Desert Nights [OPEN]

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Samuel hadn't been to the desert in so long. The last time he visited must have been one of his least favourite times. One of the walls had collapsed in on him and the rest of the workers when they had been investigating the relic castle. They'd been stuck in there for a few hours, pokemon stuck outside. He was meant to have been in charge of it, but he'd started panicking. Of course he had. His team was on the other side of a heavy wall of rubble and he wasn't entirely sure he'd be able to get out to them. Those few hours had been hell for him, but it was surprising how much harder he worked when his team could possibly be in danger.

But, those were thoughts for another day. Instead, Samuel continued walking through the sand. His hands were stuffed deep into his pockets as he looked up at the night sky. He'd always preferred the Resort Desert at night anyway. Sure, it was freezing, especially in winter, but he'd dressed for the occasion. Wearing more layers than normal, and keeping himself moving. He wasn't entirely sure why he'd come out, but he wanted a chance to feel back with his roots. The researchers that had been his parents had always found this place so interesting, and he could understand why.

Samuel soon found the point he was looking for, a lone turret piercing the endless desert's sky, and he increased his pace. He wasn't sure f anybody else was out on a rather bitter night like this, but he reckoned if he waited long enough, somebody was going t come along. He just couldn't be sure who exactly, which was why he was taking for the cover of the ruins. His home territory if they happened to be a threat, but also a pleasant location to talk if the need arose.

However, a force of habit prevailed once again, quickly removing one of the pokeballs from his belt and releasing a member of his team. He'd quickly discovered while he was alone, his thoughts always drifted. Drifted to the thoughts he pushed to the back of his mind. The thoughts he attempted to rid himself of in any way possible.

"Arma!" Claw grumbled, probably awoken from a nap, but did what he always did. Set himself down besides the man he had grown up with, and stared out into the desert. Samuel didn't really speak much like this, it was more the company he required. Just to remind himself that he wasn't on his own, not with Plume, Claw and the rest of his team. He hated the thought of putting them in harms way for this war, but if he didn't...Who knew what could happen. Village bridge had been a disaster, one he could have tried to help prevent. He didn't want that to happen to any more of his home. No way.

[Stellar]

It's simply one of those nights, one of those nights that haunts her dreams, just because she pursued what she believed to be right. In those dreams, nightmares, is always her family, not supporting her decision ever, and in the end, she's never going to go back, never going to be able to because one thing or another prevents her. There are times like this she wants to feel regret for what she had done, leaving her family four years ago, but she simply can't, and that itself worries her. Is she simply incapable of caring, or can't she love her family as she's meant to?

The girl curled up again in the arms of her Aggron, Aria, with tears running down her cheeks quietly. Those nights hurt, because it makes her unsure of herself, and even as she runs and runs away from Kanto, where she knew her family was last, she can't help but be scared that maybe one day, one day, she'll see one of her family members and they might just confirm her worst fear. The fact that she's a traitor.

A grunt, and her faithful steel type shifted the body of her trainer a little. Aria was no stranger to the nightmares Stellar has once in a while. Over years, it had gotten somewhat lesser, but it's still there,and Aria remains the first Pokemon the girl calls out every time these dreams haunt her. Aria was Stellar's first Pokemon after all, caught in Dewford when the ship taking her family to Celadon had stopped by the small town. Aria was walking for a while already, knowing the soothing, repetitive movement somewhat relaxing to the girl. The steel type grunted again, shifting her weight properly. Their journey had brought them to the Resort Desert area, and the heavy Pokemon, although having a bit of a trouble walking through the ever shifting sands, chose the wilderness than the small houses by the roads, simply because Aria couldn't make sure how safe they are. She wasn't about to disturb Stellar with this kind of things though, so Aria said nothing, made her own decision and just walked, searching for a calm place to shelter both of them.

It didn't take long for Aria, who had been walking and walking, to find the obvious turret int he middle of the desert. It's the only thing that look most likely like a shelter around here, and Aria was somewhat confident that she could fight off any wild Pokemon if the need arose. By now, Stellar had stopped her quiet sobbing, rubbing her eyes and blinking up at her Pokemon. "Ria," the girl murmured, "Where are you heading to?" Her Pokemon had always seems to know where to stay best int he wilderness, and over years, Stellar left it to them to choose where they are going to stay next in the wild.

The Aggron just gave a small huff, moving faster and faster. Stellar shifted herself carefully to a sitting position, noting the turret they are heading to. "You guys always seems to know where to go, don't you?" she mumbled warmly, and Aria snorted lightly in reply. Of course.

As the duo stepped nearer, Aria suddenly stopped, sensing someone else near. Another human. The Aggron, of course, knew about the war, and definitely knew which side her trainer is on, and also know the dangers, thus the defensive stance. Stellar froze a little at Aria's defensive mode, looking around to see if she could see anyone else as well? A Lux member? Or just a civilian? Or maybe a wild Pokemon?

"It's anyone there?" the girl called out, much to Aria's chagrin. Did she know that that's going to give away their position? The Aggron can't help but sigh. Stellar really is terrible at strategies, and that just worries the Aggron more. After all, to be that careless in a war...Aria doesn't want to think what will happen.

Summary :: Stellar's been crying, in the arms of her Aggron, Aria, and the Steel Type's finding a shelter for her, comes across the turret where Samuel and Claw is.

Note :: So, hey there! Sorry for the long post. I promise the next one won't be as long as this one. I was just feeling somewhat excited to make my first post. ^^;;

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The desert around him always brought back memories. Uncomfortable memories. Terrifying memories. Occasionally happy memories, but those were soon drowned out by the rest of them. Mostly they were memories of his father. Normally they were when he was younger, working his way through the desert resort searching desperately for a fossil that would let him be like his old man. He never did find a fossil on the few trips he had, but his dad realized exactly what he was doing. That's how he'd ended up with Plume, the daughter of his fathers Archeops. But then he began to remember his journey across the region relic hunting...That ended so abruptly when the war started showing signs of beginning. After that, it was just dark memories. Of he dad dieing, his mothers spiral into depression, even his own slowly descending mentality.

Samuel's thoughts were just reaching their lowest point, and his was visibly starting to crack emotionally, when his Armaldo jabbed him lightly in the ribs, snapping him out of it. His eyes shifted widely around before settling on the fossil pokemon sat next to him, a slightly concerned look in his eyes. Plume and Claw were probably the pair he was closest to out of his whole team. Plume was there when he needed cheering up, bringing back the good memories, whilst Claw managed to keep him out of his slumps. Both of which were good for him like this.

" Hey, I'm alright Claw, no worries ," He mumbled softly, although it was painstakingly obvious in his voice that what had been going through his mind, and he couldn't exactly hide it from the Pokemon he'd known for so long. Before the Plate Pokemon could contend with this, he turned his head, cocking his head to the side as a voice caught his, and indeed his trainers, attention. Samuel quickly pushed himself to his feet, poking his head out of the entrance just enough to see an aggron carrying a girl, well, women.

" Er, yeah, put I'm not looking for a fight or anything. Just me and my Armaldo ," Samuel called out, and on cue his fossil poked it's head out from behind him and waved a claw, making himself as nonthreatening as possible. He knew Sam wouldn't be in a state to fight, depending on which side the girl had taken. He'd be able to defend him long enough if the aggron did attack, but he was hoping it wouldn't. They didn't need more fighting in this place. It was sacred to some. To him and Sam, it just held memories of their training and exploring days. Claw missed those days, but the war had allowed him to truly prove himself capable to his trainer.

[Stellar]

There is indeed someone there, which is both reassuring and somewhat embarrassing, to Stellar's opinion. After all, she just finished crying, but the companionship, especially since said boy seemed so friendly, might mean that she could have a rather safe night out here, in this desert area. Aria grunted somewhat warily. If her trainer isn't going to be careful, the Aggron would do it for her instead.

Stellar clambered up her Aggron, easily sitting herself on the Steel Type's shoulder. "Let's meet him," the girl patted Aria's neck, "He looks nice enough." Which, to Aria's opinion, did not mean Stellar should trust so easily, but the Aggron moved forward as asked. The Steel Type moved as gently and carefully as possible, both to look non-threatening; which was rather difficult to accomplish due to her body stature, and to make sure she didn't sink into the sand; considering her weight.

"I'm not looking for a fight or anything either," Stellar rubbed the corner of her eyes, hoping that would get rid most of the tears, "It's just, before I knew it, Aria had brought me here. I think she's finding a shelter for us tonight." She didn't mention anything about crying; why should she? And it's true that Aria had brought her here to find shelter, if she had read her Pokemon right.

Aria look slightly disgruntled. There was another reason the Pokemon had chose the desert; here, the Steel-Type had a distinct advantage against any enemies. She just didn't count on another trainer popping up. The Aggron, already quite close to this stranger trainer, nodded lightly to the Armaldo as a greeting. Stellar chose that time to climb down from her Pokemon, brushing her pants rather neatly.

"Well, hey there, I suppose," she greeted, "It certainly is a nice night, isn't it?" The stars are twinkling merrily in the sky, as if echoing their agreement at her statement. The clearsky in the desert is definitely great, and the turret seems like a good place to spend the night too, unless the man wouldn't let them. In that case, Stellar could probably find somewhere else, just not as convenient, she suppose. She held out her hand confidently, as a greeting. "My name's Stellar, pleasure to meet you."

She shifted over to her Aggron, resting a hand on the Steel Type's hip. "This is Aria," she introduced as well, "Well, she's obviously my Pokemon." With that said, Aria just grunted at Samuel, huffing a little. Maybe a warning, maybe a greeting. Maybe it's both.

There was a question that Stellar yearned to ask, even if she knew it was going to be super rude to do so. But it also means a matter of possible life and death, although you have to admit, both trainers look somewhat tired now, not ready to battle even if they are from opposite factions. "I know this is going to be rude, but are you in Nox or Lux?" She simply isn't going to let herself get caught unaware if the man happen to be from another faction.

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Samuel wasn't overly worried, even with the size of the pokemon in front of him. The desert, especially this one, was practically a second home to him. He'd spent more time exploring these sands and ruins than any other location across the regions he knew. If the girl turned out to be a threat, he could easily lose her inside the ruins, but he really hoped it didn't come to that. As she replied, he smiled slightly, although he did notice her Aggron wasn't quite so ready to accept he wasn't a threat, which was understandable. His Armaldo was more than ready to move if they did prove to be a threat, but he was trusting his trainer.

" Ah, that's a good idea. The temperature drops a lot the later into the night it gets, and nocturnal pokemon start to show up. Which are not fun when you're trying to sleep, trust me on that ," Samuel said, a tone to his voice suggesting he'd had quite a few run ins with them. Mostly Sandile and Krokorok, but at night, Yamask and Cofagrigus came out to play from the ruins if it was that sort of night. Claw watched the Aggron warily, until it gave a nod of greeting, which he returned. Samuel smiled as she hopped off of her transport, pretty sure her pokemon towered over his entire team.

" Yeah, it's one of the best parts of the desert. The lights are so far off you can see every single star up there, and it's so quiet you can just leave yourself in your thoughts ," Samuel said at her comment on the night, knowing it was a big upside. He normally ended up sleeping outside under the stars, but he knew it would be a lot safer under the cover, and the exposed turret provided the perfect spot. He took her hand just as confidently as she had held it out, nodding as she said her name. " I'm Samuel, it's a pleasure to meet you a well Stellar ."

As she introduced her Aggron, he glanced behind himself, trying to figure out quite how much a pokemon of that size and typing would weigh. Nah, it should be fine, there hadn't been a collapse in this part of the castle ," Ah, and this is Claw, my Armaldo ," Samuel said with a smile, Armaldo nodding his head politely before moving out the way so that they could get under the cover, stopping when she mentioned the two sides of the war, giving his trainer a look. If she disapproved of their siding, they may have to make a retreat, but Sam just shrugged. " I'm on the side of Nox, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna attack you in your sleep if you aren't in it." Samuel said with a joking tone, knowing that tended to be peoples assumption of Noxs side. Cheats and Liars fighting for no good reason.

NOTE: Meant to put one of these at the end of my post last time. I don't suppose you would be interested in a little bit of fun/exploration? I hinted at it in my post, but if you wanted we could have the floor collapse when her Aggron walks in and have them try and get out? Could be fun~ If you don't want to, it's fine.

[Stellar]

"While the temperature doesn't scare me, I don't really wish for my Pokemon to fight when we are all trying to sleep, or running, in general," Stellar laughed, "So right, I'll trust you on that." The man in front of her feels like he knows the ruins quite well, which means taking advice from him is probably a good idea. Oh hey, just because she's careless did not mean she wasn't observant. Aria still seemed wary behind her, but the Aggron had relaxed a bit, albeit not visibly. She knew her Steel Type quite well though, and Stellar knows that Aria finds everything kind of safe, or at least, to a certain degree.

Their comments on the night sky made Stellar felt like sleeping outside, but she knew better than that as well. It would simply be too dangerous. "It's too bad we can't just sleep outside, not without risking encounters with wild Pokemon," she remarked lightly, slightly sad undertone, but it quickly vanished. After all, she's grateful enough as it is to have even managed to see the night sky as beautiful as it is. Samuel's grip on her hand is strong and firm, and it gave her the impression that he's a determined and strong willed person.

Samuel introduced his Armaldo, Claw, a very impressive Pokemon. Fossil Pokemon are unique in many aspects, and Stellar respects that. She moved in a little as well, thanking the Armaldo with a slight smile as the Pokemon moved aside so all of them can get under the cover. That's one polite Pokemon. "I think I'm too tired now to attack even if you're a Lux member," Stellar chuckled, "But it's still good to know." It's understandable to be worried, after all, this is war, sadly, and she was worried earlier as well. He's proclamation to be in Nox helped to calm a great deal of fears, whether conscious or not. "I side with Nox as well," she reassured him as well, smile lighting up her face. Allies. This night is kind to them. The fact that Samuel is in Nox seems to calm Aria quite a bit as well. After all, the Aggron understand the concept of allies.

Maybe, though, they had presumed the night was kind to them a little too early, because precisely a few minutes after they were settled comfortably in the turret, an odd rumbling sound could be heard. At first, Stellar figured it might just be one of the wild desert Pokemon walking about, but soon felt as though the sound is too close for something else. She, and Aria, noticed too late that the floor was giving away underneath Aria's feet. It all happen too fast, and Stellar could only managed a small scream, Aria letting out a surprise roar behind her, before sand and rocks and everything else plummet downwards.

NOTE :: It's fun and all so yes to the idea! How awesome, and I just started it off at the end of my post? It's really Stellar's fault, nobody should bring an Aggron to unstable sand floors. XD

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"True, the temperature isn't that much of an issue when you compare it to the wild Pokemon. At night, you can never really tell what is and isn't moving out there, which can play trick on you. Or it could actually just be a ghost playing around ," Samuel said, voice suggesting he was pondering it. However, when she commented on trusting him he couldn't help but laugh a little bit, just because that was probably the wisest action to take, even if he was a stranger. " I should think so, I probably know these ruins better than I know my hometown. I explore them for a living really, trying to find what I can that's yet to be discovered ,"Samuel said with a warm smile. He was being as friendly as he could, this girl seemed pretty nice.

Samuel couldn't help but agree when she said about wanting to sleep out under the stars. He was occasionally able to get away with it because of two of his team being predominantly nocturnal. Of course, Mask didn't enjoy the duty very much, but Spike was happy to. Meant he could plot ways of tricking the rest of the team. The Cacturne thought he didn't realize, but he did.

Besides, at the comment about attacking him if he was Lux and then admitting to being Nox, he felt that bit safer. They were both on the same side, so if somebody that wanted to cause trouble did show up, they could deal with them together. Not that he wouldn't be able to do it himself, it was just safer. He carefully adjusted the pack on his shoulder, watching the desert from over the girls shoulder just to make sure there wasn't anything approaching. You could never be too careful. His gaze shifted to the Aggron as she joined them within the confines of the turret, noticing she wasn't as tensed as before. It was subtle, but rock Pokemon weren't exactly known for being overly expressive either, now were they?

Samuel settled down on the floor once they were all safely inside the exposed part of the castle, keeping an eye on the entrance much akin to his Pokemon. That, however, changed quite abruptly when the rumbling started. He was acutely aware of a single rock starting to shudder in the distant corner, when he and his Armaldo moved. He, rather nimbly, jumped forward, aiming to grab hold of Stellar before the began to plummet to the dark confines below. " Claw, protect now!" He called out as his Armaldo dived, the floor now well and truly giving way. An almost see through green shield surround the rock/bug Pokemon, as well as the two trainers close to him for a few seconds, enough to cushion the impact as they collided with the floor. It shattered, and his Armaldo ended up landing a little ways off, whilst Samuel landed on his back, coughing up dust and sand for a minute.

Okay, so his initial assumption had been correct, the floor wouldn't manage to hold itself under an Aggrons weight. He really should have mentioned it instead of just going with it. His eyes adjusted to the darkness slowly, reaching around for his bag and the much needed flashlight. " Stellar, Aria, are you two okay?!" He yelled, albeit a bit raspy because of the sand. unsure how close the two would be. He was fairly certain the fellow trainer had benefited from the protect as well, but he couldn't be sure.

Note: Hope that was alright for you, essentially Claw used protect to try and cushion the impact from landing on the floor for Sam and Stellar. He wasn't able to reach Aria in time though.

[Stellar]

Sand and dust and various other particles were obstructing her view, but otherwise, Stellar could feel nothing painful or nothing that stands out as wrong. In fact, she felt quite okay, only a little sore for a fall, but she had expected bruises and cuts and various other injuries and -

"I'm fine!" she called to Samuel, crawling on four and trying to regain her balance. It's a little difficult when you can't figure out which way is up and the floor is just moving around you. It felt rather sickening, actually, but Stellar needed to find her Pokemon. "Aria! ARIA!" her voice reach higher in panic. No, she can't lose Aria; even when her mind scream that this is ridiculous and a fall like that is probably nothing except a peekaboo type of surprise to her Aggron, Stellar can't stop worrying.

A grunt sounded somewhere behind her, before the sand flows away and revealing a rather disgruntled Aggron, who didn't look that happy. Actually, Aria looks moody, knowing who was really the cause of that fall. Stellar reach out and patted the Steel Type's hip, feeling grateful ad immensely relieved that nothing horrible happened. "Don't fret over it, Ria," the trainer mumbled, "Now, let's find Samuel and Claw." Somehow, that cheers up the Aggron somewhat, who reach out and lifted her trainer up. Using her heavy tail, the Steel Type easily move the debris and sand away, seeking for another life form.

It wasn't long before the first hints of Samuel appeared again. For one thing, the man had a flashlight. He was definitely serious when he mentioned he explored the ruins often; Stellar doubt anyone else at this particular moment could be that prepared. "Samuel! Claw!" she exclaimed, relieved at the sight of them, safe, "That was some fall! Are you guys alright?" It doesn't hurt, asking that, even when it was somehow obvious that the two were fairly uninjured.

Aria placed her trainer down, and Stellar moved over to Samuel's place. She wanted to confirm something; because when she was falling, she seemed to have heard Samuel called out something, and then it hadn't hurt. There was this green shield thing that stopped the majority f the debris, if she hadn't seen wrong. "Claw did something, didn't he?" she asked, "Thank you. Both of you."

The girl looked back up, trying to see how far they have fallen down. It's a little difficult to see, but felt like some ways down…"How far do you think we are? Oh!" she seemed to realize something now, and turn her attention back to Samuel. "I'm so sorry! It's the weight, isn't it? That brought us all down here?" She refused to let Aria get the blame, so the blame naturally goes to her, the trainer. After all, Stellar hadn't returned Aria into her pokeball. The Aggron didn't look too happy about it, moving to protest, but a hand from Stellar on the metal-clad belly stopped the Steel Type, although Aria looked like she wanted to somehow talk to Stellar about this.

NOTE :: Seems fine. Now to try and get out of here and just get some random battles for the sake of it or something. XD Adventure!

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Samuel breathed a soft sigh of relief when the girl called back that she was okay, glad of it. If she had been seriously hurt because he hadn't voice his concerns, he'd have felt horrible. Carefully digging around in his backpack, he produced the flashlight and set to shining it around the room. This wasn't a part of the castle he'd explored before, nowhere near it. But, looking up, he reckoned they must have fallen at least two floors, maybe more. His Armaldo's protect had probably manage to prevent something serious happening to him and his younger companion. He set to clearing away some of the sand and rubble from himself, Claw doing the same after breaking out from under some rubble.

They both froze at the panicked cries rising from the other trainer, realizing they were further apart than expected. He was just about to move, when Samuel heard the tell tale signs of something heavy breaking out from under rubble. Oh good, the Aggron was safe as well. That meant they'd at least have two strong Pokemon out if something decided to have some fun with them. He knew the Pokemon here had the tendency to prank, but they weren't overly aggressive. Sure, you had the occasional Krokorok, but they weren't so bad. He was just giving into the temptation to start examining the walls when Stellar and her steel Pokemon found them. He turned, smiling slightly seeing they were both okay. Claws protect had done it's job.

" Stella, Aria! We're both fine, it's good to see you're okay as well ," Samuel said, voice still a bit strained from the amount of sand he had inhaled when shouting his command to Claw, but he'd had worse. Trapinch's were far too good at making traps. When she hopped off of Aria and walked up to him, he couldn't help but worry she was about to yell at him for getting her stuck in the ruins, but instead she commented on Claw saving them. " Oh, that? Yeah, Claw helped break out fall and stop some of the rubble with protect. He's gotten pretty good at it ," Samuel said, shrugging a little. It was why he tended to explore with him. He was pretty strong, and could defend if there was a cave in. "It's fine, we've been through a couple of collapses, so Claw knew what to do. Just sorry we didn't reach Aria as well ," Samuel added as she thanked them, Claw nodding an affirmative, as well as a way of thanking her for thanking him, if that made sense.

The ruin maniac quickly dug into his backpack again, full of various roughly sketched maps. food supplies and a few bottles of water. If things went badly, he stocked to keep himself and his team going for a couple of days at the least. He produced a second flashlight, one of his little rules being to always keep a spare. He held it out to Aria as she commented about how far they had fallen, nodding slightly in agreement as he shone his light up to the floor that had collapsed. " I'd say at least two floors, maybe more. We're probably going to have to head deeper to get out ," Samuel said, his tone turning to that of his informed, professional self. When it came to exploring, he actually managed to keep remotely serious. You had to be, places like this were dangerous. You could never be sure what was around the corner. " Oh. and it's fine. I wasn't sure if the floor would've been able to take her weight, I should have said something, but I was hoping it would have been fine. Besides, it doesn't help I kept Claw out, he isn't exactly light. Sorry ," He added when she said about Arias weight, shaking his head. He really should have factored in his own and his Armaldo's weights as well. Once he'd satisfied himself that they wouldn't just be able to climb up, he turned and shone his flashlight down a corridor, trying to remember the layout of the castle. He sighed, and started walking toward it before stopping to look over his shoulder. It would be safer if they stuck together, and he trusted that Aggron to have their backs.

NOTE: Of course, random battles in ruins always make for fun time xD They're probably gonna get so much fun out of this, I can just tell.

[Stellar]

"All the same, I still owe my life to you guys," Stellar gave both of them a brilliant smile. After all, they are great enough, clear-headed enough to think even when the situation seems so dire. She half wished she could be more like that, instead of screaming out in terror and fear. Aria gave a somewhat sheepish grunt, in a way of telling them she's fine even without the protect. After all, she is a steel type.

"Two floors down?" Stellar remarked as Samuel took charge of the situation, something Stellar don't mind. At least there's an expert in charge, and that's enough for her. It certainly helps the situation after all, and Stellar can't help but be a bit relief. After all, they are safe and they know how to get out of here, sort of. Besides, Samuel sounded so professional. The tone helped to calm her down.

She easily followed him, walking down the corridor of this dark, dusty castle. The way he looked up earlier probably meant he determined that there's no way they can just climb or fly up, and Stellar isn't willing to try her luck. Not when so many unexpected stuff could happen, and it's night. Her heart is still beating rather fast, and only now it's starting to thump at a slightly slower rate, getting a little calmer a little by little, and her mind started to think a bit more clearly. On that note...

"You sounded pretty bad," Stellar remarked, side stepping a bit when Aria unconsciously walked too close to her. Don't want to get flattened by her steel type, of course. And she did hear the hoarseness in Samuel's voice. Did he accidentally get something? "Do you need to drink any water?" Cause she have some water bottle in her bag; water is essential after all. Samuel has it too, does he? Maybe he doesn't, is that the reason why he isn't drinking anything?

Before she could ask again, though, another rumble sounded out, and the floor beneath them shook a bit. It's enough to sent Stellar stumbling a little, hand gripping on Aria's armor to keep herself a little more balanced. "What's that?" Thank goodness her tone isn't that high pitched, more like a calm fear.

Her Aggron looked around worriedly, not liking the frailness of the whole situation. She's a steel type, a type that's good at going for offensive, physical attacks, which is not that good to be done around a castle that looks like it can collapsed even after the slightest touch; it is sand after all, and by touch Aria is judging it to her own standard of touch.

There are various small quick sands forming, there are even various odd looking bulges by the ground, and it felt bad. As in, just dangerously bad. Instinctively, Stellar placed herself on a defensive stance, worried. Behind her, Aria did the same as well, but she won't do anything more until her trainer tells her to.

"Are those safe?" Stellar asked Samuel cautiously. She would trust his judgment after all.

NOTE:: Started the battlefield, if you don't mind~! I'm not too sure which wild pokemon should come out though, so...

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Samuel couldn't help smiling when she mentioned owing him, but she didn't. She didn't owe him anything, it was his fault they collapse had happened in the first place. If he had stopped her, neither of them would've been in danger. He traced a hand through his dark hair, before continuing to move, mentally ticking off the Pokemon he had brought with him. Plume, for travel, Claw for company, Mask and Spike in case he needed to find in these close quarters...And then his two newest Pokemon for training. Oh great. Torch could act as a light source if he really needed him, and Snout was good for small spaces. Plus, he probably knew these ruins pretty well, he had been caught last time he came to explore.

"Yeah, about two floors. Maybe three, it was a bit hard to tell because of how dark it was. We shouldn't be too far down, we just need to find the staircases that lead up. I've not actually been to this part before though, I'm just going by what I do know of the layout ," Samuel said when she queried the two floors comment. He was hoping he was right, there shouldn't be that many strong Pokemon this close to the surface, unless they managed to come across one of the Sandile lines territories. Then they would probably have to fight through it. Which raised another point, stopping to look over his shoulder as Aria moved through the tunnels. If it came to a fight, she may end up causing more damage than helping, not that he meant it offensively.

The Twenty year old had turned to look forward again when she commented about the water, realizing that he probably should. " Yeah, but don't worry, I've got a couple of bottles in here somewhere. I just wanted to get out of that room in case something cause around collapse ," Samuel said, giving a warm smile before once again digging around in his backpack and producing a bottle of water to take a swig from, continuing to walk. However, he froze when a rumble sounded out from further ahead, trying to figure out where he had heard it before. He turned his head toward Stellar as she queried what was happening, and then he saw the scene in front of them. Luckily the room had opened up slightly, and he could see a good few platforms to cross. It was just the sand he was going to be worried about.

" Stellar, I think it might be a better idea to have a lighter Pokemon right now. No offense Aria, it's just we're gonna have to move fast and quietly. This is one of the local Sandile's territories, and I think most of them are out. But those mounds are likely to be a couple left behind to make sure nothing else gets in. We wake them up...We've got a whole lot of trouble heading our way ," Samuel explained, voice quiet and controlled. If they woke up one of the ground types left behind, he was pretty sure they'd end up calling in the big guns. And honestly, he didn't feel like fighting Krokoroks and most likely a couple of Krookodiles in such a confined space.

Carefully pulling Claws pokeball from his belt, he returned the rock type, knowing he wouldn't be his best choice for this situation. He'd end up catching something, and even he knew it. His Armaldo liked to pretend he was the perfect warrior, but he always did something to trigger a trap. He'd seen it happen numerous times. Instead, he pulled what would appear to be an all but brand new pokeball from his belt, and released a small fire Pokemon, who squeaked before looking around curiously in the darkness.

"Hey Torch, come here ," Samuel said, bending down and letting his Cyndaquil clamber up his arm and instead cling to the very top of his head, trying to listen out. He turned to look over his shoulder and grin at Stellar,checking to see if she had a smaller Pokemon out or not. " This is Torch, he's my lightest Pokemon but he's still pretty handy in a fight ," He explained, his Cyndaquil letting out a little sound of agreement before settling as his trainer approached the edge, just before the sand set in. With almost practiced precision, he hopped from it to one of the fallen pieces of rubble, acting as a decent foothold.

Note: Of course I don't mind that you introduce the battlefield, I'm reckoning we should wait til they're just across the room before it starts. Gotta love a good panicked spring through the corridors. Oh. and you so deserve a hi-five for your new Anoriths moveset.

[Stellar]

For the first time that night, Aria actually looked grateful openly to Samuel, who mentioned about her weight and size. As much as she hated leaving Stellar's side and going into the pokeball, she knew better than to stay stubborn in this issue, especially not when she might be Stellar's danger. The girl, however, look a bit hesitant, but she does understand why, so with a quiet mumble, the girl held out a pokeball, and recalled Aria in. "Without her, it feels a little lonely," The girl confessed a little, but settled for a small smile, "I suppose it's just necessary."

"My lightest Pokemon is a fire type as well," Stellar admitted, holding out a pokeball. She really don't want to release this particular one out, but desperate times calls for desperate measures. "Sae?" the pokeball released a Vulpix, the fluffy fire type giving a large yawn, stretched, and blinked up at Stellar blearily. "I'm sorry to wake you up, but this is something like an emergency," Stellar patted the small Pokemon on the head. She still have her doubts of her choice to release Saedea. The baby Vulpix, the only baby Pokemon in her team, really needs her sleep.

Saedea trotted over to Samuel, blinking at him this time. Oh, a newcomer. She turn to face Torch, who's roughly the same size as her. "Vul!" the fox POkemon mumbled as greeting, reaching out to nuzzle the Cyndaquil on his nose. "Hello there, Torch," Stellar offered her own greetings as well, "This is Saedea, Sae for short. She's still a baby, a toddler more like it, but she packs quite a punch." That even surprises her some times. Sae is quite stubborn after all.

Stellar followed Samuel carefully, looking a a little too calm for someone who never done this before. In a way, it's a mask to hide how she really felt inside, nervous, afraid and hesitant, but Stellar had never been the type to back down just because she's afraid. "Do you think the Pokemon will attack us just because of this?" she asked, curious and trying her best to mimic Samuel's movements, stepping on the same rocks he stepped before he moved forward. Once in a while, she felt like her balance is gone and nearly tripping, but a little flailing works quite well to adjust her balance again. "After all, it could be a natural cave in."

Saedea was having a better time than her trainer, obviously. The Vulpix easily leaped from one rubble to another, looking alertly around. Stellar said it's an emergency, so she's going to prove herself and show that even as a toddler, she can fight just like any adult Pokemon! Another rumble sounded out again, and some more rocks seems to have fallen somewhere around them.

NOTE :: Brain short-circuited for the last four days, I apologize for the late and crappy post. A panicked spring through the corridors sounds really hilarious, for some reason. XD *highfives* Guess who inspired me?

[maximum]

" I know, but it's probably better to make sure she doesn't cause a collapse accidentally. One wrong move and something else could go wrong ," Samuel said, smiling as he watched her release a fire type as well. He recognized the Pokemon as a vulpix, but it was still quite small. He assumed it must have been a young one, probably just a baby. He was proved correct when she mentioned she was just a toddler, He smiled as the two fire Pokemon greeted each other before starting to make the move. Torch kept pace with him, occasionally using quick attack to help him hop a bit further or faster.

He was careful with his choice of footholds, making sure they were far enough away from the ground Pokemon lurking beneath the sand so as to not wake them. He stopped suddenly, seeing the signs of another collapse about to happen, but he hadn't expected where they landed. He checked the distance as the one of the pieces landed right in front of the largest mound of sand.

" Stellar, run now. Before the rest of them get up. It doesn't matter if we caused the collapse or not, We're in their den ," Samuel said as he stopped jumping, instead sprinting for the exit. Torch understood the situation rather quickly, hoping up onto Sam's arm and crawling to his shoulder, He needed Stellar to get through the passage first so he could block it off afterward, but he didn't like his chances if whatever was still waking up turned on them off the bat. He watched the mound slowly moving, before a red snout poked it's way out of the sound, a low hiss already working it's way out of the fully evolved Pokemon's mouth. He reached the passage way just as the Krookodile burst from the sand with a roar, evidently confused as to why the hell it had been awoken already.

He waited for Stellar to get past him into the passage way before he glanced at Torch. The fire type knew instantly what to do, knowing he had to at least give them a little time to escape from the ground/dark types. Torch jumped into the air and started spinning rapidly, quickly firing off several Swift attacks toward the ceiling. The Krookodile was already getting up out of the sand, with a couple of Krokoroks joining it as the ceiling began to crack and chunks began to fall. Samuel didn't normally agree with destroying parts of the ruin, but it would be enough to distract them for a short while at the least.

" We've got to move now ," Samuel said, but the speed at which he spoke it sounded all one word. He was worried, they shouldn't have woken them up, but they had. Now they just needed to keep moving and not get caught in another situation like that. Torch had once again perched himself upon Samuel's shoulder, and was proving plenty of light in the darkened corridor. Sam had dropped his Flashlight when he had started to sprint, hence the reason he was relying on Torch to act as, well, a torch for him.

Note: Oh lord that was such a bad post, sorry. I just wanted to make sure I got a reply to you. And wow. It took me several times reading your note, and then looking back at mine to realize I'd typo'd. Whoops. I'm probably going to hazard a guess that Claw helped out a little in the move set decision? Hehe.

[Stellar]

In a way, it startled her when Samuel just suddenly asked her to run. It is, however, pretty logical, considering the shifting sands beneath her feet. Uh oh. They did woke something up, and Stellar has a feeling she wouldn't like whatever Pokemon that's coming up. The sand shifted even more, and Stellar's stomach felt like it's plummeting, with all the sudden movement. Her body reacted on instinct, and so, she was running after Samuel as well. Fight or flight after all.

The red snout was very unfamiliar; the girl had only visited Unova once or twice, and never the desert area until tonight. Her Vulpix easily followed Torch example, climbing up her shoulder with clumsy jumps, although it worked. Paws scrabble up her shoulder, and with an accomplished huff, the Vulpix perched itself on Stellar's shoulder.

Stellar ran past Samuel, who had been obviously waiting for her."What's that?" she breathe out. Even a name would comfort her at this point; the unknown is scarier than the known after all. And den? Seriously? There's more of those? Oh, Arceus. Please no. "There's more of those Pokemon?" And what type are they? Her mind's already whirling trying to find a solution for this situation, probably her way of coping with this situation.

A twitch made itself known on Stellar's hand, even as she ignored her own body's signal. Something is rising in her, and her eyes had an odd, determined gleam. "Sae," the girl panted, "Ominous Wind." The Vulpix on her shoulder, seeing Torch's swift attack, prepared her own's. As soon as the swift attack took a few rocks down, her eyes glowed, and a strong gust of wind, accompanied with a very bad feeling, blew into the room. Instead of doing damage, the wind moved the dropping rocks closer to the wild Pokemon, and in the process shake a few dozen rocks from the roof as well.

"That didn't do much," Stellar muttered, but she didn't say anything else, because there's simply nothing else she could do. Besides, Samuel is sounding really hurried, and worried, and that doesn't sound like a very good thing from an expert like him, so she complied. Torch was providing great light for their journey, and on her shoulder, Saedea let out a little grunt, probably because the Vulpix couldn't do the same thing and didn't like that fact.

"What do we do now?" Stellar asked, looking behind, then looking back at Samuel. There's some time now, at least. They had some time, and they are running away real fast. Maybe those Pokemon wouldn't catch up after all.

That would have sounded more convincing in her head if there weren't rumbles behind her. Krookodile's family are known for living in sands, and by living in sand also means they could navigate themselves around pretty easily...

Note:: I didn't realize there was a typo. There was a typo? And yeah, Claw did impress me quite a bit. XD

[maximum]

Samuel was glad to see that Stellar had moved when he had said to, practiced gaze shifting around the room as she ran toward the pathway. If there was a Sandile den here, they may have been closer to the surface than he had expected. If they built them too deep they would hit the other dens of ruin dwelling Pokemon, plus if they were closer to the surface they wouldn't have to worry so much about getting to where the above ground prey was. He carefully moved out the way when Stellar came running past him, noticing Sae had taken a similar position to Torch, smiling to himself.

" The largest one is a Krookodile, ground/dark type and known for a fairly brutal reputation. There should only be one of them here for now. The slightly smaller ones stood on two legs are Krokorok;s, their pre-evolved form. And I'm going to hazard a guess the smaller mounds are Sandile, their youngest form ," Samuel explained as quickly as he could, focusing on Torch as the young Pokemon set about getting those rocks falling. He hadn't expected her to help, but as she told her Vulpix to use Ominous Wind he was happy for the help. The rocks tumbling managed to cover the entrance to their pathway, cutting off the light that had been filtering in from the room behind them. He quickly turned and kept pace with Stellar as they moved.

Samuel's mind was already working through their options, pretty sure they must have been heading higher up, which was a good sign. But for now, they needed to keep moving. His eyes were shifting over the walls, constantly aware of his surrounding. He was a researcher. He had to take advantage, but his mind was mostly focusing on keeping them moving in the right way.

" If I'm right, we shouldn't have much further to go before we hit the first floor, then we should be fine. Most Pokemon tend to stay away from there if the can help it ," Samuel explained, his feet making a repeated sound as they collided with the floor, trying to block out the growing rumble. Yeah, the Krookodile wasn't happy with its unwelcome awakening, He was hopeful that it wouldn't be able to reach them before they were up and on the surface, but the smaller Pokemon might be able to worm through quickly.

His worries were proved correct when the sand covered floor behind them burst open, and a pair of Krokoroks crawled to the surface, hissing in distaste for the pair of trainers. Luckily they had a reasonably wide corridor to work in, and his Cyndaquil was already hopping off his shoulder, flames rising a little bit.

" You ready Torch? Fight the left one back with a quick attack, and be careful ," Samuel called to the fire starter Pokemon, who nodded and nimbly charged forward, slow at first but suddenly accelerating suddenly and plowing into one of the Krokorok's fronts, knocking it backward. The desert croc Pokemon was having none of it though, knocking the rodent backward and glaring, using a scary face attack and putting Torch off running into it like that again.

Note: Indeed, I meant to say Sprint through the relics, but spring works so much better xD. And woo, Claw was impressive~