"I found a pile of ashes next to it. Maybe its mother was a fire pokemon and killed herself before making a total transformation into a zombie to save her egg." Max suggested quietly. The boy's eyes were averted upwards as a long shadow moved through the clouds.

"I saw that..." He told Ian. "So you are not alone if we are hallucinating." Max chuckled dryly, then let his eyes fall on the stronghold. "I hope so. There's a big crack in it. I just hope that it doesn't hatch into a zombie."

(Back =D)

Alice followed June after listening to Aura's announcement about sleeping, walking into the room that they'd be sleeping in. Ditto and Arcanine had followed her, Ditto now in the shape of a Growlith that followed at Arcanine's heels. It tended to do that when it had nothing better to do. Walking was so much easier when you had legs. "Thanks." She said to June without a smile. She was tired, but not tired enough to sleep at the moment. She sat against the wall, not wanting to go outside again at the moment. She pulled her necklace from her neck.

Suddenly she changed her mind. "Would you guys mind staying here?" She asked them. Ditto barked and Arcanine whined. Alice smiled. "Don't worry about it. I'll have Lance with me." She said with a faint smile. Arcanine barked now but it was a happy bark. "Why don't you go explore?" She told them. They gave a light nod and Alice walked back out. There were a few people around but finding her way to a corner of the outer ring she considered herself alone. Pressing the button on the pokeball she released Lance from his pokeball. The dragon stretched and let out a small cry of happiness. He then looked at Alice with a tired look.

"I'm sorry I didn't let you out sooner. It's not safe for you out here." She said in a soft voice. The dragon bent its head down so Alice could pat its head. "Want to go for a ride?" She asked with a smile. The pokemon called out in response. "And I have one more thing to ask of you... We don't know if you're immune to the virus. Do you want to find out? If you say yes then you'll be at risk of me having to kill you. Or you killing me." She said seriously. The pokemon nodded without hesitation. "Alright... Let's go zombie hunting..." She said climbing onto it's back.

(Figured I'd make myself useful and go hunting. Can't think of much else to do. I'm a tad brain dead from my trip. They basically didn't let us sleep and had us get up at 630AM. Nine hours of rehearsal a day ^^; )

Aura nodded, then noticed Alice existing. "Thank you, Lucien." She said before running up to Alice, her Crocks scuffling on the ground. "Wait!" She called, then stopped in front of her and handed the older woman her rifle. "It'll make it easier." She explained. "Try to make clean kills - I don't like fishing out bullets." She backed away so she wouldn't be in the line of fire and went back to Lucien.

"I have a way to organize the positions. We'll sit everyone inside and make them name their skills. And we'll do it from there. What do you think about that?" She asked the other co-leader.

Ashes was getting tired of following Aura around. With a dignified growl, she lifted up head head and went into the women's building. She ran up to the Arcanine and the Dittio-Growlith. She went on her belly and gave a small yip, her ears twitching and her nose moving as she took in their scent.

Ian glanced around, glad to know that he wasn't the only one who saw it. Oh well. Whatever it was, it was gone now. If Ian didn't know any better, he would've said it looked an awful lot like a Rayquaza. Of course, what are the odds of them getting to see a legendary pokemon. Ian smiled faintly and sighed as he looked up ahead. His body was aching to stretch but it wouldn't be much farther now. He could see the building almost clearly now.

"Cracked? Yeah, hopefully the egg hatches safely and into a healthy pokemon. What kind of pokemon do you think it is?," Ian asked. He then turned his head to look down at the mountains and hills they were flying over, some parts cover in green trees, other parts in snow. Not far, he noticed a stream. Since they were in the air, Ian took note of where everything was located so that he could have a sense of where he was when he gets to the Stronghold.

"I have no idea whatsoever. But if it does hatch, and into a healthy pokemon, and it can fly, you can have it." Max told Ian, glancing back at the backpack strapped to his back to make sure that it was still there. It was. It was quite exciting to have found an egg, though he was worried that it wouldn't hatch. What would happen if it hatched into a zombie pokemon?

Hopefully that wouldn't happen. "We should get there in about ten minutes... Surely someone should see us if they look."

June walked up the lookout tower to search for more survivors. Her hope had withered, the chances that Max was alive was about three percent out of one hundred. Something surely had happened to him.

She wasn't expecting what she saw.

June raced down the steps, burst out the door and ran towards Lucien and Aura. "Two survivors on flying pokemon." She smiled slightly. "One's my brother."

Lucien nodded in agreement. "That sounds good to me." He said, and looked at June as she ran towards them. She said something about two more surviors and her brother.

"Alright. They should be here soon then." He said. If June could see them from the tower, then they couldn't be that far.

Liea flew swiftly towards the noise she heard. It was two boys crouched on the ground over a pokemon egg. The pink and purple butterfree flew closer. "Free! Free!" She called out to them.

OCC: Please don't tell me that this has died!

OOC: Trickery got grounded, so she won't be on for a while. D: I was waiting for someone else to post. Dx;

(( ooc: Ian and Max are in the air on flying pokemons, not on the ground. xD So I posted assuming Butterfree flew towards them in the air. ))

Ian smirked, "Cool, thanks," he said and watched as they neared the Stronghold. He was relieved that had finally almost there. Ian noticed the call of a Butterfree and turned towards the sound. A differently colored Butterfree had flown near them. Ian and Staraptor slowed down and paused in the air when the flying bug pokemon approached. "Hey, look, a Butterfree," he said, mostly to himself, but looked at Max. Was it was wild pokemon or did she belong to someone?, he wondered. The pokemon seemed to be calling towards them. "Are you here to escort us to the entrance of the Stronghold?," he asked the pokemon. If it was a wild Butterfree, Ian didn't think it would just directly approach them like that.

"Free!" Liea called again, and this time, she nodded in reply to the boy's question. She started flying back towards the stronghold, and looked back, to see if they would follow. They didn't seem dangerous to her.

Max leaned slightly forward on his pokemon, pointed at the butterfree then whispered something in the great red pokemon's ear, who nodded and started to follow the flying creature. "Your welcome." Max said absentmindedly, casually glancing down at the forest below them. The stronghold was nearing them, they would reach it in about four or five minutes by the look of it.

OCC: Sorry, writer's block. :(

Ian smiled at the bug pokemon's gesture. When the Butterfree turned and started to fly towards the Stronghold. He looked over to Max and Charizard. Max had just said something to his pokemon, but Ian couldn't hear. When the pair started to follow the Butterfree, Ian followed too. He saw the pokemon look back as if to see if they were following. Ian smiled.

Staraptor gradually started to descend from the sky as they drew closer to the fortress. Ian stared at the exterior of the Stronghold in awe. It was cooler than he had imagined it to be. The bird pokemon that Ian was riding on made a smooth landing, reaching the ground about several meters away from the front gate. When they were firmly on the ground, Ian hopped off, stroking the Staraptor's feathers. "Thanks for the ride," he said and looked towards the Butterfree, than to the Stronghold.

Aura nodded. "Good. Maybe we should call them all now." She considered, then June came over, a huge smile slapped onto her face. She raised her eyes brows. "Are you sure? You can't really see faces clearly until they're only a few meters away..." She shrugged and waved over Blaziken. Instead of climbing on his back, she just went up on his shoulder.

"I'll be back. If they have any sense, they'll go through the back. If they don't.." She frowned. "Shoot them out of the sky." It was an order. Blaziken stood, then leaped over all three walls with a single jump. That was the thing about Blazikens; their jumps were unmatched.

Once landing, Aura swiftly took out her hand gun and looked around, it cocked upwards. Once she saw the survivor hop off the Staraptor, she leaned agenist the high metal gate, giving the picture of ease. She ruffled her short blond hair as she looked at the stranger, her blue eyes steely. Another 6 footer. Someone, while giving orders too, she'd have to look up.

"Hello." She called out kindly, quietly, waving. Her voice was chipper the usual. "How good of you to come. Thanks for coming to the front, we were going to shoot you if you came from the sky." Aura smiled innocently as she told him. "My name is Aura Globe. My guess is that you came to join the strong hold, is that correct?"

"I'm sure. I know all of his pokemon any day." June assured Aura and Lucien. Fear welled in her chest as Aura said something about shooting them out of the sky, and she hoped silently that Max would have the sense to land in front of the gate and not fly in.

Max landed next to Ian as well, and climbed down from his Charizard. "Yes we are." He said roughly. "All of my pokemon are pretty strong, I can help with offense purposes." A small smile appeared on his face. Although he was shorter than Aura, he stood tall, though not tall enough to tower over her. "I'm Max. June's younger brother. Is she here?"

Ian let Max introduce himself first before he started to introduce himself. "Haha," he laughed a little nervously at the prospect of being shot down. "Yeah, guess it was a good thing I just followed the Butterfree," he smiled at the host. He looked pass her and then glanced around at his surrounding. "Looks like a pretty cool deal you guys have going here," he said. "Oh, and Im Ian," he started to say, but then pause to wonder if they would need his last name too. "Im Ian Stormkyte," he reintroduced himself. "And yeah. I came to join...I mean, if that's okay," he said not sure whether they had any kind of requirement or not.

When Max had said he wanted to help offensively, Ian thought about how he could earn his stay. "Not sure how I can help but I`m really good with fixing stuff...electronics, gadgets, machinery. Or simple stuff like plumbing, fixing broken fences, furniture, etc. You name it, I can fix it. Or any other chores you want me to do. My mom use to make me help around the house a lot. Gardening, cleaning, and stuff like that," he said and paused, realizing that he was probably saying more than needed.

Lucien walked over to the two new people, who had introduced themselves Max and Ian. So, Max was the brother that June was always talking about? It was good that they found each other again.

Liea flew back to Lucien, landing on his shoulder. "Good job." He said to the butterfree, and put her back into the pokeball. Jalen trotted up to his master, and sat at his heels. Mika was trying to claw her way up Lucien's leg. He picked up the small skitty.

"I'm Lucien." Was all he said to the new people. Quite the talker.

Aura cleared her throat after Lucien was finished. "It wont do you much good to have those skills if you're not allowed in, though, will it?" She questioned. "We," She, again, tossed a hand to Lucien. "will deiced weather or not you stay with us, for we are the Leaders. And, we aren't prepared for any offense yet. For now, we just kill those who come close." She explained.

After looking them over, Aura spoke again after a moment. "Blaziken, opened the slider, please." Blaziken nodded and jumped over the wall before griping the solid metal slider and with a audible huff, slid it to allow everyone in. With the opening, Ombre came out, his distrusting glare eying all the newcomers as he took his place beside his master.

"Not really." This girl annoyed Max. Really annoyed him. She seemed so cold, which he was not expecting at all. Would she deny them, even if his sister threatened to leave with him? Knowing June should would; she was a little too overprotective of her younger brother. "For what reasons would we not be allowed him? Please enlighten me. Give us some examples. Who, for example, has been denied entrance and why. Was it because of their lack of skills, or did you decide that you didn't like them when you first saw them?"

Max smiled slightly. If she hated him to begin with, she would be furious at him after he had spoken. They couldn't really afford to deny both him and Ian, they both had pretty strong pokemon that could aid in almost anything.

"Hello, Lucien. I'm Max."

(Sorry I've been failing to post ^^; couldn't get on for a few days.)

Alice took the rifle and nodded to Aura, then taking off into the sky with Lance. A sudden burst of activity due to new comers gave her a chance to go relatively quickly and unnoticed. She didn't like people staring at her pokemon. She saw Max and Ian land in front of the fortress, though they were only tiny specks from her vantage point, before taking off toward the woods. Time to go zombie hunting. She shifted the gun around her in her grip as the two flew into the trees. She'd forgotten how thrilling the feeling of flight was.

The two landed as silently as possible and Alice dismounted her pokemon's back. "If you feel different at all just tell me... I don't want you to have to suffer if... If you get infected." She whispered to her pokemon in a sad tone. Lance whined and she smiled. He was telling her not to worry. She wasn't far from the fortress, she wanted to be able to get back if things went wrong and something told her that she'd be able to find zombies just about anywhere around here.

(Wow fail. I'll be more interesting later I hope. Since you're all in a group this is kinda just a filler ^^; )

Aura turned to go, then stopped at the beginning of Max's ego speech. "Many reasons. You honestly think I'd let you in if you were a savage? A murderer, a robber, or of the sort?" She snapped, her blue eyes narrowing. "They survived the virus as well, not just cops and heroes, like my Father. So we asses you. Normal people can get in no problem. Of course, being an ass hole wont get you anywhere." She pointed out as she looked down at her Umbreon.

When Aura had been a pokemon trainer, a rising star, Ombre had been one of her main pokemon along with her Espeon, whose name had been Lilac. He was the stubborn jerk, while Lilac had been the kind sister who watched his back while he rushed out. It was also a good battle strategy.

Ombre's hair was standing up, teeth bared, red eyes blazing. If there was one thing that irked him, it was when someone insulted him or Aura. "Calm down." She urged him, and he sat down and closed his mouth and let his hair lay flat. His eyes went down to slits as he glared at the ground.