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Kyrene shakily got to her feet. "Ummm... I'm Kyrene," she said in a tone that connotated a question. She found the whole situation rather awkward; what could she tell a semi-psychic Pokémon about herself that it probably didn't know already? "I'm into medical research. For both people and Pokémon. Mostly people, though, which is why I don't think I'll be of much help... See, people and Pokémon have completely different cellular structures, and the fact that there's over 420 recorded species doesn't help to create any general solution for them as we might be able to for humans. Although all Pokémon share a few common characteristics, none of which would provide a solid foundation for any such biodegenerative conditions. Especially since..."

She trailed off as she finally realized that the Riolu (I mean, Miki, she thought) and all the other Pokémon had their heads tilted slightly to the side. With a sigh, she turned towards the darker part of the woods. "Never mind, let's just get to Eterna City."

Kyrene shook her head. "It won't be that easy. Getting a virus into you is one thing; getting it out is another matter entirely." She held up the small vial of Regigigas sample to her eyes and sighed. "It's too bad none of you probably know any ice-type moves, if we don't hurry, this is going to warm up, and it'll be useless."

Kyrene blinked. "Go right ahead," she finally said. She figured it would be safer with a Pokémon if anything else, but there were qualms fluttering in the back of her head regarding it being it the jaws of a Mightyena. "Just... be careful with it," she added. "It'll probably take us the rest of the day to get through Eterna Forest... and I'd rather not have to stay overnight of we can help it."

ooc: I read the posts, I'll reply with my characters when Thomas follows Gemini.

The young lugia looked intently at the small group of Pokemon, eyeing each individual and taking mental notes. Who knows, if they were infected with the virus then remembering what they looked like may help in destroying the plague that infects innocent Pokemon. Suddenly another Pokemon emerged from behind a bush just a few feet away. Was it another member of this small group or just a by-stander? Thomas stifled the urge to judge everyone before he knew the facts, but he remained alert none the less. As the Latias began to speak, his attention returned towards the small group of wondering Pokemon, his mind boggled with suspicion.

The leader of the group, or whom seemed to be the leader, steped forward and commented to his and the Latias' warnings. How could these guys be so ignorant of the danger that lurks within every shadow? Thomas couldn't believe what he was hearing, but once the stranger, now known as Bayblade, introduced himself as well as his gang, the young Lugia was relieved to discover that they were, in fact, not infected. At least to his observation.

When the Latias began to explain about what the virus was capable of and who created it, Thomas had his sights locked on her. Humans did this? He knew humans were currupt creatures that caught Pokemon to battle for sport or entertainment, but he didn't know they could be this evil. His intense glare swapped from the Latias towards the group when asked if they would help in finding a cure for the virus. He watched curiously as the little gang shared opinions before Bayblade made the final decision. Thomas smiled with satisfaction before he turned towards the Latias whom was also looking at him. She offered him to follow her and the group to the others and the human. His smile widened slightly before he noded in response. The young legendary spread his mighty wings before they began to flap, graually giving him enough power to become airborn. They'll need to get to the next town as fast as possible, and the easiest way to do that is to fly. "We'll need to move quicly." He muttered towards the others before he bolted towards the clearing where he had left the human and other Pokemon.

High overhead, Razza was careful to keep a close eye on the events unfolding before him, just waiting for the perfect moment to make his move. Unfortunately, the Lugia appeared much too weary for him to do anything just yet, but he could tell the time would come soon. Already, he could see the forces of Pokémon amassing around this curious girl who had about as much courage as a Pidgey. Perhaps, Razza thought with a slight change in tone of his stripes, there is more going in that what meets the eye.

With new determination, Razza twisted and churned the sky. Slithering among the clouds, he effortlessly whipped them up to create an opaque blanket that seemed to cover the entire sky. Altough it was only late in the afternoon, the clouds he conjured obscured the sun, casting an eerie shadow across the land. As the storm clouds brewed, Razza watched the group in their meager efforts to get to their next destination. Then his eyes narrowed at the Lugia and Latias. He'd have to take care of them first and quickly. Everyone else would by anything short of a challenge. The Rayquaza's head snapped to the side as a small jolt of lightning flashed past him. Then he returned to staring down at the group. It wouldn't be long now.




Though it was difficult to see through the thick canopy, Kyrene looked up and shielded her eyes with her hand. "It looks like a storm's coming," she said before adding under her breath, "perfect. Just what we need. More complications." She hadn't noticed such dark and ominous clouds before, and was surprised at how quickly they had formed.

Returning her gaze back to the Lugia, she evaluated its size against hers. It didn't look particularly big enough to carry her, but she wouldn't dare say such a thought aloud to such a renowned legendary... not that it probably couldn't tell what she was thinking anyway. It was, after all, a psychic-type. She had never flown on the back of a Pokémon, and even doing it on the back of a Lugia didn't have much of an appeal to her, but the overhead blanket of clouds ushered her on in her decision. She turned her head back and saw that the woods have gotten especially dark now that the clouds were obscuring the sun. Sighing deeply to herself, she said in almost a whisper, "Okay." And shakily approached the young Lugia, who swerved its neck intimidatingly to look at her. Mustering enough courage to speak to it without stuttering, she said, "Just... try to go slow, okay? Please? And, um... I'll try not to choke you this time."

The last, casual remark failed to elicit any sort of amused response from the Lugia. Before she could be told to, she climbed aboard the Lugia and wrapped her arms around its neck. Her heart was beating so fast, she was sure the Lugia could feel it as she pressed herself against it. "Okay... I'm ready."

Thomas hovered for a few moments to give teh followers some time to ready themselves. It was good to know that some Pokemon, whether complete strangers or not, were kind enough to aid in the search for a cure for this virus, but with more members there was a downside. If they were to encounter a threat and have to make a hasty retreat, not everyone would escape in time to hide and some may even be captured. However, with more members of the group meant that they had more ways of defending themselves. Still, the young Lugia knew everyone would have to remain on high alert whenever they were on the move.

It wasn't until the Latias and Joey reached his side that they were able to head towards the remainder of his group deeper in the forest. He glanced at the Latias and then Joey, his face unmarked with expression, before his dark violet eyes slid down towards the earth-bound Pokemon that were doing a pretty good job with keeping up. Maybe having more members wouldn't be such a hassle after all. The canopy of the forest just below him began to look fairly familiar which could only mean that they were very close to the others. Thomas was quick to swoop down into the clearing and make a clean landing, disturbing a lot less dust into the air than his last attempt at an easy landing. He took the time to look around at the gang to make sure no one had wondered off as the Latias met up with a little Rilou and Bayblade and his group made it into the clearing. To his relief, no one seemed to be missing.

In a matter of seconds, everything began to grow dark. Thomas immediately glanced towards the sky as he knew something was going terribly wrong. He could feel a strange sensation deep within his gut, and he was suddenly overwhelmed with anxiety. "Something doesn't feel right..." The young Lugia muttered quietly as his eyes searched for anything that may have caused the ominous clouds to shield the sun. To his disappointment he couldn't find anything out of the ordinary, and the thought of it just being a strong thunderstorm cell formed in his mind, but Thomas didn't trash the idea that it may be something more, something very dangerous.

An uttered word from behind caught the young Legendary's attention and his head swerved back to face the young human. Judging by the look on her face and the fearful vibe radiating from her aura, Thomas knew she was frightened to fly. The reason for it was unclear, but he figured it was either due to the fact that the weather may cause for some concern or she was afraid of heights. Whichever the reason, the human had no other choice but to face her fears if she wanted to reach the next city in time. She inched closer, and as she did so the young Lugia looked her deep in the eyes, as if to show he was confident that she would be safe as long as she held on tight.

"Just... try to go slow, okay? Please? And, um... I'll try not to choke you this time."

Her moves were hesitant, but she was able to climb onto Thomas' back and wrap herself securely around his neck. Almost immediately when she clung to him her heart began to race, and he could feel it. He nodded slowly, reassuring her that he wouldn't fly too fast as to inflict her with whiplash, but then again he wouldn't go too slow as to get caught in the storm that could explode into chaos in any moment.

"Okay... I'm ready."

Thomas looked at her, his face masked with mixed emotions, before he spread his wings. But before he could take off, his eyes flickered back towards Bayblade and his group and the other Pokemon that couldn't fly. He figured Bayblade could fend for himself on the ground as he was a very fast runner, but the others? "Any others who wish to fly with us can hitch a ride." He offered himself as easy transportation for the grounded Pokemon, however his generosity may hinder his flight pattern when in the air. Still, Thomas was willing to take the risk to ensure they arrived to the city in time.

Mello had already reached the city after fleeing from the Latias. He had collapsed on the roof of a huge business building out of the detection of the humans blundering below, but he was at the mercy of the brewing clouds from above. A single blood red eye stared at the swirling clouds with disgust, at this rate he wouldn't be able to heal properly and it would cripple him if he chose to cause a little trouble on the streets. He knew the cause of the rapid change in weather and was therefore unafraid of what would happen. It was Razza, the only other Dark Pokemon other than himself who had escaped the clutches of Team Dark Night. A smirk spread across Mello's face as he watched and waited for the Dark Rayquaza to make his move.