Sloane Jackson & Azlan- Human & Azelf Gijinka
Slateport City, Hoenn
Affected RPers: @Neo Emolga

The Oasis had been a trap. It was unsurprising given how too conveniently placed the whole concept of the respite had been in the first place. Yet, despite her suspicions, Sloane was still suffering the consequences of entering the accursed place. For a while, after the events of the Trick House's collapse, Sloane had blamed the side effects she was currently suffering on Shiloh, for pushing her through. And yet, Sloane knew deep down she had no one to blame for herself. Now she was trying to resist the ever growing fog on her mind in hopes of locating Dylan. There was just one problem, the Oasis survivors. Just like Sloane, the other survivors from the Oasis were suffering from the mental fog as well, and it was dividing them. That had been the trap the whole time. The Trick Master had used the mist from the Oasis to enter the minds of the Oasis survivors in an attempt to control or dispose of them. Sloane was able to resist it, but only because she was aware of its presence. Not everyone else was so lucky.

Sloane's breaths came quickly as her feet beat against the frosted ground. Eyesight sharp, ears tuned, and fingers tightly grasping the sleek metal machine within them, Sloane kept a constant scan of the area, Azlan covering her blind spots when he could. In the short time the two had been present in the candy land that was once Slateport, the two realized that this had quickly become a war zone for Oasis survivors. With the Trick Master's influence over them, they had begun to fight among each other, forced to keep fighting an eternal Hunger Games. Sloane slid to a stop at a corner and pressed her back against the gingerbread wall. Azlan stopped beside her and waited as Sloane leaned out and scanned the upcoming intersection. Seeing the coast clear, Sloane nodded to Azlan, then the two crossed quickly.

Just as the two thought they were in the clear, a spray of bullets sent a group of candy cane trashcans flying. Sloane recoiled from the sudden attack and tried to spot him. Azlan located him first, grabbing the sniper with his psychic powers and forcing him to the ground. It took the man a moment to recover, but Sloane already had her gun pointed at his head by the time he could orient himself. The man stared up at her, emotionless, waiting for her to shoot. Sloane's eyes narrowed and her finger tightened on the trigger, the fog clouding out her thoughts. Sloane grit her teeth and began to force the fog back, the gun shaking in her hands as she resisted the Trick Master's voice inside her head. Azlan noticed the man start to move and barely stopped a bullet from hitting Sloane in the forehead. Sloane sucked in a tight breath, the bullet right at the center of her forehead. The man, now showing his concealed pistol, seemed caught off guard by Azlan's extremely quick reflexes. With a twitch of his finger, Azlan sent the bullet back at the man, missing the man's temple by less than an inch. The man stumbled back, startled, giving Sloane and Azlan enough to backtrack quickly to the intersection. They turned down the left road, hoping to lose the sniper, but this proved futile when a battle cry echoed throughout the streets of Slateport.

Sloane cast a quick glance over her shoulder and felt her heart nearly stop inside her chest. The man was too close for comfort, his pistol gleaming in the light. A good shot and that was it. Sloane ducked into another alley, Azlan close behind, and the three began to play a game of cat and mouse through the gingerbread maze. Cotton candy flakes began to fall from the sky, sticking to Sloane's clothes and hair. She turned down another turn and then another, before breaking into a wide open area with a group of three Bellossom at the edge. Hair snapping in the wind, Sloane began to charge across the open area, trying to take cover as quickly as possible. She chanced another look back to see Azlan much further behind than she remember.

"Azlan! Hurry up! That mad man is going to get us if we don't take cover now!" Sloane shouted with an annoyed tone as she halted about halfway across the clearing. Azlan's feet beat against the uneven chocolate bricks.

"Easy for you to say! You're used to that form!"

"You should really listen to the little lady, fancy pants." Sloane and Azlan froze as a bullet cut off some of Azlan's hair. Time seemed to slow as the man approached the frozen Azlan from behind. Sloane could hear her heart pounding her ears as the world zeroed in on Azlan. The man was raising his gun, putting it against Azlan's temple, his finger gripping the trigger like life was dependent on it. Adrenaline began to beat through Sloane's veins and she reacted on instinct, raising her own gun in the blink an eye and firing without a second thought. The man's head snapped back and he collapsed on the ground, his body disappearing moments later. Azlan fell with him, more out of shock than anything else. His head slowly rose after a moment, and there was no mistaking the emotion evident in his golden eyes. Horror. Sloane took deep breaths in and out, her hands shaking as she gripped her own pistol tight enough that her knuckles went white. She looked away, her eyes cast to the ground.

"I had to do it," she whispered quietly. Azlan didn't respond, just watching Sloane. Sloane slowly turned her back to the Azelf and began to make her way out of the clearing. However, before she could exit, a knife froze in front of her forehead, held there by Azlan's psychic. Sloane reached out and grasped the hilt of the knife, spotting her opponent instantly, a young man in a suit and top hat.

Dylan Thomas & Fox Oleander - Rapidash Centaur & Mermaid
Route 100 Lakeside
Affected RPers: N/A

"Ugh! Why did it only change you? Ragh! At this rate I'll be a mermaid forever!"

"I mean if it's any consolation you'll be able to get a boyfriend much easier now." Fox splashed Dylan with her tail, Dylan trying to throw up his hands in defense but it did not do much good for him. "Ow! Fox! Careful that hurts now!"

"Good! Now you can feel pain like I have since I first entered this wretched form!" Fox huffed loudly and sunk down in the water a bit. The two went silent for several minutes before Fox spoke up again. "So the world huh? I always said I wanted to be free of that house but... I didn't mean this."

"None of us wished for this," Dylan answered in a serious tone. "Well, the Trick Master did, but you understand what I meant." Dylan let out a long sigh. He scanned the area around them for any signs of life. Once again, nothing turned up. Earlier in the day there had been quite a bit of traffic through this part of what Dylan had come to assume was once Route 100. However, no one in passing had been that one Dylan sought. Fox knew Dylan longed to look for Sloane, especially after some guy had told Dylan that Sloane had entered the Trick House as well. Personally, Fox didn't trust this one bit but given everything that had happened up until now, she was willing to sacrifice trust for a means to an end. Still, Fox had someone to look for too. Hemlock was missing again. They had briefly reunited before the collapse of the Trick House, but the destruction of the world had separated them. Fox only had Dylan by her side now because she had been close enough to Dylan to be able to locate him, but no matter where she looked, Fox could not find Hemlock. She was worried sick, though she wouldn't admit it, and could only hope the roserade was okay in whatever form he had taken.

"We need to do something," Fox replied, "go somewhere and maybe try to... I don't know, destroy something." Dylan raised an eyebrow at Fox that answered her suggestion without a word. Dylan was already noodling on that one and trying to figure out how to do so. Fox rested her arms on the shore and silently tread water, observing what was once Route 100. Due to the Trick Master's madness, the place had been turned into a dense, humid jungle. It was impossible to see which direction was which and even though she had yet to encounter them, Fox could only imagine what horrors lay in the water she currently tread. Truth be told, Fox just wanted to go somewhere else, anywhere else, and just relax. A nap sounded amazing right about now. When was the last time she had slept? Fox wasn't sure, but it felt like ages. Fox felt her eyelids grow heavy and her head began to lower when Dylan suddenly snapped his fingers.

"Fox, something's coming."

Madder Hatter- Human
Slateport City, Hoenn
Affected RPers: @Neo Emolga

He hadn't really done much to mask his presence but the mad hatter was still somewhat annoyed that someone had been able to stop his knife from piercing the young lady's skull. He had already determined that she did not need to live. Her reaction to what Madder could only assume to be her first kill was quite tragic. It made Madder feel nausea just thinking of it. The kill itself had been smooth and crisp, but that is only a small fraction of killing. The killer's reaction is always the part you savor. And Madder was not savoring this. So she had to die.

"If you could please release my knife, Mr. Fancypants, as he called you, I would appreciate it. I have other people to cut threads with today so I can't stay her and dilly dally with you stopping my knives in mid-air."

"I wouldn't release this knife even if it meant killing the Trick Master himself." Azlan flicked his hand and the knife tumbled to the side harmlessly. "Now, who dares to insult me? Might I request a nomenclature?"

"You certainly may," Madder replied, giving a wide smile and tipping his hat. "They call me, Madder Hatter, circus magician and," Madder lifted his head and made eye contact with Sloane, his eyes glowing a vibrant red, "serial killer extraordinaire."