{Squish}Marshy{Squosh}Lands{Squash}

[{ ~ Ironhide ; ; }]

The Psyduck found it quite hard to keep up, but managed to do so barely, careful not to drop the egg as it went. It could have stayed behind, yes, but it would miss out on the action. Plus, if the half-human, half-pokemon being tried to free the imprisoned Golduck and Psyduck, they might think that she was part of the 'V' people and attack her. It wanted to go along to make sure that they freed the imprisoned Golduck and Psyduck out safely. The Psyduck panted heavily as they finally came to rest, but couldn't help peering out of the bushes at the building as well.

The building didn't look any different than any others, excluding the metallic outer-part of it. It had sliding doors, multiple entrances, even a few berry trees going. A few men came out of the front entrance to meet with a couple of other men waiting outside. The voices were quiet, but were audible.

"We need to unload them now. I need to go back to HQ to report back to boss, and I can't go with all them Psyduck and Golduck not unloaded," one of the men said that had been waiting outside. "And since when did you care about the boss and his wants?" asked the man beside him. The one who had just spoken was dressed in slightly different attire, showing he was likely of much higher rank. "Well... you got a point, I guess. Oh, screw it. The Boss can wait," the man said. "In case any of the Golduck or Psydcuk try to get smart, not that they can, I'm sending Jolteon and Lucario up there," the higher-ranking one said. "Now, you three, go find some useful Pokemon for yourselves to train," he said, tossing a few empty Pokeballs to each one. "Thank you, sir," each said, clipping them onto their belts next to one other Pokeball, containing their starters likely. Each hurried off into the forest opposite the side that Sulteron and the rest were watching. Soon afterwards, a Jolteon and Lucario were released from their Pokeballs held by their trainer. "Be sure that none of the captives escape. If they try to, silence them," the man said. The Lucario's ears raised a bit as it looked towards the exact spot where Sulteron and the rest were hiding. +You shouldn't be here. If they find you they not be very pleasant,+ the Lucario said through telepathy to Sulteron alone. "What's wrong, Lucario? Is there something over there?" the man asked, looking in the direction that his Lucario was looking. +No, sir. Just a Croagunk and Scizor that were thinking about trying to come into the compound. I told them otherwise,+ the Lucario replied for all to hear. "You have your ways, Lucario. Alright. You'll be up there for the rest of the day with Jolteon. Don't let Jolteon fall asleep like he did last time," the man said, glaring at his Jolteon, who looked away, embarrassed.

The two men went inside, and the Jolteon and Lucario went up a flight of stairs on the side of the building, towards where the helicopters were at.

+It almost looked like that Pokemon knew where we was exactly,+

[/color] the Psyduck pointed out after a few moments of awkward silence. The Psyduck found a hole in the trunk of a tree and placed the egg in there. +We gots to go up there too,+[/color] the Psyduck said, pointing to where the Jolteon and Lucario had gone up.
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[~/Birdybot\~]

Sulteron nodded, pretending Lucario had said nothing to her but taking his warning and actions into account. He seemed to be on her side, or at least a little hateful to the Team Vex members. Quickly stuffing a few leaves and twigs around the egg to keep it warm and concealed while they saved the other Psyduck and Golduck, Sulteron nodded to Psyduck.

+Speak through telepathy, or at least just think what you want said so I can pass it on. That way we can hear ourselves easier and noone else will.[/i] Sulteron spoke using telepathy, and her Pokemon agreed to this idea through a round of nods. They hurried as quietly as they could to where the two gaurd Pokemon had gone, waiting until they had entered the building to climb the stair for fear that they would hear the metal clanging underfoot. Once at the top, Mizu took a glance through the window in the door, for he looked the most like the sort of Pokemon who would live there.[/size]

[{ ~ Ironhide ; ; }]

Once up the stairs, it was pretty clear where to go. Through the doors looked like a small break room, and on the other side was the open roof of the building, where three black helicopters were parked. Lucario and the Jolteon were having a small chat; likely Lucario was explaining to the Jolteon that there would be people not of Team Vex coming up the stairs and through the doors pretty soon. Lucario sensed the presence of Sulteron and the others and spoke using telepathy.

"If you wish to save the Golduck and Psyduck, you won't have much time." it said as it looked in the direction of the break room and entrance. Well, perhaps the Lucario had had enough of the 'bad' life and was turning over a new leaf, and trying to convince the Jolteon to do the same. After all, not all bad guys stay bad until the very end. With Pokemon, their bad nature rubs off from their trainers.

[~/Birdybot\~]

Sulteron nodded. +Thank you, Lucario.+[/i] she still spoke using telepathy, in case there were hidden sound recorders in the room, for the Pokemon's sake. Then she turned to look around the room. The men said they had sent the Pokemon up here to guard the Psyduck and Golduck, so where were they?

+Oh! Sulteron! Over here! They don't seem to trust us, but I've found them!+[/i][/color] Sulteron heard Fiela speak into everyone's mind, and they looked around frantically for a sign of where the Espeon was standing until she showed them an image of a crate behind a bookcase. The group rushed over, and sure enough Fiela was standing proudly in front of her find while the ducks inside made loud noises. Packed closely together, a few had already resorted to being unable to contain their psychic powers any longer. Sulteron told the wild Psyduck to reassure the others so they could open the crate.[/size]

[{ ~ Ironhide ; ; }]

"You found one of the cages with no problem, that's good." the Lucario said. "The rest are in the choppers. They decided to take the Psyduck that seemed the least useful and unloaded them right away, but the rest are in the choppers," the Lucario said as he sensed that Sulteron had found the one crate they 'hid' in the break room.

The Psyduck, all of whom were much less intelligent and much weaker than the one that had not been captured. However, when they saw the one Psyduck out of the crate, they all cocked their heads in confusion, wondering how that Psyduck was out and they weren't. Momentarily, they were quiet; enough time for the Psyduck outside of the crate to free the Psyduck, anyway. Its eyes glowed the same purple color that they had when it had attacked Minari, and shortly afterwards, the bars on the cage were all bent in two directions, leaving a huge space inbetween for the Psyduck to escape. All at once, the Psyduck rushed to exit, and were soon running amock in the small break room; finding food to eat, making a mess of things, and just being plain noisy. +Silence!+

[/color] the Psyduck that had freed them said. Each Psyduck turned to look at who was speaking, and again cocked their heads, hands placed on top of them. +If you want out to go home, you need follow her,+[/color] the Psyduck said, pointing to Sulteron. +But still we need get others,+[/color] it said. The Psyduck all calmed down and crowded around Sulteron, looking up at her curiously, some with a hint of mistrust. +No worry about her. She come to help,+[/color] the Psyduck said, heading for the double doors leading out to the open area of the roof, where Lucario and Jolteon were waiting.
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[~/Birdybot\~]

Sulteron hurried out through the doors, the Psyduck milling around her as they followed her with blank expressions. Fiela was presently surveying the Lucario and Jolteon. The Jolteon was something she could have evolved into. A bit masculine for a female like her, although this male pulled off the look quite well. And the Lucario was just mesmerising. He flowed as he walked, with an air of extreme mystery and power.

Fairo woke her from her daydream with a playfull nip on the shoulder. She was startled and disorientated at first, but quickly remembered everything, blussing as her gaze turned to search for the helicopters, missing the Charlmeleon's rolled eyes. She had never seen one of these before, and from what she had heard, she didn't want to either.

+Guys, over here.+[/i] Sulteron called, placing an image of where she was into the other Pokemon's minds. They hurried to her position and gasped. The first helicopter they had ever seen was bigger than they had imagined. Now if only there was a way to get inside...[/size]

[{ ~ Ironhide ; ; }]

"I'll take care of the entering. You worry about the exiting," the Lucario said. The Lucario raised both of his hands to his side, and a light blue sphere of energy formed, otherwise known as an Aura Sphere. It threw the Aura Sphere at the door of the nearest Helicopter. A huge explosion followed as the door was burst open; almost a bit too loud. But nonetheless, the door was open, and if you want to save all of the Psyduck and Golduck, you better make your move. The Lucario soon did the same to the other helicopters. The Jolteon stood by, unsure of what to do. "Make sure Garth doesn't come up. If he does, try to find some way to delay him" Lucario told the Jolteon. The Jolteon nodded, and bounded over to the doors, standing on his two rear legs as he watched for any sign of 'Garth'.

"What were those loud bangs?" a grunt asked, jumping at the noises. "Oh, that was just Lucario silencing them Psyduck and Golduck. They are quite rowdy, and Lucario doesn't take too well to those who are noisy," the man who looked in charge said. "Oh, alright," the Grunt said, continuing his work at training his disobedient Croagunk. "I'll be right back. I need to check on some progress," the man said that looked in charge. That did sound a bit fishy... Lucario never does more than one blast... he thought, heading out of the training room.

"The Psyduck are in the first two and the Golduck are in the last ones. They won't trust me, so you'll have to do it," Lucario said, standing back. +You get first two. I get last,+

[/color] the Psyduck said as it headed towards the last helicopter. The other Psyduck stepped back to let Sulteron free the Psyduck.
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[~/Birdybot\~]

Sulteron closed her eyes and concentrated on the crate in front of her, Fiela beside her doing the same. The Psyduck cocked their heads as usual as they witnessed a psychic power much like the one they could use themselves being demonstrated before them. The two Espeon's jewels began to glow with pulsating energy as the wooden planks of the crate began to shake. The scared ducks flattened themselves to the opposite side as they shook harder and harder, until finally two screws shot out and one of the planks slid into Sulteron's lap, the others following to form a neat pile. Fiela managed, although her pile was not quite so neat.

Now the Psyduck and Golduck were free and the grunts safely in the training room, Sulteron, her party, the first Psyduck and Lucario helped the ducks down, under the careful lookout of Jolteon. They reached the bottom, and now Sulteron did not know what to do or where to go. She asked Lucario, for he knew this place and was sure to know the rout back to the trees where the egg was.

[{ ~ Ironhide ; ; }]

The Psyduck had a definite sense of mistrust as Sulteron opened the cage. Even after she had freed them, they grouped together, all with their heads tilted to one side with their hands placed upon their heads. The Golduck especially were uneasy about this. They glanced at the Lucario and Jolteon, expecting them to attack them and cringe, but were surprised when the Lucario stepped aside. The Golduck spread out around the outter edges of the escaping Psyduck and Golduck, ready to spring to their aid if the need arose.

The Jolteon was in front of the rest of the large group, looking for 'Garth' or anyone else who might stumble upon their path. "Continue on down the stairs, and keep going until you reach the safety of the trees. Once you're there, you're safe. You'll gain the protection of Pokemon there if anyone comes after you," Lucario said. A high-pitched squeak signaled the opening of the door down below. Lucario flattened himself against the wall, watching to see who it was that had come out. Thankfully, it was just a Grunt that had returned after going to the forest to get a few empty Pokeballs. "Come on, follow me," the Lucario said, running down the stairs at an amazing speed, waiting for the others to catch up. Once everyone was caught up, he led them towards the shrubbery and trees. Another high-pitched squeak made Lucario freeze, and he slowly turned around, knowing who it was.

A low chuckle emitted from the man's lips as he walked into the sunlight, hands shoved into his baggy pants. "Lucario, helping the captured and whoever the hell else is there? That is very unlike you," the man said. Upon closer inspection, he was the same man that had spoken earlier and was the one who seemed to be in charge. Well, for this particular place, anyways. "I've been thinking lately... wondering what a life outside of being a criminal would be," Lucario replied, standing his ground. "There is no life outside of being a criminal, Lucario. Once a criminal always a criminal. That's all you'll ever know," the man said with another chuckle. "No, Garth, you're wrong," Lucario said. So that is who Garth was... Garth stopped his smile and frowned. "Alright, have it your way. There's no way the Pokemon and trainer will escape. As for you, though... that's a different story. No escape and no return for you," Garth said, tossing two Pokeballs into the air, two very, very large Pokemon materializing before him; Tyranitar and Charizard. The Charizard, however, was definitely not normal. It was a dark black color, and it seemed to glitter with its skin so shiny. "Escape is not inevitable. Charizard, Hyper Beam. Tyranitar, Earthquake," Garth said calmly. "Go now!" Lucario growled at Sulteron, her Pokemon, the Psyduck, and the Golduck. As Sulteron, her Pokemon, the Psyduck, and Golduck leave, the sounds of battle can be heard. Electric versus Fire, and Fighting versus Ground. A howl of pain indistinguishable from what Pokemon it had come from, it if had even been a Pokemon, filled the air, and all was silent.

[~/Birdybot\~]

Sulteron hesitated as she turned to leave. She was unsure if Lucario and Jolteon would be all right- after all, Pupitar didn't evolve until something like level 50 or 55, so naturally these Pokemon would be strong... but then again, this was the trainer who had trained Lucario and Jolteon. They would know all their opponent's moves. So would Charizard and Tyrantar. In the end, she could see the Psyduck were uneasy, so left, having to grab Fario's paw to drag him along for he was watching the Charizard with interest- after all, that's what he would evolve into, colours included.

As they ran they heard the normal scuffles of battle, then a howl. All else was silent. Sulteron froze. Should she go back? Maybe the shriek was of Lucario or Jolteon. Maybe they needed help. But maybe it had been the Charizard? Tyrantar? She was unsure that one Pokemon being defeated would make all else silent, unless... that howl of pain wasn't from a Pokemon. Either way, she had to see. "Fairo, come with me. Everyone else keep going." she told her Pokemon. Fairo ran to her side as they ran as quickly as possible to the scene of the battle while her other Pokemon in the opposite direction, heading for the trees.

[{ ~ Ironhide ; ; }]

Lucario stood, panting, not believing what had just happened. The Jolteon, Charizard, and Tyranitar were in shock as well. It had been a complete accident... but it had happened. He looked at Garth, who lay motionless on the ground, not breathing, his body twisted in an odd formation, and blood seeping from a gash in his head. All he had done was use Giga Impact... That Tyranitar did have speed, but what were the chances of Garth being directly behind him as he jumped out of the way? Instead of hitting his target as he had hoped, he had ran directly into Garth, who was quite unprepared. The enormous force had sent him flying backwards into the wall of the building, and sent him ricocheting off, his body twisted from the impact.

Even though Lucario had tried to be good, his only thought is he was worse than what he had been. He had actually killed someone. A living, breathing, human, that was his trainer at that. The Tyranitar and Charizard backed up, knowing that they were now free. They had witnessed something that was quite... well, there were no words to describe it. the Tyranitar felt partially responsible. It hadn't known that his trainer was directly behind him, and wouldn't have dodged to the side if it had. That also proved just how powerful Lucario was. Even with Giga Impact, a human being would not be flung back that far or with that force, as Garth had, if it did happen. The Tyranitar wanted to say something, but it didn't know what. +That was... my fault, Lucario. If I wouldn't have dodged, then he would still be standing,+

[/color] he said finally. "No, it's my fault. If I would've been using my aura to detect as I usually do, I would've known he was behind you, and would have moved to get out of the way," Lucario said, sitting down, a single tear running down the side of his face. +Maybe you did the world a favor, though. With Garth gone, this hideout here will fall, leaving one less place for wild Pokemon to fear,+[/color] the Jolteon said. Lucario, the Charizard, and the Tyranitar both turned to look at the Jolteon, who never spoke. "One less base won't do any good. One less Vex semi-leader won't do much," Lucario replied finally. Lucario's ears perked as he sensed Sulteron and Fairo coming back. +Whether you think so or not, you did the world a favor,+[/color] the Charizard said, in an obvious female voice. "That doesn't change the fact that I killed someone!" Lucario said, standing up as Fairo and Sulteron came back. The Tyranitar went over to Garth's body and took the two remaining Pokeballs from his belt. +They will be free, too, now. Better let them out sooner rather than later,+[/color] the Tyranitar said, releasing the two other Pokemon; an Armaldo and Dusknoir.

Some days, things don't go so well. Other days... things go extremely terribly wrong. Today is an example of that. But, perhaps Lucario did do the world a favor by accidentally eliminating one of the head honchos of Team Vex.
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[~/Birdybot\~]

Sulteron was stunned at the sight of Garth, and Fairo behaved oddly and actually whimpered and ran into his trainer's arms. Sulteron would normally have been surprised by the rebellious Pokemon's friendly gesture, but not today. She stroked his golden scales as he covered his eyes with a paw, not wanting to look. The Espeon 'morph looked at Lucario, who seemed to be the living creature who had been dealt the bad hand of cards this terrible day.

Walking over to the Pokemon with little fear, for she knew he would not hurt her, Sulteron placed a hand on Lucario's shoulder. "Lucario, it's all right. If you do bad things, something bad will happen to you. This has happened to Garth, but will not happen to you, for you are not bad. You are good. You have saved all these Psyduck and Golduck. You disobeyed orders to save them even though you knew you would get into trouble for them. Garth is evil, not you. You are a hero, and have defeated an enemy. Sacrifices must always be made." she said gently in a soothing tone.

[{ ~ Ironhide ; ; }]

All of the Pokemon besides Lucario turned to look at Sulteron as she approached. The Charizard tensed up a bit, and the Armaldo stood its ground. The Dusknoir watched intently with its one eye. The Tyranitar stayed where it was, and the Jolteon came over to where Lucario was. The Jolteon stood over Lucario, watching Sulteron with blank eyes; the Jolteon seemed unsure of what to do, now that it and its companions were free.

"Sacrifices are always made to make things better in one's perspective. This is not what I had in mind for being a so-called 'hero'. I may seem like one, but I'll have to live the rest of my life knowing I killed a human being. Even though he was evil, he didn't deserve to die," Lucario replied, standing up. "Well, since Garth is gone, we might as well rid this place of its infestation. Without Garth, the grunts here are powerless. With us free, they won't think twice about coming back here. Perhaps we can make this into an abandoned building where Wild Pokemon can live," Lucario said, on a brighter note. +That's a good idea, Lucario. Even at the worst of times, you've always had the best of ideas,+

[/color] the Charizard said. +I'll take care of the body,+[/color] the Armaldo said, picking up the limp figure of Garth, going a good ways away from the building and began to burrow; a very, very deep hole. Lucario turned to Sulteron. "You couldn't have come on a worse day. I thank you for helping free the newest captives. There are still those inside, however. Will you help to free them as well?" Lucario asked. The Armaldo was now completely underground, and still digging. The Tyranitar and Dusknoir made their way into the building, smashing the entrance to begin their 'remodeling'.
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[~/Birdybot\~]

Sulteron nodded with enthusiasm. "Let's go and rescue the ones inside," she agreed. Fairo followed her in, and looked around with interest; the building was very different then it had been before. Previously the Charmeleon had felt fear, foreboding, when he entered this horrible place. Presently he felt welcome. Well, that was just this room with the remodeling. The next looked the same as it always had, accept it had lost it's strange spitefull aura. A few grunts were running here and there, and more Pokemon were rebelling against their masters, leaving them to flee to wherever.

They walked along, and soon found the cages containing the remaining captured Pokemon. Sulteron looked to Lucario and the others to smash the cages.

[{ ~ Ironhide ; ; }]

Lucario chuckled at the havoc being created inside. It was great, really, seeing the place he had once been held and forced to train harder than any Pokemon should. Lucario had been Garth's top Pokemon, trained the hardest, put through more tests than any of this others. Of course, all the Pokemon were strong, but Lucario in particular was his prized possession. Now, Lucario was free to roam and right what he had done wrong so many times for as long as he could remember. If any grunt came near them that were escaping, he would get an Aura Sphere ready and get them to keep their distance. In the end, Lucario ended up destroying all of the computers and anything electronic that would not be useful in the future. It was until they came upon the last room that he stopped his own little massacre.

Opening the door, many of the captured Pokemon were going haywire with all of the racket going on outside. A huge crash of something large falling shook the whole building and Lucario struggled to keep himself upright for a few seconds. The noises of the Tyranitar and Dusknoir remodeling the building continued, and the cries of the grunts as their Pokemon turned against them was in the background as well. Lucario looked at the cages; they were locked good and tight, most of them. He looked at the Jolteon beside him and both nodded. Each went to work on each cage, Lucario using Bone Rush to split open the metal bars, and Jolteon using his Iron Tail to do the same. Soon, the entire room was filled with Pokemon running about, all heading for the exit. "Come on everyone, let's get out," Lucario said above the noise. All turned to him, curious. They had known Lucario to be... mean, aggressive, and not tolerate any misbehavior. Coming to their senses, they all headed towards the door, in case the Lucario, for some reason, changed his mind.

The building's larger portions that were loose were now falling. A few electrical wires had gotten snapped in two and were buzzing about, sparks emitting from their tips. +Who would've thought that little column was such a big part to the upper floors?+

[/color] came the voice of the Tyranitar, as an enourmous thud shook the whole building again. +Don't shake the whole building or you'll make the entire thing collapse!+[/color] came another voice. The Tyranitar, followed by the Dusknoir shortly afterward, came around a corner and ran to the front. +Small column caused a big problem! We should get out now,+[/color] the Tyranitar said over his shoulder, scooping up a few of the slower Pokemon in its arms as it ran out, the Dusknoir doing the same. The remaining Pokemon scrambled for the exit, and Sulteron, Fairo, Jolteon, and Lucario followed, Lucario being the last.

Just when a happy ending was surely inevitable, it turned into a disaster. A large beam that had been creaking, groaning, and bennding somewhat near the entrance. As Jolteon, Sulteron, Fairo, and Lucario passed underneath it, it finally decided to give way, and came crashing down. Lucario noticed it immediately, and knew that it would be impossible to get everyone out in time before it would either one, block their path, or two, crush whoever was last to get out. Lucario, with all of his strength, gave Sulteron a forceful push, just as the beam came down where Sulteron had been... and where Lucario had presently been.
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