Mikan!

Due to the Zubat's speed drop, they lost the actual object, but since it continued leaving a trail, it wasn't much of a problem. It hadn't even realized that there was someone following it. It just kept on steadily at its course.

The foliage finally widened out into a field, and the duo could catch a glimpse of a flickering flame, before the object itself whirled around, trying to affirm it's unease it had had since some time. It was a Rapidash, carrying something in it's mouth, which wasn't discernible from the distance, but set it down and let out an aggressive whinny, stamping the ground, causing it to scorch, and reared up his head, shaking it and the rapidly growing flames. It clearly did not approve of the girl and Zubat following it.

It was indeed the Rapidash, the plants burning up on mere contact of the Rapidash's body; it didn't even have to be the mane. It whinnied when the Water Pulse struck, but other than facing the other way to shield it's head from the water, it did absolutely nothing. The water sizzled off it's body, evaporating into steam. It seemed trained to suffer all punishment but stick to it's job. Right now seemed to be delivering the package.

The Rapidash again might as well have been stone, for all his reaction to the water splashing against his flank. It winced once at the pain, but again looked aside, anxious to go and as though asking permission. It didn't seem likely that it's be counterattacking any time soon. It would just bear his punishment and resume his course when it was over.

(They are, it merely isn't reacting.)

Even with the Rapidash being unhappy with the rain and strange wounds appearing from the water, it suddenly panicked when the object was lifted. It was wound up in a cheap cloth, and was mostly rectangular. It dashed forward and secured it on it's teeth, gently as to not damage it, but firmly enough to get dragged along with it as Slowking pulled it. It's teeth and the heat from its body weakened the cloth for it to tear away, revealing some machine part. With a feral neigh, it grabbed the part, with amazing speed dashed up to Alice and her Slowking, lashed out with a powerful kick - it seemed to be trained to go for the human - and without waiting to confirm whether the strike hit or not, galloped away, keeping its balance on the ground as it turned marshy again. It's smooth movement were slightly arrested by the paralysis, but its sinewy body kept up the work.

"That's the way, Slowking!" Alice cheered, although things soon turned sour. She screamed as the Rapidash came at hsr too quickly to dodge, the powerful kick sending the young woman flying. Zubat screeched in alafm, sending of a twister that missed the assailant. Slowking ran over, Alice sobbing and even struggling to breathe through the pain. She had obviously broken some bones, and Slowking began trying to heal her with heal pulse, but it was going to take time.

Rapidash didn't even look back as he quickly cantered off through the woods, soon lost to sight. The rain continued to pelt relentlessly against the ground, quickly saturating it and beginning to form layers of water. It could not be said how much time passed before splashing sounds could be heard on the water collected at least an inch high. The sky finally seemed to clear up, and a frantic voice could be heard screaming "Alice! Alice!".

Flo skidded to a halt, trying to calm her heart which was trying to punch its way out of her chest. "Alice!" She called once more, gathering one of her hands and rubbing it frantically. Her breath came in huge heaving sobs, and she seemed to be in paranoia. "H-Hold on--" She hiccuped. "I - I went to my grandmother-- She gave me more pokemon-- I shouldn't have left you--" She cried brokenly, fumbling on her haste to drop two pokeballs, revealing Noxus and a powerful looking Gardevoir, who immediately scrutinized the situating and began assisting in healing; she knew Heal Pulse too. What happened could wait later. Right now she required medical assistance.

She looked around; the model had run quite some way into the woods. "Miranda! Run!" Her Meowth burst from her ball and cast a single glance, curious and terrified and fled as though an entire pack of Mightyena were at her heels. She nodded to the Gardevoir and Noxus; they needed to be teleported to the Center. Levitation would take too long. Gardevoir, being more experienced, was to take Alice, and Noxus could just barely manage Flo and a pokemon.

Alice groaned, but she didn't really have it in her to speak. Zubat and Slowking joined in the trip to the Centre, where the healing continued with help from the Chansey and Nurse Joy. She was in immense pain, although as the process continued it subsided to a dull ache and a chill.

She was torn about Flo's involvement. The young woman was grateful to be rescued, but Flo had gone against her word and perhaps even worse-- gone and retrieved more Pokemon to potentially bw stolen. She was irresponsible to the core, and Alice had little patience for children as it was. "Don't go out after them alone again." She warned weakly, hoping her state had scared some sense into the reckless brat, "It's too dangerous."

"I, er, won't." She hesitantly promised. Gardevoir seemed to be fretting beside her young charge, who was sitting beside Alice, stubbornly refusing to move when the Nurses asked her to. Her hands were gripping the chair seat she was sitting in, legs splayed from the knees and her posture slightly hunched over. It could be noted that she had only five pokeballs at her waist; she'd only been given two more pokemon. "Soooooo...." Now that Alice was safe, Flo reverted back to normal. "When are you going to recover? How long will it be?" She began swinging her legs.

"I think the Pokemon fixed most of it. I'm just hurt and stressed and tired." Alice replied, fighting to keep her temper in check. Zubat was perched on Slowking's crown, the two of rhem saddened and angry at yet another dangerous situation at Team Rocket's hands. "Flo, you need to listen to what you're being told. Can't you see your grandmother's Pokemon are upset? I'm thankful that you saved me, but you need to go home and stay home until it's safe. Before you lose more of them and get killed." It was harsh, but if it drove the severity of the situation home, it was worth the inevitable tantrum.

Flo stopped, stock still in her posture. She seemed struck, perhaps worse than Alice. Her brows were furrowed and the emotion in her eyes were unreadable. "...You...don't want me around...?" Her lower lip quivered. "Why?! Please! Please let me stay! Why can't I?! Please!" She exploded, tears running down her face in streams. "Please," She whispered. "I have only you and grandmother."

Flo didn't wait around for the end. At the first sign of a denial, she dashed out. Gardevoir winced at the slammed door and followed, sighing and shaking her head. She seemed to walk through the door, perhaps proving the point that they warped space around them. Her movements were light and graceful, not weighed down by the tug of gravity as they defied its very force. She caught up quickly to the running girl, leaving Alice in the isolation she so clearly desired.

The next day, there was a light tap at the door. A Nurse walked in, having announced her arrival, and held a pretty package in her hand. "Package for Miss Alice Corin Hope...?" She called out hopefully, setting the parcel down, setting off lights glinting off the shiny red and silver wrapping. It was fairly large, and had a note which, in backhand writing, stated Alice to 'Get well soon~' and 'Merry Christmas!'. Right at the bottom was nestled, 'From Philena Ivy'.

[color=hotpink]"Thanks a bunch!" Alice said cheerily, ripping open the package like a happy child. Inside, there was indeed a bunch of items: three TMs, a package of money, an odd potion and some sweet things. Riolu immediately swiped up the candy canes, getting a sigh from Slowking. "Greedy thing." She mused with a roll of her eyes, reading the notes that Ivy had included with the presents. The shiny potion got wide eyes from her.

"Hey, Riolu. Take this." She said, encouraging the baby to drink the substance down. He blinked, curiously sniffing the concoction before drinking it down between scoffs of the sugary canes. The rare candies were important, too, but Alice had to distribute them tactically. She offered some up to Slowking and then Clefairy. She smiled apologetically to the others, although Deino wasn't out of her ball to experience it all. The dragon was too unruly for that. "Don't worry, guys. There'll be more presents to come yet. But I need to boost their levels closer to Deino's or else we'll be in real trouble down the line."

((Rare candies:

Slowking x 22
Clefairy x 18))

However, for the short time that Alice was down, the trails had been immaculately removed without leaving so much as a mark. Foliage seemed to be growing anew, and there was no sign if what had happened not so long ago. Not even a footprint remained. Perhaps furthur ahead...

Past the empty clearing, after a couple hundred yards, was another, bigger clearing. That's where all the work was going on - silently. The mechas were strangely quiet, but moving deftly as before, and the work was going in in unnerving quietness. The Rapidash from before was reined in a corner, biting away at the bit in anxiety and frustration, knocking the ground with diamon hard hooves. Every time it made so much as to make a whinny to express his discomfort, the Zoroark standing next to it struck a fearful blow, causing it to cower and back away, straight into a Dragonair, which snorted blue dragonfire but didn't strike back, as though determined to bear through with the pride of a dragon.