they'd found the one seeking aid.

now all that had been left was the escape. the light reaches them again through the rise of the basement. peering into the opening of many crevasses created in the aftermath of the invasion. 

she walks alongside the growlithe with umbreon opposite of them, ensuring that the group will be at least somewhat safe in their movements. 

"right...well if only i knew where she'd wandered off!" laughter may sound stupidly joyous given the situation, yet the doubt lingered scarcely by. "umbra, which way?" she asks, the shadow honing in on his more powerful senses.

amazing in comparison to their own.

dark ears twitch momentarily and the fox makes a gesture to their right. the mall is an endless display of large halls, intersecting with one another. although the chance for encounter could be high. 

it is also very slim. "this way then!" she says, continuing to lead them along. moving quickly but not so much that it overlapped the capability of the other. especially with the weight of two pressing down upon him. "if worst comes to worst, we might just have to fly out of here." only truly risky given the scarce recess for retreat that was available to them.

kyle lopez lucius hallows

withdrawal from their treacherous ending seems to good to be true. sure enough, in the faint light, steps forth a figure. his bright silver hair catching her attention as they slow to an eventual halt. 

two prominent companions ensure that space. 

even delphi is not so outwardly daring to respect that a pokemon, wild or not, can be dangerously unpredictable. her own closely bound companions in their previous first encounter are a stark reminder. 

"oh? y-yeah." the request of kyle has her momentarily tense given the confrontation. umbra steps forth from the back, taking the other side of the girl with a hostile glare in his deep red eyes. 

"you know..." she starts, facing the stranger with her familiar smile, "i don't think i've ever seen a man with such white hair! besides an old person! but you look to young for me to refer to you as such!" the regard seems aimless and if not surprising.

umbra eyes her with slight bewilderment, hoping the girl would continue, "say, mister," delphi speaks softly, her velvety tone barely reaching the other, "why don't you let us go? i'm sure a lot of people have been hurt lately. we wouldn't want the same thing to happen here, right?" the charm seems to have been overlapped in the dare. 

kyle lopez lucius hallows

her smile strained at the attempt. clearly the blunder to their escape. thankfully in the ramble they portrayed an impression of a lackluster threat. 

"well, i mean, if you guys are bored—" the glance reaches the other, gathering the idea that was in mind. although she wasn't a mind reader, it was a hopeful assumption given the situation. 

"—then why not! we could always use some more company!" she'd never oppose such a thing. in spite of how dangerous rocket was, they were still people. "hey, maybe we could grab something to eat! oh! like pizza no— ice cream!" her eyes sparked in glee. 

supposedly she was beginning to misplace the current task. "my name is delphi by the way! it's nice to meet you all!" she approaches the group, perhaps stupidly daring given the amount of familiarity they all held over one another. lacking and uncertain. 

"lets get going!" umbreon, still hostile, watches them carefully. unwilling to accept what had been a prominent danger. it stands between delphi and the rocket group, guarding her despite its small form. 

a prominent feature of loyalty. 

kyle lopez lucius hallows

her elation was quickly overlapped by the realization. poised hands raise in defense to those that inched closer and closer. unfortunately, as kyle mentioned, her charm was simply not enough. 

"eh? why? why?" delphi repeated, her lips quirked into a strained smile. clearly perplexed by the shift that had left her once confident. now the girl was baffled by the fact rocket wouldn't allow it. 

although more than prompted by the idea of battle, the beautiful presence of milotic swept them into the cover of mist. instinctively she moves back from where their enemies once stood, drawn towards the voice of the other. umbreon still visibly close by. 

"kyle?" she called, the crimson dressed man finally revealed against the hovering layer. "sorry, i tried my best, honestly!" the lighthearted nature was shown as always. her soft voice misplaced by those that sought to find them. sadly not by innocent company.

"you should take her out of here while you still have the chance." abandonment wasn't entirely the nicest of feelings. leaving someone else vulnerable was a situation ridden by guilt. then again, it was not delphi that was leaving them behind. 

"go! i'll distract them!" her voice raises, ushering kyle to move towards the gate. "umbra! dark pulse!" the fox averts its destructive essence towards the gradual barrier, rendering it useless as a hindrance.

suddenly, within the mist, azure would come out of nowhere. from her previous absence, charged into the rocket mob with extremespeed followed by a deadly bone rush. aimed to distract them.  

kyle lopez lucius hallows

the obvious is disregarded. in spite of the self—destructive grant of the opposites decision, she continued to smile. unaware of what passive sourness rung itself clearly in kyle's voice. 

"you gotta have some faith in me! i wouldn't die that easily!" she protested, her tone of voice merry in the near blinding rage of dancing sand. she raises her hand against the nuisance before the other reaches downwards.

releasing two other companions. 

gemi and raz make their presence known in the overwhelming cries. shrilling beneath the gradual beginning of unsteady surroundings. 

"both of you! boomburst!" devastating noise fluctuates from the two beasts. it reaches effortlessly past the storm and forcibly invades the space of their enemy. with azure close to the source it has left her blinded. reliant simply on the power of her aura.

"kyle! when we break through this sandstorm, get on flygon! we're gonna fly out of here!" it isn't exactly a suggestion. with the parking lot inevitably dwindling of its stability, they were at a threat of getting caved in. trapped and injured beneath the weight of what settled before them.

and eventually— death. 

kyle lopez lucius hallows