unless its trainer decided to crash land..." considering the events thus far, it was possible. It was also possible that, like the speaker from before, the Pidgeot's potential attacker was just as "friendly."

With that in mind, Sam reconsidered investigating the second noise. "Cerulean should be close by." Let's hope they haven't ended up like Saffron.

90 PD​

 

[DapperCat]

location: Cerulean City
addresses: x
music: x

Malyna did not look back as she stepped on into the city. The man could find his own way, she was sure- and even if he couldn't, what did she care? All her care right now was focused on every aching muscle in her body...

...Especially her feet. Her thinly plucked brows furrowed in pain as the adrenaline began to wear off slightly. A harsh throbbing coursed through her torso, legs and feet, making her head spin. She tried to keep her eyes focused on the looming red roof of the Poké Center, not noticing several peeking eyes from within houses of Cerulean.

She must have scraped one of the soles of her feet in the run, feeling a sharp hissing pain aside the dull throb. As her thoughts lingered on the pain... she did realize she was fully on her own for now. And though the mr. Mime she'd fled with was obnoxious, reluctantly she had to admit it offered some comfort too. To not be alone. To not have her thoughts to deal with.

The frail woman swallowed hard, limping towards the doors of the Center, which opened with a soft hiss. The cool floors and white walls offered no comfort now, the entire Center empty of travelers or trainers. Only a nurse stood at the desk.

"Excuse me- is there a bed I could use? Perhaps... even a chair," she croaked out.

70 PD​

 

[DapperCat]

Polka Damafaud Xemanorth Feywild WolfSol
Minimum Activity: Post once a week​

Tai dragged poor Guy along like a sack of potatoes, rushing towards the worn picket fence. As her eyes traced it, trying to find direction, she found a simple old sign. 'Cerulean City'. An almost entirely faded arrow pointed ahead and when the woman looked up, she'd see a row of houses. But more importantly... a bright blue roof of a Poké Mart. If she paid close attention, she would see the line of a red roof peeking over the first row of civilization.

A battered redhead paced into the Poké Center on her bare feet. Midway of croaking, the Nurse was already jumping out of her seat. It seemed she'd expected the influx of people coming from Saffron. "Oh no, oh dear- please yes, we have a room already prepared for-..." she paused, "...uhm- survivors." She furrowed her brows, one arm extended to a door to her right. Immediately she paced towards it and held it open. If Malyna followed, she would be led to a simple room with six bunkbeds against the walls.

"That's fine, we didn't want to hang around this shit hole anyways."
Sam's sentence was met with laughter. "Yeah- it is now. You deserve it!" The man cackled. "Filthy Kanto traitors!"
“We’ll leave, just don’t do anything stupid, okay?”
A small silence fell as tension rose. "-Stupid-?" It sounded almost like a snarl. "I'll show you who was just stupid, wench--." Luckily Sam continued to lead Kazimir onwards, hearing the continued shouting of the now angered man... and then the terrifying sound of a Poké Ball opening. Luckily, they could see the line of the worn fence ahead... and the fog mostly disguised their location.

 

[Xemanorth]

Guy was, indeed, dragged along like a sack of potatoes, head bouncing about wildly as he was tugged forth by his arm. Thankfully, the lad had the height to keep in step with relative ease despite Tai's rather abrupt shift from shock to action.

"Buildings up ahead. Must be getting closer." Guy pondered aloud, and as if on cue, the sign came into view, a sight which Guy regarded with a soft "Oh." albeit under his breath. He was remarkably casual and could perhaps even be regarded as easygoing, especially considering what had just happened. In truth, he hadn't had the time nor inclination to stop and process it quite yet, nor was he sure he ever wanted to.

"We should probably head to the Pokémon center, figures that anyone who might've been waiting for that guy would probably be doing so there. All things considered." He continued, his tone clear as ever, though it did trail off slowly toward the end of his sentence, perhaps a sign that he, despite how it might have appeared initially, was not all there. "I don't know about you, but that's where I'll be headed. See if I can lend a helping hand to the staff there maybe. Can't assume they'd be prepared for something like this.".

The man pulled to a stop shortly after the pair had entered town, allowing Tai to make a choice of her own before either accompanying her to the Pokémon Center, or to wander off to do whatever she felt best.

70 PD​

 

[Polka]

LOCATION: Route 5---------------------------STATUS: Exhausted --------------------------INTERACTION: Xemanorth

Tai, with sheer will, continued to drag Guy- up until the point of the heavenly sign.
Cerulean City

Tai almost burst with joy at the thought of safety, which was very unlike her- and it was not until that point that she really began paying attention to Guy. He spoke about helping others- but right now, Tai seriously needed to get her arm cleaned up and bandaged, so heading to a centre was probably an excellent idea. Surely before she could assist anyone she would need to take care of herself.
Her brother certainly wasn't around to do that anymore...

Speedily, Tai and her new traveller friend made their way to the city. However, upon the entrance, Guy trailed off somewhat. Had he decided against travelling with her? Had he been using her like she had planned to do to him?
In sheer mortification, Tai spun rapidly round to face him.
' Look- we came this far together, we might as well see it through to the Pokemon Centre!'
Her brash behaviour was coming out in full force today!

Tai then attempted a smile, which probably looked more like a wince of pain. This odd offering of the olive branch would hopefully help Guy to realise she was happy to stick by him.

With that she began making her way towards the Pokemon Centre, dearly hoping that Guy was going to follow.

100 PD​

 

[Feywild]

Kazimir Rook
Location: Route 5
Interaction: WolfSol

•••
​

“Put my head on straight? Kid? Are you serious?” She barked out a harsh laugh, sounding demented in a feverish manner, probably because of all this damned smoke. Looking back at it, what she said wasn’t the best, but she didn’t have a silver tongue that could twist words laced in the most caustic of venoms into something sweet and inviting; she often struggled to find the right words, sticking with what felt right at the moment and not sugar-coating them to try avoid the bitterness felt more right than pretending.

“Firstly, you need to give me a break here, I’m still having a crisis.” She started, gesturing to herself with sharp hand, “Secondly, I’m certainly not a child,” Kazimir began, her eyes narrowed before softening, “but I suppose I should be flattered you think I look young...” she trailed before shaking her head for going off topic, “I don’t-“

Her voice fell short when she spied a fence before her, not too far away, peeking through the fog like a beacon of some sorts. In all her life, never had Kazimir imagined she’d be looking at a fence like it was the most wonderful thing to ever grace her. It’d seemed like they weren’t getting anyway, just roaming in circles as they were pursued by some alive and some silent terrors. Whether it be the smoke or the corpses littered around that Kazimir desperately kept her gaze off, or the threat of others that definitely seemed to be her today.

“Let’s hope Cerulean hasn’t gone to shit.” She muttered, steering herself forwards as she now trailed a hand along the fence, turning to peer at her acquaintance curiously. “My names Kazimir by the way, or just Kaz,” she introduced with a weak smile, feeling strange for not knowing the name of someone who had practically saved her in a way, “what’s yours if you don’t mind me asking.”

120 PD​

 

[DapperCat]

location: Cerulean City
addresses: x
music: x

Malyna did not respond much to the nurse, instead silently following and stepping into the simple room. She did not waste time. Immediately the frail woman lowered herself onto the bottom-mattrass of one of the bunkbeds, sighing with relief as the pressure on her feet was removed.
But despite her traumatised state, she hadn't lost her sense of entitlement. She shot a sharp glance to the nurse still in the doorway.

"Are you going to help me with my injuries or stay in the doorway? If you're going to loiter and stare, at least give me some bandages..."

She shifted in her seat, angling her thin legs and looking at the soles of her muddy and bloodied feet. Oof. It looked more painful now that she wasn't in immediate danger. The woman shuddered, trying to focus her attention on the nurse. Silently willing her to take care of her.

60 PD​

 

[WolfSol]

Samuel Nicholson
Goodbye Route 5, it was nice knowing you...
Feywild
------------------------------------

The young woman's sudden outburst caught Sam off-guard. Gone was the hesitance, the fear, the monotony, and there was the anger, the desperation. Good. About damn time. He'd just wished she'd spoken up like that sooner because here he'd thought he'd gone and made a stupid mistake. Still, instead of gratitude or praise, he couldn't help but laugh at her words. Laughter of which died down as soon as he saw the line of the fence against the smog. No bit of relief that he'd felt during his time in the military would ever compare to the relief that flooded him now at the simple sight of a fence line.

Kaz stepped ahead of him and reached for it like a lifeline. Compared to when he'd first met her, she seemed a lot calmer now. Almost as if the fence was anchoring her down, evening out the ground beneath her after Saffron's seismic end. "I bet you two drinks that you're younger than me." Sam replied, ignoring her question of names for the moment as he glanced behind them for the briefest of moments. He hadn't ignored what the stranger next to the Pidgeot had said, and he definitely hadn't ignored the sound of a Poke Ball cracking open.

Grasping the fence, Sam climbed over it unsteadily and reached the other side of it gracelessly. The stumbling land showed his uneasy balance, as did the flailing of his arms. "Ah, names. Right. I probably won't remember your name, Kaz." That is, unless she waltzed around with a name tag. Molly Mae had had to do it since the bar had opened before he'd finally remembered her name. "Name's Samuel, but since you fancy short names, I answer to Sam as well. As for Cerulean. I just hope that they have a bar because I could really go for some whiskey."

He straightened himself before bodily turning toward Kaz on the other side of the fence. "And yeah, put your head on straight. You probably pissed that Pidgeot trainer off with that parting comment, and you haven't been grounded since you upchucked your lunch on my hand. Well, till now." Sam said, nodding once. "I get it though. I didn't think I'd be hightailing it from furry little Pokemon either, but now's not the time to let it get to you. There's a time and a place... and all that. Now, we aren't at the right place at the right time for any worrying. You heard that crack of a Ball too, aye? So let's keep a move on."

Sam turned then, taking a few steps toward Cerulean. "You can be the optimist of the wee group. I'm going to be pessimistic. Let's hope that you're right about Cerulean not being a shit hole."

Cerulean looked as barren as the bar on Karaoke night--honestly, no one wants to hear Big John sing The Sound of Music. The lack of Trainers, Pokemon, and people alike made Sam uneasy but he pressed on, albeit a little slower in his stride. At least the buildings were intact, and at least there was only thick silence crowding them... not fire and screams. That was always a nice plus. Sam focused on that small bit of positivity as he stopped for the briefest of moments to gaze over the roof of the buildings that stood quietly before them. His eyes settled on the bright red of a single roof before he fell into a forward stride once again. Not wanting to disrupt the silence and attract any unwanted attention, unease still tingling at the back of his neck, Sam only gestured to the far off Poke Center.

It seemed better than the bar... for now. After all, Kaz's arm did need to be addressed. That and they really should get an idea of what the hell had just happened to Saffron.

80 PD​

 

[DapperCat]

Polka Xemanorth Feywild WolfSol LazyDaze
Minimum Activity: Post once a week​

Tai took the lead as she paced resolutely toward the red roof of salvation. With Guy following her to be ever the gentleman, as an escort, they quickly reached the automated doors. With a soft swish and a cool breeze of air they slid open, revealing the cool interior of the Pokémon Center. But it was... empty. Not just a lack of adventurers and clients, but there was no nurse behind the desk either. For a moment the silence enveloped the two like a chilly blanket- until suddenly a nurse appeared from behind the led-screen behind the healing machine.
"I apologi- oh dear me," she interrupted herself as she looked at the bloodied shirt around Tai's arm, and the general mood of shock with the two clients. Her brows furrowed in sympathy. "Did you come from Saffron? I'm so sorry- let me lead you to the room we prepared. It's nothing fanciful, but minor injuries can be treated there. One more survivor already made it to us."
She stepped to the doorway and motioned for them to follow her. If they did, they would be led to a simple white room with six bunk-beds lined up to the walls. One frail woman was already seated on the bottom bunk, with a nurse knelt before her, bandaging her feet.

The nurse frowned slightly at the demanding tone of the visitor, but she was better trained than to let emotions over-take professionality. She quickly grabbed one of the medkits from a locked closet in the corner of the room, before kneeling before the survivor.
"Have this, miss," she held out a damp cloth for the woman to take, before focusing her attention on the woman's feet. She began to clean them, before desinfecting them and bandaging them up.
She glanced to the other nurse arriving with two more survivors, giving a simple nod to the bunkbeds in the corners. This way she'd have the room to treat the patient she was with. "Do you have Pokémon that need care too?"

The click of the Poké Ball that had echoed onto the path was followed by a few heavy footsteps... but nothing else. It seemed the Pokémon could not find the two through the fog.
As poor Kazimir gave Sam a good talking to, she noticed the glorious fence ahead. The two stepped towards the beacon of civilization, Sam attempting to do a 'cool flip' over the fence. He felt the wood dangerously creak, almost breaking under his weight but barely holding on.
The two bickered as their feet carried them into Cerulean. The first row of houses were residential, with a Poké Mart a little behind. The footfalls of their boots and shoes crunched and almost echoed in the silence. It was a stark contrast from the fire and screams they had just endured in Saffron. But unfortunately for Sam- no bar. Instead, all they had were a few people looking past their curtains in their house. But the lights in the Poké Center were on as always. Inviting and almost like a mirage, it pulled them in towards it.

 

[LazyDaze]

ROWAN E. FALKNER
INTERACTIONS: Open
LOCATION: Cerulean City/Pokecenter

Futility, he could hear that word echo after each step as he slowy sauntered toward the pokecenter. How many people had he saved from certain death, two, three? His chared clothes were proof he couldn't stop the fires. His distant gaze proof he had seen things he wish he hadn't. How many did he save from certain death? Not enough, it was never enough. Blood trickled down his face from underneath his hat as he entered the doorway. A braveface...he almost forgot to put on a braveface. If there was ever a moment you couldn't smile then those who would commit such atrocities really would have one. They could take buildings, they could even take lives; however, the spirit was something they couldn't have. It wasn't so long ago that he was in Saffron City. One of the few safe havens in the world. It was easy to get trapped in the comfort of an invisible bubble. However, that uneasiness never left them. Over and over he would plan ahead, mulling over what actions to take in case of an attack whether it be minor, or major. He told himself this was the path he would take, and that he would succeed; after all, it's what his sister would have done if she could walk. Despite it all he was unable to do much of anything. It appeared that by the grace of Arceus that he was able to make it out alive. His scared fist tightened, stretching the cloth that wrapped around it. Sure, a hard dose of reality, or charizards, hurt like hell. In the face of absolute power he realized that what he thought was growth was miniscule. He could only move forward as he desperately searched for a purpose; purposely concelaing desperation. He smacked himself in the face. "Come on dude get it together...thinking was never your strong suit. If she saw you like this she would be pissed." He paused again as he scratched his chin. "In fact...if she saw you talking to yourself in the third person she would be freaked."

After a deep breath and a shrug of the shoulders he took a step forward. He entered the pokecenter trying to control his breathing oblivious to his own injuries. "S-survivors? Survivors from Saffron? Nurse....anyone, is there anyway I can help," he said between ragged breaths and behind a determined stare. He couldn't recall any of the faces. He wondered if any of the people he had helped back in Saffron actually lived; rather, he needed them to have survived.


DapperCat

110 PD​