[center][u][b]??? - Ayero - Ladyl Woods[/b][/u][/center]


"That damn Illusion Pokemon, it's still around. We don't have any chance of getting to those kids now..."

"Just a bit more time, we just need a bit more time to get those kids, else _He'll_ have our heads."

A five cloaked men and a single Alakazam clung to one another, bruised and scratched from the overbearing illusions that had plagued them for so many days now. This group had one mission, collect the children that had been kidnapped by the Skarmory and bring them back to the Island, but it seemed as though it would have been tougher then any of them had expected. The forest had a protector, the battle-scarred Zoroark, and no matter what they attempted they just couldn't get her out of their hair.

"Let's try one more time, maybe luck will be-" The man was silenced as a hand rose, owned by the oldest of the five, and as the rest gave him odd looks he chuckled darkly, pointing towards Skarmory's hill. A flash of green fell from the sky suddenly, followed by a large explosion, and then dust. Rayquaza, the Pokemon of the Liastine household. The single Alakzam viewed this with intense, glowing eyes, and then lowered his head in shame. A sign of defeat.

"The mission is over, looks like we've been foiled. Let's head back home." The old man spoke, lips bared in an angry snarl. The rest whispered among themselves, eyebrows upturned, and then with silent defeat they retreated into the plains of Aeyro and vanished in a flash of light.


[center][u][b]Skarmory - Ayero - Ladyl Woods[/b][/u][/center]

The final blow from the Legendary Pokemon had done the job. The armor plating on the Skarmory's back cracked with the impact, and his wings curled away from the hit, becoming much too bent to fly anymore. There was a short scream that had exited it's throat, but it was lost as the Steel-Flying type fainted right then and there. Even if it had managed to stay conscious, it's wings were much too tangled to work, and it's beak and head were much too dented and mangled to even allow it to see or screech. It was, in other words, horribly broken.

As the dust cloud began to settle, those who were to expect the Skarmory closer would notice something very peculiar in his now cracked back. An arrow head, different from the ones used by Seth and Sebastian, gleamed from within the steel, dyed magenta by an unknown poison. This was the reason for the Skarmory's madness.


[center][u][b]Tidal - Aeyero - Ladyl Woods - Battle With Skarmory[/b][/u][/center]


Tidal continued to dodge and circle around the battle, throwing his own barrage of Aurora Beams to continue his usefulness. Sadly, most of them missed, but it helped to keep the already-confused Skarmory from landing any direct blows on his... Eh, teammates. When the wind started to pick up, though, he was caught off guard, and Tidal felt his light body slowly drift upwards as the hurricane-type attack started to pull at the air around them. The human named Seth barked out the Pidgeot's name, and though Tidal could barely see through the swirling whirl-wind he had a hunch that Belle and the Luxray (Morph? Smelt like a Morph) were within the eye of the storm. A sudden blast of wind caught him in his time of thought, and Tidal tumbled back, hitting the stone wall with enough force to stun him.

A cry of pain left his throat, and he slid to the dusty earth slowly, one eye closed as he attempted to gaze at the battle once more. The human named Sebastian, who was currently taking shelter behind a nearby rock, shouted something to the serpent high above them, and as Tidal allowed his head to lift slowly Rayquaza shot down from the heavens he braced himself for another heavy gust. As the serpent collided with the earth dust filled the air, and another blast of wind simply blew over Tidal's back, saving him from another injury. Silence filled the clearing then, a good chance for the Vaporeon to clear his mind and relax, just for a moment.

[i]'Wait... Where is she?'[/i]

The thought was brief but chilling to him, and as the dust began to settle he rose slowly, limping towards the group with wide eyes.  Where was Aleida? She wasn't... Here... He turned towards Seth, crying out loudly as he glanced around sporadically, almost as if he were commanding him to find his friend.


[center][u][b]Aleida - Ayero - Ladyl Woods - The Nest[/b][/u][/center]

[i]'Can't let the kids leave, too dangerous... Stay up, stay up, it doesn't hurt.'[/i]

Aleida hummed a song loudly, hoping to drown out the sounds of the battle and keep the children calm, and as they gathered around her with upturned eyebrows and red, puffy eyes she smiled weakly. Blood continued to spill from her relatively deep wounds, though she had managed to slow the process by tightening the already firm bandages around her arms. She had already assured the children that she was perfectly fine. Many of the kids had begun to settle down around her, sniffling quietly as what sounded like a war waged on outside, and the one child who clung to an unfamiliar black furball stepped forward suddenly, tears still thick and present in his brown eyes. He held the Pokemon forward, and Aleida cocked her head then gasped as she realized what it was. A Zoroua, a young one at that. Matted fur, closed eyes, and heavy breathing quickly made her realize that it was very sick, and the child who cradled it gently whispered,

"Zoroua is sick, it was the second one to come in, me first. No food, bad water from upside-down rocks, so no get better. Please help him, please." The boy cried, more tears swelling with each word. Aleida nodded slowly, ignoring the sudden dizziness that struck her as she reached to her side and closed her hand around the waterskin within her side bag. The slosh of liquid gave her a sudden feeling of relief, and as she took the small Pokemon hesitantly with her bloodied arms she smiled and nodded to the other children kindly,

"You're gonna be okay now, right? I'll take you home once my friends make sure everything is safe outside." She pulled the cork fro the waterskin and opened Zoroua's mouth, allowing it to drink first before handing it to the other children, explaining that they should only take a mouthful so that everyone can get some. She then placed the Zoroua onto her lap, wincing as she saw that some of her own blood had become tangled in the Pokemon's thick fur, and dug into her bag once more. Aleida had recently restocked her food and medicine supply thanks to her shopping spree in Ladyl, meaning she had just the thing for the sick Pokemon and the kids. A rather small but thick root was dragged from the leather, an Energy Root, even the smallest amount could help one's recovery from almost any aliment. She first attempted to give the whole slice to the Zoroua, but it was unable to chew it fully, so in the end she had to chew it herself and then force it down the poor thing's throat with a second dose of water. 

Once the Zoroua's breathing slowed significantly she turned her attention to the children, piling the dried fruits and meats on the cave floor in front of them hesitantly. They gorged quietly, some looking at the swaying Aleida with worry, and as they ate and ate she smiled and turned to gaze out of the cave. From where she sat all she could focus in on was the edge of the clearing, but she could easily hear the shrieks and blasts from the battle that was just out of her sight. Worry made her head feel heavy, or maybe that was the blood loss...

A sudden gust of wind sent the group into a flurry of shrieks, and Aleida attempted to raise her arms but found they were much too heavy to move. Worry turned to panic, and she glanced behind her quickly... Just as a another blast of air filled the cave with dust. Everyone hacked and coughed as they breathed in the cloud, and with growing anxiety she yelled,

"Take the Zoroua and go outside, please! I'll be right behind you!" The weight on her lap vanished as soon as she barked those orders and with a bit of a struggle she stood, limping towards the light that she could barely see through the smoke cloud. She had managed to lift her arm somewhat up to her mouth, where she would then use her teeth to tightly fasten the bandages around her arm, but it seemed they wounds would require a bit more care. She let her arms drop, letting out a choked cough, and just as she managed to escape the cave and suck up a deep breath of fresh air she was struck with a wave of dizziness, forcing her onto her knees.

The children had successfully exited the dust-filled cave, just as the smoke cloud outside settled, and they all gathered together at the sight of a whole new bunch of strangers. The one child holding the Zoroua turned expectantly, awaiting Aleida to appear from the darkness, but all he caught was the slight shadow of her falling to her knees.

"Miss!" He cried out, tears swelling up once more.