Idiots Afoot

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...

Darcy

"Alki? We're almost there." Darcy said softly, coming to a stop as she turned to look back at her teammate. She'd thought that it'd be fun to visit this place. Sure, neither of them were electric types, but it must be interesting, right? It'd started to be talked about a bit more recently, around the guild as well, and it'd be cool to see why that was! Alki had complained at first, but Darcy had managed to convince her. After all, they hadn't done guild work in a while, and this would be a nice way for the jigglypuff to get back into the swing of things! "Alki?" She called out again, turning to look at the pink puffball that had been seated on her back. "You there?"

Darcy was greeted by soft snoring.

"Huh?" She said loudly, turning around harshly. Perhaps too harshly. Alki's already precarious position on Darcy's back was ruined, sending the jigglypuff onto the hard ground below. It was only then that she opened her eyes.

"H-Huh? Where are we?"

Darcy laughed loudly, still as cheery as ever despite the strange situation. "How did you even fall asleep, Alki? It's been like..." She looked up at the sun in the sky before looking back down at her adopted sister. "Five minutes since I gave you a ride!" Her voice was light and teasing, making sure she didn't sound the least bit upset. And she wasn't! Honestly, more impressed than anything...

"I was tired!" She said, pouting. "And I want to be well rested for whatever you have planned!"

Ah... Well...

"Oh." She said flatly, before following it up with a laugh, perhaps a beat too late. Plans? She'd... Darcy hadn't thought that far ahead yet...  She just wanted to cheer up Alki and figured a field trip would do! The children her Dad taught loved that kind of thing...

"Sure thing!"

Was that not enough?

~


Alki was fully confident that whatever it was Darcy had planned would be more than satisfying! Everything and everyone else had let her down before, but the only person who'd been by her side for any extended period of time and still remained that way. This trip wasn't a deal breaker either way. But still. She hadn't wanted to go in the first place, but Darcy had insisted so much, that there must be some reason, right? If there wasn't... Well, it's not like she had anything planned with Synd'r and the others. Them and Darcy were her only friends in the world, and if neither of them had had anything planned, she would've been a very, very bored individual.

"Alright. Can't wait to see it!" She said simply, before sitting down. Waiting to see it. Whatever she had planned. This place felt weird. Like... well. It was home to electric types, right? So it'd be rather obvious that it'd feel pretty... electrical. But aside from that? Pretty... flat. And hot. It'd be quite a shame to have a thick coat of fur if you were visiting there. Hell, it was getting to Alki, and it's not like she was particularly well insulated...

Nothing was happening. Perhaps Darcy was waiting for something?

Either way, whatever her plans had been were cut short. Darcy seemed to hear something that Alki couldn't, and quite eagerly, led the way towards... what seemed like a tree? It seemed rather far away. Alki walked slowly after her.

And then she heard it too.

"C'mon Em! This isn't funny!" She heard a voice cry out. She couldn't quite see who it was. The grass was taller than she was, and it was rather annoying walking through it, but if it was to stay with Darcy, then it was well worth the annoying blades of grass poking her sides. He asked for this Em one last time, rather dejectedly.

Poor kid. Whoever it was...

"Are you lost?" She heard Darcy ask. It wasn't until a few moments afterwards that Alki appeared as well, guild badge displayed proudly on the strap of her bag, mathcing her sister's. Alki said nothing, simply observed the Zorua who seemed to be sitting on the log. Sad because Em wasn't there.

She guessed. He seemed young...

-- 0 To 100 --

Closer...closer...closer...annnd-a noise on the other side of the log. The zorua's head turned, he had to act quickly or else the dark type could see him out of the corner of their eye. The electrical build up in his body audibly crackled and caught the dark type's attention. An ear swiveled in his direction. Panic, he struggled with the urge to pounce and the energy that demanded to be released in his body. The need to act quickly got to him, so in the end he decided to simply do both.

Electricity surged around him as he pounced towards the zorua. He could hear their startled cry, victory seemed only a hair length away...until the dark type ducked. He sailed over the zorua, but easily landed on his paws. Still engaged in the attitude of a predator, he pivoted back around and set his sights on the little pest. Their large round eyes were filled with a fear that only encouraged him. He launched himself forward, a bit lower this time with speed he was still not yet used to himself.

The electricity of the Thunder attack sparked all around him as all hell seemed to break loose with the interference of whatever noise that distracted the zorua. The zorua narrowly avoided the claws of the jolteon as the electric type pulled himself up onto the wooden work of nature. It was futile, however, as all he had to do was reach out a paw and knock the zorua off and onto the ground. He wasted little time as he pounced and pinned the smaller dark type. He bared his fangs, ready to move in for the kill...completely unaware of the two witnesses less than ten feet from him.

-- Oh God Help --

"Are you lost?" an unfamiliar voice spoke off to his side. His ear was the first to point towards it before his head followed. A small pink and...peach? Yellow? Tan? He was not sure what color their underbelly was, but the pokemon over all looked kind of cute. Well, that wasn't Emmelyn...unless she learned how to create Illusions better than he did somehow. Could eevee do that? He wasn't sure. He also was not given the opportunity to think about it much before another sound on the other side of the log caught his attention. Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of a yellow figure. He looked just in time to see an angry looking Jolteon's glare directed straight at him.

He would have loved to say hello to the cute cat-thing, but instead a scream left him as he ducked. The jolteon flew right over his head with clear intent to attack him in specific. All feelings of loneliness were gone. He would have liked being alone right now-at least if dealing with this jolteon was the alternative. He moved to run down the log with the intent to disappear into the tall grass just down the hill behind it. His hip was caught, however, as he was knocked into the dirt on the side of the two strangers that just approached.

Dirt and dust began to fly as fear caused him to shake and shiver. "MOM! DAD! HELP!" he cried out in terror with the hopes that they would just magically appear. The truth of the matter was that they were probably a long ways away. The jolteon that was intent on attacking him pounced on top of him, a paw on his chest that made it difficult for him to breath and move as he squirmed for freedom. The electricity of the jolteon shocked and pained him as his outcries became louder and less coherent. He was too terrified to even consider the thought that he might die.

Whatever pleasantries Alki and Darcy wanted to partake in quickly vanished from their minds as a rather nasty scene unfolded before them. A bright yellow figure burst from the tall grass, towards the Zorua that Darcy had oh-so-cheerily greeted. The figure, which appeared to be a Jolteon, landed gracefully on his feet. Both girls stumbled backwards, in shock at the sudden turn of events that had occurred before them. Darcy acted first, charging towards the Jolteon and Zorua who had been… well, not engaged in a fight. That’d imply competition. The Zorua was a child, and the Jolteon was… was trying to kill him…

Darcy charged forward, towards the Jolteon, intending to tackle him. He seemed quite focused on the Zorua, and now the Zorua seemed terrified. As anyone would be… Now he was pinned by the Jolteon, crying for his parents. Darcy dived towards the Jolteon with as much energy as she could muster, hoping it would be enough to get him off of the child. Why couldn’t she be faster? Or stronger? Or both?

But she and Alki were the only ones there at the moment, so… they’d have to make something happen! This wasn’t quite what she’d had in mind to get Alki back into guild work though… She hoped she could handle it.

For the Zorua’s sake…

~

What seemed to be like a pleasant encounter soon took a significant turn for the worse... The Zorua who had been perched on the log was now running, running away from the Jolteon who had, for no real reason, jumped from behind the grass and was now trying to kill the Zorua. As for why? She had no clue. She just knew she wanted to get out of there, before he was trying to kill her too…

However, Alki found her companion charging forwards, into the fight… Alki stumbled backwards, unsure of what to do anymore… What could she really contribute? She’d just get in the way, but… the Jolteon had pinned the Zorua now, and Alki wasn’t sure what was going to happen, and… what if things didn’t work out? What if the Zorua died, and then she’d have to deal with that?

He was pinned, and the Jolteon seemed ready to…

“Hey!” She cried out. More like a squeak, really, but she hoped it’d be enough to attract his attention. Away from the Zorua, and hopefully towards her… She could teleport now. She’d be fine… But she had to do more than that! As was her default, she went for her hidden power. She wasn’t very good with it yet, but at least as a distraction? It was serviceable… Alki made it longer, fashioning it into something that somewhat resembled a whip. Made of shadows, and while it certainly looked cool? It wasn’t going to be winning her any fights on it's own any time soon. But if she used Flamethrower, she might burn the others, and her other moves weren't much better for a fight... Alki aimed it at the Jolteon’s paw that rested atop the Zorua, hoping it would hook around it, and maybe she could pull it out of position? But that was hard… At the very least, strike it. She could manage that. Hopefully. Then the Zorua would be able to flee.

And that was about all she could manage before Darcy dived towards the Jolteon, using tackle. She hoped that, between the two, it’d be enough, for the Zorua’s sake...

-- The Guy With A Deathwish --

Food! It was so close, he tasted it. Literally. The zorua's fur was in his mouth. The fluffy mane of the fox made it difficult to bite through, but it wasn't like he had not done this before. Even though it was apparent that the creatures were intelligent, this fox included, he was set on satiating his hunger. The plan at that moment was to pick up his prey and bolt off before the two passerby could decide to steal his catch, but that become impossible.

A strange and dark colored tendril smacked his paw out of nowhere. Instinctive reflex forced him to remove his paw. The shock and inability to properly prepare for the attack led him to be easily knocked off of the zorua and onto his side. The jolteon cried out, but recovered enough to get himself back onto his feet and move. The strikes did their number on him, it would have been smart to abandon the hunt...but he was starved. These two creatures were stronger than him, but they certainly weren't faster.

The electric type turned his back to the creature that attacked him directly, the pink fluffy cat. His hind legs dug into the ground and kicked dirt at the skitty in the form of a Sand-Attack. Quickly afterwards, he shot off to the side and around the feline to head straight back for the zorua. He did not need to kill it, he just needed to grab it and run. The final blow could be delivered later.

-- The Kid With A Live-Wish --

Chance could feel the pressure of the jolteon's teeth start to suffocate him just before the pressure suddenly disappeared. Blood was not drawn, but his body still struggled to function properly. Tears of terror blurred his vision as he tried to force himself back up. His body ached from being knocked around by the predator to harshly. Despite it, adrenaline surfaced and forced him to stand. His hind legs buckled as his eyes darted about in attempt to find something that could help him. He could see the jigglypuff.

Out of desperation and panic, he attempted to will the ability of a zorua into action. His form began to shimmer as he struggled to focus, the appearance of a static jigglypuff akin to Alki surrounded him. The zorua's breath was heavy and panicked as he forced his hind legs to stand once more and limp along, close to the jigglypuff. The intention was to confuse the jolteon with who was who, but his inability to focus made it quite easy for the predator to pick him out before he could even get close.

The Jolteon cut off the zorua with ease. Chance froze, eyes wide with fear as his weakened body shook in terror. Like a deer in headlights, he was unable to move. The jolteon charged straight towards him with the intent to grab the zorua and run off with him. If nothing was done, the last thing to be heard from Chance would be his terrified screams fading into the tall grass.

>Theme Music:

Just as the jolteon neared the zorua, a blur of white and blue burst forth from the grass; in the blink of an eye, it was upon the eeveelution, teeth digging into the fur and flesh of his scruff mercilessly. It spun, yanking him off the ground and dragging him through the air in a violent twirl. The figure then stopped dead and released the jolteon, hurling him into the nearby log. The sound of wood splitting echoed as the eevee was nearly put through the decrepit fallen tree, sending shards of it flying from the point of impact. White fabric fluttered atop a blue form, blown into motion by the vicious spin and continuing as the wearer stopped. A white hood shrouded the figure's face, but his scarred body was revealed for the briefest time before the tail of the cloak settled back around him. A pulse of force rippled against the fabric as a crackling ball of red, black and purple hues sparked into existence in front of him, sending jolts of energy surging out around it.

As the orb launched itself at the jolteon, another shock wave was left in its wake, this time sending the cape of the cloak flying up off the ground again. The surrounding grass seemed to retreat away on all sides when the shadow ball made contact, exploding in an array of color equal parts vibrant and dismal. The target was engulfed by the lingering haze of darkly energy and debris as the log was practically torn apart from the sheer power of the attack; the impact could be felt even from a distance, releasing an eerie energy in all directions with enough force to threaten any unsteady feet.

The figure's body and the ears poking out of the hood were those of a glaceon, scarred but still bearing the distinct appearance. He turned back to the zorua, looking the child in the eyes with a momentary expression of relief that faded to fury as he trailed back to the aftermath of the destructive shadow ball. He stepped forward with a very clear limp, one of his front legs wrapped in a sling under his cloak. He moved fine despite this... until he didn't; all of a sudden, he coughed and his entire form shuddered, nearly giving out and falling to the ground. "Normally, I wouldn't strain myself on someone so pathetic..." he spoke in a growl, then spat a bloody streak of saliva at the ground to his side. His mouth must have been cut by the jolteon's fur, he figured; not that he could really tell, as his body was in enough self-inflicted pain to drown out something so mild in comparison. Alas, it was probably going to get worse before it got better, because he still had someone he needed to break.

"But for you... I'll make an exception," he continued, his tone bitter and unforgiving. The presence of Darcy and Alki hardly even registered in his mind, with his attention so focused on the thing that had attacked his child that the world around him seemed small and distant. Fortunately, he had arrived just in time to break every bone in this vulgar scavenger's body, and he intended to do just that... one bone at a time.

It was no mere coincidence that Sova just happened to be in the area. Actually, he was here looking for Chance, having been told by Mirage that he had run off... and apparently to the desert. Fortunately for the little fool, he had a sister who was smart enough to tell someone when he ran off alone talking about exploring some "exciting place." That... was days ago. The zorua had somehow managed to make his way clear into the Eastern Desert, quite a ways from home, and at an impressive pace for someone so young and inexperienced. Alas, this meant it had taken Sova much longer to track him down, but he fortunately happened to be close enough to hear when his name was called. Well, "Dad" was kind of his name now, right?

Actually, he hadn't been very close at all until... about 30 seconds ago? His sharp senses and naturally attentive ears were enough to pick up sounds from quite a distance away, after which he cleared what felt like at least mile in under a minute to get here. It was no wonder he currently felt like his muscles were tearing themselves apart after such a strenuous sprint, but he was pretty sure he could keep going. Like, 90% sure. Maybe 80%. He'd put himself through plenty worse before, and for lesser reasons than protecting his own child.

And if the strain did turn out to be too much for him... that would be very bad for the jolteon's health. After all, Sova knew someone considerably more tolerant of pain than himself... and with far less restraint.

-- He's Dead Jim --

It was almost as if time slowed down. Off in the corner of his eye he could see it. But before he could turn his head to get a better look, the creature attacked. He felt something grasp the scruff of his fur. In reaction, his body bristled and crackled with electricity as a wave of panic overflowed him. His body was the only thing that reacted out of sheer instinct, but his mind could not process what was happening. He felt the ground leave him as he was picked off of it and hurled elsewhere. He could not help but to cry out, but his voice was as his own fear choked him.

He was released. His body slammed into the log of the fallen tree where the pins upon his back became embedded in it. The world around him seemed to spin as he barely clung to consciousness. His head lifted weakly as he tried to understand how the hell that zorua managed to do any of that, however, all he could see was the mass of dark energy formulate itself and shoot straight towards him. Splinters of the log flew into the sky as the orb's energy impacted and corrupted the jolteon's electricity.

He was not permitted a second wind as the overkill power of the attack knocked him straight out. He would feel that in the morning...or whenever he woke up.

...if he woke up.

No, wait, his side rose and fell, he lived. Damn.

-- Waterworks--

This was it. This was the end of his life. The entire...well, he was not exactly aware of just how old he was. He always forgot. Emmelyn was better at that kind of stuff. He was young, he knew that. Too young. He did not want to die. Where were his parents? They usually should have been here by now. Where was Emmelyn? Did she leave because of this Jolteon? Did she try to warn him? Was he too stupid to have realized it? Then again...Emmelyn had not spoken to him once this entire trip. His mind raced as if it wanted to do all of the thinking it could in the last few seconds of its life. It was just as the Jolteon came within an arm's length that he came to the realization: He was completely alone.

His dad wasn't here. Emmelyn wasn't here. His mom wasn't here. Nobody but him. The tears that grew in his eyes overflowed as his tail tucked in between his legs. All previous attempts to mimic the jigglypuff now abandoned. He almost seemed to shrink with how low he kept to the ground. He closed his eyes and waited for the jolteon to take him away, but it didn't happen. He instead heard the choked sound of an attempt to cry out followed by the sound of wood snapping. His eyes opened to see a cloaked figure stand before him. He was just in time to see the terrified face of the jolteon just before the shadow ball smashed into the electric type and caused the wind to whip up in the surrounding area from the force of the attack.

His legs buckled once more as he was forced to sit from the force of the attack, the glaceon's body blocking most of it. The figure's expression turned to look at him-him and his flat ears, wide watery eyes, and snot covered snout. He was shocked that this glaceon appeared, a little late to the party but here none the less. Chance wanted nothing more than to run to the glaceon and bury his face in Sova's icy cold fur, but he could hardly gather the strength to move. On top of that, the father's eyes shifted to a look of fury that sent a chill down his spine.

His father spoke. Under normal circumstances, this scene would have been looked upon in awe. He would have raved on and on about how cool his dad looked and how the Jolteon was in SOOOO much trouble...but right now he could only manage to do one thing: Cry.

The lump in his throat hurt. His eyes didn't stop watering. The zorua could do nothing but sob as he struggled to breathe. His body hurt. Electricity crackled in his fur as leftover charge from the earlier Thunder continued to pain him. He wanted to move closer to the glaceon but couldn't. He wanted to say how sorry he was he left the house and how he'd never do it again-even though it would prove to be a lie later on. He wanted to curl up into a ball and pretend none of this ever happened.

Instead, all he could manage was hyperventilation and tears.

Darcy recovered from her attack slower than she would've liked. Even the fur of the Jolteon cut a bit, not to mention it felt like she'd been shocked... not majorly, mind you, but it was still enough to instill hesitation in herself, at least a bit. By the time she'd gotten to her feet, the Jolteon had scrambled up as well. She dove again, hoping to catch him with another tackle. She had no so such luck. The Jolteon struck her with a sand attack. Darcy squeaked as she lost her whereabouts. It was more than a little disorienting. She felt tears began to form in her eyes as they tried to push out the dirt. But she didn't have time for that! He could get to the Zorua, and who knew if Alki would be enough? It's not like either of them were particularly good at fighting, but alone...?

Darcy dove blindly towards the sound of the Jolteon. But either she'd miscalculated, or he was fast, because all she found was empty ground where she'd hoped there'd be a Jolteon. As she tried to regain her bearings, she found it to be quite difficult without her sense of sight. Going off sounds alone, everything seemed so busy and confusing and... where were they, exactly?

The Skitty began to sing, hesitantly. She could get the Zorua, or Alki, but as long as she got the Jolteon too, then... that'd be alright. She'd  be the last mon standing, and she could get her teammate and the kid away safely, and...

Her song came to a sudden halt as she heard a very loud crashing noise somewhere off to her side, and felt shards of wood hit her flank. (Frankly, it was more than a bit painful. But she wasn't about to complain) And then a voice... Angry. Furious, actually. And it seemed more than  a bit familiar...

She rubbed the dirt out of her eyes, backed off what seemed like a sufficient distance, and watched. And although she'd normally classify herself as a pacifist, well... the Jolteon deserved this.
~

Alki had no clue whatsoever what she was supposed to do now. She'd gotten him off the Zorua. So that was good. Step one: Complete. And now? Darcy dove forwards, trying to tackle him, but the Jolteon seemed to side-step her attempt easily. And now he was running... away? No... towards the child! She bit her lip, and prepared her little whip of dark energy to attack him once again, but... would it really dissuade him?

He was getting closer... Really fast...

No, that wouldn't do. She had to do something more. And nothing came to mind except...

Alki teleported towards the Jolteon, forming a tiny shield of questionable integrity with what used to be her whip between herself and the Zorua. Thankfully, the integrity of her creation did not have to be tested. A blue blur struck from the grass to their side, viciously attacking the Jolteon with a savageness Alki could never hope to possess. Not that she needed it, where she was going, but... she'd hate to be on the receiving end of that.

As the "Fight" quickly grew into "Overkill", Alki became quite convinced that her role in this little conflict was over. And now, she wanted nothing more than to leave. Because she knew exactly who the Glaceon was. And she wanted nothing to do with him. After last time...

She felt the soft end of her sister's tail stroking her back. It'd be fine... things wouldn't turn out the same way. They'd protected the Zorua! And... well, as long as she was quiet and didn't say anything to him this time, he couldn't get mad at her...

Alki and Darcy both turned to the Zorua. Both of them knew how this was going to turn out for the Eevees behind them. If it wasn't already over... And neither of them had any qualms over how things would turn out for the Jolteon. He more than deserved it.

As for the Zorua... Alki had no idea what she was supposed to say to him. He was crying, though. Terrified. Who wouldn't be? Alki opened her mouth, but the word's came from Darcy's.

"Shh..." She said, lying down so she could be at eye-level with the Child. "Everything will be alright... The nasty Jolteon won't bother you anymore..." She continued, softly. Alki had no words to add, and so simply contributed by placing a Heal Seed in front of the child. He'd gotten hurt, right? So that'd make him feel better...

She hoped the Glaceon behind them wouldn't mind...

Sova would have loved to go comfort the child, his child, but his discipline won out and his attention remained locked on the haze of darkness as he waited for the jolteon to emerge.  Moment's passed until the breeze blew the path clear and revealed the aforementioned jolteon on the ground, completely unconscious. Sova's body relaxed all at once, followed by a sense of shooting pain reminding him not to relax. In hindsight, he should have expected his previous efforts to handle any normal foe, but he was so used to being pushed to his limit that it was second nature for him to fight like someone's life was on the line. In this case, however, it was valid; he had gotten a view of the scene while approaching, and he knew well enough what this jolteon would have done if left unchecked. Probably just some hungry feral, but even so...

...

This sudden feeling in his head, distinct from his own, had by now ceased to surprise him. Senya seemed interested in this situation, probably wanting to kill the jolteon. He did too. But he would have to resist the temptation, if only to be a better role model for his kid, and just... better. He truly wanted to be less violent, but it was what he was good at, and the mindset had grown so deeply ingrained in him that he now found it difficult to avoid. It didn't help that Senya's behavior had only improved marginally since they came to understand each other, so he still had a blood-lusting maniac to worry about on top of his own instability and lack of restraint. In all fairness, the world kept insisting on throwing him into situations like this. Someone was trying to attack his child, so what was he supposed to do? The only thing he wanted to do... was make sure this problem never came back.

...But that wasn't justification enough to kill someone, especially when they were already incapacitated. With a sigh, he turned around and marched over to the little zorua before sitting down next to him. "Thank you," he spoke as he stared at Darcy, his tone more forgiving than before, "Both of you." He didn't look at Alki, but he still made sure to acknowledge her for her efforts. It wasn't like he had a grudge over something as silly as some cookies; he was fine with her. Sure, he didn't trust her, but it was hard to be mad at her after she had protected his son. Her presenced begged an important question, though: why was the Friendship Fun Squad here in the first place? Well, all that mattered was that they were, and they had chosen to do something to help. And...

...They had no idea who this kid was. Suddenly, there was a dilemma. Would it be a good idea to tell them Chance was his son and give them a proper introduction? How would he explain the zorua bit? Well, there was only really one way to explain it, other than "adopted." But... he was pretty sure he could keep the identity of the mother safe. Not that it mattered, since Chance was probably about to give it away regardless of whether it was a good or bad idea. Why fight it?

"Chance... look at me," he spoke once more, this time showing that he was at least acquainted with this child. "It'll fade... Just focus on me," he continued, staring calmly down at the little zorua. He figured Chance was probably some combination of scared and in pain, and the best way he could think to help with that was to get the kid to focus on something else; in this case, him. A hug or something of the sort probably would have been better for reassurance, but... he couldn't. In truth, the concept of showing affection had been almost completely lost to him over time. Now... the idea even scared him.

His ears somehow managed to fall even lower as he was hushed by the skitty. He continued to try and level his breath, but it seemed as if his lungs had a mind of their own. He looked in the direction of the skitty, who was a total stranger to him, though his gaze seemed to go right through the feline-as if they were not there to begin with. A paw lifted hesitantly as he seemed to shrink even more, this time further from the two strangers. Even though they tried to help him and seemed friendly prior, all of his trust was currently placed on one pokemon and one pokemon alone: the glaceon.

An item was offered to him, but to him it simply looked like an ordinary seed. The zorua’s gaze fell down to the item. Normal circumstances would have resulted in him being absolutely thrilled about this gift. It was something he could steal without getting in trouble, there was nothing better than that! Right then, however, his mindset shifted. Away with the fun and games, reality was home and it wasn’t happy.

He shook his head at the item in refusal to eat the foreign object-which would be a shock to anybody who was familiar with him. Not long before this, the oh-so-clever fox decided it was a great idea to swallow an explorer’s badge. His stomach suffered the consequences, but it surely did not teach him a much deserved lesson. He kept his mouth tightly shut, just in case the two decided to force him to eat it. There was absolutely no reason for them to try that, but his imagination made just about anything possible in his eyes.

An ear perked and swiveled in the direction of the glaceon as he heard the footsteps approach. His eyes were trained on the seed as he tried to forget the fact that he was very nearly eaten alive. They may have said the jolteon would not bother him, but the threat was still very real in his eyes. Sova spoke with the duo that offered him an item, but all his thoughts could focus on was the ache of his body. It was not until his name was spoken that he would be snapped out of his trance. His mind began to spread out to different ideas to get caught up on.

Was Sova mad? Was he going to yell at him? Where was Emmelyn? Was he going to be disappointed in him? A whole new fear gripped him as he hesitantly turned his head to look at the glaceon. His attention was focused on the glaceon as he waited for the expression to shift to either disappointment or anger. What he got only caused a swirl of emotions to resurface. His eyes began to water once more as he began to cry all over again. His small body leaned against the glaceon as he pressed his forehead into the ice type’s cold fur. He tried to speak, but all that could leave him was a blubbering mess of sounds that were hardly recognizable. This time, he cried for a whole new reason.

--

Erebus.exe has ceased to function, please reboot system.

Chance: 10 Energy

Kat carried out 10 launched of one Discharge Prairie :

, , , , , , , , ,

Darcy didn't have much to contribute to the situation. She tilted her head, looking down at the Zorua. Her partner had offered him a heal seed, and even though it most likely would have helped him quite a bit, the small child did not seem willing to take it. It's not like Darcy could blame him though. He'd almost gotten eaten, for Arceus' sake! Trusting strangers seemed like it'd be pretty difficult after something like that. She backed off and took a seat, observing Sova.

He had a sling under his cloak, and even though it certainly hadn't seemed like it limited him at all when fighting the Jolteon, Darcy couldn't help but wonder how much something like that hurt. He'd been on the verge of death, and it hadn't been all too long ago that the whole fiasco with the healing had occurred. Alki hadn't been happy when they'd heard the news of what her efforts had amounted to. She hadn't been happy at all, and Darcy had tried, she really had, to comfort her, but Alki seemed to blame herself for the whole thing...

Honestly, Darcy didn't know how to address it. She'd sorta hoped the whole thing would just blow over. Alki seemed to return in a slightly better mood when she went out with her friends. As long as she was happy, Darcy didn't care where she went. She'd kinda hoped she'd be able to cheer her up herself too, but it seemed like Alki didn't like to be in the guild much. She'd hoped a small trip to a new place like this would be good for her. But not with the Glaceon around... that'd just bring up bad memories.

And how unfortunate that was! Darcy had always wanted to talk with him, under better circumstances than last time... everyone had gotten off on the wrong foot then, she was sure! Once the Zorua calmed down and everything seemed a bit more relaxed, maybe they could all get to know each other better! Darcy nodded as Sova thanked both her and Alki, looking up at the Glaceon with a wide smile. "It's no problem!" Maybe now was the opportunity for Alki to feel better about that whole thing! If things went better than last time...

Darcy, otherwise, remained silent. Sova and this Zorua seemed to know each other, that much was apparent by the way they spoke. Both she and Alki were strangers. It'd be better if they were just quiet for the time being. Until the Zorua felt better. The least they could do was give him a minute... Give them both a minute.

~

Alki looked at the Zorua, hoping that he'd take the seed that she had offered. It was the least she could do to help, considering she really hadn't done as much as anyone else there... but to her dismay, the Zorua did not seem at all interested in taking the seed. "B-But... It's helpful..."  She said, more shaky than even she expected her voice to be. It wasn't that she was frightened, exactly. The Jolteon would be no much for the Glaceon, but... No, maybe she was frightened. She definitely was, actually, and it wasn't the Jolteon that caused that... The Zorua seemed adamant that he didn't want it, but Alki left it there anyways. Just in case he changed his mind...

The little girl turned to look at the Glaceon out of the corner of her eyes. She could see his leg... and she could remember everything that had happened at the guild. She could remember how it had happened. "K-Keep the seed..." She managed to stammer, staring at the Glaceon's sling hidden under the cloak he wore. She was the one who'd caused that. If she hadn't been so petulant and childish, if she hadn't caused so much drama with the false accusations and hand positioning, if she had just focused, then maybe she wouldn't have been a failure in her attempts to heal him properly. Instead, she had ruined one of his legs. She'd ruined everything that day, from the small issue with the cookies to the big, like making Sova a cripple. She was a failure at the guild, and there was nothing she could do to avoid it. From the Charizard in town, to her pathetic attempts at being a healer, she knew that she didn't belong.

Alki gave no indication that she'd heard the Glaceon's praise. She didn't deserve. She wouldn't ever deserve a word of praise from him, not after what she'd done to him. She glanced down at her own feet, imagining what it'd be like to lose one of them. The thought made Alki hate herself even more. Tears began to fall, but she tilted her head away from the three other pokemon accompanying her. It wasn't appropriate to be crying. She wasn't the one who'd almost got eaten, and she didn't deserve to cry anyways. Crying brought comfort, at least. She deserved all the suffering she got. She'd ruined the Glaceon's leg. She could take some emotional punishment, it was only fair...

Everything that happened between the Glaceon and Zorua was of no consequence. Not even Darcy was, right now. She didn't have anything to say. Sova and the Zorua seemed like they knew each other. Sova knew his name, at least, but Alki didn't have enough energy or motivation to think much of it. All she could think about was her own faillings...

Aaaand on went the waterworks... Great. Sova sighed under his breath, clueless at what to do in this situation. In his experience, he was pretty awful at being supportive, which hurt since this was his own child and he really did want to make him feel better. He couldn't help but notice Alki seemed pretty depressed too, and he almost felt bad about that one was well; she had, after all, just protected Chance. Plus Sova really didn't have a grudge against her in the first place, so it wasn't like he wanted her to be sad or anything.

...

Senya cared too, it seemed. Sova could feel his presence still, lingering and continuously putting the thought of further mauling the jolteon in his head. Senya didn't seem very talkative though, which was unusual for someone who loved theatrics and the sound of his own voice so very much. Sova certainly didn't plan to complain about not having to hear him in the back of his head going "Do it." Not that it mattered much since he could still feel the sentiment.

The glaceon stood awkwardly for a moment and stared down at the young zorua as he tried to decide what to do, an effort which was made no easier by the violent impulses itching at his mind. In the end he decided to sit down and wrap his tail around the crying child, hoping to comfort him in some way. He then looked to Akli and Darcy again and opened his mouth to speak... but paused. He looked back to Chance, then to the friendship pinklings again.

"Alki, Darcy, this is my son Chance. Thank you again for protecting him," he spoke calmly.

They had earned the truth, at least in this instance. And besides, Sova figured it would look better if he just told them himself before Chance had an opportunity to blurt it out later and make the whole thing look suspicious.

Sova's fur was cold. Chance didn't know what else to do but stay near his father. He could steadily feel himself calm down, but he did not make an active effort to. It was too hard. He was relieved that he was not yelled at. He was not spoken to by his father, but he already knew what was due from him.

"I-I'm sorry...I just wanted to look around-" sniff "and I thought Em was with me...." It was difficult to speak, but he managed it. He was not sure if it would have been better or worse if he had actually brought Emmy with him. His sister was much smarter than him; she would have been able to figure out and avoid the danger...though honestly he probably would have ignored it.

He dared to glance back at the two other pokemon that helped. At last his mind stopped registering them as a potential threat, since Sova identified them as pokemon he knew. What were the odds that his dad knew these two anyways? Did...did he just know everybody? That's...kind of cool. He always knew his dad was amazing, but there's no stopping a small child from finding more and more reasons to look up to his father.

Darcy remained silent as the Glaceon and the Zorua spoke. She had, at this point, quite a few questions. What was a child as young as the Zorua seemed doing out here in the first place? It's not like there was much fun to be found in a place like this... Then again, it's not like Darcy or Alki had much of a reason either, but... at least they could protect themselves! That was kind of important if you were going to go walking around in a mystery dungeon... Although it wasn't like the Skitty was about to start lecturing a child who had almost died... It wasn't her place. And he deserved a break.

She instead occupied herself by keeping an eye on the Jolteon. He still seemed to be unconscious, but if he came back and tried something... Well, she still had more than enough faith that Sova would be able to handle it. But if she could help out in some way... Well, she was more than happy to! Her tail flickered absently as she focused on the still form of the jolteon some meters away...

Sova opened his mouth to speak, and Darcy's ears perked up as she collected the sound. The Zorua was his kid? Honestly, she never would have guessed... but it's not like there was anything wrong or... extremely surprising about it. He had to be here for some reason. And they clearly seemed to know each other, and given the age difference... Well, it all made sense. Come to think of it, hadn't Sova mentioned something about children before? Her tail flicked again as memories of that day came back to her. Yeah... He had. Although there was a reason she didn't remember, and it wasn't just that day's events... That time at the guild had been bad for everyone involved, and honestly, if it were up to Darcy, she wished that everyone could forget about it...

"H-Hey, well, look Sova! I'm already kinda babysitting!" She said, sitting up straight as she smiled like a dope. She knew she was being silly. Too silly, perhaps? What did it matter, though? Everyone and everything was so tense. If she could alleviate that, even a little bit... She smiled even wider, her gaze settling on the Zorua. "Y'think I'm doin' a good job, Chance?" She asked, a crooked grin on her face as her voice turned even more childish in turn. "C'mon, tell us we're doin' a good job!" She asked, bringing her sister into the discussion as well, both literally and figuratively. She wrapped her tail around the jigglypuff and prodded her forward. They were both upset... How was she supposed to cheer them both up? At the very least, Alki would have to acknowledge that she had helped too now... Maybe this wasn't the time or place for a bit. But it was better than both of the younger pokemon present bursting into tears, especially in the middle of a mystery dungeon...

~

Alki blinked in surprise at the revelation that this Zorua... Chance, was Sova's kid. She'd forgotten, honestly. What with the recent events, and her attempts to purge her own failure and destruction from her mind, she'd forgotten that detail. Sova had kids. He was a dad. He was that old. And this Zorua... was his kid? Alki didn't believe that. Well... She did. It's not like he had a reason to lie. At the same time though... This Zorua, Chance, he seemed too small and timid and afraid to be his kid. Simply put, he reminded Alki too much of herself.

The jigglypuff felt the strange static in the air as a small breeze passed. She wasn't sure what she was still doing here. She wanted to leave, but she knew she couldn't. If she did, she wouldn't be safe. Not without Darcy. And she didn't want to leave Darcy's side. In the past few weeks, being with her sister was the happiest she'd been. Not that that was saying much... but at least she didn't feel like crying all the time with Darcy.

"Cool." That's all Alki could manage to say, given the circumstances. She wasn't sure what reaction the Glaceon wanted, and it was kinda interesting, but... she couldn't bring herself to be more enthusiastic. Not with so many sour thoughts and foul memories clogging up her mind. She didn't deserve to be there with Sova. Frankly, considering what she'd done to him, she deserved what the Jolteon had already gotten. She absently wondered if it was her sister's presence that was sparing her that.

She didn't deserve Darcy...

Alki was stuck in her own mind when she felt the Skitty's tail wrap around her and pull her forward. What was going on? She hadn't been listening. She simply looked up at her sister's silly smile which seemed to be directed at the Zorua and Glaceon in front of them. She wasn't looking at her. She wasn't going to get confirmation from her any time soon... So what was going on? She looked between the three, but with no answers being provided, she could only ask...

"...What?"

Sova wasn't sure whether to smile or frown as he watched the zorua fall into an outburst of emotion. Chance was okay, and for that he was happy... but he didn't want to see him so sad and scared. On the bright side, the pink things took the news of the two's connection pretty well. He had been worried they would freak out and make a big deal out of it or something, which they thankfully didn't. Alki's reaction was especially minimal, perhaps due to her perpetual sulking, but he wasn't going to force her to make conversation if she didn't want to. Darcy, on the other hand...

"I hope so. If he decides he likes you, I doubt I could stop him from wandering off to see you," he responded with a chuckle, partly so Chance didn't have to, but partly because... well, it was the truth.

The glaceon wasn't bothered much by this idea, though. Sure it was worrying, but... well, Chance reminded him a lot of himself when he'd been a child. As a little 'vee, he was always getting into trouble and wanting to prove himself to the world, and most importantly, refusing to listen to anyone. The only issue here was that Chance... well, he had a lot going against him. For one thing, Sova had had his parents to chaperone him around and teach him how to fight and explore from a young age, but he didn't really have the time to do the same with his own children, nor did he want them to be wandering around with him to dangerous places at such a young age. And then there was the issue with the zorua's little rebellious streak; and sure, Sova had one of those too, but he had never gone around stealing things and getting into trouble with people. That part reminded him more of Mirage.

It was hard to get mad at Chance for essentially just being like his parents, but that didn't stop the glaceon from worrying. At the very least, it would have been nice if he acted a bit smarter... but that didn't seem to be in his skill set. Wandering out to a place like this alone was just careless, and trying to take his even more helpless sister? What a terrifying thought. Sova hadn't started doing that until his parents... were gone. More importantly, he couldn't recall ever dragging someone along and putting them in danger. Was he just a bad parent?

Stupid question. Of course he was. He had no business being a dad.

But the least he could do was try.

"Now, what do you say to the nice people who helped you?" he questioned as he looked down at the zorua. If he couldn't stop his child from being self-destructive, he could at least try to teach him to thank people for saving him from himself.