Haven

Follow VZ in their adventures in the post-apocalyptic Pokemon-filled continent of Karud! Delve deeper to find out more and hear their story.
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Kaome Sky Deathand
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Re: Haven

Post by Kaome Sky Deathand » Wed Feb 03, 2010 2:32 pm

He was moving even as she fought to survive.
Again he had knocked on the ground with the strange ring in his possession before slipping it back into his robes. He was already making his way through the storm when the ground rose up beneath him. A fin with silver rings, still the color of sandstone, but with side to side movements like a winding snake. Crux steadied himself on by bracing an arm against the fin before crouching down.

"The stone creature first...if i signal then the earth turtle shall follow."
The ground shifted as a massive head rose enough to grumble a reply.
"Only the strong survive." Crux replied. "Only the strong."
They were moving fast, for time was against them. The Rhydon charged, the woman battled, the earth turtle slowly moving to aid its master. The sandstone snake began to dive, Crux let go of the rings, turned, and charged down the length of the body. The tail curved up and Crux used it to kick off of, for they had joined the battle. The Rhydon fell, taken by surprise as powerful jaws closed around it and brought it crashing to the ground. Crux soared through the air, performing a set of two backflips, one off the sandstone tail to plant on the Torterras back. Another from the earth turtles back to come behind the Sandslash. His blade flashed and the beast died in two pieces. Split at the midsection.
His gaze took in the girl and a smile played behind the visage of his sand mask.
Cruor Vult

Hope, it is the quintessential human delusion,
simultaneously the source of our greatest strength, and our greatest weakness.

Soon we shall be One...joined in the Word.

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Rising_Dusk
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Re: Haven

Post by Rising_Dusk » Wed Feb 03, 2010 6:58 pm

The sandstorm rages.

Ingram swept forward down the street with Weavile at his side, both ready for battle. The Salamence headed up the rear, staying far enough behind to not blow their cover if they came upon enemies. As they traveled, they didn't encounter any new Pokemon, but the sandstorm picked up in ferocity. This increase in sand expulsion, all blowing back the way they had come, meant that at least one of the sources of the sandstorm lay ahead of them. Ingram both relished and lamented this fact, knowing that he would be heavily guarded.

As they came upon a bend in the road leading to a once-park, Ingram peered around to get a better glimpse at the courtyard.


"Meta... Meta-met-tam... Gross... Tamet-gross..."

Metagross rotated in the air about the hole and Hippowdon in the center courtyard. He was floating in circles, something that always helped him concentrate. It was very demanding having to hide all six of the blasted Hippowdon from the humans. His arms were retracted up to him and his eyes closed. He needed all of the focus he could possibly muster to keep this ruse up.

Ingram couldn't believe his eyes. Lucario had warned him about a powerful psychic Pokemon, but a Metagross? If a Metagross was taking orders from anything, it could be none other than a Garchomp as Crux had forewarned. With this powerful a Pokemon on the inside, this was no bluff, this was no distraction. He was coming.

Ingram had to act fast. He signaled to the Salamence to wait until he gave the signal, this time almost entirely sure that he would, and looked swiftly at Weavile. Weavile understood. This was the source of their cloak, and they'd have to take it out. Metagross, being such a bulky and powerful Pokemon, had only one flaw. It was slow. Weavile smirked. That was his queue.

Weavile and Ingram made a short dash from their cover, Weavile just barely in front of Ingram. Weavile acted first, lunging forward at a speed so great that Ingram's eyes couldn't properly trace his movement. His right arm began glowing an unearthly purple and black hue as he prepared for a strike. The Metagross was apparently focusing so much that he hadn't even noticed them when they were right in front of him. This was their only opportunity, for as soon as it was made aware, they would be put to the test. Ingram assumed a righteous stance and pointed with judging ire at the Metagross before shouting:


"WEAVILE, NIGHT SLASH!"

::ImageImage::
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"Meta?"

Metagross had heard something, but wasn't sure through the sandstorm's whipping noise. He turned towards the direction of the sound and opened his eyes --

WEAVILE USED NIGHT SLASH
Critical hit!
Metagross lost 33% of its health.

"MEEETTTTAAAAA!!!"

Weavile's black and purple energy subsided as he landed from the sweep. Metagross had suffered a critical hit due to his ignorance, and was now missing one of his four limbs. With the loss of a limb, its balance while hovering was sundered and it came crashing down into the courtyard's fountain, splintering the marble and spraying chunks of white rock everywhere. It reacted immediately, its eyes glaring with a raw hatred that managed to send a single chill down Weavile's spine. Weavile only stayed still for a split second before picking back up to speed and wreathing circles around the slow, psychic behemoth.

"META - TAMET! GROSS! GROSS! GROOOOOSSSSS!!!!"

Metagross was furious. With his concentrating, he hadn't noticed the creature sneaking up on him like this! It was foolish for him to send his guards to deal with the ran dancers, this was their plan! They were going to kill him! THEY CAN TRY!!! Metagross' focused his mental energy and began pulsing a radiant, pink and purple hue. He couldn't keep up with this damned creature, whatever it was, so he would simply fracture its mind in one fell swoop!

METAGROSS USED PSYCHIC!
It had no effect...
Weavile was buffeted by the sandstorm.
Weavile lost 6% of its health.

Weavile knew what it had tried, but fortunately was an elite member of the dark type of Pokemon. Psychic attacks would not effect him. Using the opportunity, Weavile made another series of lunges, all while dashing circles around the Metagross. His strikes simply moved him along the diameter of the circle he was dashing, allowing him to never miss a beat.

WEAVILE USED FAINT ATTACK!
Metagross lost 11% of its health.
..
WEAVILE USED FAINT ATTACK!
Metagross lost 13% of its health.
...
WEAVILE USED FAINT ATTACK!
Metagross lost 9% of its health.
....
WEAVILE USED FAINT ATTACK!
Metagross lost 12% of its health.

"MEEEEETAAAAAAAAAAGROOOOOSSSSS!!!!"

Metagross was furious. This barrage of attacks would surely best him if he didn't react quickly. For some reason, his psychic attack was ineffective and gave it an opening to perform this attack on him! It must be a dark type, that is the only explanation. It was fast, and dark. He tried to remember back to what Pokemon he'd encountered in the past, but decided it was a waste of time. There was only one way to catch it now...

METAGROSS USED BULLET PUNCH!
It's super effective!
Weavile lost 81% of its health.
Weavile was buffeted by the sandstorm.
Weavile lost 6% of its health.

Metagross gripped the frail creature's skull in one of its remaining arms' grip. It was a Weavile, something he'd only fought before on occasion. Not only was his attack effective, it was crippling, nearly killing it in a single blow. Stupid thing, what a ridiculous Pokemon to attack one such as Metagross with! Those humans will all suffer for their impetuousness! Metagross began squeezing its skull in slowly so it felt the pain of --

"CATCH THIS!"
"Met?"
A metal rod soared through the air and punctured the Metagross' joint attaching the arm holding the Weavile to its body. It flinched, releasing its grip just enough for the creature to fall lose and get away.
"METAA!!"

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Metagross turned to face its new attacker and saw a human, but -- The Hippowdon that was channeling the storm was chasing him and heading right at Metagross!! That rampaging buffoon! Metagross turned from the area and began fleeing from its war path to avoid certain doom.

"WEAVILE, FINISH IT WITH PURSUIT, NOW!"

WEAVILE USED PURSUIT!
Metagross lost 21% of its health.

Metagross had been dealt a crippling blow. As it tried to flee, two of its remaining legs were cut out from under it and it collapsed to the ground. Barely alive, the creature made one last desperate attack - the last it would ever make.

The Hippowdon, only just now realizing that Metagross was in front of him, tried to stop from charging right over it. In its attempt to stop, the creature it had been chasing and something else small and fragile dashed away behind a building. It tumbled, trying to avoid the impending catastrophe, but was carrying too much momentum! The Hippowdon fell to one knee and rolled directly on top of the Metagross, likely crushing it. The Hippowdon made an effort to stand and --

WHIIIIIIIRRRRRRRR -- EEEEEEEAAARRRRAAAACCCKKKOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!!!!!

METAGROSS USED EXPLOSION!
Hippowdon lost 2164% of its health.
Weavile was buffeted by the sandstorm.
Weavile lost 6% of its health.

Ingram kept running despite the fact that an entire section of the city had just been decimated. Ingram was lucky to get his staff back after an encounter like that, and even luckier that he'd managed to enrage the Hippowdon into that charge. It ended up saving Weavile's life.

"Weavile..."

Ingram spoke softly, looking down into his arms. The weakened Pokemon was resting precariously in his grip, on the brink of dying from the damage it had sustained in the battle. Ingram should've known better, of course a Metagross can catch something fast! It was suicide to send Weavile in like that! He hated himself for doing it, but there was no time for it now. He had to get Weavile to safety to administer one of the few healing items he kept on his person. Ingram kicked open a door to one of the dilapidated homes on this side of the city, ravaged by the sandstorm. Once inside, he closed the door and blocked it with a felled bookcase, sealing off the storm from striking Weavile further before setting him on a sandy couch in the living room.

Behind them, outside the house, a wave of sand emanated from the explosion, and then shortly thereafter fell to the ground in vain. One member of the team perpetuating the sandstorm had been killed. It was lightening up, and if only just a bit, it was a good start.


His telescopic eyes opened, that insidious grin not having changed at all. He could see the city, now. It would only be fifteen minutes or so...
"I'll come to Florida one day and make you look like a damn princess." ~Hep

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Scarlet
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Re: Haven

Post by Scarlet » Thu Feb 04, 2010 2:35 pm

The Poison Sting was on a bad trajectory, because the Sandslash had aimed for a bad target from a dumb angle. It was across and to the right of Joanna, so it had to shoot at an angle to hit her chest. But it didn't have to aim for her chest. It could have shot her anywhere and the poison would have still worked. But the Sandslash aimed for her heart, so it didn't. It hit her shoulder as she turned to call to Aker. Because of the angle, the needle never actually touched her. She collided with the blunt end unintentionally and sent it flying completely off track, away from her, then onto the ground where it finally lay to rest, still and harmless.

The Sandslash was dead about the same time the needle hit the ground. Joanna turned to make sure the Rhydon wasn't a threat, then moved to the two Sandslash Aker had taken out. Turned the right-hand one over and retrieved her knife from between its eyes. Turned to Crux as she wiped the blade. His eyes were rimmed red, more so than before. She gave him a slight nod.

"How many are left?"

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Jericho Veronus
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Re: Haven

Post by Jericho Veronus » Mon Feb 08, 2010 8:46 pm

Chauncey perked his ears, before raising his head and staring into the deep of the sandstorm circulating the city. He was standing in the middle of a street towards the outskirts of town, near where he last saw his master. He couldn’t make it out yet but, he knew something was coming towards him through the storm.

It started as just a faint shadow, some ways in the distance, well he thought it was in the distance. As soon as the figure was clear enough to actually have features, and not be a shadowy blur, it was mere meters from Chauncey. Chauncey jumped out of the way as Terds came charging through the sandy veil.

“Chauncey, ole boy!”

Terds seemed not even to have realized his Houndoom would have been in his transport’s path, though upon seeing his faithful companion, Terds leapt into the air and landed in front of Chauncey, facing him.

“Well, how’d it go?”

Terds spoke in a rather nonchalant tone, attempting to pass off the idea that he was unaware of what was happening behind him, though in fact knowing all too well. When he vaulted from the Tyranitar, his foot planted on the back of its skull and pushed off that, causing the pokemon to stumble while Terds landed safely by Chauncey. The momentum of the pokemon caused it to continue forward as it fell and face-planted on the rough ground of the street, eventually skidding to a halt. Blood and some particular remnants traced a straight line from where its face first hit the ground to where it now sat.

Had the lower jaw still been attached during this stunt, it was most likely that it could have been ripped off, though the creature was very much worse for the wear. In addition to a missing lower jaw, it also lacked a right forearm, one of its eyes, and several feet of intestine that had most likely been trampled on by the Tyranitar itself, as a severe wound below its stomach exposed much of its insides. All this was evidence that although on Terds’ trek back to the city he had not encountered any other trainers, he did come across a good number of ferals.

The half destroyed corpse of what was once a feral Tyranitar laid a rotting mess in the middle of the street, while from the bullet hole in its skull, a dark purple smoke flashed out and flew towards Terds; it disappeared upon reaching his chest, leaving no trace that it had ever even been there.

Seeing the pack wrapped around Chauncey's back, he smiled, assuming that it obtained something useful.

“The people here are just grasping at straws, we’re leaving.”

Chauncey nodded and followed as Terds walked out, once again into the sandstorm, heading back out into the desert. As he disappeared from sight of any who could have been on the streets, his hat blew back, landing on the street and catching on the rotting Tyranitar corpse, where it lay, the only standing indication of Terds' existence.
Image
May God have mercy on your soul, for you shall find none here!

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TheDeathstalker
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Re: Haven

Post by TheDeathstalker » Tue Feb 09, 2010 12:04 am

Razor stood as long as he could withstand to remain on the sidelines. Ingram's instructions were clear, but time was not on their sides. Knowing only what was before him, Ingram had no greater power than luck to aid in finding Zael, and that was far from enough.

With a mighty heave, he shot up into the sky, taking one last look towards the battle between Ingram's Weavile and the Metagross before entering a streamline. The sands pulled and grated against his hide, but his steel wings held true, and a few moments of exertion later, he shot out of the cloud like a bullet, wisps of sand trailing his form.

He allowed himself only the briefest of moments to enjoy the clear skies before focusing again. The storm obscured the land, and the winds were too violent to follow scents, but their reach and their effects were limited to within the sandstorm. His wings carried him towards the sea, seeking that particular scent. It took him almost to the eastern edge of the clouds before he found what he was seeking: Ozone. This was where he had fired his Hyper Beams earlier, the ionized air still hanging in place. If Zael was still alive, this would be the best place to look.

Razor folded his wings around his head, and let himself drop through the clouds, a relative whisper amongst the raging sands. Just as he broke the plane of the storm, he caught a sideways glimpse of something on the horizon. Something dark and familiar. Something that would destroy them all if given the chance. Something that he would have to deal with later.

Shear's rain dance had begun to gain momentum against the sands, the bank of the river now covered in rain and mud, but that would have to be all for now. His first layer of detection, a thin filament of glass fused out of the whirling sands by a well guided arc of lightning, had been tripped a few moments ago.

100 meters, he thought, watching the lead of the second layer break into thousands of fine shards. He paused his dance, leaving the fate of the raincloud to those within the city.

75 meters. He began to lower himself back into the river, his most secure position against these types of ferals.

50 meters. The Lapras' form sunk to below the waterline, only the top of his head sticking out, nigh invisible in the driving rain.

25 meters. Any second now...

His fall was surprisingly quiet. The sands beat against the wings to the pattern of falling rain, but Razor was not fooled. The storm raged outside like it always had, Zael's technology simply provided an effective barrier. He needed all his wits about him the moment he broke his cocoon, and so they were.

Only a few moments now. The winds peaked, and he knew the ground was close, but he couldn't pull up yet. He would wait until he could see the ground clearly through the pinhole at the tip of his wings. Then, and only then would he pull out, and unleash his wrath upon those who would dare to set upon his master.

Shear watched as three Marowaks exited the storm, almost upset by how paltry a force had been sent for him. All the same, these were ferals here, and not to be underestimated.

Whipping up the waters around him with unnatural force, he unleashed two whirling torrents of water, the Hydro Pump horribly wounding the outer two Marowak before closing in on the central one, the counter-revolving jets ripping bone from flesh from bone again.

Good shot, one clean kill, two incapacitated.

Shear let out a sigh of relief, letting out the tension he had built up preparing for the fight and instead allowing himself to float more naturally in the water. He didn't even bother to look through the twin tunnels in the sandstorm bored out by his attack.

The Rampardos, however, was not so careless as it peered out of the sandstorm, already building up momentum to crush the Lapras.

With only a split second of warning, the sands gave way to not land, but rushing water. His wings pulled back, but they couldn't catch him. His undershell took the brunt of the force, riding the surge as it flung him out into the storm, and onto a Hippowdon.

A pause hung on the air, as the Salamence, Hippowdon, and its six guardian Marrowack made sense of what was happening. The Hippowdon reacted first, summoning a powerful twister of sand on top of itself, the Marowaks hurling their bones in unison at the mystery target, taking advantage of the trap their leader set.

It would have worked too, if the Salamence had still been anywhere near there. Instead he was behind the first Marowak, driving his cleaver bearing tail through its skull, a faint glimmer of a glass shard falling to the ground along with its body.

Not allowing his foes a moment to recover, Razor flew a half circle around the Marowak, flame gushing forth from his mouth as three more corpses fell to the ground.

These bastards had harmed Zael, he just knew. And for this, their one great sin, none of them would see the Sun again.

A light turned from green to red on his back, and that was the only warning the three ferals ever got. A white lance of pure energy shot out, punching a hole in the storm with unparalleled fury. The blast carried on, far past the boundaries of the storm itself, shooting out across the ocean until it was far beyond the horizon.

When the moment of Razor's wrath had passed, he looked out and saw what he had done, how the affronts to his eyes had been denied even the right to have their corpses fall to the ground, instead just a soft, faint ash settled where they once stood.

RAAAALLAAAMAANCE

His roar echoed through the thinning sands, a warning to all others who would dare harm his master.
And though you come out of each gruelling bout,
All broken and beaten and scarred,
Just have one more try—it’s dead easy to die,
It’s the keeping-on-living that’s hard.

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Rising_Dusk
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Re: Haven

Post by Rising_Dusk » Tue Feb 09, 2010 2:01 am

The sandstorm rages.

Lucario used the stairwell to get to the first floor of the department store. He was investigating the Pokemon he'd seen earlier, who since doesn't seem to be around anymore. Perhaps it had heard him break open the garage door and didn't want to stick around - a respectable desire. Just to be safe, Lucario closed his eyes at the first level of the building to try to sort out where the creature had went, if it were still in the building.

However, instead of sensing a single Pokemon, he sensed hundreds. The entirety of the sandstorm seemed to let up on his mind, and he was able to see everything in it as clear as day. Something must have broken the focus of the mental cloak, revealing everything. He immediately traced the sandstorm back to the sources, picking out where each and every one of them was. He couldn't possibly convey this information properly to anyone else without directly showing them, though... He had to get over there. His natural immunity to the sandstorm and perfect ability to see through it immediately gave him the upper hand over any of the ferals therein. Furthermore, the precious civilians were safely housed in the underbelly of this building, a level below the garage level. Even if the structure collapsed, they might be able to survive if they stayed where Lucario had told them to.

It was decided. Lucario powered up an aura sphere and destroyed what remained of a glass barrier between him and the outside of the building. He began running directly towards the river with the speed of an Entei. He had little time to spare.


Ingram extracted from his belt the one healing item he kept on his person. It was one of the few left in the city, and one he always held onto just in case he needed it. The spray-bottle was filled with whatever chemicals made up a Full Restore. He carefully aimed it at each of the most brutal wounds upon Weavile's body - one across his chest, a fractured leg, and several dozen bruises on his face and torso. The sand had gotten into his wounds and would likely cause a deathly infection if left unattended.

Ingram was no Nurse Joy, but he had performed the practice often enough to know what to do. After administering much of the medicine to Weavile, Weavile weakly squinted and peered up at Ingram through pained eyes.


"Weeee...."
"It's alright, Weavile; here, drink the rest of this, it'll help cure anything that might be messed up on the inside." Ingram unscrewed the top of the Full Restore and tipped it into Weavile's barely-open mouth. Ingram had heard that it tasted awful when ingested, but worked miracles in healing you faster that way. Weavile, clearly not enjoying it, finished the potion knowing well that he needed every last drop.

"You'll have to rest here for awhile. I can't wait, though.." Ingram gripped his staff again, readying himself for seeking out the next of the Hippowdon. He looked over his shoulder at the storm ripping the city apart outside the scratched and nearly-fractured window. As Ingram went to stand, though, Weavile grabbed his arm.

"We! Wee! Vilewee!"
Weavile would not hear the suicide-plans of Ingram. Ingram looked back at Weavile with a pained look across his face.
"I can't let what happened out there happen again, especially not in your current state. If you are attacked, hide, do not fight. You did great, buddy, but this next step is something I must do alone."

Weavile was in no position to argue, but he scowled anyways, twisting his body in a way that caused him pain and resulted in him wincing. He looked on at Ingram and just nodded, knowing that he would do what must be done. Ingram looked at his friend and returned the nod, swearing under his breath to return and not leave him stranded here.

Just as Ingram moved the shelf blocking the door, gotten outside and closed the door behind him, he heard a voice in his mind.

"Master! I know where they are! I am nearly upon one already! Meet me there!"

Ingram grinned. In his mind, a map of the city lay projected out for him. It was time to take the fight to the ferals.

Lucario was further up the river, as that was the point of closest approach from the department store. Despite there being a raging river between himself and the sandstorm, his not fearing the sandstorm and having powerful fighting-arms allowed him to power across without consequence. Following his designated path, he came upon several Sandslash and a Marowak.
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Lucario, without even missing a beat, bounded up on his left onto the side of a building. Pausing for a moment and catching the attention of the Marowak, he powered up and unleashed an aura sphere. The sphere ripped through the air, turning the specks of sand it encountered on its path into sparks that vanished into oblivion.

LUCARIO USED AURA SPHERE!
Marowak lost 100% of its health.

The Marowak barely sidestepped a foot to the left to dodge the sphere, but its slow nature caused the right-half of its body to evaporate and sear. It fell to the ground in shock, very soon to be dead. Lucario, eyes still closed, bounded off of the structure into a backflip across the street. The Sandslash, slow as they were, leaped into the air to meet him with their claws.

SANDSLASH USED SLASH!
Sandslash's attack missed!
..
SANDSLASH USED SLASH!
Sandslash's attack missed!

Lucario, sensing their movements and knowing they wouldn't hit, landed gracefully on their left on the street. The Sandslash were still airborn when he landed and couldn't maneuver, making them easy targets for the steel jackal. He spread his arms to each side and charged an aura sphere in each. With one swift movement of his arms, both of the energy balls soared through the sandstorm at their intended targets.

LUCARIO USED AURA SPHERE!
Sandslash lost 100% of its health.
..
LUCARIO USED AURA SPHERE!
Sandslash lost 100% of its health.

Both of the Sandslash evaporated before they had ever touched the ground. What part of them did touch the ground was swept away in the storm, no longer possessing a mass enough to escape the whipping winds. Again, as though never having encountered a foe at all, the untouched Lucario pressed further toward his intended target.

Ingram had been running for minutes now. He didn't have long to reach the destination. Apparently, at a junction ahead, two Hippowdon were joining together in order to overwhelm the rain that was beginning to encroach upon the sand. Two of the Hippowdon had already died, both near the center of the city. Ingram had no idea how they other had died, but cared not - one less to deal with. This split the Hippos up on either side of where Ingram had left the trainers and that Lapras to conjure a rain dance. That meant that they were being pushed in from all sides. Them coming together was the obvious solution, but one that would get them killed that much faster. Silly Pokemon - without masters they would set themselves up for death without a second thought.

Ingram rounded a corner and saw his adversaries meeting. The map Lucario had crafted in his mind was perfect, marking their exact locations without fail. Ingram knew that he'd be alone in assisting Lucario, since only they shared the bond necessary for this level of information to be conveyed telepathically.


Lucario could sense them ahead. He would be upon them in a minute at most. He steeled himself for what was to come, as there would only be one chance to end this.

The sky blurred around him as all that was in focus to those blackened eyes was the city ahead. It was just minutes away from feeling his wrath...
"I'll come to Florida one day and make you look like a damn princess." ~Hep

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Kaome Sky Deathand
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Re: Haven

Post by Kaome Sky Deathand » Tue Feb 09, 2010 11:57 pm

"How many are left?"

Crux noticed that the sandstorm was dying down behind them. Here and there a few ferals roamed around, but it was clear that this was nothing more than a distraction. A diversion by the ferals for their main assault on the outpost of Haven. The bandit turned his gaze toward the buildings in the distance and beheld the raging storms combating each other. No doubt the defenders of the city were hard pressed. The civilians dying, their pokemon fleeing or dead at their feet. Part of him didn't care...as long as the Garchomp was slain, they could all die. He returned his attention back to the woman.

"Doesn't matter...they will break and flee."
He stooped to pick up the poison needle and slipped it into the seem of his raiment.
"We should disengage and make for the outpost, its only a matter of time before..." he stopped and turned his head. Beneath him the ground trembled and a low groan sounded. It seemed echoed, three different pitches beneath the dirt gave voice to one sound of warning. He couldn't see it, but he knew. Something was there.

"Mount up..." He said, still staring into the sky.
Behind him a fin with golden rings surfaced.
"...we need to get into cover."
Cruor Vult

Hope, it is the quintessential human delusion,
simultaneously the source of our greatest strength, and our greatest weakness.

Soon we shall be One...joined in the Word.

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Loki
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Re: Haven

Post by Loki » Mon Feb 15, 2010 2:42 am

*TZZT* "Any survivors should report to the Pokemon Center, do not leave the rainstorm. Stay in groups." *TZZT*

Tobias waited for any sign of life outside the Pokemon Center. The radio still crackled with white noise, he wondered if there was any point in trying. The rainstorm settled itself over the majority of Haven's westside, it stretched itself from Riverside all the way to the West Wards. Trainers in the center were anxious, they all expected an attack any time now. Several trainers were on the roof guarding the rain dancers, others remained under the roof taking turns patrolling the ground level. Most of the buildings outside were weathered from the sandstorm, the damage made them unsuitable for viable shelters. The darkness and the subtle gleam of rain made the street more intimidating, the possibility of a feral attack still existed. The storm definitely attracted their attention, it wouldn't be long for a feral attack to occur.

The Pokemon Center stuck out like a sore thumb, it was located in the center of a plaza. It connected three roads that extended out to different parts of the city. They would have to change positions but Tobias had no idea where to go. He observed every street and though
Little bit off to the east led to the Riverside, there was a bridge but it was demolished. Crossing the river would lead straight to the ferals, so that was no good.
To the north was the Market District, majority of Haven's supply depots were located there. But ever since the attack began, there was no contact from them. Tobias assumed the worst and figured they were destroyed in the initial sandstorm. The better choice, the supply depots
And to the west, there was a housing district. Majority of Haven's apartment complexes were located there, but they were abandoned ever since the Apocalypse began.

It was impossible to see anything down the streets while it was raining. Who knows what could be wandering in the city now. Tobias did send out his Infernape to scout, not advisable to send a fire type in the storm but he couldn't trust anyone else and Ingram was out somewhere in the city. All he could do now is stand outside and wait for any news from either from his Pokemon or his radio.


"ROWR!!!"

Step, dash, step.

Infernape disliked the rain, but he had no choice but to adapt. He had been searching for any survivors, most of the buildings were death traps from the damage caused by the sandstorm. Moving building to building, he avoided the rain as much as possible. Most of the streets were muddled from sand and water, it slowed Infernape down but he still managed.

Dash, step, pause.
His ears twitched. Even if his vision was impaired in the rain, his hearing was still acute.
Footprints. Lots of them. Coming in from the Riverside.
He turned his head to face east.
Ferals must have crossed the river. Most likely scouts.
Infernape faced a dilemma, if they were scouts, he could easily dispatch them but he still needed to scout the rest of the city and report back to his master. His ears twitched again.
They are moving a lot faster now, more in a panic. Did something happen beyond the river?
He scaled a wall and jumped into a window. He'll wait here for the ferals to come and he'll ambush them here.
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"RAAAAAAAAK"
The source of their panic was the rain, they were lost and had no idea where they could find some decent cover. There were two Marowaks taking the lead while a Sandslash covered their rear and a Donphan taking center. The two Marowaks were arguing against each other, blaming each other for taking this direction and how they should just wait for main force to attack the city. The Donphan and Sandslash could only wait for their orders but their eyes showed discomfort. Infernape grinned, internal discord is going to make this so much easier. He wasted no time in attacking.

He focused on the weakest member of the group, Sandslash. He leaped out the window and pounced on top of the Sandslash, a swift palm heel strike to the head did the job. The rest of the ferals reacted to the attack, the Marowaks swung their bone clubs and the Donphan curled up and began to charge.

Sidestep, tighten lead shoulder, focus.
An easy dodge but the Donphan was not finished. The feral spun around and charged again, but Infernape did not move, instead he held his stance.
Focus.
The Donphan drew closer and closer.
Focus.
Infernape tightened his focus and punched the Donphan while it was charging. The blow went through the thick hide and shattered all the bones from the impact. The feral's body twisted and convulsed, the now-broken Pokemon was sent away into a wall where it would lay motionless.
Three down, two more to go.

The rain was still pouring, most of the trainers in the center were restless. They didn't want to hide under a roof, most of them wanted to fight the ferals on their own grounds but at this point, there was no choice but to hide under a roof. Tobias still stood outside waiting for radio contact and now Infernape. He had confidence in Infernape's return but the Pokemon is unusually late, could it be ferals? He shrugged off the idea and looked around the plaza, still nothing.

Tobias turned around, there was commotion in the center and it grew louder and louder. The door swung open and angry trainers and civilians began to riot just outside the center. Most of their complaints were about leaving the center and attacking the feral head on and if Tobias didn't take charge, they will do it on their on. Trying to quell the crowd, he tried persuading the trainers but words had no affect on them. It was about to get antsy here, he had no choice but to subdue the crowd. As he grabs his last Pokeball on his belt, a voice echoed through his head. It was loud and clear.

"My friends, you must listen. There are six sources of the storm. Each is across the river on the abandoned side of the city. The bridges are out, so anything that can swim or fly can reach them. We must stifle the storm with haste, as I do not doubt this as a preparation for an impending assault. Be forewarned, there is a tremendous psychic presence supporting the sandstorms."

It was Ingram's Lucario, usually Tobias didn't get communicate with Lucario unless it was absolutely necessary, usually when Ingram isn't there to speak for Lucario. The crowd calmed down and everyone listened to the Pokemon, Tobias sighed wishing that he had the same psychic ability.

"All civilians, you must come to the Pokemon Center. I will guide you to the safest place for you now."


Tobias nodded at Lucario, he ordered several trainers to gather everyone in the hospital to regroup on the plaza. In a short period of time, all of the civilians and trainers were outside. Most of the trainers had their Pokemon out, aware that ferals could be in the city and they could ambush them at any moment. They started their way to the Department Store with Lucario in the lead. While moving, Tobias looked up and noticed that the rain has weakened.

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"RAAAAK!!"
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"GROWRRR!!"
Infernape was taking down a Marowak, he was able to disarm the feral and used to the club for himself. The club's weight slowed down Infernape but it allowed him to be on par with the other club-wielding Marowak. He swung the club at the Marowak's side, the feral parried it away and flung his club at Infernape's face. The bonemerang grazed his face but with a quick duck, he returned an attack to the Marowak's head. The blow shattered the bone helmet and killing the feral at the same time, Infernape threw the club away and looked up at the sky. The clouds were becoming lighter and the rain weaker, did something happen over at the Pokemon Center?


The reason for the storm weakening was because the rain dance had to be stopped in order to move everyone from the center to the department store. Every now and then, a Pokemon had to stop and support the storm to prevent it from scattering. Tobias was amazed the sandstorm didn't overpower the rain, were the ferals tired of wasting energy trying to take down the rainstorm? Maybe someone was taking out the sources Lucario mentioned? He chuckled at the idea that someone was out there battling ferals with no contact.

It wasn't long for the group to reach the department store, they followed Lucario down to the underground levels of the building where they would be safe according to the Pokemon. Amazingly, the building was still standing in the midst of the weather chaos, Tobias ordered several trainers to split up into search parties while one group heads for the roof. The rain was still weakening, it would require much attention to strengthen it back to it's original size and power. The rain dancers left the level while a handful of trainers remained to watch over the civilians.

Tobias escorted the rain dancers to the roof, they were exhausted from constantly moving around and squeezing their strength to keep the storm up. Roserade took care of the team, her aromatherapy gave energy to everyone but even that wasn't going to last. Tobias knew he had to replenish their energy, but there was no time. He pulled out a makeshift poffin case from his belt, they were pokemon rations that he was saving up for a day like this. There were enough for each pokemon, he fed Roserade and everybody else a poffin.

Their strength were replenished enough for one more rain dance, they raised the skies and the clouds began to shift and turn. In their last ditch effort, the rain became heavier and the winds became fiercer. Tobias had to hold on to a railing, the wind was so strong in this altitude, he could be swept from his feet. He looked down the streets and swore, ferals were surrounding the building. They were waiting for this moment, those bastards.

Infernape began running towards the Pokemon Center, he did not care if he left the corpses behind for other ferals to find. The rainstorm was weakening, something must have happened to the rain dance. He took shortcuts through buildings and cutting through alleys. His ears twitched, the subtle hint of movement from the east bothered him. Ferals were crossing the river. There were lots of them, they must have noticed the weakened storm but he heard movement ahead of him. It came from the Pokemon Center, it sounded like they were moving out. Infernape quickened his pace, he had no time to waste.

By the time he reached the center, it was already too late. They had already left and abandoned the Pokemon Center. He wanted to blame himself for taking the time to take out the scout party, but he knew that it would only waste more time. His ears twitched and his eyes narrowed, their tracks indicated that everyone was heading north. He turned his head and focused to the east, the ferals were moving faster now. It would take less than a couple minutes for them to reach the plaza. Infernape spun around and sprinted down the street, he must find everyone before the ferals do.
Let's do what comes naturally
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I'll be waiting in Haven.

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Scarlet
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Re: Haven

Post by Scarlet » Thu Feb 18, 2010 7:23 pm

"Mount up... we need to get into cover."

The earth grumbled beneath them, shivering slightly as Crux's Onix made his presence known. Joanna looked around. The few remaining ferals she could see were scattered. Some drove on toward the city while others fled for the safety of the desert. She glanced at the sky, saw nothing. Shrugged and turned back to Crux.

"OK, let's go. Aker, to me." She said, moving toward the sandstone fin. Before Aker returned to his Poke Ball, he snuffed out the last living Sandslash. It had still been squirming on the ground, screeching, head in its claws, its face masked with blood, cut open by Joanna's knife.

"More trouble?" Joanna asked as she neared, sheathing her knife.

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TheDeathstalker
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Re: Haven

Post by TheDeathstalker » Mon Feb 22, 2010 10:15 pm

Razor's tail whipped through the air, then suddenly halting, the Marowak's blood flying off of his cleaver, leaving it clean as the day it was forged. With the casualties suffered by these ferals, the Salamence's field of view was rapidly growing, and now included the wall of water he struck on his way down.

He approached it carefully, as a water Pokemon capable of erecting such a barrier in the midst of the storm must be quite powerful. His muscles tensed as Zael's scent grew stronger, his tail raising, ready to cleave down upon whatever fools stood before him. His form lowered, claws digging into the ground, readying to burst forth with terrible force.

The world stood still for a moment, the calm amidst the storm. This pause not one of hesitation, but of focus, as every bone, muscle and thought aligned with a singular purpose.

The moment broke with thunderous force, the ground where the Salamence stood fractions of a second ago now a maelstrom of splinters. Razor's right wing took the force, but his beastly strength and speed had him on the other side too fast for the torrent to affect him.

Instinct took over, his claws digging into scaled flesh, his wings driving his tackle through the far wall of the whirlpool, as the two titans burst out the other side.
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Shear swam with all his might, but the blood gushing from his side was draining his strength at a frightening pace.

He had been stupid, dropped his guard, and the Rampardos didn't waste the opportunity, rushing out of the storm at full tilt, almost instantly closing the distance, to pound through his thick steel shell.

The only reason he was still breathing as of current was the ferocity of the river, which, despite his injuries, he was more capable of traversing than the monster chasing him. He hadn't actually seen the Rampardos since it hit him, its prehistoric mass enough to drop it right to the bottom of the river. The Lapras figured however, that with such a mass behind it, it was likely trodding the riverbed, and would make up any distance Shear would give him.

So he pushed until his left flippers went numb, and vision grew dim. He had to find help, then perhaps he could return to his duties.

Slapping his right fins up onto the riverbank, he drug the rest of himself out of the waters, intentionally keeping his gaze from his wound.

Woooop! Whooooop!

He crawled along the streets, calling for help, but unsure as to where it may be. The city appeared deserted, the rest of the trainers must be hiding somewhere. He could only pray someone would hear his call before...

*Rumble* *Rumble*

He turned back, the earthquake coming from the river, and watched in horror as the Rampardos rose with the earth beneath him, forming a land bridge which granted him access to the city, a dozen smaller ferals in tow.

Leaning against a nearby building and bracing himself against it, he prepared himself for his end, hoping to take out as many ferals as he could before they overwhelmed and slaughtered him.
And though you come out of each gruelling bout,
All broken and beaten and scarred,
Just have one more try—it’s dead easy to die,
It’s the keeping-on-living that’s hard.

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Kaome Sky Deathand
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Re: Haven

Post by Kaome Sky Deathand » Wed Feb 24, 2010 6:23 pm

Crux turned to look at Lane as she sheathed her blade.
"Isn't there always..." he stated. He turned his gaze away from the sky and looked once more to the outpost. A battle raged and the streets and buildings were no place for Sutekh. Still, that was where he meant to go. The ground shifted, meaning he did not have much time...Sutekh was getting restless.
"Come..." he spoke, stepping up to the fin and taking a golden ring. "...we do not have much time."

He waited for her to join him.
Cruor Vult

Hope, it is the quintessential human delusion,
simultaneously the source of our greatest strength, and our greatest weakness.

Soon we shall be One...joined in the Word.

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Scarlet
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Re: Haven

Post by Scarlet » Thu Feb 25, 2010 7:38 pm

Joanna walked over to Crux's Onix, settled in the same way she had the first time.

"Nothing from the radio, this far out. Hopefully we get more than static closer to the city." She said and paused, staring at Haven.

"Thanks, by the way."

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Rising_Dusk
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Re: Haven

Post by Rising_Dusk » Fri Feb 26, 2010 5:07 pm

The sandstorm rages.
Time of Day: Just Before Dusk

Lucario ran. He crossed the threshold of the hill he was running up and saw them, clear as day, there waiting for him. There were so many of them, it was almost suicide to take them all on at once. Almost. He kept his pace, never slowing, never opening his eyes, and never wavering. The Pokemon he ran against had noticed him, for their level of alert was too high for him to not be noticed. This was it; do or die.
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The Golem and Donphan curled up and began rolling right at him. He knew that with however many Ground-types there were in his midst, the only attacks he'd have to fear were those. Rock-typed attacks could be all but shrugged off. Lucario's eyes opened immediately - him stopping his charge instantly and looking forward into the rolling titans coming toward him. Lucario charged an Aura Sphere in each arm, but had better plans for them than throwing it at the thick-hided creatures.

GOLEM USED ROLLOUT!
..
DONPHAN USED ROLLOUT!

Lucario leaped into the air before they were upon him, throwing both of his Aura Spheres directly beneath himself. The shockwave flung him several dozen feet into the air, well out of reach of the rolling creatures. Where he was once standing, a large pit was now present - one that was marred with jagged spikes from the shattered cement plates of the once-street.

Golem's attack missed!
Golem is hurt by the spikes!
Golem lost 25% of its health.
..
Donphan's attack missed!
Donphan is hurt by the spikes!
Donphan lost 25% of its health.

Two Marowak stepped forth from the crowd of ferals, each readying its own Bonemerang for an attack on the airborne Lucario. Lucario sensed this well in advance, adjusting his momentum and charging two Aura Spheres in each of his hands once more. He would have to aim just right...

MAROWAK USED BONEMERANG!
..
MAROWAK USED BONEMERANG!

LUCARIO USED AURA SPHERE!
The Bonemerang was destroyed!
LUCARIO USED AURA SPHERE!
The Bonemerang was destroyed!

The Marowak were stunned, unsure of what to do with their weapons mercilessly destroyed by the Lucario. Lucario landed from his back flip and fell swiftly to one knee under his own weight from such a fall. The ferals had had enough of this bothersome Pokemon. The Marowak, despite having no weapon, charged at Lucario. Meanwhile, the Golem and Donphan had recovered from their pitfall and were rounding about for another Rollout. Lucario took in his surroundings and focused, eyes intent upon his next adversaries, knowing that the next few minutes could very well be his last despite his training.
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LUCARIO USED SWORDS DANCE!
Lucario's attack sharply rose!
..
Lucario is tightening its focus!

Lucario, taking extreme care so that his efforts would not be in vain, swiveled upon one foot and lunged directly into the oncoming Golem. It was completely unaware of the attack, being that it was in the middle of a Rollout.

LUCARIO USED FOCUS PUNCH!
It's super effective!
Golem lost 786% of its health.
Lucario lost 14% of its health.

The attack was successful, but as Lucario had expected, the momentum of the oncoming Golem hit his fist hard in return. Fortunately, the rocky beast was split into six fragments by the devastating punch, each piece rocketing off in a different direction and none of them into Lucario.

DONPHAN USED ROLLOUT!
It's not very effective...
Lucario lost 6% of its health.

Lucario, his fists raised and protecting his face, weathered the Donphan's attack. Fortunately for Lucario, his typing made him quadruply resistant to Rock attacks, and so the Rollout did virtually nothing. The Marowak were nearly upon him from behind. Lucario's right paw began glowing a dull blue as he turned from the momentarily dazed Donphan to engage the first Marowak before him.

MAROWAK USED HEADBUTT!
It's not very effective...
Lucario lost 13% of its health.

Lucario resisted the headbutt, partially parrying it off of his left arm as he reached back with his right for his counter-attack.

LUCARIO USED ICE PUNCH!
It's super effective!
Marowak lost 344% of its health.

The next Marowak was upon him, lowering his head for a similar attack that his fallen comrade had just made. As Lucario braced for the attack, however, the Marowak raised his head early and smashed it into the ground before him just 6 feet away from Lucario. Lucario, knowing the danger he was in, barely leaped off of the ground as the attack connected, grazing him as he escaped.

MAROWAK USED EARTHQUAKE!
It's super effective!
Lucario lost 47% of its health.

Lucario, now airborne again, was finally feeling the sting of the constant barrage of attacks he was suffering. His focus was slightly wearing off and he began to feel light-headed from the battering. He couldn't give up at this point, though, they had so much left to accomplish, and Ingram...

Ingram could wait no longer.

Ingram had burst forth from behind cover moments ago, when the Earthquake struck Lucario, and was running directly at the nearest feral he could get to. There were far too many for him to reach Lucario, but he could potentially distract the rest from attacking Lucario further. He struck forth with his staff, jabbing it into the back of a Marowak, it's unprotected hide giving way as the spear-tipped staff sunk deep into its heart. It cried out and then gurgled until it made no more sounds. The rest of the ferals, including a Hippowdon, gazed down upon him from their positions in the once-park. They charged.

"MASTER, NO!!"

Ingram's form was dancing about ferals, striking at them while parrying their own attacks. His staff could resist the thick club of a Marowak, but against the Hippowdon that now charged him, he would be smashed. Lucario landed from his jump, the Marowak and Donphan that had been attacking him momentarily distracted by Ingram's bold attack. Lucario couldn't bare to fail, not now, not letting Ingram commit suicide to distract the ferals. No. IT WOULD NOT COME TO PASS.

"GET OUT OF MY WAY!"

His voice echoed in the heads of every feral within a mile of their position. He would not be ignored. He rushed forth at his two closest adversaries, no longer caring for anything but that Ingram survived.

LUCARIO USED CLOSE COMBAT!
Marowak lost 1048% of its health.
Lucario's defense fell!
Lucario's special defense fell!
..
LUCARIO USED CLOSE COMBAT!
Donphan lost 459% of its health.
Lucario's defense fell!
Lucario's special defense fell!

Their frail forms fell to the ground with pockmarks in them made by the spikes on the back of Lucario's paws. Each punch of his several dozen made there punctured their fragile bodies, leaving them dead and bleeding out of every orifice before they'd even realized he was attacking. Lucario charged the rest of the ferals, never missing a beat, never closing his eyes. Not even their God could save them now.
"I'll come to Florida one day and make you look like a damn princess." ~Hep

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Kaome Sky Deathand
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Re: Haven

Post by Kaome Sky Deathand » Wed Mar 03, 2010 8:05 pm

"As the Sand Gods will." Crux mumbled before knocking the golden ring thrice.
They began to move with an increasing pace, ripping through the earth as if was water. Crux stood, swaying with the natural movement, gazing into the sky and the outpost before them. It had begun to grow dark and the hairs on his neck stood on end, as if the night sky brought some harbinger of doom down upon them all. For all he knew, it most likely did. He could see the storm clearly enough, clouds hovering on one side as an unnatural rain storm fought against the swirling sands. He had expected the storm to be fiercer, but perhaps the ferals were not as organized as he once feared. He rested a hand on the hilt of his Spider sword and narrowed his hawk-like gaze. The fighting in the city would be fierce indeed...

"Tell me Dammen Lane...would you rather meet up with your allies in the city or accompany me?"
He turned back to look at her.
"I care not which but you should decide soon."
Cruor Vult

Hope, it is the quintessential human delusion,
simultaneously the source of our greatest strength, and our greatest weakness.

Soon we shall be One...joined in the Word.

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Jericho Veronus
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Re: Haven

Post by Jericho Veronus » Wed Mar 03, 2010 9:00 pm

The Teddiursa climbing around on his shoulders rubbed the parts of his soaked hair that still had some of the white powder. Acquiring it on his own paws, he proceeded to use it to draw on himself. The man was crouched on a single knee, a map spread out in front of him.

"Alright, get word to Omen and meet us here tomorrow morning. We'll go from there."

He looked up at the Houndoom, he had been talking to. The pokemon had a somewhat solemn look upon its face. While it didn't show much in the way of emotion, his master knew full well any emotion the creature was feeling; it was further confirmed when the Houndoom placed his paw upon the map marking the very city they had just left.

"I told you, not our problem. We'll probably make our way back there at some point, but they're in way over their heads."

He stood up, folding up the map and placing it within a back pocket. The Teddiursa attempted to grasp at the back of his shirt, since the standing motion caused it to slip off. It plopped to the ground and just sat there for a moment as though dazed and confused as to what had just occurred. Regaining a sense of position, realizing where it was it stood up again and attempted to re-climb his master.

"Alright little guy, let's go, we gotta stop by Kraven's place."

With one hand the he picked up the Teddiursa and sat him on his shoulder. Using his owner's head for balance, the Teddiursa stood upon his shoulder and began flexing what little muscle he had, as though showing off to a non-existent audience of his great feat in conquering the human.
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May God have mercy on your soul, for you shall find none here!

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