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before the descent of their actions, he considers the voice with a still—bound apathy in his eyes. there is something hazily familiar about the man however, jayde doesn't take the slight moment of figuring it out. distance is made from the measly fragment of a tag as a precaution. in spite of being far to lacking for a great fire, anything was to be expected in a place such as this. [break][break]

in the spark of every ignition, he stared into the flames which shifted and changed. it painted an image within the menace of its heat, the target that resounded like a broken radio. wish— he repeats within his mind, echoing the warning with a distinct furrow. hell swarmed around them in the faded message. what was meant to be harmless became opposite of their predictions. [break][break]

this was nothing— jayde thought, clenching his teeth against the horrid rise. charizard stands against the wave of every flicker, shielding him from the impact of what could've proved deadly. unfortunately it is the smoke that gets to him. the collar of the shirt is hastily yanked over his face. everything burns and it leaves his eyes watery and blurred by the dilemma. [break][break]

"the— stairs—" his voice strains against the thick build. they are furthest from the possibility of retreat, yet the amber beast outstretches its wings against their enemy. he can feel his shoulders searing, the feeling extending itself to the very center of his back. still, the motion persists in his blindness. [break][break]

when jayde finally reaches the staircase, he stops part way to lean against the surprisingly cool wall. he hears the low growl of the beast close at his side— a rumble of concern. "stick with me." he says after awhile, not willing to let the charizard out of his sight. especially not in a place such as this. traps were scattered everywhere in the figure ushering up foolish desires. [break][break]

instead, they move towards the door.

[break]
took dominic sinclair 's advice and stepped away from the brazier,,, charizard blocked him from the flames and guides him towards the second floor,,, 🔥

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dreaming of[break]black & white

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Emma had been skeptical that setting fire to all six braziers at the same time would work. It seemed.. almost too easy and straightforward. It had been a no-brainer, and everyone had fallen for it. She hadn't stepped up to the plate to aid, but mostly because she didn't have any Pokemon who knew fire-type attacks other than Salandit. And in order for her to have been useful, she'd have to be held.

She wasn't interested in getting burned.

But wasn't that ironic? Because now the whole room was engulfed in flame and smoke.

The braziers lit up easily, and as she scoped out the room, several of the flames seemed to dance with images. Her eyes grew wider, however, when the paper tags lit up like a gusher of fire, streaming towards the ceiling. In a matter of seconds, everything was smoke and flame, and she was ducking.

Emma looked to Mercy, feeling a sense of urgency to make sure the woman got out alive.

There's a distinct noise behind her, and as she squints through the smoke, she sees that the stone doors are closing. There's no time to run back to the outside, not that that would be beneficial to them.

Through the fire and flame, Emma caught the knowing look from @mercy. At the pink-haired woman's side are two Pokemon, one of which seems reluctant to help. She can hear, faintly, Mercy order her Wimpod to protect the other people.

Her eyes narrow, as if angry that she has decided to go against Team Rocket customs to only help yourself.

But, she has a point. They'll die in here sooner rather than later if they don't make friends and allies. The woman turns her head to see Mercy disappear. She's screaming, begging everyone to follow her to the stairs above. Her Clefable knows teleport, apparently.

Emma coughs into her arm, and she makes her way to the door. She has released Lycanroc to help shield her from the flames. However, despite his attempts to stick close to her and let her breath into his fur to muffle the smoke, Emma pushes him away.

"I need you to use rock slide on the braziers. Try to choke the flames out at the source," she gasps, before turning and seeing NIKOLAI PETROV.

She's running towards him when he asks his Charizard to slash away the flames. The air currents are powerful and intense, breaking the smoke into fragments. He's made an opening for people to make it to the stairs.

Lycanroc has already begun his assigned task. He's begun to smash rocks, throwing and pushing and heaving them into heavy rock slides. They hopefully crash into the braziers as he goes around to the two closest to the stairs. If he can squash some of the flames, they may be able to escape.

Emma stops short next to Nikolai as he returns the giant flaming lizard. She watches him, her eyes owlish as she attempts to see through the smoke.

"We better get moving. I'll cover your back, just get moving. We don't have time to wait."

If there is anyone else heading towards Nikolai to help, she does her best to encourage them to head up ahead of her. Lycanroc, after doing all he can, will begin heading back to his trainer. He's breathing hard, but his eyes are wild with exhilaration.

"Lycanroc, if there are any stragglers, rescue them, but stay close to the stairs. Don't be reckless."

She's hoarse, but firm. The Pokemon seemed surprised to hear this sort of compassion come from his trainer, but he complies. Emma considers releasing another of her Pokemon to aid the werewolf, but she feels the prickle of unease. Her Pokemon are weak to fire, and she doesn't want to risk losing them.

The Lycanroc is already gone, and Emma follows Nikolai up the stairs.

For the briefest moment, she feels fear. What if Lycanroc doesn't come back to her?

"Come back to me, Lycanroc."

She whispers, the tightness in her chest squeezing as she thinks about losing him to the flames.

> emma releases lycanroc
> orders lycanroc to try and rock slide/choke the flames on the two braziers closest to the stairs
> runs to nikolai, encourages him to get to safety and that she has his back
> orders lycanroc to help rescue anyone straggling near the stairs.
> for once feels an ounce of worry for her pokemon

[attr="class","runruntag"]@mercy NIKOLAI PETROV

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