Hybrid can feel the silence from her figments. Feel the way that she stiffens just slightly. She forces a grin over her face and looks at Holly, who's eyes have narrowed on her. Judging her response carefully. And slowly Hybrid drops the smile, her ears flattening and her tail lowering.

"R-right... I'll do that then..." she says awkwardly shifting in place before jumping down. "It's good to know that I'm otherwise healthy... I'll see you later!" she says backing out of the room slowly before racing off. Back down the hall lit by glow worms and bioluminescent fungi. The further away she goes the more she slows down, until eventually she's trotting at a more moderate pace and looking around the area with interest. Curiosity, she kind of wants to go exploring now. To find out what else is here. But... She pauses as dirt returns to metal beneath her paws and looks back.

Holly specifically told her to see someone.

So she should do that... right?

Right!

Except that she's really not that inclined to listen. Oh she knows that she should listen, but where's the interest in that? And besides, she doesn't have any clue of where she would head to actually find and talk to the person mentioned. So she just shakes herself off and continues onwards instead. Only to freeze for a moment, just a bit ahead she can see someone. A fluffy eevee, who isn't looking at her. But there is something just a bit off about this eevee. And finally they seem to notice her.

There's a long moment where nothing happens before the eevee is up and moving before she can react. Well, mostly, she recovers fast, something in her screaming that she needs to follow the eevee. So she does, skidding around corners and racing past rooms with numbers on the doors. Scrambling to keep her paws under her feet as the ground gets more and more slippery. Until finally she's forced to skid to a stop when the eevee disappears completely. Leaving her in a new area.

Well, new to her at least.

It's crumbling, in disrepair really. Beams and pieces of the ceiling lying around. And, as she slowly walks over the slippery tile, she notices the brown stains on the ground. Stains that she recognizes, if only because of how often she's stained her own clothing with similar stains. Blood. Old and dry, and yet. She takes a deep breath, still able to smell the rotten crusty scent of dried blood. She walks slowly, ears lowering against her head. Both of the figments are completely silent as well. And finally she comes across something different. A broken door, with char and debris around it. But also...

A broken helmet, with some sparking cords. She steps around it, before raising herself up on her hind legs and peering in. Everything is ruined. Computer screens smashed and thrown to the ground, desks in bits and pieces, piled up against the wall. Cords in a tangled mess over the floor, other bits of broken machinery, but... What makes her pause is the figure in the very center of it all. A small almost harmless looking familiar pokémon. One that Hybrid personally knows quite well considering how often it's on their top ten favourite pokémon lists. A pichu. But it's all alone, curled up in the center of the room. Not looking in her direction, not looking in any direction the way they're curled.

And despite the fact that her instincts are screaming warnings, she takes a deep breath and easily jumps through the hole in the door. Instantly the smell of the room just intensifies. The scent is a mixture of dried blood, char and electrical failure. And there's something else, beneath that which makes her want to retch. But she swallows, forcing herself to lick her lips and slink forwards. Carefully stepping over broken glass and still sparking cords. Wondering why nobody's cleaned this all up.

Wondering why the small pichu in front of her is not responding in the slightest. She slowly steps forwards, before halting. Standing almost in the middle of the wreckage, barely a meter or two between her and the pichu. She tilts her head one way, and then the other. Simply breathing, observing them. Trying to find the words within her to call out to them, to ask if they're okay. And yet, there is something just beyond them. Something else in her view, something small that catches her eyes.

And catches the words in her throat.

A small paw, familiar, but dulled and washed out. With grey stains around on the wall and floor beneath where it's hanging. Hybrid swallows slowly, before taking a small step backwards, Jane making small distressed noises in her head. The pichu remains still and Hybrid gives just another glance at it. Now able to see the faint glow around it. The small pulse and beat of an ethereal glow. An aura that does not belong to someone or something alive.

'{That poor pichu!}' Jane moans, distress finally moving her to speak within Hybrid's head. '{How could they do this to them!}' Hybrid can only nod her head in agreement, but the real question is, who is the them who done this? Pokéumans? Pokextinction? This is some kind of war after all and she has no idea which side is good, which side is bad. Not truly, because while Pokextinction has been painted in a negative light thus far, Hybrid hasn't heard the full story.

She only knows what she's read. Small snippets from Deviantart, and what she's heard. From Mr. B Poextinction is full of lazy people who can't do their job right, but she's never seen anyone actually from Pokéumans, none of the PRT.

And now there's this. The Base that the Roamers' Association is using as a meeting place. And she still has no idea what's going on.

'{Who could do this?}' Jane whines in her head, and she can almost picture a shaken head. '{It's a waste of life, a waste of resources... but...}'

'Which side of the war is behind this?' Hybrid wonders, closing her eyes before looking once more at the small pichu. She's not assuming anything, she can't assume anything, they could be a child, they could be an adult, there's no way to know. But the fact is, the evidence that's staring her straight in the face cannot be denied. This is still a life lost far too soon. 'Did anyone even care?' she swallows, and narrows her eyes. Determination firming up her frame as she takes yet another step forwards. Just enough to finally catch the pichu's attention. To cause them to look at her.

And, they look unharmed. Grey eyes meet her own, and they tilt their head. Blinking slowly they stand up and their ears twitch.

*Did master send you to fetch me?* they ask sounding oh so hopeful and something in Hybrid's chest lurches, shattering. *I thought that they would never remember me? Do I have a new mission? Is there anything I can help with?* They sound so young, so innocent and Hybrid forces herself to swallow. Forces herself to speak.

"Not exactly..."

*Oh...* the pichu falls silent, looking down at the ground. *Then why are you here? Wait... I don't recognize you, are you new?*

"Very!" Hybrid nods her head, before looking up. "I just recently finished transforming, and I just want to know... are you okay?" The pichu nods their head before sitting back down. Small feet sticking up and ears twitching.

*That makes sense!* they cheerfully chirp before narrowing their eyes. *So, you're one of ours? Or one of theirs?*

"Neither!" Hybrid says shaking her head. "Just a Roamer passing through!"

'{But, Oh- I see your point!}' Tammy says before huffing something angrily that she can't quite catch. The pichu blinks before nodding their head. Seemingly coming to some decision before turning and sitting back down with their back facing her. Apparently that's the end of the conversation. Hybrid flickers her ears before sniffing the air, looking off to the side at the small corpse and shaking her head. Turning she jumps through the broken door and simply sways on the spot.

Not sure whether to turn back or to continue.

In the end, it's the mystery that drives her forwards. The want, no need to find out more about this place. What it once was before it became the Roamers' Base. Yet she doesn't find anything else nearly as interesting as the destroyed room. There are a few more of the ethereally flickering pokémon, some of them conversing with one another and one, one that causes her to stop in her tracks for a moment. Merely watching as the flickering Emboar walks past carrying a pack of equally ethereal paperwork. Now that's a mind screw.

'{Did... did we eat something funny?}' Tammy asks in her head sounding for all the world bewildered. Hybrid can only shake her head. '{Then what is this madness... Oh... Wait a second I'll-}' he's cut off as he heads further into their mental scape. Hybrid just shakes her head, ignoring it. He'll probably come back with the information later on. Instead she just keeps trotting down the halls that all look the same aside the variations of the debris around. Trotting around the fallen beams and items until she comes across yet another oddity that makes her stop.

It's a mural. To some description anyway. With a Mewtwo depicted in the middle of it all and people(and pokémon) all bowing around it. Hybrid sits for a moment simply staring at the mural, before one ear twitches and she turns slightly. Able to see someone coming. A small familiar form, the minccino from earlier. The smaller pokéuman easily navigates the fallen debris before stopping atop one of the fallen beams. They give a small glance to the mural before looking at her. Ears and tail twitching. Before they take a deep breath and shake their head.

"You shouldn't be down here!"

"I know..." Hybrid says, returning her gaze to the mural. "But..."

"No! You shouldn't be down here. No one comes down to this level, or lower... Some of-" the minccino cuts herself off before shaking her head rapidly. "You just shouldn't be down here okay! It's not safe!"

"Some of what could be here?" Hybrid asks, eyes narrowing and the minccino taps one foot against the ground before rapidly shaking her head. "Okay, just... I'm still lost and new to this whole thing... nobodies explained anything yet..." she lowers her head down just a bit, eyes still focused on the mural and she can hear the minccino sigh.

"Yeah, well, I'm probably not the best person to give you the explanation..." she says shaking her head. The minccino plops down beside her. "What, with my Extinctionist roots and all... heh, not that any of the shades around here would be much better, they can't talk and all..."

"Shades?" Hybrid asks, raising her head in confusion, looking at the smaller Pokéumans who nods her head.

"Yeah, the shades! I'm guessing you can see them to, considering you raced off after one just before I was gonna call you over. Show you my shop you know... They don't really do much aside wander the place. Sad really."

"But... can't you see them as Pokémon?" Hybrid asks and the smaller shakes their head.

"Nah, just grey blobs of spiritual resonance. Why? Do you see them as something more?" Hybrid is about to say something when the minccino laughs before shaking her head. "Anyway, I should get back to the Shop... so many potential customers around you know! Come by if you get the chance, I might have something for you... Better than that silly shark tooth anyway!"

"It is not silly..." Hybrid mutters as the minccino takes off. Soon disappearing. Glancing one last time at the mural Hybrid shakes her head. And wanders back down the hall. Giving each of the glowing pokéumans the 'shades' long looks as she passes them. And at the end of the hall she peers into the first room again... and as expected. The small pichu is back once more. But they're holding something in their arms, and staring at it. Hybrid steps back swallowing before continuing.

Finding her way out is easier than it was to find her way in. It's as simple as finding the ramp back up. Ramps. Because of pokémon without legs she supposes. And she's soon back in the upper floors. The ones actually being used. And she takes a deep breath sitting herself down at the top of the ramp before closing her eyes. There's a lot for her to take in and think about now. Because it's not normal to see ghosts. And according to that minccino other people can see them... but only as blobs of grey, of spiritual resonance. Which is wrong, because Hybrid can see them as people. As pokéumans.

She takes another deep breath, before opening her eyes. And something flashes in them, as she stands up. She's about to turn and walk right back down there. To find one of the ghosts to talk to when something stops her. At the other end of the hall. Again she sees that familiar eevee. Glowing with the light that indicates an undead state. And she narrows her eyes, before racing forwards. The eevee nods and flicks his tail, racing off. Once more leading her round and round until disappearing.

Leaving her to slide to a stop in front of yet another new place.

Nothing is broken here at least. No instead it's just a plain door in front of her. With an awkwardly hung sign up on it. Hybrid tilts her head back trying to peer up at the sign to read it. And she fails, with a groan she falls backwards before frowning. This is not much of a better angle. In fact it serves to make it harder to read. With a small grumble to herself Hybrid pushes herself back up on all fours, before she raises up on her hind legs. Wavering awkwardly. She peers at the plate.

Scrawled on it, in hasty cursive is a name that she's just barely able to make out.

Michelle

That name's familiar. And she drops back down blinking her eyes as it hits her. Michelle the Sylveon. The one she was told to go see by Holly. Taking a deep breath she prepares herself. Before gently pushing the door open and peering around. Nobody seems to be there, and she steps inside, the door swinging shut behind her. She takes a deep breath, looking one way around the room and then the other. Awkwardly, she sits down and shifts.

"Hello?"