Let's Come Back Some Other Time...

[Darkaan]

The glare of the late afternoon sun hit Darkaan's eyes as he and his weak pokemon emerged from the terrors of Dayae Hill's long winding tunnels. He was on the northern side of the great Valley of Death.

A harsh wind blew sand in his face, a cold wind chilling him to his bones. Mortochi staggered out of the darkness of the cave. His gaze was on the horizon. Marco shivered as he felt restless spirits moving across the cursed plains of the desert.

<This place is creepy. It's definitely cursed! I can feel it's horrors!> Mortochi said, trembling allot. Exzodus finally emerged from the cavern as well and hid behind Darkaan. He swore he could see giant beings on the horizon moving through something forthcoming- like a desert storm...

"Well. Soon we'll have to face this place." Darkaan said, turning to his pokemon. "But it's coming to dusk. I have a strong feeling we shouldn't be here at night. I can just imagine the horrors and witchery that comes out at night." He said shivering.
<Can we please come back another time?> Requested Exzodus.
"Yeah. I think that's a good idea." Said Darkaan, returning Mortochi and Marco as well. "Let's all go back to Lecana and check out this place later, after Falenso City when we get to the next town, Naruko."

With that, Darkaan climbed his golden plumed fearow and they flew south-east across the plains towards Lecana again...

[Professor Gravon]

A huge black cloud loomed ahead. Something was ominous about it. It stretched a few hundred meters wide... and was heading for them!

[Darkaan]

Darkaan released his mantine, Tek.
"Tek! I don't know what that cloud is! But get ready to defend us when it comes! It looks... daunting..." Darkaan yelled through the air to his mantine.

[Professor Gravon]

<Muuurk! Muuuurk!>
<KRAU! KRAU!>
<MURK!>
<KRAU!>

The dark cloud consumed them, made up of murkrow. Some tried to peck at Darkaan, Tek and Exzodus, but they flew right on past. Their were thousands of them! It must be every murkrow in all of Death Valley in this cloud!

Tek, Exzodus and Darkaan were buffeted, scratched and pecked and buffeted by the oncoming cloud of murkrow. They were completely engulfed by their blackness.

[Darkaan]

"Tek! Use bubble beam and confuse ray en masse!" Darkaan ordered. Bubble and confuse beams and rays filled the sky.
"Exzodus! Drill peck us through this murkrow storm!" Darkaan's fearow did as he was ordered. He fiercely spun his beak towards the murkrow as they were buffeted.

[Professor Gravon]

A few murkrow fainted from Exzodus's beak jabs.
Tek's bubble beam was knocking them fast out of the sky!
Twenty one plummeted from his attacks!

Exzodus gained 2 levels!
Tek gained 1 level!

[Darkaan]

Tek and Exodus continued to use their bubblebeam and drill peck attacks on the oncoming murkrow.

[Professor Gravon]

Exodus gained 1 level!

<Murk! KRAW! Kraw! FIEND! AERO!>
<KRAW! Murk!>
<DEMON! KRAW!>

With that, the murkrow cloud ended.

[Darkaan]

"A fiend aero? What's that?" Darkaan asked Tek.
<Dunno. Doesn't make sense.>
<Didn't they say demon?> Squawked Exzodus.
"A fiend demon?.. Ugh! Creepy!" Darkaan said looking at the sunset setting fast. Those murkrow were really scared of something he thought. They bring bad luck too.

"I can see Lecana Village far off! Hurry! I don't want to be hear when the sun sets... Something is seriously not good around here." Darkaan urged his pokemon.

[Professor Gravon]

They all flew in silence.

The sky above them was pitch indigo-black. The horizon was but just a golden line.

Something far away and high above them cackled really deeply and frog-like.

[Darkaan]

Darkaan shivered.
"What on the hell was that?" He thought out loud.
<NOO! It's sundown! The curses will start coming alive!> Exzodus squawked in fear.

"Curses?"
<Yes! Death Valley is called Death Valley for one reason! It has curse upon curse upon it's history. Death comes alive here!> Exzodus squawked fearfully.
"Then let's start ascending before something gets us out here!" Darkaan exclaimed. He felt the night breeze blow over him. He clutched himself, shivering. Or was that a wind from something else.
He didn't like that cackle one bit- or whatever that sound was.

[Professor Gravon]

Something cackled again high above them, but close by. It was rather toad-like but dry and piercing.

Suddenly a huge silouhette of a huge spikey dragon fell from the sky shrieking insanely! It was three times the size of Darkaan's mantine!

It fell below them, hiding itself along the shadowy desert floor.
Sand specks started to fly past Darkaan and his pokemon's faces.

[Darkaan]

"Ok! What the hell was THAT?" Darkaan stammered. He was petrified.
He felt his body turn to ice. It was like a demonic looking dragon or something.

<That's not Jiishan's evil salamence bro is it?> Tek yelled. Exzodus squawked in fear. Not that satanic salamence!

[Professor Gravon]

A few minutes passed as the cold winds picked up. Sands started to blister their faces as below them a miniature sandstorm was growing.

The sun was completely down now over the horizon.
As soon as it disappeared, the gaggling came back followed a blood-piercing, screaming shriek! Something from within the shadows below them came thundering up, and with it's gigantic claws, grabbed the mantine from underneath and bought within the sandstorm!!!

Searing, souless, eyes blazed bright grey. As it gazed at it's prey within the sandstorm. It had no idea that it's trainer was on it's back.

[Darkaan]

(Ooc: What pokemon is this? I'm on fearow back!)

Darkaan screamed in pure fright. The sandstorm stifling his cry. He clung to his fearow and swooped into the sandstorm in pursuit of mantine friend. Mantine lay paralyzed with fear!

"TEK! WATER PULSE! NOW!" Darkaan screamed as he vaguely saw the silhouette of his mantine and the gaggling beast. Tek shook his head. He vaguely heard a voice yell water pulse. He did, right where he thought the foes face was.

Darkaan's brave and loyal fearow swooped from the sky and used drill peck on the beasts head.
Darkaan screamed over the night sandstorm. He now couldn't see the front of his fearow as the sandstorm grew bigger.

[Professor Gravon]

The fiend released Tek and responded to Exzodus' painful attack as it threw it's head up for a head butt attack.

It propelled itself out of the sandstorm, it's giant silhouette revealing it's glory in the remaining sliver of gloomy sunset sky. It let out a blood-curdling, ear piercing cry of a thousand tortured souls.
AERODEMON!!!

[Darkaan]

Exzodus was thrown up into the air by the sudden head butt attack.

Darkaan had no idea what it was, but Exzodus seemed to know exactly what the aerodemon was.
<WE GOTTA GET TO TOWN, DARKAAN!> He squawked over the sandstorm.
"Wadd'ya mean!?! Tek's down in the storm somewhere! We gotta get him!" He wailed as Exzodus just circled hiher and higher into the air to avoid the Aerodemon.

[Nishrocks]

The Aerodemon just increased the intensity of the sandstorm, completely obscuring Tek from view.
When the aerodemon comes to call, there's nothing to do, just run...

[/center]

[Darkaan]

As Darkaan was torn with what to do, Tek was being buffeted by the sand storm. He released a water pulse attack into the face of the aerodemon that held him in it's scaly, spiky claws, hoping the scaly beast would let go.

[Nishrocks]

The Aerodemon used it's powerful Meteor Mash attack, sending Tek careening downwards, before shifting through the sandstorm

[/center]

[Darkaan]

Tek grew incredibly weak as he managed to swing himself around from the blast, narrowly missing the ground. He could not see a thing except darkness and the occasional speck of sand.

He glided close towards the ground. He could hear the wings of the aerodemon over the gale of the sandstorm. He pressed on, the sandstorm buffeting him. He waited for the feind to pass.

And so was Darkaan. Exzodus flew Darkaan up incredibly high hoping that the aerodemon would not spot them from such a height. Once again, Darkaan could see a slight glimmer of light on the horizon.

He was cold, bruised and incredibly frightened.

[Professor Gravon]

<SSCRRREEE!!!>

The spiked shadowy fiend, lept from the sandstorm below and thunderbolted to the sky! From above, the vague light made the bumps and spiked in it's skin stand out. It's razor-saw jaw opened at closed as two beady, little, glowing blood-red eyes glared at Darkaan and Exzodus. It gaggled and shivered, it's eyes pulsating a searing glare, it's gnarly hands outstretched ready... getting ready to swoop...

[Darkaan]

"GO DOWN! GO DOWN!" Darkaan shrieked at Exzodus. He did not want to be dinner for this thing.
Exzodus' heart leapt in fear as he free-fell into the sandstorm.
<CLOSE YOUR EYES DARKAAN!> He squawked as they were engulfed by the black sand-clouds. Darkaan's fearow flew close to the ground- hoping that the aerodemon would not spot them so far below.

Exzodus knew they were now nearing the edge of the desert. He could sense it. He could smell dampness way off.

[Professor Gravon]

Powerful wings could be heard beating above Darkaan and Exzodus over the sound of the sandstorm. A bright light suddenly came from somewhere. A hyperbeam struck meters ahead where Exzodus was about to fly into!

It missed thank goodness!

[Darkaan]

Out of pure fear, Exzodus bolted out of the sandstorm and dove vertically up into the dark sky. His eyes scanning along the way as he tore through the cold chilly air.

Darkaan held on for life, as his fearow freaked out. ALl he could ask himself was where was his beloved mantine? And why did this... thing have to attack them. What did they do? And who could help them?

And then a thought came to his mind!

Jiishan's song!

He had forgotten it, but his electabuzz had somehow recorded her voice in his static radiowaves.
When Exzodus was horizontal in the air, he wiggled over and released his electabuzz beside him and asked him to play Jiishan's song.

Thundigar released a light from his bulbous antennae and started searching his memory for it. Suddenly a static noise came from his antennae and music started to play. Jishaan's song was amplified the more sparks Thundigar was releasing.

Exzodus was feeling nervous by the sparks leaping off his back. But the melody was soothing. Darkaan wanted the music to stop as he was worried it might attract the aerodemon.

When he heard it play through, he stopped it as soon as possible and let the air play it's silent melody through Exzodus' feathers. They were in complete darkness... Waiting for hope to arrive, or there imminent death.