[IC] As Gods Sleep Chapter 1: The Dust Settles. . .

[Zephyrus the Priestess]

The cry of the dragon made Houndoom wince and back away quickly.

Zephyr froze. The Hydreigon's blood red narrow eyes reflected its pathetic and even... pitiful state as they burned into her cornflower blue eyes.

What am I even doing?! I don't have to kill it but it hurt Houndoom and Umbreon It's already weak but it hurt Houndoom and Umbreon It's within its nature to randomly attack anything in sight it hurt them I don't HAVE to kill it it HURT THEM

She struggled with these thoughts. Her fingers lost their grip on the switch.

It didn't help that those eyes were boring into her mind.

Just like the whirlpool that swallowed up the entire park that day.

That day.

Damian.

DAMIAN

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHH!"

Edited May 4, 2014 by ZephyrEnyalios

[K_H]

Kenny was resting after taking the hit from the Hydregion, when Zephyr's cry woke him up.

"uhnn..."

He then noticed the Togepi covering him, the fact that the battlefield was covered in water, and the fact that the Hydregion was now stuck on the ground, only able to lift it's center head.

"what happened?"

He was still laying somewhat limply on his side, and was still unable to get up, after he asked his question.

Edited May 4, 2014 by K_H

[Arkhi]

After receiving both guns, he placed one into his pocket, cocked the one he had out, and peeked from behind the rock- or what remained of it, anyway. He had only used a gun once when he was on a hunting trip with family. It was a high-caliber rifle. Of course, this would have less recoil, but the same rules applied. He could hear his uncle's words in his head: "Collect your breath, hold, and fire." Gale hated the wait it took to focus, but enjoyed the recoil of the gun.
The barrage stopped as smaller bursts of its attacks flew out. Hydreigon was obviously weakened now. Gale stepped up from the cover, placing his arms on the rock, feeling the grit of the gravel on his arms. He closed his right eye, assuring his aim on the left leg of the beast. Pause, gather your breath, aim, and-

BANG.

This sound was the best I could find, but it looped for about a minute, so I took only the single shot

[Chevaleresse]

The Hydreigon gave out one last cry of pain, and the center head thumped to the ground as the beast gave in to the agony, falling unconscious.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Amarantha answered the Dewott's question. "That Hydreigon got beat around by the rest of the Pokemon here, but then it used a Dragon move to call meteors from the sky. You couldn't protect yourself, so I did." She flinched at the report of the gun when it sounded. She looked about for the source, and quickly located it. Did he. . . ?

[K_H]

Kenny flinched at the report of the gun when it sounded, and then, when he tried supporting himself enough to sit upright and find the source of the sound, he was barely able to get onto all fours, and then collapsed onto the ground again, still conscious, but exhausted and in a great deal of pain.

"Jeez, that Hydregion hit me really hard with that Fire, Ice, and Lightning attack. i haven't felt this beaten up, ever."

Edited May 4, 2014 by K_H

[Ojama Yellow]

Sark slowly got back up. Gah... I can't believe I was beaten... Then he saw it. The Hydreigon lied on the ground, beaten up and unconcious. "How did they..."

[K_H]

Kenny heard Sark ask how the Hydregion was defeated.
"I don't know how they did it... i just know they did. anyways, that battle was intense. i don't know about you, but i'm extremely tired."
and with that, Kenny glowed blue, and then fell asleep.

he used Rest.

[Ojama Yellow]

The Dewott named Kenny fell asleep, which seemingly healed him. "Huh. Using Rest I see." Then he realised that he still had the Berries Yuki gave him, and he gulped down a Sitrus Berry whole. "Ah, that's better..." He turned his attention to the Pangoro. That guy...he protected that Dewgong and Cyndaquil from Hydreigon's attack in danger of his own life... Why would he do that? I just can't figure out some Pokémon.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Theo lay on the ground. He took a huge beating from the Draco Meteor. Hearing the gunshot, Theo figured it was over. He was a bit saddened that it had to die, but it did attack them, so he was not going to hold a grudge against the others in the group. Others operated in different ways than he, it was not his place to judge them. "Lady Nivia....Is.....Is it over?" he managed to say, still not sure if it was. After this he coughed up a small amount of blood. it tasted horrible, the stench and taste of iron lingered. "I probably look like hell." he said.

[DarkLight]

"Y-Yes, dear Theo... It... seems like it," Nivia responded hesitantly. Although she was relieved that everyone survived the terrible assault, the Dewgong has mixed feelings about the way it ended. The gun shot had brought back bad memories of the time when she was one of the hunted. She didn't think that the guy would actually fire at a Pokemon, much less to kill them. That fact combined with the smell of blood makes her want to puke with disgust and anger. However, it would not seem lady-like, so she held it in and examined the battlefield, avoiding contact with the lifeless body of the Hydreigon and the two humans.

Panting from the fight, she found little Blaze near the forest, appearing to be less injured than the rest. Nivia sighed with relief at that; at least the innocent ones are still intact. "Blaze, thank goodness you're safe! Thank you for covering for us!" she called out to the little fire type.

Then, she took a good look at her friend, all bloody and messed up no thanks to that meteor shower. Nivia flinched as Theo coughed up some blood, feeling disgusted but helpless. She doesn't know how to Wish for someone to feel better and Dewgongs can't really transfer an Aqua Ring or a Rest's effects towards another Pokemon. "Wait, what about that bag Theo had? It should have berries inside..." As soon as she located it, which was a few yards away, Nivia flopped towards it and carried it back with her.

"Theo, appearances can be dealt with later. I don't think anybody looks like a model after what we went through, including myself," she laughed weakly. "The most important thing now is to rest up and recover from our injuries. I'm sure you have some berries in there so I'll leave you and Blaze with that for a few moments."

With that, Nivia closed her eyes as her body glowed softly against the sun's rays. Her head slowly lowered to the ground and appeared to have fallen asleep. As she slept, the ring of water slowly dissipated into the earth around her and Theo. Her body seemed to have less and less wounds as the seconds pass by.

Edited May 4, 2014 by DarkLight

[Arkhi]

Gale breathed out heavily, lowering the gun. Huh, he thought. Didn't think that would take it out. Before, he had hunted Tauros and Skiddo, only needing to kill a Bouffalant that got too close one time. It was neither a sad nor shaking experience to Gale, but this time was... more dynamic. One shot. It went down in one shot. The body went limp and fell. He turned away.
Amarantha looked at him. He couldn't look at the face of a creature born of positivity after doing just the opposite. Again, he turned. "I..."
The young man again looked in the Togepi's direction. "I'm sorry about that, Ammy. Better I dirty myself than you to yourself," he said to the ground, brining his eyes to her face. "That creature.. It probably wasn't ill-natured. Just startled." With that, Gale's closed eyes projected the memory of his encounter with the Bouffalant. There was so much blood. In comparison, this event was not as bad. "I shouldn't try to sugarcoat what I did. Hydreigon was shot by me, while disarmed. I'll... try to learn from this," he said, uncertain of if Amarantha even understood him. Gale was now searching for acceptance. He didn't want to leave again, not when he had started to make a friend in his little companion. Somewhat less in Lily, but he was still fond of them both. Then the girl who gave him the guns. Gale didn't want to admit it, but he was attracted to her. Trusting him with a gun must have been a snap judgment, but it still said something about her.

He dropped the guns on the rock, then put his back against it, looking up, disappointed in who he was.

[Ojama Yellow]

Realisation came over Sark. "Wait- it is dead?" he said. "Feh... Humans... They are all the same..." He started to walk away. "Now that the Hydreigon's gone... There is nothing that keeps me here."

Edited May 4, 2014 by Bibarel

[Chevaleresse]

As the party licked their wounds collectively, recovering from the intense battle, a small raspy cry sounded. A small, dark blue Pokemon climbed up out of a hole in the ground. The burrow had been well-concealed and nearly invisible to anyone who didn't know that it was there. In fact, there was now only one living creature that knew where it was located; and that creature let out another gravelly noise before sniffing the air and bounding playfully over to Gale, who was the first thing it had smelled. As it approached, more details become clear. The body was spotted with various bruises, and a dark blue lower body was covered by a dense black fuzz. It was also apparently blind, as it bumped into several obstacles along the way to the trainer.

[Arkhi]

The sky sure was beautiful. It conveyed timelines of mystery, romance, containment, freedom, and innumerable moldable emotions. What Gale saw was the same sight billions of other humans have seen in their lives. Even other species, inter and extraterrestrial, saw similar sights. So why was it that he felt so alone and inhumane, living on the same plane as people who have been through so much more?

He looked down. Gravel fell from his right. Naturally, he looked. A small paw knocked some rubble away. He traced the foot up to the face.
Deino. The Pokemon was small and fragile-looking. It wouldn't hurt a fly. She walked over to Gale, confused, yet so innocent. His throat dried up. He turned away.
The creature again cried, as if calling for reassurance.
Gale put his hands to his ears, closing his eyes as hard as he could.
Deino cawed a long, single-tone cry, calling out to the sky.

He got up, grabbed the gun, and put it to her head.
"Is this what you want?!" Gale shouted at the creature. "This gun is ready to fire!" Yet he could never shoot the Deino. Worse than a Bouffalant, worse than a Hydreigon, worse than any killing would be the murder of a child.
He cleared his throat, tears etching their way out of his eyes. Gale turned his head. "I don't want you. I can't have you." He fired in the dirt, several feet away from the Pokemon. Yet it stood still.
Gale choked. Firing again, closer to it, but still it remained.
"What is it you want..?" he muttered, again placing the trigger to the head of the Pokemon. This time, the barrel made contact with the child.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Theo saw what was trnaspireing, and he didn't like it. For a moment he forgot about his wounds. He Rocketed upwards and stood on his 2 legs. "DON'T YOU DARE!!!!" he shouted, though to the human, it probably just sounded like a bloody roar. Blood fell from Theo's mouth again, but he seemed to not notice. Theo wouldn't let this man take an innocent life from this world, that was too much. The Mother attacked him, he could forgive that, but the babe only approached him. The Pangoro's body shook wildly, He looked as if he was a bout to pass out. He was clearly much to injured, yet he stood there anyway, a look of impassioned fire in his eyes.

[Chevaleresse]

The small, frightened dragonling shrank back in fear at the cold touch of the barrel of the gun. It was nothing like her mother's warm scales or fur. She swung her head around in confusion, having no idea what to do. A roar sounded, and she turned her head to the source. She caught what seemed like the smell of another Dark-type, and abruptly scrambled away from Gale. It careened into Theodore's leg, driven by a primal need for comfort in the face of newfound hardship. She felt the Pangoro's fur, and started to huddle up in the long fur that came down from his back, since it felt somewhat close to her mother's.

[Arkhi]

The small dragon scrambled away after the two shots and the touch of the barrel. Gale watched it flee to the Pangoro from before. The giant fighting-type stood above the Deino, clearly injured severely. Gale's body began to shake with fear. This was not him; he was confident, in control, and humorous. Not some emotionless killer. Did this constitute that? He didn't know, but everyone else did. Gale threw the gun into the dirt, again sitting with his back to the rock, staring straight at the Pangoro. "I just.."
Gale threw his arms in the air and let them fall on fragments of melting ice and charred stone. He couldn't make up for what he just did. The small bag he carried on his back was open. After reaching inside, Gale tossed the oran berries he held to the left of the two Pokemon. No, I can't make up for it. But maybe I can repair it, he thought, the smallest smile in the world touching his face before he got up to grab the gun in the earth, grab the gun on the stone, and await the girl's return, as he let the tears streak down.

[Zephyrus the Priestess]

Gosh, just-- come on with me, already! Umbreon thought as it tugged at the jeans of the human dude. It heard her scream. Something was NOT right.

Houndoom was already on all fours again, denying the pain and aching it felt in its body from the battle, in search for their Trainer.

Zephyr staggered through the forest into the clearing, approaching the... The...

She couldn't bring herself to look-- yet she did, her wide eyes locked onto the... the body.

How pitiful it looked... As if it never attacked them.

She gulped. Her throat felt dry. Her legs gave way beneath her and she knelt in the pool of the dragon's bl.... blood.

"Sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry"

[K_H]

Gale's two shots woke Kenny, and Kenny saw the Deino scramble up onto Theo's back. Kenny put the clues of what had just happened together, and didn't need anyone to tell him what had just transpired. He was fully healed from the encounter with the Hydregion because of his Rest. He then got mad at Gale because Kenny thought that Gale had tried murdering a now-orphaned Deino. He shouted at Gale, temporarily forgetting that Gale couldn't understand him:

"NOW WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT FOR?! YOU TRIED HURTING A POOR LITTLE ORPHANED DEINO?! WHAT THE HECK WERE YOU THINKING?!"

Edited May 4, 2014 by K_H

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Theo tried to set himself gently, to avoid hurting the little Deino. He picked up the little pokemon, and held it gently in his arms against his chest. "You are safe now Little One." a tear rolled down his face. "I have you now, I will protect you."

[Chevaleresse]

The small dragonling rubbed her head against Theo's chest affectionately, then seemed to get distracted. The Deino let out another rasping cry and squirmed a bit. She seemed to be focused on the berries that had landed a short distance away, and was unhappy about being kept from food.

Amarantha waddled over to Gale, and tried to console him. "You did what you thought you had to." She knew he couldn't understand, but hopefully got the message. She got a bit closer and sat down next to his leg.

[K_H]

Kenny knew that everything was going a little better now, thanks to the fact that Gale had thrown a bunch of Oran Berries to the Pokemon in the group. Then, he noticed that the Deino looked like it wanted some of the Berries that were thrown onto the ground. He decided that the best thing to do was to bring some of them to the Deino, so he gathered up the Oran Berries, and used one of his Scalchops to carry them over to the Deino.

[DarkLight]

Nivia, the Dewgong, awoke to the sounds of the two gunshots, which immediately set her on edge. "What?! Another Hydreigon or something?" She quickly spun around, trying to locate the threat, only to hear small, pitiful squeaks that belonged to... A female Deino? She saw the young dragon scrambling blindly towards Theo, eager to get away from that gun. Nivia stretched herself out and slid on the watery grass so that she is besides her companion and the dragonling.

"A Deino in the middle of the woods? Did she just appear while I was asleep?" Nivia questioned herself when her eyes fell upon the dead body of the Hydreigon. A sudden chill swept through her as Kenny, the Dewott, was yelling at the human boy. "An orphaned Deino...? Does that mean that we... Were MURDERERS? NO NO NO NO NO!!" Nivia was paralyzed at the thought. The Dewgong only wanted to go home, how could all of this happen? She didn't even react when Gale threw the Oran berries towards them in an attempt to repair his mistake.

"This can't be happening, it's all a dream right? This is all a dream... This is all a dream..." Nivia thought as she sat there, shell-shocked at the blatant truth that is before her eyes. The sight of the Deino trying to reach the berries, however, forced Nivia to accept the truth. As reality slowly sinks in, Nivia began to cry as Kenny approached them to give the Oran berries to the little Deino.

"I-I didn't w-want t-this to h-happen... I r-really didn't... I'm s-sorry H-Hydreigon... I... I..." Nivia cried, feeling ashamed of her own actions. Although she wasn't the one to pull the trigger, the Dewgong still felt responsible for its demise. She was the one who slowed it down, after all.

Edited May 5, 2014 by DarkLight

[Chevaleresse]

The baby dragon sniffed the berries once again, then opened as wide as she could and bit down, getting a bit of Kenny's hand in the process. She swallowed, and rasped again as the wind picked up once more - the same wind, seemingly, as the previous.

[Arkhi]

The small, blind dragon was being nuzzled in the arms of the Pangoro. It was cute, but her innocence tainted by Gale's stupid act.

He felt ready to leave, just depart and go somewhere to be alone. Lost in these self-depressing thoughts, he barely noticed Amarantha sit next to him. That Togepi was a cute creature. He wanted to grab her and keep her between his arms, because her bravery and intelligent thinking saved him both from Trevenant and death by Hydreigon through healing the other Pokemon there. She was smarter than he was. So what did Gale have to give in return? Trust?
She wouldn't take it. Not after what happened. But still, she remained with him, even getting closer to his leg. He was shocked, but kept his surprise internal. After all, it wouldn't help his reputation to show his lack of manliness and maturity at this time.
Screw that, he thought.
Gale reached to Togepi's side and, with his thumb, rubbed her head. "Thanks for putting up with me, Amarantha." He reached into his bag to grab an oran berry, but he was out. "I'm afraid I have nothing to offer you now, though," he said, dropping his head. The only person- or Pokemon- here who wasn't disgusted with him was her and he had no way to show it outside of physical affection.
He sighed. It will have to do. He wanted to give more, though...