Idiots Afoot

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His head was high, his eyes were closed, and each step was taken in sheer confidence. The grass around him reached higher than he stood, but the path he followed made sure he had an easy walk. His loud mouth could be heard for practical miles with how little he cared about being silent, "I promise you Em, you're gonna LOVE it here! It's WAAAAAY better than the library. It wasn't even that hard to get to."

The zorua opened his eyes to the world ahead of him, a few rolling hills in the distance caught his eye. A single tree stood upon it, but it looked as if the plant fell long ago. It was such a simple piece of nature, but the prospect of investigating it excited him. With an excited wiggle of his body, he leapt forward and dash towards it. The wind in his fur felt absolutely amazing; This was so much different from boring ol' Grassveil and Shadowhue!

He slowed briefly before he jumped up on top of the log of the elderly fallen tree. He looked on at the expansive flat lands before him as energy that rivaled the static charge that floated in the air around him coursed through his veins. Was this what his father felt like when he went into dungeons? Probably not considering he looked like an alcoholic deadbeat last time Chance saw him, but there had to be a reason why the glaceon became an explorer in the first place right?

"Wooooow, Em come look at this!" he encouraged his sister. He waited to hear the sound of her paws scratching against the bark to hop up alongside him, but he heard nothing. "Em?" His stupidly wide grin faded into curiosity as he turned around to look at his sister for the first time in literal hours. There was no sister in sight. A concerned shout escaped his mouth briefly before he started to look around more fervently, "Em? Emmelyn? Emmy?" he called out for his sister in vain as he turned in circles. He half expected her to simply materialize behind him and ask him to stop shouting, but nothing came.

"C'mon Em this isn't funny!" he shouted, his tone slightly offended that she dared to hide from him. He sprang towards one end of the log and peered into the inside of the hollow innards, effectively looking inside completely upside down. "Em?" She wasn't there. His heart sank. He lifted his head back up while his hind-legs failed to support him. He sat upon the log with lowered ears. "Where did you go?" he asked in a much quieter tone. Did...did she stay back at Grassveil?


Lost, hungry, and most of all desperate. He decided that it would have been fun to visit the one place that seemed friendly to electric types such as himself, but instead he simply became lost for days. The jolteon struggled to hunt in these parts, unable to familiarize himself with the prey and enact proper strategies on top of being unable to find any edible items to fill his stomach.

Fortunately, however, he was given a stroke of luck. As he trudged miserably through the tall grass of the electric field, the shrill sound of someone yelling caught his attention. His bitten ear twitched before his head swiveled in the direction of the source. Yes...it was definitely somebody. Somebody small from the sounds of it. His stomach growled. It was time for the circle of life to continue its cycle.

The electric type lowered his body to the ground and quickly-yet quietly skulked forwards. His yellow color blended in with the golden grass that rose out of the ground higher than he stood. He headed towards the sound of the voice, up a hill and closer until he came across a small clearing at the top of the hill that held the log and stump of a fallen tree. He could see the form of a small zorua at the top of the log who looked a little depressed about something.

Erebus smirked, food. Easy food. Finally, he could get his stomach to leave him alone. He took a step forward, however, hesitated. He could run forth and pounce on the fox the old fashion way...or he could use his new abilities as a Jolteon to his advantage. He had not tried hunting with his powers, but it could not have possibly been any different from average combat. With how weak the zorua looked, he could not imagine it would take more than a single Thunder to deal with it.

The Jolteon's body began to crackle with electricity as he steadily stepped out from the grass, his eyes focused on the dark type. He was behind the zorua, so it did not yet see him. There was no way it could smell him from there either. His plan was simple: get as close as he can to the Zorua. If the prey showed any sign of noticing him, then he could unleash the charge onto them and claim his dinner...

The fact that he was kissed was honestly kind of a mood-killer. The rat ceased his struggling with the kiss and simply laid there in utter confusion as the skitty backed off. Was...was this some sort of Stockholm syndrome thing? He sat himself once the skitty backed off of him.

...Stop fighting? But things were just getting fun weren't they? The rat was oblivious to the fate of his friends, up until he could hear the nearby A.Raichu's voice quiver. He didn't hear what exactly was said, but he knew the tone. At least, he thought he did. The rattata eyed the skitty as she smiled ever so warmly at him.

"...Yes." the rattata huffed as he rubbed the spot where the skitty had kissed him, "It wasn't supposed to go like this..." He couldn't help the annoyed grumble and cautious tone. His eyes remained on the skitty, just in case this little cat had the same idea he assumed his friend to have had.

It was a little disturbing how she could smile after being so messed up, but that didn't matter. All that did matter, was that he sold what he presumed to be a facade. All he had to do was get closer to her...maybe he could hit that open wound of her's with the sludge...

----

Well, if this Raichu didn’t want to cooperate with him, then he was just going to have to make him. The body was weak, but if he played his cards right then he should be able to do it, right? All he really needed to do was take out the raichu’s eyes. Chance had gotten the face before, but he failed to actually hit any major points. He launched the body forward with extended glowing claws, the strikes far more precise and intentional than before. Unfortunately for him, the Raichu was faster.

A duck to the side and his paws met the ground with another stumble and fall. Okay, maybe this was going to be a bit more difficult than he thought. He could still do it though. He had to. The zorua turned back to the raichu just as they spoke up, “Woah! Hey-kid, please c’mon. I really don’t wanna hurt you. Uhh...wh-what’s your name? Mine’s Yin! We can talk this out right?”

Oh, like all the talking his friends did for the others? Yeah. He wasn’t falling for that. He didn’t respond as he instead made another jump for the Raichu. Once again, the rat doged. This time, however, his landing was more intentional and precise. A twist of the paw and he bolted right into Yin with a dark gaze. The pursuit trap worked. Dodging was not an option. He rammed right into the electric type’s stomach and caused them to keel over.

He wasted no time in his attempt to swipe upward at the Raichu’s eyes. He could feel his claws connect to the electrical fur, a few shocks being sent up his arm from the static, but he continued despite it. Fur, fur, fur, nose, there. A squeak of pain. The Raichu peeled away with a quick bolt as the zorua flopped onto the floor again with less grace than before.

He picked himself back up to the sight of the raichu’s fur standing on end. The tail stood straight up as it curled over with a paw over its stomach and the other over its left eye. He could see blood drip from the eye. Had he gotten to the eye itself or did it successful defend it? Either way, he needed to get rid of the other if he could. “K-Kid please!” the raichu begged, “If you keep it up, I can’t just not shock you.”

“Let us leave.” He attempted negotiation once more. It was a simple task.

“I-I can’t! Y-Yang and the others’ll be angry with me…a-and who's us??” Yin forced himself to stand tall, though he still held a paw over his eye.

“Then too bad.” Same dance as the last, he bolted forward again. He expected the raichu to dodge again, however, this time the electric type stood its ground and met the attack. He was grabbed. Odd. It seemed as if his attacks were doing next to nothing to this guy.

“You have one more chance!” Yin struggled, clearly in pain.

“Funny you say that.” The zorua squirmed in the Raichu’s grip. Yep, he’d gotten that eye. It was practically sealed shut with blood oozing around it. He felt satisfied with this, but the job was only partially done. He twisted, squirmed, and wrestled as the Raichu’s body crackled with electricity-more warnings he refused to heed. The zorua’s claws extended as he attempted to lash out for the other eye, but thoroughly missed. His claws connected with the fur instead before the body began to seize in ways out of his control. It seemed as if it stopped responding all together as it tensed up before going limp.

His eyes rolled into the back of his head and his vision went dark.

Darcy bit her lip, almost feeling sorry for her adversary. She didn't want to fight anyone, and somehow, she felt as though they hadn't really wanted to fight either... Of course, this didn't go so far as to actually   pity them. They'd still hurt her sister, but.... At the same time, she couldn't entirely blame them either. For robbery, yes, but for the violence...? It could've been avoided had Senya not launched himself head-first into battle... And now everyone was suffering for it...

Her charm seemed to have worked... Or maybe he really did want to stop fighting... Which was entirely fine by her! Darcy took a slow, cautious step forward towards the Rattata, wiping the remaining sludge from her face. It was disgusting, but... She didn't really want to reciprocate. Why fight fire with fire? The fighting was over, anyways.

"...Yeah, it wasn't, huh? I wish we could've talked it out before-hand..." She said quietly, her gaze falling to the ground. It was disheartening that all of this had occurred... "...But you guys shouldn't be doing this kind of thing to people in the first place... It's wrong. Not to mention illegal... Y'all should figure out something else to do. I'm sure you guys have other talents! It's just... Someone's going to get really hurt one day if you guys keep doing this..." She trailed off, looking back up at the Rattata, any hostility she had before gone. If things were over, then... Then Alki would be alright. And there wasn't any reason to be upset anymore... Maybe the hospital bills, but... Well... Actually, that might be upsetting...

"I-I'm just happy you guys stopped fighting..." Darcy finished, pawing at the ground softly. If he was going to attack her, then she surely wouldn't notice. She didn't even consider the fight continuing to be on the cards before... Both of them had clearly stated their intention to stop, so what threat was there...?

~

From the moment the first words had escaped Sova's mouth, Alki felt certain that he wouldn't be hurting anyone anymore. He was insulting the Raichu, but both of them seemed just about ready to quit, so she had no reason to be there any more. It's not like she wanted to gloat. It's not like she had anything to gloat about. She'd gotten taken hostage, almost killed herself with Darcy watching, and then gotten a lucky hit in. Big whoop.

Alki turned tail and walked aimlessly back into the brush. Darcy was busy talking down some other Pokemon, but Chance was nowhere in sight. She'd have to go find him... If everyone else was busy, then that'd be the best way for them to go home as soon as possible. Find Chance, and tell him that it's be time for them to go home...

"...Chance?" Alki called out, as loudly as she could muster. She still felt as though she were in a dream. It failed to occur to her that it might be dangerous for her to wander about in search of him alone, given her previous injuries. She just wanted things to be over and done with.

Alki was just about to call his name out once more, when she heard snippets of a conversation happening some distance away. She stopped, trying to force her ears to make the sounds clearer. Of course, she had little to no control over that. Only time would fix them, if anything did. Alki followed the source of the sound with a bored expression on her face. This whole day had been so exhausting, and she just wanted it to be done with.

The jigglypuff walked into a clearing with the Raichu holding Chance. Well... That was upsetting. She supposed. Alki sighed at this development, unable to conjure up any stronger emotions. It was as though she'd used them all up, and now she was just going through the motions in a daze...

The Raichu seemed to be bleeding from his eye. That was... upsetting. Alki reached a hand up gingerly to her own face, softly poking the area below her own eye. That must hurt...

The Jigglypuff directed her gaze upwards at the Raichu as she cleared her throat, before she began. "H-Hey, uh..." She said, before devolving into a coughing fit. She probably looked half-dead, huh...? Not that she would've noticed. She recovered, before finishing. "P-Please let g-go of my f-friend... I-I'll f-fight you... I-If you don't." She said, although her current physical state and fragile voice did little to sell her threat.

She still meant every word of it though...

~

The Raichu breathed a heavy sigh of relief as the Glaceon released his friend, and agreed to his surrender. He didn't even really mind being called pathetic. Normally he would've never tolerated such a slight to his ego, but... Where had fighting gotten him...? A dead friend, and everyone else seemed to be injured... He didn't know what to say. It was hard to say anything. He'd never suffered a loss like this, but he was smart enough to know that fighting any more wouldn't bring anything fruitful.

"...Thank you." He managed at first, taking a few seconds to look at his friend. He seemed to be breathing, which was... That was good. A silver lining... He didn't have the heart to check on the Dedenne. Not right now... "I'll... Y-Yeah, I'll call 'em off, no problem..." He said, taking a few more seconds before standing up and giving off a loud whistle. He certainly hoped everyone would hear, but he supposed it might be possible that some of them had walked out of earshot... He hadn't seen Yin in a while.

"'EY! KNOCK IT OFF YOU GUYS! WE'RE DONE! LET'S GO HOME!" He yelled out at the top of his lungs, which was... really loud. Still, he wanted to make absolutely sure that things didn't escalate any further... "...Heh. Maybe I should get a career choice, what do you think?" He said, a disappointed look crossing his face. He'd failed one of his friends, and if he kept doing this, he was bound to fail the rest... One day.

"I'll take my leave... Let me just help my friend, and I'll be off... You're good, y'know. First time I've ever lost... You should..." He snuck a glance at his frozen companion before finishing, but he found his gaze lingering. "You should relax a bit though..." He said, quieter now, as he slowly felt tears began to fall. He could afford a second... It was over, anyways.

The raichu's demeanor had changed quite a bit now that he no longer felt like he had the high ground. It was funny how that worked; someone could act so confident as long as they thought they were the dominant one in a situation. Senya wouldn't dare to change his attitude for anyone or anything. He would stay true to himself for as long as he lived, even if it happened to be the thing to get him killed in the end. The only thing he truly had was his sense of self, and he could never imagine changing that when in danger like this raichu was doing. He couldn't "relax" either, for similar reasons... but he didn't need to defend himself. All he cared about right now was that he had won, he had done his job, and there were no allied casualties that could be blamed on him. Hopefully.

"I'm just strong," he responded, giving the raichu a weak glare. His body shook before his legs partially gave out on him, causing him to collapse into a sitting position. Now that the adrenline of the fight was wearing off, he was beginning to pant heavily and having difficulties just keeping himself awake. "If I were good, I'd be a lot better off right now..." he continued, his voice growing more strained. He was willing to show humility, especially toward someone who had proven able to back up their words so well. "My conviction is all I have going for me, really," he added on, "If I relaxed... I would have nothing."

Every fiber of his being begged for him to pass out now that the fighting was over, but he didn't trust the rats not to change their minds about surrendering the second he dropped. He needed to stay upright and conscious, and be ready for them to try something. He needed to be a deterrent... and if that failed, he would need to fight again. His gaze trailed around the battlefield, confirming that the other raichu and the not-raichu were... incapacitated at the very least. He wasn't sure where the other raichu was, so that just left the rattata to focus on, and he seemed... well, upset with this outcome, to say the least. Senya chose to dedicate a bit of his attention to this one, just in case it tried to hurt Darcy...

"Cat," he barked, his voice still strained, "Hear that? Fighting's over. You good? And where's the kid?" Of course, he knew Darcy's name and species, so he by no means had to call her Cat... but politeness wasn't something he concerned himself with. At least he was asking about her well-being, right? That was what he was supposed to do after a fight, he was pretty sure...

He wasn't trying to be rude to his... riveting conversation partner here, but he wanted to make sure Darcy wasn't dying before he even considered continuing to entertain himself with the talkative raichu's presence. Plus, he wanted to ensure that the bitter-looking rattata understood that the fight was over... and that he was watching.

Funny. He generally wasn't so cautious about things.

...How long was A.Raichu going to drag this out for? The rattata kept his eyes on the skitty as the distance between them closed. This was a perfect opportunity. When was A.Rachu going to give the signal? C'moooon coward, he's in a perfect position! The rattata's frustration built up with each passing second. His anticipation killed him...until he realized...was...was he actually giving up? What the hell?! All of this for nothing? They were really just going to let these assholes go just like that?

The rattata's expression twisted to shock. No. Hell no. They weren't done until he said they were done. If A.Raichu wasn't going to give a signal, then he'd just take initiative for the coward. They were leaving here winners or they were going to die trying. The rattata was quick to suddenly turn with bulging cheeks again, this time the Sludge Bomb directed towards a more vital point on the skitty's body. The place where it'd be sure to get a nasty and dangerous infection...

----

Yin's eye widened when one of the pokemon from the zorua's group showed up. She looked beaten practically three-fourth to death! His ears fell as a look of uncertainty came over his expression. His eyes snapped to the zorua before a sudden realization came over him. "I-It's not what it looks like-okay maybe it's a little i-it kinda depends on what you're thinking. H-He wouldn't stop and I only just-" he didn't know what to say or do, so eventually he took to shaking the body a little, panicking.

"H-Hey, Chance, right? Wake up! C'mon, I only paralyzed you!" Yin whispered to the zorua frantically, "Your friend's here, you wanted to go back right??"

----

The eyes opened to the frantic movement of the entire body. It was apparent to him that he'd underestimated the damage on the body. The eyes perceived double of the raichu's face...was it using Double Team? The body was placed onto the ground, but the paws couldn't support it. It was a challenge to move the head and get a good view of the area around him-like the body wanted to reject the very idea of movement.

He could see the jigglypuff. Alki. She looked injured. The raichu backed away from them with his paws in the air, "H-Hey now, you don't look like you're in any position to fight a-and I don't want a fight...not either of you!"

Was the problem just going to solve itself? He needed to get the body back to Dad-especially since it was so injured. The struggle to stand was great, but it felt like all energy from before had left them. It was annoying, really. One paw at a time, he tried to get up. Surprisingly, he felt something...helping him up? It was the raichu. The tail helped support the weight until he was on all four paws. No, stranger danger. He moved away from the tail, but the legs simply gave out from under him once more. He couldn't walk.

A voice rang out, it sounded like the alolan raichu. A cease fire was being called. The raichu with him and Alki seemed confused. The raichu looked between the two of them and hesitated, but it eventually asked, "D-Do you two want a ride back...?"

The zorua looked to Alki for an answer.

Darcy watched the Rattata curiously. He didn't have anything to say...? Nothing at all? After everything that had happened, and all the things she'd said, there was just... nothing? Well, that was a bit rude... Then again, maybe she'd been the one to say something wrong...? It was possible, for sure! Darcy wiped her cheek once more, getting the last of the sludge off. It stung a bit, but there was surely some remedy she could find once she got back home... The Skitty's ears flattened as she looked down at her chest wound. It was big, and bleeding once again, with all the recent excitement, she'd hardly even noticed.

"S-Should 'prolly get it stitched up, huh...?" She remarked absently, as though it were nothing more than market small talk. If he didn't want to talk about anything too serious, that was alright by her, but she didn't want to be completely silent! She didn't want to make it seem as though she hated them... She didn't. Strong dislike, perhaps! But as the Raichu had said before, Enemies today, friends tomorrow... Or something like that.

Darcy jumped as she heard a voice say... something. Cat? What did that... Oh. Her. She was a cat. Darcy turned lightly over to the Glaceon, shaking her head. "I-I'm not a cat. I'm a Skitty. More importantly, I have a name. Please call me by that..." She said. Her tone indicated a small bit of annoyance, but she figured that his question was probably too important to go unanswered.

She turned back to the Rattata to ask him about Chance's whereabouts. If his side had lost, it was only fair that they give Chance back! She only wanted to talk! As she turned to do so, however, she noticed his cheeks bulging, and more out of instinct than anything, stumbled to the side so as to dodge. No conscious thought really crossed her mind, only the need for avoidance. Her paws got tied up with each other, like a clumsy 'Mon trying to dance, and she fell to her side.

She wasn't fast enough to completely dodge the attack. Her face scrunched up in pain, and she couldn't help but let out an injured cry as she fell to her side. It was, perhaps, more dramatic than it really was. It was more the shock of a sneak attack than anything else, but it still burned. She supposed she was lucky that it was the shoulder that Senya hadn't begun his torture process on.

As lucky as she could be while she was getting attacked... Darcy drew up her paws towards her chest, as though attempting to block any future attacks towards her chest. She could not afford that much more treatment, and her parents still needed some money this month...

~

Alki blinked as the ringing in her ears began to subside, painfully, slowly. It was a welcome development... She could start to hear things a bit better... Not very well, mind you, but she could probably carry a conversation without getting too close. Right now, though, the conversation seemed to be rather one sided... He was talking about how it wasn't what it looked like, and that Chance wouldn't stop, and... Then he started to try to get Chance to wake up. She almost felt a bit bad for him... He was apologetic, at least.

The girl watched as the Raichu began to back away, his paws in the air. That did little to console the balloon. He was claiming that she wasn't in any state to fight. Of course she was! Otherwise, she wouldn't have come! She would've gotten Senya! At least... That's what she told herself. But she knew she was wrong. She closed her eyes as her vision began to get blurry, and she once more felt the urge to pass out. But she couldn't! At least... Not yet! If she passed out, he'd kill her! All the other Raichu had had so much fun kicking her around and electrocuting her and if he got an opening to hurt her, he'd take it! ...And that'd probably kill her...

...Darcy wasn't around, was she...? Her old thoughts began to seep back into her mind, which really weren't that old at all.. Just a few minutes ago, weren't they...? There was a chance Darcy wouldn't even find her...

"I can... f-fight! T-That's... D-Don't underestimate me..." She said in a quiet, hurt voice, as she took a step forward. Even that effort proved to be a lot for her... She felt her head begin to spin as the floor seemed to go sideways, she wobbled unsteadily on her feet, as though the breeze itself was threatening to pick her up. It was nauseating... Alki chose to stand still, mid-step, before risking herself fainting. She began to cough once more, and she tasted blood once more... Why was blood still coming out...? She'd only been kicked, not cut... At least it wasn't that much.

She closed her eyes tightly, trying her best to steady herself so as to prevent herself from falling over, when she heard the Raichu offer them both a ride back. At this, her eyes widened as she found herself stumbling back, instinctively. "No!" She found herself yelling out, her sense of panic overriding any other wish or action. Take a ride back? With a Raichu? No way in Hell!

Alki's dizziness turned out to be too much to handle. As she stepped back, she fell onto her side, which prompted another nasty coughing fit. It hurt so bad... She couldn't help but cry a bit... She'd never been through something like that before, and now she was about to go through with it again... He'd called her bluff, and she couldn't fight... Not at all... "Y-Y-You w-want m-me to l-let my guard down! You're j-just g-gonna e-e-electrocute me, a-and k-kick me a-around a-and t-then I-I-I'm gonna die... a-and my s-sister's here t-too..." Alki managed to squeak out, as she curled up into an even tighter ball, a hand pressing down tightly on the spot where the Alolan Raichu had kicked her, hoping to make it feel better. It didn't...

She didn't want a ride back. But even though she was in too much pain to recognize it, she'd clearly need one... She'd barely even gotten to take a look at Chance before her pain got worse, but she couldn't imagine he was faring much better... Even if he was, wasn't she bigger than him...?

~

The Alolan Raichu nodded slowly, too absorbed over his own failures to practice his gang to take much note of what the Glaceon was saying. He was strong, that was for sure. He couldn't say anything on the Glaceon's character, whether he was good, or whether there was any trait he possessed other than his conviction. All he knew was that in the brief time he'd known him, he'd killed one of his friends. He was frozen solid...

"There's strength in mercy, y'know... I've never killed anyone, and I wasn't going to until... You don't have to overstep..." He said quietly, but he wasn't sure if the Glaceon payed him much mind at all. He called out to his feline companion, and the Alolan Raichu began to sulk, accompanied only by his own thoughts. It wasn't until he heard a cry of pain that he snapped out of it, turning back to look at said feline companion.

She was on her side, and the Rattata was glaring at her, at her... chest wound?

Oh. That could be bad. That could be really bad. He sprinted up to his feet once more, staring at his teammate in a panic. He couldn't handle two of them... going down.

"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing? Can't you see we lost?! You're gonna get yourself hurt is all you're doing!" He cried out, his voice clearly betraying the worried panic he was feeling at the moment.

The raichu was right to assume Senya was ignoring him... sort of. He wasn't exactly planning on responding with any substance or taking the words to heart, but he was listening. He simply disagreed with the premise that he was somehow in the wrong for defending himself against highway robbers and fighting with intent to kill. Had he not gone all-out, he wasn't sure he would have been able to break the fat little creature's defenses, and by that point he was so exhausted that he couldn't risk drawing out the fight by holding back. Not that he needed excuses to go all-out, but in this case he certainly had them. He considered how much of this he wanted to bother expressing, knowing it would likely fall on deaf ears, but his attention was pulled away before he could decide.

Darcy seemed to be doing fine, enough so to give him some pedantic smartass response about how she "wasn't a cat," and he was surprised to find himself relieved at this... Aaand then the rattata just had to make a move. It was quite an insulting attack too, one that made Senya's ears flatten in agitation. He didn't think Darcy had much of an ego, but his own pride was hurt sympathetically just through having to watch someone attacking her by spitting on her. Truce ended, the world was over, it was time to do violence. After processing the scene, he rushed straight for the rattata to sink his teeth into its neck and give it the death it seemed to crave...

Or that was the plan. However, the second he tried to move, his body went limp and collapsed. This time there was no one interfering with his control, just his feeble mortality getting the best of him. He had reached his limit and couldn't even support his body and its armor... but...

Torturously, Senya's head had fallen in just the right way to let him stare at the skitty writhing in pain on the ground. That made him mad. The rat was targeting the injury he had given her, and she was suffering because of what he had done, except this time it wasn't his decision or hers. The idea of someone effectively being hurt by his actions without his consent... it was happening a lot today, and he didn't like it. He especially didn't like this. He understood deserved violence, but she was doing nothing to deserve it. The rattata was just trying to victimize the most passive person here like a coward... and attacking after a truce had been called. Even to someone like Senya, this behavior was disgusting.

But, more importantly, there was that nasty feeling again... It was the same feeling from earlier when he had clawed the skitty up and been surprised to find it wasn't satisfying. He felt... bad. Guilty? He wanted it to stop. He wanted Sova to come back now.

Sova didn't come back, and Senya's heart began to race in rage. No... this wasn't anger. There was some of that in there, but what he was feeling was... panic. He felt like he had just made a friend... or something. An associate? Someone who knew about his existence and had interacted with him for longer than 10 seconds without making him want to murder her. And now she was being hurt because of an injury he had given her, and a situation he'd caused, and a foe he was too weak to kill... What if she died? The rattata probably wouldn't get a chance to hurt anyone else since even his own teammate seemed to disagree with his actions, but Darcy...

The frost coating the ground around the glaceon began to melt away along with his armor. The temperture rose rapidly as small fires sparked to life around him. The heat burned, even from his own move... but he needed to shed as much weight as he could. He forced himself up, ignoring the concerning tearing sensations in his body that accompanied the motions. His cloak caught fire, but he paid it no mind. His vision blurred as he forced his legs to move through searing pain and weakness, as fast as he could possibly go. He didn't want the rat to be allowed to hurt Darcy again. For lack of enough energy to do anything else, he recklessly tackled the rattata and practically collapsed on top of it just to pin it under his body weight. The flames followed him, and by now his bag and the cloth sash around his limp leg were also on fire. He didn't care.

"Now that wasn't very nice," he spoke in a gurgly voice that sounded as if there was something in his throat, slowly lifting himself over the rattata as his body convulsed in pain. With wide eyes, shrunken pupils and bared teeth, he glared down at the rattatta as fire swirled around them and lit the ground ablaze. The red marks covering his body glowed ominously through the holes quickly burning through his white cloak.

He didn't have the energy to do much else, so he would just have to burn the rattata to death. It was agonizingly hot. He didn't care. "You're the reason I exist..." he growled gutturally, the only thing he could think about being how much the rattata deserved to suffer and die. A manic haze had come over him, and he had all but entirely forgotten where he even was.

He was proud of himself. The rattata was ready for its friend to jump back into action and take advantage of the surprise attack. They were destined to win this battle through any means necessary, cheap shots included. They were going to walk out of this victors...so he thought. Not only did the skitty manage to avoid most of the attack, but his body hit the floor before he even registered that he was being attacked. A pathetic little squeak escaped him as if he were some Growlithe's chew toy.

Pure shock and sudden fear now overwhelmed the dark type. One second he stood tall with a smile, now he was pinned under the gaze of a flaming glaceon. Needless to say, he wasn't proud of himself anymore. The cry from his partner fell on deaf ears. No, they didn't lose. They weren't done yet. Despite his fear and shock, the rattata's cheeks bulged once again, ready to spit right into the Glaceon just like he had with the skitty. It was slower to build this time, the pressure and pain of being attacked ate away at the rattata's energy as he desperately tried to free himself.

----

The jigglypuff didn't want to go. Understandable, but not exactly what was needed at the moment. Yin's ears pulled back with a furrowed brow. "Kick you around? I'm not gonna do that..." One of the raichu's arms lowered while the other returned to the eye. The gaze steadied on the jigglypuff for a moment before his mouth opened, no words came out. It took a second attempt for a voice to leave the raichu's lips, "What did they do to you exactly?" he questioned.

---

The tricky fox remained silent on the sidelines. His eyes flipped back and forth between the jigglypuff and the raichu, only focusing on each one for a few seconds. After a few glances, his eyes remained on the pink pokemon. He remained still in the spot, arch of sparks and electricity cracked around the body from the effects of the paralysis. His flanks tensed up every now and then with an odd twitch, but eventually settled back down again. The raichu didn't lie.

A paw managed to move, but it was not another attempt to get up. Instead, one paw crossed over the other in front of him. His head rested on the top paw with his gaze still focused on the jigglypuff in particular. Unlike the last time the body stared at the jigglypuff like this, it seemed to watch her every move rather than stare right through her.

Darcy was still on the floor, but at the sounds of something happening nearby, she made an effort to get up. It wasn't even the sounds, it was more so the possibility of what might happen. She was well aware of who her company was, and above all else, she just wanted the fight to stop. Senya surely had different plans, even as she stumbled to her feet, but she had to stop him! She'd already failed to stop the first fight, but now that a resolution was so close at hand, she refused to be the reason that it continued.

Although she seemed to be a bit too slow on the draw... Senya was already on top of the Rattata, saying some... honestly, pretty scary things to him. Well, the words weren't that scary on their own, but given the sight that accompanied them, Darcy felt as though they'd be pretty frickin' terrifying to the Rattata... She would hate to be him.

She snuck a look at the Alolan Raichu, her mouth quivering as she looked at him. He seemed equal parts terrified and upset. Things were going to blow up soon if she didn't do something. He couldn't just stand by and watch his teammate get hurt... Even if she hated what he did, she'd be pretty furious too... Darcy took a shaky step forward, towards Senya, before nudging him softly. She smiled charmingly, but made sure to not actually use the attack. She wasn't sure if he'd take that as a sign of aggression...

"Senya, please stop... You're just gonna make everyone want to fight again... I can't stop you, but if you keep going, someone's gonna die... It could be any one of us... You, or me, or them, but if you stop... Nobody has to... There's already been enough suffering..." Darcy flickered her gaze between the three Pokemon, feeling the heat from the ice type nearby. Ironic, wasn't it?

"There's wisdom in knowing when to stop y'know... I don't think anyone here wants to fight anymore. Not really. Am I wrong?" She asked, directing this last question at the Alolan Raichu. Maybe if both his ally and his enemy asked him to stop, then maybe he would...? It was a long shot, but it wasn't like she could do anything except try to talk him down...

~

Still on the floor, Alki gazed up at the Raichu with wide, fearful eyes. Her head was still spinning as her heart beat fast, faster and faster and faster. Her whole body was shaking now as the Raichu gazed at her. It wasn't even very malicious, but she couldn't take the risk to trust him... Not after everything that she'd been through! He was a lot bigger than her... Her ears twitched nervously as she tried to work out what to do. If she didn't do anything, he'd just approach her and pick her up forcefully and then there'd be nothing she could do, and then she'd suffer more... She just didn't want to suffer anymore...

She gazed over at the Zorua, hoping that there could be some help he could provide her, but nothing was coming. He was just... watching her, and it wasn't until she focused harder that she could barely make out the arcs of electricity and the twitching limbs that seemed to indicate paralysis. Was that what she'd looked like earlier...? Regardless, there was nothing he could do for her...

Alki looked back at the Raichu, a false sense of urgency present in her mind. Truthfully, if her mental state were less overwhelmed, she would've already noticed that if the Raichu wanted to attack her, or harm her in any way, he could've quite some time ago, and there was little resistance either of the children could offer. But all she could think about was the thunder, and the sharp, burning sensation that accompanied it, and all she wanted was to avoid it.

"...W-What did they do? T-They... e-electrocuted m-me t-twice, I-I-I g-got s-struck b-by lightning, a-and t-then by a-another m-move I-I d-don't k-know a-a-and t-then t-they k-kicked me a-around like a football, a-a-and I'm bleeding from somewhere  b-but I don't know where... And you could do the same to me i-if you wanted to! And I-I j-just t-threatened you..." Truthfully, she wasn't sure why she was telling him this at all. She just wanted to stall for a bit of time while she figured out what she could do,  but she couldn't think of anything, so she lifted up her bag, as though to hide behind it, as a shield.

Wait... Her bag! That's right, it had some orbs in it, she could probably figure something out... Like she'd said, she had already threatened him... Better to double down than to allow herself to be seen as a pushover... Then he'd just have his way with both of them... "H-Hey, I have o-orbs! A... A w-warp orb, a-and i-if y-you don't b-back off f-from me a-and my friend a-and... I-I'll w-warp y-you and y-you'll be l-lost in t-this dungeon!" She finished her threat, although it might have been hard to hear, given she could hear her own voice caving in, giving up as it grew more and more hoarse. She didn't know why she was referring to Chance as her friend either... After he'd called Darcy a bully, she'd been furious with him, and she'd even wanted to fight him, but now... Well, both of them were in this together, and she needed some comfort, however small it might be... Especially since she was the better equipped of the two to serve as a protector...

~

The Alolan Raichu nodded along as the Skitty spoke. The Glaceon was burning him... and as headstrong as the Rattata was, and as mean as he could be at times, he still appreciated him... He very much did not want to see his teammate be cooked alive! He was actually somewhat thankful the Skitty had said something... Otherwise, he wasn't really sure what would've happened. He didn't want to go back on his word, but if the Glaceon was going to kill another one...

If he stopped, he'd keep his word. He was... not content, but accepting of this outcome. As she said, there was wisdom in knowing when to give up. Although he wasn't sure why she was addressing him, but she was looking at him, so who was he to ignore her...?

"Yeah, listen to your friend... I don't... Don't want to keep going with this. You're hurt bad, but so is he at this point, and the Cat... Err, Skitty, sorry, a-and... even me. This doesn't do anyone any good..." He said, unsure of what actually to say. Honestly, he was just rehashing what she'd already said... He'd never really been one to try and de -escalate.

Senya was content to burn the rattata alive and erase a blemish from the world. He didn't understand why anyone else would want it to live when it clearly didn't deserve it and would just end up hurting someone else in the future. He was useful for this: taking action when others were too weak to, and knowing how to recognize a monster... He had tried peace, and this little crook still wanted to fight, to hurt someone who definitively didn't deserve it. The funnel of flames burned with increasing intensity, practically shrouding the both of them from view and lighting their fur ablaze.

...Then, Senya heard the familiar voice begging him to stop. His ears perked and his paw pressing into the rattata loosened. The flames died down as Darcy spoke, and he turned to look at her with rage... and then confusion. She wasn't happy? Okay, maybe he could see that, but... she still thought he was wrong? For protecting her... reacting defensively... trying to end someone who was even more insistent on fighting than he was... All she wanted him to do was stop, going so far as to rope the raichu into helping her try to convince him. Was she really this disapproving, even though he was trying to defend her and fighting someone who clearly didn't want to stop?

The cinders faded into the wind in seconds. What little was left of the cloak around Senya burned apart and fell off of him, along with the strap around his bag. The sash holding his damaged leg up burned in half, causing the leg to fall limply as he stared in some mix of disbelief, confusion and disappointment at the skitty. He frowned. "But... I'm protec-"

Suddenly, a fresh burning sensation pierced through the dying flames and broken body of the glaceon. His chest felt like it was on fire, even though it wasn't; it was like acid had been poured on his wound. He took a sharp breath, struggling not to cry out at this point just from the pain of existing. It was far too much for him to suppress or ignore... but he refused to let his composure falter. Even if he looked practically dead already...

Slowly, ever so slowly, his head turned and his gaze fell back on the rattata. A more solemn glare came over him this time. It had spat poison into his wound while he was distracted, just like it had tried to do to Darcy. "You tell me, Darcy..." he spoke without looking back to the skitty. In truth, he couldn't muster the energy for the extra movement at this point. His voice was weak, still with the sound of fluid in his throat; it made it perfectly clear just how bad he was doing.

He could still kill the rat... He could still do it, if he just kept himself going for a few more seconds...

But that would upset Darcy. It would probably upset everyone.

Stuck in contemplation for a mere moment, he was too disoriented and distracted to notice the black splotches growing around the edges of his vision until suddenly, the ground seemed to rise up to meet him. It didn't even feel like falling, but before he knew it, he was keeled over on his weak side next to the rattata. So much for that "restraint" everyone spoke so highly of.

The rattata burned along with the glaceon, but it wasn't quite enough. When the glaceon fell, the rat stood. He put a bit of distance between him and the glaceon, but didn't bother to put a large amount. If the glaceon was that quick before, it would have been easy for him to be caught again. The rattata glared at the ice type. His paw clutched a particularly bad patch of singed fur as he struggled to regulate his breath.

His gaze snapped towards the raichu with a disapproving glare, "What the hell is all this?" he sneered, "You don't just give up because the victim's stronger than expected, you fight harder!" Despite his close brush with death, he was still insistent on continuing. The rattata took a step towards the raichu, but stumbled.

"Especially when we have such a good card against them!" The rattata's gaze looked between the raichu, the skitty, and the glaceon. Finally, he could see the frozen body of the Dedenne and the unconscious or worse body of Yin's brother. A look of shock crossed the rattata before it quickly flipped right back into anger. "If you want the kid to stay alive, you give us your stuff and let us leave." The rat presented with the decision that A.Raichu was no longer allowed to be the voice.

----

"Hey, hey, I'm not going to hurt you," the electric type promised with a soft voice. He remained in the same spot, not daring to take a single step forward. "I'm not going to do any of those things."

"I just want to take you two back to your friends. You're not well and Chance looks like he's having trouble standing. It'd be a lot easier, faster, and healthier for the both of you if I were to take you." The raichu's eyes flicked between the jigglypuff and the zorua, back and forth with an uncertain whine.

"I promise that's all i'm going to do. I'll turn right around and leave with my friends. If I don't, then you can send me far far away. If they don't, then you can use the orb anyway. I won't take it from you." He insisted.

Darcy watched with dismay as the Glaceon fell onto his side, seemingly unable to continue the fight anymore. That was bad... He seemed to be protecting her... That's what he argued, anyways. Darcy didn't need protection! Not that badly, anyways... And even if she did, she didn't want such a drastic re-escalation of their problems. It seemed as though the Rattata was the only Pokemon in this clearing who still seemed to want to fight... Not even the Raichu wanted to anymore, and he seemed to be the leader of their posse...

He was talking to his teammate now, talking back as though... He didn't trust him anymore? Or didn't want to respect the decision... Well, if he was going to be like that... She did have her own ace up her sleeve... She hoped it'd work on her own... Although maybe she could count on the Raichu to help...? At the very least, she figured that the Raichu wouldn't interrupt her... This was the last piece of the puzzle, and then everything would be solved! Sing should work now, the electric terrain had faded, and she supposed that the Rattata wouldn't really expect her to have kept this card so close to her chest... Honestly, she'd kind of just forgotten, but she was thankful she had...

"If you said Good-bye to me tonight, There would still be Music left to write," Darcy began, singing the first song that came to her mind. This had been one of the first songs she'd heard when she came to Grassveil, and the lyrics still stuck with her. She'd brought one of her younger siblings with her, to visit and to help her move in, and they'd both found themselves in a Cafe. Some PianoMon was singing and playing, and he had been very talented too! They'd stayed much longer than they thought they would've and just enjoyed the time together...

It was that kind of pleasant memory she wanted to conjure up... Her moves almost always worked better when she was in an optimistic state of mind, and Sing wouldn't be any different! "What else could I do? I'm so inspired by you! This hasn't happened for the loooooongest time!" She continued, closing her eyes pleasantly as she pushed her voice to it's limit. Before she'd adopted Alki, she'd been one of the best singers in her family, and even if the situation was dire, there was no harm in showboating a bit! The worst that could happen was that she'd get some poisonous spit thrown at her, no big deal! She'd just wipe it off, and keep going! If it meant no one more got hurt, she was fine with a bit of resistance. Everything would be alright in the end!

Darcy vocalized a bit, waiting for the right measure to jump into the next verse. Her facial expression didn't hide her joy at all. Despite everything that had happened, and the fact that her whole body had seemed to suffer some form of pain, it'd take a lot more than that to make her feel upset while singing!

~

Alki listened nervously as the Raichu attempted to talk her down. He seemed sincere, and he wasn't loud or bombastic like the other, fluffier Raichu. She would've believed him, if it hadn't been for everything that had just happened to her. As it was, it was hard to trust someone who clearly outclassed her in so many ways... He claimed that all he wanted to do was take them both back to their friends...

"Y-Y-You could k-kill m-me... B-Both of u-us, in... in s-seconds, i-if you w-wanted t-to... I-I'm... I..." Alki hugged the orb tightly, as though it were a plush toy instead of a weapon. It was her only consolation in this whole situation, the only card she had left. It didn't seem like nearly enough, and she still felt absolutely terrified, despite having such a good tool at her disposal.

"I-I j-j-just d-don't w-want to g-get shocked t-to death..." Alki managed to stammer out, staring at her own reflection in the orb. She didn't look very good, he was right... And she could see tears begin to fall once more. She knew she'd never been a good guild member, but all of this really was her fault... She was the reason everyone was suffering, both the rodents and her companions...

But she couldn't wallow in self-pity until she'd gotten Chance out of this situation, if not herself... If he shocked them, she was fairly sure she could warp him before he... finished her. And that'd at least ensure Chance's safety, if not her own... And then she would've done something good, at least! That's all she'd ever wanted to do... "B-B-But if I t-tell you to l-leave, w-we... I-I'm... I c-can't carry h-him, a-and i-if he can't s-stand, w-we'll both be s-stuck here, and... A-And something c-could find us..." More tears began to spill as she thought of all the things that could go wrong. Darcy would be so upset if she died...

"I-I'm... I-I, W-We... h-have t-to go w-with you, d-don't we...?" Alki managed to choke out, before falling silent, still staring at herself in the orb as she cried, more and more. This day had been the worst of her life, and that was really saying something... She didn't know what to do... She couldn't figure anything out that would ensure their safety while avoiding the Raichu's offer... She was a failure in that too, huh...?

She'd barely survived before, and she'd been so happy about that, although that was entirely for Darcy's sake... And now she had to throw that into jeopardy by trusting a total stranger... By getting a ride from an electric type, which... which implied touching him... Which implied that he'd be able to shock them pretty much whenever he wanted... shock them bad... Now she was the one who could barely stand, although that was less paralysis, and more the overwhelming weight of her own guilt and emotion...

She cradled the orb, rocking it back and forth in her hands as she waited for whatever the Raichu might have to say.

~

The Alolan Raichu watched as the Skitty began to sing. It... Well, it wasn't a damaging move. It made sense, and it'd avoid bloodshed... It just took a while to take into effect, and knowing his teammate, he was stubborn enough to make it take extra long... She really seemed to be getting into it... Well, he could help! He'd always been somewhat interested in singing, and he'd hate to see such a nice person get attacked...

She was giving them all a way out, and he could appreciate that... But how to help...? He walked around her, slowly, in the opposite direction she seemed to be prancing about, as though she were... dancing? What song was she singing, anyways...?

"Once I thought my innocence was gone. Now, I know that happiness goes on!" She continued, prancing about, getting closer and closer to the Rattata, even as he continued to do so, on the opposite side of her. He just wanted it to be over... As he listened, he grew drowsier, but he couldn't fall asleep! Not yet...

The Alolan Raichu jumped onto the Rattata, intending to pin it down, and prevent it from covering his ears or retaliating against this strange Skitty. It was a bit violent, but this was the extent of it! Ideally, this would be the only fighting left to do...

"That's where you found me, When you put your paws around me; I haven't been there for the looooooongest time!" He heard her continue, as though in a fog. His eyelids were starting to grow heavier...

As far as Senya was concerned, he was now a failure. He had ceased his assault on someone else's request, ignoring his instincts, and he was now suffering for it. If the situation couldn't resolve itself without him, then... well, they were now screwed. He couldn't get up. He had wasted the one chance he had to deal with the rat, just to please Darcy, and now... he was actually a lot worse off for it. Reckless as he was, that didn't mean he was stupid; he knew how much danger he was now in if he had just been attacked with poison on top of everything else. Fortunately, his bag hadn't taken much damage beyond the strap being burned in half, but that wouldn't matter if the rat pack took it. He could only hope Darcy would realize that she needed to intervene... and more importantly, that she could.

As if on cue, he began to hear her voice... singing. Singing? At first he was confused, then he remembered that was a thing that could do things. It wasn't exactly glorious violence, but it was something, and it was probably the best bet she had at beating someone who was likely stronger and definitely meaner than her. However, this would only work if she could sing long enough to put the rat to sleep... Senya's weary eyes focused on the rattata, and he could feel his heart begin to race as he burned through more energy he didn't have to spare. The raichu tackled the smaller rat, and just as he did, ice flash-froze around its little paws. The hold wasn't very sturdy, but it only needed to be kept there for... hopefully not very long. He couldn't contribute much at this point, but he could at least make it have to work to get its legs off the ground.

As for himself, the sound of Darcy singing at the top of her lungs just gave him a headache at first. He probably had a concussion or something at this point, so that wasn't too surprising, but the painful feeling began to subside as a sense of drowsiness slowly replaced it. He weakly struggled to lift his working front leg and dropped it limply over his ear, doing his best to pull it down over him and block out some of the sound. It wasn't perfect, but even in this state he was certain he could stay awake longer than some random rattata. He had been denied the right to finish this himself, so he would at least stay awake long enough to enjoy the show.

Plus... he... was worried. If he were to go to sleep right now, he wasn't entirely confident his body would be waking back up. Of course, he didn't want to express this concern to Darcy and ruin her little moment, but...

Well, needless to say, he hoped she could shut up soon.

Not even a response from the alolan raichu. Instead, the only response to the rattata's threat for the child's safety was...to sing. The rat wasn't entirely stupid, he knew what was coming. The rodent's fur puffed out as it prepared a Snarl, but the raichu's tackle into him reduced to attack to yet another chew-toy squeak.

His paws were frozen to the spot before he could even begin to struggle. Again and again he tried to force his paws out of the ice, but he couldn't. The song reached his ears and lured him into slumber. The rattata's movements grew slower and weaker, until finally they stopped all together. The rodent's body was limp as a soft snore sounded from him. Had he not been threatening death and doom before, he might've actually been a little cute.

---

Yin felt bad for the jigglypuff. The fairy type was a kid. Why in the world had his friends done all of that?? This was supposed to just be an intimidation thing...maybe fight the adults, but this kid was...well, a kid.

"Yeah," he spoke, confirming that the jigglypuff's only real option was to take up his offer, "But if there's anything you want me to do, then I'll do it...like uh...I don't know...if you want to keep holding onto the orb as we go? I could give you a quick seed? So you can react faster than me?"

"This wasn't at all what I was told it was going to be like..."

"I'm. That. Voice. Yoooou're hearing in the hall! And. The Great. Est, miracle of all..." Darcy continued, completely oblivious at this point in regards to what was going on around her. If she had noticed the Raichu tackling the Rattata, she might've been too surprised to keep singing, and if she noticed the adverse effect her attack was having over Senya, she might've been hesitant to continue at all, but as it was, these possibilities didn't occur to her. All she knew was that he wasn't hitting her, and she was having so much fun! And after such a long, turbulent day, all she wanted to do was have a bit of fun!

"Is how I neeeeeeeed you! And how you needed me too!
That hasn't happened for the looooooongest time!" Darcy strut about, before standing still, standing tall as she sung. Considering the blood that was slowly oozing down her chest, combined with the pure sense of glee on her face, it was certainly quite... a strange sight. But after so much, all she wanted to do was do something Positive. Something fun!

Wait... Something was wrong... Darcy hummed for a second, carrying the same tune she'd been singing, but there was a very serious problem... Her eyes opened slowly, focusing in nothing in particular, as her cheeks burned bright red.

A verse! She was forgetting an ENTIRE VERSE!!!!! Darcy finished humming, letting out a shaky breath, before continuing, much louder than before. "WHO KNOWS HOW MUCH FURTHER WE'LL GO ON? MAYBE I'LL BE SORRY WHEN YOU'RE GONE! I'LL TAKE MY CHANCES! I FORGOT HOW NICE ROMANCE IS! I HAVEN'T BEEN THERE FOR THE LOOOOOOOOOOOONGEST TIME! She finally managed, finishing her song as she panted. Her breath management was... not there, but then again, it's not like she'd ever really tried to learn how to sing properly. It was just fun! Alki was the better singer, for sure... Darcy opened her eyes entirely, looking at her handiwork, the Rattata in specific. She'd... done her job, right? He was asleep... Why was the Raichu on top of him...?

~

Alki continued to cry, unsure of how to handle all of these developments. The Raichu didn't seem aggressive, but she still couldn't shake the primordial fear she was still currently feeling. She was still shaking, quite violently too. She felt sick, and she wasn't sure what was going to happen, and that just added dread, which in turn, made her feel more sick. She couldn't be sure she wasn't walking into a trap, and... there was nothing she could do about it anyways. Alki held the Warp Orb even tighter towards her body, feeling the coldness of the strange, blue surface. Small comfort...

The Raichu offered her a variety of things, both of which seemed quite good to her, but... well, she could take whatever advantage she could get, and what harm could a seed do, even if it came from the raichu...? A seed was a seed, regardless of what happened... Alki continued to cry, her eyes focusing on some unseen object off in the distance, before slowly, imperceptibly, she began to nod. Yes, she would like a quick seed...

Alki tried to verbalize her wish, but as she opened her mouth, she found it painful to speak, and no coherent words came out. All it achieved was a bad coughing fit, accompanied with a small bit of blood. Her belly hurt... She tried again, but with no better result. She felt horrible... She held the Orb even tighter, shaking even more violently, as she nodded once more. She had to be sure to not move her head too fast, or else she felt like she could black out...

"This wasn't at all what I was told it was going to be like..."

Well, that didn't matter much, did it...? She'd still suffered just the same... Alki's gaze settled on the Raichu's eyes, her fear and nervousness apparent in her eyes. Her voice was gone... If something went wrong, she wouldn't even be able to yell out for help...

~

The Alolan Raichu heard a strange sound and felt a small, cold breeze, before he noticed the Rattata's paws being frozen in place. He felt... guilty. This was his teammate, but it was also for his own safety! He was always the most stubborn, but if he didn't stop, it was very possible that the Glaceon would have killed him... And even if the Glaceon was down now, he'd given his word. They'd already suffered enough, and... he wasn't dishonorable. He wasn't a liar, and he wouldn't betray the Skitty after she'd went out of her way to help his friend, despite being attacked herself...

He was getting really tired... The window to attack was getting much, much smaller, but the urge to attack did not increase whatsoever. Besides, the Skitty was a pretty good singer! He'd hate to ruin the show... He managed a small, bittersweet smile up at the feline, and... was that his imagination? Had she smiled back...? He had no way to know...

The Alolan Raichu found himself fast asleep, above the Rattata, before he knew it.

Senya held his ear down weakly, doing what little he could to muffle the sounds of the skitty's singing. Even after watching both of the foes pass out, he still had reason to fear, for she was still singing. "Death by singing cat" sounded like about the worst way to go out, so he was opting to do everything he could to stay awake. He was no medical expert but he didn't want to give his body more encouragement than it already had to just give up on him; as far as he was concerned, he couldn't die as long as he stayed awake. He could feel his heart slowing as the darkness crept around the edges of his vision and threatened to blanket his reality, but he wouldn't pass out. He could resist, he had to... or did he? It took a bit, but he slowly began to realize that he didn't feel quite like he was passing out. Actually, he felt like...

He felt like he was... switching? Was Sova finally coming back? But why? Was it... the singing? Of course, a reminder of his mother...

Between his senses being dulled and ripped away from him in so many different ways and the realization that this skitty had the ability to shackle him at any time, Senya's attention to reality... faltered. He failed to register his paw pulling harder at his ear, or ice crystals forming around both, digging into each other. He was cutting his paw and practically tearing his ear open, all without even realizing it. No matter what he had thought prior, suddenly he wasn't so eager to be taken out of this situation... not after everything had finally been solved. He wanted to stay. He had to stay...

He drifted into a daze in his struggle to stay conscious, and the next thing he knew... silence. His eyes blinked open, apparently having shut at some point. His whole body still hurt in too many ways to count, so that meant he was still the active one. One eye was forced to blink back shut as something wet ran down over it from his forehead. His ear was bleeding profusely, but he could hardly even feel it over all the other ways in which he hurt. He didn't recall getting injured in any way that would have caused him to be bleeding from there, so it was easy to piece together what he had done to himself. Oops. Worth it.

"Please shut up," he spoke quietly, almost pleading. Despite the words, his tone actually wasn't antagonistic for once. He just didn't want her to start singing again... He didn't want to leave.

And beyond that, he seemed to recall her choosing to scream at the top of her lungs at some point during this whole ordeal that he could barely remember, and his fresh headache agreed. He definitely didn't want to have to hear that again, especially in a context where he may be more forced to more clearly remember it.